Two days later.
Nagazora City, Senba Academy.
Kiana announced her transfer news in the classroom.
Regarding the news about Honkai, it cannot be disclosed to ordinary people for the time being, and Kiana naturally understands this. Therefore, she cannot just disappear; at the very least, she has to wait until her withdrawal procedures are completed.
In response to this, Chen Ran commented: In the past, Senba Academy would never have had the luxury of waiting for Kiana to withdraw.
Sending Kiana and Raiden Mei to Saint Freya in advance was a necessary measure taken by Chen Ran.
The prerequisite for a Major Honkai Eruption is undoubtedly a densely populated city; theoretically, if they go to Saint Freya, Cocolia will have no chance.
At this point, Cocolia should be the one to throw herself into chaos.
He continued to have Wendy protect Raiden Mei while he kept an eye on Bronya, not even going to Senba Academy.
In the classroom, many students were astonished by Kiana's sudden decision to transfer.
In response, Kiana said, "I'm going to a private academy."
"But this is a private academy," a classmate remarked.
"That's different."
Kiana blinked and said, "The things taught there are not the same as here."
Upon hearing the news of her departure, many classmates merely made a fuss before sinking back into their own thoughts.
Kiana, unusually, did not sleep during class; instead, she rested her chin on her hand, contemplating her future life at the new campus.
What the future would hold, Kiana was actually unsure.
To her, the current Saint Freya felt very unfamiliar, and what attracted her was the possibility of finding news about her father there.
After all, Wendy had mentioned that her Teacher Theresa had deep ties with the Kaslana family.
Just as she began to zone out, a voice interrupted her.
Sato Yuna, like a cautious little kitten meeting someone for the first time, asked, "Kia-chan, are you really leaving?"
Kiana nodded, "Yeah, Yuna-chan."
She paused and said, "Don't worry, before I leave, I'll warn those who bully you, so they won't bully you anymore."
Sato Yuna's eyes dimmed slightly, "Then... will Kia-chan come back? Or can I come find Kia-chan?"
The girl's eyes held a hint of pleading, but the oblivious Kiana completely missed it.
She bluntly replied, "Whether I can come back depends on the situation, Yuna. What I have to do next is quite special, so I probably won't be able to let you come find me."
Sato Yuna's eyes dimmed even further, "Then... okay."
Her only friend was leaving.
She couldn't help but feel a sense of loss in her heart.
And Kiana, lacking any mind-reading abilities, naturally had no idea what Sato Yuna was thinking.
She began to count the time, waiting for school to end.
After the fourth class.
At the entrance of Kiana's classroom.
Classmates were waiting for the morning dismissal, trickling out in groups. At that moment, someone suddenly shouted, "Raiden Queen is coming!"
Kiana was slightly taken aback, seeing Raiden Mei with her hair tied up, arriving at the door with Wendy.
"Kiana, it's time to go."
Wendy waved at Kiana, saying, "The relevant procedures have all been completed."
Sato Yuna, who usually didn't dare to speak in front of others, finally couldn't hold back and asked, "Kia-chan, are you leaving with Raiden... Raiden Queen?"
Kiana instinctively nodded, "Yeah, what's up?"
She didn't explain anything to Sato Yuna.
Or rather, in Kiana's mind, she felt there was no need to explain.
Sato Yuna forced a smile and said, "Then Kiana, these cookies are all made by me, take them. Eat them on the way."
"Okay, thanks, Yuna-chan." Kiana couldn't help but give Sato Yuna a quick peck on the cheek.
Then, she waved to Mei and Wendy, "Alright, I'm coming right now."
Sato Yuna could only watch as Kiana walked to the door and grabbed Mei and Wendy's arms.
"Let's go, let's go, let me show you all my talents."
"Definitely going to surprise that Theresa."
They walked further away.
Sato Yuna's eyes dimmed even more.
"They're really close," the girl said enviously.
…
…
When Chen Ran safely delivered Wendy and the others to the pickup point for the aircraft at the Eastern Branch, his brows furrowed even deeper.
The journey had gone smoothly.
So smoothly it was almost unbelievable.
With Cocolia's capabilities, it would be a piece of cake for her to know their whereabouts, yet there had been no attempts to intercept them.
As he pondered this, Raiden Mei suddenly asked, "Are you going to Saint Freya with us?"
"Me? Probably not."
He suppressed his thoughts, smiled, and said, "I'm not from the Eastern Branch. After this, I will likely have to return to headquarters."
"Headquarters? Where is that?"
"Europe." He changed the subject, "Alright, from here to the Eastern Branch, Wendy, you should be familiar with it, so I'll leave them in your hands."
His gaze swept over Bronya.
If Cocolia wanted Raiden Mei, then by now, Bronya should be her last resort.
However, an inexplicable sense of foreboding made him feel uneasy.
He had a nagging feeling that something was going to happen.
He suppressed his thoughts and handed the ice cream he bought on the way to Wendy, "Make sure you don't get a stomachache again."
"I know, I'm not a child."
Wendy pouted but happily accepted it.
Raiden Mei sighed, "Eating ice cream in this weather, you guys really know how to enjoy yourselves."
Kiana looked on eagerly, "Wendy, I want some too."
Wendy quickly shielded the food, "No way, if I give Kiana some, then I won't get to eat anything."
Wendy's impression of Kiana was a mix of good and bad.
This girl was enthusiastic, loved to play, and they had a lot in common.
But her appetite was just too big.
Whenever Kiana was around, Wendy never got to eat her fill.
And as a proud A-rank Valkyrie, she couldn't let anyone know she didn't eat enough. She couldn't admit to not having snatched food from ordinary people at the dining table.
That would be too embarrassing.
"Fine, if you don't want to share, I still have the cookies Yuna gave me."
Kiana opened her backpack, revealing the cookies Sato Yuna had packed for her.
Chen Ran instinctively shuddered, "Kiana, who gave you those cookies?"
"Yuna, oh, she's a classmate of mine, why?"
Chen Ran's lips twitched, "This is bad, something's going to happen."
"Quick, quick, quick, get in the car."
How could he have forgotten this detail?
The Honkai in Nagazora City did not just give birth to one Herrscher, but two.
And this Sato Yuna was a Pseudo-Herrscher.
In other words, if Raiden Mei was involved, Sato Yuna was the most likely candidate to appear as a Herrscher in Nagazora City.
However, this plot point was too far removed for Chen Ran to recall until Kiana mentioned that name, at which point he realized what Cocolia's next move would be.
Abandon Raiden Mei and seek another Herrscher.
While the Herrscher Core is the fastest way to cultivate a Herrscher, it is not the only way.
Taking the two Herrschers that appeared in the current civilization era as examples, they both harbored immense desires or resentments towards the world, resonating with Honkai in some way.
To some extent, Honkai is a special power that amplifies inner emotions.
And in the plot, Sato Yuna was the perfect candidate for this.
Although he didn't know how Sato Yuna and Kiana had met, it didn't matter.
What mattered was that he sensed trouble was brewing.
Chen Ran hurriedly returned to the car, planning to head to Senba Academy immediately; there was no need to bring Wendy and the others along at this point.
However, Raiden Mei stopped him, "What exactly is going on?"
"Bronya wants to know too, what happened?"
Chen Ran rubbed his temples and said, "I forgot the most obvious detail. Bronya, you know Cocolia well; given her personality, would she proceed without making unnecessary preparations?"
"The two locations you calculated for the Honkai Energy reactor are enough to cover the entire Nagazora City, but that doesn't mean Cocolia will listen to you and only set up those two locations."
After he finished speaking, everyone's expressions changed dramatically.
"We're coming back with you."
Wendy said this and immediately got into the car.
The others followed suit.
"Then buckle up and hold on tight."
Chen Ran slammed the gas pedal to the floor.
This car was not a modified vehicle provided by Schicksal; at speeds of two hundred miles per hour, the car would start to lift off the ground. But at this moment, no one cared about safety issues.
Raiden Mei's face turned slightly pale, "At this speed, won't the traffic police chase us?"
"Don't worry, I don't have a driver's license."
His words cut off any further conversation.
Kiana asked Wendy, "Is it always this thrilling in Schicksal?"
"This is nothing thrilling," Wendy said, pretending to be mature, "Experiencing the memory battlefield is the real thrill."
"Ahhh, we're going to crash!"
When Chen Ran safely returned to Senba Academy, a large-scale Honkai eruption was also beginning to unfold.
Honkai, as expected, had arrived.
…
…
"Why is this happening?"
"Why is everyone leaving?"
"Nobody likes me, and no one cares about my feelings."
"But now, they will all be with me, and everyone will care about me."
The girl's long hair cascaded down, and her skirt began to lengthen.
As vines appeared on her lower body, each vine was intertwined with a corpse, and these corpses began to merge with the vines, like flowers growing upon them.
When Chen Ran arrived, the entire teaching building of Senba Academy was already enveloped by thick vines.
A rich Honkai Source emanated from within, and everyone's expressions turned grim.
"We're a step too late; the Honkai has still spread."
A hint of bitterness crept into his smile.
Even though he knew deep down that this was a simulated scene from the future, and that the system's simulation would only affect key nodes without presetting a script, the effort of so many days turned to nothing still made his heart ache.
However, this was not the time to dwell on such thoughts.
At least the Third Honkai Eruption occurred earlier than he had anticipated; once they recovered the Herrscher, he could end this simulation.
But speaking of which, wasn't it the Herrscher of Thunder?
Forget it, it didn't matter what Herrscher it was anymore.
Wendy calmly said, "Kiana, Raiden Mei, Bronya, make sure to protect yourselves and find a place to hide. Be careful of the Honkai Beasts and Zombies."
"Chen Ran and I will go recover the Herrscher. We'll come back to support you."
Chen Ran's body possessed the power of Stigmata, which Wendy had witnessed firsthand.
And when the Herrscher was just born, it was at its most vulnerable.
If they waited until it absorbed Honkai Energy, it would be too late.
"Hey, don't underestimate me, Miss."
Kiana instinctively wanted to follow, but suddenly a Honkai Beast lunged at her.
In a critical moment, it was Bronya who used Project Bunny to block the attack.
"Everyone take care of yourselves; I can't protect you all the time this time."
Chen Ran and Wendy ran deeper into the teaching building, but as soon as they reached the entrance, they found they couldn't get in.
"It's all vines. Do we have any fire?"
Chen Ran frowned and said, "It would be best to burn this place down."
Wendy replied, "No fire, but we have guns."
She aimed her gun at the vines: "Schicksal's specially made bullets can explode!"
Under Chen Ran's astonished gaze, Wendy adjusted her special weapon and quickly fired at the vines.
Then a raging fire ignited.
"Tsk, fire beats grass types; Pokémon doesn't lie to me."
He watched as the vines began to convulse as if they were alive, instinctively pulling Wendy to escape quickly.
Several vines pierced up from the ground, nearly impaling them.
"A plant-type Herrscher is really a headache," Chen Ran complained. "So why is it called Thunder's Long Sky?"
Wendy asked, "What Thunder's Long Sky?"
"Nothing, just consider it me being a bit chuunibyou."
His eyes narrowed slightly as he said, "We can't let the Herrscher stay inside; we need to find a way in."
Wendy tilted her head, "I'll draw aggro, and you go for the sneak attack."
"Honestly tell me, how much time have you spent playing games these past two days?" Chen Ran quipped.
But given the current situation, sneaking in was indeed the best strategy.
Chen Ran did not oppose Wendy's suggestion.
He watched as Wendy shot frantically at the vines, the bullets exploding into flames. The vines began to consciously attack her.
Meanwhile, Chen Ran circled around, taking down several Honkai Beasts and Zombies before continuously climbing up to the teaching building of Senba Academy.
When he found the place where the Herrscher was located, the area with the densest Honkai Source, the scene before him made his scalp tingle.
Countless corpses were pierced by vines, and flowers bloomed from them.
In the center, the Herrscher, Sato Yuna, stared at him with vacant eyes.
"Are you here to be friends with me too?"
Her body began to condense the Herrscher Core, and a strange smile appeared on her face: "You came here so eagerly to be friends with Yuna, right?"
Chen Ran: "Yes, but wouldn't it be a bit nerve-wracking to be your friend?"
"That's okay. As long as everyone never separates, it's fine."
Chen Ran: "..."
What a two-dimensional Yandere!
——
"When Mobius asked me to find the Cosmic Juggernaut, I thought it would be someone who needed this thing."
"This is truly an extraordinary visitor."
In the Elysian Realm, the expert Vill-V looked at Wendy, paused, and said, "But this is really unexpected, yet it seems to explain why Chen Ran is nearly omniscient."
"After all, looking from the future back to the past is always much easier."
Mobius introduced Wendy, "This is Vill-V, a weapon maker."
"You better not let the conductor hear you say that," the expert Vill-V said lightly. "She doesn't allow such a brief and weak self-introduction without any exciting elements."
Wendy hesitated slightly and said to Vill-V, "Are you familiar with Chen Ran?"
"In a broad sense, his first kiss was with me."
Wendy's face darkened.
The expert Vill-V said lightly, "But I didn't exist back then, so I don't know what that feeling was like. As for later, there weren't many opportunities to cultivate feelings in that era, but the conductor did a lot of tricks."
Wendy: "..."
She said lightly, "Well, this isn't the time to discuss trivial matters. I'm also very curious about what the Cosmic Juggernaut can actually do. Since you're a Herrscher, you should also have the ability to withstand it."
"The Elysian Realm is a data-constructed space, so the Divine Key is also data. But because of this, the restrictions faced in the Elysian Realm are even less than in the entire reality."
"For example, there's no need to be bound by physical rules, and there's no need to worry about the flow of time."
Vill-V took out a weapon that Wendy had never seen before.
Divine Key: Cosmic Juggernaut.
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