Honkai: Strijder
Chapter 418: Kiana's Compromise
By the time Sigurd arrived at the living room, the place was already a scene of utter chaos—wailing like ghosts and wolves, debris everywhere.
Judging from the situation, the troublemaker this time wasn't Kiana or Senti, but Mobius, who had completely wrecked the place.
"Hehehe~ My little lab rat, come now. It won't hurt. I just need a bit of blood, just a tiny bit~"
In the disastrously messy living room, Mobius clung to Kiana like a snake, wrapping herself tightly around her body. In her hand was a palm-sized blood-drawing device, which she was about to press against Kiana's neck.
Kiana flailed with both hands, grabbing wildly in an attempt to throw Mobius off her.
"Hehehe~ what are you so scared of, little lab rat? I'm not going to kill you. Look at you, your hands are shaking so badly you can't even grab properly."
Mobius giggled like a bell, her slender, supple waist swaying as she darted back and forth along Kiana's back, effortlessly dodging every one of Kiana's struggles.
In theory, Kiana could have opened a spatial rift and escaped, or unleashed the power of the Herrscher of Flames to force Mobius back.
However, two small girls—one pink, one blue—had wrapped themselves around her legs, each clinging to one, completely cutting off her room to maneuver.
"Liliya! Rozaliya! You two actually betrayed me!?"
"Kiana-nee, sorry, she offered too much. Liliya really had no choice."
"Yeah, yeah! She said she could help us conquer Brother Sigurd. That kind of condition is impossible to refuse! At worst, once we win him over, when it's time to choose the main wife, we'll vote for you, Kiana-nee!"
The Olenyeva twins apologized one after the other, but their grip on Kiana's legs didn't loosen in the slightest.
Kiana fought Mobius while shouting in despair,
"She's a complete mad scientist! You actually believe her!?"
"Kiana-nee, she's an amazing scientist. She must have a brilliant plan!"
"That's right! Besides, we don't have any other options anyway. There's no harm in trying."
Rozaliya and Liliya looked up at Kiana with serious expressions, clearly expressing their trust in Mobius.
Kiana's face turned pale as she gritted her teeth.
"So you sold me out just like that!?"
"Sorry, Kiana-nee!!" ×2
The twins lowered their heads in guilty yet sincere apology—while still absolutely refusing to let go of her legs.
"It's useless, little lab rat. Just behave and let me—huh?"
Mobius's calm voice cut off abruptly.
A large hand grabbed the back of her neck and lifted her straight into the air. Mobius dangled helplessly, her bare feet instinctively tapping downward, failing to touch the ground.
She turned her head and blinked at Sigurd's expressionless face.
"You—what are you doin—"
Whoosh!
"AAAAAH!!!"
A flash of golden light streaked past. Mobius clutched her right hand—now missing an index finger—and rolled across the floor, screaming in agony.
Sigurd held the Xuanyuan Sword in one hand and a clean white cloth in the other. As he wiped the blood from the blade, he stepped past the howling Mobius without sparing her a glance.
At the same time, countless tiny black dots swam through the air, rapidly repairing every bit of damage in the living room.
Sigurd sat down on the sofa, now restored to pristine condition.
"Sig QAQ~~"
Kiana looked at him like she'd just seen her savior, tears welling in her eyes as she waved her hands dramatically.
At that very moment, a small black shadow flashed to Kiana's back shoulder. Holding a blood extractor, it pressed it firmly against the back of her neck.
"Ow! Klein, you too!?"
Kiana grabbed the tiny figure off her shoulder and glared at her furiously.
Klein hugged the now-filled blood extractor. Dangling in Kiana's hand, she replied in her usual exhausted, emotionless tone,
"Apologies. This was assigned by the Doctor."
"Mobius!!!"
Kiana tossed Klein aside and pointed furiously at the true culprit behind it all.
On the floor, the wailing Mobius sat up, her left hand gripping her right wrist. From where her right index finger had been severed, bright red blood was still spurting upward.
Klein, clutching the blood extractor, rolled across the floor a few times. Then, as if nothing had happened, she got back on her feet and pattered over to Mobius on her short little legs. Standing on tiptoe, she held the extractor up proudly.
"Doctor, the task is complete."
"Well done. As expected of my Klein! Come on—back to the lab!"
Mobius's hovering platform descended from above, supporting her body, while mechanical tentacles wrapped around Klein. The platform began to drift slowly toward the exit.
Mobius glanced at Kiana, whose expression was dark and stormy, then turned to Sigurd, who was still calmly wiping his sword. She turned around, about to reach the doorway, and stopped.
Humm—
A golden sword floated in midair, its sharp tip pointed directly at Mobius's pupil. Just a little closer, and her eye would have been pierced.
"Hm? Klein succeeded, didn't she? Doesn't that mean you agreed, Sigurd?"
"I'll be keeping an eye on your lab. Things you shouldn't touch—don't. What happened today won't be repeated," Sigurd said coolly. "Also, clean the floor. Then stay and have dinner, get to know them properly."
"Why should I li—"
Whoosh!
Another finger—Mobius's right middle finger—was severed.
"Gah!!!"
Blood shot several meters into the air like a small crimson fountain.
Mobius's face darkened, her small, blood-splattered features turning icy cold.
"…Understood."
She spoke flatly as the hovering platform lowered Klein back to the ground.
Mobius shot Klein a sidelong glance.
Klein blinked a beat too late. Then a rag appeared in her hands, and she knelt down, carefully wiping up the blood on the floor bit by bit.
At that moment, Rozaliya stared at the little blood fountain still spurting from Mobius's hand, sniffled, and muttered in awe,
"Wow~ that's a lot of blood!"
While the airheaded Rozaliya was still zoning out, the slightly smarter Liliya had already released Kiana's leg and was quietly crawling toward the door, trying to escape Sigurd's notice.
Then several blue light chains shot out, binding both sisters and hoisting them into the air—dangling upside down, their backsides facing outward.
Rozaliya & Liliya: (๑ʘ̅дʘ̅๑)!!
Next, two floating wooden boards swung down hard.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
"Waaahhh!!" ×2
The sharp sound of spanking, mixed with the twins' shrill screams, formed a loud, unmistakably comedic symphony.
"Brother Sigurd, mercy! Mercy! It was all Liliya's fault!"
"Brother Sigurd, it was dumb Rozaliya's idea! Liliya was forced into it!"
"Liliya, how dare you sell me out!?"
"You were the first one to shift the blame, idiot Rozaliya!"
Smack!! ×2
"AAAH!!" ×2
Amid their screams, Klein—still wiping the floor—finally realized something: as long as Mobius's hand kept spraying blood, she would never be able to clean it properly.
So Klein stood up, pulled out a roll of bandages, and climbed up along Mobius's skirt. She ended up clinging to her arm, carefully wrapping the wound.
"Klein~ it hurts sooo much~"
"Please bear with it, Doctor. With your regenerative ability, it'll grow back completely after you sleep."
"But it really hurts~ can you blow on it for me?"
"…Alright. Even though I don't think there's any scientific basis for this, if Doctor believes it helps…"
Klein puffed out her chubby cheeks and gently blew on the wound as she wrapped the bandage, her usual emotionless voice sounding oddly adorable.
"Blow, blow—pain, go away! Blow, blow—pain, go away!"
If one ignored the large amounts of blood on them and around them, the scene almost looked… warm.
At that moment, Sin Mal pressed herself up against Sigurd.
"Sigurd! Sin Mal guarded the kitchen entrance and protected Sigurd and Bronya's dinner! I deserve a reward!"
She looked up at him, eyes filled with ♥♥.
Then, from the other side, Kiana pressed in as well—glaring fiercely at Sin Mal.
"You've got some nerve saying that! You just stood there watching me get schemed against and didn't lift a finger—after everything I've done for you!"
"Stupid tuna like you getting unlucky isn't a weird thing, is it? Why would Sin Mal stop it?"
"Sig, look at her! This is straight-up betrayal!"
"Sigurd, Sin Mal thinks dinner is more important. Besides, that tuna is tough, it won't die!"
The two of them argued back and forth, then turned to Sigurd in unison, staring at him expectantly, waiting for the head of the household to take their side.
Sigurd raised a hand, ruffling both of their heads before pinching Sin Mal's cheek.
"You were in the wrong this time. It's not a serious matter, but next time, remember to help your own family."
"Ugh… okay. Sin Mal will listen to Sigurd."
"As punishment, go call Bronya and Fu Hua to dinner. And bring Mei back from the rooftop while you're at it."
"Yes! Leave it to Sin Mal!"
Sin Mal snapped a cute little salute, then dashed out of the living room.
Kiana puffed out her cheeks as she watched her leave, then stuck out her tongue and made a face.
"Bleehhh~"
"Unlikable little brat! I even took the initiative back then and made room for her—if I'd known, I would've kicked her away from Sig ages ago!"
Sigurd reached out, scooped Kiana up, and settled her onto his lap, holding her close as he let out a quiet sigh.
"She has something on her mind. After she attacked me once in the Elysian Realm, she's been walking on eggshells these past few days, afraid I'm still holding it against her. Keep an eye on her for me. Don't let her spiral on her own."
"I know, I know! Being all wishy-washy and still asking me to care about someone else's feelings—scumbag Sig!"
"Sorry. I'll make it up to you tonight."
"W-What kind of nonsense are you saying?! There are other people here!"
Kiana's face flushed bright red as she punched Sigurd lightly in the chest.
Lowering his head, Sigurd asked softly, "You don't want to do it?"
"I… I didn't say I don't…"
Kiana buried her face into Sigurd's chest as she answered weakly, her cheeks already red enough to drip blood.
Idiot! Asking a girl something like that—what a hopelessly dense, steel-plated stupid man!
After a while, once the heat in her head finally subsided, Kiana remembered the real issue. Tracing small circles on Sigurd's chest with her finger, she said:
"Sig, I'm fine with you researching me, but letting others do it still feels… anyway, could you get my blood back?"
"Analyzing your genetic profile and biological structure helps uncover hidden risks in a body as special as yours, so we can compensate for them early and precisely. Mobius is extremely capable, she'll be able to contribute a lot. Don't worry. I'll be watching the whole time. Nothing you dislike will happen."
"…Alright."
Kiana nodded weakly.
She understood her own uniqueness: an artificial human, Kaslana bloodline, capable of accommodating multiple Herrscher cores—now bearing both the Herrscher of the Void and the Herrscher of Flames…
Even if Sigurd didn't say it outright, she knew he carried many worries.
Her unusual origins gave her an instinctive resistance to experiments, but if understanding things better could put Sigurd at ease… then she didn't really mind after all.
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