Cecilia blew a strand of hair out of her face. The jitters were beginning to overtake her body. Her fingers itched to pull her pistols out of their holsters and fire them at the oncoming zombies. Even after the evacuation and partial purification of Nagazora, there were still honkai beasts wandering the streets in places where the populations of humans were sparse. Mei's awakening truly had deep, profound, and long-lasting effects on the city.
If she were blunter than she was, Cecilia would have called Mei a walking radioactive disaster.
"Cecilia, make sure you stay close to us," Theresa said, slamming Judah on the ground.
"Aunt Teri, come on! Let me fight! I can help! I won't even be up at the front. I'll be in the back providing cover fire," Cecilia complained.
Theresa thrust her spear, impaling a Vigiles in the chest. She pulled the spear out, swiping the blood off her blade.
"No. Kiana told you not to fight. If so much as a bullet leaves that gun, I will personally ground you, Ceci," Theresa said.
"Come on! That's not fair!" she said.
"Life's not fair, Cecilia. You're not even supposed to be here," Himeko said, resting her greatsword on her shoulder.
"Kiana's being overprotective. Again. She's always like this whenever I get hurt. Did you know that before we arrived in Nagazora, I scratched my arm and she wouldn't let me do anything for several days until it fully healed!" Cecilia said.
"You're exaggerating. Your older sister's not that much of a helicopter parent," Theresa said.
"Okay, maybe I am but… I can do this. Please! I won't tell Kiana. If she finds out, I'll just say that I didn't listen to you two," she begged.
Himeko and Theresa exchanged looks before sighing simultaneously.
"Principal… Kiana never really said she didn't have to fight. Only that we had to keep her from doing something crazy," Himeko said.
"Himeko, that is doing something crazy. She's still on medical leave and she wants to fight?" Theresa said.
"Well, like she said, she can cover us from the back. That means no fighting up front, do you understand, Cecilia?" Himeko said.
Cecilia nodded furiously and pulled her pistols out. Without any warning, she fired them, hitting a Relic Guardian, who had prepared to pounce at Himeko's unprotected back.
The two teachers turned around, surprised by her action.
"Okay. Fine. If Kiana says anything, anything at all," Theresa said.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll take the fall for you guys," Cecilia said. "Now, let's go. We need to rescue Bronya and Mei-senpai."
"Cecilia."
Theresa's words and tone caused her to freeze mid-step.
"Why did you come here?" Theresa asked.
"Because it's my fault," she answered.
"Your fault?" Himeko asked. "Oh, Ceci. You can't possibly-"
"It is my fault. Don't even try and direct it to someone else. Kiana can't seem to understand how I'm feeling right now. I was the leader of that mission. I made those calls. The same call for Mei to retreat with Wendy and that same call got her captured by Cocolia and her mechs! This is my mess and I'm going to clean it up," Cecilia said.
"I'm not a kid anymore. I can clean up messes too especially if they're messes that I caused," she finished.
Theresa pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed in frustration. She began walking, making it past Cecilia before looking over her shoulder.
"You're just like your parents. You damn Kaslanas and your overinflated sense of responsibility," Theresa said.
"Mom and Dad?" Cecilia asked.
"You and your sister. Cecilia and Siegfried always rushed into danger headlong because 'Oh, Theresa. This is our responsibility as squad leader to cover you guys' or something like that. It's so infuriating to see that you two have it as well. Especially you! Don't you have any sense of self-preservation? Was being hit with 10 tonnes of solid steel not enough to knock any sense into that thick skull of yours?" Theresa said.
Cecilia bristled at her words.
"But…" Theresa continued.
Cecilia raised an eyebrow.
"I get what you mean. They're my students and it was my call to approve your request to continue onto the Fourth Herrscher so I share some responsibility in this. So, what are you waiting for? Let's go," Theresa said.
An ear-to-ear grin appeared on Cecilia's face. She nodded fervently and ran up to her petite Aunt.
"Yeah! Let's go, Aunt Teri!" Cecilia beamed.
"Yeah, yeah. Remember, Himeko and I are taking point. You're guarding our rear, got it?" Theresa said, poking her finger at Cecilia.
"I will! I won't let you down! I'll be the bestest rearguard Valkyrie ever!" Cecilia said, hugging her aunt tightly.
"Aggh! Let me go you damn brat!" she said, trying to push Cecilia off her.
Himeko smiled and giggled at the Aunt-Niece duo.
"It's nice to see that even in this type of situation, Subject Cecilia is still as idiotic and foolhardy as ever."
Himeko, Cecilia, and Theresa froze and looked around.
"B- Bronya?" Cecilia said.
"Who else could it be?" Bronya said.
"How… How did you get a hold of this frequency?" Theresa said.
"The Bronya picked it up after Subject Cecilia made the call to Kiana. All it took as a few minutes of tinkering in order for the Bronya to connect to the frequency," Bronya said.
"O- Oi! Are you saying it's my fault our line got exposed?" Cecilia said, swinging her fist at a nonexistent Bronya.
"Yes."
Theresa's lips thinned into a line and she said nothing. To her, this situation was nothing short of suspicious. Bronya was calling them out of the blue after breaking into a private frequency. Not to mention that there was a chance Cocolia was still controlling her. This could all be a ploy for them to lower their guard.
"Damn you, Bratnya," Cecilia said.
"Calm down, Subject Cecilia. ME Corporation is heavily guarded by Anti Entropy Mechs. Not to mention that there were soldiers patrolling the upper streets around the living areas of New Nagazora," Bronya said,
"New… Nagazora?" Cecilia said.
"Did Subject Cecilia not observe that there were people living on this side of town?" Bronya said.
"Tch… did you just call us just so you can make fun of me?" Cecilia asked.
"No. The Bronya is here to help. There is an access point that isn't as guarded as the others due to it being in a high-danger area. It's 2 klicks northeast of your location. If you can get to that point, then the Bronya can bring you all in," Bronya said.
"That's… That's awesome! We've been trying to find a way in for hours now!" Cecilia said.
"Wait a minute, Ceci. Are you really going to trust her? She was the reason Mei and Wendy were captured! For all we know, Cocolia could be controlling her and leading us into an ambush," Himeko said.
"It is rather suspicious that you came looking for us now, Bronya," Theresa said.
"Headmaster. Major Himeko. Please trust the Bronya. The Bronya wants Mei and Wendy rescued as well," she replied.
"Auntie. Himeko. I don't think Bronya is being controlled right now," Cecilia said.
"On what authority?" Theresa asked.
"Just call it a hunch," she answered. "Besides, Bronya wants to rescue Mei and Wendy too. I trust her on that at least."
"Damnit, Ceci. Fine. Since you two are so adamant about continuing this, Bronya, send us the coordinates of this access point. I'll send it to Kiana and Kriemhilde and tell them that we're splitting up from there," Theresa said.
"Thank you, Headmaster. There's an access point of ME Corp's complex about 2 klicks northeast of your location on the very edge of the property. Like The Bronya said before, it is in an area with very few civilians and thus, security is laxer there. Look for the sign that says C-7. The Bronya will give you the access code to get into the complex," Bronya said.
Theresa nodded.
"We'll cut this call. I don't want Cocolia finding this channel," Theresa said.
"The Bronya understands… and Subject Cecilia," Bronya said.
"What now?" Cecilia asked.
"Thank you for believing in The Bronya," she said.
Cecilia's eyes widened and a blush spread across her face.
"Err… no problem. We may fight a lot but you're… you are my best friend," Cecilia said, rubbing the back of her head.
On the other side of the channel, Bronya nodded before cutting the connection.
"Stay put for now you two. I need to tell Kiana and Kriemhilde about a slight change in plans," Theresa said.
Kiana clenched open and closed her fist while she pulled Shamash out of the carcass of a Cassiel.
"You're adapting to this power rather fast. I knew that a field test would be the best way for you to get this," Kriemhilde said, crossing her arms.
"It's strange. It feels so alien yet natural at the same time. Like it's always been a part of me," Kiana said.
"It has been. It looks like before he died, Siegfried's Stigmata managed to resonate with yours and partially trigger the ICHOR in your body. Hence, why the reports that Himeko wrote all mentioned that there was frost in certain areas of Old Nagazora," Kriemhilde said.
"I… Hey, how did you come across this by the way? Dad was always tightlipped when it came to anything regarding the family except for the family oath," Kiana said.
"Mmm? I never thought you would ask me about the family especially since…"
"I may hate you but I do have a right to be curious. Don't take this as an open invitation to being touchy-feely with me, Kriemhilde," Kiana said.
Kriemhilde quieted down for a few seconds before speaking.
"It was something my brother and I discovered during the Second Eruption. During the Second Eruption, Schicksal and Anti-Entropy called a ceasefire and the Sovereign and the Overseer banded their forces together to combat the Second Herrscher. The Herrscher of the Void, Sirin," Kriemhilde said, looking out over the street.
"St. Freya teaches it differently," Kiana said.
"I suppose it does. Otto wants to paint Schicksal in a favorable light but the war was not won by Schicksal alone. I'm sure you know this because of my brother. You and Cecilia lost your mother to the Second Eruption and the Second Herrscher," Kriemhilde said.
She jumped across to another roof and landed gracefully on the other side.
Kiana followed her.
"And then? Where did… this come from?" she held her hand up, willing the Honkai energy to express itself as frost around her fingertips.
"Like I said. A discovery we made during the Second Eruption. I won't go into many details but in our work with Anti-Entropy, your father and I discovered the source of the power of the Kaslana Clan through a soulium database in our attempt to gain information on the Selene. Our ancestors… our progenitors possessed Honkai Genes. Anti-Entropy discovered records… containing information about our abilities as well but it never named us specifically. The terms MANTIS and ICHOR were there. Your father and I never had our latent genetic abilities awakened and seeing that database awakened something within us. Unfortunately, we didn't have the control you see today and we had to use activators in order to forcefully express the abilities hidden in our blood. It's unlike our ancestors who could use these abilities at will," Kriemhilde said.
"Our… ancestors?" Kiana asked.
"A pair of twins. One of them wielded the Judgement of Shamash and the other wielded the Oath of Judah," Kriemhilde said. "At least, that's what we saw from the database. I'll tell you more about this after the mission if you want."
She didn't hear the last part of her aunt's statement. Kiana's eyes widened and her breath hitched.
That dizzying memory came rushing to the surface. A dream that she could see but could not recall. It was as if someone had implanted a dream within her body yet that dream was hers and hers alone. It was both an alien yet familiar sensation.
"Kiana? Are you okay?" Kriemhilde asked, seeing her niece standing a ways behind her, rooted to her spot.
"I… Yeah. Let's move on before someone catches us here," Kiana said.
Kriemhilde watched her niece walk past her before deciding to follow after her.
Before they could make the jump to the next rooftop, a notification appeared on their HUD, alerting them of a call.
"Aunt Teri?" Kiana said, raising an eyebrow. A pit formed in her stomach as she answered the call.
"Go for Kiana," she answered.
"Kiana. Change of plans," Theresa said.
"What? Is Ceci okay?" Kiana asked.
"Yes, she's sitting on a bench next to Himeko. Is Kriemhilde on?" Theresa asked.
Kiana glanced over at her aunt, who nodded in response.
"Yeah, she's listening in," she replied.
"Theresa. You said there was a change in plans? What happened?" Kriemhilde asked.
"Bronya contacted us a few minutes ago and gave us a location of an access gate 2 klicks northeast of our current position. For you two, it would be about 4-5 klicks east," Theresa said.
"Bronya?" Kiana asked.
"Her? If I remember correctly, she was controlled by Cocolia and ordered to capture the Third and Fourth Herrschers. Why is she helping us?" Kriemhilde asked.
"Mmm. It is rather suspicious however, it's the only lead we have at the moment," Theresa said.
"Is this information even valid?" Kriemhilde asked.
"We don't know. We're going to go scout the access point. Bronya gave me the access code. I'll send it to you right now," she said.
Both Kriemhilde and Kiana noticed a message appear on their HUD.
Kiana's eyes widened slightly.
Of course, she changed the password…, Kiana thought.
"This code. Bronya gave it to you guys? " Kriemhilde asked.
"It is indeed. Though I would need to type in the code to find out," Theresa said.
If it is that access point, I can see why it remained unchanged. There's practically no one out here due to the amount of honkai beasts that still wander about, Kiana thought.
"How should we proceed with this?" Kriemhilde asked.
"Himeko and I are spearheading the entrance. We'll take out the mechs and any surveillance that's there when we get there and entering the facility. You and Kiana will go find Bronya while we go find the Herrschers. I figured it would be better if we all split up," Theresa said.
"Wait. Don't engage or go in without us. If… If we are splitting up, then we need a solid plan. Don't just go in based on flimsy conjectures, Theresa," Kriemhilde said.
"I know. This was merely a suggestion. Let me know when you two are close. We're going to be waiting on a rooftop overlooking the access point. Oh, and Kiana," Theresa said.
"Yes, what is it?" she responded.
"I know that Cecilia is here and all but I don't want you two to start fighting during this operation. Whether you like it or not, she's here and we can't send her home. I want you two to be civil while we're here. Once we get back to St. Freya, I'll let you have full reign over how to punish her," Theresa said.
Kiana nodded, ignoring the indignant yell she heard from her younger sister in the background of the call.
"I can manage. Cecilia, I know you can hear me. You're in for it when we get back," she said.
"She heard you. I'll send the exact coordinates to the access point. Rendezvous with us there," Theresa said.
"Right," Kriemhilde said.
And with that, Theresa cut the call.
Cecilia grimaced when she saw the massive structure towering in the distance. ME Corporation. Of all the buildings to survive the Third Eruption, ME Corporation was the only building that had suffered the least, if not no structural damage. The large dark tower loomed over them like a silent sentinel, gazing over the land. Drones patrolled the air space of the tower while the sound of mechs marching in the distance could be heard. The massive logo of ME Corporation illuminated the sky like some sort of blood-red star, bathing the surrounding area in a faint red glow.
"I can't believe Mei-senpai's dad had such an evil-looking building," Cecilia commented.
"The Raiden Family always had some weird obsession with the color purple," Theresa said. "Himeko, contact Bronya and tell her we're here."
Himeko nodded and pressed her earpiece. "Bronya. We're here at Access Point C-7-"
"You guys were really going to go in without us?"
Theresa and Cecilia looked over their shoulders to see Kiana and Kriemhilde walking toward them.
Cecilia looked away, refusing to make eye contact with her older sister. Kiana sighed before turning her gaze to Theresa.
"Are we certain this is it?" Kiana asked.
"As far as we know," her aunt answered.
"Bronya said it's all clear. We just need to clean up the mechs and type in the code," Himeko said.
"She did?" Kiana raised an eyebrow.
Himeko nodded. "The cameras are disabled now so we don't have to worry about much. All we need is to take care of those mechs."
Kiana walked over to the edge of the rooftop and noticed five mechs patrolling the access point.
That's odd. Even if it is a high-density honkai beast area, Cocolia wouldn't keep security lax just because. Something doesn't smell right, Kiana thought.
"You're not buying it either," Himeko said.
"No, I'm not but…" I can find the other access point. But… she probably buried it by now, Kiana thought.
"Me too. Come on," Himeko said.
Kiana nodded. "We'll handle the mechs. Just keep watch," Kiana said.
The two dropped down and made quick work of the five mechs, reducing them to a pile of scrap metal within the span of a few seconds.
"Whew! Damn, Kiana!" Himeko clapped Kiana on the back, sending the younger girl stumbling forward. "You got fast. Like super fast!"
"I think you're still drunk. That's why you were moving so slow," Kiana said, holstering Shamash to her sides.
"Hold that thought. I'm getting a call from Bronya," Himeko said. "Go for Himeko."
"Major. The Bronya is sending the schematics."
"Ah, Bronya. Of course. Send me a copy," Himeko said, projecting her screen out for Kiana to see.
"There it is," the girl replied.
Kiana and Himeko scanned the blueprints.
Kiana's eye traveled until her gaze lingered on the third floor of the building. If I remember correctly, the labs should be there, Kiana thought.
"The Bronya will be waiting for you inside to open the lab doors. They are on the third floor and that's where they are holding Mei and Wendy. Hurry. They are preparing to surgically remove the Gem of Desire from Wendy," Bronya said.
"Remove the Gem of Desire?" Himeko said in surprise.
"Himeko, what is it?" Theresa said, walking up to them and noticing Himeko's concerned face.
"Bronya just said that Cocolia is preparing to remove the Gem of Desire," she said.
"Well, then. Let's not waste any more time!" Cecilia said.
"Wait."
Everyone stopped when Kriemhilde raised her hand. Her voice commanded an authority that forced even Theresa to freeze up.
"This is going too smoothly. Bronya is opening the door for us without Cocolia watching or listening in? I don't buy it," Kriemhilde said.
"For once, I agree with her," Kiana said.
"Kiana! What are you-"
Kiana raised her finger and pointed to her ear.
Himeko nodded and cut the call.
"This reeks of a trap," Kiana said.
"My thoughts exactly," Theresa said.
Cecilia clenched her fists before letting out a sigh. "Even if I do trust Bronya, things have been far too convenient for us. What do you think we should do? The longer we stay out here, the smaller our chances of getting Mei and Bronya back."
Kiana and Kriemhilde said nothing.
"It's obvious, isn't it?" Himeko said.
"What is?" Kiana asked.
"We go in. We have no other choice. Unless you want to spend the rest of the night looking for an alternate access point or retreat back to St. Freya," Himeko said.
"No. We've come too far to turn back and we mustn't let Cocolia do whatever she wants with the Third and Fourth Herrschers. Therefore, I think it's best if we split up," Kriemhilde said.
"You want us to split up?" Theresa asked.
She nodded in response.
"Wait? Split up? Wouldn't it be better for us to stay together?" Cecilia asked.
"Not in this situation. Not when they probably expect all of us to walk in. Cocolia is probably listening in on our conversation using Bronya's bio-chip. There's no way we can't guarantee that we won't be ambushed the moment we step foot inside ME Corporation," Kiana said.
"Kiana's right. Someone needs to go and distract Cocolia's forces that way she thinks we went through the front instead of going through this point," Kriemhilde said.
"So how is this distraction going to work?" Himeko asked.
Kiana looked to her aunt for answers.
"Kiana and I will ring the front door. That should throw them off long enough for you to make your way to the Third Floor and rescue the Third and Fourth Herrschers. Meanwhile, Kiana and I will fight our way through to the inner and meet you there," she said.
"Wait? You're taking Kiana with you?" Theresa asked.
"It's only natural. Aside from you, Kiana is the strongest member of your branch. She is the Ace of the Far East Branch. If anything, your niece is shy of an S-Rank Promotion from HQ," Kriemhilde said.
"I am far from an S-Rank Promotion," Kiana rebuffed.
"Still, I'm just saying that just the two of us will be enough. Theresa and Himeko need to stay to make sure Cecilia doesn't do anything drastic," Kriemhilde said.
"Hey! I'm right here!" Cecilia said.
"Hmm. If they do go ring the doorbell, that will draw most of the forces patrolling inside to their location to keep them from going in. Not to mention that, Kriemhilde and Kiana both have Divine Keys so they can lay waste to the entire skyscraper if they wanted to," Himeko said.
"Then it's settled then? Me and Himeko go in with Cecilia to go rescue Mei, Bronya, and Wendy while Kriemhilde and Kiana go to Cocolia's front door to try and kick it down," Theresa said.
"That's pretty much the gist of it. Unless you have a better idea," Kriemhilde said.
"I don't, unfortunately. This is the only plan we have so far that can work rather than just shoving us all into the building at once. At least this way, if you two draw their attention, then infiltrating ME Corporation will be so much easier," Theresa said.
"What do you think, Kiana? You've been oddly quiet through this entire conversation," Himeko said.
"This is probably the only way this will work. I can help with the distraction," Kiana said.
"Considering who your father is, I have no doubt that this distraction involves fire and explosions. God, Siegfried's idea of a prank was knowingly feeding someone his cooking or blowing something up," Theresa said.
"Dad?" Cecilia asked.
"Big Brother did have a twisted sense of humor. He made a bomb with glitter that was triggered to go off when the box was opened. I remember that he sent it to one of our classmates as payback and it scattered glitter everywhere," Kriemhilde said.
"I remember him telling me that," Theresa said.
"Okay, can we focus?" Kiana said.
"Right. Where were we?" Kriemhilde said.
"Right, Kiana and you will take the front. Tell us when to go in," Theresa said.
"You can actually go in now. Just don't go that far in. Once you hear explosions, then that's your cue to keep moving," Kiana said.
"Right," Theresa said.
"And… one more thing. I just sent it to you," Kiana said.
Pings alerted Cecilia, Himeko and Theresa as they opened their messages. Theresa and Himeko raised an eyebrow simultaneously before looking over to Kiana.
"What is this?" Himeko asked.
"Those codes won't work on the entrances. This is the master access code to the labs on the Third Floor of ME Corporation," Kiana said.
Kriemhilde and Theresa both narrowed their eyes. "How do you have this?"
"Don't ask me that right now. Right now, we need to get to work and do our parts. I promise I'll tell you whatever you want to know by the end of this," Kiana said.
"Kiana, are you…?" Himeko asked.
Kiana said nothing.
"What? Kiana is what?" Cecilia asked.
"Nothing. Ceci, go inside with Theresa and Himeko. You don't want to keep Mei waiting, do you?" Kiana asked.
"You're hiding something from me," Cecilia said.
"We'll talk later. There's this issue we have to solve now and there's still the problem of you not listening to me," Kiana said.
"You… You're really bringing this up right now-!"
"Okay," Theresa said, interrupting their conversation. "No fighting. Kiana, Kriemhilde. We'll call you once we're inside."
The two nodded and the group went about their plan to split up.
"Kiana, we're inside. Whenever you two are ready, you can go ring Cocolia's doorbell," Theresa said.
"Yeah. Will do," Kiana said before the call cut out.
"Are you ready?" Kriemhilde asked. She pulled Balmung out of the ground and hefted it onto her shoulders.
"Did you know?" Kiana asked.
"Know what?" her aunt said.
"That I…"
"I told you earlier, didn't I? I was surprised you were with Theresa and not Dr. Einstein or Tesla. When Siegfreid ran off from Schicksal, I assume he went to join Anti-Entropy. That's why I was surprised to find out that you were in St. Freya when we saw each other in Russia," Kriemhilde said.
"But…"
Kriemhilde turned to look over her shoulder.
"It looks like there was more to that story that I didn't realize, was there, Kiana?" she asked.
Kiana said nothing and took her hand off her aunt's shoulder.
"But now's not the time to talk about this. Your aunt and sister are relying on us to raid Cocolia's front door so that's what we'll do," Kriemhilde said.
"Right," she replied.
"This will be another perfect learning opportunity for you to master the Kaslana Stigmata. Taking out those mechs and wreaking general havoc in Cocolia's front yard. That will be our next training exercise," Kriemhilde said.
"Right. Let's do this then," Kiana said, stretching her back. "I've been itching to get some payback on Cocolia for Nagazora anyway."
The two hopped down from their perch and walked up to the front gate of ME Corporation. Kiana walked in front of her aunt. Flames flickered around Shamash's blade as she approached the two mechs standing guard in front of the building.
The mechs took notice of her and immediately pointed their weapons at the two.
"Oi, Cocolia. Long time no see," Kiana greeted.
Her greeting was met with the sound of multiple mechs turning in their direction and the sound of weapons charging up.
"I guess a simple hello was too much to expect from you, huh?" Kiana said.
She tightened her grip around Shamash. Flames exploded from the blade, scorching her surroundings.
"When I swing the sword, that's when we go," Kiana said.
"I'll follow your lead here since you're more familiar with this area than I am," Kriemhilde said
Kiana nodded. She raised Shamash into the air, charging the blade immensely. A tower of flame spat forth into the sky, bathing the area in an amber glow.
And with one ruinous slash, Kiana brought Shamash down, creating a massive explosion that shook the entirety of ME Corporation down to its very foundation.
Here here. We've begun our raid on ME Corporation. The group has decided to split their forces rather than just go in together and Kiana has decided to come out about her ties to Anti Entropy, which will be covered more on later. I don't have much to say aside from the usual. Like, subscribe, and leave a review if you want to read more.