Inside St. Freya Academy.
"Lia, power me up—I want to get stronger! Mei and Bronya have already become so powerful. How can I keep standing still? So help me."
As she spoke, Kiana leapt forward and pounced onto Elias. Her entire body clung to him like a sloth, her arms wrapped around his neck, while those long, flawless legs locked tightly around his waist.
At this moment, this little Kiana cat was puffing her cheeks, rubbing her cute face back and forth in Elias' arms.
Elias was instantly overwhelmed by the cuteness. One hand supported Kiana's butt, while the other delivered a head-pat.
"Alright, alright. But what's with 'Lia'? Anyone hearing that would think I'm your pet, Kiana."
"Eh? Elias is my pet... hehe."
"What are you imagining? Don't make weird things up. Don't forget—you're the pet girl here, Kiana."
Elias rolled his eyes and flicked her forehead. He was the one in the caretaker role. This little idiot couldn't even take care of herself and still wanted to raise a pet?
By now, Kiana had already been spoiled into a useless house cat in the Valkyrie dorms. She no longer had the survival ability she once had before arriving in Nagazora, when she used to wander the world and find her own food.
Now, she'd probably starve to death if thrown outside for half a day...
"Ahem, it's just that I heard Elysia call you 'Eli,' so I wanted my own special nickname too," Kiana scratched her head, looking a bit embarrassed.
"Alright, but 'Lia' sounds like a girl's name, you know." Elias laughed helplessly. This girl really had no talent for naming.
"W-well, it's easy to say... but if you don't like it, I won't use it..."
Kiana poked her index fingers together in front of her chest. She also felt that she had been a bit too careless, so the little idiot booted up her rarely used brain and began desperately thinking of another nickname.
Elias pinched her cheek. "Forget it. Lia is fine. Just call me whatever you like, Kiana. I don't mind."
Everyone else: (You really spoil her.) xN
"Yay! Hehe, I like Lia the most!"
Kiana happily hugged Elias' head. Her not-too-big-not-too-small chest pressed directly against his face, forcing him to quickly pat her back to signal that it was enough.
This kind of move was fine in private, but not in front of Fu Hua. The flat-chested immortal had already released killing intent and was preparing to split the heavens.
"Ahem. So, Kiana—you want to get stronger?"
"Mm—yes!"
Kiana nodded vigorously. She felt terrible. Just now, after Elysia sealed her authority, Mei had defeated her instantly with a single normal attack.
This made the little idiot realize awkwardly that, without considering Herrscher powers, aside from Alexandra, Bronya's mom, she seemed unable to beat anyone else in the dorm.
How could this be allowed? She had always thought of herself as a T1 or even T0 protagonist. But now she realized she was far weaker than she imagined.
Among the trio, she was the only one still at the stage of the Herrscher of Flamescion, while Bronya and Mei seemed to have already completed their final evolutions, reaching Truth and Godslayer.
"So... Lia, help me~"
Kiana looked at Elias with a pleading expression. As everyone knew, both Bronya and Mei's power-ups had come from him. Asking others was worse than relying on yourself, and relying on yourself was worse than relying on Elias!
However...
"Ahem, Kiana, about this matter—we're not saying we won't do it. But, you see, there's no such thing as something we absolutely must do right away. After all, everything depends on human effort. We can think about it together. Let's deal with it a bit later. Anyway, we'll talk about it later..."
"???"
Kiana's eyes spun like spirals, clearly completely confused by Elias' words.
Not far away, Fu Hua widened her eyes in shock, thinking to herself—what an impressive level of rambling nonsense.
Elias, with just one sentence, had already reached the level of a seasoned bureaucrat.
"Hehe~"
Elias awkwardly looked away. It wasn't that he didn't want to power her up—it was just that he hadn't figured out how yet.
In theory, Kiana had the highest talent among the trio. Even though she didn't like using her brain, she truly possessed genius-level potential. On top of that, she had the Kaslana family's standard monstrous strength, as well as... part of Elias' own foundation.
Because during the Second Eruption of the Current Era, the one who became the Herrscher of the Void had been Elias, Otto had used Elias and Durandal as the materials when creating Kiana.
There was no need to elaborate on Durandal's configuration—Schariac stigmata plus Kaslana stigmata, forming the foundation of Palatinus.
As for Elias, although he had only been an ordinary Five-Core Herrscher at the time and far weaker than now, one must not forget that he had already been personally modified by the Will of Honkai—Prometheus—into a vessel for the Herrscher of Finality.
Even though Kiana, as a genetically engineered human, still had certain limitations, she undoubtedly possessed parts of both Elias' and Durandal's talent. Her upper limit was absurdly high.
And precisely because of that, Elias didn't know how best to strengthen her. It wasn't that he couldn't—he just didn't know which method would be most suitable.
(The most suitable path would definitely be becoming the Herrscher of Finality, but not only is that path already reserved by me, all the Herrscher Gems already have their owners.)
Elias now wore a Bronya-like expression, looking conflicted as he struggled to think of a way to power her up.
(Or should I do something like Mei—give Kiana a Godsbane Suit or something... hmm, to be honest, that doesn't seem very suitable, and she probably couldn't handle it.)
Mei's Godsbane Suit didn't rely purely on physical strength. The difficulty of controlling it was even higher than piloting the most complex Anti-Entropy tactical mechs.
And in the original storyline, Kiana had once accidentally self-destructed while piloting a Titan mech. In Elias' opinion, she clearly wasn't suited for relying on armor.
"Waaah, Lia is biased."
"How could that be, Kiana? Trust me, okay? Just wait a bit. Let me think of another way. When the time comes, I'll give you a huge power-up."
"Really really?"
"Really really!"
Elias rubbed Kiana's little face. This was the ultimate, unbelievably adorable Kiana—how could he possibly play favorites? He just wanted to give her the very best.
"Hehe~ Lia treats me the best."
"Of course. Ich liebe dich, Kiana."
After kissing her forehead, Elias hoisted her onto his back and headed toward the Valkyrie dorms, which had already been restored to their original state under time authority. He also declared that he would be cooking today.
The moment those words came out, Kiana's eyes lit up. She swallowed hard and immediately rattled off a long list of dishes without hesitation. Although Mei and Theresa were excellent cooks...
Kiana: "Lia is number one in the world!!"
...
That night.
After enjoying Elias' long-awaited home-cooked meal, all the girls fell into a satisfied sleep. But one little Kiana cat quietly opened her bedroom window and jumped outside.
"Even if relying on Lia is the fastest and easiest way to get stronger, this lady isn't without other options! It's a bit scary to go ask those people, but now that everyone else has improved, I can't keep standing still."
Kiana looked toward a certain building within St. Freya Academy that remained brightly lit even under the night sky.
Although her Kaslana instincts told her to be afraid, the little Kiana cat still firmly stepped forward.
...
"Cangxuan, Danzhu, your efficiency has dropped. Hurry up and sort out this report. And Klein, Elf Klein—verify this experiment's data again. Hmm? Where did that Jackal run off to?"
"Doctor, Miss Cleo has already collapsed."
Having pushed herself beyond human limits, Jackal had successfully sacrificed herself for science, burning out completely. She was now lying face-down on the table, unconscious.
"Useless. Move her over there to lie down."
Mobius frowned slightly. She couldn't even last a few days of overwork? This little Jackal had decent talent, but her endurance was far too low. As a member of Mobius' lab, working non-stop without sleep for a month was basic professional quality.
Even so, Klein felt that her doctor was unusually gentle. Perhaps it was because she had reunited with Elias recently. This time, instead of telling her to inject Jackal with a stimulant, Mobius actually told her to help her lie down properly.
Cangxuan and Danzhu were also deeply shocked. The sisters exchanged a glance and prepared to pretend to faint as well.
However...
Reality proved they were overthinking.
Mobius' conscience had run out of credit fifty thousand years ago.
"Klein, where are you taking her?"
"Eh? Didn't you say to help Miss Cleo lie down, Doctor?"
"I did say that, but I didn't say she should lie on the sofa."
"Then... where should she lie?"
"Of course—the operating table."
"!!!" x4
All four of them shuddered. Was that really necessary? If she couldn't be an assistant, she'd become a test subject instead? Doctor Mobius, were you determined to squeeze every last bit of value out of her?
"Hmph. This little Jackal's physical condition is far too poor. Arrange a Meta-Morph surgery for her. Choose endurance—something that lets her work two months straight without stopping."
"Y-yes..."
"Also, since I'm currently at Anti-Entropy and can't return for the time being, Klein, you'll perform the surgery. You've been with me for so long—one Meta-Morph operation should be no problem for you. Do your best."
At the moment, Mobius was supervising her lab through a three-dimensional projection. Even though her real body wasn't present, the pressure she exuded was overwhelming, and no one dared slack off.
However, just as she finished reviewing the experiment progress and was about to continue her academic exchange with Einstein and Tesla at Anti-Entropy—
"Hey? Is that green-haired auntie here?"
Bang! The lab door was kicked open.
Kiana stood there holding the Flamescion Sword, draped in a blazing white cloak. She looked like a hero charging into a demon's lair from a fairy tale... or more like someone here to wreck the place.
Mobius, who hadn't logged off yet, twitched at the corner of her eye. What green-haired auntie? Did this little idiot even know how to speak? Back when your ancestor lay on my operating table, they had to beg me to keep my hands steady.
"Little lab rat, I believe your name is Kiana Kaslana, right? What do you want from me? If you're here to smash my lab, then... Klein, close the doors and release the hounds."
"Yes, Doctor."
Klein expressionlessly pressed a control panel. The lab doors immediately sealed shut, while the surrounding walls were reinforced with soulium isolation plates.
Soon after, terrifying modified Honkai Beasts, Imaginary Constructs, and Quantum Shadows poured out from the experiment chambers.
Seeing monsters whose strength was no less than Judgment-class—and even Vipralopa-class—Kiana instantly lost her heroic momentum.
Cold sweat dripped down her face. She finally understood why this place was called the most dangerous forbidden zone in St. Freya Academy.
If St. Freya was the Far East's demon cave, then this Mobius laboratory was the demon cave within the demon cave—the final boss castle in an RPG.
"W-wait, I'm not here to fight!"
"ROOOOAAAR—!" xN
Kiana hurried to explain, but it was already too late. For Mobius, who had recently adopted a strike-first mentality, the moment Kiana appeared in full Herrscher attire—
She had already decided to capture her and strap her to the operating table before discussing anything.
As a side note, Kiana had entered Herrscher mode mainly for peace of mind. Mobius, due to her habit of cutting costs, only allowed her own lab to have lights on in such a large building.
But the occasional screams from her test subjects were simply too terrifying. Even though she hadn't experimented on humans for a long time, whether it was Honkai Beasts, Imaginary Constructs, or Quantum Shadows—anything alive could be turned into something horrific in her hands.
Kiana said it was her first time hearing a Honkai Beast scream. The inhuman wails combined with the darkness were so frightening that she instinctively activated her Herrscher form.
And now, the two sides had already started fighting.
"Flamescion—Burn Everything!"
Kiana wielded the Flamescion Sword and unleashed her ultimate without hesitation. With two sweeping strikes, she heavily wounded Mobius' "pets." The powers of the Herrscher of Wind and Herrscher of Fire complemented each other.
It was enough to unleash power far beyond that of an ordinary dual-Core Herrscher.
"Interesting. Klein, record this girl's data. Then release a few Husk: Nihilius."
"D-Doctor, isn't that a bit too much?"
"Relax. This little one won't die."
"H-hey! Why are there more?! I'm really not here to fight—I came to ask for help!"
Kiana was completely dumbfounded. Not to mention the monsters—weren't the people in this lab supposed to be researchers? She could even feel a considerable sense of danger from Klein, Cangxuan, and Danzhu.
As everyone knew, scientists from the Previous Era were highly proficient in combat...
Although the lab had excellent soundproofing, the intensity of the battle still caused quite a disturbance, waking the Valkyries in the dorms.
But when they opened their windows and saw the commotion coming from the experimental building, they immediately lost interest.
Valkyries/Herrschers: "If you don't want to wake up one day tied to an operating table, then don't interfere with mad scientists."