February 14, 2000, 9:10 a.m., Oulu, Finland.
The bustling commercial district was alive with people.
Towering skyscrapers rose like giants, broad avenues stretched endlessly into the distance, and everything about the scene spoke of prosperity and beauty.
But in the very next second, the lively chatter of the crowd was drowned out by a piercing, shrill alarm.
A series of violent explosions followed, shaking the ground like an earthquake.
Confused, countless weekend-goers turned their heads, trying to figure out what was happening.
"W-what's going on!?"
"Another gas pipeline explosion?"
"The sky! Look at the sky!"
The heavens had turned eerie, stained with roiling ink-black clouds.
A storm swirled above, twisting the sky itself into a vortex as damp winds lashed the city.
"Oh-ho-ho~ the wind's picking up. Let's play!"
At the heart of the storm, a slender figure appeared—clad in a dress of black and white. It was a Wendy clone, though Nagami had lengthened its hair slightly.
The raging winds surged into the city like a tidal wave, lightning crackling faintly within the clouds.
A young woman on the street caught sight of a towering monster several meters tall.
Her breath hitched, and with the most wretched scream she had ever produced in her life, she tried to call for help.
"H-Help—???"
But her voice stopped short.
She fell silent the moment she saw the creature's face.
"Wh-what the hell is that!?"
"Doesn't matter what it is, just run! Are you trying to stand there and die!?"
Her friend grabbed her wrist and bolted in the opposite direction, away from the Honkai beast.
"No, wait! Look at its face!"
Even as she was dragged along, the woman pulled her friend back.
"What's there to look at!? You can't even handle a horror movie, and now you—huh?"
Her scolding froze on her lips.
She, too, had seen the monster's face. And instead of fear, what spread across her expression was… confusion.
Those eyes—so oddly filled with "wisdom"—were impossible to take seriously.
Just as the words were about to leave her mouth, a small black hole suddenly formed before them, expanding as something pushed its way through the void.
A giant, fly-like creature emerged, its shadow crashing against a nearby wall.
The rapid beat of its wings shredded glass as if it were nothing.
More Honkai beasts spilled out of the imaginary space.
Buildings collapsed in thunderous crashes, concrete and steel beams twisted apart like brittle sticks, and dust filled the air.
One creature's "intelligent" gaze might be laughable, but when hundreds of those same eyes all stared at you at once—
The sensation was like an electric current shooting up your spine, paralyzing your body, flooding your brain with primal fear.
"Ruuun!!!"
The once-prosperous city erupted into chaos.
With the arrival of Wendy's pseudo-herrscher incarnation came a swarm of Honkai beasts.
Explosions echoed endlessly across Oulu as the army of monsters carried out their pre-written instructions.
Small Honkai beasts hurled their silicon-based heads into steel walls—enough to shatter glass, but far from strong enough to break through concrete.
Nagami had deliberately weakened their hardness.
Their actions matched their "expressions," mindlessly ramming the hardest parts of buildings.
Elsewhere, larger beasts clawed and smashed at the ground.
But few people noticed how absurd the scene truly was.
Faced with the swarming tide of Honkai beasts and those eerie, "intelligent" gazes, everyone was consumed by pure terror.
—February 14, 2000, 4:30 a.m.
Pseudo Flame-Law Lucina clone descends upon Astana.
—February 14, 2000, 12:10 p.m.
Pseudo Death-Law Hu Tao clone descends upon Novosibirsk, Russia.
Fortunately, just two days prior, S-rank Valkyrie Cecilia, along with most of the A-rank elite Valkyries, had returned to Schicksal HQ on the floating island.
They had cleared out the majority of Honkai beasts in Siberia and were now resupplying and recovering.
Of course, the real reason for returning to Schicksal was Otto's plan.
He needed to deliver a pre-battle speech, using the revered image of Saint Cecilia to dispel the Valkyries' fear.
With Schicksal HQ coordinating directly, they could rapidly mobilize high-level forces, scattering them to cities under attack by the pseudo-herrscher avatars in an attempt to hold them back simultaneously.
Meanwhile, to ease Cecilia's worries, C.C. had left behind a feather within her mind—detailing the true origin of these beasts.
Most of the monsters rampaging through the cities were Nagami's "Derisa-type" Honkai beasts.
As for the real Honkai beasts, controlled by Nagami after hijacking Sirin's Herrscher authority with the power of the Void, those had been unleashed near Anti-Entropy and Schicksal forces.
Not only would this force the two factions to fight them, but it would also help reinforce the Valkyries' understanding of what "real" Honkai beasts looked like.
Against the pseudo-herrscher avatars, however, the Valkyries could only barely hold their ground.
Nagami had flooded the field with such overwhelming numbers that direct confrontation was nearly impossible.
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Inside Schicksal HQ—
"These Honkai beasts… why do they look like that?"
The crimson glow of the holographic projection filled the dark room with an eerie atmosphere.
Sitting in the control room chair, Otto crossed one leg over the other, staring blankly at the satellite feed.
The glass of rich red wine in his hand almost spilled as the bizarre scene unfolded before him.
He tilted his head toward another projection where Valkyries clashed fiercely against Honkai beasts, blinking a few times in disbelief.
'Now that… that looks like how things should be.'
But when his gaze shifted back to the city where the pseudo-Herrscher had descended, his expression froze.
Sure, those strange gazes could be explained away as a trick to lower humanity's guard—but that temple-class Honkai beast, frantically stabbing the ground with its lance like a child throwing a tantrum?
'Is this some kind of joke?'
Or had these Honkai beasts gotten their brains squeezed out when they crawled through the Imaginary Space gate?
Otto shook his head.
He couldn't waste more time on such ridiculous sights.
Whatever the cause of this absurdity, it didn't matter.
In truth, not even the Second Herrscher concerned him much anymore.
With a wave of his hand, Otto enlarged the central projection.
Displayed was a petite, cute girl wearing an oversized Taoist hat.
Her long reddish-brown hair spilled down her back, her smooth, slender thighs exposed under her outfit.
Of course, Otto wasn't admiring her appearance.
What drew his focus was the ominous black mist she commanded, capable of corroding an entire building with a mere wave of her hand.
"The Herrscher of Death… Honkai energy levels at 80% of the Second Herrscher. Against her, A-rank Valkyries can do little more than buy some time."
If not for these pseudo-Herrschers' unusual personalities, even stalling them would have been impossible.
As Otto studied the projection of the mock Death Herrscher toying with Valkyries like prey, he clasped his hands beneath his chin.
"The real question is… is she truly the Herrscher of Death?"
As the name suggested, the Herrscher of Death wielded power to extinguish life with a gesture—yet also the terrifying ability to rekindle it in an instant.
A power with even the slightest chance of reviving Kallen!
So whether or not the girl on the screen was genuine, Otto had already made his decision: he would go himself.
He would capture her.
As Otto sank into thought, a soft, even voice broke the silence behind him.
"You still know how to make a face like that?"
He froze for a moment before instinctively turning.
There stood a tall figure clad in a grayish-brown trench coat.
Her silken silver hair swayed behind her, and a black-and-white scarf shielded her swan-like neck.
By all appearances, she was a refined beauty—though the nearly flat chest beneath her coat quietly contradicted the impression.
"Old friend, you've finally come." Scarlet feathers circled elegantly around Fu Hua's figure as Otto's lips curved into a delighted smile. "Now my battle plan is complete."
"What do you need me to do?"
Fu Hua's response was calm and straightforward as always.
She had no interest in Otto's enthusiasm—their relationship was nothing more than businesslike cooperation.
"Don't be so cold, old friend," Otto replied, his smile unwavering.
"I simply worry that your disciple—Schicksal's strongest A-rank Valkyrie, Miss Cheng Lixue might face danger during this mission. After all, the enemy this time is a Herrscher. So, I thought it only right to warn you."
"With you by her side, there should be no problem."
He chuckled lightly, swirling his wine.
"Of course, if you happen to slay the Herrscher of Flame while protecting your student… all the better."
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