When Siegfei appeared, Theresa immediately sprang from her chair, clutching the Oath of Judah in one hand as if prepared to deliver a crucifixion to him.
It was hardly surprising that Theresa became so enraged upon seeing Siegfei—just the thought of what he had done to Kiana made her fury all the more understandable. Abandoning such a young Kiana for years without a care was simply not the behavior of a responsible father.
"Ms. Theresa, please calm down."
Seeing Theresa about to act, Einstein quickly reached out and restrained her. To be frank, Einstein, Walter Young, and Tesla were all utterly exasperated by Siegfei's actions. Tesla, in particular, had once suggested that Siegfei give Kiana a proper name—but when he casually gave her name and then vanished without a trace, Tesla nearly lost her temper, almost slamming her mechanical gauntlet onto Siegfei's head.
"Sorry, Theresa. I promise I'll see Kiana later," Siegfei said sincerely, his eyes pleading as he apologized. Kiana, after finally settling into a stable life at St. Freya Academy, had long since endured living in seclusion; even when she lived with him, Siegfei's constant fear over the void power within her forced him to keep her in remote quarters.
"You'd better hope that Kiana forgives you, or I won't let you off. And you'd better explain everything that happened," Theresa warned. After all, with witnesses present, she knew this wasn't the time to dodge the questions.
In truth, Theresa and Siegfei had maintained only minimal contact over the years—ever since Theresa found Kiana in the aftermath of the Changkong Honkai incident, Siegfei had been the one to reach out. Theresa had longed to understand why he abandoned Kiana and left her to wander alone.
"I understand," Siegfei said, nodding vigorously.
"By the way, why have you and your Anti-Entropy people come here? Dr. Davis, are you with Anti-Entropy? And you, Mr. Yang?"
Only after Siegfei's matter was mentioned did Theresa seem to realize the full extent of their company.
"Long time no see, Theresa," Walter Young greeted as he removed his black-rimmed glasses, a rueful smile on his face.
"Walter—how are you? Have you been staying at St. Freya Academy all this time?"
After Walter removed his glasses, Theresa paused for a moment before recognizing him. After all, they had once fought side by side against the Void Ruler.
"Theresa, are your eyes not working? How could you not remember that Walter fought alongside you back in the day? You only changed your glasses and suddenly didn't recognize him?"
Tesla then jumped in. Back when Walter Young was first proposed to come to St. Freya Academy, they had strongly opposed it. Theresa had eventually agreed, albeit reluctantly, because they distrusted Otto. Even after Walter had persuaded them, they still remained wary—until they saw Walter's attire. Then they felt a bit more at ease. After all, while Theresa and her colleagues had an unspoken understanding and cooperation, they would never openly shelter the leader of Anti-Entropy. Who would have thought that Theresa wouldn't immediately recognize Walter Young?
Due to their Ruler status, Walter's appearance had hardly changed after reaching adulthood. Ruler longevity was beyond that of ordinary mortals—both Einstein and Tesla, thanks to Black Abyss White Flower, had inherited similar youthful physiques. Otherwise, based on their age, neither would look nearly as spry as they did. Unfortunately, among Anti-Entropy's many scientists, only the two of them enjoyed such luck.
"Um… well…" Tesla's hesitant words immediately flushed Theresa's face red. She had intended to reproach Walter Young—how could the true Anti-Entropy leader be lurking here? Yet before she could speak, Tesla's remark rendered her speechless. Worse still, she couldn't even come up with a good excuse; she really hadn't recognized Walter Young.
"Alright, Tesla, we'll discuss this matter later. For now, let's get to business," Einstein quietly signaled to Tesla. Their concern over Walter Young's presence at St. Freya Academy—as it clearly smacked of espionage—was now turning into Theresa's problem.
"Ah, Chicken Coop Head, what do you want to say?"
Unfortunately, Einstein may have overestimated Tesla's emotional intelligence; while her IQ was unquestionable, her EQ was less so.
"Come over here—what's the matter? Isn't the Moonlight Throne issue already resolved?"
In desperation, Theresa abruptly changed the topic.
Earlier, Einstein had appeared at St. Freya Academy not because he'd learned that Cocolia had sent Waite to attack Mei, or to see Walter Young, but to help install the Moonlight Throne onto the Hubbilian. St. Freya Academy wasn't exactly home to brilliant scientists.
"It's something else," Einstein said, turning his gaze toward Dr. Davis.
"Hold on—there's someone else who hasn't arrived yet."
Noticing Einstein's look, Dr. Davis then scanned the office door. His sensors indicated that the person he'd just notified had already arrived.
"Theresa, you are Mr. Yang's teacher, aren't you?"
As the door swung open, Himeko entered and immediately directed her gaze to Walter Young.
"By the way, this person—she doesn't seem to recognize Walter Young either," Himeko observed, prompting Dr. Davis to react instantly. Himeko was a student of Walter's, though only in that capacity. With her position, she wasn't in a place to call Walter Young the leader of Anti-Entropy.
Walter Young sheepishly greeted Himeko. Regardless, his heart was heavy with regret—he had once fought alongside Himeko's father until his death. Walter Young had always felt remorse for not telling Himeko the whole truth back then, which had led to her joining Schicksal and becoming a Valkyrie.
"You're Mr. Yang. What's going on, Theresa?" Himeko then inquired.
"I don't know," Theresa spread her hands, clearly at a loss.
"Why drag her into this?" Walter Young then looked at Dr. Davis, silently demanding an explanation.
"Alright, everyone's here now. Let's move to another location and talk in detail," Dr. Davis declared. With that, he opened a golden portal and led the group to Tianqiu City within the World Bubble.
At the new location, a large screen displayed an advertisement for the latest Magical Girl teriri concert with tickets selling fast.
The group arrived at an underground base where the screen blared the promotional video. The Cangxuan Book watched the video with childlike excitement.
"That's not me!"
Staring at the screen where she was singing and dancing, Theresa nearly flung the Oath of Judah out of her hand in shock.
"Headmistress, Teacher Himeko—welcome," Fu Hua, a true practitioner, approached, greeting them.
"Fu Hua, aren't you supposed to be on leave? Why are you here?"
Himeko asked, genuinely puzzled. Fu Hua, one of St. Freya Academy's top students, had never taken a leave before; her long absence was most unexpected.
In truth, not only Himeko but even Otto had been surprised—although Fu Hua had said she needed to return to Taixu Mountain, Otto obviously had no objection.
"Alright, everyone, please have a seat and listen up," Dr. Davis began once the group was assembled in a lounge. He proceeded to explain the situation regarding the Honkai crisis.
"How can it be that Kiana is just a clone?"
Hearing that the current Kiana was indeed a clone of the real Kiana Kaslana, Theresa couldn't help but rise to her feet. As someone who herself was a clone, she was particularly sensitive to the issue.
"Headmistress, if there's a problem, let me finish speaking before we discuss it," Dr. Davis interjected.
"Did Siegfei already know about this?" Theresa ignored Dr. Davis's words and fixed her gaze on Siegfei. From his reaction, she deduced some facts. Though somewhat simple-minded, Theresa wasn't foolish—otherwise, she wouldn't have cooperated with Anti-Entropy to install the Moonlight Throne onto the Hubbilian.
"Theresa, please calm down. Let's talk about it later. For now, there's something else."
Himeko quickly took Theresa aside, and with gentle words, Theresa managed to steady herself.
"Based on my observations, here's what appears to be happening. However, because my intervention has set off a butterfly effect, these details must only serve as a reference," Dr. Davis explained.
He went on to describe how Otto intended to revert the entire human world by five hundred years.
As for the final declaration of Apocalysis… there was no need to speak of it. In truth, Otto's ambition to destroy the world was not idle. Had Kiana and Youlandel not triumphed over his pseudo-divine transformation, the entire world might have indeed been thrown back five hundred years.
After all, Otto's objective was to resurrect Kalian at any cost. His own fate was of little concern—Kiana and Youlandel's victory would only perfect his plan.
Either outcome, those in Kolos Vine Town—such as Theresa and Kiana—would remain unharmed. Moreover, a five-hundred-year setback would give Theresa and her colleagues ample time to support Kalian.
One had to admit, for Kalian's sake, Otto had truly gone to extremes.
Not a single person in the room spoke after this, not even Tesla, who despite her deep-seated disdain for Otto, remained silent at the mention of his goal.
Everyone present was familiar with Kalian. After all, Einstein and Tesla had once been members of Schicksal, and over the past five hundred years, Otto had relentlessly propagated the legend of "Saintess Kalian," inspiring many Valkyries to join Schicksal.
In Kolos Vine Town, nearly every district was named after something related to Kalian.
"Grandma," Theresa sighed deeply. Among everyone present, no one understood Kalian's story better than she did—after all, she was a clone created to resurrect Kalian. Theresa's own ideals were inherited from Kalian, which was why Otto ultimately spared her and also allowed another clone—Amber—to survive.
"Why does Otto think he can reverse time by five hundred years?" Einstein was the first to recover, her tone laced with incredulity.
"Indeed. According to our current understanding, time simply cannot be reversed," Tesla agreed, her scientific mind unimpressed by such notions.
"Even if Otto made an accord with Honkai consciousness, what benefit would time reversal serve?" Einstein voiced her doubts.
"I'm not entirely sure, but I do have a theory," Dr. Davis murmured.
"Let's hear it," Einstein and Tesla prompted, their eyes fixed on him.
"My theory is this: the Rulers of this era are rather different. The Ruler of Reason has essentially betrayed humanity. In the future, under Teacher Himeko's sacrifice, Kiana stands firmly with humanity. Thunder Valkyrie Mei's Ruler consciousness treated herself as Mei's elder sister, ultimately sacrificing herself so that Mei could become the true Thunder Ruler. And the Wind Ruler Wendy was so feeble that she was easily overpowered by Anti-Entropy's Titan mechs.
Moreover, the Recognizer has aligned herself with Fu Hua. With so many Rulers now siding with humanity, it seems Honkai consciousness finds it difficult to regain control over them."
"Ha—don't mind me. I was just joking. I could never know what Honkai consciousness truly intends," Dr. Davis added with a mischievous grin.
"You fool—if you're unsure, don't spout nonsense!" Tesla snapped, clearly annoyed.
"Not impossible," Einstein mused thoughtfully.
"I know what I mean, but listen: when so many Rulers betray humanity, can Honkai consciousness really reclaim them?"
This question echoed one posed by Thunder Valkyrie Mei when she had asked Kevin earlier.
"In truth, the Ruler's power in this century is very weak. Ask Fu Hua: if all the Rulers were as mediocre as Xilin, would the previous civilization have suffered so greatly?"
Even a severely injured Fu Hua had nearly been obliterated by a single strike from a one-core Xilin in the previous civilization—a loss that cost humanity dearly, even with a large number of fusion warriors.
In my view, if Honkai consciousness truly wished to decimate humanity's Rulers, it wouldn't need the End Ruler at all. Even if four or five Rulers appeared simultaneously, that would suffice.
"These Rulers of this era are indeed peculiar. Had we chosen to speak with them instead of resorting to combat back then, perhaps the outcome would have been different," Dr. Davis concluded.
Fu Hua had once considered the possibility of conversing with the Rulers; indeed, Mebius had entertained a similar notion—but Dr. Mei had been resolute.
It was almost unbelievable: Dr. Mei was merely human, yet in that era even Mebius dared not oppose her.
"By the way, let me share something else. Did you catch my remark earlier—was it because Wind Ruler Wendy is so weak that I said that? In another world, Wendy nearly single-handedly almost destroyed an entire world, and she hasn't even unleashed her full strength yet."
The power of a Ruler, if honed by Honkai consciousness, could be amplified to nearly invincible levels. The stronger you become, the stronger Honkai becomes. Thus, relying solely on brute force to combat Honkai is a flawed strategy—unless your power reaches a multiverse level, in which case you might even wrestle with Honkai.
"Then is Honkai invincible?" Tesla asked, her disappointment evident. She had planned to build mechs to crush Honkai.
"You can only outsmart it," Dr. Davis replied.
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