"She actually turned me into a cat for others to play with! It's infuriating!"
Takatsuki was constantly being shaken by Kiana, who was gripping his shoulders, and he uttered intermittent sounds.
"Isn't this…"
"Can't…"
"Be exposed, right…"
"And isn't she…"
"Your sister…"
Takatsuki did not resist, allowing Kiana to continue shaking him.
After a thorough vent, Kiana finally calmed down.
"I didn't expect Sister to be so open-minded…"
Kiana couldn't help but think of herself; after learning about her own past, she had been lost for a long time. If it weren't for others, she might never have escaped the mental exhaustion Takatsuki spoke of.
"Kiana, you don't need to compare yourself to Durandal. You've experienced different things."
Takatsuki recalled the intelligence he had seen: "Durandal simply experienced more things than you, and matured earlier."
"What do you mean?"
Takatsuki smiled: "You wouldn't think that the current Strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal could become the strongest just by training in the training room, would you?"
"It's complicated to explain in detail, but simply put, Durandal once saved a world."
Saving a world is a significant feat. Even though Kiana had visited other worlds, she still didn't fully grasp the reality of saving one.
"However, that world was on the verge of destruction. Durandal used her own body as a vessel to seal and stabilize that world within herself, and she's been searching for a way to repair it."
"What…"
Kiana had thought her own wandering life had been full of hardships, but compared to Durandal, it seemed ridiculously trivial, like children playing house.
"Takatsuki!"
"Hmm?"
Kiana seemed to have understood something: "Please help me become stronger!"
"I want to become the strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal, but right now, I'm still far behind my sister. Please help me become stronger!"
Kiana, who had always been lazy, unmotivated, and prone to bragging, seemed to have genuinely found her drive this time.
But who knows how long it will last?
"Alright, even though your body is a clone of Durandal and theoretically has the same physique, you two are on different paths. What suits her may not suit you, Kiana, you should understand that."
Kiana nodded: "Next time we meet, I want to tell my sister that I haven't disgraced the name Kiana Kaslana."
Kiana's path is that of a Herrscher. No matter how hard she trains, she can't match Durandal's growth rate, after all, Durandal still has a Holy Sword and a world bubble within her.
But Kiana also possesses something Durandal does not.
Just a feathered Herrscher Core can outweigh years of Durandal's arduous training. Coupled with the fact that combat is the best catalyst, as long as she visits a few more combat-intensive worlds with Takatsuki, Kiana's growth rate can completely surpass Durandal's, provided she doesn't slack off.
"But… doesn't my sister consider our parents at all?"
"It's not that she doesn't consider them, but that considering them is useless."
Takatsuki shook his head: "Under Otto's concealment, what good would considering them do? Besides, her life is good now, and she has new friends, family, and new bonds."
"My sister has new family… and me…"
Seeing Kiana fall into self-doubt again due to her past shortcomings, Takatsuki gave her a firm tap on the head.
"Ow, Takatsuki, what was that for?"
"What are you thinking about? Don't you have new family?"
Looking at Kiana, Takatsuki said somewhat exasperatedly: "We've lived under the same roof for so long, aren't we family yet?"
"Family…"
Kiana's ears turned red when she heard Takatsuki's words: "What nonsense are you talking about? What family…"
Seeing Kiana start to overthink, Takatsuki didn't mind; it was better than her falling into self-doubt.
He stood up and opened the portal back: "Alright, let's go back. If we don't, we'll miss dinner."
"Ah, wait for me."
Kiana quickly ran over, but unless Takatsuki intended to leave her behind, he couldn't pass through before Kiana did.
As she reached the portal, Kiana suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Takatsuki.
"Oh, Takatsuki, is Sirin's memory still with you?"
"Of course it is. Do you want it?"
"Sirin's memory, give it back to me once I've mastered the Herrscher Core. I want to talk to her too."
…
After dinner, Takatsuki found an excuse to retreat to his room.
"That hateful Kiana, she set me up."
Back in his room, Takatsuki recalled what happened after Kiana returned. Kiana had actually used his earlier words of comfort to complain to Mei.
She said he wanted to become family with Kiana.
Fortunately, Mei didn't fully believe Kiana, but she still stared at Takatsuki with a death glare for a while.
That's why Takatsuki had scurried back to his room in embarrassment.
However, there was another reason for returning to his room, and that was…
New items…
First, the snake talisman. After obtaining the snake talisman, the twelve talismans were finally complete.
After integrating the snake talisman into his body, Takatsuki hesitated for a moment and took out the only talisman he hadn't integrated: the Dog Talisman.
"Phew… the Dog Talisman. Before I knew it, I can now live without relying on it."
Takatsuki hadn't forgotten that when he first arrived in this world, he could only forcefully use the Dog Talisman to ensure his survival.
He could still vividly recall the Honkai Energy corroding his entire body, causing him immense pain and threatening to turn him to ashes at any moment, as he had no Honkai Energy adaptability.
Fortunately, the Dog Talisman not only ensured immortality but also kept his bodily functions in a healthy, youthful state.
As a result, he could move freely as long as he could bear the pain.
And now, he could survive even without the Dog Talisman.
With the Dog Talisman integrated into his body, the power of the twelve talismans was finally complete.
The moment the powers converged, Takatsuki felt a surge of immense magical energy suddenly appear.
"This is…"
Takatsuki knew that the talismans themselves would limit the power of the twelve zodiacs.
But he hadn't expected that incomplete zodiac power would also be limited.
After gathering the power of the twelve zodiacs, Takatsuki felt this immense magical energy instantly strengthen, and its upper limit was raised to be equivalent to the energy he possessed.
"This is… the true power of the twelve zodiacs…"
Takatsuki briefly adapted to the abundant magical energy within him, then stopped and looked at another item.
The Throne of Heroes that Fu Hua had been yearning for.
In fact, at the same time he obtained the Throne of Heroes, Takatsuki also received a quest, which was why he had been distracted at the time.
The Throne of Heroes was special; it couldn't be taken out or equipped. To use the Throne of Heroes, he needed to complete a trial quest: create a world to house it.
[World Trial]
[Upon next sleep, you will enter a special trial dungeon. After completing the trial dungeon quest, a special space will be unlocked, where the Throne of Heroes can be placed, and exclusive Throne of Heroes quests will be unlocked]
The description was simple, but the content was substantial.
"Today… I should go to bed early."