—Himeko's Villa—
When Irene and Theresa returned to the villa, the previous tension had long since dissipated, replaced by the relaxed sensation of having survived a calamity.
In the living room, Teacher Himeko had just returned from staying up late. She seemed to have gone looking for beer again, watching as Bronya and Fu Hua cleaned up the wall that Bronya had blasted apart earlier.
Mei was busy in the kitchen preparing some simple late-night snacks. Hearing the sound of the door opening, everyone looked over.
"Ha, you guys are actually willing to come in through the door." Himeko raised an eyebrow, looking up and down at Irene and Theresa who pushed the door open. "None of us came in through the door."
"A door must serve the function of a door." Irene's gaze turned to the shattered wall to the side. "By the way, what was blasted apart doesn't include a load-bearing wall, does it?"
"It won't collapse in the short term, anyway." Himeko waved her hand. She didn't say much more; after all, in that situation, there was no time to care about what exactly was being blasted.
Firing a shot first was always the correct choice, even if it proved to be of little use later.
"Since you're back, I won't ask if you're okay." Himeko pointed at the shattered wall. "I only have one question: does this wall count as work-related damage?"
"I'll fix it, I'll get it fixed for you." Theresa rolled her eyes. However, fixing a wall was affordable. In fact, speaking of which, maybe she should just build a new villa altogether.
After all, this villa was never intended to house others from the start; only she and Himeko were supposed to live here. Now, with Irene, Kiana, and the others added to the mix, it was getting crowded.
To be honest, the housing situation was a little bit tight. Why not just take this opportunity to build a bigger villa directly, saving everyone from being squeezed together?
After receiving Theresa's promise to repair it, Himeko nodded, no longer dwelling on it. She turned her head and began to report the current situation.
"We patrolled for a long time. Although the Hyperion didn't have time to take off, its onboard radar confirmed that there were no other Titan Mecha signals in the vicinity."
"Regarding surveillance, apart from signal delays and errors over at the church, no other signs of invasion were found in other areas."
"Mn, I know." Theresa nodded, but she did not tell Himeko the news about their cooperation with Anti-Entropy. The fewer people who knew about such things, the better.
"I've already handled the situation at the church. It was Cocolia trying to intrude and steal data. But with me there, their objective naturally failed."
Himeko nodded upon hearing this. That made sense. Having caused such a big scene, if Cocolia had only come for Mei or Irene, the movements would have been excessive.
There must have been some other objective to fit Cocolia's style. The action of invading the database explained what else Cocolia was after.
With this question resolved, Himeko waved her hand generously. Their Schicksal database wasn't that easy to crack. If Theresa said she stopped it, then there should be no problem.
"It's good that everything is fine! Looks like we can have a peaceful sleep tonight. Mei, prepare an extra portion of the late-night snack!"
"Okay, Teacher Himeko." Mei's gentle voice came from the kitchen.
Just then, Kiana's somewhat confused voice came from outside the villa.
"Umm, I'm back. Did Teacher Himeko go on a drunken rampage and break the wall?"
Kiana poked her head through the shattered wall. At a glance, she saw Himeko looking at her with a dark face. Seeing Himeko's expression, Kiana shrank her neck back.
"Did that side not receive an alert?" Himeko took a deep breath and turned to look at Theresa.
"No, there was no alert on that side." Theresa shook her head, finally turning to look at Kiana. "Himeko wasn't drunk; it was an invasion by Anti-Entropy."
"But it's already over, no need to worry."
"Ah!" Hearing Theresa's words, Kiana felt like she was lagging behind everyone by a whole version update after finishing her training. "Is Mei okay?"
"Rest assured, Kiana, I'm fine." Mei walked out of the kitchen carrying the simply prepared snacks. "How was the Principal's training?"
Seeing that Mei was fine, Kiana breathed a sigh of relief. Since Mei was fine, there was nothing to worry about. A smile immediately appeared on her face.
"Auntie's personality is super amazing. I feel like I'm more than twice as strong as before."
"And I even saw... Stinky Old..." Kiana's voice gradually became quieter, a satisfied smile on her face, as if a wish of hers had been fulfilled.
Theresa muttered in a low voice from the side, "That guy Siegfried, unwilling to even come over and take a look himself... But whatever, the results seem okay."
"Kiana looks very motivated." Irene smiled at the white-haired dumpling.
"Of course! This lady is going to become the strongest Valkyrie!" Kiana put her hands on her hips, looking triumphant, then lunged toward the dining table with a stride. "Wah! Mei, it smells so good! What delicious food did you make for the late-night snack?"
"Just some simple rice balls and miso soup to calm everyone's nerves." Mei smiled at Kiana, her face carrying a warm expression.
The group sat around together and simply ate some late-night snacks. The atmosphere was warm and harmonious, as if the brief battle earlier was just an insignificant interlude.
After a short rest, everyone wished each other goodnight and returned to their rooms to rest. Since Fu Hua lived in the student dormitories, she bid farewell to everyone and left the villa.
Irene walked up to the second floor, opened her door, and looked at the window smashed by Judah. She shook her head with some helplessness. The cool night wind was pouring into the room through the large, gaping hole without obstruction.
It blew the curtains, making them flap loudly. Fortunately, most of the shattered fragments were outside, but there were still some glass shards lying on the floor, twinkling with sporadic light under the moonlight.
"Sigh... this is truly 'well-ventilated' now." Irene sighed. She directly utilized the Quantum rift to communicate with the Honkai, capturing and wrapping the shards on the floor, then sending them into the trash can.
"I guess this counts as getting a new skill." Irene waved her hand to disperse the Honkai energy. As for repairs, she could only wait for Theresa to find someone to fix it. She would have to make do for tonight.
[Oh my, Sister Irene, this hole is quite unique~] Pardofelis laughed gloatingly in the sea of consciousness.
[Mn, a decoration style full of wild beauty, and it even carries a bit of the religious style of the Cross.] Kallen evaluated solemnly. [It's just that it might be a bit cold at night.]
[Miss Irene, please pay attention to keeping warm to avoid catching a cold.] Cheng Lixue did not join the others in their teasing and reminded her considerately.
[If possible, please shut up.] Irene shook her head helplessly. She walked to the bedside and sat down. The night breeze blew through her hair, bringing a trace of chill, but it also cleared her head, which was somewhat groggy from exhaustion.
Silent for a moment, she took a deep breath and retrieved the [Honkai Adaptability Enhancer] that had been stored in the System space. The crystal-clear blue liquid shimmered under the moonlight, seemingly containing flowing stars within.
Looking at the potion in her hand, Irene knew very well that her current strength was absolutely insufficient—far from enough. And the cultivation of Taixuan Sword Qi was the most direct path for her to improve her strength right now.
The core foundation of this heritage was extremely high adaptability to Honkai energy. The stronger the adaptability, the faster the cultivation speed, and the more Honkai energy one could harness.
[Miss Irene, pardon my bluntness, but your Honkai Adaptability is already rare in this world.] Lixue's voice was filled with worry. [Do you really need to do this?]
[Yeah, yeah, Sister Irene.] Pardo also chimed in. [Sister Irene, my Honkai Adaptability is the same as yours, and I'm already a MANTIS.]
[According to what you said before, MANTISes are basically the peak of human Honkai Adaptability. Strengthening it further won't make much difference, right?]
[It's better not to take the risk.]
"Risk and return coexist..." Irene whispered to herself. " The strength of a MANTIS is just a stepping stone for what comes later. But to do more things, it is completely insufficient."
Irene's eyes revealed determination. To whip up a hurricane, she needed enough strength herself; she had known this for a long time.
Risk? Was there anything in the world without risk? She hesitated no longer, rolled up her sleeve, aimed the syringe at her arm, and slowly pushed it into her body.
The icy liquid surged into her blood vessels. Unlike the feeling of nothingness when injecting the Resistance Enhancer followed by a sudden knockout, the sensation was completely different.
Almost the instant the potion was fully injected, a scorching heat exploded from the injection point, like a red-hot branding iron searing fiercely into her body, spreading rapidly along her blood vessels!
"Ugh!" Irene groaned, her body tensing up violently. She fell back uncontrollably onto the bed. A violent burning sensation swept through her entire body instantly, as if every single cell had been ignited!
Countless eerie and magnificent dark purple lines became visible to the naked eye on her skin. They writhed and twisted like living things. The surrounding Honkai energy, like sharks smelling blood, rushed into Irene's body.
They added bricks and tiles to Irene's pain, and added a touch of purple to the lines on Irene's body that looked like Honkai corruption.
[Sister Irene?! What's wrong with you?!] Pardofelis screamed. [Sister Irene, stay awake! You must hold on!]
[Irene!] Kallen's voice was full of anxiety. [Irene, damn it! If Irene doesn't transform into my state, I can't use Judah to help her at all.]
[Miss Irene! Stabilize your mind! Use the Taixuan Sword Qi to disperse that Honkai energy!] Cheng Lixue's voice was the quickest to regain calm, immediately speaking up to guide her, though her tone could not hide her worry.
Violent pain assaulted Irene's nerves in waves like a tide. This continuous, unending pain was far more agonizing than the injection of the Resistance Enhancer.
She couldn't even escape by falling into a coma. This pain penetrated deep into her marrow. Irene bit her lip firmly, her teeth sinking deep, even tasting a trace of blood, forcefully suppressing the cry of pain that almost escaped her mouth.
She couldn't scream! Absolutely not! The soundproofing wasn't good; Himeko, Kiana, and the others were right next door! She couldn't let them worry, and she certainly couldn't let them discover the anomaly!
Irene curled up her body on the bed. Her clothes were soaked with sweat in an instant. The patterns of Honkai corruption on her body spread all the way to her neck.
Her fingernails dug deep into her palms, her whole body spasming slightly from the extreme pain. Those purple patterns flickered uncertainly beneath her skin.
Irene could only press herself tightly against the wall. She couldn't even focus her energy to retreat into the Palace of Consciousness. She could only desperately operate the Taixuan Sword Qi according to Lixue's instructions, attempting to disperse the surrounding Honkai energy.
But it had no effect at all. The surrounding Honkai energy didn't listen to her command; it just rushed headlong into her body, flowing within her.
The process was slow and tormenting. Time seemed to be stretched infinitely. Every second felt like it was spent inside a furnace. Amidst this, Irene seemed to hear the sound of something shattering.
The heart-rending searing pain began to recede slowly like a tide. The purple patterns that had originally spread over Irene's entire body also gradually faded, as if they had never appeared.
When the last trace of pain disappeared, Irene felt like she had just been fished out of the water. Her whole body was soaked in cold sweat. She collapsed weakly on the bed, gasping for large mouthfuls of air, her chest heaving violently.
"Is... is it over?" Irene muttered hoarsely to herself.
After recovering for a good while, she struggled to sit up, checking her physical state immediately.
Damn, the difference was too big. When injecting the Honkai Resistance Enhancer, she felt like she just went to sleep, and even upon waking up, there was only a little pain in her body.
This stuff, on the other hand, nearly tortured her to death. Irene grabbed the water cup on the table, took a sip, and then spat the blood from her bitten lip into the cup.
After a simple rinse of her mouth, Irene moved her mind, and the System panel unfolded before her on its own.
[User: Irene]
[User Physical Condition: Healthy · Extremely Weak]
[User Honkai Resistance: Good]
[User Honkai Adaptability: Super Limit]
[Note: Under normal circumstances, 'Excellent' is the limit humanity can reach by various means, while 'Super Limit' is the terminus that can be reached by those with exceptional natural talent who break through the limit.]
[Talent: Lovable: Cute girls always have some privileges. You will be popular no matter when, and when interacting with others, it will be easier to gain their favor.]
[Personal Talent: Logic of Continuation: If there is still a choice in the future, the thread of fate will not snap. A broken spool can also be reconnected, granting a brand new destiny.]
[Held Cards: [Reverie] Pardofelis · Quantum Beast (Unpossessed)
Kallen Kaslana · Nun of Atonement (Unpossessed)
Sword God of Ruoshui · Cheng Lixue (Unpossessed)]
When she saw the [Honkai Adaptability] column, Irene's pupils shrank violently. Seeing the 'Super Limit' displayed there, Irene subconsciously raised her hand, her will moving slightly.
A shocking scene occurred. Irene didn't even need to deliberately operate the Taixuan Sword Qi to drive the surrounding Honkai energy; with just a mere thought from her...
The Honkai energy in the surrounding air gathered like docile pets, condensing around Irene's fingertips. In the blink of an eye, it solidified into a small piece of crystal-clear Honkai energy crystal radiating a dark purple glow.
Irene looked at the Honkai energy crystal formed at her fingertip and sucked in a breath of cold air.
"This is going to be incredible."
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