Chapter 117

"Those two scoundrels...!"

Listening to Welt's analysis, Siegfried felt his fist harden completely.

"Don't stop me this time! I'm going to the Nine Nether no matter what!"

"... Although I didn't intend to stop you, I have to remind you of something, Siegfried."

Seeing Siegfried burning with rage, Welt said helplessly to his friend.

"Don't forget how you lost your hand four years ago."

"Kiana is currently acting with Mei, and if Kiana sees you, the Sirin within her might awaken."

"After Sirin awakens, you can't possibly bring yourself to do it. In the end, the first thing the Herrscher of the Void will do after she arrives will either be to kill you or to seize Mei's Herrscher Core."

"Once things get to that point, both Otto and Cocolia will probably be laughing themselves to death in the shadows when they find out you've caused such a huge commotion."

"... Of course I know, I can't meet Kiana directly."

Siegfried, his fists clenched, spoke to Welt with utmost seriousness.

"But that doesn't mean I had nothing to do in the past."

"Cocolia definitely going to cause trouble. If I Cocolia take care of the people she sent to the Nine Nether before she starts targeting Kiana and Mei, then Mei and Kiana will face less danger."

"That's true, but... never mind, Dr. Einstein told me something else before."

After gently tapping the light screen in front of him, Welt opened a confidential file and displayed it to Siegfried.

"Let me see. Dr. Einstein noticed that Cocolia was cooperating with people from other organizations—I knew she was the mole!"

"Don't rush, keep reading."

"Oh, okay—what, she's creating clones of the Herrscher of Reason???"

Siegfried was completely stunned after reading this classified intelligence.

"Cocolia isn't just trying to create the Herrscher of Thunder, she's even working on clones of the Herrscher of Reason —she's got a grudge against the Herrscher, isn't she?!"

"Well, actually, what I meant by showing you this intelligence is that you need to understand that there is another organization behind Cocolia."

Looking at the indignant Siegfried, Welt gently exhaled a breath of stale air.

"The people in that organization tried to sow discord between us and Cocolia by exposing Cocolia's information—well, that's exactly what they wanted."

"After all, Cocolia did something that we absolutely cannot tolerate."

"But at the same time, he also exposed the existence of his organization. And the reason why Cocolia was able to climb so fast within our Anti-Entropy is very likely due to the support of that organization."

"So this time, not only will the forces of Schicksal appear in the Nine Nether, but also our forces of Anti-Entropy, Cocolia's forces, and possibly a fourth force."

"Siegfried, you must be careful when you take action. This organization, lurking in the shadows, has already bared its fangs, which can only mean..."

"—They are no longer content to stay behind the scenes, but are preparing to take advantage of this opportunity to enter the game."

World Serpent Base

Inside the World Serpent's base, Gray Serpent looked at the mission report submitted by Raven and nodded with great satisfaction.

"Raven, you have never let me down when it comes to completing tasks."

"Ha, for the sake of the bounty, of course I'll work hard."

Having just completed his mission report, Raven lay down on the sofa, closed his eyes, and said, looking slightly tired.

"You made me rush back to this base without stopping, surely it wasn't just to say a few words of praise to me."

"Naturally, there is a very important task that you need to carry out this time."

At this moment, the Gray Serpent tapped lightly a few times in the air, causing a light screen filled with information to appear in front of the Raven.

"Our comrades in Shenzhou have already obtained the relevant intelligence from the Nine Nether Netherworlds."

"Shenzhou itself was worried that it could not solve the problems of Nine Nether, so it invited members of the Schicksal alliance to come to Nine Nether to solve the problems brought about by Nine Nether together."

"... Gray Serpent, I'm not seeing things, am I?"

Raven, having opened the light screen, looked at the information displayed on it and coldly addressed Gray Serpent.

"Raiden Mei, Kiana Kaslana, Yuno, Bronya Zaychek... Siegfried's daughter, the Third Herrscher, the Simulated Herrscher, Cocolia's daughter, are now gathered together and Otto has sent them to the dangerous place of the Nine Nether?"

"That's right. Judging from Otto's actions, he wants to use these Valkyrie as bait to lure something he wants to capture into the Nine Nether to deal with it."

"You know this is Otto's open scheme, and you still want me to go and die?"

Looking at this intelligence, Raven glanced at Gray Serpent with a cold gaze, clearly revealing his dissatisfaction.

From an organizational standpoint, Raven, as a high-ranking tool, actually had little right to express dissatisfaction with Gray Serpent, the leader.

However, Raven was exhausted from long hours on missions and in a bad mood. Gray Serpent kept rambling on and on without getting to the point, which Raven was starting to lose patience with.

Noticing the Raven's displeasure, the Gray Serpent showed no anger whatsoever, instead speaking to the Raven in a soothing tone.

"Don't rush. This mission is quite complex, which is why I want to explain the prerequisites clearly."

"I know you've been exhausted lately, but right now, you're the only high-end combat force the organization can field."

"Bear with it, Xiola. Trust me, the reward the organization gives you after you complete this mission will definitely satisfy you."

Wow, even 'Xiola' has appeared, trying to get close to me using my real name. How long ago was the last time something like this happened?

This also shows that this matter is really troublesome.

Seeing that the Raven's displeasure was gradually fading, the Gray Serpent continued speaking to the Raven.

"It is indeed Otto's open scheme, but just because he prepared a backup plan does not mean that his backup plan will necessarily be able to stop others."

"Cocolia is already preparing to take action to capture Raiden Mei, and the people on Anti-Entropy will definitely not stand idly by after they find out about this."

"After all, even without considering Cocolia's misdeeds, Siegfried and Raiden Ryoma could not stand by and watch their daughter be in the very center of the storm."

"When all three forces begin to act, our opportunity as snakes will arrive."

"After saying all that—so, what exactly is my mission objective this time?"

After placing the Seven Thunders of Retribution in front of the Gray Serpent, Raven complained to the Gray Serpent.

"The Seven Thunders of Retribution are not yet repaired. Although the sniper rifle mode is very destructive, it cannot be used again for a short time after firing a bullet."

"You say I'm a high-end fighter, but after the Seven Thunders of Retribution loses its power, I don't think I can beat monsters like Siegfried and the Herrscher of Thunder."

"I've said it before, Xiola, you're an important member of our World Serpent, how could I just watch you go to your death?"

Even though the Gray Serpent's tone was so gentle, the mechanical voice only made people feel extremely uncomfortable.

But now, the Raven no longer acted as recklessly as before.

She occasionally throws a tantrum, but if she encounters a 'good-natured' Gray Serpent, she might just smile and soothe the Raven a few times, just like before.

But even Gray Serpent with a decent personality is still Gray Serpent in the end.

Raven can complain and throw tantrums occasionally, but she becomes quite unruly when she needs to carry out a mission...

She's not Cocolia; she's not that brainless.

Seemingly realizing that the Raven had completely calmed down, the Gray Serpent continued speaking to the Raven.

"I don't need you to fight those monsters. After all, snakes are meant to lurk in the darkness; exposing them to the light is tantamount to suicide."

"For this mission, I only need you to accomplish one thing—remove the seal on the Judgment-class Honkai Beast [Chiyou]."

"... Release the seal on this thing?"

Upon hearing the Gray Serpent's words, the Raven suddenly realized something and nodded slightly.

"No wonder, this is indeed in the interest of our World Serpent."

"If Chiyou is really just sealed away as rumored, then once the seal is broken, it will threaten the safety of everyone in the Nine Nether."

"At this point, things will get chaotic. Cocolia also have a chance to take Raiden Mei away and get her hands on the Gem of Conquest... No, you actually want me to seize the opportunity and take Raiden Mei away, right?"

"If you can do that, that would be the best."

"But to be honest, I don't expect you to bring Raiden Mei back to our World Serpent under those circumstances."

"Believe me, Raven, this mission really only requires you to break Chiyou's seal. Of course, if you can really bring back the Gem of Conquest or the Flame-Chaser's Judgment, then the organization will certainly not treat you unfairly."

"Ha, then you'd better not have that kind of expectation. I'll go make some preparations. Remember to send me the detailed plan before we start."

After saying this, the Raven left the Gray Serpent's sight.

The Jackal, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up and asked the Gray Serpent a question.

"Gray Serpent, do we really need to get involved in what's happening in the Nine Nether this time?"

"Your previous actions have already exposed us to Einstein's scrutiny. If we send Raven to the Nine Nether again this time..."

"--It doesn't matter if we're exposed."

Seemingly sensing the Jackal's worry, Gray Serpent spoke to the Jackal nonchalantly.

"Jackal, you need to understand this. Ever since we joined forces with that idiot Cocolia, it's only a matter of time before the World Serpent is exposed to the other two major organizations."

"Since we'll definitely be exposed eventually anyway, we might as well seize the time to gain some benefits before we're completely exposed."

"Although the Venerable Lord has not yet returned, he has been in the Quantum Sea for so long that his body must not be as good as before."

"Liberating Chiyou You will not only muddy the waters of the Nine Nether, but also make Chiyou fight those idiots."

"I have already arranged our comrades in both Shenzhou and Schicksal. As long as Chiyou's body is still there, we can use the strength of our comrades to take Chiyou's body away and leave it to the Venerable Lord."

"I see."

After clicking on some other information displayed on the light screen, Gray Serpent continued speaking to Jackal.

"It's obviously impossible for the people who Schicksal Anti-Entropy to meet there and then work together peacefully to fight against Chiyou."

"The more chaotic the scene, the more advantageous it will be for an organization like ours, lurking in the shadows. Bringing back the Venerable Lord's Flame-Chaser's Judgment and Raiden Mei is indeed extremely difficult, but Raven might actually have a chance to accomplish these missions. Besides..."

"Don't forget, we were hoping that Cocolia would fight the Anti-Entropy conservatives, giving us a chance to get in touch with the Abyssal Eye while they were in internal strife."

"Ha, you're really overthinking it."

Upon hearing Gray Serpent's original plan, Jackal couldn't help but let out a sneer.

"Cocolia, who is usually not very bright, actually knows how to hide and act like a coward at a time like this."

"Yes, that woman was indeed exceptionally intelligent during the infighting. She knew that if she stood out now, she would only be beaten down by Anti-Entropy and Schicksal together, so she simply hid and let the conservatives of Anti-Entropy take the blame for her."

"That's precisely why we need to seize the opportunity that Cocolia has finally managed to show herself and see if we can continue to fan the flames."

After saying these words, the Gray Serpent and the Jackal suddenly and tacitly chose to stop talking and instead continued with their respective tasks.

Ultimately, the reason World Serpent is currently lying in the shadows is mainly because their organization lacks sufficient combat power, which forces the entire organization into such a passive position.

Faced with this predicament, Jackal could only continue to work hard on her research, trying to find a way to improve the cat's defects and complete the last piece of the puzzle for the 'Emperor-class Honkai Beast production plan'.

As for Gray Serpent, he could only continue to gather intelligence and then try to get his hands on the Four Great Gems before making a trip to Haiyuan City.

Now that the Four Great Gems are in Schicksal's hands, Otto... Hmph, this man is quite bold, actually releasing Conqueror on his own initiative.

However, besides the Conquest of Thunder, we actually have a chance to come into contact with another gem.

In the Oceania Branch, there exists an A-rank Valkyrie legs have been crippled.

According to classified information obtained by some comrades, the Valkyrie named Wendy has the Wind of Desire sealed within her body for unknown reasons.

Although the Oceania Branch is very advanced in technology, its combat strength... to be honest, is just so-so.

If Jackal's plan to mass-produce Emperor-class Honkai Beast can be completely brought to an end, then if we have enough Emperor-class Honkai Beast, perhaps we can reach the Oceania Branch and take away that Valkyrie named Wendy.

But time...

According to the Venerable Lord's prediction, the Herrscher of Finality will descend within these next few years.

In the coming years, we must bring back the Venerable Lord in order to carry out the Stigmata Plan with peace of mind.

However, at the current rate, the timeline of our World Serpent...

—No, is there really enough time left for this era?