In a small grove at St. Freya High School, Fu Hua watched as the corpse before her suddenly began to 'melt,' and deactivated her Shadow Knight: Moon Blade battlesuit.
Then, after deactivating the suit, Fu Hua suddenly knelt on the ground and coughed up a mouthful of blood, her face turning incredibly pale.
"Damn it... my body..."
Wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, Fu Hua leaned against a large tree and began to gasp for fresh air.
If it were the Fu Hua of the past, who had not been severely injured, she would never have ended up in such a sorry state against a Pseudo-Herrscher.
Even without using Fenghuang Down, she could have easily killed an opponent of this level.
However, times had changed. The once invincible Immortal Red Kite no longer possessed her former strength.
This man who called himself the First Herrscher could manipulate gravity, and the maximum gravity he could control was a hundred times normal.
If she only used the power expected of an 'A-rank Valkyrie,' Fu Hua was certain she would not have been able to defeat him.
So Fu Hua made her move.
She was a spy sent by Otto to the Far East Branch, so of course she knew where all the surveillance cameras were within St. Freya High School.
For now, Fu Hua couldn't reveal her true strength to Theresa and the others, so she chose to use one of the enemy's attacks to get herself 'knocked' into a small grove with no cameras.
And that fake, shoddy product calling himself the 'First Herrscher' clearly didn't have the intelligence expected of one.
Seeing Fu Hua get knocked into the woods, he mindlessly chased after her, and then...
—he was immediately trapped in Fenghuang Down by Fu Hua, who, wearing the Moonwheel suit, gave him a sound beating, instantly breaking his neck and blowing up his heart.
However, such an efficient combat operation was not without its costs.
Although Fu Hua had been hit intentionally, she still had to take the damage.
Furthermore, her injuries would worsen every time she activated Fenghuang Down. After that combo, Fu Hua felt her body had become noticeably weaker than before.
But she didn't have much time to rest now.
She had encountered a Pseudo-Herrscher on her way back to the dormitory.
This clearly meant that more than one enemy had already appeared inside St. Freya High School.
Moreover, the fact that the Pseudo-Herrscher's body was now melting was a clear indication to Fu Hua that this blue-haired youth was not a high-ranking officer, but rather an 'expendable pawn.'
An organization that could treat such a powerful Pseudo-Herrscher as a disposable piece...
Honestly, Otto had been working on the sirin project for so long, and the only successful subject he produced was K423.
Fu Hua didn't know if he was mass-producing Pseudo-Herrschers in secret, but she could guarantee that Otto couldn't produce something like this out in the open.
Of course, Fu Hua knew very well that creating such a mature experimental subject would require a vast amount of resources, but the problem was...
—if you could create such a powerful Pseudo-Herrscher just by throwing money at it, not just Schicksal and Anti-Entropy, but even the world's major powers would a hundred percent pour funds into this project if they had the means.
First, there was Cioara and the Divine Key. Then, Shincheng Pharmaceutical, her possible backer. And now, an artificial Pseudo-Herrscher appearing at St. Freya High School.
The intelligence revealed before Fu Hua was enough to put her on the highest level of alert.
"So this time, for pawns of this level to appear within St. Freya, they must not be here just for destruction. If they desire something..."
At this moment, Fu Hua recalled the area where the man had appeared, and her expression turned even uglier.
Himeko's secret prison was located near this area.
*Damn it, Major Himeko is in danger.*
And if she considered the worst-case scenario...
Using her glasses, Fu Hua was shocked to discover that even her private communication channel with Otto was temporarily jammed.
The enemy was so well-prepared this time. Could it be...
—Are they planning to strike while the Far East Branch is at its weakest, separating everyone to be defeated one by one?!
....
Inside the secret prison, Himeko, now unable to contact the outside world, was already looking at the still-unconscious Cioara with a dangerous glint in her eyes.
To be honest, from the moment she couldn't contact anyone else, Himeko knew that her worst-case scenario had already become a reality within St. Freya High School.
The Far East Branch was, after all, Schicksal's strongest branch. The probability of its electronic equipment suddenly failing en masse was practically zero.
Unable to contact her comrades, Himeko certainly wouldn't pin her hopes on such a slim, ethereal possibility.
The enemy had surely attacked. Now, the only thing for Himeko to do was...
—find a way to solve these problems.
At this moment, Himeko held the greatsword King Serpent in one hand, while her other rested on her sidearm.
For the enemy to cause such a huge commotion, part of the reason must be the two hostages the Far East Branch had captured.
That little girl named Sin Mal, Himeko estimated, likely didn't know much.
Therefore, if she were the enemy commander, she would definitely focus her efforts on rescuing this woman named Cioara.
No user of a Divine Key is weak.
In fact, Himeko had even analyzed it afterward; if the other party hadn't infiltrated Chiyou's body and been knocked out by having her energy absorbed, this woman, lurking in the shadows with the Third Divine Key, could very well have become a nightmare for the Far East Branch.
Possessing a wealth of information and being highly capable herself—this was the value the woman currently represented.
This value was enough for a large organization to risk acting on her behalf.
*Should I kill her before she gets rescued?*
*Or should I use her as a hostage to negotiate with the enemy?*
Such a crucial source of intelligence... it would be a real shame to kill her.
Even if Lord Bishop Otto sent people to Shincheng Pharmaceutical, they probably wouldn't get much in-depth information.
But this woman held the Third Divine Key; she must be a core member of her organization.
If they could get something out of her mouth, then...
Just as she was continuing her thoughts, Himeko's expression suddenly changed drastically.
Although she had joined Schicksal at an older age, resulting in poor compatibility between her body and the artificial Stigmata, this didn't mean Himeko was weak.
On the contrary, the fact that she could still rise to the position of an ace in the Far East Branch despite her initial disadvantages was proof enough of her strength.
At this moment, relying solely on her Honkai Energy sensing ability, Himeko keenly detected a powerful wave of Honkai Energy approaching.
*The enemy is here, as expected!*
*But... something's wrong!*
There was no time for Himeko to think. Just before the powerful Honkai Energy reaction burst in, she leaped to her right.
In the next instant, the outer wall of the prison was smashed right before her eyes by a terrifying Honkai Beast.
"Ashvin?!"
Seeing the Honkai Beast that shouldn't have been here, Himeko, now extremely tense, discarded her useless sidearm and tightened her grip on the greatsword.
*Damn it, wasn't this Emperor-class Honkai Beast recorded as having died in the Second Eruption in the database?*
*And, something's not right.*
*That kind of impact force... never mind the wall, even the iron cell was torn apart.*
Cioara, inside the cell, was sent flying into the wall by the shockwave and vibration from the blow.
*Was my estimation wrong?*
*If they were here for a rescue, they wouldn't release a Honkai Beast that doesn't distinguish between friend and foe.*
*They might not be here to rescue her. Judging by this blatant disregard for Cioara's life, it's more likely they sent this Honkai Beast to silence her!!!*
Upon reaching this conclusion, Himeko felt the already immense pressure multiply several times over.
Now, forget about protecting the intelligence source's life; if she made a single misstep, she herself would die at the hands of this Honkai Beast.
Ashvin was an Emperor-class Honkai Beast that Theresa encountered during the Second Eruption.
If this Honkai Beast were to face Theresa with her Divine Key, it would likely be beaten into a pulp and squashed flat by an enraged Theresa.
But Himeko was not Theresa. At her strongest, she was just an A-rank.
If she were on the Hyperion, connected to the Nexus System, Himeko could definitely kill this Emperor-class Honkai Beast with one shot.
But the problem was, armed with only a greatsword, just surviving against it would be a monumental task.
*Tsk, good thing I've always carried that thing with me and never used it. Otherwise, I think I really would have died here this time.*
*To cause such a huge commotion just to silence her, that proves this woman possesses information of extremely high value.*
*Cioara cannot die. At least, not before every last bit of information she holds is squeezed out of her.*
*No other choice. I'll attack first, then gamble on the rest.*
At this moment, Gray Serpent, having transformed into Ashvin using a serum, felt something was off when he saw Himeko charging toward him instead of retreating.
*Wow, this woman, an A-rank, dares to charge and fight an Emperor-class head-on?*
*Wait, that's not right. Isn't Murata Himeko one of the few tactical minds on Schicksal's side?*
*She'll charge into battle, but as someone with a doctorate, she knows how to assess a situation.*
*Would someone like that rush in like a brainless brute to fight an Emperor-class head-on???*
*No, it's a trap!*
Seeing the Emperor-class Honkai Beast suddenly halt its advance, Himeko's eyes narrowed as she charged forward.
*Heh, interesting.*
*Not only does it have the power of a Honkai Beast, but it also seems to possess some intelligence, to have stopped its attack voluntarily.*
*It seems my previous judgment was flawed.*
*They still value Cioara, and the Honkai Beast they sent isn't some mindless killing machine.*
*Well then, that makes things easier. I originally thought I'd have to figure out how to protect that woman's life while dealing with this Honkai Beast.*
*Now it seems—all I need to do is take care of this guy, and all my problems will be solved!*
Although Gray Serpent had indeed gained the power to transform into an Emperor-class Honkai Beast through Jackal's serum, the serum had not yet been fully developed.
Before a suitable genetic combination was found, Jackal's serum had negative side effects such as [inability to maintain transformation for long periods] and [extreme genetic instability].
It was precisely because this serum wasn't perfect that the current Gray Serpent couldn't control this body as he pleased.
Furthermore, Ashvin's body was already large and not particularly agile. So when Himeko managed to get behind it, Gray Serpent didn't even have time to react and attack.
"Hmph, just a big brute. Not only do you lack a Honkai Beast's ferocity, but you're also short on combat experience. In that case..."
Raising her greatsword, Himeko leaped up and plunged the greatsword King Serpent directly into the muscle of the transformed Ashvin.
The blow did indeed injure the Honkai Beast, but due to the quality of her weapon and her own strength, her jumping slash was, of course, not enough to kill an Emperor-class Honkai Beast.
But for Himeko, all she needed was an opening.
An opening to inject the HSN serum into its body.
After receiving this simplified version of the HSN serum from Theresa, Himeko had never actually intended to use it.
She knew very well that after using this serum, which could forcefully 'calm' even a Herrscher, she would very likely revert to being an ordinary person unable to fight the Honkai, even if the serum's effects were weakened.
Himeko certainly didn't want to die so soon, but ever since the Third Eruption, she had a bad feeling.
The subsequent Jiuyou incident directly confirmed her premonition.
Although Himeko didn't actually have to use the Nexus System during the Jiuyou incident, who could guarantee that her power wouldn't be needed in the next major battle?
While the Nexus cannon couldn't kill a Herrscher, it was still the Hyperion's second-strongest stable source of firepower.
If Himeko chose to inject the serum, the system would be effectively decommissioned until a new person who could connect to the Nexus System was found.
At least for now, Himeko felt that it wasn't time for her to rest yet.
And now, Himeko was truly grateful that she hadn't used the serum and reverted to that powerless person.
Because of that, she could now use every means at her disposal to continue protecting her students and colleagues.
As the HSN serum was injected into Gray Serpent's body, he suddenly found that his already less-than-agile body was now even more unresponsive.
*This, what the hell is this?!*
*Right, Leo Ash's intel mentioned that he once used a serum to suppress a Herrscher—damn it, how does Murata Himeko have something like this too!*
However, despite reaching the correct conclusion, it didn't mean the current Gray Serpent had any way to stop the serum's effects from spreading through his body.
Jackal's serum was already incomplete, and Ashvin was a fusion-type Honkai Beast to begin with.
Under these conditions, even though he was injected with a weakened version of the HSN serum, this one tube was enough to successfully cause Ashvin to split back into the Son of Dawn and the Son of Night.
And after splitting, Gray Serpent discovered that due to the HSN's effects, his body was prematurely showing the negative side effect of genetic collapse.
"Hoho, I remember Theresa did say that Ashvin was a fusion product, and looking at it now..."
Picking up the weapon dropped by Ashvin after it split, Himeko charged forward, greatsword in hand, and slashed at the Son of Dawn's lower limbs, sending Gray Serpent staggering on the spot.
"—it seems you can't even stand steady."
In fact, even the Son of Dawn and the Son of Night, Ashvin's split forms, were classified as Emperor-class in Schicksal's database.
Under normal circumstances, no matter how strong Himeko was, she wouldn't be strong enough to face an Emperor-class head-on and knock it off balance with a single blow.
But the problem was, Gray Serpent was already using all his effort just to keep his body from disintegrating. Expecting it to perform at the level of an Emperor-class Honkai Beast was asking too much.
At this point, Gray Serpent didn't dare to think about anything else.
While Himeko was engaged with the Son of Dawn, Gray Serpent had the Son of Night break open the iron cell, use its sucker to pull Raven into its body, and immediately chose to flee.
Admittedly, it was humiliating to not only fail to defeat the enemy after using the serum, but to also be nearly beaten by an A-rank Valkyrie.
But the problem was—Gray Serpent was not a warrior with pride; he was just an intelligence analyst for World Serpent.
Losing to an enemy was embarrassing, but if he used the serum and still failed to bring Raven back, even Jackal would probably laugh at him.
Of course, Gray Serpent wasn't afraid of Jackal's ridicule, but failing to bring Raven back, or failing to kill Raven here, resulting in World Serpent's confidential information falling into Schicksal's hands—that would be a loss Gray Serpent absolutely could not accept.
So, he made a very humiliating, yet very decisive choice to run away from Himeko.
"I—"
Seeing the Son of Night actually starting to flee frantically with Raven while limping, Himeko almost couldn't stop herself from letting out a curse.
*Are you kidding me? You're an Emperor-class.*
*Two Emperor-class beasts facing one A-rank, and you don't dare to fight head-on, you just run???*
*I'm not Theresa, what the hell are you afraid of!!!*
Moreover, Himeko, who was about to give chase, was even more stunned to find...
—this Honkai Beast, which she had hacked until it was unsteady on its feet, was now shamelessly using its sucker to attach to her body, desperately trying to hold her back.
"You bastard, you think you can get away like this?!"
Raising her weapon, Himeko threw it with all her might, using the greatsword as a projectile aimed straight at the enemy's head.
Then, Himeko watched as the enemy's head, with her sword sticking out of it, continued to flee frantically.
It was supposed to be a life-and-death moment, but Himeko couldn't help feeling that the fight was somehow turning into a scene from a comedy.
*Um, I'm a lot weaker now that I've thrown my weapon, you know.*
*This Honkai Beast, why isn't it even thinking of counter-attacking at a time like this, just trying to hold me back?*
*Something's not right. From start to finish, this whole raid feels wrong.*
*With the way it's limping, even if it runs, how far can it get?*
Now at a distance from Himeko, Gray Serpent finally let out a sigh of relief.
As long as he could put some distance between them, he could find a chance to use the Quantum Teleportation device to transport both himself and Raven to World Serpent's base.
Of course, after returning to the base, both this 'Gray Serpent' and the 'Gray Serpent' left behind to stall Himeko would certainly die from genetic collapse.
But the problem was—there was more than one Gray Serpent.
For the Gray Serpents, it was fine if their individual bodies were destroyed.
As long as the mission could be completed, a sacrifice of this degree was no problem at all.
However, just as Gray Serpent was about to use the Quantum Teleportation System, a beam of light pierced through the air and shot straight through his body.
*Wha...t...*
As he fell powerlessly, unable to see his attacker's figure, Gray Serpent only heard the sound of footsteps slowly approaching him.
"Ha, this is a bit ridiculous."
Surveying the battle scene, Leo Ash, who had just pierced the Son of Night's body with a Special Beam Cannon, roughly pulled Raven out from within the Honkai Beast.
"Going through all this trouble for a jailbreak, doesn't that just tell us—this woman is really important?"
*Leo Ash...!*
*No, the energy intensity I just felt, how could it be so powerful?*
*In my previous analysis, Leo Ash shouldn't possess this much power!*
*Even though this body is already undergoing genetic collapse, it's still an Emperor-class body!*
*He managed to pierce this body so easily. With this level of strength, he has already reached S-rank...*
*No, it's definitely more than S-rank.*
*We've analyzed the combat data of Schicksal's S-rank Valkyrie, Rita Rossweisse.*
*Even when she's fully equipped, she might not be able to achieve such a result against an Emperor-class Honkai Beast.*
*What's more, the energy intensity of Leo Ash's attack was simply off the charts.*
*A miscalculation.*
*All my previous analyses were wrong.*
*This information must be sent back to headquarters. This man, we at World Serpent must take him seriously!*
*Suppressing the Herrscher of Thunder and defeating Chiyou—he might have truly achieved these two feats through his own strength!!!!*
"Leo Ash, stop playing around!"
Seeing the arrival of Leo Ash as reinforcements, Himeko finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"This thing was trying to escape just now, which means they must have a backup plan or reinforcements."
"End the fight. Other places probably need our help."
"Understood."
Leo Ash, who had already finished charging his power, mixed several types of energy in his fist and smashed it into the Son of Night's body.
The already wounded Son of Night was instantly deprived of its last shred of life by Leo Ash's Sea Tiger Destructive Punch.
After completing this action, Leo Ash's figure vanished and reappeared in front of Himeko.
After gently pulling Himeko out, Leo Ash pushed Raven into her arms, then once again threw a punch at the remaining enemy.
As Leo Ash's iron fist descended upon its body, the other Gray Serpent, having completed its data transmission, took a deep look at Leo Ash before being shattered into pieces by the punch.
"Ha, you kid..."
Looking at Leo Ash's calm demeanor, Himeko stared at him in some surprise.
"No matter how you look at it, that was an Emperor-class. When did you get so strong?"
"How should I put it?"
Glancing at his right hand, which wore the Grips of Taixu, Leo Ash said to Himeko.
"Last time in Jiuyou, after I received the Stigmata of the Shenzhou hero Ji Lin, I could feel that with two Stigmata, my Honkai Energy intensity became significantly higher."
"If I have to say, the cowardly Leo Ash probably just got lucky to have the strength he has today."
"You little brat..."
Seeing Leo Ash say such a prankish thing with a calm face, Himeko was at a loss for words.
The moment he heard the Far East Branch was in danger, Leo Ash had rushed back immediately.
And on his body, Himeko could already see the traces of battle.
No matter how you looked at it, this was a good man who worried about his comrades, yet when they meet, he says he 'got strong by luck' and is 'cowardly.'
What could Himeko possibly say to that?
*This kid, does he really think we're all idiots?*
*Cowardly little Leo Ash, who rushes to the front lines to fight the Honkai—if that's considered cowardly, then how many people in Schicksal aren't cowards?*
"Also, Major Murata, I need to report the situation."
"Yuno and Kiana are fine now, but I couldn't get in touch with anyone else."
"Right now, I want to know where everyone was before we lost contact."
"This premeditated attack might have been for a jailbreak, but for them to put on such a grand show, they must have more in mind than just that."
"Ha, Fu Hua already left here earlier, and as for Theresa and the others..."
Thinking of that pathetically weak Emperor-class, Himeko said with a helpless smile.
"You don't have to worry about Theresa's side. Even if she's weakened because of the Divine Key, she wouldn't lose to an Emperor-class."
"Um, I forgot to mention something, Major Murata."
Looking at Himeko's relaxed face, Leo Ash spoke slowly.
"When I saved Kiana, she was indeed being chased by an Emperor-class."
"But the one who attacked Yuno was a genuine Pseudo-Herrscher, and a Pseudo-Herrscher far stronger than Yuno."
"If the Branch Commander's condition is really bad, then the situation is not looking good."
"Pseudo... Herrscher????"
Looking at the woman in her arms, Himeko was truly and utterly shocked this time.
*They can dispatch an intelligent Emperor-class, and I already thought this woman was a big deal.*
*But there was also a Pseudo-Herrscher that came to our St. Freya High School????*
*An Emperor-class, a Pseudo-Herrscher, a Divine Key, and the multinational corporation Shincheng Pharmaceutical as a possible backer...*
*This woman...*
—Just how powerful is the organization behind her?
In terms of high-level combat power, this lineup is already on par with Anti-Entropy.
*So while Schicksal and Anti-Entropy have been fighting to the death all these years, there's been a third party watching from the shadows, waiting to pick up the pieces???*
...