Early morning, faint light.
Yunduo knocked on Kiana's bedroom door and gave her a Bella Plushie.
The moment she closed the door, Kiana's pupils flashed with golden light as a lurking soul secretly observed everything.
"Sister Yunduo, good morning."
"Morning, Bronya."
After Yunduo finished breakfast with the others, they agreed to go to the Challenge Space again.
Before they even entered the storage room, they saw Tesla dozing off groggily in a nearby chair.
After waiting a while, Theresa, Himeko, and the others also arrived.
"Why is Tesla here?" Himeko asked Theresa, puzzled.
"Because I allowed it. I suspect we might cooperate with Anti-Entropy later..."
"What if Schicksal Headquarters finds out?"
"...They probably won't, right?"
At this, Theresa shrank back, her small face tense with nervousness.
If Schicksal Headquarters found out she was cooperating with people from Anti-Entropy, the Far East Branch would likely be in trouble.
Before everyone could go in, a mature, unfamiliar voice suddenly rang out from not far away.
"Good morning, everyone, and Principal Theresa."
Everyone looked over to see a maid wearing a maid outfit and black tights walking slowly toward them.
She had a beauty mark at the corner of her eye, and her deep red pupils held composure and a smile.
"Rita, why are you here?"
Seeing this, Theresa gasped, lost and bewildered like a wooden statue.
She truly hadn't expected that Rita Rossweisse, one of Schicksal's only three S-Rank Valkyries and the vice-captain of the Immortal Blades, would actually appear at the small St. Freya Academy.
"I know, of course. Lord Otto is very concerned about you."
Rita chuckled, covering her mouth, every movement exuding elegance.
"You don't think the people at Schicksal Headquarters are fools, do you? We are already quite clear about a certain unknown space, my dear Principal Theresa."
"...Wha?"
After her initial panic, Theresa quickly pulled herself together and acted as if nothing was wrong. "I knew that, of course! After all, I was just planning to report this news to Headquarters. I didn't expect you to be so fast. As expected of Schicksal."
Anyway, since the people from Anti-Entropy were already here, what was there to fear from Schicksal Headquarters?
Rita chatted with everyone for a moment, then saw the silent Yunduo nearby and suddenly said, "Hello, beautiful lady. I am Rita, pleased to meet you."
"...Yunduo."
Yunduo didn't want to get too involved with Rita, so her expression was somewhat cold.
Seeing this, Rita didn't get angry but instead said softly, "It seems you don't like me very much. That's fine, there is still plenty of time in the future. I will let you get to know me better gradually."
"Let's open it quickly. This time I'm going to grab even more mechs!"
Theresa interrupted their conversation, and hearing this, three black lines appeared on Tesla's forehead.
If this continued, all of Anti-Entropy's mechs would be snatched away by Theresa alone!
With a flash of white light, everyone entered the Challenge Space.
Rita maintained her elegant demeanor, but the moment she entered, a strange color flickered in her eyes.
Is it actually real? A space that can predict the future and grant rewards?
"Ding! Fourth Act Challenge: Final Lesson, Start!"
"Background Prompt: After the Herrscher of the Void awakened, Otto's plan entered the next stage. He let the Herrscher of the Void go. Mei was forced to awaken her Third Herrscher persona but was still no match for the Herrscher of the Void. Ultimately, the Herrscher of the Void absorbed the Gem of Conquest within Mei's body. The Queen descended, crushing Anti-Entropy. This event was later known as the Great Collapse."
"At Schicksal Headquarters, Fu Hua used Fenghuang Down to treat the captured Himeko. From Rita's mouth, Fu Hua learned that the Herrscher of the Void had awakened and that Theresa was currently fighting her. Fu Hua decided to help Theresa stall the Herrscher of the Void but was stopped by Rita. Durandal arrived at the scene and let Fu Hua go."
"At this moment, Otto suddenly appeared, using the power of the Void Archives to force the Herrscher of the Void away. He confessed his plan to Fu Hua: by having the Herrscher of the Void kill her former friends, the power of emotion would prompt Kiana's personality to awaken, thereby allowing a human soul to control the Herrscher's power. Fu Hua denounced Otto's hypocritical actions and resolutely opposed his plan, only to be killed by Otto using a mimicked Judgment of Shamash."
"Himeko woke up from her slumber, and the consciousness left behind by Fu Hua's Fenghuang Down surfaced in her mind. At this time, Himeko was approaching the end of her Valkyrie career. Fu Hua left her a vial of HSN-B46 Serum, which can neutralize Honkai Energy, allowing a Valkyrie to return to being a normal human and saving Himeko's life. Tesla learned that Dr. Magi's serum, when mixed with Schariac Holy Blood, can reverse the Honkai process and even cause a Herrscher to lose their power. This is the 'God-Slaying Spear,' Otto's trump card. Himeko handed over the only serum for Tesla to replicate. Meanwhile, following Fu Hua's guidance, Himeko reached the lowest level and found a legacy of the Previous Era, the God-Slaying Armor: Crimson Knight: Eclipse."
"Einstein used the Hyperion's main cannon, the large-scale Honkai Energy conversion device Moonlight Throne, to land a hit on the Herrscher of the Void. However, the hurried shot lacked sufficient power; it only wounded her before the ship fled. During the Hyperion's return journey, it was attacked by Benares. Himeko confronted it and entered the Herrscher Space to fight a battle to the death against the Herrscher of the Void..."
Everyone who finished reading the background prompt fell into a state of massive shock!
If their guesses were correct, the timeline for this challenge had moved forward once again.
This was the event everyone was worried about before the Skyfire Meteor—the Great Collapse.
So, the awakening of the Herrscher of the Void inside Kiana was the Great Collapse.
Otto's plan was actually to have the Herrscher of the Void kill her former friends?
How could he have such a vicious plan?!!
Even Fu Hua was killed by him using a mimicked Judgment of Shamash.
"Aunt Himeko, is this the final battle that leads to Aunt Himeko's death?"
Kiana couldn't hold it in and hurriedly looked at Himeko, who was equally shocked.
"...Watch your words, I'm not dead yet," Himeko complained unhappily. "To think I would give up the only serum just to save a brat like you. It seems the future me is truly stupid."
"Aunt Himeko is being tsundere again, hmph~"
Kiana turned her head away and stopped looking at Himeko.
To the side, Rita took a deep breath, finding it hard to believe this was truly going to happen.
Could the Lord Bishop really be this cruel?
It was likely so; after all, he was Otto, a man who could sacrifice everything for his goals.
"So, this challenge is for Aunt Himeko to beat me up?" Kiana said, blinking.
Last time it was Mei hitting her.
The time before that, it was the Herrscher of the Void hitting her.
The time before that, it was the Herrscher of Domination hitting her.
And now it's Aunt Himeko hitting her.
Why is it always just me getting beaten up?
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