Otto's appearance
immediately put many of the viewers on high alert!
[Tesla: Something's not right!! It's that damn Otto again!!]
[Tesla: That guy definitely has a scheme! Just watch, you'll see!]
[Rita: Please refrain from being disrespectful toward Lord Bishop.]
[Otto: Oh my, Dr. Tesla really does have an adorable personality.]
[Otto: Calling it a "scheme" might be a bit excessive—perhaps "strategy" would be more accurate?]
[Tesla: You…!]
Schicksal Headquarters
Theresa looked at Otto, her gaze complicated.
Otto's past actions had already shaken her heart.
Her grandfather doted on her endlessly,
yet toward others, he was cold and merciless…
"Grandpa… could it really be like Tesla said?
Do you still have some kind of plot involving Kiana…?"
"Hehe, Theresa. What this screen shows may not necessarily be the truth, is it?"
Otto propped his cheek up with one hand, looking at Theresa with elegant calm.
There wasn't the slightest ripple in his expression.
Theresa met his gaze and nodded faintly, worry still lingering in her eyes.
But words aside—
Otto's heart was anything but calm!
Contrary to the reassurance he offered Theresa,
the events exposed by this screen…
were very likely exactly what would happen in the future!
But once exposed,
could the future still be called the future?!
If the plan he had spent so many years preparing were laid bare one piece at a time, then—
The thought alone gave Otto a headache.
Yet after only a brief moment of distraction,
his eyes regained their firm resolve.
Ratings? Exposure? Plans laid bare?
So what.
At worst, he would simply devise another plan.
The goal of resurrecting Kallen
would never change because of something like this.
Soon, the Valkyrie Examination officially began.
During this period, however,
Kiana repeatedly heard a strange voice in her dreams.
It constantly whispered to her,
tempting her heart,
taking on the appearance of anyone at will.
It would often tear open the wounds of Kiana's painful past.
As a result, Kiana found herself distracted and unsettled.
"Kiana, please take care of me in today's exam as well."
"C-Captain…"
"What's wrong, Kiana? You seem like you have something on your mind."
Fu Hua had clearly noticed Kiana's hesitation.
"I don't know what you're thinking right now, Kiana,"
"but no matter what burdens you're carrying, you should put them aside and focus on the battle in front of you."
"Overthinking will only lead to defeat."
"To be honest, I really admired the Kiana you used to be—full of fighting spirit and overflowing with energy."
"I think that Kiana, fighting like that, was already the most outstanding Valkyrie."
Caught completely off guard by Fu Hua's praise,
Kiana's face instantly turned red.
"I—I understand! Even if I don't stand much of a chance against you, Captain, I still want to fight!"
"But… the way you talk sounds so mature! We're all students, you know—stop acting like an adult!"
On the other side,
Rita Rossweisse had also arrived at St. Freya to observe.
Yet what subtly unsettled everyone was this—
Rita's attention seemed to be constantly focused on Kiana.
After a full day of examinations,
Kiana even defeated an Emperor-class Honkai Beast in a simulated battle!
Her performance far exceeded everyone's expectations.
Watching it all unfold,
Rita curved her lips into a slight smile and murmured softly,
"I'm looking forward more and more to her future performance.
That person… should feel the same."
Those cryptic words
left an unspoken unease in the hearts of the viewers.
With the Valkyrie Examination successfully concluded,
everything seemed to return to normal.
A few days later—
Kiana and the others received orders to head to New Zealand to recover the Gem of Desire.
According to intelligence from the Oceania Branch,
the Gem of Desire was embedded in the legs of an experimental subject named Wendy.
But when they arrived on site—
The experimental subject Wendy had already been eroded by Honkai energy!
She had become the Fourth Herrscher—
The Herrscher of Wind!
The three immediately engaged Wendy in battle.
And just as they were on the verge of reaching her—
Suddenly,
Cocolia, the radical faction leader of Anti-Entropy, appeared!
She directly linked into Bronya's internal communication system!
"Bronya, my dear daughter.
Now—retrieve the Fourth Herrscher."
Faced with Cocolia's command,
Bronya was clearly struggling!
But as Cocolia input the highest level of authority—
The liveliness vanished from Bronya's face.
In its place was a numb, puppet-like emptiness.
The fierce battle erupted once more!
Before long, Wendy was struck down by Anti-Entropy's new tactical mechs!
Bronya even turned against her allies,
capturing the completely unguarded Raiden Mei!
Afterward—
Himeko, who arrived just in time, managed to save only Kiana.
Mei and Wendy were both taken away
by Anti-Entropy's forces.