St. Freya, dormitory area. After a day of training, the Valkyrie girls finally had some time to relax.
How the other Valkyries spent this time was their own business, but for the gaming addict Bronya, games and teammates were not to be forsaken.
"By the way, Ming Yu and Major Himeko, they should be back tonight, right?"
Placing the cut fruit on the coffee table, Mei asked Higokumaru.
"Mhm, it's a bit late, but it should be today."
Replying in a low voice, the pink-haired girl glanced guiltily at the book she had left open on the side. A struggle flashed in her eyes, but she ultimately couldn't resist turning her gaze back to the game screen.
Normally, it was Kiana who played games with Bronya, but today the white-haired fluffball had been dragged off for extra training by the grumpy Principal, leaving Bronya unexpectedly short of a teammate!
Although Metal Gear Bronya had always been someone who played multiplayer games like single-player games, this was a cooperative multiplayer game after all. To ensure the game could proceed according to the rules, Higokumaru resolutely decided to join Bronya. Yes, it was definitely not because she wanted to slack off.
"Higokumaru, come and get your share of the items. Bronya has taken down another mini-boss."
Glancing at her distracted teammate, Bronya issued the command expressionlessly, though her gray eyes shone with an exceptional brilliance.
"Oh, oh~"
Pulling her wandering attention back, Higokumaru realized that in the brief moment she'd been distracted, a pile of items had appeared next to her character.
"But, is it really okay for us to use Ming Yu's things like this?"
Looking at the two girls engrossed in the game, Mei's face showed a hint of worry. Although she knew Ming Yu wasn't a petty person, using someone's house when the owner wasn't home was still impolite.
Yes, before Ming Yu had returned, the three girls had come to his apartment in advance. The most important reason was the high-end gaming console set up here.
According to the expert, Bronya, only the gaming console here could provide her with the ultimate gaming experience at St. Freya.
The reason for this was that the girls' proposal to install a gaming console in Himeko's apartment had been rejected by the owner of the house. In all of St. Freya, only Ming Yu had the leisure to install such a gaming console in his own room. Although he was rarely at St. Freya later on for various reasons, his gaming equipment was top-notch at the academy.
Looking at the gaming console before her, Bronya couldn't help but fall silent. She wasn't worried that Ming Yu would mind, as they had already given him a heads-up about it. But at this moment, the girl's mind couldn't help but start calculating the feasibility of moving out of Himeko's apartment. If she lived alone, she would definitely assemble an even more superior set of equipment...
Just as the girl was lost in thought, a slow and steady knocking sound suddenly rang out, standing out clearly against the game's background music.
"I'll get it..."
Looking at her two companions connected to the gaming console, Mei sighed and got up to walk towards the main door.
"Excuse me, is this Mr. Ming Yu's residence?"
The heavy brown wooden door opened, revealing the face of an unfamiliar man.
"That's right," looking at the stranger before her, a trace of doubt appeared in Mei's eyes, "but you are..."
"There's a delivery for him here. Please have him sign for it."
While saying this, the man's hands remained stuck in his pockets, showing no intention of taking them out.
"Oh? And what delivery might that be?"
Taking half a step back, Mei said with a smile, though her eyes were filled with deep vigilance. If she remembered correctly, regular delivery personnel were not qualified to enter St. Freya.
"Hehehe~" Noticing that the other two girls in the room had also turned their gazes here, the man suddenly grinned. "Of course, greetings from Anti-Entropy!"
As soon as his voice fell, black spheres instantly materialized behind him. A terrifying amount of Honkai Energy raged, and the exterior wall of the house was instantly reduced to rubble.
The man's gaze swept wantonly over the three girls. The primary target, the Third Herrscher, must be captured. Cocolia's daughter could be let go this time. The secondary target didn't seem to be present, but the pink-haired one should be his follower; taking her back would be a decent prize.
Having quickly made his calculations, the smile on the man's lips grew wider.
......
Tens of kilometers high in the sky above St. Freya, two floating warships were flying at a uniform and swift speed. The larger of the two was silver-white, none other than the Far East Branch's trump card warship—the Hyperion.
In contrast to the massive Hyperion, the other gray warship was only just over a hundred meters long, not even half the size of the Hyperion. In terms of passenger capacity, it was also far inferior to the Far East Branch's ace.
At this moment, on this small floating warship, apart from the few Valkyries necessary to operate it, the personnel were pitifully scarce.
"Nemesis..."
Leaning back in the swivel chair in the captain's room, Ming Yu murmured in a low voice.
That's right, Nemesis, that was the name of this warship. In Greek mythology, it was the name of the goddess of retribution, who held the divine duty of punishing sinners.
And this warship was also one of Otto's gifts to him. Although it was nominally a prize for the winner, Ming Yu knew very well in his heart that this was something Otto had specially built for him.
The most advanced power system, a top-tier training system, complete living facilities, powerful defensive capabilities, and an extremely weak long-range weapon system all made this warship more like a private base than a steel weapon.
On this warship, the only thing that could be considered a fighting force was he himself. But with this, Ming Yu essentially had a mobile base, allowing him to travel freely around the world.
Of course, complete freedom was impossible. Things like fuel and passage permits would still greatly restrict his movements.
Just like now, even the personnel operating the warship were temporarily transferred from Himeko's Squad 5. Otherwise, Ming Yu wouldn't even know how to fly the Nemesis back to the Far East Branch.
And to match the warship, Otto had also given him the establishment of an elite squad.
Inverse Feather Squad, that was the Valkyrie squad that would soon belong to him.
Feathers that fly against the wind, even if it's an overestimation of one's own strength, they will do so without hesitation!
The application to establish the squad had already been approved by headquarters and sent down to the Far East Branch. Although Ming Yu had not yet received a final reply, he knew that Theresa would not refuse.
A squad that clearly belonged to the Far East Branch, yet the notification came from headquarters, and even the warship was from headquarters. The meaning behind it was self-evident.
But since she already knew that Ming Yu would not belong to the Far East Branch, compared to him leaving immediately, this result was already much better. So even if Theresa felt helpless, she would not refuse.
"But, it's inevitable that we'll become more distant..."
Sighing, Ming Yu's heart couldn't help but feel a little more troubled. If he could, he would also like to stay at St. Freya, live a peaceful and stable life, play games with Bronya from time to time, and taste Mei's and Higokumaru's cooking when he was hungry.
But in this world where the Honkai existed, this was just a dream so extravagant that it was a luxury even to imagine.
Suddenly, Ming Yu's expression changed drastically. Jizo Mitama hastily materialized before his eyes.
His right hand gripped the hilt of the black longsword tightly. A faint call entered his mind from the Divine Key, but an endless wave of panic instantly flooded Ming Yu's heart, as if his very heart had stopped beating.
His night-black eyes turned into a boundless sea of blood. Veins popped on his right hand gripping the longsword. Ming Yu clenched his teeth and slowly spat out a few words.
"Anti-Entropy... is... invading!"