Schicksal HQ.
It is a landmass supported by floating isles. It is the center of every other Schicksal branch all over the world. It houses the biggest number of logistical valkyries as well as Schicksal's strongest valkyrie squad, the Immortal Blades.
Simply put, it is the place with the most importance within Schicksal's operations.
Today, one such D Rank Valkyrie logged in with her fingerprint and irises. The entire building looked more like a spaceship bridge than anything else.
Huge transparent window frames enclosed it from the blue skies. A lot of other valkyries are readying themselves on their workstations.
It did not take long for the girl to arrive on her desk. A glass screen and holographic projections served as her interface.
The girl booted everything up before she began to look up for all sorts of files. It is clear she has no intentions to work at all.
The valkyries around her did not notice a thing. The D Rank Valkyrie checked out, returned to her dormitory, and resumed this life.
It wasn't until an emergency occurred did she get reprimanded. Her superior is a C Rank Valkyrie. She is two levels below the logistic division's head, the S Rank Valkyrie Rita Rossweiss.
Rita was awarded the S Rank partly due to her extremely efficient handling of Schicksal's logistics division. Some valkyries gossip about a special espionage division headed by her, which is why their Overseer appointed her as an S Rank Valkyrie.
"This is the first warning. As a part of the satellite communications division, you failed to relay the sharp drop of honkai emissions within the Antarctic continent…"
The D Rank Valkyrie did not show visible changes. She nodded, handed over her report, and went back to her three-person dormitory.
She came back early, which is precisely why nobody else was present.
"Antarctica." She muttered with a blank look. "It's that person."
Her entire body began to tremble. Both of her hands shook, making her unable to pick anything up.
The Herrscher of Domination appeared forty days ago. She first emerged after taking over a young girl. She inherited and prevented her soul from leaving the body. The Herrscher Core of Dominance is akin to an anchor that prevents death.
Aside from that, it also grants them a small fragment of the prior Herrschers' authorities—from the first to the ninth. It depends on their avatar's honkai resistance, however.
The Herrscher of Domination did not stir up trouble from the get-go. It followed the low-key approach. It gathered together one thousand avatars, each from different backgrounds. Their similarities are these people's tendencies to have extremely dark thoughts—with the worst case being suicide.
When a better avatar comes, the Herrscher of Domination discards its worst avatars and replaces it with the better one.
The Honkai God also bestowed the power to conceal her identity as a Herrscher. As long as it does not actively use its long-range communication and the Theater of Domination, the Herrscher Core will remain hidden. Though it retains some flaws that could be seen through with enough strength.
Finally, the Honkai God gave her a single message:
Beware of the man whose existence is void.
The Herrscher of Domination perceived that "man" as the Herrschers' boogeyman. It hasn't seen nor heard of his existence yet… until today.
When the D Rank Valkyrie avatar saw the disturbance in the Antarctic, she knew it was him. That is the man whom God warned it against.
The sheer destruction left on the Antarctic sparked a huge storm within the Schicksal HQ. The scale of damages are estimated to be comparable to two Herrscher-level threats duking it out.
Facing such an enemy, the Herrscher of Domination does not know what to do.
"Hide..! I need to…"
*****
The sun is setting. Most valkyries have returned to their respective dorms. The divisions who needed to work overtime are staying within their buildings. As a result, the Schicksal HQ's sidewalks appear to be desolate.
The figure of a girl could be seen jogging. She only stopped when she finished running the tenth lap.
Durandal did not break a sweat. Jogging is more of clearing up her mind. The real deal comes when she enters her exclusive training room.
Just before she could do so, she spotted someone.
"Master Bianka." Rita said as she bowed to her direction.
"You finished it so soon?"
"Yes. The Overseer mentioned there is no need to send you to the Antarctic. Taking your place is an effective choice."
The huge disturbance on the Antarctic this morning is a big deal in the eyes of others. Otto, however, is busy studying the Second Divine Key's effects. It has been this way since a month ago.
In the end, Rita took Durandal's place and led half of the Immortal Blade squad to check on the Antarctic. Needless to say, they found nothing of note. Except for the depletion of honkai energy, there was nothing else.
The Immortal Blade Squad knew it was connected to their secret deal, but upon seeing Rita's noncommittal attitude, they tacitly kept it to themselves.
Their visit today is more of a reassurance to Schicksal's unknowing officials than anything else.
"Was it him?" Durandal asked.
"Most likely. The damages include long cuts over glaciers. It spans over a kilometer in total."
Rita reported what they saw.
"That's not right. I have a feeling he's stronger than that." Durandal suddenly commented. "Did you find out if there are others around him?"
"This involves our prior investigation, Master Bianka."
More than a month ago, Otto sent Fu Hua out to Siberia. It did not gain much attention on Schicksal as a whole. But, when she returned, she told her "experiences".
In short, Fu Hua was found and taken away with no power to resist. Taking a glance at him will result in being discovered.
Shi Tian's perception was so godly it was hard to believe. Yet, Fu Hua's return served as a solid proof.
Her story was passed on from Otto to Rita and Durandal. The two haven't tried to verify it themselves. Shi Tian has an unknown attitude to them. The best Rita can do is to investigate his prior appearances. He did not specifically hide his presence which made it easier to do.
His appearance in the Far East, Siberian Towns, Shenzhou…
The most important thing was the number of minor honkai eruptions dropping sharply in Siberia. The two already speculated how Shi Tian is keeping order within his "territory". They even connected him to the rogue S Rank Valkyrie Schicksal encountered several dozen times. The way they are taking care of honkai eruptions is the same.
The moment honkai emissions increase, it suddenly decreases. The people within that radius gain a slightly better health. Honkai beasts are handled remotely via lances, rays of light, and gravitational abilities.
Their presence made Schicksal wary and thankful at the same time.
"...hence, it is believed he has people around him. However, their exact appearances are shielded by man-made signal and light interference. They cannot be determined with satellite feeds alone."
Durandal dropped a bombshell to Rita.
"I want to meet him."
Unfortunately, she chose a man who is as elusive as a snake and a ghost combined...