Himeko Murata, wearing her Fusion Armor: Crimson, was launched from the Hyperion. As she approached the ground, the external equipment on her body sprayed a strong thrust to decelerate her, allowing her to land on the ground.
As Himeko Murata landed, the external device, resembling a thruster, automatically disassembled.
"Wow! So cool!"
Kiana's eyes practically glowed as she looked at the high-tech gear on Himeko.
It felt different from the metal scraps she had dismantled before; those were enemies, easily taken apart by Kiana in a few moves, but the person in front of her now was likely not an enemy.
"Alright, alright, if you want to see it, I can let you look at it later. We have more important things to do now."
Himeko said with a chuckle, then looked in Raiden Mei's direction: "You must be the Third Herrscher."
Kiana immediately stepped in front of Mei when she heard Himeko's words: "Mei is not a Herrscher!"
"It's alright, Kiana."
Raiden Mei pushed Kiana aside and looked at Himeko: "Although I don't want to be this Herrscher, I do possess the power of a Herrscher within me."
"Oh? That's quite strange. I heard that Herrschers are a bunch of destructive maniacs."
Himeko had never truly faced a Herrscher before, but she knew from textbooks how much destruction the Second Herrscher had caused.
A Herrscher who could communicate peacefully was something she hadn't expected before arriving.
"Alright, Himeko Murata, we are not your enemies."
Takatsuki patted Mei and Kiana's shoulders, stepping forward to face Himeko and said.
"You know me?"
Himeko Murata frowned as she looked at Takatsuki, and at the same time, she noticed the purple patterns spreading up his neck.
"Young man, your Honkai Sickness is already very severe, do you know that? If this continues, you will die."
Takatsuki pulled open his collar and looked: "You mean this? Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
"Compared to that, I think you've seen that the Third Herrscher can control her own power and is also a Herrscher with no ill will towards humans. So, I'd like to talk to your superior, Theresa, the Director of St. Freya Academy."
Himeko frowned upon hearing Takatsuki's words: "Who exactly are you? You even know the Director's name. From your appearance, you shouldn't be from Schicksal."
Mei, who was behind her, changed her expression when she heard the name Schicksal. Others might not be very clear about Schicksal, but she knew that the root of Kiana's series of tragedies was Schicksal.
"Of course, I'm not from Schicksal. If you were representing Schicksal, I wouldn't be talking to you so calmly. It's precisely because the person I'm talking to is you, Himeko Murata, and your superior is Theresa Apocalypse, that we are here."
"It seems you know us quite well? So, what do you want to discuss?"
Propping her greatsword on the ground, Himeko looked at the seemingly knowledgeable young man in front of her with interest.
"Let me introduce myself first. Although you may not have heard my name, I am Takatsuki, a Shenzhou native. And these are Raiden Mei, Kiana, and Bronya."
Takatsuki introduced them one by one and said: "Your Far East Branch's objective should be to retrieve the Herrscher, right? We can go with you, but not as captives, but as students, to join St. Freya Academy."
Himeko frowned: "St. Freya Academy is a Valkyrie academy. What do you want to do there?"
"To study, of course. What else could we do? So, this matter isn't something you can decide. I hope to negotiate directly with Theresa. How about you relay my words, and by the way, mention that Kiana Kaslana is here. I believe Theresa, even if she doesn't fly over immediately, will agree to my request."
Himeko felt that this trip was the most she had ever frowned.
As a woman of action, she never liked things that required too much thought.
But she couldn't fathom the background of this person named Takatsuki, and he seemed to know her very well.
However, Kaslana...
Himeko also knew about the three great families of Schicksal, and she saw the same white hair as Theresa.
Forget it, let Theresa worry about it.
"Alright, I'll notify the Director now. Please wait a moment."
With that, Himeko began to contact Theresa using the communication device she carried, even though regular communication devices were unusable in Changkong City due to the Herrscher of Thunder's power.
But beneath the Hyperion, Himeko's special equipment still connected to Theresa.
After hearing the information from Himeko, Theresa immediately made a decision: "Then bring them over!"
"Huh? Director, is that really okay? We don't know their motives yet."
"Don't worry, once they're on my turf, even if they have ill intentions, I'm not afraid. Do you know how many ways Judah can be used?"
As an S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal, Theresa had ample confidence. Although she was just a Judah launcher, many Valkyries still worshipped Theresa as an idol.
"Alright then, but what's the relationship between that Kiana and the Director? The other party seems certain you'll agree once you hear her name."
"Kiana, huh? It's been many years since I last saw her. If you really want to count, I'm her Aunt."
"!!!"
Himeko and Theresa's conversation was naturally not heard by others. When she returned, she brought Theresa's command.
"The Director has agreed to your request. You can directly board the Hyperion and go to St. Freya Academy to meet her."
Takatsuki had originally thought Theresa would first request a video negotiation, but after thinking about it, this was also normal. After all, she was very confident in her own strength. Compared to having Himeko hold the fort while she hid behind a video, it was more reliable for her to directly take charge herself.
Although she was a Judah launcher, Theresa was still very strong when Judah was present. It was just unknown whether Judah's ability to suppress Honkai Energy could suppress other energies.
"Takatsuki, is it really okay?"
After both sides had settled, Kiana, on the contrary, became a little worried. After all, she was about to meet her relative, even if it was her Aunt.
"It's fine, Kiana. Don't you want to meet your Aunt?"
It was precisely because of this that she...
Kiana naturally couldn't say such words. Mei, seeing her state, quickly went over to comfort Kiana.
Himeko, not far away, was eavesdropping on their conversation: "What exactly is the background of this person named Takatsuki? He even knows this."