In the lounge.
Xia Qi was busy packing.
Beside her, Kiana, Raiden Mei, and the others were also helping sort through things.
As they packed, their expressions were very complex.
Because they all knew and believed that Xia Qi had sacrificed a great deal for them.
This battleship carried the memories of her and everyone from the other world, and was also the only thing left behind by the captain whose existence had been erased for some unknown reason.
Even Seele, who had just arrived, had a slightly flushed face.
She had seen that on the photo wall and in the picture frames, there were many photos of her and Bronya, everyone else, and even altered versions of Rozaliya and Liliya.
From these photos, Seele could see how happy and joyful "Bronya" and her "Seele" had once been, and what this Hyperion, this lounge, truly held.
But now...
"Why should we hand this ship over to others? Why don't we just go out and crush them all!"
"No... no..."
"When did you become so cowardly, Seele?"
"It's not cowardice... Bronya is doing this for us... we don't have enough strength..."
"What are you thinking about? Be good, listen to me, let's go out together, hide in the shadows, and cut off that man Otto's head with the scythe. That way Bronya won't be sad..."
"I'm sorry."
Fu Hua's voice sounded in Xia Qi's ear.
"..."
Xia Qi did not respond.
When she had seen Otto just now, she had already realized why she had sensed something was wrong in the Quantum Sea.
She also understood why Schicksal had come here.
She could understand Fu Hua's choice, and she knew Fu Hua would bring Schicksal here, but she could not forgive it.
Xia Qi reached out and pulled open a drawer.
Inside the drawer was a photo album.
Looking at it, Xia Qi was momentarily stunned.
This album did not belong to any Valkyrie within "Bronya's" memory.
"..."
Confusion appeared in Xia Qi's eyes, and her hands stilled.
"Bronya?"
Everyone, who had been closely watching her, paused slightly in their own movements.
"..."
Xia Qi carefully picked up the photo album.
It had a light blue cover with a delicate, smooth texture similar to animal hide.
Within the thick album, bookmarks of various colors protruded, making it look exceptionally full. This also spoke to the profound significance the album held for its owner.
"What's this?"
Himeko and the others put down the items they were packing and gathered around Xia Qi.
The lounge already had many picture frames and a photo wall covered with photos of everyone from the parallel world.
"Bronya... doesn't remember this."
Looking at the album, Xia Qi hesitated for a moment, then opened it. The very first photo made her eyes go wide instantly.
Kiana, Mei, Himeko, and the others standing beside her also held their breath, their faces showing expressions of utter shock.
"Th-this is Overseer Otto?!"
...
On the Hyperion's deck.
Otto, Kevin, and Welt were standing together, having concluded their final exchange.
At this moment, Anti-Entropy's fleet had arrived above the sea area, facing off against Schicksal's fleet, but neither side had opened fire.
Between the two fleets, however, there was also an Anti-Entropy-style battleship keeping to itself, neither gathering with Schicksal's ships nor with Anti-Entropy's, occupying its own position alone.
At this moment, the world's three greatest powers had converged in one place.
"Well then, everyone, if there's nothing else, please return to your respective organizations."
Otto looked at Kevin and Welt, saying with a smile: "Of course, staying here is also fine. After all, this battleship will ultimately be jointly researched by our three parties, and the results will be shared without reservation."
"..."
Kevin stared coldly at Otto, saying nothing.
Welt was the same.
He had already learned the full account of Schicksal's attack on Anti-Entropy and naturally dismissed Durandal's earlier explanation.
Welt should have immediately returned to the Anti-Entropy fleet at this moment and dispatched personnel to handle the aftermath.
However, he was reluctant to leave.
"I will remain on this ship until it arrives in New Zealand."
Welt said coldly.
"..."
Kevin said nothing, but standing there, his cold and indifferent demeanor made it plain that he shared Welt's sentiment entirely.
"Oh?"
Otto looked at their determined expressions, finding it somewhat surprising.
He couldn't help but wonder whether the Moonlight Throne was truly that attractive to them.
The answer was yes.
But Otto watched Kevin and Welt with a smile, seeing them stare coldly back at him, yet with a hint of something in their expressions that he found particularly strange, and he arrived at a new judgment.
There is something else on this ship, something I haven't noticed, that is drawing them in.
"In that case."
Otto smiled, turned, and walked toward the bridge.
"Then I won't disturb you two. This Hyperion from a parallel world, with technology ahead of our own, might prove pivotal in breaking through some bottlenecks I've encountered. So I'll go take a look first."
"..."
Welt and Kevin watched his figure disappear into the ship.
After a moment of silence, they simultaneously lifted their feet and stepped forward.
"?"
Both froze briefly, the atmosphere going still for an instant.
Neither looked at the other. After pausing for just a moment, they continued walking forward as if nothing had happened, their steps steady, as though they were simply going for a stroll.
A few minutes later.
Kevin, Welt, and Otto simultaneously arrived in the corridor leading to the lounge.
"..."
Welt and Kevin remained expressionlessly silent. Otto stood to one side, raising an eyebrow slightly, a playful smile on his face as he watched them both.
"..."
Both Welt and Kevin felt extremely uncomfortable. After a moment of silence, Welt turned to Otto and said solemnly:
"This is just the Valkyries' lounge. There is no high technology here."
"Is that so."
Otto looked at him, a smile on his face.
"..."
Kevin said nothing. He simply lifted his foot and walked forward.
After a brief silence, Welt followed.
Otto watched them from behind, considered for a moment, then followed as well.
He didn't know what was in the lounge, but he wanted to understand why Kevin and Welt were behaving so strangely, so secretively, as if they were trying to keep him from discovering something.
When they all reached the lounge doorway and looked inside, they were momentarily stunned.
Inside the lounge, Xia Qi, Kiana, and everyone else were crowded together, huddled around something between them, all looking extremely focused and absorbed.
Otto immediately noticed the most conspicuous photo wall on one side of the lounge. In many of the photos, two figures he found extremely familiar caught his eye.
Kallen?
And Yae Sakura?!
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