Chapter 135: Upholding Justice
St. Freya Academy · Training Ground
After leaving Oceania, nothing particularly noteworthy happened during the final leg of the journey. The Hyperion arrived smoothly at St. Freya. After a brief rest, the group arrived at the academy's spacious and advanced indoor training ground.
"So, Wendy, are you really sure you can master the Gem of Desire?" Theresa asked, looking at Wendy, who stood in the center of the training ground wearing her Valkyrie uniform. Her tone carried both anticipation and a barely perceptible hint of worry.
Wendy lowered her head, looking at the Valkyrie uniform she hadn't worn in a long time. Upon hearing Theresa's words beside her, her cyan eyes sparkled with a confident and resolute light.
"Mhm, Principal Theresa, Teacher Himeko. I'm very sure. I have already begun to gradually master this power."
"Alright then," Theresa nodded. "Then we need to understand exactly what level you can reach right now. We need to create a file for you; you should be aware of this.
"Also, because your situation is special, Wendy, you should know where your file will end up."
"I know." Wendy nodded. After all, her identity also included being the vessel for the Gem of Desire. Headquarters was well aware of this fact. If she was truly going to utilize her Herrscher's Authority and enter the battlefield, then Headquarters would definitely need to be informed.
However, what she was actually more curious about was this: once she demonstrated her ability to begin utilizing her Herrscher's Authority, just how spectacular would the expressions be on the faces of those higher-ups at the Oceania Branch who had just sent her away?
"In that case, let's begin." After Theresa nodded, she went to the control room along with Himeko and Irene. The entire training ground plunged into darkness before suddenly lighting up again.
Virtual Deadwalkers materialized within the arena one by one, wielding scythes as they surrounded Wendy, who was sitting in her wheelchair.
Wendy looked at the surrounding Deadwalkers, a smile curving the corners of her mouth. It had been several years since she last faced Guardian Deadwalkers. She wondered if her skills had truly grown rusty.
Wendy took a deep breath and closed her eyes. A moment later, when she opened them again, it was as if a flowing cyan wind swept through her gaze. She gently raised a hand, and a cyan whirlwind manifested around her.
The whirlwind encircled her, forming a visible, pale-cyan vortex that lifted her up. The surrounding Guardian Deadwalkers gripped their scythes and charged toward her.
The cyan light in Wendy's eyes intensified. The whirlwind that had been encircling her rapidly expanded outward in all directions. The fierce gale directly knocked away the pouncing scythe-wielding Deadwalkers.
The wind blades mixed within the whirlwind even directly sliced the leading Deadwalkers in half at the waist.
A whirlwind gathered in Wendy's hand, condensing into a wind blade that hovered around her palm. Following that, Wendy abruptly flicked her wrist, tossing the condensed blade and directly taking out another Deadwalker.
As if determining that ordinary Deadwalkers were useless against Wendy's current combat power, the surrounding environment suddenly shifted. Several Titans appeared around her.
A few Thunder Mechas set up behind the Titan Mechas. Several missiles burst forth from the sides of the Thunder Mechas, streaking toward Wendy.
Seeing the scene unfold before her, Wendy lightly snapped her fingers. The surrounding whirlwind immediately swelled, forming a layer of swirling wind around her that could even be described as a wall of wind.
The moment the missiles entered the surrounding area, they were caught by the whirlwind and dragged into a stable orbit around her.
"Returning these to you." Wendy waved her hand. The whirlwind altered the trajectory of the missiles, sending them hurtling toward the charging Titans. The missiles slammed into the Titans' armor, exploding into cluster after cluster of sparks.
From within the smoke generated by the explosions, a heavily damaged Titan charged out. The sharp wind blades behind Wendy suddenly surged forward.
The wind blades hidden within the whirlwind directly sliced the Titan into pieces, leaving it to crash to the ground as a pile of scrap metal.
These were all practical little tricks her other self had taught her. They didn't require much Honkai energy, but the results were excellent. She would be able to use them even in the future.
Standing in the control room watching this scene, Himeko nodded. "Not bad lethality. As expected of a Herrscher, I suppose... but..."
Himeko turned to look at the current Honkai energy index, only to find that the value wasn't very high. It was roughly just a bit higher than that of an average A-Rank Valkyrie. Regardless, this certainly didn't look like the level of power a Herrscher should possess.
"She probably hasn't awakened yet; it's nothing to be surprised about." Irene also glanced at the index. "According to the reports, prior to this, the Gem of Desire has always been in a semi-dormant state."
"So you're saying it's very similar to Mei's previous situation." Theresa looked at Wendy in the arena. According to what Mei had said, it was highly likely that she too had the Gem of Conquest implanted in her for a very long time.
Throughout that process, the Gem of Conquest remained very quiet. It wasn't until her father's circumstances caused Mei's mentality to collapse, triggering a Great Eruption, that the Gem of Conquest finally exhibited its true power.
It hadn't brought her any other powers either. So, for a Herrscher to exercise their Authority, must a Great Eruption always occur?
"Or perhaps just a sufficient amount of Honkai energy," Irene said, leaning against the console. "It's like lighting a fire. It's just that Herrschers are always accompanied by a Great Eruption. However, the amount of Honkai energy required to support a Herrscher's awakening probably isn't something that can be supplied so easily."
"Is that so?" Himeko nodded. "Speaking of which, Irene, what do you think the expressions over at the Oceania Branch will be like once we report the matter of Wendy's awakening?"
"I don't know, but I imagine it'll be incredibly spectacular." Irene shook her head. After all, this was basically snatching someone else's fruit tree and stuffing it right into their own pockets.
If the fruit tree never blossomed or bore fruit, the people at the Oceania Branch would have just held their noses and accepted it. After all, they would have also assumed that sending her to St. Freya was a losing deal anyway.
But as it turned out, unexpectedly, the moment this fruit tree arrived here, it immediately blossomed and bore fruit. The expressions over at the Oceania Branch were bound to be particularly spectacular.
Seeing that the testing was about done, Himeko pressed the button to halt the test. There was no need to test any further. Judging from her current state, Wendy still possessed the strength of an A-Rank Valkyrie, perhaps even greater than an A-Rank Valkyrie.
Seeing the surrounding scenery return to normal, Wendy breathed a soft sigh of relief. With a gentle hook of her finger, the whirlwind brought down her wheelchair, which she had been protecting high up in the air.
She still couldn't utilize her Authority to levitate in the air for extended periods. Under most circumstances, she still had to rely on her wheelchair.
"Teacher Himeko, is this considered enough?" Wendy turned her head to look in the direction of the control room. "Wasn't that a bit too simple?"
"We were just confirming your current condition." Himeko's voice echoed through the arena via the microphone. "Once your situation is confirmed, that's all we need."
"Understood."
Schicksal HQ · Overseer's Office
"Lord Overseer." Amber stood beside Otto, clutching a tablet. "Lord Theresa has already returned to St. Freya Academy. After several days of observation, we have confirmed there will be no issues."
"Mhm, far more peaceful than I imagined." Otto gently swirled the wine glass in his hand, looking as if he had wanted to see rivers of blood. Although it was a bit of a pity, it didn't really matter.
Having a reaction would naturally be for the best, but no reaction was fine too. However, if that was the case, he would probably need to employ some slightly more forceful methods.
After all, as time dragged on and things continued to be delayed, more and more Herrschers would be born. It would become increasingly difficult to handle the plan, and his time would grow increasingly scarce.
That wouldn't do. He still needed to leave enough time for Theresa to take power. After all, what he was about to do would definitely bring an unprecedented and massive shock to Schicksal.
If it were him, he could naturally handle it properly. But as much as he loved his granddaughter and would make the proper arrangements for her beforehand, Theresa would still have to deal with that shock herself.
Unfortunately, Theresa would likely struggle to cope with it directly. She could only slowly pacify the situation through time. That being the case, he had to make preparations early.
In that case... Otto lightly tapped his fingers against the back of his chair. He was very certain that Sirin's—or rather, the Herrscher of the Void's—consciousness was within Kiana; it was just currently slumbering.
And what it lacked was nothing more than Honkai energy. It was everywhere throughout Schicksal HQ; there was no fear of failing to pump her full.
The only problem was that to do this, he would definitely have to get Kiana out of St. Freya, and that would probably be a bit difficult.
The most viable method would be to kidnap her. Simply sending Rita would be enough for that; after all, the current Kiana was merely an A-Rank Valkyrie.
However, considering that Kiana always had others following her, the difficulty might be slightly higher, and the act would be quickly exposed. But that was fine; that was exactly the effect he wanted.
An imperceptible curve hooked the corner of Otto's mouth. He set down his wine glass and instructed Amber, "Amber, continuously monitor the Far East Branch's movements. Also, have Rita get ready; there's a bit of work I need her to do."
However, it would probably be difficult to get his old friend to help. If Kiana was still Kiana, Fu Hua might not be willing to get involved, but it didn't matter. It was all the same.
"Yes, Lord Overseer," Amber replied respectfully. "And there is one more thing. Lord Theresa submitted a report to us stating that Wendy is already capable of mastering her Herrscher's Authority."
"Ah." Three question marks seemingly flashed above Otto's head. He had considered the possibility that she might awaken on the spot because of Sirin, or that she would remain in her current peaceful state.
He had even thought the Oceania Branch might take drastic measures over this matter. He had thought of all these scenarios and taken them all into consideration. It wasn't as if he hadn't considered the entire affair ending peacefully either.
But how was Wendy suddenly able to use her Herrscher's Authority? It wasn't like he hadn't read the reports submitted by the Oceania Branch.
Wendy showed absolutely no signs of awakening. She might indeed possess a certain degree of adaptability to the Gem of Desire; after all, he had also conducted quite a few implantation experiments with the Gem of Serenity.
After implantation, the Valkyries either immediately turned to ash or suffered severe Honkai corruption. Someone like Wendy, who could live for so long after having the gem implanted, was truly the first.
This at least proved that Wendy had a certain degree of adaptability to the Gem of Desire. Otherwise, she would have ended up just like those other Valkyries.
It was just that this adaptability could only guarantee Wendy's survival; it probably wasn't enough to allow her to use her Herrscher's Authority. Of course, if a Great Eruption occurred or if a massive amount of Honkai energy was pumped into her, it wasn't impossible.
Unfortunately, the Oceania Branch lacked such audacity. Moreover, upon seeing the Oceania Branch's attitude toward Wendy, Otto could only laugh. They hadn't learned a single thing from the lesson of the Tower of Babylon.
Even knowing that a Herrscher could be born from negative emotions, their attitude toward Wendy was still like that.
Did they truly believe that after experiencing all of that, the first thing Wendy would do upon mastering her Herrscher's Authority would be to thank them for their cultivation, instead of seeking revenge against them?
Or did they genuinely believe Wendy was trash who would never be able to drive the Gem of Desire for the rest of her life? Yet, those experiments seemed to indicate they hoped Wendy could master the Gem of Desire.
Truly contradictory.
Surely there wasn't a branch that actually thought their petty schemes could be kept hidden from him.
However, the reason he hadn't interfered in this matter was because, no matter the final outcome, it would be advantageous to him. Therefore, he just let them do as they pleased.
In any case, the fire wouldn't burn him in the end. If that kind of situation truly happened, he could easily swoop in as a savior to capture a wave of Wendy's trust.
Pulling something like that off wouldn't be difficult for him.
He just never expected the script to head in a direction he hadn't anticipated. The Oceania Branch hadn't made any drastic moves, and everything ended peacefully.
Nor had the riot he envisioned occurring when Sirin came into contact with the Gem of Desire taken place. Absolutely nothing happened. Yet in the end, Wendy, who was originally unable to utilize her Herrscher's Authority, was suddenly able to use it?
"How interesting." Otto wore a faint smile on his lips, an expression showing genuine intrigue. "Could it be that Sirin still exerted an influence on the Gem of Desire or Wendy?"
Amber stood to the side without speaking. The Lord Overseer did not need her opinion.
"Withdraw that previous order." Otto looked at Amber. "Mhm, have Rita wait a little longer. I want to see if Wendy's power will grow stronger over time."
"Yes, Lord Overseer." Amber nodded, then continued scrolling through the tablet in her hand. "Furthermore, regarding this matter, the Oceania Branch has also been informed and has raised objections."
"And they hope I will uphold justice?" Otto gently swirled his wine glass. It was certain that the Oceania Branch would have objections after learning of this matter, but what did this have to do with him?
Upholding justice? In their hands, Wendy never managed to harness the function of the Gem of Desire, yet the moment she reached his granddaughter's hands, she immediately showed progress. Didn't this precisely prove the incompetence of the Oceania Branch?
Of course, he definitely had to uphold justice, just not for the Oceania Branch.
"Have Rita go knock some sense into them." Otto looked at Amber. "Just take that evidence of abuse and kick them all out. Swap in a new batch of people. Understood?"
"Since Wendy will become a new Artificial Herrscher in the future and serve as our core strength, we naturally have to show a proper stance."
"Understood, Lord Otto." Amber nodded, then turned and left. Leaving Otto standing alone in the office, he drank the red wine in his hand.
"Mhm, it seems a little more time is needed to let it settle before this glass of wine attains its best flavor."
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