Chapter 251

"I don't know the specifics either... How about this, Lady Rin, would you like to come with me and act alongside the Immortal Blade? That way, Lady Rin can get firsthand information."

"I really don't want to be separated from Shen Gonglin so soon," Rita suddenly suggested. Alvit, standing next to her, was speechless. "Vice-Captain, don't you have any sense of propriety? Shen Gonglin is still a wanted criminal! Not only is she a traitor to the Far East Branch, but she also smeared the Bishop's face with a sweet potato at headquarters last time. And now you want to invite Shen Gonglin to Schicksal's strongest Immortal Blade squad? Have you... lost your mind?"

Did they plan to lure him into the encirclement and then kill him?

"Hmm? Not bad, that's a good idea. Rita, I'll go back with you. I also want to see how strong the new Herrscher is. They should be stronger than Wendy, right?"

Shen Gonglin's eyes lit up. He immediately grabbed Rita's hand. Traveling with the Immortal Blade was obviously a good choice. Going back to the Hyperion would definitely force him to train, so he might as well go out and play... no, he should go out and gather intelligence. The Herrscher were too terrifying, so he had to eliminate unstable factors. Yes, that's it.

"Hey, hey hey... wait for me! Seriously, you're actually coming back with us... wait for me!"

Watching Rita and Shen Gonglin leave together, the seemingly useless Alvit felt forgotten. She quickly chased after them, thinking, "Oh well, I don't care anymore. I'm just a nobody anyway. I'll do whatever my boss says. If the sky falls, someone else will hold it up." Just imagine what would happen if Durandal saw them taking Shen Gonglin back with them...

This vice-captain seems to be getting more and more outrageous. I think I heard her directly demanding a raise from the bishop before, and now she's doing things her own way by bringing wanted criminals directly into the Immortal Blade. If she keeps doing this, Lady Durandal will definitely discipline her properly. In any case, Miss Rita has gone too far. She might even be dismissed from her position as vice-captain.

If that's the case, then the vice-captain position will be vacant, and maybe... maybe it will be my turn? It's not impossible, after all, I'm known as the most reliable support character in the team. Maybe Lady Durandal is blind and will let me take the position...

Sigh, people should always have dreams. What if they come true? In that case, I, Alvit, would have turned my life around.

Chapter 72 It's him? Then there's no problem.

Upon arriving at the Immortal Blade's temporary base, Shen Gonglin saw that the Immortal Blade had already assembled. Underneath their black uniforms were young women in their prime. Shen Gonglin even recognized several girls who looked familiar; they were faces she had seen in Sky City before. Back then, some of them had given her a lot of snacks, and the powder scraped off a senbei cracker was particularly memorable. Shen Gonglin Immortal Blade had many special talents.

Standing at the very front of the group with her back to them was none other than Durandal, the strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal. The girl wore a white armor and her honey-colored hair was draped over her back. It had been a long time since they had seen her, but she was still as sharp as a drawn sword. No wonder she was the one who had punched Kevin.

"Rita, you're back! Let's get ready to go... Hey! Shen Gonglin, what are you doing here!"

Upon hearing the sound, Durandal turned around. Her flawless face and sharp blue eyes revealed a surprising turn of events. However, upon seeing the person beside Rita, the strongest Valkyrie was clearly taken aback. Durandal's demeanor changed. What was going on? Why was he here?

Not only Durandal, but also the serious and solemn members of the Immortal Blade squad who were waiting for orders cast curious glances at him. It was Shen Gonglin Jingu! It had been a long time since they last met in Sky City. He wondered what Rin thought of the senbei powder. He probably thought it was pretty good.

"Hey, Durandal, I've come to hang out with you guys. Weren't you heading out to deal with the Honkai? Having an extra seat shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Shen Gonglin raised her hand to greet Durandal. The relationship between the two was quite delicate. At first, Shen Gonglin intended to break off her friendship with Durandal, but after a series of events that happened... In short, the current situation between the two is hard to describe.

This girl has helped me a lot. During the Schicksal, she hid me in her room to cover for me, and even watched horror movies with me. She also covered for me when I encountered Kevin, and even punched Kevin hard to get revenge for him. To this day, the picture of Durandal punching Kevin is still posted on the Immortal Blade forum. So now, Shen Gonglin doesn't know how she should treat Durandal.

"... No problem, there are plenty of seats on the transport ship. If all else fails, you can sit with me... no, you can sit with Rita... Let's depart now!"

Knowing that now was not the time to dwell on such matters, Durandal could only put aside her chaotic emotions for the time being. The Valkyrie gave the order to board the ship. Although in the Schicksal System, Shen Gonglin was a traitor and an enemy, Durandal had never regarded him as an adversary. This mission was likely to be quite risky, and with Shen Gonglin's combat strength, having him by her side would be a great help. Yes, that's for sure. Moreover, given Shen Gonglin's willfulness, even if she refused, it probably wouldn't make any difference, so she had no choice but to take him along.

It's really frustrating.

"Durandal, what are you laughing at? Is it really alright to let Shen Gonglin join us?"

As the members of the Immortal Blade boarded the ship, Alvit quietly approached, looking at Durandal with suspicion. She was indeed smiling; Durandal's beauty was truly undeniable. Durandal's smile was so beautiful; even the usually serious Durandal could smile like that. So beautiful... However, what concerned Alvit most was everyone's attitude towards Shen Gonglin.

Durandal let him join so easily, and no one else had any objections. It seems like I'm the only one who's been bothered by this from the beginning. What's going on? Where's the integrity of the Immortal Blade? Is it really true that I'm the only decent person?

"Ahem, it's nothing, I just thought of something happy. Shen Gonglin's joining will be helpful for this mission, so it's fine... By the way, what happened to the things I asked you to buy for me, Alvit? You actually ate them?"

Durandal concealed her smile and looked at Alvit with a serious expression. At the same time, she picked up the jianbing guozi (Chinese crepe) that Alvit had placed in the plastic bag. After opening the package, Durandal frowned. What was with the teeth marks on it? It wasn't that she was a germaphobe, but how could someone have taken a bite out of the food she had asked her to buy for her?

"No, no, it wasn't me... It was Shen Gonglin. This guy just came over and took a bite out of it before I could stop him... I'm sorry, Captain, I'll buy you another one after the mission is over. This... I'll take this one, I don't mind."

Alvit quickly explained that the captain had finally entrusted her with a task, but she had messed it up. However, this time it really wasn't her fault. Shen Gonglin and reckless, and before she could stop him, he came up and took a bite. This was something she had bought for Durandal. That idiot, he always caused trouble.

"Shen Gonglin? If it's him... No need. Now is not the time to worry about such things. Any kind of harsh conditions can happen during combat. I don't care about such things... Alvit, you're very good. Go board the ship. We're about to depart."

"Oh, it's Shen Gonglin. That's alright then. "Durandal's attitude immediately changed drastically. She would definitely care about other people's words, but Shen Gonglin... what's there to care about? Dodging Alvit's hand, Durandal took a bite of her jianbing (Chinese crepe). Before carrying out a mission, she needed to ensure sufficient physical strength. She patted Alvit's shoulder approvingly. As expected of the best tool recognized by the entire Immortal Blade, Alvit did a very good job this time.

"Huh? Oh, oh... okay."

As expected, I still can't understand what everyone else is thinking. The captain is like this, the vice-captain is like this, and even the team members are like this. Could it be... could it be that I'm the one being isolated?

With these chaotic thoughts, Alvit ran into the transport ship, and Durandal followed. The Valkyrie quickly ate the jianbing guozi in her hand. It tasted quite good. Durandal elegantly wiped her lips. It seemed that she could ask Alvit to buy it for her a few more times next time. It felt really good to eat this kind of thing occasionally.

Chapter Seventy-Three: Operation World Serpent

The life of the World Serpent... is indeed not as good as that of the Hyperion.

In the World Serpent's temporary base, Mei closed her eyes and immersed herself in her own world of consciousness. Thanks to the daily necessities that Shen Gonglin brought her, she might not have been able to adapt to life in the World Serpent so quickly. Although Mei didn't really care about this kind of material life, who wouldn't want to live a better life?

Mei has been with World Serpent for some time now, but she hasn't received any specific missions. She spends most of her days doing consciousness training to help her fully master the power of the Herrscher of Thunder as soon as possible. Mei understands that Kevin recruited her into World Serpent because he values her power as the Herrscher of Thunder, and this power is her most useful weapon. With this power, Raiden Mei can do whatever she wants, such as... protecting Kiana.

[Training module started, environment simulation began, virtual machines deployed.]

A cold, synthesized sound effect filled the air as several mecha weapons materialized from the sky and crashed to the ground. Amidst the roar, Mei drew her sword. Both Schicksal's Anti-Entropy and World Serpent possessed this kind of virtual training equipment. Although it couldn't compare to real combat, it was still a rare and valuable training method. The sword flashed, and purple lightning resounded throughout the virtual space. That's all for today.

He was killed in one hit, what's there to say?

"You're really working hard, Herrscher of Thunder."

A round of applause rang out, Mei exited the virtual space to look at the woman at the door. The woman's face was covered by a golden dog-head mask, but her outstanding figure made Mei somewhat noticeable. Fortunately, judging from Shen Gonglin's reaction to her last time, that kid had no interest in this woman, only hostility.

After all, it was she who had tormented Kiana before. It's a pity that she's now somewhat on my side, otherwise I really wanted to use the Key of Punishment to saw her neck back and forth.

"The Honkai energy within you has stabilized, just as I thought. You can control that power."

Although Mei ignored her, Jackal approached on his own. Even the dog-head mask couldn't hide his crazed gaze. As if he were looking at a masterpiece of art, Jackal stared intently at Mei, suppressing his urge to dissect and study her. The Herrscher controlled her power, the living Herrscher, the current Raiden Mei, was more worthy of study than Kiana before!

"I told you not to bother me."

Mei's voice was filled with coldness. She had treated Kiana so badly that Mei was already showing good upbringing by not drawing her sword and killing her directly. And yet this girl still dared to come up to her and talk to her. Did she really not know how to spell the word "death"? If she really didn't know, Mei wouldn't mind teaching her properly.

"Don't be so cold. You didn't react like this when Shen Gonglin visited the temporary base. Now we're comrades, we should get along better... Hehehe... I really want to know more about you..."

The voice was filled with undisguised malice. Even with Mei's attitude, the Jackal did not back down. Or rather, in Mei's eyes, Mei's attitude was completely indifferent. She really wanted to study Raiden Mei, but unfortunately, the Lord would not allow such a thing. Herrscher are truly amazing.

"Jackal, stop wasting time and get down to business."

Another voice rang out, seemingly from nowhere. Raven suddenly stepped in front of Mei and the Jackal, interrupting their standoff. The tense situation was such that they would start fighting if left unchecked. If they did, the Jackal would definitely be no match for Mei. Although she also disliked the Jackal, now was not the time for a fight. She had to fulfill her duty as a kindergarten peacemaker.

"Alright, how boring... Raiden Mei, it's time to contribute your power to World Serpent. Based on observations of the Imaginary Singularity, the next large-scale Honkai is imminent. It will provide World Serpent with the cornerstone for achieving its goals, the strongest creature born from Honkai —that's right, Raiden Mei, just like you, Herrscher!"

Blocked by the Raven, the Jackal shook his head in boredom. It was truly uninteresting, but important business was indeed at hand. After relaying this information, the woman behind the dog-head mask was very excited. One by one, the Herrscher had emerged, and World Serpent's goal was one step closer. Now was the time to set off. With Raiden Mei present, Herrscher would fight Herrscher, and this time Schicksal would be driven by World Serpent. It couldn't be better.

"In short, a crucial part of the Stigmata Plan requires the acquisition of all the Herrscher. Currently, the Lord has important matters to attend to and is unable to personally command the project. This is our opportunity to demonstrate our loyalty, become the Lord's solid support, and ensure the implementation of the Stigmata Plan."

Why did this person get so excited all of a sudden? Looking at the inexplicably fanatical Jackal, Mei and Raven exchanged a glance and both saw the confusion in each other's eyes. In the World Serpent, besides the Gray Serpent, this Jackal was probably the most eccentric one. Did she really treat that Lord as her life's faith? Compared to her, Mei and Raven seemed much more laid-back. Mei was only in the World Serpent for trading, while Raven... she was purely after the high salaries in the World Serpent.

So don't bother talking to them about the company culture; they're just looking to slack off.

"Ahem, Raiden Mei, your power is an indispensable weapon for World Serpent. Therefore, we need to face the impending Honkai together."

Perhaps feeling awkward seeing only the jackal speaking, Raven kindly took over the conversation, explaining that they needed to carry out a mission and that the Jackal was being overly verbose.

"I will keep my promise, but we are just using each other. Don't treat me as a partner."

Mei's attitude was very cold. She only joined World Serpent because it would be a better place to save Kiana. Mei didn't agree with anything in the organization. Apart from Raven, she rarely spoke to anyone else. There was no need to build relationships. Mei knew in her heart that she would leave the organization one day. Shen Gonglin was waiting for her to come back. The occasional text messages he sent were all complaining that the food at the Hyperion wasn't as good after she left. Tsk, he must have had a hard time.

I hope he won't have starved to death when I go back in the future. Actually, Mei prefers cooking to the Herrscher of Thunder Mei.

Chapter 74 What exactly is its use?

"Same here. I'm a mercenary, and I never consider others as comrades."

Raven didn't care about Mei's attitude. She waved her hand and didn't take the idea of companions seriously. She had always been alone... or rather, her only companion was Shen Gonglin? After all, he had put in so much effort for her dream. Although the dream had now become a pipe dream, Raven had always kept that sentiment in her heart. This was the biggest reason why Raven always treated Shen Gonglin differently. As for other companions, Raven didn't really need them.

"So, all we need to do is eliminate the Herrscher?"

Not wanting to continue this topic, Raiden Mei inquired about her mission. The Herrscher had already appeared, which meant that destruction had already occurred. In order to prevent Kiana from being in danger again, Mei had to eliminate the Herrscher before she could, so that Kiana's body would not suffer an even greater burden. This was her responsibility as a member of World Serpent.

"No, dead Herrscher are meaningless. What World Serpent needs are stagnant Herrscher. I have prepared a small gift for you. Please call it the Staff of the Underworld."

After correcting Mei's mistake, the Jackal took out a box about ten centimeters long. Its black and gold surface reminded Mei of a pharaoh's mask. Mei didn't know what was inside the box, but this device, like its creator, made Mei feel uncomfortable, as if it contained a weapon aimed at her... at the Herrscher.

"Oh, so this is the Imaginary Interferometer mentioned in the plan?"

Raven looked curiously at the box in the Jackal's hand. She roughly knew the contents of the plan. Was this the very important thing? However, the Jackal was very dissatisfied after hearing Raven's words. This uncultured fellow, did she even understand how great this research was? She was acting like this, her head was full of muscles.

"Interferometer? Don't call it such a cheap name. It is a great legacy left by the Previous Era, a scientific miracle that even Schicksal cannot replicate. You can't even imagine its value. To be honest, I want you to experience its power right now, but unfortunately, it is so precious. With the materials collected by the World Serpent, only eight can be made at this stage. These eight Staff of the Underworld must be used with caution."

Jackal explained to the two uncultured people in front of her just how amazing the thing in her hand was. Calling it an interferometer, such a cheap name, was an insult to it. Did the two of them even understand how great this thing was?

"So, what is its purpose?"

"Yeah, but what's the use of it?"

Mei couldn't understand Jackal's excited mood just now. She pointed at the box and said, "After saying so much, what is its use? You can't just use this thing to hit Herrscher, can you? That would be the same as using a brick." Raven was equally puzzled. "This guy keeps rambling on and on. What is it used for? Just tell me!"

"Hehe, you'll find out."

You're crazy! How am I supposed to know if you don't tell me?

The Jackal chuckled twice and gave this answer. As a result, both Mei and Raven took a deep breath and clenched their fists. No wonder this Jackal is not popular. She said so much, but in the end, she was still a riddle person. I really want to beat her up.

Just then, a noisy electrical sound accompanied by a slight vibration came from both sides of the passage. In the sound, Mei heard an unfamiliar voice. World Serpent, there were other people too? She thought there were only a few cats and kittens.

[Everyone, one minute ago, the Honkai occurred in a city called Coral Island in Southeast Asia. The Valkyrie forces of Schicksal have been deployed. Begin the operation.]

The communication abruptly ended, and Mei took a deep breath. Herrscher, very well, I'm here.

"The Honkai has just occurred. In fifteen minutes, we will arrive at our target location, which is in the Pacific region, the Coral Island United Autonomous Region. This is the location where the Honkai took place. We will advance from the city's outskirts inwards. Do you understand?"

On the Immortal Blade's exclusive warship, Durandal is personally leading the team. She is currently relaying mission orders to the Immortal Blade. This time, the entire Immortal Blade team is being mobilized. Moreover, in addition to the Immortal Blade, there is also an external ally.

Glancing at Shen Gonglin, who was sitting next to Rita, Durandal hesitated for a moment before walking over to her side. Shen Gonglin's face was pale as she tightly gripped Rita's hand, which made Durandal a little jealous. Damn it, Rita beat her to it.

"If you're afraid of heights, sit on the other side; it'll be more comfortable since there are no windows there."

Durandal gently tried to dissuade Shen Gonglin. Shen Gonglin's information was no secret; it was common knowledge that he had a severe fear of heights. Even so, he still chose to sit by the window, trembling with fear. It was hard to know what to say about him.

"No, no... it's nothing... Durandal, give me your hand, give me your hand... you don't understand, you don't understand this feeling..."

The warship sped through the air at an altitude of ten thousand meters. Looking at the clouds outside the window, Shen Gonglin even began to stammer. Even so, he couldn't help but look out the window. It was this thrill that he couldn't resist. Grasping Rita's hand tightly, Shen Gonglin continued to lean against the window and look at the scenery outside. No, Rita alone wasn't enough to make him feel safe. Shen Gonglin also reached out his hand to Durandal. Maybe it would be better with two of them.

"Oh oh..."

Seeing Shen Gonglin's outstretched hand, Durandal quickly wiped her hands on her skirt and reached out to firmly grasp Shen Gonglin's hand. From those icy fingers, it was clear that Shen Gonglin was truly afraid of heights. However, Durandal didn't have time to think about such things. Right now, all she could think about was whether what she was doing was appropriate. She hadn't washed her hands after eating the jianbing guozi, so were her hands still oily?

The members of the Immortal Blade, seated in the cabin, remained silent, sitting upright with their eyes downcast as if they hadn't seen anything. However, the turmoil raging within them was anyone's guess. Alvit glanced furtively at Shen Gonglin, who was holding one in each hand. The "tool" in her eyes was filled with admiration. The vice-captain and captain were now sitting on either side of her, a classic case of having both of them on her left and right. It seemed that her future career might very well be intertwined with Shen Gonglin.

Chapter Seventy-Five Snow Lotus

"Alvit, please explain the details of the mission to everyone."

The cabin was silent. Eventually, Durandal herself couldn't stand the atmosphere anymore. She felt like they were secretly glancing at her, especially at her and Shen Gonglin's tightly clasped hands. So the strongest Valkyrie coughed twice and changed the subject, "What are you looking at? What's there to envy?"

Sometimes I really envy Rita's mental fortitude; look at her, she doesn't react at all.

"Ahem, okay... The site of this Honkai, Coral Island, is an artificial island city with a permanent population of 1.8 million. It is located at the junction of Southeast Asia and Oceania and is an important economic and trade center in the Pacific region. Thirty minutes have passed since the Honkai, and the Honkai has spread across Coral Island. The situation is not optimistic."

Speaking of the mission, the Immortal Blade also became serious. Alvit coughed to clear her throat and explained the information she had just learned to everyone. Without a doubt, it was definitely Herrscher. It felt like the Herrscher's reaction was getting faster and faster. Herrscher of Wind, Herrscher of the Void, Herrscher of Thunder, and now another one has appeared... This world is really not safe at all.

"Coral Island... I remember there should be Valkyrie squad stationed on Coral Island as well. What's their situation?"

Durandal frowned slightly. The occurrence of Honkai would undoubtedly mean casualties. If the Honkai had spread completely, what was the situation of the Valkyrie troops stationed on Coral Island? Schicksal had stationed Valkyrie squads in many places so that they could react in time when the Honkai occurred. What was their situation now?

"This is bad. Just now, the Valkyrie unit stationed on Coral Island, the Snow Lotus Squad, also lost contact. The advance Valkyrie unit has now sealed off the area and established a forward position. Our mission, the Immortal Blade, is to arrive and act as the assault force to break into the interior of Coral Island, clearing a path for the others. Also..."

Looking at the contents of her mission log, Alvit frowned, hesitant to speak. She couldn't understand why the bishop would issue such an order.

"His Highness the Bishop's latest order is that World Serpent will also participate in the war as an ally. Schicksal only needs to carry out routine Honkai response operations. If Herrscher are discovered, they will be handled entirely by World Serpent..."

As soon as Alvit finished speaking, the emotions of the entire Immortal Blade in the cabin became somewhat complicated. They used to be enemies with World Serpent. Back in Sky City, the Immortal Blade had even been tricked by Raven, a senior executive of World Serpent. If it weren't for Shen Gonglin and Kiana, Rita and her group would have been wiped out. But now they were going to fight alongside World Serpent as allies, and... and they were even going to be their underlings. This was truly unpleasant.

"Roger that, all team members, prepare to engage in battle... Shen Gonglin? What's wrong with you? Why do you have that expression?"

Noticing her team members' emotions, Durandal didn't say much. She wouldn't have any other emotions while carrying out the mission. Since the bishop had said so, they just needed to carry it out. However, she was a little concerned about the slight change in Shen Gonglin's expression. What was wrong with Shen Gonglin? Was she really scared because she was too tall?

"It's nothing, it's just the Snow Lotus Squad... I vaguely recognize that name. Isn't the captain of the Snow Lotus Squad named Anna?"

Suddenly, a figure appeared in his mind. Shen Gonglin took out a blue necklace from her collar. Although he hadn't seen it in a long time, seeing this necklace reminded him of a girl. He had tricked her out of a bank card at the Schicksal Headquarters, and in Wendy's World, he had saved her from being Honkai by Honkai and almost becoming Suicide Squad. That girl Anna seemed to be the captain of the Snow Lotus Squad.

"You actually know her... Don't worry, the situation is still unclear. We can't confirm that the Snow Lotus Squad has been wiped out. Now we need to carry out our mission, Immortal Blade, mission begin!"

Slightly surprised, Durandal glanced at Shen Gonglin. This guy actually knew the captain of the Snow Lotus Squad. However, Durandal didn't think too much about it. The warship shook, and the moment it landed, Durandal stood up and gave orders. "We'll talk about everything later. For now, the mission is the priority."

As soon as the cabin door opened, a blizzard swept through the entire cabin. Just moments before, there had been sunshine and a gentle breeze, but now it had turned into a freezing cold. Shen Gonglin, who had just stood up, immediately sat back down. How could it be so cold?

The other members of the Immortal Blade didn't react much. For them, as Valkyrie, fighting in various extreme conditions was part of their training. Although it was indeed a bit cold, it wasn't unbearable.

"It might be a bit cold... Shen Gonglin, stick close to me. You, Rita, and I will travel together. Let's go."

Durandal reached out and grabbed the back of Shen Gonglin's collar, pulling the retreating Shen Gonglin back towards her. Since she was going to be with them, she had to follow her orders. Durandal had considered leaving him on the warship, since it was indeed a bit cold outside, but now that they were close to the center of the Honkai, Durandal wouldn't feel at ease without him by her side, so it was better to go together.

"Phew... It's so cold. I understand. Let's go together."