The Kiana of today, K423, is the Sirin of the past?
Hearing this news, Theresa's first reaction was—Grandpa must be insane, he's actually resurrecting a Herrscher?!
Then, in the next second, she suddenly felt a sense of calm.
Oh, right. This was indeed something her grandfather would do.
Although it defied logic and reason, considering that Siegfried and Cecilia had already won the battle, only to be met with a fission missile from headquarters, everything seemed to make sense.
As for Siegfried, he noticed the slight change in Theresa's expression and sighed softly.
"I know this news might be a bit hard for you to accept, but it's the truth."
"Back then, after I obtained that intelligence, I was originally planning to swallow my anger for Kiana's safety."
"But in the end, Kiana encouraged me, which gave me the idea to take K423 away from Otto."
"But later, there was an accident, and Kiana also... anyway, in the end, I found that the kid K423 wasn't inherently bad, so I gave her Kiana's name and identity."
Looking at Theresa, Siegfried thought for a moment and decided not to reveal the information about Bianka.
Siegfried wasn't a smart man, but after being screwed over so many times, he would force his brain to work furiously in critical moments.
Thinking about it now, the fact that I was able to get information on the sirin project was extremely strange in itself.
For such crucial intelligence, if even I could get it, looking back now, it was one hundred percent Otto who secretly placed the information where I could find it.
Theresa knowing about this plan now won't change much, because if Otto dared to release this information to me, he must have also considered the possibility of me talking to Theresa.
But I can't talk about Bianka. That's information Welt worked so hard to find for me.
If Theresa were to find out about something she shouldn't know, it would definitely not be good for her.
"Mhm, she... is indeed a good kid. But—"
Theresa thought about her daily interactions with Kiana, then suddenly turned to Siegfried and asked with great worry.
"Did you choose to leave her because something happened to her?"
"Ah. In the past, the Sirin personality within her, hating me for defeating her, took over Kiana's body and attacked me."
"So after that, I realized that my presence around Kiana would only provoke her Herrscher Personality. That's why I left her and have been protecting her in secret, until she reached a safe area."
"So you're saying..."
Thinking about the situation in the dorm, Theresa felt a headache coming on.
"St. Freya High School has three Herrschers now. And Sirin..."
"—She was beaten to near death by you once, so she holds a deadly grudge against humanity."
In truth, both of them knew very well that from a safety perspective, killing Kiana now was the most secure option.
But neither Siegfried nor Theresa could bring themselves to do it.
Sirin's awakening was caused by Schicksal's human experiments in the first place, leading to this tragedy.
Later, she did kill tens of millions of people by dropping meteors, and from that perspective, Sirin was an unforgivable demon.
But now, the awakened Sirin has a kind personality within her. To act against the current 'Sirin' would be to take the life of another innocent girl.
It might seem hypocritical and a double standard to others, but looking at Kiana, neither Siegfried nor Theresa could bring themselves to kill her.
"Alright, don't look so glum."
Seeing that his old friend hadn't smiled much since they met, Siegfried clapped Theresa firmly on the shoulder and said with a grin.
"No matter what, the Kiana of today is my daughter. To prevent her from being trapped by Otto's plan, and to ensure her Herrscher Personality doesn't have a chance to act up, I'm entrusting her to you."
"I believe you can guide her down the path she's meant to walk."
"Ah, you're counting on me..."
Thinking about the dorm, which was now full of problem children, Theresa felt an immense pressure on her shoulders.
"Given the current situation, I'm not worried about her doing anything bad."
"The problem is, that little fool Leo Ash is always on the front lines fighting the Honkai. The others are fine for now, but Kiana is being led astray by him."
"If, as you say, Kiana is Sirin..."
"Then if Kiana likes to charge onto the battlefield, the chances of something happening to her will be greater. And if the chances of something happening to her are greater, the chances of Sirin waking up will be greater—it's a complete dead end."
"A solution... isn't entirely impossible."
Listening to Theresa's near-hysterical cry, Siegfried, in his state of desperation, felt himself become surprisingly calm.
"The reason Kiana wants to charge in all the time is, to put it bluntly, because she's been influenced by Leo Ash."
"And whether it's Leo Ash who wants revenge on the Honkai, or Kiana who has a second, terrifying personality inside her, what they both need most is, ultimately, time."
"With enough time, I believe you can soothe the pain in Leo Ash's heart and help Kiana grow. So..."
"So?"
"We old-timers just need to clear the big problems for the younger generation, to buy them enough time."
After hearing Siegfried's reasoning and calming down, Theresa couldn't help but nod in agreement.
"You're right—when did you get so smart?"
"And you're the old-timer! I'm not old at all!"
[BOOM!]
Just as Theresa was about to press the issue, the two suddenly heard a terrifying noise.
Then, they looked up in surprise towards the source of the sound and were stunned to see...
—In the distance, a beast as large as a small mountain had suddenly emerged from the ground, appearing before their eyes.
"Is that—the Judgment-class Honkai Beast, Chiyou, from the intelligence reports?!"
Looking at the giant Honkai Beast, Theresa's expression immediately became incredibly tense.
"It was already sealed, why would it wake up at this time?!"
"Isn't it obvious? Schicksal has a good relationship with Shenzhou, so they wouldn't cause trouble. On the conservative Anti-Entropy side, I'm the only one here, so it can't be me..."
With grim expressions, the two looked at each other and spoke a single name in unison.
"Cocolia?!"
She must be insane—Theresa wanted to curse her.
But on second thought, this was a person who could trigger a Honkai Eruption in the densely populated Nagazora City. Her mind was never normal in the first place.
Now, if Cocolia had the chance to undo Chiyou's seal, Schicksal's Valkyrie forces would suffer first, and then Shenzhou, which has close ties with Schicksal, would suffer too.
Most importantly, unlike the incident in Nagazora City, the area around Jiuyou was very secluded. If Schicksal and Shenzhou accused the radical faction of Anti-Entropy—without evidence, it would just turn into a war of words.
This is bad. Not only is Cocolia still causing trouble, but she's also learned to cover her tracks.
This woman is clearly human, so why is she always doing things that harm humanity!
"Hah, no matter who released this monster, we have to act."
Glancing at the Judgment of Shamash at his waist, Siegfried, as if having made up his mind, said to Theresa beside him.
"The situation isn't at its worst yet. If it dares to show itself, we'll go and deal with it."
"You use Judah to weaken its energy, then find a chance to leave the battlefield. The rest—leave it to me and the Judgment of Shamash!"
Looking at the world-weary Siegfried, Theresa didn't say much. She just nodded slightly and began to move rapidly towards Chiyou's location.
She was no longer the little girl of the past.
Theresa knew very well that at a time like this, words were useless.
Siegfried had betrayed Schicksal, but he had not betrayed humanity.
When humanity needed his protection, Theresa's pointless worries would seem overly sentimental.
Besides, the one she should be worried about right now wasn't Siegfried.
Siegfried had used Judgment of Shamash in Nagazora City, and from his current complexion, he clearly wasn't in a state of severe, unhealed injury.
A month was enough time for Siegfried to return to his peak condition after unleashing the Judgment of Shamash. In that case, the ones she should be worried about were the children who were much closer to Chiyou.
There's no other way. If I don't go all out this time, Leo Ash and the others will be in danger.
And in a life-or-death situation, the Herrscher Personalities within Kiana, Yuno, and Mei might awaken due to the excessive stress.
If three Herrschers were to descend at the same time, it wouldn't just be the area around Jiuyou that would be destroyed; all of Shenzhou would be finished.
To prevent the worst-case scenario, this time...
—Do I really have to use the Divine Grace Field to suppress this behemoth, Chiyou?
Also, I need to speed up the search for Cocolia's whereabouts.
A month ago, she tried to blow up Nagazora City.
Now, she's trying to blow up the area around Jiuyou in Shenzhou.
What she'll do in the future, I dare not even imagine.
The usually kind Theresa truly felt a rare emotion rise within her heart.
At this moment, she undoubtedly felt 'killing intent' towards the human named Cocolia.
I'm truly sorry, Bronya, but if we don't eliminate Cocolia, even more people will be hurt.
Therefore...
—Cocolia, you must die!
....
A few minutes earlier
After destroying the second seal within Chiyou's body with the Seven Thunders of Retribution, Raven let out a sigh of relief and picked up the Soulium fragment that had fallen to the ground.
When Raven entered Jiuyou, she never expected the mission to go so smoothly.
In Raven's original plan, she would have to not only evade Schicksal's Valkyries but also avoid being sabotaged by Cocolia's subordinates. Then, she would have to find Chiyou's body, go through great pains to enter it, and destroy the seal.
The reality was completely different from what she had imagined.
A Schicksal Valkyrie did appear nearby, but she was busy solving a puzzle and didn't notice Raven's presence at all.
Cocolia's subordinates had vanished after failing to contact her, so they couldn't sabotage her anymore.
Finding Chiyou's body wasn't easy, but once she did, she entered it smoothly and then broke the two seals with ease.
It could be said that Miss Cioara, who was usually not very lucky, was as if blessed by the goddess of fortune today, completing the mission without encountering any difficulties.
But it was precisely because her luck was too good this time that Raven, having completed the mission, felt a little uneasy due to this abnormal good fortune.
In fact, all Raven had to do now was sneak out through the entrance, find a place to wait for the Quantum Teleportation System to cool down, and she could leave.
But at this moment, due to the unease in her heart, Raven felt the surrounding atmosphere become increasingly strange.
"Thank you, traveler from a foreign land."
"That is...!"
Hearing that voice again, Raven looked around with full alert.
"Do not mind me. You are also one chosen by the Honkai, and you are my benefactor who has freed me. I will not harm you."
"As I thought..."
Confirming that this voice was the one she had heard before, Raven compared the two and noticed a change.
When Raven was preparing to destroy the seal, the voice was gentle, like that of a helpless person pleading for help.
But now, the voice gave her a feeling of malevolence.
"Because you helped me once, and you are not my enemy, let me give you a hint."
"Chiyou has awakened. If you do not leave its body quickly... hah, inside an ancient fierce beast, you will probably be sucked dry as it awakens and needs to absorb energy."
"Damn it!"
After hearing these words, Raven immediately started sprinting towards the entrance without a second thought.
I knew it... I knew this mission was bad news!
A Judgment-class Honkai Beast, and one that has been dormant for five thousand years, Chiyou, which devours everything around it to strengthen itself. How could I possibly be safe inside it?
And because the inside of Chiyou is almost completely isolated from the outside world, I'll probably die in here, and Gray Serpent and Jackal won't even be able to collect my body.
Oh, they probably wouldn't bother collecting my body. They'd be more concerned about where the Third Divine Key went.
Whatever. In the end, you have to rely on yourself.
The Quantum Teleportation System is on cooldown, and I can't use it in here anyway. I can only rely on myself now.
I can't die here.
I've almost saved up enough funds. As long as I can get to that place...
—An island, a villa, my dream!
As she ran, Raven even began to fantasize about her wonderful future.
But, halfway there, the ground beneath her feet suddenly moved.
On the shaking ground, Raven was completely unable to keep her balance.
The king of mercenaries, who had fallen to the ground, was now shocked to find that she and the Third Divine Key beside her were slowly sliding backward.
"Is this... Chiyou moving?!"
I only just released the seal, and this giant beast...
Right. It's been sealed for five thousand years. After waking up, of course it would want to eat immediately.
Damn it, have I become Chiyou's food too... I can't die here!
At this moment, Raven, who was already sliding downward, grabbed the nearly lost Seven Thunders of Retribution and plunged it directly into the stone slab floor inside Chiyou's body.
I will survive. For my dream, I absolutely must—
However, Raven, with this thought in mind, had forgotten one thing.
The Seven Thunders of Retribution, as the Third Divine Key, possessed a portion of the Herrscher of Thunder's power.
Under the power of the Herrscher of Thunder's core, things struck by the Seven Thunders of Retribution would be broken down into molecules.
And now, Raven, by plunging the Seven Thunders of Retribution into the stone floor before her, had naturally made it a 'thing struck by the Seven Thunders of Retribution'.
The scenario Raven had envisioned, 'using the tachi to strike the ground to temporarily wedge myself in the rock', did not happen.
Amidst Raven's cursing shouts, one of the culprits of this turmoil finally and unavoidably began to fall into the abyss below.
....
Also a few minutes earlier. Deep within Jiuyou
In the depths of Jiuyou, Leo Ash and Kiana didn't fool around for too long before returning to their usual way of getting along.
After all, the current Leo Ash, after defeating Rita, still had to suppress the resentment on the Xuanyuan Sword.
If Yuno or Kiana were to touch this holy sword, which was coiled with resentment, their minds would likely be eroded, and their bodies would be taken over by their Herrscher Personalities.
But Leo Ash was different from the two of them.
He didn't have any easily-triggered second personality, and he had the Void Demon Stone Fragment, an item that could resist mental attacks, to defend against the resentment's erosion.
Just like now, he could feel the Xuanyuan Sword constantly trying to influence his mind, but the Void Demon Stone Fragment completely blocked its effect.
To be honest, compared to Fu Hua's Fenghuang Down, this level of resentment was no trouble at all.
"Senior, are you really okay?"
Looking at Leo Ash holding the sword in one hand, Kiana walked suspiciously in front of him, gazing into his calm, unrippled eyes.
"Do I look like I'm not okay?"
Leo Ash, who was tightly gripping the Xuanyuan Sword, said calmly to Kiana.
"This sword is indeed problematic, but Sister Rita already helped me expend some of the power on its blade."
"Under these circumstances, it's quite easy for me to suppress it—don't touch!"
After gently slapping Kiana's hand away, Leo Ash suddenly said irritably.
"Your state of mind is far less stable than mine. If you touch it carelessly, I'll have to clean up the mess again."
"Yeees~"
After seeing the nervous expression on Leo Ash's face, Kiana obediently walked behind him and looked at the wheelchair being pushed by Yuno.
In the wheelchair, the unconscious Rita Rossweisse was still muttering something with a frown on her face.
Sigh, it's clear that Miss Rita really cares about Senior.
So when you have a sister who dotes on you this much, why are you always thinking about rushing into danger? I really don't know what you're thinking.
Today, after witnessing Rita's concern for Leo Ash... okay, it was very twisted, but Kiana did feel Rita's concern for him.
After witnessing this adoptive sister's concern for Leo Ash, Kiana suddenly felt that the inexplicable sense of rivalry she had felt before had vanished into thin air.
It's a good thing that Senior has someone who loves him so much.
Since it's a good thing, then as Senior's friend, I should be happy for him.
"Senior, Kiana."
Yuno suddenly stopped for no reason and looked ahead with extreme nervousness.
"We can't go any further."
"My Herrscher Core is spinning wildly right now. Even the Herrscher Personality that I've suppressed is becoming restless."
"It's very dangerous up ahead. This danger is far more terrifying than the danger Miss Rita posed to us! We can't go any further!"
"Ah, you're right."
Leo Ash, who had been feeling an invisible pressure, also stopped.
As expected, Chiyou must be just ahead.
Sigh, if it weren't for needing to go inside Chiyou to check on those two seals, who would want to come to this godforsaken place.
If Chiyou were to wake up now, the first to die would be...
"Heh, you who have been chosen by the Honkai. Are you here to welcome my rebirth?"
...What the????
The moment these words entered their ears, the three of them immediately felt a strong tremor around them.
And Leo Ash, at the very front, saw a beast as large as a small mountain suddenly appear in his line of sight, emitting a deafening roar.
"BOOM!!!!!!"
What he found even more unsettling was that Ji Lin, who in the original story should have been dealt with by the group inside Chiyou, was now standing on top of Chiyou's head in a black, tight-fitting outfit, looking down at the three of them with a wicked smile.
I thought that after the System disappeared, I would only have to face a dark Ji Lin.
But now it seems—this Chiyou, which can create a tangible shockwave just by starting to move, must be the unsealed version!
Fu Hua and the others aren't here, Sister Rita didn't get inside Chiyou, and Sin Mal went in a different direction from us, so she shouldn't be here either.
So who was it? Who released Chiyou!
"Kiana, Yuno, fall back! If this thing starts moving, we'll never be able to beat it!"
"You don't have to tell me!"
Behind Leo Ash, the two were already dragging the wheelchair and retreating frantically.
But facing such a terrifying beast, both of them knew that with so little distance between them and the monster, it would eventually catch up.
"Oh? Retreating?"
Ji Lin, high above them, looked at the retreating Kiana and Yuno and narrowed her eyes in satisfaction.
"Very good. I had no intention of attacking you two anyway. But..."
"—Junior from Shenzhou, why do you not flee?"
At that moment, the lofty Ji Lin spoke arrogantly to Leo Ash below.
"Leave the Xuanyuan Sword, and I can spare your life on account of us both being from Shenzhou."
"Ha, thanks for that, old senior of Shenzhou."
Feeling the Xuanyuan Sword in his hand vibrating non-stop, Leo Ash glanced at the others behind him and sighed helplessly.
"But—only a fool would listen to you."
"You old bastard, if you want it, come and get it yourself."
After saying this, Leo Ash immediately turned and ran, catching up to the two in front.
"Whoa, Senior, you actually..."
Looking at the astonished Kiana, Leo Ash said to her with great solemnity.
"I have stressed this countless times—I, Leo Ash, am really afraid of death."
"Did you really expect a coward to stay behind and cover the rear at a time like this?"
Hearing Leo Ash's words, the two of them looked at each other, then turned to him and started nodding frantically in unison.
"Tch, stop fooling around. I'm not that stupid."
Seeing their reaction, Leo Ash was truly helpless.
No one believed him when he told the truth, but they all believed his lies.
I really don't know what to say. This world... is truly too insane.
Now that Chiyou has awakened, to defeat it, we need to retreat to the outer area, contact Theresa and the others, and rely on the power of the Hyperion and Theresa to have a chance.
But now... it's a race against time.
Chiyou is large, but that doesn't mean its movement speed is truly 'slow'.
The slow speed mentioned by Theresa in the original story was probably in comparison to the Hyperion.
In reality, it only takes Chiyou three hours to travel from Jiuyou to the Shenzhou continent while eating along the way. That's not slow at all.
At the very least, catching up to Leo Ash and the others in a short time was really not a problem.
Just then, Leo Ash suddenly heard the communicator on him, which had been out of order for a long time, suddenly start to make a noise.
Huh? What a coincidence. It got fixed just in time?
After answering the communicator, Leo Ash heard Fu Hua's voice from it.
"Student Leo Ash, Student Bronya just finally fixed our communication network. Hearing that sound, you all..."
"—You wouldn't happen to be right next to Chiyou, would you?"
..