"What! You're saying Schicksal's real objective is the unfinished Twelfth Divine Key!"
Cocolia stood up, both shocked and furious.
She hadn't expected that even with all her caution, she had still been played by Schicksal more than once.
The Pseudo-Herrscher was real, but only an accessory to Schicksal's operation this time; the plan to use the controlled Bronya to destroy the Immortal Blades' command system was only half successful, and instead resulted in her own command system being disabled for a full few hours.
And only after several hours, when everything returned to normal, did she finally learn the truth from her daughter's mouth.
"Bronya, why didn't you tell me sooner!"
"The Bronya did not want to tell you."
Concise and to the point.
She just detested this woman with a lewd figure and a shrimp for a brain.
If she weren't being controlled, completely unable to act of her own will, Bronya would never have said these things to Cocolia.
Cocolia: "…"
Anger was stuck in her chest, unable to be vented.
This was the first time she had activated the device planted in Bronya.
She felt a little sorry for her daughter, but it had to be done to give her daughters a better life.
The woman's eyes hardened.
"Bronya, tell me the location!"
She gave the order.
The intelligence she had was fake, which made the intelligence held by Bronya, a participant, all the more valuable.
Regardless of whether this location was real, it could increase her chances of obtaining the Divine Key.
"At Yae Shrine."
"What is the Divine Key's ability?"
"You are a brainless woman. You don't even know what the Key of Corruption's ability is."
This was Bronya's struggle.
Cocolia: "…"
Fine, she'd look it up herself.
It was common knowledge that a Herrscher's abilities were equivalent to their Divine Key's abilities; she just didn't care much, since she didn't have a single one anyway.
Soon, Cocolia confirmed the ability of the Key of Corruption, and her breathing quickened.
Control over life and non-life, possessing absolute information warfare capabilities.
Even from the other side of the planet, she could launch an attack on a target on the other side of the Earth through the network.
This…
This was practically the launch button for all the world's nuclear bombs!
Cocolia's eyes burned with feverish desire. She could already see her future after obtaining the Divine Key.
The Schicksal Overseer, Otto Apocalypse, had abandoned his flesh-and-blood body in order to rule the world for longer. Obtaining the Divine Key would be equivalent to becoming this man's nemesis.
The network is ubiquitous in today's information age. The Key of Corruption would allow her to extend her tendrils to every corner of the world.
In other words…
Obtaining the Key of Corruption was equivalent to possessing the qualification to become the king of the world.
"Bronya, help Mother get the Divine Key!"
Bronya: "Yes."
Human strength has its limits. Unless she could burn out the bio-chip in her head, there was no way to resist.
At this point, Bronya could only hope that Brian and Fu Hua were up to the task.
If it came down to it, that bad woman Rita would also be an acceptable alternative.
An undercurrent began to flow.
Cocolia, hell-bent on obtaining the Key of Corruption, issued her commands, ordering her remaining forces to converge on the possible location.
In the process, her commands were laid bare for those who had supported her rise to power…
After all…
"Your pawn is having some thoughts it shouldn't. Don't you think you need to deal with it, Gray Serpent?"
Somewhere in Nagazora City, the girl ranked third on the assassin list, Charon's List, Natasha Cioara, picked up her fresh latte and added a few sugar cubes to adjust the taste.
Across from her, a pitch-black android with glowing red eyes was interfering with the current events in Nagazora City along with its other counterparts.
A hoarse voice came from its speaker: "That is not necessary for the time being. As a pawn that doesn't need to think, Cocolia is very competent."
"Oh? So you want to see Miss Herrscher of Corruption regain her freedom?"
Raven's smile was playful. She loved to watch a good show.
"Of course not. No one wants to see a Herrscher from the previous era regain her freedom, neither I nor the Schicksal Overseer."
Gray Serpent No. 12643's emotions were stable, showing no sign that he was walking on a tightrope.
The Herrscher of Corruption was powerful, an absolute nemesis for an android like him.
But in the cage constructed by the Eleventh Divine Key, it would be difficult for the Herrscher of Corruption to escape.
The biggest problem remained how to activate the Divine Key forging process that had been stalled for fifty-five thousand years, to strip her of her Herrscher identity and power.
"I didn't expect a guy like you to feel fear. That's a rare sight."
Raven took a sip of her coffee, letting the sea breeze tousle her hair.
Gray Serpents differed from one another.
She was adopted by one Gray Serpent and trained to be a World Serpent officer, but that didn't mean all Gray Serpents were her foster fathers.
At least, the one in front of her was not, just one of the countless Gray Serpents she had partnered with.
Raven continued, "So what do you plan to do? Cocolia has already started to move. If you're a bit slow, that woman is going to interfere with Schicksal's operation."
"No need to worry."
Beneath the pale mask, the red light in its eyes was as calm as ever. "I have already made the decision for her."
"No one can reach that place, except for those who are permitted."
Everything was under control.
"Then I'm relieved."
Raven smiled.
Her dream of a villa on an island had just begun. She didn't want to have to use her ticket to the next era just because of some idiot.
…
World of consciousness, Yae Village.
So-called power and status meant nothing in front of a Valkyrie. The NPCs arranged by Higokumaru were defeated by Fu Hua in a few moves.
There was no need to kill, and even less need to get angry at NPCs.
The Valkyrie still hoped to gain Yae Sakura's cooperation. "Miss Yae Sakura, we…"
"Say no more."
The shrine maiden cut her off. "You cannot prove to me that you are qualified to subjugate Higokumaru."
"Since you lack this qualification, don't expect me to cooperate with your actions."
Do nothing, make no mistakes. Do more, make more mistakes.
If Fu Hua and Brian's actions failed, she could at least continue to be entangled with Higokumaru until the end of time, preventing her from harming the world five hundred years later.
Her mind was made up. There was no use in saying more.
Brian: "Let's go back. We need to prove our ability through action."
"Alright."
Fu Hua was a woman of few words and much action.
In reality, the two opened their eyes.
The feather in Fu Hua's hand now flowed with a rhythm of light completely different from before.
Capturing the two consciousnesses in Yae Sakura's body and completely synchronizing their senses.
Physical attacks were useless against the Herrscher of Corruption, so they had to resort to some underhanded psychological tactics.
Fu Hua knew full well that she was wronging her old friend, but to restore Rin to normal, and to save this world, she had no choice but to resort to this.
In just an instant…
"Who's there!"
A familiar chill washed over her, causing a black substance to rise from Yae Sakura's body, forming a fox-like shape.
But…
Higokumaru, it was too late!
The young Brian grabbed the shrine maiden's pure hand and grinned at the ferocious Herrscher. "Lady Higokumaru, are you ready to experience heaven?"
Hand of God!
↑↑↑↑↑!!!
One step to the top, one step to heaven!
The genuine Herrscher of the Void was helpless against this move. The S-rank Valkyrie Rita Rossweisse was left with a dark, shameful past.
Two seniors had already proven the power of this ability to the young Brian with their own lives. A mere Pseudo-Herrscher certainly couldn't make any waves.
An indescribable electric current shot through the sleeping Yae Sakura's entire body, causing the girl's world of consciousness to instantly feel like the apocalypse had arrived.
"What happened?"
She was waking up.
The world around Yae Sakura shattered piece by piece.
Before she could figure out what was happening, the fragrant scent of earth filled her nostrils.
And then…
"…"
Who am I? Where am I? Where is Kallen?
This feeling, which was so pleasurable that every cell in her body was tingling, what on earth was it?
The Divine Tree that had been suppressing the shrine maiden was pushed over. The shrine maiden with pink hair and donkey ears lay in a crater several meters in diameter, her eyes vacant.
The shrine maiden looked up at the sky.
There was nothing in the azure sky, just like her empty head and thoughts.
Higokumaru, who was crawling beside her, was careless for a moment, and the black, unknown substance that made up her body almost dissipated with a single breath.
"Foolish human, what have you done!"
The fox demon raised her beastly claw, about to swipe at the young Brian's face.
The reason she had been able to persist for fifty-five thousand years was due to the resistance born from her hatred of humanity.
But in that instant just now, she found that under that feeling, she had given up the resistance she had held onto for fifty-five thousand years, allowing the Key of Corruption to make some progress in plundering her abilities.
If this guy was allowed to continue his debauchery…
"Damn you, human!"
She was about to lose her power and identity as a Herrscher!
Bang—!
A fist's force erupted.
The gray-haired, green-eyed girl didn't hesitate. An explosive force burst from her slender, delicate fist, shattering Higokumaru's body.
Higokumaru had no physical form, but the Key of Corruption and Yae Sakura restricted her power. Fu Hua's punch couldn't harm her, but it could accomplish the task of protecting the young Brian.
"Continue."
"Mm."
The young Brian nodded. "Miss Yae Sakura, please bear with it. It'll be over soon."
Yae Sakura: "…"
Didn't you say this was just to subdue the Herrscher of Corruption who's been entangled with me for five hundred years?
Why did it end up turning me into this messy state?
The pink-haired girl didn't quite understand, but she couldn't stop the young Brian from steadily advancing his operation.
Hand of God!
The girl's eyes grew even more vacant.
She was about to break.
↑↑↑↑↑!!!
But he couldn't stop. This was for the great cause of saving the world!
This process was repeated an unknown number of times, even causing the young Brian, who had 'stamina like a Blondie's', to look a little pale.
"Fu Hua, how much longer do we need?"
A Divine Key is a weapon, but also a supercomputer.
The Fenghuang Down in Fu Hua's hand, being a product of the same series, could ascertain the current status of the Twelfth Divine Key to some extent.
She felt a bit of pity, but she had to continue. "The progress is now at around 63%."
In other words, they were almost 2/3 of the way there.
They just needed to hold on a little longer, and the forging of the Key of Corruption would be complete.
The Inner World Protagonist, the young Brian, felt a dull ache in his kidneys, but the justice on his belt wouldn't let him say no.
"No problem."
The young Brian's expression was resolute, the light of righteousness shining on Yae Sakura and Higokumaru. "To save this innocent world, I cannot say no!"
The dark fox's expression changed drastically. The once ferocious creature now looked somewhat pitiful.
Fu Hua and Brian, this Inner World duo, did not come with good intentions. Even begging them would be useless.
Higokumaru, knowing the situation perfectly well, looked at Yae Sakura, whose eyes were completely vacant, hoping the shrine maiden would stand up and vanquish this evil tentacle monster.
Yae Sakura!
Yae Sakura, I won't play love-and-hate with you anymore! I won't torture you anymore! Get up, quickly!
If you fall, who will tank the damage for me? Who will fight the tentacle monster?!
Yae Sakura: "…"
It felt too good. Her brain had completely blanked out. She didn't know when she'd get it back.
But not a moment was wasted grieving for Higokumaru's plight. Arriving immediately on the scene was the Inner World Protagonist with the stamina of a Blondie.
Hand of God! ×N.
"You… you… you guys…"
The ferocious fox didn't even have time to deliver her final harsh words before all her power was taken away.
Herrscher of Corruption, subjugation complete!
A deep, lustrous cube leaped out from the soil, shining brightly in front of Brian.
The six faces that formed the cube unfolded, placing a bladeless tachi in his hands.
The Key of Corruption, Jizo Mitama!
It had stripped the Herrscher of Corruption of her power and identity, but it also contained her past resentment and despair.
And… her revenge.
"Even in death, I won't let you have it easy!"
Just upon contact, a hateful roar echoed in Brian's mind.
The Key of Corruption activated for the first time, its target being the very hero who had completed its forging.
"Be careful!"
Fu Hua's warning came too late.
It was too late to stop the erosion of Honkai energy from spreading across the man's body.
Pain! Excruciating pain! Immense pain!
His Honkai energy resistance was instantly shattered, and the high-concentration energy burned his flesh.
A pale, inorganic substance spread across Brian's body. The process of zombification reached its end in an instant.
Fu Hua sighed. "I'm sorry, this is all I can do."
If it were just a simple Honkai sickness, Schicksal's capabilities could have saved him. But with instant exposure to such a high concentration of Honkai energy, he had nearly completed the zombification process.
Even if he could remain conscious, he wouldn't be able to survive as a human for much longer.
The girl raised her fist, her expression grim. "Do you have any last words? I will pass them on to them for you."
She knew this man's death would have serious consequences, but at this point, she could only take things one step at a time.
Brian forced a smile that was uglier than crying. "I think I can still be saved."
Being with this little bro was even more dangerous than being with Kiana.
At least that girl wouldn't shout about beating him up and killing him at the drop of a hat. This little bro, on the other hand, would really clean house at the slightest disagreement.
Fu Hua: "…"
She would wait a bit, and let this guy walk the final part of his life's journey.
Theresa, who had been watching the whole time, opened her mouth, not knowing what to do.
She didn't want anything to happen to the few new Herrschers at St. Freya High School, but no one had expected this to happen.
She was powerless too.
In the sorrowful silence, the soaking wet shrine maiden on the ground gradually refocused her eyes, coming back to her senses from the heavenly pleasure.
She looked at Theresa. "Do you want to save him?"
This child looked just like Kallen in her youth.
Yae Sakura felt a heartfelt closeness to Theresa.
Theresa: "I don't want to see him lose his life here, but we no longer have the ability to save him."
Yae Sakura: "…"
Indeed, she was a kind child, just like Kallen.
In that case, let her use the power she gained from Higokumaru to help her.
Yae Village was slaughtered by her own rampaging self from one end to the other five hundred years ago, and Kallen was also lost to the river of time.
There was no place for an old relic like her on the ship of the new era, and the mission Kallen entrusted to her was complete.
She no longer had a reason to exist.
Having made her decision, the shrine maiden made one final request: "Can I hug you?"
Theresa was stunned for a moment, then replied, "You can."
The shrine maiden hugged the nun tightly, so forcefully it was as if she wanted to merge her into her own body.
Yae Sakura took a deep breath of Theresa's scent, then walked over to Brian without any lingering attachment.
Her eyes still held a trace of the previous coquettishness, and her body was even still soaking wet.
"I will entrust my power to you. I hope you will use it wisely."
With that said…
Specks of mottled light scattered from the pink-haired, donkey-eared shrine maiden's body and entered Brian's body without question.
There was nothing in this world for her to be attached to; her heart was dead. The experience of going from earth to heaven just now had left her eyes vacant; she had socially died.
Since that was the case, it was better to simply give up her life and do something meaningful, and also avoid the process of being gossiped about.
If only this man had been present, the traditional and conservative Yae Sakura might have, on account of his handsome face, chosen between repaying his kindness in the next life or offering herself to him.
But now… it was better to quickly erase her traces from this world.
The young Brian was about to speak. Mere zombification wasn't enough to take his life; he just needed some time to adapt.
But the shrine maiden's form had already dissipated, turning herself into a Stigma and engraving it on his back.
The Divine Key in his hand trembled lightly, as if mourning Yae Sakura's departure.
The pale, inorganic color faded from Brian's body, and the color of flesh returned once more.
Seeing this, Fu Hua finally lowered her fist, abandoning her plan to clean house.
Yae Sakura had sacrificed herself to save someone who shouldn't have died, which conveniently saved the world a very big trouble.
If this man had died because of today's events, Fu Hua couldn't imagine what would become of the Far East Branch under the rampage of a frenzied Herrscher.
This outcome was a happy one for everyone.
The mission was complete, and Yae Shrine itself held no special value.
"Principal, let's retreat."
Most of the objectives for this trip had been completed, but only by getting the Divine Key within the territory of Schicksal's Far East Branch could they completely cut off the ambitions of would-be thieves.
"I've already made arrangements. The Hyperion will be here to pick us up in fifteen minutes."
Theresa said as she put away the Divine Key.
"Alright, then we'll wait here."
A voice that didn't belong here interjected, "I think before you leave, you should leave behind the spoils of war that belong to our Anti-Entropy."
A vacant-eyed Bronya descended from the air. A dozen Titans decloaked, surrounding Yae Shrine.
Theresa, with her sharp eyes, recognized her student at a glance. "Bronya, why are you standing there?"
Cocolia's voice came from one of the Godfather Titans: "Valkyries of Schicksal, leaving the Divine Key in your hands is your only way out!"
That woman had already presumptuously claimed the Divine Key as her own spoils of war.
However…
Not only were Fu Hua and Theresa, two A-rank Valkyries, calm and composed, but even Brian, a seemingly ordinary male, was as steady as a rock.
A bunch of trash that could be dealt with by a group of A-rank Valkyries actually wanted to snatch the Key of Corruption, Jizo Mitama.
Just how much cheap booze and how many peanuts did this Cocolia have?
The thought had just crossed his mind when the Divine Key in the young Brian's hand reacted again.
She couldn't speak, but she could clearly express her will.
They took advantage of her while she was disoriented and did those messy things to her. This lewd Inner World Protagonist actually wanted her to cooperate?
In! Your! Fucking! Dreams!
To this, the young Brian, a proper person who did improper things, just gave a light smile.
He said, "Higokumaru, you wouldn't want Yae Sakura to be harmed while she's with me, would you?"
"…"
Damn it! I'll fight you to the death!
The big monster sister flew into another rage.
After all, she was now just a consciousness dwelling within the Key of Corruption. All her power had been stripped away by the Divine Key.
She had some ability to influence the Divine Key, but she couldn't completely control the weapon's operation.
How it was used still depended on the will of the Divine Key's wielder.
The young Brian, having negotiated terms with the big monster sister, looked at the girl in front of him with a playful expression. "Bronya, you still have one more chance to abandon the darkness and embrace the light."
The Russian loli remained unmoved, only her upper and lower jaw moved mechanically. "The Bronya is currently being controlled by the detestable Cocolia and cannot do what she wants to do."
Theresa: "This woman is so despicable, she won't even spare her own daughter?!"
Cocolia's voice came out: "Madam Theresa, this is our family matter. It's not for Schicksal to interfere in."
A woman of few words and much action, her desire for Jizo Mitama was now uncontrollable.
"Bronya, go get the Divine Key for me!"
Bronya: "…"
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