Theresa Apocalypse, who had briefly spoken with Hua Yi face-to-face earlier, did not actually believe he would truly harm Murata Himeko. However, she knew that if she continued to be stubborn, the Hyperion might genuinely be hijacked.
After all, they were facing Hua Yi whose combat power was suspected to rival an A-rank Valkyrie and a 3rd Herrscher. On her side, the only individual power currently in Nagazora was a Murata Himeko who was clearly and intentionally slacking off. Under these circumstances, the Hyperion could not risk using heavy artillery.
Yes, in Theresa's eyes, Murata Himeko was definitely slacking.
Although the communication feed couldn't capture the absolute nuance of a face-to-face meeting, it was clear enough. Theresa could see Hua Yi's clothes and weapons, which bore the obvious marks of repeated, brutal battles.
Through small details, she could guess that he was far from his peak condition. Meanwhile, the combat armor Himeko wore the Scarlet Fusion was a powerful suit, even if it wasn't the absolute pinnacle of technology. How could she be unable to put up even a decent struggle against Hua Yi's movements?
She clearly wasn't resisting at all!
Theresa saw no actual exchange of strength between them. Himeko was undoubtedly in peak condition and had made full preparations before the battle; at the very least, her struggle should have caused Hua Yi's hands to tremble as he gripped her shoulders and arms. What was the meaning of this honest, "captured" appearance? Did she take Theresa for a fool?
Taking a deep breath to suppress the urge to swear, Theresa forced herself to maintain a normal tone as she questioned Hua Yi.
"Why go to such lengths? If your goal was to save them, you've already done more than enough."
"At the cost of planting a bomb in exchange for a shiny facade? I don't consider that saving anyone. Principal Theresa, what is your choice?"
Murata Himeko looked toward Theresa with a hint of tension, though she clearly wasn't worried about her own safety.
"I'm usually the one threatening others. Being threatened for the first time... it's a rather fresh feeling."
Theresa curled her lip and continued.
"I agree not to place any additional shackles on the 3rd Herrscher. She only needs to come to St. Freya Academy with you and Kiana. She won't receive any discriminatory treatment. Are you satisfied now?"
"My thanks, Principal."
Almost the instant Theresa gave her response, Hua Yi's grip on Himeko loosened. Himeko turned her head in surprise, only to see Hua Yi's arms trembling violently and his muscles spasming all over his body.
"You... you've reached your limit?"
"Yeah."
Hua Yi didn't try to hide it because he truly couldn't hold on any longer. He had been fighting for eight hours with the Nagazora defense force, and even before that, he had already reached the city's outskirts.
He had been on the move since midnight, followed by continuous, high-intensity combat stretching until the following night. Internal and external injuries, coupled with strained nerves, had finally taken their toll.
Even though his physical fitness far exceeded a normal person's thanks to the enhancement of his Stigmata, and despite his previous exaggerated self-training, he had finally reached his breaking point.
"You show this weak, over-exhausted look right after reaching a deal? Principal Theresa might change her mind and resort to 'extraordinary' measures, you know?"
Himeko's words made Hua Yi give a weak, weary smile.
"I believe you won't. If things really turned out that way, I would fall into utter despair regarding this world."
After saying that, Hua Yi lost consciousness.
Himeko hurried to support him, preventing him from hitting the ground and injuring himself further.
The degree of physical contact with a young man caused a faint blush to surface on Himeko's cheeks, but she didn't let her mind wander. She looked toward the communication screen and asked in a strange tone.
"Principal, do you want to take this opportunity to change your mind?"
"Tsk. Even if I ordered the capture of the 3rd Herrscher right now, you wouldn't honestly carry it out, would you? You've never been the type to strictly follow orders. Besides, don't underestimate me. I'm not some scoundrel who goes back on her word."
"Ahaha..."
Finding that her little thoughts had been seen through by Theresa, Himeko let out an embarrassed laugh, prompting Theresa to sigh.
"Fine. Ending the Third Honkai Impact this way isn't bad. Bring Hua Yi, Kiana, and that 3rd... uh, is her name Raiden Mei? Bring them all back."
Himeko nodded and ended the communication. She was just about to adjust her hold on Hua Yi to support him more comfortably when a cold voice suddenly rang out.
"He belongs to me. Human, take your filthy hands off him!"
The 3rd Herrscher spoke in a frigid tone that sounded oddly like a jealous lover.
Himeko was stunned for a moment by this unexpected development. Then, meeting the purple eyes of the Herrscher personality, she flashed a playful smile.
"And if I don't? Do you want to attack me? That would catch Hua Yi in the crossfire. He's so weak he fainted outright; if he suffers any more injuries, he might..."
Himeko could clearly see that as her words fell, the Herrscher's icy expression was replaced by a visible look of panic.
So, a Herrscher is this easy to deal with?
Just as Himeko's mischievous side was about to push further, Raiden Mei closed her eyes. When she opened them again, her pupils had turned black.
Mei's normal personality had taken control of the body. The high-and-mighty, majestic aura vanished, replaced by a girl as gentle as water and filled with anxious concern.
"Please, save Hua Yi."
Mei pleaded with Himeko.
To be honest, Himeko found it a bit difficult to keep up with such a drastic personality shift.
"Save him? It hasn't reached such an exaggerated point..."
After all, the invincible Hua Yi from the battlefield was the clear victor.
But as Himeko tried to comfort Mei, she felt a strange warmth on the hand she used to support Hua Yi. Looking down, she saw that her hand was stained a brilliant crimson. It was blood, seeping through Hua Yi's clothes.
Himeko's brow furrowed instantly.
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