S-Rank Valkyries were said to be the cream of the crop. The strongest that humanity had to offer in its never-ending battle against the Honkai. The pinnacle of human achievement and paragons of civilization, sworn to live and die by the blade. Each S-Rank was believed to be on par with a Herrscher in raw power. In short, these were humans with the power to combat the Gods themselves.

So it was no secret that she, Kiana Kaslana, was feeling apprehensive about confronting an S-Rank Valkyrie. She, a mere A-Rank, holding off an S-Rank and a fellow Kaslana to boot.

But Kiana paid that thought no heed as she jumped from rooftop to rooftop.

Her aunt, Theresa, had leaked her location on a public channel so Anti-Entropy would be on top of them as well. However, it would not be the Anti-Entropy that Kiana knew. It was the Anti-Entropy that Cocolia had twisted and corrupted for her own personal gain.

She landed on the rooftop several dozen meters away from the landing site of Kriemhilde Kaslana. Her icy blue eyes caught sight of the flowing snow-white hair of her estranged aunt. Not only that, Kiana was able to sense it. No, at an instinctual level, Kiana could feel her aunt.

So this is an S-Rank? Kiana thought.

She looked down at her hands and noticed that they were trembling. Kiana clenched her fists and halted the tremors.

Perhaps it was just instinct. After all, Kiana was merely prey standing up to what could definitely be described as a predator. The gap between them was just too vast and she acknowledged that.

However, Cecilia and the others were on this island.

Anti-Entropy's mechs were mere momentary distractions to a woman with the abilities to match Herrschers. If Kiana allowed Kriemhilde to leave this area then, Cecilia and the others might be in more danger than they were already in.

With that thought in mind, Kiana let out a breath and triggered the twin pistols of the Judgement of Shamash. A swirl of flames surrounded her arms before the infamous cleaver manifested into the world.

Steeling her resolve, Kiana walked to the edge of the rooftop and saw that Kriemhilde was merely standing there, looking back into the ship.

Without wasting another moment, Kiana jumped into the air and landed on the ground a distance away from Kriemhilde and her aircraft.

"You're here."

The woman was unfazed by her appearance. Instead, Kriemhilde turned and greeted her with a warm smile. Those blue eyes and smile that reminded her of her father. And she hated how it made her feel.

"I wish I wasn't. I would do anything to not have to look at that disgusting mug of yours," Kiana said calmly.

However, the sheer hatred in her voice made Kriemhilde flinch.

"Kiana, I'm here not to fight. I'm here for something else," Kriemhilde said. "It's the-"

"Fourth Herrscher, right?" she asked.

Kriemhilde blinked and nodded.

"I see. You already know why I was called here," she replied.

"Of course, I do. I was there when they called you off your ass from HQ to come here as standby. And now, you actually showed up… for once in your life," Kiana said coldly.

"Kiana, I've told you many times that I-"

"Save it for someone who cares."

She lifted the blade from her shoulders and stabbed it into the ground.

"As I much as I don't want to be here... I can't let you leave this place."

Flames surged around her, alerting the other two Valkyries inside the ship.

"Lady Kriemhilde!" Alvitr yelled in concern.

Kriemhilde raised her hand, stopping Susannah and Alvitr in their tracks.

The concrete around her melted and all forms of vegetation within a few meters spontaneously combusted from the sheer heat of the flames.

"Y- You!" Alvitr said, "There is a Herrscher on this island and you're barring us from moving! I can report you to HQ to get court-martialed!"

"Unfortunately, I don't think Otto Apocalypse would go so far as to entertain your request. After all, I am under the protection of Lady Theresa Apocalypse," Kiana said.

The look of indignant fury on Alvitr's face almost made her laugh.

"Why you-"

"That's enough. Alvitr. Susannah. Go back to the ship and await my return," Kriemhilde said.

She focused her gaze on Kiana. Her blue eyes shifted from their usual warmth and became a deep pit of cold ice.

Kriemhilde took a step forward. Frost formed wherever her foot fell and the air began to become increasingly cold with each step she took.

Ice…? No… that's… that's just like-

"So that's how it's going to be… Kiana," Kriemhilde said.

Kiana instinctively dropped into a battle stance, holding Shamash tightly.

"Whatever reasons you may have for protecting the Fourth Herrscher are your own. However, I cannot allow you to interfere with this assignment. The Fourth Herrscher must not be allowed to grow and develop into a global threat. Not to mention that Anti-Entropy is also seeking the Fourth Herrscher for their own purposes," Kriemhilde said.

Kiana tensed her body, preparing to strike Kriemhilde at any given moment.

"So I ask you to step aside Kiana. I don't want to fight my own niece," she said.

"Ahahah! Now you call yourself our aunt? That would've come in handy about a few years back," Kiana said.

"I see. Then, I apologize in advance for what I'm about to do."

Kriemhilde held her hand out. Lightning crackled around her body, condensing to a single point between her fingers. The ball rapidly expanded, shattering the ground beneath Kriemhilde violently.

She gripped the newly formed structure's hilt, pulling it into the air before swinging the fully formed greatsword and resting it at her side. The force of her swing sliced the ground around her and created a powerful gust of wind that blew everything back.

A Divine Key… Kiana thought.

"If I have to make you move by force, then, by all means, I can comply with your request," Kriemhilde said.

Their gazes locked together, both observing the initial movement of another.

And for what seemed like an eternity, the two stood off, facing each other without making the first move. A leaf wafted, having been disturbed by the growing typhoon created by Wendy.

And the moment the leaf touched the concrete, Kiana dug her heel into the ground and took off in a burst of speed, raising Shamash above her head.

She brought it down violently on top of her aunt, creating a massive explosion that shook the nearby surroundings. The force of the blow shattered the windows of the still-standing buildings and parted the rain particles that were beginning to fall.

"!?" Kiana's eyes were wide in shock when she saw Shamash's blade being held back. The supposedly all-consuming flames of the Divine Key was being matched by the crackling energy of the Divine Key wielded by her aunt.

Kriemhilde swiped her Divine Key, knocking Kiana away and breaking the blade lock.

Kiana flew a considerable distance before she dug Shamash into the ground, slowing herself down to a stop.

"Your Divine Key is…?" Kiana asked.

Kriemhilde pointed it at her.

"One of the series of Keys related to the 10th Divine Key: Water's Edge. This is also called a Tenth Divine Key. Its name is Balmung," Kriemhilde said.

Kiana clenched her jaw.

Without another warning, she took off and charged at Kriemhilde once more.


Cecilia shot down a Cassiel.

Its corpse fell lifelessly to the ground. Pink mist wafted off its mutilated corpse.

"Come on, we need to-"

A loud explosion echoed across the island. Small tremors hit the area. The tremors were not strong enough to cause anything to wobble but were strong enough to be felt.

Cecilia turned her head to the source of the explosion and saw a pillar of smoke steadily rising into the air in the direction of one of the city districts.

"Ceci?" Mei asked, pulling her katana out of one of the zombies.

"Reports from the Hyperion indicate that Kiana has engaged the S-Rank Valkyrie in combat," Bronya said.

"Ceci, if you want, we can turn around and pursue your older sister instead," Mei said.

Cecilia clenched her fists, trying to stifle the feeling of worry in her heart.

No, Kiana was going to be okay. Kiana was strong. Kiana was invincible. Her big sister was capable of doing anything and was the strongest person she knew. Cecilia firmly believed that Kiana was stronger than even Major Himeko. Surely, an S-Rank Valkyrie was nothing to her older sister.

However, no matter how much she tried, Cecilia could not suppress the worry in her heart. But, she knew what she had to do.

Using every ounce of her willpower, Cecilia closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh.

"We need to go. The longer we stick around here, the worse this hurricane gets and Wendy will get away," she said.

"Eh? Ceci?" Mei said, grabbing her arm. "What about Kiana?"

"Kiana is fighting her so we can get to Wendy. We need to go do our end of this mission now," Cecilia said.

"Besides, Kiana will be fine," she muttered. "She has to be…"

"Ceci…" Mei bit her cheek and sheathed her katana. "Bronya, where is Wendy?"

Bronya nodded and projected a computer-generated map of the area based on data gathered by the Hyperion.

"A few klicks north of our location. It appears that Subject Wendy has yet to move," Bronya answered.

"Ceci. What do you want to do?" Mei asked.

"We go after Wendy as fast as we can. After that, we regroup at the Hyperion and then go after Kiana," Cecilia said.

Mei nodded.

"Let's go!" Cecilia said, running ahead.

The entire time, a single thought dominated her mind.

Please be safe, Kiana.


Kiana spun on the balls of her feet, bringing Shamash upward in a mighty upward slash. The slash displaced the wind around her.

Kriemhilde was unfazed by her attack and parried with expert precision. She brought her leg up and kicked her niece back, sending her crashing into one of the cars on the street.

Kiana groaned as she gripped the chassis of the vehicle.

Pain etched itself into every nerve in her body. Her bones creaked and her muscles groaned, begging her to stop.

However, her will to keep fighting kept her going and her instincts to survive alerted her to an oncoming blow from Kriemhilde.

She jumped out of the way, avoiding an overhead slash from her aunt.

The ground split open violently as soon as the blade of Balmung met the concrete. A wave of energy exploded from the weapon, slicing the car in half and carving a deep trench across the street.

Kriemhilde pulled Balmung out of the ground and stared at her niece with cold eyes.

"Are you still going to continue this fight or can I go do my duty?" Kriemhilde asked.

Kiana's gaze hardened and she held Shamash in front of her with a white-knuckle grip. Flames surged from the blade, vaporizing the raindrops before they could even reach Kiana.

She kicked off the ground, holding Shamash in a reverse grip.

"Haaah!" she cried out as she continued her mad dash toward her aunt.

Kriemhilde sighed and swung Balmung, unleashing a flurry of slashes.

Blade waves flew from the blade and raced toward Kiana.

Kiana's eyes widened. A rush of blue-violet light burst from her body, slowing down time around her.

She weaved her way around the blade waves as they traveled in slow motion past her.

In a flash of speed that would make Mei jealous, Kiana reached Kriemhilde just as the time fracture dissolved back into regular time.

She thrust Shamash, igniting the blade with the intent of barbecuing her aunt as soon as she impaled her on the blade's tip.

However, even with all that speed, Kriemhilde's battle experience and reflexes were far greater.

With a one-handed flourish, she easily batted Shamash's blade to the left, narrowly avoiding the blast of flames that exploded from the sword's tip.

The flames traveled at high speeds, crashing into the building behind them and completely obliterating the structure.

The explosion rocked the area, shaking the ground. Flaming debris and super-heated chunks of metal from the building's frame flew in all directions. A pillar of smoke billowed into the air as the foundation still burned and the concrete that supported it was reduced to nothing but a pile of molten slag.

"Tch! Can't you just do what you've always done and screw off!?" Kiana yelled. She twisted her body, bringing Shamash in a downward half-spin slash.

Kriemhilde jumped back and avoided the flaming blade.

"..."

Her lack of response angered her and she charged Shamash's blade. Kiana raised it above her head, unleashing a tower of scorching flames into the sky.

She can charge Shamash to that extent? Kriemhilde thought, surprised at the amount of power her niece possessed.

"You're going so far as to charge Shamash to that extent? This is more than just you protecting the Fourth Herrscher," Kriemhilde said. Lightning crackled through Balmung's frame.

"Gee, you could tell? I guess I have some shit to work through but I guess you can call this…" Kiana brought the massive flaming blade down upon her, "THERAPY!"

Kriemhilde's eyes widened and she activated her Time Fracture, dodging the flaming blade.

Time resumed normally and the effects of the blow were immediate.

The ground was instantly destroyed. The almighty flaming blade carved a fissure across the street, slicing the buildings several dozens of meters away in twain.

"Kiana, enough of this! Just let me past before this storm gets worse!" Kriemhilde yelled.

"Didn't you listen to me earlier?" Kiana asked, lifting Shamash off the ground and pointing it at her.

"You're not leaving here."

"You're going to let the whole island be destroyed just to satisfy your grudge against me!?" she asked incredulously.

Her question was met with a response courtesy of Kiana's Honkai-empowered fist.

Kriemhilde flew from her spot, crashing into the building behind her. The entire front collapsed atop the S-Rank Valkyrie, burying her underneath a pile of rubble.

Kiana panted as she straightened herself.

"Grudge? A grudge implies I dislike you and that word can't possibly describe how I feel about you right now. I was just supposed to stall you but… after seeing that despicable face of yours," Kiana said.

She walked towards the pile of rubble, leaving a trail of scorched footprints in her wake.

"Well… I can't kill you but… I can clearly beat you into a coma," Kiana said.

"Kiana! Kiana!" Himeko called through her earpiece.

"What is it?" Kiana replied.

"What's going on there? We're detecting high levels of Honkai Energy," Himeko said.

"Kriemhilde has her own Divine Key-"

"No, it's not that. We just sensed a massive spike in Honkai Energy at your location and it's not coming from the Divine Keys. It's coming from-" the connection cut out as a burst of icy wind blasted Kiana back.

She dug Shamash into the ground, anchoring herself.

A powerful blast of icy wind blasted the rubble away.

Pillars of ice erupted from the ground, leveling the street and the surrounding buildings near Kriemhilde's crash site.

"What the…"

She saw Kriemhilde's silhouette through the rubble.

A pair of glowing blue eyes stared back at her. And even if she was far away from her, Kiana could feel the temperature drop slightly as she got closer.

It's… It's just like back then with Dad and… at…

Memories of her father and Nagazora flooded the forefront of her mind. Memories that she hadn't thought of in a long time. This woman. This woman reminded her of her Father all those years ago and of…

"I guess I really have no choice, Kiana," Kriemhilde said as the smoke faded.

Her voice cut Kiana's train of thought.

Her eyes were beginning to shift back to normal. The blacks in her sclera were fading away and the temperature around her began to stabilize.

"As much as I'd love to continue this…"

Kiana's eyes widened when she felt someone behind her.

"I have a job to do."

A pain shot through her gut. Kriemhilde's boot was embedded deep into her solar plexus. She flew back, crashing through several cars and into a building.

"Kch! Gah!" Kiana dropped Shamash and fell to her hands and knees, coughing violently.

Her instincts screamed at her to move and she rolled out of the way, avoiding her aunt's heel.

Kriemhilde's foot fractured the ground beneath, leaving a shallow crater in the concrete foundation of the building.

Kiana jumped to her feet and saw Shamash behind her aunt.

"You're strong, Kiana. More powerful than your father and I were at that age. Of course, you were only four years younger than we were when we made S-Rank," Kriemhilde said.

"Tell me. Have you unlocked the secrets behind our family?" she asked.

Secrets? Kiana raised an eyebrow.

"I don't have time to be talking about this," Kiana replied.

"Well, it won't take long. It's just a very brief demonstration really. I'll even do you a favor," her aunt said. She stabbed Balmung into the ground.

Seeing that her guard was down, Kiana disappeared from her spot and reappeared above her aunt, performing a heel dropkick.

Kriemhilde blocked her blow, pushing her off.

Kiana landed with the grace of a cat and dashed for Shamash.

However, her aunt was faster. She grabbed Shamash's handle, ripping it away from Kiana's reach, and kicked her through the store into the street behind them.

Kiana coughed as she shakily got to her hands and knees.

She heard the heavy footfalls of Kriemhilde's boots as she approached. She saw the faint silhouettes of Balmung and Shamash in her aunt's grasp.

"You see… we of the Kaslana Family possess powerful Stigmata. Our Stigmata grants us powerful, immense, abnormal adaptability to Honkai Energy, allowing us to manipulate it as we please," she explained.

"Wha-?"

"But you are just beginning to tap into it… I can feel it. What you did with Shamash just now, it's proof of your heritage," Kriemhilde said.

Kiana glared at her, not noticing that her eyes were beginning to glow slightly.

"I've also read the reports of what happened back in Nagazora. The ones written by Major Murata Himeko," Kriemhilde said.

"Supposedly, there were traces of Honkai Energy that did not belong to the Third Herrscher and not to mention… Mei had some signs of slight frostbite on her person when she was in the Medical Bay. Which makes me wonder… just how much Big Brother told you," she said.

"You-"

"Did you know what Stigmata Resonance is?" she asked.

Kiana raised an eyebrow at her question. That was a stupid question. She knew what it was and even experienced it herself with her Father and with Cecilia.

Stigmata Resonance was a phenomenon between blood-related members in which the Stigmata of two people resonated with each other's, even if the Stigmata of the other had yet to awaken. A phenomenon that had been seen throughout the history of House Kaslana with the most recent being the Second Eruption.

Yet even between the two organizations, neither AE nor Schicksal could ever figure out how it worked or how to trigger it.

"Judging by your silence, I'm guessing you know…"

Kiana's lip quivered when she saw one of Kriemhilde's eyes glow and the sclera became blackened.

It was just like back then.

Her eyes were the same as her father's. The same glow and the same chill she felt on that horrid day. The day everything changed.

The day she and Cecilia lost everything.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about when you see these eyes. Just how much did Siegfried show you before he died?"

"Shut up…" Kiana mumbled.

"Huh?"

"I said shut up!" her eyes glowed brightly and her sclera bled black.

Newfound strength rushed into her and she pounced on her aunt.

Caught off-guard by her niece's sudden increase in power, Kriemhilde was thrown into the air, crashing through the roof.

Kiana jumped after her, ripping Shamash from her grasp, and kicked Kriemhilde down into the building.

The elder Kaslana crashed through the roof, falling through several floors before landing on the ground floor of the store where she and Kiana were moments before.

She looked up and saw a flaming comet hurtling toward her.

Kriemhilde channeled Honkai Energy through her battlesuit and triggered a time fracture. In a mere second of fractured time, Kriemhilde cleared the area and building as her niece impacted the ground like a rogue comet.

A flaming explosion akin to a ballistic missile leveled the entire block, shattering everything around them. Kriemhilde raised Balmung, shielding herself from the searing gusts of wind. The ground trembled violently and parts of the road caved in due to the sheer force of the impact.

In the middle of the block was a massive scorched crater. The twisted metal of the chassis of the vehicles that survived and destroyed buildings surrounded the area. At this rate, she and Kiana were going to destroy the island before the Fourth Herrscher.

But Kiana's sudden increase in strength was all she needed to see in order to confirm her suspicions.

Kriemhilde had been curious about her nieces since she had run into them that day when she visited her older brother's grave.

All the reports she had pulled up on Kiana and Cecilia. All the combat data she gathered. It had triggered her suspicions and now, Kiana's glowing black and blue eyes had confirmed it.

This girl had tapped into the legendary power of the Kaslana Stigmata. However, to Kriemhilde, it seemed that she was unable to do it at will. The power responded to strong emotions that the girl felt just like now and it could barely be counted as awakened like her older brother's or even her's.

And now that she was here, Kiana's Stigmata was now beginning to stir thanks to the Resonance Factor of their family's bloodline.

"You…" Kriemhilde said, watching her niece standing in the middle of the crater.

"You don't deserve to say Dad's name."

Kiana disappeared and reappeared behind her Aunt with Shamash at her side.

Kriemhilde's eyes widened when she felt blood flowing down her arm. She stumbled forward, gripping her bicep, and looked over her shoulder.

So this… is what she's like when she's serious… I guess I have no reason to hold back and..., Kriemhilde thought. She looked up at the rumbling heavens above.

I need to get to the Herrscher before Cecilia and her squad do.

Kiana vanished from her spot once more and reappeared above her aunt, swinging Shamash down on her unprotected back.

However, the blade did not hit its intended mark. Instead, it hit nothing but air.

Kiana looked around, seeking her aunt's presence.

Her senses alerted her to a shift in air pressure to her left and she turned to have her face filled with her aunt's knee.

A sickening crack resounded through the street as Kiana was sent flying. She crashed into an RV, caving in the middle completely.

"Tch…" she used Shamash to support herself. Her legs were wobbly and refused to help her bear her weight. Every bone in her body was beginning to hurt and a fatigue like she had never felt was beginning to set in.

No, that was a lie. Kiana had only felt this kind of fatigue twice in her life.

Once in Nagazora when she suppressed Raiden Mei prior to the arrival of Schicksal.

And once when…

She shook her head to rid herself of the memory of that horrid day.

As Kiana was about to sit up, a boot slammed her down onto the floor of the RV.

Kriemhilde stood over her with Balmung on her shoulder. She wrenched Shamash with her free hand from Kiana's weak grip.

Her appearance had changed slightly. Her arm was encased in a black segmented shell similar to that of a Honkai Beast's. Her eyes were the same as they were earlier with the addition of a single curved horn that extended from her aunt's head. There were lines of Honkai energy etched into her arm with a design that resembled an eye on the back of her forearm.

"The Lord Overseer, Otto Apocalypse, dedicated a part of his research to studying Stigmata Resonance, especially amongst House Kaslana, but he could never figure it out," Kriemhilde said, holding Shamash in her hand. She gazed at the blade for a few seconds before looking at Kiana.

"So before I go, Kiana. I'll give you a gift."

"Baby Doll, protect your sister. This is Daddy's last gift to you."

"Bear with this pain, Kiana. Your father and I had to go through war and suffer irreversible damage to awaken these powers. And now… we will pass this power onto you without forcibly awakening it all," she said.

And without another word, Shamash's blade transformed into a torrent of flames.

She stabbed Balmung into the floor of the car and grabbed at the flame with her now free hand.

The flames danced around the palm of her hand and Kriemhilde looked at Kiana for a few seconds.

Without any warning, she brought the tip of Shamash's blade down into Kiana's chest.

The reaction was instantaneous. It was like back then when she and Siegfried watched the recording of the man who wielded Shamash on the moon.

Kiana screamed and arched her back in pain. Red lines spread across her body and her eyes began to flicker from blue and black to their normal shade.

A flood of voices streamed into her head, threatening to rupture it.

Ḯ̴̛̯̩̓̋t̷̫̣̹̎ ̵̤̩̱̇i̵̗̺͌͑̔s̶̨͉̥̯̓ ̶̭͈̻̻͑ẙ̶̤̈́̚ǫ̷͚̫̣͊́́͝u̴̜͋̉r̴̘̞͙͂̈́ ̴̳̠͒d̷̙̫̉̊͠ų̷̪̱͂̇̅̚ṱ̷̠̋͘͝ÿ̷̦̪̟̥́͛͝.̵̧͇̘͍͊́̕͝

C̶̪̳̍à̷̤̼͎͋̏s̷̡̫̲̀͝t̷̲̓̇́ ̷̮͔̍ḋ̴̼͚̳o̷̠͒̎́w̶̧̩̳̌̾̀͘n̴͚̄̆ ̶͙͖̏t̸͍͍̄͘͜ḫ̷̼͇̟́͐è̵̝ ̷̖̥͑̕v̴̳̓͆í̶̻͓̝̪͛l̴̤̭̈́͌͜e̵̢̦̮̎̈̒͜ ̵͔̎G̸̨̪̼̱̈́́ȍ̷͉͂ḏ̴̿͗̋!̶̤͍̹̤́

P̶̱̳̉͜u̵̪̳̓r̷̛̰̈́ǵ̷̩͈̒̆̇e̷͇͚͗̅͌ ̵̋́͜t̶̠͘ͅh̵̠̲́̈́́͘͜e̸̠̭͘ ̴̹̪̬͛͌̅e̶̙̞̻̚n̴̼͙̿̈́̓è̵̜̣͇̌̒͑͜m̶̛͉̯̓̒͗y̷̗̞̣̳̑!̷̨͖͉͍̊̍̋

The eldritch whispers were maddening. But she couldn't ignore them, even through this pain.

A̶͈̹̻̅̾̿͝ẅ̶̳̬̤̹́̌̀͝a̸̹̅͑̈́k̵̙̮͛́ę̵̹͗͂͂ǹ̴̘̣̭͕́̏̃ ̵̝̅͂M̵̜̘͈̏̚Ą̸́̇́̚Ṋ̷̤̩̼̏̐̋̌T̷͓̰̞͊͐̑Ì̷̳͇̌̈͑Š̶͇̙̯̲̑̇̽.̷͎́̓̈

I̴͙̩̻̱̔̍ṭ̷̞͚̬̇̆ ̸͙̭̓̏̿͝ï̴͖͙͆̌͑s̶̕ͅ ̸̺͕̟̊y̸̭̐̌͜͝o̷̙̬͋̓̋̕ụ̴̰̠͈̌̍̽r̵͕̃ ̴̥̝̗̃͝d̷̦͕̼̙̂u̵͇͕͉̤̐͐ṭ̶̰͖̈͌͑ỷ̸̘̫̱̳̕͝͝!̶̗͊̾͊

P̴̺͉̔͂̀̕U̶͉̭̤̿͛̆̍R̷̖͉̾̂͗́ͅG̷̣̖̓͂̚ͅE̶̠̔̀̏ ̸̺͎̓̓̍͐T̷̩̟̎̆H̵̩̄͗Ę̸̞̎́̐͊ ̵̩̼̈́͒͛H̵͎͈̟̻͗̌̂̈́Ọ̶̧̎̐N̸̘̺̦̊Ḱ̸͚̞̅Ả̸̼̭̍͌ͅI̸̙̍!̷͍̈́̀

After a few seconds, a sleek black carapace encased her left arm, fusing with her flesh. Her canines elongated into fangs and she began thrashing more violently than ever before. Ice spread across the RV and into the street outside, forming large spikes of ice on the ground. Her screams of pain became twisted into demonic roars.

The process lasted for a few more seconds before Kriemhilde withdrew the tip of Shamash from Kiana's chest.

Her niece spasmed on the ground for a few seconds before the glowing light in her eyes faded along with the features she had gained.

"Kssshhhh… KIANA! KIANA! WHAT HAPPENED!? CAN YOU HEAR ME!?"

Himeko's voice finally broke through in Kiana's earpiece.

Kriemhilde took her boot off Kiana's chest and transformed Shamash back into their pistol form before setting it down next to Kiana.

"I'll see you soon, Kiana. Siegfried was always half-assed with everything… even with this." Kriemhilde looked down at her own transformed hand. She willed her hand back to normal.

Without another word, she grabbed Balmung and left the RV.


If you're wondering why Kiana didn't go on a berserk rampage like Siegfried did when she awakened her MANTIS genes, it was because her body couldn't handle the pain and she passed out.

Okay, so you might be wondering what Stigmata Resonance is if the in-story explanation wasn't enough. Basically, it's a rare phenomenon in which the Stigmata of another person can awaken the Stigmata of another. Usually, it only happens between blood-related members as seen with the Kaslana Clan via Kaslana Stigmata Space and the Will of Stigmata. The genes are expressed when in the presence of another member of the family with an awakened Stig like Kriemhilde and Kiana or when faced with the Source Progenitor like Will of Stigmata and Siegfried and Kriemhilde like Kriemhilde mentioned.

And yes, Kiana got stabbed in the chest like her dad a la Dante Style.

Anyway, that's it. See you in the next chapter. Remember to like, subscribe, and all that fun jazz.