After an exhausting, somewhat repetitive, half-hour tug-of-war, the final Emperor-class Honkai Beast was violently embedded into the ceiling by Bianka's Shoryuken.
"As expected of my big sister!" Kiana cheered, snatching up the energy-saving-mode Bianka and spinning her around excitedly.
It was a slightly bizarre sight. While Kiana still looked like a teenager, energy-saving Bianka was currently a literal child.
A teenager, who looked like the older sister, enthusiastically hoisting a child who was clearly several years younger and calling her "big sister"?
Weird.
"Put me down, big sis!"
Okay, that made more sense. But also, it was somehow even weirder.
Up in the stands, Shu and Joachim both shared expressions of mild bewilderment.
Shu was still trying to unravel the tangled knot of their sisterly dynamic, while Joachim was busy processing the completely unorthodox tactics the group had just employed.
Before today, Joachim's understanding of "teamwork" usually involved multiple people coordinating to break through a single point of resistance.
After all, prior to the Great Eruption, who could have imagined a top-tier squad with such an astronomical gap in individual combat power?
Normally, teamwork meant everyone doing their part: You're better at this, I'm better at that. I know a bit of your role, you know a bit of mine. You're just doing it because you're the best fit, not because I'm incapable.
But this squad's coordination?
Everyone charge in, stall four Emperor-class Honkai Beasts, and wait for Bianka to solo the last one so she can come bail us out!!
It was simple, crude, and incredibly direct.
"Such a strategy... Given their pinpoint accurate assessment of their own capabilities, this was indeed the most optimal choice."
Since Joachim wasn't linked via Judah, he couldn't hear Bronya's hyper-detailed micro-management. However, that didn't stop him from highly praising the tactic itself.
In his eyes, the team had spontaneously devised and executed this strategy through sheer synergy.
"This is nothing." Shu crossed his arms, smiling down at the celebrating girls. "To them, this was just a random encounter. If they had prep time for a targeted boss fight..."
"...Have you seen them fight before?" Joachim suddenly asked after a moment of silence.
Shu choked on his words, letting out an awkward chuckle before nodding. "Yeah, I have. They really are incredible."
Your smile looks a bit too grandfatherly, Joachim noted silently, staring at Shu for a couple of seconds before retracting his gaze.
"It seems their teamwork is already flawless. Being able to independently arrive at such a unified strategy without any verbal communication... they clearly don't need any more training in synergy."
"Ahem..." Shu coughed awkwardly again, drawing a sidelong glance from Joachim.
Taking a deep breath, Shu turned to him with a strained smile. "Did Otto never tell you about Judah's abilities?"
Joachim slowly shook his head. "The Oath of Judah... It's a Divine Key, correct? My knowledge in that field is admittedly lacking... Care to enlighten me?"
"...Me?" Shu's eyes widened slightly, pointing a finger at himself in disbelief.
He honestly couldn't fathom why Joachim would ask him something like that. Subconsciously, he reached up to touch his own hair—it wasn't balding, nor was it disheveled. Did he look like a mad scientist?
Ask him?
You'd be better off asking an AI... Wait, the AI in this world was actually crazy overpowered.
"I can't explain it," Shu flatly refused, waving his hand without hesitation.
Joachim's eyes narrowed slightly. "Aren't you a Herrscher? From my understanding, the operational logic of a Divine Key involves using Soulium—a stable-state nanomachine—to construct a mimetic Herrscher Honkai Energy circuit, thereby inducing the Herrscher Core to unleash its power."
"Oh? Is that so?" Joachim's explanation only made Shu feel even more awkward.
His knowledge of Divine Keys literally stopped at "Soulium + Herrscher Core." Maybe add in "Soulium stores massive amounts of data" and "Soulium is made of nanomachines."
What the hell was a stable-state nanomachine? Nanomachines had different types?
And wait... so they actually relied on simulating a Herrscher's energy circuit to trigger the core? Shu always just assumed the Herrscher Cores were chill and willing to work as long as they got a nice, shiny house to live in.
"Well, I mean, I am a Herrscher... But to me... or at least, based on my personal experience, using a Herrscher's Authority feels like something inscribed into your very instincts."
He raised a hand, wiggling his fingers in front of Joachim. "It's exactly like controlling your own arm or fingers. It feels like you've known how to do it since birth. The moment you become a Herrscher and acquire the Authority, you can wield it perfectly."
"So you're saying... a Herrscher is born in its complete, perfect state?" Joachim's tone grew serious.
"How is that possible?" Shu looked at him in surprise. "Even if it's easy to control, it's still a completely new, extra limb you just grew out of nowhere. How could you possibly be perfectly used to it right away?"
Are the left and right halves of your brain actively fighting each other right now?
Joachim stared silently at Shu through his flat-lensed glasses, trying to parse the completely contradictory statements.
"Ah... How do I explain this..." Shu knew his explanation was a mess. He scratched his head, thought for a moment, and subconsciously pushed up his glasses.
Suddenly, a spark of inspiration hit him. He glanced at the glasses resting on Joachim's nose.
"You wear glasses too, right? When you first started wearing them, didn't you feel a little unaccustomed to them?" Shu thought he had just come up with a brilliant analogy!
Joachim remained silent for a long moment. Then, he calmly removed his glasses, folded the frames, and slipped them into his pocket. He looked Shu dead in the eye.
"Mr. Shu, I don't actually have myopia."
Joachim stated it so matter-of-factly that Shu was rendered completely speechless.
Right. I forgot this guy doesn't even need glasses. He literally just wears them to look cool.
Sigh... Ever since I stopped actively using my brain, my memory has gone to shit. I can't believe I didn't account for that.
Chuckling at his own blunder, Shu lightly tapped his knuckle against his head as a small self-punishment. He looked back up, his smile returning. "Fine, but at the very least, you wear them."
A faint smile touched Joachim's lips. "I understand what you're trying to say. People who are genuinely near-sighted often feel a strange disconnect when they first start wearing glasses. However, that doesn't stop them from eventually integrating the glasses as a part of themselves years later."
"To the point where some people will subconsciously try to push up their glasses even after taking them off. Right?"
Joachim, whose hand was currently hovering over his nose, resting on thin air: "..."
"Heh..." Joachim lowered his hand, retrieved his glasses from his pocket, and put them back on. "You're right. It is indeed a very strange feeling."