The sudden appearance of Gray Serpent sent a wave of shock across the Hyperion's bridge. The tension in the room instantly spiked as everyone tried to process what they were seeing.
Theresa was the first to react, her voice sharp with disbelief.
Theresa : "Wasn't the guy killed by Schicksal in Arc City?"
Mei frowned, uncertainty in her eyes.
Mei : "Could it be his double that died?"
A brief silence followed—before Gray Serpent responded, his voice as calm and composed as ever.
Gray Serpent: ""Death is life lived. Life is a death that comes." Don't be surprised. The Serpent doesn't submit to death. An annoying gnat disrupted our deal, but contracts are to be honored, even after death. "
Theresa's expression hardened, irritation clear on her face.
Theresa : "Contracts? You didn't give us any intel and Schicksal is right after us."
Gray Serpent remained unfazed.
Gray Serpent : "Apologies. Schicksal complicated our deal, but I've already delivered the intel as promised."
Theresa immediately shot back.
Theresa : "But the Ningyo has been formatted."
Gray Serpent corrected her without hesitation.
Gray Serpent : "Correction: YOU formatted her. You should fix that problem yourselves.Now I've kept my end of the bargain, and I will help myself to what'l was promised..."
Before anyone could respond—
something changed.
Deep within the Hyperion's systems, the Ningyo's quantum drive suddenly reactivated.
Einstein's eyes widened as data flooded her console.
Einstein : "Wait. The Ningyo's quantum drive has activated once more. Impossible, I thought I..."
Her voice trailed off—then sharpened as realization hit.
Einstein : "Alert. The Gray Serpent is using her to hack the battleship! He'll take control of the Hyperion soon."
Theresa reacted instantly, switching to command mode.
Theresa : "Disconnect the Ningyo from the system!"
Crew members scrambled to comply, frantically attempting to sever the connection—but it was already too late.
Einstein's tone turned grim.
Einstein : "We're too late. He has installed his malware."
All across the bridge, systems began failing one after another.
SYSTEM: Weapon systems down.SYSTEM: Sensor systems down.SYSTEM: Commence emergency landing. The Hyperion has been forced to land.
Tesla slammed her console in frustration as she and Einstein tried to regain control.
Tesla: "Curses. He locked down every module !"
Before they could recover, another alert came in through the comms.
Comms: "Principal, our sentries have spotted unidentified mechs trying to board the ship."
Einstein placed a hand on her chin, thinking rapidly, trying to piece together Gray Serpent's true objective.
Einstein: "What does the Gray Serpent want?"
Theresa didn't hesitate. Her voice was filled with resolve.
Theresa: "I don't care what he wants. He's definitely not getting it."
She turned sharply toward Einstein and Bronya, issuing her next orders.
Theresa: "Professor, I'm counting on you and Bronya to reclaim the Hyperion!"
Both Einstein and Bronya nodded without hesitation, ready to act.
Einstein: "Alright."
Bronya: "Affirmative."
Theresa gave a final command, already preparing for battle.
Theresa: "I'll fend off the enemies onboard. Let's see what Gray Serpent is up to."
With that, Theresa, Mei, and Sakura moved out alongside Tesla, taking command of several Anti-Entropy units.
While Theresa and her group fought off the invaders, Dr. Einstein initiated a different approach.
Einstein : "Now that Gray Serpent has the mainframe, let's try other ways to bypass it and regain control. Eins, connect to the Hyperion."
At her command, her assistant robot sprang into motion.
Einstein's companion bot spun forward and approached the control platform, extending its connectors. It linked itself to multiple terminal ports across the Hyperion, beginning the mainframe bypass protocol.
Einstein then turned to Bronya, her expression serious as she issued a warning.
Einstein : "This is no ordinary hacker we're dealing with. I need your help to connect to the virtual dataspace of the ship, Bronya."
Bronya gave a small nod.
Bronya : "Bronya understands."
She placed her visor over her eyes, synchronizing herself with the Hyperion's systems.
System : "External neural links established. Syncing..."
Bronya's consciousness plunged deep into the digital sea where Hyperion and Eins' databases converged.
Binary streams washed over her mind like an endless tide.
Data surged into her awareness, merging with her very existence.
Within that vast ocean of information—
she found him.
Gray Serpent.
Gray Serpent : "This is a game played by grown-ups, Bronya Zaychik. Do not interfere."
Despite her usual emotionless expression, Bronya's gaze hardened as she stared at him.
Bronya : "You know Bronya's full name?"
Gray Serpent answered without hesitation.
Gray Serpent : "The Serpent has its eyes on you. I know everything about you, Bronya."
Bronya shook her head slightly.
Bronya : "It is not April Fool's. Subject Serpent's joke is not funny. Quit Hyperion's system immediately."
A quiet chuckle escaped him.
Gray Serpent : "You know nothing, Bronya Zaychik. Our power is beyond your wildest imagination. The Serpent gave us the truth, far before humanity came to realize the nature of life. To us, the world is nothing but a river of data that ebbs and flows... And the same is true for memories."
He locked eyes with her.
Gray Serpent : "I sense your disbelief. I shall prove it to you."
The digital world around them began to distort.
Reality twisted—
and reshaped itself.
The environment transformed into a place deeply familiar to Bronya, yet disturbingly wrong.
Bronya : "St. Freya High?"
Gray Serpent : " The place you call home. Now it weeps... in flames."
Fire engulfed everything.
Buildings crumbled. The sky burned. Familiar hallways turned into collapsing ruins.
Bronya stared at the devastation.
Bronya : "The school is burning... Nyet. This is an illusion."
Gray Serpent's voice echoed through the inferno.
Gray Serpent : "Illusion? I've read your memories and seen your worst fear. It keeps whispering in you ears: you and everyone else have betrayed Schicksal, and the price will be a burning St. Freya. The Overseer will raze the school. Every building will turn into rubbles, and every fellow Valkyrie a cold corpse. Dark terror grows ever stronger in your frail heart. It's ripping you apart."
Despite herself, a thought surfaced in Bronya's mind.
Bronya : 'Is he... really reading Bronya's mind?'
The burning world dissolved.
In its place appeared an endless white flower field, stretching to the horizon.
Gray Serpent : "I know everything about you, Bronya. You're an open book to me."
Bronya stood firm.
Bronya : "Bronya is no stranger to fear. Bronya grew up in fear and used to feed on fear. Fear has been Bronya's friend."
Gray Serpent studied her silently.
Gray Serpent : "I see. A stubborn little girl. No worries. My game has only just started. Let's have some fun before I'm done here."
With a wave of his hand, data gathered and formed into a familiar figure—
Wendy, in her Herrscher of Wind form.
Without warning, "Wendy" hurled a spear of green energy.
Bronya reacted instantly, summoning Project Bunny. The mechanical guardian raised its shield, blocking the attack with a burst of digital sparks.
The battle began.
The Herrscher moved with deadly speed, summoning storms and slicing winds that tore through the digital landscape. Blades of compressed air rained down, forcing Bronya to constantly reposition.
Project Bunny countered with heavy artillery fire, its cannons roaring as streams of energy clashed against the raging winds. Each impact distorted the surrounding data space, sending ripples across the virtual battlefield.
"Wendy" surged forward, conjuring multiple spears at once and launching them in rapid succession. Project Bunny deployed layered shields, absorbing the barrage—but cracks began to form under the relentless assault.
Bronya narrowed her eyes.
Adjusting her calculations in real time, she predicted the attack patterns.
At the perfect moment, Project Bunny shifted from defense to offense.
A concentrated blast erupted from its core cannon, piercing through the storm and striking "Wendy" directly.
The illusion staggered.
Bronya didn't stop.
She followed up with a full barrage, overwhelming the construct with precision strikes.
The digital Herrscher flickered—
then shattered into fragments of data.
Silence returned.
Gray Serpent's voice broke it.
Gray Serpent: " Hmm, the 4th Herrscher back in New Zealand. How does this memory taste? She lost her pretty legs at pretty much the same age and for the same reason as you. Wendy's tragedy left you a world of woe, because she's so much like the one deep in your heart."
He continued, dissecting her thoughts without mercy.
Gray Serpant : "If not for the boy you befriended, she would have been taken from you as well—just like the one you hold deepest in your heart… by the same person."
His gaze sharpened.
Gray Serpent: "Your dear Matushka, Anti-Entropy Enforcer Cocolia."
Bronya remained silent.
Gray Serpent pressed further.
Gray Serpent: "Oh. You seem tired. Just lie down, girl. Give in to your childhood and fairytales."
On the upper Deck of the Hyperion, Theresa, Mei, and Sakura moved swiftly across the battlefield, taking down invading mechs one after another. Nearby, Tesla coordinated several Anti-Entropy units, directing them to support the defense. Each of them held a section of the Hyperion, preventing the enemy from advancing further.
Mei maintained comms as she fought, reporting the situation in real time.
Mei : "Principal, two hostile mechs are trying to board from sector C4."
As she engaged the enemy, something about the machines caught her attention. Their design felt… familiar.
Mei quickly reached out.
Mei : "Dr. Tesla, these World Serpent mechs seem pretty similar to AE units."
Tesla's reply came with clear reluctance.
Tesla : "I hate to admit that, but it's true. The pneumatic actuators, alloy carapace, and homing micro-missiles... I designed those features."
Her frustration quickly boiled over.
Tesla : "They only changed the paint job. I didn't get any royalty for this. They stole the prints from somewhere."
Mei nodded, refocusing on the battlefield. Yet her thoughts drifted elsewhere—to the mysterious power that had saved her time and time again.
Kouga.
Every time she faced overwhelming odds, using all her will to resist it , the crystal necklace he gave her would glow… and something impossible would happen.
This was the perfect chance to test it.
Mei grasped the crystal necklace tightly and closed her eyes, focusing her will.
Moments later, violet particles began to gather before her.
They condensed—
and took form.
Standing there was a sinister, translucent figure clad in violet armor:
Kamen Rider Ark-Zero.
Just as a wave of enemy mechs charged forward, Ark-Zero casually raised a hand and in an instant, the charging mechs froze mid-motion. Their visors flickered ,then glowed with an eerie violet light and stopped.
Not just in Mei's sector but across the entire deck.
Theresa, Sakura, and Tesla all witnessed the same phenomenon. Every invading mech halted at once, their systems overridden.
Mei stared at Ark-Zero, awe and quiet excitement flickering in her eyes.
Mei : 'I did it.'
Right on cue, a communication channel opened. Theresa's hologram appeared, along with the others.
Theresa : "All units, report—what just happened? The enemy machines just froze mid-attack."
Sakura : "Confirmed. The same occurred on my side."
Tesla : "Yeah, every single one just locked up. No external signal detected."
Mei hesitated slightly before answering.
Mei : "That… might be my doing. I was testing a method to summon a Kouga construct… and it seems this one hacked all invading mechs connected to the Hyperion."
A brief silence followed.
Then Tesla let out a low whistle.
Tesla : "Thanks goodness we never pissed that guys off in the past."
No one disagreed.
Kouga Hayata's power was becoming increasingly difficult to comprehend.
Mei cleared her throat and continued her report.
Mei : "Enemies on the deck and bridge have been cleared, Principal."
Tesla immediately shifted the focus.
Tesla : "Theresa, Mei, Sakura ! Make ready! We need to head to the engine room!"
Theresa frowned slightly.
Theresa : "Where Selene's main engine is at?"
Tesla nodded.
Tesla : "That's right. We've been developing anti-Honkai weapons, and Selene's engine is our best. We've mounted it on the Hyperion and used it in battle for the first time. You saw its magic. The energy beam it fired immobilized the Herrscher and drained her Honkai energy."
Theresa's expression darkened.
Theresa : "We were so close..."
Tesla continued.
Tesla : "The engine's conversion efficiency was still too low. We needed better tech, and we looked for new talent globally. AE acquired many industrial companies such as Mikoyan Design Bureau since the 2nd Honkai Eruption. But our rapid expansion was also taken advantage by a secret organization."
Theresa quickly connected the dots.
Theresa: "Are you saying that the World Serpent got inside AE?"
Tesla scoffed.
Tesla : "It's obvious, right? Just look at these copy-cat mechs. A mole is stealing and selling our assets."
Theresa pressed further.
Theresa : "Have you any idea who the rat is?"
Tesla sighed.
Tesla : "Einstein and I suspected a few. One of them being Cocolia. But we need stronger evidence. AE is a huge mess. I'll explain later. Now we need to clean up the engine room ASAP!"
Everyone acknowledged and cut the communication.
Mei turned toward Ark-Zero.
She wasn't sure if it could even respond—but she tried anyway.
Mei : "Can you understand me?"
Ark-Zero gave a slow, silent nod.
Mei blinked in surprise—then smiled faintly, regaining her composure.
Mei : "Then stay with me. We're moving out."
Ark-Zero nodded again.
Without another word, the two of them sprinted toward the engine room.
The group soon regrouped at the engine room entrance.
To their relief, the hacked mechs remained completely inactive, frozen in place by Ark-Zero's control.
Tesla couldn't help but glance nervously at the ominous Rider.
A bead of sweat rolled down her temple.
Theresa, however, narrowed her eyes, thinking.
She gestured toward Ark-Zero as she spoke.
Theresa : "Now that I think about it… before the hack, This boarding party is weaker than I thought."
Tesla crossed her arms, deep in thought.
Tesla : "Perhaps we guessed wrong. The Gray Serpent isn't after the engine, but..."