Amidst the ruins of the church, Fuli withdrew his gaze from the horizon.
"The annoying guy is temporarily out of the picture. Let's continue—uh, Second Sister, why are you standing so far away from me?"
"It's nothing, nothing," Kallen laughed awkwardly.
She wasn't an unreasonable person. As an S-Rank Valkyrie, she understood the absurd resilience of their bodies better than anyone.
That spot was the only place on Einmaid's entire body with low defense. Fuli, a mere A-Rank, wanting to forcibly breach an S-Rank's defense, had no choice but to super-break the weakness as hard as possible.
But...
She recalled the Duchess's expression: first humiliation and rage, then shifting to shyness and surprise, followed immediately by a rippling flush, and finally, a watery, misty-eyed look like a young girl in spring, along with that soft moan she couldn't suppress right before flying off.
"Partial Expansion Jutsu, huh..."
Einmaid was already twenty years old. In the Middle Ages, that was firmly in the category of "leftover women."
But that was because her name, Iron Maiden, and the inheritance of the Death Knight both destined her to maintain lifelong purity.
And Fuli just now...
Thinking of this, Kallen patted the boy's shoulder. "It's a good thing this is just a data world."
"Yeah, I wouldn't dare pull something like that in reality."
So what if she was S-Rank? Fake is fake!
You can't just upload the memories from here to the current Death Knight in the real world...
Right?
As if receiving resentment from his future self being hunted down (?), the boy felt inexplicably guilty.
"If I had that opportunity, I would have definitely stabbed her directly with a longsword."
The Father of Ultra (scratch that) Otto walked over and admonished earnestly, "Brother, you are still too indecisive. In the future, when I am gone, you absolutely must not make such mistakes again."
Fuli scratched his cheek. Piercing a beautiful girl with a sword...
Such a frenzied act was still a bit too much for his pure and kind (self-proclaimed) heart.
"Alright, let's go."
The Saintess clearly didn't want to listen to them discuss this terrible topic any longer. She grabbed Fuli, who was about to say something else, tucked him under her arm, and ran quickly toward the bronze door that had just opened.
Without looking back, she asked, "Otto, what was the fastest you've ever run and why?"
"Uh, when a half-zombified pregnant woman was swinging her placenta by the umbilical cord trying to hit me?"
Fun fact: Otto was a doctor.
And a pretty good one at that. Not only did he accidentally create a cure for the Black Death, but he also gained a little fangirl named Eleanor Schariac.
Kallen, who had only intended to remind him to hurry, didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Then run at that speed!"
Einmaid was only temporarily removed from the scene, not dead. If she caught up, they'd be in for a world of hurt.
"..."
Seeing their proactive attitude, Fuli didn't mention that he had used the Second Rated Power of Jizo Mitama during his previous attack.
The Stigmata of Reason (A) allowed the owner to proficiently use any tool created by intelligent lifeforms, and Divine Keys fell within this scope.
However, lower-rank abilities are significantly weakened when facing higher ranks. An A-Rank Stigmata could at most unlock the Second Rated Power of Jizo Mitama.
—Second Rated Power: Forbidden Brand.
Wounds caused by the wielder's attacks not only fail to heal naturally but also expand over time. Unless the wielder of the Divine Key agrees, conventional curse-breaking and healing methods are ineffective against the wound.
Considering the location of the "attack," Miss Einmaid, who had flown off to god-knows-where, would likely be feeling quite sore for a while.
...
In no time, the three filed through the glowing bronze door, arriving at the surface layer of the small bubble universe that served as the true Schicksal headquarters.
Next, they needed to pass through the main hall, which served as a workspace, then through a heavily guarded corridor, to reach the entrance to the Seven Heavens.
Before the sprawling main hall, listening to the din of voices coming from around the corner, Otto turned back to emphasize, "Even though the Sacred Barrier is gone, the headquarters is still under the surveillance of the Eye of Reality."
"I know. Tiptoe, don't alert anyone."
Fuli, having left Kallen's armpit, made an 'OK' gesture.
Otto nodded in satisfaction, stood on tiptoes, arched his back, and walked silently at the front.
Fuli and Kallen followed suit, using standard three-man squad tactics to cover each other.
A while later, the sound of something bumping into an object rang out.
CLANG!
Otto, walking in the front, broke out in a cold sweat.
He had been walking very cautiously, but he had forgotten one thing.
The armor he was wearing... it had horns on its head.
Pretty big ones, too.
Otto turned his head awkwardly.
Looking around, the hundreds of personnel in the entire hall had stopped their work.
Staring fixedly at the three trying to sneak past right under their noses.
Silence reigned.
Not a sound was heard.
This awkward scene lasted for a full three seconds. People exchanged glances.
"Node 3 of the barrier cannot be repaired?"
"Honkai Beast in Sector C shows signs of rampage; Templar Knights have been notified to subdue it!"
"The Death Knight Legion reports that Duchess Einmaid is missing. Who should we send to look for her?"
"So busy, so busy! Out of the way!"
The main hall resumed its previous bustle. People focused on their work as if the three traversing the corridor didn't exist at all.
Fuli whispered, "Could it be that the Eye of Reality was also broken by my slash earlier?"
Kallen looked at her colleagues, who had resumed working on their own, with a complicated expression, then shook her head. "Let's go."
She pulled the two of them along, quickly moving through the crowd and leaving.
"Thank you," she whispered softly.
There was no reply. That was the best reply they could give to Kallen Kaslana, the Saintess they acknowledged from the bottom of their hearts.
Unfortunately, Fuli and his group weren't Kiana; luck always runs out eventually.
Energy stones embedded in the walls emitted a silver brilliance that filled the space, illuminating the silver-white passage as if it were day.
This was the necessary passage to the lower levels. At the end of the corridor, an orange figure carrying a flaming greatsword on her back stood there.
Silver armor, fiery skirt.
Whether her petite stature even reached 1.6 meters was debatable. She had a youthful, cute baby face, and her hairstyle was braided pigtails, identical to Kallen's.
The S-Rank War Knight—Zofia—said nothing.
Her crimson eyes stared fixedly at the newcomers, shimmering like waves, betraying neither joy nor sorrow.
Then, she took a step.
Metal boots struck the floor made of special ore, the sound echoing in the hearts of the three.
The de facto strongest of Schicksal walked step by step until she stood before Fuli—whose mood was comparable to a second-generation rich kid about to inherit the family business only to be found by his poor biological parents. She tilted her head, lifting that awe-inspiring yet slightly cute baby face.
"A boy I haven't seen before. You and him—"
She pointed at the Father of Ultra beside him. "What are you doing?"
Fuli: "I... I'm taking a walk..."
Otto: "I... I'm walking the dog..."
Zofia sighed. "Can you two coordinate your stories?"
Fuli: "I'm walking the dog."
Otto: "Woof! I'm the dog."
The small, beautiful knight couldn't help but facepalm. "If people found out I forced the third son of the Apocalypse family like this, the clergy would impeach me to death."
Stepping aside to clear the way to the lower level entrance, she said, "Today, I'm just a derelict War Knight Commander. I'm not the Apocalypse family's watchdog, nor do I intend to do anything to you."
She had obviously caught Otto's sarcasm.
Seeing she intended to let them pass, Kallen nodded slightly. "Thanks."
Just as they passed each other, Zofia suddenly said, "Wait."
Ignoring the three who had instantly tensed up, ready to fight for their lives, she calmly took out a black-and-gold cross over two meters tall and a pair of twin pistols named Fairy Bow from a specially treated spatial item.
Placing these items on a nearby platform, the War Knight waved her hand without looking back. "Applying to take these out was quite a hassle. Remember not to lose them, or I'll have to write a report to the higher-ups later."
Dragging her flaming sword and shadow, the petite girl gradually walked away, finally disappearing around the corner.
Confirming Zofia was truly gone, the three relaxed and looked at each other.
Only then did they notice that although she hadn't emitted a shred of aura or hostility the entire time, beads of sweat had soaked the ground beneath their feet.
Except for Otto. His armor had been designed with sweat-wicking functions in mind.
But he still apologized, "Sorry, I didn't think this through."
"What's done is done; there's no point discussing it now."
Pointing at the Oath of Judah and the Fairy Bow pistols left specifically for them, Fuli let out a breath of stale air. "Leaving these behind... what does that knight mean?"
"A pledge of allegiance? Declaring her stance? Forget it, it doesn't matter."
A dreamily exquisite face rubbed vigorously against the regained Judah. Hugging the cross, Kallen was overjoyed and planted several kisses on it. "Judah, sob, my Judah! It's been so long! Give me a kiss, Mwah!"
Clatter—
The Key of Binding extended its chains in response. Although its master still smelled of a counterfeit (the mimic Judah used in the fight with the Death Knight), for the sake of the sweet kisses, the great Judah decided to forgive this two-timing philanderer this once!
However, before Kallen could further express her joy of reuniting with her old friend, her consciousness was suddenly transported to a special place.
It was a virtual space set as an endless night. A barefoot beauty with pale purple hair hovered more than ten meters above her head.
Her temperament was otherworldly, cold as snow.
It was none other than the super AI that governed Schicksal in reality, the celestial neuron assembly created by Dr. Fu A, and theoretically Fuli's half-sister—Ella.
"Who are you?!"
Kallen was instantly alert. She instinctively reached for Judah but grasped only air. "Where are Little Bro and Otto? What have you done to them?!"
"In the 13,768 encounters I simulated, you reacted this way in 12,546 of them, Kallen Kaslana of the data world."
Floating in mid-air, Ella was expressionless. Despite being a human-made AI, divinity flowed around her.
"Speak human!"
Kallen shouted, her gaze scanning the surroundings like a hawk hunting prey to identify anomalies in the environment.
But with just one look, her expression became subtle.
Even without deep knowledge in the field, an S-Rank Valkyrie's senses could vaguely touch upon spacetime.
In Kallen's eyes, this paradoxical space seemed as if it had just been ravaged by some natural disaster or monster. At first glance, it was quiet and empty, but in reality, it was riddled with holes.
Kaslana intuition told her that those holes were the exits of this dark space!
And indeed they were. Previously, after Durandal had fought and left, these were the breaches cut by the space-severing ability of Dea Anchora.
Even Ella couldn't completely repair the havoc wreaked by that top-tier Pre-Revelation Era Holy Sword in such a short time.
Though I don't know who did this, thanks for carving out an escape route!
Without hesitation, the Saintess strode toward the goal of escaping the enemy's base.
But the closer she got, the slower she became.
Until she came to a complete halt, just one step away from 'escaping this space', her beautiful face shifting uncertainly.
What stopped her wasn't the residual power of domination left by Durandal's rampage, but something deeper.
At this moment, Ella, who had shown no intention of stopping her the entire time, finally raised her emotionless, bell-like voice.
"You sensed it, didn't you, Kallen Kaslana."
"That is the passage to the real world—the world where Fuli resides. As long as you cross the barrier, you can reach the other side called freedom."
She paused, then said slowly, "At the cost of your own demise."
Kallen spun around. "Impossible!"
She clenched her fists and shouted back, "Little Bro said I'm an AI who birthed her own consciousness! Even if I really reach the real world, I absolutely won't vanish into smoke like you said!"
"Yes."
Ella did not deny it. "If you truly were a self-awakened AI, even leaving the data space, you could quickly find a nearby vessel to hack into."
Awakening a true self in a virtual world was comparable to a person cultivating true qi and internal energy out of thin air in a magic-less universe.
Breaking the underlying code woven by the universe itself—finding a vessel would be basic among basics.
"However, that premise relies on you having truly awakened a self-consciousness, and not the fact that, based on the Creator—the real world's Otto Apocalypse's bad taste—you were programmed to [awaken and realize you are in a virtual space only when the plot reaches a certain stage]."
Kallen's breath hitched.
Seeing this, Ella's lips curled imperceptibly.
"It seems you've already vaguely sensed the problem."
She said, "Then, while the Creator's gaze is momentarily blocked, would you like to make a deal with me?"
"A deal that will free you from the fate of being toyed with by others and grant you true freedom."
...