"And that's the last of them."

Kiana pulled her sword out of the enemy's mech. Around her lay the strewn, charred chassis of various mechs. The moment they had breached the Security Terminal, they had been swarmed on all sides by humanoid mechs. It seemed that all the Valkyries had pulled back to another defensive line, seeing as they could no longer hold the position.

The large sound of thudding footsteps walked past. The Mechs of Anti-Entropy began to occupy the venue, making sure to hold it against their would-be attackers.

"Air Terminal Defenses are down. Good job, you brats."

Kiana turned around and saw Tesla standing at the terminal, rapidly typing away on a holographic keyboard.

Behind her, the sound of steam hissing caught her attention as Himeko disembarked from the mech she borrowed from Anti-Entropy.

"So? How was it?" Kiana asked, seeing the smile on Himeko's face.

"We need to invest in these things," Himeko said, bringing her hand up to her mouth.

Kiana noticed a faint red stain on the side of her lips. It was too rustic in appearance to be her lipstick. She immediately grabbed Himeko's wrist.

"Kiana?" Himeko asked in bewilderment, seeing her friend's hand on her wrist.

"Is it… flaring up again?" Kiana asked.

Himeko smiled sadly. "I can never hide anything from you."

Kiana let go of her wrist and nodded.

Himeko's illness. Or rather, the consequence she suffered due to her decision to become a Valkyrie. Himeko would never admit it to Cecilia and the others, however, she had joined at a rather late age. And because her body was considerably older than the other recruits, who were recruited in their early teens or even before they began puberty, she could not completely withstand the grafting of Valkyrie Stigmata.

"Himeko, I can go get Ceci when we find her. You should-"

"No. I hold equal responsibility for her. You and me. We're in this together. We've been looking after those brats since we met and almost killed each other at Nagazora. If you're going, then I am too," she said, brushing aside Kiana's concern.

Kiana's lips thinned into a line. Himeko's condition was getting worse. If she went, she would only slow… Kiana banished the thought from her head, feeling waves of guilt wash over her. She looked Himeko in the eye and nodded. "Yeah… together."

"Are you two done flirting with each other?"

Himeko and Kiana jumped upon hearing the voice of Theresa in between them. The diminutive woman stood with her arms crossed. Kriemhilde stood next to her with a slightly confused look on her face.

"You know for a bunch of A-Ranks, you two are very easy to scare. Anyway, let's have a quick debrief on the situation, Major," Theresa said.

"R- Right," Himeko coughed, trying to kill the blush on her cheeks. She composed herself and continued with her report. "We've disabled the defense terminal so we have complete control of the Air Terminal. Doctor Tesla said she was cutting off Schicksal's access by changing its permissions so that Anti-Entropy has control of the servers."

"Hmph, as expected of the two doctors, a shame that the Sovereign couldn't be here," Kriemhilde said.

"That's true. I never had the opportunity to ask but… Kiana, do you know where the First Herrscher is?" Theresa asked.

"No. The doctors are being very tight-lipped about it so I assume he's off on business somewhere that not even I'm not allowed to know," Kiana said. "By the way, this all happened after the doctors told me to lay low in your school and enjoy my teenage years… whatever that meant."

Theresa sweat-dropped at her niece's words before urging Himeko to continue.

"The only problem with this is that we have no idea where Cecilia is. For all we know, they could have had her shipped off to a remote lab somewhere instead of here," Himeko said.

"Not likely. While the Overseer does like keeping his projects secret, larger-scale projects like the Godsbane are all developed here on base where it's more easily defensible. That being said, she could be anywhere. HQ has a number of labs and we don't have the time to search through them all," Kriemhilde said.

"She's right. The cabin where I was developed and where the Godsbanes were all here on base. But looking through every lab is not a good way to go about doing this. For now, just let the two professors do their thing. You guys just get some rest and check on the others before we move out," Theresa said.

Kiana nodded.

Kiana sat on one of the chairs, watching as Himeko went to check on Mei. Apparently, Wendy had begun showing signs of consciousness. Bronya was still on the ship due to her injuries, making her incapable of participating in battle. She let out a sigh and looked up at the glass ceiling.

Ceci… please be okay. Big Sis is almost there, she thought.

"Want some?"

Kiana turned to her right and saw Kriemhilde standing with a can of soda in her hand. She graciously accepted the can and opened it. In one go, she downed the entire can before crushing it between her hand and tossing it on the floor.

"We need to talk," Kriemhilde said, sitting next to her.

"Is this about what happened outside?" Kiana asked.

She saw her aunt nod slightly in response. Kiana sighed. She knew this was going to come up eventually, but she didn't think it would be now.

"Kiana, you-"

"I'm getting her back. One way or another. If they stand in my way, I won't hesitate to cut them down like I did out there," Kiana said.

Kriemhilde bit the inside of her cheek before speaking. "Kiana, I know you want to get Ceci back. Believe me when I say I understand how you feel. Your father and I were the same way during the Second War. There wasn't a beast I wouldn't cut down if it meant saving the ass of my annoying older brother," she said.

Kiana stayed silent, listening to her talk about her father.

"But… Kiana," Kriemhilde continued. "These aren't… Honkai beasts. These are humans. Innocent people. Girls who signed up to be Valkyries. They don't know what they're fighting for or the other side of the person they're listening to. Can't you… at least show them some restraint?"

"Restraint? Restraint!?" Kiana almost wanted to laugh. "Where was that… when Dad died?"

Kriemhilde said nothing, instead, opting to listen to her niece.

"Orders are orders. Even if you don't know the nature of the person you're listening to, following them to the letter makes you complicit. In my eyes, there's no difference between the Valkyries here and the Overseer," she replied.

"I… see…," Kriemhilde nodded as a grim realization settled in her. Kiana wasn't going to stop. No matter what she had to do, no matter how much she dirtied herself, it was all for that girl.

She really is a Kaslana… through and through, Kriemhilde thought sadly.

"Kriemhilde. These Valkyries. I know they're just following orders. But that doesn't matter to me. Schicksal started this war. So I'm going to finish it. Even if it means I have to cut down a thousand Valkyries just to get to her," Kiana said.

A brief image of Siegfried flashed inside her head. A painful memory that drove a wedge in their relationship during a time when Kriemhilde still wanted to believe in the good of Schicksal.

"Hilde. It doesn't matter who it is. Even if it's you, if you stop me from getting my baby girls back, I won't hesitate to cut you down," Siegfried said. His blue eyes were a blazing shade of blue. He pointed Shamash's flaming blades at her downed form, but she could clearly see the hesitation in his eyes.

"Brother-"

"Aunt Kriemhilde?"

Kriemhilde's head jerked up, snapping her out of her reverie. She turned around and saw Kiana looking at her oddly.

"Sorry, I was… those words just now reminded me of your father when he raided Schicksal to get you and Ceci back," she replied.

"Oh."

"Kiana. I know that you're dead set on doing this and I will help you get there. But… please, try to limit the blood you're staining your hands with. If not for me, then for yourself. I don't want to see you taint yourself any further," she said.

"I see. I can't promise you anything, Kriemhilde," Kiana said, looking ahead at the smiling faces of her friends.

Her eyes slowly went down to her gloved hands. There were traces of dried blood staining the palms of her hands.

No matter the cost, as long as it's for her sake, it doesn't matter what I do.

Kiana balled her hands into fists.


She frowned, watching the carnage unfold before her from a bird's eye view. An explosion of ice in the east and a massive blast of black mist into the sky in the north. Fu Hua didn't know what to make of it. Honkai beasts and Anti-Entropy. Just how was Otto going to handle this one?

Ana… and the ice must be the new S-Rank from the Kaslana House, Edelweiss. Two Divine Key wielders deployed at the same time. Things must be getting bad, she thought.

Fu Hua dove to the ground, creating a loud boom that cracked the sky. She landed with a loud thud, shaking the ground slightly. Dusting some rain from her suit, Fu Hua pressed her finger up to her battlesuit's communication device.

"Fu Hua to Overseer Otto. I've diverted the trajectory of the Judgement Class Honkai Beast and have returned to HQ."

She awaited a response only to receive nothing but static. Fu Hua quirked an eyebrow in confusion, feeling the bubbling of anxiety within her gut. Was she too late? Did they fail to take care of Cecilia? She shook her head and tried her comms once more.

"Fu Hua to HQ. Is anyone there? Over."

Her foot began to tap nervously as the radio remained silent. After a few seconds of remaining on the line, Fu Hua began to grow even more nervous. Her eyes shifted to orange for a few seconds and an amber glow began to manifest around her hand.

Do I have to-?

Her thoughts were cut off when the sound of reverb shot through her ear, causing her to flinch harshly.

[Master Fu Hua? Do you copy? This is Rita.]

"Rita?" she let out a sigh of relief.

[Yes, it's me. The Lord Overseer isn't available at the moment. He's entered Helheim Labs to check on our little Herrscher situation so he's not available at the moment. Our communications are being scrambled right now so we can only use local frequencies built into our battlesuit transponders in order to communicate] Rita explained.

"Did… Is this the work of Theresa and Anti-Entropy?" Fu Hua asked.

[Most likely. As such, Lord Otto has relayed his orders to me and told me to welcome you here. I've sent the coordinates for our rendezvous to your mini-map. We'll gather up there.]

Without any further word, Rita cut the link between them, leaving Fu Hua in silence once more. Fu Hua lowered her arm, letting out yet another sigh.

"Rita, why did Otto send her here? Whatever, that's not important. I need to meet up with her immediately," Fu Hua said to herself.

She took off, making her way to the sent coordinates. The HUD of her battlesuit displayed a holographic minimap that only she could see.

There are Honkai Beasts everywhere, she noted, seeing a few climb up from the railings. She came to a stop as they began to surround her on all sides.

The first Honkai Beast, an Archangel, charged toward her, intent on disemboweling her with its razor-sharp wings.

However, the battle that ensued was quick to finish. Fu Hua shook her wrist, watching the corpses dissolve slowly. Violet fluid stained the ground and her hands.

"How are Honkai Beasts able to make it into HQ? Even if the Himmel Defensive Line is breached in one sector, this doesn't explain the sheer number of them that are here. Ceci… is this all your doing?" Fu Hua wondered as she approached the coordinates on her map.

Fu Hua slowed down, feeling violent tremors beneath her feet. The sound of explosions echoed in the distance, followed by the sound of something heavy hitting the ground.

Explosions? Is she here already? She wondered.

The sight that Fu Hua happened upon when she rounded the corner confirmed her suspicions.

Rita stood, straightening her gloves. Her scythe, Aphrodite, was embedded into the ground next to her. She brushed her hair aside as she sauntered over to the Honkai Beasts.

"How annoying. Let's clean this place up. After all, Master Ana and the other S-Ranks really like it when this place is clean."

In a flash of light, Rita vanished.

Her afterimage reappeared in several places, all seemingly frozen in time. A storm of violet-pink Honkai energy swirled around the Honkai beasts before a series of pink lines sliced themselves into the air simultaneously.

Rita landed in front of the swirling storm, her back facing it as she swished her scythe to get any blood off it.

Behind her, the swirling petal storm of Honkai Energy burst, ripping apart all the Honkai Beasts caught inside.

"Hmph," she dusted herself off.

"...Rita," Fu Hua called out, unfazed by the elegant yet brutal way she disposed of her prey.

"Mmm?" Rita straightened herself and turned, having noticed Fu Hua's presence. A prim and proper smile graced her face. She curtsied, greeting Fu Hua with an air of reverence and politeness in her voice. "Welcome back, Master Fu Hua. Excellent work on taking care of that Judgement Class Honkai Beast. May I interest you in a cup of tea?"

Fu Hua hesitated. Despite the dainty and weak appearance that she put on, the skill she displayed now and at the Valkyrie Exams when she challenged Cecilia were nothing short of absurd. Truly, appearances were deceiving for despite her looks, this woman was an S-Rank Valkyrie.

Rita Rossweisse.

The Lieutenant and current acting commander of the Immortal Blades.

"Rita." Fu Hua greeted. She looked around, noticing that she was completely alone. She had no escort, not even from Schicksal's mechs. In addition, Rita was in her standard battlesuit. Fu Hua narrowed her eyes slightly.

"If you're the only one here, I take it that the rumors were true. I just didn't want to believe them. Kriemhilde has truly defected from Schickal," she said.

Rita sighed. "Yes, it is truly a shame. Master Kriemhilde was not only a mentor to me but to many Valkyries. It is quite distressing to know that we are now on ideologically opposite sides."

Fu Hua nodded. "Where's Ana? Or the new S-Rank for that matter?"

"Master Ana is currently in the northern section with Squad Snow Lotus purging some Honkai Beasts that have breached that sector. As for Lady Edelweiss, she is preoccupied, leading the Immortal Blades against another breach," Rita informed.

Fu Hua's eyes widened in shock. "She's… already in control of the Immortal Blades?"

"Yes. Lady Kriemhilde's defection came as a shock to many but Lord Otto has told us of the sudden replacement. I have no qualms against his decision to do so."

Fu Hua nodded once more. Despite her words, Fu Hua felt there were more to Rita's words than she let on. After all, of all the people on this base, Rita was one of the few people Fu Hua was incapable of reading outright. The woman's expressions and thoughts were meticulously practiced in order to hide her true intentions.

"But for now, Master Fu Hua, worry not about the specifics. The Lord Overseer has ordered me to assist you in your mission," Rita said.

Fu Hua walked past her, scanning her HUD for any new notifications. "That's not necessary. Whatever it is, I can handle it myself."

"I'm afraid I cannot follow those orders, Master Fu Hua. The Overseer has specifically ordered me to do this and emphasized the importance of it. So please understand that I cannot let you be," Rita said.

Fu Hua stopped walking. "... Fine. What's the mission?"

"As you know, Lady Theresa and her allies in Anti-Entropy have breached the Himmel Line and began their occupation of Air Terminal 3. Lord Overseer wants us to go over there and calm her down a little," she explained, briefing Fu Hua on the objectives of the mission.

She let out a sigh. Fu Hua clenched her fists tightly before nodding reluctantly. "...Understood."

"Excellent, then shall we-"

"Under one condition, however."

Rita paused midstep, giving Fu Hua a scrutinizing gaze. "And that is?"

"No killing."

"Of course, Lord Otto has made it clear to prioritize the safety of Lady Theresa and the girls. As such, I shall not resort to any lethal blows," Rita said, smiling at her condition.

Fu Hua felt slightly unnerved by Rita's smile. To any other person, it may be genuine. However, to someone like her, who had known the world a dozen times over, Fu Hua could see the slight dissatisfaction behind Rita's smile. It was as if she were annoyed by the fact that she could not deal the final blow.

In the end, Fu Hua said nothing. She merely turned around and left, leaving Rita alone by the railing for a few seconds.

"We can't hurt them? What a shame. It is… rather dangerous to be emotional on the battlefield, Master Fu Hua," Rita said, following after her.


Kiana stood next to Himeko as they reconvened within the Air Terminal. Their break was short and brief, not nearly enough time for them to completely recover their stamina. Yet, here they were, ready to march out again in order to retrieve her younger sister.

"Alright, are all relevant parties here?" Theresa asked, looking around. She saw Kiana gripping her pistols tightly and decided to hurry the process along.

"Right. Let's get on with this. Doctor Tesla, did you manage to find anything interesting?" Theresa asked.

Tesla nodded before projecting the data she had discovered. "I did. About a few hours ago prior to our little riot in the courtyard, a ship had flown in and docked into the HQ's Helheim Labs. There's no trace of any cargo manifesto or anything but the docking data shows that someone docked there. As for what the ship that docked there was, it was a ship belonging to the captain of the Snow Wolf Squad and one of the S-Rank Valkyries, Ana Schariac."

"Ana… Schariac?" Himeko said.

Theresa closed her eyes and let out a sigh. "So, if that ship was registered under Ana, then that must have been the ship they used to bring Cecilia here."

"On top of that, Helheim Labs is extremely creepy. It's a place shrouded in rumor that people speculate the most heinous things are being done in that lab. Not that I don't believe them but do you know what they're going to do to her in that lab?" Tesla asked.

Kiana gripped her arm when she heard her aunt speak.

"...Then, we're running out of time. Helheim Labs is where they perform their most top-secret experiments and research projects. If they are looking into the abilities of a Herrscher, then there is no doubt that Grandpa is going to keep Ceci there," Theresa said.

"Then, what are we waiting for? Helheim Labs isn't too far from here. We should bust in," Himeko said.

"I wish it were that simple. Helheim Labs has a massive defensive barrier surrounding it. Even with the Hyperion, we may lack the firepower to penetrate it. And with Kiana and Shamash, she would need the time to power it up before having a chance to crack it," Theresa said.

"So what do we do?" Kiana asked.

"The best way we can get through while conserving our forces and firepower is to shut off the massive Honkai reactor that provides power solely to the labs," Theresa said. She pulled up the schematic of Schicksal that the doctors had found, scouring through the databanks.

"A little over to the East of the labs. There is a small power station whose sole purpose is to provide power to the laboratory. Because of the nature of what is done there, Grandpa made sure that the labs had a sustained supply of power in the event that the main system's power grid was compromised. Therefore, the barrier receives power from there. If we shut it off, we can get inside," Theresa explained.

"Great, sounds like a plan! You guys stay put. I shut off the barrier and Aunt Theresa pilots the Hyperion through it," Kiana said.

"E- Eh? What about you? Kiana, do you have a death wish? That area is heavily guarded. Even if you manage to thin them out, enemy reinforcements will be on your ass in minutes," Theresa said.

"I have to agree with Theresa. Even if it's a solid idea, you don't need to do this yourself," Kriemhilde added.

"I'll be fine. I've been in worse binds than this. Just make sure you guys hold up your end of the bargain-"

"Wait."

Kiana turned to Himeko, who had interrupted her mid-sentence.

"I'll go with you. I was part of the Assault Squad before I joined St. Freya. Breakthroughs are kind of my specialty," Himeko said.

"But-"

"Hmm, we also have a number of operable mechs we can spare. I'll divert some to you for support, Kid. Which means I have to tag along. I don't trust your ability to lead mechs after that incident in Flagstaff 4 years ago," Tesla interjected.

"G- Guys! I'll be fine. Just leave the mechs on the ship. It'll be easier for me to shut it off by-"

"Kiana."

Kiana's mouth snapped shut when she saw and felt the weight of Tesla's intense stare on her body.

"Shut up. I don't like it when fools try to counter my decision with their own. Especially fools looking to die. You two, come find me outside when you're ready," Tesla said.

With that, she spun on her heel and stalked off toward the door.

Kiana let out a frustrated sigh before looking to Himeko with a nod and a look of appreciation on her face.

Himeko returned the smile, walking past her and clapping her on the shoulder.

"Kiana."

Kiana turned to Theresa, who had a look of worry on her face.

"Kiana, good luck out there," she said.

"And…"

Kiana turned to Kriemhilde this time, who had a small smile on her face but she could clearly see the worry in her eyes. "Don't hesitate to call us if you run into trouble. I'll fly on over there and leave Fenrir on auto."

"Thanks, Aunt Theresa, Kriemhilde," Kiana nodded in appreciation.

She turned around and descended the stairs, making her way to the entrance of the Security Access Tower. Tesla and Himeko waited for her.

"Kid, I don't want to be a downer but… I don't think you'll survive this suicide trip," Tesla said.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Dr. Tesla," Kiana said dryly.

"That being said… I don't want to see my kids die in front of me so I'll support you as best as I can… Kiana."

Kiana's eyes widened and a smile settled on her face. "Yeah… thanks, Dr. Tesla."


Kiana walked silently next to Himeko. The only sound that could be heard were the sounds of heavy footfalls from the Titan Mechs. Tesla sat on the shoulder of one of them, fiddling with a small spherical device in her hand. It had been several minutes since they left the Security Terminal.

Their walk to the generator had been oddly quiet. Contrary to the supposed high-level patrols that dotted the area, they had seen absolutely nothing along their path. The silence made them apprehensive and for Kiana, who had lived a good portion of her formative years sleeping with one eye open, it was nothing short of anxiety-inducing.

Her eyes scanned her surroundings up ahead and she noticed several antennas and scanners in the distance.

"Dr. Tesla, we're entering the Helheim Lab's defensive array's firing range. Any plans?" Kiana asked.

"Yeah, kid, I do. Why don't we call up Otto, tell him to shut off all the Honkai Powercores for the defense array, roll out the red carpet and prep the champagne while we waltz into Helheim Labs. What do you think, kid?" Tesla replied.

Kiana bristled. She had forgotten how snappy Tesla could be from time to time.

"Er…" Himeko looked at her with a slight look of apprehension and confusion on her face.

"You idiots want a plan? I have a plan that's plain and simple. If it moves, smash it. You should be very familiar with this tactic, right, Kiana. After all, remember Flagstaff?" she said.

"I'm afraid to ask, but what happened at Flagstaff?" Himeko asked.

Kiana grimaced. "It… was my first mission for Anti-Entropy after finding them. Dr. Tesla and I were both on it and I… I…"

"Kiana broke half the mechs we tried to get her to pilot. Eventually, we had to just let her go on foot or else we were going to lose half our arsenal," Tesla said. "The mission ended successfully… albeit Kiana smashed half the inventory. Some of it being our own."

"H- Hey," Kiana said. Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"Really? Pfft, so there are things even you can't do, Miss Genius Prodigy," Himeko said.

"S- Stop laughing! A- Anyway, I really like this plan so I can go completely scorched earth on Schicksal. I need to blow off some steam anyway," Kiana said, walking ahead. "I'll take point. Himeko."

"I got it."

"So do you two idiots know where you're even going? I feel like we're walking around like a headless chicken. Kiana?" Tesla asked.

Kiana slowed down to a stop and looked around. After a few seconds of searching, she spotted a small terminal in the distance. It was an insignificant one but not uncommon within Schicksal. Even St. Freya had its fair share of terminals in the courtyard for students to use when they were on break.

"I see a terminal over there. It's not that far but if we can get over there, then we can probably pull up a map of this place," she said.

After a few minutes of walking, the three and their entourage of mechs reached the location. Kiana and Himeko stood behind Tesla while she went to work, breaking into the system. The two watched her and Himeko let out a sigh when she saw the location of the power core on the map.

"It's… further than I thought," she commented.

"Well, if it's too far for you, you can stay here. Kiana and I can take care of this," Tesla said. Her fingers moved at an incomprehensible speed as she squeezed every last byte of data from the system. "And instead of complaining, how about you let me do my job and get directions while you do yours."

"Kiana, she's a pain in the ass," Himeko complained.

"Dr. Tesla-"

"And you. Don't even get me started on you. I'm on a death march with a suicidal soldier and an atoner who thinks it's her job to shoulder everything. I can see right through you two idiots," Tesla continued.

Kiana clenched her fists. "Don't you think I know that?"

Tesla glanced over to her. "I'm not here to be nice, Kiana. Like your dumbass friend over there who's in the final stages of Honkai sickness, you think everything about Cecilia is your responsibility-"

"Because she is my responsibility! I'm her guardian! It's my job to take care of her-"

"Even if it means not taking care of yourself? What good are you to Cecilia if you can't even properly fight?" Tesla asked.

"I can fight-"

"You just got out of the ICU."

"I'm fine," she growled.

"You're not fine. Don't think you can just waltz ahead of us in this self-destructive fashion and think you can handle everything. I already have enough of that shit from Welt. I don't need to add you to my list of people I need to preplan funerals for," she said.

Kiana clenched her jaw, letting Tesla's words sink in. What did she know? She didn't have to look after both of them when their father died. Tesla had only come into their lives by matter of circumstance whereas she had been with Cecilia for a good portion of her life.

"Don't rush into this headlong, kid. Take a step back and think instead of wandering around the research complex like a rat. Good for you two, I got a way we can get to the core without physically needing to destroy it," Tesla said, pulling away from the terminal.

Tesla walked past her and Himeko, who stood by awkwardly while the two had their tense back and forth.

"Well?" Tesla asked.

Kiana let out a sharp breath before following after her.


"I think we're getting close. The schematics I pulled up shows an access point around here somewhere," Tesla said, pulling up the schematics on her gauntlet.

"How so?" Himeko asked.

"There are multiple defensive modules located across the Research Complex. Each of them appear to be connected to the main system, which in turn is what programs the power core to do its job. Find one. Access the system through a back door and take it down. Problem is… we need to find one first," Tesla said.

"How far is the closest one?" Kiana asked.

"About… a couple dozen feet west of our location. That's not that far," Tesla replied.

"You know what we're looking for?" Himeko asked.

"An inverted pyramid structure. You'll know it when you see it. It'll probably be guarded by mechs and valks." She closed the schematic window and looked around. "There."

Tesla pointed in that direction.

"Kiana?" Himeko asked.

Kiana pressed a button on her earpiece, materializing her visor. "I'm picking up several heat signatures and honkai energy signatures all gathered in one location. I think that's our target."

"Well then. How about we fire the opening shot? I need you two to buy me some time to break into the system," Tesla said, cracking her knuckles.

"Dr. Tesla, I feel that all we've been doing all day is buying you time," Himeko mused, lifting Schiffschneider off the ground.

"Hmph. How much time do you need?" Kiana asked.

"One minute. Oh, and Kiana, don't blow up the module," Tesla said.

Kiana nodded, reverting Shamash back to its pistol form. "I guess it's this for now."

"Ready?" Himeko asked, stretching her legs.

"Go."

The two took off, racing in the direction Kiana had pinpointed. Kiana spotted two Valkyries patrolling and two on the bridge above. There were five mechs altogether guarding the inverted pyramid-shaped module.

Without so much as a warning, she fired two shots.

The shots hit home, striking the Valkyries in the arms. Taken aback by the sudden attack, the two patrolling were unable to react in time as Himeko slammed into them with tremendous force.

They flew into the foot of the bridge, cracking the foundation before sliding down.

"Kiana! Get the snipers! I'll take care of the mechs!" Himeko yelled.

"Got it!"

"I- It's Anti-Entropy! Attack!" one of the two Valkyries yelled.

Kiana felt her body flooding with Honkai energy. Frost gathered at the base of her feet. She slowed before coiling up and, with a blast of ice, she propelled herself into the sky.

"W- Wha-" the valkyrie never finished her sentence as Kiana drove her heel on top of her skull. She dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes, eliciting a yelp of fear from her partner. Blood poured from the unconscious girl's head.

"A- Adelaide…" she stuttered.

Kiana turned her gaze over to her, causing her to yelp in even greater fear.

Kiana raised Shamash, resting her finger on the trigger.

"P- Please… don't…"

Kiana's finger tightened and she was about to pull when she heard Himeko's voice behind her.

"Kiana?"

She closed her eyes before pulling arm back.

Himeko had a worried, yet slightly scared look on her face when she saw her friend's dull blue eyes.

"Dr. Tesla got what we needed. She shut the core down. Are you…?"

"Let's go," Kiana said, walking past her.

"Right." Himeko followed after her as the two jumped down.

"Did things go well on your end?" Tesla asked, placing her foot atop a ruined mech.

"Yeah. The two valkyries are taken care of," Kiana confirmed.

"Good. Every obstacle has been dealt with. It's time for us to withdraw. Though, to call these stupid pieces of scrap mechs. Schicksal's R&D must have become quite pathetic over the years. It's a shame for our titans to even be classified as the same piece of tech as they are," Tesla cackled.

"Oh my… is this Anti-Entropy's new mech unit?"

The three froze when they heard a sweet yet sinister voice coming from above them.

Kiana turned and saw a familiar face smiling down at them. She narrowed her eyes. That polite, practiced smile did little to hide the slight amount of excitement that was clearly written on the girl's eyes.

"Rita Rossweisse," Kiana said.

"Oh? I'm honored. I believe we only met during the Valkyrie Finals but I didn't think you'd remember me, Kiana Kaslana," Rita said, smiling. "I'd love to catch up but please excuse me. I need to clean up. Since this is the newer models, this will be slightly harder than I thought."

In an instant, Tesla's new Titan had been hacked to pieces. Rita's graceful swings arced through the air with skilled precision, making it appear as if only a few trails of pink light had traveled through the air.

"Himeko!" Kiana said.

"Right. Doctor. Stick close to me," Himeko said, gripping Schiffschneider's handle.

"Kiana. Major. It's over. Please… surrender."

Kiana's eyes widened when she heard the sound of her voice. Her blood began to boil. She bit her lip tightly, causing blood to trickle down her mouth. Her left eye's sclera began to slowly turn black as she turned on the owner of the voice.

"You…" Flames surged around Kiana as Shamash transformed into a blade in her hands.

Fu Hua almost flinched at the sheer hatred Kiana was directing at her. However, she pressed forward. "Lay down your weapons. You're making a mistake, Kiana. That girl. Your sister… she's not-"

Fu Hua moved immediately.

Behind her, an entire structure exploded violently. The movement had taken all of them, even the normally composed Rita, by surprise.

Fu Hua felt something warm trickling down her cheek. Next to her, the ground had been torn apart, completely melted, and singed by Shamash's flames.

"Shut up. Shut the fuck up." Kiana marched forward, leaving a trail of scorched footprints in her wake.

"Fu Hua, we already know. We've known for a while now," Himeko said.

"T- Then, you must know that her powers are unstable. She can rampage at any moment and threaten humanity as a whole. I know how you feel about her Kiana but think about-"

Kiana never let her finish her sentence. Her speed even surprised Fu Hua, who was unable to escape her grasp in time. The ground shook as Kiana pinned Fu Hua to a pillar, raising her into the air with one hand.

Fu Hua thrashed in her grip, attempting to break free. Her eyes were awash with surprise when she saw Kiana's eyes were black and blue. Her once pale hands and forearms had turned pitch black.

"I said shut up." Her voice was low and monotone.

"Ki…ana… she's going to…"

"So what? So what if she has these powers? She's an innocent girl! She never asked for this!" Kiana demanded.

"She's… a danger to the world… even if she hasn't awakened, there's no chance that she won't. Please… see reason. The Herrscher took your mother away and then your father, are you really going to let… Ceci suffer the same fate?" Fu Hua rasped.

"Suffer? You're the only ones making her suffer," Kiana snarled.

"It's for everyone's... sake... think about what she would want... do you think she'd want this? Even she knows that sacrifices are inevitable-!" Fu Hua choked as Kiana tightened her grip around her throat. She felt the burning sensation of ice creeping into her skin.

"Sacrifice? You think she wants to die? You don't know anything. About her or about us. Why is it always her? What did she ever do to you to deserve this? What did we ever do to make you and everyone else try to come after her? Is it because she's a Herrscher? Or is it because she's my clone? Even if she was, she wasn't hurting anyone. All we did was live with our Dad. We didn't have much but we were happy.

"She's not a monster. I won't let you turn her into one either. You say that you took her for the good of the world but what good is this world to me without her?" Kiana said.

"Kiana... please..."

"I'm done listening to you talk. Goodbye, Fu Hua," Kiana said.

She began squeezing Fu Hua's throat, causing her to gasp and fight even harder against her.

She's… actually going to kill me… Fu Hua thought as darkness began to creep from the edges of her vision.

However, before she could pass out, Kiana let go, jumping back to avoid the swing of Rita's scythe.

Fu Hua fell to the ground, coughing violently. She stared at Kiana, who had recovered instantly from the surprise attack. She gingerly touched her neck, almost wincing from the pain she felt when her fingers touched her skin.

"Master Fu Hua, I believe that… peaceful negotiations are no longer an option," Rita said, eyeing Kiana with a serious look on her face.

"Rita… wait…"

"I won't let any of you lay another finger on her. No matter what kind of monster she turns into, even if the whole world turns against her, I'll just burn that world away if it means she can live," Kiana declared.

Fu Hua's eyes widened as she remembered something. The heat of the flames was similar to something she had experienced so long ago.

"None of you shall lay a finger on her. Monster or not, even if it means facing all of you down, I'll burn all of you away so she can live."

Kevin, this girl really is your…


"AGGGHHHH! Please! Don't! I'm sorry-"

His futile screams for mercy were ignored. The sound of fabric cracking whipped through the air. His head seamlessly slid off his neck and hit the ground with a wet thud. His body stumbled forward, blood squirting from the stump before falling over.

Around him, there were those who suffered a similar and brutal fate.

Mutilated and dismembered corpses of scientists and a few members of the Immortal Blades lay strewn haphazardly across the laboratory. The brutality of which they were murdered could not be put into words.

Cecilia stood, with her eyes closed, above his corpse. Her body was still wet from the fluids of the stasis pod. Blood slowly pooled around her feet, staining the sole of her battlesuit red. She looked up at the ceiling above her.

Cecilia raised her hand and a faint violet aura gathered around her. Above her, the ceiling creaked and groaned as it violently collapsed in on itself, revealing the blue skies above. And as the light hit her face, she finally opened her eyes.

However, rather than the warm, friendly eyes that she was most known for, the world was instead greeted with a pair of toxic yellow eyes.

As the wind blew onto her face, a small smile graced her features.


We are almost at Befall. That's all.