"This storm outside the Hyperion is quite terrifying, isn't it? I heard one of the railguns was simply blown away. Heh... In conditions like these, if we were to use combat skiffs to enter New Zealand, I imagine the moment we release the deck's mooring chains, the skiffs would be blown clean away... Ah, but that's right, we can't even get to the deck."
Rita walked just behind Michael's side, half a pace back. She precisely controlled her legs to match his stride, not a step behind, not an inch off.
Though the Hyperion was a large airborne battleship, its corridors were designed to be exceptionally narrow to save space.
Of course, even so, they weren't so narrow that two people couldn't walk side-by-side. Michael couldn't quite figure out if Rita was walking behind him out of habitual deference, or if...
It was more advantageous for some kind of observation?
"Why ask me? I'm just an ordinary teacher at St. Freya Academy; I don't know about these things. You're Schicksal's S-Rank Valkyrie. By all rights, I should be listening to you." Michael feigned ignorance.
"You jest, Mr. Michael. Just a moment ago, Lord Overseer specifically instructed me to follow your orders on this mission. After all, like that Class President Fu Hua, you are both heroes from the Previous Era. A mere S-Rank Valkyrie like me truly pales in comparison."
"Is that so..."
Michael sighed softly. Rita watched his feet intently, but his pace remained unchanged—no hesitation, no pause, no acceleration. This couldn't help but disappoint her.
But the disappointment was fleeting. Rita quickly readjusted her mindset.
She knew she was facing an unknown species that had lived for fifty thousand years. If he were so easily flustered by her provocations, she would have to question whether he was just playing along with her act.
"How much has Otto told you about the Previous Era?"
"You overestimate me. I'm not worthy of having Lord Overseer explain these things to me personally. My knowledge of your era comes mostly from what Lord Overseer told Lady Durandal, which she then relayed to me... However, Mr. Michael, perhaps we should save this conversation for after we return?"
Michael shrugged. He couldn't quite grasp Rita's motives. Were these vague, push-and-pull probes coming from Otto's orders, or were they her own initiative?
Should I just scan her with the Authority of Sentience? The thought flashed through Michael's mind but was quickly suppressed. It was amusing, really. When it came to using the Authority of Sentience, he had developed the mindset of a single-player gamer.
At first, bound by morals, he was reluctant to use it excessively, much like someone who just bought a new game and wants to prove their skill. Later, he cast aside all scruples, like a soul sold to the devil for cheat codes.
And now, he had become restrained in its use again. Not because of morals, nor a desire to prove himself, but simply because this kind of cheating ruined the gameplay experience, making everything less... enjoyable.
Michael shook his head and raised his left index finger to gently touch his earpiece.
"Bronya, take everyone and standby at Drop Bay One."
"Drop bay?"
Rita's eyebrows shot up, and her steps faltered for a moment. Though the Hyperion was a standard-issue Schicksal battleship, it had undergone numerous modifications in the Far East, and Rita wasn't very familiar with it. She looked up at the signs; the corridor they were in did indeed lead to a drop bay.
"You... you plan to jump straight down?"
Rita's eyes widened slightly. The so-called drop bay wasn't for dropping supplies, weapons, or bombs, but Valkyries. Not long ago in Canghai City, Kiana had leaped from this very bay.
But setting aside the storm outside, and the impact of falling several kilometers into the sea—could the bodies of those B-Rank Valkyries even withstand it? And after landing in the ocean, how would they get to New Zealand?
She had originally come with Otto merely as an observer and hadn't brought her most powerful battlesuit, Argent Knight: Artemis. While acting as the Overseer's maid-guard, she wore the Phantom Iron suit.
The one she had on now was Strike Fulminata. If she had Argent Knight, she could at least attempt to freeze the sea and cross... No, even then, a distance of ten nautical miles was beyond her capabilities.
"Have you forgotten? No, Otto didn't tell you, so you wouldn't know, would you?"
"What?"
"I... am a Herrscher."
Michael suddenly looked back, his eyes glancing over his shoulder, his pace still unbroken.
Rita's hand, holding her scythe, clenched tightly, then quickly relaxed.
Her lips moved. From a purely rational standpoint, perhaps she should ask Michael about his Herrscher abilities. Only then, as his comrade, could she better coordinate with him.
But the muscles in her throat tightened, and her tongue flickered twice, unable to produce a sound. Besides, was he really her comrade?
Rita bit her lower lip and followed Michael to Drop Bay One, where the four B-Rank Valkyries had been waiting for some time.
"Open the drop bay. Prepare for Valkyrie deployment."
Michael simply nodded at Mei and the others—no need for pleasantries. His words were transmitted directly to the bridge.
"Michael... are you sure? Even if Grandpa thinks it's okay, this... this is too reckless!"
"Relax, Theresa. Do I look like the kind of person who's tired of living?"
Michael even let out a deliberate yawn, as if trying to reassure Theresa with a feigned air of confidence.
But Theresa's reply was merciless.
"Am I worried about you? I'm worried about Kiana and the others!"
"Tch..."
Michael clicked his tongue. He said no more, offered no more persuasion. He knew Theresa would make the right choice, and it wouldn't take long.
No matter what, she was still a former S-Rank Valkyrie of Schicksal who had commanded countless battles against the Honkai. Her current childishness and lack of cooperation stemmed, in a way, from an instinctive resistance—
Although it operated under the banner of Schicksal's Far East Branch, everyone knew that St. Freya Academy was Theresa's personal sanctuary, a place where she tolerated no outside interference.
But now, two foxes had successively entered her sanctuary. While they hadn't done anything, their mere presence, eyeing the few precious fruits in her garden, was more than she could bear.
What's more, she knew that at least two of those fruits were... problematic.
In the end, she didn't keep Michael waiting for long.
PSSSHHH—
White vapor suddenly sprayed from the walls on both sides. Then, with a CLICK and the soft hum of a motor, the drop bay door opened downwards.
The cyan wind rushed in, accompanied by Kiana's shriek.
"Ugh... Ah! My scalp—Ptooey! My hair's gonna get blown off!"
Of the Valkyries present, Kiana had the longest hair. Of course, she was also the only one who would still be yelling at a time like this.
Michael took a step forward. The impact of his boots on the steel plating of the bay should have made a dull thud, but the wind had stolen all sound from the very beginning. It was impossible to know if the faint sound of his footsteps could catch up to Kiana's earlier shout.
Though he had been confident just a moment ago, now that the time had come, he suddenly found he wasn't ready. He mentally sifted through his many Authorities, suffering from indecisiveness for the first time in his life.
Use the Authority of Wind to counter it? What even is the Authority of Wind? Not familiar with that one.
Use the Authority of Ice to freeze a path across the sea? Possible, but are Kiana and the others really going to jump from several kilometers up?
After much thought, perhaps the Authority of the Void was the most convenient. Just open a spatial rift and teleport everyone directly to the Oceania Branch.
But the mere thought of it told him he'd have to face endless questioning from Theresa afterward, and it might even awaken some of Kiana's memories.
And most importantly... if he was going to use the Authority of the Void, why did he even ask Theresa to open the drop bay in the first place?
"Forget it. Still... you will return to this world eventually. Before that, let me leave behind some trace that you once existed. Besides, this is a closure I must bring about."
His whisper slipped past his lips, just as a strong gust of wind struck, shattering the already faint sound to pieces.
"Trust me?"
He turned to the side, extending his hand.
No one knew what he intended to do. Even Mei, who trusted him the most, hesitated, not reaching out her hand at first.
"Of course, I trust you, Mr. Michael."
Michael hadn't expected the first person to take his hand without hesitation would be Rita. But it wasn't surprising; her action clearly had nothing to do with the trust she professed.
"Listen up, everyone hold hands. We're getting ready to go."
His words seemed to have a magical quality. One by one, the girls linked hands until Seele, at the end, took Michael's other hand, forming a closed circle of six people.
"Re—lax—"
Michael deliberately drew out his words in a soft, gentle tone, but his hands suddenly tightened, and he yanked all five girls out of the drop bay.
Screams constantly assaulted the eardrums—Kiana's excited shouts, which, even though diminished by the wind, were still plenty loud.
But her tone quickly changed. The screaming continued, but it had shifted from excitement to panic.
"Aaaaaah! Uncle Michael, do something!"
The sea was close, so close they could clearly see the layers of wrinkles on its surface, stirred by the gale.
But Michael seemed determined to do nothing, as if he planned to fall straight into the sea...
"Mi... you... what!"
Over the comms, Theresa's voice had become intermittent. A smile, full of undeniable nostalgia, spread across Michael's lips.
The past, those distant and hazy memories, began to surface in his mind unbidden.
Vostok-51, Siberia, R'lyeh, Canghai City, Nagazora City, the burning tundra, the Sea of Quanta, Bryndi, the unkillable Mahasthamaprapta... all the way to the moon, to the end of the world, to the beginning and end of time...
If he could, he would have loved to do nothing, to fall directly onto the sea's surface, his flesh and blood shattered, dead on the spot... but he couldn't. Because he still remembered her words.
She had said, "My dear titmouse, please take my arrow, my flower, and my love to the lonely traveler!"
She had said, "I'm sorry, Michael. From now on, you'll have to live on, all alone. But don't be sad. I will always exist in your heart. I will never leave."
She had said, "I believe we will meet again."
She had said, "I know you're afraid of being lonely... you're afraid of being alone... So, during this time when I cannot answer you, let this accompany you in my place!"
Amidst the jumble of memories, just before the final end, Michael finally found the pink crystal flower Elysia had left for him.
He imagined himself reaching out and gently touching it, and the flower that should never have withered, did so.
Correspondingly, in his pupils, that hint of pink brightened until, in a single moment, it completely covered the original gray of his eyes.
He had opened a gift left by a girl fifty thousand years ago, a gift he had hesitated to open for so long for fear the wrapping would disappear, a gift that, to him, had little meaning beyond commemoration.
But... this was fine.
Something froze—that was the first reaction of Rita, who was closest to him.
After that, she realized the world in her eyes had been tinted with a pink filter.
Her limbs were immovable, only her eyes could still turn. She shifted her gaze. A strange smile lingered on Michael's face. Shifting her gaze to the side, she saw a look of near terror in Seele's eyes, though given the fear of jumping from such a height, it wasn't surprising.
The thought flashed through her mind. When she tried to move her gaze again, it was impossible, as her neck wouldn't move.
She then felt a slight vibration, a bit like being thrown into the sea, but falling from such a height couldn't possibly be so gentle...
She wanted to ask, but couldn't speak.
Fortunately, Michael didn't keep them waiting long.
The restraints on her body soon disappeared. Rita quickly pulled her hand back, grabbing at the empty air. A few insignificant specks of pink crystal dust remained on her palm.
Only then did she turn to observe her surroundings, seeing large chunks of pink crystal slowly opening outwards. This made her a little annoyed, as it went against the qualities of an S-Rank Valkyrie, who should always be aware of her surroundings.
But the next moment, this annoyance vanished. The human brain only has so much space. When the emotion of shock occupied all of it, annoyance was simply squeezed out.
Of course, she wasn't the only one who was shocked, nor did she have the best view to appreciate this scene.
In the sky, Hua quietly watched as the pink "seed" fell, getting farther and farther away, until it kicked up a splash on the sea's surface that would be impossible for a normal person to notice.
"One..."
Hua began to count. At the count of three, a pink crystal flower bloomed on the surface of the sea.
The petals were layered and lifelike. Even though many were broken by the wind the moment they formed, it still bloomed tenaciously until, dozens of seconds later, the entire sea within a ten-nautical-mile radius had turned pink.
The translucent crystal, like a thick sheet of ice, suppressed the entire sea, preventing even a single ripple from forming, making that first crystal flower stand out all the more.
Hua's fists clenched. Perhaps it was the vividness of the pink that made her feel particularly dazed.
"You still can't forget her, can you..."
But for anyone who knew her, how could they ever forget the fact that she had once existed?