Three days later
"It's been 3 days but my body is still hurting like hell!" Himeko groaned, stretching her body and rubbing her back, hips, and shoulders.
"Ugh... crazy little brats."
"You were using a prototype Nexus system, and you force-overloaded it to take a direct hit from a Herrscher. Count yourself lucky that you're not in plaster," Theresa scolded from behind her oversized desk, her small figure almost hidden completely.
"Hot-headed bimbos like you always mess up," she added, pointing at Himeko even though she couldn't see her from behind the desk.
Looking at the small principal barely peeking out, Himeko smirked.
"Where are you, Madam Principal? I'm afraid I can't find you."
"Shut it! My report! NOW!" Theresa shouted, her childlike voice making her anger sound almost cute.
"Wait. Here you go." Himeko pulled out a data card from her chest, her bust jiggling as she did so.
"What the hell! Why would you keep important data there?" Theresa's cheeks flushed crimson as she covered her face with both hands.
"You were the one who told me to keep this a secret."
"'Hide the data in a really safe place! Don't let anyone find out.' Your words," Himeko teased, mimicking Theresa's voice.
"Enough! Give it to me!" Theresa jumped from her chair and reached her tiny hands over the desk, snatching the card.
"Ugh! It's so icky and sweaty..." she muttered, grimacing as she slotted the card and projected the hologram.
"For now, I'll need a full report of what happened that night, Major."
As ordered, Himeko described the battle three days prior, recounting how she clashed with the Herrscher of Thunder, and how Kiana shattered the Herrscher's wings, ending the fight.
"So this young girl, Kiana Kaslana... managed to stop the Herrscher by tearing off her wings?" Theresa asked.
"Yeah. Herrscher wings. We're talking about pure, raging, insanely hot, unstoppable runaway Honkai energy," Himeko confirmed, her tone carrying both exhaustion and pride.
"The Herrscher nearly took out my boat too. The Science Division always claimed that human bodies are incapable of handling Honkai at that level."
"That's because she's very, very special," Theresa replied softly.
Her eyes lingered on Kiana's profile. "Kiana... I never thought I'd see you again after so many years." Her voice turned wistful. "It seems the fate of the House of Kaslana is entwined with the Honkai." Her thoughts drifted to Siegfried Kaslana, Kiana's father—her old friend, and the only male S-rank Valkyrie, or Knight, as he was called.
Himeko raised an eyebrow at the silence. "Huh?"
'I need a shorter desk…' Theresa thought bitterly, struggling to read the hologram from her height.
"Let's check the other girl." She flipped the next profile, her eyes widening. "The 3rd Herrscher turned out to be this little girl?"
"Raiden Mei... Wait. She's the heiress to ME Corp??"
"I was quite surprised myself," Himeko admitted. "I honestly didn't expect our old friends in Anti-Entropy to be the backers of ME Corp. I was even more shocked they didn't make a move when Mei turned out to be a Herrscher. I've asked Intelligence to keep an eye on both her and her father."
"Are the two girls the only survivors of the outbreak?" Theresa asked.
"No. There was one man who survived as well. His name is Grisha Adam." Himeko's voice hardened as she remembered the strange aura he gave off.
"When I saw him, my instincts told me to do two things: either attack him or run away," she admitted.
"How can a 23-year-old ordinary man scare you—an A-rank Valkyrie?" Theresa questioned.
"I don't know... my instincts were screaming. But he woke up four hours ago, and I spoke to him. His tone was that of a frightened man, yet my instincts told me he wasn't what he seemed."
Himeko crossed her arms. "When I was talking to him, I was reminded of the Overseer—same hair color, same eyes. But he requested to be a science teacher here at St. Freya, not a scientist. He said teaching was his wish."
"A genius prodigy... said to have been studying thermodynamics and advanced biology when he was five years old?" Theresa muttered, struggling to see over her desk. "What the hell kind of brain does he have?"
"Yeah. That's why I recommended him a seat as a scientist, but he insisted on being a teacher."
Theresa finally sighed. "Fine. I accept his offer. We're short on science teachers anyway. Go fetch Raiden Mei. I'll meet my nephew." She hopped off her chair, landing lightly.
"Grisha Adam... who are you?" Himeko whispered under her breath.
Overseer's POV
"Overseer, here is the list of all survivors of the 3rd outbreak," Amber reported, handing Otto the files.
Otto flipped through them until his eyes froze on a particular name.
"A genius like him joining as a teacher in Theresa's school? Hm. She always did have an eye for talent," Otto murmured.
Before he could read further, a mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
"That looks like the description of the brother of the 0th Flame Chaser... Error," Void Archives said. "A handsome man in his twenties, yellow hair, jade-green eyes, and always praying. That matches perfectly."
Otto raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what is this 'Flame Chaser' you keep talking about, my dear friend?"
"The Flame Chasers were humanity's last line of defense after the MANTIS fell at the hands of the 10th Herrscher. Each one was ranked in importance. The 0th Flame Chaser—Mr. Error—was no joke. He was so vital that without him, the 1st Flame Chaser of Deliverance would have perished against eighteen Judgement-class Honkai beasts. With the help of the 6th, the Chaser of Decimation, and the 2nd, they managed to prevail."
Otto smirked, eyes glinting. "What an interesting tale. Now, my dear Adam... let's see just how much of a genius you really are."
He had no idea. Adam was already watching.
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Amon incoming I quess
and thanks for the power stone that you guys kept sending I'm motivated to write after seeing it so here it is my longest chapter even tho I only have 3