"All combat personnel, please be aboard the ship within thirty minutes! I repeat, all combat personnel, please be aboard the ship within thirty minutes!"
The flashing red of the alarm lights had already filled every corner of the academy. Interspersed with the sirens was Theresa's youthful voice, which, contrary to expectations, slightly lessened everyone's sense of urgency.
Himeko sighed and took the broadcast microphone from Theresa. A moment later, a much more serious and urgent
voice rang out: "All combat personnel, board the ship at once! This is not a drill! I repeat, this is not a drill!"
"Fu Hua, report the status of the Honkai Reactors."
"Major, Honkai Reactors 01 through 04 are operating normally. Reactors 05 and 06 are being charged with Honkai energy, with an estimated five minutes until completion. All anti-gravity engines are ready. The Hyperion is cleared for takeoff at any time."
Two years had passed in a flash.
Back during the Nagazora City incident, the Hyperion's combat preparations had been hasty and disorganized. Now, two new boarding docks had been added to the ship's stern, the internal corridors had been refurbished, and the weapon and ammunition stores were kept permanently full.
Prep time had been reduced exponentially. Despite all this, it still took a full half hour for all personnel to get aboard. In comparison, the upgraded Honkai Reactors took five minutes to charge with Honkai energy—longer than the old nuclear fusion reactors—but that extra time was negligible.
After all, the Hyperion's launch wasn't determined by the fastest part of its preparations, but by the slowest.
Still... perhaps reminded of what happened in Nagazora City, Hua and Himeko exchanged a knowing glance.
"I'm heading to the combat briefing. Hua, I'm leaving the bridge to you for now."
"Understood!"
They were, after all, the Far East Branch's only two A-Rank Valkyries. Although Fu Hua was technically just a student, she had to be pressed into service. At least, that's what the other Valkyries would think if they saw this. Himeko, however, would never treat Hua like a little girl. In fact, it was precisely because she knew Hua's background was anything but simple and her abilities were more than sufficient that Himeko felt at ease leaving her in charge of the bridge.
To the side of the bridge was a semi-open conference room. Normally, Theresa and Himeko's idea of a "combat briefing" was just the two of them standing on the bridge and making a decision. The Far East Branch had so few people that a complex command structure like a formal meeting was unnecessary; they just needed to make direct decisions based on the situation in each department.
But today was different. Schicksal's Overseer was here, after all. To act as they usually did would be somewhat disrespectful. Besides, a meeting like this wouldn't waste any time while combat preparations were still underway.
"We've nearly finished analyzing the Selene Engine from that battleship we brought back from Sapphire City," a voice said. "That thing has a Honkai energy reaction of over 12,000 HW. The current technological ceiling for you Schicksal folks is, what, about a tenth of that? What a coincidence, too. Theresa was planning to start swapping the SELENE Engine into the Hyperion in a couple of days. If this Honkai eruption had happened just one day later, we'd have been in real trouble."
Otto swept his gaze over the speaker, Michael, but didn't reply. Instead, he turned to Theresa, who had just walked in.
"Oh? You never reported this plan to me, did you, my dear Theresa?"
"I just didn't think it was something I needed to report."
Theresa shot Michael a glare, then lowered her head, looking a little guilty.
Otto shook his head, choosing not to press the matter.
"Rita, why don't you report the current situation?"
"Of course, Lord Overseer."
Rita first gave everyone a bow, then, in her uniquely dignified yet gentle tone, she began to speak without haste.
"At 11:57, East Nine District Time—approximately twenty minutes ago—a Honkai eruption occurred at the Oceania Branch in New Zealand. The peak Honkai energy reaction was 3587 HW."
Everyone present understood what a Honkai energy reaction of over 1000 HW signified.
"The Oceania Branch? No wonder the alarm reached us first."
If the Americas Branch still existed, they would have been the first line of support for Oceania. Unfortunately...
The most powerful branch, the European HQ, was on the other side of the planet. The only forces that could reach New Zealand in a timely manner were the Far East Branch and the Southeast Asia Branch.
But with the strength of those two branches...
Theresa's fingers curled slightly inside the sleeves of her nun's habit. Even including Rita, an S-Rank Valkyrie, their forces still felt a little thin for dealing with a Herrscher.
She knew the state of the Far East Branch all too well. They only had two A-Rank Valkyries. Hua had been gravely injured at the end of the Second Honkai War sixteen years ago, and it was unclear if she had fully recovered. Himeko's current combat effectiveness was pretty standard for an A-Rank, mainly due to her physical condition...
As for herself, a former S-Rank... the less said, the better.
The Southeast Asia Branch was in even worse shape than them. A year ago, during the Manila Eruption, the entire Snow Lotus squad stationed there—save for its current captain, Ana Schariac—had been wiped out. They had only finished rebuilding a few months ago.
Of course, based on the power the Third Herrscher had demonstrated in Nagazora City, an A-Rank Valkyrie squad, two additional A-Ranks, a current S-Rank, and a former S-Rank should be more than enough to handle a Herrscher.
The problem was, when comparing the power and destructive capabilities of the First and Second Herrschers to the Third... it was like comparing heaven and earth. Rather than hoping the Fourth Herrscher was on the same level as the Third, you'd have better odds betting on Himeko to get her act together.
"Are you worried that we won't be able to handle the Herrscher, Lady Theresa?"
Rita tilted her head. She had heard about the tragedy from sixteen years ago, so it wasn't hard for her to guess the source of Theresa's concern. Of course, her knowledge was largely due to Durandal's great interest in the subject.
"The Honkai energy only reached its peak for an instant—less than two seconds—before it rapidly dropped below 1000 HW. This situation is different from the Second Honkai War; it's more like the Third Eruption from two years ago. But Raiden Mei was able to suppress the Herrscher and lower the Honkai energy reading because she retained her own consciousness. Normally, a Herrscher should continue its path of destruction..."
"But, besides a Herrscher... uh, and the Selene Engine, is there anything else that can produce a Honkai energy reaction above 1500 HW?"
Theresa propped up her oversized head, completely puzzled. She specified 1500 HW, not 1000 HW, because the Hyperion's own Honkai Reactors could exceed 1000 HW at full power. However, aside from the Selene Engine, even Schicksal's most advanced engine could only manage a little over 1200 HW.
"There is!"
Rita, Michael, Himeko, and Otto all spoke at the same time.
Theresa's head felt even heavier, but after a moment's thought, she understood what they were referring to.
"What about a large number of Honkai energy storage tanks? Every branch maintains a reserve of Honkai energy, don't they? The Far East Branch alone has a total reserve of no less than 3000 HW. And since the Oceania Branch is so isolated and can't receive timely support from HQ or our Shenzhou allies, they would naturally maintain the largest reserve. Is it possible that their storage tanks simply exploded?" Rita offered, spreading her hands.
"W-Why would you think that? What if it really is a Herrscher?"
Theresa couldn't understand. Wasn't preparing for the worst-case scenario a basic requirement of strategic planning?
"The simplest way to know for sure would be to contact the Oceania Branch. We should be able to learn what happened from any survivors... Well, unfortunately, we lost contact with them the moment the eruption began and haven't reestablished it since. So, all we can do is speculate."
Even when questioned by Theresa, and despite the urgency of the situation, Rita remained calm and composed, answering in the most level and elegant tone.
The moment she finished speaking, a snort of derision came from a corner of the room.
"Pfft!"
As all eyes turned to him, Michael silently covered his mouth. But then he shook his head and turned to Otto.
"Hey! You've been keeping secrets from your own granddaughter?"
"I can't help it. You're always by Theresa's side. I can hardly leave myself completely unguarded with you around, can I?" Otto said with a blink.
"Besides, I'm only keeping things from my own granddaughter. You..."
"Strictly speaking, Eleanor and she aren't really your granddaughters, are they?"
That one sentence silenced Otto. He glanced at Theresa, who looked worried but also curious, then closed his eyes and shrugged.
"Alright, Rita. The cat is out of the bag. There's no need to hide it any longer."
"Uh? Yes, I understand, Lord Overseer."
Rita bowed once more.
"Lady Theresa, it's like this: do you recall what you found sixteen years ago, when you returned to the battlefield in Siberia, to the very ground where Lady Cecilia and Sirin perished together?"
"Hm?"
Theresa frowned, but answered almost immediately.
"You mean... the four gems Sirin left behind?"
As she spoke, Michael's brow furrowed slightly. Otto took a sip of his drink, his face mostly hidden, his expression unreadable. Himeko simply leaned against the conference room's glass wall, watching the drama unfold.
Even Rita was taken aback for a moment, but she recovered quickly, continuing without missing a beat.
"Correct. The Second Herrscher's power was unprecedented. Even her Herrscher Core was extraordinary, shattering into four pieces, each of which retained a certain degree of activity. Our ability to defeat her was, in no small part, thanks to you, Lady Theresa."
Theresa's expression instantly darkened. But then she considered that Rita wasn't much older than Mei; her knowledge of that war likely came from hearsay and Schicksal's archives. And given her grandfather's style, the contents of those archives were surely embellished.
"Skip the flattery and get to the point... Wait, are you saying—!"
Perhaps people with big heads are slow on the uptake, or perhaps Theresa's reaction time had dulled after so long in retirement. Only now did the terrible thought belatedly surface in her mind.
"Precisely. The four gems from Sirin were named by Schicksal as the Gem of Conquest, the Gem of Desire, the Gem of Serenity, and the Gem of Haste. Lady Theresa, do you remember what happened with Anti-Entropy back then?"
Rita subtly glanced toward Otto, but Theresa was deep in thought and didn't notice.
"Not long after I returned to the battlefield, the Sovereign of Anti-Entropy, the First Herrscher, arrived with his mecha forces and demanded I hand over the Second Herrscher's core. But they were a step too late. I had already secured the four gems."
"Yes. At that time, Schicksal had exhausted nearly all of its top combatants and was in no position to refuse Anti-Entropy's unreasonable demands. But because you had already obtained the gems, you had an information advantage. So, you gave one of the gems to Anti-Entropy, and they had no reason to doubt you. That gem... was the Gem of Conquest, which now resides within Raiden Mei."
Theresa scratched her head. Something felt off, a sense of dissonance she couldn't quite place, but what Rita said matched her memories, so she didn't interrupt.
"Of the remaining three gems, the Gem of Serenity was stolen by Anti-Entropy several years ago, and its whereabouts are unknown. The Gem of Haste is secured at HQ. And the Gem of Desire... was sent to the Oceania Branch several years ago for..."
"Alright, stop. I understand."
Theresa gave a desolate smile.
"What Schicksal was doing... is no different from what Anti-Entropy did to Mei, is it?"
She wasn't surprised. This was exactly her grandfather's style.
In fact, it would be out of character for Otto not to attempt such experiments after obtaining these gems.
But understanding and knowing were not the same as accepting.
It was precisely because she couldn't accept these things—and because she knew Cecilia wouldn't have been able to accept them either—that she had taken up Cecilia's dream and built this academy, a place even she found a bit naive, so far away from Europe.
It wasn't that she didn't understand the harsh realities. Humanity couldn't defeat the Honkai with naivete. Sacrifices were inevitable on this path. But regardless, a terrible outcome had already occurred. There was no point in trotting out excuses like "the intentions were good."
"Alright, there's no point in discussing this now. Let's focus on solving the problem," Otto said, his voice warm and serene, as if the Honkai eruption in New Zealand was nothing more than a minor, inconsequential hiccup.
"The initial operational plan is as follows: the Southeast Asia Branch's Snow Lotus squad is already en route. They will enter the battle zone from the west. The Hyperion will approach from the northwest and provide necessary fire support for them. Meanwhile, HQ is already in contact with Anti-Entropy HQ to request passage for Lady Durandal and the Immortal Blades through the Americas, but we have yet to receive a reply."
"We can't wait. Rita, have Bianca depart with the Immortal Blades immediately. Their route will be over South America. Anti-Entropy HQ is in North America, so this is less likely to provoke them. Of course, make sure Bianca is prepared for battle."
Watching her grandfather issue orders in such a methodical manner, without even needing to ask for her opinion, Theresa opened her mouth silently. She felt a pang of discouragement but didn't know what to say.
Oh, well, she thought. Even if Grandpa is a bit of a villain, he's certainly far more capable than I am when it comes to handling major crises.
Nearby, Michael watched the dynamic between the grandfather and granddaughter with keen interest. Amid his amusement, a pang of what might have been envy—or perhaps just an illusion of it—welled up.
He instinctively glanced toward the bridge, just as Hua's voice rang out.
"All units are ready. Awaiting the Captain's command to launch!