A little earlier.
Alvitr, member of the Third Unit of the Immortal Blades, had arrived in Shenzhou under the command of vice-captain Rita to assist in the operation.
"All Valkyries, prepare for Level One combat..."
Any Valkyrie elite enough to make it into the Immortal Blades was no stranger to the horrors of Honkai.
But even for her, the enemy before them was unprecedented—temple-class beasts, Honkai Kings, and Honkai Queens…
"Seriously? Not even one normal Honkai beast? This is completely cheating!"
Her complaint was immediately interrupted as a pitch-black shadow lunged toward her.
A berserk Honkai beast, howling in rage, slammed a claw toward her chest.
"…Okay, I take that back. There's one."
A crisp gunshot rang out.
The beast jerked backward as the force of the bullet hurled it across the battlefield.
Alvitr's eyes tracked toward the rest of the horde.
She didn't even bother looking at the towering behemoth in the distance—it blotted out the sun.
Someone like her didn't have the qualifications to face Chiyou head-on.
The Valkyrie formation had been completely broken apart by the onslaught of high-tier Honkai beasts. Alvitr found herself isolated from the team.
If this were a horror story, that'd mean certain death.
But she wasn't panicking.
She was still the strongest member of her squad.
Fire and debris scattered as she barely dodged a devastating laser blast from a Honkai King.
She raised her handgun and pulled the trigger.
"…No good. We can't let them get anywhere near the coast."
Roars echoed around her, and the air was saturated with Honkai energy.
A heavy, suffocating pressure coiled in her chest like sludge.
Grabbing the large gun slung across her back, she channeled her energy into it and fired. The recoil kicked her back several steps.
The bullet struck clean through the waist of the Honkai King.
A dull ache spread through her limbs. Muscles screamed with strain. Alvitr panted heavily.
"Let's just hope… I don't run into an Emperor-class…"
Her words trailed off.
Because at that exact moment—she locked eyes with a pair of glowing crimson pupils.
Just one glance… that's all it took.
"…Ahaha..ha." A pained, almost comical smile tugged at her lips.
With no hesitation, she poured every last drop of her Honkai energy into her gun and pulled the trigger.
A brilliant beam of light slammed into the Emperor-class beast, leaving a few black scorch marks.
Its savage eyes burned with icy rage.
It charged.
Alvitr let her arms fall limp. No screaming. No flailing.
She had always been ready for this outcome. Every Valkyrie who stepped onto the battlefield knew this was possible.
"…Was that a death flag?" she murmured. "If I get a second life, I swear—I'll never say that kind of crap again…"
Just as she was about to close her eyes—
"Yeah, your combat instincts need some work, kid."
A lighthearted voice cut through the tension.
Alvitr's eyes shot open in shock.
From the sky, a spinning figure descended, feet over head, blaster in hand.
As he landed, a barrage of searing-hot plasma erupted from the barrel, lighting up the air and stopping the Emperor-class Honkai beast dead in its tracks.
The man wore a long blue coat.
Scruffy stubble, a missing arm, and silver hair gave him an air of world-weariness—completely ruined by the laid-back smirk on his face.
"…Though I gotta admit, this round of Honkai is way over the top."
He raised his twin pistols once more.
"W-Wait! That weapon—!"
Black and white barrels. Gold-trimmed finish.
A crimson crystal embedded near the safety.
White hair. Blue eyes. One arm. And that gun…
"You're… Siegfried?!"
There was no mistaking it. Every Valkyrie in Schicksal knew that face—from the most-wanted list.
And they knew that weapon too.
The 7th Divine Key. A twin-pistol set forged from the core of the previous era's Herrscher of Flame—possessing the ultimate power of destruction.
To keep it in check, the core had been split into two fragments, embedded separately into the twin guns.
"Heh. So Valkyries still remember me, huh? I'm flattered," Siegfried said with a wink.
"Guess I'm still kind of a big deal."
With a confident flair and perfect forty-five-degree stance, Siegfried spun his Houkai-fueled weapon, Judgement of Shamash, in one hand.
A slight smirk played on his lips as he glanced sideways at Alvitr, pride twinkling in his eyes.
"An Emperor-class Honkai Beast, huh? Guess I gotta take this a little seriously."
Judgement of Shamash was a twin-pistol weapon, but with one arm lost, Siegfried usually only wielded one.
The other, crimson-red firearm remained holstered at his waist.
In a flash, he moved—his speed like lightning.
The dozen-meter gap between them closed in an instant. Drawing the other Judgement of Shamash, he joined the pistols together.
The weapons twisted and extended, transforming into a hilt. A molten, golden blaze erupted skyward, forging a massive sword.
"Unleash…. Judgement of Shamash!"
A roaring flame storm surged as the golden sword emerged, its heat overwhelming and blinding.
In a blink, it was gone, and the massive blade had returned to twin-pistol form.
Though Siegfried couldn't fight at full strength due to unstable Honkai Beast genes within his body, this minimal burst of power was already more than enough—for an Emperor-class beast, no less.
"Heh, of course I remember. After all… how could anyone forget a filthy pervert who's groped the butts of every Valkyrie in Schicksal?"
Alvitr eyed Siegfried with deep suspicion, like a lamb cornered by a starving wolf.
"But… thanks for saving me."
"Uh… wh-what?!"
Siegfried's eyes widened in disbelief.
The confident smile he wore just moments ago was now wiped clean, replaced by utter confusion.
'When the hell did I ever do something that envi—uh, disgraceful?!'
'This is character defamation!'
'Was it Otto again, that damned schemer trying to ruin my name?!'
He opened his mouth to object—
"Oh~? I just overheard something very interesting."
A streak of deep green shot down from the heavens like a meteor.
'BOOM!'
A shockwave thundered across the area, and the earth trembled beneath the explosive impact.
The nearby Honkai Beasts howled in agony. In the very next instant, they shattered—splintered into radiant fragments of light.
Smoke and rubble rose where their remains had once been.
Amidst the sea of gleaming light, the rhythmic sound of high heels echoed crisply across the silent street.
A tall, slender figure strode forward, gradually emerging from the shadows.
"You're…!"
Siegfried's eyes shot wide open, his mind going completely blank as the figure came into view.
His stunned gaze reflected the girl's silhouette. When he finally locked eyes with those brilliant, ruby-red pupils, his senses snapped back.
The aura of confidence. The noble bearing.
The overwhelming power that just casually erased an Emperor-class Honkai Beast.
'No way… That can't be my daughter!'
Before heading off to recover at the Anti-Entropy base, Siegfried had secretly been following and protecting her for a time.
But the ditzy daughter he knew couldn't possibly possess the grace and strength of the noble young lady now standing before him.
Unless the Herrscher of the Void had awakened and turned her into its host, there was no way she could've become this powerful in such a short span.
That'd just be nonsense.
As for the possibility of this being True Kiana… Siegfried hadn't even considered it.
"Miss Valkyrie, would you mind explaining that earlier statement in detail? I find this particular rumor… quite fascinating."
The knightly girl (Rider Kiana) raised her head toward Alvitr, her voice cool and polite—but utterly devoid of gossip-loving energy.
Her flawless, delicate face radiated a chilling danger.
A crimson glow pulsed in her right eye, as if blood itself were burning inside.
"Ah, that was from Valkyrie-class A, Shigure Kira. She said it herself—almost every Valkyrie in her class had fallen victim to Siegfried's lecherous hands.
She even added a warning about him in the official Valkyrie handbook to keep future girls from falling into his perverted trap."
Though unfamiliar with the girl's face, Alvitr assumed she must be a fellow Valkyrie if she referred to her as a senior—and that meant she had a duty to pass on this vital piece of information.
"Oh? So that's how it is… Sounds like something to definitely keep in mind."
Each word the knight spoke dripped with icy venom. Her right eye burned with molten rage, while her left brimmed with frigid fury.
She raised her head and stared at the silently brooding Siegfried, her right fist slowly tightening.
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[The heiress]: Wait! Hold on—let me ask him first, properly!
————————————————————————
Feeling True Kiana was about to unleash a devastating W-finisher, the The heiress quickly intervened.
Her gaze flicked to Siegfried's severed arm. Despite the tension, she hesitated.
In her world, Dad had always been a towering hero.
If this was truly an alternate version of him… surely he wouldn't have done something so disgusting?
Just as she hesitated—
A second figure darted out from the shadows, light on her feet like a cat.
Her braided ponytail whipped violently behind her as she moved with astonishing speed.
In a single blur, she was right in front of Siegfried.
Her small frame exploded with force as she swung her fist upward, accompanied by a booming crack like a grenade.
Siegfried, still deep in thought, felt a fierce gust slice across his cheek.
And then—
"Neko-Charm!!"
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