Inside Schicksal's simulation training chamber.
A holy white-haired, blue-eyed young girl wielded a black-and-white sacred lance, performing a dazzling battle dance.
"Roar, roar, roar—!"
The Honkai Beasts let out terrifying roars as they launched simultaneous attacks at Cecilia.
Yet the girl's graceful figure nimbly evaded every strike. No matter how fearsome the Honkai Beasts were, their claws and energy beams could not so much as brush against her.
Having found her own goal and ideal, the girl had grown stronger even in strength. During this period, Cecilia's progress could only be described as astonishing.
At this very moment, she was undergoing the S-rank Valkyrie examination.
Her opponents were five Emperor-class Honkai Beasts.
For Valkyries of this era—who did not possess battlesuits—this difficulty far exceeded what an A-rank Valkyrie could handle. Even in virtual simulation, a single misstep could still mean death.
And yet Cecilia showed no fear.
Like a beautiful white fairy, she repeatedly survived by the narrowest margins through the gaps in the Emperor-class Honkai Beasts' attacks, countering with the sacred lance in her hands.
"Abyss Flower, bloom!!"
Cecilia thrust the black-and-white sacred lance into the floor. In the next instant, countless green vines burst forth, forming a plant shield that blocked the Honkai Beasts' attacks while entangling and imprisoning them.
She then drew out the black war lance hidden within the white bloom—Black Abyss. This deathly spear, imbued with the Herrscher of Death's power of "decaying," was something ordinary people were not even qualified to touch.
But Cecilia, who bore the power of the Schariac stigmata, wielded it as naturally as if it were part of her own body.
With a single thrust, she pierced through and killed the Emperor-class Honkai Beast Ganesha before her. Using the corpse as a springboard, she leapt toward the remaining four Emperor-class Honkai Beasts and launched her assault.
The battle ultimately lasted half an hour.
By the time it ended, Cecilia's body was covered in wounds, and her Honkai energy was nearly depleted. Yet the five Emperor-class Honkai Beasts—Ganesha, Parvati, Assaka, Gerald, and Vishnu—
Had all been pierced through and slain by Black Abyss White Flower.
Clap clap clap clap—! xN
Thunderous applause erupted from all around. The young Valkyries looked at Cecilia with admiration and longing, and even the green eyes of the blond man at the front held a trace of astonishment.
"Very well. I hereby announce that Valkyrie Cecilia Schariac has successfully passed the S-rank Valkyrie examination. You are Schicksal's first newly promoted S-rank Valkyrie in thirty-six years."
"This Sixth Divine Key—the Key of Creation, Abyss Flower—will be your weapon from now on. Use it well, and remember your mission—to fight for all that is beautiful in this world."
Otto said from above, looking down at her. Seeing Cecilia's outstanding performance, he finally let out a breath of relief.
At least that investment wasn't wasted, he thought.
An S-rank Valkyrie perfectly compatible with Abyss Flower—placing her anywhere in Schicksal's history, Cecilia's strength would rank among the top three.
Coupled with the Schariac Holy Blood, this Holy Maiden of the Schariac family truly possessed the potential to single-handedly slay a Herrscher-level enemy.
And she would only continue to grow. If she maintained this momentum, in Otto's eyes, she might very well become the second strongest Valkyrie in all of Schicksal's history.
As for who ranked first?
Otto: (Of course it's Kallen! Ah~ Kallen~)
One could only say that was entirely a matter of personal bias.
At this moment, however, Otto had no idea that in the future there would appear a certain golden, airheaded goose whose talent and potential would be so overwhelming that—even with all his favoritism—he would have no choice but to admit she was the strongest S-rank Valkyrie in history.
"Thank you, Archbishop."
After giving a respectful salute, Cecilia lifted Black Abyss White Flower and walked out of the training chamber. Yet in the very next second, her body swayed, and she nearly collapsed—clearly having reached her limit.
Even with explosive growth and improvement, facing five Emperor-class Honkai Beasts at once had been far too much.
Not long ago, Cecilia had only barely been able to defeat one in a one-on-one battle.
Moreover, while Abyss Flower possessed tremendous power, the consumption of a Divine Key was incomparable to that of ordinary Honkai energy weapons.
The fact that Cecilia had passed the examination just now was not solely due to her strength—it also contained no small measure of luck.
But regardless, she had already become an S-rank Valkyrie several years earlier than in the original course of events.
"Cecilia, are you alright?!"
Inside the lounge, a small white-haired girl looked at her best friend with worry, hurriedly taking out medical supplies to treat the wounds on Cecilia's body.
"I'm fine, Theresa. Ah—there's no need to treat me. Once I recover a bit more Honkai energy, I can use Abyss Flower's power to heal myself directly."
"I can't just leave you like this!"
Theresa said heartbrokenly. Looking at the bruises and injuries covering her friend's body, her expression grew complicated.
Though battered and wounded, the injuries did not diminish Cecilia's beauty in the slightest. On the contrary, they added a resolute charm worthy of the title "Valkyrie."
After all, battle damage always looked incredibly cool.
Theresa could clearly sense that ever since that day, her friend had changed. Though still as gentle, beautiful, and kind as ever, Cecilia had begun pushing herself relentlessly.
It was as if she had found her pursuit.
Or rather—found her "desire."
She had increased her daily training volume to five times what it had been before. Cecilia's progress had even exceeded Otto's expectations. In such a short span of time, she had passed the S-rank Valkyrie examination.
In contrast, a certain someone who had been recalled at the same time—the heir of the Kaslana family, known among Schicksal's three great families as the "knight" lineage—was performing so poorly it was almost unbearable to watch.
For example, right at this moment, in the training chamber adjacent to where Cecilia had just taken her S-rank examination—
A B-rank Schicksal Knight test was underway.
Considering the special nature of the Kaslana family, the difficulty of this test had been increased—from originally facing three Chariot-class Honkai Beasts to confronting a single Emperor-class Honkai Beast.
Although the difficulty had risen significantly, for an adult Kaslana "husky," it should not have been impossible—especially when equipped with the Judgment of Shamash.
However...
Siegfried: "Ahhh! Damn you, Otto! Just you wait! I will never become some Schicksal Knight! I'm not taking this damn test! Give me back my freedom! Holy—! You stupid Honkai Beast, don't come any closer—!"
Siegfried was being chased all around the training field by the Emperor-class Honkai Beast. As he ran, he even raised a very internationally friendly gesture toward Otto on the observation platform.
Otto: "...Amber, seal the training chamber doors. And release another Emperor-class Honkai Beast inside."
Amber: "Lord Archbishop, if one is killed within the virtual simulation, there is still a certain probability—"
Otto: "That applies to ordinary people. The Kaslana are thick-skinned and thick-headed. He won't die from something at this level."
Ever since picking Siegfried up, Otto felt as though he had brought a husky into the base. The man was lazy, constantly skipped training, and was forever attempting to escape.
Once, Siegfried had even jumped straight off Schicksal's floating island into the sea below, attempting to swim away through the Mediterranean. The moment he reached shore, however, he found himself surrounded by a fully armed Valkyrie squad.
"Even the Kaslana family is embarrassed to acknowledge Siegfried as their young patriarch. Sigh... forget it, let's not talk about him," Theresa said, shaking her head.
"Let's talk about you instead, Cecilia. You've really been pushing yourself too hard lately. With your talent and potential, there was no need to rush. You would have become an S-rank Valkyrie sooner or later."
"But right now, it feels like something is urging you forward."
Theresa's eyes were filled with concern, yet Cecilia simply smiled and shook her head.
At the same time, she reached out and gently patted the little white-haired girl's head. She had learned that from Elias. During the seven days they had spent together, she had been subjected to countless head pats.
"Don't worry, Theresa. I've never felt better. Because I've found my goal."
"Once I become an S-rank Valkyrie, the Archbishop will allow me to go out on missions. And once the replication experiment of the Schariac Holy Blood succeeds, I'll be free to leave."
Cecilia clenched her fists to encourage herself. Just one more step. Only one more step before she could break free of her cage. Only one more step before she could fulfill her promise.
Theresa's eyes widened in shock.
She knew her best friend had always longed for the outside world. But not to this extent.
It was as if the one who had returned that day was only Cecilia's body. Her heart had remained outside.
Or perhaps—in someone else's hands.
"Cecilia, could it be that you...?"
"Mm. I found someone I like out there."
Cecilia said, her cheeks faintly flushed.
The reason she had been working so hard lately was to reunite with that white-haired boy as soon as possible.
She had never told anyone about this. Not Otto, not the other Valkyries. But Theresa was her longtime friend.
Cecilia was willing to share her secret with her.
And... she also wanted to show off just a little.
She had found the kind of love that came only once in a lifetime.
For the Schariac family—whose tendency to give themselves wholeheartedly seemed engraved into their DNA—this was no exaggeration. For them, falling out of love was harder than asking a Kaslana to cook a delicious meal.
Yet just as Cecilia thought Theresa would congratulate her—
"No—!!!"
The little white-haired girl let out a piercing wail.
"Th-Theresa?"
"Cecilia's in love?! No, I refuse! I can't accept this! Waaaah!!"
As if struck by lightning, Theresa struck the exact pose from the famous painting The Scream. Her beloved best friend was dating—and the other party wasn't her.
The little white-haired girl had taken ten thousand points of emotional damage.
"Cecilia, don't! There's not a single good man in this world! Look at Grandpa, look at Siegfried! The first is a total villain, the second's a complete idiot—neither of them are reliable! You should just stay with me instead!"
With teary eyes, Theresa made a passionate yuri proposal, declaring that the opposite sex existed only for reproduction, while true love was between women.
"Ah... this..."
Cecilia didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She had treated the little white-haired girl as a friend all this time, yet the other party had apparently been trying to convert her. She instinctively pushed her a little farther away.
"Sorry, Theresa. You're a wonderful person. But I only see you as a friend."
"Guh!"
Theresa clutched her flat chest as Cecilia's "good person card" landed another critical hit. The little white-haired girl collapsed to her knees in utter defeat.
She already looked like a thoroughly beaten loser.
"I—I won't give up!!"
After letting out the howl of a defeated underdog, Theresa burst into tears and ran out the door. She planned to seek revenge on Elias—and, without learning her lesson, even brought the Oath of Judah with her.
Cecilia's expression grew complicated. After hesitating for a moment, she ultimately chose not to stop her.
As the person who had been closest to Elias during those seven days, she could feel that the white-haired boy bore no killing intent toward Valkyries.
As for whether Theresa could injure Elias...
That probability was lower than Fu Hua pulling ten golds in a single ten-draw.
Thus, that very afternoon—
Elias: "Hello? Dog Otto? Your granddaughter has come over to donate herself again. The price has gone up this time. Two hundred billion dollars. Transfer the money quickly."
Otto: "Pfft—!"
In the end, Otto failed to preserve the development funds for Kallen Fantasy, and yet another underperforming Schicksal branch was cut.
For a long time afterward, the Archbishop of Schicksal could only afford cheap wine. The expensive kind was now out of reach.
Theresa: "Grrr! I—I'll be back! Next time I definitely won't lose!"
Elias: "You're always welcome! Come anytime!"
Gray Serpent: "How generous. This year's funding for World Serpent is secured. Should Miss Theresa run for the position of Schicksal Archbishop in the future, World Serpent will fully support her."
Otto: "My dear granddaughter, stop delivering yourself to the enemy! Your grandfather is completely broke! Schicksal is about to go bankrupt! Sigh... perhaps we should learn from Anti-Entropy and start making animated films to earn money."
...
In the end, Theresa was placed under house arrest and temporarily had the Oath of Judah confiscated.
Otto truly feared that the girl would cause trouble for Elias again. If Theresa went over two more times, he might have to sell Schicksal's floating island to pay the ransom.
"Waaah, damn it! I was just a tiny bit away from winning this time!"
Inside Cecilia's villa dormitory.
Theresa stomped her foot angrily. She absolutely refused to admit that she had once again been single-handedly defeated by the Oath of Judah while Elias sat on his throne without even lifting a finger.
One could only say that as an S-rank Valkyrie weapon, Judah truly lived up to its name. Subduing a mere B-rank wielder was effortless.
"Alright, stop going to cause trouble for Elias. No matter what you do, it's useless. I've already fallen hopelessly in love with him. There's no possibility of changing my heart in this lifetime."
"Cecilia, don't be fooled by a scumbag! Today I saw an incredibly beautiful pink-haired girl by his side!"
"Oh, you mean Miss Elysia? That's wonderful. With her by Elias' side, even if I'm not there, he won't feel lonely."
"..."
Looking at her best friend's genuinely delighted expression, Theresa sucked in a sharp breath.
(Cecilia, do you hear what you're saying? Is this the power of the Schariac family?!)
Yet at that very moment—
"Though I won't be lonely... I'll still miss you."
A gust of night wind pushed open the tightly shut window of the girl's bedroom.
A white-haired boy, fairer than moonlight itself, sat upon the windowsill like a phantom thief who stole hearts.
"!!!" x2
Cecilia and Theresa stared at Elias in shock. The latter smiled and waved casually at the two girls.
"Hi~ Did you miss me, Cecilia?"