World Serpent Main Base
In the World Serpent's main base, the administrator Gray Serpent looked at the intelligence gathered over the past few days...
Well, he really couldn't see any hope that could help him overcome his despair.
The overall direction of the world's three major anti-Honkai organizations was actually quite simple.
After Cocolia's death, the radical faction of Anti-Entropy stopped causing trouble and obediently merged with the conservative faction under the guidance of Raiden Ryoma.
In this situation, an undivided Anti-Entropy was already much harder to deal with than before.
As for Schicksal, after ME Corp's assets were squandered by Cocolia, Schicksal's technological level rose to new heights after acquiring the products of Project Mei and the Sky Father in Nagazora City and England consecutively.
And Schicksal, which was already the most powerful in terms of military strength, used the intelligence provided by the World Serpent traitor, Raven, to beat the World Serpent into a hasty retreat.
The current World Serpent had its grassroots foundations uprooted and many of its bases dismantled by Schicksal.
For the already severely wounded World Serpent, if they didn't welcome back their Lord Kevin soon, it would basically be a matter of time before Otto's intelligence department found their main base and came knocking.
Right now, the administrator Gray Serpent had only one thought in his mind.
Sorrow.
So damn sorrowful.
Damn you, Raven, you damn traitor.
"Ha... Haha... HAHAHAHAHA!!!!"
At that moment, Jackal, inside the base, suddenly burst into a laugh that Gray Serpent couldn't ignore.
"It's done!"
"I finally—succeeded!"
Ah, it's over.
The pressure I put on Jackal was too great, and she's finally been driven mad by me?
For Jackal, who was still working diligently in the main base, the administrator Gray Serpent no longer expected anything more from her.
In the month or so since Raven's betrayal, the administrator Gray Serpent had come to understand what it meant to see a person's true character over time.
In the past, Gray Serpent had always felt that although Jackal had outstanding talent as a researcher, her overly arrogant nature was really unlikable.
But now, with the World Serpent in such a precarious situation, Gray Serpent had to admit...
—Is being a little arrogant such a big problem?
Everyone has flaws. As an important executive of the World Serpent, he couldn't just see the flaws of his comrades without seeing their shining points.
Now, looking at this woman laughing manically, Gray Serpent actually felt a pang of pity.
Sigh, Clio, you've worked hard enough.
If you've really gone mad... I'll find a way to cure you.
"Gray Serpent, I finally—succeeded!"
Jackal, who couldn't be bothered to wear a mask anymore, was naturally unaware of Gray Serpent's inner thoughts.
She picked up the device she had painstakingly created and said to Gray Serpent with immense excitement.
"Just now, I finally managed to replicate this thing!"
"This thing?"
Taking the small box handed over by Jackal, Gray Serpent glanced at it briefly before saying with utter shock.
"An Imaginary Interferometer?"
"Please call it the Staff of the Netherworld."
After correcting Gray Serpent's name for the device, Jackal placed her hands on her hips with great bravado and said to him with utmost confidence.
"I don't think an introduction is necessary. In short—I can guarantee that it will function perfectly."
"...Are you serious?"
Seeing the undisguised confidence on Jackal's face, Gray Serpent instantly got his answer.
Then, after carefully placing the box in a cabinet, Gray Serpent suddenly felt like he really, really wanted to cry.
Even though he was a cyborg who shouldn't have such emotions, at this moment, Gray Serpent truly felt—damn it, we've finally made it through!
"Jackal! You did well! You did really well!"
After having his arms suddenly grabbed by the extremely emotional administrator Gray Serpent, Jackal didn't feel any discomfort.
After all—she thought so too.
During this period, as a high-ranking executive of the World Serpent, Ms. Clio Hypatia, also known as [Jackal], certainly knew that the organization was going through a tough time.
But after so much had happened, Jackal was also well aware that her actions in certain matters would be more of a hindrance than a help to Gray Serpent.
Rather than meddling in things she shouldn't, she decided to go through the organization's research materials to see if she could increase the success rate of rescuing Lord Kevin.
And then, in those materials, she finally found something—the Imaginary Interferometer.
Alright, this thing is called the Staff of the Netherworld now, and it will be the Staff of the Netherworld even when the Lord arrives!
The Staff of the Netherworld, as a legacy of the Previous Era, was a scientific miracle that even Schicksal couldn't replicate.
Once this black and gold box, about ten centimeters in size, was activated, it could use a special electromagnetic field to interfere with the connection between a Herrscher Core and Imaginary Space, distorting their "channel" in a short period, causing the Honkai Energy in the Herrscher's body to fall into chaos, thereby rendering the Herrscher powerless.
Normally, with Jackal's abilities, it would have been impossible for her to create this thing in just a few days.
But now, Jackal, knowing that the organization was in dire straits, was pushed by this pressure—she didn't succumb to it but withstood it, replicating the Staff of the Netherworld.
At this moment, the two, who were well aware of the Staff of the Netherworld's capabilities, saw the success rate of their operational plan increase by several points.
But soon, the calmed-down administrator Gray Serpent discovered an awkward problem.
"I say, Clio..."
"...Gray Serpent, just say what you have to say."
Jackal, who was now being called by her first name by Gray Serpent, immediately took two steps back in disgust and looked at him uneasily.
"Don't call me by my name. You being so 'gentle' is creeping me out."
"Alright, Jackal."
Gray Serpent took the Staff of the Netherworld from the small cabinet, placed it on the table in front of them, and said to Jackal with a helpless tone.
"You managing to create the Staff of the Netherworld has indeed significantly increased our chances of rescuing the Lord."
"After all, if we are to charge into the Eye of the Deep, Welt Yang is an enemy we will almost certainly have to face."
"As long as we can deploy the Staff of the Netherworld, that half-crippled Herrscher, Welt Yang, will definitely have his Herrscher Core interfered with by the staff, eventually turning him back into a powerless waste."
"Even the Judgment of Shamash in Siegfried's hands might be temporarily unusable due to the core interference."
Listening to Gray Serpent's description, Jackal didn't interrupt but quietly waited for him to continue.
"But—"
As expected, there's a problem?
Gray Serpent lightly tapped on the virtual screen in the air, bringing up the data for the Staff of the Netherworld, and said helplessly.
"Not only does the effect of the Staff of the Netherworld last for an extremely short time after activation, but that's not the main point."
"The main point is—this thing needs to be set up ten minutes in advance to unleash its proper effect."
Recalling the enemies the World Serpent had to face, the administrator Gray Serpent said to Jackal with utter helplessness.
"And unfortunately, I don't think the forces we have can hold them off for ten minutes."
"So..."
"So, you're trying to say this thing is useless, right?"
Hearing Gray Serpent's words, Jackal felt as if all her strength had been drained, and she collapsed onto the sofa in the base, closing her eyes weakly.
"I really did get happy too soon."
Wow, you were so arrogant two months ago, and now you've become so prone to getting emo...
It seems the organization's decline has hit Jackal hard too.
And, the words I'm about to say—no matter, I have to say it!
"Jackal, don't lose heart just yet. I think we can make a small modification to this thing."
Facing the disheartened Jackal, Gray Serpent spoke in a gentle and persuasive tone.
"For example—we can decrease its stability and increase its explosiveness."
"What you mean is—are you crazy?"
As a research expert, Jackal instantly understood Gray Serpent's idea.
"Gray Serpent, you think too highly of me."
Ah, the old Jackal would never have said something like that.
Jackal looked at Gray Serpent with utter despair.
"All I can do is 'replicate'. This device is extremely precise. A single wrong move with any of its parts could cause the entire instrument to malfunction."
"The materials we've collected recently are only enough to make eight Staffs of the Netherworld. If we mess up and damage one, it's a loss we absolutely cannot afford."
"Heh, how has the once-confident Jackal become so timid?"
Gray Serpent looked at the exhausted and bitter-faced Jackal, sat down beside her, and spoke warmly.
"Go for it boldly. If it fails, it's not your fault, but the fault of me, the decision-maker."
"Our World Serpent has reached a point where we will be completely annihilated if we don't take a gamble. At this stage..."
"—If we don't even have the guts to gamble on a device, what do we have left to save the world with!"
Gray Serpent wasn't this kind of character.
And Jackal wasn't a hot-blooded person either.
But at this moment, hearing Gray Serpent say these words with his unpleasant mechanical voice, Jackal actually felt...
—Damn it, I'm fired up!
"Gray Serpent, you're right!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Jackal grabbed the Staff of the Netherworld and walked into the laboratory to begin a new round of research.
Sigh, I hope Jackal succeeds this time.
If we can modify the Staff of the Netherworld into a Netherworld Bomb, our chances of rescuing the Lord will be even greater.
And as long as the Lord returns to this world, the remaining problems will be no problem at all.
Schicksal or Anti-Entropy, in the face of the Lord's great power, they are nothing!
Now, everything our organization has is riding on this one battle in Abyssal City.
This battle...
—Only victory is allowed, not defeat!
That night. Himeko's Home
After a day of training, Kiana, who had returned to her room after a shower, took out the swimsuit Bronya had helped her pick, and felt her heart...
Well, surprisingly calm.
Thinking back on everything that had happened recently, Kiana truly felt that it was so good to have met everyone.
It wasn't that she disliked the days she spent with her smelly old dad, Siegfried, but he had been missing for several years.
Because of her father's unannounced departure, Kiana's life these past few years hadn't been easy.
And this year, she met companions who were incredibly important to her, and she also met the person she liked.
Two happy events came together, and these two joys brought me even more joy. What I should have gotten was a dream-like happy time, but...
Mei, I'm sorry.
You are undoubtedly my best friend.
But when it comes to Senior, I will never give him up to you!
Although Bronya only taught me the basics of that stuff, the basics are enough.
With this swimsuit, and following the tactics Bronya prepared for me...
Everything is already prepared, so why...
—Why is this young lady still so flustered (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
This nervousness was different from the nervousness Kiana felt when doing her homework.
That kind of nervousness made Kiana feel as if something bad was about to happen, leaving her feeling a bit uneasy.
But this kind of nervousness felt like she was about to face something important, but she wasn't ready for it.
Strange, from mental preparation to physical preparation, this young lady has even prepared tactics and backup tactics.
And Bronya also said she would help me think of a way out if any unexpected situations arose.
It's no use, no matter how I think about it, I can't figure it out. At this point, what does this young lady have to be nervous about?
After preparing for so long, it's not like someone is going to suddenly fall from the sky tomorrow and ruin my plan, right?
Looks like I'm really getting too nervous, starting to think about these non-existent special situations because of excessive anxiety.
It's okay, Kiana, you can definitely do it.
Tomorrow, I will definitely tell Senior how I feel, and then take him down on the spot with my actions!
This battle...
—Only victory is allowed, not defeat!
.