"Bronya, what is it? It's rare for you to come looking for me," Himeko's image appeared on the communicator. Seeing Bronya take the initiative to contact her surprised Himeko. Bronya rarely contacted her unless something important came up.
"Major Himeko, when we return to St. Freya Academy, can you find a way to remove the Honkai energy crystal from Wendy?" Bronya glanced back at Wendy's legs, her eyes filled with sympathy and understanding. She didn't want Wendy to suffer the same hardship she had experienced before. "This way, she might regain the ability to walk."
Himeko shook her head and sighed. "That's impossible. The 'Gem of Desire' can only remain stable within Wendy's body. Once removed, the crystal cannot be preserved."
"Then let's just throw that crystal away! Is a broken stone more important than a girl's happiness?" Kiana exclaimed, her voice ringing out as she leaned towards the screen.
"The 'Gem of Desire' is not just a broken stone. If the powerful Honkai energy within the crystal is released, it can instantly destroy several cities. Is that alright with you?" Himeko countered.
"But!" Kiana was about to retort further, but she found herself unable to find a reason to argue. From a rational perspective, the answer to which was more important – the lives of several cities or one person – was self-evident.
The others present, including Keqing and Sagiri, had also intended to plead for Wendy, but Himeko's words silenced them.
"Miss Kiana, please don't say any more. I've already accepted it."
"As a Valkyrie, my duty is to save more people with my life... This is my... duty..." Wendy's face displayed a pained and complex expression as she spoke. No one wants to become disabled, and she was no exception.
Soon, they reached the designated location. Looking up, they could see the battleship Hyperion flying in the sky.
"Hmm, Aunt Himeko, we're almost back to the Hyperion," Kiana said, stretching comfortably.
"Who are you calling Aunt?" Himeko's expression changed slightly, filled with dissatisfaction. Then, she relaxed. "Alright, you all stop where you are and prepare to board."
"Wendy, Bronya feels very sorry," Bronya said, hugging a yellow Honk-chan plushie and approaching Wendy, her voice filled with self-recrimination.
"No, Sister Bronya did nothing wrong," Wendy replied softly.
Keqing and the others looked up at the Hyperion slowly descending in the sky and put away their weapons.
Suddenly, Himeko's tense voice sounded through the communicator. "The detector has detected Honkai energy reactions. Is it a reaction from Wendy's 'Gem of Desire'?"
"Wait, the reaction intensity is continuously increasing. 1500 hw... 2000 hw... What happened!" Himeko shouted, watching the rapidly escalating Honkai energy intensity on the Hyperion's control terminal. She was on the Hyperion and had no idea what was happening below.
Below, Keqing and the others stared wide-eyed at the blue light emanating from Wendy's body, a danger alarm blaring in their hearts. Keqing, Sagiri, and Mei reacted quickly, pulling Kiana and the others who hadn't reacted yet, and rapidly retreating to create distance.
"2000 hw? That should be enough to destroy the Hyperion in one shot," Wendy murmured, the blue light from her body growing brighter.
"A bunch of hypocrites, I hate you! I hate all of you! I wish I could kill all of you!" With a flash of blue light, Wendy floated into the air, transforming into her Herrscher form. A pair of blue wings on her back were particularly striking, and a fierce wind whipped up around her.
"This energy reaction... could it be... Wendy, have you unleashed the power of the 'Gem of Desire'?"
"Or have you been controlled by the Honkai Will within the crystal?" On the Hyperion, Himeko frowned, looking at Wendy in her Herrscher form on the large screen. She habitually brought her left thumb to her lips and moved it back and forth, deep in thought.
Below, Keqing and the others were already engaging Wendy. Although Wendy was now the Herrscher of Wind, she was far from a true Herrscher. Her Honkai energy intensity was not even as strong as an unawakened Herrscher of Thunder, like a newborn baby.
After a few minutes of fighting, Wendy realized she was completely at a disadvantage. The strength of the third squad exceeded her expectations. The situation was not good... Wendy decisively chose to retreat.
"Miss Wendy... she's flying away!"
"We must report this intelligence to HQ immediately and request an S-rank Valkyrie for capture," Himeko said gravely.
"Bronya believes Wendy wouldn't hurt anyone," Bronya stated.
"We can't take that risk. Her energy level is comparable to a Herrscher, and her personality has likely been eroded and twisted by the Honkai," Himeko said sternly. She glanced at the detector reading of 2000 hw, while a Herrscher-class entity required 1000 hw.
"I also believe in Wendy," Kiana stepped forward. "Back in Changkong City, Mei was also controlled by the Honkai, but she ultimately defeated the Honkai with her own will!"
(Ling Feng: ...To be precise, Mei didn't defeat the Honkai; it was the Herrscher of Thunder within her that actively retreated.) If the Honkai Will were so easy to defeat, Herrschers wouldn't be called Herrschers. However, Kiana didn't know this.
"I agree with Kiana. As long as we help her, Miss Wendy will surely regain her true self," Keqing also stepped forward. As the Jade Millefleur of Liyue, she could not abandon people in times of crisis, and the same applied to Wendy.
On the Hyperion, Himeko looked at Keqing and the others with admiration. These were truly her students. However, sentimentality in battle was a great taboo. Therefore...
"It will take 30 minutes from when I report this situation to HQ until an S-rank Valkyrie arrives."
"Did you hear me? If you want to do something, you only have 30 minutes!" Himeko's implication was clear; she was only buying them time.
"Thank you, Colonel Himeko." With that, they wasted no more time and quickly sped towards the real-time coordinates of the 'Gem of Desire' provided by their individual terminals.
Along the way, Himeko contacted them again, informing them that Schicksal HQ had identified Wendy as the Fourth Herrscher and that the S-rank Valkyrie heading towards them was Durandal. Upon hearing this news, their actions became even more urgent.
As Sagiri and the others arrived at the destination and began their search, Himeko's voice came through the communicator again. "According to Schicksal satellite observations, five floating battleships just passed over the Pacific Ocean. Their current location is unknown."
"Floating battleships!? Could it be Anti-Entropy's forces?" Sagiri exclaimed. In this era, besides Schicksal, only Anti-Entropy possessed such capabilities. Of course, this was because the World Serpent organization had not yet been fully exposed, and perhaps only a few people knew of its existence.
"It should be. Listen carefully, all of you. If you encounter Anti-Entropy forces, abandon your search immediately! If you get yourselves caught too, it won't be worth it." Schicksal's elite squads were few and far between, with each one being cultivated with immense effort. She learned from Theresa that this third squad had already been pre-selected as an elite squad for Schicksal. It was likely that Rita had informed HQ about the third squad's victory over the Emperor-class Honkai Beast, Ganesha, during their assessment.
"Kiana-chan, let me help you this time~ Have the foxes of Anti-Entropy finally made their move? But this is also a good opportunity~ Hehehe." Theresa's voice suddenly appeared. Although Theresa's help should ensure everything goes smoothly, why did the principal's smile feel so sinister and evil? This was the collective thought of everyone present, including Himeko.
"Help? Theresa, what are you going to do?" Kiana asked, confused.
"Hehehe, you'll know in a moment." Theresa gave a mysterious smile and then hung up the communication, leaving everyone bewildered.
After pondering for a moment, they dismissed it and accelerated their search for Wendy.
Shortly after, they found Wendy hovering in the sky in a parking lot.
"Found you, Wendy."
"Why are you chasing after me? Are you trying to die? I already let you go. Do you think you're so arrogant that you can defeat me!" Wendy's tone held a hint of indignant fury.
"Miss Wendy, please come back with us. This place is very dangerous. Schicksal HQ has dispatched an S-rank Valkyrie to capture you, and Anti-Entropy's forces are also approaching." Mirai stepped forward. She was the quietest member of the third squad, usually just following orders.
"An S-rank Valkyrie? A Valkyrie said to possess strength equal to a Herrscher?"
"Alright, then I'll try and see if my power has surpassed that of an S-rank Valkyrie!" If Ling Feng were here, he would have replied, "The last person who was so arrogant ended up cold."
Kiana raised her twin pistols and taunted. "You're even more arrogant than I am. If you have the guts, fight me first!"
"It was just my carelessness earlier. If I were serious, defeating a Herrscher would be a simple matter~"
...We feel you are also very arrogant. If Herrschers could be defeated so easily, they wouldn't be called humanity's great enemies... Keqing and the others couldn't help but think to themselves.
"I don't want to make Sister Bronya sad, so I won't fight you. Don't follow me again!" With that, Wendy turned and left without hesitation. In a moment, she was about to disappear from their sight. Her speed of Mach 5 surpassed that of many fighter jets.
Unable to help themselves, Kiana and the others pursued her once more.
On the Hyperion, Himeko was watching Kiana and the others' situation on the big screen, ready to intervene if anything unexpected happened. Suddenly, Theresa's communication connected to her command channel.
"Just spoke with Durandal."
"How is it?"
"I've obtained her coordinates," Theresa said with a slight upward curve of her lips, smiling smugly.
"She's quite gullible, truly a Valkyrie known for her straightforwardness," Himeko's mouth twitched.
"Ah, it can't be helped. It's all to buy Kiana and the others time." I don't believe you, you absolutely have ulterior motives... Himeko thought to herself. "But is it really okay to expose her location to the enemy? Durandal is at least our ally."
"That nagging little girl is not an ally! Back then, because of her, I suffered so much!" See, you let it slip.
"Besides, aren't we going to subjugate Anti-Entropy sooner or later? So let Durandal help us out~" Himeko felt like she could vaguely see the devil's red horns on Theresa's head and the devil's tail wagging behind her... It seemed she had to offend this white-haired loli less in the future.