Collapse, Kiana's Cross-Dressing Strategy, Chapter 49

The dirt beneath his feet couldn't help but let out a soft hum as it was kicked up.

Durandal couldn't help but take half a step back.

Bai Yan immediately put on a look of uncomfortable shock.

Seeing this, Durandal immediately said, "I'm not, you—"

"Hmph..."

Bai Yan turned and hugged Bronya, carrying her to the side.

Durandal: "..."

But, for some reason, her fists still clenched.

She had originally wanted to talk to him about her special experience just now, but now she completely didn't want to share it with that guy!

She'll talk to Rita after Rita wakes up!

"That silly goose has been fooled by me. From now on, we'll stick to the same story we just agreed on."

"Mhm!"

Bronya gave Bai Yan a thumbs-up.

With Durandal freed, all of Southeast Asia was safe.

As for letting Cocolia go, it was because Bai Yan didn't want her to be truly captured and interrogated for anything.

After all, a scapegoat was needed for the whereabouts of the Gem of Desire.

Later, she would have to accept this baseless charge, because in a sense, she needed Bai Yan's help.

Mom Cocolia, Seele must be very lonely in the Quantum Sea all by herself, right?

Hey! I have a divine key!

His smile immediately faded; Bronya was still by his side.

At this moment, the first person to wake up was Fu Hua.

Her first reaction upon waking was to confirm the Herrscher of the Void, and then she found two unharmed people here.

Bai Yan repeated what he had told Durandal, and Fu Hua didn't doubt him, expressing gratitude for their timely support.

Then, to prevent her from asking too many details, Bai Yan asked her why she suddenly appeared, as if she was specifically guarding against Kiana going berserk.

Carrying a secret, Fu Hua stammered and couldn't explain clearly.

Then Bai Yan deliberately sighed, saying that girls should indeed have their own little secrets, and turned the page on the matter.

Of course, this was all communicated behind Durandal's back.

Because the Fifth Echelon had no secrets.

The first thing Rita saw upon waking was Durandal, and her heart was immediately relieved of worry.

Then she checked herself and found that the potion had been applied perfectly, the bandages were neat and meticulous, and finally, a bow was tied with care.

She knew Bai Yan had done it himself, and felt very reassured.

As for the situation on the scene, Durandal relayed Bai Yan's words again.

The web of lies was basically formed, and the rest depended on Cocolia's ability to take the blame.

Even if Schicksal attacked Anti-Entropy's sphere of influence worldwide, it would be difficult to track down this old fox's whereabouts.

If her whereabouts couldn't be found, then the truth couldn't be uncovered either.

Following this, communications gradually resumed, and Bai Yan quickly received a communication from Raiden Mei.

Learning that everything was safe and sound on their end, she felt relieved, but also a bit self-blaming.

She felt she shouldn't have left Kiana to guard alone, otherwise, an accident wouldn't have happened.

Bai Yan comforted her verbally, saying that the decision at the time was reasonable, but in his heart, he thought, "You're right."

But there was nothing he could do; the "Blade of the World" would not let Kiana go, otherwise, World Serpent wouldn't have used a small Collapse as bait.

About ten more minutes passed before Kiana barely managed to wake up.

Everyone tacitly concealed the situation with the Herrscher of the Void and instead told her that she had been ambushed by World Serpent.

"Damn it, World Serpent again!" Kiana gritted her teeth in hatred.

Then she started fumbling around Bai Yan again.

"Xiao Yan, are you hurt? Where's Bronya?"

She continued to search Bai Yan, as if not letting any trace of blood go unnoticed.

"Alright, alright," Bai Yan stopped her, "I didn't get hurt after it was all over. It's you who needs to be careful. I just finished bandaging you, don't move around and reopen the wound."

"Oh, okay."

She actually had quite a few sword wounds on her, but after Bai Yan bandaged them up tightly, no one could see them.

However, the place where Fu Hua had hit her face was still bruised.

"Xiao Yan, I just had a dream. I think I dreamt of... Mother Cecilia."

Rita, who was talking to Durandal, cast a subtle glance her way.

Fu Hua also unconsciously glanced over.

Even Bronya looked at the two of them with some confusion.

Bai Yan remained silent, stroking Kiana's head.

"But she didn't say anything..."

Kiana's mood sank.

Bai Yan simply pulled her closer.

"Perhaps she just wanted to see you. After all, Kiana is growing, and there have been many changes."

"Mhm..."

Kiana had a feeling it wasn't a dream but something she had witnessed firsthand, it was just too real.

Moreover, her last memory before falling unconscious was seeing that face.

Her memories were becoming increasingly chaotic, and she vaguely felt a headache coming on.

She then suddenly looked up at Durandal.

"What's wrong?" Bai Yan asked.

"Uh, nothing," she retracted her gaze. "I remember Mother Cecilia used the Black Abyss White Flower, didn't she..."

"The Sixth Divine Key has always been used by the strongest Valkyrie of each generation. It's probably the only way to fully unleash its power."

Kiana clenched her fist, a competitive spirit surging within her.

"I embarrassed myself this time, actually passing out midway..."

She had intended to seize this opportunity to shine, to be unstoppable.

To showcase the results of her training and let everyone see her strength!

What annoyed her even more, however, was that Durandal was also present.

Volume 1: Chapter 60: Fu Hua: Yes, There Are No Secrets

In the quiet corridor, Fu Hua walked slowly, her calm face shifting with the interplay of light and shadow.

The door opened, and the solitary figure, who had been alone for a century, sat there, staring blankly at something on the screen.

Sensing Fu Hua's arrival, he turned his head.

"Old friend, you're here? How's the situation?"

His smile seemed genuine, yet it made one feel uncomfortable.

"The progress is faster than you predicted, but before that, I want to confirm something. What is your true plan?"

Fu Hua stared at him coldly, her tone devoid of warmth.

"Haha, old friend, you still misunderstand me too much. My plan is this simple."

Fu Hua remained silent, merely gazing at him.

"Humanity's strength is insufficient to fight the Collapse, and the power of a Herrscher is difficult to control. Therefore, a Herrscher with humanity is what we need."

Fu Hua spoke, "She doesn't seem mature."

"She still needs to grow. She now has a master, friends, and family. Everything a complete life requires is almost complete."

"The notion of an artificial human no longer applies to her. A true person, and the actions and path that a true person must undertake, are gradually taking shape."

"And all of this only awaits one final trial, a struggle between human will and the will of the Collapse."

"Old friend, when all this is completed, the world will head down a completely different branch, realizing a path unachieved in past eras..."

Otto spoke with a steady tone, full of ambition. Five hundred years of solitude had consumed his youth and passion.

In his eyes, only the end of the path remained.

Fu Hua, upon hearing this, paid no attention to a portion of it. She remembered a scene from Singapore several months ago.

The Herrscher of the Void had grabbed her by the neck and thrown her away, after which she had fallen into another major battle...

At this moment, having met Otto again, she had decided to remain silent.

Bai Yan had not left a good impression on her. She would get distracted during training and often speak sarcastically, deliberately provoking her.

However, she was the one who spoke to Fu Hua the most in the entire class.

Perhaps it was due to similar cultures and being from the same hometown.

Occasionally, if she didn't speak to Bai Yan for an entire day, Fu Hua would feel slightly unaccustomed, wondering if she was experiencing some cyclical health issue.

Of course, once Fu Hua had asked her about it, the other party seemed to be provoked, and her usual subtle sarcasm turned into direct personal attacks.

Well, one couldn't say this classmate was sick.

"But old friend, what are your thoughts on World Serpent's actions?"

Fu Hua withdrew her thoughts.

World Serpent...

Their ultimate goal remained unclear. Whether they wanted the Herrschers or the Gem, her side was completely baffled at this point.

Before they left, it had been the perfect opportunity to seize both the Herrschers and the Gem.

But they had all departed without the slightest hesitation, just like last time, as if they were merely playing around. They left once they were done.

"I'm not sure. World Serpent's actions are quite inscrutable," Otto mused.

"Generally speaking, a person only stops acting when they've achieved their goal or when it becomes completely hopeless.

"Given the situation at the time, World Serpent clearly still had the capacity to act, so the conclusion must be that they achieved their objective."

What exactly had changed to make World Serpent believe they had accomplished their goal?

According to the intel, they had even deployed the Thousand Worlds One Step, which they had just acquired...

Otto tapped his fingers on the table, lost in endless contemplation.

It couldn't be that their objective was simply to have K423 meet someone who looked exactly like Cecilia, could it?

With that thought, Otto began to ponder what this Feather Rabbit would bring to his plans.

Finally, he couldn't help but chuckle a couple of times.

"Haha, I've actually started to become anxious about gains and losses."

In Durandal's report, that Feather Rabbit seemed to possess extremely strong recovery abilities, which aligned with the characteristics of Saniate's Stigmata manifestation.

However, even when facing Durandal, she didn't seem to have exerted her full strength.