Ruins

"Yes!"

Though Kiana usually loved causing a ruckus, she strictly obeyed orders. No one dared disobey commands during combat.

Changkong City had always been a troublesome place. Now that the ground had collapsed and large numbers of Deadwalkers and Honkai Beasts were on the move, it was no longer suitable for students to remain here.

On the way back, Bronya showed no signs of speeding. Heavy Cannon Rabbit guarded both sides of the convoy while Bronya obediently led the way at the front.

"Bronya is tired. Bronya wants to rest." Once the convoy was out of Himeko's sight, Bronya's little hands kept rubbing against the steering wheel, clearly unwilling to keep driving.

Mei comforted her, "We'll be back soon. I'll make cake for everyone once we're back."

"I'll do it," Han Jiang said, taking over.

Bronya looked puzzled for a moment, but she still notified the convoy behind them to stop. They needed to switch drivers.

It was obvious that not being allowed to speed had completely drained Bronya's spirit.

Bronya's Favorability +5.

Han Jiang restarted the SUV and glanced back at Bronya.

Bronya said calmly, "In exchange, Bronya won't release the photos of you wearing Mei's clothes."

"Bronya!" Mei's voice rose sharply.

Han Jiang stomped on the gas and nearly sprawled across the steering wheel. He had worn Mei's clothes?

"Ugh, how annoying. I really want to see what happened down there." Kiana slumped against the car window, no longer as invested in what was happening before them.

Theresa and Himeko stood at the edge of the collapse, observing the situation underground.

"It looks like an ancient town. It should be ruins left behind long ago, which were later buried." Himeko looked below and voiced her doubts.

Having visited Stigmata Space before, Theresa immediately recognized the place beneath them as Yae Village. The villagers' houses and shrine had already become unrecognizable.

Only the towering Tenshukaku still stood where it had always been, constantly releasing Honkai Energy.

"It's the Tenshukaku that the Yae Family has guarded for generations," Theresa muttered quietly.

"What?"

Theresa shook her head and pointed in the direction of the Tenshukaku.

"Notify everyone in Changkong City not to come within three kilometers. I suspect this place is connected to the Erosion Herrscher's past."

When Hiyori had been killed, Theresa had imprisoned part of its energy with Judah. That energy was an indispensable component in creating the Key of Erosion.

Back in Stigmata Space, she had not noticed anything unusual about the Tenshukaku. But here, Theresa sensed that the Honkai Energy constantly emanating from within it was extremely similar to the energy she had imprisoned.

"These are the ruins of Yae Village. Stigmata Space has shattered, and the thing sealed inside the Tenshukaku is about to emerge." A tall woman with fox ears and a Miko outfit suddenly appeared beside them.

"Who are you?!" Himeko raised the greatsword in her hand and warily looked at Yae Sakura.

Theresa waved her little hand at Himeko. "She's my friend, Miss Yae Sakura. She has deep ties to this place."

Theresa made it sound casual, but doubts surfaced in Himeko's heart.

She knew all three active S-rank Valkyries of Schicksal, and Himeko herself was a top-tier A-rank Valkyrie.

Yet, facing this woman in Miko attire, she faintly felt that she was no match for her.

In the end, Himeko could only conclude that Schicksal's strength ran unfathomably deep. As an A-rank Valkyrie, all she could see was the tip of the iceberg.

"What is inside the Tenshukaku?" Theresa asked softly.

Yae Sakura slowly replied, "Part of the power left behind by Evil God's Wicked Face."

"Wicked Face?" Himeko asked curiously. She could not quite understand Yae Sakura's words. What evil god? What Wicked Face?

"In Stigmata Space, Mr. Han Jiang absorbed some of the evil god's energy. That will greatly help us open the gates of the Tenshukaku," Yae Sakura continued.

"Mr. Han Jiang?" Himeko stared at the expressionless Yae Sakura. Could Han Jiang be some extraordinarily influential young master back in Shenzhou?

Theresa nodded. "All right. Start gathering people to clear out the nearby Honkai Beasts and prepare to enter the Tenshukaku tomorrow."

"Oh, right." Theresa looked at Himeko and asked, "How is Han Jiang's Honkai Energy compatibility? Can he operate in a concentration like this?"

Himeko nodded. "According to the report submitted by Shenzhou, Han Jiang scored 85 points for Honkai Energy compatibility. Good."

"In the academy's tests, Han Jiang scored 92 points for Honkai Energy compatibility. Excellent." Himeko paused before continuing, "Whether by Shenzhou's standards or the academy's, Han Jiang can fight in Honkai Energy at this concentration."

Speaking of Han Jiang's Honkai Energy compatibility, Himeko could not help but think further.

Among a group of Valkyries, Han Jiang's compatibility level could only be considered excellent, not outstanding.

But viewed on its own, and considering that he was male, such a score was already striking.

"Please rest assured, Miss Theresa. When the time comes, I will protect Mr. Han Jiang and won't let him suffer even the slightest injury." Yae Sakura's fox ears twitched as she spoke.

"Han Jiang is indeed a little weak, but that's fine. I'll protect him too," Theresa added. "I'll notify the camp management first and gather the Valkyries who don't have urgent assignments. We'll enter the Tenshukaku at this time tomorrow."

Yae Sakura believed Theresa cared about her brother and was afraid Han Jiang would be hurt.

Theresa's favorability toward Han Jiang had reached 60, already the level of friendship. Unless it was necessary, she would not let a friend face danger.

Furthermore, Han Jiang was a student of St. Freya High School, and Theresa believed it was only natural to protect her students.

But Himeko did not see it that way. Han Jiang was clearly the key to opening the Tenshukaku.

Theresa was a dignified S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal, while the fox-eared Valkyrie was also incredibly powerful. Yet the condition for their cooperation was to protect Han Jiang.

Himeko felt that she could not quite see through this student, Han Jiang.

Thus, the three of them left the edge of the pit, each carrying their own thoughts.

The three squads returned to camp, where the other girls from the class were waiting at the gate.

Two members of Theresa's Squad needed treatment and had already been taken away by the camp's medical staff.

The other girls in the class lamented Theresa's Squad's bad luck. Fortunately, the class monitor's squad and Mei's squad had gone to support them.

Triss thanked everyone for their concern. "As long as everyone's all right, that's what matters. This was also a rare chance for real combat experience. I believe we won't make the same mistakes next time."

Fu Hua spoke calmly, "Misfortune does not come without cause, nor does fortune arrive for no reason. This was an accident, but it was also an opportunity to train."

The whole class looked at the inscrutable Fu Hua. The class monitor really did speak differently. They could not understand a word of it.

Han Jiang hid in the car and watched the girls comfort one another. He did not want to draw attention to himself at a time like this.

If anyone revealed that he had worn Miko outfit armor, the consequences would be unthinkable.

"Yo, God of War. What are you doing sitting in the car alone? Why not go chat with your classmates?" The passenger-side door opened, and Rikka Ruri climbed in.

"Ah, haha!" Han Jiang gave an awkward laugh. "Watching girls chat is pretty interesting too."

"Is that so?" Rikka Ruri raised an eyebrow. "Girls' little skirts are actually pretty cute too."

Thanks to [Don't Stop Updating], bro, for the 100 reward!!! There's something I wanted to mention. Someone in the comments suggested making a reader group. At first, I thought I'd wait until the book went premium, but how about everyone leave a comment? If more than ten people want to join, I'll make one. Otherwise, if there are too few people, awkwardly chatting would just be really awkward, right?