Surveying the scorched earth left behind by the railgun blast, Ming Yu stepped onto the still-warm ground with his silver combat boots and couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh.
Before the Hyperion's main cannon struck, he was certain he had interfered with the Star of Eden's operation, but he couldn't be sure of the outcome of the bombardment.
After the blinding golden pillar of light dissipated, only a stretch of scorched blackness remained on the scene. The figures of Welt and Einstein had long since vanished.
If he were fully prepared, Ming Yu was confident that the railgun couldn't harm him. But if he had to take it head-on without any preparation, he would likely not fare well.
However, Welt was the First Herrscher, after all.
If it had been the Hyperion's true main cannon, Murata Himeko, there might have been a chance of keeping him there. But if it was just the railgun...
Shaking his head, Ming Yu cast these thoughts aside. He had already done everything he could. If even this couldn't harm Einstein, he could only give up for now.
The battle with Welt made Ming Yu keenly aware of the gap between himself and a true Herrscher. It was a chasm that was almost insurmountable.
He had to use his full strength to block a casual strike from Welt. And once Welt unleashed his ultimate move, he could only teleport to escape.
If Ming Yu hadn't hidden the Lunar Abyss's spatial ability until the very end, he probably wouldn't have even been able to escape. The same trick doesn't work twice on the Herrscher of Reason.
In today's battle, Welt had almost zero prior knowledge of Ming Yu and held no killing intent towards him, seemingly treating it as a lesson for a junior.
In contrast, Ming Yu had repeatedly gone over all the intelligence he had on Welt in his mind and had even exploited his concern for Einstein, practically scheming against him from beginning to end. Yet even so, Ming Yu could only manage a narrow victory by a single move in the end, and he still didn't know if this was just Welt's ploy to escape.
The difference in their strength was too great, reaching a point where strategy could no longer compensate.
Of course, if Ming Yu were to empty the Far East Branch's entire heavy weapons arsenal without reservation, the result might be different. But if he did that, St. Freya would be completely gone, the entire artificial island would likely be wiped off the map, and he himself would certainly not survive the missile barrage.
Letting out a faint sigh, Ming Yu deactivated the Lunar Abyss armor, leaning on the Dustless Sword, which appeared massive in its sheath. He glanced at the white-haired nun who had appeared at some point and asked blandly, "What business does the Principal have here so late at night?"
Hearing Ming Yu's resentful tone, Theresa immediately felt a surge of anger. If the commotion here hadn't been so huge, would she have needed to rush over in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?
But upon seeing Ming Yu's still-crimson eyes, the Principal couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
She had already learned the situation from Mei and naturally knew the cause of Ming Yu's anger. An injury that forced Higokumaru to retreat into the Key of Corruption to recuperate couldn't be explained away as a simple misunderstanding.
And at this point in time, she had formed a secret alliance with the invading Anti-Entropy, which made her feel inevitably weaker when facing Ming Yu.
"As the Principal, with such a fierce battle happening here, I'm of course here to care for my students!"
Forcing a smile, Theresa tried to use a cheerful tone to mask her guilt.
"Is that so?" A sneer appeared on his face as Ming Yu shifted into a more comfortable position, leaning against the Dustless Sword. "I thought the Principal was here to show concern for the invaders from Anti-Entropy."
"As the Principal, how could I possibly care about invaders?"
A hint of anger appeared on her lovely face as Theresa glared at Ming Yu and snapped.
"Because..." Ming Yu revealed a mysterious smile and said slowly, "The ones standing here just now were the Sovereign of Anti-Entropy, Welt, and the executor, Dr. Einstein."
Upon hearing this, the expression on Theresa's face immediately froze.
They were here just a moment ago, but disappeared after the Hyperion's railgun attack landed. There were many possibilities, but if the result truly pointed to the worst one, then relations with Anti-Entropy would be completely beyond repair.
Although Cocolia was also present from Anti-Entropy when the alliance was formed, she didn't quite trust that "Mother Fox". But if Einstein really died at St. Freya, then that matter Anti-Entropy had mentioned would...
"What happened to them?"
Meeting Ming Yu's gaze, which seemed to see right into her soul, Theresa couldn't help but guiltily lower her head, her tone growing weaker.
"I don't know. They probably escaped. After all, I don't have the ability to hold a Herrscher here."
With a purse of his lips, Ming Yu spoke in a casual tone, but the regret in his voice was impossible to hide.
Hearing Ming Yu's words, Theresa's heart immediately relaxed. But as if remembering something, the Principal's brow furrowed at once, and she said sternly, "So, you hijacked the Hyperion and even hacked into St. Freya's air defense system?"
To be able to hijack the Hyperion and fire its main cannon in such a short time, and even disable St. Freya's air defense system, allowing that railgun shot to land on the island without any obstruction—unbeknownst to her, Ming Yu's development of the Key of Corruption had already reached such a stage.
The thought of those troublesome reports gave Theresa a headache. Although she had already decided to make Himeko work overtime to handle the paperwork after she returned, that awful feeling didn't lessen.
What Ming Yu had done had far exceeded the authority he possessed. Although his purpose was to harm the invaders, the circumstances were extremely serious. It would not be an exaggeration to charge him with treason.
Moreover, Theresa, who understood Ming Yu, could vaguely sense that he probably wasn't acting for the safety of St. Freya. More likely, it was simply to vent the anger in his heart.
After all, the true target of Anti-Entropy's invasion this time was actually her, not to capture the Third Herrscher or destroy St. Freya.
After achieving their operational objective, given Einstein's usual conservative style, it was unlikely she would easily start a conflict with Ming Yu. But Ming Yu, in his state of rage, was very likely to see Einstein and the ones who destroyed St. Freya as being on the same side.
"That's right." Facing the Principal's questioning, Ming Yu admitted it frankly. "So, how does the Principal intend to punish me?"
With a playful smile on his lips, Ming Yu showed no worry on his face. He naturally knew he had overstepped his bounds. But, did he care?
The glory of Schicksal, the duty of a Valkyrie—he had never cared about any of it. From beginning to end, Ming Yu had never truly identified with his status in Schicksal. All he cared about were the things he liked.
In a sense, Ming Yu was a thoroughly selfish person, and would inevitably be a betrayer.
Looking at the nonchalant Ming Yu, Theresa fell silent for a moment.