Anti-Entropy Base.
Her long blue hair fell past her back.
To be fair, it wasn't as messy as a bird's nest; at least when facing outsiders in serious situations, Einstein would take the time to tidy it up a little.
"The database of the Previous Era…"
Her slender fingers tapped quickly across the keyboard, pupils shrinking and darting rapidly as she focused on the blue holographic projection in front of her.
"Just where did Welt even get this thing…?"
The whole matter was far too strange.
He had called only her and Tesla into a private meeting, tossed them a sample of soulium from the Previous Era along with a database containing records on sealing Honkai energy…
And then excused himself from the battlefield, citing "serious injuries sustained against the Second Herrscher."
It was the kind of excuse that would work on most people.
After all, Nagami dropping a literal nuke was spectacle enough to convince anyone of how brutal the fight must have been.
But for her—and Tesla?
That excuse meant absolutely nothing.
After all, the two of them… had practically grown up watching Welt.
Naturally, they'd asked why he was doing this, but he only gave them one short answer: "Trust me."
And of course, they did. For the same reason as before.
But still—unexpected variables like this were the bane of any scientist.
And Einstein, more than anyone, hated them.
She shook the vial in her hand, the liquid glowing with an otherworldly blue light.
Turning, she glanced at Siegfried, who sat slumped against the database terminal, his expression weighed down with gloom.
A deep sigh left her chest.
Judging from Cecilia's attitude, this wasn't just a normal marital quarrel.
Recalling the way the Saint that is so well-known for her gentleness and understanding—had looked at Siegfried.
Even someone like Einstein, who had zero interest in anything outside research, couldn't help but wonder:
'What in the world had Siegfried done to make her this furious?'
No, furious wasn't even the right word anymore.
"…Mr. Siegfried." Einstein, never good at handling these kinds of situations, spoke with some awkwardness.
But the urgency of the current crisis didn't allow him to wallow in misery.
At the sound of her voice, Siegfried slowly raised his head.
His blue eyes still seemed hollow.
"Doctor… what's the situation?"
"From the power you released just now, it's clear that the Honkai beast genes embedded in the Kaslana family bloodline have already been activated."
Einstein held his gaze steadily.
"But that power only lasted a few seconds before disappearing."
She lifted the vial slightly, her voice hardening.
"This is an activator I extracted from the sample. It can fully awaken that power. But—" her tone sharpened, "—it will ravage your nervous system, destroy your blood circulation, and cause irreversible damage.
Prolonged use will even result in you being assimilated into a Honkai beast."
"Ah… thank you, Doctor."
Siegfried instinctively reached out, taking the activator with both hands.
He forced a faint smile of gratitude, though the shadow of melancholy never left his face.
"…I just hope, when you decide to use it, you've thought it through carefully."
Einstein gave him one last reminder as he casually slipped the activator into his coat pocket.
Siegfried didn't respond.
He simply waved a hand over his shoulder and walked out of the lab.
————————————————————————
In the other place a roar of energy floods faded.
The raging winds subsided.
Silence reclaimed the world—though it now seemed painted over with the faintest shade of purple-black.
"With Honkai energy density like this, no satellite should be able to monitor Siberia anymore."
Shaping her form into that of Sirin, C.C. steadied her breath.
She had flooded the entire upper atmosphere above Siberia with dense Honkai energy.
With this, she could do anything she wanted without worrying about those ever-present eyes in the sky.
Memories could be tampered with—but video evidence?
That was a much trickier problem.
"Cough, cough… alright! Welcome to your on-site war reporter broadcast!"
Her golden eyes gleamed as she activated her ability.
She suddenly recalled a certain spider girl who once served as a commentator during battles.
Really, this was Shiraori's line of work, not hers.
But with no comedian partner at hand, she'd just have to improvise.
"Now then—let's place one Siegfried up north in Siberia, and add the Valkyrie forces from the European HQ.
On the southern side, we've got the Mother-in-Law, leading both the Africa and Oceania branches of Valkyries."
She spread her arms dramatically.
"A perfect sandwich strategy!"
"And then…" C.C. tilted her head back, a mischievous grin tugging at her lips.
"Time for a nuclear wastewater strike! Just kidding. Though honestly, the two aren't that different in terms of destructive effect."
Above, missiles bearing Schicksal's insignia traced long white arcs across the sky, their deafening roars splitting the heavens.
In an instant, countless warheads rained down upon the Siberian plains.
Fire bloomed in endless ripples, melting snow and ice into a rising fog, turning the frozen tundra into a blazing sea of flames.
"This must be the most expensive fireworks show in human history, huh?"
Sitting serenely in the void as if admiring a piece of human artistry, C.C. couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for Schicksal's finances.
Nearly an hour of carpet bombing had burned through the entire stockpile of two of Schicksal's major arsenals.
The sheer cost of those missiles was probably equivalent to several years' worth of tax revenue for certain nations.
The thirty Delisha-type Honkai beasts that had been rampaging across the continent were reduced to thirty thousand.
Yet the scars left upon the land by the bombardment might well be worse than what those three hundred thousand Honkai beasts could have managed.
At the areas hit by concentrated fire, the earth had sunken more than three meters deep.
"Bella, I'm leaving the north to you. Remember—hold back. Don't kill unless you must. Severe injuries will do."
As for the south, where her dear "mother-in-law" resided, there was no need to worry.
Cecilia's acting skills were top-tier, especially with C.C.'s feather secretly guiding her.
With a red contact lens and a black mask, who would worry about accidentally one-shotting a Honkai beast? A perfect 50–50 split!
"…Yes, my lady."
The delicate silver-haired girl stepped out from the void behind C.C., bowing slightly.
Though she now possessed intelligence, such instructions were still hard for a Honkai beast to fully comprehend.
Not that Bella cared—following her master's will was enough.
She turned and leapt skyward.
From her slender frame burst forth a torrent of Honkai energy, transforming her into a colossal white-blue dragon hundreds of meters long.
She soared toward Siegfried's position, and under her will, other Honkai beasts began to gather as well.
In theory, since Bella had not truly betrayed the Honkai, she retained control over a certain number of lower-class beasts.
"And now…"
C.C. turned, her gaze falling upon the figures approaching behind her: Otto, Fu Hua, and… Pseudo-Herrscher clone, in the guise of Cheng Lixue.
Her flawless features twisted into a cold, mocking smile.
"I have to give you some credit. For mere ants, making it this far is quite the achievement ☆."
She had eaten pufferfish for lunch every day lately—if that didn't make her feel bloated enough to spout nonsense, what else would?
"Sturdy ants, I'll give you that. Now struggle for me, with everything you've got ☆~"
Extending a slender finger forward, she struck a queenly pose, her words overflowing with theatrical arrogance.
Truth be told, if she were speaking in her own form, C.C. would rather die than say something this cringeworthy.
But now? She was Sirin.
Any embarrassment belonged to Sirin.
What did that have to do with C.C.?
Put on the mask, and love no one~
Still, Fu Hua's subtle, almost mocking glance made her freeze slightly.
Wait. Did Fu Hua's lips just curl up?
They did, didn't they?!
'This grudge—I'll remember it!'
No, she had to dig up some dirt on Fu Hua in return!
Maybe… the next time she visited Ying Mei, she could record some of little Ai-chan's most embarrassing quotes and then put them on repeat for Fu Hua, twenty-four hours a day?
Fu Hua's gaze shifted slightly.
With Nagami showing no reaction, she stepped forward calmly.
"Stick to the plan."
"Archbishop, shouldn't we help Master?"
Nagami, still in the guise of Cheng Lixue, spoke at just the right moment, saying exactly what was expected of him.
'So this is what being a global celebrity feels like!'
"One is more than enough."
Otto's voice was calm, yet resolute.
Arms folded, he stared at Fu Hua's retreating back, the corners of his lips lifting ever so slightly.
There might be some hidden mastermind behind this Honkai eruption—but with the power of Fenghuang Down at her disposal.
The Red Kite Immortal at full strength was, without question, the strongest being on Earth right now.
And in this case, Otto wasn't wrong—so long as the conditions were "right now" and "on Earth."
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