To be honest, when faced with the sudden resurrection of a father who had been dead for years, Bronya, as the more rational member of the team, should have remained vigilant.
But this sudden surprise made the normally cautious and rational Bronya realize a fact she had long overlooked.
Perhaps since her childhood, Bronya had been forced by her military training to become more mature than other children.
But in the end, no matter how mature she was, she was still a child starved for love.
It was because she lacked love that after receiving a little warmth from Cocolia and her companions at the orphanage, she came to regard them as her incredibly important family.
And now, when her own flesh-and-blood father suddenly appeared before her, 'resurrected,' how could she, with her emotional circuits long since repaired, possibly restrain the impulse in her heart?
The urge to embrace her family dominated the young girl's body, making her suppress the last vestiges of rationality in her mind as she slowly walked toward her father.
However, just as Bronya was about to say something more, a voice that was incredibly familiar to her, yet shouldn't be here, reached her ears.
"Bronya... you damn traitor!"
Behind Bronya, Sin Mal, who had appeared out of nowhere, was now staring at Bronya with eyes full of hatred, roaring at her.
"It's all your fault... It's all your fault!"
"If it weren't for you, Mama Cocolia wouldn't have been killed by those dogs from Schicksal!"
"It's all because you defected to Schicksal! It's all because you betrayed everyone! It's all because..."
"—You bastard, you actually chose to become a companion of the Herrscher of the Void!"
"Sin???"
Turning to look at Sin, who had suddenly appeared behind her, Bronya suddenly felt that something was wrong with this situation.
Her friend, Sin Mal, had been captured by Schicksal in the Jiuyou region of Shenzhou several months ago and had been imprisoned in the Far East Branch ever since.
Although her Stigmata abilities were powerful, without a supply of Honkai Energy, Sin couldn't use her powers and certainly couldn't break out of prison.
Originally, Bronya had hoped that after working hard to raise her Valkyrie rank and gain more influence, she could have a proper talk with her and see if she could convince her to be less radical.
But many things had developed too suddenly...
Well, actually, judging by her adoptive mother's past actions, it was inevitable that her adoptive mother, Cocolia, would be taken down by someone.
With insufficient power, her excessive desires would only lead her to do things that were inconsistent with her status and strength.
And after Cocolia's death, Bronya cherished her companions from the orphanage even more.
That was why she wanted to sort out her emotions before meeting Sin again.
However, now that Sin had appeared before her, she suddenly realized that she didn't dare to face her at all.
Unlike Seele, Rozaliya, and Liliya, who were victims 'teleported to the Sea of Quanta' and 'captured by the World Serpent for experiments' because of Cocolia, Sin, who knew part of the truth, would obviously not be easily fooled by Bronya.
But, I never told Sin about Mama Cocolia's death.
And there's no way she could know that Big Sister Kiana is the Herrscher of the Void.
What... what on earth is going on?!
"Why... why aren't you denying any of this!"
Sin looked at Bronya and roared at her again.
"A voice just appeared in my head, and it told me all of this. I originally thought you would at least try to refute it, but now it seems..."
"What that man said... it seems it was all true."
With a vacant look in her eyes, Sin condensed Honkai Energy in her right hand, creating a strange, pitch-black longsword.
"I'll kill you... I'll definitely kill you!"
"The Herrscher of the Void is trash who messed up the world, yet you chose to side with such a demon, and you even got Mama Cocolia killed..."
"—Bronya, your sins are unforgivable!"
"Bronya."
Upon hearing Sin Mal's reprimand, the smile on Alexey's face, who was standing behind Bronya, gradually faded.
"Is what this child said... all true?"
"Ah, I can assure you, Colonel, this child Sin is not lying."
Beside Alexey, a middle-aged woman had appeared at some point and was now speaking to her former superior.
"This child, Bronya, is truly beyond saving."
"You..."
Clearly surrounded, Bronya turned to look at the woman in the military uniform, an unconcealable horror finally appearing on her face.
"Mama Cocolia, why..."
"Why am I, who should be dead, here? Is that what you want to ask?"
Looking at her adoptive daughter's astonishment, Cocolia sneered at Bronya.
"The Herrscher of the Void caused so many tragedies and was still able to be revived through soul reincarnation. So, I don't think it's too strange for the Colonel and me to return to this world, is it?"
"Bronya..."
At that moment, a flicker of struggle appeared on Cocolia's face.
But soon, that flicker of struggle transformed into a malicious smile.
"After becoming a companion of the Herrscher of the Void, you betrayed your motherland, you betrayed your parents who were killed by the Herrscher of the Void, and you also betrayed me and everyone in the orphanage."
"I can no longer see you, a child who has betrayed humanity, as my daughter."
*No, that's not it, Big Sister Kiana—*
Bronya desperately wanted to refute Cocolia's statement.
But at that moment, she realized that no matter how many wrong things Cocolia had done, when it came to the Second Eruption, Cocolia, Alexey, and even her own biological mother whom she had never met, were undoubtedly all victims of the incident.
Perhaps for Bronya, who knew the truth, she had already transferred all her resentment and anger to Otto, who had caused it all.
But for these people who had been miserably harmed and killed by the Herrscher of the Void, her current close relationship with the Herrscher of the Void... was indeed an intolerable betrayal.
Moreover, facing the malicious Cocolia, the furious Sin, and her father who now looked at her with disappointment, a question suddenly arose uncontrollably in Bronya's heart.
*Have I really... let go of my resentment towards the Herrscher of the Void?*
*Although I keep telling myself that Otto created the Herrscher of the Void and he is the culprit behind it all, it's an undeniable fact that the Herrscher of the Void killed tens of millions of people and caused the deaths of our hometown and my parents.*
*Am I... living in a cage of my own making...*
"But, even if you have betrayed everyone, we will still choose to forgive you."
At that moment, Cocolia took the initiative to walk towards Bronya, her previous venomous expression replaced with a gentle one.
"You only went astray because you were too young. It's not your fault."
"As long as you come back to my side, I will treat you as my daughter again."
"Not just me, but everyone in the orphanage, and your father, will be by your side."
"Bronya, I think..."
"—You won't let me down again, will you?"
*That's right, Mama Cocolia and Father Alexey, they will be by my side. In return, I just need to...*
*—No!*
*Something is definitely not right!*
Bronya bit her tongue hard, her gaze cold as she stared at the gentle-faced Cocolia and the now complex-looking Alexey.
*Perhaps Mama Cocolia and Father Alexey were truly resurrected by some means, but the resurrection of the 'dead' is inherently strange.*
*I was suddenly pulled into this place, and these people who are close to me appeared before me. To call this a coincidence... only an idiot would do that.*
*Someone is targeting me.*
*Or rather, someone... is targeting us.*
*Once it has guided us to betray Schicksal, betray everyone, betray Leo, its goal will be achieved.*
*To have the skill to play with people's hearts and to be able to probe their inner thoughts...*
*Besides Class Rep Fu Hua, only Otto is capable of such a thing.*
"Bronya, what are you still hesitating for!"
Sin walked up to Bronya and said viciously.
"Don't tell me you really want to betray Mama Cocolia again!"
"No, I won't betray anyone ever again, because..."
In that instant, before Sin could react at all, Bronya slipped behind her and pushed her directly into the arms of Project Bunny.
Project Bunny, already sensing Bronya's general intention, immediately grabbed the panicked Sin, embraced her, and blasted her on the spot with maximum power.
With her heart full of determination, the now-calm Bronya could sense a powerful Honkai Energy emanating from Sin's body.
Although the intensity of this Honkai Energy was not as strong as a true Herrscher's, compared to Yuna when she used the Pseudo-Herrscher Core to fight, the Honkai Energy Sin was emitting now was clearly on the same level.
Before today, Bronya, as a support staff member with relatively weak combat power on the team, had been analyzing the data in the Schicksal database.
According to the data left behind from the Previous Era, the Herrscher of Domination would select suitable members to become Herrschers and grant them a corresponding Domination core.
Although a single Domination core was far weaker in energy intensity than a normal Herrscher Core, it had two special characteristics.
One was to grant the holder a weakened version of another Herrscher's ability.
The other was to communicate with other Herrschers of Domination through quantum entanglement to share information.
*Sin's power suddenly increased, and she suddenly knows so much information, it must be because she has a Domination core.*
*Plus Mama Cocolia and Father Alexey... if they are also Herrschers of Domination, then my chances of winning with Project Bunny are abysmally low.*
*So, I'm sorry, Sin.*
*I'll apologize later. For now—just endure the pain for a little while.*
With her guard down around Bronya, Sin was instantly caught by Project Bunny's elite Russian combat techniques, and her body was continuously squeezed.
Even if she had the ability to stop time, right now...
*—Without enough power, what's the use of stopping time?*
Under pure brute force, the struggling Sin ultimately ended up with multiple compound fractures.
Seeing this, Cocolia and Alexey's expressions changed drastically as they took two steps back.
"Mama Cocolia, I am not your puppet."
Facing the seemingly weak Cocolia, Bronya said calmly.
"I have already seen the correct path, so I'm sorry, I will not be going over to your side."
"You—fool!"
Unlike the impotently raging Cocolia, Alexey, a Domination Puppet with the consciousness of his original self, asked Bronya with a complex expression.
"Bronya, why..."
"If what Cocolia said isn't wrong, why are you standing on the enemy's side?!"
"Because I know who the real enemy is."
Looking at the father before her, Bronya spoke calmly to Alexey.
"Herrscher of the Void Sirin is undoubtedly a villain, but the entity that created all these tragedies is the will of the Honkai, and the person who pushed it all forward is Otto Apocalypse."
"Compared to fighting internally with a Herrscher of the Void who no longer wishes to do evil, I judge it more important to deal with Otto, the one who set everything in motion, first. That's all."
"Father, I was truly happy to see you again, but right now, I have more important things to do, so..."
At that moment, feeling something new inside her body, Bronya turned around and said to Alexey behind her without looking back.
"Goodbye, Father."
"And... my weakness."
Although she could feel something that didn't belong to her inside her body, at this moment, Bronya felt that the conviction in her heart had grown even stronger.
*A Herrscher Core... is it?*
*I never thought I would have such potential.*
*But unlike the situations that Sister Mei and Sister Yuna mentioned, I don't feel darkness coming from all directions, trying to tear my body apart.*
Ignoring her father's calls from behind, Bronya felt the power coming from the core within her, and even felt the scene before her change slightly.
In the originally eerie theater, she seemed to see a raging fire burning.
And amidst the burning flames, a man with the same appearance as the Herrscher of Reason clone, but with a very peaceful expression, appeared before her.
....
Almost at the same time. Inside the Theater of Domination.
Inside the Theater of Domination, Murata Himeko, who had been suddenly transported here, was also vigilantly observing her surroundings.
However, unlike Bronya, just as she raised her weapon to be wary of enemies, a man she hadn't seen in a long time but missed dearly appeared before her eyes.
"You are..."
"Long time no see, Himeko."
In front of Himeko, her supposedly dead father, Murata Ryusuke, was smiling at his long-unseen daughter.
"I can't believe you've grown up so much."
Looking at the man before her, although a feeling of nostalgia arose in Himeko's heart, it was quickly and completely replaced by unease.
"Lord Bishop Otto, you can't possibly think that you can fool me by creating some puppet that looks like my old man, can you?"
"Otto?"
As Himeko mentioned the name, Murata Ryusuke frowned slightly.
"Why bring up that man's name all of a sudden?"
Facing the man before her, Himeko, whose heart was already filled with hostility from various matters, impatiently raised the weapon in her hand, [Godsbane Sword: Surtr].
If seeing her 'father' after so long had stirred some feelings of nostalgia in Himeko's heart, then the sudden recollection that her father was dead made the man before her seem utterly detestable.
Although she didn't know what kind of trick he was playing, what Otto was doing now was undoubtedly a desecration of her feelings of remembrance for her father.
Under these circumstances, if it weren't for the need to gather more information, Himeko might have already charged forward with her Godsbane Sword.
"Hey, hey, hey, don't be like that."
Sensing the murderous intent radiating from Himeko, Murata Ryusuke helplessly took a step back.
"You must have misunderstood something. I have no connection whatsoever with that short-sighted fellow Otto!"
"...Stop pretending."
Feeling so disgusted she could almost vomit, Himeko said coldly to Murata Ryusuke.
"Otto, you yourself said before that you secretly killed countless Schicksal colleagues who might have discovered the truth and threatened the Honkai's existence."
"So, my father, as a high-level talent capable of repairing the Fourth Divine Key, must have died so suddenly because you poisoned him behind the scenes!"
"I told you, I'm not Otto."
Listening to Himeko's angry words, Murata Ryusuke's tone gradually deepened.
"Besides, does that incompetent old fool Otto have what it takes to kill me?"
Recalling the events of that year, Murata Ryusuke sneered.
"He even thought he had complete control of my mind, that he had seen through my innermost thoughts, which is what gave me the opportunity to leave Schicksal and bring the key to the Fourth Divine Key to Anti-Entropy."
"It's just a shame that, compared to the incompetent Otto, the First Herrscher Welt Yang turned out to be a difficult opponent."
Recalling those past events, Murata Ryusuke spoke with a hint of regret.
"I calculated everything, but I couldn't have calculated that the Herrscher of Reason could use the power of residents from another civilization to break the stalemate."
"If I had been able to seize the Herrscher of Reason's core back then, perhaps now... humanity wouldn't have to face such a desperate situation."
"What... did you say..."
Himeko could tell that Ryusuke, whom she had regarded as a fake, was expressing genuine emotions—his contempt for Otto, his admiration for Welt, and his regret that the plan had fallen short.
And now, piecing together what Murata Ryusuke had said, Himeko suddenly realized that if he wasn't lying, she might have gotten one thing wrong.
The one who killed her father was not the arch-villain Otto in her eyes, but rather her former idol and mentor, Welt Yang.
"Ah, you didn't know about this."
Seeing the look of surprise finally appear on Himeko's face, Murata Ryusuke's tone suddenly became much more animated.
"Back when I went to the USA to reunite with you, the reason Otto let me into Anti-Entropy's territory, besides him being fooled by me, was that my life was coming to an end."
"From working to repair the Fourth Divine Key for Schicksal, my prolonged contact with Honkai Energy had already pushed my body to its limit, and Otto, convinced that 'Murata Ryusuke was about to die,' must have let his guard down at that time."
After speaking of these things with a hint of nostalgia, a bit of resentment suddenly appeared on Ryusuke's face.
"That fellow Otto, he became obsessed with some Artificial Herrscher project at the time, completely ignoring the Ark Project I proposed."
"But after researching the data, I found that the Previous Era's technology was far more advanced than ours, and they also created weaponry stronger than our civilization's—the thirteen Divine Keys are the best proof of this."
"Yet even a Previous Era like that lost to the Honkai, so for us to continue humanity's future, we should have carried out the Ark Project from the start!"
Himeko had seen the files for the Ark Project before.
By squeezing funds from ordinary civilians to build giant spaceships, some of humanity could leave Earth to find a place free from the Honkai where humanity could live in peace—that was the general idea.
"But..."
Looking at the clearly crazed Ryusuke, Himeko frowned.
"The Pioneers of the Previous Era also carried out the Ark Project, but in the end, the Pioneers in charge of the project lost contact with the other Pioneers."
"I've communicated with Su, a Pioneer from the Previous Era. He told me this, so it should be correct."
"So what!"
Ryusuke suddenly walked up to Himeko, grabbed her arms tightly, and spoke to his daughter with utter madness.
"There's no reason to assume that just because the people of the Previous Era couldn't do it, the people of our era can't either!"
"The person in charge of the Ark Project losing contact with the other Pioneers only proves that the Ark Project went in the wrong direction."
"Himeko, you know a Pioneer, that's even better."
"Unlike the muddle-headed Otto who's obsessed with the Artificial Herrscher experiment, or the indecisive Welt who didn't want the people of the USA to contribute a large amount of funds, if a Pioneer really exists, he will surely understand that the Ark Project is of great significance to humanity!"
"As long as we can reach a place suitable for our survival... as long as we can reach that place, we won't have to think about how to fight Finality anymore!"
*He's really gone insane.*
Even though she shouldn't see the man before her as her real father, watching the man with her father's face display such a crazed expression, Himeko found herself, subconsciously... feeling a little heartbroken?
"And now, Himeko, you..."
Looking at the weapon in Himeko's hand and the Valkyrie battlesuit she wore, Ryusuke seemed to have discovered something and asked Himeko with a hopeful expression.
"You mentioned Otto earlier, and you looked displeased. Does that mean Otto has stepped down?"
"Haha, that idiotic old geezer, he's finally gone. Doesn't this mean—that the new Bishop of Schicksal might be interested in the Ark Project?"
As if he had figured something out, Ryusuke spoke to Himeko at top speed.
"Dad knows he was wrong back then trying to kill your teacher Welt to take his Herrscher Core that was Dad's fault but Mr. Welt is a good man and with things so bad now he would definitely understand that the Ark Project has meaning."
"As long as the new Bishop of Schicksal isn't Otto Mr. Welt might be able to put aside his prejudices and cooperate with them and with the two major organizations joining forces this huge sum of money will no longer be an unbearable burden for either side!"
"Dad..."
After softly saying this word, Himeko could see Ryusuke pause for a moment, and then a smile actually appeared on his face.
"Himeko, you... you finally believe I'm your father?"
"Yeah, I can see it now. You are indeed my father."
Himeko faced Ryusuke and softly repeated the words he had once said to her.
"In the past, this is what you told me, Dad."
"We Muratas must all bravely pursue our dreams."
"That's right!"
Upon hearing this, Ryusuke became even more agitated.
"Himeko, you still remember that sentence... I'm so moved!"
"So—"
"So, that's why I won't help you complete this project."
At that moment, Himeko forcefully broke free from Ryusuke's grip and said to him, word for word.
"Right now, the time of Finality's arrival is drawing closer and closer, and the Ark Project..."
"—Even if we start this project now, it's ultimately just spending a huge amount of funds to abandon a large number of innocent people who can't leave, just to flee."
"Dad, after all these years, my dream is no longer the same as it was."
"Now, my dream as a Valkyrie... no, my duty as a Valkyrie, is to protect everything in this world!"
"Wrong..."
Upon hearing Himeko immediately refute his idea, Ryusuke said angrily.
"You don't even realize the severity of the situation!"
"The Herrscher of Finality isn't easy to deal with... Ha, forget the Herrscher of Finality, without him, the other Herrschers wouldn't be easy to deal with either."
Thinking of the student with whom she had only a nominal relationship, but had never taught any real knowledge to, a faint, comforting smile appeared on Himeko's face.
"But the young people today are all fighting on the front lines. Are you telling me, Dad, that I should be a coward, choose to start the Ark Project now and begin fleeing, to retreat without a fight?"
"The Murata Ryusuke I know... is he such a spineless coward?"
"Foolish..."
Faced with Himeko's rebuttal, Ryusuke, having lost his last bit of patience, began to emit a wave of Honkai Energy.
As this wave of Honkai Energy grew stronger, grotesque tentacles began to appear on his body.
"Utterly foolish! What's wrong with choosing to flee when facing an unbeatable enemy!"
"The battle against the Honkai was never going to be without sacrifices. If we start the Ark Project now, at least some of us can survive!"
"Ah, I'm so sick of hearing such boring talk."
Completely calm now, Himeko nonchalantly poked her ear and gave Ryusuke a helpless smile.
"Sacrifice, sacrifice, I'm so sick of that word."
"You talk about sacrifice all day, but what you're really doing is treating other people's lives as disposable."
"I really didn't expect that, sure, Lord Bishop Otto is that kind of person, but that you'd have such ideas too, Dad."
"Honestly, Dad, I'm a little disappointed in you."
"Ah, and I'm disappointed in you, my daughter."
Ryusuke, whose Honkai Energy was still rising, was now showing his daughter an emotion a father should never show.
"I thought that at least my daughter would be able to understand my ideas."
"Give me a break. How could anyone understand sacrificing others so matter-of-factly?"
Himeko looked at the malicious man before her and gave a straightforward smile.
"But I have to thank you, Dad."
"Just a moment ago, I was feeling unjustly extreme emotions towards Teacher Welt for killing you."
"But now, I can be sure that Teacher Welt did nothing wrong."
"He is an upstanding hero, and you, my father, who speaks of sacrificing others at every turn, have undoubtedly fallen completely into the 'demonic path.'"
"Is that so?"
At that moment, a woman in a protective suit holding a greatsword suddenly appeared in the space.
Looking at Himeko, whose face flashed with surprise, the newly appeared Valkyrie spoke with a hint of disappointment.
"In my eyes, the one who has fallen into the demonic path is undoubtedly you, Himeko, for siding with the Herrscher of the Void."
"Ragna... Captain?!"
The woman before Himeko undoubtedly had the same appearance as the Ragna of the past.
Not just her appearance, but even the way she held her sword felt incredibly familiar to Himeko.
"Himeko, I think you should already understand that girl's identity."
In front of Himeko, Ragna, holding the Greatsword: King Serpent, spoke to Himeko with a face full of disappointment.
"Since you know her identity, why do you continue to associate with her?"
"...Captain."
"All of us died at her hands back then, and in the end, I failed too."
Speaking of that incident, Ragna's face was full of dejection.
"In the end, I couldn't bring myself to deliver that final blow because she was just a little girl."
"Killing the Herrscher of the Void was our Valkyrie Assault Squad's mission, and after we all failed, you should have been the one to kill her in our stead."
"And yet now—you know her identity, but you choose to get along with her. Have you forgotten everything she's done in the past!"
"No, it's just that I think..."
Looking at the two of them, Himeko suddenly had an epiphany.
"You both know the truth, so why do you keep condemning me as if I've done something wrong?"
Hearing Himeko's words, Ragna laughed out of extreme anger.
"Are you saying you've done nothing wrong?"
"That's right, what have I done wrong?"
Having cleared her thoughts, Himeko retorted sharply to Ragna.
"Otto is the mastermind behind all these problems, the Honkai is the source of it all, and I'm going to cut down Otto and crush the Honkai. That makes me the good guy!"
"But you two, from the moment we met, you've been trying to PUA me with your words, to break down my mental defenses—you really think I'm as easy to fool as those little kids, don't you!"
"Himeko, you really are..."
Hearing Himeko's words, Ragna shook her head helplessly and fully prepared for battle.
"—utterly beyond saving."
"Yes, Miss Ragna is right."
Beside Ragna, Ryusuke, already using powers that were not human, spoke viciously to Himeko.
"You've disappointed me so much, my daughter."
"Well, thanks for the compliment, Dad."
*Heh, I was wondering what was going on today.*
*From the moment Theresa and I started arguing, my heart has been guided by something.*
*In the time that followed, both Dad and Captain Ragna were people who could potentially break through my mental defenses.*
*Choosing to have them meet me was just to further fuel the negative emotions in my heart, to achieve Its purpose.*
At that moment, Himeko, forcefully suppressing her emotions, suddenly felt her entire consciousness plunge into darkness.
The feeling was as if she were being pulled apart from all directions, almost causing her to lose consciousness.
*So this is what it feels like after a [Herrscher Transformation].*
*The fundamental reason for all this trouble is that I have the aptitude of a Herrscher.*
*But now...*
Feeling that something was wrong with her entire being, Himeko looked at the two approaching her and, without a second word, chose a tactical retreat.
It would be a simple matter to take care of them with a Herrscher's power.
But Himeko found that even if she thought she could maintain a mind like still water, as the Herrscher Core operated, all sorts of dark thoughts would continuously surface in her mind.
If she used Herrscher powers to kill her father and captain, who held significant meaning to her, while her mind was unstable, the probability of Murata Himeko falling to the demonic path would undoubtedly increase dramatically.
In Himeko's eyes, this was clearly a sign that the Honkai was out of tricks and could only resort to such methods to force her into complete madness.
*Their words couldn't sway me, so now they're trying to make me 'turn to the dark side' by forcing me to kill my loved ones.*
*Heh, looking at it this way, the Honkai is really getting desperate. And if It's getting desperate, that means my line of thinking is correct.*
*It's just that now...*
Himeko, running frantically, couldn't suppress a trace of unease in her heart.
She was a seasoned veteran and didn't make the wrong choice at the critical moment.
But that didn't mean others could resist the Honkai's multi-layered erosion at the last moment as she did.
And now, realizing that the core inside her was the Gem of Haste, Himeko had a feeling that she might not be the only Herrscher Host transported here today.
At a time of such turmoil...
*—The Honkai isn't planning to mass-produce Herrschers and release them all at once, is it?*
Thinking of this possibility, Himeko ran even faster.
To put distance between herself and her two loved ones, Himeko even activated the thrusters on her Valkyrie battlesuit.
She had now reached a position that was theoretically Schicksal's second-in-command, so the armor she used was certainly not an old second-generation model.
Unable to use the Godsbane Armor before today, Himeko had long since chosen a third-generation Valkyrie battlesuit that suited her.
Although Ryusuke possessed the power of the Shoggoth Clan and Ragna had been headquarters' strongest Valkyrie four years ago, Ryusuke's power was incomplete, and Ragna only had a protective suit without armor, so they naturally couldn't catch up to Himeko for the time being.
But for now, Himeko knew her thrusters wouldn't last long.
And right now, she had to steady her mind to get back into the fight faster.
After all, there were definitely other unlucky souls chosen by the Honkai being tormented in this theater.
To prevent any accidents with her body, Himeko kept a tube of a lightweight version of the HSN serum on her person.
Although this serum couldn't achieve the effect of 'instantly suppressing a Herrscher,' when the time came...
*Sigh, whoever it is, I'll save who I can.*
*If we save a Herrscher Host now, we gain a combatant, and the enemy loses one.*
*So now...*
*—Everyone, just hold on!*
.