"Heh..."
The lights in the hallway really were harsh.
Himeko certainly hated the dark, but this kind of stark white light wasn't to her liking either, especially at a time like this. It only served to make her feel mentally uncomfortable.
She sat there in a daze for a good ten seconds, as if the reality that Michael had left was only just sinking in. Finally, she pressed the switch on her comms.
"Theresa... I've run into a bit of a problem here..."
"Huh? Himeko... are you injured? Why does your voice sound so..."
"Injured? Don't worry... I'm fine... It's just a lot more complicated than an injury. You should probably come to corridor B-03... And be advised, you'll need to retrieve the Gem of Haste."
Himeko's voice was not only weak and listless but also halting. When a person is extremely weak, even their brain can't function properly, making any remotely complex phrasing a task that might not be possible even after racking one's brains. After all, under normal circumstances, the brain is the body's most energy-intensive organ.
After speaking, she leaned her head back against the corridor wall, lips pressed tightly together, feeling her body gradually relax as strength slowly flowed back into her limbs.
She was getting drowsy, her eyelids drooping heavily, but Michael's voice kept replaying in her ears.
"The Previous Era... I knew it. So he's an old geezer who's tens of thousands of years old. No wonder he's so familiar with Hua, heh. But... a Herrscher..."
Her eyes finally closed, succumbing to weariness. Yet the space before her was not a void of darkness, but the image of Michael's disappearance, which had surfaced on its own.
A golden radiance, a tear in the void... Could that guy be the Previous Era's Herrscher of the Void?
Himeko didn't really want to think about it, but strangely, even though her brain was too tired to form a complete sentence, the moment she thought of anything related to Michael, her useless brain was stubbornly determined to turn the problem over and over until it figured it out.
"Tens of thousands of years old? He's clearly still just a kid..."
Thinking of his last words before he left, Himeko didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
In his heart, that person called "Captain Himiko" must have been a very important elder figure. So, even though he knew full well that she wasn't "Himiko," just someone who looked similar for some unknown reason, he couldn't help but treat her with the same attitude he would have shown "Himiko." He even hoped she could point him in the right direction...
No, did he really need guidance? Himeko found it puzzling.
His words were indeed a question, but his tone held little doubt.
Perhaps he just needed to have that conversation, a conversation that could no longer happen in reality. And she hadn't participated as "Himeko," but as a substitute for "Captain Himiko."
"Sigh... How infuriating, being used as a substitute for someone else. But do we really look that much alike? Could that Captain Himiko be my ancestor? Whatever. When I get the chance, I'll get Michael drunk and ask him a few questions. Maybe I'll find out then... I hope... I hope there's a... a... th..."
She fell asleep.
In her hazy dream, she felt herself caught in an endless fall.
...
"Himeko? Himeko?"
"Ngh..."
When she opened her eyes again, she was lying on a sofa next to the Hyperion's bridge. Theresa's large head, comically disproportionate to her body, almost completely filled her vision.
"Ugh... How long was I asleep?"
"We just helped you over and laid you down, so only a few minutes. We're getting ready to break through the sky port's barrier again."
"Whew... Then I woke up just in time."
Himeko gently patted her head. Her brain and skull felt somewhat disconnected, as if her brain was rattling around inside when she patted it. But after a few minutes of rest, she did feel much better. She tried making a fist and felt that some strength had returned to her limbs. She tried to get up, but had barely lifted her shoulders before Theresa forcefully pushed her back down.
"In your current state, you should just rest. But... the angle and depth of that serum vial in your arm... it's obvious someone else did it. What happened? The surveillance footage for that corridor just showed you standing there, and then you suddenly collapsed."
There was another sentence, one that Theresa wouldn't ask no matter how dense she was.
She knew that the serum was a lifesaver for Himeko, but she also felt that, given Himeko's recent behavior and her seemingly casual but actually stubborn personality, she wouldn't have injected herself with the serum right before a battle, rendering herself unable to fight. It sounded terrible to say out loud, and it had a whiff of moral blackmail, but such an act really did look like desertion. Theresa could trust Himeko, but the Valkyrie cadets from St. Freya needed an explanation. After all, they didn't know Himeko well. In their eyes, a teacher who was always skipping class to drink might very well be capable of deserting her post.
"It was Michael..."
Himeko drew out the name, pausing slightly. She turned the words over in her mind, trying her best to explain the situation indirectly.
"So that's what happened? That guy... first he used Kiana and the others' trust to capture them one by one, and now he saves you? It's hard to imagine what on earth he's planning."
Theresa wasn't without her theories. For example, Michael's actions had cost the Hyperion an A-rank Valkyrie's combat power. But this theory had two inexplicable flaws.
First, was Himeko, as an A-rank Valkyrie, really important enough to warrant such a roundabout plan from Michael? It wasn't that A-rank Valkyries were weak, but in Theresa's view, to an opponent on the level of Fu Hua, an A-rank was probably nothing special. Tesla and Himeko had reported the issue with the Key of Blankness to her, but could an A-rank Valkyrie, one whose body was already at its breaking point, truly unleash the power of this Key, which surpassed even the 4th-gen Godsbane battlesuits? Especially when used in such a rush...
Some people always thought that a normal person who knew nothing could become invincible just by obtaining a master's divine weapon. Theresa had seen certain Valkyries, who clearly stood at the peak of human intellect, anonymously complaining on the Schicksal forums that "Durandal's martial arts are just average. If you gave me the 4th-gen Godsbane battlesuit, I could be an S-rank Valkyrie too."
True, battlesuits were an important part of a Valkyrie's combat strength, but their real purpose was to act as a platform for a Valkyrie to utilize her own abilities, at most specializing in a certain area. What truly determined combat strength was the power of the Valkyrie herself.
So, although she wanted to believe the Key of Blankness could bring them greater power—preferably allowing a helpless young girl to instantly gain the combat strength of a Herrscher—she had to yield to reality. At the very least, she didn't think the Key of Blankness could allow an A-rank Valkyrie to display the power of an S-rank.
Besides, there was another flaw. Even if the Key of Blankness could briefly grant Himeko S-rank power and thus interfere with his plan, that was the Key's issue. What did it have to do with Himeko? If he wanted to weaken their side, directly destroying the Key or taking the Gem of Haste... or, to put it bluntly, even killing Himeko directly would be more in line with that motive than using a serum to cure her Honkai sickness.
Michael would never have guessed that a decision made on a sentimental impulse had completely confused Theresa.
"Alright, what's done is done. You should get some rest. Leave Kiana and Mei to us..."
Theresa hopped off the sofa, preparing to return to her command post on the bridge.
"Wait, Theresa..."
"What is it?"
Himeko pushed her upper body up with effort to make it easier to speak.
"Michael told me a way to defeat Kiana and the Second Herrscher."
"Oh... huh? Michael... told you a way?"
Theresa tilted her head. Her thoughts were in such a jumble that she felt her eyes starting to dart around in their sockets.
A minute later, Theresa strode back onto the bridge.
"Lady Theresa, we are approaching the Schicksal sky port's Honkai energy shield. If you have no other instructions, we will proceed to use the SELENE's engine to power the Hyperion's main cannon and bombard the shield. Because the SELENE can..."
"Convert Honkai energy into conventional energy?"
Theresa's interruption made Einstein pause, but she quickly recovered and nodded calmly.
"It seems the Far East Branch's research on the SELENE is further along than I thought. In that case, no explanation is needed."
"No..."
Theresa wanted to tell her the truth, but the thought of "Michael suddenly switching sides and telling them how to use the SELENE's engine against the Second Herrscher" felt more unbelievable than a fantasy novel. For the sake of efficiency, it was better to explain later.
"No, I have another idea."
Theresa shook her head. The "No" had already slipped out, but luckily, her mind was quick enough to salvage the conversation.
"Dr. Einstein, Dr. Tesla, in that case, can the SELENE convert the Honkai energy inside Kiana's body, allowing her own consciousness to resurface and suppress the Herrscher's?"
Einstein and Tesla exchanged a glance. The latter's rare expression seemed to say, "Huh? Bird's Nest, you didn't tell her?"
Einstein shrugged, shifting uncomfortably.
"My apologies, Lady Theresa, I did forget to mention it. That is indeed one of our prepared strategies. According to the records left by the Previous Civilization, they once used the SELENE to heavily wound the Herrscher of Finality in the same manner. It should be feasible to use it on Kiana. However, the risk is quite high. We must ensure the SELENE's output power is within a suitable range to rapidly convert the Herrscher's Honkai energy without harming Kiana."
"Is that so? Since you two already have a plan, let's proceed with it."
In the end, Theresa didn't insist. The two Anti-Entropy doctors knew far more about the SELENE than she did. Whether to adopt such a tactic, and if so, whether they needed a different way to breach the sky port's shield, was a decision best left to them.
After all, this was Michael's suggestion. Who knew what he was really up to?
"Hm?"
Einstein suddenly let out a soft sound of surprise. She tapped her right index finger against her temple, and three seconds later, her eyelids lifted slightly.
"Lady Theresa, good news. Anti-Entropy's follow-up forces, over ten thousand tactical mechs, have arrived on the battlefield."
"Then... the one you mentioned before, who's stronger than your Sovereign..."
Theresa quickly understood, and Einstein's response was exceptionally simple and clear—she nodded firmly, then uttered a single, short syllable.
"Yes."
"However, Lady Theresa, the upcoming battle may require your participation..."
"Hm? No problem. It's been a while since I've been on the battlefield, but I was once an S-rank Valkyrie..."
"No, Lady Theresa, what I mean is... since you've recovered your memories from the Second Eruption, do you happen to remember... the correct way to use Judah?"
...
CLINK!
The moment Michael stepped out of the spatial rift, he flicked a hand in front of his neck as if he had been expecting it, casually batting a golden longsword aside.
"Hua, do you really have to fight so dirty?"
"For the sake of victory, have we not always done whatever it takes?"
"That was before. Back then, if we were defeated even once, it was almost certain death. For ourselves, and for the world to continue to survive, we had to use every means at our disposal. But it's different now, Hua. You know that even if you..."
"Don't say things like that."
Hua held her longsword with one hand behind her back, cutting Michael off directly.
She knew what he was going to say, but... those words were meaningless.
"Even if you lose, I won't kill you."
That was all Michael wanted to say.
Did Hua believe him? She could. After all, fifty thousand years ago, she clearly remembered dying at his hands, yet here she was, alive and well. It seemed the other Flame-Chasers hadn't died either. She had that impression, though she couldn't find a clear memory of it at the moment.
But so what?
Words like that would only shake a person's resolve to fight to the death. If that was Michael's game, then he was truly insidious.
Michael slowly shook his head. He easily guessed what Hua was thinking, but he didn't try to correct her, only asking flatly:
"How much longer are you going to wait?"
"What? Getting impatient?"
A muscle twitched at the corner of Michael's eye. Hua was the one stalling for time, so why did her tone make it seem like their roles were reversed?
But he quickly understood.
It was simply that Hua had figured out his own intentions as well.
Weren't they both waiting?
"You've already guessed my thoughts, so why don't you call off the whole plan? If you had the element of surprise, you might have had a chance to defeat me. But now that I've anticipated it all, wouldn't it be better to cut your losses?"
"Perhaps."
Hua slowly raised her head. From her perspective, she could clearly see everything around the pseudo-black hole moving at extreme speed. Even the vast colors of the sky were stretched into long, corresponding threads of light.
Judging the passage of time in such an abstract world was a difficult task, but Hua didn't need to count. She just needed to stare intently at the abstract collection of colors until the one she was waiting for appeared.
"Now!"
The pseudo-black hole and its gravitational pull suddenly vanished. Michael's body lurched forward involuntarily. Hua struck out with a quick punch, aiming straight for his throat.
Michael's reaction was no slower than hers; he had, after all, anticipated this move. But his attention wasn't on Hua. Her strength was certainly impressive, but to him, that was all it was. Since the pseudo-black hole had been released, it meant the person Hua was waiting for had arrived. Michael needed to be more wary of others.
As he casually blocked her palm strike, Michael felt a rare pang of dread.
Was it Sakura?
No. His peripheral vision caught a flash of gold. It was just a glance, yet it gave him an illusion of weakness.
"That's... Theresa!"
A golden curtain of light rushed toward him. Michael's face turned unusually pale, but it wasn't just from fear, but also from fury—
"Hua! Are you trying to die?!"
In his haste, his words came out jumbled. The Authority of Binding was certainly fatal to him as a Herrscher, but wasn't it the same for a MANTIS?
Even if he was affected by the Authority of Binding, even if he couldn't call upon his Honkai energy or react in time to counteract it with his own Binding Authority, he was still the Cocoon of Finality itself... Oh, Hua probably didn't know that. But even an ordinary Herrscher would, at most, fall into a state of weakness, since the authorities themselves were of equal weight.
But... Michael knew exactly how high the mortality rate was for a MANTIS affected by the Authority of Binding.
So, had he become an enemy that Hua, that they, were willing to so carelessly sacrifice their own lives to kill?
How... How utterly... It made him want to fly into a rage, but his heart felt like rain-soaked firewood, unable to catch flame. Perhaps this is what sorrow feels like—the listless plume of smoke rising from damp, smoldering wood...
In a flash, the golden curtain of light reached him. But fortunately, at the very last moment, another golden curtain erupted from Michael himself. The two curtains collided and neutralized each other.
However, the Authority of Binding still seemed to have had an effect. The instant the two curtains of light collided, the clash of powers seemed to have unavoidably affected Michael. It was only for a moment, but for certain people, a moment was more than enough.
In the next instant, nine ghastly white flashes of a blade lit up around Michael, completely sealing off all his possible movements.