Chapter 134: Saving the World
Hyperion · Bridge
"It really has been a long time since I last saw the Hyperion's bridge." Wendy pushed her wheelchair, looking at the bridge she was once so familiar with and had even served on.
As a former A-Rank Valkyrie, she had sortied on the Hyperion more than once. She had originally thought she would never have the chance to board the Hyperion again.
And not only that, she now had the chance to fight as a Valkyrie once again. She just hoped that Teacher Himeko wouldn't be scared by her ability to control a Herrscher's power...
"Hm?" Wendy suddenly sensed something and turned her head toward the elevator. Just as she turned, the elevator doors opened, and the trio walked out from inside.
"Ah, you must be Wendy, right?" Kiana smiled and greeted Wendy. Before coming up, she had been thoroughly lectured by Mei and Bronya.
Her actions could involve Wendy's wheelchair—such as offering to push it—but it was best not to offer direct verbal comfort, as they weren't really acquainted with Wendy.
Moreover, as a former A-Rank Valkyrie, her current situation was definitely not something Wendy wanted to be reminded of.
And as an A-Rank Valkyrie, the other party should have some pride. Naturally, she wouldn't want her current crippled state in a wheelchair to be pitied by others.
Although this was just the two of them guessing, Kiana still decided to take their advice. Otherwise, if she said the wrong thing and ruined the mood, it wouldn't be good.
"Mhm, yes." Wendy nodded, her gaze sweeping slightly over their faces. Over the past few years, Wendy had long since developed a keen eye for reading people's expressions.
She could tell that the few of them were exercising some restraint, deliberately not looking at her wheelchair or her legs. They clearly didn't intend to mention her disability.
They were probably afraid of making her sad. It was a somewhat clumsy approach, but it felt inexplicably warm. At the very least, it was far better than the undisguised stares of the Valkyries at the Oceania Branch.
What exactly was she thinking back then? To leave St. Freya Academy and run off to Oceania.
The other two also stepped forward and introduced themselves. Bronya stared at Wendy's face; they indeed looked quite alike. Aside from the different color scheme, she really did bear some resemblance to Seele.
When Bronya first saw the photo, she was already somewhat curious. Seeing her in person, she looked even more like Seele than in the photo. Presumably, Seele and Wendy would have a lot to talk about.
"Mhm, I am Wendy." Wendy nodded with a smile. "So you are the A-Rank Valkyries of St. Freya that Miss Irene mentioned, right?"
"That's right, that's right." Kiana nodded. "We are your juniors, Wendy! Oh, by the way, it's almost noon. Do you want us to take you to the Hyperion's cafeteria?"
"No need, I'm not really hungry yet." Wendy shook her head. After becoming a Herrscher—or rather, after starting to use and adapt to Honkai energy...
She felt as if her need for food had somewhat decreased. This was probably because she was beginning to transform into a Herrscher in the truest sense.
Previously, she was just a vessel. But from the moment she began to genuinely utilize the Authority little by little, she was no longer merely a vessel for the Gem of Desire.
However, speaking of Herrschers, Wendy cast a somewhat strange glance at Mei. Why did she feel like this Miss Mei was also her kind?
Furthermore, Wendy's gaze occasionally drifted toward Kiana. Although it was somewhat faint... what was going on? Why did it feel like Kiana also had a bit of a Herrscher's aura?
Although it was somewhat blurry and even nearly imperceptible, the wind relayed this information to her. Wait a minute, if this was true, that meant there were a full four Herrschers gathered on this ship, counting Miss Irene.
She wondered if Principal Theresa knew about this. A perfectly fine academy for training Valkyries was about to gather four Herrschers. According to Schicksal's teachings, there were only thirteen Herrschers in total.
Not to mention, Miss Irene had another 'her' inside. That meant, from a certain perspective, there were actually five Herrschers here. That was nearly half of them.
Meanwhile, Mei, who was standing to the side, also noticed the emotional changes on Wendy's face. After pondering for a moment, she took the initiative to step forward and asked softly, "Hello, Miss Wendy. Did you notice something?"
"...Mhm." Wendy hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "It seems Miss Mei is the same as me."
The aura on Kiana's body was too ethereal, as if it had simply rubbed off on her. It was quite different from the genuine auras on Mei and Irene.
Looking at the three of them, they were clearly a very close-knit squad. It was possible Kiana had accidentally been tainted by it, perhaps through some kind of close contact.
She just didn't know if a Herrscher's aura was really that easy to catch.
"Mhm, because you and I are indeed very similar." Mei nodded, and in the ensuing silence, she raised her hand. A few streaks of electricity appeared in her palm. Although she had always rejected using her Herrscher's Authority, it didn't mean she couldn't use it.
The fact that she was a Herrscher could never be changed. Freely manipulating electrical currents was also a manifestation of her Herrscher's Authority.
"As expected." Wendy looked at the electricity in Mei's hand and her fully exposed Herrscher aura, nodding. She then recalled the news she had seen on her mobile terminal in the past regarding the outbreak of the Third Eruption in Changkong City.
"The so-called Third Eruption that broke out in Changkong City earlier... could it be..."
Speaking of this matter, Mei's eyes grew somewhat dim, but ultimately, she nodded heavily. "Mhm, yes, that was indeed because of me."
"I understand." Wendy nodded and did not ask any further. She had followed that incident and knew how massive the damage caused by a Herrscher was.
Even just the Honkai energy erupted during awakening was enough to stir up a disaster. At the same time, she also understood what her other self had meant.
She would not become her past self. She didn't have to bear that sin, nor did she have to endure the guilt of destroying everything around her that she wanted to protect.
She could protect the world with a much more relaxed attitude.
"I must say, you girls really have a knack for hitting the explosive topics as soon as you start chatting." Just then, the elevator doors opened again, and Himeko walked in from outside.
"Yo, Wendy." Himeko raised her hand to greet Wendy, her gaze sweeping over Wendy's wheelchair and legs. "You've really suffered these past few years."
"...Thank you for your concern, Teacher Himeko." Wendy instinctively touched her legs. "I'm fine. By the way, where is Principal Theresa? Is she still dealing with those higher-ups?"
"She's back, but she went to look for Irene first. It seems she had something to say. She should be here shortly."
As Himeko spoke, she walked over and lightly tapped Wendy's head. "How can you say you're fine? Those legs of yours certainly don't look fine."
"Get ready once we head back. You haven't forgotten all your skills, have you?"
"I wouldn't dare forget them in this lifetime." Wendy shook her head, but then looked slightly confused. "However, Teacher Himeko, what preparations do I need to make?"
"Prepare for an experiment." Himeko crouched down and tapped Wendy's legs. "You don't really want to carry this thing for the rest of your life, do you? It's time to give it up."
"I refuse to let a useless trinket ruin one of my students."
If it had been before, Himeko could only feel helpless about this arrangement. After all, from a utilitarian perspective, a Valkyrie's lifelong disability, versus the risk of losing control upon removing the Gem of Desire and the potential casualties that could ensue—which option was more worthwhile was beyond debate.
But now they had the Moonlight Throne. She had already learned the battleship's name from Theresa and roughly understood its functions.
However, Himeko didn't care what that battleship could do in combat. What she cared more about was that the battleship could indeed house four Herrscher gems and fully utilize their Honkai energy. While the possibility of losing control was never absolute zero in anything...
No matter how you looked at it, it would definitely be more stable than keeping it in Wendy's legs, theoretically speaking.
That being the case, there was absolutely no need to continue keeping the Gem of Desire inside Wendy's legs. This was her own student.
"So it was about this?" Wendy looked at the serious-faced Himeko, a faint smile on her face. Mhm, it was just as she had guessed.
It was Teacher Himeko, after all. If it were her past self, she definitely would have nodded in agreement with a heart full of joy, but now...
"I'm sorry, Teacher Himeko, but I decline." Wendy shook her head. "I don't want to give up this power."
Hearing Wendy's words, Himeko frowned. "Reason? You should know what kind of consequences this gem has brought you. Why refuse?"
"Technology isn't the issue. Actually, those guys have had a way to extract the gem for a long time."
When they realized Wendy couldn't utilize the gem properly, the Oceania Branch had already started researching how to extract the gem from her legs, and they even had a viable experimental method.
However, during the process, they suddenly discovered that once the Gem of Desire left her, Wendy's body activity would drastically increase, even showing signs of losing control. That was why they left the gem inside Wendy's body.
They treated Wendy as a vessel while continuously conducting experiments on her.
"Because I can already begin to master this power." Wind wings condensed behind Wendy, lifting her out of the wheelchair. "Therefore, Teacher Himeko, I don't want to give up this power."
After being able to start using this power, Wendy clearly felt just how massive the power gap was between a Herrscher and an A-Rank Valkyrie.
They weren't even on the same level. Even just relying on the Honkai energy mastered by driving the Authority through the currently half-dormant gem was already several times higher than her peak strength in her prime.
She knew from her other self that there would be a great catastrophe in the future. Given that, she didn't want to give up this power. Wasn't her original goal in becoming a Valkyrie to seek revenge against the Honkai and protect this world?
Since that was the case, with a sword in hand, why not use it?
"...Since when?" Himeko looked at Wendy, who was being held aloft by the gale, and waved her hand to signal the surrounding personnel to turn off the alarms that had been triggered by the surging Honkai energy levels.
"According to the records, aside from the most recent experiment which was obviously just going through the motions, in all the recent experiments, you could still only manipulate a slight breeze."
"Actually, it just happened recently." Wendy smiled, dispelling the hurricane around her and sitting back down in the wheelchair. "It felt like piercing through a thin layer of window paper."
"My original method was completely wrong. It's roughly that kind of feeling."
"...Are you sure, Wendy?" Himeko sighed. "This power is very dangerous. You should know that very well. Otherwise, your legs wouldn't have ended up like this."
"But it can give me a much further horizon." Wendy nodded forcefully. She knew very well that whether it was an A-Rank Valkyrie or even—as she was once told—becoming the fourth S-Rank Valkyrie...
She felt that it was far from enough. Only by truly mastering this Herrscher power, a power like her other self's, would it be possible to overcome the future.
She didn't know if she would regret making this choice now, but she was absolutely certain that if she lacked the strength when the catastrophe truly arrived, that would be when she regretted it the most.
"Alright, it seems I won't be able to persuade you." Himeko looked at the determination in Wendy's eyes and sighed. The moment that look appeared, she knew Wendy absolutely wouldn't listen to her advice.
"Sigh, fine. Since it's your choice." Himeko sighed and gently patted Wendy's shoulder. "Absolutely do not force yourself, alright?"
"I won't."
"So this little kid was sent over by Cocolia." Theresa leaned against the window, looking at the still unconscious Sin, then turned her head to look at Irene.
"By the way, do you think we can exchange this little kid for something from Cocolia?"
"That's hard to say." Irene shrugged. To be honest, she had a basic understanding of almost everyone else and could somewhat predict what they would do.
But Cocolia alone was truly hard to gauge. If you said she loved the children, some of the abstract maneuvers she pulled would leave you wondering what her actual motives even were.
If you said she didn't love the children, she was capable of doing so many things for the kids in her orphanage, constantly bouncing back and forth between 'villain' and 'mama'.
"We can toss her to the Conservative Faction later and let them have a headache over it." Irene leaned against the wall. They were just worrying about not having a way to extort Cocolia once more, after all.
"Mhm, I'll listen to you." Theresa nodded, but then turned to look at Irene again. "By the way, was it really appropriate for us to discuss those matters with Himeko earlier?"
"Because it's about time." Irene toyed with her hair. "There's no point in keeping it a secret any longer. Besides, Himeko isn't an idiot; she should have figured some things out herself."
"So, since it's only a matter of time, we might as well talk about it now. Oh, and you don't need to worry about Wendy either. I've already handled it. The tragedy here will not happen again."
"As for whether a Great Eruption would have really happened originally, because of Wendy?"
"Mhm." Irene nodded. "That's a certainty. One of the conditions for a Herrscher's awakening is severe emotional fluctuations, especially negative emotions."
"Miss Wendy's previous mental state could have completely blown up at any time. It wouldn't be surprising if it triggered an Eruption."
"And now?"
"It's already been resolved. I've gently taught her how to manipulate her Authority." Irene gave Theresa a thumbs-up. "And with a brand-new mission, her mentality won't collapse again."
"What mission?"
"Hm, saving the world~"
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