Three days later, on the outskirts of Vienna.
"This mission consists of annihilating the Honkai Beast horde that has appeared near Vienna. Is everything clear?"
A middle-aged man with white hair, who remarkably resembled Siegfried, observed the girls below with gentle eyes.
However, seeing the white-haired figure looking around, Francis could not help but feel a sense of helplessness.
His daughter was far too unconventional, and this time she even brought the youngest daughter of the Apocalypse family.
This is truly going to cause trouble for him, the father.
Francis looked helplessly at the quiet blonde girl standing next to his daughter.
However, Francis was happy that this was happening.
After all, the relationship between the three main families must still be maintained to some extent.
Nevertheless, Francis looked down upon much of the Apocalypse family, since, apart from Nicholas's eldest son, the others had some flaws.
As the future heir of the Apocalypse family, Nicholas's eldest son was not someone Francis wanted Kallen to come into excessive contact with, out of concern for his daughter's safety.
After all, although the three families were closely related, they also engaged in numerous open and covert struggles.
"My daughter is still small, so it's obviously not appropriate for her to get involved in these kinds of things."
From this perspective, it seems the eccentric youngest daughter of the Apocalypse family is the most suitable playmate for his own daughter.
To put it bluntly, having a tendency to stay in her room and do "humble work" makes her possibly the cleanest person in the world.
Although he didn't know why this obedient girl would go to the battlefield with his own daughter, taking care of an extra person was not a difficult task for him.
Since they were about to set off, he couldn't send them back on their own, could he?
Kallen could escort them back together... but this place is actually in the area where Honkai Beasts are active.
Although it's outdoor work, there are still some risks involved, especially since my daughter has a very restless personality...
So, instead of risking sending them back, it's better to protect them now.
"(Speaking of which, could it be that Kallen brought her here?)"
Occasionally he wished his daughter were a bit quieter like her friends.
It's decided; when I get home after this mission, I'll give that brat Kallen a good scolding.
"Give us five more minutes to prepare and we will begin operations."
…
"I have the feeling that Uncle Francis has discovered who I am."
Due to her childhood experiences, Otto was actually quite sensitive to the gazes of other people, and added to her intelligence, Francis's gaze did not escape her.
"Eh? That can't be; if Dad had discovered you, he would have taken you out of here a long time ago."
"..."
Otto remembered the look in the other person's eyes.
"I think my uncle made the decision after weighing the pros and cons."
"Kaslanas probably get an IQ boost when they reach middle age... well, maybe."
Tian Shi commented from the side.
A Kaslana in their mature stage is generally quite reliable.
The intelligence of Kaslanas usually drops to negligible levels during their growth stage, but they become much more mature in their adult form.
However, the ultimate form of a Kaslana... becomes a bit obsessive.
Yes, I'm talking about Kevin.
However, the Francis before us who looks so much like Siegfried is a mature Kaslana, just like him.
So what kind of evolution is there in the Kaslanas?
"Otto, do you see those two pistols at Francis's waist?"
Tian Shi bypassed some of the more controversial topics; after all, he had a Kaslana right next to him, apparently still distracted.
"Now I see them; they must be the legendary 'Judgment of Shamash'?"
"Yes, it must be the Judgment of Shamash, a weapon far beyond this era."
"They're called pistols, aren't they?"
Otto looked at the two pistols Francis wore at his waist, thought for a moment, and replied.
By the end of the 15th century, gunpowder had already spread quite a bit in Europe, although the reasons for this widespread use were full of blood and tears.
"Well... that's not wrong, but its design concept... even ignoring its 'extraordinary' aspect, is far ahead of this era."
"So, is this my next project?"
After hearing Tian Shi's explanation, Otto immediately understood what he meant.
"Yes, a pistol, a pistol ahead of its time."
Tian Shi said with a smile.
"The knowledge of mechanics I taught you yesterday comes in very handy in this regard."
Otto thought about what she had learned the previous day, which was related to devices for firing gunpowder.
"Yes, I'll try it."
Otto nodded with a fighting spirit.
"Hey! That's the Judgment of Shamash! What are you talking about?!"
Kallen, who hadn't understood anything from the conversation, intervened from the side.
"..."
Otto had no intention of explaining to Kallen again.
Because it's like throwing pearls before swine; even if you explain it, it's just a useless waste of your life.
Besides, after the explanation, Kallen's reaction might not be a "Wow, that's amazing!", but more likely an "I'm hungry."
"Okay, that's enough, it's time to start."
Tian Shi looked at the newly reorganized team and gave them some advice.
"Eh? Eh? Are we leaving already?"
Kallen still looked dazed, but she didn't need to come to her senses.
"Kallen, Otto, you are on my team."
Francis directly named his daughter.
The other members of the team didn't seem to mind; after all, Kallen was the youngest on the team and the future heir of the Kaslana family.
Wasn't it reasonable for the captain to show some favoritism?
Furthermore, from a certain perspective, many people in the Valkyrie squad have some connection to the Kaslanas; for example, their vassals.
After all, the Kaslana family is the main force of Schicksal...
However, no one seemed to care that Otto was next to her... well, after all, she was the third daughter of the Apocalypse family, who had practically no presence.
Then the whole team divided into groups and began to go deep into the forest.
Relying on his flight capability and outstanding experience, Tian Shi took the lead in exploring the surrounding area.
Then...
The situation was identified as something simple.
Tian Shi landed in silence.
They are all lower-level Honkai Beasts, and their strength is no match for the future.
If you threw them into the 21st century, they would be the type of B-rank Valkyries that could be used as infantry support.
Of course, the progress of the Honkai in this era is inherently awkward.
Tian Shi even suspected that without the intervention of the previous era at the beginning, the Honkai of this era would not have been able to force humanity to create a specific organization to fight against it.
After all, the birth of Fire Moth from the previous civilization... well, Mobius was considered a veteran of Fire Moth.
When she joined, the organization was still in its infancy, which shows it was completely young.
Furthermore, the previous civilization relied on pure technology to defeat the first Herrschers, and Honkai technology was developed by great figures like Dr. MEI and Mobius.
First came the Divine Keys, then the Fusion Warriors.
By the time the Fusion Warrior system was introduced, more than half of the Herrschers had already manifested.
So, the current state of civilization has its pros and cons.
Returning to the point, Tian Shi felt no pressure from this trip.
Just kidding; he could kill any Honkai Beast of this level without any problem.
Although he gained experience mainly by simply existing, he was still quite battle-hardened...
While Francis drew his weapon, Kallen also drew her own longsword.
Yes, Kallen is still only qualified to use standard weapons.
After all, she is only a 14-year-old girl.
"Miss, please stay by my side."
Francis said calmly.
Otto nodded, but at the same time pulled some round objects from her bag.
For some reason, Francis felt a hint of danger.
"I can protect myself, Uncle; please do your best."
"..."
"Did this little girl from the Apocalypse family achieve something extraordinary?"
Francis twitched his lips and looked away immediately.
What Otto was holding was, of course, a bomb: a bomb ahead of its time.
"(The fruits of my work and God's work...)"
Otto could not help but remember the scene of her and God studying together all night.
From the structure of the bomb to the explosive stability... My hands were shaking while I did it.
I was afraid that something might go wrong and the explosives would detonate in my workshop, sending me to meet my creator.
All this was thanks to God's protection; in fact, it was Tian Shi who watched over the explosives the entire time.
Even so, she was terrified the whole time.
She hated that kind of crude stuff.
However, the feeling of researching a topic with a deity...
"Otto, if you keep squeezing it, it will go off."
The sound brought Otto back to reality.
"Eh? Eh?"
Otto exclaimed in surprise.
"Cough... cough..."
Since Francis was also present, Otto had no chance to talk to Tian Shi.
"Did I just lose my composure in front of God...?"
Otto put the bomb away silently, so as not to make it explode...
"Otto! Watch your appearance!"
Otto smoothed her robes in silence.
Since she was a bit disguised this time, Otto was not wearing her usual loose noble robes, but had changed into the combat suit Kallen had prepared for her.
Well... some good news and some bad news.
The good news is that Kallen's clothes are not tight at all.
The bad news is that it's actually not that bad... I have the feeling it could fall off at any moment...
"Wait a moment! It's better not to think about these things in front of God!"
This idea is quite disrespectful...
After clearing her throat twice, Otto finally cheered up and joined the battle.
After all, the original purpose of her trip was to test the effectiveness of bombs against Honkai Beasts.
Boom!
The bombs roared and the small swift-class Honkai Beasts were immediately seriously injured.
Kallen moved forward to finish them off.
With Francis already in front, providing even more sturdy support against Knight-class enemies, and Tian Shi providing real-time alerts to Otto, the three moved as if they were in an empty field.
"(This little girl from the Apocalypse family...)"
Francis looked at Otto for a long time.
…
When the Honkai Emperor fell before her, Francis, half-covered in blood, breathed a sigh of relief.
"Dad! Are you okay?"
Kallen ran toward him upon seeing her father's wounds.
"It's okay... it's okay..."
Francis waved his hand, indicating that Kallen didn't need to worry.
"I never expected to see the Honkai Emperor here... This is a truly terrifying surprise."
In this era where no Emperor-level beings exist, the Honkai Emperor and the Honkai Queen, the ultimate forms of lower-level Honkai Beasts, are the true enemies of humanity.
If it were a one-on-one fight, Francis felt he would most likely perish along with the Honkai Emperor.
This combat power would be considered quite good for an A-rank Valkyrie by current standards.
After all, the next level above the Honkai Emperor is the S-rank Judgment-class Honkai Beast.
"Thank you for the bomb, little girl from the Apocalypse family."
Francis sincerely thanked Otto.
"If it weren't for your bombs that distracted this Honkai Emperor, maybe I wouldn't have been able to win."
"Not at all... It's just my duty; I'm glad you're okay, Uncle."
Otto nodded politely.
However, this attitude gave Francis a slight headache.
This little girl is too... mature.
That being the case, he should pay her back properly.
Besides, after this battle, my body is about to give out, so it wouldn't be bad to take this opportunity to make some good connections.
"Sigh... I wish my Kallen were as sensible as you."
"Dad, what are you saying?!"
Kallen's attention was immediately diverted upon hearing her father's words.
"My silly daughter..."
"Well, I wasn't exactly smart back then either."
A bit frustrated, Francis sighed, then remembered the rumors about Otto.
His eyes lit up and, after a moment of reflection, he said.
"I think you have a great talent for weapons, Otto."
"I know someone just as skilled in this field; would you like to meet them?"
"This…"
Otto showed some reluctance.
She got along well with God, so what did he mean by "skilled in this art"?
Was there someone wiser than God?
"It's okay, Otto; I understand you have some concerns."
Francis immediately understood something upon seeing Otto's expression.
"But it's fine; you can take your time to think about it... Oh, and I'll give you a little fun fact."
"Something interesting?"
Otto paused.
"Do you know the relics of the three main families?"
Francis's words startled Otto, who hesitated for a moment before answering: "Schariac is the Black Abyss White Flower, Kaslana is the Judgment of Shamash..."
Both are easy to see.
Schariac's family crest is a pattern of a black abyss and white flowers on the outside of a spear, while Kaslana's family crest is simply a greatsword.
Only the Apocalypse family has an eye...
"The Oath of Judah?"
Otto, one of Schicksal's most powerful weapons, had heard of it and guessed tentatively.
"No, that doesn't belong to the Apocalypse family; it should be considered a legacy of the Schicksal organization."
Francis smiled and revealed the answer.
"The answer is the relic, a treasure of infinite wisdom obtained from Asia by the first ancestor of the Apocalypse family."