"Can't believe it's been fifteen years since the Second Honkai Eruption, and I'm actually setting foot on this land again… and this time, to save one of our enemies back then…"
At the Siberian Anti-Entropy base, Siegfried hopped off the plane, his face full of emotion.
"Then you might be getting sentimental a bit too early."
Lynelle finally ambled down after him. "Who knows, you might just end up fighting your old 'friends' from back then all over again."
"The Valkyries of Schicksal?"
Siegfried fell silent for a moment, then turned to Lynelle with a serious expression. "Speaking of which, Lynelle… what's your take on the ordinary Valkyries of Schicksal?"
"I look at them with my eyes."
Lynelle replied while powering up the Honkai energy detector kindly provided by Tesla.
"Trying to personify a highly complex group as a single entity is foolish to begin with. There are good and bad apples among the Valkyries… but I think I understand what you really wanted to ask."
"Don't worry, I hold no malice toward the Schicksal Valkyries who genuinely fight for a better world, and I won't be quick to use heavy-handed tactics against them… But you, Siegfried, why bring this up all of a sudden?"
"I just suddenly remembered that Valkyrie squad that came to capture me when Kiana lost control back then… After they saw Kiana's state, they didn't try to kick me while I was down. Instead, they actively helped me, even risking their lives for it… I'm hoping we don't run into a similar situation this time."
"Relax, my abilities are well-suited for handling such scenarios."
Lynelle gave a little pump of her fist. "Why else do you think I asked you to come? You subdue them, I wipe their memories and give them a nice, peaceful 'nap'. With our combo, slipping deep into Siberia will be a breeze."
"'Stealth' by taking out all the enemies? That's one way to be 'discreet', I guess." Siegfried couldn't help but quip.
"Alright, enough about that."
Lynelle patted the snow-ready off-road vehicle prepared by the local Anti-Entropy branch. "Come on, get driving. I've already locked onto Bella's location."
--+--
"Huh? How could it be here…?"
Bella's location was quite a distance from the Anti-Entropy base. Even with Siegfried pushing the vehicle to its limits, it took them nearly an hour to reach the destination. However, the spot was anything but unfamiliar to the two of them.
"To think Bella returned here… This is really…"
That's right. The place where Bella had sealed herself in ice was precisely the location where she was born. Both Lynelle and Siegfried remembered it vividly.
"I can handle waking Bella up alone. You'd better stay out here."
Lynelle thought for a moment and said, "After all, in Bella's mind, you might not exactly be a friend. If she instinctively lets loose a breath attack at you, that would cause quite a scene."
"Fine by me, but why do I suddenly have this weird sense of déjà vu?"
Siegfried nodded, joking lightly, "So what's next? You go in, run into Otto, and then Bella and I have to retrieve your corpse and wait for you to resurrect?"
"You're seriously underestimating me. Even if it was Otto, or even Durandal showing up with the Abyss Flower, there's no way she could take me out in one hit now."
Lynelle said dismissively, "And as long as I don't get instantly killed, the next move… is my turn to flip the tables."
"Good to know you're confident. But hearing that, maybe I'm the weaker one here after all."
Siegfried snapped the Judgement of Shamash shut, planting it firmly on the ground as he waved a hand. "Alright, get going. Don't worry, even if Durandal herself shows up, I can buy you enough time to react."
Reassured by Siegfried's promise, Lynelle felt much more at ease. She immediately headed to the center of the valley, where a massive ice cocoon stood silently.
"Just as I thought, I'll need to reach out to Bella's consciousness first and have her break the seal herself…"
After quickly assessing the situation, Lynelle placed her hand on the giant ice cocoon. The power of Herrscher of Corruption seeped inward through the ice, gently brushing against Bella's slumbering consciousness.
"Bella, Bella, wake up…"
Perhaps because the wisp of corrupting power was too faint, Lynelle's call seemed to have no effect.
"Bella, get up! Let's go find Sirin together!"
More corrupting energy flowed into the cocoon. Perhaps hearing Sirin's name, Bella's consciousness suddenly began to ripple with unintentional fluctuations.
'Well, I'll be… So I have to say Sirin's name for it to work?'
The corner of Lynelle's mouth twitched. She gathered her focus slightly.
"Bella! Your Sirin has already rolled in the sheets with someone else!"
"Who! Who did it?!"
Sure enough, Lynelle's call this time had an immediate effect. Almost instantly, Bella's consciousness surged like a colossal wave on the ocean, radiating intense fluctuations.
"Sirin did it."
Lynelle, her face slightly flushed, admitted in resignation. "Don't ask. I was the one who got rolled. Your Sirin was the active one. Of course, she might not be the same Sirin you remember."
"Oh, it's Lady Lynelle… No wonder, then."
Upon recognizing the one who awakened her, Bella's anger instantly vanished, replaced by an expression that clearly said, 'Oh, it's you. That explains everything.'
"Hey, hey! What's with that look!"
Lynelle puffed her cheeks in anger. "What do you mean, 'no wonder'! Do I really look like someone who's that easy to push over?!"
Bella silently averted her gaze.
After all, in terms of relationships, Sirin was her master, and Lynelle was Sirin's beloved.
Thus, logically, Lynelle was also her master. So, speaking ill of her master to her face—even if it was the truth—was naturally unacceptable.
However, sometimes, saying nothing at all speaks volumes.
"Hey!"
"Ahem. Lady Lynelle, thank you for coming all this way to awaken me… How is our Queen doing now? If I remember correctly, at the end of my life, I felt the Queen's life fade away… I lost all hope and sealed myself away."
"But since you've sought me out today, does that mean…"
"It means the world has seen many changes."
Lynelle nodded. "We have plenty of time. I can fill you in on the details while we travel. But for now… you need to break free from this seal. I brought you a few high-purity Honkai energy crystals, specially provided by Anti-Entropy. Not sure if they'll be enough to help you regain some strength."
--+--
Meanwhile, at Schicksal Headquarters.
"Huh?! Th-this is…"
The staff member monitoring Honkai energy levels in the Siberian region suddenly paled.
"Oh no, why now of all times… Benares the Dragon…"
"Remain calm."
A cool, collected voice sounded from behind her. A blue-haired figure placed a hand on the shoulder of the staff member, who had just begun to rise.
"Leave this matter entirely to us. The Overseer is busy dealing with the eruption in Manila. There's no need to trouble His Excellency with this."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.