As Bronya and Ryn were talking, the environment began to shift. Suddenly, a petite loli appeared.
She was dressed in ornate clothing, a massive gem adorning her chest, and her arms were covered in scaled gauntlets. In one hand, she held the Xuanyuan Sword, while a giant bird perched on her other arm.
It was Ji Lin, the first girl in history to possess the ability to combat the Honkai.
Ji Lin single-handedly annihilated all the Honkai Beasts that had appeared, then vanished abruptly. Even now, the Schicksal Organization had found no further information about her.
Watching Ji Lin's battle, Ryn and Kiana were filled with excitement and wanted to join in.
"That's so cool! I want to help too!" Kiana exclaimed.
"Impressive combat! Even I feel my heart pounding," Ryn added.
Bronya then knocked Kiana on the head and slapped a virtual shackle on Ryn's wrist. "Forget it," she said. "This is all in the past, just virtual data. Kiana can mess around if she wants, but Ryn, don't interfere. Your destructive power would destroy the data stream, and if you get caught in the resulting turbulence, you'll be in trouble."
"There's no need to shackle me..." Ryn raised his hands to show his innocence, though the shackles felt like plastic and offered no real restraint.
"You could break free at any moment. They shouldn't restrict you at all."
"Then there's no point. Just add a collar."
As Ryn spoke, Cortana, understanding his intent, produced a collar with a rope attached.
The rope naturally floated into Kiana's hands.
"Huh? What's this for?" Kiana asked, confused.
"Nothing. Just hold the rope. We're playing master-and-servant," Ryn explained.
"Oh, I don't get it... But I just hold the rope, right?"
"Mhm. And try to give me a stern look."
"I suddenly don't want to be around you two anymore. You're so... creative," Bronya said, rolling her eyes. She put on sunglasses to block out the sight.
"What would a little girl like you know? This is called flirting."
"Pervert." Bronya ignored Ryn and immediately prepared to move on to the next historical event. The sooner she finished, the sooner she could escape. She couldn't stand watching this dog couple any longer. She'd have to sneak over to Sister Mei's place in the middle of the night for a cleansing bath with her assets to wash the image from her eyes.
In the next moment, the environment shifted again. The three of them were instantly transported from the mountains to medieval Europe.
Before them stood well-equipped troops relentlessly hunting down Honkai Beasts.
Though Honkai Beasts had evolved into even more formidable creatures by the 14th century, the Schicksal Organization had already begun to take shape.
Schicksal had established the Knights Templar, a dedicated order for combating Honkai, and developed weapons to counter the Honkai threat.
Humanity gradually gained the upper hand in their battles against Honkai, but they could never completely eradicate the beasts. Instead, they exhausted their stamina before capturing and imprisoning them.
All captured Honkai Beasts were held in the underground vaults beneath Schicksal's European headquarters, a grand cathedral.
"Schicksal was truly impressive back then..." Kiana couldn't help but marvel.
Ryn read the narrator's description, pondered the timeline, and then turned to Kiana with a mischievous grin.
"Kiana, do you remember what Otto told us? He's been the Archbishop of Schicksal for centuries. Do you think it's possible we could meet him as a child? We could sneak a few photos and blackmail him later."
"That's boring. I'm more curious about the story of my ancestor, Kallen Kaslana, and Otto Apocalypse. I still can't believe my ancestor would betray Otto. It's so unlike a Kaslana." Kiana had never understood why Otto was cuckolded. Why would Kallen, a Kaslana, betray him?
(Otto had romanticized Kallen's actions, downplaying the influence of Yae Sakura. The world didn't know the truth, so Kiana couldn't understand why Otto had been cuckolded.)
The environment shifted from the battlefield to a cathedral, and now to a medieval street.
The three walked down the street, littered with bodies. Some moaned in agony, while others had been dead for hours. The air was thick with the stench of decay.
Those who had thought they had defeated the Honkai had been struck by an unexpected blow.
The Honkai had manifested as a contagious disease, leading Schicksal researchers to speculate that it possessed a degree of intelligence.
The Black Death swept across Europe, claiming over 20 million lives in a few short years, wiping out a third of the continent's population.
"Huh... what's this?"
On the road, Kiana spotted something and immediately broke away from the group.
She ran to a massive crucifix and murmured, "Why does this cross look exactly like the one Theresa always carries? What's it doing here..."
Kiana reached out and touched the Oath of Judah. At that moment, all three present heard a series of automated voice messages.
Registration Confirmed: Kiana Kaslana
Kaslana Family Member Confirmed. Beginning playback of hidden records.
In the next instant, Kiana vanished before Ryn and Bronya's eyes.
Ryn was stunned for a moment before smashing his restraints. He tried touching the Oath of Judah himself, but nothing happened.
"Cortana, hack directly into the database and ensure Kiana's safety!"
"Stay rational, Ryn. According to the earlier announcement, Kiana may have entered some hidden history of the Kaslana Family. Leave this to me!" Bronya pulled Ryn back and connected with Cortana to begin hacking the database.
On the other side, Kiana found herself passing through a spatial rift and suddenly appearing high in the sky. Still disoriented, she plummeted toward the ground.
"Waaah!"
Kiana squeezed her eyes shut in terror, then felt herself land on something soft.
"To suddenly throw someone out of the sky like that! But it doesn't hurt at all..."
Opening her eyes, Kiana realized she hadn't fallen to the ground. Instead, a graceful white-haired beauty had caught her in midair.
What a beautiful girl... Why does she look so familiar?
The girl gently set Kiana down and asked with a soft smile, "Are you alright, young lady?"
"Ah... Thank you for saving me. I thought I was going to die just now..." Kiana rubbed the back of her head, still shaken.
"I'm glad you're safe. I was startled when I saw you falling from the sky from afar," the girl replied, her smile unwavering.
Seeing the girl's smile, Kiana froze. A face from Ryn's game flashed through her mind, overlapping with the girl's features. Kiana remembered: this was Kallen... Kallen Kaslana...
Normally, Kiana would have rushed forward, shouting, "Sister, you're so beautiful!" But now, though still stunning, the girl's clothes were tattered, her body covered in wounds, and her hands shackled.
Her eyes were filled with sorrow...
The sensitive Kiana could sense that the girl no longer wanted to live...