St. Freya Academy - Hyperion Docking Area
Theresa sat in what was originally Himeko's seat, watching the staff below conducting the pre-flight preparations for the Hyperion. Her gaze then shifted, filled with worry, to the map displayed beside her.
Originally, there were five signals on that map. Now, the display was empty. Those five signals had vanished ten minutes ago.
"Irene..." Theresa murmured, staring at the map as she recalled the night before their departure. Just as she was preparing to rest, Irene had come to her room.
At the time, Theresa had intended to ask if Irene wanted to rest together, but Irene had spoken with a solemn expression.
She told Theresa that if their signals—or their positioning beacons—were to disappear from the map, Theresa must immediately dispatch the Hyperion to the location where the signals were lost.
Theresa had found it strange back then. While the loss of signals was serious, this was a squad led by three A-Rank Valkyries. Although Kiana and the others didn't have specific titles yet—having not taken the exams for the official B-Rank Valkyrie certification—their strength was by no means weak. At the very least, they were elites among B-Rank Valkyries.
A squad composed of three A-Rank Valkyries and three elite B-Rank-equivalent Valkyries... such a configuration was something only Headquarters could usually field. Some branches didn't even possess a single A-Rank Valkyrie.
Moreover, they were merely executing an archaeological mission, with perhaps some treasure hunting on the side. Unless they dug up an Anti-Entropy Titan factory, they should have been fine. And even if they did dig one up, while they might not win, they could certainly outrun it given Irene's squad configuration.
Logically speaking, no matter what happened, there shouldn't be a need to bring the Hyperion over for support, right?
Theresa had asked exactly that. Irene had simply replied that the threat might not come from the present, but more likely from the remnants of past history. Irene refused to reveal the deeper reasons, but Theresa, upholding her trust in Irene, agreed to the request.
After Irene and her team departed, Theresa tracked their signals religiously, setting up an immediate alarm if they were to vanish. Everything had been smooth, and the signals remained clear—until ten minutes ago, when all five instantly disappeared.
It happened so suddenly that Theresa was frightened into immediately contacting the Hyperion to prepare for takeoff.
However, the Hyperion was a battleship, after all. It couldn't just fly on a whim. Personnel allocation, weapons and equipment checks, and warming up the energy systems for takeoff all took time.
Theresa's fingers drummed incessantly on the armrest of her chair. The panic in her heart stripped the tapping of any rhythm, but she knew she couldn't rush them. Some things couldn't be sped up by urging. Fortunately, although St. Freya Academy was an educational institution, it essentially functioned as a centralized branch, and the efficiency of the Hyperion's staff was extremely high.
The Adjutant walked up to her side, looking at the anxious Theresa. "Principal Theresa, the Hyperion is ready to set sail. Additionally, news has come from Shenzhou."
"News?" Theresa turned her head to look at the Adjutant. "Did they refuse our request for support? Or...?"
Shenzhou was not within Schicksal's direct jurisdiction. Although there were mutual aid agreements, Shenzhou possessed its own anti-Honkai capabilities. If she rashly brought the Hyperion into their territory, they might indeed object. But recalling Irene's serious expression, Theresa clenched her fist and looked at the Adjutant.
"Did they refuse the Hyperion's entry?"
"Not at all." The Adjutant looked at Theresa with a hint of admiration in her eyes. "As expected of the Principal... er, no... cough. According to the intelligence provided by Shenzhou, a super-giant Honkai Beast, far exceeding any previously recorded size, has appeared on the sea surface."
"Based on rough calculations, the Honkai Beast's height is at least 300 meters, with a length exceeding one thousand meters, though accurate data is still pending."
"At the same time, the Honkai energy radiating from its body is abnormally powerful. It has already begun to spawn Honkai Beasts and pollute marine life into aquatic Honkai Beasts, and it has started to advance toward land."
The Adjutant spoke while looking at the Principal with respectful eyes. As expected of an S-Rank Valkyrie; her sensitivity to crises was truly not for show. Even before Shenzhou had transmitted the information, Theresa had already ordered them to prepare the Hyperion for takeoff.
Although it was possible that Captain Himeko had transmitted some intelligence, such a rapid reaction speed still increased the Adjutant's respect for Theresa.
"...Chiyou?" Although she hadn't heard the confirmation yet, upon hearing of a super-giant Honkai Beast appearing on the sea, Theresa immediately equated that beast with the disappearance of Irene's signals.
This was likely the reason Irene had insisted she dispatch the Hyperion immediately upon signal loss.
"I understand." Theresa nodded, then looked at the Adjutant. "Then, since the Hyperion is ready, take off immediately. With a Honkai Beast of that size, any movement it makes is a natural disaster."
"Understood!" The Adjutant nodded immediately.
The roar of the engines began to swell, and under the Adjutant's command, the massive Hyperion ascended into the sky.
Sitting in the captain's command seat, Theresa's mood became even more chaotic.
Irene was right. This is indeed a danger that requires the Hyperion. Theresa looked at the map, which now displayed a massive purple marker—Chiyou's location.
A colossal entity 300 meters in height. A terrifying Honkai Beast.
Watching the synchronized reports popping up from Shenzhou, Theresa fell into a deeper silence. Although she hadn't understood it at the time, now that she realized this was truly a situation only the Hyperion could resolve, she became more convinced of her conjecture regarding Irene.
She believed Irene came from a Bubble Universe extremely similar to their world—only, that world wasn't as kind.
In that world, the 'Theresa' there had likely been harmed by the Herrscher of Corruption hidden within Yae Sakura's Stigmata, ending up eternally trapped in the Stigmata Space. And that world likely had a Chiyou as well. If they couldn't arrive immediately, it would surely result in massive casualties...
Irene knew all of this. Or rather, she had already experienced it. Irene was using her own experiences to help them reach a better future.
"...Sigh. Irene... just what have you experienced?" Theresa looked at the map, her thoughts drifting. For some reason, her mind wandered back to when Irene first arrived at St. Freya.
She remembered seeing Irene shed tears back then. At the time, she had simply thought Irene was crying because she hadn't seen normal human society for too long, coupled with that sentence:
"It's just... been a long time..."
What exactly followed that 'long time'? Was it a city, or something else? Theresa didn't dare to think further.
After sorting out her thoughts, Theresa stood up. Irene's request to mobilize the Hyperion had bought them precious time; she had to begin commanding immediately.
"All Valkyries, prepare for deployment. Drones, prepare for launch." Theresa composed her expression. "Hyperion main cannon, stand by for charging."
"Remember, we absolutely cannot let it get any closer to the coastline. With such a massive physique, every step it takes will generate megatsunamis. The coastal cities will suffer severe devastation."
"Everyone, pay attention to safety. We have no retreat on this battlefield. I hope to see all of you tomorrow. Take care."
"Understood!!!"
*
Inside Chiyou's Belly
[BANG! BANG! BANG!]
Intense gunfire echoed amidst the countless floating stones, punctuated occasionally by violent explosions.
Irene's Chakram sliced through the air from time to time, cutting down approaching Deadwalkers or Honkai Beasts to open a path. However, the group wasn't searching for the seals; instead, they were moving rapidly toward the peripheral area.
The most critical task right now was to establish contact with the outside world and inform them of the operation plan. It was impossible for them to shatter the seals on their own.
The Honkai energy crystals formed by the Honkai over thousands of years possessed a hardness that rendered them indestructible without the Hyperion's main cannon. Even if Irene switched to Kallen and used Judah to smash them, it would take ages.
Using 'Binding' wouldn't work either. Even if she could bind the flow of Honkai energy, the physical hardness of the crystals formed by the accumulation over such a long time couldn't be altered.
The only thing capable of shattering them was the Hyperion's main cannon. But without guidance, the sensors on the Hyperion would never be able to find the nodes on such a massive monster.
So, they had to head to the epidermis first—or at least get close to it—and find a spot with a better signal to contact Theresa. They needed to coordinate an internal-external link to locate the targets.
Only in this way could they eliminate Chiyou, or at least stop its activity, with minimal loss and maximum speed.
Himeko's greatsword swung down, cleaving a massive Temple-class Storm Beast directly into the ground. Beside her, Mei followed up with another slash.
Watching the Temple-class Honkai Beast gradually dissipate, the group was just about to continue toward the edge when Himeko suddenly crouched down in pain after taking only a few steps.
Traces of Honkai energy corruption began to appear on her neck. The concentration of Honkai energy inside Chiyou's body was simply too high. Her health was already poor; such a high-concentration environment was a massive burden on her.
"Cough, cough, cough." Himeko coughed violently.
Irene quickly doubled back to support her. The others, who had intended to move forward, also returned to protect Himeko in the center.
"Teacher Himeko, you can't go on like this." Irene propped Himeko up. "We have to find a way to send you out."
The longer Himeko stayed in this environment, the worse her body would become. For someone like Himeko, whose Honkai Adaptability and Honkai Resistance were both lacking, this high-concentration surrounding was essentially poison.
"I'm fine, don't worry about me." Himeko supported herself with the Ship-Cleaver and stood up. "Even if I'm leaving, I have to wait until we finish the job."
"But if this goes on, you might be spending the rest of your days in a hospital bed, Teacher Himeko." Irene grabbed Himeko. "You only qualify to talk about 'after' if you survive first."
"We can't get out right now anyway." Himeko looked at the serious Irene and shook her head helplessly. "You aren't expecting it to sneeze us out, are you?"
"I know. My time is running short too." Irene nodded. She had been using Pardo's card for a long time; she needed to find a moment to switch.
Prolonged use of a Possession Card meant the card's characteristics would genuinely affect her, potentially becoming permanent—for example, the 'Cat's' Quantization.
Pardo might die due to Quantization, but given the Cat's luck, it was unlikely. The problem was, Irene didn't possess that absurd level of luck.
The Cat wouldn't die from this, but Irene certainly might.
"What do you mean your time is short?" Himeko listened to Irene's words with confusion. Irene's Honkai Resistance wasn't low.
Her adaptability was the best of the best. To be honest, Himeko had never seen anyone with such high adaptability. Even Mei, as a Herrscher, didn't seem to have higher Honkai Adaptability than Irene during testing.
This kind of high-concentration Honkai environment should be like water to a fish for Irene.
"Sigh. No power is obtained without cost." Irene patted her chest. Light erupted from her chest, covering her entire body, and in her hand, she was already gripping Kallen's card.
The moment Irene returned to her original appearance, Bronya, who had been observing her, immediately noticed the flickering quantum shadows on Irene's body.
"Elder Sister Irene, what is that on you?"
"Just residual power." Irene smiled at Bronya, not elaborating further. She didn't plan to transform into Lixue, even though Lixue should theoretically be able to bring out more of the Xuanyuan Sword's abilities.
After all, there wasn't much difference between the Xuanyuan Sword and Lixue's former weapon, the Ruoshui Sword. But right now, the most important thing was to protect Himeko.
In Himeko's current state, every extra second in this environment was a burden. Honkai energy corruption was not something easily endured.
Fortunately, Judah could solve it. The omnipotent Judah—it could do anything. Confirmed.
As long as she used the Power of Binding to isolate the Honkai energy corruption, she could stabilize Himeko's condition. While she could use 'Mirror Sync,' it consumed a massive amount of Honkai energy and the effect wasn't great. With her current Honkai energy reserves, a counterfeit couldn't stabilize Himeko's condition very well.
"I didn't expect to see you in this form under these circumstances," Himeko said, looking at Irene, who had changed clothes amidst the light and now stood with the brilliant Starry Judah beside her.
"I didn't wish for it either."
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