"We have arrived in New Zealand, Himeko-sensei, but things don't look very good here"
Kiana looked at the zombies and Honkai Beasts roaming the land, her expression somewhat somber.
It is no longer just a matter of one or two people, is it?
This is basically a Honkai Beast riot, isn't it?
Kiana's lips twitched slightly, but fortunately, she had seen similar scenes during missions over the past two years, so the group remained relatively calm.
"Himeko-sensei, where do we go now? They say we are going to suppress this place, but..."
But how can we suppress them?
Not to mention those endless Honkai Beasts, even if they were pigs, they wouldn't be able to kill them all in a month or two.
This is the kind of quantity that should be subjected to high-power fire bombardment, right?
"According to the latest information from headquarters, the current Honkai Beast riot in New Zealand is due to the Gem of Desire... in every sense of the word, it is terrible"
"So, could we encounter a Herrscher?"
Mei is very familiar with Herrschers.
"Just the three of us?"
Mei looked at the three of them.
Kiana, Bronya, and she had all become quite strong after years of learning, but were they really sure they would be fine against a Herrscher?
"Reinforcements will arrive and the Hyperion will provide fire support if necessary"
Himeko responded expressionlessly during the communication.
Anti-Entropy reinforcements can be considered reinforcements... right?
Furthermore, Himeko felt that given Otto's personality, he would definitely send someone to watch over that area.
"I see..."
"Next, I will explain the current situation to you"
Himeko picked up the tablet.
"A day ago, a strong Honkai energy reaction suddenly occurred in New Zealand; needless to say, it was caused by the Gem of Desire"
"As you can see, New Zealand is now full of zombies and Honkai Beasts"
"The wielder of the Gem of Desire, the culprit, has disappeared, but fortunately, there are detection devices installed on the Hyperion"
Mei knew just from the description how bad the situation was.
"So, our goal is to find the Gem of Desire, but what is the current situation at the Oceania branch?"
"Completely paralyzed; the fate of everyone at the branch is unknown"
Himeko frowned slightly when she mentioned this.
"It is not pleasant to say it this way, but given the current situation..."
Himeko thought that everyone had probably been wiped out.
"I understand"
Mei nodded.
"Thank you for showing us the way, Himeko-sensei"
"Wait, wait, wait, what exactly is this 'Gem of Desire' you are talking about?"
Kiana said, looking completely puzzled.
She was the only one present who knew nothing about the Herrscher Core... but on the other hand, she was the person with the deepest relationship with one.
"A type of Honkai energy crystal capable of causing a high-intensity Honkai Eruption"
Mei summarized it succinctly.
"Generally speaking, it should be properly preserved..."
Mei knew exactly how Anti-Entropy had kept the Gem of Conquest safe before she obtained it.
To put it bluntly, it was surrounded by layers upon layers of guards, and there was even a true Herrscher in charge of protecting it.
"Because Schicksal has been researching these gems"
Theresa suddenly connected and said.
"Three years ago, Schicksal launched a secret research project in hopes of developing a weapon that could combat the Herrscher using this crystal"
"Wendy also participated back then, but in the end, it failed and the Gem of Desire could only be transferred to the Oceania branch for safekeeping"
This is a lie.
Tian Shi looked at Theresa and spoke to himself in silence.
Otto clearly did not tell Theresa the truth.
The experiments with the Gem of Desire and the Gem of Serenity were conducted simultaneously, which involved infusing the power of the gems into the bodies of the Valkyries.
As for the result... it goes without saying.
The death of her granddaughter devastated Dr. Maki, who was in charge of the Gem of Serenity experiments, forcing her to escape and bring the invaluable Honkai energy suppression technology with her.
The experiment to obtain the gem... although it failed, Wendy became the vessel for the Gem of Desire.
Otto had clearly hidden all of this from Theresa.
In a sense, the experiment to seek gems was not a failure.
If Theresa had known this back then, she definitely would not have let Wendy go, right?
"..."
Mei's expression was slightly subtle.
Mei clearly felt that something was not right, but she did not dare to say anything.
Aren't all Divine Keys made with Herrscher cores?
Over the years, Mei only knew that her brother could do it.
Her aunts and sisters had also studied his belt, but in the end, they failed to decipher it.
Could Schicksal possess such technology?
Even as a power source for warships... Mei only remembers that her own Moonlight Throne could use it.
Hmm... A Herrscher core can only provide a quarter of the activation power for the Moonlight Throne.
The current maximum power of the Honkai reactor in Schicksal is 1500 hw, the Hyperion is 1380 hw, the Herrscher core is about 3200 hw, and the Moonlight Throne is 12000 hw.
This discrepancy made Mei suspect that there might be something fishy about the so-called gem research.
Furthermore, she also knew Dr. Maki...
(It is better not to tell the principal these things)
Mei, already guessing what might have happened, looked away in silence, only to unexpectedly meet Bronya's gaze.
It seems they both thought of the same thing.
However, some things are not suitable for them to say.
"Very well, is there anything else you want to know?"
Theresa paused for a moment and nodded only after seeing that no one had any more questions.
"Then proceed at full speed, following the direction indicated on the probe!"
"Yes!"
…
"Approaching the target... According to the detector, we are only 50 meters away from the Gem of Desire"
The three people who had struggled to make their way out of the sea of Honkai Beasts and zombies stopped near a town.
"No gems were found, but Project Bunny discovered a girl in a wheelchair in the plaza"
Bronya's tone was somewhat heavy.
Having heard Theresa's explanation earlier, she had already guessed the truth.
"Eh? Are there survivors in such a dangerous place?"
Kiana appeared surprised.
"This isn't going to work! We have to hurry and save her! To the plaza!"
Kiana looked around and immediately saw a figure sitting in a wheelchair in the plaza, apparently lost in thought.
"Hello! We are here... Wendy, right?"
Kiana froze the moment the other person turned her wheelchair.
"Eh... that voice... could it be... could it be Kiana?"
Wendy was a bit surprised when she saw Kiana
"Little Kiana?"
"I am not little!"
Kiana immediately retorted awkwardly upon hearing that word.
Although they call her senior, Wendy is not actually that much older; she is the same age as Bronya.
"But... Wendy, your legs?"
Kiana never expected that Wendy, who was once considered an S-class seed, would be associated with the words "girl in a wheelchair"
"Gem of Desire"
Mei said softly.
"If I am not mistaken, Wendy, your legs are like this because of the Gem of Desire, right?"
Kiana calls her "senpai," so Mei followed her lead.
"Yes"
Wendy nodded after a moment of surprise.
"Three years ago, I participated in the experiment on the Gem of Desire; the purpose of the experiment was to allow the Valkyrie to control the Herrscher's power"
"Therefore, they injected the Gem of Desire into my body"
"Unfortunately, even I could not control the power of the gem"
"But perhaps it was good luck... the Gem of Desire fused with my tibia"
"What kind of good luck is this?!"
Kiana retorted.
"Senior, aren't you already in a wheelchair?"
"But it really was good luck"
Mei said softly.
"If we had bad luck..."
Although Mei did not say it explicitly, Kiana understood from her low tone.
Wendy looked at Mei again in surprise, apparently wondering why Mei knew so much.
"By the way, are these two... ladies, also my juniors?"
Wendy asked softly.
"Yes, she is Mei and she is Bronya"
Kiana enthusiastically introduced Wendy, and Mei and Bronya also greeted her.
"Mmm"
"By the way, Professor Ragna, ah, you may not know this name, is Professor Kraka still around?"
Wendy asked with concern.
Kraka, the pseudonym Ragna used when teaching, is the name of Ragna's wife, Aslaug, when she was the adopted daughter of a farming family, according to legend.
Although it shares the same roots as the name Ragna, it is much less common.
"Professor Ragna resigned several years ago"
Kiana shrugged.
"Himeko-sensei is our tutor now"
"Isn't Himeko-sensei also a good teacher?"
Wendy smiled.
"So, are you going to take me back? But I'm sorry, I'm in a wheelchair now, so I might have trouble moving"
"It's okay, Project Bunny can take you, senior"
The heavily armed Project Bunny crept out and appeared before Wendy's eyes.
"Speaking of which... Senior Wendy, didn't the Oceania branch consider recovering the gem for you?"
"This..."
Wendy's face showed a complicated expression.
"It seems that before this, the Gem of Desire could not maintain a stable form in any medium, but after the experiment, it stabilized in my calf"
"Isn't this just using your body as a vessel? Why don't those guys become vessels themselves?"
Kiana, who is very blunt, was indignant about this.
Upon hearing this, Wendy's eyes darkened.
"It's okay, it's enough that I can make a contribution to Schicksal"
"Senior, you... ugh... you're so mean to yourself!"
Seeing Wendy like this, Kiana felt a bit annoyed.
"When we get back to the Hyperion, I will definitely have Himeko-sensei find someone to take the gem out of your leg, Senpai!"
"I am really fine... and it is not that easy to take this gem out"
Wendy assured Kiana.
Even though several years had passed since they last saw each other, Wendy still remembered this young girl who had arrived at the school with Ragna.
Taking out the gem...
Mei and Bronya exchanged a look.
The person who can do this... is my brother?
The two were once again on the same page.
"We will talk about these things when we return to the Hyperion"
The group's communicator rang again, but this time Tian Shi was in charge and the avatar displayed the word "AI" in large letters.
"AI Professor?"
Kiana and Wendy were surprised.
When Wendy was still in school, she had heard rumors that the teacher next door would have an AI to replace her.
"AI Professor, could you take a look at Wendy's legs?"
Mei continued speaking using this title.
"Her leg... there should be a way to treat it"
What could Tian Shi deduce from Wendy's bandaged legs?
His eyes are not X-ray machines.
"Bring Wendy first, we will talk about the details after she has a medical checkup"
"A physical checkup...?"
Wendy shuddered involuntarily when she heard the word.
"Kiana, can I not go back?"
"Ha?"
Wendy's sudden words startled Kiana.
"Senior, what do you mean by this?"
"I understand, Kiana, you are actually here to capture me, aren't you?"
"Eh? Senior? Why do you say that?"
Kiana asked in surprise.
"Kiana!"
Mei grabbed Kiana by the back of the neck and took two steps back.
At that moment, it felt as if a powerful whirlwind had enveloped them.
"The Honkai energy concentration is increasing"
Even without the equipment reporting the numbers, Mei could guess what was happening.
She was far too familiar with this situation.
When she was in the process of getting used to her belt, every time she transformed into a Herrscher, it triggered a certain degree of thunderstorm phenomenon, and she was even capable of turning it into a natural disaster.
(So that's how it is... Are you already a Herrscher, Wendy-senpai?)
"I was careless"
Tian Shi watched this scene and muttered to himself.
"I originally thought Wendy's mental state would be more stable... or that she had actually become a Herrscher, but was simply suppressing it with a mental state on the verge of collapse?"
Tian Shi never imagined that his simple request for a physical exam would become the straw that broke the camel's back.
This is truly puzzling.
But... Wendy doesn't seem as crazy as he thought?
Tian Shi continued to watch the scene on the communicator.
"Go back to St. Freya, Kiana"
The whirlwind gathered around Wendy, lifting her into the air.
"T-This is..."
Even Kiana, who was usually slow to catch on, realized something was wrong.
"No, better not talk about that. Wendy-senpai, where are you going?"
"Me? Of course I'm going to kill all those hypocrites"
Wendy's eyes were cold, but her expression seemed to be suppressing something.
"Yes... that pack of hypocrites... hahahahaha! Kill them all! Kill them all!"
It didn't last long.
Tian Shi retracted his previous statement.
Wendy became furious instantly.
"I really want to see how those hypocrites will beg for mercy when they face death! Heh, heh, heh! Hahahahaha!"
Then Wendy noticed the trio on the ground again.
"Please don't bother me, my dear younger sisters... Oh, and please give my regards to Ms. Himeko and Principal Theresa"