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"Destination: Kolosten. Estimated time of arrival: one hour."
Ai-chan's computerized voice sounded throughout the bridge, informing everyone in it that their days-long flight was nearing its end. The Hyperion sailed through the atmosphere, as graceful as a falcon in flight and much more lethal.
Johann Stern, the captain of the Hyperion, was unsure what to think. In a way, he had been waiting for an opportunity like this for quite some time. He had wanted nothing more than an opportunity to deliver Otto Apocalypse to justice for his countless crimes. He also had far more personal reasons to despise Otto.
But his revenge would likely need to wait. They were not flying to Kolosten, a small town that had been the previous headquarters of Schicksal, in search of a conflict. Otto had invited them there because he was ostensibly resigning as Overseer of Schicksal and wanted to welcome his granddaughter, Theresa, into that same position of power. It was obvious to any of them that whatever Otto was planning, it was more than a mere coronation ceremony.
Johann admitted to himself that he feared what Otto and the future planned for them. He was well aware of what that man was capable of. But he would always keep Theresa safe. It was his duty as a captain.
He glanced at Theresa, who stood beside him. She must have felt even more confusion and uncertainty than he did. The silver-haired nun's blue eyes were fixated on the view visible outside the Hyperion's reinforced windows. Kolosten was not visible to them yet, but it would be soon.
Finally, she sighed and turned away from the windows to face him instead.
"I never thought that I'd ever go back to that place," she said.
"I never thought that I would, either," he replied.
"Forgive me for asking, but wasn't Kolosten where you were discovered unconscious a few years ago before you joined Schicksal?"
He nodded. "It isn't a sensitive topic for me, so there's no need to apologize for asking. Yes, it was. I was discovered unconscious and without any memories of my identity. The one who found me was…Rita. And then there are the dreams I've had…"
He claimed that he wasn't bothered by the subject, but the way his eyes had closed made it clear that it bothered him more than he let on.
"Rita…" Theresa murmured. "Well, I hope that by visiting again, you can find out more about your past and who you are. I'd be happy to help you do that, especially once I'm the Overseer."
He smiled at her. "Thank you, Theresa. I hope so, too. But first, we'll need to deal with Otto. I think it's time to call everyone to the bridge to prepare them for the landing."
He pressed a button, which activated the microphone in front of him. He spoke into the intercom, which projected his voice throughout the entire ship. "Attention, all valkyries and crew. This is your captain speaking. The Hyperion will be arriving at our destination in under an hour. All valkyries and officers are to report to the bridge within the next ten minutes for a briefing about our upcoming duties "
He deactivated the microphone and sighed, Theresa sighing with him.
...
Kiana, Bronya, Seele, Fu Hua, Rozaliya, Liliya, Tesla, Einstein, and several officers stepped into the bridge and assembled before Johann and Theresa.
"Thank you for being here," Johann began. "We have a lot to say because we have so much to do, so listen carefully."
"As you already know, we've flown to Kolosten where I will become the next Overseer of Schicksal. A ceremony to commemorate this will be held there in a number of days," continued Theresa. "The current Overseer…my grandfather…Otto…you all know what kind of man he is by now. He isn't one to be straightforward and direct. He's always planning something beneath the surface. We don't know what he really wants by bringing us to Kolosten, but this means that I want all of you to be on high alert. Never let your guard drop, and be prepared for anything. Are there any questions?"
There was a somber silence in the bridge before Kiana finally spoke. "We'll all do our best to keep you safe, Aunt Theresa. What are we supposed to do once we land?"
"We'll be met by whoever Otto will have sent to greet us. We'll go along with what he wants for now as we figure out what he's planning," Johann answered. He was glad to see Kiana as determined as she always was, but as he spoke, he noticed how she also seemed to be slightly shy. Ever since he had defeated Sirin with her, she had behaved like this around him. On the other hand, her new hairstyle, a long ponytail, helped her look even more confident than before.
"Will we need to be prepared for combat?" Bronya asked.
"It's possible. Like I said, we all need to be prepared for anything," Theresa said. "And Bronya…as their elder sister, keep an eye on Rozaliya and Liliya and make sure that they're on their best behaviour."
"We always are!" Rozaliya insisted. "The Vodka Girls never misbehave!"
"Rozaliya Idiotka, yesterday you accidentally fired the Hyperion's missiles at itself when you went playing in the bridge," Liliya muttered. "You should probably remain onboard when we land."
"That was Seele's fault! She tried to hide my cherry cake there! I only went looking for it!"
Seele blushed slightly. "That…that was the other me, Rozaliya…"
"That's enough, Rozaliya. We all forgive you, but you need to be more careful from now on," said Bronya.
"That goes for all of us," Johann said. "When we land, we'll need to keep each other safe. I can trust all of you to do that, and I promise that I'll do the same for all of you."
They all nodded. Then, Fu Hua stepped forward. "I can attest to that. You've improved incredibly quickly under my training, faster than most of the disciples I've taught."
He smiled at her. "It's all thanks to you, Fu Hua. You're an incredible teacher. Now, I'm strong enough to fight beside all of you."
Fu Hua had been about to begin teaching Johann to master his void powers not long after she had been freed from the Herrscher of Sentience, but then Sirin had taken control of his body for several weeks, delaying that plan. It was only after the Herrscher of Domination had been defeated when he was finally free to begin his training under her, and he had made rapid progress.
The bridge fell into another silence. Johann turned around to face the outside again.
Should I tell them?
He thought back to the night before. The night when Raiden Mei had visited him before doing so much more.
There's no better time than now, and they all have a right to know. Kiana, especially…I can only hope for the best.
He was about to turn around, but then Ai-chan, the artificial intelligence that inhabited the Hyperion, began speaking in an alarmed tone.
"Captain, you probably want to see this. I've received a transmission from Overseer Otto. Should I patch him through?"
"Otto? He's contacted us?" Theresa asked. She hadn't been prepared to see him again already.
"Yes, Headmistress Theresa. The signal is coming from Kolosten. To accept is up to you, captain."
"Fine. Let's see what he wants with us," Johann said. "Open the transmission, Ai-chan."
A second later, a rectangular, holographic screen appeared in the bridge, showing a man with long, blonde hair and verdant green eyes. He wore white robes and sat in a throne, sipping blood-red wine from a wineglass. Standing on both sides of him were two women. Neither of them made eye contact.
Otto seemed as casual and carefree as any man enjoying a glass of wine. Another mouthful vanished before he seemed to notice them. He smiled, smug and confident.
"My dear Theresa, I'm so glad that you spared time out of your day just for me. I'm just as glad to see the ones with you. I trust that your flight has been a safe and timely one. Johann, it's a pleasure to see you as well. Have you been taking good care of my granddaughter for me?"
"You have a lot of nerve showing your face to us again, you bastard," Johann snarled. "To answer your question, I am. Theresa is safe from you, and as her captain, it's my duty to make sure that she stays that way."
Otto smirked. "I expected nothing less from you. You always were the best captain Schicksal ever had."
"What do you want, grand…Otto? Are you here to intimidate us? It won't work," Theresa said, determined to not show any weakness before her grandfather.
"Nothing of the sort, Theresa. I've come to greet you. What kind of Overseer would I be if I couldn't provide a proper welcome for my honoured guests?"
"What do you mean?" Theresa asked.
"Those I've sent to greet you will be arriving in only a few minutes. Make sure to give them a proper welcome. I'm sure that with all of your powers combined, you will rise to the occasion like all valkyries should," Otto answered cryptically.
"What are you talking about, Otto?" Johann demanded.
Otto said nothing. He only answered with another smug smile.
Frustrated, Johann looked to the two women standing beside the Overseer. One had peach-coloured hair and wore blue and white amour. She didn't meet his gaze. Her face was empty.
The other woman wore a maid uniform decorated with numerous red roses. She had medium-length brown hair. Unlike her companion, she was unable to break eye contact with him.
Rita…
He squeezed his eyes shut, unable to bear the pain of his memories. Then he turned his gaze to the other woman.
"Bianka…I know you can hear me. Please, listen…you don't need to do this. You don't need to work for Otto anymore. I know that you know the horrible things he's done. I know that you're a good person at heart. I know that you can accomplish so much more without him. Do you remember when you stayed at St. Freya with us? Bronya went missing, but you helped rescue her. That's the kind of person you are, Bianka. Please…do the right thing…"
Bianka listened with her gaze lowered before she forced herself to meet his eyes. Her eyes were full of conflict and uncertainty. She finally spoke. "Johann…I'm sorry."
She walked away.
"Bianka, wait!" he yelled, but Otto laughed.
"I'm afraid that Bianka has already made her decision. You would do well to respect it. Rita here certainly does."
"Don't you dare drag Rita into this," Johann said in a quiet and deadly tone, but then he was interrupted by Ai-chan.
"Captain, you definitely want to see this. I'm picking up multiple unidentified bogeys incoming at Mach speeds. There's…a dozen, no, thirty…a hundred of them inbound…"
"What?" Theresa exclaimed. "Do we have visuals on them?"
"Bringing up camera footage now."
A second holographic image was projected into the bridge. It was as blue as the sky around them, but as the cameras zoomed in, a number of man-sized objects became visible, flying through the atmosphere at supersonic speeds. They would reach the Hyperion within minutes.
Everyone in the bridge gasped.
They weren't just the size of men. They appeared to be men, each dressed in a white and blue suit, a blue tie, and a white hat. Each wore a clown-like mask frozen into a perpetual grin…and each had long, blonde hair.
Otto laughed even louder than before. "Ah, there they are. It was about time they arrived. As I said before, make sure to give your guests a proper greeting, my dear Theresa and Johann. And afterward, I look forward to meeting you all again in person." He brought the wineglass in front of the camera as he gazed through it, bathing them all in blood. Then he emptied the glass before waving goodbye.
"We aren't done with you yet, you bastard - " Johann started to say, but the transmission cut off. The other screen of the incoming enemies remained up, which was joined by several more, each showing more and more of those flying men.
"Ai-chan, what the hell are those things?" Johann demanded. "Analyze them now!"
"I already have. They appear to be composed entirely of Soulium…not only their bodies, but also their weapons. They're each wielding what appears to be one of the Divine Keys…I detect the Judgement of Shamash in both pistol and blade form, the Oath of Judah, the Abyss Flower…"
"Soulium?" Bronya said. "Those must be Otto's Soulium clones he created to achieve functional immortality. He somehow discovered how to control all of them simultaneously and equipped them all with copies of the Divine Key weapons."
So, this is your first move, Otto. The game begins.
Johann forced a smile. "If it's a fight you want, Otto, then we're glad to give you one. Ai-chan, ready the railguns and missiles and activate force fields at maximum power!"
Energy flowed throughout the complex systems of the Hyperion as it transformed itself from a vehicle of transportation into an indomitable weapon of war. Its ventral and dorsal railguns and air-to-air missiles were primed and operational, and a shield of translucent blue energy enclosed the entire battleship, defending it from the violence that was soon to come.
"All railguns ready to fire. All missiles on standby. Force fields operating at maximum settings," confirmed Ai-chan.
Johann turned around to face his valkyries and crew. The officers had already begun their duties without needing to be told. The valkyries awaited their orders.
"Everyone…I hate to ask you this, but you all need to prepare for a fight. Otto is about to attack. Let's teach him why that's a mistake."
They all nodded.
"I'll prepare the mechs for combat," said Einstein even as Tesla began doing exactly that.
Then Bronya stepped forward and hugged him.
"Bronya?"
"We'll protect you, Johann. We won't let Otto hurt you."
"Bronya's right. You can rely on us," said Kiana before stepping forward and hugging him in turn. He hugged both of them back before noticing Seele, Fu Hua, and the twins walking up to him next. Each of the girls hugged him one by one.
Theresa hugged him last.
"Theresa, take command of them. I'll remain in the bridge and direct you from there," he said.
Theresa smiled. "Let's show my grandpa what Team Hyperion is capable of." She stepped back and manifested a massive golden cross, the Oath of Judah. She began walking to the elevator that would lift them outside onto the roof of the Hyperion. "Let's go, all of you."
"Even us?" asked Rozaliya.
"We'll need all the firepower we can get. Just be careful. This is Otto we're dealing with. I know him better than any of us, and I can tell you that he is not a man to make half-hearted moves," Theresa said.
Kiana's eyes burned as if they were aflame. She joined Theresa on the elevator along with Seele, nervous but determined, and Fu Hua, whose face was calm and almost at peace. Bronya was the last to join them. Soon, they found themselves standing outside the Hyperion.
The sky was bluer than it normally was when seen through the force field that surrounded the ship. It was rated as being capable of defending against the attacks of Judgement-class Honkai beasts. After Tesla and Einstein worked their genius on it, they said that it could now withstand a number of blows from a Herrscher. Unfortunately, Otto was worse than any Honkai beast or Herrscher in more ways than one.
They scanned the horizon, searching for the Otto clones that were by now mere minutes away.
"Kiana, Bronya - you two are the only ones who can fly. Can you engage Otto as far away from the Hyperion as possible, but still within its firing range so it can provide you with support fire?" Johann asked them over their earpieces.
"We will," they replied. They transformed into their Herrscher forms - Kiana was clad in white armour and wielded a flaming sword; Bronya wore an elegant blue and white dress and allowed her hair to fall freely. They took flight to intercept the many incoming Soulium clones. Both sides charged at each other, ready for the slaughter.
Within a moment, they were clashing with Otto's doppelgangers. The battle had begun. Flames and reason erupted in the sky.
Kiana yelled as she bisected one of the clones with her blazing sword, but just as quickly, its two halves reformed.
"Be careful, Bronya! They're regenerating!" she warned before one of them slashed at her with its own blazing sword, a mimic of the Judgement of Shamash. Then, she was surrounded and attacked from all sides.
Bronya had already taken this vital intel into account and immediately realized that to destroy the clones for good, every last nanomachine of Soulium would need to be annihilated at once, leaving nothing to regenerate from. But first, she had to aid her friend.
"Switch Engine Drive. Shift up - one, two, three," Project Bunny said in a mechanical voice as it transformed into a motorcycle. Bronya mounted it, and it charged. Dozens of blue laser cannons appeared around her before firing a barrage of lasers at the mass of clones encircling Kiana, scattering them.
"We need to annihilate them, Kiana! That means to leave nothing of them left!" Bronya yelled as dozens more of them fired lasers at her with their handgun forms of Shamash. Project Bunny's shield blocked them, but she found herself caught in a battle of attrition, one she would inevitably lose. There were simply too many of them.
Then, she noticed countless projectiles moving at hypersonic velocities hurtling in her direction. They tore through the clones as if they weren't even there, reducing them to a fine mist and then nothing.
...
Johann watched with grim satisfaction at the sheer destruction the Hyperion's railguns wrought upon Otto's Soulium avatars. The Hyperion lived up to its namesake as the projectiles vapourized their targets, leaving nothing behind.
He closed his eyes.
This is possible because of you, Himeko. Thank you.
Murata Himeko had proven how it was possible to infuse mundane objects with Honkai energy until they were viable weapons to use against even Herrschers. The syringe filled with anti-Honkai serum she had used to free Kiana from Sirin's control would never have been able to pierce her skin had Himeko not realized this. Kiana had later used the same technique in Arc City, bolstering a regular baseball bat with Honkai energy so that even armoured mechs crumpled beneath its strikes.
The Hyperion's railguns, as powerful as they were, were useless against all but the weakest Herrschers - the Herrscher of Domination being the sole exception given how individually weak its units were - until Tesla and Einstein had modified them while the Hyperion was docked at Anti-Entropy's Salt Lake Base so that they could be laced with Honkai energy before firing, and the same had been done for its missiles. The hope was that the Hyperion could be another weapon to use against future Herrschers, and although its refurbished weapons had largely been untested, the results of Tesla and Einstein's handiwork were now clear to see.
Those railguns can fire over two thousand rounds per minute, each weighing fifty kilograms and moving at Mach Fifteen or more. And there's over a dozen of them mounted on the Hyperion. Nothing - not even Otto - can stand against them.
He watched with approval as the mass of Otto clones vanished before the Hyperion's unrelenting barrage, relieving Kiana and Bronya from the pressure of being attacked from all sides.
"Are you alright, you two?" he asked.
"We are. But be careful, Johann - a lot of the clones managed to get past us and are heading to you now," Kiana said.
"We'll remain in the air until you order us back," said Bronya.
"Stay there and hold off as many of them as you can. The Hyperion will deal with the rest."
He glanced at the camera feed.
"Otto's clones are closing in fast," reported Ai-chan. "They'll land on the Hyperion in less than five minutes."
"Keep the shields up so that doesn't happen. And never stop firing."
"Aye-aye, captain."
The Hyperion's force fields were designed so that the Hyperion's weapons could be fired through them without compromising its defense.
The clones had learned to dodge the projectiles, swerving and weaving in between them. Fewer and fewer of them fell victim to the lethal rounds. The clones accelerated their flight speed. But railguns were not the Hyperion's only weapons.
"Ai-chan, fire all missiles," he ordered.
Dozens of ports opened up on the Hyperion's surface, revealing cells well-stocked with air-to-air missiles. They launched themselves at their targets at supersonic speeds.
"Missiles fired," she confirmed.
Each had also been treated with Honkai energy, and while they did not match the speed of the railguns' projectiles, they did not need to.
One of the clones armed with a Judgement of Shamash blade sliced a missile in half, causing it to detonate prematurely. The rest of the dozens of missiles detonated simultaneously, each creating a multi-kilometer blast radius. The sky turned violet from the explosions of Honkai energy that powered the missiles. When the light receded, only a fraction of clones remained. Unfortunately, they were too close for the missiles to be safely used again.
"Captain, the Hyperion is about to be boarded. The railguns are running low on ammunition, and the clones are too close to safely use the missiles," Ai-chan stated. "Please tell me that you have an idea in mind…my weapons can't shoot at myself, and I'd rather not have a repeat of yesterday…"
Johann stared at the remaining clones, at the eyes and mocking smiles on the masks that each wore.
"Theresa, prepare to engage. The Hyperion dealt with as many of them as it could, and now the rest are up to you. Kiana, Bronya, return to the Hyperion - we need you back here," he ordered.
"Yes, captain," they all answered.
Kiana created a portal, but as soon as she teleported onto the deck of the Hyperion, she groaned with pain and fell to her knees.
"Kiana, are you alright?" Theresa asked, concerned. Then, she realized that she was in no better condition. She could barely even remain upright. The other girls fared no better. They all felt as if their strength was being drained out of their muscles.
"Aunt…Theresa," Kiana gasped, reverting to her base form, her greatsword vanishing, "I…feel weird…"
When Bronya flew back, she groaned with pain as she was forced out of her Herrscher state in the same way Kiana was.
"Girls? Are you alright?" Johann asked. He knew that something was seriously wrong.
"Captain, I'm detecting a field around the Hyperion. Not the force fields - this one is…" said Ai-chan, worried.
"I…I know what it is…it's called the Grace Field, and it's created by the Oath of Judah's Zeroth Power…it can disable Honkai energy in an area…it must be Otto! He's figured out a way to use it for himself…" Theresa slowly said.
They heard laughter from above.
Dozens of Ottos crashed through the Hyperion's force field with ease before gracefully landing on its outer deck. The Hyperion's close-in weapon systems had done nothing to them.
Otto, you bastard…what have you done?!
For reasons that Johann did not understand, he did not feel the same effects of the binding field that his allies outside were suffering from. This did little to relieve his terror at what was about to happen.
"As astute as you always are, my dear granddaughter," said one of the clones.
"I'm pleased at the warm reception you've given us," said another.
"I would expect nothing less. But now, the show truly begins," said all of them at once.
The clones attacked.
One of them sent a flying kick at Seele. She lashed out with her scythe, but the Grace Field had slowed her movements, and she cut through nothing but air. The clone's elbow crashed into her scythe, knocking Seele back as she cried out with pain.
Bronya quickly pushed Seele aside as Project Bunny's clawed hand grabbed the clone and slammed it into the ground. The clone quickly recovered and cleaved the machine in two with its Judgement of Shamash. Bronya immediately pulled out her firearm and began shooting at the clones, but they only laughed even louder.
Kiana retrieved her emergency baseball bat from the pocket dimension she kept it in and was using it to bash the clones on the head. But they only laughed as one of them caught it in its hands and broke it in two.
Theresa tried to impale the clones with the spears that were carried inside her Divine Key, but her aim was severely compromised by the Grace Field, and she succeeded in hitting none of them.
Rozaliya and Liliya had long collapsed to the floor, unconscious.
Fu Hua couldn't even move. Neither could any of the mechs that had been deployed.
The girls were encircled by Otto. There was nothing they could do but wait as he closed in, his clown masks sneering at them.
Then, a lance pierced through each of the clones' chests. They looked down at their impalement before the lances detonated.
Each lance exploded in a golden sphere of energy that disintegrated the clones and all of their nanomachines that granted them their lives. When the light receded, the girls carefully looked up again to see a redheaded man floating above them with over a dozen dark portals behind him.
"Are each of you alright?" he asked them.
They still had trouble speaking. The Grace Field must had still been in effect.
"We…we're fine, Johann…but we need to get rid of this field, or…" Theresa said, leaning on Judah.
"How come…you can use your powers?" Bronya asked. She was happy to be rescued, but she didn't understand how it had happened.
He shook his head. He floated down to them before helping them up. "I don't know. But I do know that we need to do something about it quickly. Ai-chan, have you discovered anything more?"
"Sorry, captain. But it's strange that the field is still active when the clones are gone."
His worry grew by the second. At this rate…
"Johann…I feel like this isn't over. All of the clones were wielding Divine Keys, but none of them went for any killing blows when they easily could have," said Fu Hua. "It's as if they were…toying with us…"
I need to get them away from this area.
He was about to teleport them all to safety - either a pocket dimension or the surface far below would be safer than the prison that had gripped the Hyperion. Suddenly, an overwhelming feeling of alarm and panic flooded his mind.
Johann, behind us!
He didn't even have time to register any of it when he felt an impact from behind. Then several more.
A burning agony spread throughout his chest as multiple perforations dotted his body, each emitting a golden beam of light. They were lasers fired from the Judgement of Shamash, in pistol form.
The girls screamed, but they could do nothing but watch in helpless horror as dozens of Otto's clones reformed themselves from nothing, each firing away at Johann, each puncturing a new wound in him.
Several spears with chains attaching them to the Oath of Judah impaled him multiple times, harpooning him like a whale. He screamed in agony.
He managed to turn himself around only to see a clone lunging at him, brandishing a flaming sword. It slashed down with all of its strength, severing his arm. The sheer heat of the blade cauterized the wound so it could not even bleed.
The girls' screams of horror did nothing to save him.
Finally, the Abyss Flower ruptured his chest, inflicting the worst injury out of all the Divine Keys. Its powers over disintegration began eating away at him, reducing his body into a dark mist that dissipated in the air.
The clone that wielded the Oath of Judah pulled the chains back, throwing the lifeless, decaying corpse of the former captain of the Hyperion overboard.
Otto's masked clowns stood beside each other in a line and gave the girls a mocking bow.
"We thank you for your warm welcome. Please have a safe rest of your flight."
They rose into the air once more and flew off, disappearing into the distance.
A/N: this was originally posted to Archive of Our Own.
That's one way to begin the first multi-chaptered fic of this series. By multi-chaptered, I don't mean a two-shot, I mean 31. Yes, you read that right.
This story will cover the Kolosten arc and more, starting with the Pre-Revelation trailer.
Unlike the arc finale animations, arc trailers tend to only be abstract depictions of the actual events; the Herrscher of Sentience arc trailer was the same. I decided to incorporate the idea of Otto's Soulium clones attacking the girls like in the trailer, although the battle happened to take place onboard the Hyperion this time.
Speaking of the Hyperion, I took great joy in finally giving it the time to shine in battle. I love giant sci-fi battleships and spaceships, and the Hyperion is no exception. Its railguns are rather badass, and I lifted the 2000 RPM figure directly from GGZ's incarnation of the Hyperion. The projectiles weighing 50 kg and moving at Mach 15 are my own invention, but I made sure that both figures are higher than real-life railgun stats.
I also invented my own explanation for how a seemingly ordinary syringe was apparently able to pierce HOV's skin as well as Kiana's baseball bat being effective against armoured mechs, which I used to make the Hyperion ludicrously powerful - just the way I like it.
Also, if you want to know how I personally envision the captain in my fanfics, there's a work of fanart titled "The First Time Wasn't Given to Seele", which has been translated on the r/houkai3rd subeddit. It's my favourite depiction of the redheaded captain, although I'd make his hair a bit more red.
I've already finished writing all 31 chapters in advance over the course of a month - the outline/summary alone took me 4 days to conceptualize - so there's no need to worry about this story being abandoned. I'll try to upload a chapter every week. See you on the 15th, and after that, I'll be uploading every 4 days instead.
