"Kiana, are you sure this is the right way? For all we know, Ana could be lying to us," Himeko said.
"Ana has no reason to lie to us," Kriemhilde said.
"Oh, so now you're vouching for the S-Ranks that have been on our asses since we got here?" Himeko asked.
The three had been walking for 15 minutes. Kiana felt a headache coming on. She rubbed her temples as she listened to her aunt and friend bicker back and forth about whether or not Ana Schariac was trustworthy. Frankly, Kiana was inclined to agree with Himeko, however, the situation made her all the more inclined to trust Ana Schariac's words rather than to doubt them. As long as it got her Cecilia back, she would do anything.
"Can you two stop?" Kiana asked, annoyed by their argument.
She sighed and stopped walking. Kiana turned to face Himeko and Kriemhilde. "Look, whether or not Ana was lying or not doesn't matter anymore. To be honest, I want to agree with Himeko but she did give us her access permissions. As much as I want to say she's lying, I don't think she is."
Himeko sighed.
Kriemhilde nodded. "Ana is a good girl. She's not like Rita or Edelweiss. She always puts the needs of everyone else before her own," she said, vouching for Ana's character.
"I'll take your word for it," Kiana replied.
The three pressed deeper into the labs, following Ana's directions directly. Himeko shivered involuntarily as they trekked on.
"This place gives me the creeps now that I'm out of the cell," she commented.
"Well, I would be too. This place is where Otto keeps all of his personal experiments. Lord knows what's going on behind closed doors. Valkyries never questioned what the Overseer was doing. Especially if you're low-ranked. However, the higher you climb, the more information you have access to. The smart ones ask when they realize the pieces don't line up. And the smarter ones that do connect the dots keep their mouths shut out of fear," Kriemhilde said.
"Fear? I've seen the Overseer. He looks like someone whose entire body can be shattered by a gust of wind," Himeko said.
"Looks are deceiving. Especially when it comes to him," Kriemhilde said ominously.
Kiana nodded, listening to her aunt's words. "So why did you stay? You obviously knew what he must have been doing. You're the S-Rank Valkyrie and the Paladin."
"I wish I could tell you I wanted to leave. But I didn't. I wanted to do right by the world. Right by Cecilia. I thought my brother was an idiot for raiding HQ all those years ago. Now… I'm not so sure," Kriemhilde said.
"So… human experimentation was okay with you?" she asked.
Kriemhilde closed her eyes and contemplated how to answer her niece's question before continuing. "Believe it or not, S-Ranks don't know everything. Your mother was never aware of the truth behind Babylon Labs. And neither was I," she admitted.
Kiana paused for a few moments.
"How is that possible? Shouldn't Otto… like share his experiments so you all know what you're protecting?" Himeko asked.
"In war, there is a basis of need-to-know information. We are given the bare minimum and told to do our jobs. Overseer Otto is a man with many secrets. Even Theresa, who is his granddaughter, has a hard time deciphering his mind. I also doubt that people, aside from us, know she was born in a lab and is a clone of our ancestor, Kallen Kaslana."
Himeko and Kiana both took in her words.
"I know what's going through your heads right now. Was I aware of Otto's plan to take Cecilia? I'll tell you right now that I wasn't." She turned to them and smiled. "I guess in the end, despite my skill set, I became too much of a liability to be trusted with information."
"Liability?" Himeko asked. "How?"
"Because she cares about me and Ceci…," Kiana said.
Kriemhilde nodded. "Indeed. Because I'm too attached, Otto might have figured out I would never follow such an order. I would have cut his head off," she joked.
"Well, I'm going to after all this is over," Kiana said.
"Yeah, get in line— Kiana!"
Kiana heard Himeko's sudden shout and she jumped back. A beam of blue energy struck the ground before them as several white mechs descended from the ceiling.
"Asleikr Ybogis," Kriemhilde said, drawing Balmung.
Himeko clenched her jaw and drew what remained of the Proto Pulse Cleaver.
Frost began to gather around Kiana's hands. As she moved to reduce the mechs to piles of scrap, a sharp pain cut through her body. She doubled over, gasping in sheer, complete agony.
"Kiana!" Himeko rushed forward as the mechs advanced on her.
Kiana's mouth was held open in a silent scream. Her lips trembled as black lines began to crisscross up her neck.
"Tch! Damn it!" Kriemhilde rushed forward, delivering a flurry of slashes. The air and light severed, causing the world before them to resemble sliced glass.
The mechs all fell apart, having been cut with skillful precision. Kriemhilde returned Balmung to its sheath on the back of her uniform. She walked and knelt before her niece.
"Her body is still suffering from the after-effects of using our family's Stigmata and the Zeroth Power of the Judgement of Shamash," Kriemhilde said.
"I'm fine…," Kiana said through gritted teeth.
"You're obviously not fine! That thing you did! The thing where you look like you're cascading into a Honkai Beast! It's killing you, isn't it?" Himeko asked.
"Less killing her and more straining her body. She hasn't had time to get used to it. Siegfried and I were in the same boat when we first unlocked it but it looks like Kiana is able to use it to a degree far higher than we ever could," Kriemhilde interjected.
"Straining her?"
"Normally, it shouldn't be this bad but I guess the backlash from the Might of An-Utu is still lingering on her body. Any more and she might be incapacitated before we even get to Tesla," Kriemhilde said, supporting Kiana as the girl tried to stand.
"So you're saying she might not even be able to fight?" Himeko asked.
Kriemhilde nodded.
"I can—"
"No. I'll take point. I know which tower Ana is talking about. Just conserve your strength. The amount of stress your body went through in Nagazora is still having aftershocks. It's been barely over a few days," she said.
"I can fight…," Kiana growled.
"Kiana, I'm not going to sugarcoat it but you did die on us. For several minutes," Himeko said. "Your body isn't at peak condition."
Kiana let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine. I'll let you take point. But you don't have to support me like I'm a geriatric," she said.
Kriemhilde nodded and allowed Kiana to find her balance.
"Well? Lead the way, Auntie," Kiana said.
The trek to the North Tower had been longer than any of them had anticipated. Perhaps it was because of the abundance of automated security mechs that plagued their path. It seemed that Otto did not want to make this easy for them. However, they were pressed for time. As they entered the tower, Kriemhilde stopped right at the gate. Lightning gathered around Balmung's blade.
[Divine Key - Balmung: First Power - Skyfall]
The key announced. Kriemhilde swung Balmung, unleashing a sweeping storm of electricity toward the mechs. The all-consuming swathe swallowed everything in its path, reducing it to a series of charred, twisted, and ionized chassis.
Kriemhilde let out a sigh and returned Balmung to its attachment on the back of her uniform. "Let's fan out. Kiana…"
"I know. Don't worry. I learned a thing or two about stealth when I was the White Death in the Urals," Kiana replied.
"It's not that I'm not confident in your abilities… it's just…"
Kiana nodded in response. She held her hand out and created a knife made out of ice. "Just for insurance."
Himeko and Kriemhilde exchanged quick glances before nodding.
The three spread out while maintaining visual distance from each other. They scaled the tower, careful not to trip any security systems.
"Hey, why don't we use Ana's access card? Can't we just use it to disable the security systems?" Himeko asked.
"The security access terminal is deeper in the tower. There's an access terminal up from here but we have to find it first," Kriemhilde said. "Unless you want to head into Otto's basement, you're welcome to stay here and tear through any security mechs."
Himeko shivered at the thought of going into the basement of an obviously psychotic man. One could only begin to wonder what horrors lay in the depths of Helheim labs.
"If… the security system is at the bottom, that means most of his experiments are down there right? Then only top-level access can get us down there. Ana's access card is probably useless," Kiana reasoned.
"No. See the armor Ana was wearing?" Kriemhilde asked.
"Yeah," Kiana said.
It wasn't hard for her to remember. The Saint of Schicksal, Ana Schariac. One of the S-Rank Valkyries. A rumored Angel of Death clad in a dark battlesuit with silver plating located on the breast and hip area, where it formed an armored skirt. On the back of Ana's battlesuit were a pair of wing-like appendages.
"That was a Godsbane Suit… HDA-001 - Knight Extremis: Osiris. Originally it was a prototype but Otto seemed to have found use for it," Kriemhilde explained.
"So she was wearing a fancy battlesuit. How does that prove that her card works?" Himeko said.
"Those suits are down there, aren't they? That means the ones wearing Godsbanes have access to Helheim Lab's depths…," Kiana said.
"Yeah, so the card works," Kriemhilde said, reassuring them.
"At least I can get Shamash back after we nab Tesla from the tower," Kiana said.
"Wait…" Kriemhilde held her hand up and the two stopped.
"What?" Himeko asked.
"I hear something."
Himeko and Kiana exchanged glances before straining their hearing to pick up on what Kriemhilde heard. Their eyes widened when they heard muffled grunts of effort, followed shortly by muffled shrieks of frustration.
"That's her. Let's go," Kiana said. She ran past Kriemhilde, ascending further up the tower's ramps until they reached the source of the noise.
"Mmmmph! Mmmmmmph!"
Kiana blinked when they happened upon the sight.
Tied to a chair with copious amounts of rope was Doctor Tesla. She struggled uselessly against her binds, failing to even budge the chair. Her eyes flicked over to them and they widened, causing her to struggle with renewed fervor. Kiana's eyes settled on the intricate, black silk scarf that was used to gag her. The chair itself was tied by an elevator terminal.
Tesla's eyes narrowed in fury when she saw Himeko trying to stifle her laughter.
"Mmmmph! Mmmph! Mmmph! MMMMMMMPH!"
"What's she saying?" Kriemhilde asked.
"I… don't know," Kiana replied. She walked over and removed the gag from around Tesla's mouth.
Tesla spat something out before looking up at Kiana. "That fucking bitch… If I ever see her face again…," she growled.
"What did Rita even do to you?" Kriemhilde asked.
"That bitch humiliated me! Look at me!" Tesla screamed, furiously as she struggled against her bonds in futility. "Fucking tied me to this damn chair and told me to wait! Every measure of comfort, my ass! Next time I see her, I'm shoving Wotan's Gugnir up her ass and firing it!"
Kiana grimaced. "I… I don't think that'll be possible now…"
"Right… you destroyed it. Well, I'm shoving something up her ass! Now untie me!" Tesla demanded.
"You can at least say please," Kiana grumbled as she looked over the knot. She walked around and noticed that the rope was skillfully into a beautiful knot in the back. "Wow… Rita is good with her fingers. It'd be a shame to undo this knot."
"You brat! Untie me!" Tesla said.
Kiana rolled her eyes while undoing the perfect knot.
"That fucking maid, you know she kept apologizing while she was tying me up? 'Oh, my apologies, doctor. This might hurt.' Fucking bitch, if you were going to apologize, then why tie me up in the first place! Uggh! I'm going to murder her!" Tesla fumed.
"Well, you can do that later. Fu Hua told me what happened after the Herrscher awakened," Himeko said.
Kiana paused before undoing the final knot.
"Schicksal… from the looks of it seems to be in pretty bad shape," Himeko said.
"No, not just in bad shape. The place looks like it's at war. The Herrscher of the Void, from what I could see, tore the place apart during her battle with Raiden Mei. The entire HQ is almost in ruins," Kriemhilde said.
"What about the others?" Tesla asked as she shrugged the ropes off. She flexed her arms and fingers.
"I managed to get in contact with Dr. Einstein before I touched down here. Bronya and Theresa have joined Mei in engaging the Herrscher. But so far, we've heard nothing back. We've also lost a majority of our grand mech forces to the Herrscher of the Void in a single attack. Other than that, I haven't been able to contact them since. It's like there's something interfering with our connection to them," Kriemhilde explained.
"Hmm, it's probably the energy being put out by the Gem of Conquest. It's most likely scrambling our communication signals," Tesla theorized.
Kiana remained silent throughout the entire back and forth. Her worst fears had come true. Cecilia had succumbed and reawakened like she did all those years ago. She clenched her fists as the weight of her failure began to weigh down on her.
"...Kiana. Kiana!"
Kiana looked up and saw Himeko calling out to her. "Kiana, are you okay?"
"No, no I'm not. Ceci is…," she whispered.
"Look kid, I'm not gonna lie but our situation is really in dire straits. Mophead must be scrambling to scavenge what's left of our ground forces while we're in no good shape ourselves. But now's not the time to wallow around. If you really want to help your sister, then get the fuck up," Tesla said.
Kiana glared lightly at the shorter redhead before getting to her feet.
Tesla shrugged off her fierce stare before walking over to the control panel in the room. "First thing's first, we need to find a way to establish communications with the Hyperion. That means we need to go deeper into the lab. Looks like I can use this terminal here to access the network. It'll take me a bit to access the mainframe from here so give me a few minutes to get into the system and then-"
"Ana gave us her access card," Kiana said, holding out a black card.
Tesla raised an eyebrow. "And you trusted her?"
"It let us get to you, didn't it?" she replied.
Tesla eyed the card suspiciously before snatching it and inserting it into the card reader. She held up her gauntlet-encased hand. A small device popped out and she stuck it into the terminal. "Just because we have Ana's card doesn't necessarily mean it'll grant us access. That's why I'll get us in by going through a backdoor if it doesn't work."
Tesla pulled out a holographic keyboard and began to type rapidly. Strings of code appeared in front of her as it bypassed several high-level security clearances in the span of an instant.
"By the way, why are you two using such shitty weapons? Do yourselves a favor and find a better one until we can find something better," Tesla said. "This place is Helheim Labs. There should be something better in here than what you're using."
"I don't need one." Kiana held up her hand, allowing frost and snow to form at the tips of her fingers.
Tesla narrowed her eyes. "Just like Siegfried… and Kriemhilde. Fine. Suit yourself. You. Himeko. Are you going to use a broken sword all day or do I have to spell out what we might find in Otto's basement for you?"
Himeko huffed before stalking off to find herself a better weapon.
After a few seconds, Himeko came back, holding a black and blue blade with an odd design. Its blade lacked a sharp edge. Along its body, there was a white cross emblazoned on the flat of the blade.
"A Hrungnir? I haven't seen one in a while," Kriemhilde commented.
"Well, I have no idea how to use a cross so this is the only nearly up-to-date greatsword I can find," Himeko said.
"Got it."
The three looked up and saw Tesla removing the device from the terminal port. "Ana's card worked but I just slipped a backdoor in there just in case Otto finds out and shuts down her card. Let's go."
"What about the defenses?" Kiana asked.
"I dealt with it. I never knew what else I could do so easily when I'm using someone else's perms," Tesla smirked. "Come on. The only thing we have to deal with is Otto's mess. Since I've shut off the lab's defenses, those things can probably break out now."
The three nodded and followed Tesla into the elevator.
"You hear that?" Tesla asked as they descended deeper into the labs.
Inhuman screeches, followed by the sounds of tearing metal and flesh echoed around them. Himeko grimaced slightly at the sounds. Kriemhilde tightened her grip around Balmung while Kiana began to gather honkai energy to her fingertips.
"The test subjects," Kriemhilde said.
"Ignore them and let's move on," Tesla said.
The elevator began to near their destination as the numbers began to tick down.
"By the way, what is Schicksal researching in this place, Kriemhilde?" Tesla asked.
"Other than the Godsbane series? I don't really know. A lot of what I do know that goes on here is mostly Honkai resistance experimentations. It involves a lot of human experimentation with different degrees of Honkai exposure. Which is why you heard a lot of screeching. Those people up there were forced into different levels of exposure, which in turn caused them to cascade to varying degrees," Kriemhilde said.
"That's sickening. What kind of people would do such a thing?" Himeko asked.
"Schicksal would."
Kriemhilde's words cut through the air and caused everyone to go quiet. Tesla coughed into her hand a few seconds later, shattering the silence. "So… other than the Divine Key and getting in contact with the Hyperion, we don't have much choice but to go deeper," Tesla said.
"I… Fu Hua told me something when she was breaking me out," Himeko said.
"Told you what?" Kiana asked suspiciously. "You… said that too before Edelweiss tried to kill us. What did she tell you?"
Himeko fidgeted for a few seconds. "She said there's something in this lab that can help us save everyone."
"And you trusted her?" Kiana raised an eyebrow.
"Was I not supposed to? She's my student. Even if she—!"
"She kidnapped my sister! How can you possibly trust her!?" Kiana said in disbelief.
"Well, we're kinda short on allies right now, Kiana. If someone from the other side decides to help us then, we might as well take it like we did with Ana!" Himeko fired back.
"Okay, okay. Stop." Kriemhilde got in between the two before the argument could escalate any further. "Fighting's not going to get us anyway."
Kiana huffed and walked to the other side of the elevator.
Himeko crossed her arms and sighed.
Tesla pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Whatever. You two. Just don't explode on each other until we get what we need."
At Tesla's words, the elevator slowed to a stop and a ding echoed.
"Hmm? This doesn't look like the lab," Kiana said.
"This isn't. This place has its gravity reversed in this tower. You see those rings?" Kriemhilde gestured to the series of rotating concentric rings floating above their platform. "They're creating a specialized gravitational field that allows Helheim Labs proper to exist as a structure beneath Schicksal. It's also what keeps the island afloat in the skies."
"If Otto weren't a lunatic, I'd be impressed," Tesla said. "I assume you remember the way?"
Kriemhilde nodded. "Come on. It's through this platform—!" Kriemhilde jumped back as a mech descended from the sky and landed in front of them.
"Of course, there's security," Tesla complained.
Himeko gripped Hrungnir tightly.
"Kiana."
"I got it. I got the rear," Kiana said. A black carapace encased her hands, forming claws.
"Woah. That's way more than I've seen on Kriemhilde and Siegfried," Tesla commented.
The group made quick work of the mech guards and in a matter of minutes, they stood among a field of destroyed mechs. Himeko panted as she gripped her sword tightly.
"You look like shit, Himeko," Tesla commented as the group followed Kriemhilde to a platform.
The platform began to slowly move, taking them to the underbelly of Schicksal HQ. Their surroundings passed by them slowly and even though they were high up, there were no harsh winds that were normally generated from an altitude this high.
"It's fine. Kiana looks even worse," Himeko said.
Tesla raised an eyebrow and glanced over to Kiana.
Kiana was doing a great job at holding it in but her slightly trembling arms along with the faint black criss-crossing pattern on her neck and arms were all Tesla needed to see. "So there is a drawback to the famous Kaslana power."
"It's fine. It's nothing I haven't faced before," Kiana said.
"I can imagine. Before Einstein and I found you, you were the worst monster the Urals ever gave birth to… no offense," Tesla said.
"Yeah, you never told us about that, Kiana," Himeko said, wiping some sweat from her brow.
"It's not something I like to advertise," she said.
Kriemhilde remained silent as she watched their surroundings pass by.
"When Dad died, it was just me and Cecilia. All my attempts to contact my family were all fruitless so I decided to make the trek all the way to Germany to try and find them. Of course, what the hell were two kids from Siberia going to do? Siberia is almost lawless if you don't live in the cities.
"I had to do whatever it took to protect Cecilia and make sure we survived. It started out small. Hunt this bear that's been tearing up my farm for money. My son went missing, go find him. But then, it started getting bigger. Kill my cheating spouse for me. Go kill this man for me. I've lost count of how many people I've had to kill just to make sure Ceci ate. It didn't matter what the target was.
"Regular people. Local politicians. Arms dealers. Honkai Beasts. The enemies didn't matter. Anything if it meant Ceci got to live. As long as she was happy, I'd happily drown myself in an ocean of blood again just for her. I'd do anything just to make sure she keeps smiling. And in the end, her life is the only thing that mattered to me… and it's the only thing that still does," Kiana said.
Everyone else remained silent.
"Cecilia being a Herrscher means nothing. No matter what, I'll bring her back. Because it's my job as her big sister to always protect her," Kiana said, smiling softly.
"Even… if it means your own life?" Tesla asked.
An uncomfortable silence passed over the group.
"Yes."
Kiana's words cut through the silence like a hot knife through butter.
Tesla let out a frustrated sigh. "What is it with Kaslanas and running headlong into death? Whatever. I'd be damned if I had you die on me brat. There's gotta be something in this lab that'll help us."
Himeko nodded. "Remember, Kiana. This isn't different from what we've dealt with. In the end, this is just another mission and there's always a way to deal a finishing blow... without having to kill yourself."
Kiana just smiled in response. "Yeah.
The platform traveled until it came to a stop outside a pair of closed metal doors. An ominous feeling emanated from behind the door, filling the group with a sense of slight apprehension. Kriemhilde pulled out Balmung and gripped it tightly.
"I'm going to warn you three. Beyond these doors, there are more guards. The moment we go in, we'll go in boots on the ground and sprinting. Think you can handle it?" Kriemhilde asked.
"Hah, who do you think you're talking to? I was a former member of the Assault Squad," Himeko said.
"Compared to Siberia, this is nothing," Kiana said.
Kriemhilde smiled before turning to Tesla.
"Let's go over everything before we go in. First, we barge in, smash everything that stands between us and find out what this place is hiding. Second, we take everything of value and head back to the Hyperion. Finally, we go up to the Herrscher, kick its ass and get Cecilia back, mission accomplished," Tesla said.
A wry smile broke Kiana's calm facade. "You always did know how to joke, Doctor Tesla. Well then."
Kiana stepped forward, toward the obsidian metal doors. Two blades of ice formed in her hands. "What are we waiting for? Let's ring the front door."