A few seconds passed with nothing happening—until Kouga, in his Geki Violet form, picked up on something strange. His heightened senses caught a faint chemical scent drifting through the air.
Without hesitation, he tore off a piece of the crimson curtain and pressed it over Kiana's mouth and nose. She widened her eyes and almost pushed him away, but Kouga raised a finger to his lips, silently urging her to stay quiet.
"They're pumping gas into the room," he whispered, pulling his hand back once she held the fabric herself. "Get dressed and get back here. I'll handle the rest."
Kiana nodded and slipped back into the bathroom to grab her clothes.
Kouga turned back toward the door, tightening his fists. One powerful punch unleashed a wind gust strong enough to blow the door clean off its hinges—and whoever was standing behind it went flying.
With the entrance now open, several armed men in black S.W.A.T.-style armor rushed into the room, rifles trained squarely on him. A tense silence filled the air as they stood locked in a standoff. Then the group parted down the middle, revealing the same old man from before.
"So, you just wanted to kill us," Kouga said flatly, unfazed by the barrels pointed at him. "Why bother with the fake delivery act?"
The old man sneered. "You Schicksal dogs are all the same. I didn't want to hurt the girl. You're the one who'll die here. The Valkyrie, though—she'll be treated for her Honkai corruption. She deserves to live."
Kouga crossed his arms, leaning slightly to one side. "You clearly hate Schicksal. But you do realize ninety percent of Valkyries are volunteers, right?"
"Volunteers?!" the old man spat, trembling with fury. "Is that how you justify it? That they chose this?! Why must they be the ones to sacrifice themselves for humanity?!"
Kouga sighed. "Look, I'm not here to debate morality with you. But women tend to have higher Honkai resistance. If Schicksal trained men the same way, the casualty rate would skyrocket. That's biology, not cruelty."
"You have no idea what cruelty is!" the old man barked, his voice cracking with grief and rage. "For forty years I served that damned Overseer! I turned little girls into Valkyries—sent them to die against the Honkai! My own granddaughter... she died right in front of me!"
Kouga stayed silent, letting the man rant about "atonement" and "saving" those he'd once doomed.
When his tirade finally faltered, the bathroom door swung open and Kiana emerged, fully dressed, both pistols drawn. The soldiers instantly turned their weapons toward her, but the old man waved them down.
"Let the girl go," he said to Kouga, voice cold. "Do that, and you can walk out of here alive."
Kiana tilted her head, frowning. "The hell's he talking about?"
"Seems his granddaughter died on a mission," Kouga explained, still watching the man carefully. "He's despised Schicksal ever since." Turning his attention back, Kouga added, "Not that it's up to me anyway. And even if it were—she's not exactly your recruitment type."
"She doesn't know any better!" the old man snapped. Then, softening his voice as he looked at Kiana, he said, "Miss, I can cure your Honkai infection. I have a serum—take it, and you can be normal again. You could live a normal life."
Kiana snorted. "What, and become a normie? Sorry, but a Kaslana fights Honkai head-on."
"That—"
Before he could finish, an explosion ripped through the hotel—one floor above them. The room shook violently. Dust and plaster rained down from the ceiling. Kouga stumbled but recovered quickly, dodging falling debris.
A gasp of pain snapped his attention back to Kiana. She staggered backward, a syringe full of pink fluid jutting out from her shoulder.
Kouga's eyes darted to the old man, who now held a smoking pistol aimed straight at her.
"...Bastard."
Kouga lunged forward, catching Kiana before she hit the doorframe. He yanked the syringe free before the last of the serum entered her system, then laid her on the bed and threw a blanket over her to protect her from the gas and shrapnel.
"Open fire!" the old man roared.
The armored men obeyed, unleashing a storm of bullets. Kouga turned toward them—and what stared back at them was no longer the calm man from before.
Death was staring right back at them.
After a few minutes
Kouga, still in his Geki Violet form, stood above a sea of broken bodies and shattered guns — remnants of the massacre he'd unleashed. Some soldiers lay twisted in ways no human body should bend; others groaned faintly, their helmets shattered, jaws dislocated, blood pooling beneath them.
His own fists dripped red. Most of them were still breathing. The rest... he couldn't tell.Only one needed to stay alive — the old man curled in the corner, trembling at the sight of the blood-soaked warrior before him.
Kouga strode across the ruined room, seized the man by his lab coat, and yanked him up with ease."You're going to fix what you did to Kiana."
"I-It was just a small dose of my anti-Honkai serum, I swear!" the man stammered. His voice cracked into a shrill yelp when Kouga lifted him higher. "S-She'll wake up by morning! Her organs will be free of Honkai corruption by then!"
Before Kouga could respond, the broken door creaked open.
He turned and, in a single motion, slammed his fist into the man's gut — a frustrated blow that folded him over before tossing him aside like garbage. Kouga turned toward the doorway, standing tall and alert.
There stood a familiar face — a blue-haired man, the same one from a month ago. He pointed at Kouga, snarling incoherently, trying to shout—but the sound was garbled. A closer look revealed the horror: his tongue had been torn out, leaving nothing but a mangled stump.
Kouga frowned. He bent down, picked up a chunk of rubble from the destroyed wall, and hurled it at the man.It stopped midair.
The man's power flared to life — the same telekinetic field as before. The rock clattered to the ground uselessly.
"So, they cloned him…" Kouga growled. He punched forward, creating a shockwave that blew dust across the room and slammed into the clone's forcefield. The impact sent cracks rippling through the barrier — but it held.
Knowing time was short, Kouga turned back, scooped up Kiana's limp form, and sprinted for the window. With no other option, he slammed backward through it. Glass shattered as they plunged several stories down.
Mid-fall, Kouga twisted, shifting Kiana's weight onto his back. Kouga then use the building, and hurled himself toward the nearest rooftop. Kouga landed hard, skidding across the concrete before stopping near the ledge.
"I'm guessing you've met Dr. Magi, then," came a calm voice.
Kouga spun around, ready to strike. Fu Hua stood there, her hands raised to show she meant no harm . A heavy silence filled the rooftop before she spoke again.
"You can lower your guard now."
"Not likely," Kouga shot back, eyes cold. "Your little 'spy mission' just blew up half a hotel. Kiana's unconscious because of it."
"I see…" Hua murmured, tilting her head to examine Kiana. "Was this the work of Dr. Magi?"
Kouga grabbed her by the collar and yanked her close, his glare sharp enough to cut steel."I didn't have time to make him fix her. So you're going to. Fix her."
"I'm certain Dr. Magi wouldn't cause permanent harm to any Valkyrie," Hua replied calmly, pressing her palms against his wrists. "She'll likely recover by morning. Rest is all she needs."
Kouga narrowed his eyes, scanning her face for any hint of deceit. Finding none, he let go.
"Fine. But we're not going back to that hotel. Do you have somewhere else we can stay?"
"I do," Hua said, brushing her collar flat again. "But I'll warn you—she's a pain in the ass."
Kouga's glare deepened. Hua sighed. "Alright, fine. Follow me."
She walked to the edge of the roof and dropped down into the alley below. After a quick scan, she waved him to follow. Kouga leapt down with Kiana still on his back. The two moved in silence through the dim, moonlit alleyways.
After several minutes, Kouga's anger had cooled enough for his transformation to fade. He finally noticed Hua's attire — only a white button-up and a dark-blue coat that fell below her knees. No pants. No shoes.
"…What happened to you?" he asked.
"A little slow on the uptake, I see," Hua murmured, earning another glare. "I stole a guard's uniform to blend in and find Dr. Magi. It was a trap. I had to fight my way out." She looked aside. "That explosion you heard earlier? That was me."
Kouga frowned, recalling the tongueless man. "…You didn't happen to remove someone's tongue during that, did you?"
Hua's expression darkened; she shuddered slightly. "He pinned me down. Started licking my neck and cheek. He got what he deserved."
"Well," Kouga said dryly, "glad you handled a Herrscher-tier creep well—for an A-rank."
Hua froze mid-step, then turned, her gaze sharp. "I'd rather not have this conversation," she said evenly. "But since you brought it up—your team consists of two Herrschers, a former assassin under Cocolia, and you, a man who survived a Honkai eruption. Do you really think any sane person would leave that bunch unsupervised?"
"Ah, yes," Kouga shot back, his tone edged with sarcasm. "Because Mei and Kiana have totally been rampaging these past months."
"It was precautionary," Hua replied, resuming her stride. "And the Overseer only asked me to make sure they're stable enough for continued missions."
Kouga exhaled, tension easing. They stopped in a narrow, dimly lit alley. Above them hung a cracked sign featuring a HOMU mascot crossed out by a prohibition mark.
"This the place?" he asked.
"Yes," Hua said simply.
Kouga followed her inside.
To his surprise, the interior was nothing like the shabby exterior. A low-lit pub spread out before them, shelves lined with bottles of every kind — spirits, liquors, beers. The air smelled faintly of oak and citrus.
Behind the counter stood a young man with messy brown hair, dressed in a tuxedo and red tie. He paused his cleaning of a wine bottle to glance up at the two newcomers.
"Welcome, sirs, or..." The young man behind the counter hesitated when his eyes landed on Hua. She silently pulled back her hood, revealing her face."Ma'am—APOLOGIES! My apologies, sir and ma'am. We're not open for business yet. Our hours are from—"
Kouga snorted, already knowing there weren't any hours posted at the back entrance they came through.
Hua stepped forward. "Get me a glass of water and the latest intel."
The man sweat-dropped. "Uh… ma'am, this is a bar. We don't serve water. And what do you mean by the latest inte—"
Before he could finish, both Hua and Kouga flicked coins at him with pinpoint precision. One grazed his cheek, leaving a cross-shaped cut, while the other shattered a bottle on the nearby shelf.
"Don't waste my time, Wraith," Hua said coldly, lowering her hand.
The man chuckled darkly. "Heh, so you saw through my disguise." He reached up, peeled off the fake face, and his chest reshaped into a pair of breasts as his messy hair fell into a ponytail. The sharp-faced woman beneath smirked. "I'm more curious how your boyfriend figured it out."
"I've seen better," Kouga replied flatly.
"Yeah, right," Wraith scoffed, clearly unconvinced.
Kouga ignored her and shifted Kiana slightly on his back. "You got a bed I can lay her down on?"
Wraith pointed toward a side door. "Upstairs. Make sure it's tidy before you come back."
Kouga nodded and went through the door, climbing the narrow staircase to a modest bedroom — three windows, two wooden dressers, and a single bed with clean white sheets. He laid Kiana down carefully, tucking her in and checking the room for any threats. Once satisfied, he left quietly.
When he returned downstairs, however, he froze — another Kiana was draped over Hua, who was very clearly uncomfortable.
"So, does that little bimbo get—"
Before Wraith could finish, Kouga was already beside them, prying her off Hua and lifting her effortlessly by the throat. Hua sighed, adjusting her glasses as Wraith kicked weakly.
"As an HQ A-ranked intelligence operative, you should know better than to bring up Kiana around him," Hua said calmly.
"I… see… that…" Wraith wheezed. Kouga released her, and she fell to her knees, gasping for air. After a few moments, she straightened up and dispelled her disguise.
"Why don't you go upstairs and change?" she said to Hua. "No battlesuits lying around, but anything's better than that cheap jacket. Also—you're not wearing any pants."
Hua glanced down, then shrugged and headed upstairs. Kouga sat down in the nearest booth, rubbing his temples.
"So," Wraith said, now shapeshifting into Himeko's likeness, "your girlfriend got hit with something nasty, huh? Want Mama Himeko to kiss it better?"
Kouga shot her a glare sharp enough to cut steel. "She got hit with an anti-Honkai serum because I slipped up. I just need a way to get her back to full strength."
Wraith changed into Otto mid-sentence. "If she stays in the city, she'll recover. The Honkai generators power everything here — the lights, the air conditioning, even your drinks."
Kouga grunted. He knew that well. Honkai energy had replaced electricity years ago for being "cleaner," though its irony wasn't lost on him. "Right. Anyway, what was Hua asking you for?"
Now disguised as Theresa, Wraith sprawled lazily across the table. "Singapore's cut ties with Schicksal after the explosion. Hua suspects Cocolia's behind it. Grandpa Otto says to continue the mission ."
"Fantastic," Kouga muttered, glaring up at her. "Now get off my table."
Wraith pouted and slid off, morphing into Mei with a teasing smile. "Oh, Kouga-kun, you wound me so~"
"I'm making a list of people you don't get to imitate if you don't want what happened to the Herrscher who tried invading St. Freya to happen to you."
"Buzzkill," she grumbled, turning back to her real form. "You're just as uptight as Hua." She paused, glancing at the staircase as the door opened again. "Speaking of which, how is it? this outfit is made with carbon fiber. although it's unable to compete with a valkyrie's armor, it does have decent defensive properties."
Hua descended the stairs wearing a white, form-fitting suit with blue-magenta accents, short jacket, gloves, and boots. She flexed her fingers, testing the gloves. "being able to move freely is the most vital, defensive properties are a minor concern."
"Nowhere near a battlesuit, but sturdy enough," Wraith said, pulling up a holographic screen. "Anyway, I've tracked Dr. Magi's movements and—"
Hua raised a hand, eyes snapping toward the bedroom door. "Don't. We've got company."
"What?!" Wraith dropped the screen and dove behind the counter. "The alarms didn't trigger—!"
Heavy footsteps echoed down the stairs. The door swung open, revealing a tall man with graying hair and a familiar grin.
"Well, well, look who it is," he said.
Kouga smiled faintly. "Long time no see, Siegfried."