Chapter 227: A Day of Reunion
"Suggesting I come in as a guest?" Irene looked at Elysia and Mobius. Elysia immediately nodded, grabbed Irene's hand, and pulled her straight inside.
Everyone was gathered in the room. Out on the balcony, Eden sat gazing at the ocean view through the window — but in her hands was something that seemed oddly out of place for someone of her standing: a grip trainer, the kind issued to Valkyries for leisure use.
"Leisure" being the operative word — but this was a Valkyrie-grade device. The average Valkyrie suited up in full armor and thought nothing of free-falling from extreme altitude; the Honkai Beasts they dealt with on a daily basis were monsters in every sense of the word.
The grip trainers you'd find in any ordinary sporting goods store would snap the moment a Valkyrie squeezed them — completely useless. Which made it easy to imagine just how heavy-duty a Valkyrie-spec grip trainer had to be. And yet, under Eden's hands, this nearly indestructible device was letting out increasingly strained groans.
Just as Irene opened her mouth to say something — bang. The grip trainer finally gave up the ghost, crushed apart by Eden's casual force. Eden stared at the broken remains in her palm, then tossed them into the wastebasket without a word.
She'd noticed Irene walk in by then. She raised a hand in greeting. "Miss Irene. How have things been lately?"
"Nothing to speak of — just stopped by to check in." Irene waved back. "Though it looks like Miss Eden is positively brimming with energy."
"It's nothing, just a minor accident. I'll be back to normal soon." Eden shook her head, then turned and pulled an identical grip trainer out of the cabinet.
This sort of thing had happened to her the first time she'd become a MANTIS, too. Back then, she'd had the same problem — no sense of her own strength.
She'd broken quite a few things during that period. This time was no different, except that in the Elysian Realm, everything had been data — even a perfect simulation of Eden's strength meant the environment wouldn't let her casually wreck things. So after tens of thousands of years, Eden had simply... forgotten how to calibrate her own force.
She was gradually getting it back under control now. You could tell just from the fact that she'd been squeezing the trainer for a while before it broke — a marked improvement from when she'd first woken up and could crack staircase steps just by walking on them.
"Ah, it's fine." Irene waved it off. It was a minor thing, not worth dwelling on. Most Valkyries went through an awkward adjustment phase like this. Eden's was just... a bit longer, and a bit more dramatic than most.
Having spent so long at St. Freya, Irene had seen it all. The blackboards at St. Freya were custom-reinforced, as was just about every surface in the building — anything in the Valkyries' line of sight had been specially fitted. The reason being, naturally, the concern that a Valkyrie who hadn't yet learned her own strength might swipe a hand and shatter it.
"Speaking of which — where are those two cats?" Irene glanced around the common area. The only Flame-Chasers she could see were Eden, Elysia, Mobius, and Kalpas, who was sitting to one side wearing his mask, looking mildly bored. He glanced at Irene once, then looked away, apparently not inclined to offer a greeting.
"Those two cats are up on the roof sunbathing," Mobius said, jerking a thumb toward the ceiling, "though I honestly have no idea what kind of sunlight they think they're getting up there."
"Aponia is in her room," Elysia added obligingly. "Vill-V still hasn't come back yet. Griseo went outside to find somewhere to paint."
"Kosma went with Griseo. Sakura should be with her sister, but where exactly, I'm not sure."
"Sounds like everyone's settled in nicely." Irene nodded, then remembered something and turned to Eden. "Miss Eden — any interest in making a comeback?"
"Right now? I think I'll pass for the time being." Eden shook her head. They were already at the Tenth Herrscher now, with only two left — she was hardly in the mood to go back to being a pop idol.
It wasn't a matter of confidence. Eden's talent was such that she could put out a couple of songs on a whim and dominate the music scene without breaking a sweat. With a little calculated promotion, recapturing the kind of idol supremacy she'd had in the Previous Era — a unified global phenomenon — wasn't out of the question.
That was the caliber of the Previous Era's greatest, most celebrated idol. But Eden simply wasn't in the right headspace for it now. Perhaps once the fighting was over, she'd revisit it.
Art had long since woven itself into the very fabric of who she was — it was something she could never truly abandon. It was just that now wasn't the right time. Not that she couldn't do it; she simply chose not to.
"Anything unusual about the cats' bodies?" Irene turned to Mobius, who understood exactly what she was asking. "Pardo's Quantization didn't carry over to her new body. You can relax."
"Good." Irene gave a small nod. She'd been genuinely worried that the Quantization might have transferred along with the body — but if Mobius said it was fine, it should be.
This also confirmed that Irene really was capable of releasing every soul she carried inside her. So long as she could provide them with functional bodies, she could grant them true resurrection here. A genuine continuation — a new life, a new beginning.
For Kallen and Cecilia, their DNA could be sourced from Otto — and in theory, Theresa's ought to be obtainable the same way. The question was whether Otto had actually preserved it. As for the others, it got more complicated. Even Mobius probably hadn't kept a DNA sample of Klein.
Mobius, it seemed, had noticed the look on Irene's face. She rolled her eyes. "Are you out of your mind? When you transform, do you think it's just a skin plastered over you?"
"If you don't have the DNA, just draw it straight from yourself. Has your brain stopped working?"
The moment Mobius said it, the blind spot in Irene's thinking snapped into focus. Of course — transforming wasn't just a costume she wore. When the time came, she could simply have someone take a blood draw before the transformation faded. As long as they analyzed it and preserved the genetic map beforehand, it would work — and she could already read that kind of data herself now.
The rest could be handled with the Authority of Death.
"Aww, Irene's just been really busy lately~" Elysia hugged Irene from behind and rested her chin on Irene's shoulder. "So of course she forgot. That's totally normal."
"Oh, always defending her, aren't you." Mobius gave Elysia a flat look, then turned back to Irene. "So what's that Kevin guy up to these days?"
"Hmm, waiting, I'd imagine." Irene shrugged. "The World Serpent's been fairly quiet. There have been more small- and mid-scale Honkai outbreaks though — noticeably more active than before."
"Makes sense. Generally speaking, the closer you get to the end, the higher the eruption frequency. It was the same in our time." Eden nodded. "But that's not the main concern."
"No, it isn't." At that, Kalpas, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly spoke up, raising his head to look at Irene. "The main thing you need to worry about is the Eleventh Herrscher."
"The Herrscher of Binding," Mobius continued. "Honestly, even now, we don't have any great ideas for dealing with it."
"Actually, it's not entirely without options." Vill-V's voice drifted in from the direction of the bedroom doorway. "Theoretically speaking, if we use the Moonlight Throne's high-output mode, it may be possible to break down the Barrier of Binding."
"And the Herrscher of Reason — she could do it. Especially that young one." Vill-V's voice carried unmistakable satisfaction. "She can already build three complete Moonlight Thrones simultaneously in under two minutes. In simplified mode, she can push that to six."
"The problem is, that only breaks the barrier — it doesn't silence the Herrscher of Binding's abilities," Mobius said, refusing to be moved by the good news so easily.
"If we can't find and kill the Herrscher of Binding immediately, she'll most likely raise a second barrier. Am I wrong?"
"But it's still an option." Vill-V looked at Mobius steadily. "Better than nothing. Once you're past the Herrscher of Binding, the rest becomes a lot more manageable — doesn't it?"
The Herrscher of Corruption — they had two of them. Two-on-one was nothing they couldn't handle. The real problem was the binding itself; there was genuinely no countering that. And even if, as Mobius said, the Herrscher of Binding could raise a second barrier — didn't they have two Judahs? Open barrier against open barrier, two-on-one still gave them the better odds.
As long as the losses stayed within acceptable limits, taking down the Herrscher of Binding was worth it. They'd burned an absolutely enormous amount of resources fighting it in the past — now that they had a viable approach, there was no point agonizing over whether it was the best possible approach.
Use what you have. A better method could be found later. Wait until the Herrscher of Binding actually showed up, and it might be too late.
Irene stepped between the two of them. "Alright, alright, no need to argue. Trust me — the Herrscher of Binding won't end up causing any serious trouble. Have a little faith in me."
The two doctors both raised an eyebrow at that. Mobius crossed her arms and fixed Irene with a look. "Interesting. The way you're talking, it sounds like you know exactly what form the Herrscher of Binding's eruption is going to take."
"'Exactly what form it'll take' isn't quite accurate." Irene wagged her finger with a mysterious air. "More precisely — I know that the person who receives the Binding Authority has already arranged everything for themselves."
"Interesting." Vill-V's tone shifted. "Is this some kind of magic trick? Sleight of hand? A substitution?"
"You could also call it a case of one thing replacing another," Irene smiled at her. "After all, we're already seeing Herrschers who hold several Authorities at once."
At those words, the room went quiet. Because right now, there genuinely was a certain someone holding a masterless Herrscher Core. A smile spread across Mobius's face.
"A bold plan — but surprisingly workable. Fascinating." Mobius nodded, something rare crossing her features: genuine admiration.
"Otto really is capable. To think he'd come up with something like this." Vill-V nodded as well. "My, my — I'd love to meet him in person someday. He'd make for a very interesting assistant, I'm sure."
Kalpas glanced up at the two of them, who appeared to have understood something, then looked back down. He hadn't followed it — but if he was needed, he'd step up. That was enough.
What he was enjoying right now was this peaceful atmosphere. Haiyuan City carried no real tension — only a quiet warmth, and trust in Irene and the others. It was a feeling he hadn't known in a very long time. He didn't mind it at all.
Meanwhile, Elysia had drifted away from Irene's side and over to Eden, poking her shoulder with one finger. "Eden, Eden — did you follow any of that? What were they talking about?"
Eden reached over and patted Elysia on the head. "It's fine if you didn't follow it. In times like these, all you need to do is smile."
"~"
Irene was smiling and about to say something more — when her communicator went off. She pulled it out and glanced at the screen. It was a call from Kiana.
"Oh — she moves fast." Irene accepted the call. "Hey there, Bug. Quick work — did you find Siegfried?"
"I thought Sister Irene would ask about my sister first," came Kiana's voice from the other end. "Wait — hold on. Sister Irene, what did you just call me?"
"Nothing at all. Must have misheard." Irene gave an innocent whistle. "As for why I didn't ask about you and Durandal first — well, if you found Siegfried, you two should have recognized each other. That's just how it would go."
"And you just called her 'sister,' didn't you? So I'm guessing a certain someone is listening in right now. Am I right?"
Sure enough, Durandal's voice came through a moment later. "Miss Irene, I am here. I just feel like I need a moment to myself right now."
"I can understand that." Irene nodded. "Though I am curious — how much have you remembered?"
"Most of it, I think." Durandal's voice was subdued. "My childhood memories — I've recovered all of them. Everything concerning Kiana, I've remembered."
"But as for my identity as Durandal — I don't want to give that up. Kiana matters to me deeply. But the name Durandal matters to me more."
"I never said anything about giving up the name Durandal." Irene smiled. "Between 'Kiana' and 'Durandal' — you're more used to the latter, aren't you?"
"Yes. The name Kiana — we've already discussed that." Durandal nodded. "As for Father — Mr. Siegfried — I've spoken with him as well."
"Still not quite used to calling him that?"
"Not quite yet." Durandal nodded again. "Oh — Mr. Siegfried is here beside me too, by the way. Though it seems he was in there for too long — the moment he came out, he fainted."
"Mm. Understandable." Irene gave a small nod. "Well then — would you two mind bringing Mr. Siegfried to Haiyuan City? You're not in any rush to head back, are you?"
"I..."
"Think of it as coming over for a casual meal. You're technically on field assignment for Schicksal right now anyway — a couple more days of fieldwork shouldn't be a problem, should it?"
There was a long silence on the other end. Then Durandal's voice came through again, quiet but steady.
"Alright. I'll bring our father over with Kia— ...with my little sister."
"You're welcome anytime."
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