Please read the author's note for an important update, there will be no spoilers for both this story and Honkai Impact 3rd if you aren't caught up with the in-game story.
I hope you really, really, really enjoy this chapter!
One moment I was in my mind, looking directly into a pair of identical hazel eyes…
The next thing I knew was pain.
With a gasp I took what felt like my first breath in an eternity, which was probably true in some regard. Almost immediately I started to cough as my lungs tried to take in as much air as possible, at the detriment of the condition of my throat.
"N-Note to self," I coughed as my eyes opened to find myself in the ruined shambles of some alleyway. "D-Dying, f-for what feels like the third time, sucks." My throat wasn't the only thing that felt like it was in absolute pain, every inch of my body was feeling the same thing.
"Well it looks like it was a resounding success," Hyperion's dry tone interrupted my rambling. "I must say that I'm just quite simply a genius, why yes I am."
"D-Does that mean…?" I trailed off, knowing that if I was here, alive, then...
"I felt his soul dissipate in his final moments," They spoke softly as my mind thought back to how I got here in the first place, the sacrifice that was needed to get me here.
The mentor that I had lost…
The friend that I lost…
"If it is of any consolation, he went peacefully." They assured me. "He passed you his torch knowing that you could step up to its responsibility."
Yes…
The burden of ensuring that his loved ones lived happily…
They were mine now…
A burden that I would not fail to uphold.
With a grunt I forced myself to stand up from my current position. Even when every muscle in my body protested my actions I forced myself to continue onwards. I couldn't stop now, not when I had to fulfill so many promises.
Through sheer willpower I was finally able to get myself back up on my two feet, and then almost proceeded to immediately fall forward. It was only by chance that my hands were able to react faster than my mind as they caught on to the walls of the building that I was just slumped against, using it to stabilize myself.
"Woah easy there," Hyperion warned me as I panted tiredly. "Your body's just been through hell and back. I'm surprised your body even has the strength to even move, let alone walk."
"Mei needs help," I said as I gritted my teeth and made a tiny step forward, my hands using the wall to help alleviate the toll on my body. "She needs to know that I'm alive, it was me getting shot that triggered this and it'll be me who ends this."
"You're just as stubborn as Apollo was, I swear you two are exactly the same," They groaned. Despite the pain that I was currently in I couldn't help but smile at the nostalgic tone the spirit had in their voice.
"Are you missing him already Death?" I joked as I took another small step forward.
"As if!" They hotly denied inside my mind. "I no longer have to worry about someone accidentally eavesdropping on my private thoughts!"
"Whatever you say," The little small talk was almost enough to make me forget the pain, almost. "Whatever you say." I repeated as I could feel my eyelids now beginning to feel heavy.
I was running out of time.
"Though I can't take over your body, as much as I would like to right now, I can guide you to where you need to go." They supplied helpfully. "So once you get out of this alleyway you'll need to…"
"What's wrong?" I asked, noticing the change in their tone when they had trailed off.
"You need to get a weapon right now!" They urged desperately.
"A weapon? But what would I need one right-!" The growl of something definitely not human interrupted my thoughts. Slowly bringing my head up I immediately saw what had Hyperion so concerned.
For just a few feet in front of me were two honkai zombies. These were completely corrupted humans, evident by their entirely pale skin which was also decorated with the infamous purple honkai veins. Their sclera were completely black as their pupils glowed a deathly violet.
There would be no saving them from their horrid fate.
I wonder how close I was to this fate, turned into a mindless slave to the Honkai's will…
But that pondering would have to wait as I had more pressing matters to worry about, primarily how I was going to defend myself against these two. I had no idea the powers the Excalibur had granted me but I knew in my tired state that I would not be able to call upon it, if I even knew how to call upon its powers in the first place.
My eyes wildly darted to the ruined alleyway I was in, looking for any sort of weapon that I could use to defend myself with while the two zombies slowly approached me. Wasn't there some kind of rusty pipe laying around that I could use?! Even a plank of wood would do!
I wasn't given any more time to think of a strategy when one of the zombies reared its head back and let out a gruesome screech before it ran at me. I couldn't even give a yelp to how fast it had been as it was already closing the distance between us with astounding speed.
But something else was faster when a hail of fire suddenly pelted the two zombies from above, quickly killing them under such intense firepower.
"What the…" I muttered as I tried to move my head up to try and identify my savior, only for that very savior to descend right in front of me.
"Kuro?!" I yelled in surprise as the black feline, in her combat form, simply meowed so casually it was as if she hadn't just gunned down two zombies with relative ease.
"W-What are you doing here?" I questioned as I slowly moved my body over to where she was. I saw how her eyes narrowed at my condition but it was quickly pushed aside when she motioned to one of her sides, where I saw a letter had been taped to it.
Realizing that it was meant for me I quickly took off the letter and opened it up.
I have a lot of questions for you when I next see you young man! I open my door ready to berate whoever was making a loud ruckus only to see your cat (could she always do this?!) fighting off a bunch of soldiers. After absolutely massacring them a crazy explosion happens and suddenly Nagazora is told to evacuate.
So this was what you meant by world-ending event…it sounded a lot less scarier than what it actually was.
After Kuro got me to safety, she's really strong by the way, I sent her to go get you. I want you to know that I'm okay and I'm sure everyone else is as well. Knowing you, you're probably helping Mei get out of this mess as well.
Bring her back to us, dinners will be so terribly dull without her around. Both from her lack of company and her delicious food.
Love,
Your Grandmother.
"She's alive," I breathed out in relief as I could feel my eyes water up. "Thank the heavens."
I turned my attention to Kuro who was watching me read the letter with rapt attention. "Thank you Kuro, I owe you so much." The feline simply shrugged as if to say it was no big deal but I could see the glint in her blue eyes, she was proud of what she had done.
Looks like someone was going to get a lot of fatty tuna when this was all over. My poor wallet was going to take a hit but sacrifices had to be made for the greater good.
However before that we needed to get out of this mess.
"Kuro," I began as I looked at the cat with a serious expression. My tone of voice had the feline instantly turning to meet my eyes. "I need your help…"
"Help me get to Mei as quickly as possible."
"Is that all you have to offer me?" The Herrscher of Thunder sighed disappointingly as she held her red headed opponent by her neck. Below the flying pair the flight deck of the Hyperion was in ruins, a testament to how ferocious their battle had been.
It was a miracle that this ship was somehow still able to remain in the air.
"For all that bravado you showed earlier you've surprisingly come…short," Tightening her hold on the red woman's neck, a smile broke out on the herrscher's face when she got a choked grunt of pain in response. The Nexus Battlesuit was all but ruined as only pieces of the ruby armor remained on her.
Below them the Nexus Greatsword laid in pieces, split in two against the Herrscher of Thunder's weapon.
"Y-You must be so fun to be around," Himeko sarcastically shot back, her visor had been destroyed in their fight so it allowed for her blue eyes to glare venomously at the harbinger of destruction.
"Still have the energy to fight back, how resilient," They mused in surprise. "Still you're nothing more than an insect, and insects should be eradicated." Bridging up their other hand, the lightning katana that had been the cause of such devastation sparked to life.
Even with the fact that death was only a few seconds away, Himeko gave the Herrscher a confident grin. "It doesn't matter if I'm not the one to defeat you, someone will stop you." She assured them.
"Oh?" The Herrscher of Thunder raised her eyebrow at such a declaration. Someone stop her? Impossible. She was the almighty Herrscher of Thunder, chosen angel of God itself! Who in this world could stand against her?!
"Then who will stand against me?!" She taunted as she broadcasted her voice for all to hear. "Where is the one that will defeat me?!"
"I guess she's talking about me," A voice suddenly chimed in.
Turning around in surprise, both the Herrscher and Himeko looked on as someone made their presence known on the other end of the Hyperion's deck. Behind the person was a sleek metal black panther but that observation was quickly forgotten when the harbinger of destruction identified who the person was.
"H-How…" The Herrscher of Thunder didn't know why she had stuttered or why her heart was suddenly beating so fast at the sight of the red headed human. Wasn't he supposed to be dead? If that was the case then how was he standing right in front of her? How was she able to recognize him in the first place?!
…
That was right…
She was born from the young woman known as Mei Raiden.
…
Mei Raiden was lonely
Mei Raiden had been ostracized
The world hated the girl's entire existence, making it seem that her birth had been a mistake
When she had been born inside of the heiress a voice told her something…
That she was the 3rd Herrscher.
She was told that her holy purpose was to purge this world of humanity, to maintain this planet's purity.
She had inherited Mei Raiden's sorrow, her pain, everything about her. With all that the girl had experienced she should've been overjoyed at the prospect of destroying it all, getting back at those who wronged her.
Yet despite that the heiress still held on, believing that it would all blow through soon enough.
With every passing day the world showed just how cruel it was, and with each act of hate was another blow to the girl's control. Soon she would be allowed to take over and exact the rightful justice they so deserved.
However, just when the last of the girl's control was to be shed, a hand suddenly reached out to her in the darkness. The hand pulled her out of her despair and showed her the beauty of the world.
And the person responsible for that was standing right before her at this very moment.
"How are you doing Mei?" Haruto Nakamura smiled as if they were speaking to their friend, and not to a harbinger of destruction.
"Mei?" She responded sinisterly as she lowered her grasp on Himeko's neck, dropping the woman to the ground as purple lightning danced around her. "That foolish girl is dead, her soul scattered to the four winds. I am just the demon that has possessed her body."
Yes…that was all she was…a demon…
A mistake.
Her name was Mei Raiden.
When she was born she had felt her pain.
But she also felt her joy as well.
They all felt so real to her but she knew that they weren't hers.
Mei Raiden was the caring and sweet heiress, she was none of that. She wielded terrible powers that could extinguish lives with just a snap of her fingers. Who would love such a being that could disintegrate them without a single thought?
She had nothing but a mission.
A mission to destroy Humanity.
As much as she wished to, she knew that the human standing before her would never love her as much as he loved-!
"No, that's not true," Haruto interrupted, much to her shock. "You're Mei, just as much as the girl you believe is no more."
She was…Mei? Just hearing those words she felt strangely…relieved by it.
No, that couldn't be right. She was a harbinger of destruction, she didn't need such emotions. Maybe she was feeling deficient from not absorbing enough honkai energy, yes that had to be the reason why.
"Did you hit your head on something?" She mocked, trying to make him lose his composure, so she could show that every human was horrible, that there was no redeeming factor about them whatsoever.
However she would be surprised once more when Haruto just shook his head, a smile still present on his face. "No, you don't even realize how much of Mei you are."
"The way you furrow your brow is completely identical to the way she would when presented with a stubborn problem," He revealed. "Or maybe how you're currently resisting the urge to bit your lip like Me does when she gets stumped."
She didn't furrow her brow or bit her lip like the heiress did…
Did she?
Capitalizing on her conflicted state the red headed human took a small step forward. "You're a side of Mei that has always existed, always been there. You've been manipulated by the Honkai to do its dirty deeds." He said as he took another step forward.
"Stop!" She yelled as she pointed the tip of her katana at the approaching human. Why was she so afraid of him coming closer to her?! Was she really afraid that he could really kill her…
Or was she the one afraid of killing him?
Despite her warnings the foolish human still continued to slowly make his way towards her. Were all humans this incredibly stupid or was this one in particular that dumb!? Did he possess no preservation for his own life!?
"I'm not scared," He said as if he just read her mind. "I have nothing to fear from you, after all you're Mei and I know Mei would never hurt me."
Why…why were his words causing such doubt within her. Why couldn't she bring herself to raise her sword against him and vaporize him?!
Why couldn't she do something?!
"I'm warning you…" In one last ditch attempt to regain control of the situation she flaunted her power to the point that sparks were being created in the air. All this talk about her being the same as Mei, and that damn smile that never left his face…
Was he being truthful about what he meant? That he wasn't scared of her…?
A new emotion became known to her.
Fear.
Fear of the answers to the question she was conflicted with.
"T-Take one more step and I'll erase you out of existence." She stammered out, unsure if she was willing to go any further than that. "W-What can you do against me? One of God's chosen?!"
Finally Haruto stopped but it wasn't for the reason that she would've thought it was for. Looking to his shoulder where the fabric of his jacket had been torn apart by something, the Herrscher of Thunder finally realized the Stigma that he had there.
When had he gotten that?!
"Admittedly not much," He admitted as he gave her a small, strangely apologetic, smile. "But I can buy enough time for someone that can…right?
"KIANA!"
The harbinger of destruction couldn't even process what he had just said when all of a sudden she could feel the weight of someone on her back. Jerking her head to look behind her she saw that Kiana Kaslana had somehow snuck up and managed to jump all the way to her back.
How the hell had she accomplished that in the first place?!
"Come back to your senses Mei-senpai!" The Kaslana yelled as one of her hands found their way to her electric wings, the other resting on her opposite shoulder.
Shock quickly became replaced with horror as she knew what the white haired girl was going to attempt. "Are you an idiot?!" She demanded as she could see sparks flying from the human contact with her wings. "No mere human can tear down the wings of god!"
"I don't care about that, because when Mei-senpai and Haru-senpai are with me…" The white haired girl gritted her teeth as she applied more force to her grip, the wings in her grasp beginning to crack.
"How can this be?! No one can tear the wings of-!"
"I can do anything!" The Kaslana gave one final scream before she pulled with all her might, shattering the wings of the honkai like glass.
"How is this possible?!" The Herrscher thought as she could slowly feel her consciousness fading away. She knew the next time this body woke up it would be Mei Raiden that would be in control of the body and not her.
However, turning her head just before her eyes closed shut for what she knew would be a long while, she caught a glimpse of Haruto.
Even if she could not hear what he was saying, somehow she was able to understand his words.
"I'm sorry."
And for some strange reason, just as she lost consciousness…
Those words brought a peace that she had never experienced before.
Seeing that Kiana was able to fulfill her canon part filled me with such relief. I feared that somehow or way that this would've ended in a much more different way. I didn't know if my words would have any effect on the Herrscher but it felt only right to say that to her.
And it had only been by pure chance that I had happened to see Kiana silently making her way up to the top of the bridge, probably with the intention of jumping onto the back of the unaware Herrscher to rip off her wings.
I just needed to give her the opportunity to do so.
As the remains of the Herrscher's wings began to scatter, showering the deck of the Hyperion in purple-like glitter, I could see the forms of Kiana and Mei slowly falling to the ground. The dark purple haired girl was out cold while Kiana held onto her in a bridal carry, ensuring that no harm came to her.
"I'm glad…" I smiled as I could feel vision rapidly darkening, the toll of pushing my body way beyond its stamina limits now catching up to me. I could barely feel myself falling to my knees, every part of my body beginning to shut down. Beside me I could faintly hear Kuro's cries of concern.
I didn't even have the strength to voice my surprise.
With no other option my body began to fall forward. Just before my face smacked into the deck of the Hyperion I felt something catch my fall, most probably Kuro as she was the one closest to me.
As my mind slipped into a peaceful slumber, I had one final thought…
"We made it."
"I wonder if this is what Hyperion felt before this all happened," Somewhere in the Imaginary Sea, Apollo could feel the smile that he had on his nonexistent face. "Maybe that's why they were so hard to deal with in the beginning."
He had been able to reach the bubble universe of the Excalibur, the small connection that Haruto had with it was strong enough that he had been able to simply follow it back to its source.
Getting to it however was another challenge all together. The deeper he had progressed into the Imaginary Sea the heavier a toll it demanded on his body. For every 'step' he took to reach his destination a piece of him was sacrificed in exchange.
By the time he had reached the Excalibur the captain was barely hanging on by a thread.
Despite the fact that he was so close to oblivion it meant nothing to him when he completed his objective, and he knew it had worked by the giant burst of energy that had occurred right after he had touched it.
That meant that Haruto would be able to continue on with his life…
And he would finally mark the end of his life.
It was a strange feeling, dying…again? The captain wasn't really sure if he had really died back when he was facing the Final Herrscher or if he was just sent back in time but that really didn't matter at the moment.
He had always assumed that dying would be really painful, that his final moments would be filled with excruciating pain.
But strangely he was feeling content, at peace with himself.
"I suppose this is it for me," He mused as the final pieces of his spirit were fading away. "Everyone…" He thought of all the comrades he had lost in the war against the Honkai, all the friends he had made as the Captain of the Hyperion.
"I'm coming."
And with those final words Apollo, Haruto Nakamura of another time, faded away. The final vestiges of his spirit turned to nothingness, his soul off to join the cycle of reincarnation so that he may be born again with no memories of the journey he had partaken.
Well that should've been what happened…
However…
Fate Had Other Plans For Our Wayward Captain.
In one moment Apollo had all but lost every one of his senses…
The next he suddenly had all of them back.
"Huh?!" He gasped in shock as he could feel every one of his senses come rushing back to him. Having lost all five senses, getting them back was just a massive rush of feedback. Like if you had clogged a pipe and unclogged it, letting the built up pressure shootout.
Opening his eyes in shock the befuddled captain saw that he was nowhere near the place he had resigned himself to die in. Looking around it seemed as if he had been dropped in some random universe, where all one could see was the seemingly infinite boundaries of space with the stars and planets that inhabited it.
"W-Where am I?" He breathed out as he tried to make sense of what was happening to him. He had been perfectly ready for it all to be over but never in his wildest dreams did he expect a situation like this to happen.
Welcome.
At Long Last We Meet.
The sudden voice had him out looking around in surprise, as he tried to spot the voice that was seemingly all around him. His body shivered at the sheer authority behind those few words. The captain had experienced something similar when he had seen into the eyes of the Final Herrscher..
But this?
He knew instinctively that this voice was way stronger than the Final Herrscher.
"It's you," He realized as he figured out who was speaking to him. "You're…The Conscious."
It was such a cryptic name, which suited this entity that existed in another plane perfectly. He wasn't smart by any means but from what he had heard from Einstein and Tesla this was a being that existed beyond the understanding of humanity.
That it was even some kind of 'god' that maintained the existence of creation itself…
That even the Honkai had to bow down to it.
I See That My Existence Is Known To You Already. Then That Spares Me The Trouble Of Introducing Myself.
Suddenly a human-like being appeared before him, though the only thing 'human' about it was the fact it looked like one. Their 'skin' was seemingly composed of the same galaxies that served as their surroundings.
Even their face were just a spiraling universe.
"W-Were you the one?" Now with having a 'person' to talk to, Apollo asked the one burning question he had on his mind. It surely couldn't be coincidence that he had met this all powerful deity just after the end of his 'second' life.
"T-The one responsible for what happened to me?" He spoke his thoughts without any hesitation.
In response the Conscious simply tilted their head at him.
If I Was, Would It Have Mattered?
You Are Here Now And Nothing Can Change That fact.
Perhaps I Added A Small Variable In This Complex Equation That Maintains The Universe Out Of Sheer Boredom.
Perhaps I Accidentally Made A Change And Neglected It's Existence.
Regardless, Never In My Wildest Dreams Would I Have Guessed Such…
An Unexpected Impact.
The being's shoulders started to shake, as if they were laughing at some kind of joke that only they were privy to.
I Digress, The Real Reason I Want You Here Was To…Sate My Boredom.
They waved their hand and suddenly the place that they were standing on became a giant cosmic chessboard. A second later chess pieces double his size began to manifest themselves on opposite sides of the board.
Your Resilience Has Astounded Me, To Defy Your Natural Fate…It Begs A Reward.
Suddenly a cosmic white pawn moved forward.
Win Against Me And I Shall Show You What Happened To Your Universe.
"Y-You would?" Apollo replied, not at all expecting such a generous gift from such an omnipotent being.
Of Course But First.
Suddenly the being looked in a random direction for seemingly no good reason, there was no reason to be looking in that direction.
Yet unbeknownst to the captain the all mighty being was not concerned to what he was currently facing, as they were looking to something beyond this plane of existence. It was as if they were staring at the eyes of a hidden watcher, watching all of this go down through the other side of a digital device in another dimension.
Reading this scene at this very moment.
Wouldn't You Like To See What Your Impact Has Created?
Hope
It Is A Strange Emotion
Without it, Other Emotions Would Not Exist.
It Is The Birth Of Life Itself
In an unknown place, there existed a field of green. The sky was a peaceful blue and all one would see wherever they turned was a seemingly endless expanse of green. The air was a tranquil breeze and the sun casting it's gaze over all the plain.
But there existed a lone tree, a tree that could be seen for miles. It's branches were seemingly trying to reach the skies themselves.
At the base of that tree slept, covered by the shade of the tree's leaves, a lone child with black hair. Being held close to their slumbering body was a golden sword that shined with an ethereal glow.
Unbeknownst to the sleeping child the golden sword glowed brighter, as if it had reconnected with a long lost part of itself.
For Without Hope, There Is No Future To Be Found.
Hope Can Come In The Most Unexpected Ways
"I'm going to be feeling this for a long time," Grunted Himeko as she walked into the medical bay of the Hyperion, careful not to agitate her fresh wounds. "I just know it."
"You should count yourself lucky Major," Her Vice Captain spoke up beside her as she entered the medical bay a second after the major had. "Most people would be thanking God if all they walked away after fighting a Herrscher with was just a few bruised ribs and some cuts that might take some time to heal."
"I'm pretty sure God is our enemy," Joked the Major as the two walked past numerous medical personnel, treating those that had been injured by the Herrscher's assualt on the ship and survivors that just so happened to be in the area at the time.
When they had heard a Herrscher had awakened in the heavily populated city of Nagazora, the crew had come in with the mindset that they would be heading into a zombie infested battlefield.
Imagine to their surprise that instead they found a city in the midst of evacuating, with Anti-Entropy doing their best in holding back the Honkai hordes. Intel had all already told them that the rival organization had a big foothold in the city, but they never had suspected that they had developed technology to be able to absorb the radiation from a Herrscher's awakening.
Though the radiation couldn't be fully negated, the towers would soon collapse when they reached their threshold, they would be able to buy the citizens of Nagazora enough time to evacuate.
Sure Schicksal and Anti-Entropy didn't see many things eye to eye but they were willing to put aside their differences when it came to helping people.
They were after all created to protect humanity.
"Have we notified the Far East Branch of the survivors we are bringing back with us?" She inquired as she walked past one of their nurses treating a family, thankfully none of them had any serious injuries on them.
The vice captain nodded beside her. "We have personnel at the ready when we make it back to St. Freya. Theresa-sama has assured that everyone will be treated with the utmost hospitality."
Himeko smiled as she thought about the principal, always willing to give a helping hand to those who needed it. It's why it made her such a great principal for the aspiring Valkyries of tomorrow.
The pair finally came to a stop as they made it to their destination, a window that allowed them to see into a room where two patients were currently being treated by their personnel.
"How are they?" She asked as she saw the personnel beginning to clean up, their arduous work finished.
Her Vice Captain nodded as she brought out her tablet that had the report of the two patients. "After the battle and briefing the council in your absence, they have given Mei Raiden the title of the Herrscher of Thunder."
"It suits her," The redheaded woman thought back to how she was barely able to hold her own against the harbinger of destruction. It really put into perspective how terrifying these Herrschers were, and that was excluding the fact that this was only the third one…
Out of fourteen!
"Shouldn't we have her in shackles or something?" She asked, noticing a lack of safety measures set up just in case the Herrscher decided to reawaken.
"The scientists have reported that the Herrscher personality has fallen into a deep sleep," Explained her vice captain. "Even when we tried to coax a reaction out of it, the worst it did was slightly shock someone."
"However as a precaution they implanted a micro-explosive failsafe next to her heart, activating only if the girl's honkai levels exceed the limit." She told Himeko and the redhead woman had to resist the urge to scowl at that information.
It felt wrong doing something to a girl, a girl whose life she had seen unravel on the news, but it was for the safety of everyone present on the ship she was still in command of.
"What about the boy next to her?" She mentioned as she moved her gaze to the sleeping form of a boy who surprisingly had the same shade of hair as her vermillion hair.
"From what is reported the only thing of concern about the boy's health is that he is extremely fatigued, passing out as result of his body no longer having the energy to stay awake." The vice captain swiped her tablet's screen to show the report of the red headed boy.
"However there were concerns that he was shot in the shoulder, evident by the blood and hole in the jacket that he was wearing. But…"
Himeko looked to the pause in her vice captain's tone. "But?" She curiously urged on.
"The medical staff discovered a stigma on the same shoulder that he was seemingly shot in." She revealed as she showed the picture of the stigma to the Major.
The first thing that she noticed was its color. All stigmas were of a blood red color, regardless if they were artificial or natural.
This one was of a golden color, almost borderline ethereal by how it seemingly glowed in the picture.
"Now that's something you don't see everyday," The Murata truthfully replied. Finding stigmas were rare, especially those that stuck out like this one did. "Do we know if it's natural or if it's an artificial one?"
"We ruled out artificial almost immediately, the stigma shows no signs of being detrimental to the boy's health as artificial stigmas are known to be." She told and Himeko knew by experience what she was talking about, she had an artificial stigma of her own.
"However, something became suspicious after we began to look more into it."
"Oh?"
"When we looked up the boys' medical history we saw that he had no prior signs of him possessing this stigma at all. Even his most recent medical report at the Nagazora hospital showed he did not possess the mark."
That was…troubling. Anti-Entropy and Schicksal had many spies in the medical industry, all with the purpose of identifying individuals that had managed to somehow gain a stigma.
It was not rocket science to know that stigmas gave humanity the ability to fight back against the Honkai, and without knowing everything about them it was absolutely imperative to find those that possessed this gift.
So how was it that this teenager in particular had somehow managed to gain a stigma, a natural one by the looks of it, in the span of one day?
"Who is our mystery person anyway?" Her curiosity showed as she turned to her Vice Captain.
What she had not been expecting was to be given a slight smirk.
"I think you should see for yourself," Himeko was cryptically told before she was handed the tablet.
Unsure of what her vice captain was being so mysterious about, the Murata woman looked at the information presented in the report. What could be so mysterious about someone that happened to look…
Like her.
Her hazel eyes widened in surprise when she saw the last name of the redheaded boy and only one thought could come to her mind as an epiphany suddenly dawned on her, the dots connecting on why he looked so familiar to her.
…
"I HAVE A NEPHEW?!"
Hope Can Come From Those Closest To Us
"Are you sure they'll be alright?" Keji Furuta pleaded to the nurse standing right in front of him. All around them were people who had been with them when Anti-Entropy evacuation ships had safely taken them away from Nagazora.
The nurse had a comforting smile on her face. "I can assure you Furuta-san that Akihiro and Sora-san will be alright. Their radiation readings were slightly higher than normal and we needed to do some extra tests to make sure everything is alright."
A comforting hand was placed on his shoulder as Akane walked up to him. "Trust what the nurse says, she knows what she's doing." Sending the nurse a thankful nod, the nurse nodded her head in kind before she left the two to fulfill her duties.
Once the nurse left the senior Nakamura wasted no time in looking at the young man in front of her. "But what about you Keji? How are you holding up?"
The brown haired turned around and did everything in his power to not break down at that moment. "I-It's j-just a bit much to process." He confessed as he hugged himself. "One minute everything is normal and the next you've lost your home."
Akane just smiled knowingly as she squeezed his shoulder in a gesture of comfort, he wasn't the only one to lose their home today. "If there's one thing I've learned is that home isn't a place, it's the people we love that are home."
At her words Keji suddenly remembered that they were missing four, technically three if you exclude the cat, important members. "W-Where's Haruto?! I-If he and the others didn't get out then…"
Before he could dissolve any further the red headed woman was quick to interrupt him. "Kiana already messaged me. All four of them are okay, even Bronya is with them. They're in another ship that left already but she's assured me that we will see each other again when it's possible."
"T-That's a relief," And he wasn't lying about that. Everyone he cared about was still alive, that's all that mattered in the end.
Akane nodded as she was of the same thought. "Yes, so now let's-!" Whatever she was going to say was interrupted by a loud, but very familiar, shout.
"KEJI! WHERE ARE YOU!?"
"I'll leave you be," Akane smiled slyly at him as the loud speaker was getting louder and louder with each step they took. "I have to notify Haruto's parents about what's happened."
As the redheaded woman left, the chess enthusiast opened his mouth to try and convince the woman to stay. However before he could say anything a pair of arms suddenly wrapped themselves around his body.
"You're alright!" The hugger cried out in relief. Turning around Keji saw a familiar shade of black hair and his suspicions were only proven correct when the person's head lifted up to show teary red eyes.
"M-Marie nee-san?!" He cried out in shock, not at all expecting to see his sister here.
Well they were technically half-siblings, who looked nothing alike, but that really didn't mean anything when the older sister wailed even louder as her hug strength intensified. If almost dying by the hands of a zombie wasn't going to kill him, this might.
It was that or the embarrassment that he was feeling as everyone in the vicinity was looking at them, some even laughing at his misfortune.
"M-Marie nee-san," He tried to gently get her off. "You need to-,"
"I came as soon as I heard that Nagazora was experiencing this," Ignoring his pleas the older female removed her hands from the hug and placed them on her younger brother's cheeks, trying to figure out if anything was wrong with him. "I'm so relieved that you're doing alright."
Looking down he saw that she was still clad in her lab coat, no doubt having no time to change when she received the news. It made him feel guilty that he had forced her to leave her work just for him. "I-I," He sputtered out, a mixture of guilt and the hecticness of the day swirling inside of him.
"What's wrong Keji?" Marie instantly caught on to his tone.
"You wouldn't believe me." Was his swift response.
"Trust me." She said resolutely and something about her tone of voice and the look in her eyes assured Keji that he could tell her what was bothering him.
So taking in a deep breath he explained to what he saw back in the streets of Nagazora, of the zombie he had seen and how for some reason it was just nagging him. As if it was something really important.
After his explanation the brown haired boy saw his older sister take in a deep breath, closing her eyes as she seemed to be contemplating something. And he knew whenever she did this then she was thinking of something serious
"Keji…" And true to his suspicion when the scientist spoke her tone was very serious. "What I am about to say will change everything you know about the world but I think you deserve to know this." Her red eyes stared into his green eyes.
"Kei, allow me to tell you about the Honkai and the centuries old war humanity has been stuck in with it."
Hope Can Also Come From Those One Might Believe They Would Never Meet
"Please," In one of the many locker rooms that inhabited Schicksal's floating headquarters, Midori Aki was in a state of worry and anxiety as she stared at her phone. "Please be alright." She pleaded as she watched for any notifications to pop up.
The valkyrie had just arrived on the floating headquarters when she heard news of what was happening to Nagazora. She was supposed to have met the new squadron she was assigned to and she had tried to put off the worry she felt when she thought about how all of her friends were doing.
Eventually however the worry had become too much for her and here she was sitting on the benches of the locker room, waiting desperately for any kind of news. She didn't know how she would react to any type of news but she needed the closure.
Her breath quickened when her phone buzzed with a notification. With lightning fast speed the black haired girl quickly opened the notification that she realized was from none other than Kiana Kaslana.
[We're good, everyone is okay :) ]
"Thank the heavens!" Midori cried out as all the worry was lifted off her chest. Holding the phone close to her chest, the valkyrie's heart felt like it was beating out of her chest but she didn't care about that.
They were all safe, that's all that mattered
"I trust you got good news then?" Someone spoke up.
"Yes I was just-!" She turned to face the speaker, only for her heart to immediately drop when she realized who she was speaking to.
"DURANDAL-SAMA?!"
Bianka 'Durandal' Atageina just smiled at the Valkyrie's outburst, completely used to this kind of reaction to Valkyries that she had just met. "At ease," The blonde woman assured, though her words were having little effect on Midori's mind right now.
"I-I-I-I am so sorry!" She sputtered out as she bowed as much as her body allowed her to. Oh she had screwed up so badly. She was supposed to have met her new squad like half an hour ago and had messed up so much that Durandal herself had to come fetch her.
She was making such a bad impression of herself right in front of her idol right now!
"What is there to be sorry about?" Durandal did not show she was bothered by the Valkyrie's outburst, if anything she looked quite understanding. "It is quite alright with me if a fellow squad member needs to be late in order to find news of their loved ones."
Midori was about to thank her idol for being so understanding when her mind latched on to what the blonde Valkyrie had just said. "W-W-Wait," Her lip quivered as she processed what she had just heard. There could be no way what she thought was about to happen was actually about to happen. "Y-You don't mean…"
Durandal had a small smirk on her face when the black haired Valkyrie connected the dots. Extending a hand out for a handshake the revered Valkyrie revealed why she was there. "It is my pleasure to personally welcome you to the Immortal Blades. I hope to work well alongside you."
It took everything in Midori not to pass out right then and there.
So Long As Hope Exists, Even Miracles That Defy The Impossible Can Be Performed.
"Ah Theresa–san," In the halls of St. Freya's Academy Welt Yang, known as the history professor 'Joachim Nokianvirtanen', greeted the petite principal as he walked up to her. It was purely by chance that he had encountered her here.
"Joachim?" Theresa asked, confused why he was here. "Shouldn't you have a class to teach right now?
At the mention of his class the undercover Sovereign merely sighed. "You try to tell your students to focus when all they can talk about is the Nagazora Eruption."
The white haired principal merely frowned at that news. "I thought I made sure that the information wasn't supposed to be disclosed to others yet."
The brown haired teacher merely smiled. "If there's a will there's a way. These are teenagers after all." He reminded her.
The valkyrie nodded in agreement with what he had just said. For as much as they were training the Valkyries of tomorrow, they were still teenagers. "I suppose they are." Smiled Theresa.
"Where are you going might I ask? The teacher asked.
The principal was more than happy to reply. "I have to be there when the Hyperion lands, someone has to be there to assure the civilians that-!" She was interrupted when a nurse suddenly ran into the hallway that they were currently in.
"Theresa-sama!" The nurse panted as she rested the palms of her hands on her knees, no doubt her body exhausted from having to run from the medical bay of the academy which was quite far from where they were.
"S-Schariac-san has woken up!" She announced, drawing surprised looks from both the adults.
In the medical bay doctors and nurses were in an uproar, trying to make sure that everything was ready for what was going to come next. In the midst of the chaos was a single bed where a girl with light brown hair, that had some light pink pigment as well, slept.
Fingers twitching, the girl slowly opened her eyes to reveal purple eyes.
Hope Pushes Humanity To Go Even Reach The Stars Themselves.
"So Tesla and Einstein used little ole Rasputin," In the workshop that the Yggdrasil Advanced Engineering Corps called home Christopher Asplund had a smirk on his face as he scrolled through his tablet, which was currently displaying all the information the Hyperion had gathered on the Nagazora Eruption. "Who would've thought?"
Was the implementation of a bug in the Hyperion's system that allowed him to know everything the ship's data banks possessed highly illegal?
Yes, why yes it was.
But it wasn't like he was going to be caught anytime soon, he was the one who had helped develop the ship's systems after all. He had masterfully hid the bug underneath all the Hyperion's code so unless the Overseer himself decided to investigate then his tracks were covered.
Besides he wasn't harming anyone with this, information was just a way for him to develop better inventions.
And that couldn't have been more true when he swiped at the report of a 'Haruto Nakamura'. Seeing the redheaded teenager the scientist couldn't help but have a smile grow on his face at the realization of who he was seeing.
Could it be?
Looking up his smile turned into a grin as he saw the completed state of his battlesuit. The white and gold prototype battlesuit had finally been given life. Through the data that they were able to get their hands on they had been able to complete the battlesuit that had seemed impossible to finish.
Numerous scientists were in the midst of installing the sword in one of the battlesuit's gauntlets, as well as running some diagnostic tests to ensure that everything was operational. It was a shame that his assistant had to leave for Nagazora to make sure her younger brother was okay but the other scientists were more than okay with filling in her spot.
Now all it awaited was the pilot whose data was responsible for completing this battlesuit, and if his intuition was correct then he would have to be waiting just a little bit longer.
"I wonder…" He mused as he looked down to the picture of Haruto and back up to the battlesuit in front of him.
"What if we were to change the white color scheme to something more of a…vermillion red?"
Behind Every Achievement, Hope Is There.
"I-Is there a reason why you've called for me ma'am?" Teppei Shirogane asks nervously as he followed Tesla to wherever she was leading him to. The only thing he did know was that this place was one of Anti-Entropy's main bases.
The red haired scientist turned around and gave him a comforting smile. "Nothing bad I assure you."
The captain didn't have the courage to tell her how reassuring her words were to him at that moment. Deciding just to focus on calming down his beating heart, the black haired mecha pilot silently followed the scientist.
It didn't take long for the two to approach the doors of a massive hangar. Teppei didn't know what was in it but he was sure it had to be something serious if Tesla herself was directing him to it.
When the colossal doors of the hangar opened up all the captain saw was just darkness. Tesla was unfettered by this as she walked into the dark hangar, forcing Teppei to follow her inside. When the two took a few steps inside the lights suddenly kicked in, forcing the captain to cover his eyes from fear of being blinded.
However when the light died down and he was able to lower his arms from his eyes, he was not expecting to see what was in front of him.
"I-Is that the…" He breathed out when he saw the massive glowing green eyes of a mech from an anime that he had fondly grown up with as a child. It was the main reason why he wanted to join Anti-Entropy and be a mecha pilot.
"The Arahato." Tesla confirmed as she motioned to the massive mech. The giant mecha ninja/samurai robot looked as if it had just been ripped right out of the anime and into real life. It even had its iconic giant katana strapped to its back!
This had to be some fever dream, there was no way that this was happening right now.
"The Arahato was Dr. Tesla's project to develop a General Purpose All-Terrain Bipedal Heavy Weapons Platform." Einstein spoke up as she walked up to the pair. "It was used in the Second Eruption to combat Sirin but was destroyed by the Herrscher."
"However with certain help from a pudding scientist that used to work with us we were able to complete repairs on the mech." The three of them looked up to see the Arahato's intimidating green visor looking down on them.
"W-Wait," The two scientists turned around to see Teppei shakily pointing to himself. "A-Am I going to pilot it?" Because if that was the case he was passing out right now.
Thankfully Einstein shook her head. "The Arahato is only to be used against larger threats, it would be too expensive and impractical to use it every time we needed to combat a threat."
"However we decided that we needed to upgrade our means of fighting the Honkai and we decided to start up a new project." Tesla spoke up as the three of them walked over to the side of the hangar, where another mech was at.
It was significantly smaller than the Arahato but judging by its kneeling state Teppei figured it was at least twice as big as the regular mechs that Anti-Entropy and his squad piloted. It was still colored in Anti-Entropy's signature dark blue and it did possess the Anti-Entropy logo on its chest.
However it was more humanoid than the regular mechs, actually looking like an actual person with a lot of armor. This new mech also possessed an actual head that looked like a helmet of a knight with a singular mono eye in the middle.
"May I present to you the new Mobile Suits we plan on manufacturing." Tesla introduced. "It was you and the rest of the Herring squad's pilot proficiency that we decided that your squad would be the first pilots of these new suits."
"W-What's it called?" He breathed out as he convinced himself that this was not some fever dream.
Tesla smirked as the mobile suit's helmet opened up, revealing a glowing orange mono eye.
"Shiden."
Even When All Seems Lost, Hope Pushes Us Forward With The Promise Of A Better Future.
"Forgive me Nuwa, Fuxi," Somewhere in Shenzhou, Fu Hua placed flowers on an unmarked grave. There was no name anywhere on the gravesite to tell one who was buried here but for Fu Hua this place would forever be remembered.
For this was where she lost two very dear friends.
Taking a step back the gray haired MANTIS looked around. Before she had lost her memories she had done her best to try and keep the place tidy and clean, in honor of her fallen friends. But ever since she had lost her memories the place had gone into disarray without her care "To think I would forget the both of you."
"It wasn't your fault, old timer," Hua spoke up within her mind. "If there's anyone to blame then it should be Otto for trying to play God."
"Perhaps…" What her inner voice had said was right, but in a way the fault still laid with her. "But looking back I cannot help but feel the guilt of making so many careless mistakes."
Ever since the events of Nagazora her memories had been slowly coming back to her. Countless years of memories couldn't come all in one moment, her mind would surely break from the information overload.
But the slow reacquisition of them had given the phoenix more than enough free time to ponder on all the actions she had done. From being the Celestial to being one of Otto's agents, she had made many mistakes.
"But I know if I dwell on them I will not be able to try and change it all." She looked at her hand and clenched it in resolution.
"Yatta! And I'll be there with you at every step!" Hua shouted in agreement.
The valkyrie smiled at the enthusiasm of her other self. For some strange reason she had been enjoying their company, she wondered why that was.
"Of course," Sparing one final look at the grave, Fu Hua turned around and began to walk away.
However unknown to both the MANTIS and the voice within her head two people were watching them leave the place. Standing behind the grave two identical people, both in appearance and clothing, were watching them. The only difference between the two were that one had blue highlights while the other had red.
"Fuxi I told you she'd find someone!"
"You're right Nuwa. It might've taken a long time but finally she has found someone."
Even The Most Stalwart Of Souls Are Not Immune To Hope's Embrace.
Somewhere in Britain was a perfectly looking lake. There was nothing that stuck out of it, only a few birds were at the water's edge as they drank the pristine water.
However they would soon take to the skies when a ripple suddenly began to echo through the water, the source of it originating from the center of the lake. A shade of gray hair broke through the origin of the ripple as a person began to emerge from the water, yet when they completely surfaced they were completely dry.
"How strange," The pioneer Su mused as he looked to the familiar surroundings. "To think I would come back here of all places, to where it had all begun."
Bringing his hand up he saw the captain's badge that had been entrusted to him. It had been quite a surprise when Apollo had suddenly appeared inside of his bubble universe, offering no explanation to his disintegrating body.
All that the captain had said was that he was getting him out and that the future was in stake. Not the future that the Fire Moth knew of but he knew from talking with the time traveler that by their tone of voice inaction was not an option.
So here he was, breaking his oath of imprisonment as he found himself back in the real world.
"I shall not betray your trust Apollo," Affirmed the MANTIS as he began to walk on the water's surface and back unto the ground. When his feet touched the land Su began to walk in a seemingly random direction.
"First off, let us find Siegfried Kaslana."
It Is In Hope That The Most Unlikeliest Of Friendships Are Formed.
Somewhere in the ruins of Nagazora, a lone blue haired girl was desperately running through an alleyway. With how she was panting and the sweat on her forehead it was evident that she had been running for a while.
"Keep running, Seele!" Her other self shouted in her mind as the petite girl did her best to keep up her pace.
Unfortunately it seems that fate would not be on the girl's side as she suddenly tripped on something, sending her roughly to the ground. Seele yelped when she felt one of her legs flare up in pain.
She could not focus on that for long unfortunately as the sounds of her pursuers were getting louder and louder.
Looking up she saw three Templar-class Honkai beasts chasing after her. The shield and spear wielding honkai beasts leapt into the air, spears primed to skewer her prone body.
"Watch out!" Veliona shouted in warning as Seele screamed, closing her eyes as she turned her head away from what was about to happen.
However a second later she could hear someone placing themselves in front and strangely…it began to smell like sakura flowers.
"Thus kindly scatter," Was all the petite girl heard before the sound of a katana was unsheathed. A second later all she could hear was the scattering of leaves in the air, with the sounds of her pursuers unable to be heard.
Slowly Seele nervously opened her eyes to see none of the three honkai beasts chasing her, the only evidence that they had been there in the first place was the cracks in the ground from their footsteps.
And in front of her was the one responsible for saving her. Hair dyed as bright as the leaves of a sakura tree, her savior sheathed her katana as a flourish of sakura petals were blown away by the wind.
Her pink haired savior, who strangely had a pair of fox ears on her head, turned around and gave the petite girl a smile. "Are you alright?" She asked, concerned.
Seele eagerly nodded as she went to pick herself up from her spot. "Yes I am-!" However the moment she moved one of her legs she could not prevent the yelp of pain that left her lips.
"Do not move," The stranger said as she moved closer to the petite girl's leg. Delicately her fingers touched her leg, where the ankle was now that of a purple color. Despite her soft touch Seele could not help but give a whimper of pain.
"...You have sprained your ankle, nothing too threatening but you definitely need to let that heal." Without warning the pink haired girl took the petite girl into her arms, a bridal carry to be more specific.
"Thank you so much!" Seele expressed her gratitude, her cheeks slightly red from the sudden action by her saviour. However she suddenly realized that she had forgotten something very crucial. "A-Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Seele."
"Seele? A beautiful name." Praised the pink haired female. "My name is Yae, a pleasure to meet you."
Unbeknownst to the pair, they both had someone that called their minds home. In a mindscape only possible due to their close proximity, two beings of immense power were sizing the other up.
"I thought I had smelled something foul nearby," Mocked Veliona as a pair of fearsome red claws hovered close to her sides as she glared at what was across from her.
"Funny," Growled out a dark crimson fox as it bared its fangs out to the girl in front of it. The spirit of the Herrscher of Corruption eyes narrowed as it gave a similar glare that it was receiving "I thought I smelled something rotten coming near me."
However…
In a shambled ruin, Gray Serpent was walking down a dark corridor to an unknown location. The masked hacker did not know where he was, this place was not an important World Serpent base or location that he was familiar with.
But he needed no map or light to guide his directions. For every turn his mind would immediately know what route to take, as if he had been here many times. He continued walking till he came upon a massive metal door barring his way.
Instead of attempting to open the door with his hands, a verbal command came to him like a lightbulb suddenly going off in his head.
"Be Reborn in Destruction." He spoke
For Hope to exist…
At those words the colossal metal doors parted to what resembled a throne room. Unlike the dark, ruined corridors that he had been walking down this room was pristine, as if the ravages of time had not affected it.
At the other end of the chamber, was a throne that had the symbol of the World Serpent etched above it…
And sitting on that throne was a white haired man, a man that transcended time and space itself.
The masked hacker's arrival stirred the white haired man from his thoughts, his icy blue eyes moving to look at him. Under his gaze the Gray Serpent could not help but tremble before kneeling.
"Forgive me sire," He spoke with utmost reverence. "Forgive your servant for failing to welcome your return in person, I was not aware of your arrival."
"Think nothing of it," Kevin Kaslana spoke. "An opportunity arose and I took advantage of it, tell me…"
"How fares Project Stigma?"
So Too Must Darkness.
For Every Good Deed Done, There Is A Bad One Done Elsewhere In The World.
"Tell why are we here again?" Raven asked as she surveyed the site from her vantage point. Workers were busy excavating something while guards were standing by just in case something went wrong.
"Cold?" Teased Jackal as the masked scientists walked up to the mercenary.
"No," Hissed Raven as she remembered where they were. Out of all the places they had to go it had to be Siberia, ground zero of the Second Eruption. "This place brings back bad memories."
Before her mind could even think of going down memory lane she forced herself to focus back on the present. The past was dead, there was nothing there for her now.
"As you say," Jackal relented as she turned around to see the main find of their excavation site. She didn't believe in God but at this moment she would relent that some higher power was shining favor down upon them right now.
For behind them, encased in a wall of ice, was none other than the Judgment Honkai Beast known as Benares. The white and blue dragon had served as Sirin's right hand during the Second Eruption. It had been reported that the fearsome honkai beast had fallen in battle…
Which clearly wasn't the case.
"I was sure that you'd be more pissed about the fact that you lost Styx," Raven spoke up as she turned her attention to the frozen form of the dragon.
"An unexpected setback, but not one worth crying about." The canine mask wearing scientist always had a sneaking suspicion that the black feline would betray their deal. She was a free spirited animal, not even the tightest of shackles would keep that cat imprisoned.
"She has however given me enough data that I may begin to train her replacement." She mused as she thought back to the mocha colored cat that she had picked up. Stan was his name if she remembered it correctly.
As the pair continued making light talk they were unaware that Benares was still conscious, albeit only a sliver. The terrifying beast was not as 'dead' as they would like to think but rather it was more akin to coming in and out of consciousness for a brief window of time.
And everytime Benares was conscious, only one thought would run through her mind.
"My queen, forgive me for failing you."
The Cruelness Of This World Can Twist Hope Into A Terrible Thing.
In the mind of Kiana Kaslana, locked away in a mindscape that not even the white haired girl was aware of, a sinister being was laughing.
In this mindscape was the burning wreckage of the laboratory that was the Babylon Labs. It was here that Schicksal committed numerous horrendous acts to children, forcing them to the deepest pits of hell itself.
It was here that the Herrscher of the Void was born.
Located on the top of the ruined tower, sitting on a demonic looking throne, Sirin had her head resting on her hand as she watched the burning fields of Siberia from her throne. The Herrscher of Void looked remarkably similar to Kiana, the one key difference being that instead of eyes of bright blue it was instead a cruel gold.
"Go on my host," She chuckled to herself. "Go on and play the hero, absorb more honkai energy for me. When the time is right…" She brought her other hand up before clenching it and smirked sinisterly.
"The world shall tremble from my name once more."
Hope Can Also Push One To Pursue Their Own Wishes, Even If They Must Step On The Wishes Of Others.
In Schicksal's New Zealand Branch, Otto Apocalypse was deep in thought. Usually this would not be strange behavior for the Overseer but it was rare that instead of making plans, he was going down memory lane.
"Hey Otto!" A young Kallen Kaslana ran up to his child self, a bright grin on her face that never ceased to brighten his day. "Did you build something new!?"
His naive and innocent child self nodded eagerly. "I made this boat that can go on its own by mimicking how ducks move on the water!"
"Really!? That's so cool!"
"Kallen," He mused to himself as he thought about his beloved Kaslana. "This world never deserved you, your bright soul was dragged down by this cruel world.
"Otto-sama?" Breaking him out of his thoughts the blond overseer opened his eyes to see his visor wearing assistant. "Theresa-sama has reported that they have successfully managed to capture the Herrscher of Thunder."
Oh? It seems that this day was turning out to be a good one already. "Give my granddaughter my congratulations Amber." He ordered as he made his way to the windows of the observation room. "It's not everyday that humanity manages such a momentous victory against the Honkai."
Stopping in front of the windows Otto could not break the smile on his face. They had managed to capture a Herrscher alive, the first part of his plan to save Kallen had now been completed. He would do anything to ensure she lived past her tragic end….
And if he needed to control God itself then so be it.
"Tell the scientists to resume their testing," He said as he looked down from his spot in the observation room into a room that they were overlooking. There the only person inside was a girl with black hair and green tips confined to a wheelchair, a bright glowing green gem stuck in one of her legs.
"We must be able to control the powers of a Herrscher, for the sake of humanity's victory." No one was able to see his smile shift into something sinister when he had said that.
Down in the testing room, Wendy Gunnhildr held back a depressed sigh from leaving her lips. This was her life now, to be a guinea pig for Schicksal's experiments. This wasn't how she wanted her life to turn out.
Even now she could feel something reaching out to her, whispering that it could give her power beyond her comprehension. Power that she could use to vent her frustration at this world.
She would not lie, it was oh so very tempting.
However…something was holding her back.
In her hands was a pendant shaped in a typical heart. Opening it up was a picture of herself when she had passed the Valkyria trials, it had been the happiest day in her life. Standing next to her was another person, however their features were blocked by the placement of the fingers holding the pendant.
"I hope you're doing well," She wondered before scientists began to enter the room she was in, and with it the promise of doing more tests.
In The Face Of Greed, Hope Is But A Helpless Puppet.
Cocolia resisted the urge to groan when her latest attempt to call Bronya had ended with failure. All she knew about the girl's condition was that she was picked up by the flying Schicksal battleship and off to its Far East Branch.
"Looks like I need to make amends with her," Opening the door to her office, not in Nagazora but somewhere in the United States, the blonde enforcer wanted to take a nap because of how tiring this day had been. "The plan to get the Herrscher was way too extreme-!"
She stopped abruptly when she noticed someone sitting in her chair, evident by the hand that was resting on one of its armrests.
"Who are you?!" She demanded as she instantly unholstered her pistol and aimed it at her chair, which was her favorite by the way!
The chair was currently facing away from her but slowly turned by the end of her words. By the time it finished turning it revealed a smirking woman with pink hair, with a mix of pink and blue eyes.
"Have you already forgotten about me already, friend?" The stranger smiled when a furious look appeared on Cocolia's face after emphasizing that last word.
"Give me one good reason why I should not-!"
"I did deliver you your Herrscher, it's just your fault that-!" She was interrupted by a gunshot that was just a few inches away from her head.
"Touche," Was all she said as Cocolia moved the reticle of her pistol so that the next time she shot it would be right between her eyes.
Yet despite the fact that she was completely at the mercy of the blonde enforcer the pink haired female was as calm as she was in the beginning. "What if I said I wanted to help you?"
"After what you did back there you have a lot of nerve coming back!" Cocolia retorted furiously. She had lost a lot of good men thanks to this woman, and she was not going to let them die in vain!
"Oh please," Sentience waved nonchalantly. "People die all the time, at least they died for the greater good."
"And what's to stop me from putting a bullet in your skull right now?"
"Mutual destruction." They smirked when they noticed the paling look on the enforcer's face. "I don't mind dying early, but you? I wonder how Anti-Entropy would react if I should leak that you were the one responsible for Raiden Ryoma's fall?"
If it had been any other person Cocolia would've laughed but she knew how capable the person in front of her was.
After all, she was the one to bring down Raiden Ryoma.
"...Fine," She relented as she lowered her pistol. She would play her game for now but the moment an opportunity arose to backstab her she would not hesitate to take it. " But if you want to help me then I need to know you're a name."
"A name?" The Herrscher of Sentience brought up a hand to her chin in contemplation. She hadn't realized that she did not have a name to call herself "Hmm, well the person whose body I modeled mine after is dead so I don't think she'd mind if I borrowed it for a while." Suddenly the pink haired female shot out of the chair before bowing.
"Elysia, at your service."
"Alright then…Elysia," The blonde enforcer still could not believe that she was willing to work with someone who had not hesitated in betraying her. "You have a lot of explaining to do after that mess you've made of Nagazora."
"Mess?" Elysia smiled coyly, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Yes, while you can certainly think that Nagazora is a failure, I see it as something more…" She leaned in, her eagerness all apparent as if she knew something about that place no one else did.
"I see it as a cradle, a cradle in which something beautiful will be born."
For When The Light Rises…
In a dimension that humanity could never hope to reach, all one would see was white. Not a single different color could be seen anywhere else.
Somewhere in that dimension of white laid a throne made of marble, and on that throne sat a being that looked like a mannequin. They had no discernable features on them but if one was to simply be in their presence…
You would be on your knees, unable to do anything but be helpless by their sheer power and authority.
The being sat here since time began, waiting, guiding the Honkai in its holy mission to destroy humanity.
Their Will.
And right now the Will of the Honkai was feeling something it had ever felt. Something had happened in the awakening of their Third Herrscher, and for whatever strange reason they did not know what it was.
It both intrigued them…
And also strangely….
Worried them.
Victory was still assured for the Honkai, nothing about that had changed, but the presence of this anomaly threatened to throw everything into chaos.
…
…
…
Perhaps it was time to take…
Some drastic measures.
So Too Does The Darkness To Meet It.
So…how was it!?
When I was writing this I was really giddy and smiling, I get to finally start writing the reasons why I wanted to make this story. I hope that you're as excited as I am by the little sneak peak I've given to you on how the next part of this story is going to go.
I really hoped you enjoyed it!
Before I forget I think I might need to make something clear. Elysia and Hua of this story are two completely different entities. I've seen some confused comments and wanted to make it clear. Hua was born from Fu Hua's constant use of the Fenghuang Down, Elysia is the Herrscher personality. Elysia was meant to subjugate Hua into becoming the Herrscher but as you can see Death said no.
Is this canon accurate? Probably not but I have to roll with it so hope no one is too mad about that.
I've gotten some questions regarding if I'm making a new story or continuing off of this one and my current answer for that is that I will continue to update this story, unless you guys would find it easier for me to make a new one
Though I kinda like just having one story to worry about.
Think of this chapter as my gift for Honkai Impact 3rd's 4th GLB Anniversary, which is a crazy coincidence.
Now onto an important update…I will be…
Taking a little hiatus on this story.
Nothing two big but for the next two weeks don't expect a chapter update. Not only do I have to now get into a whole different mindset for this next part of the story, I've also been feeling kind of burnt out trying to update this story.
I wanted to take this break for awhile now but wanted to do it when I finished Nagazora so here it is. I'll still be writing in my free time but not with the intention of getting a chapter update out every 1-2 weeks.
Also Elden Ring is coming out and I'm probably going to just be playing that for those 2 weeks lol.
And yes…I am planning on pulling for the newest Honkai character, wish me luck!
32 CHAPTERS FOR ONLY NAGAZORA AND I CAN ASSURE THIS NEXT PART OF THE STORY WILL BE LONGER AND MUCH MORE CRAZY THAN WHAT YOU'VE SEEN. IF YOU THINK I COULD SCREW WITH CANON YOU HAVEN'T SEEN NOTHING YET!
P.S At the moment of this update news of what is currently happening in Ukraine has been shown and while I am unsure if any who read this are actually from there, know that I'm wishing you guys the utmost of safety.
Welp that's all for this chapter. If you enjoyed it, drop a fav/follow/kudos as they really help me out with creating great chapters. Reviews are deeply appreciated and if you have a question or a really interesting theory I am more than happy to reply. Please be patient if I don't respond to you super fast. Even if I don't respond to your comment for whatever reason, know that I read each and every one of them!
Peace!