"I am prepared to pay any price... so now, it's my turn to ask you. Ryn, are you ready to save the world with me?"
Durandal held out her fist in front of Ryn. Ryn hesitated for a moment, then also made a fist and bumped it against Durandal's.
"Saving the world was just something I said during my eighth-grade syndrome phase. I was just saying it for fun, without any real determination to save the world. But now, I'm gradually starting to feel it. Because in a world ravaged by the Honkai like this, for those of us who hold power, we have no choice but to save it."
——————————————
In the days that followed, Ryn also joined the training, but not with Durandal, Kiana, and the others. Instead, he and Kika took on every Valkyrie in Schicksal.
They didn't use their powers, relying solely on their combat skills and bodies enhanced by Honkai energy to fight them.
Skill and power are the essence of martial arts. Ryn's martial arts were different from Fu Hua's. Fu Hua's was the pinnacle of skill, while Ryn's was the pinnacle of power.
This was a martial art inherited from the Stigmata, the ultimate martial art honed by God Kiana over tens of thousands of years of trying to kill herself.
To break all techniques with a single force, to counter all changes with no change.
Well, Ryn couldn't reach God Kiana's level. To be like the Herrscher of Finality, he'd first need the power of Finality.
"Wait, wait... Speaking of which, that Herrscher of Finality is also a Kiana... so what about my Kiana? Could she also become the Herrscher of Finality?!"
The more Ryn thought about it, the more something felt wrong, because in this goddamn world, so-called fate truly existed.
So Ryn tried to teach Kiana the martial arts of the Herrscher of Finality, and as it turned out, Kiana learned it after watching just a few times.
"Hmph, hmph, piece of cake. Watch me do it for you... Look... Huh? Why can't I use it..."
Kiana tried to apply what Ryn had taught her, only to find that although she felt like she had learned it, she couldn't actually use it at all.
"Oh dear... I don't think I've learned it. Ryn, can you teach me again!"
Ryn could already tell that Kiana had learned it, but her current Honkai energy reserves and control were still insufficient, which was why she couldn't use it.
Damn, damn, damn, words could no longer describe Ryn's feelings. This was even more shocking than when he found out Mei would become the Herrscher of Thunder. Mei was just the Herrscher of Thunder.
My god, Kiana would become the Herrscher of Finality in the future. What's the point of saving the world? Ryn immediately decided to bail.
——————————————
In the training room, Kiana, who was fighting against Durandal, noticed that the techniques Durandal was using contained traces of the Kaslana family's Gun Kata.
"Durandal, you know the Kaslana family's Gun Kata too? Are you also from the Kaslana family?" Kiana asked Durandal curiously. She hadn't met anyone from the Kaslana family besides Siegfried.
Durandal blocked Kiana's attack and countered with the same attack posture but a different angle.
"Yes, I've studied the Kaslana Gun Kata from books, but I'm not a Kaslana. Your Gun Kata is very incomplete. Do you want to learn from me?"
Kiana dodged Durandal's attack, then mimicked Durandal's posture and angle and attacked again.
"Okay!"
——————————————
St. 1504 Nagamitsu 17th Research Institute.
"Teacher Elizabeth McGovern Smith, the Bronya is reporting for duty."
Bronya respectfully announced her arrival, but everyone in the research lab was busy with their own work and no one paid her any attention.
Finally, a researcher walked up to Nagamitsu and nudged her.
"Dr. Nagamitsu, it seems that little one is here to see you."
"Looking for me? She didn't call for me..." Nagamitsu put down her research notes in confusion and walked over to Bronya.
"I hear you're looking for me? Hey, you're Bronya." Nagamitsu was surprised and ruffled Bronya's little head. This little girl had really impressed her during the battle against the Herrscher of Corruption.
"Yes, Overseer Otto arranged for the Bronya to study under Dr. Elizabeth for these few days."
"Elizabeth, huh? I've almost forgotten that name myself... Sigh, you can just call me Nagamitsu like everyone else."
Nagamitsu sighed and led Bronya into the lab.
Bronya followed behind, looking at Nagamitsu curiously. Why would a European like Elizabeth have a name like Nagamitsu?
As if sensing Bronya's confusion, Nagamitsu patted Bronya's head and told her not to overthink it.
Nagamitsu herself couldn't believe how she had lost her real name just because she was too lazy to explain back then.
In 1504, a swordsmith from the Far East established this workshop. Although it later became a design studio and then a research institute, the name Nagamitsu was passed down. Now the institute was even called Nagamitsu the 17th.
Back then, the clueless Durandal thought Nagamitsu the 17th was Elizabeth's name, so she called her Ms. Nagamitsu.
Elizabeth was too lazy to explain at the time, and the name Nagamitsu spread unknowingly. Elizabeth lost her real name and gained the name Nagamitsu.
Thinking of this, Nagamitsu patted Bronya's head again and said with a smile, "Bronya Zaychik in Russian, translated, means Project Bunny. If I remember correctly, Bronya's autonomous mecha is called Project Bunny, right?"
"Yes... It was a gift from Seele to the Bronya."
——————————————
Because she wanted to create her own Beichen Ittō-ryū, Mei needed to first understand other schools of swordsmanship and blade techniques, drawing from the strengths of a hundred schools to forge a sword path that was most suited to her.
Durandal had taught Mei all her moves, but that wasn't enough. So, during the day, Mei, like Ryn, went around challenging various Valkyries.
Swords have no eyes, and only life-and-death situations can hone one's skills. Therefore, Mei always requested her opponents to fight with their full strength, and each time she would be beaten half to death and sent back to Durandal for treatment. After being healed, she would go out to challenge and raid dojos again, repeating this cycle.
Mei's heart and skill were rapidly improving through this constant process of being knocked down and getting back up.
——————————————
Everyone was working hard. Kika felt that it wasn't right to keep being lazy, but she really couldn't improve through conventional training.
She could only learn various shooting and guerrilla tactics through books and the Memorial Arena.
Fortunately, the specialized floating fortress Otto was building for Kika was already under construction and would be completed in less than three years.
From time to time, Kika would go to watch the construction of her floating fortress. It had to be said, it was really cool.
She just didn't know why it looked so dilapidated. Oh, it was dug up from underground, then it's fine.
Floating Fortress Schwarzwälder, that was the name Kika gave it. Just like Sabayon, it was the name of a dessert...