"I-I didn't know it would be like this. I thought at most Ming Yu would be like last time and recover quickly. I never thought it would be so serious~" Kiana said with a sob, explaining what happened when Ming Yu unleashed "Dragon Abyss Death Prison" in the data space.
"What do we do now?" Kiana asked Bronya helplessly, looking at the unconscious Ming Yu.
"At this point, we should notify Major Himeko immediately," Bronya said gravely. In her heart, however, she felt that perhaps only the Principal would have a solution.
"Okay, okay," Kiana nodded and quickly called Himeko, who was out on a date somewhere.
Receiving Kiana's call, Himeko was floored. "I just told you guys to do some remedial lessons, and you managed to stir up this much trouble. Are you the protagonists of some story, finding trouble wherever you go?"
"H-Hey!" Kiana was frantic with anxiety. "Now is not the time, Auntie Himeko! Stop making jokes and get over here!"
"Alright, alright, I'm on my way," Himeko said, hanging up the phone. Her face turned grim as she abandoned her date. "Sorry, darling, it looks like our date will have to be cut short." Though she spoke apologetically, her face showed no hint of remorse. Without waiting for the man's reply, she threw down a few bills and left.
The handsome man she left behind was completely bewildered. The date had been going so well, and then a single phone call brought it to an end. Did she leave the gas on at home or something?
Getting into her car, Himeko started it with the speed of a professional race car driver. As for the speeding tickets, it was unlikely any traffic cop would dare to put one on the car of an A-rank Valkyrie from the Far East Branch. Despite her doubts about Ming Yu's identity, Himeko would not allow one of her students to get hurt under her watch.
As Himeko sped back to St. Freya, Ming Yu slowly regained consciousness.
The moment he opened his eyes, the still-groggy Ming Yu was startled by Kiana leaning in close.
"Kiana, what are you doing!" Ming Yu complained as he pushed Kiana's head away. While waking up to a white-haired furball was nice, the lack of warning made it more of a shock.
"Hmph!" Kiana slapped Ming Yu's hand off her head and asked with concern, "Stupid Ming Yu, how are you feeling now?"
"Huh?" It was only then that Ming Yu belatedly realized something was wrong. His head was throbbing, and his limbs were sore, feeling as if he had pulled an all-nighter gaming.
He tried hard to recall what had happened. Fragments of memory pieced themselves together, and the events from the data space replayed in his mind. Remembering the last thing he saw in the pavilion, Ming Yu's face changed. "So, my hair now is...?"
Bronya nodded in confirmation. "It has turned white. Does Brother Yu feel anything else is wrong?" Her tone was flat, but Ming Yu could feel the concern in her words.
"It's nothing serious, just a bit of fatigue," Ming Yu said, shaking his head. The loss of life force must have been significant, but the direct effect was just physical exhaustion. It would also have some impact on his future growth in strength.
However, the data space and reality were ultimately different. If this had happened in the real world, regardless of the long-term effects, he probably would have been bedridden for weeks. Anything less would be an insult to the life force he had lost.
"Ming Yu, I'm sorry. If I hadn't been so stubborn, you wouldn't have had to..." Kiana said with her head lowered, filled with guilt. Ming Yu had warned her so many times before, but she hadn't listened to a single word. This time, if it weren't for Ming Yu's sacrifice, she might have been the one lying there.
Bronya looked at Kiana with cold eyes, not saying a single word of blame or complaint, but her meaning was perfectly clear. Kiana had endangered everyone to save Kallen, ultimately forcing Ming Yu to sacrifice himself to resolve the crisis. In Bronya's view, this was not only reckless but also selfish.
For Bronya, who came from a military background, these were major transgressions, so she naturally wouldn't give Kiana a pleasant look.
Ming Yu waved his hand dismissively. "It has nothing to do with you. Saving Kallen was my decision too. I used that final move of my own free will. It's not your fault."
Although Ming Yu hadn't initially planned to sacrifice so much in a data space, when the time came, he still made an irrational choice.
The lost life force was gone for good. While Ming Yu felt a little regret, he didn't feel sorry. He knew that the most rational course of action at the time was to wait for Otto to intervene. With the help of the Godslayer Armor—White Knight: Moonlight—those Honkai Beasts would have been trivial. But he still chose to take them on himself. That was his stubbornness!
He always said Kiana was single-minded, but he never expected that when he got stubborn, he was even crazier than her, Ming Yu lamented.
"But..." Kiana said anxiously.
Seeing that Kiana wanted to say more, Ming Yu cut her off with a wave of his hand. "Alright, that's enough. It's over now. I'm a bit tired and want to rest."
Though still not convinced, Kiana could see that Ming Yu was not in good shape, so she didn't argue further and obediently left.
Bronya lagged a few steps behind. Just as she reached the door, she suddenly turned back and said, "Brother Yu is hiding something from us."
Looking into Bronya's bright eyes, Ming Yu felt a little flustered. *This girl's sixth sense is too sharp. What did she notice?*
"Haha~" Ming Yu scratched his head awkwardly. "How could that be? What would I have to..."
"Those Honkai Beasts," Bronya interrupted mercilessly. "Brother Yu must have had another way, right?" Though it was a question, the little loli's gaze was incredibly sharp, as if it could pierce right through a person's heart and see all their secrets.
*As I thought, expressionless lolis aren't cute at all. The dumb Kiana is much easier to fool,* Ming Yu thought with a wry smile.
"It's related to that Otto, isn't it? Bronya saw him in the data space," seeing Ming Yu's hesitation, Bronya continued. "He's different from the Otto in the data space. It was the Overseer of Schicksal—Otto Apocalypse."
Ming Yu's heart skipped a beat. *So Otto had already appeared in the data space, and he was just about to make a move.* But, at the last moment, he had interrupted Otto, not giving him the chance.
Besides his dislike for Otto, another reason Ming Yu chose to bear the burden himself was that Godslayer Armor—White Knight: Moonlight, an armor that was strange in every respect.
The prototype fourth-generation Valkyrie Godslayer armor was different from the previous third-generation armors. It was designed exclusively for S-rank Valkyries to combat Herrscher-level enemies. Each set of Godslayer Armor was custom-designed for a specific S-rank Valkyrie, such as Shadow Knight: Moonwheel for Fu Hua, and Argent Knight: Artemis for Rita.
However, as a fellow Godslayer Armor, White Knight: Moonlight was exceptionally bizarre.
First was the insignia on its chest. In the Anti-Entropy Invasion arc, it had changed into the symbol of the Queen of Thunder due to the influence of the Herrscher of Thunder's power. In the Moon Shadow arc, it changed into the symbol of the Herrscher of Death due to the influence of the Gem of Serenity. But its initial form was the Kaslana family crest. The C-rank Kiana had no ability to influence it, which meant it was designed that way from the very beginning. This indicated that White Knight: Moonlight was specifically made for someone in the Kaslana family.
Then there was Kiana's unnaturally high compatibility with White Knight: Moonlight. Each set of armor was tailored to the specific characteristics of a Valkyrie, making it nearly impossible for a second person to use it. Yet, Kiana's compatibility with White Knight was so high it was as if White Knight: Moonlight was made purely for her.
It was these oddities that made Ming Yu subconsciously resist Otto summoning White Knight: Moonlight and resist Kiana coming into contact with this armor. Although he didn't know the inside story, Ming Yu was certain there was something very complicated going on.