"AAAHHHHH!"
Why on earth would such a ridiculous, no-win situation happen!?
Slumped helplessly on the couch, C.C. clutched her soft green hair in frustration.
Her long, silky strands were soon a tangled mess.
So annoying. Even games were starting to lose their fun...
'I mean, it's not like I have some moral obligation to save the world, right?'
That thought—born from frustration and self-pity—flashed through C.C.'s mind.
But like a shooting star, it vanished just as quickly.
This is an entire world we're talking about!
She hadn't unlocked the "Savior of the World" achievement yet—how could she back out without even trying?
C.C.'s expression turned serious.
She clasped her hands beneath her chin, her eyes filled with contemplation.
Her original plan had been to prevent Mei from fully awakening as a Herrscher, thereby stopping the Third Eruption from ever happening.
But now, she needed Herrscher Mei's power—to prepare for saving the Honkai Gakuen 2 world.
That meant she had to let things escalate just enough.
The only option was to wait until the Honkai energy had nearly reached its breaking point, then escape Nagazora City with Mei.
By fleeing with Mei—the host of the Herrscher core and the Gem of Conquest part of the Honkai energy would be drawn away and dispersed.
This could simultaneously prevent a full-scale eruption and allow Mei to complete her Herrscher transformation.
And because there wouldn't be enough Honkai energy to fully support the awakening, the resulting Herrscher would be underdeveloped—potentially susceptible to persuasion.
Worth a shot.
But... for this plan to work, a crucial condition had to be met:
Nagami and C.C. had to break past Cocolia's blockade with Mei in tow.
And with Nagami's current strength, that was impossible.
Power.
They needed power.
But where could they get it?
C.C. began mentally sorting through all the options and abilities that could boost her strength.
Soul Fusion? Pass.
Code? Not combat-based.
Geass? Requires direct eye contact—useless against mechs, which Anti-Entropy relied on.
Alpha Stigma? Only a support ability for now.
It could instantly master any arcane technique, sure—but neither she nor Nagami had any usable energy within them to cast anything.
'The Chat Group... Thousand Languages... Fatebound…'
Her gaze swept across the chat group's member list, and suddenly, a light bulb went off in her mind.
She stood up with a jolt.
It was as if the fog that had clouded her thoughts was suddenly lifted—she had found her Steins;Gate.
"Fatebound" allowed users to wield powers from other worlds as if they were native to them.
The mechanics behind this were complex—definitely not something that could be summed up in a sentence or two.
And it was far from as simple as it looked on the surface.
As long as one more person joined the chat group, C.C. and Nagami could leap into Kumoko's world.
And that world had something vital: The System Window.
Thanks to Evil God D's twisted sense of humor, the entire fantasy world had been gamified.
Creatures and people were converted into RPG-like stats and levels.
Normally, outsiders weren't part of the system.
Kumoko and her classmates were special cases—they had been granted system access by the "programmers" behind the scenes.
But the "Fatebound" ability from the chat group had the same effect: it would integrate Nagami and C.C. into that world's system.
That meant they could level up, gaining system-granted energy.
And that world also had magic—an ideal environment for someone like Nagami, who had the Alpha Stigma.
It was hands-down the fastest path to a power-up.
System-bestowed titles came with special effects.
While the Alpha Stigma couldn't replicate those effects (technically it could, but it wouldn't matter outside that system's rules), the benefits within that world were massive.
Sure, time would freeze in the Honkai world while they were away, but C.C. had no intention of staying in Kumoko's world long enough to become some unstoppable goddess.
She just needed a versatile, adaptable energy source to fuel the arcane arts of other worlds.
Even though MA energy—derived from planetary essence—was powerful, it couldn't match the sheer flexibility of Honkai energy.
That said, she didn't need to go full godmode.
As long as she and Nagami could break through Cocolia's blockade and escape with Mei, that would be enough.
Mei's Herrscher awakening would also release a flood of Honkai energy a perfect opportunity for C.C. and Nagami to absorb some of it for themselves.
Even if it meant dying a few times... they couldn't afford to waste this chance!
There was one more reason why C.C. didn't want to linger too long in Kumoko's world—the Honkai 2 timeline.
Unless the heiress Kiana also left her world, time in Honkai 2 would keep moving forward while C.C. was away.
If that happened, she wouldn't be strong enough to influence the story once it began.
And considering the heiress Kiana's notoriously bad luck in Honkai Gakuen 2, how long would it take her to save up 100 points through daily check-ins?
Sure, others could lend her some points, but that would just leave Kiana drowning in debt long-term.
C.C. had just checked using her admin privileges: Kiana earned one single point from her first check-in.
One. Point.
It's already been 22 days since the chat group was activated, and C.C. had racked up 147 points—more than enough to buy a dimensional travel card.
That's the difference between an unlucky peasant and a chosen lucky emperor.
C.C. needed 200 points for a round trip to Kumoko's world.
At her current rate, she'd be able to afford it in less than ten days.
And to buy more time for the Honkai Gakuen 2 story to begin, she needed to get Kiana out of that world—just temporarily.
There was only one world where she could send her.
Honkai Impact 3.
Without using the "Fated One" ability, members of the chat group can't access their unique power systems when traveling to other worlds.
A very reasonable restriction, really.
Take the Naruto world, for example—someone with the Rinnegan can use the Outer Path to summon souls from the Pure Land and resurrect the dead.
But if they travel to a different world, where the Pure Land doesn't exist or where the concept of souls is vague at best—it'd be pretty absurd to expect those powers to work normally, wouldn't it?
But for Kiana, things are different.
Honkai Impact 3rd is an exception!
As mentioned before, the worlds of Honkai Impact 2nd and 3rd are closely connected.
That connection means that just as Herrschers from Honkai 3rd can use their powers in Honkai Gakuen 2nd, the same goes in reverse.
Kiana from Honkai Gakuen 2nd can unleash her full power in Honkai 3rd.
In the timeline where Honkai Gakuen 2nd's Kiana currently exists, her father Siegfried is a powerful warrior from the Kaslana family, and her mother Cecilia is not only an S-rank Valkyrie, but also revered as a saint.
With such parents, Kiana trains hard every day to live up to their legacy.
She should be far stronger than the clumsy version from Honkai 3rd, with more than enough power to protect herself.
Even better—she could help prevent a Honkai outbreak.
Two birds with one stone!
Realizing this, C.C.'s gaze locked onto a familiar name in the group chat: Kiana Kaslana.
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[Nagami]: "Actually, the world I'm in right now… isn't my original one. Do you guys know the word 'isekai traveler'? Shiraori, you'd understand, right?"
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Compared to the secret of being a transmigrator, the existence of the chat group was nothing. Shiraori—that spider girl—had literally been reincarnated!
C.C. had no intention of hiding things from the group.
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[Shiraori]: "Isekai traveler!!! That explains why you know so much, Nagami!"
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In her previous life, Shiraori had been a full-on otaku. She immediately understood the word and everything it implied.
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[Yuzuriha Inori]: "Isekai… traveler?"
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Having spent a lot of time chatting privately with C.C., Inori responded quickly to Nagami's revelation.
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[Itsuka Kotori]: "Isekai traveler!?"
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Even though Kotori hadn't read many light novels, she still understood the term well enough.
Meanwhile, Akemi Homura quietly opened a search engine tab. Why does it feel like I'm the only one who doesn't get this?
Before becoming a magical girl, Homura had been the model student type—not the kind to binge light novels. After gaining her powers, she had no time for entertainment, endlessly caught in time loops trying to save Madoka.
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[Accelerator]: "Tch. I knew it. You're no ordinary person."
[Nagami]: "That's not important!"
[Nagami]: "What matters is this—@Kiana Kaslana, the world I'm in now has a very… unusual connection to yours."
[Nagami]: "It's not quite accurate, but you can think of it as being on a different timeline or worldline."
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Inside a training room, Kiana had just wrapped up her daily regimen.
Holding a water bottle, she caught her breath, sweat beading on her pale forehead.
Her sleeveless, close-fitting top showed off her toned figure—sleek, strong, and perfectly balanced.
She had spent the whole day here, moving from basic physical training to combat simulations.
She was determined to become a Valkyrie as powerful as her mother.
But as she checked the chat group and saw Nagami's message, her hand froze mid-sip.
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[Kiana Kaslana]: "This kind of thing..."
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She believed in the existence of the chat group, sure. But this felt way too coincidental.
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Nagami:[Photo attachment]
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"Cough cough…! Pffft—!"
Water sprayed from her mouth like a fountain as her eyes locked onto the image Nagami had sent. The shock hit her like a thunderclap—instant and overwhelming.
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Kiana Kaslana: "Th-this… this is—!!!"
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