"Going to the training grounds to see who's on top?"
Facing Fuli and Bronya, who were sharpening their blades for each other, determined to decide who would be the top and who would be the bottom, Mei's tone was stiff.
"The Superstring Dimension hasn't been touched in a week. The Sinful, Agony, Redlotus, and Nirvana Tiers are all overflowing with 'people.' Since you two have the energy, why not go clear out some of those monsters from the Imaginary Space and the Sea of Quanta?"
"Grind the Abyss?"
Hearing this, Fuli looked at Bronya. "Then how about we compete for the highest score?"
"No problem."
The girl puffed out her chest, full of confidence.
She was the invincible Metal Gear Bronya; she had never lost a game in her life.
And real-life combat counted as a game.
"Count me in, count me in!"
Kiana shouted, "Forgotten Hall, Apocalyptic Shadow, and Pure Fiction! Perfect, one for each of us!"
"I'm afraid that won't work."
Kallen, hanging upside down from the ceiling, gestured with her hands. "Himeko contacted us two days ago. She said a batch of Valkyrie cadets would be coming to the Hyperion for combat drills."
A setting like the Superstring Dimension, which was both realistic and allowed for control over the intensity of the battle, was undoubtedly a perfect fit for St. Freya's core needs.
In fact, after concocting the Abyss, the Hyperion had signed a contract with Theresa, having her send people over periodically to accumulate combat experience. Fuli's side could use the extra manpower to clear out the nooks and crannies of the Superstring Dimension while also collecting a certain fee. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Mei wasn't against this model, but she was concerned about something else. "Why didn't you tell me people from St. Freya were coming?"
Under the powerful pressure of Mei's glare, Kallen, feeling the bloodline suppression, shrank her neck. "Well, I saw you were so busy the past two days, taking care of Little Brother and the others and recording all that data..."
"You still should have—"
"Ah, ah, ah, there's a spatial teleportation request being registered! It must be the people from St. Freya! I'll go check on it right now!"
With that, the white-haired mole vanished in a flash.
Fuli pointed out meaningfully, "Ether Editing should also be able to handle spatial teleportation, right?"
Bronya, understanding his meaning, nodded. "Short distances aren't much of a problem."
Her slender fingers typed on a keyboard in mid-air. The moment she hit the enter key, the three figures, excluding Mei, vanished.
The excluded Raiden Mei: Heh.
Hilarious. I'm going right back to the ME Corp to start research on APTX4869. The moment it's done, I'm forcing it down Bronya's throat. Children should act like children. What kind of behavior is it to pretend to be an adult and seduce other people's boyfriends!
What's that? APTX4869 is a fictional drug from "Detective Conan" and can't be researched in reality?
Then you're underestimating me, Dr. Raiden Mei of the ME Corp!
At the same time, accompanied by the crisp cry of seagulls, the Pacific sea breeze entered Fuli's nostrils.
As far as the eye could see, the deep blue sea churned under the sun, the white-foamed waves like shattered silver chains.
At first glance, it was a refreshing sight—provided that one's body, standing on the surface of the sea, wasn't rapidly sinking under the pull of gravity.
"Bronya! Where did you teleport us?!"
Kiana, complaining loudly, clung to Fuli like a koala, afraid she would fall into the sea too.
It was a well-known fact that cats are afraid of water, and Kiana-cat was no exception.
"Ahem, it's my first time using it. Mistakes are inevitable."
Looking up at the Hyperion floating a few hundred meters in the air, the person responsible was also quite embarrassed.
She quickly performed another operation, and the three, who had sunk halfway into the sea, were teleported back onto the deck.
After using an imaginary shuttle to send a baby orca that had latched onto his shoe back into the deep sea, Kiana stood with her hands behind her back and advised earnestly, "You need more practice, Bronya. At your current level, you're still far from proficient."
Bronya: (ᗜ˰ᗜ)
You want me to compare my proficiency with a spatial ability against you, a Herrscher candidate with the Core of the Void inside you?
Just as she was about to bicker with her as usual, the three of them simultaneously focused on the northwest side of the deck.
A triangular spatial portal opened there—it was Theresa's Hundred Realms Gate.
This wasn't unexpected. According to news from St. Freya, nearly a third of the Valkyrie cadets coming this time were part of the expanded training quota Theresa had established in her agreement with Tribios.
The Hundred Realms Gate was one of the very few top-tier spatial abilities capable of ultra-long-distance multi-person teleportation. With the Principal's personality, she wouldn't let a chance to fleece this sheep go to waste.
The problem was the aura coming from behind the gate.
Thud—
A slender, delicate foot in a ladies' ankle boot landed lightly on the Hyperion's deck.
CRACK!
The warship's deck, forged from super-electromagnetic alloy, fractured like a spiderweb in all directions.
The sturdy ship railings twisted as if squeezed by a giant, invisible hand, letting out a piercing metallic groan. A pair of seabirds that had been playing on it fainted and fell to the ground without a sound, their small limbs twitching unconsciously.
"Is this a cosplay of the famous scene where Shanks and Whitebeard first meet? Or just a simple attempt to intimidate us?"
Fuli placed his hand on the plasma kagehide hanging at his waist.
"Or maybe the British Royal Family and St. Freya are fighting it out, and they plan to silence the Principal's 'fiancé' in the process?"
Bronya calmly took a step back, habitually shielding her brother behind her.
She was a long-range unit; she couldn't be relied on for kiting.
At worst, she could give him a little reward afterward, like letting him knead her big white buns or her white-stockinged thighs.
"Fighting? No, no! Little Red, Little Duck, you've misunderstood!"
Theresa's childish voice came through in a panic, along with another person's polite response, "Teacher Theresa, it would be better for me to apologize to everyone on the Hyperion myself."
As soon as she finished speaking, the person in question stepped out of the Hundred Realms Gate.
Shoulder-length hair, a blend of deep green and jade, draped lightly over her slender shoulders and back. A sea-breeze-blue Valkyrie uniform outlined her elegant figure. Her amber-like eyes held only tranquility and determination, and her fair, slender legs were strikingly straight and beautiful.
"Please forgive my rudeness, everyone."
She bowed solemnly, her voice, carried by a gentle breeze, resonating in the minds of Fuli and the others. "My name is Wendy. I am an A-Rank Valkyrie from Schicksal's Oceania Branch, and also the temporary leader of this team."
She spoke softly and politely. At first glance, she was completely unrelatable to the person who had just caused massive damage to the deck before even fully appearing.
In a place no one could see, the gem-like Jizo Mitama on Fuli's chest suddenly flashed with light.
[Stigma of Wind detected. Stigma replication program initiated. Analyzing—]
[Warning! Warning! This Stigma possesses a fatal structural defect. Forcible replication will lead to severe adverse consequences!]
[Attempting localized suppression... Failure.]
[Attempting to establish secondary secure channel... 26,467th deduction of missing structure... Failure.]
[Conclusion: Unable to repair the fatal defect of this Stigma under current conditions.]
[Replication cancelled.]
The light flickered for a moment before gradually fading into silence.
During this time, in the outside world—
"Wendy? I know you!" Kiana exclaimed in surprise. "Auntie said you're her best student, and you're a candidate for S-Rank in Schicksal!"
"You said you're the team's temporary leader?" Bronya noticed something else. "Then who was the original one?"
"That would be me."
A light screen unfolded before them, revealing a fiery, beautiful woman.
She swirled her wine glass and glanced over nonchalantly, her pupils instantly shrinking. "Holy—who are you? When did the Hyperion get a character like this?"
"That's not important."
Bronya was quite pleased by Himeko's shocked reaction.
In the past, this woman never missed a chance to show off those damn mountains of hers in front of me. Now, even though mine aren't as big as yours, my overall figure is more perfect!
And Onii-chan likes it more!
"Alright, fine."
Himeko, who had roughly guessed the truth from her appearance, felt a deep sense of disbelief, but she knew she couldn't boost the other's morale at a time like this.
"Little brother Fuli, don't blame that child, Wendy. She only recently awakened her natural Stigma and can't control her strength well yet."
"Yes, my deepest apologies!" Wendy bowed again. "I will compensate for the damages caused."
Since she had adopted such an attitude, the trio couldn't very well continue to blame her.
"So it was you, Sister Himeko, who got drunk again and pushed your team leader duties onto Miss Wendy, who was just visiting."
"So irresponsible."
"Exactly! Auntie Himeko, you're so lame!"
Thus, they unanimously directed their criticism at the irresponsible, older-sister type.
The target of their criticism, however, stared at Fuli with a resentful expression. "Then take a guess who took out a jar of exquisitely tasting Scent of the Forest and managed to get me, a Critical-level Valkyrie who can hold her liquor, completely drunk?"
Scent of the Forest was an extraordinary liquor brewed from various tree saps, with natural energy mixed in during the brewing process.
Besides its excellent taste, it also had the effects of prolonging life, healing wounds, and enhancing beauty with long-term consumption.
Of course, none of that was the main point. The point was that Fuli had obtained this item from his last ten-pull in the system's gacha. With the thought of honoring his elders, he had sent it to St. Freya, where his relative resided.
And that relative had then excitedly sought out Himeko, and between clinking glasses, had gotten her drunk, causing her to be absent from this mission.
That's right, the elder he was honoring—
"Hi♪～ Did Little Li miss his little Grand-Auntie♡⃛?"
A pink shadow leaped through the portal and, without any sense of being a stranger, pressed Fuli's head into her chest and began to rub it vigorously.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
The boy struggled to breathe, but his struggles only made him sink deeper.
Kiana and Bronya, who should have had extreme reactions to this, seemed not to see it at all, looking away with perfect synchronization.
Even Kallen and Mei, who were observing secretly, shuddered and cut their connections, afraid they would be the next victims.
Yes, these were the famous Three Laws of Elysia:
Elysia joins your harem. Elysia is seducing your harem. You become Elysia's harem.
Only the well-meaning (and blissfully ignorant) Wendy stepped forward to intervene. "Miss Elysia, Mr. Fuli seems to be having trouble breathing."
What a good person! A good person!
Prisoner Li, his mouth muffled, was moved to tears, instantly forgetting about the damage she had done to the deck.
"Eh? Is little Wendy jealous?"
The Pink Elf, however, had a different interpretation.
She tilted her head and thought for a moment, then bloomed into a flower-like smile. "Then, I'll leave him to you♪～"
The girl pushed Fuli forward, and he shot like a guided missile straight into Wendy's arms.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
Dammit! Why is this one also a hidden giant rack?!
I can't breathe!
Prisoner Li, suffering another critical hit, was filled with "grief" and "indignation."
He couldn't complain. This was his dear Grand-Auntie.
"Ah?"
Wendy stared blankly at the black-haired boy who had suddenly appeared in her arms, her elegant face burning like a flame.
This time, Kiana reacted swiftly, rushing over and pulling Fuli away.
Seeing this, a relieved Bronya tentatively asked, "Miss Elysia, are you also part of St. Freya's combat team this time?"
"That's right! I'm also one of the Valkyrie cadets♪～"
Like hell anyone believes that!
Everyone, including Himeko, silently retorted in their minds.
Fuli, having been reborn, sized up Wendy.
In the previous loop, there was very little information about this S-Rank candidate. It was said that she participated in some Schicksal experiment in 2014 and disappeared without a trace afterward.
In the common knowledge of the Honkai side, "disappeared without a trace" was basically equivalent to "died without a complete corpse."
Clearly, some of the bastards in Schicksal had conducted another inhumane experiment and had messed up, causing their future potential star to perish.
To be honest, it was a real pity. Being an S-Rank candidate meant Wendy was at least stronger than Himeko, who was also at the Critical level, and her younger age meant more potential.
If nothing else, the detection skill Kiana used all the time, now upgraded to the Tango Feilian circuit, was invented by Wendy.
A super-prospect like this would be worshipped like an ancestor in any other organization.
Only Schicksal, with its vast wealth, would use such a person for experiments.
Or perhaps... she had some irreparable defect? To the point that the higher-ups believed she wasn't worth any further investment?
In any case, it's currently 2014, and there should only be a few days left until the experiment that changed Wendy's fate. Should I warn her?
Fuli thought for a moment, then shook his head.
One had to be tactful. Spilling your guts to someone you've just met wouldn't necessarily be met with gratitude; they might think you're being nosy or have ulterior motives.
Anyway, I'll just remind Theresa to pay attention. Whether they listen or not is up to them.
The boy made his decision cheerfully.
"Hey, hey? You're staring so intently?"
"Hm?"
Fuli looked up from his thoughts and glanced around. The expressions on the girls' faces were not quite right.
Only then did he realize he had been staring at Wendy the whole time and had clearly been misunderstood.
At this moment, the last members of the Valkyrie cadet team passed through the Hundred Realms Gate. Under the sun, on the deck, the beautiful girls lined up in neat rows.
Considering that even Himeko, who underwent the modification surgery at 19, was judged to have far less adaptability than a minor, one could imagine the average age of the girls before them.
Combined with years of training, their long legs, tight waists, and fair arms glowed with a healthy, youthful, pearlescent luster under the light. It was truly a sight to whet one's appetite.
The two hundred Valkyrie cadets also looked curiously at Fuli, who was standing at the very front. Many even deliberately puffed out their chests when his gaze swept over them, eagerly displaying their charms.
Like repels like, and opposites attract; this was a mechanism encoded in their DNA.
What's more, the person opposite them was not only handsome but also powerful. There was no need to worry about turning to dust from Honkai energy contamination during intimate contact in the future.
The only problem was his identity: Principal Theresa's fiancé—
Damn! That makes it even more exciting!
Of course, not everyone was so insane.
"You can't see me, you can't see me, you can't see me, you can't see me..."
Standing at the very back of the line, Houraiji Kyuusyou , tried her best to hide in the shadow of the person in front of her, terrified that Fuli might spot her.
This was quite out of character. The "Lord Saviour" was a chunibyo gaming otaku, not some gloomy type, and she usually couldn't care less about what others thought.
A mere Fuli? She wouldn't be scared of him in the slightest!
At least, that's how Kyuusyou would be if Bronya wasn't around.
The problem was, Metal Gear Bronya—the one who knew her hacker identity, "Alice"—was right there!
If Divine Departure (Fuli) found out that she was online all day selling little tidbits of gossip about him and Durandal, him and Theresa, him and Rita, and various other people to make a huge profit without even giving him a cut, wouldn't she be first ○'d, then ○'d, and then ○'d again and again by him?
Speak of the devil. As luck would have it, Kyuusyou felt a meaningful gaze land squarely on her.
Trembling, she peeked out of the corner of her eye and saw the tall, silver-haired girl standing next to Fuli, giving her a smile brimming with interest.
...