The argument between the Overseer of East Schicksal and the S-rank Valkyrie continued. From St. Freya Academy to Schicksal Headquarters, 500 years of Schicksal's dark history were dug up by Theresa and Kyuusyou, used as ammunition in their verbal war.
The audience below had also turned from enthusiastic interest to numb and exasperated.
"Speaking of which, what were they arguing about in the first place...?"
Yssring, who had joined the crowd mid-way, posed her question while watching the two bickering women...
"Oh, that... It seems Theresa was questioning Kyuusyou's identity..."
Bronie recalled for a moment, replying to the Green Algae Head Doctor beside her.
"Identity? Isn't she just Schicksal's S-rank Valkyrie? Are you guys playing Werewolf or something, and someone got mad because they couldn't handle losing?"
Yssring looked at the two arguing women with a strange expression...
"No, Headmaster Theresa simply thinks Sister Kyuusyou isn't human—"
"???"
"What kind of logic is 'not human'..."
Yssring's expression grew even more bewildered... After a brief thought, the Green Algae Head Doctor decided to intervene in the argument and separate the two.
"Alright, alright, the person we came to rescue is already back, and she even brought back a few guests... Can you two stop fighting and just talk properly, so you don't leave a bad impression on other people's families."
No, they didn't even get a bad impression, but Schicksal is about to become a totally unreliable and comical organization in their eyes.
"First off, Overseer Theresa, you—what's the problem? Be more specific in your description. And Bronie told me that Overseer Theresa is saying Kyuusyou isn't human. What's that supposed to mean?"
"I... I'm just wondering how much strength Kyuusyou is actually hiding. According to Bronya and the others' descriptions, Kyuusyou was suppressing the MANTISes from the Previous Era single-handedly—"
"And when we came to rescue you, we encountered Snow, who seemed to be undergoing Herrscherfication... It was also Kyuusyou alone who rearguarded and brought you all back."
"As a Valkyrie, this kind of combat power is beyond what the word 'outrageous' can describe. Even that ostensibly Strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal, Durandal... couldn't have achieved a feat like yours, Kyuusyou!"
"The MANTISes from the Previous Era, the peak of human combat power, and you are suppressing a whole group of them single-handedly—Are you the Final Herrscher from somewhere!"
-
As Theresa's words fell, the scene fell silent....
The crowd's hair stood on end as they seemed to imagine a certain possibility, and they trembled as they looked at the smiling Houraiji Kyuusyou before them.
"That's right—"
Houraiji Kyuusyou gave a response that caused most people present to have their cardiopulmonary systems stop.
Thump-thumpBAM!
Everyone seemed to be able to hear their own heartbeats, their faces tense as they looked at the purple-haired Valkyrie before them. Only Kevin, his expression unchanged, grabbed Pardo who was about to make a run for it, using his eyes to signal the Cat not to panic.
After getting Kevin's guarantee, Felis carefully looked at Kyuusyou a few times and added Houraiji Kyuusyou to the list of dangerous figures that Pardo absolutely must not provoke.
"Oh, wait—the Herrscher of Finality doesn't really count as one."
Kyuusyou seemed to think of something and added a sentence, letting everyone breathe a slight sigh of relief.... Although thinking about it carefully, it seemed like they still couldn't defeat her, but at least their blood pressure and heart rate temporarily came down.
"I should be one level higher than her—after all, the latter, she is an emotionless tool person."
Kyuusyou wore a mocking expression, as if ridiculing Honkai's number one employee.
"And this lady can choose who to ignore—Honkai? I'm not familiar with them at all~"
The purple-haired girl dropped a piece of information that, upon careful thought, caused several people's brains to overload...
"One level higher than the Herrscher of Finality..."
Yssring adjusted her glasses, feeling that her scientific career and her life were both coming to an end today.
"Indifferent to the Will of Honkai, and not even on the same path..."
Theresa thought that sticking the Oath of Judah into her own grave as a cross would be a good choice...
"One level higher than Finality, doesn't give a damn about Honkai... Houraiji Kyuusyou... You are—!"
"The God of the New World—!"
Theresa Apocalypse stopped thinking, closed her eyes, and passed out on the spot, dying at the age of 45 (not really)—
"Headmaster! Doctor, where's the doctor?! Overseer Theresa has fainted—!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I told you not to ask, but you just had to ask, and now you've caused trouble—"
Kyuusyou looked at the unconscious Theresa and rolled her eyes.
"No matter how you put it...! Calling yourself a God is just too ridiculous..."
Bronie and Pardofelis muttered, watching a medical team rush in and perform emergency aid on Theresa.
"Lord Overseer is fine. She simply received too much stimulation in a short period, and combined with her lack of proper rest, she fainted."
"Just make sure she rests well and maintains a normal schedule."
After a quick examination, the doctor gave the others some instructions and left.
"In any case, this 'adventure that hardly counts as an adventure' is temporarily over for now... You two guests from the Previous Era, would you like to come sit for a while at Schicksal and Anti-Entropy?"
After Joyce and Welt watched the rest of them settle Theresa comfortably on the sofa, they turned to Kevin and Pardofelis with the invitation.
"Although we've made a bit of a fool of ourselves before you two, you must still be interested in the development of this civilization, right? Would you like to come and have a look around?"
"Sure, sure! And it would be even better if there are some shiny souvenirs to collect!"
The catty girl swiftly accepted the invitation from Schicksal and Anti-Entropy. When it came to this kind of legal slacking, Felis... she simply couldn't refuse it.
"Lord Kevin, it has been a long time."
"It has been a long time, Lord Welt."
"What do you think?"
"Since the Sovereign himself has personally invited me, I can find no reason to refuse."
Kevin, considering how returning to World Serpent now would only result in being dragged off to suffer together with his descendants, chose the option of a free business trip on the spot. This left Imhotep and the many World Serpent executives to drink sand outside the Schicksal base in North Africa alone.
"Boss Kevin, don't you think this organization called Anti-Entropy seems way more reliable?"
While Leader Welt's vacation invitation captured the catty girl's attention, it also significantly boosted her good opinion of them.
"At least they won't embezzle organization funds to buy figures, right?"
"I think World Serpent is the same way now, Pardo..."
Kevin thought about it for a moment and added a remark.
-
"What is the Young Sovereign doing..."
In a World Serpent temporary outpost somewhere in the North African desert, a group of executives who had gathered around Imhotep with the idea of freeloading on the air conditioning to save on electricity bills were whispering to each other.
"Is she sculpting a figure? They say it's the Little Sovereign's girlfriend?"
"A figure? You mean one of those very expensive plastic figurines?"
"Yeah... Boss said that since there's still a lot of time before we attack the Schicksal North Africa Branch, we might as well perform one of their traditional arts..."
"If the two of you have time to gossip about me here... how is the planning and research going...?"
The two people's whispering finally met the young woman's sweeping glance.
"Uh, Ma'am, everything is ready... but why do we have to strike during the Schicksal experiment?"
Cioara and Jackal looked at Imhotep in front of them with some confusion...
"If nothing unexpected happens, that's the time when Schicksal's security is at its tightest..."
"...Through this experiment, we can confirm one thing; besides, the Overseer of Schicksal is waiting for our arrival—"
"After all... we now hold the thing he craves most: the Key of Infinity, the key to opening the gates of the Imaginary Tree."
The young woman opened her palm, and a small data core now glowed within her hand...