The white-haired girl grabbed the Gem of Serenity that Snow had pressed against her chest. Closing her eyes, she sensed the power and Authority contained within the gem. Then, imitating Snow, she began to chant mysteriously—
"O great Ancestral Flame, one of the five elements that build the world—"
"You are the blessed light that nurtures life, the punishing light that judges evil; you bring peace and happiness while banishing the misfortune of cold, darkness, and frost..."
"—Your name is Flame, your duty is Sword; manifest now, consume my body, and become my strength!"
Words hold magic; they can guide thoughts and ideas. Similarly, they can shape formless, abstract power into a desired manifestation.
The white-haired girl's instinctive words, drawn from the depths of her mind, received a response from the gem. Burning flames engulfed her body without harming her in the slightest. The crimson fire reshaped her form, making her taller and more slender. It reforged her attire, cladding her in white knight's armor that perfectly contoured her graceful figure, bringing her closer to the title and image of a Kaslana Knight.
Her waist-length hair, previously unbound after the Herrscher of the Void's dispersal, was gathered by an invisible force and tied into a stylish high ponytail. Black hair ornaments adorned her bangs, while a black crown, acting as a hairband, secured the long ponytail at the back of her head.
As if responding to the girl's will, a crimson greatsword adorned with white accents materialized in her grasp—a feat unheard of in a Herrscher transformation, which typically doesn't grant a companion weapon. Upon closer inspection, the greatsword resembled not the White Blazing Cat's blade, but the Kaslana family's sacred relic that Snow had once shown her: the Shamash: Might of An-Utu.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Old Ancestor Kevin would be impressed. It seems Kaslanas are born to be the ultimate fire-wielding greatsword users."
Snow examined the greatsword before her with a satisfied expression, then drew the golden-red flame sword from behind her back—a weapon she had never truly used before.
"Um... Einstein told me—isn't the Kaslana family's ancestral art supposed to be Gun Kata?"
"So why are you all wielding melee weapons like greatswords?"
"Did the times regress or something?"
Welt Joyce looked curiously at Kiana, who still had her eyes closed, and the greatsword materializing beside her. Then he turned to glance at the blonde girl next to him and Laevateinn, which she had casually summoned and plunged into the deck of the Hermes.
"Oh, that... While I have Kaslana blood, I studied Schicksal's swordsmanship. I've used swords and other melee weapons from the very beginning."
"And while standard Kaslana Valkyries do learn Gun Kata, the style emphasizes the 'Kata'—the combat—far more than the 'Gun.' It's mostly about smashing enemies' heads with the gunstock. In a full sequence, you'll see them bash enemies far more often than they actually fire the gun. Only a Kaslana Valkyrie could even learn something like that..."
"It's useless for other Valkyries to learn it. They lack the Kaslana family's innate monstrous strength. If they tried to smash someone with a gunstock, they'd probably be the ones left stunned, not their opponent."
"Besides, this Gun Kata is essentially just a modified sword style. With a few adjustments to the moves originally adapted for firearms, it can be perfectly suited for large melee weapons like greatswords."
"Mr. Joyce, you've probably seen plenty of white-haired Valkyries with the Kaslana surname in New Schicksal. Their weapons aren't always dual pistols; sometimes they use even more brutal things like large chainswords."
"It's said that besides dual pistols, greatswords and chainswords are the Kaslana family's top three favorite weapons."
"Er... what about third place?"
"The third-place weapon? That thing's even more brutal... I think it's called a Chainaxe. It's pretty similar to the standard-issue halberd from the Immortal Blades, but the axe blade is replaced with chainsaw teeth. They say it's incredibly effective against humanoid targets like Zombies."
"As long as you don't get dizzy, you can just spin like a giant top through a horde of Zombies, whirr whirr whirr..."
Snow shrugged, implying that the Valkyries of the Kaslana family might have some serious violent tendencies.
"Sounds pretty satisfying... but wouldn't any Honkai survivors who witnessed that be left with some serious psychological trauma...?"
"Schicksal has specialized psychologists who'll make them love this kind of weapon."
"Are you sure your psychologists' treatment methods aren't a little... off?!"
"Well, the best way to conquer fear is to become fear itself, right? Anyway, enough of that. Kiana's almost done. Get me a cat-ear headband—the white kind. ASAP!"
"Muninn, stop slacking off! Get over here and get ready to take pictures!"
Snow suddenly grew excited and started bossing everyone around.
"What mischievous plan are you cooking up now...?"
"Huh? What bad intentions could a little Apocalypse girl possibly have? Now hurry up and get me that cat-ear headband!"
"Alright, alright. Will this style do?"
Joyce pulled out a classic white cat-ear headband adorned with black accents.
"Perfect! This is the one!"
Snatching the headband from Joyce's hand rather than taking it, Snow dashed over to the White Blazing Bug, who was still deeply immersed in her Super Fusion with the Gem. She carefully placed the cat ears on Kiana's head.
"There! The White Blazing Cat-Bug! Mission accomplished!"
The blonde girl stood with her hands on her hips, admiring her masterpiece with a look of utter satisfaction.
"...She actually looks pretty cute?"
Joyce sized up the white-haired Knight Princess, now sporting cat ears. The accessory added a touch of adorable charm to the usually valiant girl, making Joyce stare for a few extra moments.
"Muninn—are you ready?"
"Of course, my lady! The camera is all set. I even brought a video camera just in case!"
"Excellent work, my Apostle!"
"Wait, what are you two planning to do?!"
Welt Joyce felt he must be getting old. He just couldn't keep up with what young people were thinking these days.
"It's simple, really—"
"We're going to capture the White Blazing Cat's adorable expression the moment she opens her eyes after awakening, and record it on videotape—"
"Then we'll sell it to the Valkyries at New Schicksal to change their preconceived notions about the Second Herrscher—"
"I think you might distort... no, shatter their worldview..."
"And what's wrong with that?~"