First chapter of 2023! Let's jump right into it!
Just wanted to thank you all for sticking around for almost 50 chapters! That's freakin insane!
Please check out the author's note at the end of the chapter…
And without further ado let's begin the chapter.
"The battle."
With those final words the black and purple short haired woman in front of her moved. It was subtle, barely moving her feet in a nonchalant manner. Such a move would've had anyone lowering their guard but not Theresa Apocalypse. No she would not be fooled in dropping her guard against this person.
Because while there was this seemingly nonchalant atmosphere in the air it was curbed by the fact that the woman's bloodthirsty smile had yet to disappear.
Hand clutching the spear from her Oath of Judah, the petite white haired Valkyrie silently assessed the situation. She had no idea who she was facing, no idea of the abilities that she possessed, or how proficient she was in a battle.
Yet…
"This feeling?" The white haired principal thought as she tightened her grip on the Oath of Judah. This sense of dread… the last time she had felt this kind of dread before was…
It was the same as when she had fought Sirin…
The moment that Theresa had thought about the Herrscher of Void her mind flashbacked to the last time she had thought about the one who was responsible for the total annihilation of Siberia, to the one responsible for killing thousands of people.
But she did not think of when she had crossed blades with the Herrscher in the snowy fields of Siberia.
Rather to a conversation she had with two Anti-Entropy Enforcers in the deepest confines of her academy.
"It is as you see Theresa-san," Einstein spoke as the both of them stared at the various bodies submerged in the test tubes that were laid before them. The secrets that lurked underneath her academy, secrets that her grandfather had told her were super confidential and should be guarded with the utmost security.
She had her suspicions of what these secrets were, no doubt relating to secrets that Schicksal did not want their enemies to know of, but she trusted her grandfather. He had Schicksal's best interests in mind, what could there to be hide?
Yet never in her wildest dreams did she think that one of the secrets related to her niece…
Kiana Kaslana.
Staring at the identical forms of her niece in the test tubes in front of her a sick thought wormed itself into her mind. Was the Kiana that she had just talked to just hours ago the real one…
Or was she…
"H-How do I know this isn't all some sort of trick?" She retorted as she moved her eyes away from the test tubes, a desperate maneuver to think of anything else, to cast doubt on this revelation. "How do I know that you haven't purposely created this trap to make me doubt my grandfather?"
"You don't," Cocolia spoke up with a smirk. "For all we know this could be a trap to deliberately fool you.""Yet Theresa-san you're a smart woman," Einstein added as she placed a hand on her shoulder in a reassuring manner before leaning into her ear"But what if we aren't wrong? What if what you are seeing is real and all the implications as well?" She whispered and Theresa could feel her breath hitch up."What would it mean then? What would it mean for the trust you have in Schicksal then…"
"What would it mean for the people you love?"
"No get your head back in the game," She mentally chided herself, shaking her head to clear that memory. Now was not the time to ponder on such heavy thoughts. "This is not the time to get distracted."
"This isn't like fighting Sirin." She chided as she refocused her attention back on her mystery assailant, who still hadn't budged from her spot and was still smiling at her.
"This is worse." She affirmed in her mind. Sirin, whilst never shying from a fight, didn't revel in a battle. No, she reveled in the cleansing of 'insects' from the planet, taking joy in the mission that the Honkai bestowed upon her.
Whoever this was, she reveled in the fight. Even barely meeting her Theresa could tell she was barely concealing her bloodlust, as if she was a hair's length away from attacking her.
"But I can't back down now!" She thought determinedly. "I am the Principal of St. Freya Academy!"
And with that Theresa Apocalypse rushed her opponent, spear from the Oath of Judah in hand.
At the sight of the Valkyrie running up to her the mystery woman merely chuckled. "Good," The mystery woman smiled, allowing her body to slowly move into the rhythm of the fight. "Let's both enjoy this to the fullest shall we?"
Lunging with her spear Theresa tried to skewer the woman's head but the woman just lazily moved her head out of the way, dodging the attack. Not deterred, she tried to attack again, this time with her other fist but that was dodged as well.
As a matter of fact that's all the woman did, just dodge. Any attack that Theresa threw her way the dark purple haired woman just dodged them, seemingly dancing as she did so.
Swerving her torso out of the path of her spear's tip.
Ducking under any attacks that were aiming for her head.
Using her arms to block any attacks that were aimed for her torso.
The mystery woman was treating this less as a fight and more as some kind of strange dance.
And that wasn't mentioning the witty remarks she had whenever her attacks missed.
"Sloppy, slow, sad!"
It was absolutely grating to hear her insults though fortunately Theresa was able to catch her off guard and score a particularly effective hit with a kick to the ribs, forcing the short haired woman back a few meters.
"Impressive," Praised the woman, seemingly unbothered by the kick. If anything she looked pleased by it with the wild grin she had on. "Your small stature would normally be a disadvantage but you don't hesitate to fight up close and personal."
"A pleasant surprise" She commented as she watched Theresa close the distance between them, seemingly unaware of the predicament that she was now in. Whether it was intentional or not the black and dark purple haired woman had placed herself in between not only herself but also in the spot the Oath of Judah had been left at.
And Theresa was going to take full advantage of that.
"Judah!" She yelled out when she got close enough, the Divine Key swiftly responding to her call. The golden cross activated, revealing the arrays of golden spears that jutted out of it before they were fired up into the air.
One of the unique characteristics of the Oath of Judah was the fact that its spears had superior homing capabilities. Once fired into the air the spears with chains attached to their ends immediately home in on the purple haired woman, seeking to imprison her.
And while Judah's chains were homing in on their target, she was already raising her spear to skewer her opponent as well.
In such a tight predicament, with attacks coming from both sides, would have had any warrior possibly crumble under such an assault. But not this woman, instead of panicking…
She joyously laughed at the situation she was in before raising one of her fists up, which began to exude a mysterious dark black vapor.
"Yes, Yes!" She cheered before slamming her fist down, kicking off a giant storm of dark vapor around her. The thick smog expanded outward, almost as both a smokescreen that obscured the woman from Theresa's view and as a shield as the chains of Judah were sent flying off target when they made contact with the cloud.
Slightly cursing at Judah's chains being deflected the white haired principal readied herself to send another barrage of the Divine Key's spears, only to stop midway when suddenly the short haired woman bursted out of the smoke, hands shrouded in the same black vapor.
"More, More! Show me more!" The woman savagely grinned as she decided now was the perfect time to finally start attacking as she raised her hands up in a classic martial artist stance before beginning her onslaught.
She was like a tornado of strikes the moment she got into range, completely unrelenting as she threw attack after attack at Theresa with her fists and legs. From how swift her strikes were and how much her arms stung from defending the strikes she couldn't dodge the mystery woman was most certainly adept in combat.
The white haired principal was more than glad that she sparred with Fu Hua whenever the opportunity was provided, it allowed her to be accustomed to fighting against those that preferred using their fists and limbs than an actual weapon.
But it wasn't the woman's fearsome martial prowess that was the most worrying to Theresa, no it was the strange black smoke that was shrouding whatever limb she was using to attack with. Whenever the smoke made contact with her attire, whether it was from blocking an attack or just being in close proximity, they ate voraciously away at the protective clothing with little to no trouble.
Her principal attire may not have looked like much at first glance but it was actually a battlesuit, and one of the finest ones that Schicksal could create. However even then the defenses of the battlesuit offered very little protection against these dark vapors.
Aside from the destructive properties of the vapor there was also this nagging feeling that Theresa had when she first saw the vapors being used. She had seen those vapors before, she was sure of it…
But where had she seen it before?
"Hey don't be spacing out on me now!" The woman's voice brought Theresa out of her thoughts just in time to dodge a fast kick that would've slammed into her head. "Show me more of your fighting spirit!"
Cursing internally at this woman's lust for battle and how it seemingly kept only getting stronger as the battle progressed, Theresa resisted the urge to scowl. Was this all the woman thought about, fighting other people?
If so she would oblige her request by aiming a stab with Judah's spear at the woman's head once more. This time she was close enough that she wouldn't have the time to dodge. Her lips curled up slightly when she saw the woman not react at all as the spear came closer and closer to hitting its mark. Just a few more seconds and this annoying woman's head would be skewered by her Divine Key's spear.
!
However her hopes would be dashed when the woman suddenly moved her body, using her open palm as a target for Judah's spear, and allowing the golden weapon to sink into her flesh.
Theresa's blue eyes widened in surprise at the sight of what had happened to her spear, her jaw dropping in shock at the unconventional method used to guard against the Divine Key. Normally it would've been painful enough to use your hand as a shield against any weapon, it should've been agonizingly painful to use a hand to block an attack from a Divine Key.
Yet the black and purple haired woman didn't even flinch when Judah sunk into her flesh, not even crying out in pain when the Divine Key's destructive properties on anything with Honkai running through their veins took effect.
Who in the hell was she fighting?!
Before she could put any thought to that question the mystery woman used the spear lodged in her hand to jerk the petite Valkyrie closer to her. With the difference in height between them it was more of Theresa getting pulled off her feet and being suspended in the air, completely at the mercy of her adversary. Her first instinct was to try and escape the woman's grip but she was stopped in her tracks when a face suddenly entered a field of vision, a mad grin being the first thing she saw.
With their height difference the short haired woman had to bend her back a bit in order to be eye level with the valkyrie, which added to her crazy look as her glowing red eyes bore into Theresa's blue eyes.
"That look in your eyes," The mystery woman spoke with familiarity. "That determination you show…"
Her grin grew even larger, so large that it had begun to look deranged. "I remember now, the name of the man you remind me of." She giddy said. "His name was Kevin wasn't it?"
The white haired principal's eyes widened upon hearing that new information. It didn't take a genius to understand that there was only one Kevin she was talking about if it related to her appearance. And there was only way that this woman could know the original Kaslana…
And that was if she originated from the Previous Era.
But that in itself opened up so many questions. If that was the case, what was she doing in this era? Why were they currently fighting? What in the hell was even happening right now?!
"What luck!" The woman's loud, gleeful, voice interrupted before Theresa felt her entire body begin to spin. Taking advantage of both her momentarily distraction and the spear that was still lodged into her hand the woman began to swiftly spin, taking the principal for a much unwanted ride. "To think that my first opponent in this time would be one of his descendents!"
Sometime on the joyride the enlodged spear of Judah had loosened enough from the force of the spinning that Theresa was able to free the weapon, and by extension herself, from the woman's grasp. When she was able to feel that her weapon was no longer stuck Theresa used the momentum of the spin to allow her to put some distance between.
Unfortunately her assailant noticed what she was planning.
"Hey hey, lets not end this anytime soon alright?" Was all Theresa heard before she was backhanded by the woman's other free hand, the amount of force behind it was strong enough to send blood flying.
"Cause I'm having so much fun!" The woman joyously announced as some of Theresa's blood fell on her face, further adding to her bloodlust.
The stinging pain that Theresa felt where she had been backhanded was sign enough that she would have a horrible bruise once this was all over. Despite the pain that she was feeling at the moment she reigned it in before shouting a command.
"Judah!" She roared as the Divine Key fired off yet another barrage of chains at their adversary. The woman turned to face the Divine Key, no doubt planning to deflect the incoming attack.
And in doing so had turned her back from the actual chain that was going to end this fight.
The one that was attached to the spear that Theresa was holding in her hands.
With a mighty thrust the Principal of St. Freya threw the spear at the mystery woman, watching with a silent satisfaction as the spear embedded itself on the ground right next to her left foot. Seconds later the chain attached to the spear came to life, glowing gold, as they chained the woman up from head to toe.
The woman tried to free herself from the Divine Key's grasp, only for her smile to slightly drop when instead of the chains breaking they held steadfast against their captive.
"Huh?" The short haired women commented in confusion. "That's new."
Not wanting to wait for something to happen, Theresa used her control over the Divine Key to send the woman forcefully flying into the air, giving her a horrible case of whiplash, before slamming her into the ruins of Senba Academy.
Hearing the echoing sound of collapsing debris made the white haired principal breathe a sigh of relief. She did not know just how resilient her opponent was but getting thrown through multiple concrete walls was enough to put anyone down for a period of time.
Which meant that Theresa could catch a momentary break. She was still in a honkai infested territory and she would have to confirm the condition of her mystery adversary but unless she had crazy regeneration then she wasn't moving anytime soon.
And after the fight she just had a momentary break was very much needed.
Leaning on the Oath of Judah the white haired valkyrie let out a hiss when she touched her cheek, already feeling it swell up. The moment she got back to St. Freya she would be dumping all of her work on Himeko and taking a vacation for at least a week.
She could already see it now, sitting on a chair by the beach, sipping a nice cool glass of bitter melon juice and-!
The sound of footsteps approaching quickly interrupted that perfect daydream of hers, making Theresa forcibly come back to reality and jerk her head around in alarm to face the entrance of Senba Academy's main building.
Walking out of the academy's main doors was another unfamiliar woman with long ash-white hair. Wearing the clothes of a nun that almost looked like hers, the most unique feature of this new woman that stood out was the metal mask that covered her eyes.
Could she even see with that on?
"It seems that my ally is currently indisposed." The nun softly spoke as she tilted her head in the direction of the walls that her supposed ally had just been sent crashing through. "No matter, I shall see our mission completed."
"Another one?!" Theresa thought incredulously as she swiftly settled back into a combat stance. If this woman was anything like the one she had just fought then she was in serious trouble. Considering her current state she couldn't afford to have another prolonged fight, not when there was the chance her old opponent could come back at any time.
She needed to settle this quickly then. "Judah!" She commanded as the Divine Key fired off a barrage of chains at the long white haired woman. When the nun chose not to act as the chains of Judah came closer and closer Theresa wondered if this woman really was on the same level as her previous opponent.
But just as the golden tip of the spears were about to make contact…
"How interesting," Was all that was said from this new woman as she raised her hand.
And all of the chains froze in midair, mere centimeters away from making contact with the woman.
"Huh?! She stopped Judah?!" Theresa shouted in surprise at the sight of the suspended chains. She willed the Oath of Judah to heed her commands but they remained in their frozen state. She was witnessing an impossibility right now, when the Divine Key would not heed her commands in favor of an unknown assailant.
Who the hell was this woman?!
"So this is the ingenuity of Dr. Mei." The nun commented as she reached up unafraid and traced her hand over the tip of the golden spear. "Impressive."
Her tone grew darker. "However…"
"Technology can only bring you so far."
Then the chains of Judah slowly began to move, the spear tips moving away from the nun and towards the direction of the Valkyrie.
The white haired principal could feel an invisible force fighting her control over the Divine Key. "I'm being pushed back?" She thought incredulously before she brought her all into fighting this foreign influence.
In all the years since she had gained responsibility for wielding the Oath of Judah she had never entertained the thought of someone being able to fight for control of the Divine Key. She didn't think that it could've been possible.
Today was clearly a day of a lot of firsts.
Sweat dripped down her brow as she fought for control for the Oath of Judah, bringing all of her mental strength to wrestle control of the Divine Key from her adversary. Yet even bringing her all Theresa soon learned that she was slowly losing the mental battle, a quick glance at the suspended golden chains of Judah showed that despite her best efforts the chains were still moving towards her heeding the commands of the nun over her own.
"You've done astounding," The mask-wearing woman praised as she began to slowly make her way to Theresa, her calm expression completely different from Theresa's strained expression as they battled for dominance over the Divine Key. "To control the powers of Binding, even in this weakened state, is no easy feat."
Theresa was so engrossed in attempting to regain control of her Divine Key that she didn't notice the nun slowly approaching her. It was only when she was right in front of her did she notice, her blue eyes widening at the unexpected sight of her.
But before she could raise an arm to defend herself the long haired woman knelt before her, placing a soft hand on the petite valkyrie's cheek and leaned closer to her ear.
"Unfortunately I shall need my core back." She whispered to her.
Theresa could feel her blood turn cold on hearing that. Core? The only core that was present here was the Herrscher core that powered the Oath of Judah, which was from the Herrscher of Binding.
There was no way that the person in front of her was the Herrscher of -!
Before she could complete that thought a hot searing pain coursed through her mind, making her scream out in pain. Unable to fight back against this unknown pain Theresa was unable to do anything as she felt her body impacting the floor, her vision beginning to darken. Barely managing to look up at the nun in front of her there was only one thing on her mind before she became unconscious.
Dread.
The long white haired nun watched as the petite white haired warrior in front of her fall to the ground, having gone unconscious from losing the mental battle of wills they had just waged. To have lasted that long against her was a feat of herculean strength, and for that this warrior would have her respect.
Moving her gaze from the fallen Valkyrie the ash white haired woman focused her attention on the Oath of Judah. Even without touching it the nun could feel her core within the weapon platform, reacting to her close proximity with it.
Why wouldn't it? They were of the same person after all.
"...I have dealt with the enemy, my fellow Herrscher." She suddenly said loudly, not even turning to face the person who was approaching her.
"I could tell, a bit disappointed that I couldn't do it but it's alright." The black and purple haired woman from earlier responded as she approached the nun, eying the unconscious woman in front of her. Her gaze lingered on her for a split second before she turned her attention to the Oath of Judah, whistling at the sight of it. "So you got your core back hmm?"
"Indeed." The woman confirmed as she glanced back at the Divine Key. Walking over to it she placed a hand over it, slightly smiling when the golden cross had no adverse effect to her touch. "Even with chains that Dr. Mei has placed on my core I can still resonate with it."
"The old hag is probably kicking in her grave right now furious." The other women laughed. "I mean she goes through all that hard work of creating these weapons for humanity to use against us, the Honkai, and one core still finds its way back to its previous owner."
"Though it must be said I am unable to fully regain my powers as a Herrscher of Binding," The nun retracted her hand when the Oath of Judah had slightly shocked her. It seems that even with some semblance of control over the weapon it still resisted her due to its nature as a weapon against the Honkai. "The restrictions on the Divine Key will make it impossible for me to use it to its fullest extent, not unless I were to break it and in doing so might destroy the core in the process."
The black and purple haired woman made a disappointed sigh at that information before shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly. "That's a shame, I would've loved to see the feared Previous Era Herrscher of Binding in action but what can you do about it?"
The short haired woman's casual expression quickly changed to disappointment. "But why the hell can't I have my core presented to me like this huh?" She grumbled in a dissatisfied tone as she began to rapidly blinking her eyes, turning them from the color of red turned back to their usual color of purple.
Raising her hand the woman raised a brow at the wound that the Oath of Judah had inflicted on her hand. Though it wasn't there for long as black vapor began to exude from the wound. When the vapor dissipated it revealed that the wound was nowhere to be seen and all that was left was perfectly healed skin.
Flexing her healed hand the black and purple haired woman grinned before cracking her knuckles, setting her gaze to the ruined city the two were in. "Looks like I'll have to go kill a bunch of people and form a new one I suppose."
She took a step forward to set out on her new goal, only to stop in her tracks when a golden chain suddenly coiled around her arm. Grin turning into a frown she turned her face to the nun who had a hand raised towards her, the Oath of Judah in its active state right behind her.
"You forget yourself," The nun warned. "We are born from the same pseudo Herrscher core that brought us back for one singular mission, we cannot afford to be careless. Even with my powers returned to me to some degree from the Oath of Judah, our current core cannot support both of us so easily."
Scowling the short haired woman attempted to break free of the chain, only for it to steadfastly hold on. When it became apparent that it wouldn't break she reluctantly nodded in defeat. "Yeah, Yeah I know," She muttered, displeased that her fun had been cut before it could even begin. "Find the anomaly and take care of it."
"Indeed," The nun replied with a pleased tone before she retracted the golden chain from her wrist. "Should you fall so shall I, so your sinful pleasure must be stopped for the sake of our holy mission."
With an annoyed click of her tongue the short haired girl conceded. "Killjoy," She caressed the spot where the golden chains had been grating on her skin. It seems that the powers of Binding had no effect on the Herrscher of Binding, but were very effective on anything else if the irritation of her skin was any indicator.
Her annoyed attitude quickly faded away when her purple eyes widened at the realization of something important.
"Hey I just realized I never got your name."
The Herrscher of Binding looked surprised by the sudden question but quickly schooled her expression and held her hands together before bowing to the woman.
"I am Gabriel," She introduced herself. "Devoted servant to our Heavenly Lord.'
"Certainly act like a Gabriel would," The short haired woman wanted to laugh at the irony that the nun had the name of an Archangel, how fitting for a woman of faith.
Pointing a thumb at her chest the short black and purple haired woman went next to introduce herself. "Well my name is-"
But before she could, the now named Gabriel cut her off. "I already know your name, my fellow Herrscher."
"Really?" She replied in a surprised tone but quickly shrugged nonchalantly. "Well that saves me the trouble of introducing myself I guess."
Before either two of them could say anything the sounds of groaning quickly took their attention. Following the origin of the sound they saw that the petite white haired Valkyrie that they had just been fighting against was slowly regaining consciousness.
Not if the short haired woman had anything to say about that.
Kneeling next to the unconscious body the woman had a look of pity on her face. "We had a nice fight, shame that I have to kill you but you can't do nothing when duty calls for you." Raising a fist up it quickly became cloaked in a dark vapor.
"Don't worry, I'll make it quick and painless."
But before she could hand out the judgment she was stopped by the Herrscher of Binding.
"No," Gabriel commanded as she looked at the unconscious Valkyrie. "Leave her be."
"Hah?! Shouldn't we, y'know, kill her?" Argued the short haired woman.
The white haired woman just shook her head. "She has proven herself to me, taking such great care of my core for me." Gabriel explained before she began to walk away, the Oath of Judah floating behind her, as she made her way to the main gate of Senba Academy.
"She will live." She affirmed, leaving no room for argument.
The short haired woman looked at the back of the leaving nun with an apprehensive expression, not believing what she had just heard. When it became clear that her fellow Herrscher wasn't kidding she just groaned before running up to catch up with the leaving nun.
Catching up to Gabriel the short haired woman nonchalantly placed her hands behind her head as the two of them descended the stairs of Senba Academy. "If that's what you want, boss lady, that's your call… but uh… what do we do now?"
"Quite simple, we locate a suitable replacement Herrscher core for you before we carry out our mission." Gabriel informed her.
"Really!? Hell yeah!" She cheered.
"Though we must lay low for now, we are unable to fight against this era's current defender just yet."
"Then I'll just have to brush up my skills in the meantime…it sounds like a plan boss lady!"
"Do not call me…nevermind."
Yet as the two harbingers of destruction left the scene, they had not noticed that the white haired principal began to stir. She had partially been able to regain consciousness though even now she knew that it would not be long till she fell back into the dark void of sleep.
"Everyone needs to be warned!" She thought alarmedly as she struggled to raise one of her hands up. Schicksal, the entire world, could not be blindsided by this new threat. She knew the destruction that the Herrscher of Binding had created in the Previous Era, that tragedy could not be allowed to be repeated once more…
And that was not accounting of her Herrscher partner, to which Theresa now knew the identity of.
With herculean effort the principal managed to activate her bracelet and turn on a communication channel with the mission's operator. Not even bothering to listen to the panicked voice on the other side she began to speak. "T-This is Theresa Apocalypse, Head of Schicksal's Far East Branch and Principal of St. Freya Academy." She gasped out as black spots began to appear in her vision. "Access Code Vishnu, raising the mission's threat level to Ragnarok status. Confirmed encounter of two Herrscher level threats."
"T-The first threat is the Previous Era Herrscher of Binding known as Gabriel. The Oath of Judah has been stolen by her and is confirmed to be under her control."
"The second threat is the Previous Era Herrscher of-"
The next word she was going to say died in her throat as she blacked out, her body unable to handle the strain of staying awake any longer as Theresa Apocalypse fell into a deep slumber.
Elsewhere in the ruined city two individuals were moments away from embarking on their dangerous exodus.
"Yae-san, are you sure this is safe?" Seele asked concerningly as her eyes darted to the ruined street they were in, expecting honkai beasts to leap out of the shadows at any given moment.
Yae was of the same concern as she threw a glance back in the direction of the academy, sensing that the honkai angel that had first descended here had not yet left, even when its masters had left.
Staying any further in this city was tempting the fate of not only herself but also that of Seele..
"It is not safe, but we have run out of options. Staying any longer would only put us in more danger." She said as she was busy making sure that they had everything they needed for the grueling journey.
She was glad the demonic fox was not antagonizing her, as a matter of fact he had been silent ever since his initial outburst in the apartment that they called home. Maybe they had made themselves scarce in an attempt to hide from what had spooked them but Yae could not care less about it.
Not when she was about to embark on a dangerous journey.
"Are you sure?" The indigo haired girl looked to the older girl for confirmation and was answered with a serious solemn nod of the head. There was conflict in her indigo eyes but it quickly transformed into a determination as she shook her head seriously.
Seele's cheeks quickly turned red when she looked at herself and the backpack with two HOMUs, one wearing the armor of a knight and some dark red samurai, strapped to her back that had all the essential supplies that they needed. "W-Won't I be too heavy for you to carry?"
Yes, that was something that was non-negotiable. The original plan was to wait until the indigo haired girl's ankle had healed enough that she would be able to walk without too much pain but both the severity of the wound and the current circumstances had forced them to enact their plan early.
"Worry not Seele-san," The pink haired warrior gave no room for argument as she wrapped her arms around the lithe girl and lifted her up with little to no trouble. "I am strong enough to carry the both of you."
Her purple eyes looked down the street, ignoring the girl's embarrassed voice, narrowed when she could see that they would have to travel quite far in order to escape their predicament. Their journey would not be easy, no doubt the honkai beasts were riled up by the arrival of their new masters.
The grip on her katana tightened.
"Now then Seele-san, let us be off from this city."
For as long as Seele Vollerei could remember her other self how always been there for her. Even when Bronya hadn't arrived in the orphanage and she would find herself alone there was always this feeling that someone was with her, even when she couldn't see them just yet.
When she had been trapped in the Quantum Sea it was her other self who had given her company when the silence of the dimensional plane made it hard to keep on going.
They had been her anchor in times of uncertainty, someone that she could rely on, someone that she could confide her deepest insecurities.
And it felt like a piece of herself had been ripped from her when she could no longer hear her words.
The indigo haired girl was currently sitting behind the wreckage of a car, cautiously peering through the frame of a destroyed window as Yae was fighting a horde of honkai beasts. The duo had made it so close to the boundaries of the city, undetected by the honkai beasts that had been riled up, so close in escaping the dreary city.
So close to being able to meet with Bronya again.
But their luck had been cut short when a horde of honkai beasts had noticed them. Setting her in a safe place Yae instantly leapt into battle, her blade drawn as she cut through their white marble armor with relative ease.
Yet the commotion the fighting had made had attracted nearby beasts, seeking to overwhelm the pink haired warrior with their numbers. Yae was a great warrior but how long would that last until she would be consumed by the sheer numbers.
Seele couldn't do anything, her ankle injury would make her more of a liability then an asset. She couldn't just sit idly by and watch the person who had saved her, taken care of her, and given her all of her unconditional love to fight for them.
But even if she wasn't injured what could she do then? It was her other self who did the fighting and in her current state she couldn't help her.
But for Yae she had to try.
"M-My other self?" She asked inside of her mind, hoping to control the worry that she was feeling for both Yae and her other self. "A-Are you there?"
.
.
.
The deafening silence didn't deter Seele as she kept on going, hoping that somehow her words were reaching their other self. "I-I don't what happened but can you please tell me? I-I felt it too, the overwhelming sadness. You don't have to face it alone."
.
.
.
"Please say something! A-Anything! Yae-san is fighting for us and I can't do anything to help her, please lend me your strength! Please!"
.
.
.
Silence again.
When that dark wave of emotion had first hit her it hit her with the force of a tidal wave, instantly submerging her in the dark waves of sadness and loathing. Emotions that made it hard for her to breathe, to do anything but cry for a sorrow that she could not understand. It was only Yae's support that she had managed to stay afloat.
She couldn't imagine how her other self, who had faced this all by herself, was at the moment.
When even more silence greeted her the indigo haired girl prepared herself to try another attempt to reach out to her, only for her to stop in her tracks when she noticed something happening back in reality.
"Yae-san!" She shouted desperately in warning, hoping the pink haired warrior could hear her. "Behind you!"
For whilst Yae was busy fighting the honkai beasts in front of her one had managed to sneak itself past her view, waiting in the shadows for the perfect moment to strike. It had chosen to strike when the pink haired woman's attention was completely focused on the enemies in front of her.
With how focused she was on fighting the enemies in front of her Yae could only turn her head, purple eyes wide open in alarm, at the claws poised to tear into her. Yet with how late she had reacted and the speed of the honkai beast there was nothing that she could do to stop the inevitable from happening.
Seele watched with eyes full of despair as the claws got closer and closer. There was nothing that she could do but just watch as her friend and protector's body get torn to shreds…
That was until a bolt of bullet of pure fire tore through the honkai beast's hide, killing it as the beast ignited instantly and turned to ash.
The shock of the beast's sudden death had everyone, human and beast, stand still in shock. Several similar bolts of fire soon resounded in the air, quickly dispatching of the remaining honkai beasts. Soon all that was left on the streets was a shocked Seele and apprehensive Yae as their savior approached them.
A white haired man who only had one arm grinned as he approached them, a flaming pistol held in his sole hand. "Looks like the hero arrived in the nick of time."
Yae instantly pointed her blade's tip at the newcomer. "Who are you?" She questioned with a guarded tone. "Are you an enemy or a friend?"
Recognizing the tension in the air the white haired man raised his only arm up in peace. "Easy there." He said in a placating manner, hoping to show that he was friendly. "We are just-"
Before he could continue a loud roar quickly interrupted him as the sound of a building collapsing stole all of their attention. Turning around a massive warthog/elephant like honkai beast charged out of the smoke cloud of the collapsing building in its attempt to get to them.
Roaring the honkai beast charged, much to the displeasure of Yae who raised her blade and the mystery white haired man who cursed loudly before aiming his sole pistol.
But before either of them could attack Seele watched in amazement as the honkai beast suddenly transformed into a bunch of leaves, scattering out into the wind when a breeze kicked up in the street.
Walking through the cloud of leaves that had once been a terrifying honkai warthog was another unknown man, having light gray hair and fuschia colored eyes.
"We are a pair of travelers who had hoped to avert a calamity before it could awaken." The second man answered as he stopped right next to the white haired man and gave him a nod. Seeing how there were no more honkai beasts present in the street, Seele left her hiding spot and hobbled her way to join Yae's side.
When she had joined the pink haired samurai, who placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, the petite girl observed the two men that had saved them. It had been the first time she had seen someone with only one arm, but the jolly smile on the man's face showed no inclination that his missing appendage bothered him.
Moving her attention to the light gray haired man it was harder for Seele to get a read of him as he had a completely neutral expression on his face. He had that expression Bronya would sometimes have, a completely inexpressive look but in reality they were thinking a lot behind it.
But one thing that Seele had been able to notice was how the man's gaze had remained on Yae ever since he had arrived, a strange look of familiarity in his pretty fuschia eyes.
Did this man know Yae?
Before Seele could think of it any further the man's eyes moved past Yae and looked towards the direction that they had been fleeing from moments earlier. "But-"
Whatever he was about to say was interrupted when a big shadow covered them. Looking up, the indigo haired girl watched as the Honkai angel that had made its home in the ruined Senba Academy flew above them, quickly climbing in elevation.
"It seems that we are too late in that regard." The light gray haired man finished.
The white haired man beside him whistled as the angel quickly flew out of their field of vision, the clouds in the sky quickly masking its body. "I mean I know it sounded crazy, and it still is no matter how many times you explained it to me. Two freakin Herrschers at the same time. I would've called you crazy but those honkai angels waiting in the outskirts of the city put up one hell of a fight."
The news that there were beasts waiting in wait at the outskirts of the city was worrying for Seele. That meant that even if she and Yae had managed to somehow leave the city without being found they still would've had to fight for their freedom. The indigo haired girl was now kind of glad that they had been found as they had been saved by two strong warriors.
"Virtues are what they are known as, honkai beasts that serve under the direct will of Binding." The gray haired man corrected his traveling companion. "However I do not blame you for your skepticism and I too was reluctant to think of it being true but the signs of their awakening were were all there."
He sighed in disappointment. "It is only a shame that we were unable to stop it before it happened."
"So we hunt them down then?" His partner asked expectantly as he rested his gun on his shoulder. "Take 'em out while they're still weak?"
"That would be the most prudent course but tracking them now will be impossible." He informed the white haired man.
"Couldn't you just locate them like you did the first time?" The one armed man asked in confusion. "I mean they're two Herrschers, their honkai energy level must be so off the charts that any scanner would be able to detect them."
The light gray haired man just shook his head. "Normally that would be true but the Herrscher of Binding is an exception to that rule." He explained. "The Herrscher of Binding, while not possessing the strongest honkai energy levels amongst her kind, has the ability to create a field that renders honkai energy useless and drastically weakens other energy based phenomena."
"And she could technically hide her ally's honkai signature from being detected." The white haired man finished before a confused expression was on his face. "Wait, if the Herrscher of Binding generates a field that renders honkai energy useless, shouldn't she in theory kill her partner then?"
"If the Herrscher of Binding was at full power then her partner would perish by being in her vicinity. Yet then if that was the case how would she be able to hide not only her own honkai energy signature but that of her partner's as well without killing them?" The light gray haired man held his chin in contemplation at the conundrum.
"Perhaps she has an amplifier, a source of power that would grant her more strength then the pseudo core that she shares with her partner would allow. But that would be impossible as there isn't everything in this world that can resonate with…no there is."
"What is it?" His white haired traveling companion asked.
"The Oath of Judah, the Divine Key that houses the Core of Binding." He revealed. "It is the only possible source of power that could resonate with the Herrscher of Binding. And the Schicksal aircraft that we saw swiftly leave Nagazora airspace moments ago could only suggest that Theresa Apocalypse was previously here and lost the Divine Key to her adversary."
"Dammit really! Fuck!" The white haired man was angry with that news. Was he close with this Theresa Apocalypse? "I thought Divine Keys couldn't fall in the hands of the Honkai?"
"When the Divine Keys were made there was always the fear that the Herrschers might have the ability to synchronize with the cores inside the weapon platforms. However never in our wildest dreams did we think the situation would arise where a Herrscher would be able to resonate with their core in the Divine Keys." The fuschia eyed man explained.
"So we're back to square one then huh?" The one armed man's angry demeanor slightly dimmed and gave way to disappointment as he sighed. "That sucks."
"Indeed," The light gray haired man agreed. "We must find better methods of tracking our targets."
"Um…" Seele's voice broke the two men out of their conversation and became the focus of their attention. "A-Are you here to save us?"
Fuschia and blue colored eyes simultaneously widened at the realization that they had been talking to each other and all but ignored the other two people present. "Oh forgive us, we did not introduce ourselves." The gray haired man bowed politely to them. "I am Su and my traveling partner Siegfried Kaslana." The white haired man grinned as he waved his only hand in greeting.
Hearing Siegfried's last name had the indigo haired girl perk up in recognition. "Kaslana? Like Kiana Kaslana?"
"You know my baby girl?!" He asked with blue eyes wide in shock.
"We once took shelter in the apartment that she once lived in." Yae explained as she sheathed her katana, no longer addressing the two men before them as threats. "Your daughter is friends with someone that is close to her."
Siegfried whistled at that, his features colored with surprise that this random encounter involved his daughter. "What a crazy twist of fate that must be then miss…" He trailed off when he didn't know Yae's name.
"I am Yae Sakura," The pink haired samurai answered before motioning to the girl in her arms. "The girl in my arms is Seele."
"N-Nice to meet you." The indigo haired girl shyly greeted them.
"Seele?" Su asked before his eyes settled on the indigo haired girl in curiosity. "I see…"
Once again Seele saw the same gaze that the man had when he observed Yae for the first time. That unreadable expression that somehow had a hint of familiarity in his fuschia colored eyes. Did he also know her as well? But how could that be when this was the first time she's ever met him?
Maybe she would ask her other self when she was able to get to talk to her again.
"...I believe that Seele-san can help us with our current predicament." Su spoke up, garnering surprised looks from all present.
"How so?" Siegfried asked as he sent a confused look to the petite girl present.
The light gray haired man did not answer him as he instead looked to Seele. "You spent quite a lot of time in the Quantum Sea did you not?"
Indigo eyes widened at what he had said. "Y-Yes how did you-"
Su smiled knowingly as he placed a hand on his chest. "I too have spent quite a bit of time in the Quantum realm and can tell when someone else has as well." He looked back to Siegfried and began to explain his plan.
"My original method of triangulating where the two Herrschers would first surface was by locating disturbances in the Quantum Sea. The summoning of one Herrscher alone creates a noticeable disturbance to those who know how to peer inside the other realm; two Herrschers create a much more noticeable disturbance. Now the Herrscher of Binding is no doubt using her powers to hide both herself and her ally, limiting their presence in the Quantum Sea. It'll be quite hard for me alone to try and find these disturbances, but if you were to help me I am sure it will be much easier."
Seele thought long and hard what Su was asking her to do. She didn't want to give him false hope of her abilities as she always had her other self to help her do things like these and she was not sure if she could live up to his expectations alone. And she knew that if she were to help him she would have to go with these two people into dangerous situations like these.
But if helping them meant that the two Herrschers would be put down before they could kill anyone else…
"If it helps Bronya nee-san then I will help you!" She shouted courageously to him.
Su smiled at her bravery. "I am glad." He honestly thanked before he looked at her pink haired guardian. "And what of you Yae-san? What will you do now?"
For a moment Seele feared that this would be the moment where the two went their separate ways. She knew that this day would happen, the pink haired samurai had no reason to nurse her back to health, it had just been a coincidence of fate that they had stayed together for this long. Now that there were two warriors of equal skill there was nothing stopping her from leaving her and going on her own-!
Her negative thoughts were abruptly cut short when she could feel a hand squeeze her shoulder in a reassuring manner. Indigo eyes wide open, Seele looked up to see the smiling, reassuring gaze of Yae who nodded at her, prompting the girl to tearily smile at her
The pink haired samurai looked back up to Su and nodded her head. "Until Seele-san is reunited with her friend you shall have my blade."
Siegfried grinned at the fact that their little group had now doubled in size and Su's smile merely grew a bit more.
"Then let us not tarry here any longer in this city then."
Mei Raiden had always wondered what it would be like to become an official Valkyrie. She did not know what to expect but she had always imagined that this sense of virtuous duty would be placed on her shoulders, like the fairytale stories of old where the knight would go forth and banish the darkness.
When she had asked experienced Valkyries this question during training missions that the 5th Valkyjra Squad had she would always get the same answer from them.
"You just know what it feels like."
That answer was cryptic but she didn't pay much attention to it. She had at least two to three years before she graduated from St. Freya to become a B-Rank Valkyrie. Surely during that time she would be able to find an answer.
Then she found herself on that stage, standing in front of her fellow students and teachers, having the Overseer of Schicksal promote her to a B-Rank Valkyrie for the whole world to see.
Having the medal pinned unto the breast pocket of her uniform the dark purple haired teenager wondered what sort of twists her life would have, what her life would now become.
She just didn't think that she would have that question answered so soon as she and the rest of her squad sat anxiously in one of the hallways of St. Freya's main hospital. Passing by them were nurses, valkyries, and important officials who were frantically finishing orders that they had been given.
The reason for the chaos was only a few hours ago Theresa Apocalypse had returned from her mission in critical condition, her fabled Oath of Judah nowhere to be seen or located.
Beside her Kiana was trying to sound optimistic though the worry could not be hidden away in her voice. "She'll be okay right?! I mean she has to be! She's Aunt Teri! This should be nothing for her!"
Reaching over Mei placed a hand on her shaking teammate. "Kiana-chan," She tried to put as much reassurance as she could in that one word. "She'll be okay, we have to have faith that she'll make a complete recovery."
Blue eyes widened at the words but they quickly had an effect on the white haired girl, who's shaking stopped as she placed her other hand ontop of Mei's. "Faith…yeah I just need to believe she'll be alright."
Another, petite, hand found itself on the Kaslana's hand as the third member of the 5th valkyrja Squad interjected.
"Theresa-san is like Kiana, stubborn. It will take much more to keep her down." Bronya added.
Kiana smiled as her blue eyes got teary. "T-Thank you guys, this meant alot for me."
Mei merely smiled as she tightened her
But before she could say anything the door on the opposite side of where they were seating opened as the sight of their sensei walked out of the room Theresa was in.
"Himeko-sensei!" They all shouted in unison as they stood up from their seats.
"How's auntie!?" Kiana all but shouted in anticipation and worry.
The red haired woman unhooked the medical mask that was covering her mask before looking at Kiana with an unreadable expression. Several tense seconds of silence followed and Mei began to fear the worst had happened to their principal.
But they would be misplaced when a small smile broke out on her face. "She's still in critical condition but the doctors say that she is now stable enough that she won't die."
Before Kiana could jump up and scream in joy, no doubt causing everyone in the vicinity to be deaf Himeko raised a finger up to add something. "Unfortunately they have no idea of how long she'll remain asleep for." She quickly interjected.
"Then we'll wait here for her!" Kiana shouted eagerly, showing that she had no problem with waiting for Theresa's recovery. Beside her both Mei and Bronya nodded that they too would have no problem waiting as well.
Himeko smiled at their united stand but sadly shook her head. "As much as I would love to do that I'm afraid we can't." She told them somberly, bringing the mood down. "Schicksal has been officially placed on Alert Level Ragnarok."
The dark purple haired valkyrie frowned at the unknown term. "Alert Level Ragnarok?"
"The highest alert level that Schicksal has," Their red haired sensei explained to them with a grave tone. "One that corresponds to the awakening of Herrschers or in this case the awakening of two of them."
At the mention of the harbingers of destruction Mei could not help but clench her hands. "D-Did this happen when I…" She trailed off, not needing to finish her words for everyone to know what she was talking about.
"At first no, because we did not know the cause of the honkai eruption in Nagazora. And once we did we never did go to this alert level because the situation had been resolved quickly." Himeko informed them with a soft reassuring smile, knowing that they were treading into a sensitive topic.
What the red haired major knew that her two other teammates did not was that Mei had confided in her of what had happened in the control room of the second sub reactor. The A-Rank Valkyrie had made it clear that it wasn't her fault that she had resorted to using her Herrscher powers but that only alleviated some of the guilt that Mei felt.
Yet she didn't feel as much guilt as she should have, and that was what was most worrying to her.
Did she like the power?
"Is this why everyone seems so tense?" Kiana asked, breaking Mei out of her thoughts, as she looked to the hallway they were in and all the people quickly coming and going.
Himeko nodded. "Indeed. This alert level whips up the hornet's nest that is Schicksal into a frenzy. Every single member we have goes on duty as every base we have in the globe begins to mobilize troops for a potential Eruption." She jerked her head at the passing Valkyries who were all dressed for combat.
"And as of now Theresa has confirmed the awakening of two Herrschers, one of them is to be the Herrscher of Binding whilst the other's identity remains a mystery to us."
"Two Herrschers huh!? Piece of cake!" Kiana boasted as she cracked her knuckles. While one might see this as the teenager's confidence, Mei knew she was terrified of the situation as they were. Two Herrschers awakening at the same time was deemed an impossibility.
And since that had been proved to be possible anything could happen now.
"It'll be a cinch now that the 5th and 6th Valkyrja Squads are in business. Let me call up Haru-senpai and we can go hunting for the ones that dare hunt my auntie!" The Kaslana declared.
At the mention of Haruto and their sister team Mei felt some of the pressure she was feeling disappear. Yes that was true, with both squads working together there wasn't a thing that they couldn't overcome.
However Himeko sadly smiled at Kiana. "Unfortunately Kiana that won't be possible. Not with the 6th Valkyrja Squad already having been deployed to their designated location."
That revelation drew surprised looks from everyone. "Huh!?"
"While we may have been promoted to B-Rank Valkyries at the same time the 6th Valkyrja Squad has more experience than us and thus
Was this why Haruto and his squadmates weren't here? Because they were already on a transport to wherever their mission was? "Where will they be deployed?" Mei asked, worry in her heart for her redhaired friend.
Ever since the revelation of what happened at the Nagazora docks the ex-heiress was very hesitant on letting either Kiana or Haruto out of her sight. Her mind drifted to the memory of when she had confronted the two of them for the truth when they were alone and how-.
No she couldn't think of that right now.
It still hurt to think about.
"Hey don't worry they won't be actively hunting the Herrscher threats." Himeko spoke up, noticing the somber mood that her squad was currently in. "That role falls unto the Immortal Blades who are ready to deploy at the first signs of them."
So Durandal and her Valkyries would be the ones hunting the two Herrschers? That thought brought a small level of comfort to Mei as she knew if there was any that could stop Herrschers it would be the blond haired Valkyrie.
Though that sense of comfort didn't last long when she realized that Midori would also be a part of the effort as she was an Immortal Blade Valkyrie as well.
"The 6th Valkyria Squad has been sent to reinforce the Schicksal defenses of Coral City, which is overseen by Mashu's older sister Ana Schariac."
Mei did not know much about Schicksal's presence in Coral City but she did know from Mashu that her older sister was a fearsome Valkyrie, that she was one of the select few A-Ranks to be considered for the S-Rank Promotion.
Yes Haruto and his squad would be safe there, she didn't have to worry so much about their safety.
"And what about us?" Bronya asked. "Should we not go with them?"
"That would be the case…if I hadn't been blindsided by a new responsibility." Himeko groaned
Before anyone could ask what she had meant by that they were beaten to the punch by two Valkyries who were running towards them.
"Captain Himeko!" Two Valkyries greeted as they stopped in front of the red haired A-Rank Valkyrie, saluting to their senior. "We've been sent to inform you that Battleship Hyperion is ready to launch."
"...I see thank you for notifying me," Himeko thanked as she saluted the duo back. "The 5th Valkyrja Squad and I will be there shortly."
The two Valkyries nodded before they left, prompting everyone to give the red haired sensei a look of surprise.
"Captain?!" Kiana voiced what the 5th Valkyrja Squad was thinking of.
At the mention of her title Himeko tiredly sighed. "You heard right," She confirmed before an angry tick mark appeared on her forehead as she closed her eyes. "Apparently that scheming, no good pudding scientist had placed me down as the 'substitute captain' of the Hyperion should the captain not be able to lead the ship. And since there's no official captain for the ship yet its fallen on me now to have to babysit it until an official captain can be found."
"But you don't need to hear my grievances, not when we have been assigned to our own mission as well." That got everyone's attention as they listened in curiosity of their first assignment as B-Rank Valkyries. "I tried to petition the higher-ups for another location due to its bad history with Schicksal but with how concentrated our defenses are in that place it's strangely the best place for new squads to be assigned to in the face of an uncertain future."
"The snowy lands where Schicksal fought against the Herrscher of the Void." Himeko revealed.
"Siberia."
Surely Siberia could only have good things…right?
So this marks the first chapter of my Double-Herrscher mega arc. That's right mega arc as in its span there will be multiple arcs taking place and with it many surprises and plot twists that I've been simply dying to write.
This is where the fun begins XD.
Now this chapter has been super delayed because of two reasons. The first was this chapter really fought me as I wanted this to be as perfect as possible. The second reason was the freakin new Honkai Impact 3rd story chapter.
Now I don't want to spoil it but holy hell that was information/lore overload.
A Lot of important information was told during the newest story chapter(s) so I've considered either going on hiatus or longer updates to ensure that this fic doesn't accidentally break a fundamental rule that might be explained in the future story chapters.
Or do you guys want me to keep going with what I have and just turn a blind eye to any potential game changing information that might be revealed?
Speaking of the game I pulled Herrscher of Truth and got her at the expense of all my crystals so that's a shame. I'm pretty sure that most if not all of you play the game but on the off chance that there are some of you who haven't and are thinking of trying it…
Here's my invite code
103652472HR
Would really appreciate it if you guys used it.
Now unto the chapter itself a lot happens here, curious to see what you guys think of our two new antagonists. Really curious to see if you guys know who our mystery Herrscher is, I'm curious to see if I made it really obvious or not lol.
And it goes without saying don't go into the reviews section if you want to avoid spoilers from both my story and the official one.
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, they're the biggest motivation to keep writing, 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! PMing me is the best way for me to respond to your questions.
Peace!