HIA VOL 7 CH1-25 (Patreon)

HA VOL 7 CH 1-25


Chapter 1: Three Tales of Report Cards

Although most players might jokingly rename St. Freya Academy as "Devil's Cave of the Far East" or "Herrscher Training Camp," it was indeed a school dedicated to training Valkyries.

So, a classic element within the school—exams—naturally couldn't be overlooked.

With the annual Valkyrie assessment at St. Freya approaching and the school year nearing its end, the various subject teachers pulled out a heap of tests from their pockets to help students transition and prepare for the daunting "final exams"...

And today marked the day when the grades for one of those tests would be revealed.

"The grades are out!"

"Hmm, why do I feel like I did pretty well..."

"This grade exceeds my expectations. Looks like I guessed right on several questions."

The Valkyrie trainees buzzed with chatter, their faces displaying either joy or frustration, brimming with youthful energy.

Suddenly, someone recalled and turned to ask, "Kiana! How did you do this time?"

All eyes unanimously turned to a particular white-haired girl with braided pigtails seated second to last by the window.

She stared blankly at her report card, as if rooted to the spot, unmoving.

The sunlight outside cast a translucent glow on the paper in Kiana's hand, illuminating it with a strange red hue.

It was hard to imagine how many subjects she had failed for the report card to take on such a color.

Classmates all displayed expressions of "just as expected," further enlivening the atmosphere in the classroom.

After spending some time together, everyone had gotten to know the three new girls in the class.

Raiden Mei was a girl with a ladylike demeanor, diligent in her studies, fond of cooking, and recently showing significant improvement in her culinary skills. She wasn't very good at combat, but excelled in other areas.

Bronya Zaychik was always calm and collected, exuding a cool vibe. Her actions were decisive, and she excelled in all aspects, especially in combat training, where her special "Project Bunny" robot made her unbeatable.

As for Kiana, she preferred to rely on the peculiar strength of the Kaslana family. She could handle enemies that other students needed to team up to face, with frightening combat prowess.
But when it came to tasks requiring thinking, the white-haired bundle of energy would instantly enter a state of dumbfoundedness.

The classmates turned into a bunch of jesters, speculating about how many courses Kiana had failed this time.

Mei Raiden sat next to Kiana, holding her own report card. She glanced at the paper in the white-haired girl's hand and couldn't help feeling pity—everyone's guesses were too optimistic.

Except for the combat course, Kiana didn't pass any.

"Kiana..."

Kiana raised her head, looking somewhat aggrieved. "I studied so hard..."

"Are you sure?" Mei Raiden raised her eyebrows, counting on her fingers. "You never wanted to do homework, always 'borrowing' mine early in the morning; staying up late at night playing games with Bronya; getting sleepy right after class, almost dozing off ten minutes later..."

The white-haired girl protested loudly, "I object! I can't sleep at all during combat class!"

"What about besides combat class?"

"Uh..."

Mei stared at her with a subtle gaze. Kiana's eyes wandered for a few seconds, then for some reason, her face gradually turned red.

Kiana squirmed in her seat, and her lips curled up into a weird smile, as if daydreaming.

Mei Raiden raised her hand, and with a swift motion, she delivered a karate chop to Kiana's head.

This slap even left afterimages and crackling sounds of electricity, clearing the strange images from Kiana's mind in an instant.

Tears welled up in Kiana's eyes as she complained, "Mei! I told you not to use that power to hit me! It hurts!"

"As long as you promise you weren't daydreaming just now, I won't do it again in the future."

"Haha..."

Kiana glanced around, pointing to a spot not far away as if she had discovered a new continent, "Look, Bronya's here too!"

Mei tilted her head, noticing the silver-haired spiral girl indeed in the direction Kiana pointed. She held a Homu limited edition doll in one hand and her report card in the other.

Kiana's gaze was drawn to the doll in Bronya's hand. "Is that... a limited edition Homu 3rd doll?!"

"It's a reward Bronya prepared for Kiana."

The silver-haired spiral girl spoke, walking over to Kiana with anticipation in her eyes, she lowered her head to look at the piece of paper in the white-haired girl's hand, and shook her head helplessly, "But unfortunately, someone's grades don't qualify for this limited edition Homu doll."

Bronya's words were like a bolt from the blue, making Kiana stiffen.

She looked at the doll in Bronya's hand, and with difficulty said, "Dear Bronya, can't you make an exception, considering we conquered the Black OーLibrary together last night..."

The silver-haired spiral girl immediately replied, "No."

"Ugh!"

Kiana's face showed a resolute expression, "As long as my report card looks good, it's fine, right..."

Initially, Mei Raiden and Bronya thought that Kiana would declare her determination to study hard and strive for high scores. They didn't expect Kiana to pull out a blank piece of paper and write a series of "passed" on it with a pen.

Upon closer inspection, the handwriting of these "pass" marks was remarkably similar to that of the teachers!

The two girls exchanged glances, feeling somewhat uneasy and stepped back.

"Kiana...?"

"Hmm hmm... watch this!"

Closing her eyes, Kiana puffed her cheeks, and even her hair stood straight up, as if feeling her effort, her head also perked up.

A dense, circuit-like purple pattern instantly corroded the report card and the paper she had just written "passed" on, then, Kiana opened her eyes, and a golden light flashed in her fingertips and pupils.

The next moment, the remarks on the report card were mass-replaced with "passed," while the previous failed remarks were all transferred to another piece of paper.

Kiana took a deep breath, showing Bronya the report card filled with "pass" marks, and smiled, "Now, everything on the report card is passing grades, right!"

This scene even made Bronya's mouth twitch for a moment, "Kiana, even if you do this, the grades recorded in the system won't change to 'pass'..."

Mei Raiden's expression became even more complicated. She clearly felt the unusual fluctuations in Kiana just now. She was probably using the power of the Herrscher of the Void, directly "swapping" a part of the report card and the paper.

"I don't care, just tell me if the report card says 'pass'!"

Mei

Raiden shook her head, patting Bronya's shoulder to signal that she would handle this matter herself.

She reached out to Kiana, "In that case, can we take a closer look at your report card? We're really curious about the 'pass' report card you made."

"Well... um..."

Kiana hesitated, looking at the two pieces of paper corroded by Honkai energy. Finally, she reluctantly said, "I can't hand them to anyone else. They're now entirely maintained by my Honkai energy... if I let go, they'll turn to dust in the next moment."

Bronya sighed, "Playing tricks is not good."

"Tsk, just for this..."

As if an illusion, a sound of disdain flashed past Kiana's ear. She felt the power she borrowed from Sirin was gradually getting out of control. She quickly let go of her hand, watching her report card and paper turn into ashes and disappear.

"Sirin...?"

Kiana murmured, her eyes rolling, trying to borrow power from Sirin again.

Sirin impatiently warned, "I'm in a bad mood lately. It's best not to bother me until Luo Lin comes back."

Kiana obediently nodded. Last time, when she was bored during history class, she went to chat with her sister Sirin. Sirin was annoyed by the disturbance and directly released Honkai energy, cutting Kiana's desk into pieces.

At that time, Welt, who was teaching, almost took out the Star of Eden to deal with Kiana. But in the end, seeing that the white-haired girl didn't further lose control, he just made her stand outside the classroom, and then sent her to Theresa and Ragna to receive "love education."

What is "love education"? Anyway, after that, Kiana behaved very seriously in history class, afraid of being caught doing something wrong.

Of course, she was just pretending to be serious.

"Sigh, why is it like this..."

Feeling a bit discouraged, she leaned on the table, trying to use her "cute attack" to persuade Bronya, but the silver-haired spiral girl remained unmoved.

Kiana despaired, muttering, "Sigh, the end of the final exam."

Mei Raiden said, "If Teacher Luo Lin can come back in time and give you some remedial lessons, maybe there's still hope for you."

"...But she has to come back first, isn't there a big problem in Shenzhou?"

White-haired girl turned over, letting the sunlight fall more evenly on her body, "Given Luo Lin's workaholic nature, can she really come back before the final exam?"

"..."

Bronya felt a vibration in her pocket, so she took out her personal terminal and fiddled with it a few times.

She blinked and said, "Latest news, the Hyperion has returned to port."

Hope glimmered in Kiana's eyes, "Returned?"

"Bronya doesn't know."

"Tsk, wait a minute, isn't this desk a bit..."

*Crack!*

Kiana sat on the ground in embarrassment, watching her desk break into familiar pieces, with a prominent display of skill.

White-haired girl was speechless, "Sister Sirin, what did I do to deserve this..."


Chapter 2: Stuck Here (Electric Baton Sound)

"Luo Lin, why do you look so... exhausted? It's like you're still working and busy even in your dreams?"

"How did you guess?"
Facing Murata Himeko's question, Luo Lin's body stiffened, revealing an awkward yet polite smile.

"Ah, um... it's probably just an old problem. I didn't sleep well last night..."

The black-haired Valkyrie looked around and said, "But the Hyperion has returned, so all I need to do is have a good meal and then go back to my warm nest for a nap."

Himeko licked her lips and laughed heartily, "I'm starting to miss the soft big bed you mentioned. Oh, if only I could have some beer with it... that would be so comfortable."

Luo Lin agreed, "Yeah, I think we need some barbecue too."

Not far away, Theresa, Fu Hua, Ragnar, and Durandal cast silent glances.

In a trance, they seemed to see Luo Lin and Murata Himeko turning into two middle-aged office workers commonly seen on the streets of the Far East, discussing where to go for skewers tonight...

Murata Himeko felt a bit embarrassed under the gaze and patted Luo Lin's shoulder, "Um, well, I'll leave first. Remember to rest well, don't be like tonight, let's gather again after you've fully recovered..."

With that, Murata Himeko left in a hurry.

"Then you'll have to wait a long time..."
Luo Lin sighed, patting her own cheek forcefully, involuntarily recalling what happened last night.


---


After Elysia mentioned that she might be able to rely on the Stigmata Card to leave the Elysian Realm completely, the group of Flamechaser boiled with excitement.

Among them, Mobius had the strongest reaction.

If the other Flamechaser were like water boiling, then Mobius was like a bomb exploding.

She jumped over in an instant, staring at the card in Luo Lin's hand and asked with a trembling voice, "Are you sure, Elysia?"

"Oh, Mobius... you're overreacting a bit, aren't you?" The Miss Pink Elf smiled at Mobius.

Mobius shouted impatiently, "Alright, Elysia, you know what I plan to do. I just want to get out of the Elysian Realm, see the Earth now, and continue my research!"

Most of the Flamechaser were aware of Mobius's little calculations. At this moment, they all wore expressions of "as expected", except for Kosma, Padofelis, and the Can in her arms, who were confused, emitting a uniform "Huh? (Meow?)" sound.

As for Griseo? She had just been woken up by Mobius's explosive shout and hadn't heard what Snake said—besides, she didn't care about these things.

Elysia shook her head, turned to the black-haired girl, and asked, "Luo Lin, how do you use this thing?"

"Of course, it's like this—"

Luo Lin summoned the character card of the Miss Pink Elf, let Elysia reside in it, and then stuck the three Stigmata cards behind her back.

The cards turned into light and merged into the body of the Miss Pink Elf.

"Mmm, it's so warm."
Elysia clenched her fist, feeling the surging energy in her body, giving her a feeling of "fullness" and "solidity"—a peculiar experience that the Miss Pink Elf couldn't have in the memory state.

"...So this is what Dr. Mei meant by Stigmata, isn't it?"

As if in response to her call, three strange patterns appeared on Elysia's back, faintly shining, and even penetrated the special combat suit of Eden.

Of course, this attracted the attention of the Flamechaser, everyone looked at these three marks.

The patterns formed by these Stigmatas had the same characteristics as the crystal flowers that Elysia loved, just by looking at them, one could feel the passion, liveliness, and beauty...

Just like a concentrated part of "Elysia".

"Is this... the Stigmata?"
Mobius murmured, her slender snake pupils emitting a strong desire to explore, wishing to forcibly tie Elysia to the test bench and conduct a thorough scan right now.

Unfortunately, she couldn't do it because Mobius couldn't beat Elysia.

"I feel great now! Full of energy!"

Miss Pink Elf made a move like a Kamen Rider transforming, exhaled a few times, and blinked at Luo Lin, "What should we do next?"

"Let me think... Follow me."
Luo Lin led Elysia to the lower floor of the Elysian Realm Hall, pointing to the location of the Soulium gate and said, "Elysia, what can you see here?"

"Of course, I see a door!"

Elysia nodded, surprised, "So Luo Lin and Senti usually enter and leave the Elysian Realm from here?"

"Are you sure there's really a... door here?"
Verwy, who came over with them, looked suspicious. She had installed many high-precision detectors here before, but in the end, nothing was detected.

Miss Pink Elf put her hands on her hips and nodded heavily, "Yes!"
The green-haired scientist blinked and looked at the staircase, as usual, she only saw a plain, open Soulium gate leading to the lower level of the Elysian Realm Hall.

But in Elysia's eyes, there was a "door" floating there emitting a faint light, opposite to the mirrored area of the Elysian Realm Hall, Senti and Luo Lin had arrived at the stairs on the other side of the door while Elysia was talking to the two scientists.

Miss Pink Elf made a gesture with her hand, smiled at the panicked Mobius on the other side of the "door", and shouted, "I'm fine! You can rest assured!"

"Damn it, can't you! $$$... &*("

Mobius cursed dirty words, but Elysia didn't care.

"Don't you want to take me for a walk?"

Then, Luo Lin took Elysia on a tour of the space. When she introduced the Abyss Battlefield system, the Miss Pink Elf's eyes lit up with an unprecedented brilliance.

Luo Lin immediately felt something was wrong.

Elysia grabbed the girl's sleeve, "Luo Lin Luo Lin, let's try this one!"

"...Alright."

Then Luo Lin spent the night with Elysia, intensively exploring the Abyss and Battlefield until it was almost time to get up in the morning.

Luo Lin pulled the Miss Pink Elf out of the activities of "this guy is one point higher than us, let's fight him!" and "this score can still be improved!"

"My dear Elysia, I have to go to work... After finishing the last experiment, you can go back and tell Mobius that everything is fine, okay?"

Elysia seemed to feel the inappropriate behavior of dragging Luo Lin to furiously dive into the Abyss all night, and answered somewhat guilty, "Okay."

Luo Lin sighed with relief, let her consciousness float up again, and opened her eyes in the Valkyrie's rest room on the Hyperion.

Looking around, confirming that there was no one, and no working cameras, she reached out and clenched her fist earnestly.

—She was going to summon the Miss Pink Elf into reality!

Luo Lin shouted lowly, "Respond to me, Elysia!"

However, the pink figure did not appear.

What's going on?

Luo Lin heard Elysia's embarrassed voice in her mind, "Um, sorry, Luo Lin... I seem to be stuck."






Chapter 3: It's the Rabbit!

According to Elysia herself, she indeed felt a sensation of being "called" and "pulled", as if walking from the shallow end of a swimming pool to the deep end, where the "water level" gradually rose, gently enveloping her body.

Then it got stuck below the chest of the Miss Pink Elf, who was unable to progress, and after struggling for a few seconds, the connection was severed.

Elysia straightened her body, showcasing the assets that overshadowed Senti and Luo Lin, gesturing with her hand, "Hmm, it's here!"

"Tsk... a cumbersome hindrance to battle..." Senti clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Maybe it's because that area is too large, so it got stuck and couldn't be transmitted!"

Elysia smirked, "I can't even decide how my body will grow, you know?"

"Uh..." Luo Lin's mind went blank, saying, "What if it gets transmitted halfway and becomes... Step Brother, I am stuck?"

"What did you say?"

"Huh?"

Both Senti and Elysia sounded puzzled, while Spiral, who was watching from the side, awkwardly covered her face, "Main body, tone it down!"

"It's nothing, really..."

Luo Lin's gaze was also drawn to those proud existences. She scratched her slightly flushed cheek and sighed, "...This is troublesome, System, come and see what's going on!"

"Host, you'll have to explore this yourself."

The system replied with its characteristic electronic tone, with a hint of resentment in its tone, "You brought Elysia and Senti into the system space, used it as a transit station, which is a loophole in the system that I don't understand..."

Luo Lin's mouth twitched, "If I provide you with a large amount of crystals now, will this problem be solved?"

The system answered tactfully, "Unfortunately, host, with your current crystals, you can barely afford snacks."

The girl took a sharp breath, "What? But I saved up so many crystals! They were all spent on that event, and I don't feel anything..."

"Host, think positively, didn't you receive generous rewards?"

"Rewards..."

Luo Lin lowered her head, opened the warehouse panel, and looked at the newly added series of black and white cores, three-point crystals, ring magnets... all exchanged in the event shop of "Blazing Fury, Xuanyuan Reborn".

Of course, the most important thing was a certain character unlocked in the Valkyrie lineup.

She was a support character, wearing a hood, a skilled mercenary. Her attack moves were grand and elegant, as if dancing, and the SP requirement for her ultimate move was in the triple digits, she was—

Yes, it's "Haxxor Bunny"!

Let's set aside a certain Island Exploding Crow for now, "Haxxor Rabbit" is a very special character in many ways.

In the early days of Honkai Impact 3rd, players' main teams were all about diversity, but it was later adjusted to a team composition of one main and two supports.

Due to game mechanics, Honkai Impact 3rd players can only control one character on the field, so if you control a support character for a long time, the time for the main character to output damage will be shortened.

Therefore, everyone hopes that the time for the support character to be on the field should be as short as possible, and during this time, they can accumulate enough SP to provide a high damage boost to the main character—of course, it's best for the support character to stay off the field and leave all the time for the main character to output damage.

"Haxxor Bunny" happens to be a support character that can stay backstage for the entire duration. The drones she summons can stay on stage when she leaves, assist the character in launching attacks, increase ice damage, and even restore energy for the backstage "Haxxor Bunny".

Even her ultimate move can be activated backstage, and when triggered, the player-controlled character remains the same—after clicking, you continue to use the main character to output damage, while "Rabbit" descends from the sky, unleashes her ultimate move, buffs your damage, and then elegantly returns to the backstage, continuing to provide assistance with drones, waiting for the next time the energy is sufficient.

Truly a perfect support character, isn't she?

Of course, what Luo Lin is more concerned about now is her set of abilities—"Haxxor Bunny" uses equipment based on her own "projection ability".

For her, as long as she has accurate "data", she can project these equipment at any time for her own use.

Doesn't it sound familiar?

Yes, in a sense, "Haxxor Bunny" can be regarded as a "Herrscher of Reason"...

The girl attached great importance to this.

After all, looking at Luo Lin's Valkyrie roster, she had not obtained any character cards that directly possessed the "Herrscher's Authority".

The armor of the "Vermilion Knight" was embedded with the Gem of Haste of the Herrscher of Flames, but in actual use, it was just swinging a big sword;

"Accipiter" is a pure display of skill, a mix of inch heart boxing and Edge of Taixuan Sword Ki, maybe unlocking "Misty Accipiter" at a deeper level can electrify her fists and feet, but there's no connection with the Herrscher;.

Although "Stygian Nymph" is somewhat related to the Herrscher of Death, but upon closer inspection, it doesn't show much, and Luo Lin thinks that the quantum manipulation power shown on this character card is more reliable;

As for the "Miss Pink Elf"... when Luo Lin tried it herself, she only felt the various uses of crystals, without any deeper understanding of them.

It's most likely that she'll have to wait until the "Herrscher of Origin: Human Ego" is unlocked before Luo Lin can experience the full joy of "complete" Elysia...

In this sense, "Haxxor Bunny" is the first character in Luo Lin's inventory that has a certain connection with "authority".

Supporting her chin, Luo Lin murmured, "Maybe, switching to this character, can help me find a solution to Elysia's inability to teleport?"

She didn't hesitate, Luo Lin immediately switched her lineup, transforming into "Haxxor Bunny".

She bounced around in the system space a few times, her silver gradually turning into cool electronic blue spiral twin ponytails and the bunny ear decorations on her hood jumping along, looking very lively.

Elysia's gaze fell on the bunny ear decorations of "Haxxor Bunny", her fingers itching.

Sensing her gaze, Luo Lin immediately covered her hood, "Hey hey! Don't grab it yet!"

"Why not?" Elysia's eyes lit up, "Let me touch it, Luo Lin!"

Luo Lin said solemnly, "This decoration also has antenna functions, I'm afraid you'll break it if you grab it."

"...Really?"

"For real! Let Vill-V take a look when we get back to Elysian Realm! She can prove it!"

Luo Lin turned her head and said, "Spiral, take over, I'll try summoning again! Observe carefully!"

"Okay."

"Haxxor Bunny: Spiral" looked at Elysia seriously, feeling the changes in the Miss Pink Elf.

Elysia also quieted down, feeling that calling.

Unfortunately, a few seconds later, the Miss Pink Elf sighed, "Looks like it failed again..."

(ᗜ ˰ ᗜ)

But Elysia wasn't discouraged for long, she glanced around and came up with a new idea, "If it really doesn't work, I'll just run out from the World Serpent Headquarters with this body, all the way to the Far East to meet you, how about that?"

"No, Elysia... that's too dangerous and troublesome."

Spiral rubbed her chin, saying, "My intuition tells me that there is great potential in this body to solve this problem... give me some time to study it, trust us, we won't let you down."

"Yes, trust us."

Luo Lin didn't know when she returned to the system space, she coughed a few times and said, "It looks like today's experiment can only go this far, Elysia, you should go back to Elysian Realm first. I guess Mobius is already impatient, probably biting people everywhere..."

The Miss Pink Elf was somewhat amused and helpless, "What kind of existence is Mobius in your mind!"

—Probably like "The Herrscher of Finality destroyed the world with a slap, but Mobius's mouth still exists, and it's still spewing profanities," that kind of impression.







Chapter 4: Luo Lin Arrives, but Grades Don't (Really)

After departing the airport of the Far East Branch, Luo Lin glanced at the setting sun on the horizon, realizing it was already dinner time.

She decided to head to St. Freya's cafeteria to address her hunger and enjoy a satisfying meal.

Upon entering the cafeteria, Luo Lin noticed a subtle change in the atmosphere since her last visit.

Many students sat with textbooks, test papers, and training weapons beside them, chewing their food quickly before hastily departing towards the self-study rooms, library, or training grounds.

Even those who had already graduated and become official Valkyries appeared somewhat distracted, engaging in hushed conversations with their companions.

Luo Lin suddenly recalled, "Oh, I remember now, it's almost time for the Valkyrie Qualification Exam..."

Schicksal holds the Valkyrie Qualification Exam annually, where graduates from St. Freya's participate to determine their classification.

This also explained why St. Freya's scheduled its final exams around the same time—to encourage graduating students and seamlessly transition them to the qualification exam site.

Of course, it wasn't just graduates from St. Freya's who participated in the exam; Schicksal also evaluated employed Valkyries to determine their classification based on their performance throughout the year.

If successful, a Valkyrie could maintain her current classification; otherwise, Schicksal might consider downgrading her classification.

To upgrade, a Valkyrie needed to apply for the promotion exam. This was the process Luo Lin went through when she upgraded from C-rank to B-rank. Now, if she wanted to ascend from B-rank to A-rank, she would need to apply for the A-rank promotion exam again.

The A-rank promotion exam, the highest level, was conducted only at Schicksal headquarters and a few branches with appropriate facilities and personnel—like the Far East Branch.

This led to an interesting backstory—before Theresa became the leader of the Far East Branch, the facility lacked the resources to conduct the A-rank exam.

However, after Theresa's arrival, Otto spared no expense in upgrading the branch, providing state-of-the-art facilities and personnel. It was a testament to his favoritism towards Theresa.

Nevertheless, most Valkyries preferred to take the A-rank promotion exam at headquarters. Not only did it potentially increase their chances of success, but it also brought them honor through the attention and guidance of Bishop Otto.

Unfortunately, the number of exam qualifications issued by headquarters was limited, leading most aspiring A-rank Valkyries to take the exam at other locations.

Luo Lin, however, planned to take the A-rank promotion exam directly at the Far East Branch. She had no intention of going to headquarters to meet Otto—it would only invite trouble.

She knew Otto likely had a keen interest in her already, but she wanted to delay their meeting as long as possible, one day at a time.

With the support of the system, Luo Lin accumulated "capital" every day, gradually becoming stronger. Perhaps one day, the system would provide her with a significant boost, such as introducing a powerful function or character, thereby altering her destiny in an instant.

As she pondered her future, Luo Lin finished her meal and patted her stomach contentedly before heading home.

Soon, the black-haired Valkyrie stood before her dormitory door. Upon entering, she noticed the stale air and thin layer of dust on the table—evidence of her absence.

She opened the window to let in the fresh air and sighed in relief as she gazed at the lights of St. Freya Academy outside. "Before bed, I should tidy up a bit. It's just a matter of using Edge of Taixuan to sweep the room; it won't take much effort... Oh, and I can try out the new guy!"

Thus, when Kiana, Raiden Mei, and Bronya knocked on Luo Lin's dormitory door, they were greeted by an unusual sight—

Luo Lin lay sprawled on the sofa, resembling a tired OL worker who just went home, while a whirlwind of shining Taixuan Ki swept through the room, carrying dust and trash into the bin. A small drone with rabbit ears hovered in the air, carrying a bag of garbage out the window to the disposal area...

"Hey! Good evening!"

Luo Lin greeted the astonished trio with a lazy smile. "I'm back from my business trip. How's everyone doing?"

Raiden Mei was the first to regain her composure. She smiled and asked, "Everything's fine here, Sister Luo Lin. How about you? Did you complete your mission? Are you injured?"

"Although there were some hiccups along the way, the outcome is perfectly fine!" Luo Lin blinked, "No injuries whatsoever. You have to trust in your Sister Luo Lin's strength!"

Bronya nodded in agreement. "Bronya trusts Luo Lin."

"Well..."

Luo Lin pondered for a moment before suddenly asking, "Kiana, can you show me your recent test scores?"

Kiana's eyes widened, and her excited demeanor quickly dissipated. With a trembling voice, she asked, "N-now? Do you want to see them now?"

"Why not?"

Kiana's hair drooped weakly. "Uh... well, um, the paper version of the score... is gone."

"Thrown away?"

"No, it's just... eroded by excessive Honkai energy... and shattered."

Luo Lin was somewhat surprised. "You threw your score into the Honkai energy furnace?"

Raiden Mei and Bronya exchanged knowing looks, aware that the truth was far more absurd than what Luo Lin had guessed—who would have thought that the score sheet would "perish" at the hands of the Herrscher's power?

Kiana stammered for a long time without making any sense. Faced with this situation, Luo Lin's heart began to have a bad feeling.

So the girl turned to Bronya and asked, "Is there any other way to check the scores?"

"There is. Just go to the official website of the academic office—I've already checked."

Bronya took out her tablet and handed it to Luo Lin.

Kiana looked at Bronya in shock, her face full of astonishment. "This, this is a shameful betrayal!"

Ural Silver Wolf's response was as cold and merciless as the Siberian snowstorm. "Stop struggling, and face reality sooner."

Luo Lin looked down at the bright red sheet—it was Kiana's "impressive record."

She felt the Stigmata representing Cecilia on her back quickly heating up, even causing a slight burning sensation.

"Kiana, your mother's emotions are a bit too excited..."
Luo Lin's smile gradually twisted, bringing an unparalleled sense of oppression to Kiana.

In Kiana's eyes, this smile had become extremely terrifying.

She suspected that Luo Lin would pounce on her in the next second, grab her, and spank her.

So, following her heart, Kiana rushed forward, hugged Luo Lin's thigh, and started crying, "Sister Luo Lin, help me, I want to play basketball... no, I want to get a good grade..."

Luo Lin: "..."

Selune's Elegy peeked out from behind the sofa, looking at the fluffball shedding noodle tears, and made a clucking sound, "Indeed, she is a Grasshopper..."

Raiden Mei and Bronya exchanged a glance and showed a subtle smile.

"It's quite fitting for Kiana's nickname."

"Indeed."

It took Luo Lin a lot of effort to suppress the impulse to spank Kiana's butt. She took a deep breath and said, "Alright, get up! Kiana... you'd better speak the truth. In the next few days, I'll give you special training to try to help you pass the exam—no complaining, got it?"

The fluffball wiped her face randomly and smiled, "Yes!"

"You..."

Luo Lin pinched Kiana's cheek hard, took out a towel from the system space, and wiped her face. The fluffball seemed to have completely forgotten that she had just cried, enjoying Luo Lin's service as if nothing had happened, with a puppy tail wagging wildly behind her.

"Mei, Bronya, come here too."

The two nodded together, "Thank you, Sister Luo Lin."

Luo Lin pondered for two seconds and said, "I'll find you a top-notch instructor. When I took the exam, she also helped me a lot..."

Luo Lin's teacher?

The Big Three's eyes lit up, their hearts filled with anticipation.






Chapter 5: Luo Lin: I Won't Teach, Himeko: I'll Teach Twice

"So, this is the reason you called me here?" Vermilion Knight, Eclipse, stood on the ground of the dormitory, sounding somewhat displeased.

Luo Lin smiled brightly, "Teacher Himeko, could you please give them some guidance..."

The black-haired girl's demeanor resembled that of a parent trying to get close to a teacher at a school, almost handing over a bag of tea leaves or a gift...

Oh, she actually took out a chilled beer and stuffed it into the Valkyrie's hand.

The St. Freya Gold Lecturer, Himeko, who was brought over from a parallel world by her, looked at Luo Lin somewhat speechlessly, put the beer on the nearby table, and flicked the girl's head, "What are you thinking? Making it so awkward... I didn't say I didn't want to teach."

"Hehe~"

On the sofa not far away, the girls were also observing Himeko
Kiana scratched her head and muttered softly, "Isn't this the alternate form that Luo Lin used when she fought with that pseudo-Herrscher in Nagazroa City? So, isn't this still Luo Lin teaching us?"

Raiden Mei also looked puzzled, but after observing for a while, she shook her head gently, "That's not Sister Luo Lin... it's someone else."

"Indeed, from the posture, speech habits, and actions, it's completely different from Sister Luo Lin, more natural."

Bronya speculated, "Perhaps the Valkyrie standing there now is the true owner of this appearance."
Mei nodded in agreement, "Yeah, Bronya thinks so too."

With that said, the two exchanged a smile.

Mei placed her hand on her chest, feeling the Herrscher power hidden deep within her; Bronya, in this moment of contemplation, thought of Seele floating in the Sea of Quanta.

"The stronger Luo Lin becomes, the easier it will be to solve our problems, and we will naturally enjoy seeing such things."

Kiana looked around and made cooing sounds, "You seem to be talking about something very profound..."

Just then, Himeko took a step forward, her Eclipse armor boots making crisp sounds on the ground, causing the three to stop whispering immediately.

Vermilion Knight lowered her head, her gaze sharp as lightning, carefully scrutinizing the faces of the Big Three.

Kiana, Raiden Mei, and Bronya felt the imposing aura emanating from this valiant Valkyrie teacher, huddling together on the sofa like quails, trembling.

Luo Lin followed closely, standing beside Himeko, "Ahem, let me introduce, Himeko, the gold medal instructor of St. Freya's Academy... and also my teacher."

Under the "weak, helpless, and pitiful" gaze of the three girls, Himeko's expression changed slightly, murmuring, "Raiden Mei, Bronya..."

Hearing Himeko's murmurs, Luo Lin looked at the side of the red-haired Valkyrie's face in surprise—It seemed that the gold medal instructor Himeko in her world had also interacted with the Big Three.

The red-haired Valkyrie paused for a moment, focusing her gaze on the face of the white-haired fluffball, somewhat gritting her teeth as she said, "And you, the famous Kiana Kaslana... if there are no surprises, your grades should be 'brilliant,' the 'favorite' of all the teachers."

The white fluffball's pupils shook violently, her hair standing on end in shock, cold sweat pouring down her forehead, "T-Teacher, my combat scores are exceptionally good!"

"Oh, so the other subjects aren't that great." Kiana's fluffy hair drooped, her face showing a bitter expression.

Seeing her reaction, Himeko had a clear understanding—at least in terms of exam scores, this parallel world's Kiana was not much different from the one she knew, quite similar...

Well, it's better to put it more tactfully...

"You're the typical representative of the Kaslana family."

Mei and Bronya were both astute, and they sensed some emotions in Himeko's words.

However, Kiana, lacking in culture, laughed happily after hearing this, "Ahaha, I only knew how powerful the Kaslana family was after coming to St. Freya's..."

Himeko's mouth twitched slightly, subconsciously intending to give the white fluffball a slap to wake her up. But halfway through, she suddenly realized that the Kiana standing in front of her was not her familiar student, but another person from a parallel world, so she reluctantly withdrew her hand.

Only then did Kiana react belatedly, realizing that she seemed to have offended the teacher Luo Lin invited, with even more sweat on her forehead.

"Now I understand why Luo Lin called me here."
Saying that, Himeko glanced at the main culprit with her eyes, and Luo Lin could only smile along.

She then took out a stack of papers and placed them in front of the Big Three, saying, "Alright, these are the papers I tested Luo Lin with before, you can do them now as a diagnostic test."

The three girls glanced at each other, took the papers, found comfortable positions in the dormitory, and started working on the questions.

At this moment, Himeko grabbed Luo Lin's shoulder, leaned close to her ear, and whispered, "I've taught Kiana Kaslana on my end before, and I know how troublesome she can be..."

Luo Lin chuckled awkwardly, "I'm sorry, Teacher Himeko, I thought with your experience... doing it again would be easier..."

"I have reason to suspect that you're messing with me, so..." Himeko squinted her eyes, smirked, and said, "—You'll have to pay more!"

Luo Lin waved her hand casually, making a promise, "More, everything can be added."

The red-haired Valkyrie propped her chin up, pondering, "Well, it seems that even if you give me money or other things, I can't take them back to my own world... so, how about you promise me one thing?"

Luo Lin scratched her head, "Actually, I think I can make you take things back to your own world soon. The research I've been busy with lately just happens to be related to this... I'll give you money and gifts, and I won't fall short on promises—tell me, what do you want me to do?"

"Hiss, the way you say that, it makes Sister Himeko a little excited, you know?"

Himeko smiled, "Well then, I want you to become an S-rank Valkyrie as soon as possible and eliminate the Honkai."

"Ah..."

Luo Lin was momentarily speechless, as she and Himeko locked eyes, seeing full of expectations and encouragement in each other's eyes.

"It's really..."

The girl sighed, muttering, "Teacher Himeko, are you always like this... making people feel embarrassed."

Himeko patted Luo Lin's shoulder openly, "There's nothing to be embarrassed about, I really think you have the qualifications to become an S-rank Valkyrie."

"I'll do my best, I'll do my best..."

"What do you mean by 'do your best,' hurry up and become an S-rank Valkyrie for me!"




Chapter 6: Story of the Parallel World (Part 3)

After the diagnostic test, Himeko Murata examined the paper handed over by Kiana, which was comparable to a blank sheet in a sense, and fell into silence.

Nine out of ten questions were wrong, a complete failure.

Fortunately, Himeko was mentally prepared for the learning ability of "Kiana Kaslana."

After understanding the weaknesses of the Big Three (especially the white fluffball) in terms of knowledge, she started targeted remedial classes.

Soon, Kiana and her friends discovered that Himeko was worthy of her title as a "gold medal instructor." She effortlessly provided various knowledge required by the reserve Valkyries, teaching in a clear and easy-to-understand manner.

Especially Kiana, she even felt that this red-haired teacher could read her mind. Whenever she had doubts about a certain question, Himeko would explain that part in detail, as if predicting her thoughts, easily dispelling the confusion of the white fluffball.

Himeko was able to achieve this level because in her world, Kiana had already asked related questions.

—Although the Himeko summoned at the beginning had not yet interacted with the Big Three, during her magnificent journey (referring to being chased by Tree and Sea), time in the parallel world was also passing.

There, just like in the original plot of Honkai Impact 3rd, Nagazora City erupted the Third Honkai Eruption. Himeko, who was employed at St. Freya's and served as the captain of the Hyperion, naturally went to investigate.

Then should come Himeko's defeat in battle and Kiana's passionate call for Raiden Mei, suppressing the Herrscher of Thunder, right?

Sorry, there have been some changes here—Himeko somehow stunned the still immature Herrscher of Thunder, then Kiana, who was eager to protect her wife, rushed out and stood in between.

This move deeply touched the Herrscher of Thunder, who launched a second challenge against Himeko.

Unfortunately, wearing the Scarlet Fusion Battlesuit, Himeko still easily suppressed her opponent.

Obviously, this was a change brought by Luo Lin—Originally, Himeko was a teacher at St. Freya's, and her combat effectiveness would inevitably decline after serving in the education position for many years.

But Luo Lin brought Himeko to the Abyss Battlefield, where they would either train or fight together every day, encountering new monstrous creatures to beat up.

Himeko from the parallel world, like Bianka, although she couldn't remember all her memories with Luo Lin, retained the experience gained from training and battles, making her even more formidable than when she was in the Valkyrie Assault Team. (What a dream for martial artists.)

The Herrscher of Thunder, who had just been born and didn't even know how to use her Herrscher powers properly, was directly defeated by the Himeko who got immense EXP from the Abyss Battlefield.

"Your strikes lack power, your defense is weak, your footwork is sloppy, your reactions are slow, none of your movements are decent. With your current state, you wouldn't even last a minute on the Abyss Grand Stage..."
Himeko rubbed her chin, somewhat puzzled. "Wait, what is the Abyss?"

At this moment, Kiana intervened. Under Himeko's astonished gaze, she ran to the center of the battlefield and declared her love for Raiden Mei, causing the Herrscher of Thunder's consciousness to shake, reverting to the despondent chuunibyou girl.

"I've never seen such a scene before? Interesting, I've really never seen such a scene."

Then, Himeko returned to St. Freya's with Mei and Kiana, oh, and they even found a certain Bronya on the Hyperion, successfully reuniting the Big Three.

Congratulations, congratulations.

Although there were some changes in the plot of the parallel world, Himeko still became the teacher of the Big Three, and the consciousness of the Herrscher of Thunder shrank in fear whenever she saw Himeko, hiding deep within Mei's heart, making it quite safe overall.

After spending some time together, Himeko also developed a deep friendship with Kiana, Raiden Mei, and Bronya.

Of course, she had a headache during class because of Kiana's "explosive" learning ability.

As for Luo Lin, all Himeko needed to do was to take out the teaching plan for dealing with her own Kiana, and repeat what she had done before.

"Kiana, repeat the key points I just emphasized." Himeko smiled and said, while casually pointing to the two classmates sitting next to her. "Mei, Bronya, no cheating to help her."

"Uh..."

Raiden Mei and Bronya exchanged glances, shrugged their shoulders, and cast helpless looks at the sweating Kiana.

"1... In 1953, the First Honkai Eruption broke out in Berlin, and humanity first discovered... discovered... the high concentration of Honkai could gather in the human body, creating the core... giving birth to Herrschers capable of distorting the laws of physics..."

Thanks to Kiana knowing she was a Herrscher, she remembered this aspect quite clearly. She stumbled through the explanation, making few major mistakes.

Himeko nodded. "Good, now tell me, what is the attribute restraint mechanism of Honkai Beasts..."

Struggling to answer the previous question, Kiana racked her brains, her face turning red with effort, still not fully recovered.

Her brain turned slightly, and without thinking, she said, "Sword restrains axe, axe restrains spear, spear restrains sword!"

Bronya knew trouble was brewing as soon as she heard this.
She covered her face, squeezing out a sentence from between her teeth, "Kiana, isn't this from the Homu Emblem we played a few days ago..."

"Uh... oh... ah..."

The white fluffball's face turned ashen!

The white fluffball retreats while fighting!

The white fluffball is at a loss! The white fluffball has no way out!

—Although knowing that Kiana is like this, it's still infuriating.

Himeko smiled wryly. "It seems you still don't remember it clearly, Kiana, let's go over it again..."

Kiana swallowed hard, looking to her two companions for help.

Raiden Mei patted Kiana's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll be here with you."

Bronya simply turned her head away, pretending not to know the white fluffball.

—Sorry, she is not very familiar with a grasshopper.

Kiana looked at them with a despairing expression, then finally turned to Luo Lin.

Unfortunately, Luo Lin now felt the stigmata of Cecilia burning on her back, as if calling out loudly for her to take any necessary action against Kiana immediately...

Feeling the aura emanating from Luo Lin, Kiana shrank her neck and obediently sat back, accepting Himeko's re-education with love.

Luo Lin took a deep breath, clenched her fist, feeling like the stigmata also held a grudge against another person.

On the distant other side, Siegfried sneezed.

"Weird, why do I feel like someone is talking about me?"


...


The next day, when the history teacher Welt Yang entered the classroom with his lesson plan and documents, he habitually glanced at Kiana and Raiden Mei.

Raiden Mei was fine, except that there was suddenly an open notebook on her desk, and you could vaguely see the cover was dark purple and pink—this was the notebook Luo Lin gave them, one for each member of the Trio, matched according to their respective theme colors.

Raiden Mei's notebook already had many words written on it, with several tabs attached, looking like a diligent student.

On Kiana's desk was also a notebook of the same style but in white, except it looked like it hadn't been used at all, as if it had been randomly placed on the desk after being taken out of her backpack.

The owner of the notebook, at this moment, was motionless, staring blankly at her seat, her eyes empty, without any luster, her mouth opening and closing, like a dried fish.

Kiana's state made Welt a little nervous. He pushed his glasses and used his Herrscher powers to enhance himself, listening carefully to what she was murmuring:

"Zombies... Honkai beasts... Operation Schicksal.... Herrscher... murmuring..."

Why does it sound like the knowledge points for Valkyrie exams?

Welt was stunned for a moment, his face becoming strange. He glanced at Bronya, who was closer to the podium, and also saw a blue-covered notebook on her desk.
By the way, Bronya really liked this color because it looked like Seele.

—They... studied together all night?

The Herrscher was somewhat puzzled, but judging from their expressions, the mental state of these two Herrschers was much better than it had been in recent days.

Probably because the Valkyrie named Luo Lin had returned to St. Freya's, easing the tension and anxiety of the Herrschers.

Good, ah, it's good.

Welt tightened his scarf, and said, "Let's start the class."

What amazed the Herrscher happened—The white fluffball actually forced herself to move, opened her textbook, and stared at the text on the page with her empty eyes, her ears also picking up the information in the classroom.

She's actually studying?! Kiana Kaslana is actually studying?!

Even after a few minutes, Kiana's eyes turned into circles, but she was still struggling, struggling to study!

Unbelievable!

Seeing this scene, Welt felt a slight touch of emotion in his heart. He tried to slow down his teaching speed, hoping to make it clearer and easier for the white fluffball to understand...

Bronya noticed the change in the teaching rhythm and turned her head to look at Kiana.

Good news, Kiana is really paying attention. The bad news is, Kiana's brain has consumed too much energy, and after class, she immediately collapsed on the spot.

Raiden Mei sat beside the white fluffball, stuffing her mouth with homemade cookies. Kiana swept away the paper bag that Mei used to hold the cookies like a wild beast, then fell into a deep sleep.

A few minutes later, the bell for the next class rang, but Kiana was still sleeping with her head buried on the desk, showing no sign of wanting to wake up.

Raiden Mei felt a little sorry as she gently stroked Kiana's braided hair. She actually wanted to let the white fluffball continue sleeping like this, but after thinking for a few seconds, Mei felt it was better to wake Kiana up.

This was also a form of heavy care.

"Kiana, wake up..."

"Mei, I want to sleep..."

Mei whispered, "Think about Luo Lin, she really will come and spank you."

Kiana immediately opened her bloodshot eyes. "I feel very awake now, I need to study immediately!"

"Study well, and I'll make you some snacks tonight." Raiden Mei blinked.

"Oh oh oh! I'm fired up now!"

Hearing this, Kiana's fighting spirit soared!

Bronya couldn't help but sigh, only Raiden Mei knew how to communicate with Kiana...








Chapter 7: Slandered Reputation

The Big Three had spent a busy yet fulfilling day. Raiden Mei and Bronya "carried" the exhausted, pale-faced Kiana to the cafeteria.

It wasn't that Raiden Mei didn't want to cook, but seeing Kiana in such a state, completely drained of energy and on the verge of starvation, she thought it would be better to just go to the cafeteria and eat ready-made meals.

The white fluffball weakly moaned, "I can't go on... studying is so hard..."

"Hang in there, Kiana, we'll be eating soon!" Raiden Mei's voice sounded compassionate, but looking at her expression, she was actually suppressing a laugh.

Kiana nodded reluctantly and muttered, "Bronya... my games... are in the... box under my bed... just keep them for me..."

"Bronya knows..." The silver-haired girl nodded. "I'll take good care of your games. Any games you couldn't finish, Bronya will complete them for you!"

"It's not like that!" Kiana burst out like a fish out of water, "I just want you to keep them for me temporarily, and give them back to me after I finish my exams!"

Raiden Mei looked at Kiana and sighed, "Kiana, you're really determined..."

"Of course, am I the kind of person who gives up halfway? I can resist playing games before exams... Although my Homu Impact account is still in Gold, it's just a little away from Diamond rank this season, and the Diamond rank account can still draw prizes, with a chance to get the Homu Impact badge..."

As Kiana spoke, her voice trembled, "And there's also the latest release of Kallen Fantasy, the oldest IP in the gaming world... Oh, and there's Arahato, a new mecha, limited-time event... cough cough, I don't care, hmm, I don't care... sob..."

"..."

The two friends looked at the choked-up Kiana, unsure of what to say for a moment.

After a few seconds of silence, Bronya spoke up, "Bronya can help Kiana complete both the Homu Impact and Arahato limited-time events, but the condition is that Kiana doesn't mess up her upcoming quizzes and final exams..."

Kiana suddenly perked up, grabbing the hand of the girl with silver spiral curls and shaking it up and down, "Thank you, Bronya, I won't let you down... you must take good care of my game account! Oh, by the way, my account password is..."

Raiden Mei rolled her eyes, suspecting that the white fluffball had been planning this for a while, and now she had finally succeeded.

With the assurance from Bronya, Kiana regained some color and, under the nonchalant gaze of the chef, filled several bowls of food to replenish the energy she had expended studying all day.

Scanning the cafeteria, her eyes lit up, and she immediately rushed over with Mei and Bronya in tow!

"Durandal is over there, let's go and get close to her!"

Durandal was sitting in the corner of the cafeteria, her meal already finished. But the golden-haired knight didn't get up to leave; instead, she sat on her chair with her Moon Ring, lost in thought.

The battle against Chiyou had seen the Moon Ring perform far beyond Durandal's expectations, greatly enhancing her combat capabilities. But after the battle, she discovered a burnt smell emanating from the Moon Ring.

Opening the cover of the Moon Ring, Durandal took out several charred chips from the chip slot—these were the "All-Purpose" series chips that had dropped during the event.

With a heavy heart, Durandal handed the items back to Luo Lin, "Teacher Luo Lin, I'm sorry, I probably exerted too much force and burned the chips..."

Luo Lin didn't think it was Durandal's fault—logically, event items should expire and become unusable after the event ends. Even if those chips with exaggerated effects disappeared into thin air, Luo Lin wouldn't have been too surprised.

She looked at the charred chips lying in her palm and sighed, "It's okay, I'll ask the researchers to try to repair these chips..."

"Repair?"

"Well, you've experienced the effects of these chips. Such exaggerated items are experimental products that can't be obtained easily. When the time comes, I'll ask the experts in this field to see if they can produce a batch of weakened versions..."

As for the experts she would ask, naturally, they were the two famous researchers from the past world, Mobius and Vill-V, in the Elysian Realm.

After flipping through the rest of the event drop chips, most of them had turned into charred messes—more importantly, some of the chips were useless because their mechanisms didn't fit the combat scenarios Luo Lin had in mind.

It was now confirmed that the chips had been ruined due to the end of the event.

Luo Lin remained calm; she shook her head, comforted the golden-haired knight for a few words, and left with the burnt chips.

Durandal, on the other hand, felt stimulated by this incident and spent her time practicing precise operations with the Moon Ring when she returned, hoping to avoid mistakes the next time she used similar amplification chips...

After finishing her meal, the golden-haired knight sat on a chair in the cafeteria, intending to ponder over the operation of the Moon Ring for a while. But she accidentally became engrossed in it.

"Durandal, hello!"

At that moment, a white fluffball and her two companions sat down opposite Durandal, interrupting her contemplation.

"Oh, Kiana, hello." The golden-haired knight looked interestedly at The Big Three and asked, "I remember your declaration to become the strongest Valkyrie... so, how are your preparations for the final exams going?"

"Uh..." Kiana clearly didn't expect Durandal to ask such a question right away. She scratched her head awkwardly and mumbled, "Preparing... I'm preparing..."

To cover up her embarrassment, and of course, because Kiana was starving, she lowered her head and began to make noises about food.

The golden-haired knight smiled and nodded at Raiden Mei and Bronya, acknowledging their presence.

Durandal put the Moon Ring back on her wrist and glanced at Kiana's piled-up food, feeling a bit troubled as she rubbed her own stomach—Kiana's eating habits had made her feel a bit hungry again.

"Ah, Bianca, you're here!"

A spirited female voice came from the side, and as soon as Kiana heard it, countless knowledge points about Valkyrie exams flashed through her mind, instantly occupying her brain's processing capacity.

The white fluffball stiffened and looked up to see a familiar figure approaching Durandal, smiling and patting her on the shoulder, "Why have you been in the cafeteria for so long?"

"Teacher Himeko..." The golden-haired knight scratched her head somewhat embarrassedly, "I was just lost in thought."

The casually dressed Valkyrie Himeko thought for a moment and asked, "Thinking about your bracelet?"

"Yeah." Durandal nodded, "Oh, by the way, let me introduce you. This is Valkyrie Himeko... the combat instructor at the Schicksal Headquarters, and also my teacher."

Valkyrie Himeko struck a perfect diplomatic smile, refined through extensive practice, "Well, hello everyone."

Little did she know that this smile triggered Kiana's PTSD—last night, when Teacher Himeko was angry, she wore the same smile on her face. And as the one who angered Teacher Himeko the most, Kiana naturally had a deep impression of this smile.

"Cough cough cough..."

Kiana suddenly started coughing violently.

The red-haired Valkyrie glanced at the frozen Kiana and asked with concern, "Are you okay?"

"Sorry, Teacher Himeko, I need to go and review now!"
Kiana retreated, picking up her unfinished plate and running off.

Raiden Mei and Bronya also got up, apologizing to Valkyrie Himeko and Durandal, and followed the white fluffball.

Valkyrie Himeko was somewhat dumbfounded, "What... what just happened?"

Durandal: "I have no idea."

The combat instructor at the Schicksal Headquarters scratched her head, watching The Big Three run faster and faster, feeling a little frustrated, "Strange, they seem to know me, but am I really that scary? Impossible..."






Chapter 8: Welt: What's Happening?

While Kiana was fleeing in embarrassment, avoiding the Valkyrie Himeko of this world, Luo Lin pushed open the door of the laboratory that Theresa had assigned to her.

The gold-tier lecturer, Murata Himeko, had already been deployed by Luo Lin in the Valkyrie Dormitory ahead of time, waiting for the Big Three to finish their meal so they could continue reviewing their lessons.

Luo Lin had changed her appearance to that of "Haxxor Bunny," ready to explore the characteristics of this role tonight.

As a special guest, Elysia sat on the couch in the system space with Spiral, the Herrscher of Sentience, and the Selune's Elegy, surrounded by various snacks on the coffee table. The large screen TV nearby displayed Luo Lin's current actions.

Miss Pink Elf observed the room's style carefully and said, "Is this the laboratory manufactured by the current civilization? It doesn't look much different from ours back then..."

"Normal laboratories are pretty much the same," Luo Lin muttered, officially beginning her experiments for the night.

First, she needed to understand what the "projection ability" of the Haxxor Bunny could really do.

Luo Lin blinked, and the Honkai Energy was mobilized, condensed, and her most familiar Schicksal standard pistol appeared in her hand.

The Valkyrie disassembled it, spread it out on the table, and compared it with another standard pistol, belonging to herself—there was no difference in structure. The pistol produced by the Haxxor Bunny even replicated the scratches on Luo Lin's carried pistol...

Of course, only the exterior was replicated with wear and tear, while the interior looked like a brand-new product fresh off the assembly line.

"Interesting," Luo Lin assembled the projection weapons again and fired a few shots at the prepared target, causing it to sway.

There was no change in power.

After emptying the magazine, Luo Lin attempted to use Honkai Energy instead of ammunition, directly triggering it—the results were pleasing; she really fired bullets again, and this time, the power of the ammunition she fired was even greater.

No wonder the Haxxor Bunny didn't need to reload during normal attacks; the submachine gun just rattled continuously—it turned out they were using Honkai Energy directly as bullets.

Luo Lin also used Edge of Taixuan to strengthen the projected weapons and, without any surprise, succeeded. After hitting the target, the bullets blossomed into Taixuan Ki, leaving deep marks behind.

Luo Lin continued to test for quite a while, further understanding the abilities of the Haxxor Bunny through this method.

It could project weapons and equipment using Honkai Energy, but couldn't project food that normal people could consume (after all, finished products were made entirely of Honkai Energy; perhaps Honkai Beasts and Herrschers could eat it?), could inject Honkai Energy to strengthen projected equipment, enhance the structural strength of equipment, but there was a limit to enhancement.

Luo Lin also tried to directly project the Moon Ring but only made a shell that looked very similar, and it was completely unusable.

After trying several times, Luo Lin reluctantly concluded—the projection of the Haxxor Bunny required a deep understanding of the device's operating principles and blueprints to project things normally.

Luo Lin scratched her head, "Strange, I remember the Herrscher of Reason should be able to produce something like that, looking very similar on the outside, but with a structure that's haphazardly put together, but still able to produce the desired effects..."

Miss Pink Elf spoke up, "I think the Herrscher of Reason shouldn't be as outrageous as you say."

Luo Lin was somewhat skeptical, "But shouldn't the Herrscher's power be something like 'You just exert your strength, and I'll take care of the miracles'? From the performance of other Herrschers, aren't they all like this?"

Elysia's mouth twitched slightly, "Uh... It seems like what you're saying makes some sense..."

Luo Lin felt a little depressed; after a series of experiments, the Haxxor Bunny seemed like a youthful version of the Herrscher of Reason, and the girl's expectations seemed a bit too high.

"Oh, since it requires blueprints to project equipment..."

Luo Lin took out a golden cube, which quietly floated above her palm, with strange streams of light surging within.

The Key of Revelation, driven by the core of the Herrscher of Reason... It stored countless essential technologies of the previous civilization inside; anything you wanted was there!

The Haxxor Bunny narrowed her eyes and gently touched the shell of the divine key, mentally exploring inside.

Hmm, Luo Lin discovered a significant difference.

Before this, Luo Lin's attempt to use the Key of Revelation to project was like a programmer writing code on a computer without installed programs.

She needed to intuitively call up the data she wanted from the vast database, then run the program with external Honkai Energy to simulate the corresponding equipment.

But after switching to the role of the Haxxor Bunny, Luo Lin's access to the data in the divine key became much easier.

She now possessed a computer with many installed programs, connected to the database of the Key of Revelation, she could easily find what she wanted with just a light touch.

Unfortunately, Luo Lin wasn't yet familiar enough with the Haxxor Bunny; she couldn't leave the help of the divine key. She could only build equipment more quickly, efficiently, and completely—

Originally, she could only project the Light Spear separately with "Judah"; now she could directly create the entire Cross; the semi-disabled version of "Star of Eden" was restored to normal; even "Fenghuang Down" appeared in the options for projection...

Of course, the perennial topic was that the output of these simulated/projection products was not comparable to the original effects, but they were still decent to use.

Throughout the experiment, Elysia cheered enthusiastically, applauding Luo Lin.

Spiral was busy recording parameters for himself, very seriously.

The Herrscher of Sentience looked for a while, then said to the Selune's Elegy, "Call me when she messes up her scores," and promptly fell asleep.

Luo Lin became more and more excited as she worked, even summoning the blueprint of the Selene, intending to cosplay a scene of Bronya fiercely bombarding the Grace Field, but failed due to insufficient control, and the Honkai Energy exploded the gradient blue spiral of the Haxxor Bunny into a mess.

ξ†(ᗜ ‸ ᗜ)†ξ

"Damn it..."

Spiral shrugged, "Don't aim too high; be honest and take it slow."

But little did they know, not far away, Welt Yang sensed a strange fluctuation. He emerged from his blanket, his face full of confusion as he looked towards the direction of the Extreme East Branch's laboratory.

"So weird..."

Without hesitation, the Herrscher of Sentience created a set of night clothes for himself with Honkai Energy, tucked Star of Eden, and sneaked out of the teacher's dormitory.

What was that feeling? It was like there was another... Herrscher of Reason.

Could it be a trap?

Welt frowned, cautiously advancing.

By the time he arrived at the laboratory site, Luo Lin had already finished her experiments for the night and was riding her flying sword back.

Their actions completely missed each other.

The Leader of Entropy circled the Far East Branch's laboratory area several times, but found nothing. In the end, he left with an unresolved confusion.






Chapter 9: Unique Study Methods in Shenzhou

"Luo Lin, did you just transform into Sister Bronya?"
On the way back to the dorm, unsurprisingly, Luo Lin received a message from Seele via the Key of Revelation.

The girl touched her chin. "You could say that."

After all, Bronya was now considered a "renowned actress of miHoYo." In Honkai Impact 3, she had the most Valkyrie character cards, and even in the adjacent Star Rail, there were two Bronyas—one large and one small...

As for the other one, Bronya was even more prominent, leading the charge in Honkai Impact 3 as a Russian executive, single-handedly supporting half of the game's success. (Was this image really okay?)

Seele hesitated before speaking softly, "So cool, but it feels really strange..."

Veliona hummed, "Well, inside that 'Sister,' it's still Luo Lin. Whether it's actions or expressions, they have nothing to do with Bronya—besides, when Luo Lin transformed into us before, why didn't you find it strange?"

Seele chuckled awkwardly, "Maybe I was just too shocked..."

"I think you were busy wanting to see Sister," Seele sighed helplessly, "You didn't care about these things at all, did you? Now that you see Luo Lin transforming into Bronya, you find it strange again... really, compared to yourself, I feel like you care more about Bronya."

Without hesitation, Seele denied Veliona's statement, "No, I care about you too, the other me."

"Ugh!"

Seele's unintentional straightforwardness made Veliona unconsciously cover her chest, her heart pounding.

She forcefully changed the subject, "Luo Lin, when do you plan to let us meet Bronya again?"

"Tonight is fine, after Himeko finishes teaching them," Luo Lin replied, pushing open the dormitory door to find Kiana lying sideways on the sofa, surrounded by scattered papers on the floor. At first glance, it looked like some random enemy defeated by a passing protagonist.

Himeko, with her hands on her hips, sighed helplessly, touching her nose. "After today's supplementary lessons, I gave Kiana the papers, and she just collapsed on the ground..."

Raiden Mei's face reddened slightly as she muttered, "She even said she needed hugs and kisses and to be lifted up high before she was willing to get up from the sofa... I ignored her, and she just kept lying there."

Luo Lin suddenly felt like she had eaten too much.

She rubbed her stomach and looked at Himeko beside her. Himeko spread her hands, looking helpless. "I'm used to it."

Bronya walked over with drinks and shared a cup with Luo Lin and Himeko. "Kiana studied very seriously all day today. Even the strictest teacher, Welt, was surprised by her attitude."

Welt had every reason to be surprised. There were two Herrschers in the class who had no restrictions. One of them had once plunged the world into a major crisis with the knowledge level of a kindergarten student (?), but now, when she focused on learning advanced human knowledge, she could throw meteorites on the moon even more accurately...

You see, this matter is really scary.

Luo Lin asked further, "After Mr. Welt was surprised?"

"He slowed down the teaching pace to let Kiana keep up with his thoughts," Mei said helplessly, "But unfortunately, Kiana's foundation is not solid. Even if she works hard, she can't keep up with the progress of the final exam review..."

Huh! Walter could handle it; he wasn't afraid at all—maybe he trusted Kiana and Raiden Mei to control themselves.

Luo Lin looked at Kiana, who looked like a defeated fish, with amazement. "It's already quite exaggerated for her to study hard all day. Himeko, how about you give her some combat training tomorrow to switch her mind and relax?"

Himeko, Raiden Mei, and Bronya all showed expressions of disbelief, leaving Luo Lin a bit confused.

"What, what's wrong? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Mei sighed, "It's said that the people of Shenzhou have 'innate talent' in exams. Today, we finally witnessed it."

Himeko also echoed, "Yes, I originally thought you were planning to give Kiana a day off..."

Bronya's face showed a rare fluctuation. "Luo Lin's ideas are awe-inspiring."

The Key of Revelation trembled with fear. "...terrifying."

Elysia encountered such an answer for the first time and couldn't help but ask with a wry smile, "Little Luo Lin, are you not planning to let anyone rest? Not everyone can be like you, you know?"

"Well, after thinking about it, what you said actually makes sense."

Himeko thought for a moment and showed a "kind and gentle smile," patting Luo Lin's shoulder.
"Tomorrow, you come to tutor them in combat training and 'give their brains a break' yourself, how about that?"

Luo Lin was speechless for a moment. "Uh?"

Himeko's eyes became sharp. "Do you plan to leave everything to me alone? Remember, I'm here as a volunteer... Besides, this was your suggestion."

Luo Lin was momentarily speechless. "Okay, I got it."

Luo Lin turned her head and saw a white furry ball lying in a heap on the sofa. She walked over and heard faint snoring coming from the sofa.

Young people have good bodies; is this what it means to fall asleep as soon as you lie down?

Luo Lin blinked at Raiden Mei and whispered, "Kiana fell asleep!"

"I was originally planning to get some snacks for Kiana... let's leave it until tomorrow," Raiden Mei walked to the sofa and picked her up in a princess carry. The white furry ball rubbed against Mei's chest and muttered, "Mei... hehe... Mei..."

The girl raised her eyebrows, lowered her head, carefully examined Kiana's face, and wanted to figure out whether this guy was pretending to sleep or really sleeping.

About a minute later, Raiden Mei finally confirmed that the white furry ball was really asleep, so she carefully carried her back to Kiana's own bedroom.

Luo Lin asked curiously, "How did you determine that Kiana was asleep?"

Raiden Mei spread her hands. "If Kiana were pretending to sleep, I don't think she could suppress her impulse to lie honestly in my arms. She would probably have blushed, her heart racing, the corners of her mouth crooked, and started 'fiddling around.'"

Luo Lin and Himeko looked at each other in astonishment.

"All right! You're amazing!" Himeko gave a thumbs up, "Well, classes are over for today, I should go back to rest... don't call me for overtime tomorrow, I believe you can handle it!"

The figure of the Crimson Knight distorted for a moment and disappeared.

"You two should rest early..."

Luo Lin bid farewell to Mei, Bronya, and Raiden Mei, and returned to her own dormitory.

She adjusted the Valkyrie formation, letting the [Stygian Nymph] return to the Team Formation. Completed the fusion, Seele shot out like an arrow, turning into a fluttering quantum butterfly, and flew straight to Bronya's room.

Luo Lin lay on the bed, sighing, "This is some sort of honeymoon after a short separation, isn't it?"

A sudden voice came from beside her, "What about us?"

The girl turned her head and found the white haired girl had appeared beside her bed, floating in mid-air, with its golden eyes aimed at Luo Lin.

No, this wasn't Kiana...

"...Sirin?"







Chapter 10: The First Outburst


Tonight, the moonlight was exceptionally bright, even overshadowing the late-night lights still on in St. Freya as St. Freya personnel continued to work.
It filtered through the cracks in the curtains, casting its glow onto the Herrscher.

The pajamas Kiana wore before sleep weren't particularly thick. Under the moonlight, they outlined an alluring silhouette.

Luo Lin was stunned. It took her a few seconds to finally exhale sharply and shift her gaze elsewhere.

Sirin raised an eyebrow, "Surprised to see me?"

"Not really surprised... Sirin."

Luo Lin adjusted her breathing and sat up on the bed, meeting those golden eyes straight on. "By the way, would you like something to eat? I have plenty of snacks here..."

"Why would you ask me something like that after seeing me? Do you think I'm like Kiana?"

Sirin adjusted her posture, floating slightly above the ground, looking down at Luo Lin. "Besides, Kiana ate too much before, and I still feel full now, with no appetite."

After hesitating for a moment, Luo Lin asked, "Shall we play a game?"

Sirin's eyes lit up, seemingly interested. But she quickly shook her head and whispered, "No, it's not the time to play games now..."

The girl was puzzled, "So, what do you mean then...?"

The Herrscher of the Void didn't answer. Instead, she floated forward, suddenly descending and perching on top of Luo Lin.

"Hey, wait a minute?"

The distance between the two suddenly narrowed, and Luo Lin could clearly feel the other's breath, the warmth emanating from her skin, and the weight of her body.

"I'm feeling really restless right now, you know?"

"?!"

Sirin even pressed closer, not only using her hands to support Luo Lin's shoulders but also using her well-developed chest to push against the girl, directly pushing the semi-sitting Luo Lin back onto the bed.

Just as Luo Lin started to feel flustered and her blood rushing to her face, Sirin lowered her voice and commanded, "Look at me!"

Being shouted at by the Herrscher, Luo Lin snapped back to reality.

The girl stared into Sirin's golden eyes, feeling as if there was a surging river deep within the depths of those pupils. It was completely contrary to the current cold expression of the Herrscher of the Void, filled with a madness that sought to destroy everything.

—It's the influence of the Honkai!

Luo Lin's expression changed, inwardly feeling a sense of alarm.

Sirin, as a true Herrscher consciousness, had always possessed a strong instinct for destruction: she wanted to kill upon seeing humans, to destroy upon seeing buildings... No matter what, Sirin's first instinct was always to attack.

This instinct/nature made the awakened Sirin very uncomfortable. She chose to bury herself deep in Kiana's mind, where she couldn't see anything and thus wouldn't be tempted.

Of course, Luo Lin knew this was not a good choice for Sirin. Suppressing her own activities, isolating herself from the outside world, and staying alone in a corner would eventually lead to major problems, even without the destructive urge of the Honkai.

Fortunately, Luo Lin's "Emotional Diffusion" therapy could address this issue. A large amount of positive emotions could scatter Sirin's destructive urges, making them almost negligible for a period of time, unable to affect Sirin.

However, during the recent period, Luo Lin had been away on a business trip dealing with matters related to Chiyou, and she didn't have the time to give therapy to Sirin. Sirin could only resort to the most primitive method of sleeping to suppress her instincts.

Who knew that during this time, Kiana would occasionally pop out to chat with Sirin, causing Sirin to have trouble sleeping.

Especially during the battle under the Imaginary Tree, even though they were separated by thousands of miles, Sirin, as the Herrscher on the Imaginary side, felt a strong impact.

The arrival of the Imaginary Tree stirred up huge waves in the Imaginary space, and also made it difficult for Sirin to fall back asleep for a long time.

This made her even more restless, confused, and irritable... Even though Luo Lin had immediately given Kiana and Raiden Mei "Emotional Diffusion" therapy upon her return, Sirin's destructive impulse was only suppressed for a short time before resurging, and even more intense than before!

Now, Sirin was on the verge of losing control. Her midnight visit to Luo Lin's room, rather than succumbing to this frenzy and firing indiscriminately, was probably the best choice the Herrscher could come up with.

Sirin squinted her eyes, her body suddenly exerting force. She directly used a ground binding technique, firmly pinning Luo Lin to the bed.

Luo Lin struggled a few times, but the abnormal strength of the Kaslana family left the Valkyrie with no chance of resistance.

The girl's face looked somewhat strange. This move was a combat technique taught to Valkyries by Schicksal and should have been part of Kiana's "Move List," but Luo Lin didn't know how Sirin learned it.

Sirin maintained her posture, countless thoughts surging and roiling in her mind, becoming even more chaotic under the influence of the destructive impulse.

What's wrong with me? What's happening right now?

I need to do something quickly!

Kill her?!

"No, no, I don't want it this way!" Sirin's breath was rapid, her hands exerting continuous pressure, causing Luo Lin pain.

Luo Lin knew that the best response now was "Emotional Diffusion" therapy. Under Aponia's guidance, Luo Lin had studied the skills of "Emotional Diffusion" and could selectively diffuse certain emotions.

But the situation was dire, and Luo Lin didn't have time to use those advanced techniques. She could only resort to the most primitive method—diffusing the same emotions she felt.

Subconsciously, Luo Lin activated her most familiar "motherly love" template and then consciously toggled the "diffusion" switch.

A loving embrace enveloped Sirin's consciousness like water, causing her body to tremble slightly, appearing much calmer.

Luo Lin attempted to communicate with her, "Sirin? Are you okay?"

Sirin furrowed her brows slightly and murmured, "This love, it's not for me..."

The Herrscher's words startled Luo Lin. She immediately recalled what Aponia had said when they first met, regarding the original version of "Emotional Diffusion" she had used:

"...These emotions carry a lot of information, seemingly completely beyond your control—I can even feel the scenes when they originally occurred. It should be a mother's love for her white-haired daughter... But because they don't meet the conditions of the emotions, it creates a subtle sense of dissonance... This dissonance makes one question the authenticity of the emotions, thus compromising these emotions. The ensuing chain reaction will undo all your efforts."

A breeze from an unknown direction stirred the curtains, causing the moonlight to disappear from the seams. Luo Lin's room plunged into darkness.

But in this darkness, Sirin's eyes still flickered. The golden light turned dim yellow, just like the branches of the colossal tree that Luo Lin had once seen, penetrating heaven and earth.

When did the Imaginary Tree set this trap?!

"Why isn't it me... Cecilia... Mom... My mom... Mine... Yes, it should be mine!" Sirin stared at Luo Lin, her twisted emotions churning in her chest. Coupled with the lingering desire for destruction, she made an extremely bold move—

The Herrscher bent down directly and forcefully smashed her mouth against Luo Lin's face.

"Uh?!"

Luo Lin's eyes widened in shock. She hadn't expected Sirin to do something like this. She stood there stiffly, unsure of what to do, allowing the other to roam freely on her lips.

With no experience at all, Sirin, like a wild beast, rudely tasted Luo Lin's flavor, as if tearing into prey. Soon, the metallic taste spread in both their mouths.

A few seconds later, Sirin, as the attacker, lifted her head, took a breath, and the dim yellow in her eyes gradually dissipated, returning to its original golden hue.

She blinked, and the confusion in her eyes vanished in an instant.

"This is... Oh?"

Sirin quickly realized what she had just done, looked at the shocked Luo Lin, and revealed a strange smile.

"Sirin, are you awake? What just happened... Uh...!"

In the system space, Senti's smile gradually disappeared from her face, then she suddenly stood up: "No! Luo Lin is in danger!"

With that, she disappeared from the system space in a flash.

"Where is there still danger now...?"

Sirin's complexion didn't look too good; she covered her head, somewhat resentfully saying, "How could you let yourself be suppressed by others? Do you remember who you used to be?"

Senti pretended to cover her eyes with her hand, but her fingers were spread wide apart, revealing her pink eyes, firmly fixed on the scene. "Huh? What's going on? This is getting interesting!"

Selune's Elegy sighed, "How wonderful! The owner who always complained about being a single dog finally got a kiss... Well, even though the situation isn't very proper or appropriate, at least it's a breakthrough from nothing to something! Worth noting!"

The ELF somehow pulled out a notebook from somewhere and started writing and drawing on it with a quill pen.

In Luo Lin's dorm room, Senti manifested from the air and shouted loudly, "Sirin! Get away from her!"

With that, she reached out, her hands thrusting straight under Sirin's armpits, grabbing her as if pulling a radish.

"What are you doing?!"

"Huh? Isn't this the Miss Senti?"

Sirin licked her lips and smiled in response, "What am I doing? As you can see."

The Herrscher lowered her head, looking at Luo Lin, who was still in a daze on the bed. Her eyes also began to shimmer, and the black feathers with a red glow fell around her, the Herrscher's power ready to be unleashed.

Sirin squinted, the shadow of the Subspace Lance gathered beside her.

"Wait... wait a moment..."

Luo Lin raised her hand laboriously and spoke, "It's a misunderstanding, Senti! Don't get agitated!"

Senti's voice became shrill, "You still call it a misunderstanding when she's like that?!"

"Cough... I think it's the trick of the Imaginary Tree... Sirin didn't mean to..."

"What Imaginary Tree or not, you..."

Senti looked at Luo Lin's pleading face, fell silent for a moment, then waved her hand as if exhausted, "Alright, fine, whatever! Think about it yourself! I'm going out to clear my head!"

With that, Senti threw Sirin aside, pulled open the curtains, allowing the bright moonlight to illuminate the room again, then gave Sirin a warning glance and disappeared through the window.

Thrown out, Sirin blinked and drifted to the corner of the wall. She heard the rustling sound behind her and realized that Luo Lin had stood up and walked to her side.

The Valkyrie looked at her with concern, using a different method of "emotional diffusion," at least one that wouldn't provoke Sirin's aversion.

"Sirin... Are you feeling better now?"

"Mm."

The Herrscher touched her own lips, her expression complicated. "Um... I'm sorry..."

Sirin's expression changed suddenly, as if she sensed something, and said anxiously, "Kiana is waking up, I have to go!"

With a buzz, a teleportation portal with a golden halo opened, revealing Kiana's room on the other side. Sirin darted through it with a swoosh, closed the portal behind her, leaving Luo Lin alone in the wind.

The dark-haired girl pouted and then winced as the wound on her mouth was pulled. "Ouch, it hurts... Why isn't my self-healing ability working for half a day? Ah... It's healed..."

Luo Lin stood with her hands on her hips in the room for a while, still unable to figure out how things had turned out this way.

At this moment, a familiar figure climbed in through the window. Luo Lin looked up, "Shizibao, you're back?"

"What Shizibao... I'm Fu Hua."

Fu Hua was now wearing the Shadow Knight· Battlesuit, looking ready to spring into action. She looked around with some confusion, tilting her head, "I felt a lot of commotion from your side. Where's everyone?"

"They're all calmed down now."

Rubbing her temples, Luo Lin let out a deep sigh, "What a mess..."


---


The next morning, Raiden Mei got up early as usual. She planned to make a hearty breakfast before Kiana woke up.

She pushed open the door, somewhat surprised to see the figure of the White Hairball.

Kiana stared blankly, her hair disheveled, looking very tired.

Raiden Mei sat down next to the White Hairball. "Kiana? Didn't sleep well last night?"

Kiana came to her senses and replied, "Yeah, had a strange dream."

"A nightmare?"

The White Hairball's expression was a bit strange. "Not really a nightmare..."

Kiana vaguely remembered hugging someone she had a crush on in her dream, and then doing various things to her starting from a kiss—it definitely didn't count as a nightmare.

When Kiana woke up, she still felt somewhat unsatisfied, and her lips were a bit dry.

She wished she could have such dreams every day.

But the person she had a crush on had some issues...

"Good morning, you two!"

Luo Lin pushed the door open and walked out.

"Good... morning..."

Kiana shivered and subtly shifted her gaze.

Raiden Mei glanced around, thoughtful, then got up and went to continue making breakfast.

Luo Lin looked at the White Hairball. "What's wrong with you again?"

"Nothing, really..."

The girl glared at her. "If it's nothing, then hurry up and review with me!"

She's so hot-tempered... I wonder who provoked her...

Kiana fled in embarrassment.







Chapter Eleven: Going Out to Play


Luo Lin sat on the sofa in the dormitory, absentmindedly touching her lips.

To be honest, what happened last night not only shocked Luo Lin herself but also had a considerable impact on the Herrschers present.

Senti hasn't returned since sneaking out the window.

Elsyia also left right after.

"You ask about Elysia? She laughed and ran back to Elysian Realm on her own," she said in a muffled voice.

Fortunately, not long ago, Senti used a mental link to report safety to Luo Lin.

"I'm wandering around the Far East. I'll probably be back when you're teaching Kiana tonight," she had said. Luo Lin hmmmed, then cautioned, "Well... be careful when you're outside, don't get into fights..."

"Don't worry, I'm a Herrscher of consciousness. Besides, who can stop me in the Far East"

"Durandal definitely can."

"Uh..." Senti was momentarily speechless, remembering the performance of the golden-haired knight during the Chiyou Campaign, feeling quite guilty.

But she still retorted stubbornly, "Durandal is from headquarters. She can't be considered a force in the Far East..."

Luo Lin patiently said, "There are always people beyond people, worlds beyond worlds... you never know if there will be other experts coming to the Far East..."

Senti replied impatiently, "Okay, I got it, really... I can take care of myself!"
After that, the Herrscher hung up the phone.

Senti looked around. She was currently floating in the sky, stepping on clouds beneath her feet.

The sun, without any obstruction, radiated light in the sky, shining on Senti.

Perhaps because of the high position, these rays of sunlight didn't bring much warmth to the Herrscher.

"So strange... this feeling... it's the same as last night..."
She suddenly sighed, covering her chest with one hand, "I'm a Herrscher of Sentience. I should be able to do anything... sigh, so annoying, I need something to vent."

Senti's first thought was the Abyss Battlefield, where the fighting was indeed exhilarating, and she could even help Luo Lin in some ways...

But she quickly dismissed this option from her mind.

After all, she had just made that kind of statement, and turning around to find Luo Lin would be quite embarrassing, wouldn't it?

Senti thought for a moment, then looked towards a city not too far away. "I can't fight people. How about going to Nagazora City to fight some Honkai Beasts?"


------------------------------------------


Big Three had already gone out to class, leaving only Luo Lin sitting alone on the sofa in the dormitory, observing the patterns on the ceiling.

She didn't want anything now, her chaotic mind gradually emptied, finally feeling a bit relaxed.

She didn't know how long had passed when a blue butterfly fluttered by, and Seele appeared by the Valkyrie's side.

She reached out and waved in front of Luo Lin, "Luo Lin, sis?'

Luo Lin snapped out of it, "Ah, Seele... aren't you supposed to be in class with Bronya?"

"Bronya said if Seele followed her, her study efficiency would decrease significantly."

Seele smiled somewhat embarrassedly, "So Seele came back on her own... let me return this body to Luo Lin sis for now."

"You... besides accompanying Bronya, don't you do anything else?"

Luo Lin couldn't help but laugh and cry, rubbing her temples, "Forget it, let me take you for a walk inside St. Freya."

Seele widened her eyes, "Huh? Can I? Won't it affect Luo Lin sis's exam preparation?"

The Valkyrie couldn't help but laugh and cry, "Of course not, my mind is quite chaotic today. I just want to relax a bit."

So Luo Lin took Seele out of the dormitory. The outfit of the Stygian Nymph seemed to attract the attention of both students and official Valkyries.

"So cute!"

"Whose little princess is this?"

"So nice, so nice."

"The Valkyrie next to her must be her mother, right? She's really well-maintained..."

"Wait a minute, this person looks a bit familiar... oh my god, isn't this Ragnar's lover?"

"Do they already have a child?!"

Luo Lin: ?

Facing everyone's enthusiastic gaze, Seele somewhat weakly leaned against the Valkyrie's side, unknowingly holding Luo Lin's hand.

"Ugh..." Seele was a little troubled.

"Tsk, let me scare them a bit..."
Veliona suddenly spoke, taking control of the Stygian Nymph.

The power of quantum permeated the white dress, causing the blossoming white flowers to suddenly turn black, and even the stamens opened up terrifying blood-red eyes.

At the same time, the girl's momentum also changed. Veliona's fierce and sharp gaze swept across the audience, causing a burst of exclamation.

"Wow! Cool outfit!"

"So handsome! So A! Ah, look at me more!"

"Please can you come here and step on me little sister!"

"To be able to adjust momentum by changing color, good good good! I have a new idea for my little notebook!"

Veliona: ?

What's going on? Why does it seem like she's even more popular now? No, did something wrong got mixed there?

Veliona couldn't figure it out, subconsciously tightening Luo Lin's hand.

The girl had to take Veliona and run to a place with fewer people, only to find herself in an arcade.

Just in time for the end-of-term review stage, the arcade's main users (students) were all working hard, trying to get a good grade and have a peaceful holiday.
So it became somewhat empty here, just enough for Luo Lin and Seele to avoid most of the "enthusiastic" glances. "

"This shouldn't be..." Veliona immediately handed control back to Seele, feeling annoyed, and went to count mushrooms in the corner.

Seele felt the frustration of her other self and couldn't help but show a "natural black" smile.

She muttered to herself, "Maybe it's because everyone at St. Freya is kind and enthusiastic... after all, when I was at the Cocolia Orphanage, Bronya was very caring to me, but it made someone with purple hair and a bit of a crazy attitude, Sin Mal, jealous, and she targeted me in every way, making most of the people in the orphanage distant from me."

Perhaps besides Bronya, only the reckless twins were unaffected by the atmosphere and became friends with Seele.

It's probably because true friends are few and far between that Seele feels uneasy when faced with the "enthusiastic attention" of so many people at St. Freya.

"I think they just find you cute and want to pinch your cheeks... um..."

Luo Lin's gaze unconsciously fell on Seele's lips. She hadn't used lipstick or lip gloss or anything, but they were faintly tinged with a beautiful cherry blossom color, tempting.

Wait, wait!

Now's not the time to be looking at that!

Damn it, it's all because of Sirin!

Luo Lin slapped her cheeks hard, throwing the strange thoughts out of her mind.

She asked, "Why did you want to come out with me today?"

"Um, because Sis Luo Lin looks troubled, so Seele thought it might help if I accompanied you..."
Seele explained somewhat hesitantly, then immediately changed the subject.

"It's nothing... cough, do you want to play something? I'll cover the expenses for today's outing, my salary is quite high usually, don't worry about saving money for me."

"Luo Lin sis, you should cherish your money, having no money is absolutely not allowed."

Seele said seriously, "Bronya sis once told me that the orphanage almost couldn't continue operating because of a lack of money... it's just that she... um, later 'did some big things', which saved the orphanage... I didn't quite understand what she meant, but it's better to save some money."

"Wow..." Luo Lin rubbed her forehead, trying not to speculate on what Bronya, who still exuded the aura of the Ural Silver Wolf, had done back then, "Don't worry, your sister and I have plenty of skills, and there are many thighs I can hug, never worry about food and clothing... consider it a little gift from me? Relax, we're friends, after all."

"Um..." Luo Lin exchanged a bunch of tokens and brought Seele to gallop in the arcade.

Seele was a bit clumsy at first, but with Luo Lin's guidance, she soon immersed herself in it, occasionally exclaiming in excitement because of the exciting scenes on the game machine, obviously very happy.

They experienced many types of games, from fighting battles to side-scrolling shooting, from turning the steering wheel to drive cars to riding arcade machines with motorcycle model Luo Lin unexpectedly found that Seele was quite talented in handling vehicles.

"Because I've really driven cars before, and sled motorcycles, in Siberia..."

Seele answered with a smile, "We help transport goods to the orphanage, so we've had some contact with vehicles... I've even ridden a sled pulled by big dogs with Bronya sis, it was a very strange experience."

Luo Lin was a bit envious, "Nnn! I also want to try riding a Husky sled..."

"Wow, that's... the Homu Claw claw machine! I've seen this kind of thing when Bronya sis and I went shopping at the orphanage! It's just that we didn't have extra money to play with at the time..."

Pointing to a machine not far away, Seele's eyes lit up, "Bronya sis especially likes Homu plushies!"

Luo Lin looked at the various strange rabbit plushies inside the machine, scratching her head, she felt that these things were really not as good as the "Arahato" that Neichou's group had created.

Oh, seeing these things made Luo Lin think of a boss named "Homu" on the battlefield, with a particularly dazzling "fart attack" that was quite useful for dodging.

While Luo Lin was thinking, Seele had already eagerly put coins into the machine, she manipulated the joystick, chose one of the pink plushies, and grabbed it.

The Valkyrie watched as the claw grabbed the ear of the Homu plushie, lifted it up unsteadily, and unexpectedly hooked onto another plushie, lifting both into the air. Luo Lin thought the claw would release at the highest point like the claw machines she had encountered before, but this time it held on tightly, lifting both Homu plushies back to the starting position and dropping them into the machine's exit.

With a rolling sound, Seele took out her two "spoils" from the claw machine. Luo Lin couldn't help but applaud, "Impressive!"

"Hehe, it's all luck... hey, Sis Luo Lin." Seele didn't hesitate, took out one of the plushies, and handed it to Luo Lin. It was the pink Homu.

"For me"

"Yeah..."
Seele smiled somewhat embarrassedly, "Um... when I come back from the Sea of Quanta, I'll personally give Luo Lin sis a better gift."

The Valkyrie rubbed Seele's head, "Alright, then I'll work harder and help you find your way home as soon as possible!"





【Spiral Log】A white furry creature disregards fair play and launches a surprise attack.

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【Spiral Log】A white furry creature disregards fair play and launches a surprise attack (100+ replies/1k+ likes/5k+ views)
Currently climbing the network cable (Level 1)【OP】- Posted in【Extreme East - St. Freya Student Dormitory】
【Nocturnal HoV Visits in the Middle of the Night, Purpose Unexpectedly Revealed...—Video Link🔗2:36】
Just a moment ago, a friend with pink hair in Elysian Realm asked me what had happened. I inquired about the situation, and she sent me a video clip.
Upon viewing it, oh.
It appears that yesterday, there was a young individual, white-haired, around ten years of age, weighing forty-nine kilograms. She mentioned, "Hey, I'm in class at St. Freya, my mind is overloaded, my temper suddenly turned sour, Teacher Luo, could you treat me?"
I replied affirmatively, suggesting she take a break by playing a game, but she declined. I then inquired, "So, what would you like to do?"
She remained silent, then suddenly pounced on me, remarkably swiftly!
With a headbutt, I was caught off guard, failed to evade, became dazed, was pushed onto the bed, and she began nibbling at me.
At that moment, tears welled up, with lips pursed, I implored her to stop. I remarked, "Young lady, this is not how one behaves; you don't seem to understand." She apologized, saying, "Teacher Luo, I'm sorry, I don't understand the rules."
She claimed she was kissing randomly, but she certainly wasn't doing so randomly!
Upper lip, lower lip, tongue all protruding. Well-trained, well-prepared.
A young individual disregarding fair play, resorting to deception!
Launching a surprise attack! Is this acceptable? It is not.
I advise this young individual to reflect on her actions, to refrain from such cleverness in the future. Cleverness is not valued; the academy prioritizes harmony and adherence to rules, not internal conflict.

=====

Highlighted Replies: Hide ↑

Seal God Sixty-Six Trillion Five Hundred Billion Chaotic Martial- Posted in Vancouver:
Initially, I thought the OP was simply fooling around, but upon clicking, I discovered the video—first-person kissing with HoV—this turned out to be a truly extraordinary endeavor!
Damn, you did well, you did well indeed! [Seele liked]
💎 Welcome Commander (280) Reply | View comments (3)
=====
richien- Posted in Shanghai
Surely, you must be Teacher Vill-V, possessing such formidable technical prowess; I bow to you! [Pardofelis lying down]
This is hilarious; how can you still be anxious behind "Senti"? [Herrscher of Legion Fan Laughter]
💎 Welcome Commander (172) Reply | View comments (1)
=====
Granting the Desires of All Sentient Beings- Posted in Elysian Realm
Quoting "Seal God Sixty-Six Trillion Five Hundred Billion Chaotic Martial" in "I originally thought the OP..."
—Thank you, hero; initially, I overlooked the video link and almost went off on a tangent. [Herrscher of Legion Fan Laughter] I truly didn't expect such a high-level expert to join in on this side of Hupu.
Moreover, it seems the expert is prepared to unveil a series?
💎 Welcome Commander (63) Reply | View comments (1)
=====
Ellysha jf- Posted in Hebei
My mom asked me why I was kneeling while watching the video [Pardofelis lying down]
💎 Welcome Commander (40) Reply
=====
Auanysi- Posted in Beijing
No, sir, how is your positioning so off?
Are you truly posting this from St. Freya?

[Padophilis lying down]
💎 Welcome Commander (16) Reply




Chapter Twelve: Raven's Encounter

"Is it already evening in Shenzhou? Why you haven't slept already?" Raven looked at Luo Lin sitting on the sofa in Elysian Realm's guest hall and voiced her confusion.

Luo Lin surveyed Raven, the mercenary, who was now clad in a pink pajama set adorned with crystal patterns, holding a pink pillow in one hand, and sporting a cute pink sleeping cap on her head...

Under the soft glow of the atmosphere lights in Elysian Realm's hall, Raven in her pink pajamas appeared much more youthful than usual.

Just by observing the color of the pajamas, Luo Lin could deduce who had gifted them to Raven.

The girl glanced towards the tent in the corner of the hall, which stood out from its surroundings—Raven had just emerged from there, indicating that the mercenary miss had been resting inside there during these past days.

Luo Lin couldn't help but sigh, "You've been through a lot."

"It's nothing."

The mercenary let out a small yawn, rubbing her eyes. "By the way, why did you come so early today?"

"I just took a break with friends to recharge, then prepared myself to roll up my sleeves and get to work! I aim to finish all my tasks as soon as possible and eradicate the Honkai! Once the Honkai is gone, I won't have to work overtime like this anymore!" Luo Lin exclaimed enthusiastically.

Raven: "?"

Isn't that goal a bit too ambitious? And are you only seeking to eradicate the Honkai to avoid working overtime?!

Luo Lin looked spirited. She clenched her fist, making a cheering gesture to herself.
"When that happens, I'll retire with my savings immediately, lounging around at home all day, with a cola in one hand and a hamburger in the other, in front of the console and computer, lying down instead of sitting... Hmm, I'm guaranteed to become chubby in less than two months!"

At this point, Luo Lin hesitated a bit. She rubbed her stomach, looking regretful. "But, isn't it a waste for me to become a shut-in like that..."

Raven couldn't help but laugh and cry, saying, "Wait, aren't you thinking too far ahead... We still don't even have a reliable method to defeat the Honkai, do we?"

"Don't we? Isn't your World Serpent..."
Luo Lin paused suddenly, remembering that Kevin is still drifting in the Sea of Quanta. The Project Stigma centered around him should still be in the preparatory stage, and very few people are aware of it.

Raven raised an eyebrow, "'Our' World Serpent?"

"Uh, cough, let's talk about something serious, shall we..."
Under the mercenary miss's curious gaze, Luo Lin changed the subject, "Let's go find Aponia later, and then continue my experiment with Elysia..."

"Aponia... Alright, shall we go then?"

Raven knew who Aponia was—of course, she found out from Elysia and Eden.

Now the mercenary knows much more about the "Elysian Realm" than most people in the World Serpent.

The reason for this can be attributed to the Schicksal Valkyrie in front of her, who is full of secrets and has a whimsical mind.

Ever since Luo Lin entered the Elysian Realm" through unknown means, the World Serpent chose to close the entire facility and assigned Raven, who unfortunately bumped into Luo Lin's face and hadn't had the chance to leave Elysian Realm, the task of "monitoring" this unexpected guest.

Thus, the mercenary embarked on a "long and arduous" mission...

Long it was indeed, but arduous... is debatable.

After all, living in a tent in the "Elysian Realm" is much better than being out in the open, with irregular sleep, being cautious, nervously watching the mission target.

Raven even went through all thirteen Flamechasers and built a good relationship with Elysia. The pink pajamas she's wearing now are evidence of that.

It can only be said that a certain pink-haired social terrorist is like this.

Moreover, Raven already had a good relationship with Eden, and then with Elysia...

After these two, whose reputation and status are quite good among the Flamechasers, showed appreciation for Raven, the attitudes of the other Flamechasers towards Raven naturally improved. They are willing to talk to her and give her some advice when they meet.

It should be noted that when Raven came to "Elysian Realm" to participate in the trials before, she only had contact with two or three of them, and hadn't even seen the rest...

Not to mention Mobius and Vill-V, who are constantly studying the "special Signets" given by Luo Lin, after achieving results, of course, they have to find someone to try it out.

Who to find? They can't just find other Flamechasers, right?

The two scientific instructors naturally set their sights on Raven.

Mobius narrowed his eyes, "I remember you, You seem to be a member of the World Serpent, right...? Come over here!"

Then Miss Raven was given the title of "guinea pig," feeling both hurt and happy.

This is undoubtedly a great surprise and opportunity. Even if Raven didn't go out on missions or practice diligently, her combat ability has increased.

Raven had complained to Gray Serpent, who delivered supplies to her, "Can you send in a few more people from within the World Serpent to help me share the pressure... Dr. Mobius is just too..."

"Shh!"
Hearing this, Gray Serpent, the one who contacted her, immediately made a "shushing" gesture, and said with a serious tone, "The blockade of Elysian Realm hasn't been lifted yet. You are the only one who can operate normally here, Miss Natasha, please be careful with your words."

Raven whispered, "Actually, I don't think that guy poses much of a threat... By the way, when are we going to lift the blockade?"

The Gray Serpent shook his head like a drum, "Cannot say, cannot say..."

"Sigh... Well, this mission unexpectedly dragged on for so long, it delayed a lot of things for me, and the pay isn't that high." Raven sighed, "Seeing how hard I've been working, can you increase it a bit..."

"Don't worry, the children you have taken in are all well taken care of. A very caring Gray Serpent has gone to handle this matter... As for increasing the pay, it's not that easy. After all, you haven't even left the World Serpent's base yet, so you can't calculate field missions."
Gray Serpent looked at Raven, silent for a moment, and said quietly, "But, we can help you find a small island in advance. With the World Serpent's capabilities, we can definitely find a good island with good value..."

Raven was overjoyed, "Is that true?"

"Yes, it is."

With his promise, the Gray Serpent left, and Raven returned to Elysian Realm somewhat happily, continuing her task of "monitoring Luo Lin"

...


"Raven?"

Luo Lin's voice interrupted the mercenary's reminiscence. She looked around at the scenery and pointed to a nearby teleportation gate, "Elysia told me that we can find someone to take us to see Aponia from here."

Luo Lin seemed disappointed, "Oh? So you didn't know how to get to Aponia?"

The mercenary put her hands on her hips, "Do you think I'm some kind of GPS? Besides, she's the most mysterious Flamechaser in Elysian Realm, of course, I don't know how to find her!"

"Sorry about that, let's go in then."
Luo Lin and Raven walked into the teleportation gate together, entering a splendid space, with a gentle breeze blowing through lush grass, the sun hanging on the horizon, surrounded by stars... Everything was as beautiful as a painting.

This is... Griseo's Studio?

And in the center of this painting world, a slender figure turned around, speaking in a gentle, ethereal voice, "Luo Lin, you're here, I've been waiting for you."

It was indeed Aponia!




Chapter Thirteen: Discipline's Expectation, Aponia

Surprisingly, it wasn't just Aponia here; Griseo was also standing by her side

At this moment, the blue-haired little painter was deeply engrossed in her artwork, wielding her brush and palette with skill.
With each stroke, splashes of ink added more vibrancy to the surroundings of the studio, enriching the details of the scenery...

Raven was astonished, "Is this place really painted into existence..."

Luo Lin glanced around, curious about where Griseo's Herrscher companion, Kosma, had gone.

Observing Luo Lin's expression, Aponia spoke up, "Kosma is in the adjacent room. During this time, I'm taking care of Griseo, allowing him rare moments to pursue his own interests."

The blue-haired painter sensed something and turned her head, staring at Luo Lin with innocent eyes.

"Oh, it's Big Sister Luo Lin." Griseo tilted her head in confusion, "Huh? Big Sister seems to have turned a little yellowish?"

Luo Lin covered her face, remaining silent.

Aponia gently rubbed Griseo's hair and lightly patted her shoulder, "Griseo, why don't you go over there first? I have something to discuss with her."

"Mm."
Griseo raised her hand and flicked her brush a few times. The drawing board in front of her floated up as if it had a mind of its own, following the blue-haired girl like a sentient being.

"Goodbye!"

Watching Griseo leave, Aponia refocused her attention on Luo Lin. "You mentioned waiting for me for a long time and taking care of Griseo during this time..."

Luo Lin pondered the statement and asked, "Did you activate your foresight ability again?"

"Not exactly, Miss Luo Lin. Ever since you appeared, the future has become blurry, and my foresight ability has mostly failed..."

Aponia smiled gently, "I believe that one day, you will need my help, and the road to the Abyss is too long. So, I came out early to wait for you here."

Luo Lin cautiously asked, "How long ago was this 'early' exactly?"

"Probably not long after you entered Elysian Realm."

Isn't that a bit too exaggerated...

Seeing Luo Lin's puzzled expression, Aponia chuckled softly, "I've grown accustomed to waiting; it's not a big deal... Well, Miss Luo Lin, what brings you to see me?"

"I've come to seek guidance on the details of the 'Emotional Diffusion' technique..."

Upon hearing this term, Raven, standing beside the girl, shivered.

Aponia nodded, "Then, please come forward, and let's have a discussion."

Though she used the word "please," Luo Lin noticed that Aponia didn't use the power of Discipline, and the girl didn't feel any sense of compulsion.

It's probably just Aponia's habitual way of speaking.

Luo Lin stepped forward, while Raven quietly retreated, creating quite a distance, almost reaching the edge of this "painted world"—she didn't like the taste of being emotionally overwhelmed.

Luo Lin recounted recent events to Aponia, who showed a hint of lamentation, "Such things actually happened... Hmm, Miss Luo Lin, you are truly remarkable..."

Luo Lin felt overwhelmed, "What kind of impression do I leave in your mind?!"

Aponia pondered for a moment and said, "A 'catnip' that is particularly attractive to certain entities?"

—Ha, just a moment ago, you called me a GPS, and now you're experiencing the same thing! Raven chuckled from afar.

"Alright, alright, let's go with 'catnip.' So, Aponia, could you please teach me a solution quickly?"

"Hmm... Apart from practicing diligently, there's only one method I can offer you."

Aponia extended her hand towards Luo Lin and said softly, "Miss Luo Lin, I'm going to Signet you with Discipline."

"That sounds great! Let's do it!" Luo Lin didn't hesitate, grasping the nun's hand.

With a smile, the nun gently squeezed Luo Lin's fingers, saying, "There you go, Miss Luo Lin."

Luo Lin hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Is that... all done?"

"Yes." Aponia nodded.

"But I didn't feel anything...?" Luo Lin raised her hand, gazing at the shining Discipline Signet on her hand, attempting to activate her Honkai power—resulting in the Discipline Signet, glowing blue with a hint of green, appearing alongside the Ego and Spiral Signet.

This puzzled her greatly.

When she awakened the Spiral Signet of Vill-V previously, the commotion was earth-shattering.

Her consciousness was shaken, and Mebius, Vill-V, and Raven, who were watching, had to hide behind a shield... Yet, this grand Signet of Discipline from Aponia didn't elicit any reaction upon awakening?

"Because Discipline is an extremely special Signet, representing self-discipline and restraint... To harness its power, one must delve deep into their heart and find their own sense of morality."

Luo Lin asked, "One's own sense of morality?"

The nun lowered her gaze, saying, "For me, Discipline is like a compulsory guardrail and track, hoping they won't stray onto the wrong path. However, the road of the previous civilization was too rough, and the time left by the Honkai was not enough for me to find a perfect guiding method, leading to a series of tragedies..."

As she spoke, a mysterious light flashed in Aponia's blue eyes, "But for you, Luo Lin, perhaps it's different... With the power of Emotional Diffusion, you should become a banner, leading others willingly along your path..."

Luo Lin was speechless, images of Kiana, Himeko, and Ragnar flashed through her mind...

But somehow, she inexplicably thought of a certain blonde guy—when it came to being a banner and an example, this guy was doing a pretty good job.

Swallowing hard, Luo Lin muttered, "Is it really that exaggerated? I find it hard to believe..."

"It's just a possibility, Miss Luo Lin." The nun emphasized, "If you want to achieve this goal, you still need to put in effort and explore your own power."

"Now that you mention it, I feel more at ease."

It's just about grinding and research, right?

Luo Lin hasn't been slacking in that department. She looked at the shining Discipline Signet on the back of her hand and said, "Ah... Let's practice a bit more then, shall we?"

"With pleasure." Luo Lin raised her hand and activated the switch for Emotional Diffusion—this time, she needed to think calmly, so she deliberately chose the "Sage Time" to diffuse.

Begone evil thoughts!

"Luo Lin... you...!"

Strange cries came from nearby. Luo Lin turned to see Raven, who was sitting far away, seemingly enlightened like an ancient Greek sage, with tears glimmering in her eyes.

The girl was shocked, "Why has the range of influence expanded?"

"It's the power of Discipline." Aponia reached out, and a golden butterfly flew from her fingertip, landing on the mercenary's body, intercepting the emotional flood unleashed by Luo Lin's diffusion.

Raven stood up, her face full of Zen as she ran out of the teleportation gate, "I'll be waiting next door, goodbye!"

"Um... alright, let's continue."

After practicing diligently for a while, Luo Lin still hadn't grasped the use of Discipline. The nun told her not to rush; success had a higher probability with a gradual approach.

Sighing, Luo Lin bid farewell to Aponia, and then found Raven (and the wary Kosma) still recovering from the emotional impact, looking numb. They left the area of the studio.

Of course, according to Aponia, that was also the entrance to the Deep End.

On the way, Luo Lin apologized to Raven, "Sorry about that... I didn't expect the range of influence to become so large after receiving the Discipline Signet..."

"If apologies were effective, why would we need police?"

Raven rubbed her face vigorously, finally able to make an expression other than "serene peace."

She wanted to be angry, but now could only complain lazily to Luo Lin, "Next time you want to do this, don't call me, okay?"

"Okay, okay... Let's go find Elysia..."




Chapter Fourteen: How Did I Summon This Thing?

When Luo Lin and Raven found Elysia, Miss Pink Elf was outside the Mobius Laboratory. She had brought a chair from somewhere and was sitting on it, with a very familiar trumpet on her lap.

Raven noticed something was off, "Huh? Why is the lab's door closed? It's usually open..."

A vague sense of foreboding flashed through Luo Lin's mind.

Seeing Luo Lin approach, Elysia greeted her with a bright smile and raised the trumpet to her lips—

"Extra, extra! Last night, Luo Lin made a huge breakthrough in her love life! I witnessed it with my own eyes, she..."

Luo Lin's expression changed drastically, and she rushed forward, trying to cover Elysia's mouth.

With one hand holding the trumpet, Elysia skillfully dodged around the chair like a performer, evading Luo Lin's attempts.

The girl had to admire the pink fairy's experience, then silently used her Herrscher power to strengthen her body.

Dodging Luo Lin's grasp, Elysia chuckled, "Tsk tsk tsk! This is cheating, you know!"

"Tsk." Luo Lin clicked her tongue in disappointment. Her sneak attack didn't work this time, and it would be difficult to succeed in the future.

The two stared at each other across the chair, and Luo Lin finally remembered why the trumpet looked familiar: "If I'm not mistaken, that trumpet in your hand is mine, the one recording your first cry at birth..."

Before Luo Lin could finish her sentence, Elysia's expression changed just like before.

The girl turned and fled in embarrassment, and the situation reversed, with Elysia now chasing Luo Lin.

The playful scene didn't last long as the sound of the lab's door opening interrupted them.

Mobius floated out of the lab in a floating box, wearing a displeased expression. "Elysia, what mischief are you up to again?"

Again?

Seeing Luo Lin's puzzled expression, Mobius explained, "This girl started spreading rumors about you as soon as she came back last night, rambling nonsense in the lab, making it impossible for me to focus on my research. So I had to move her and the chair out of the lab and lock the door..."

So that's how Elysia got the chair?

At that moment, Vill-V rushed out from behind the green-haired scientist, eagerly shouting, "Luo Lin! Did someone really pin you down and kiss you last night?"

Raven, standing nearby, coughed abruptly, while Luo Lin blushed furiously, feeling her blood pressure rise.

"Elysia!!!!"

Watching Luo Lin's reaction, Vill-V nodded in satisfaction, "It seems Elysia was telling the truth!"

Feeling a bit wronged, the pink fairy said, "Vill-V, didn't you believe me before? I never lie!"

Mobius sighed, "Oh... Guinea pig, I won't comment on your special 'interest,' but I hope it won't affect our research."

"How could it affect the research?!" Luo Lin couldn't help but complain.

"Science requires a rigorous attitude, guinea pig!"

Mobius said seriously, "So, to explore the changes, I now need more bodily data!"

"If you want me to cooperate with your experiment, just say so!" Luo Lin rolled her eyes, "And isn't it too early for our agreed research time? I still need to take Elysia back for the experiment..."

"Since you're already here, it won't hurt to come in and sit for a while, just for a quick scan..."

Mobius seemed to have grasped some of the philosophical wisdom of Shenzhou, speaking such words.

Reluctantly, Luo Lin followed Mobius into the lab.

The others followed suit, but for some reason, the three of them ended up crowded together. Luo Lin turned her head and saw Vill-V and Raven listening to Elysia's chatter.

"She looked really cute last night..."

Luo Lin wished she didn't have such keen hearing. She walked into the depths of the lab with a despondent expression, sitting adeptly on the chair filled with sensors as if she were back home.

"Alright, let's begin."

Mobius didn't waste any time, tapping on the keyboard to initiate the scan, occasionally instructing Luo Lin to move for more detailed data.

The scan didn't take long this time. Luo Lin emerged from the scanning room and found Vill-V standing next to Mobius.

Thankfully, Elysia didn't continue talking about last night's events.

Both scientists squinted at the screen simultaneously.

Soon, Mobius spoke up, "Guinea pig, there seem to have been some peculiar changes in your body. I've detected some familiar data besides being kissed last night. Did anything else happen?"

Rubbing her cheeks, Luo Lin muttered, "...Does receiving Aponia's Discipline imprint count?"

"Discipline... Hmm?"

Mobius paused for a moment, "You actually got Aponia's imprint?!"

"Is there a problem?"

"...No." Mobius pursed her lips and murmured, "Quite impressive, guinea pig."

Vill-V blinked and explained, "Let me clarify for this person who doesn't speak much. Aponia hasn't given her Discipline imprint to anyone for a very long time, so this is quite surprising."

"Some things don't need your explanation, Vill-V."

Mobius clenched her fist and hammered it on Vill-V's shoulder, but the blow was intercepted by the mechanical arm behind the dual-color ponytailed lady, resulting in a solid clang.

Vill-V adjusted her hat, "See, Dr. Mobius is expressing her shyness."

The green-haired dctor put on a fake smile and spoke softly, "Luo Lin, you can go with them first. Vill-V and I have some research matters to discuss."

Vill-V nodded, "Yes, we'll discuss it with our fists."

"... "

The atmosphere became increasingly awkward, so Luo Lin hurriedly pulled Elysia and Raven out of the room.

Raven looked worried, "Are they really going to fight?"

Elysia patted the mercenary's shoulder, "Don't worry, as long as Vill-V doesn't provoke Mobius further, they won't really fight..."

Before she could finish her sentence, a loud impact came from the laboratory, accompanied by an electrified roar, "Vill-V! I've tolerated you for a long time!"

"Watch my instruments... Oh no! Mobius!!! You can't blame your own issues on me! And why are you getting angry while talking?! "

An even louder clanging sound followed.

Miss Pink Elf was at a loss for words, "Um... let's just go..."

So the three of them ran back to the Joy Hall.

Since Elysia couldn't enter the system space with Elysia, she returned to the small tent to rest.

Elysia changed into Miss Pink Elf character card and Stigmata summoned by Luo Lin, and entered the system space through the "door."

Spiral was lying on the sofa, rubbing the Selune'z Elegy in her arms. When she saw Luo Lin and Elysia return, she stopped and waved at them, "Hey! You're back!"

Seeing Spiral's lazy appearance, Luo Lin was speechless, "Are you sucking the soul of the ELF like you're cuddling a cat?"

"No no no, I'm doing important things!"

Spiral tapped the system panel in front of her, revealing a strange smile, "I'm pondering some 'link' matters, and I've made some progress... Hmm, I've already sent it to you."

Luo Lin received the information sent by the secondary consciousness and rubbed her temples, then asked in amazement, "You actually managed to connect to the internet, and even posted threads and videos?!"

"Pretty cool, right? That's the confidence brought by the Signet of Spiral! But for now, I can't do much more... After all, I'm still researching."

Spiral chuckled, "And not just me, you've done something big too—the imprint of Discipline... But unfortunately, this imprint didn't give you an additional auxiliary consciousness for chatting!"

Luo Lin hastily waved her hand, "Having you is enough for me to handle, let's not add new members..."

Elysia didn't understand the significance of this conversation and didn't want to explore its secrets at the moment.

Miss Pink Elf just looked around and asked, "Hey? Where's Senti? Hasn't she returned from her break yet?"

Luo Lin shook her head, "No... She said she should be back tonight. I'll go outside to prepare the summoning first, Elysia."

"Okay."

Luo Lin took a deep breath, opened her eyes in the laboratory belonging to her in the Far East Branch, switched to the "Haxxor Bunny," and continued to summon the experiment of Miss Pink Elf.

Perhaps it was the newly acquired ability of the Discipline imprint, or perhaps it was the influence of using "links" to access the internet found by Spiral... In any case, Luo Lin felt that the summoning experiment had made significant progress.

She had indeed "touched" something.

So Luo Lin followed this feeling and reached out to drag it up.

It was very heavy. At first, dragging was relatively smooth, but suddenly it got stuck somewhere...

Narrowing her eyes, Luo Lin exerted force again. Manifesting around the Haxxor Bunny were many bright strings, splattering and falling into every corner of the lab, rendering the entire room like a scene from "The Matrix."

"Heya—!"

"Ding!"

Accompanied by strange alert sounds, a dazzling light burst from her fingertips, and the girl dragged out a semi-transparent system panel.

Looking closely, the header of the system panel read "Infinity Abyss: Agony Three," followed by a familiar ranking list and a series of strange player names.

Luo Lin was puzzled, "Where's Elysia? Why did I pull out this thing instead?"

At that moment, Spiral yelled, "Look up ahead, look ahead!!"

Following her words, Luo Lin looked up and saw a very familiar blue circle on the empty floor of the lab, with a row of intimate white words floating beside it, explaining its use.

【Interact with the blue circle to start the Abyss Challenge】

Luo Lin was dumbfounded, "Did I summon the Abyss module?"




Chapter Fifteen: All Tribute!

In the afternoon, the Big Three received a text message from Luo Lin, instructing them not to return to the dormitory after class, but to meet her at a specific location in the Far East Branch research area.

So, after class, the three hurriedly made their way to the location indicated in the text message.

"Luo Lin's GPS location seems to be right here... isn't it?" Qi Ya Na looked uncertainly at the massive laboratory in front of them, raising her phone to double-check the information.

Bronya nodded, "That's correct, it's here."

"Yae, if I remember correctly, Luo Lin said she was going to teach us combat lessons today..." The white fluffy ball looked puzzled, "Shouldn't we be going to a training ground or something? Why are we coming to the lab?"

Raiden Mei shook her head, "I don't know."

The three exchanged glances.

"Well, let's go inside first. Standing outside isn't productive."
In the end, Qi Ya Na broke the silence, leading the way and pulling Raiden Mei and Bronya into the laboratory entrance.

Strangely, the corridor was unlit.

Fortunately, the sky hadn't completely darkened yet, so they could vaguely see their way forward.

"It's so dark... Why hasn't Luo Lin turned on the lights... Did the principal forget to pay the electricity bill?" Raiden Mei muttered, her voice echoing in the corridor, sounding eerie and unsettling, making the blue-haired girl feel uneasy.

Bronya looked around and suddenly said with a faint voice, "Bronya suddenly remembered, there are many mysterious legends here in the Far East. A long, long time ago, there was a person named..."

Qi Ya Na interrupted Bronya's words loudly: "Mei! Don't be scared! I'm right here with you!"

"Really..."
Raiden Mei was taken aback by the fluffy ball's loud shout, feeling a mixture of amusement and unease, "If someone else sees this, they might think the scared one is actually you..."

Just then, a very familiar voice sounded in their ears—

"Welcome, noble and pure souls... You have come to seek the truth of the past, but the cornerstone of truth... has long been buried by the baldies' hair."

"?"

With her words, the corridor suddenly lit up with a mysterious purple light.

The three were stunned, and Qi Ya Na and Raiden Mei both turned their gazes to Bronya, only to find the silver-haired spiral curl girl looking even more bewildered.

"Bronya, was that you telling ghost stories just now?" Qi Ya Na asked in a low voice.

Bronya decisively shook her head, "No, it wasn't me."

"Then who was it...?"

Qi Ya Na looked around and noticed something abnormal, "Look! What's that?!"

Following the direction pointed out by the white fluffy ball, the group saw two silent drones hanging in the air, their bodies flashing with purple light—the purple light in the corridor was emitted by them.

Bronya narrowed her eyes, forming a conjecture in her mind.

She turned her head and looked at Raiden Mei, finding her also looking thoughtful.

Raiden Mei also felt Bronya's gaze, and the two exchanged smiles.

Qi Ya Na put her hands on her hips, feeling out of place.

"Hmph, let's continue forward!"

The white fluffy ball stomped forward angrily, pushing open the half-closed door at the end of the corridor—

What came into view was a girl with a hood, with peculiar gradient twin spiral ponytails.

She held a glowing drone in one hand, seemingly deliberately imitating a certain posture, with most of her body shrouded in shadow.

Then, she continued to speak with a voice very similar to Bronya's:
"Agony Three, this is the final paradise of the Abyss, and also the destined finale of most Captains... The ones who exist here are just ordinary monthly card players. It has nothing to do with the distant past, it's just the story of twenty 'Concave Individuals' divided into groups..."

"Stop stop stop! Hold on a second!!"
At the same time as Elysia jumped up in the system space, pointing aggressively ahead, she shouted loudly, "I have a feeling that these lines were supposed to be mine!"

While Elysia was jumping, the Big Three also spoke up.

Kiana muttered softly: "What a nonsense person! She doesn't seem like a good person!"

The girl on the sofa twitched her mouth and clenched her fist.

"Are you a friend of Luo Lin?" Raiden Mei asked cautiously.

The other person replied instantly, "No."

Bronya carefully observed the girl sitting on the sofa for a while, seeing her look a bit awkwardly tilting her head, before finally saying, "Is it... Sister Luo Lin?"

"Bingo! You got it right!"

Maintaining the status of "Rabbit of the Labyrinth," Luo Lin snapped her fingers, and the lights in the laboratory came on, allowing the Big Three to clearly see her face.

Raiden Mei widened her eyes, "Is it really Sister Luo Lin? Why does she look exactly like Bronya...?"

Luo Lin rolled her eyes, switching to "Dark Feather" to prove her identity, then quickly switched back to "Haxxor Bunny" to maintain the existence of a series of things she "projected."

Bronya breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Sister Luo Lin has the ability to transform into other people, so it's really possible for her to turn into Bronya..."

"Enough of that, let's talk about tonight's arrangements... Actually, what I said just now is also related to combat teaching..." Luo Lin casually changed the topic.

Kiana pouted dissatisfiedly, puffing out her chest and saying righteously, "Your words just now were so strange, I didn't understand them."

"It's okay if you didn't understand, what we need to do next is very simple."

Luo Lin stood up, and the sofa she was sitting on turned into fragments of data, dissipating in the air, exposing what had been hidden from the Big Three before.

On the ground, a blue circle blinked like a breathing light, attracting their attention.

Luo Lin casually conjured up a pair of handguns, a katana, and a huge rocket launcher compatible with the Project Bunny, then crossed her arms and retreated to the sidelines.

"After you're ready, step into the blue circle, defeat the enemies that appear—again, make sure you're prepared!"

Kiana patted her chest, "Who do you think I am? I'm best at combat!"

Raiden Mei swung her katana a few times, nodding in agreement.

Bronya controlled the Project Bunny to switch to the rocket launcher, but after feeling it for a while, she felt something was wrong—this thing wasn't training equipment, it was a genuine anti-Honkai weapon!

She asked cautiously, "Sister Luo Lin, are we using... this? Is it really safe?"

"Don't worry, it's very safe."

Luo Lin narrowed her eyes, revealing a mysterious smile, "I've been playing with it, experiencing it many, many times... No one will die, I promise."






Chapter 16 Just Do It (Getting Beaten)


"Isn't this something similar to the 'Memorial Arena' used in combat classes? I'm familiar with this!" Kiana's words made Luo Lin feel like she understood, yet didn't.

The white puffball casually walked forward and stepped into the blue circle.

The next moment, a countdown of "5:00" popped up in front of Kiana's group.

Immediately after, a pile of Entropy Mechas descended from the sky with a roar, crashing around the three.

Accompanied by the sounds of steel clashing and opening, the mechas entered combat mode.

Kiana still didn't take it seriously and directly launched an attack at the enemy...

Seeing this, Luo Lin knew things were about to go wrong.

The Padrino Titan swung his fist at a speed far beyond what the white puffball imagined, directly hitting her.

She went black in front of her eyes, spitting blood, and flew out.

Both Raiden Mei and Bronya exclaimed, "Kiana!?"

"Pain..."

Even Sirin was startled this time. She suddenly opened her eyes, feeling pain all over her body, instantly shocked.

Why are there so many Titans?! And the surroundings are still the laboratory. Did I sleep and dream back to Babylon?!

Just as Sirin was about to take control of her body and use her powers to escape, she suddenly sensed something unusual.

"Hmm... powers? No, rules...?"

Sirin frowned, then quickly relaxed. She keenly sensed the anomalies around her and felt the familiar aura on them.

"Luo Lin? What's going on?"

She pursed her lips and finally decided to trust Luo Lin.

Kiana's serious injury affected Raiden Mei's judgment. Her mind was invaded by anger, and with red eyes, she rushed forward at a speed no less than the white puffball's, then flew back with long marks on the ground.

Both of them struggled on the ground.

Facing this scene, Bronya first aimed her cannon at Luo Lin on the sidelines, hesitated for a moment, then retracted it.

"Forget it... I..."

"Boom!"

The three were engulfed in gunfire.

Soon, those Titans turned into data and disappeared into the air, and the Trio appeared again at the edge of the battlefield.

They touched their bodies in surprise, finding that all the injuries they had suffered before had disappeared.

Raiden Mei frowned and strode over to Luo Lin, speaking sternly, "Luo Lin, why didn't you...?"

Luo Lin raised her hand, gesturing for a pause. She looked at Kiana behind Raiden Mei and asked, "Does it hurt?"

The white puffball lowered her head. "...It hurts."

"Oh, so you do know pain." Luo Lin put her hands on her hips. "Then why did you just charge at the enemy like that?"

"I thought..."

"You thought it was similar to combat class?" Luo Lin squinted. "Do you think, in reality, enemies will behave like the simulations in class?"

Kiana lowered her head. "No..."

Luo Lin got angrier. "I have a question, can you answer it—how did you wander from Europe to the Far East? To achieve this, I believe you must be a smart child, right? But why didn't I see your brain just now?"

"Umm..."

Luo Lin sighed. "Kiana, I know you're best at fighting, but fighting also requires using your brain... I'm not joking; your combat ability right now is even inferior to when you were studying in Nagazora City..."

After leaving Kiana speechless, Luo Lin turned to Raiden Mei. "Well, you can ask questions now."

Raiden Mei could only smile bitterly. "...Luo Lin, is this your exclusive new secret method?"

"Kind of, precise pain simulation, absolutely won't die mechanism... It's much more exciting than the combat class."

Luo Lin shrugged. "You also got a bit distracted just now... I know you care a lot about Kiana, but sometimes, you have to be more rational."

"I understand."

The Valkyrie shifted her gaze to Bronya, and the girl with silver spiral hair admitted her mistake decisively. "My bad!"

"You didn't have any major issues... just that you didn't struggle in the end, which puzzled me."

Luo Lin gestured. "Just now, I thought you were going to shoot missiles at me..."

"I trust you."

Bronya replied expressionlessly, "But I protest against this teaching method! It seriously damages our relationship!"

"Well, perhaps it's a bit excessive..."

Luo Lin sighed, "But I think the effort is worth it—if I had said it earlier, could it have left such a deep impression on Kiana and you?"

"..."

The three fell silent together.

Luo Lin scratched her head impatiently. "Um... I guess I'm really not cut out to be a teacher. I really don't know why Himeko is so optimistic about me in this aspect..."

Luo Lin snapped her fingers, conjuring a soft sofa behind the Trio and a coffee table, then took out chocolates, cookies, and a large pot of hot tea from the system warehouse, placing them on the table, signaling them to sit down and relax for a while.

"Have some sweets to calm down, it's from my experience." Luo Lin said.

Kiana trembled as she lifted the tea cup, taking a sip. "I still feel... phantom pain."

"It's normal at first; you'll get used to it after dying a few more times."

Luo Lin calmly said something that made the Trio uneasy. Mei put the cup on the table, surprised. "Luo Lin, have you 'died' so many times like this?"

The girl fell into contemplation. "Um, I've lost count, probably thousands or tens of thousands of times?"

The three sitting across from her looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

Kiana struggled to speak, "Impressive."

Bronya nodded in agreement. She also had experienced rigorous training since childhood, an experience that could be described as inhumane. But what Luo Lin did was even more ruthless.

Very well, it fits Bronya's image of the workaholic and volume king.

"Take a break, and I'll explain your tactical mistakes and the enemy's weaknesses... Kiana, eat less!! We'll have to fight again later!!"

"Ugh, cough!"

"Here, water!"

"Thanks, Mei..."

Bronya sighed, feeling worried about the future.

---------------------------

About ten minutes later, Luo Lin judged that they could make another attempt, so she packed everything up.

"Be more careful this time."

Kiana nodded vigorously. She didn't want to "die" again.

The three stood firm again, ready.

The white puffball stretched her foot and tapped the edge of the blue circle before running.

The Titans arrived as expected, causing a tremor as they crashed to the ground.

Unexpectedly, most of the long-range Titans directly aimed at Bronya, their methods so brutal that it made Bronya feel like these mechas had a grudge against her.

Wait a minute, she seemed to be affiliated with the Ar, now fighting alongside the Schicksal Valkyries... Bronya was afraid she might be recognized as a traitor, so the priority for the Titans to eliminate her was very high...

The silver spiral-haired girl immediately had Project Bunny raise its shield, and the energy shield didn't falter, as they rolled and crawled amidst the hail of bullets and missiles.

Luo Lin shook her head with regret, "This appearance reminds one of one miss raven, involuntarily."

Elysia in the system space was full of question marks.

After all, in her impression, there was no connection between Raven and the current scene.

And Spiral, who understood what she meant, retorted, "I won't allow you blasphemy Island Exploding Crow! Please apologize to Miss Raven immediately!"

"You're right, but SP+3 is a..."

Mei was not unfamiliar with this scene. After all, when Luo Lin usually treated her issues with the Herrscher of Thunder (referring to becoming a Stand to help Luo Lin fight in the "Herrscher of Thunder - Character Challenge"), it was also a scene of bullets flying and missiles splashing around...

The girl with blue-purple long hair glanced at the prompt box, the countdown ticking away second by second.

She dodged a Titan's pounce and slashed back, feeling the heavy and sluggish sensation on her hands.

It's not that simple...

Mei shouted loudly, "Be careful of these guys' armor!"

"Huh?"

The white puffball was a bit puzzled, but she was always action-oriented. While Mei shouted, Kiana had already pulled the trigger at the enemy.

The bullets fired were covered with a layer of golden destruction energy. From the perspective of others, these bullets even felt like they didn't belong in this world.

Yes, Kiana infused the bullets with the power of the Herrscher of the Void!

This was also influenced by Luo Lin's frequent launching of Edge of Taixuan bullets. Kiana was very interested in this move and naturally wanted to imitate Luo Lin's more stylish operations.

After several consultations, Kiana's marksmanship reached a new level—every bullet she fired was covered with the power borrowed from Sirin, greatly enhancing their penetration and lethality.

Usually, during combat class, Kiana's attacks could easily wipe out the Revenants. Although the Titans' armor provided some protection, it couldn't withstand the continuous barrage from the white puffball.

However, the Titans here weren't as "fragile" as those in combat class. The bullets fired by Kiana left a series of golden sparks on the mechas, carrying the sound of steel collision, flying to who knows where.

The white puffball widened her eyes, saying, "What's this thing?!"

She attacked the weak points of the Titan armor incredulously—fortunately, this time the bullets weren't deflected, they indeed caused damage, embedding themselves in the armor, creating a sense of artistry with cracks forming around the impact points.

"Kiana, be careful, these are all special AE mechas!"

As a member of Entropy, Bronya naturally could discern the quality of these Titans—they were excessively heavy!

Looking at the thick armor on these Titans, the weapons mounted on their arms emitting a strong aura of decay, and even the shields surrounding them with strange light...

If it weren't for Luo Lin smiling on the sidelines, Bronya would even suspect that these were elite forces sent by AE to attack the Far East Branch.

Kiana fired a few more shots, finding the effect wasn't ideal, she sighed and charged forward with her gun raised.

It was time to use her true Kaslana gunfighting skills—close the distance, overload the weapons, and let these Titans experience the power of the Law of the Void up close!

Raiden Mei's eyes sharpened, blue-white lightning enveloping her blade and body.

She turned into a streak of lightning, swiftly weaving through the battlefield, leaving visible scars on every Titan she passed, immediately drawing the attention of most of the enemies.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Bronya, the slowest in the group and constantly suppressed by firepower, finally breathed a sigh of relief. She had Project Bunny lower its shield and raised its weapon, firing missiles at the Titans.

"Boom!"

The power Luo Lin provided exceeded Bronya's imagination, instantly destroying the targeted Titan into a sorry state, glowing all over—such astonishing results naturally made the enemies reassess the threat level, refocusing their attention on the silver spiral-haired girl.

Bronya had to once again resort to the sneaky shield-raising mode, transforming into a scrambling undead amidst the explosion's smoke, escaping in a sorry state.

For the three, this was an extremely difficult battle. At least they had never encountered such tough enemies before: coordinated, quick reactions, and resilient, making it a headache.

Compared to what they faced in combat class and what Luo Lin conjured up today, it was like child's play...

They fought for a while before finally putting one Titan into the low-health "Red Heat Overload" mode, but the strengthened Titan made the situation extremely dangerous again, greatly draining their energy.

Luo Lin, watching from the sidelines, could only describe this battle with one word—"Scraping".

This was Kiana and Raiden Mei touching a portion of the Herrscher's' power, and Bronya switching to the high-powered rocket launcher Luo Lin provided...

The girls glanced at the countdown, which had reached the final minute. The trio finally managed to defeat the last enemy of the second-to-last wave.

Luo Lin muttered, "The big one's coming..."

"Hoo... haa..."

Kiana gasped for breath, firing her gun at the heavily damaged Titan one last time before crawling out of the explosion range, but still stumbled from the shockwave caused by the explosion.

The white puffball looked around, "Is... is it over?"

"The countdown hasn't ended yet, so it shouldn't be... be careful!"

Bronya's pupils contracted, her well-trained sixth sense beginning to sound alarmingly—she hadn't felt this way since she encountered that quasi-Lawbringer in Nagazora City.

Two distinct mechas crashed down, instantly filling the laboratory with two completely different auras—one frigid and the other scorching.

[Frozen Cruiser] and [Flame Patrol]...

Um. Of course, most players wouldn't remember these two enemies with no special modeling or particular mechanics to pay attention to.

But for the big three today, these two suddenly appearing fellows became the last straw to break the camel's back.

In the horrified eyes of the girls, these two Titans sprinted and leaped at a speed that left afterimages, their immense decay power gathering in their "strong" wrist weapons, shooting out beams of scorching and icy light, sweeping across the entire battlefield—

The dumbfounded Kiana's tuft of hair stood straight up, a golden light flashing in the depths of her pupils.

A portal opened beneath Kiana's feet, causing her to fall down naturally. Soon, she appeared at the edge of the battlefield, narrowly avoiding this area attack.

But Mei and Bronya didn't have such a move, they tried to dodge as much as possible, but unfortunately were still hit by the frosty beams, dense ice quickly forming, trapping the two inside.

Then [Flame Patrol] pounced, effortlessly shattering the ice, directly delivering the two to Luo Lin, who was watching the show.

Mei and Bronya looked dazed, breathing heavily, taking a while to come to their senses.

They glanced at each other, seeing the fear in each other's eyes.

That feeling of pain and helplessness indeed left an indelible impression on the two.

Soon, Kiana, who couldn't match four hands with her two fists, followed in the footsteps of her predecessors, coming to Luo Lin's side.

—[Flame Patrol] and [Frozen Cruiser] lightly defeated the Herrschers in half a minute, scoring 800 points.

The white puffball trembled for a while before exhaling, "Damn, that hurts! I'll remember this grudge!"

"Alright, let's call it a night... no more fighting."

Luo Lin rubbed the faces of the trio with some concern, sighing, "If you keep going, you might develop some psychological issues... Hm, tonight the Herrschers of Sentience Senti should have been teaching you with me. She's an expert in this aspect, but I don't know why she hasn't come back yet..."

"Did she go out?"

"To relax in Nagazora City... Oh? It seems she sent me a message on my phone? Why didn't she use telepathy...?"

Luo Lin scratched her head, "Encountered a familiar pink fox, currently observing, do not disturb...?"



Chapter Seventeen: Zero-Cost Shopping, Probably

Let's rewind time a bit.

The journey of the Herrscher of Sentience to Nagazora City went quite smoothly, and she soon arrived at her destination.

Compared to the original plot, where the Third Honkai Eruption occurred, directly turning the entire Nagazora City into a dead zone, in this world, Nagazora City only had a warehouse in the suburbs filled with Honkai energy storage tanks, and the area where the Honkai energy concentration could directly cause death was not large.

However, the impact of the Honkai Outbreak was still very serious. A series of systems that maintained the operation of the city, such as electricity, communication, water supply, and sewage, were all destroyed.

Along with the collapse, the Zombies and Honkai beasts created a lot of chaos and casualties before the Schicksal arrived.

Near the outbreak point of the Honkai in the suburbs, buildings and foundations were eroded and became fragile— that area sank tens of meters, and groundwater emerged from the sinking area, spreading out into several small lakes along the streets.
Most people chose to stay away from this disaster-stricken city, turning Nagazora City from a bustling metropolis into almost a ghost town in an instant.

Yes, "almost."

When you see this word, you should know that there are still people active here.

The Herrscher of Sentience stood on a tall building overlooking the city, expressing surprise: "How come there are still children here?"

On the relatively empty street, a pink-haired girl in blue clothes and a hood was pushing a shopping cart commonly used in supermarkets, "selecting" goods from the shops along the street.

Floating beside her was a small robot, helping the girl check the condition of the items she pulled out.

"Beep beep, this can of canned food is already damaged and swollen, probably unable to be consumed! Recommend discarding it!" the robot said in an electronic voice, "Detected intact cans deep in the store, recommend collecting them!"

"Ah, thank you, Mark Rabbit!"
The pink-haired girl put the broken can aside, turned her head to where Mark Rabbit had pointed out earlier, showing a distressed expression on her face.

After all, for some reason, the steel shelves there tilted and collapsed, burying the cans she wanted to collect.

The girl looked at her thin arms and sighed helplessly, "Mark Rabbit, help me record the situation here... Next time, call Lyle and let him bring tools to help retrieve them..."

"No need for that trouble, I can help you." The pink-haired girl was startled, stumbling back a few steps, and turned to look at the sudden appearance of a figure.

"Who are you?!"

The Herrscher of Sentience thought for a moment, spread her hands, and showed a gentle smile she had learned from Luo Lin: "Just a kind passerby?"

"Uh..." The girl hesitated for a few seconds, seemingly contemplating a plan of action, but Mark Rabbit floating beside her emitted a beeping alarm sound: "Detected Honkai energy response! Detected Honkai energy response!"

The Herrscher of Sentience knew that the Honkai energy she emitted when floating over here had been detected by this little robot.

But the pink-haired girl seemed not to have realized this.

She thought there were Honkai beasts around— although the Schicksal had previously conducted a thorough sweep of the Nagazora City urban area, after the Valkyries withdrew, the remaining Honkai energy still gave birth to some Honkai beasts, which could be considered the top predators in this city's food chain.

So, the pink-haired girl looked around vigilantly and said to the Herrscher of Sentience, "Miss, there may be terrifying white monsters around us! It's very dangerous! Let's leave here quickly!"

Senti couldn't help but feel amused by the girl's well-intentioned behavior.
She raised her arm and made a "strong" gesture, "Oh, don't worry, sis is very powerful— if any monsters come, they should be worried."

The Herrscher of Sentience strode towards the interior of the store, easily lifted the Honkaid shelves, and then pulled out the cans the girl needed from a pile of unknown items, also helping to put them on the shopping cart.

The pink-haired girl half-opened her mouth, "Wow... you're so strong?" "Detected Honkai energy response! Detected Honkai energy response!"

Mark Rabbit continued to diligently sound the alarm, annoying the Herrscher of Sentience a bit, so she glared at the robot.

Perhaps sensing the threat, Mark Rabbit turned off the alarm sound, leaving only the flashing red screen.

"Hmph, consider yourself lucky..."
The Herrscher of Sentience muttered and turned to the pink-haired girl, asking, "Okay, that monster should have left by now. Do you need anything else?"

"Thank you, big sister."
The girl didn't sense any malice from the Herrscher of Sentience.

After hesitating for a moment, she spoke up, "My name is Sora, you can also call me Sora..."

The Herrscher of Sentience patted her chest, "Just call me Sister Senti."

Sora nodded, then looked at the robot flashing red lights and whispered, "Mark Rabbit, can you take us to the location you recorded earlier? I can't remember it clearly..."

"Received, planning the route... Please follow me." Mark Rabbit floated up, leading the Herrscher of Sentience and Sora to start moving.

The Herrscher of Sentience took over the task of pushing the shopping cart. She found it quite fun to play with, flying up on certain open and flat sections of the road, making exhilarating sounds.

Sora stood with her hands on her hips, looking somewhat helpless at this big sister she had recently met, feeling that she was no different from the childish brats at "home"...

But the Herrscher of Sentience was self-aware.

Even though she was playing the cart game, she wouldn't stray too far from Sora, and after playing for a while, she would actively concentrate and follow closely beside the pink-haired girl.

"I've got your back, seriously, in Nagazora City, no one can beat me..."

The Herrscher of Sentience thought of Lu Lin's instructions before leaving, and changed her words, "At least for now, I don't feel anyone can beat me."

"Okay."

"Hey, why do I feel like you don't believe me..." The pink-haired girl replied casually, "I believe, of course I believe."

Like a child, Sora thought.

After walking for a while, the shopping cart was already piled high. If the Herrscher of Sentience hadn't found a bundle of rope and tied it up a bit, the items might have fallen off the cart.

Sora looked at the cart and sighed, "Such a bountiful harvest... Well, I guess I'll push it back by myself, Sister Senti, you've helped enough..."

"Helping others to the end, seeing you like this, pushing the cart back by yourself is a joke..." The Herrscher of Sentience suddenly turned her head, gazing at the street corner.

She squinted her eyes and shouted loudly, "Who's there! Come out!"

"Oh, don't be nervous, this friend— we should know each other."

Wearing all black (with the word "martial" written on the corner of his clothes), under a hood was a metal mask with a red lone eye. The person walked out from that direction, spreading his hands to show he was not a threat.

"No wonder Mark Rabbit has been alarming, turns out it's Miss Herrscher of Sentience who's come."

"...Gray Serpent?" The Herrscher of Sentience tilted her head, "Aren't you the one who delivers supplies to the Crow in 'Elysian Realm'? Why... hmm... hmm?"
The Herrscher of Sentience frowned slightly, feeling something was off, "Strange, aren't you and him the same individual... but why this uncanny resemblance?"

Gray Serpent clapped his hands, smiling as he replied, "Your intuition is very sharp. We are... bio-humans? Clones? Haha, anyway, Gray Serpent has many, and there are connections between us. As for the Gray Serpent in charge of the 'Elysian Realm', his code name is 10426... while mine is 1904."

The Herrscher of Sentience frowned, pondering for a moment, and finally nodded, "I understand, so what is your purpose?"

1904 bowed to the Herrscher of Sentience,
"No no no, I have no other purpose, just came to check the situation because of Mark Rabbit's alarm... I know Sora, and have been responsible for taking care of the children recently."

The Herrscher of Sentience: "Children?"

1904 also seemed a bit troubled about how to describe his task, "Um... specifically... a certain member of the World Serpent suddenly had a task, so he asked us to take care of the children living in Nagazora City, so I came."

The pink-haired girl looked at the two people with some confusion about the atmosphere, "Sister Shi? Uncle Gray Serpent? Do you know each other?"

The Herrscher of Sentience crossed her arms, "Sort of, your Uncle Gray Serpent probably doesn't welcome my arrival."

1904: "...Why would that be?"

The Herrscher of Sentience pointed to her temple, "I'm the Herrscher of Sentience, capable of sensing emotions."

Gray Serpent stiffened for a moment, sighing, "Indeed... a bit... forget it, let's go see, so as not to cause any unnecessary misunderstandings."




Chapter Eighteen: Chatting and Sneaking Away

The Herrscher of Sentience held Sora's hand while pushing the cart full of goods, following Gray Serpent to their base in Nagazora City.

Gray Serpent 1904 leaned on a gadget that looked like a cane and pointed not far away, saying, "There is where the children live..."

The Herrscher of Sentience bSoraked and looked in the direction Gray Serpent pointed.

There, wooden boards, colored steel plates, foam filSorags, and some fabrics were combined in a peculiar way, liking several uninhabited houses together to build a shelter that could withstand wind and rain.

1904 touched his chin (or rather, the lower edge of his mask): "Hmm, perhaps according to their teacher's words, it's more accurate to call it a 'nest.'"

Just then, a large group of children rushed out of the "nest," cheering to welcome them. When the children saw the shopping cart full of supplies, their cheers grew louder.

Perhaps because Sora was with Gray Serpent and the Herrscher of Sentience, they weren't nervous. They quickly let go of their guard and curiously looked at the Herrscher of Sentience.

They whispered to each other:

"Wow! You can tell she's a powerful big sister at first glance!"

"She seems not as formidable as the teacher... but still impressive!"

"Of course, the teacher is invincible!"

Sora stepped forward a few steps and loudly calmed the situation, "Everyone! Quiet down! Let's put the supplies back in the warehouse first!"

Sora still had a lot of authority among the children. As soon as she spoke, the children responded in unison, "Okay~"

They cheerfully came forward, took the shopping cart from Sora, and pushed it away, with Sora following behind. Only Senti and Gray Serpent were left standing at the entrance of the "nest."

Senti raised a question: "Why are there only children here?"

"I'm not quite sure about that... Maybe my colleague's kindness is limited, or perhaps she doesn't want to deal with troublesome adults..." Gray Serpent tilted his head, "But I envy their treatment."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, so far, they are solely the children my colleague adopted, with no connection to the World Serpent or any other organization."

1904 sighed, "Their teacher—my colleague, has always worked hard, using her own salary to raise these children alone... Even when she asked for help to take care of the children before going on a business trip, she used her personal identity and specifically emphasized not to say anything strange to influence the children... Haha, she's really determined to give these children a free future."

"Sounds like a good person, but..." Senti's expression was somewhat subtle, "It seems strange to get involved with an organization like the World Serpent afterward."

"Haha, humans are inherently strange creatures."

"Humans... indeed."

The Herrscher of Sentience couldn't help but think of Lu Sora as she took a few steps forward, leaning her arms on the raiSorag.

Gray Serpent 1904 tapped the ground with the cane, popping open— it turned out this gadget was actually an umbrella, which 1904 casually opened over his head.

"I'm curious, why are you holding this umbrella?"

"Well... because my clothes are black and very heat-absorbent, so I choose to use an umbrella to shade myself from the sun—of course, it also prevents me from getting wet when it rains."

Sora asked, "Have you ever considered wearing clothes other than black?"

"Wear different clothes?" 1904 was taken aback for a moment, then slowly said after a few seconds, "That's... a very interesting choice."

"Didn't you think about changing your clothes before?"

Gray Serpent decisively replied, "No, I seem to have taken wearing this outfit as a matter of course... but I'll try to wear different clothes."

The Herrscher of Sentience was speechless. She shook her head and muttered, "You're a strange person."

1904 felt somewhat flattered, "Thank you for the compliment!"

"I don't understand where you think I'm complimenting you..."

Senti rolled her eyes and stopped talking.

The two stood quietly for a while, enjoying the breeze blowing through Nagazora City.

Suddenly, Sora ran out of the "nest" with an anxious face, shouting, "Uncle Gray Serpent! Sister Senti! Lyle and Adam also snuck out of the shelter without knowing when! We need to find them as soon as possible..."

Gray Serpent immediately put away the umbrella, took out a terminal device from his clothes, and after a few manipulations, located the runaway children.

He said seriously, "The detector has found them, I'll go pick them up now! Sora, you stay here. As for Miss Herrscher of Sentience..."

Sora rolled up his sleeves and said, "I'll take you there—I can fly, so it's faster!"

"Okay."


————————————————————


A white-haired little boy, holding a very futuristic-looking rod-shaped tool, panted as he followed another black-haired boy.

After a while, the white-haired boy couldn't run anymore, so he walked. He complained, "Phew, I say... Adam, if we run so far... won't we get scolded by Sister Sora when we go back?"

The black-haired boy looked much better than the white-haired boy. He gritted his teeth and took the heavy rod-shaped tool from the other boy's hand, saying, "It's okay, Lyle, as long as we bring back the cart full of supplies I found earlier, Sister Sora won't scold us too harshly!"

"...I don't understand, why don't you just tell Sister Sora that you found the supplies yourself, why sneak around like this..."

"Surprise, you know? Surprise! I want to give Sister Sora a big surprise! Besides, technically speaking, Sister Sora should still be out looking for supplies, so she won't be back!"

Lyle moved the tool in his arms up a bit, "Uh... it sounds like you've planned it for a long time..."

"Of course!"

Adam said, "Lyle, you saw it too. Sister Sora goes out every day to search for supplies for us, leaves early in the morning, and doesn't come back until late at night. She looks very tired—while we're just repairing the rooms in the 'nest' with Uncle Gray Serpent's help..."

"And attending classes and studying," Lyle added.

"Yes, attending classes too." Adam's face wrinkled, and he said with frustration, "I don't like going to classes... so, so I decided to seize the opportunity to go out and search for supplies! I spent a long, long time exploring a little bit outside every day, and finally found a warehouse that should have the supplies we need!"

He gestured, "But this warehouse requires the tools given by Sister Sora to unlock (he patted the long tool in his arms), and these tools are usually kept by you, so I brought you along to take a look at the situation... I even prepared a handcart similar to Sister Sora's over there!"

"Well, you're quite well-prepared..."

As they spoke, the two arrived at their destination—a pile of rubble that looked like ruins, with
a handcart parked in a small corner sheltered from the wind and rain.

"Here is the warehouse."

Lyle observed for a while, "Hmm... it does look like the kind of warehouse we want... it's quite thoroughly broken."

"It doesn't look so exaggerated..."

Adam peeled back a piece of fabric pressed down by a stone, revealing the intact warehouse door underneath. The electronic device on the door was even operating normally, flashing with light.

"Not bad, Adam."

Lyle also became excited. He rubbed his hands, took the long tool back from the black-haired boy, and stood beside the electronic device on the door, pulling out a data cable from inside and directly plugging it into the panel.

"The next step needs... like this, and like this... it's done."

Lyle fiddled with the tool a few times, and the panel on the door flashed violently. With the sound of mechanical rotation, the warehouse door opened, revealing the scene inside to the boys.

The originally neatly stacked boxes of supplies were split open, and bags were pulled out, with their openings left beside them, already half used.

As for their whereabouts...

In the center of the room, a pink-haired shrine maiden with long fox ears held a steaming rice ball in her hands, her mouth still full, frozen in place.

She turned her head, and the depths of her pupils reflected a red light.

The boys screamed, "Ghost!!!!"



Chapter Nineteen: Entangled Confusion...

The two boys scrambled away from the warehouse, running headlong until they were both out of breath and their feet felt like jelly before stopping.

Lyle leaned against the wall, panting heavily. "Just now... that... was a Zombie, right?"

Tomoya also looked exhausted, asking, "What Zombie?"

"Ah, I forgot you never pay attention in class..." Lyle explained with a helpless tone, "It's a monster that humans turn into after being corrupted by Honkai energy!"

"Oh! I remember now! It's like the Honkai Beasts, very dangerous, right?"

Tomoya slapped his thigh, revealing a "wise" expression.

"...it's very dangerous, so we did the right thing by running away."

Lyle opened his mouth wearily, unable to say whether this fatigue was due to exhaustion or some other reason.

Tomoya nodded, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "So, where are we?"

Lyle: "...I don't know, and the tools to open the door seem to have been left over there."

Tomoya looked desperate, "Oh no, what do we do now..."

The two boys looked at each other.

In the end, Lyle, using his clever little brain, made a suggestion, "Why don't we find a higher place, or get a map? Anyway, let's figure out where we are now first."

"You're right!" Tomoya rubbed his face. "Can you still walk? I'll support you..."

The two of them moved sluggishly.

Unknown to the boys, in the shadows, a pair of purple eyes were watching them.

"..."

Yae Sakura touched her lips, picked up a grain of rice, and gently put it in her mouth.

The shrine maiden also had the same doubts as these children—where exactly is this?

Yae Sakura's memory still lingered five hundred years ago, when she was swallowed by something, faintly seeing scenes of a white-haired nun carrying a magnificent cross on her back, wielding a golden spear charging towards her.

"Kallen..."

Then, she fell into a hazy, sleep-like state.

Yae Sakura felt like she had a very long dream, repeating her short life over and over again—

She was the eldest daughter of the Yae Shrine's head priest, and the shrine worshipped a fox deity, with villagers offering live sacrifices to pray for rain.

Her younger sister, Yae Rin, was weak and sickly, unable to leave the house. Perhaps because of her condition, she had been destined to be a sacrifice early on.

Yae Sakura didn't want her sister to be sacrificed to the fox deity, so she intended to escape with her, but the head priest cut off Rin's Achilles tendon, thwarting her attempt, and killed Rin by grabbing Sakura's hand holding the knife.

Later, Yae Sakura became a shrine maiden and met Kallen, a white-haired nun who had crossed the sea, unconscious due to her injuries... and the demon she carried in her box.

Being forced to "kill" her own sister at a young age became a huge flaw in Yae Sakura's heart, which was exploited by the Hellmaru, controlling her without the shrine maiden's knowledge.

Next, the story seemed to fast forward. Higokumaru caused a series of Honkai outbreaks, causing panic among the villagers, who demanded another sacrifice. Naturally, controlled by Higokumaru, Yae Sakura wouldn't refuse, and by the time Kallen came to stop it, it was too late.

Higokumaru had already devoured the sacrifice, gaining immense power and slaughtering indiscriminately. But Yae Sakura, relying on her willpower, stopped Higokumaru from pursuing Kallen, allowing the nun to escape the village.

But Kallen didn't choose to give up. She somehow obtained a huge golden cross and returned to the Yae Village with determination, ready to fight Higokumaru to the death.

The memory stopped there.

Until not long ago, the dazed Yae Sakura was startled by something, as if carried by a torrent, washed ashore.

The shrine maiden opened her eyes and found herself in a strange place...

The buildings here were towering and sturdy, many of the houses' doors were made of finely forged iron, and the roads were unusually spacious, covered with smooth bricks and some black substance.

Unfortunately, it seemed that this place had suffered a disaster... perhaps similar in nature to Higokumaru.

According to Kallen's words, it should be called... Honkai.

Yae Sakura strolled through the streets, everywhere she looked, she could see transparent glass, shining brightly, and even reflecting her own appearance like a mirror.

Appearance...

Yae Sakura smiled bitterly, rubbing her head, her fingers touching her long, resilient ears, making her shudder.

"Higokumaru..."

The shrine maiden could feel that the demon named Higokumaru had merged with her, and these ears were also the result of their fusion.

—So, when those two boys saw her, screamed, and ran away, it wasn't so surprising anymore.

Yae Sakura placed a hand on her chest, feeling that Higokumaru was now lurking in the depths of her soul, waiting like a snake for her to reveal a flaw, to once again control this body and unleash bloodshed.

The whispers of Higokumaru lingered in Yae Sakura's ears: [Humans will never change... what has been, will be again; what has been done, will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.]

The shrine maiden remained expressionless, "I won't let you do that, give up."

[Hehehe... now that you and I are one, our lives have no end, I have enough time and patience, take it slow... soon, soon there will be an opportunity.]

Yae Sakura raised her head again, her ears trembling slightly, sensing that something had happened where those two boys were.

Under the gaze of Lyle and Tomoya, substantial Honkai energy appeared in the air, swirling and gathering, finally condensing into a monster with a pristine shell and purple patterns.

"It's a Honkai Beast!?"

Tomoya's face turned pale, feeling intense fear from the monster in front of him, so much so that he couldn't move.

Lyle knew the reason, Tomoya and his family had been attacked by such Honkai Beasts, and whether lucky or unlucky, after the attack, only Tomoya survived.

He was later adopted by a teacher, but the shadow remained in his heart.

Lyle gritted his teeth, slapped Tomoya's arm, "You run! I'll distract the monster for you!"

"Lyle!?"

By the time Tomoya realized it, the thin white-haired boy had rushed out, shouting and attracting the attention of the Honkai Beast, disappearing with the monster around the corner of the street.

Lyle ran for a few minutes, until he was almost unconscious, then blindly rushed into a dead-end alley. When he came to his senses, the Honkai Beast had already blocked the only way out.

The white-haired boy leaned against the wall, straightened his hair, and then straightened his chest.

"Hoo, ha... even if I die... I have to... look cool..."

Lyle raised his head, staring at the Honkai Beast.

The terrifying monster charged forward, roaring, and the white-haired boy tried hard not to close his eyes, attempting to show his hero

ism.

"Swish!"

After a piercing buzz, the monster disintegrated, turning into countless thin slices, scattered on the ground of the alley.

The light outside the alley was a bit dazzling, and Lyle only saw a silhouette against the light, vaguely and steadily putting away a katana.

The boy noticed the long ears on top of the other person's head and immediately matched this shadow with a "Dead Soldier" he had seen before.

Lyle took a deep breath and passed out decisively.

"..."

Yae Sakura looked at the white-haired boy lying on the ground, then turned her head, watching as the figure behind caught up, although scared but still pointing a wooden stick at herself, not knowing where he found it, sighed.

"Forget it, consider it returning your favor..."

She walked towards Tomoya, shouting loudly, "Calm down! I mean no harm! I'm not a monster!"

"Don't, don't come over!"

Tomoya's face was tearful, although he was also from the Far East, he still couldn't understand what this red-eyed guy was saying.

Oh, turns out Yae Sakura was speaking Far Eastern from five hundred years ago, then it's okay.

Facing the increasingly agitated boy, Yae Sakura, at ghostly speed, came behind Tomoya, ready to knock him out...

"What do you want to do to him?!"

The next moment, the shrine maiden felt a sudden sharp pain in her head, her hand, which was originally swinging out, stopped halfway as if caught by an invisible thread.

For some reason, the noisy Higokumaru also quieted down.

Yae Sakura's eyes flickered with red light, she suddenly exerted force, broke the invisible thread in one fell swoop, and quickly turned to look in the direction where the danger was coming from.

A girl dressed in Shenzhou attire was staring at her with a bewildered look, followed by a one-eyed monster in full black, holding a blunderbuss aimed at her.

—It seems to be related to those two children?

Yae Sakura cautiously gripped the hilt of her sword, squinting.

She noticed that the Shenzhou girl was murmuring something in a language Yae Sakura didn't understand.

"What the f-, how can she still move? What's the matter with the one who's having a good time with me in the consciousness layer now? Is it another split consciousness?"




Chapter 20: Unveiling Clues Through Profanity

The Herrscher of Sentience first assessed the other's attire and was surprised to find that their appearance was almost identical to a certain speech-inept assassin from "Elysian Realm."
However, the individual was dressed in a shrine maiden's outfit, a stark contrast to the high-tech clothing of the assassin.

Moreover, their demeanor was quite different, making them easily distinguishable.

"Are... you from Shenzhou?" the pink-haired fox-eared shrine maiden asked in a hesitant ancient Shenzhou dialect.

Upon hearing this, The Herrscher raised an eyebrow.

Thanks to Fu Hua's years of surveying the land of Shenzhou, she had encountered countless dialects and accumulated rich experience.

Thus, she could understand the heavily accented words of the shrine maiden.

Suppressing the violent resistance from the other party on the consciousness battlefield, Senti delved into her memories to recall this language and replied, "Shrine maiden, who are you? A native of the Far East?"

Sakura Yae barely understood Senti's question, her expression somewhat complicated.

As a shrine maiden, she had learned some Shenzhou language for studying scriptures, but she didn't speak it much.

Glancing at Tomoya, who was stunned beside her due to excessive fear, as well as Lyle, who had fainted in the depths of the alley, Sakura Yae sighed helplessly.

In the end, it was because of these children...

However, Sakura Yae quickly composed herself. Compared to her own heartless father and the ignorant villagers of Yae, these two individuals nearby were much more responsible for children.

They're both good people!

"I...I'm Sakura Yae...from the shrine...a shrine maiden...I didn't mean to..." The pink-haired shrine maiden began to recall the few ancient Shenzhou words in her mind and answered intermittently, striving to express her unintentional actions and desire for peaceful coexistence.

The Herrscher, now in a fully empowered state, naturally sensed the goodwill expressed by Sakura Yae. However, it was evident that the other consciousness within the shrine maiden didn't share the same sentiment.

【Kill! Die! Monster!】

The opponent roared, howled, and attempted to launch an attack.

Once Sakura Yae's situation stabilized, The Herrscher shifted most of her attention to the consciousness battlefield. Vaguely, she could see the figure of that individual in the consciousness space—a huge, pink fox with many tails...

Ah, isn't this Higokumaru? An old friend from the battlefield!

The Herrscher knew that many enemies manifested in Luo Lin's system had prototypes, and they would eventually be encountered in the real world. She hadn't expected to encounter this weakly injured fox today...

It's actually a consciousness entity!

The only problem was that when Luo Lin encountered the big fox on the battlefield before, she didn't have the Ice Type character on hand and could only rely on physical and fire teams to fight, which was quite frustrating...

Senti suddenly became more amiable and intensified her attacks.

There aren't as many strange rule restrictions in reality (meaning not using ice attributes won't cause much damage).
Besides, it's a consciousness entity; it's easy to handle, right?

Manipulating her powers, The Herrscher launched a series of mental attacks on the opponent, quickly bruising its face and causing its figure to blur, turning it semi-transparent.

Hellmaru seemed frightened and turned to flee.

"Hmph? Trying to escape?" The Herrscher sneered and pursued the large fox in the consciousness realm...only to hit a strange barrier head-on.

"Hiss, what is this?" The Herrscher rubbed her head in confusion. She found that her mental attacks could penetrate this barrier, but their power was greatly reduced afterward.

Cautiously, The Herrscher extended a finger and probed into the barrier... It didn't feel comfortable. It seemed that this thing was specifically adjusted for certain mental aspects and had extremely powerful suppression.

Why does it feel somewhat similar to the "Anti-Emotion Diffusion Shield" that Vill-V had tinkered with before?
It's just that the "flavor" is a bit different, not as crazy as Vill-V's...

Could this thing be a suppression device? Used to suppress Higokumaru?

Glancing at Higokumaru, who had already shrunk into the barrier, glaring resentfully at The Herrscher of Sentience outside, then anxiously coiling up and assuming a defensive posture, the Herrscher chuckled.

"Do you think I'll go in there and fight you? I won't do such a stupid thing."

The Herrscher of Sentience chuckled lightly, and she immediately added several layers of defense mechanisms outside the barrier, as if adding many locks to a door and finally cementing a wall, before finishing up.

Higokumaru stared in disbelief at The Herrscher's operation. When Senti was done and clapped her hands, she came to her senses.

Jumping up, she approached the edge of the barrier, only to find that she couldn't get out.

Rubbing her wrist with a smile, The Herrscher began to mock the pink fox in ancient Far Eastern language, "Oh, you're still quite lively, aren't you? It seems you were trying to trick me into going in before!"

"Trash! Useless! Garbage! Worthless!" Hellmaru started swearing, but unfortunately, Far Eastern swear words were...quite rare, and after flipping through them repeatedly, they were just a few sets.

It doesn't feel as profound as the Shenzhou language.

The Herrscher rubbed her ear and smiled as she looked at the other.

Though she couldn't match Mobius and Vill-V in other aspects, she had learned far more languages than them. She knew the languages of the surrounding countries of Shenzhou and could probably be called a linguistics professor...Hmm, no, there's probably still one she can't beat.

The Herrscher pondered for a moment. Fu Hua seemed to have personally experienced many major historical events, so she might as well apply for a history professor...or maybe even an academician.

By the way, is an academician the highest title? Can it get any higher?

The Herrscher pondered contentedly. Higokumaru seemed unsatisfied after swearing twice, so she switched to another language to continue her tirade—

"You @￥＃! @￥"

But this time, it really surprised Senti, because Higokumaru used a language from the previous civilization!

This thing isn't something ordinary people can learn, and it even curses so fluently...

The Herrscher withdrew her attention from the consciousness battlefield and returned to the streets of Nagazora City.

She took a step forward and asked Sakura Yae in ancient Far Eastern language, "Shrine maiden, where did that strange fellow inside you come from?"

"Oh, you, a wanderer, can speak ancient Far Eastern language and even discovered it..." Sakura Yae was taken aback for a moment, then anxiously shouted, "Be careful, this guy is good at silently confusing others' minds! Anyone who comes into contact with it may be affected. Please remain steadfast!"

"...Thank you." The Herrscher's expression was strange as she muttered, "Really, emphasizing this with The Herrscher of Sentience? I...uh..."

The Herrscher suddenly thought of a "big moth" who liked to float in the sky and pray in "Elysian Realm," as well as a boy who closed his eyes all day and made people wonder if he was sleepwalking—both of them were heavyweight players in the spiritual realm...

After sparring with these two, though she was reluctant to admit it, The Herrscher felt that if they weren't memory constructs, she might have had a hard time.

They truly live up to be the famed Heroes of the ancient civilization...with so many talented individuals, she should be more cautious herself.

The Herrscher gestured to the vigilant Gray Serpent behind her and then spoke to Sakura Yae, "Miss Sakura Yae? I temporarily dealt with that screaming fellow. Can we talk for a moment?"




Chapter 21: Sakura Yae: Not in the Mood to Play

"What? Kallen Kaslana?"

Senti couldn't believe she heard the name of a certain Schicksal Saint from Sakura Yae's mouth, her mouth gaping in surprise.

Spanning half the globe between the Far East and the European headquarters of the Schicksal, considering the technological level of five hundred years ago, this journey must have been extremely time-consuming and difficult, even dangerous.

What was Kallen thinking, traveling all this way... just for that box?

Did she want to study that box alone?

No, people from the Kaslana family didn't have such thoughts, and Kallen was no exception—especially since Fu Hua had personally fought against Kallen as the Celstial Jingwei, and found her moves to be more about brute force than cleverness.

Fortunately, as a rare qualified user of the Divine Key, Fu Hua didn't resort to lethal force; instead, she launched a series of verbal attacks, worsening Kallen's already unstable state of mind, leading to her mental breakdown on the battlefield...

Later, when they saw Kallen again... um, they found her already in the crystal coffin prepared by Otto.

"You actually know Kallen!" Sakura Yae was also very surprised, noticing some clues from Senti's face, then inferring that the Herrscher in front of her actually knew or even knew Kallen, she eagerly asked, "So, how is Kallen now?"

"Kallen... um... that's a good question." Senti's expression was subtle. "But, I need to help you build your psychological readiness first, because it seems that the fellow inside your consciousness is good at exploiting people's psychological weaknesses..."

Sakura Yae already had an ominous premonition in her heart, but she still forced herself to nod: "Yes, Higokumaru is indeed not a good thing..."

Senti tactfully said, "So, first, do you remember the era when you fought with Kallen against Higokumaru? What was the era and year?"

Sakura Yae thought for a moment and reported a title. Senti made a brief calculation and sighed deeply. "Sure enough, Sakura Yae, that was more than five hundred years ago..."

"Five, five hundred years?! Is that true?!" The pink-haired shrine maiden's spirit was severely shaken.

Senti turned her head and asked 1904, "Is there a bookstore nearby selling history books?"

1904, taking advantage of Senti and Sakura Yae's conversation, had already carried the fainted Lyle on his back, and Tomoya knew he had made a big mistake, silently following 1904.

After hearing Senti's question, he tapped his mask and the red solitary eye blinked twice. "Yes, this way."

"Miss Shrine Maiden, come with me. I'll show you the evidence."

The group walked through the deserted Nagazora City for a while and arrived at the entrance of a small bookstore. Senti easily found historical books that could prove it.

Sakura Yae stared at the beautifully printed, colorfully illustrated books for a few seconds, trembling as she flipped through them—thanks to the relatively minor changes in the Far East characters over the past five hundred years, the shrine maiden could roughly understand what was written on them.

With the sound of flipping pages, Sakura Yae's expression became more and more gloomy. Finally, she sighed deeply, muttering in a daze, "How could it be so long... I just... blinked... Kallen..."

Kallen was just an ordinary person, and she probably died a long time ago...

The pink-haired witch's fox ears drooped down as she stared blankly at the illustrations in the book.

"Cough cough, very well, it seems you are already prepared." Senti coughed lightly. "Kallen Kaslana, born in 1453, died in 1477, at the age of twenty-four..."

"Twenty-four...?" Sakura Yae was completely numb, relying on inertia to ask, "How did she... leave..."

Senti said, "She died in the process of fighting against the Honkai beasts, protecting the people."

This passage was written by Otto in the "Chronicles of Honkai," and used as teaching material for all Valkyries, absolutely authentic.

Sakura Yae suddenly raised her head, "1477... What year is that? Is it the same year as the last day I saw her?"

"No."

"That's good... That's good... sob..."

The pink-haired shrine maiden choked up, startling Senti—Sakura Yae's mental strength weakened rapidly, and Senti quickly activated his powers, strengthening the mental defense line he had set up inside the shrine maiden's body.

Senti shouted loudly, "Wake up, Sakura Yae! Steady your mind! You still have Higokumaru in your arms! Don't let it take advantage of you!"

"I... I understand."

The pink-haired shrine maiden pressed her sword with one hand, trying to calm her breathing and soothe her mind.

It took a very long time, even from day to night, for Sakura Yae to finally accept reality.

The shrine maiden hoarsely said, "Thank you, hero."

"Ahaha..." Senti wiped away some nonexistent sweat, looking at Sakura Yae's thoroughly damaged mental defense line, feeling helpless.

Compared to before she learned about Kallen's death, Sakura Yae's mental strength had weakened considerably, making Senti feel like she had suddenly lost her purpose and entered a state of numbness/not wanting to live anymore.

What's worse, Higokumaru also sensed Sakura Yae's change in mental state.

The pink fox laughed heartily, mocking Senti, "Hahaha, I've been dealing with her for hundreds of years, and your words didn't have as much effect as you thought... Haha, thank you, kind person!"

Senti almost twisted her nose in anger. "Shut up! If you're so capable, come out from inside!"

"Hmph..."

Higokumaru wasn't in a hurry. She leisurely curled up, closed her eyes, silently lurking, secretly eroding the mental defense line set by Senti with a weak, unnoticeable intensity.

Although it might take a long time in the end, Higokumaru had plenty of time.

Senti felt a headache coming on. She had come to Nagazora City to relax, but the Honkai beasts weren't defeated, and suddenly she encountered such a thing!

Could it be that Luo Lin's "wherever you go, something happens" constitution infected me?

That would be too terrifying!

Senti turned her head and looked at 1904 beside her. 1904 had somehow brought two sleeping bags from somewhere and placed Lyle and Tomoya in them, the children emitting faint snores.

"How's Lyle?"

1904's eyes flickered. "They're all asleep, and Lyle is fine."

Senti gritted her teeth, rubbed her temples, and sorted out his chaotic thoughts.

"Then... let's go back to your place first, as usual, I'll take you flying... Sakura Yae, you come with me."




Chapter 22: Back to Base

When everyone returned to the "Nest," the night had deepened, but there was still a faint light shining from one of the rooms.

Sora came out from the room with the light, as if she had been waiting all along.

The pink-haired girl looked at the two slightly disheveled boys and pursed her lips. "Tomoya, Lyle..."

1904 patted Tomoya and Lyle on the shoulders, gently pushing them forward.

Tomoya opened his mouth, looking at the pink-haired girl in front of him, and lowered his head. "I'm sorry..."

Lyle had a similar expression. "We..."

Sora interrupted their words. "It's good that you're back... Let's tidy up first. I've prepared hot water for you... We'll talk about the rest after you wake up."

"Oh..."

The boys exchanged glances and followed Sora.

1904 clapped his hands and said, "The children's matters are settled. What are your plans?"

"As for me..." Senti turned his head and noticed that Sakura Yae was staring absentmindedly at the departing three children. She only withdrew her gaze reluctantly after they disappeared around the corner of the building.

"Miss Sakura Yae, do you have any plans?" The snake-man inquired.

The shrine maiden obviously hadn't considered this question, her face showing clear confusion.

After some thought, Sakura Yae placed a hand over her chest and replied softly, "I will continue to fulfill my duties, slaying demons and protecting the people... just like five hundred years ago. Of course, I will also seek a way to deal with Higokumaru..."

1904 adjusted his mask and unexpectedly spoke in authentic ancient Far East language, "Sounds similar to the Valkyries of Schicksal."

"You can speak it too?" Senti glanced at 1904 in surprise, and the latter nodded slightly. "【World Serpent】 still has some depth..."

"Valkyries of... Schicksal? Kallen told me she was once part of Schicksal, a Valkyrie who fought against demons..." Sakura Yae reminisced, sighing. "That's great, her legacy is being continued... There must be others as lovely as Kallen, right?"

Senti's eyes darted around, suddenly struck with an idea.

"Sakura Yae, are you interested in visiting the Valkyrie Academy and meeting the successors who have taken on Kallen's responsibilities?"

This could also give the immensely talented Luo Lin a chance to see if there's a way to solve Sakura Yae's issue.

"Huh?" Sakura Yae blinked. "Is that okay? But... this camp... isn't it affected by Honkai disasters? There are still demons, um, Honkai beasts here, it's not very safe."

"You can rest assured." 1904 suddenly spoke up. "This place was previously cleared by the Valkyries of Schicksal, and I also regularly eliminate Honkai beasts generated by residual Honkai energy..."

The pink-haired shrine maiden scrutinized 1904 for a moment and tactfully said, "Forgive me for being blunt, but you don't seem like someone skilled in combat..."

"I am indeed not adept at combat, but it doesn't mean I can't handle those Honkai beasts." 1904 snapped his fingers, and dozens of mechas emerged from stealth mode, appearing at various locations around the "Nest."

"I see... those elusive threats... are they similar to puppets?"

Sakura Yae nodded, then turned to Senti. "I'm still a little worried. Miss...umm... can I have a match with them?"

"You can call me Senti, The Herrschers of Sentience."

"Senti... sounds like some kind of ninja."

The pink-haired priestess drew her sword, moonlight glinting off its blade.

Just by looking at it, Senti could sense its sharpness, not to mention the Honkai energy swirling around Sakura Yae, materializing into cherry blossom petals that scattered in the night breeze.

1904 sighed helplessly. "Alright, but let's stay a bit further away so we don't disturb the children."

"You're right."

Sakura Yae agreed readily, taking a step forward.


-----------------------------------------


The next day, Luo Lin attended some advanced courses for A-rank Valkyries at St. Freya Academy. When she returned to the dormitory, she noticed something amiss.

"So, this is your reason for coming back so late and bringing someone with you?"

Luo Lin looked around the dormitory, her curious gaze falling on the various electronic devices, and for a moment, she didn't know what to say.

"You... Hello." Sakura Yae greeted Luo Lin somewhat awkwardly, sounding like she still couldn't quite control her tongue.

Senti chuckled dryly, coughed, and muttered, "Um, so, this shrine maiden's name is Sakura Yae. She's from five hundred years ago..."

Luo Lin interrupted Senti's introduction. "I know who she is. She's the good friend who shared a bed with Kallen, the shrine maiden from Yae Village, Otto's rival..."

"What?! She's Otto's rival!?" Senti was greatly shocked.

Luo Lin pondered, "Well... sort of... After all, in the 'Kallen Fantasy' series personally crafted by Otto, the prototype for the recurring mid-boss often appeared as her."

Regardless, the relationship between Kallen and Sakura Yae was extraordinary; even if they weren't lovers, they were comrades in life and death.

Luo Lin then asked, "Oh, by the way, why does she seem unable to speak clearly?"

"Well, she's a person from hundreds of years ago, not accustomed to modern language..." Senti regained his senses and gestured, "So, after obtaining her consent, I used the power of the law to instill some language into her... At least it ensures she can communicate with us normally."

"So, she's still not quite proficient in speaking... I see. Hello."

"Hello... Please... be gentle..."

Luo Lin smiled at Sakura Yae, who returned a gentle smile. Her long and resilient ears even swayed a little.

Hmm, those ears... I feel like pinching them.

"Gurgle~"

A rumble emanated from the shrine maiden's stomach, turning Sakura Yae's face crimson.

Luo Lin chuckled softly. "Are you hungry? Let me make something for you... I remember you like rice balls..."

With that, she walked towards the kitchen, and also gestured to Senti, "Come on, help me cook, and tell me in detail what happened when you went to Nagazora City..."

Senti agreed and, while assisting Luo Lin, recounted the events that occurred during his sightseeing trip to Changkong City.

"Sora, Lyle... hearing familiar names."

Luo Lin blinked, surprised that Raven had adopted these children and had even built the "Nest" or rather the "House of Cioara" in Nagazora City.

No idea where Adam is... well... never mind, we'll meet eventually.

"I think bringing Sakura Yae back was the right decision," Luo Lin said. "But we still need to discuss this with Theresa. After all, this is St. Freya's... it's impolite to let someone in without informing the host."

"Yes, you're right."





Chapter 23: Unmotivated School Director

Ragnar felt that Theresa had been acting very strangely lately.

She was actually working and training extremely hard!

Well, it's not like Theresa didn't work before, but her previous approach was more like "working hard one day, slacking off the next," focusing on completing tasks only when necessary.

But now, Theresa seemed to be fully wound up like a clock, and the pile of tasks was disappearing visibly fast.

Not only that, she even took over Ragnar's duties, voluntarily working overtime. The lights in the training room could be seen on late into the night... Usually, it was Ragnar helping Theresa with work, not to mention the School Director actively snatching tasks from Ragnar's hands, which was truly surprising for the former captain.

Typically, this kind of situation would only occur when Theresa couldn't delay any longer and had to deal with the backlog of tasks - similar to those students next door in Shenzhou who found their holiday assignments untouched after their holidays ended.

A pen, a lamp, a pile of homework, one night, one miracle... Also known as Eastern Eternal Night (not really).

Of course, even more surprising, even frightening things were yet to come - Theresa hadn't touched her favorite Homu Impact manga for several days.

That's Homu Impact manga, you know?

You see, Otto secretly allocated funds specifically to buy Homu Impact manga for the School Director and even explicitly instructed Ragnar not to tell Theresa about it.

Hmm, this probably only reflects the Bishop's trust in his granddaughter...

In any case, Ragnar believed that Homu Impact manga was like spiritual sustenance for Theresa. Reading manga was as instinctive for her as eating, drinking, or sleeping.

But now she wasn't reading it! Isn't this a clear case of "starving oneself to death"?

The former captain even went to the small warehouse where Theresa usually kept her manga and glanced inside. The piled-up manga even had a thin layer of dust on top.

Feeling somewhat frightened, Ragnar approached Theresa's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

The former captain swallowed hard, pushed open the door, and walked in.

Theresa was busy working, the sound of her pen scratching against the paper making it hard for anyone to speak up involuntarily.

The School Director gently spoke, "Ragnar, you're here... Please, have a seat."

The sunlight streamed through the window, casting a glow on Theresa's nun attire, making her look like a radiant angel descended from above.

Please don't be like this, I'm scared!

Ragnar felt stiff as she pulled out a chair, her movements involuntarily becoming much lighter.

Theresa continued writing for a while, finally stamping a document and placing it on the stack of files piled high beside her - her achievements for today.

The white-haired nun rubbed her wrist, looked up at Ragnar, and smiled softly, "Alright, what can I do for you?"

"Um..." Ragnar hesitated for a moment, "Theresa... you..."

"My work? Ah, please rest assured."

Theresa blinked and replied, "Next month's plan for Kiana is already done, and St. Freya is well-prepared for the Valkyrie Qualification Test - I never expected Bishop Otto to approve my proposal to have Durandal serve as an examiner for St. Freya, which should serve as an encouragement for the Valkyries who come here to test. Next is..."

"No, what I mean is, Theresa, are you okay?"

Ragnar interrupted the School Director's chatter, staring at Theresa's blue eyes, which seemed to hide some profound emotion.

Theresa unconsciously looked away, her brows furrowing slightly, and replied, "I'm fine..."

"Then look at me, Theresa."

The former captain's tone became firm, "Ever since the Battle of Chiyou, your behavior has been abnormal... I'm really worried about you."

The School Principal looked somewhat bewildered, "Do I seem... off?"

Ragnar replied decisively, "Very much so, to the point where it makes people wonder if you're possessed by a ghost."

"...Perhaps indeed some ghosts from the past have found their way to me."

Theresa sighed heavily.

Ever since Fu Hua used Fenghuang Down to restore her memories, those sealed memories would surge up into her dreams every night.

The Valkyries who followed her, the children trembling in the Babylon Lab, the powerful Herrscher with golden cross-shaped eyes, the roaring, bespectacled leader of Anti-Entropy, and the steel army behind the Herrscher.

And Cecilia, her every smile, her gentle words... and the dense missile trajectories streaking across the sky over Siberia like a meteor shower.

Whenever her dreams reached this point, Theresa would wake up in a cold sweat. It was usually in the early hours of the morning, when nothing could be heard except the sound of the wind.

She would clutch her chest, gasping for breath, gradually calming her heartbeat, but the scene of the "starry sky" and the despair it brought would still linger in her mind, becoming even more vivid.

So, Theresa decided to do something meaningful to distract herself, like work.

Indeed, work could keep her from dwelling on these painful memories, and it also brought a sense of accomplishment - Theresa did fulfill her promise to Cecilia, giving the Valkyries of St. Freya a unique start.

Thinking of this, Theresa rubbed her eyes, her gaze unable to help but flicker.

Ragnar watched as the School Director's emotions suddenly changed, saying, "Should I take you to see a psychiatrist? Or... find Luo Lin and Fu Hua? We can't just summon a Shinto Priest or a Shrine Maiden from the Far East like in local legends, can we?"

Theresa listened to the increasingly absurd suggestions from the former captain and quickly waved her hand, "No, there's no need for that... I just need to readjust..."

"Readjust to what?"

The School Director pondered for two seconds, "To some of the costs of growing up, perhaps?"

"I don't think so."

Ragnar had seen many Valkyries whose thoughts had gone astray, who had fallen into a "dead end," and Theresa's current state was similar to those children.

Theresa used a slightly coquettish tone, "Ragnar..."

"No, psychiatrist, Luo Lin and Fu Hua for consultation, pick one, or else I'll report to Bishop Otto. Your grandfather cares a lot about you..."

"Stop!"

Theresa hurriedly reached out her hand.

The former captain gave her a skeptical look, "Why such a big reaction?"

"I... um, it's very improper to involve family members in this."

Theresa's brain quickly thought of a reason, but she sighed at last, "Okay, fine... But I don't want to see a psychiatrist... Why did you mention Luo Lin? I can understand asking for Fu Hua..."

Ragnar: "Because she can help keep three Herrschers in good spirits and not harm humans. I think she's quite skilled in psychological adjustment - how about that reason?"

"Indeed."

Theresa leaned back in her chair, nestling into it, staring blankly at the ceiling of her office. After a long time, the School Director murmured, "Thank you, Ragnar, for caring about me so much..."

"No need to thank me." Ragnar shook her head

, "Hmm... working more is a good thing, but there's no need to overdo it - it's making many Valkyries think you're trying to 'deal with' being 'sidelined' at the Far East Branch."

Theresa was speechless, "What on earth?"

The former captain smirked, "Perhaps you can thank Bronya after she spread the rumor that you got a stomach ache from eating something bad after seeing you work normally?"

"...Then I really should thank her."

The two chatted about work for a while, and Ragnar excused herself, leaving Theresa to immerse herself in her paperwork again.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Some time later, someone knocked on the office door.

"School Director, it's me, Luo Lin, I need to talk."

"Come in."

Theresa stretched her neck and saw Luo Lin entering along with the person in her back and she couldn't help but sarcastically comment, "Seriously, Ragnar actually found me a Shrine Maiden to exorcise me?!"

But as soon as Sakura entered the room, she was struck like thunder, her ears suddenly standing straight, her gaze firmly locked on Theresa.

She looked at the familiar nun outfit, and the golden cross leaning against the office wall, her eyes instantly turning red.

"Kallen?!"



Chapter 24: Theresa Gets Angry!

"Kallen?"

Theresa looked at Sakura in confusion, then repeated the syllables she had just heard.

Sakura finally snapped out of her daze, gazing at the small nun before her with a complex expression.

Hundreds of years had passed, and Kallen was long dead. The person standing before her couldn't possibly be Kallen.

But looking at her eyebrows, eyes, the corners of her mouth, and her soft white hair, traces of Kallen could be seen from every angle, along with the same aura...

"She must be a descendant of Kallen," Sakura murmured softly, her expression softening.

After a moment of daze, Theresa quickly noticed the two long... donkey ears on top of the pink-haired shrine maiden's head?

Seemingly aware of the School Director's gaze, the ears twitched, causing Theresa's eyes to widen.

—This thing seems real, not cosplay?

"Luo Lin, who is this...?"

"This is Sakura Yae, the shrine maiden of Yae Village, a figure from five hundred years ago, and Kallen Kaslana's close friend." Luo Lin introduced her, "Now... a pseudo-Herrscher?"

Theresa scratched her ear, "Say that again? What?"

Luo Lin pondered for a moment, then said uncertainly, "Pseudo-Herrscher, probably... or something else, not sure, but definitely not an ordinary person."

Here, I have to explain the story of the box inside Sakura.

That thing was actually a mysterious device of Dr. Mei from the previous era.
She used a plan to seal the consciousness of the invading Herrscher inside it and intended to turn it into the "Key of Corruption, Jizo's Mitama," but due to the resistance of the Honkai beast's consciousness, the Key of Corruption was not completed until the previous civilization was destroyed.

Later, after many years, for some reason, Schicksal knew where this box was buried and conducted secret research on it.

Later, the black box was obtained by Kallen, but due to Kallen's pure heart and strong willpower, the consciousness of the invading Herrscher could not control her. Kallen stole it from Schicksal and fled all the way to Yae Village in the Far East.

By chance, Sakura came into contact with the black box. Controlled by the residual consciousness of the invading Herrscher, her resentment towards the villagers turned her into the familiar pink-haired creature with two fox ears that everyone knew.

Naturally, Kallen refused to let the "demon in the box" act recklessly. She didn't care about being discreet (after all, Schicksal had a wanted poster for her at the time), so she asked Otto to bring the "Oath of Judas," returned to Yae Village, and fought with Pseudo Herrscher.
As Sakura was defeated by Kallen, the consciousness of the Herrschef was resealed in the black box.

Kallen was subsequently captured by Schicksal and brought back from the Far East.

As for Sakura and Herrscher of Corruption inside the black box, it wasn't until five hundred years later, during the Great Collapse of Nagazora, when Raiden Mei became Herrscher of Thunder, that they saw the light of day again, wandering aimlessly in the ruins.

In the original plot, Sakura encountered Theresa, who was sent to Nagazora City to exterminate the pseudo-Herrscher but ended up getting poisoned by Pseudo Herrscher of Poison.

To continue, Sakura chose to merge the box, which was her livelihood, into the School Director's body to help her purify the poison and save Theresa.

Of course, this also unlocked Theresa's "Pledge of Sakura" form and gave her two... I mean, fox ears.

And then there's the plot of the manga "Return Arc" and the open world "Sakura Samsara" — the consciousness of the Herrscher is still resisting, causing Theresa to fall into a coma. Kiana and her team try to enter Theresa's consciousness to check on her situation and eventually defeat Herrscher of Corruption.

After the consciousness of the Herrscher disappears, the hidden hand buried in the box by Dr. Mei activates, turning the core of the invading Honkai beast into the "Key of Corruption, Jizo Mitama."

As for Sakura herself, after the dust settles, with nothing left in the real world, she decides to live forever in the Stigmata Space, directly throwing the "Key of Corruption" to St. Freya, allowing the protagonist and her team to collect it...

And then there's nothing left.

In the subsequent main plot, the "Jizo Mitama" is no different from disappearing, probably because Theresa didn't remember she still had this goddamn key... Uh, maybe it's also because Yae Sakura, the wielder of too many of her own exclusive weapons in the protagonist group, caused Jizo Mitama to have no presence at all?

Interestingly, in this series of stories, Sakura doesn't seem to be just a pseudo-Herrscher — she can sacrifice herself to become Stigmata and open up a space of consciousness, generating a one-to-one replica of Yae Village...

This inevitably reminded Luo Lin of Kallen Kaslana and Schicksal's Stigmata space, as well as a certain World Serpent officer, "Hare," the "prototype" of which is named Misteltein Schariac.

Speaking of which, Cecilia's Stigmata is now in Luo Lin's hands, and from the previous experience, this Stigmata contains Cecilia's own consciousness...

Luo Lin felt that she could try to contact "Hare," snatch some technology for creating "prototypes" from her, and then let Cecilia live again, and also let Kiana, Bronya, and Seele have a complete family...

Wouldn't that be nice?

As Luo Lin pondered these questions, Theresa's expression remained unchanged, but it was evident that she was controlling her emotions to the point of being numb.

Theresa watched Sakura warily, reaching out her arm towards "Judah" in the corner of the room, and the Key of Corruption obediently jumped into Theresa's hand.

Seeing the seamless actions of the white-haired nun, Sakura's expression softened even more, sighing, "So alike..."

"Sakura, this is Theresa Apocalypse, the branch director of Schicksal's Far East Branch, and the headmistress of St. Freya Valkyrie Academy..."

"Apocalypse?" Sakura tilted her head, "I seem to have heard Kallen mention this name... Oh, it seems like someone she knew had the surname Apocalypse. So, did Kallen end up marrying into the Apocalypse family?"

If she had really married Otto, the world wouldn't have turned out like this.

Luo Lin scratched her chin, "Uh... she should still be considered unmarried until death, and she didn't have any children..."

The pink-haired shrine maiden widened her eyes, with many question marks popping up over her head, "Then, Miss Theresa...?"

Look at this white hair, these blue eyes... Besides being a bit short, she probably hasn't grown up yet (Theresa sneezed)... Who else could she be if not Kallen's child?!

Luo Lin replied, "Theresa is a clone... You can understand it as a technology that doesn't require male-female union or the girl getting pregnant to have a child... So now girls can do that thing with each other."

You ask why Luo Lin knows so much about this?

When she worked in logistics at headquarters before, she heard a lot of gossip, including strange things like two Valkyries getting married and having children...

Well, Schicksal's technology is really something, ah, really something.

"Ah!?"

The shrine maiden's pupils shook, her simple worldview of men and women being together and conceiving for ten months was challenged.

Sakura was in shock, while Theresa, on the other hand, suddenly regained her composure.

The headmistress looked at the pink-haired shrine maiden, sensing no malice from her, and even feeling a strange sense of closeness.

Luo Lin said, "I can guarantee that Sakura here poses absolutely no threat like before!"

"Just because you say so, I'm supposed to believe you? I'm not stupid." Theresa said, but she relaxed her body slightly, placing "Judah" on the ground.

She rubbed her cheeks a few times, then roared, "You brought back three Herrschers from outside before, and now you've brought back a pseudo-Herrscher. Are you planning to bring back a Judgment-level Honkai Beast next time?!"

"Well... that's not impossible?" Luo Lin half-opened her mouth, realizing that she could actually go to Siberia to dig out Benares.

Maybe it could even help calm down Sirin's mentality.

"You're still thinking about it?!"

Theresa, angry!

The headmistress began to show her leadership side, "Believe it or not, I'll deduct your salary... no, I'll secretly manipulate you so you won't pass the A-level promotion exam this time!"

Luo Lin paled in shock, "Please don't! I still want my reward!"

"Reward?!" Theresa's anger flared even more, "St. Freya is almost turning into a Herrscher nest because of you!!!!"

"Sakura still has an unfinished divine key on her! I'll find a way to get it out for you, okay?"

"Huh?!"




Chapter 25: Open, Everything Can Be Opened

Luo Lin observed the expression of the school director and sensed that she was probably feigning indifference.

Theresa indeed seemed to have such a feeling; she couldn't just ignore Sakura and return this pseudo-Herrscher back to "nature," could she? Her sense of responsibility didn't permit such an action.

Under duress, the school director reluctantly allowed Sakura to stay at St. Freya and eventually arranged for her to reside in the dormitory adjacent to Kiana's group—the floor had been vacated since the Herrschers moved in, so accommodating the pink-haired shrine maiden posed no issue.

"Luo Lin! You are to take on the responsibility of supervising her! I will hold you accountable for any incidents that may occur in the future!"

"Yes! About the matter of the Divine Key..."

"You, leave!"

Theresa slammed the table, and "Oath of Judah" abruptly sprang open, using its chain to forcefully eject Luo Lin from the office.

The school director's composure evidently didn't match that of her grandfather Otto's, as concealing her emotions was still too challenging.

Sakura keenly sensed that there wasn't much discord between the two, and this scene, rather than being an argument, seemed more like playful banter, so she refrained from making any further moves.

Theresa took a deep breath, turned her head to address the pink-haired shrine maiden, and said earnestly, "Miko, I hope you won't betray my trust, nor the guarantee she has given..."

"Of course!"

Sakura responded with equal seriousness, then bowed slightly to the school director and exited the office.

Meanwhile, Luo Lin was outside in the corridor, grimacing as she rubbed her buttocks, "She actually used her anti-Honkai Field to throw me out, not allowing me any protection... Ah, Sakura, are you coming out?"

Witnessing the scene, the pink-haired shrine maiden couldn't help but chuckle softly, "You two seem to have a good relationship."

"After all, Theresa is a very gentle and strong person. Who wouldn't like such a girl?"

"Miss Luo Lin..."

"Just call me Luo Lin."

"Um, Luo Lin..." Sakura hesitated for a moment before asking, "You just mentioned that there's an unfinished divine key on me... What is that?"

Luo Lin proceeded to explain the origin and function of the box to the pink-haired shrine maiden, who still didn't fully comprehend, but she likely understood that Luo Lin intended to help her deal with the "demon in the box," Herrscher of Corruption, so she cautioned, "That guy is tough and cunning!"

"It's alright, I have ways."

Luo Lin dared to make promises to Theresa like that because she was confident.

The Key of Corruption, Jizo Mitama, was now almost complete, and as long as the problem of Herrscher of Corruption was solved, the backup left by Dr. Mei in the box would automatically complete the rest.

As for how to deal with Herrscher of Corruption...

Firstly, Schicksal itself had devices for infiltrating others' consciousness. In the original plot, Kiana's group defeated Herrscher of Corruption and saved Theresa using these devices.

Secondly, Luo Lin had experts in the field of consciousness like Senti and Fu Hua by her side, plus Himeko Murata, who was in the Stigmata Space, making it a massacre in the consciousness space.

Furthermore, Luo Lin could go to the Elysian Realm to seek support from the Flamechasers there. Mobius and Vill-V were sure not to miss this research opportunity, and spiritual-type Flamechasers like Su and Aponia might also provide important assistance.

Lastly, Luo Lin had the system—

*Ding!*

The familiar electronic prompt sounded in the girl's ear: "The open world 'Sakura Samsara' has been opened!"

"What a coincidence!"

Luo Lin raised an eyebrow, exhaled the system panel, and saw the lit-up icon of "Sakura Samsara" in the "Open World" module.

"Wait... did my crystals run out again?"

The system explained: "No, opening 'Sakura Samsara' did not consume the host's crystals. After gaining the trust of Yae Sakura, the host obtained the qualification to open 'Sakura Samsara.'"

Luo Lin was filled with relief, "You did well, you did well... Wait a minute, what about my Post Honkai Oddyssey? I remember you were working on this open world a long time ago. How is it now?"

The electronic voice evaded the question: "Still under construction, still under construction—we'd better take a look at 'Sakura Samsar' first."

Luo Lin shrugged and used her mind to enter the detailed page of "Sakura Samsara."

The familiar bulletin board and the giant Tower appeared on the panel, and in the middle of the screen stood a three-headed figure, looking similar to an armored doll.

That was none other than the famous Higokumaru!

Hmm... something seems off?

I believe many people have forgotten that Higokumaru is actually a homonym; her real name is actually Hi'oumaru, which differs by only one character from the guy in the Arena, Hellmaru.

But most people still remember Higokumaru as a homonym that sounds like a dish—after all, she's one of the four great dishes of miHoYo along with (Cabbage head) Ai-chan, Paimon (Emergency Food), and Miyouji(Crossaint).

Even the official is willing to play with the gag of "Higokumaru" in their event "Valkyries' Restaurant," so there are even fewer people who can recall Higokumaru's real name (sad).

Luo Lin couldn't help but poke the screen with her finger at the silly smiling Higokumaru. The pink fox-eared figure happily turned around and shouted, "Big sis, you're back! The weather is so nice, let's go out together!"

That's more like it, enough with the other nonsense!

Just then, Sakura seemed to sense something. She touched her chest and asked aloud, "Luo Lin, did you just do something?"

"I did do something, something to help you deal with Herrscher of Corruption."

Luo Lin smiled and said, "After I go back, I'll study it and see how to use it..."


---


Kiana looked at her phone, feeling puzzled.

"Luo Lin said she would introduce a new friend to us after we return to the dorm tonight and give us a new task...?"

Mei trembled slightly, "It won't be as exaggerated as the completely realistic training ground from yesterday, will it?"

"Uh..."

Bronya was at a loss for words, dryly saying, "Hopefully not..."

Bronya raised her index finger, "Don't worry too much. If things go beyond our expectations, we can directly protest to Miss Luo Lin—according to calculations, there's a ninety percent chance of success!"

"How did you calculate that...?"

"Intuition!"

"That's too unreliable, isn't it?!"

As the three continued their conversation, they returned to the door of the dormitory.

Kiana took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

Sure enough, Luo Lin was already inside, accompanied by a new face—a shrine maiden with pink hair and slender ears.

Luo Lin reached out and invited them:

"The Sakura Samsara team is forming, lacking members, come quickly."