"Hey, hey~"
Theresa stood on the podium of St. Freya's training ground, her voice amplified by a microphone specifically lowered for her.
"The exam is about to begin. This practical combat exam will adopt a single-round robin tournament system, with Valkyries paired up."
"Victory or defeat is not the sole criterion for judgment. The examiners will assess whether a Valkyrie is qualified based on their performance during the combat."
"All examiners and students, please be prepared."
After Theresa finished speaking, she left the podium and disappeared from the students' sight, entering the specially built observation deck.
Suddenly, Mei noticed Kiana standing behind her, silent and withdrawn, her face gaunt. This was a stark contrast to the usual boisterous Kiana.
"Kiana, why do you look so unwell? Did you eat something bad last night?"
Mei asked with concern.
Kiana held her forehead and shook her head. "Ugh, these past two days... I've been having all sorts of strange dreams. But every time I wake up, everything from the dream is hazy and unclear."
"It's just a dream. You must be stressed about the exams lately. I'll cook you a big meal after the tests."
"Really? Hehe, then will Mei go easy on me during the upcoming matches?"
As soon as food was mentioned, Kiana seemed to perk up like she'd had a Snickers bar, instantly recovering her usual lively and cheerful demeanor.
"No way, that's cheating on an exam. Quickly change into your battle suit and stop acting cute."
"Aww, Mei is so heartless~"
As they were talking, it was Kiana and Mei's turn. Since the first match was a team event, the two of them went on stage together for their exam.
At the waiting area, Sagiri noticed Ling Feng beside her looking down and lost in thought.
"Ling, what are you thinking about?"
"...Nothing." Ling Feng gently shook his head at her words and cast his gaze back towards Kiana and Mei, who were currently taking their exam.
The next second, Sagiri, disregarding her modesty, threw herself onto Ling Feng's arm, like a swallow returning to its nest. She hugged Ling Feng's arm tightly with both arms, clinging to him as if reluctant to let go. She whispered affectionately in his ear.
"Ling, I'm already an adult, can I..." Sagiri's cheeks flushed, her eyes, clear as water, filled with affection for Ling Feng.
"Keep your thoughts pure."
"Mmm~"
Ling Feng directly flicked her forehead. She cried out in pain, clutching her forehead and looking at Ling Feng with a wronged expression.
Ling Feng sighed, stroked Sagiri's head, and said softly, "Some things take time."
"Mhm." The head pat had a significant effect on Sagiri. All her previous grievances vanished instantly, and she curled up in Ling Feng's arms like a kitten.
Ling Feng's gaze returned to Kiana, his mind pondering strategies... Last night, after entering Kiana's dream, the Herrscher of the Void had cleverly created two separate areas, preventing him from entering the other to stop her.
And, she's here too... Ling Feng glanced silently at Rita on the podium.
In the subsequent exams, Sagiri, Ke Qing, Kiana, and the others performed exceptionally well, including Kiana...
In fact, Kiana's combat performance surpassed that of the others.
Soon, the exam reached its final round.
"Next is the final assessment. Candidates, please put on the synchronized immersion devices."
"The trial program responsible for virtual combat will select suitable virtual modules from the database as opponents."
"Good luck, everyone."
Theresa briefly explained the final assessment before stepping down, leaving the stage to the candidates.
"Candidate, Kiana Kaslana. Preparing to connect." Kiana was the first to be assessed.
"Readout rate 98.1%."
"Synchronization rate 100%. Enemy module generation in progress."
A mechanical female voice announced, but the next moment, an accident occurred.
"Synchronization rate 120%...—En-en-enemy mod-mod-module gen-gen-generating—"
The system's alarm suddenly blared, leaving the other candidates bewildered.
"What's going on? What happened?"
"This isn't right. The program should have forcibly terminated upon receiving the system error. But the program's synchronization rate is currently at 120%. This means—" Himeko's expression turned serious.
"Forcibly interrupting might affect me?"
"Enemy module generation complete."
Before Himeko could speak, the system prompt sounded again. The next moment, a massive pig-like... Emperor-class Honkai Beast - Juggernaut appeared opposite Kiana.
"ROAR!!!"
Juggernaut let out a deafening roar. Its several-meter-tall body exuded an oppressive aura, the shockwaves of its roar forcing Kiana to stumble back several steps.
"It's Juggernaut?! How is this possible? The database shouldn't be able to generate Emperor-class Honkai Beast modules!"
Theresa was shocked. However, the machine couldn't be stopped arbitrarily at this point, as it might have significant repercussions for Kiana.
She was about to summon Judah and rush in to deal with Juggernaut. As an S-rank Valkyrie, dealing with an Emperor-class Honkai Beast was relatively easy.
"Don't worry, since we can't disconnect, I'll take it down myself!"
Kiana confidently raised her dual pistols. Although she hadn't slept well these past few days, she felt that all her abilities had inexplicably improved.
This was the inflated confidence that came with a pure increase in strength, making her feel invincible.
"We'll help too!"
Except for Ling Feng and Himeko, the entire third squad stood up from the resting area and joined the battle.
As comrades, how could they stand by and watch their teammate be in danger while they remained below?
With the addition of Fu Hua and the others, their coordinated efforts quickly defeated Juggernaut.
"Kiana, are you alright?" Theresa asked with concern, inwardly surprised that the third squad could now contend with an Emperor-class Honkai Beast without them realizing it.
Combat squads capable of fighting Emperor-class Honkai Beasts were considered elite within Schicksal, and they were few in number.
Kiana, supported by Mei, swayed unsteadily, looking as if she might collapse at any moment. Even so, she panted and said, "So tired... *huff*. But with an opponent like this, it was a piece of cake for this young lady..."
"Stop bragging and go back to rest," Himeko said helplessly, offering Kiana and the others several bottles of mineral water.
After such an intense battle, they would surely be dehydrated.
"What a spectacular battle!" Rita approached, her perfect smile still gracing her face.
"Although the opponent was a virtual module, it was simulated using the combat data of an Emperor-class Honkai Beast."
"I'm looking forward to her future performance even more."
Ling Feng stood up and glanced at Rita. Suddenly, Rita turned and gave him a slight smile, leaving Ling Feng feeling perplexed.
Despite the minor interruption, the assessment concluded successfully. After a short rest, Kiana and the others followed the crowd out of the exam hall.
"Ah, finally done... I'm exhausted..." Kiana yawned, stretching lazily and rubbing the tears from the corners of her eyes.
But when Kiana opened her eyes again, she suddenly realized Mei and the others had vanished.
"Mei? Ke Qing? Fu Hua? Where are you?"
Kiana cautiously looked around, finding herself in what seemed like a laboratory.
"You adorable little girl, you're quite the surprise. You even managed to defeat that Juggernaut~★"
"You know, this Honkai Beast that appeared in India in 2012 resulted in the deaths of two A-rank Valkyries and severe injuries to twelve others..."
"I thought it would be an insurmountable challenge for a B-rank Valkyrie like you?"
The voice from the dream echoed again.
"Jokes, although I have the title of B-rank Valkyrie, I possess the strength of an S-rank Valkyrie."
Kiana crossed her arms, a bit overconfident, and said.
"Hehe, you do talk big. While your strength is good, it's still far from that of an S-rank Valkyrie~★"
"Because fourteen years ago, I personally experienced the strength of an S-rank Valkyrie."
"Fourteen years ago? Experienced it personally?"
Kiana froze, but then she finally realized who the voice belonged to. Her eyes filled with rage, as if she wanted to tear the shadowy figure apart on the spot.
"Could it be... the Second Herrscher?"
"No, how is that possible? Why would the Second Herrscher, who was confirmed to have been eliminated fourteen years ago, appear in my dream?"
But she quickly thought, wasn't the Second Herrscher confirmed to be destroyed? Although her academic performance was poor, she remembered knowledge she was interested in very firmly.
"Oh my, even your slow reactions are so cute, it makes me want to gobble you up~★" the Herrscher of the Void giggled.
"Hmph, even in a dream... you won't be leaving here alive today. You... murderer of my mother!" Kiana roared.
"I don't plan on leaving here, hehe~ Because this is both your dream and my dream."
"I am you, and you are me. The one who should leave... should be you, Kiana!"
"Shut up!" Kiana yelled in fury and, with a surge of anger, kicked out at the shadowy figure.
But the next moment, the shadow disappeared from her sight, and her vision began to blur.
"Don't rush, take your time. In the rest of your life, I will incessantly, incessantly appear in your deepest nightmares.
"Until one day, you are no longer able to... resist..."
...
When Kiana opened her eyes again, she found herself in the main control room of the Moon Throne, with Mei and the others looking at her with concern.
"She's alright now." Ling Feng stopped channeling his internal energy to Kiana and handed her over to Mei.
"It seems Kiana's unconsciousness and sleepwalking were influenced by the energy of the Moon Throne's engine."
"This battleship's engine is truly peculiar. But regardless, my mission here is complete. I will now return to headquarters to report."
Rita analyzed, standing before the main control screen.
"Mei, I'm hungry~"
"Then let's go back quickly! I'll cook for you!"
Mei supported Kiana as they walked towards the Valkyrie dormitories, their figures gradually receding, leaving Rita alone.
"Observation log report, subject number 105-k423."
"Compared to the past, the subject's physical strength and combat ability have shown significant growth."
"However, the specific condition of personality replication still requires further observation."
"The Bishop's plan is about to enter the implementation phase."
"Everything... is within his control."
Ling Feng, walking at the very back of the crowd, twitched his ear. His gaze deepened, and he murmured in a low voice.
"It's here?"
This was Ling Feng's first time using his divine sense for mind-reading. With Rita's strength, she couldn't detect it.