With a series of explosions, Sapphire City was finally at peace... nuclear peace, that is.
Alright, a nuclear event was probably unlikely.
After all, this wasn't some kind of life-or-death cage match.
But even so, poor Mei was still left covered in soot and grime.
"As I thought, I can't do anything right! Captain, it looks like you'll have to fend for yourself."
Defeated by Bronya, a dejected Mei walked back to the spectator area.
Kiana immediately started to console her. "It's okay, Mei! That Bronya was totally cheating! The event organizer herself jumped into the ring. For you to fight like that against her was already amazing."
Kiana patiently comforted the downcast Mei, showcasing the demeanor of a true best friend.
"Thank you, Kiana. I'm fine. It's true that there's still a gap between me and Bronya. I just have to get stronger."
Mei let out a long sigh.
"Don't worry, Mei! I'll teach Bronya a lesson for you later! The nerve of her, playing dirty like that. She's the worst!" Kiana said, indignant.
However, Mei probably never would have guessed that while Kiana was comforting her, she was thinking something entirely different.
"Thank goodness Bronya eliminated Mei. That would have been a disaster."
"I can't believe Mei was hiding that kind of power. Why is everyone suddenly getting stronger?!"
"Everyone has new battlesuits now. Doesn't that put me at a disadvantage?"
"Still, Bronya should be an easier opponent than Mei. I really don't want to get beaten up by Mei."
Kiana was already fantasizing about the looks of admiration everyone would give her when she defeated Bronya.
Now, as long as she defeated Bronya, she would be the strongest of the trio.
Then, the ranking would be Kiana > Bronya > Mei. Wouldn't that make her look so much more impressive?
As for Wendy... she wasn't even a factor in Kiana's calculations!
That puny Wendy the Celestial was just a mortal who appeared in a St. Freya that didn't have her in it!
Just watch as she, Kiana the Great Sage, smacked her down with one palm! Then, she could call herself Kiana the Celestial!
But clearly, Kiana hadn't considered one problem: even if she could beat Bronya, she couldn't necessarily beat Mei.
After all, the classic elemental rock-paper-scissors chart was written like that for a reason.
"Alright, everyone! After that last spectacular match, we have finally arrived at the final round of our group stage!"
"Let's have our lively and adorable number one protagonist, Kiana, and St. Freya's genius graduate, Wendy, take the stage!"
Hearing those two names, the expressions of the three sitting in the guest seats were quite a sight to behold.
It was safe to say that this pair was even more of a heavyweight match than the last one.
Mo Wang's head started to ache just looking at them.
Two Herrschers going head-to-head? The Second Herrscher versus the Fourth Herrscher?
Kiana the Great Sage versus Wendy the Celestial? Why did he have this strange feeling?
If these two fought, would they really demolish the entire area?
"Uh, Mo Wang... I'm not mistaken, you did limit Wendy's power, right?"
Himeko asked Mo Wang, her voice filled with uncertainty.
If one looked closely, you could even see fine beads of sweat on her forehead.
Don't think for a second Himeko wasn't scared.
Just look at the Celestial next to her; she had already assumed a defensive stance, terrified that the ensuing battle would blow up in her face.
Even if Himeko didn't know Kiana's true identity, she knew that Wendy was extremely dangerous.
Unlike the half-baked Herrscher Mei, this one was a fully-fledged Herrscher!
Even with all three of Schicksal's S-rank Valkyries, they might not be enough to take her on alone. (Durandal in her Dea Anchora Form is a different story.)
Himeko was well aware that in her current state, she probably wouldn't last long against Wendy's antics.
If Wendy went berserk, the Final Lesson might just get an early premiere.
And what about Fu Hua?
Knowing exactly what Kiana was, she had an even bigger headache.
If they weren't in public, she would have already called HQ to ask Otto what the hell he was thinking.
These two were about to fight, so why wasn't he the least bit concerned?
Was he not afraid that the Second Herrscher would suddenly awaken and give everyone a big surprise?
He couldn't have decided to just let it happen for his own amusement, could he?
Otto:You've guessed correctly, my old friend.
"Don't worry. I've put a safety on Wendy's side. There definitely won't be any problems."
Mo Wang turned his head and said to the worried Himeko.
"Is that so? Well, that's good..."
Himeko breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Mo Wang's words.
But she clearly hadn't considered that Mo Wang had left one thing unsaid.
(Wendy might be fine, but I can't say the same for Kiana. That Sirin could pop up at any moment. It's a bit risky.)
To prevent a full-blown Herrscher war, Mo Wang had already prepared for two scenarios.
The moment Sirin dared to show her face, he would give her a good whack with his stick!
He'd show her who was the real boss around here!
Meanwhile, Kiana and Wendy, now on the stage, didn't immediately start fighting like the others.
Instead, they were staring each other down and starting to trade insults.
"Hehehe, little Wendy, I advise you to give up now. In your current state, it's not the right time for romance. Listen to your big sister: love is too much for you right now. You can't handle it."
Faced with Kiana's taunt, Wendy shot back without missing a beat. "Is that so? I wonder who it is that still hasn't graduated, has been stuck at B-rank for a whole year, and hasn't made any progress at all. Heh, who could that be?"
"Sigh, Wendy, I'm genuinely looking out for you. Listen to me, I know you're grateful to that guy Mo Wang for healing your legs. But that's not love, and it's not about repaying a debt. You deserve to pursue a better happiness."
Kiana let out a long sigh, speaking like an experienced elder.
"I think the happiness the Captain gives me is more than enough. As for you, Kiana, haven't you always said you don't like the Captain? Why don't you just leave, then?"
The two hadn't even started fighting, but the verbal jabs were flying one after another.
The audience was completely engrossed.
Wait, are they going to fight or not? What's with all the dithering?
This was not the kind of battle they wanted to see!
This kind of battle, this kind of... huh, it was actually pretty good?
Somehow, what these two girls were saying seemed quite exciting.
Could this be the legendary "best friends fighting over a boyfriend"?
The audience, seamlessly transitioning from bloodthirsty spectators to gossip-loving onlookers, began to watch this annual husband-stealing drama with great relish.
"As I thought, in the end, we still have to settle this with our fists."
"Hmph, I'll shatter your foolish fantasies with my own two hands!"
Kiana and Wendy glared at each other, the green-tea cattiness instantly giving way to gunpowder.
"Sneak attack!"
However, what Wendy didn't expect was that Kiana, who was just talking a moment ago, would launch a zero-frame startup, firing a shot at her in the very next instant.
Wendy was startled and immediately whipped up a gale of wind to block the bullet.
"How shameless! A liar and a sneak!"
Wendy glared fiercely at Kiana, wishing she could just slap her twice.
"Hmph, all's fair in war. Don't you know that?"
"I know your mom's fair in war!"
The two girls with the shortest fuses finally started fighting.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Kiana's bullets weaved a web of fire across the stage, but Wendy dodged as lightly as a piece of paper in the wind. She even had time to fix her bangs, which had been messed up by the airflow.
"Tired yet?" she asked, leaping into the air with a light tap of her foot. A miniature tornado formed in her palm and smashed toward the ground. "My turn~"
"Don't get cocky!"
Kiana dodged Wendy's wind blades with a side roll. She glanced around the edge of the stage and, to the astonishment of the onlookers, grabbed a fire hydrant from the side and hurled it.
However, not only did it miss Wendy, but with the fire hydrant gone, a massive jet of water sprayed out.
"Puhahahaha! A drenched chicken, Kiana! It suits you!"
Wendy, watching from the sky as Kiana became a soaking mess, burst into laughter.
"This is tactical cooling!" Kiana wiped her face, retorting stubbornly.
However, at that moment, as Wendy was laughing, Kiana suddenly whipped out a grappling hook from her waist and wrapped it around Wendy's ankle.
"Get down here!"
"You bastard, where did you get that thing?!"
Wendy glanced at the object in Kiana's hand. Upon closer inspection, wasn't that Judah's chain?! Where did she get that from?
"Hehe, I just picked it up off the ground! What do you think? Isn't your Kiana-Onee~Chan amazing?"
"You despicable cheat!"
The two began a tug-of-war with the chain. Kiana suddenly let go, and Wendy's momentum sent her crashing into the protective barrier. The wind blade in her hand flew out and split the microphone in front of Mo Wang in half.
ZZZZT—!
The piercing sound of static made the entire audience cover their ears. Project Bunny, behind Bronya, nearly crashed.
"The Bronya requests compensation for emotional distress," the silver-haired girl said grimly, holding up a small notebook.
"Why do I get the feeling this place is so dangerous?"
Mo Wang looked at the bisected microphone in front of him, a cold sweat breaking out.
Were these two trying to fight each other, or were they trying to assassinate him?
"They really are... quite chaotic, these two kids."
Himeko couldn't help but wipe away some sweat. She felt that compared to the previous two fights, this one was even more of a mess.
"Hey, hey, hey! You're cheating! Where did you get that utility pole?!"
On the stage, Wendy had somehow found a utility pole and was now swinging it at Kiana.
"Hmph! The rules only said you can't leave the stage. It didn't say you can't use props!"
"You're allowed to pick up Judah's chain, but I can't pick up a utility pole?!"
Kiana and Wendy fought in this chaotic manner for a long time.
Until—
Kiana suddenly threw a spare magazine at Wendy. The latter subconsciously blocked it with a wind wall, forgetting that the magazine was just a feint. The real killing move was the tactical roll that followed.
Kiana used the momentum of the wind to launch herself into the air, her legs scissoring around Wendy's waist.
"Eat this, my aerial body slam!"
"Are you a koala?! Let go!"
Kiana and Wendy began to grapple.
Anyone who didn't know better would think they were two shrews in a street brawl.
There was not a single shred of the elegance of Schicksal's top Valkyries.
At this point, the two had even started pulling each other's hair.
"Himeko, what are your thoughts on this?"
Mo Wang didn't forget to interview Himeko beside him.
"I... have no words."
Himeko indicated that this battle was simply too embarrassing to watch.
She really didn't want to admit that the two on stage were her best student and her most useless student. And, that they were also her two proudest students.
If word of this got out, her title as Schicksal's Gold Medal Instructor would probably be gone for good.
After grappling for about ten minutes, the two, panting heavily, were now staring at each other.
The Honkai energy around them was constantly gathering.
Clearly, both of them planned to end the fight with their next move.
At this moment, Kiana struck first, unleashing a Kiana Blast Punch with 990,000 horsepower, which she aimed squarely at Wendy.
Wendy, not to be outdone, retaliated with a Wendy Overlord Fist of equal power, aimed directly at Kiana's face.
However, just when everyone thought Kiana would lose, unexpectedly, at this critical moment, Kiana—cheated!
Mo Wang's vision, which was on par with a certain ninja's, clearly saw that just as Wendy's fist was about to hit Kiana first, Kiana's eyes turned gold.
In that instant, the gem inside Wendy's body reacted with Kiana, causing Wendy to lose all her strength.
BOOM!
Kiana's punch landed, sending Wendy spinning a full 360 degrees. She collapsed at the edge of the ring.
"What the hell?!"
The audience, lacking ninja-level dynamic vision, ultimately failed to understand what had just happened.
"Hahahaha! A mere half-body dares to raise a fist to me? This Queen is the strongest!"
However, at that moment, Kiana on stage suddenly let out a maniacal laugh.
The already silly white-haired fool now looked even sillier.
"Hehehe, mere mortals, you dare to look directly at me? Watch as I—"
And while the audience was bewildered, something even more bewildering happened.
"Stupid Pufferfish, eat this stick!"
From the guest seats, Mo Wang suddenly leaped out and, right then and there, smashed Kiana to the ground with a club.
Everyone who witnessed this scene felt an itch in their heads. It was as if... a new brain was about to grow.
Wait a minute. The judge suddenly jumped out and knocked out a contestant.
Doesn't that mean... the winner is the judge?