"This world really doesn't have such purely evil people – it's just that Otto's side is truly hard to deal with."
While Rita cheerfully accepted the concert video of another Theresa that he had transmitted over, Daniel felt a tinge of melancholy. Besides Otto, there were hardly any truly malicious individuals among Schicksal's ranks – even Cocolia and Hulang, if you look closely, weren't purely evil.
Everyone's goal was to defeat Honkai; they only differed in the methods they employed because of their personal ideals. Of course, that is no excuse for some to recklessly harm innocent people. For instance, Cocolia, Walter Young, and Einstein had already prepared to deal with her.
Death might not be the end – but going to prison was inevitable. And once someone ended up behind bars, it would be nearly impossible to get out again. Of course, considering Bronie and Xier's relationship, life for them would likely continue without major disruption.
"What are you two whispering about? You haven't said anything unnecessary, have you?"
After finishing the student grouping, Theresa noticed Daniel and Rita huddled together, whispering. Curiosity piqued, she hurried over. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she called out anxiously to Daniel.
Theresa and Rita had known each other since childhood; Rita's playful nature always amused Theresa.
The image of Magical Girl teriri had already given Theresa plenty of grief – both Himeko and Kiana had long wished for her to try out that persona. Himeko even suggested that next time, Theresa should perform on stage at a St. Freya Academy celebration in that very outfit.
"Nothing, Headmistress Theresa – the Archbishop has requested that Daniel come to Schicksal Headquarters," Rita replied in a composed tone, as if her earlier exuberance watching the Magical Girl teriri video had been nothing more than a passing fancy.
"Grandfather wants to see him," Theresa said, her eyes immediately turning to Daniel with an uneasy expression. In the past, Theresa would never have behaved this way, but now that she had seen Otto's true colors, she couldn't help but be on edge.
Theresa's expression was instantly noticed by Rita, though she quickly regained her composure.
"If Daniel has time, would you accompany me to Schicksal Headquarters? The Archbishop has been waiting for quite some time now."
"Since the Archbishop of Schicksal has extended such a gracious invitation, how could I not appreciate it?" Daniel replied, nodding politely toward Theresa.
Though Daniel despised Otto, he had no intention of eliminating him. Taking down Otto was far from simple – after all, Otto was the Archbishop of Schicksal. If Daniel attacked him, it would mean going after the entire Schicksal organization, and then Rita and Youlandel would certainly intervene.
Furthermore, even if it were possible to kill Otto, it wasn't that simple. Even if he could shatter a man's soul, Otto's ability to transfer his consciousness – or even quickly regenerate if he were killed – might render such an attempt ineffective.
Otto hadn't exactly been entirely eliminated before – the First Ruler Walter Joyce had once taken him down, and the World Serpent had also killed him once with the Third Divine Key.
Moreover, if possible, Daniel also hoped that Otto might eventually resurrect Kalian. Otto needed Kiana, who held the power of the Void Ruler, and that was why Himeko's final lesson was given. Now that Daniel had arrived, even if Himeko's final lesson were not administered, Kiana might still have the chance to master the Void Ruler's abilities – thereby achieving Otto's objectives.
Upon seeing Daniel agree, Theresa said no more; however, her demeanor raised Rita's suspicions.
"Rita, the exam has already begun. This year the students' quality is excellent," Theresa remarked.
"All thanks to Headmistress Theresa," Rita replied.
Rita, after all, was the representative of Archbishop Otto here to inspect the Valkyrie exam. Although her main focus was on Kiana, she observed the other exam events closely – and if any promising talent were identified, she would have them transferred to headquarters without hesitation.
Speaking of Rita's situation, it was rather similar to that of Himeko – both had joined Schicksal as ordinary students. However, Rita's innate talent was far superior to Himeko's. Not only did Rita adapt to Honkai energy far better, but she also managed matters with remarkable efficiency. In Schicksal, Rita was responsible for handling the darker affairs on Otto's behalf. Like Bronie, she had once been listed on the assassin roster.
After the one-on-one duel exams concluded, the Valkyries' next test was to combat Honkai Beasts in virtual projection. Since the participants were students, the Honkai Beasts were not particularly strong, and the exam proceeded smoothly – until Kiana took the stage and the alarm suddenly blared.
What was supposed to be an ordinary Honkai Beast – not exceeding the strength of a battle tank – transformed into a Honkai Emperor. This was extremely dangerous for ordinary Valkyries; even in virtual projection, being killed was not without lasting mental damage.
After all, this was not merely a virtual reality game – the Valkyries had to face real Honkai Beasts. Even Theresa wouldn't allow them to be tested without some degree of risk.
This was why St. Freya Academy – if compared to other Schicksal Valkyrie training schools – was even more dangerous, sometimes requiring the Valkyries to face actual Honkai Beasts.
"Rita, what have you done?"
Seeing Kiana in peril, Theresa immediately shouted at Rita.
"Headmistress Theresa, I don't understand what you mean," Rita replied, her expression as calm as ever, though if one looked closely, her eyes betrayed a flicker of uncertainty.
"Theresa, please, calm down," just as Theresa was about to continue, Himeko suddenly called her name out loud. That single call snapped Theresa back to reality.
"Sorry, Rita, I was just too worried about Theresa."
Once Theresa recovered, she apologized to Rita.
"It's alright, Headmistress—don't worry about it," Rita said as she glanced briefly at Daniel, who had by then detected suspicion on his end.
"Immediately halt the test," Theresa ordered.
"No, the equipment has already lost control," an anxious voice from the staff cried out.
"Theresa, calm down—I trust that Kiana will be fine," Daniel said.
"Unfold the Light Wings!"
While Theresa, Himeko, and the others fretted for Kiana, on the virtual projection, Kiana herself engaged in fierce combat against the Honkai Emperor. After a series of fruitless attacks, the armor on Kiana suddenly transformed, unleashing dozens of beams of light that instantly shattered the Honkai Emperor.
"From white cloth to moonlight—who would have thought it was real," Daniel muttered quietly as he observed the white, radiant armor unfolding behind him.
Previously, the standard Valkyrie third-generation armor known as "White Cloth" was worn by the Valkyries during their physical exams, where they were not allowed to use any equipment. Even Bronie was prohibited from using her Heavy Weapon Bunny in that test.
In the virtual projection test, however, the Valkyries were fully armed. The differences between Valkyries with and without armor were stark.
Look at Fu Hua – without her Shadow Rider Moon Wheel, even when attacking Waite, even Walter struggled. Yet once she donned the Moon Wheel, she could effortlessly absorb the power of the Tranquil Gem, then deliver a single blow to defeat a recently reawakened Judgment-class Honkai Beast such as Benales.
Back in the previous era, when Daniel first dabbled in this technology, he had heard a rumor that if one trained White Cloth to its highest level, it could transform into moonlight. So he trained accordingly. The outcome, as everyone knows, was unmistakable.
That rumor, whose source remains a mystery, had deceived many novices. But now he was certain – White Cloth could indeed transform into the White Knight Moonlight. Kiana had just demonstrated that transformation right before his eyes.
"Headmistress, you really know how to give me a hard time," someone remarked.
As Daniel watched the White Knight Moonlight, memories from his past flooded back. Rita frowned slightly. Theresa had not wronged her – it was the test equipment malfunctioning that was to blame. But what truly shocked her was that Kiana had managed to don the White Knight Moonlight armor.
This was the fourth-generation Valkyrie armor currently in trial by Schicksal. Although there were several experimental models, only a handful had been fully deployed – and they were still lab prototypes, not yet mass-produced.
In the end, Otto had given Kiana one complete set. Even if it existed only as data online without a physical model, it left Rita speechless – as it hadn't met her expectations at all.
"Kiana, are you alright?"
When Kiana emerged from the equipment bay, Theresa and Himeko immediately surrounded her. Kiana, however, seemed oblivious; she even remarked that this test's Honkai Beast was much fiercer than the last one – a consequence, she joked, of not paying attention in class. In terms of classifying Honkai Beasts, Kiana only distinguished between Emperor-level and ordinary ones.
The Honkai Emperor and Emperor-level Honkai Beasts were entirely different. The former represented the pinnacle of lower-tier Honkai, while the latter belonged to a higher echelon.
"That's something else entirely – if that had been an Emperor-level Honkai Beast, even with the White Knight Moonlight, Kiana wouldn't have been able to defeat it."
"Rita, how is our Kiana doing?"
Outside St. Freya Academy, in a hotel, Rita quickly contacted Otto at Schicksal Headquarters after leaving the academy.
"Thus far, no abnormalities have been detected – everything is as usual," Rita reported on Kiana's status, incorporating both her own observations and intelligence from Schicksal's spies stationed at the academy.
Kiana was the key to Otto's plan; monitoring her was not solely Fu Hua's responsibility.
"Archbishop, Headmistress Theresa seems to have noticed something off," Rita continued after reporting on Kiana's condition, and then mentioned Theresa's own anomalies.
"Oh? And what's your assessment?" Otto eventually asked after a moment's silence.
"I suspect it may be that someone from a world bubble has said something to Headmistress Theresa. But if that were the case, it's peculiar – if that person were from Mebius's circle and equally interested in the Void Ruler, they shouldn't have disclosed this information to her," Rita said slowly, voicing her suspicions.
Had Daniel heard this, he would have been quite surprised that Schicksal now considered him one of Mebius's own. But that was partly his own fault – after all, he had let Mebius appear in Lion City.
Through five centuries of research, Otto had come to understand nearly everything about the Thirteen Flame-Chasers of the previous civilization – except for Mebius. This led him to suspect that Mebius might be hiding within some world bubble. Yet with Schicksal's resources, it was impossible that after all these years not a trace had been found. Naturally, Daniel and Bronie – being from a world bubble themselves – became his primary suspects.
"Still, that remains uncertain. By the way, has my guest accepted my invitation?"
"Already. Once things here settle down, she'll return with me to Schicksal Headquarters," Rita confirmed.
"Bold indeed. It seems I should call Youlandel back," Otto remarked.
"Should I notify Fu Hua as well?"
"That won't be necessary. If she truly belongs to Mebius's circle, then she'd be in no position to intervene when the time comes," Otto replied.
"Understood," Rita said promptly. She understood Otto's meaning: while Fu Hua's dealings with Otto were mostly transactional, her bond with Mebius went back fifty millennia. In that case, who else would Fu Hua support? Even if Fu Hua were gravely injured and her power diminished compared to before, hardly anyone in Schicksal could match her.
"Are you going to see Otto? Isn't that dangerous?"
While Rita and Otto were in contact, Daniel was simultaneously coordinating with Walter Young and Einstein.
"Don't worry – you've seen my capabilities. As long as I want to leave, Schicksal Headquarters won't be able to keep me. Meanwhile, you can use this opportunity to attack the Atlantic Branch and rescue Wendy. I'm sure that when Otto meets me, Schicksal's S-rank Valkyries will be present," Daniel assured.
"That's indeed a good opportunity."
"I'll assign a shadow clone to work with you," Daniel added.
A shrill alarm suddenly echoed from the Atlantic Branch. The unexpected siren left the Valkyrie team stationed at the base frozen. This was the first time the base had been attacked. Crucially, prior to the alarm, the base's Valkyrie squad had already been deployed upon detecting Honkai activity.
In order to rescue Wendy, launching an assault on Schicksal's Atlantic Branch was unavoidable. However, neither Theresa nor Walter Young, nor Einstein, wished to cause Valkyrie casualties – even if it risked drawing Otto's suspicion.
Thus, Anti-Entropy was tasked with gathering Honkai energy in unpopulated areas to trigger a Honkai event, thereby diverting the main Valkyrie forces. Meanwhile, a team of Anti-Entropy mechs led by Kiana, Mei, Bronie, Xier, and Bronny was ordered to launch a surprise assault.
As for Cocolia, Daniel's shadow clone would utilize a teleportation gate to bypass her defenses. With Walter Young personally on the scene – armed with his "Waite" and "Walter Three" devices – there was no way Cocolia could match him. Even without the Ruler core, Walter's Eden Star would remain undiminished.
This was thanks to Cocolia's departure from Haian City in pursuit of the Desire Gem; otherwise, the enemy would have been reinforced by the Rosalia sisters.
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