"Eh? Huh?" Kiana looked at Irene, who was carrying Starry Judah, and scratched her head. "Why do I feel like I've seen this somewhere?"
"Idiot Kiana, is your memory only seven seconds long?" Bronya rolled her eyes. "Isn't this appearance exactly the same as Saint Kallen, whom you saw in the data space I tutored you in not long ago?"
"I-I-I-I know that! It's just that it looked so similar I didn't recognize it immediately." Hearing Bronya's words, Kiana felt a bit embarrassed; she did remember, she just hadn't recalled it in that instant.
"Bronya, you know, we of the Kaslana family all look this similar. It's forgivable to not recall it immediately, right?"
"Heh." Bronya remained noncommittal about Kiana's sophistry, though Kiana's remark did make her look at Irene with a bit of curiosity.
"Speaking of which, Teacher Irene also has white hair and blue eyes. Is Teacher Irene also a member of the Kaslana family?"
"Accurately speaking, my hair is silver." Irene waved her hand. "And I have no blood relation to the Kaslana family. It's just a coincidence, a coincidence."
Besides, if she were a member of the Kaslana family, her Honkai Adaptability wouldn't have been so terrible at the start. Even the worst Honkai Adaptability in the Kaslana family wouldn't be that low.
"I can testify to that point." Himeko nodded. Irene's lineage was definitely not of the Kaslana family; they had tested this when conducting a more detailed examination of Irene back then.
Moreover, Irene came from the Sea of Quanta, so she definitely had no relation to the Kaslana family.
"Eh, not a Kaslana." Kiana nodded silently, then another question popped up. "Then why can Sister Irene turn into this appearance?"
"Is it the same situation as that catgirl from before? Is this also your transformation, Irene? Does it have something to do with that Saint in history..."
Kiana's question wasn't finished before her mouth was covered by Himeko beside her. Himeko felt a bit helpless; Kiana really had a knack for bringing up sensitive topics.
However, it couldn't be helped. They didn't know that Irene came from the Sea of Quanta, and that those powers were the final echoes of her world. If she kept asking, Irene would inevitably feel sad.
Sigh, but there was no other way. Who asked her to give the explanation that this was a camouflage ability provided by Irene's Stigmata? Now, Himeko could only bluntly stop Kiana from continuing.
"Mmph, mmph, mmph?" Kiana, having her mouth covered, seemed to have three question marks pop up over her head. She looked at Himeko strangely, the expression in her eyes seeming to ask why Himeko was covering her mouth.
"I just find you annoying." Himeko raised her hand and knocked on Kiana's head. "We don't have much time."
"Alright, if time is short, stop talking." Irene pulled a chain out from Judah and wrapped it around Himeko. "This might make you a bit uncomfortable, but you'll feel much better in a moment."
As the Power of Binding from Judah took effect, Himeko indeed felt much more relieved, but she also felt her body become much heavier. The Honkai energy she could originally mobilize was suppressed by the Binding at the same time.
"Ugh..." Himeko let out a muffled groan. The feeling of being bound by Judah could definitely not be called pleasant, as a Valkyrie's five senses were incredibly sharp due to Honkai energy.
And after being suppressed by Judah, Himeko felt that her eyes and ears were no longer as sharp as before, even becoming dull. This kind of sensation could not be called friendly.
"Alright, let's go." Irene manipulated the chains to fix Himeko onto Judah. "Mn, I feel like a kidnapper now. Or perhaps, Himeko, are you interested in..."
Irene's teasing wasn't finished before Himeko interrupted her: "I apologize, but I have no intention of being fixed onto a cross for judgment or having my hands pierced."
"Just a joke." Irene shrugged and threw out Judah's chains forward to assist her rapid advance. With the help of Judah's chains, Irene's speed was even faster than in her Pardo form.
With this assistance, the group soon arrived near the epidermis. Irene looked at Bronya: "Can we connect from here? If not, I'll think of a way to punch a hole."
"Bronya is attempting." Bronya used Project Bunny as a relay station, having Project Bunny press tightly against Chiyou's epidermis to search for weak points.
And their luck seemed to be indeed quite good. Project Bunny quickly searched for an external signal, and it was from the Hyperion.
"Mn, it seems Theresa is quite reliable after all." Irene nodded after hearing Bronya say they had connected to the Hyperion. "She has already brought the battleship over."
"Mn, we must contact them quickly." Himeko nodded. "Otherwise, if they launch attacks indiscriminately, we might suffer inside."
Being killed by stray fire was nothing new, and while it was just a probability issue, she didn't want to die in a muddled mess.
*
Above the Sea Area
The sea area at this time was no longer peaceful. Every step of Chiyou's advance could stir up terrifying waves. The high concentration of Honkai energy on its body created a Honkai environment that spawned countless Honkai Beasts and Deadwalkers on Chiyou's epidermis.
Such a powerful Honkai naturally triggered a strong reaction from Shenzhou. Countless fighter jets were rapidly mobilized, flying across the sky and traversing the battlefield.
Bullets and missiles danced in the air, using the sky as a score and explosions as notes, tearing through the air to play a symphony named death among the swarm of Honkai Beasts.
But those Honkai Beasts were like locusts; no matter how many were eliminated, Chiyou's body would give birth to just as many to fill the vacancy, endlessly.
On the sea surface, countless warships braved the raging waves stirred by Chiyou's advance, spewing tongues of fire. However, amidst the churning waves beneath the surface, aquatic creatures that had been eroded by Honkai energy into aquatic Honkai Beasts leapt out one after another.
As for the missiles constantly being mobilized, they were directly detonated kamikaze-style by aerial Temple-class Honkai Beasts or Assault-class Honkai Beasts, unable to hit Chiyou's body at all.
And Chiyou itself seemed uninterested in everything around it. In its eyes, human technology had progressed and become stronger, but humans remained frail.
That golden-shining human from the past who sealed it for so long had long since weathered into bones. As for those two humans possessing the aura of the same kind, although they set a seal on its body to slow its movements...
If not for that, that golden human would have had no possibility of sealing it. However, those two humans with the aura of the same kind didn't fare much better; while setting the seal, they were also implicated by the seal.
Times had changed. After so long, the seal that once slowed it down had become a driving force for action, although it couldn't compare to its original Core.
But ultimately, it allowed Chiyou to recover its mobility. Chiyou believed that humans would never have such an opportunity again. It would continue just as it had in the beginning.
Devouring the land, destroying civilization—this was its mission. Humans no longer had any chance to stop it.
In the sky slightly further away, the Hyperion was also constantly deploying drones and various artillery for support. In the distant sky, the main cannon was also on standby at all times, attempting to find Chiyou's fatal weakness to deliver the deadliest blow.
Theresa looked at Chiyou constantly advancing on the sea surface with a face full of anxiety. Beside her was the communication interface prepared long ago; she was waiting.
She believed that since Irene had made preparations for her to mobilize the Hyperion but hadn't told her how to act, Irene must have another plan.
The greatest possibility was that Irene needed to be eaten to guide the bombardment from inside that monster. So she had to wait, wait for Irene's side to contact them.
Soon, what Theresa was waiting for arrived. A communication request flashed across the communication page for a split second before being immediately connected by Theresa.
[Theresa, Theresa, can you hear me!] Himeko's voice echoed on the bridge.
Theresa immediately spoke: "Himeko, I'm here. Are you all still safe? Where are you?"
"At least we are safe for now." Himeko looked around. "Since you're already here, I won't explain the current situation. What is the status of the Hyperion's main cannon?"
"It is already in a charging state." Theresa looked at the Adjutant beside her, and after the Adjutant nodded, Theresa immediately continued to reply, "We can fire at any time."
"Such fast action, really unlike you." Himeko's voice sounded a bit surprised. When did Theresa's reaction speed become so fast?
She was the Captain of the Hyperion; she knew the Hyperion's performance very well. Calculating from when they fell into Chiyou's mouth...
One could say that Theresa must have started preparing for the Hyperion's departure almost immediately after they were eaten by Chiyou to arrive at this time.
Theresa... when did she become so quick to react? It was truly baffling.
"Alright, cut the chatter, let me handle it." Irene's voice appeared in the communication. "I'm very glad you came over so quickly. It seems you took what I said back then to heart."
"Anyway, the situation is this. We need to..."
Irene explained what they were about to do to Theresa in the briefest words. After listening silently, Theresa nodded.
"...I understand." Theresa nodded. "I will inform the Shenzhou side of your situation and coordinate with them. I'm counting on you."
"Don't worry, we'll stay far away when the time comes." Irene smiled. "Alright, no more chatting. Our time is precious, so don't mess up."
"I won't mess up!" Facing Irene's slander, Theresa instantly stomped her foot a bit, but then calmed down and said with a serious face, "I wish you a triumphant return, and I wish for your safety."
"Wish you a triumphant return as well." Irene breathed a sigh of relief after hanging up the communication and looked at the others: "Alright, let's set off. I hope that seal won't be too hard to find."
"Bronya has already detected the location of that seal." Just then, Bronya suddenly spoke. "The location is very obvious. The place where the Honkai energy flow is most dense is the location of that seal."
"And Bronya has located two areas with the densest Honkai energy flow."
"Beautifully done, Bronya!" Irene gave Bronya a thumbs up. "Then, in that case, Bronya, you lead the way."
"Mn, this way." Bronya pointed into the distance. "In that direction, there is a very obvious gathering place of Honkai energy. Distance-wise, it is also closer to us."
"Then, what is also visible to the naked eye is a large pile of Honkai Beasts." Irene gazed into the distance. On quite a few rocks, there were several moving black shadows, and it could be considered a path they had to take.
Irene didn't think those black shadows would be good guys. But it was normal; the closer to the Honkai energy core, the higher the Honkai energy concentration would be.
And the higher the Honkai energy concentration, the higher the probability of spawning Honkai Beasts, and powerful Honkai Beasts would increase accordingly.
"Mn, are we going to pass through like this?" Kiana wasn't afraid of that group of Honkai Beasts, but she looked with concern at Himeko, who was tied to Judah.
They could withstand the tossing and turning. Among them, Bronya, who had the worst Honkai resistance, could stay in that environment for a little while, but Teacher Himeko might not be able to.
Marks had already appeared on Teacher Himeko's neck just now. The concentration of Honkai energy over there was almost becoming a purple mist visible to the naked eye. Would taking Teacher Himeko through there cause problems?
"It doesn't matter." Irene patted Judah. "Judah is the nemesis of Honkai energy. That Honkai energy can't hurt Teacher Himeko, but we can't let Teacher Himeko stay any longer either."
To put it nicely, it allowed Himeko to continue staying in the Honkai energy environment to avoid accidents. Of course, the not-so-nice way to put it was that keeping Himeko tied to Judah would affect her performance.
After all, Starry Judah was meant for swinging, not for hanging people.
Himeko shook her head on Irene's back: "I'm really unreconciled. Putting it that way makes me feel like a burden."
Irene pulled a light spear out from Judah: "Of course Teacher Himeko isn't a burden, it's just that this environment isn't suitable for you to fight right now."
Although Kallen's combat style involved taking Judah out and swinging it, there were always times when it was inconvenient. Kallen also knew various derivative combat techniques, and after studying for so long, Irene had also learned various combat methods.
Relying on Kallen's extreme performance, violent output, and Binding's restraint against Honkai Beasts, the group's advance speed did not decrease but increased compared to before.
Soon, the group landed on a giant rock. In front of them was a massive Honkai energy crystal suspended in the air in the center, rotating.
"It's so big." Kiana raised her pistol and fired a tentative shot. The bullet hit the Honkai energy crystal and was knocked away directly, causing absolutely no reaction—not even a white mark.
"Stop trying. With our firepower, we can't break it." Irene walked forward to look at the sturdy Honkai energy crystal. Just as she was about to turn her head to tell Bronya to send the signal...
The crystal rotating slowly in the air quietly reflected the scene deep inside the crystal on one of its cross-sections during its rotation. In that instant...
Irene's mind suddenly rang with Pardofelis's somewhat anxious voice.
[Sister Irene, Sister Irene, wait a minute! There's someone! There's someone inside that crystal!]
________________________________________
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