When Mei, with some effort, slew the Honkai Beast before her with MagStorm, the battle finally came to a close.
With the battle over, Mei sheathed her tachi and looked at her two companions, noticing a trace of unease in their expressions.
"I feel like something's wrong."
Mei turned her head, glanced at the corpse of the Honkai Beast on the ground, and then asked Fu Hua softly.
"Class Rep Fu Hua. In this period, we've already been attacked three times by Honkai Beasts and Honkai Zombies."
"But..."
"But the enemies weren't as strong as you imagined, were they?"
Fu Hua scanned her surroundings before posing a question to Bronya.
"Bronya, can you detect the general trend of change in the surrounding Honkai Energy intensity?"
"Bronya has been monitoring continuously."
Bronya, using the chip in her brain for analysis and detection, frowned and spoke to the other two.
"From the time we parted ways with Brother Leo and the others until now, the Honkai Energy intensity index on our side has actually... been rising???"
"As I thought."
This was the exterior of Chiyou. If they were getting closer to Chiyou's body, the Honkai Energy here would have been slowly absorbed by it over the years.
However, they had been walking in this direction and were now nearing the end, yet the Honkai Energy intensity was still rising. This could only mean one thing—they had definitely gone the wrong way.
Precisely because this place was relatively far from Chiyou's body, even if Chiyou could absorb the Honkai Energy here, it couldn't do so as perfectly as it could at close range.
And because of this, the overflowing Honkai Energy transformed into the enemies that appeared before them.
"Let's go back. Something big has happened."
After completing her deductions, Fu Hua immediately prepared to return the way they came.
"If I'm not mistaken, Leo Ash, Kiana, and Yuna's side is where—Who's there!"
Suddenly sensing a slight stir in the air, Fu Hua shot a highly vigilant gaze towards a large boulder.
Siegfried, who had been stealthily hiding nearby, sighed helplessly and had no choice but to step out from behind the rock.
*Can't be helped, I was too careless.*
*I didn't expect that hearing Kiana's name would cause such a slight fluctuation in my body and aura, yet this Valkyrie still detected it.*
"Haha, ladies, don't mind me. I mean no harm."
"Especially you, Mei."
Seeing Mei's slightly surprised expression, Siegfried said with a grin.
"Seeing that you're really okay, I can finally rest easy."
"Uncle Siegfried???"
After seeing Siegfried's grinning face, Mei was about to ask in pleasant surprise why he was here.
But considering he was also handling Honkai-related matters in Nagazora City last time, Mei felt there was no need to ask such an obvious question.
And...
Glancing at Fu Hua, who was still on high alert, Mei knew that trouble had arrived.
Although Lord Bishop Otto had previously lifted Siegfried's arrest warrant throughout Schicksal, Mei was no fool.
She could see that Lord Bishop Otto lifted the warrant largely to appease Kiana, who had returned to Schicksal.
The problem was, as the former strongest Divine Key wielder in Schicksal, Uncle Siegfried must have had his own reasons for choosing to defect back then.
Thinking from this angle, there must be a huge conflict between Uncle Siegfried and Lord Bishop Otto, and this conflict was definitely not something that could be erased just because 'Lord Bishop Otto lifted the warrant'.
Under these circumstances, it wasn't so hard to understand why Class Rep Fu Hua, as a Schicksal Valkyrie, was wary of Uncle Siegfried.
*What a headache. Is Class Rep going to fight Uncle Siegfried here?*
After stealing a glance at Fu Hua, Mei recalled the memory fragment that had appeared in her mind and felt that this situation was even more off.
*No, I have to stop Class Rep now.*
*If she really fights Uncle Siegfried, she's definitely not going to have a good time!*
"Oh my, oh my, don't stare at me like that, miss Valkyrie."
Looking at Fu Hua's guarded stance, Siegfried spoke to her in a very relaxed manner.
"I remember that mutt Otto should have already rescinded my arrest warrant within Schicksal, right?"
"In that case, I'm no longer an enemy of your Schicksal forces."
"Hmph, who knows what you're really thinking."
Fu Hua cautiously assumed a stance, not daring to let her guard down in the slightest.
Although she had worn the mask that came with the Argent Knight: Artemis battlesuit last time, its concealing effect... could only be said to be better than nothing.
If Siegfried decided to start a fight because she was Otto's direct subordinate Valkyrie, then Fu Hua certainly had to be prepared for battle against a master of Siegfried's caliber.
Moreover, the current Siegfried was clearly stronger than when he was in his previously weakened state.
Not only was his severed arm healed, but the color had also returned to his face.
*That's right.*
*After unleashing the Judgment of Shamash in Nagazora City, even if Siegfried could continue to move, it was impossible for him to have the same terrifying combat power as when he joined forces with the First Herrscher.*
*As expected, he has already met with the First Herrscher somewhere we don't know, and the First Herrscher used his authority to create Abyss Flower and heal his body.*
*In that case, it's understandable why the First Herrscher became so weak—after all, he is a Herrscher who forcibly used his core. Creating a Divine Key through the authority of the Herrscher of Reason must have placed too great a burden on him.*
"Alright, alright."
Raising his hands in resignation, Siegfried moved them away from the drawing range of the Judgment of Shamash and spoke to Fu Hua helplessly.
"I really have no intention of fighting you Schicksal Valkyries."
"Just a moment ago, deep in Jiuyou, I saw a Valkyrie named Rita Rossweisse, also carrying out her mission in Jiuyou."
"Miss Rita?"
Mei froze for a moment upon hearing the name.
"Isn't she an S-rank Valkyrie?"
"That's right. As an S-rank Valkyrie, she knows I'm not an enemy, and more importantly, she knows there's no time for nonsense with me right now. So—what about you all?"
*He has a point.*
Listening to Siegfried's words, Fu Hua indeed didn't detect the slightest hint of hostility.
*After all, this guy is also a Kaslana. The Kaslana family may not always be reliable, but they can distinguish right from wrong when it matters.*
*Just as he said, there's no need for us to waste each other's time with such pointless suspicion.*
"You're right, but I'm still very curious."
Fu Hua, having already lowered her hostility, asked Siegfried calmly.
"Why are you here—please state your purpose. Only after we know your intentions can we judge whether you are our enemy or not."
"Oh, that's simple."
Thinking of his objective, Siegfried took a deep breath, a trace of anger and... killing intent appearing on his face.
Yes, at that moment, all three of them saw a flash of unconcealed killing intent on the face of the previously jovial Siegfried.
Even knowing that this killing intent wasn't directed at them, the three of them still took a step back in unison.
"Uncle Siegfried, you... what's wrong?"
"Ah, my apologies, my apologies."
Realizing he had lost control of his emotions, Siegfried awkwardly scratched the back of his head and returned to his playful expression.
"It's just that whenever I think of Cocolia, I find myself getting a little angry."
"I received intelligence that Cocolia would be sending people to Jiuyou, so I thought I'd come here to try my luck. But..."
Looking at the expressions of the three, Siegfried sighed helplessly.
"It seems the three of you haven't encountered the subordinates Cocolia dispatched here, have you?"
"No."
After hearing Mei's reply, Siegfried nodded in disappointment, then suddenly spoke to Mei seriously.
"Then I'll continue with my mission. Mei, by the way, I have something to tell you."
"That kid Ryoma is still alive and well. Oh, right..."
Taking a letter from his coat, Siegfried tossed it towards Mei.
"He guessed the signal might be bad here, so he wrote a personal letter in advance for me to give to you when I had the chance."
"Really???"
Catching the letter, Mei's face lit up as she said to Siegfried.
"Thank you, Uncle!"
"Alright, I won't disturb you any longer. But..."
After a deep look, Siegfried suddenly said to Bronya.
"Little girl, take care of yourself."
After saying this baffling sentence to Mei, Siegfried departed from their sight.
"Bronya..."
Looking at the slightly dejected Bronya, Mei thought for a moment and then suddenly said to her.
"No matter what, we're your companions. If you run into any trouble you can't solve, you can tell us, and we'll help you find a way."
Looking into the girl's clear eyes, Bronya understood that Raiden Mei's words were not disingenuous.
On the contrary, Raiden Mei had noticed that something was off with Bronya's allegiances, yet she still earnestly treated her as a companion.
Mei didn't ask why Siegfried had said those things to Bronya, also because she considered that Bronya might have her own unspoken difficulties, which is why she chose not to press the issue.
This gentle act of consideration for others made Bronya feel—that she couldn't face Mei's sincere gaze even more.
"Bronya... is fine."
After saying this, Bronya suddenly turned to Fu Hua.
"But I can't say the same for Brother Leo and the others."
"Schicksal has already dispatched an S-rank Valkyrie. That clearly means this mission isn't as simple as we thought."
"Yes, Rita... even she is here. This mission is indeed more difficult than we imagined."
After a moment of contemplation, Fu Hua immediately quickened her pace, heading as fast as she could in the general direction of Leo Ash and the others.
"Right now, Leo Ash's side is likely where we need to go."
"And since we didn't encounter Cocolia's troops here, it means there's a high probability Cocolia's troops went to attack Leo Ash and the others."
"And if there are enough Titans, then Leo Ash and the others..."
Fu Hua didn't continue, but for the two following behind her, her meaning was clear enough.
According to Schicksal's official database, the strength of Titan mechs was not entirely uniform.
However, most of the Titan mechs that had appeared so far had strength between that of a B-rank and an A-rank Valkyrie.
As Leo Ash's companions, the three of them certainly knew that Leo Ash's ability to resolve the Third Eruption in Nagazora City was the result of multiple factors.
At that time, Siegfried had depleted the Herrscher of Thunder's power, and Leo Ash had the HSN serum. Under these two conditions, Leo Ash was able to find an opportunity to hit the Herrscher of Thunder with a potent dose, using the serum to knock her out.
He didn't possess the power to fight a Herrscher one-on-one and succeed. In fact, in Bronya and Fu Hua's eyes, it would be a blessing if Leo Ash's current personal strength was even at A-rank.
As for the equipment Leo Ash was wearing, apart from the Star Ring Vortex that Otto had swiped from ME Corp, the combat armor he wore was not the third-generation Valkyrie armor used by Kiana, Bronya, and Mei.
It wasn't that Otto himself was stingy, but primarily because...
—Most of the Valkyrie armor he led the development of was designed with the premise that the user was female.
This wasn't Otto's fault. After all—Schicksal had male knights, but the problem was there were very few of them. Why would Otto spend energy developing and manufacturing male knight armor?
For this very reason, the armor Leo Ash himself was currently wearing was a second-generation set left behind by other male knights who had died in battle.
At least until Otto completed the development of third-generation male knight armor, Leo Ash could only make do with that set of second-generation armor.
And now, with Leo Ash's own strength, plus this set of...
Well, Fu Hua didn't want to belittle Leo Ash too much.
But the problem was, if you can't win, you can't win.
If there were more than ten Titans, Leo Ash and the others would be in trouble.
And if something happened to someone around Kiana...
*Could it be that Otto planned to trigger a large-scale Honkai Eruption here in Jiuyou from the very beginning?*
*Wait, that's right. Am I an idiot?!*
Suddenly thinking of a certain possibility, Fu Hua's expression turned even uglier.
No matter how strong Chiyou was, it was no match for a Herrscher while sealed, and what Sirin lacked most was enough Honkai Energy to squander.
If Chiyou remained sealed and Sirin awakened here, wouldn't the end result be Sirin absorbing enough Honkai Energy and then fighting the people around Kiana?
All the elements were in place. Even with me here, Otto still dispatched Rita to this place.
He had already prepared his backup plan, and the Hyperion was still outside...
*This guy is serious.*
*How dare he—how dare he suddenly launch such a plan in a place like Jiuyou!*
At that moment, an unquenchable fire of rage ignited in Fu Hua's heart.
*Otto's deal with me was to protect Shenzhou. And for these five hundred years, his so-called protection of Shenzhou was to mess with all the surrounding countries while leaving Shenzhou untouched, establishing friendly diplomatic relations with it.*
*I reluctantly accepted that as protecting Shenzhou, but this guy, Otto, actually has the nerve to push his luck!*
*This isn't Schicksal's sphere of influence. If something happens... because this is Shenzhou, I will definitely be forced to help him complete his plan with all my strength to ensure Shenzhou's safety.*
*So that's how it is.*
*I should have known... no, I've known it from the very beginning.*
*Otto Apocalypse cannot be trusted.*
*Even after I've figured these things out, when I confront him with my doubts, Otto will surely say with a light laugh, 'You're overthinking it, my old friend,' or 'It's really a coincidence.'*
*He appears patient, but in reality, he's long been unable to wait.*
*If something happens to Kiana here, he will absolutely go with the flow...*
*—and use Shenzhou as the initial testing ground for his 'Herrscher awakening' plan!*
...
Meanwhile, on the other side, Leo Ash and the others finally felt that something was wrong after continuing forward for some time.
Just now, Yuna had confirmed one thing again.
As they advanced, the intensity of the Honkai Energy around them had begun to increase rapidly.
Upon hearing this news, Leo Ash felt that his previous thoughts had been too optimistic.
He didn't know if Fu Hua's side had problems.
But his side, for sure, was the depths of Jiuyou mentioned in the story.
To be honest, Leo Ash, sitting in the wheelchair right now, really didn't want to take another step forward.
It was obvious that it was full of danger inside. For him to go in like this...
Being pushed in and then carried out with just a breath left would be considered a victory.
But if he didn't go in now, firstly, it would be out of character, and secondly—the survival crisis was right in front of him. Running was useless.
"Senior, I think... it should be very dangerous ahead."
After discovering that her vines withered on the spot upon approaching this area, Yuna cautiously retreated to Kiana and Leo Ash's side.
"Even vines created by Herrscher powers wither instantly in this vicinity. This is enough to show that the Honkai Energy intensity in this place is ridiculously high."
"Moving in an environment with such a high concentration of Honkai Energy, I'm a Herrscher so it's fine, but you two..."
"This young lady is fine too, Yuna, don't underestimate me."
Sensing the surrounding Honkai Energy concentration, Kiana said without a care.
"This young lady is a warrior of the Kaslana family, I already have strong resistance to Honkai Energy. It's just Senior who..."
"'Just Senior' what?"
Jumping up from the wheelchair, Leo Ash composed himself and put on an excited expression.
"If I let you two go in alone, I'm afraid you'd die out there before you even reach the destination—don't look at me like that."
Under the gazes of the two, which screamed 'You're not even healed and you're going to be reckless again!', Leo Ash said very naturally.
"I was just pretending to be weak to bait a fish, but no one took the bait—that can only mean either there are no enemies around, or the enemies are too smart to be fooled."
"Whichever the case, there's no need for me to keep up the pretense. So—I said, stop looking at me like that, I'm really fine."
"...Sigh, forget it."
Seeing Leo Ash's eager look, Kiana said with great helplessness.
"I hope you're really okay."
"Relax, I've said it before."
Leo Ash, striding forward, spoke calmly to the two behind him.
"I, Leo Ash, am really afraid of dying."
*If you're so afraid of dying, why are you walking in front?*
*If you're so afraid of dying, why do you look so eager???*
At that moment, the two behind Leo Ash exchanged a look and saw the deep helplessness in each other's eyes.
But after a glance, they could only follow in Leo Ash's footsteps.
They couldn't stop Leo Ash anyway, so besides following him, there was nothing else they could do.
By following Leo Ash now, at least they could try to pull him back when he acted recklessly.
If Leo Ash was fine, that would be for the best. But if something really happened—Yuna could create a new wheelchair in time, allowing Kiana to use the thrusters on her White Comet armor to push Leo Ash and quickly retreat from the battlefield.
As for Leo Ash, who was at the front, he truly felt that—he still didn't want to go forward.
*Ugh, so annoying.*
*This feeling of being forced to jump into a trap is really uncomfortable.*
*System, you got nothing better to do? Come out and chat.*
*System?*
*Holy crap.*
Discovering that even the System wasn't responding, Leo Ash instantly understood his predicament.
*This is bad, there are enemies nearby.*
*And right now, I can't even sense their location.*
*Thinking about it, the enemies in the early stages of Honkai Impact 3rd who know how to hide themselves...*
*There don't seem to be many who would show up in Jiuyou.*
*Could it be...*
Just as Leo Ash was frantically thinking about this, he suddenly felt that something seemed to be wrong with the ground around him.
Because in the original story, Murata Himeko was sucked into a wall to another part of Jiuyou, Leo Ash had been deliberately avoiding the walls as he moved forward.
But now, he knew, he had really been mistaken.
The plot of the original story could be used as a reference, but ultimately, it only represented the perspective of the main characters in Jiuyou.
In reality, Jiuyou was fraught with dangers, for instance, right now...
"Watch out, under our feet—"
"We're sinking???"
At that moment, Yuna finally realized there was a reason her vines had withered instantly here.
There was a trap here, and of course, a place full of traps wouldn't allow a 'detector' to function properly.
And now, before the three of them could say anything after noticing the anomaly, they were instantly swallowed by the ground beneath their feet.
....
Several minutes ago. The depths of Jiuyou.
After solving all the puzzles, Rita Rossweisse arrived before the golden sword she had found, quietly gazing at the divine sword of Shenzhou.
As an S-rank Valkyrie, Rita naturally had access to some information in the database that others couldn't see.
The Xuanyuan Sword before her, or rather, the Key of Domination, was actually a [Divine Key], a special weapon created using a Herrscher Core in the Previous Era, just like the Abyss Flower wielded by Durandal.
However, according to the records, the [Key of Domination], made from the core of the Herrscher of Domination, couldn't be compared to other Divine Keys in terms of strength due to the Herrscher of Domination's characteristics.
Yet even so, this weapon was still an extremely powerful armament.
Rita herself did not covet this weapon.
Her reason for choosing to solve the puzzles and attempt to take this weapon away was, frankly, because she was worried it would be taken by someone else if left here.
If Anti-Entropy got their hands on a Divine Key, her actions would be tantamount to aiding the enemy.
Although Otto wouldn't say much about it on the surface, but...
*Sigh, Lord Bishop is so suspicious. If he finds out the Divine Key was right in front of me and I didn't retrieve it, he'll probably become suspicious all over again.*
*Moreover, Mr. Siegfried already knows I'm operating here. If he encounters Leo and the others outside and reveals my presence, then I will have failed to fulfill Lord Bishop Otto's requirement that 'Durandal and Leo Ash cannot know about your participation in this mission.'*
*What a headache. This mission is filled with all sorts of dangers.*
*And most importantly...*
*—This Xuanyuan Sword... just by looking at it directly, I can feel an ominous Honkai Energy coiled around the blade.*
*This Honkai Energy is so strong that I feel as if merely touching it would cause it to seize my mind.*
*This is truly difficult.*
*If my feeling about this sword is real, then I have even more reason not to leave it here.*
*If people from Anti-Entropy get this sword, they will be controlled by it and start causing chaos.*
*If the ones who touch the sword are Leo and the others...*
*If Leo gets the sword, he will be dominated by it, and in the end, Lady Fu Hua will have no choice but to lead a team to suppress him.*
*In that situation, Leo will definitely be injured, and Lady Fu Hua might also have to reveal her true strength, creating a flaw in Lord Bishop Otto's plan.*
*If Miss Mei or Miss Yuna gets the sword, and their minds go out of control, it will result in a Herrscher manifestation.*
*And if the one who gets the sword is Miss Kiana...*
*That would be the worst-case scenario.*
After analyzing the situation for a bit, Rita surprisingly found that her taking the Xuanyuan Sword and trying to suppress its power with her own strength might actually be the best solution.
At that moment, Rita deactivated her Godsbane Armor and gently moved her finger closer to the divine sword, which was tinged with an ominous, evil aura.
*If I can suppress the power of this sword, then all problems will be solved.*
*If I can't suppress the power of this sword, then...*
*As someone who specializes in using a scythe, my proficiency with the Xuanyuan Sword will be somewhat weaker.*
*And after being controlled by the sword, although my Honkai Energy intensity will increase, my combat experience and skills will decline.*
*When Leo and the others come in and see my disgraceful state, they will also learn how terrifying this sword is.*
*In that case, Lady Fu Hua, as someone in the know, will at least not let Miss Kiana touch this sword, preventing the situation from reaching an irreversible point.*
At this time, Rita was still unaware that even before touching the sword, just by standing here, her thoughts had already been affected.
Having already exposed her own presence, it was clear that either hiding and observing the situation or waiting for the others to arrive and then warning them of the sword's danger would be much better options than touching the Key of Domination herself.
But now, Rita, whose thoughts were being influenced, could no longer act with normal reasoning and rationality.
The moment she touched the hilt of the sword, Rita instantly felt a power surge from the Divine Key into her body.
And in the next instant...
—The clothes on Rita's body also changed due to the power of the Xuanyuan Sword.
The protective suit she was wearing, the [Umbral Rose], had, under the influence of Honkai Energy, transformed into a torn, rose-colored short skirt.
And on her head, the rose-colored lamb's horn katyusha had been replaced by a playful-looking black top hat.
Even though such a bizarre change of attire had occurred, the current Rita showed not a single trace of surprise.
For her, at this moment, the fact that her clothes had become more revealing and risque was not something she needed to be concerned about.
For the current Rita Rossweisse, what she truly wanted to do was, of course...
"Ah, what was I just thinking... oh, right."
"This child, Leo, is so disobedient. There are clearly so many other ways to fight against the Honkai."
A smile that made one feel extremely uncomfortable suddenly appeared on the face of Rita, who was now holding the greatsword.
"Faced with such a disobedient child... on second thought, I can't just keep indulging him."
"Since he wants to go and fight the Honkai, then I can only use other methods to stop him."
"As long as I beat him until he can't move, and make him realize his own powerlessness and weakness, my Leo..."
"—will surely become that good little boy again, hehe."
....