Dark and deep, the air was even filled with a hint of blood.
The pale-faced android's eye sockets glowed red as it coolly announced before its masterpiece, "It's done."
Under the dim light, a woman almost entirely encased in some unknown metal came into Raven's view.
The woman on the operating table exuded a metallic luster all over. She was less a person and more a machine with a human form.
Her voluptuous figure and naturally curly blonde hair were her most prominent features. The half of her head not covered in metal revealed her former identity.
—Cocolia.
After becoming a Honkai Zombie, Cocolia was repurposed by Gray Serpent, transformed into an android with a small amount of biological tissue through advanced human modification technology.
Oil was her blood, pistons her heart...
Today, several months after Anti-Entropy's invasion of the Far East Branch, Cocolia and everything that belonged to her would be completely devoured by the snake lurking in the darkness.
Perhaps 'devoured' isn't the right word. 'Reclaimed' would be more fitting.
World Serpent's shadow was present throughout Cocolia's entire rise to power. They were merely harvesting the nursery they had so carefully tended.
From now on, using Cocolia's identity, World Serpent would be able to accomplish much more in this world that was about to face the 'Final Judgment'.
But not now.
"Gray Serpent, I forgot to tell you some bad news."
The girl, nominally a fellow World Serpent executive but in reality his adopted daughter and subordinate, interrupted Gray Serpent's thoughts.
"We just received a report. The Anti-Entropy Sovereign, Welt, has reappeared. Even 'Cocolia' won't be able to act so recklessly for the time being."
Cocolia had two trump cards that allowed her to run rampant in Anti-Entropy, even suppressing the conservative faction to the point where they could barely breathe.
The first was the radical faction of Anti-Entropy united under her command. The second was the clone of the first Herrscher of Reason in her hands.
The former's bottom-up obedience gave her the power to support her ambitions, while the latter's abilities and face allowed her to usurp the authority of Anti-Entropy.
But in front of the true Anti-Entropy Sovereign, Welt, everything Cocolia had was nothing more than a clown's act, completely insignificant.
World Serpent's plan to use Cocolia's identity had encountered a variable before it even began.
However...
"No need to worry. I have already prepared a fine welcome gift for our Lord Anti-Entropy Sovereign."
"What do you mean?"
"I left some information in a research institute that Anti-Entropy recently discovered. There are some legacies left for this era by the Previous Era in the Sea of Quanta, which can help civilization overcome the Honkai."
Even if she wasn't a qualified strategist, Raven could guess Gray Serpent's intentions in this arrangement.
"Gray Serpent, your original goal was to induce Anti-Entropy to activate the Eye of the Deep, opening the gate to the Sea of Quanta to allow the Sovereign to return, wasn't it?"
"Correct."
Gray Serpent admitted without hesitation. "I just didn't expect the Anti-Entropy Sovereign to return recently. With a man of his heroic character, he will surely bet everything he has to prevent the Sovereign's return."
Kevin Kaslana, one of the thirteen Sovereigns revered by World Serpent, is now the sole leader of World Serpent.
The Stigma Project he is in charge of is the faith of World Serpent. For the thousands of years since its founding, World Serpent has been preparing for this grand plan.
It could be said that the Sovereign's presence is not essential, because the Stigma Project has always been the faith of World Serpent.
Thousands of years of development have left World Serpent wanting for nothing. All preparations for the Stigma Project are complete, lacking only a Sovereign with sufficient power to protect it.
To allow these members of World Serpent who have received their tickets to proceed to the next new era.
Even if Gray Serpent was a loyal follower of Kevin Kaslana, he had to admit this.
And he knew very well.
Before the Herrscher of the End appeared, that man was an invincible existence in this world. He was only imprisoned in the Sea of Quanta because he lacked a path back to the real world.
The existence of the Eye of the Deep, a Previous Era research facility, provided him with a perfect opportunity to return.
He just didn't expect that on the eve of inducing Anti-Entropy to open the Eye of the Deep, the Anti-Entropy Sovereign Welt would return, adding some unnecessary trouble to the plan.
Fortunately, it wasn't a big deal.
"The Sovereign has been sitting idly in the Sea of Quanta for over a thousand years, and his world-saving power is nearly depleted. We just need to prepare a small supplement for him, and he can return to the real world."
As he spoke, Cocolia on the operating table opened her eyes.
"Who... am I?"
Her eyes were filled with confusion. The brain tissue damaged by Honkai energy had caused her to lose most of her memories.
To use this woman to achieve World Serpent's goals, a few minor adjustments were still needed.
"Gray Serpent, the technology you gave to Cocolia can be put to use on her now."
"Of course."
Fabricating memories for a Herrscher clone was a piece of cake. Fabricating them for a cyborg with only partial biological tissue was even easier.
...
Schicksal Headquarters...
An old man, balding from cleverness, placed an irregularly shaped crystal of deep color into a prepared Soulium container.
"Let's go. Leave this place as soon as possible."
He left the place where he had worked for decades without a trace of nostalgia.
Only when passing a certain spot in the delusion lab did an uncontrollable sadness and pain show in his eyes.
That was where he had implanted the Gem of Serenity into Valkyries, watching them scream and die under the Herrscher's power; it was also where he had watched his only granddaughter become a test subject on the operating table, disintegrated into particles before his very eyes.
This place held all his glory and achievements, and had also witnessed all his madness and pain.
And now...
"It's time to end all this."
The stooped doctor found strength from his body and left Schicksal Headquarters with the Anti-Entropy spies planted there.
Dr. Magi was not important, but the Gem of Serenity was.
Even if the Schicksal Overseer no longer cared for this Herrscher Core, it was still a valuable asset of Schicksal.
The Anti-Entropy spies could distract Schicksal for a time, but it was impossible for Schicksal to remain completely unaware.
A report soon lay on Otto's desk.
"I didn't expect our Dr. Magi to make one last gamble before his death."
The wine in the man's goblet swirled with a rich aroma as he moved. His attitude was relaxed and carefree, as if he hadn't lost something valuable, but merely a trivial trinket.
And that was indeed the case.
Before the Second Honkai Eruption, he might have fantasized about the power of the Herrscher of Death, and even conducted in-depth research on the power of the fifth Divine Key, Abyss Flower.
But now that he had obtained the final answer, the Gem of Serenity was just an dispensable object to him, possessing only high collection value.
But!
"My collection is not so easily taken away."
On the desk, the report on this incident was stained with the scent of blood.
The Valkyrie squad pursuing Dr. Magi was killed in Northern Europe. Dr. Magi was picked up by Anti-Entropy personnel and headed towards Southeast Asia.
They stole his collection, killed his subordinates...
Although he, the Schicksal Overseer, had always been amicable, it didn't mean he would let people shit on his head.
Unless that person could help him beat "Kallen Fantasy".
"Amber, send the relevant intelligence on this incident to Theresa."
"Lord Overseer, if this matter is handled by Lady Theresa, isn't it a bit..."
The Overseer's secretary, dressed in a black nun's habit with a cutout at the chest, offered her opinion at the appropriate moment.
That fool Theresa had no idea of her own strength.
But Schicksal Headquarters had always maintained regular assessments of her power.
Her strength was declining daily, and her usual training had long been neglected due to her comfortable life.
Now, not only could Theresa not maintain her former S-rank Valkyrie standards, even a well-prepared A-rank Valkyrie could kill her with a single blow.
If not for the indispensability of the Eleventh Divine Key in her hands, Otto wouldn't have even wanted his granddaughter to participate in the last operation to deal with the Herrscher of Corruption.
It wasn't that he was worried about her safety, but that he was too confident in her current lack of strength.
Otto: "No matter. This isn't a mission for Theresa, but a small gift for little K-423."
Cocolia, the Herrscher Core, the Gem of Serenity, and those presences that had yet to surface...
Everything that happened in Nagazora City was just a rehearsal for a certain plan, which had to be terminated due to the intervention of certain special existences.
And now, those snake shadows hidden in the darkness were awakening from their thousands of years of hibernation, using the identity of Anti-Entropy to compete with Schicksal.
Since they wanted to, Otto naturally didn't mind.
If he could accomplish his own small goal in the process, he would be more than happy.
Not long after, the Schicksal Overseer's order was delivered to the Far East Branch.
...
"Anti-Entropy subverted Schicksal HQ's Dr. Magi and had him defect with the Gem of Serenity?"
The snow-haired, blue-eyed nun gasped, feeling she had made an outstanding contribution to global warming.
The reason was simple: the crazy woman Cocolia from Anti-Entropy's actions in Nagazora City had almost given her PTSD. She was terrified that this stupid woman would create another big incident somewhere.
Last time these people invaded her branch, they brought considerable chaos.
She thought that after suffering a setback and being constrained by Anti-Entropy's conservative faction, the madwoman Cocolia would restrain herself a bit.
But she never expected that woman to stir up trouble at Schicksal Headquarters.
"Does that woman have that much influence, to be able to subvert Dr. Magi?"
Theresa wasn't very familiar with Dr. Magi, only knowing some information about this doctor.
He had worked for Schicksal since he was young, and was responsible for research on the Gem of Serenity after the Second Honkai Eruption.
It was said that this fellow had a rather cheap personality, liking to use living Valkyries as test subjects; his research had produced some very important results in the treatment of Honkai sickness, but a few months ago, it was heard that he had offended the Schicksal Overseer for some unknown reason.
But even so, the heavily guarded Schicksal Headquarters was not a place that any random person could just enter and leave.
To be able to subvert Dr. Magi, Cocolia's methods were truly not to be underestimated.
But, then again...
"Himeko, what do you think grandpa means by giving me this mission?"
Generally, when something from Schicksal Headquarters is lost, the Immortal Blades are responsible.
Something like the Gem of Serenity should be handled by those two S-rank Valkyries.
Although the intelligence indicated that Dr. Magi had already arrived in Southeast Asia with the Gem of Serenity, it shouldn't be her turn to handle this matter.
Theresa was full of doubt.
Murata Himeko: "Perhaps it's because the Immortal Blades are currently busy with the testing of the fourth-generation Valkyrie armor, so they can't be distracted for the time being."
Schicksal's technology was constantly advancing, especially after the Second Honkai Eruption. Many cutting-edge technologies, including artificial Stigmatas, were put into use, greatly strengthening the organization's military power.
And the world is like a zero-sum game. When Schicksal takes a bigger piece, other organizations get less.
Greedy jackals, lacking the ability to complete their own research and development, resort to snatching Schicksal's technological achievements and hindering their technological development.
The Immortal Blades' recent focus has been on this, so it's reasonable that they don't have time to deal with the Gem of Serenity.
However...
"Coral Island, Manila, Singapore..."
"That mother fox from Anti-Entropy really is something, preparing so many locations for us to search one by one."
"The most crucial thing is that these countries and regions are mostly neutral powers."
The mascot assistant Murata Himeko shrugged. "To find the currently missing Dr. Magi and the Gem of Serenity, we might even need to mobilize all the Valkyrie squads in the entire Southeast Asian region."
The world isn't black and white.
Schicksal is the undisputed strongest in the world, but Anti-Entropy is no pushover either.
On the front lines of the confrontation between the two major organizations, the small countries of Southeast Asia saw the benefits of being neutral. Many countries and regions chose neutrality, playing both sides between Schicksal and Anti-Entropy.
These neutral countries and regions do not allow Schicksal's armed forces to enter. At most, they can only turn a blind eye, which brings considerable difficulty to their upcoming work.
Even if Schicksal has intelligence agencies in these countries and regions, it is not a simple matter for them to cooperate with the Far East Branch to complete this mission.
But it has come to this. That mother fox from Anti-Entropy won't stop her crazy plan just because she hesitates.
The priority is to set out as soon as possible, find Dr. Magi, and retrieve the Gem of Serenity.
"Himeko, help me call them over."
"As you command, my dear Branch Head!"
Before long, figures of varying heights appeared in Theresa's Principal's office.
"I've already sent you the intel for this mission. I believe you all have some understanding of it."
young Brian's expression was calm, but thoughts were stirring in his mind.
Everything described in the intel seemed to have some discrepancies with what he knew.
Theresa continued, "That Cocolia woman has set up a smokescreen throughout Southeast Asia. We can't confirm the specific location of Dr. Magi and the Gem of Serenity right now."
"Before you came, I had already notified the Valkyries in Southeast Asia to conduct a search, but we haven't received any news back yet."
"Our mission is to stop that woman's madness before her conspiracy succeeds!"
Cocolia's goal is to create a major Honkai Eruption and select a Herrscher from among the countless deaths.
And a major Honkai Eruption cannot happen just anywhere. It requires a sufficiently large population and level of development to support its occurrence.
In the entire Southeast Asian region, only a few cities meet these conditions.
"Himeko, you take a team to Coral Island; Fu Hua, you're responsible for Singapore; Brian, you're responsible for the Philippines..."
Theresa would command from the center, ready to provide support to each region at any time.
Brian and Kiana, Fu Hua and Bronya, Murata Himeko and Raiden Mei.
The groupings were very reasonable, and no one had any objections, except for the party directly involved.
Kiana stood up: "Auntie, can I switch groups?"
One glance at that guy's face and Kiana would remember how he had been toying with her recently.
During meals, he liked to do something thrilling when Mei wasn't looking, and even during breaks, he would occasionally watch her go into the women's restroom...
Lecherous! Disgusting!
Kiana strongly suspected that if she went on a mission with this guy, the hateful Inner World Protagonist would even book only one king-sized bed, constantly thinking about eating her clean.
Once that happened, the tragedy of kneeling on a durian would repeat itself.
And it was very likely that things would develop like this...
Under the scumbag's skilled manipulation, the clueless her would become dazed. In the blink of an eye, she would cross the important threshold of a big bed in her life.
Raiden Mei would look at her growing belly with increasingly unfriendly eyes, finally kicking her out of the house on the day she gave birth.
No food, no water, no sleep... she, this single mother cast out of her home, could only cry pitifully in the snow and ice, holding her newborn child.
She didn't want to go without food, and she certainly didn't want to be ruined by a Blondie!
"..."
Seeing Kiana's resolute expression, Theresa's idea of letting her grandniece and grandnephew-in-law deepen their relationship fell through.
It's just having a baby, what's the big deal?
Your mom and dad didn't even spend a month together from meeting to sleeping together.
Now it's your turn, and you're getting all shy.
Truly, each generation is worse than the last.
"Alright, I'll rearrange it."
...