"Gray Serpent, Schicksal's people have found the location of the Gem of Serenity."
The turn of events was so dramatic that even Gray Serpent was left speechless.
After confirming the impending Honkai Eruption in Manila through the incomplete formulas from Coral Island, he had formulated a plan of action: detonate the Honkai in Manila, validate the Stigma Project, and simultaneously hide the Herrscher Core.
Unexpectedly, the man sent by Schicksal had managed to uncover clues from fragmented puzzle pieces and determined that Manila was the location of the Herrscher Core.
It was truly an unforeseen development.
And the most crucial part was that this man had, by some fluke, ended up near the location of the Gem of Serenity, almost making it seem as if he could predict the future.
But after calming down and analyzing it carefully, this unrealistic conjecture could be dismissed.
"Manila is just a small city, after all. It must be a coincidence."
Raven: "Yeah, compared to the cities in East Asia and Europe, these cities in Southeast Asia are too small. Their so-called prosperity isn't even on par with a third-tier city in Shenzhou."
Shallow waters can't nurture a true dragon.
The deep-water port here allowed the city to develop rapidly, but the scale of the Philippines as a country determined the upper limit of Manila.
Beyond the densely packed skyscrapers, many people still lived in slums, eating garbage discarded by others.
The so-called prosperous areas were only relatively prosperous.
And the Herrscher Core used to detonate the Honkai would naturally be more effective if placed in a densely populated area with more advanced population and technology, where it could achieve the best results.
"What should we do? Should I kill these two?"
The professional killer was cold and ruthless, even as the two people in her scope were deep in a moment of natural passion.
Compared to an insignificant battle between a girl and a beast, the money that could fulfill her villa and island dream was far more enticing.
Gray Serpent pondered for a moment. Although he was thousands of miles away, he had already confirmed the changes in the situation through various means.
"The Schicksal Valkyries are coming soon."
"Raven, be prepared to leave with the Gem of Serenity."
Since detonating the Honkai to validate the Stigma Project was now risky, they had to at least ensure that the prize already in their hands would not be lost and then regained.
"Understood!"
...
"You... at least be a little gentle..."
Her beautiful eyes were hazy, her delicate body trembling...
The lovely girl could only watch as the man played with her pair of pure white ice creams, unable to do anything but grit her teeth to keep from crying out.
The girl who had always colluded with Raiden Mei to torment the big fool Kiana had finally become the one being toyed with today.
And compared to Kiana, who was still resisting relentlessly, she, with her one weak spot, seemed to fall much faster.
People, you see, often just need one excuse to convince themselves to accept things they previously found completely unacceptable.
Even Bronya had to admit that if the lecherous man before her used Seele as an excuse to carve the Honeysuckle Crest on her, she would...
Grit her teeth and accept it.
Everything was for Seele!
The Slavic girl's petite body collapsed onto the soft couch that undulated like waves. She only needed to turn over to have the depth of her duck butt measured.
It had to be said, this lecherous and vulgar man truly possessed a unique talent for toying with girls, making even someone as strong-willed as her unable to stop.
Bronya could now understand Kiana, understand why that girl never resisted even though she clearly could.
It was just too pleasurable!
"..."
The silver-haired girl's eyes slowly closed, and the Twintails on either side of her head drooped down with gravity.
Her expression was as if she were enjoying all of this.
But just then...
"Bronya, it's time to wake up."
"..."
Opening her eyes, she saw a pool of spring water.
"The enemies we need to deal with have arrived."
Bronya: "..."
The mood was perfect, and you're telling me this?
He had clearly toyed with her until she was in such an indecent state, only to stop at the last moment when he was about to take off her skirt.
Bronya was somewhat relieved that her duck butt was safe, but also felt a strange, unidentifiable sense of regret.
After all, even if this guy couldn't hold back, it wasn't like she couldn't understand.
But in the end...
"..."
Never mind, business was more important.
A voice suddenly came from outside the door, and a chestnut-haired girl burst in without any courtesy: "We've searched all the suspicious areas in the suburbs and have basically confirmed that the Gem of Serenity is placed somewhere nearby!"
Ana Schariac's eyes held a hint of amazement as she looked at Brian.
She and her teammates had searched the suspicious locations in the suburbs one by one, but this man had already made a rough guess about the whereabouts of the Gem of Serenity.
His appearance here was definitely not a coincidence; he must have already had a plan in mind.
With such an outstanding man directing this operation, Ana Schariac even felt that the city beneath her feet had a chance to escape its fate of destruction.
"Thank you for your hard work."
The black-haired young man's expression was calm, as if he had everything under control, just as Ana had guessed.
World Serpent had placed the Herrscher Core in the city center, which met the objective conditions for detonating a Honkai Eruption, but the specific location of the core still needed to be confirmed.
But before that...
"Ana, have you ever thought about what to do when facing a Herrscher?"
"..."
The chestnut-haired girl's eyes widened as she watched the man pull her to the window.
Although this short half-day had already given her some favorable feelings for this man, their relationship hadn't progressed so quickly that they would play some strange games on their first time, right?
*Crash—!*
Before the girl could react, the floor-to-ceiling window shattered, and her chestnut hair danced in the air.
As she fell rapidly, her pale pink eyes only saw the man smiling and waving at her: "Remember, you must determine the location of the Gem of Serenity as quickly as possible!"
Then, she was swallowed by a terrifying gravity field that appeared out of nowhere.
"No—!"
To protect a useless Valkyrie like her, that man with little combat ability had exposed himself to an immeasurable danger.
Ana Schariac was filled with regret!
...
*Boom—!*
The floor collapsed, and the entire structure of the building seemed to shake under the power of the Star of Eden.
Brian's original suite collapsed entirely, pulled down by an immense force, crashing below and creating a mess.
The black-haired youth glanced at the innocent bystander at his feet, whose spine had been fractured by the impact, and his eyes filled with killing intent as he faced the perpetrator of this tragedy.
"Should I say you're lucky, or unlucky?"
"You're no longer troubled by your identity, but you've run into me, who possesses Jizo Mitama."
"Perhaps this is the fate of the name 'Welt,' always picking fights with Herrschers and Divine Keys."
The silver-haired girl, protected by Project Bunny, landed behind Brian. From her eyes, she could see the emotionless faces of the Welt IIs.
That's right, Welt IIs.
Unlike the Welt II in their memories, these guys all had an external plugin on the back of their heads.
Their eyes were vacant, their expressions cold, and they lacked any trace of humanity; besides barely having a human form, describing them as 'humanoid combat weapons' would not be an exaggeration at all.
The trouble they caused was secondary; their appearance undoubtedly answered the question the two of them needed to verify on this trip.
"It seems that even if Cocolia is still alive, she can no longer be considered a human in a social sense."
The Herrscher of Reason's genetic material and cloning technology all came from her sponsor.
To prevent this woman from losing control, Cocolia was not given more technology.
She lacked the powerful technical ability to control Welt, so she could only create a false personality of the 'Anti-Entropy Sovereign' to control him.
And now, the mass appearance of Welt IIs, modified into combat weapons, undoubtedly indicated that Cocolia's sponsor had completely taken over her forces.
This woman... was likely in mortal danger.
Realizing this, Bronya's eyes flickered, but she didn't say much.
In a way, this was the woman's own doing; he who is unjust is doomed to destruction.
The faint sorrow born from the grace of being raised by her was quickly pushed out of the girl's mind. The current priority was to deal with these Herrscher clones in front of them.
With 200 times the force of gravity, combat power comparable to the wicked woman Rita Rossweisse, and appearing in groups, they posed a significant threat.
"Are you confident?"
"Do you think this Jizo Mitama in my hand is a toy?"
The black-haired youth was full of confidence.
A Welt II without a plugin would be more difficult for him to handle. After all, although Jizo Mitama could control both organic and inorganic matter, controlling organic matter was still a bit harder.
Although the Welt II legion with plugins had become combat weapons that only followed orders, the plugins on the backs of their heads became their weakness in front of Jizo Mitama.
The only problem was...
"Let's figure out how to survive the first wave of attacks before we talk about anything else!"
*Voom—!*
The gravity hummed, and black spheres floated in the air.
One Welt II could create multiple pseudo-Stars of Eden, so an entire legion of Welt IIs could create a saturation strike formed by pseudo-Stars of Eden.
If the current Brian could use all the functions of Jizo Mitama, including its rated power, then dealing with these guys would certainly be no problem.
But despite being able to go toe-to-toe with a Herrscher, his own strength and Honkai energy reserves were simply not enough for him to perform these operations.
Having a Stigma doesn't mean you're strong, it just means you've gotten a ticket to become strong.
"Bronya, time to die together in a lover's suicide!"
"..."
What on earth are you talking about, you lecher whose mind is full of butts and tits?
Bronya had yet to understand the meaning of this sentence when her vision suddenly flipped.
When she came to her senses, she found that she was already being held in a princess carry by this man, becoming the princess in his arms, with one of his hands supporting her butt.
She, Bronya Zaychik, had never been wronged like this in her entire life!
But considering that it was a moment of crisis, the Welt II legion was full of killing intent, and she still needed this guy's help to rescue Seele.
She would bear it for now. Once her goals were achieved, she would repay all of today's grievances!
The black-haired youth leaped, and the tens-of-meters-high building was nothing to a superman with a Stigma.
Bronya's silver-gray Twintails danced wildly in the wind. Her eyes could see the apocalyptic scene of the hotel's rooftop being completely swallowed by the black gravity field.
For some reason, during this rapid descent, she actually felt a different kind of security in this man's arms.
It was something she had never felt, even at Cocolia's Orphanage.
As she was lost in thought, several dark figures appeared above them, looking stiff and rigid.
The pseudo-Stars of Eden could manipulate gravity, so making people fly was naturally not a problem.
"Be careful, they're coming after us!"
Brian didn't look back: "Don't worry, I have a way."
The deep night sky became his best camouflage.
The man who had fallen to the bottom bent his legs, releasing all the potential energy onto the hard concrete ground, creating a sizable crater.
Shattered rubble fell one after another, and the legion of modified Welt IIs pursued relentlessly.
Without hesitation, Brian carried Bronya into the darkness between the buildings, the long blade in his hand silently spreading the ominous black Honkai energy.
The best medium for spreading the power of Jizo Mitama was man-made objects, but the microorganisms and dust in the air were also viable.
If he couldn't directly contact the Welt II legion, he could just use a different method.
In an instant, the Welt II legion arrived with a roar. The black pseudo-Stars of Eden distorted gravity, making the surrounding world look as if it had been gnawed by an invisible beast, leaving it in tatters.
Without eliminating their target, the autonomous AI controlling these walking corpses would never stop their attacks.
As the chaos intensified, the power of Jizo Mitama silently clung to the bodies of the numerous Welt IIs.
This power was very weak, but the power of Jizo Mitama was billions of times more vicious than the most terrifying computer virus in the world. In just a few breaths, it had already infiltrated the central system of the control plugins.
"It's done."
The gravity field subsided, and the chaos was just beginning to abate.
The light from Project Bunny's cannon muzzle extinguished, signaling the end of the battle.
"You've taken control of them. I think we should have an absolute advantage against those guys from Shencheng Pharmaceutical now, right?"
In Bronya's mind, with a group of Herrscher clones comparable to S-rank Valkyries as muscle, the difficulty of the upcoming operation would be greatly reduced.
The balance of power had shifted. They were now riding a massive tailwind.
"You wish."
Brian wished the situation could turn out like that too.
But...
*Pop—!*
A faint explosion was heard. The clones' eyes burst with blood, and round, spherical objects even rolled out.
"Shencheng Pharmaceutical installed independent self-destruct devices in these guys' heads. They activate as soon as they're attacked by Jizo Mitama."
It wasn't that Jizo Mitama couldn't solve this problem; he just needed to activate its rated power.
But again... it wasn't worth it!
If he could activate the rated power, what problem couldn't Brian solve? Why waste time on these mass-produced Herrscher clones?
"Let's go. We're heading to the location of the Gem of Serenity. The Snow Lotus Squad needs our support over there."
"Mm."
Not far away, the sounds of battle, just like here, were quieting down.
...
*Bang—!*
The concrete wall teetered on the verge of collapse under the immense impact, and the Valkyrie slid down from the wall like a broken rag doll.
"Honestly, I really don't want to fight you Valkyries."
The professional killer in the black cloak casually pulled the hood over her head, letting the Valkyrie's whimpers flow beneath her feet.
"Compared to the other targets my employers want me to eliminate, you Schicksal Valkyries are not only powerful, but one careless mistake and I could easily end up on your wanted list."
Being wanted by Schicksal was not a good thing.
After all, it was a monstrous organization that had openly ruled half the world for over a thousand years. Even a World Serpent executive like her wouldn't want to be their enemy unless absolutely necessary.
But for the mission assigned by the organization, she had no choice.
A battered Ana Schariac leaned against the cracked wall, looking at the device behind Raven with deep regret.
Just one step away! She was just one step away from taking the Herrscher Core from this woman, but her presence was like an insurmountable chasm before her.
"Using the lives of tens of millions of people to achieve your goals, don't you feel any heartache?"
"Miss, you've got it wrong there."
Under the black hood, Raven's expression was exceptionally calm.
She ignored the surrounding Valkyries who had already lost their ability to fight and gave her own reasons: "This wasn't my arrangement. Even without me, someone else would have stopped your actions."
"And you should know by now that even without this Herrscher Core, Manila is destined to be destroyed by a Honkai Eruption within six months."
"In the eyes of those who planned this, this isn't a massacre, but a rational use of resources."
"I don't want to do this either, but living on this planet, I don't have many other choices."
If a man could appear, beat her to her knees, and then step on her head to take the Herrscher Core...
Even if Raven had to press her thighs together, she would have to admit it was a failure for World Serpent.
There was no helping it. The current World Serpent lacked a stabilizing presence, so it was only natural to be held back by the stronger Schicksal.
Even if Gray Serpent wanted to hold her accountable, she would have an explanation.
But this Valkyrie squad stationed in Manila just couldn't do it. A squad with only A-rank Valkyries was still too weak for World Serpent.
"Beautiful ladies, have a good sleep. When you wake up, it will all be over."
The dark muzzle of the gun was pressed against the chestnut-haired girl's forehead.
Her expression was stubborn and angry, but she could do nothing in the face of an absolute power disparity.
She was too weak!
"Goodbye, ladies of Schicksal."
Ana Schariac powerlessly closed her eyes, ready to meet her death.
'In the end... I still couldn't even say thank you to him...'
*Bang—!*
*Clang—!*
The pain she imagined never came.
Opening her eyes, Ana only saw a bladeless black longsword positioned in front of her.
"It's still too early to say goodbye."
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Translator's Note:
If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to leave a review or comment! Your feedback helps me decide whether to keep translating. Thanks for support!