The day began like no other for Cecilia. Her sister had been awake long before her and was most likely making them something subpar with the Judgment of Shamash. Mei, who was an early riser, was practicing her Hokushin Itto-Ryu in the courtyard and Bronya would be passed out in her bed just like she was mere moments ago.
"10:30 AM," Cecilia said, yawning the rest of her sleep away.
It had been officially three days since she had become an A-Rank Valkyrie. Three days since she had visited her father's grave. And three days since she had met her estranged aunt for the first time in her entire life.
"Ceci! Breakfast is ready!" Kiana called out.
Three days of being an A-Rank Valkyrie. In Cecilia's mind, she imagined something more exciting. Saving people from burning buildings invested with Chariot-Class Honkai Beasts. Rescuing Mei from an Emperor Class Honkai Beast. Running in guns blazing to save Mei from 5 Herrschers and winning. Marrying Mei in St. Freya after defeating 5 Herrschers in order to rescue Mei.
However, to her disappointment, being an A-Rank only meant harder courses and more paperwork after missions. At least, that's what her sister had told her. Of course, Kiana had only experienced the latter. Her older sister was deemed too advanced for the standard valkyrie courses and graduated earlier than intended.
She shuffled out of her room to the kitchen where her older sister had a plate of pancakes, bacon, and eggs ready for her to scarf down.
"You and the others have a briefing today with Aunt Theresa and Himeko," Kiana said, flipping a pancake.
"Yeah, how'd you know?" Cecilia asked.
"I happened to see it while digitizing some of the old files in Aunt Theresa's office," Kiana said.
"Is that really what being an A-Rank Valkyrie is?" Cecilia asked.
"Is what really what?" Kiana raised an eyebrow at her question.
"Paperwork! I see you go on missions all the time! Why are the rest of us stuck doing dumb papers and advanced classes?" Cecilia asked.
"Well, Ceci. Being an A-Rank Valkyrie means that you no longer have to rely on your A-Rank Commanding Officer to do your reports for you. Being an A-Rank means you have to file your own reports and do harder classes. And I do a lot of paperwork. I work in Aunt Teri's office for most of the day when there's no outbreak present. I mostly help her file stuff," Kiana explained.
"Is… Is S-Rank any better or do I have to do more reports?" Cecilia asked.
"S-Rank is worse. Aunt Theresa told me once when we were doing paperwork that Dad hated doing reports and turning them in to the Overseer. Can you imagine how many mission reports Dad had to go over since he was a Knight and led his own Squad?" Kiana said.
"I… STILL! Even with all of these papers, I will still become an S-Rank Valkyrie. I just… I just need to find myself an assistant," Cecilia said.
"An assistant? An S-Rank must know how to do their own work. Mom and Dad didn't have any secretaries to do their mission reports for them," she said.
"Whatever! This won't stop me. I'll prove it at the end of the next mission. Just watch! I'll have the whole thing done before the Hyperion even touches down at St. Freyja!" her sister challenged.
Kiana suppressed a bout of laughter. It was true that being an A-Rank meant more work but the way things were going right now, Cecilia might not have to do any. Their aunt was very much aware of her niece's handwriting and Kiana was not up to translating it for her every time Cecilia had come back from a mission.
"Don't you have a briefing to get to?" Kiana asked, glancing at the clock.
"Oh. Oh shit! I'll see you later, Kiana!" Cecilia then proceeded to inhale the rest of her breakfast and rushed out the door, leaving behind an empty plate and a trail of crumbs.
Kiana crossed her arms and waited a few seconds, knowing that Cecilia had just run out of the dorm without her weapons. Approximately 6 seconds later, the sound of the doors swinging open and frantic rushing up and down the stairs was heard before the second sound of the doors slamming shut followed.
After she was sure that Cecilia was gone for the day, Kiana took advantage of her slow morning and decided to go to her room. She closed the blinds and door. She sat on the bed and took out an old blue flip phone. Kiana unlocked it and typed in a phone number.
Ring… Ring.
"It took you long enough to call!"
Kiana flinched when she heard the shrill voice on the other side.
"Calm down, Doctor Tesla. She can't risk getting caught, especially by the granddaughter of the Overseer. I doubt Miss Apocalypse knew of Siegfried's affiliations with us following the Second Eruption," Einstein said.
Kiana smiled when she heard Tesla scoff on the other side of the line.
"They're deploying my sister, Bronya Zaychik, and Raiden Mei to New Zealand. The briefing is happening today. You were right. It was only a matter of days before Schicksal decided to make a move on the Fourth Herrscher," Kiana said, falling down on her bed.
"What about the Selene?" Tesla asked.
"Huh? What about it?" she sat up, remembering just now that the ship was still in their possession.
"Is it still with Theresa? She didn't hand it over to Otto or anything?" Tesla pressed.
"No, Aunt Theresa still has it. I don't get it. Why did Cocolia send the Selene over here?" Kiana asked.
"Anti Entropy is not just in possession of one Selene. We have another one that we used in a location known as the Eye of the Deep. The one that Cocolia sent to Soukai… however. That one must have been constructed in secret by her," Einstein explained.
"So… in addition to having the Selene there, Cocolia built her own too? Damn, Anti Entropy without Welt is really something," Kiana said.
"Watch what you say brat! Mophead and I have been running Anti-Entropy since Welt was in grade school," Tesla said.
"Ignore her," Einstein said. "What we do know from our readings is that the core is still inactive. That is why it is imperative that you must retrieve her before the Gem of Desire awakens. We cannot have another Eruption on our hands."
Kiana leaned against the railing of the Hyperion. The clouds passed by at rapid speeds, all merging into a single contiguous entity that stretched in all directions for miles. She looked over the railing and saw her sister talking with her friends amicably.
"What's wrong, Kiana?"
She turned around and saw Himeko walking toward her. The woman had two cans of beers with her and offered her one.
"Drinking on the job? I expected more from you," Kiana joked.
"Kyahaha. I aim to set a low bar for all expectations," Himeko said.
"That's not a good thing," she replied.
"So, you think she's ready?" Himeko asked, her orange-amber eyes gazing at her three students.
"Do I think she's ready? Part of me wants to say yes but the other more… maternal part of me wants to say she needs more training," Kiana said.
She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed in frustration.
"I get that I have to let her go on her own but I can't help but be worried about her," she said.
"I get it. Cecilia, Mei, and Bronya are my students. I don't want to stand in the way of their progress but I'm worried about them at the same time. But don't worry, they're not going to be facing much combat. They're only retrieving Wendy," Himeko said.
"Does Aunt Theresa really think she can control the Gem of Desire?" Kiana asked.
Himeko pursed her lips and began to think about Kiana's question. She shrugged after a few seconds and smiled apologetically at Kiana.
"I have no idea but if we're able to keep Mei under wraps, then keeping Wendy under control shouldn't be too hard," Himeko said.
Kiana nodded and refocused her gaze on her older sister.
"Did Theresa tell you what your role in the mission is?" Himeko asked.
"Yeah. I'll provide cover against Schicksal and Anti-Entropy. No doubt, the two are going after the Gem of Desire as well. And there's a rumor that one of their S-Ranks is coming and that the Immortal Blades might get involved," Kiana said.
"The Immortal Blades? I doubt Rita would want to get involved much less Kriemhilde," Himeko said.
The sound of metal bending caught her attention and she saw Kiana's fists clenched tightly around the railing.
"Sorry. I know that your dad's family is a sore topic for you," Himeko said.
"No, I overreacted. It's okay," Kiana said.
"That railing is coming out of your paycheck," she said jokingly.
"Aunt Theresa would never dock my pay. She loves me too much," Kiana said.
"Second Lieutenant Cecilia, repeat what I just said."
Kiana stood next to Himeko, who was repeating the mission details to her students.
Cecilia picked her ear before sighing in annoyance. She was an A-Rank Valkyrie now. Of course, she remembered mission briefings. With a proud smile on her face, Cecilia placed her fist on her chest. "Of course! We're here to retrieve some fancy rock that the higher-ups want called the Love Ge-"
"Gem of Desire. Jeez, pay attention. If you're so nonchalant like this, the Honkai will be the least your older sister has to worry about. Anyway, we'll monitor your progress here from the Hyperion," Himeko said.
"What about Kiana?" Cecilia asked.
"Well, Squirt. I'm staying here as back-up just in case Schicksal or Anti-Entropy show up," Kiana said, giving her sister a thumbs up.
"Mmmm! Stop calling me a squirt! I'm an A-Rank now! I can kick ass and take names with the best of them!" Cecilia protested indignantly.
"Correction, Subject Cecilia is still an immature child," Bronya said.
"What was that, you Russian Cutting Board!" Cecilia barked.
"Okay, okay, that's enough. We really have to get this mission done now so let's go," Himeko said.
"Piece of cake. We'll have her back here in no time flat!" Cecilia reassured.
"Mei, keep her out of trouble will you?" Kiana asked.
"Of course. I'll make sure nothing happens to her," Mei replied.
"Mei-senpai! How could you betray me like that?" Cecilia wailed.
After a few seconds of fake crying, Cecilia popped open an eye and glanced at her older sister.
"Hey, Kiana. Did the analysis for that ship come back yet?" she asked.
"Not yet. So, let's finish with this. While the initial mission briefing remains the same, the circumstances regarding it has changed," Kiana said.
She pressed a button on her wristband and projected a holographic view of the current information.
"Approximately 24 hours ago, there was a massive spike in Honkai Energy detected on this island. The exact gauge is unknown but because of it, this entire island is overrun with zombies and Honkai beasts," Kiana said.
"The Oceania Branch was taken out as a result and the Gem of Desire went missing," Himeko added.
"What exactly is the Gem of Desire anyway?" Cecilia asked, stretching her arms.
"About 17 years ago, Schicksal came into possession of four powerful Honkai cores. One of these cores was the Gem of Desire. 3 years ago, a covert experiment was started and they attempted to perform experiments with it to create a weapon capable of fighting a Herrscher but…" Himeko trailed off. "Anyway, the experiments failed to yield any results and because of that, the Gem was kept here."
"Good thing for us, the Hyperion is equipped with sensors so we can track the Honkai energy emitted by the Gem of Desire. We have a rough idea of where it is," Kiana said.
"Got it. Get the Gem. Come back," Cecilia said. She walked off the ramp and headed down into the ruined streets.
Bronya followed shortly after her.
As Mei was about to go, she felt a hand on her shoulder and saw Kiana holding her.
"Keep an eye on them. I have a bad feeling about this," Kiana said.
Mei nodded and followed after them.
Cecilia yawned as they walked down the empty streets. Her fingers had been itching to grab and pull the trigger on her USP-40s all day. Yet, there were no zombies or Honkai beasts in sight despite the information her older sister had given her. She turned to her left and saw that Bronya had a bored look on her face as well. The girl's footsteps, aside from her and Mei's, were the only noises they could hear in this desolate city.
"Mei-senpai, what did my sister want?" Cecilia asked.
"She just wanted me to look after you. The thing Kiana usually asks you know," Mei said.
"I wish she would stop treating me like a child. I know she's trying but Kiana can get really overprotective when she wants to," Cecilia said, pouting and crossing her arms.
"Your sister just loves you very much, Ceci. Don't think too much about it," Mei said.
"Subject Cecilia should be more appreciative of Kiana. Kiana raised you and took care of you despite being an orphan herself. The Bronya was not so lucky to receive such affection in her time," Bronya said.
"What? I never said I didn't appreciate Big Sis. It's just… ugghh! Why do I even have to justify myself? You two would never understand the woes of being the youngest in the family! Even Aunt Teriri treats me like a baby," Cecilia lamented.
"Ahaha…" Mei laughed awkwardly at her best friend's woes.
She truly did not understand Cecilia's gripe. Mostly due to the fact that she was indeed an only child and that her family circumstances could never be compared to Cecilia's. Despite having absent fathers, at least Cecilia's father had the excuse of being dead. Her own father was framed and sent to prison.
Cecilia kicked a rock. "I'm hoping that this mission will show Kiana that I can be reliable too."
"But you are reliable. You took out that Ganesha during the Simulation," Mei said, trying to encourage her.
"Mei-senpai. Ganesha is the fodder of Emperor Class. It's said that a group of seasoned B-Ranks can kick its ass seven ways to Sunday," she replied.
Mei just smiled, not knowing what else to say in this situation. After all, this was not the first time Cecilia had gripes about her older sister treating her like some sort of incompetent child.
"I mastered nearly every form of Kaslana Gun Kata. I can shoot bull's eyes with my eyes closed. And I became an A-Rank. What else do I need to do? Steal the Judgment of Shamash from her?" Cecilia grumbled.
Incoming transmission from
Theresa Apocalypse
"Go for Cecilia," Cecilia said.
"Ceci-chan~! Kiana called me earlier and said that you were super duper curious about the unmanned battleship!" Theresa said in a sing-songy voice.
"Aunt Teri- T- Theresa-chan! The World's Number 1 Cutest!" Cecilia said.
Bronya and Mei shot her deadpan expressions.
Cecilia waved her hand, gesturing for them to be quiet.
"Huh? Anyway, the results of the analysis came back. The ship you retrieved is in fact not fully operational! Only 1 of its 24 anti-gravs were fully activated and its weapon systems were deactivated as well. At full capacity, the battleship would have had enough power to level North America within 24 hours!" Theresa cheerfully explained.
Cecilia nodded.
"For comparison, the Honkai Reactor of the Hyperion only produces an output of 1380 Honkai Watts. The Selene produces an output of 12000 Honkai Watts! Isn't it amazing? Even the most powerful Honkai Reactors produced by Schicksal can only produce a total of 1500 Watts at most and there is only one way to build a reactor with an output greater than 1500 watts!" Theresa said.
"You mean… Herrschers?" Cecilia shifted uncomfortably.
"That's right! In the Nagazora Incident, the Third Herrscher delivered a blow to the Hyperion equivalent to 3280 Honkai Watts. That means that to fully activate the battleship, you'd need the firepower of at least 4 Herrschers," Theresa said.
"I see…"
But the voice on the battleship said 4 keys when we went to retrieve it… Cecilia thought.
"That's why it is absolutely imperative for you girls to finish this mission and bring the Gem of Desire back home. Capiche?" Theresa asked.
"Got it. Cecilia out," Cecilia said. She cut the link and looked at Mei and Bronya.
"What was it?" Mei asked.
"The results came back so she told me about the ship. It needs 4 Herrschers to power it," Cecilia said.
"Oh." was all Mei could say.
"Come on. Let's go finish this mission! I'm starting to get hungry," Cecilia said, forging ahead.
Kiana and Himeko observed the mission feed from the Hyperion thanks to satellite and scanning technology aboard the ship.
A call from Theresa came up on the feed and Kiana answered it. A video screen with Theresa's smiling face could be seen next to the windows with the footage of the girls.
"Hey, you two! I just got off the comms with them. I delivered the results as promised my most cherished niece," Theresa said.
"Thanks, Auntie," Kiana said.
"By the way, Headmaster. I've been looking through the archives of the Hyperion and I can't find anything related to the Gem of Desire. Not even the Valkyries involved with it," Himeko said.
"Eh? Didn't you know, Major? Curiosity killed the cat. Are you sure you still want to know?" Theresa asked.
"My students are down there looking for the damn thing. I think I deserve to know what we're getting ourselves into," Himeko replied.
Theresa thought deeply for a few seconds before sighing.
"It's related to an incident that happened 16 years ago," Theresa answered.
"16? Isn't that when the 2nd Eruption happened?" Kiana asked.
"That's right~! 16 years ago, the 2nd Herrscher dragged all of Siberia into Imaginary Space. As a result, 5 of our A-Rank Valkyries were killed and even your mother, Cecilia Schariac, the S-Rank Valkyrie, could not best the 2nd Herrscher in combat," Theresa answered.
"Obviously, we won since we're all still here. But I don't understand what that has to do with the Gem of Desire?" Himeko said.
"About 30 minutes into the fight, Cecilia was our last Valkyrie standing and I was about to don my battlesuit and head out there to aid in the battle against the 2nd Herscher but Gramps stopped me from doing so," Theresa said.
Wait… that's not right. Dad told me that Aunt Teri fought alongside him and Mom during the 2nd Eruption, Kiana thought.
"Gramps? You mean the Lord Overseer, Otto Apocalypse?" Himeko asked.
"Yup! Had me fire Honkai Fission Missiles at the 2nd Herrscher because he thought sending me out there would do no good," Theresa said.
Kiana eyed her aunt with subtle suspicion.
"Fission missiles? Those things are capable of killing hundreds of Honkai chariots but can irradiate an entire area for long periods of time," Himeko said.
"Of course, the missiles were useless against her, and in the end, she just transported them to Imaginary Space. But it gave Cecilia enough time to pierce the 2nd Herrscher and destroy her core. As a result, the core fragmented into 4 separate gems," Theresa explained.
That story isn't the one Einstein and Dad have told me. Someone's not telling the truth and it's sure as hell not my dad, Kiana thought.
"I'm guessing that the Gem of Desire is part of the 2nd Herrscher's core?" Kiana asked.
"That's right but there was a little hiccup when we recovered the Gems. Me and my troops ran into an issue. Yes, the core of the 2nd Herrscher had fragmented into 4 pieces but we were ambushed by them," Theresa said.
"Them?" Himeko asked.
"Mmm. Anti-Entropy. They had far more advanced battleships and mechs at the time. And they were led by the 1st Herrscher. Their goal was also the 2nd Herrscher and that was our first encounter with the group," Theresa said.
"But we still have the Gem of Desire? Of all things. I thought Schicksal would have it," Himeko noted.
"Grandpa managed to deceive them in the end. Our Valkyries were no match for the unparalleled might of the 1st Herrscher. Luckily, Anti-Entropy had no idea that the core of the 2nd Herrscher had been fragmented into 4 pieces so we offered them her corpse and one of the gem fragments," she said.
Okay, something's not lining up. The story Aunt Theresa told me is different from the one I know so how…? I need to tell Einstein and Tesla about this, Kiana thought.
"I need to go get some air out on the deck," Kiana said.
Himeko and Theresa nodded and she left the room.
The core of the 2nd Herrscher wasn't fragmented. The Selene was used to separate the 4 gems from the Core of the 2nd Herrscher. Not only that but Aunt Theresa was there in combat alongside my parents and the body of the 2nd Herrscher was destroyed by the Honkai Fission Missiles, Kiana thought as she rode the elevator to the deck.
"How did she get that event so wrong…?" she whispered.
Kiana pulled the phone out and dialed a number.
"What is it, brat? We're busy," Tesla said.
"Hey, Aunt Theresa just explained the events of the 2nd Eruption to Himeko and… some of the things she told me were odd," Kiana said.
"Odd how?" Tesla asked.
"Did… Was Aunt Theresa in combat?" Kiana asked.
"Huh? That's a dumb question. Of course, she was. I may be old but I'm not senile. I remember her using the Zeroth Power of the Oath of Judah," Tesla said.
"Then, why is she telling a different story?" Kiana asked.
"Beats me, kid. But…while you're on the line, Cocolia dispatched Mechs to the area. Not only that but… Schicksal dispatched an S-Rank Valkyrie. Keep an eye out. You'll hear it from Theresa very soon," Tesla said.
Kiana nodded.
"Be careful. A-Rank Valkyrie or Anti-Entropy's Ace or not, you are far below the level of your father. And Siegfried at his base was S-Rank. Remember, your father overwhelmed the 2nd Herrscher by himself before her abilities went out of control and threatened to swallow Siberia," Tesla said.
Kiana rolled her eyes. "Yeah, of course. I'll keep an eye out." She ended the call and pocketed the phone.
She took the Judgment of Shamash out of its holsters and looked at them for a few seconds.
The sound of surging flames and the feeling of intense heat bathed the entire deck as she held the chambers of the two pistols close to each other. The two halved cores within them roared and resonated. They merged together and the two pistols clicked together, forming a hilt and a handle.
Kiana held the bladeless weapon before her.
A tongue of fire erupted before her and coalesced into a flaming orange blade.
Herrscher level Honkai Energy detected…
Kiana ignored the announcement, knowing full well it was just detecting the Judgment of Shamash.
"Dad," Kiana whispered. "Help me keep, Ceci safe."
"Isn't this where we're supposed to pick her up?" Cecilia asked.
She placed her hand above her eyes and tried to find their target. Their agreed place of rendezvous was an empty square. There was a fountain that no longer worked and the smell of decay and corpses filled their nostrils. Cecilia pinched her nose and tried not to gag. The true reality of her job that she never wanted to admit to others was the horrors she would see on the field.
"This place stinks," Cecilia complained, waving her hand in front of her nose.
"I don't see anything," Mei said, looking around. "This is the place indicated by our sensors, right? Maybe the sensors are malfunctioning?"
She relaxed her stance and began walking around with Cecilia.
"Wait… the Bronya has detected something on Project Bunny's Sensors," she said. "There are bio-readings located about 50 meters east of our location."
"East?" Mei turned her head in said direction. Her eyes widened upon seeing someone in the distance.
"Guys," Mei said.
Cecilia and Bronya followed her line of sight.
"There's… There's a girl up there! And she's on a wheelchair!" Mei said.
"What's a civvy doing in a place like this?" Cecilia asked, drawing her pistols.
"I don't know but let's go save her," Mei urged.
"I see zombies," Cecilia said.
She rushed forward, brandishing her pistols. Cecilia jumped into the air and opened fire, hitting two of them in the head.
Cecilia landed gracefully like a hawk in the middle. Honkai energy flowed through her body.
"Neko Charm!"
Her battlesuit's reactor went into overdrive.
The horde was reduced to a pile of squashed and shredded corpses in all but a few minutes, courtesy of the numerous cat paws that slammed and sliced everything around Cecilia.
"Done."
Mei and Bronya came running over, amazed at the display of strength their friend had displayed.
"You took your sweet ass time," Cecilia said, placing her hands on her hips.
"Subject Cecilia was more than capable of handling that by herself," Bronya said nonchalantly.
"Mm…" her eyebrow twitched. "At least try to look worried," Cecilia barked.
Their communications buzzed and Himeko's voice was heard through their links.
"You girls have located the target," Himeko said.
"T- Target?" Mei asked.
"Mmm."
"Wait… but she's just a girl?" Mei replied.
The girl in question was a young woman that looked no older than they did. She wore a blue medical gown and a blue jacket was wrapped around her shoulders. Her legs were wrapped in medical bandages and she was bound to a wheelchair. She had emerald green eyes and black hair with green highlights.
"Um… I'm Wendy," she said.
"Allow me to explain the details. 3 years ago, Schicksal Oceania Branch came into possession of the Gem of Desire and performed an experiment. They implanted the Gem of Desire into Wendy's calf in an attempt to merge her with the Gem and achieve a Valkyrie with Herrscher-Grade powers," Himeko explained.
The three glanced at Wendy, whose gaze was glued to her lap.
"I'm guessing the goal was to make her extremely powerful but… she's bound to a wheelchair," Mei said.
"Mm. Wendy was the Oceania Branch's Best Valkyrie and was well on her way to becoming our generation's 5th S-Rank but unfortunately, she was incapable of handling the Gem's powers," she said.
"I… I wasn't strong enough to contain the power of the Gem and I lost control of my legs," Wendy said, looking up at them.
"Then they should have removed the Gem! She shouldn't have to be confined to a wheelchair like this!" Mei protested.
Cecilia squirmed. She knew why Mei was so upset. She could sense the ozone in the air starting to build and small electrical sparks were jumping off Mei's body.
"Mei-senpai, calm down before you…" Cecilia said.
Mei took a deep breath, remembering what was inside her body. She closed her eyes and took one more deep breath before opening them.
Himeko sighed. "The Gem of Desire was found to be unstable in all mediums but managed to stabilize itself in Wendy's body."
"S- So… Schicksal decided to use Wendy's body to hold the Gem of Desire? That's just outright evil!" Mei yelled.
"Look, there's no point in arguing about ethics here. Just bring Wendy back to the Hyperion and we can decide what to do about this moral dilemma later," Himeko said.
"Eh? We're heading back? In my condition, I'd only slow you down," Wendy said.
"There is no issue here. Bronya does not believe that Wendy will slow us down. Project Bunny: Activate," Bronya said.
Project Bunny materialized behind Bronya like a silent sentinel in the night.
"W- Wow! A robot! And it just manifested out of thin air!" Wendy said, slightly amazed.
"Project Bunny, pick up Subject Wendy. Worry not, Subject Wendy. The Bronya will carry you back," she said.
"E- Eh? It's… flying?" the surprised girl said.
"Woah! Bronya, can I take Project Bunny out for a spin sometime?" Cecilia asked, staring wide-eyed at the floating mech she had seen 1000 times before.
"For Subject Cecilia? Nyet," Bronya replied.
"Let's head back then," Mei said.
"Mmm! Look at this! Our first successful mission as A-Ranks!" Cecilia cheered.
"Is Subject Wendy alright?" Bronya asked.
Wendy smiled and nodded. "I'm fine."
"Ne, ne, Wendy! When we get back to St. Freyja, I'll show you my latest collection of DS5 games!" Cecilia said.
"DS5?"
Mei sighed and shook her head. "Ceci, she's probably been isolated in a Schicksal lab. Have some tact."
"All the more reason to! I'll make sure that Wendy enjoys all of the pleasures in life that those bastard scientists in that lab denied her!" Cecilia said, thumping her chest with her hand proudly.
Wendy let out a giggle as the four began walking down the broken pathway.
Approximately 7893 ft above the Earth, an object zoomed at high speeds, reaching hypersonic speeds. The clouds passed by the window of the cockpit. A girl with orange-blonde hair and hazel eyes with a dark uniform glanced over her shoulder.
"Oi, Alvitr, can you believe we got chosen to go on a mission with Lady Kriemhilde?" she whispered.
Alvitr moved her dark bangs out of the way. Her wine-red eyes rested on her companion sitting in the pilot's seat. Like her friend, she wore the same dark uniform.
"I can't believe we got picked too! Oh my god! The other members of the Immortal Blades must be seething!" she whispered back.
"And to think we're accompanying Schicksal's Strongest Valkyrie who never goes on missions with others!" Susannah said.
Kriemhilde opened her ice-blue eyes. Her lips curved upward ever so slightly. These girls were young and wide-eyed. Their personalities were charming and she found their admiration of her cute, even if that admiration was undeserved.
Would Kiana and Cecilia react in the same way these two did? If only… she shook her head. Now was not the time. She had a mission to fulfill.
Kriemhilde pulled out her datapad and opened the file.
Capture Target:
Wendy Gunnhildr
Priority Level: S
Danger Level: Herrscher-Grade
Known Aliases: Herrscher of the Wind
Hi! Sorry for the gap between chapters 7 and 8. As I said, I was replaying the two chapters, writing another fanfic, and planning the finer details of this arc all at the same time! Also, yes, Wendy's last name is a reference to Genshin. I'm sure that, and I hope you do, we all know why Theresa is telling a different story of the Second Eruption from the one that actually happened so I don't need to explain that. But in case you don't, tl;dr Fenghuang Down. I'm going to take my time with this more because it's shorter as I said. A lot of cool things just happened with Chapter 31-EX that I want to give to the Kaslanas... mainly Kebin's Demon Active Honkai Form as their final transformation. I'm not going to spoil 31-EX because not everyone has obviously played it. Or watched the spoilers on youtube. Anywho, that's it for now!
Remember to review! I do read them and I like to read them. Remember to follow if you want more Honkai fanfics... which I'm seriously considering doing. I have a short sequel based on the Everlasting Flames planned for this story so stick around for that!