"Good people really are easier to bully."
Far away in Schicksal, Otto set down his wine glass. Watching the images on the screen, he couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
Welt Yang, the successor of Joyce, exposed during the Second Eruption, yet even easier to bully than Joyce had ever been.
"Now that the Second Herrscher has been spotted, should we send Ragna to interfere?"
Amber, her figure largely hidden in shadow, offered the suggestion.
At present, aside from Theresa, Schicksal had only Ragna as a remaining strong combatant.
"No, no, no!"
Otto's voice was slightly flamboyant. "Our Schicksal is small and humble, how could we possibly contend with the First Herrscher and Siegfried?"
He switched the view. Schicksal's satellites had always been highly reliable in terms of resolution.
Shiraha was draped against an invisible figure, with the unconscious K-423 beside him.
Sirin really did seem capable of communication now. At the very least, compared to during the Second Eruption, she was far more communicable.
As for that invisible ghost nee-chan...
A boy's fantasy, schizophrenia or perhaps some strange, peculiar inheritance. To Otto, any of those possibilities was something worth looking forward to.
The Void Archives' database was very comprehensive. Though plenty of things remained unknown, the Void Archives, connected to the core of Prometheus since its creation, held very complete records of the past. What drew Otto's attention most was one particular entry: Vostok-51.
"Childhood friends. Innocent playmates."
Otto suddenly spoke. Amber remained silent. Knowing her Bishop, he was probably brewing some new mischief again.
Otto was also pondering. A child's emotions were naturally richer. When the time came, it'd be best to arrange a few rivals in love, maybe even develop it into a crime of passion, to accelerate both their growth. Of course, just a joke. But if there really were benefits, he wouldn't mind doing so either.
That way, Sirin could have a friend, and he could also test that boy's abilities on the side. Through Joyce and Sirin, Otto had already formed a rough judgment about Herrschers: emotions truly did seem capable of changing them.
"By the way, stop jamming the signals over there." As if suddenly recalling something, he added, "Otherwise if Anti-Entropy can't find them, that'd be troublesome."
Here in Siberia, Schicksal still held greater influence.
.....
On the other side, Cocolia was tasked with pacifying the civilians. Though that sounded somewhat unsettling, the current Cocolia was still relatively reliable. She hadn't yet begun human experimentation.
And in Siberia, her name carried more weight than most others.
"Are we about to start a second war against a Herrscher?"
Dressed in military uniform, Cocolia's expression was uncharacteristically serious. She wasn't thinking about profiteering.
She'd originally thought this was merely a search for Siegfried. She hadn't expected this matter to be connected to Honkai.
The Second Great Eruption. That eruption had given her a chance to live, but it was far from a happy memory for her.
Siegfried was quiet for a moment. "I really don't understand. Why did you bring that brat along on this outing?"
If not for Shiraha getting in the way, the currently half-crippled Sirin would have been no match for him at all.
There was no reproach in his voice, more of an indescribable irritation. Like he felt children shouldn't be dragged into this kind of thing, and also like he felt he wasn't even as good as a child.
Oh, right. That brat was also very good at mockery. If he survived this, he was definitely going to kick that kid's butt.
Tesla stared at him with a deadpan expression. They'd brought Shiraha along precisely to find a certain irresponsible deadbeat.
"Can you locate him?"
Tesla looked at Welt beside her. Welt's expression eased slightly. "Yes. Sirin doesn't seem to have done anything to Shiraha, she didn't even destroy his tracker."
After all, bringing a child out and a promising seedling like Shiraha at that, there was no way Anti-Entropy wouldn't have made preparations.
"Be careful of a trap."
Cocolia's voice was icy. "Harboring hope toward a Herrscher is being irresponsible with your own life."
Should Herrschers die? Yes!
If Herrschers shouldn't die, then who should?
Welt's expression turned somewhat subtle. Was Cocolia making veiled jabs here?
"I'll go pick him up."
Siegfried spoke quietly. "I was the one who brought the test subject out. You all came because of me. Even if it's a trap, knowing Sirin's personality, the moment she sees a chance to ambush and kill me, she probably won't keep up the act any longer."
Siegfried was a hero. At least, he still seemed to be one for now.
But his wife had died in battle. For his daughter's sake, he'd swallowed his pride and returned to Schicksal. And in the end, Otto had used Kiana's genes to create clones. Finally, with his daughter's support, he'd mustered the courage to defect.
He'd brought the test subject out. But his daughter was dead.
He dragged the greatsword Judgment of Shamash behind him. "If I die, remember to retrieve Shamash. Don't leave the Kaslana family heirloom to Otto."
Siegfried's silhouette was somewhat desolate. Originally, there'd been a test subject at his side who closely resembled his daughter. But now she was gone too. He had nothing left.
Welt sighed again. "Wait. Let's go together."
"That way, even if the Herrscher harbors ill intent, we might at least have a chance to react."
Siegfried was just about to refuse, but Welt extended his fist and held it suspended in midair. Siegfried sighed, then extended his own fist and bumped it.
Thud.
A muffled sound. Between middle-aged men, no more words were needed.
The distance was somewhat far. Even hurrying as fast as they could, it still took Welt and Siegfried close to an hour before they spotted the two small figures in the distance.
Kiana was still unconscious, her whole body floating in midair. This was Nee-chan's ability. Though she couldn't touch Kiana directly, after taking hold of Shiraha, she could exert a little power to keep the girl suspended.
Welt was momentarily speechless. From a distance, it looked like Shiraha had solo-killed Sirin.
"Welt-senpai!"
Shiraha shouted loudly, waving his arm with vigor. Afraid the two might not see him, he even jumped a little. When he landed, he wobbled slightly like he'd run out of strength.
He didn't give the two men in the distance any more time to hesitate. He felt like he was coming down with a cold.
It was all Siegfried's fault. His Shamash had burned away a section of Sirin's clothing. Because of that, Shiraha, afraid Kiana would freeze to death out here, had lost another layer of his own clothes.
Siegfried was still hesitating, but Welt had already charged forward. This was Anti-Entropy's future.
Elysia also breathed a sigh of relief. She withdrew the power she'd been using to levitate, her whole body instantly feeling lighter, free from that earlier discomfort of prolonged exertion.
Then, with a thump, Kiana, midair, dropped into a snowdrift. The snow was pressed into a shallow human-shaped depression.
The moment Welt noticed this, he instantly halted his steps and warily retreated two paces.
"Herrscher, what trick are you trying to pull this time?"
Welt's voice was grim.
That stung Elysia a little. But having come from the Previous Era, she understood this wariness.
She tried to brush at Kiana, but couldn't touch her. Without Shiraha as a conduit, she had no point of contact with this world at all.
Shiraha: ....
Elysia sighed, her voice faintly aggrieved. "I thought he was coming to pick you up."
He was coming to pick me up. It's just Welt still seems a little afraid of Sirin.
Shiraha didn't answer. With outsiders present, he hurriedly crouched down and dug Kiana back out of the snow. The girl's beautiful white hair was covered in snow chips. Her face was too.
He crouched in the snow and looked up at Welt, his expression utterly pitiful. "Senpai, give me a hand. I think, I'm completely out of strength!"
After saying this, still propping up Kiana, his body swayed and he toppled headfirst back into the snowdrift.
Thankfully, Welt was a good man. After a split second of internal conflict, he rushed forward, bent down, and, one in each arm, hauled both Shiraha and Kiana out of the snow.
Shiraha's smile was the same as always, just looking a little weary. But his hand never let go, still tightly gripping Kiana's wrist.
This Sirin incident had erupted far too early. K-423 and Siegfried didn't yet have any real bond. He was genuinely terrified Siegfried might cut Kiana down with a single swing of Shamash.
Kiana was the absolute best Finality seedling out there. Before Shiraha could ever usurp power in the future, he'd need to thoroughly, deeply study Kiana first.
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