The Hyperion streaked through the air toward the Oceania Branch.
Inside the battleship, Kiana, Raiden Mei, and Bronya sat to the side, wearing their Valkyrie armors and conserving their energy.
This was their first mission since passing the B-rank Valkyrie exam.
Bronya was used to such things.
Kiana, on the other hand, was rubbing her palms together, her face full of eagerness to try.
The only one among them who acted like a normal person, Raiden Mei—the strongest of the three—appeared quite nervous.
Although Raiden Mei could use the Authority of the Third Herrscher, she had once been a proper young lady.
Who could have known that fate would play such a joke on her? Not only did she almost become the Third Herrscher who destroyed Nagazora, but she eventually ended up as a B-rank Valkyrie for Schicksal.
"Mei, Bronya, do you think Auntie might be hiding in some corner right now, secretly watching us?" Kiana speculated boldly, resting her chin in her hands.
"Perhaps it's just as you said, and Miss Lierre has been silently watching over us all along," Raiden Mei echoed in response.
"Hehe, Mei really does understand me best."
Kiana happily hugged Raiden Mei's arm, glanced at Bronya, and said, "Not like the brat here. She has no reaction at all—she doesn't have a shred of self-awareness as a daughter."
Bronya's brow twitched. "Bronya is not like Sister Mei, who spoils Idiot Kiana at every turn."
"Don't talk about me like I'm a child! And who are you calling an idiot!"
"Bronya does not wish to argue with Kiana over the question of who is an idiot. Back to the main topic: based on your logic, wouldn't a mother who plays missing and abandons her daughter be even more lacking in maternal responsibility?"
"Ah... that..."
The well-reasoned argument left Kiana, who instinctively wanted to rebut, scratching her head in silence.
It suddenly feels like she has a point. What should I do?
"What are you girls chatting about?"
Murata Himeko and Cecilia walked over, laughing and talking.
Murata Himeko was the captain of the Hyperion and the primary person in charge of this mission.
Due to concerns about potential accidents during the handover with the Oceania Branch, Theresa had specifically asked Cecilia to come along to ensure everything went perfectly.
"Nothing, we were just talking about the mission."
Kiana waved it off. She didn't want Murata Himeko and Cecilia to find out she had lost a verbal spat with Bronya.
Cecilia didn't push further. She looked at the three children before her and instructed, "Himeko and I won't be going down with you. So, when you reach the handover point, you must stay safe."
"Don't worry, we're very strong! This mission is practically a piece of cake for us!" Kiana patted her chest confidently.
"Don't set any strange flags at a time like this," Bronya deadpanned.
"Confidence is a good thing, but excessive confidence is conceit. No matter how simple a mission is, you must face it with your full strength. If the day comes where you suffer because of carelessness, it'll be too late for regrets."
Cecilia placed a hand on Kiana's shoulder, earnestly trying to correct her daughter's flaws.
Since Kiana had decided to walk the thorny path of a Valkyrie, she had to break the bad habit of conceit. It would only be beneficial for both herself and the comrades by her side.
"I won't do it again."
Kiana was very obedient toward Cecilia. Seeing how serious her mother was, she took the warning to heart.
The Hyperion slowly decelerated; they had arrived near the handover point.
"We have reached the mission area. It's your turn to head out. Aside from ensuring Wendy's safety, you must also make sure to take care of yourselves."
After Murata Himeko finished speaking, she turned and ordered the Hyperion to descend.
After receiving the authentication Command Word from the Hyperion, a team of Valkyries pushed Wendy out onto the grass about a kilometer away from the Oceania Branch.
At that moment, Cocolia, who had been keeping a close eye on the Oceania Branch, immediately ordered: "Immediately deactivate the Titans' quantum state! Capture the target at maximum speed! Do not give the people from the Hyperion or the Oceania Branch time to support them!"
There was only one chance; it had to be settled quickly!
In the next instant, over a hundred Titan mechs appeared out of thin air near the grassland, surrounding Wendy and the Valkyrie unit.
Click, click, click.
Weapon safeties were all disengaged.
"Enemy attack!!!"
"Watch out! These are Anti-Entropy Titans!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Intense shellfire instantly engulfed the Valkyrie squad.
Alarms blared immediately within the Oceania Branch. The Valkyrie units rushing out to support were blocked by a dozen Titans.
Cocolia's ambush was sudden and without a single omen; it was practically impossible to guard against.
For a moment, the Oceania Branch fell into chaos.
"Damn it! These Anti-Entropy people could have come at any time, but they chose right now!"
The head of the Oceania Branch had a ghastly expression, and even the scientists who came running at the commotion looked grim.
They had already disappointed Otto once due to the failure of the Gem of Desire implantation experiment. If the Gem of Desire fell into Anti-Entropy's hands now, they likely wouldn't meet a good end.
Damn it, couldn't they have waited until the Far East Branch finished the handover before moving!
Almost every person involved in the Gem of Desire experiment was currently cursing Anti-Entropy's ancestors to the eighth generation.
If they had just waited a bit longer, whether Wendy lived or died would have had little to do with them.
Rumble!
A sudden thunderclap echoed in the distance!
A purple lightning bolt as thick as a bucket slammed into a Titan, sending it into a brief state of paralysis.
Zheng!
A sharp blade-light flashed across the Titan, followed by it blowing into pieces due to an ammo rack explosion.
As the dust from the explosion settled, Raiden Mei's tall figure became clear. She held a Tachi, with purple electricity dancing along the blade.
"Mei, I'm here to help!"
A giant cat paw descended from the sky, knocking a Titan near Raiden Mei back several steps. Kiana, who arrived immediately after, held two pistols and continuously attacked the Titan's weak points.
Project Bunny 19C appeared behind Bronya, its dark cannon aiming at a Titan. With a loud bang, a shell flew out, instantly blasting one of the Titan's arms out of shape.
As the Valkyries from the Oceania Branch continued to provide reinforcements, Raiden Mei gradually exerted the power of the Herrscher of Thunder. Combined with Kiana and Bronya's firepower, the Titan unit's defeat became increasingly obvious.
Cocolia, commanding remotely, was not at all anxious—because she had already succeeded.
One Titan picked Wendy up like a chick. Under the cover of the other Titans, it was preparing to teleport.
Swish!
Abyss Flower pierced through five Titans in succession, pinning the one holding Wendy directly to the ground. Cecilia appeared on the battlefield, reaching out to catch the flung Wendy and pulling her into her arms.
"Curse it, it was just that close!"
Cocolia slammed the table hard, her face dark as she stared at Cecilia's back on the screen.
Meanwhile.
Near the Oceania Branch, Lierre and her companions were also observing the distant battlefield from afar.
"Boss, are we really not going up to help?" Pardofelis couldn't help but ask.
"No need, the battle is over. But it's perfect timing—it's our turn to appear."
Lierre shook her head and took the lead, walking forward.
If Cecilia hadn't been there, Cocolia might have actually succeeded. Unfortunately, there were no "ifs."
Besides, wasn't Raiden Mei's proficiency with the Herrscher of Thunder's Authority a bit too poor?