Chapter 134

"Rita is Valkyrie of the Schicksal S rank. Even if she were equipped with an unsuitable weapon and without armor, she couldn't possibly fight so... full of flaws."

"When fighting a mortal enemy, people who talk incessantly are usually trying to attract the enemy's attention, thereby distracting them and causing them to expose more weaknesses."

"But her actions just now... her fighting style was so aggressive and unpredictable, which left many openings. Although the words she said were harsh, I didn't sense any malice or murderous intent from her."

"She must have worried herself sick over my good-for-nothing brother. Even though she was controlled by this sword, she didn't want to hurt me subconsciously."

"Otherwise, how could we have knocked her out so easily?"

"... I see."

Seeing the fleeting look of heartache on Lin Yu's face, Yuno a hint of envy.

"That's great."

It feels so good to have someone care about you.

[Sigh, this system is truly helpless in the face of such a situation.]

[Even if the three of them don't create a chaotic scene, they should at least spark some drama, right? How come they haven't even managed to ignite a spark? Could it be that...]

Is being handsome really that useful?

Ah, although I'm happy to hear your voice, could you please stop saying such mood-ruining nonsense every time you appear?

[Well, this system understands your distress and helplessness, but, host...]

When this system starts acting seriously, the probability of something bad happening increases significantly.

Forget it, they're all part of Otto's plan. The probability of me encountering bad things is already ridiculously high, how much higher can it get?

Um?

Unification?

Unify!

Seriously? You only showed up for less than twenty seconds and then you disappeared?

"Um, senior..."

Seeing Lin Yu immediately activate his 'cold face' ability, Kiana suddenly looked at him with great disappointment and asked Lin Yu a question.

"In the battle just now... no, ever since I entered the Nine Nether Netherworld, have I been utterly useless?"

"You always deal with enemies head-on, and Yuno plays a big role in assisting in combat and reconnaissance, but I... seem to have always been just a decoration."

"You."

At this moment, Lin Yu, who was frantically thinking, looked up at the uneasy girl in front of him after hearing Kiana's disappointed words.

Then, he strolled up to Kiana, and under Kiana uneasy and confused gaze...

— He raised his right hand and gently flicked her forehead.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch—what are you doing!"

"It's nothing. I just couldn't resist taking action when I saw some idiots complaining about themselves."

Looking at the white-haired girl who was holding her head, Lin Yu said calmly.

"Isn't it normal that you're not as good as me and Yuno?"

"I had done a lot of preparation work in secret before I went to the battlefield, and I had undergone a lot of special training before I started the mission."

"As for Yuno, she is now Herrscher whose Herrscher Persona has been suppressed, so it's normal that she is stronger than you."

"But this is the present, and no one can predict the future. I gained an advantage over you by relying on the power of the Stigmata, while Yuno is now gradually approaching the limit of her power."

"On the contrary, you are still like a piece of unpolished jade. With a little polishing, you will eventually show your outstanding value."

"Senior—"

Just as Kiana was about to say something, moved by what she had just said, she suddenly saw Lin Yu and then sighed deeply after finishing her words.

"However, thinking about it carefully, given your habit of sleeping in class and secretly playing games at home, I guess I won't see your transformation anytime soon."

"—Let me finish being moved before you say that! (╯‵□′)╯┻━┻!"

Seeing Kiana start chasing after Lin Yu playfully, Yuno a helpless smile and then pushed Rita's wheelchair to catch up with the two of them.

As the saying goes, an outsider's perspective is clear. Yuno had been enlightened by Lin Yu before, could naturally see that Lin Yu was teasing Kiana in this way to help Kiana completely shift her mind from that state of disappointment and relax her mind.

Now, Yuno had to admire Lin Yu. He had only stated a few facts and added a few other words, which made Kiana was originally disappointed, completely cheer up and forget her previous sense of defeat and fear.

Your eloquence is truly remarkable.

And looking at it now, it's clear that he definitely noticed something was wrong with me before he pulled me into the coffee shop and said those things.

Furthermore, it seems that Mei- senpai has also received care from him, indicating that beneath his usually aloof demeanor, he has always cared about everyone in the dormitory.

But, senior, you care about so many people...

—You haven't cared about yourself at all.

In two consecutive battles, you defeated dozens of Titan Mech the first time, and then defeated your S-rank Valkyrie sister the second time.

Even if the two battles are short... no, it is precisely because the two battles are short that you will consume more and more energy than in a normal battle.

Just as you said, after suppressing my Herrscher Persona, my power is getting closer and closer to my limit.

That's why I understand better than Kiana just how dangerous Honkai Energy really is.

Even Herrscher like myself who betrayed the Honkai would face the danger of my body being excessively corroded when using Honkai Energy.

Someone like you, who wasn't chosen by Schicksal and is forced to fight using Stigmata, will obviously be eroded by Honkai Energy even faster.

Now I finally understand why Miss Rita was so worried about you.

You comforted me, but of all the people, you are the most dangerous one.

They constantly sought ways to get onto the battlefield, and once there, to be at the forefront...

At that moment, Yuno suddenly remembered a phrase that Lin Yu often said.

The more a person lacks something, the more they will want to show it off to others.

You keep saying you're afraid of dying, could it be that...?

—Is it not that they want to fight against the Honkai, but that they want to pursue death?

Nine Nether Outer Regions

After entering the Nine Nether, Theresa spat out a few seaweeds and then shook off her nun's habit.

"Pah, pah, pah! I should have listened to Himeko and prepared a diving suit and oxygen tank."

At this moment, Theresa, soaking wet, carrying the Oath of Judah, began to survey her surroundings.

Then she discovered that there seemed to be no signs of a battle around her.

"Sigh, we rushed in too quickly. Now that I'm in here, I can't contact anyone. Am I just flying around like a headless fly?"

However, the fact that things are as they are now at least shows that the worst-case scenario has not occurred.

At least there was no Honkai Energy fluctuation at the entrance, which means that even if someone from Anti-Entropy came in, they didn't manage to ambush everyone at the entrance.

Let's take a walk around first; maybe we can find some clues elsewhere.

With this in mind, Theresa threw Judah forcefully in a certain direction, then lightly jumped and landed on Judah's body, starting to move forward quickly.

Under her skillful manipulation, Judah actually deployed Honkai Energy field in mid-air and maintained this speed to continue flying forward.

During this process, Theresa still failed to discover the group's whereabouts.

She was so focused that she didn't even notice that there was a huge rock right in front of Judah.

"Hey, wait a minute!"

"Hey, wait a minute!"

However, after Theresa heard that familiar shout, it was too late for her to stop Judah.

With Judah's impact, the massive stone was instantly shattered by the Eleventh Divine Key.

Near the fragments of the boulder, a suspicious-looking man emerged from the debris and dust, coughing as he helped Theresa had fallen to the ground, to her feet.

"I'm speechless. After all these years, this is the way you greet me."

"Theresa, you've become even more reckless than before."

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, who are you...?"

As Theresa stood up from the ground, she touched the calloused hand and suddenly realized who the voice belonged to.

Siegfried!

Looking at the disheveled Siegfried in front of her, Theresa asked in utter surprise.

"How did you end up here?!"

"Ah, I'm here to track down Cocolia."

Looking at the astonished Theresa, Siegfried said helplessly.

"What about you? Have you found that woman's men?"

"Absolutely not."

At this moment, the two old friends who had not seen each other for many years suddenly realized something after seeing each other's faces clearly.

The two sides present are no longer allies in the same organization. Since they are no longer allies, what they should do is...

"I'm so glad you're alright."

"Ah, you're the same. Seeing you like this puts my mind at ease."

Go do what you're supposed to do.

Ultimately, Siegfried and Theresa were close friends because of Cecilia. Theresa even almost left the Schicksal because of Otto's actions.

Even if the two are not members of the same organization now, how could they, with their weak sense of organization, possibly care about such trivial matters?

For the two of them now, knowing that the other is their friend is enough.

"Ah, speaking of which, your hands..."

Looking at Siegfried's now intact arms, Theresa patted her chest gently and said with complete relief.

"I heard before that your arm broke off and grew back, and I thought you were half dead."

"Looking at it now, you don't seem to have changed much from back then."

"Haha, of course."

At that moment, Siegfried looked at Theresa's face and suddenly said with a wicked smile.

"After I defected, I no longer had to face Otto's sour face every day, so of course I lived a very easy life."

"But you, Otto, all these years, you haven't been troubled by that matter, have you?"

No.

Recalling Otto's profound words from before, Theresa suddenly said with a hint of disappointment.

"You know that Grandpa usually spoils me."

"Moreover, perhaps after a while... Grandpa will step down and let me become the archbishop."

"Huh? Otto is going to abdicate?"

Siegfried had originally intended to shout "Good riddance, let's pop the champagne!", but in the end, he considered Theresa's feelings and felt that he couldn't be so blatant.

Moreover, after calming down, Siegfried felt that he had PTSD.

Unfortunately, as a victim of Otto's scheme, Siegfried now immediately thinks, "Is this guy up to something again?" whenever he hears Otto's name or notices him acting strangely.

Otto has been involved in so many schemes and plots, and now he seems to be planning to abdicate?

This is definitely fake news.