"Hey, Bird's Nest, tell me… are we really not going to bring the Selene over?"
"Nope… we've already moved the Selene's engines onto the Hyperion. Even if we did bring the Selene along, it'd just give Schicksal one more live target to shoot at. The only advantage we'd get is an extra Titan deployment window."
"Rather than that, it's better to use all that energy to reinforce the Hyperion's own defenses. As for deploying Titans, worst case, we just bring a few more transport ships. It's not like…"
"It's not like the Hyperion is short on escort vessels these days."
Himeko picked up Einstein's trailing thought with a sigh.
"Honestly, when I first switched from the assault team to fleet command and took the exams at Schicksal HQ years ago, I never would've imagined… that in my lifetime, I'd see a Judgment-class Honkai Beast providing an escort for my ship."
"Getting this kind of dream treatment… I could almost die happy right n— Mmph!"
Before Himeko could finish, Lynelle spun around and clamped a hand over her mouth from behind.
"Don't say such unlucky things, ya hear me!"
"Alright, alright, I won't say it anymore, okay…?"
Himeko raised her hands in surrender.
"Seriously, though, both Theresa and Bronya have made jokes like that before, haven't they? Why are you only picking on me…"
"…"
Lynelle silently averted her gaze.
The reason those two could toss around death flags like that was because they both had roles to play in the second part and post-Honkai. It was one thing for them. But for someone like Himeko, whose name was already on the 'list'… that was a different story altogether.
Lynelle could only be thankful that little March wasn't here, otherwise she'd probably have one more person to muzzle.
"Anyway, let's get back to business. We're almost at Schicksal Headquarters. What's our…"
"We're going straight in."
Lynelle shook a fist. "Himeko, times have changed. We're not stuck in a stalemate with Schicksal like we used to be."
"If we're willing to accept casualties, with Anti-Entropy's current strength, we could probably take half of Schicksal's floating islands and cripple their headquarters."
"After all, while Otto might not agree with Anti-Entropy's ideals, one thing's undeniable: our Titan mechs have the advantage over standard Valkyries in terms of production cycle, attrition rates, and, to put it bluntly, even service life."
"Against large-scale Honkai outbreaks or Herrschers, Titans aren't as efficient as Valkyries. But against these lower-tier Valkyries? Our Titan production lines are pure industrial horror."
"Of course, that's only if we disregard casualties."
Einstein sighed. "But in reality, we can't go all out against Schicksal's Valkyries. Emotionally speaking, these Valkyries are just following orders."
"They shouldn't have to lose their lives in human infighting. We're not Otto, after all."
"And rationally speaking, Anti-Entropy currently lacks the capacity to take over Schicksal's controlled territories. Killing large numbers of Valkyries would only allow the Honkai to spread faster, eventually affecting our own territories. Considering Otto isn't stupid, even in defense, he'll likely show considerable restraint this time."
"The real deciding factor will probably be you top-tier combatants."
"Great!"
Himeko let out a hearty laugh. "Perfect timing. I've been wanting to test just how brutal the Nexus system is with the Selene engines installed. It's not like I have many years left anyw— Ow! Lynelle, why did you hit me again!"
"Others can go, but not you this time."
Lynelle puffed out her cheeks, fuming. "What's gotten into you since you saw Ragna a few times? Getting back your assault team mojo?"
"Himeko, dear, have you forgotten? You're the only one here with an official Schicksal fleet command qualification, and the highest grade at that. If you head to the front, are you planning to let Ai-chan and Theresa command the Hyperion?"
"Hey, hey! What's wrong with me, the Academy Head, commanding a fleet?!"
Theresa protested from the side, but thanks to her stature—bearing a striking resemblance to a certain blue-haired monarch who shall remain nameless—her objections were instinctively ignored.
"Yikes… I really did forget about that…"
Himeko's expression turned awkward. "Ahem… Well, after we get back, Lynelle, how about you take some fleet command lessons from me? I promise, once you're done, you'll be the Hyperion's capt—"
"No!"
Lynelle instantly refused without thinking.
"Eh? That dissatisfied of the Hyperion, huh…"
"It's… it's not that! Just… don't ask me to do that kind of thing!"
Lynelle refused with a hint of guilt.
How could she explain that she was refusing because she remembered how, in her first playthrough, she'd been the Hyperion's captain and ended up with a ship full of… close companions?
Right now, having just two 'good friends' in this world was already enough to get her played like a fountain instrument every night. If any more showed up…
The Hyperion's drainage system would need a serious upgrade.
[Alert! Alert—]
Just then, Ai-chan's petite projection suddenly appeared among them, holding a cabbage-shaped megaphone and shouting.
[High-energy response detected ahead of the Hyperion! Schicksal Headquarters has deployed an energy defense system. Should we activate the main cannon to attack?]
"No need. For something at this level, having Bella take one breath at it will be enough."
Einstein glanced at the incoming data. "Otto has no intention of wasting precious energy maintaining this shield. It's all for show… Everyone, prepare for a standard landing."
"Based on the current detected energy levels, the most suitable landing point for us is the Third Air Terminal. Its high-energy response is far lower than the other two."
"You might not know this, but Schicksal's floating island system is a rather strange setup. For unknown reasons, Otto installed Honkai reactors on almost every single floating island."
"When these islands are linked, these reactors can transfer energy between each other freely. Under normal circumstances, no matter which island we attack, we'd be facing the combined energy reserves of the entire Schicksal Headquarters."
"But… the current situation is different. The amount of Honkai energy Otto needs to stimulate Kiana's awakening isn't small. In this scenario, not only are the defenses of each floating island at their weakest, but we can also determine which island Kiana is being held on by tracking the energy transfer logs."
"Leave the energy flow investigation to me."
Lynelle shook her fist. "Otto must have protected all the machinery at headquarters with the Void Archives' anti-corrosion measures. So, rather than wasting effort trying to hijack his Divine Keys one by one, it's better to focus our efforts on decrypting some useful intelligence."
"Yes, I think so too."
Einstein nodded. "Don't worry about the front lines at the Third Air Terminal. Tesla is there with her Titan squad. And, of course, we have that secret weapon we custom-made for Wendy."
--+--
"So, Wendy! How does it feel with the new equipment boosting you?"
Tesla, sitting in the cockpit of a Titan, laughed over the comms.
"It's amazing!"
Wendy didn't hide her excitement.
The sound of wind rushing past from her high-speed movement whistled through the headset, and her tone was like a child who'd just gotten her favorite toy… though, given Wendy's age, calling her a child wasn't entirely inaccurate.
"So…" Lynelle's curious voice came over the comm channel. "What is this new equipment?"
"It's really just an autonomous combat vehicle." Einstein's voice replied calmly.
"Hmm… Perhaps a large one. But in any case, I felt that someone with Wendy's extreme disparity between ranged and close-quarters ability really should have a close-range 'guardian' partner, responsible for protecting her when enemies get too close. So, the weapon modification task was handed to Dr. Tesla."
"Bird's Nest, while I appreciate the credit, I have to say, I didn't invent this thing."
Tesla smirked. "The earliest blueprints for the MHT-3 Pax were found in the ME Corp that Cocolia used to run."
"In the same batch, we found the prototype for the God Father, the advanced versions MHT-3B Nirvana and MHT-3C Retaliator, as well as upgrade blueprints for the Titans, the Cruise Judgement Corps."
"Of course, the latter ones seem to have only existed as blueprints and concepts. So, I had to focus my efforts on creating this miniaturized Pax for Wendy to test."
"Mi… miniaturized?"
Lynelle stared at the screen, where the "Pax"—standing nearly as tall as a Aesir Heimdall mech, capable of blasting one flat with a single shot, and boasting firepower equivalent to an entire Titan squad—was displayed. She felt that her thought process might be a bit different from these scientists.
"Yep. We could've designed it bigger and stronger, no problem. But making it smaller makes it more compatible with Wendy's abilities. At this size, Wendy can help the Pax adjust its trajectory. Plus, there are accompanying combo mechanisms… abilities that only become practical after miniaturization."
"So…" Tesla subtly glanced down at her own… regretful figure. "Smaller is better."
"Correct. Rational. Admirable."
Theresa gave her evaluation. "What's wrong with being small? Cuteness is justice!"
"You're right, Lady Theresa, but I wasn't talking about height."
"Want me to bite you?"
While the atmosphere on the Hyperion's internal comms was relatively relaxed, the intensity of the assault on the front lines hadn't lessened in the slightest.
Of course, another reason for the relaxed mood was that before setting out, Lynelle had given them a little hint about Kiana's situation—after all, with how frantic Theresa had been when Kiana was first taken, she'd have been far too easy for Otto to manipulate.
As the saying goes, 'Plans should be laid carefully, haste leads to failure.'
Given Anti-Entropy's current strength, the one who should be feeling pressured was Otto.
Honestly, even if Lynelle gave Otto all the time he needed to fully stimulate Kiana's awakening, it wouldn't matter. In fact, Lynelle almost hoped he would.
After all, the one who would awaken then wouldn't be the world-destroying, misanthropic personality Otto was expecting.
And precisely because of that…
"Doctor, please buy me some more time on your end. I need to disable all the energy nodes in this area."
Lynelle, who had rapidly descended from the Hyperion to the Third Air Terminal, spoke over the comms.
Otto's floating island system was, overall, a complex energy cycle.
Therefore, even if one node was temporarily severed, it could be compensated for by the redundancy mechanisms of the other nodes.
The main reason for this mechanism was likely that Otto had already planned his final trump card for facing the Herrscher of Finality—the 'Ark Project' that would preserve Earth's crucial combat forces for the future.
But for Lynelle right now, what Otto had left her with was a multiple-choice question.
If she only disabled the energy nodes of the Third Air Terminal, it would be meaningless for Schicksal's overall defense. But to disable this entire region, it would require Lynelle to spend considerably more time.
Faced with this, Lynelle, who was completely unafraid of spending time, undoubtedly chose the latter.
"Not a problem."
The reply came from Tesla, though her tone was somewhat complex.
"However, I'd personally recommend you hurry up a bit. Because… Wendy's rate of clearing out the mechs seems to have exceeded my expectations."
--+--
Meanwhile, on the front lines.
"Reinforce the Third Air Terminal… Prevent the Dragon Benares from harassing the anti-air systems of the other two air harbors. Sigh…"
Fu Hua, already clad in the Shadow Knight battlesuit, was flying at full speed from the central floating island towards the Third Air Terminal.
After returning to Schicksal, Otto hadn't involved her in Kiana's… treatment process.
Instead, he'd assigned her a defense mission. This abnormal behavior instinctively made Fu Hua feel somewhat hesitant.
But regardless, she decided to check the situation at the Third Air Terminal first. If only because Fu Hua herself didn't know which floating island Kiana had been taken to.
And then…
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Before she even entered the airspace of the Third Air Terminal, Fu Hua's honed warrior instincts immediately made her sense a peculiar feeling of being targeted.
Immediately after, accompanied by the sound of autocannon fire, several lines of bullets shot up from the air harbor below.
However, because her view was blocked by the dome, Fu Hua couldn't see where the attack was coming from.
…Wait, view blocked?
Fu Hua's eyes widened in realization.
Right, her view of the area directly below was completely blocked by the dome. So where did those perfectly aimed bullets just come from? Was someone using cheats?
"Fu Hua."
A voice sounded beside Fu Hua. Lynelle's faint silhouette was now hovering faintly next to her.
"I think… it's necessary for us to have a private conversation."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! 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.