『 "Theresa, I have some good news for you. My husband is out of danger."
On their way to the tower, Theresa and Kiana's communicator rang with Cecilia's voice once more.
"As expected of Mom—uh, no, Lady Cecilia! To even be able to cure burns caused by the Shamash," Kiana exclaimed in awe upon hearing this.
Theresa, however, wore a sorrowful expression and countered, "That is not good news at all! Burns caused by the Shamash can only be cured by the Abyss Flower, which is also a Holy Relic. But using the Abyss Flower severely drains your life force and stamina!" 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: Why do the weapons in your world have such terrible side effects?
〘Kiana Kaslana〙: Mmm, I don't know. Maybe it's someone's sick sense of humor.
....
『 "Theresa, you worry too much. Look at me, I'm bursting with energy right now~"
"Stop joking around! After curing Siegfried's injuries, you don't even have half of your usual stamina left. If you fight the Second Herrscher now…"
Theresa left the rest of her sentence unsaid, but the implication was clear.
"If I can't defeat her on my own, then I'll just have to trouble Theresa to fight alongside me!" Cecilia replied in a cheerful tone.
"Call off the mission, Cecilia! Your health has been poor all year…" Theresa gripped the communicator tightly, her voice trembling.
"I… I don't want to lose you." Hearing Theresa's tearful voice, Cecilia shook her head and replied resolutely, "That is impossible, Theresa. If we back down now, even more people will lose their lives to the Second Herrscher."
"To protect humanity is our glorious mission as Valkyries. Alright, I'm heading towards the 'Tower' now. Let's meet up in front of it."
Theresa wanted to say more, but Cecilia had already hung up. Before doing so, however, she told Kiana that she needed some herbs to treat Siegfried's injuries and asked them to gather some on their way, sending Kiana a picture of the herbs.
Kiana and Theresa then made their way to the tower, gathering the herbs Cecilia needed along the road. Once Kiana arrived in front of the tower, Cecilia called again, but this time, her call was directed to Kiana instead of Theresa.
"L-Lady Cecilia! Why are you contacting me all of a sudden?" Kiana looked at the communicator in her hand in confusion.
"That voice… it really is Kiana," Cecilia's certain voice came through the communicator.
"Huh?"
"Actually, I have a favor to ask of you."
"As long as it's a request from Lady Cecilia, even if it costs me my life, I will definitely get it done!" Kiana said resolutely. "Please command me as you wish!"
"It's not that serious. I just wanted you to call me 'Mom'."
Cecilia's request left Kiana frozen in place. She asked in disbelief, "Ah? W-What?"
"Please, just once. Your voice sounds so much like how I imagine my daughter's voice would sound when she grows up." 』
『 ....』
〘Hanabi〙: She probably knows she might not make it back alive this time, so she wants to hear what her grown-up daughter's voice sounds like~
〘Stelle〙: You just dealt me another critical hit.
〘Hanabi〙: You're welcome~
....
『 "Mom," Kiana whispered into the communicator, holding back her tears.
"Wonderful! I'm so happy! Hehe~ I need to record this quickly."
Kiana smiled as she heard the clapping and excited voice from the communicator. Then, she said to Cecilia, "Actually, I also have a favor to ask of Lady Cecilia."
"Please, you must abandon this mission."
"Oh?" Cecilia was taken aback, but she didn't scold Kiana. Instead, she asked, "May I know the reason?"
"Theresa said your health isn't good, and you just exhausted a massive amount of stamina to save Siegfried."
"That is true. My health hasn't been great lately, and I did exhaust my stamina. Furthermore, judging from the recorded data, the Second Herrscher is extremely powerful."
Hearing Cecilia's rational analysis, Kiana felt a surge of hope. But Cecilia's next words left her stunned.
"At a conservative estimate, I probably only have an eighty percent chance of winning." 』
『 ....』
〘Asta〙: Eighty percent? That's really high. Why are Lady Theresa and Mr. Siegfried so worried then?
〘Theresa Apocalypse〙: She is absolutely bluffing. Just like a certain someone who uses Shamash without a second thought. No wonder they're a couple.
〘Raiden Mei〙: Kiana also loves to put on a brave face.
....
『 "Eighty percent? But Theresa and the others are so worried," Kiana clearly did not believe the eighty percent figure Cecilia claimed.
"That's why I said they worry too much. Don't worry, your 'Mom' is very strong, you know," Cecilia's voice was filled with confidence.
With that, she ended the call. During the time Kiana was speaking with Cecilia, Theresa had already dealt with the guards in front of the tower.
"The Babylon Labs are just ahead. But there's no sign of the Second Herrscher. Could she have already entered the 'Tower'?" Theresa looked at the tower before them with a grim expression.
"Theresa! Watch out! That Honkai Beast from earlier is back!"
"Damn it! This persistent pest… is it trying to buy time for the Second Herrscher? Kiana, let's take it down together!"
Theresa and Kiana looked grimly at the suddenly appearing Assaka. Theresa warned, "Kiana, don't let your guard down. Let's finish it off quickly and enter the 'Tower'."
Before Kiana could reply, a purple and golden light suddenly flashed above Assaka. A silver, spiral lance descended from the heavens, skewering Assaka from top to bottom. The beast split in two and dissolved into nothingness. 』
『 ....』
〘Rosaria〙: No! Assaka! How did you get taken out so fast!
〘Liliya〙: Dummy Rosaria, that was a strike from the strongest Valkyrie. How could Assaka possibly survive that?
....
『 "So… so strong. To defeat a Honkai Beast in a single strike," Kiana stared in shock at the lance embedded in the ground.
Theresa looked up and explained, "That is the Holy Relic capable of decomposing anything—the Abyss Flower!"
At that moment, a hand wearing a black glove grasped the shaft of the lance. Cecilia had arrived.
With her left hand brushing back her hair and her right hand holding the lance, she looked at Theresa and said, "Thanks for your hard work, Theresa. But sorry about that, I stole your prey." 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: So cool.
〘March 7th〙: Hmm… it seems Kiana takes after her dad a bit more.
....
『 Seeing Cecilia defeat Assaka in a single blow and then tease her, Theresa let out a helpless sigh. "Heh, still as powerful as ever."
"As expected of Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie, Cecilia."
Hearing Theresa's praise, Cecilia giggled. "Hehe, stop praising me, Theresa…"
"You're making me blush."
"By the way, the beautiful girl next to you must be Kiana, right?"
Looking at the beautiful woman before her, Kiana found herself tongue-tied.
"C-Cecilia."
"Mom…" 』
『 ....』
〘Kiana Kaslana〙: So this is… what Mom looks like.