Kiana walked as quietly as she could. It had only been several minutes since she had separated from the others. Cecilia's pistol rested by her hip. She would give her sister her pistol back and then give her the tongue-lashing of a lifetime. The Second Sub-Level was a maze of rooms and different laboratories.
It was wrong to call it one lab. It was a giant complex. Had she been someone else, Kiana would have easily gotten lost but she was intimately familiar with this place. All because of a few choices she made to protect her sister all those years ago in Nagazora. Secrets that she kept for Cecilia's safety. Secrets that only she knew.
Kiana ducked behind a crate, seeing a pair of guards walk by.
Cocolia should be here on this floor, along with her guards, she thought.
Another feature of this floor. The guards here were almost all human. Cocolia's guards consisted of Mechas and highly trained Ex-KGB and Spetsnaz soldiers from the remnants of the Cold War Era. Not that she would have much trouble.
They were regular humans after all and she was the White Death.
"Now, where are you holding Wend-"
"Put your hands up." A distinct male Russian voice sounded out from behind her.
Kiana froze when she felt the barrel of a rifle against the back of her head. She had been spotted. Her hands slowly rose into the air.
"Now stand up," he ordered.
Kiana slowly stood up and turned around.
It was a soldier dressed in all-black, from his bulletproof vest all the way to his mask. Despite not being able to see his eyes from behind the visor, Kiana could feel his perverse leer as he looked her up and down.
The man leaned his head to the right, moving to speak into his comms. However, he never got the chance. Kiana grabbed the barrel of the gun and pushed it up, causing the man to press the trigger and fire it into the ceiling.
"What the-"
She drove her elbow into his midsection, using honkai energy to enhance her strength to crack the armor and causing him to drop his rifle.
The man stumbled back from the force, disoriented by the sudden attack.
Kiana lunged forward, grabbing his helmet. She slammed him into the ground, holding his head down with her enhanced strength. The man struggled beneath her, reaching for a firearm that was not there.
Kiana pulled out her remaining Shamash pistol and pressed the barrel in an opening between the helmet and the body armor. She pulled the trigger, piercing through the man's skull and helmet.
The man stopped struggling immediately, falling limp. Blood pooled out from beneath him, staining the floor in a dark red color.
She let out a sigh. It had been a while since she had killed anyone.
Bianka Ataegina
The White Death
"Tch. Bringing up the past now, Cocolia. In front of Cecilia too." She closed her fist before standing up.
"So much for stealth. People are bound to have heard that," Kiana said. She twirled Shamash in her hand before holstering it. "If I remember correctly, the lab should be a few steps down the hallway. I hope I'm not too late."
Cecilia and Mei trailed ahead of the others, gun and sword drawn. Behind them, Himeko carried Bronya on her shoulders while Theresa and Kriemhilde took the rear. A trail of broken mechs lay in the wake of their advance,
Rather than use her USP-45, she had Shamash drawn from its holster. Mei stood behind her and nodded. Cecilia peeked from around the corner, scanning the hallway for any enemies.
She held her hand up. "It's clear."
They began moving down the hall, remaining quiet as they crossed the bridge.
Sub-Level Three was the lowest Sub-Level of Massive Electric. To think that there would be an exit this deep underground. It was almost unthinkable but Cecilia trusted her older sister and the others did as well. Though, the fact that Kiana knew that and the name Cocolia referred to her as raised some questions. It appeared that both her aunts and Himeko seemed to have a clue as to what was going on which only made her more curious.
"It certainly feels like an underground base," Theresa quipped.
The group had exited onto a catwalk. Below them, the heavy metal footsteps of Anti-Entropy Mechs patrolled along with the sounds of blow-torch and welding noises. Whatever was going on here was big. It was a large-scale operation.
"What are they even building?" Mei asked, crouching by the railing to prevent from being spotted.
"No time. But from what Kiana said to her, whatever it is is further down the sub-level." Kriemhilde looked over the railing.
"Sis said that it was Cocolia's little pet project. Do you think it has anything to do with why they took Wendy and Mei-senpai?" Cecilia asked.
"We can figure it out later when Kriemhilde makes her report to HQ. For now, we need to go and find that runway exit that Kiana told us about. Hopefully, there's an access ladder there so we don't have to use the code," Theresa said.
"Come on. We need to keep pushing through," Cecilia said.
However, before they could take one more step forward, a voice suddenly spoke into their ears. An unidentified caller had managed to acquire their frequency and was now communicating with them. But Mei and Cecilia instantly knew that this speaker was…
"W- Wendy?" Cecilia said.
"I want to talk to Bronya," Wendy said.
"Wendy! How did you get this channel? Are you on the second floor? My sister is heading there to save you!" Cecilia said.
Theresa coughed. "Bronya is injured. She can't speak right now. I can pass your message along as soon as she wakes up."
Silence persisted over the comms channel for a few seconds before the sound of Wendy gulping could be heard. In the background, Cecilia and the others heard a familiar beeping.
"Back in New Zealand, when Bronya attacked all of us, it was because she was being controlled right? Can you tell her that I don't hate her? I want her to know that I found out the truth behind it. I'm saying this now because I probably won't see her again… or any of you," Wendy said.
Cecilia and Mei's eyes widened considerably.
"I will." Theresa pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Thank you, Instructor Theresa. It's been a while but I can still recognize your voice…" Wendy's voice began to sound drowsy.
"Wendy… we haven't talked since you transferred to Oceania," Theresa replied.
"Can I ask you something as well since you're here?" she said.
"I know what it is. It was me. I was the one who recommended you to the Gem of Desire Experiment," Theresa confessed. "You were my best student and I'm sorry about what happened to you. I just never expected that…"
"Principal…"
"I know that a simple apology won't fix what you went through. What happened to you and all the students I lost will be my cross to bear," she said.
"Principal. You always seemed so harsh but… you cared for us in the end and that counts for something. Thank you for your guidance," Wendy said.
"Wendy…"
"W- Wait! Wendy, why does it sound like you're saying goodbye?" Mei asked.
"It's going to be okay, Mei," Wendy said. "Cecilia."
"Wendy," she replied.
"Listen, I don't have that much time left," Wendy said. "The Honkai energy inside the Gem of Desire allowed me the use of my legs. A few days ago, I was able to walk again. I think that that same energy can be used to save Bronya."
"Wendy, what are you saying?" Cecilia hissed, ducking behind a crate. She peeked over, seeing a few guards pass by without noticing.
"Please, get the Gem of Desire. Don't let her use it…" Wendy's voice was now beginning to fade.
"Wendy?" Cecilia asked. "Wendy, just hang on! Sis is coming to get you. Wendy? Wendy!"
There was no response over the comms channel.
"S- She…" Cecilia said.
"Don't worry. Kiana is there on that floor. She'll get there before anything happens," Mei said, offering Cecilia a comforting squeeze on the arm.
"I… yeah… but…"
"I know. I'm… hanging on to that hope too," Mei said.
The Second Sub-Level had become a killing floor.
The ground was littered with severely injured soldiers along with the corpses of several dozen unlucky soldiers. Blood flowed freely, staining the metal with its crimson hue.
Gunfire rang out across the hallways and smoke from smoke grenades filled the halls. Soldiers shouted orders to fire at something that was moving fast.
One soldier peeked out from his cover, only for a flaming bullet to melt through his armor and pierce through his skull.
He fell over, having been killed instantly by the shot.
Kiana rushed through the smoke, avoiding the gunfire with fluid, perfect motions that she appeared intangible.
She jumped over the barricade, firing her shots into the people behind.
One of the soldiers quickly turned and took aim at her. As his finger pulled the trigger, Kiana ducked underneath, moving with such speed that to these unenhanced human soldiers, she might as well have teleported.
She appeared within his personal space and delivered a devastating hook to his gut. The man coughed, his ribs having been broken by Kiana's higher physical strength. He flew into a wall and slid down.
Kiana flipped her hair and turned towards the rest of the barricades.
She needed to hurry. The more time she spent dallying, the more time Cocolia and her scientists had to remove the Gem of Desire from Wendy.
Her eyes began to glow as she tapped into the power of the Kaslana Stigmata. A faint blue light surrounded her body as the ICHOR within her began to flood her muscles with Honkai energy. She felt her body grow lighter and her senses grew sharper. Everything around her had slowed to a crawl despite not being in Time Fracture.
She could get used to this.
But she had to remember not to rely on it.
She had survived this long without it. To her, the Stigma of her family line was just another tool for her to use.
Kiana crouched and took off, ripping apart the metal floor with her leap.
She darted past the guards.
Time slowed as she whirled around and grabbed one by the helmet.
Kiana violently slammed his head into the wall, knocking him unconscious.
The sound of a gun firing echoed in her ears. She quickly moved out of the way, dodging the bullets.
She appeared in front of her attacker and grabbed his throat. Kiana unholstered Shamash and fired two shots into his abdomen.
Her head moved out of the way, dodging another shot before she aimed her gun at the soldier and fired, striking him in the throat without even looking.
The other soldiers began to back away, fearful of the advancing woman.
Her figure was still shrouded in the smoke they had filled the halls with but they could see her glowing blue eyes.
"HOLD!" the commander said.
The soldiers stopped and aimed their guns at the smoke cloud, prepared to pepper what was going to come out with bullets.
Suddenly, a spike made of ice flew from the smoke, impaling the commander in the chest and pinning him to a wall at the end of the hallway.
"AHHHH!" the soldiers opened fire.
All of their shots hit home, striking something solid. Bullet casings hit the floor as they emptied their clips onto their target, screaming the entire way.
The firing stopped. Their clips had been emptied and their stamina spent. All of them panted heavily, watching carefully as the smoke slowly faded. One by one, the soldiers began to chuckle when they caught no sign of movement from within the smoke.
But that laughter was slashed the moment the smoke faded.
A barrier made of pure ice stood before them. The barrier had barely even a scratch on it despite their repeated firing.
Quickly realizing the situation they were in, the soldiers all began to fumble for their belts to reload their rifles.
And it was the moment Kiana wanted. A momentary respite that she wanted to take advantage of.
Her epithet following her father's death was the White Death.
A monster that even the Silver Wolf of the Urals avoided. A monster that spared no mercy to its unfortunate victims and left no one alive.
A soldier suddenly fell, his head having been lopped off his body.
Another turned around to try and see what was happening only for a flaming bullet to pierce through his skull.
Panic had quickly overtaken the remaining members of the platoon as Kiana appeared in between them.
She quickly rushed to the closest one, grabbing his head and snapping his neck.
The one to her left dropped his gun and pulled out his knife, slashing at her with reckless abandon.
She parried each of his strikes before grabbing his wrist and twisting it, forcing him to drop his knife. Kiana drove her knee into his groin, causing him to double over in pain. Quickly grabbing the knife, she stabbed it into an exposed part of his neck.
Kiana's eyes widened slightly when she heard the click of a rifle. She moved quickly, raising the corpse of the man she just killed. The corpse shook as bullets hit it repeatedly.
Her jaw clenched and she dashed forward, throwing the body at one of the last two remaining soldiers.
The body knocked him off balance, catching his companion off-guard enough for Kiana to move in and rip his rifle from him. She slammed the butt into his helmeted face, knocking him back a little.
Pulling Shamash from its holster, she aimed it at his head and pulled the trigger, killing him instantly.
The other soldier had pushed the body of his dead comrade off and saw Kiana standing over him.
"P- Please…!" he begged.
"Where are they keeping the girl?" Kiana asked in fluent Russian.
"G- Girl?" he croaked.
"Answer the question." She pressed Shamash's barrel against his helmet. Her nose smelled something foul and her eyes swerved down to catch a glimpse of him urinating out of fear.
"L- La… Hiii!" he panicked when he saw Kiana press Shamash's barrel harder against his visor. "L- Lab 2-C!"
Kiana smiled. "Thank you." And with that, she stood up and prepared to move. Kiana sighed when she heard him messing with his rifle. Without even turning, Kiana fired a shot to his head, killing him instantly.
A sigh came out of her mouth as she released her Released State as she called it. Without her aunt to guide her, it was up to her to name the states her aunt referred to.
She holstered Shamash and wiped some sweat off her forehead.
Kiana brought her hands up and stared at them.
Blood.
She had stained her hands with blood again.
This was what it meant for her to be the White Death.
She shook her head and composed herself. Now was not the time to be looking back on past choices.
Every choice she made was for Cecilia's safety and continued happiness. Even if those choices led her further and further into the darkness. As long as Cecilia was happy within the light, she was happy.
Kiana clenched her fists. She had a lot of questions to answer after all this was over. Her exact relationship to Anti-Entropy. The details of their lives after Siegfried's death. She was honestly proud of herself for being able to keep the exact details of how she provided for them after Siegfried had died and their family had cast them aside.
"Lab 2-C, huh."
Kiana began walking down the hallway, taking note of the sparse security.
"Did I take them all out?" she wondered aloud.
Deciding to play it safe, Kiana pulled Shamash out of its holster and began scanning her surroundings. "Cocolia… what are you… !?" A blue light burst from Kiana's body, causing time to slow to a crawl.
She flipped into the air and fired several rounds from Shamash at her target.
The target fell to the ground, dead.
"A mech." She sighed.
"Right, Lab 2-C."
Kiana ran down the empty hallway, reading the labels as she passed by. Lab 2-A. Lab 2-B. Her eyes brightened when she saw the letters sprayed across the glass window.
Lab 2-C.
Kiana gripped Shamash tightly. She pulled Cecilia's USP-45 from its holster and ran headlong into the glass. She burst right through, having received no injuries and fired at the floor. Her sudden actions frightened all the scientists inside and they scattered.
The two lone guards that were assigned to the lab all aimed their guns at her. However, Kiana was much faster. With accuracy honed over countless amounts of adversity, Kiana aimed for their wrists, firing shots through their arms but making sure to miss any major vessels. They dropped their guns, screaming in pain as the bullets went through.
"Hands up, now!" Kiana ordered.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a scientist grab a scalpel and she immediately fired her gun.
The bullet struck the table, causing the scientist to yelp in fear and back away.
"W- What do you want?" one of the female scientists asked.
Kiana's eyes traveled from her to Wendy, who lay peacefully on the operating table. Her eyes widened when she saw Wendy's leg had stitches running down her calf and stopping just above her ankle. Wendy slept peacefully, her chest rising up and down as she was connected to a ventilator. Her eyes glanced at her vital signs. Her signs were stable but…
Kiana closed her eyes and pointed her gun at the closest scientist. "Her core."
"What…?" he asked.
"The Gem of Desire. Where is it?" Kiana asked.
"I… I don't know what you're talking about," the scientist stammered.
Kiana ground her teeth. She didn't think she'd have to do this now after becoming a Valkyrie. There were other options to make him talk and she didn't want to have to resort to such base and savage methods. But if he didn't talk then she would have no choice but to resort to such violence.
Kiana aimed the USP-45 and fired it close to his foot. He jumped, falling on his rear and he slowly backpedaled until he hit one of the cabinets.
"H- Hiiiih!" he whimpered in fear.
Kiana took a step toward him, glancing at the other scientists. They watched as their co-worker got singled out. They were too afraid to move out of fear that Kiana would go after them next.
"If he doesn't tell me, then I'm moving on to the rest of you." Her eyes narrowed, hammering her threat into the very fabric of their beings. The very weight of her presence added to that fear, compounding on it as the atmosphere had increased in weight.
She turned back to her victim. Before the scientist could speak, Kiana drove her boot into his chest, pinning him down. "What happened to that girl and the Gem of Desire?" she asked.
"A- Ack! P- Please!" he begged, trying to pry Kiana's boot off his chest.
Kiana sighed and ground her boot against his sternum. "You have one last chance to tell me before I drive a dagger into your kneecap and pop it off."
"C- Cocolia took it!"
Kiana glanced over her shoulder and saw a young scientist stepping toward her. Despite her willingness and bravado, her body and face still showed visible signs of fear. This girl, despite being afraid, had the balls to answer her.
So she really did remove the core… Kiana sighed and removed her boot from the scientist beneath her. She stepped aside, allowing the younger scientist to run toward him.
Kiana walked over to Wendy and removed the mask from her face. The machines began to beep as Kiana removed more and more lines from Wendy's body. She gently picked her up, grabbing something to cover her with.
"W- Wait! We can't let you leave with her! She's an important test subject-" She never finished her statement before a gunshot rang out. The woman's eyes slowly moved until she saw a searing bullet hole next to her head.
Kiana stood with Wendy over her shoulder. Shamash's barrel smoked as she held it out, aiming at the wall. She slowly moved her hand until the sight aligned with the woman's head. "Any objections?" she asked.
The other scientists shook their heads.
Kiana began to walk toward the door with Wendy in tow. However, before she left, Kiana stopped at the entrance. "Cocolia and the Gem. She's using it to power that, isn't she?"
"Y- Yes. H- How do you know?" one of the scientists asked.
"God damn it! Cecilia and the others…" Without a second thought, Kiana took off in a headlong sprint toward the elevator, praying with all her heart that Cecilia and the others made it out before Cocolia could activate her little project.
"Woah… what the hell is that?"
It was a thought that was running through their heads at the moment. After minutes of sneaking through the deepest sub-level, Cecilia and the others happened upon the runway Kiana had spoken of. True to her words, it did curve upward though it was massive. Above them was a ceiling door that would no doubt open once that monstrosity behind them had been activated.
The object in question was the biggest mech Cecilia had ever seen. It towered over them, being as tall as a skyscraper. A towering humanoid robotic monstrosity with a sleek black chassis and arms as wide as an entire building. Its head possessed a large horn-like antenna, giving off an appearance similar to a helmet and it had a single eye at the center. Its fists were about as large as a three-story house with fingers about half the length of a school bus. The feet were the size of a double decker. Dormant energy lines crisscrossed across its body.
"No doubt this is the pet project Kiana mentioned," Kriemhilde said.
"I… It looks so familiar," Mei said.
"Familiar?" Cecilia glanced at her.
"Back before… you know, when I used to be the heiress of ME Corporation, I would often sneak into Father's office to get a general idea of what I was supposed to inherit. I saw a few designs of this in his office," Mei said.
"Mmm, it looks like this is supposed to be an attempt to upgrade Arahato," Kriemhilde said.
"Ara… hato? The mech from that one anime?" Cecilia asked.
"Arahato was a mech that Anti-Entropy used during the Second Eruption to combat the Herrscher of the Void. I don't know exactly what happened to it though," she replied.
Theresa patted Cecilia and Theresa on the shoulder. "Whatever it is, we can't afford to stay here. We need to go now. The code Kiana gave me is for an access point for engineers located along the runway. She added a little note that it leads to the surface."
"I think I see a way down to the runway," Himeko said.
"Come on. Let's go, you three." Theresa motioned for them to follow.
"Oh, and where do you think you all are going?"
Everyone stopped midstep, hearing a voice call out from behind them. Cecilia pulled her guns out and aimed it at the Mecha, whose single eye was beginning to glow.
"Cocolia," Cecilia growled. Her fingers itched to pull the trigger.
"A little trigger-happy, aren't you? You really are the White Death's younger sister." Cocolia chuckled at the sight of it.
"White Death? Why do you keep calling my sister that?" Cecilia asked.
"Oh? Did Kiana never tell you about what she did? Or used to do? Well, I shouldn't say used to. She's currently in the process of slaughtering the entire second sub-level as we speak."
"Don't talk about my sister like that! You know nothing about her!"
"C- Ceci!" Mei grabbed Cecilia, holding her back from rushing over and attacking Cocolia, wherever she was.
"But I guess the adults here are more knowledgeable about the White Death. Especially about her involvement in Nagazora. Did you know… Raiden Mei? Kiana was the one responsible for your father's downfall and the one responsible for triggering the Gem of Conquest inside your body? All that misery you suffered. All the people that ended up dead because of you was all Kiana's doing," Cocolia said.
Mei's eyes widened. Her hand shook and her jaw clenched. Anger uncharacteristic of her surged through her body. She took her hand off Cecilia. "You… Kiana…" her eyes began to glow as the Honkai energy began to increase.
"Mei-senpai!"
Her clouded mind was brought out of its haze when she heard Cecilia's voice. She turned to see Cecilia with her hand on her shoulder. The two turned to face Cocolia.
"Kiana would never do anything like that so stop making up lies!" Cecilia said.
"Lies? Tell me, little girl. What do you really know about your older sister? Do you know what atrocities she had to commit just to keep you safe?" Cocolia asked.
"Tch! Shut up!" Cecilia barked.
Cocolia scoffed. "Hmph. Well, at this point, there's no point in arguing with children. I do hope you liked my gift."
"What gift? Letting Wendy speak to us?" Mei asked. Electricity began to crackle around her body.
"I expected you girls to be more grateful. Those were Wendy's last words to Bronya," Cocolia said.
"Last words?" Theresa asked.
"Mmm. I think I forgot to mention. The Fourth Herrscher is dead," Cocolia said.
Cecilia froze. Her heart nearly stopped upon hearing those words. "W- What?" She couldn't believe it. She wouldn't believe it. Wendy was dead?
"As of a few minutes ago, I've successfully removed the Gem of Desire from Wendy's body. By my estimate, she should be dead by now," Cocolia said uncaringly.
"H- How could you do something like this?" Mei asked.
"Without a vessel, the Gem of Desire is useless to you. It will just be a rock of Honkai radiation. There's no way you can even use it," Theresa said.
"Maybe for Schicksal but not for me. But I've developed technology that can empower a mech with the Gem of Desire after years of studying the secrets plundered by Anti-Entropy. Therefore, I must kindly thank you, Schicksal Valkyries, for graciously handing the Gem to me," Cocolia said.
"You… You crazy bitch! You killed an innocent girl and for what? A fucking power source!" Cecilia yelled in a rage-filled tone.
"Crazy? You have me all wrong. Wendy wished to get her revenge against Schicksal for what it did to her. I merely helped her attain that wish… in a different way of course," she replied.
Cecilia clenched her jaw. She glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw Mei's hand twitching to grab one of the blade armaments stored within her battlesuit.
"Besides, shouldn't you be grateful? I recorded her final message to you girls just so you can hear her one more time," Cocolia said. "Though, I guess you can't convey that message to her now. And this is also a rare opportunity. I wonder how Kiana would react to seeing your mangled corpse once she gets here."
"You… Just try me!" Cecilia pulled out Shamash and the USP-45 from her pocket.
"GET BACK!"
Kriemhilde grabbed Mei and Cecilia and pulled them back, narrowly avoiding a massive metal fist that slammed into the metal platform. The platform crumpled and fell to the floor below.
"...Aunt Kriemhilde!" Cecilia gasped.
Kriemhilde stood before her with Balmung drawn. Lightning crackled along the blade's body.
"She really did it." Theresa stepped forward, summoning Judah to her. "She managed to power an entire Mecha with a Herrscher core."
"Have fun playing with my newest toy. MSR-7 Wotan. The first of its kind and it will surpass the combat capabilities of Arahato from the Second Eruption. I hope none of you die too quickly. It would be a shame if I can't gather enough combat data on Wotan," Cocolia said.
"Cocolia-" Cecilia attempted to get up.
"Get back!" Kriemhilde rushed forward and blocked the oncoming fist with the flat of Balmung. Her heel dug into the metal floor beneath her as she held it back. She looked over her shoulder to see the others preparing to fight. "NO! GO! I'll hold it off! GET BRONYA TO THE SHIP NOW!"
"But-"
"No buts! GO!" Kriemhilde swung her blade, parrying Wotan's fist. The mech stumbled back.
The claws and bonds that held it released with a snap and a hiss. The ground trembled as it took its first steps forward, heading to the platform.
"GO!" Kriemhilde ordered.
Theresa bit her lip before closing her eyes. "Mei. Help Himeko carry Bronya. Cecilia, you and I will cover their exit while Kriemhilde holds off this mecha."
"No! I won't leave her behind!" Cecilia said.
She turned on her heel and began running toward the mech.
"Cecilia-!" Theresa reached out to grab her but the girl was too fast.
"Principal!" Mei yelled.
Theresa's senses went haywire. She turned around and saw a few missiles heading toward them. Golden spears were ejected from Judah. She grabbed them and threw the spears at the oncoming missiles, detonating them in midair.
"Principal, what do we do?" Himeko asked.
"Go."
"Mei? Not you too!" Theresa yelled.
"I'll go get Ceci. She won't listen to you two. We'll be right behind you," Mei said.
"Mei! I order you to stand down! Mei! MEI!" Theresa yelled as Mei leaped into action.
Left. Right. An overhead slam.
Kriemhilde jumped into the air as the last of the platforms was destroyed. She twisted her body, slightly seeing that Theresa and Himeko were heading to the runway. Now I can…
"NEKO CHARM!"
A giant cat's paw slammed into Wotan. The paw bounced uselessly off its metal chassis but the force was enough to gain its attention.
Kriemhilde's blood froze in her veins. "C- Cecilia?" She ground her teeth and jumped toward the fist as it came flying toward her niece. Honkai energy flooded her body as she kicked off the air, shooting with enough speed to slam into the arm.
The mech stumbled, knocking the remaining frames that bound it over. The entire compound shook as its heavy feet hit the ground.
Cecilia and Kriemhilde landed on the ground, looking at the Mech.
"What the hell are you thinking!?" Kriemhilde shouted.
"I can help!" she said, twisting Shamash and her USP-45 in her hands.
"Oh? What's this? The White Death's younger sister is joining in the fray? Along with the current Paladin of the Kaslana Clan? Hmph. It doesn't matter."
The Wotan lurched forward, taking slow and heavy steps toward them.
"Cecilia, go." Kriemhilde gripped Balmung with one hand.
"But-"
"Go!" she roared, causing her niece to flinch.
Cecilia took an instinctive step back when she saw her aunt's glowing blue eyes staring back at her. It reminded her of…
Dad…
"Ceci! Get down!"
A swarm of scatter missiles swarmed toward them.
However, a blue wave washed over the world, slowing down time. A series of high-speed sword strikes sliced them all into oblivion, detonating them.
"M- Mei-senpai!" Cecilia said.
"Damn it! Mei, take Cecilia and get out of here!" Kriemhilde slashed the air with Balmung, launching a wave of compressed ionized air.
The air struck Wotan's chest, staggering it and leaving a slight cut.
"I'm not going to ask again. Got it?" Kriemhilde said.
Ice formed underneath her feet and she launched herself into the air, leaving Mei and Cecilia behind.
She twisted her body and spun, intercepting the Wotan's fist, which was coming at her with incredible speed.
Balmung's blade clashed with its metal chassis, causing sparks to fly everywhere. Her eyes glowed brightly as Honkai energy flooded out of her body, enhancing her strength and she parried the fist.
The sound of thrusters firing up caught her attention. She flipped mid-air, narrowly dodging the fist and landed on its arm. Kriemhilde took off with extreme speed, coating her soles with ice to reduce friction. She relentlessly slashed its arm, leaving deep cuts within its shell before jumping toward the eye.
"Balmung…" Kriemhilde whispered.
[First Power Activated: Andvari]
Electricity coated the blade, hyperextending it until it was the size of a small bus. She swung the blade with ferocious might, displacing the air. An explosion was created upon contact, ionizing the underground air and engulfing the Wotan's head in a ball of electricity.
"!?"
Her eyes widened when a swirling ball of green energy ripped through the lightning.
She moved her body, narrowly avoiding the energy ball as it flew past her, grinding through the thick concrete and steel walls until it burst through the ground.
"Tch! This is…"
[Honkai Energy Readings detected: 1500 HW]
The Gem of Desire…
Kriemhilde landed on the ground and looked up at the enormous mech. This was far more dire than she could have anticipated. Cocolia had managed to find a way to successfully wield the energy of a Herrscher through a mech.
"But it looks like… it's not perfected." Kriemhilde saw the Wotan's body slightly slack after delivering the attack.
"Tch… I thought they fixed the cooldown. But it doesn't matter. This is the point of a trial run, don't you agree?" Cocolia asked.
The Wotan's thrusters roared to life as it shot toward Kriemhilde with surprising speed. The force and wind of its movement almost blew Mei and Cecilia off their feet.
Kriemhilde raised Balmung and placed one foot before her. She twisted her other leg slightly before rushing forward in a burst of speed.
Wotan's massive fist came crashing down onto the ground, shattering it.
"What…!? Where…!?"
"Behind you." Kriemhilde appeared behind Wotan. Balmung arced across the air, slicing through one of its thrusters like a hot knife through butter.
She landed on the ground. Lightning coated her divine key while frost wafted off her body. With one mighty leap, she targeted another thruster.
"Damn it!" Cocolia snarled.
Wotan's arm swung, slamming into Kriemhilde.
The S-Rank was nearly caught off guard but managed to block in time. However, the strength of the massive mech launched Kriemhilde across the entire hanger, slamming her into the runway violently.
"Auntie!" Cecilia yelled.
"Well, well. For an S-Rank, she went down with just one hit. I have to admit. I didn't expect her to be able to slice through Wotan's thrusters like that. But whatever. Now, it's time to come back, Third Herrscher," Cocolia said, taking a step toward Mei and Cecilia.
Cecilia got in between Mei and Cocolia, holding her pistols out.
"Pfft. Ahaha. Fine. I'll humor you!" Wotan's fist surged toward Cecilia.
"NEKO CHARM!"
A massive cat's paw intercepted the fist, holding it back momentarily. Cecilia struggled, using both hands to push back against the fist to no avail.
"Hold it there!" Mei rushed past Cecilia and hopped on the cat's arm. She swiftly crossed the arm and landed on Wotan's arm.
She darted across the entirety of the arm, scaling it in moments until she reached the shoulder.
"Haaah!" Mei jumped into the air.
[Exceed Mode Activated]
She held her katana in a reverse grip, channeling her suit's honkai energy into the blade. A massive sword made of Honkai energy extended from the blade and she swung it, slicing into its eye.
The Wotan stumbled backward, knocking Mei back. Mei flipped in the air, gracefully landing on its arm before hopping off.
"That was awesome, Mei-senpai!" Cecilia said, cheering Mei on. "But… I can't let myself get outdone!"
She dashed forward, running up to Wotan.
Kiana…
She aimed Shamash at the legs, firing several rounds in quick succession.
The flaming bullets sliced through the air, easily melting through the metal of Wotan.
"WHAT!?" Cocolia yelled, having received a notification of chassis integrity on the leg.
"Haah!" Cecilia jumped on its leg, unleashing more shots from Shamash.
"You damn brat!" Wotan's arm swung toward its leg, intent on squashing Cecila like an insect.
Cecilia jumped, avoiding the attack in time.
She landed next to Mei and the two glared defiantly at the gargantuan mech in front of them.
"Tch… Fine then! Redirect the Honkai energy to the thrusters."
The once-lavender thrusters of Wotan began to glow with a brilliant emerald sheen. Green fire exploded from the thrusters, propelling Wotan's massive body forward at extreme speeds.
A speed that the two could barely perceive. A speed that two A-Ranks could not even hope to defend against.
However, luck was on their side. A pair of hands grabbed them and threw them back.
A massive wall of ice formed in front of them, intercepting the fist. The ice did not shatter upon contact, instead spreading across the entire arm and holding it in place.
"W- What? Kaslana!" Cocolia screamed.
"Heh. Did you think I would go down that easily?" Kriemhilde asked, holding her hand out. Her blue eyes glowed brightly.
She ignored the throbbing pain in her arm and torso. The hit she had just received was nothing to scoff at. This woman had managed to build a technological terror. If she wasn't careful, that blow could have dealt a serious injury to her person, not to mention that…
I still haven't fully recovered from my battle with Kiana, she thought.
The ice cracked as Wotan ripped its arm away. It straightened itself, reconfiguring its sensors before its lone eye locked onto them.
Kriemhilde held Balmung in a reverse grip. Lightning crackled around the blade as she stood her ground against what could be its next attack.
Cocolia watched through the Wotan, knowing full well that this woman could easily block any attack aimed at her.
Kriemhilde Kaslana was, after all, an S-Rank Valkyrie. The current Kaslana Paladin and a weapon forged by the Second Eruption and held the spot of Schicksal's Strongest Valkyrie. And she was someone who had defeated the White Death, Kiana Kaslana, in single combat.
And those two girls. She had underestimated them. Because of it, even those pathetic A-Ranks were able to deal some form of sustained damage against the Wotan.
Cocolia bit her fingernail.
"Madam. The Wotan has finished recharging."
A scientist's voice snapped her out of her reverie.
"Aim at the Third Herrscher and use an output of 2000 HW. Don't unleash it as a burst. Focus the energy into a beam. I don't want the facility and the city to be vaporized by an uncontrolled energy blast," she said.
"But… Ma'am! The Gem of Conque-"
"Herrscher cores are nigh-indestructible, capable of taking extreme amounts of punishment. Raiden Mei may perish but the core is what we are after. Besides… Kriemhilde might be able to easily defend herself but can she defend herself and her niece at the same time," Cocolia said.
Wotan's head began to glow, its lone eye shifting to a green color. Copious amounts of Honkai energy began to gather at its eye, condensing into a hyper-dense sphere of Honkai energy.
Kriemhilde composed herself.
"Balmung… let's do this." She twisted the hilt, unleashing a flood of Honkai energy into its blade. The blade elongated, taking the form of a massive curved broadsword made completely of electricity.
The Eye of Wotan brightened and Kriemhilde shifted her heel. However, her instincts went on overdrive when it suddenly turned and fired at Cecilia and Mei.
Shit!
She dashed toward them, using her Stigmata to enhance her speed.
As the beam neared them, Kriemhilde intercepted it and a massive explosion rocked the facility.
Cecilia coughed as she weakly got to her feet. Her backside had hurt due to being knocked away and slammed into a metal wall. Mei was in a similar situation, standing up and holding her right arm.
Cecilia turned to her aunt to check on her situation. Her eyes widened considerably when she saw a battered Kriemhilde standing in front of her. Her suit was damaged, having been shredded and ripped in some areas. Balmung stood before her, sporting several black spots.
Her arm was outstretched. Her skin had taken on a dark blue tone on her forearm. Blood poured down her arm and forehead as she panted. A broken wall of thick ice crumbled behind her.
"A- Auntie!" Cecilia yelled.
Kriemhilde fell to one knee, using Balmung as support.
Crap… I couldn't completely block it in time… she thought.
"Ahahaha! To think that the Wotan was capable of dealing this much damage to an S-Rank Valkyrie!" Cocolia cackled.
"Ceci… Mei… go!" Kriemhilde straightened her body and wiped some blood off her face. She picked up Balmung and pointed it at Wotan.
Do I have to go and use the full force of the ICHOR here and now? Kriemhilde thought. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Cecilia and Mei preparing to fight.
"You idiots! Go!" Kriemhilde barked.
"But-!"
"GO BEFORE SHE ATTACKS!" she yelled.
Cecilia bit her cheek.
Mei placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded.
Cecilia gripped her pistols tightly before nodding. "You better catch up!"
The two began to run toward the access ladder where Theresa and Himeko were most certainly gone from by now.
"Did you really think I would just let them leave like that?" Cocolia asked.
Wotan's head turned and locked onto Cecilia and Mei.
Kriemhilde's eyes widened when she saw missiles launching from its arms. The projectile sought and homed in on them.
Cecilia and Mei turned to see the missiles homing in on them.
Cecilia pushed Mei out of the way and pulled Shamash out to shoot them down.
"Crap, I have to-"
Blue light washed over the world, slowing time down to a crawl.
A series of high-speed swings left a trail of blue arcs in the air, cutting into each missile with expert precision. The light faded and time resumed its normal flow. The missiles exploded, knocking Mei and Cecilia off their feet.
Cecilia rubbed her head and looked up to see a familiar head of white hair.
Relief washed over her shoulder as she recognized the figure carrying Wendy on her shoulder with the other hand holding a blade made of pure ice. "K- Kiana!"
"Y- You! And Wendy! Kiana….!" Cocolia's infuriated voice echoed through the ruined hangar. Wotan stood up and focused its systems on Kiana.
"Ceci, Mei. Go grab Kriemhilde and get her and Wendy out of here. I'll be right behind you-"
"But-!"
"No buts! Go!" Kiana said.
Cecilia bit her cheek and nodded. She held Shamash's other pistol out to her.
Kiana smiled and handed her the USP-45 back along with Wendy.
Mei gingerly took Wendy into her arms and nodded.
"Ceci, go get Kriemhilde. I'll draw Cocolia's attention," Kiana said.
Cecilia nodded and took off in a sprint toward their injured aunt.
"As if I would let you do that!" A mounted gun appeared on its head and took aim at Cecilia.
A shard of ice slammed into its head, knocking off its aim. The bullets sprayed the ceiling.
"It's just you and me now…"
The whites of Kiana's eyes slowly darkened until they became pitch black. Her usual light blue eyes sharpened and became a piercing blue. Orange flames licked her boots as she walked forward, leaving searing footprints in her wake.
Kiana held the two pistols together. The split core within the guns roared to life, resonating with one another. The two pistols clicked together, creating a handle and hilt. Kiana held Shamash and swung it in a flourish, expelling a tongue of searing flames that melted the floor wherever it made contact. The flames coalesced around the glowing orange blade of Shamash as she raised the legendary sword and pointed it at Cocolia.
"Let's finish this, Cocolia, once and for all!"
As you know, Version Kiana released about 12 hours ago, meaning that Part I of the story is coming to an end and Kevin and the girls will have one final confrontation before Kevin hands the future over to them... because this is apparently one gigantic test with Honkai Star Rail also looming over the horizon. As the version comes to an end, so will this arc of My Sister's Keeper. I hope you all had a good time doing your rolls. I managed to get all of Mei's gear and am... going to suffer going for Kiana's HoFin suit. But enough about that, if you're wondering why Kriemhilde didn't one-shot Wotan.
1. She said that she still has injuries from her fight with Kiana. Those few good hits Kiana managed to get on her.
2. Cecilia is there.
Don't get me wrong. I did not nerf her in the slightest. She just has a few injuries and her niece handicapping her ability to fight at full strength.
Let's move on to the next thing that people will probably notice. Kiana-Bianka actually killing people. As far as we know, Durandal has never killed anyone... well not like this. I am aware Durandal has never actually killed another human, not that her job needs her to nor does her canon personality actually allow her to... except maybe Otto. But the difference between canon Bianka and this Kiana-Bianka is their childhood... which I keep bringing up but we got small glimpses of it over the past few chapters. This Kiana-Bianka is not afraid to turn someone into a small corner of the obituary section in a newspaper if it means defending herself and keeping Cecilia safe.
The next chapter will be the final chapter of this arc then we move onto the Dream Arc of her and Cecilia. The chapters will alternate between the two sisters as they go on discovering the truth or in Ceci's case, the canon events of her going into dataspace.
Anyway, you know the drill. Review. Follow. Like and subscribe to get guaranteed SSS Herrscher of Finality and all her gear.