I, Herrscher Slayer

If he still got utterly crushed by Kiana after saying all that, then he would have every reason to fly into a rage. He really was such a deep-minded man, so resourceful and wise. He should be the strategist type.

"Got it. To accommodate you, I'll pick someone I'm not good at too. Is that enough now?"

Unaware that she was already walking along a blade's edge, Kiana even felt like snickering. This was the first time someone had called her an expert, and it felt amazing. So Bronya had been living this kind of wonderful life all along? What a scheming little girl. She needed to have some fun with Shen Gonglin too.

Since that was the case, she could not just crush Shen Gonglin outright. She had to give him a chance. If she beat him into depression right away, how could she keep enjoying herself? Kiana could still tell the difference between having fun once and having fun forever. She would go easy on him a little and make him think he could defeat her. She would lure him in before letting Shen Gonglin sink completely... Hehehe, she really was such a clever little genius.

That settled it. She definitely was an intelligence-type Valkyrie. Bronya kept saying she was stupid, but just look at this plan of hers. How was it stupid? She was obviously brilliant beyond belief.

Playing Games

...Had she lost?

Kiana stared blankly at the screen. The character she controlled lay sprawled on the ground like a salted fish, while Shen Gonglin's character stood proudly with only a sliver of health left. She... had really lost.

But how was that possible? Everything had clearly gone according to her plan at the beginning. Why was she the one who fell in the end? Was this seriously not a joke? It was fake, right? This had to be fake, right?

Meanwhile, Shen Gonglin nodded in satisfaction. For the first time, his gaze toward Kiana carried a trace of goodwill. She was a good girl too. She said she would go easy on him, and she really had. Even when he had only a sliver of health left, she had not finished him off. Pretty girls truly were the most precious treasures in the world. Even Kiana was like that. Thanks to her holding back, otherwise he really would have lost.

At first, Shen Gonglin genuinely did not know how to play. It was his first time touching the game, and all he could do was press buttons and kick. Although Kiana was using a character she was unfamiliar with, her gaming fundamentals were still there. During the first half of the health bar, Shen Gonglin had genuinely been getting crushed by Kiana. But things changed afterward. Once he gradually became familiar with the controls, Shen Gonglin displayed his true potential. He could learn the Kaslana family's martial arts and Fu Hua's Cun Xin Fist at a glance, so learning a game's controls was no difficult matter for him. And so, this was the result.

"Kiana, thank you. I think I've more or less learned how to play now. If you hadn't stood there without moving and exposed so many openings, I definitely wouldn't have learned so quickly. You're not that bad after all."

Winning made Shen Gonglin happy. He patted Kiana's shoulder, then casually pinched her cheek. It was purely an unconscious action on Shen Gonglin's part, while Kiana, whose mind had gone completely blank, did not react to what he did either. Had she just exposed any openings for Shen Gonglin...? Maybe at the beginning, but by the end, Kiana had truly given it everything she had. Yet this result was far from satisfactory.

"Kiana is amazing. Even I couldn't see through how well she held back. It looked just like she was fighting with all her strength."

Bronya, who had been watching from behind, slowly drove in the knife. Hearing her voice, Kiana immediately turned her head, puffed out her cheeks, and glared at her. Given Bronya's understanding of games and Kiana's skill level, of course she could tell whether Kiana had used her real strength. Wasn't she just mocking her? Mocking her for losing to Shen Gonglin, a complete beginner playing for the first time. This little brat was absolutely awful!

"Heh... haha. It's good that you know I was going easy on you. Now I'll use my real strength to... to guide you a little. Don't worry, I'll still hold back for you."

Forcing herself to keep up appearances, Kiana patted her chest. She felt it was necessary to recover some dignity. She could not seriously lose to Shen Gonglin, a gaming novice. Losing to Bronya was normal, but if she lost to Shen Gonglin, Kiana would truly be unable to take it. She had decided. This time, she would not give him any chances. She would launch a fierce assault from the very beginning, and she would use the character she was best at!

"Awesome... Kiana, you switched characters? Then which one should I use this time? Should I keep using the person from before?"

Shen Gonglin was very interested in the game. It was far more fun than watching Mei cook in the kitchen. Seeing Kiana switch to another character, he hesitated. Should he still use the previous one? He had not touched anyone else besides that character.

"Switch, switch. What you need to do now is get familiar with as many characters as possible. What's the point of using just one? Hurry up and choose another."

Kiana did not care about Bronya's disdainful gaze from behind her. She felt she could pull plenty more scummy moves like this. Not only had she picked her strongest character, she was also making Shen Gonglin use another unfamiliar one. That should make victory guaranteed, right? She would not lose!

"Mm, Kiana, you're right. Then I'll switch too."

So this girl really wanted to teach him how to play. Looking at the girl beside him urgently shouting, Shen Gonglin's favorable impression of her rose just a tiny bit more. At first, he had thought she harbored ill intentions and wanted revenge on him through the game. He had not expected Kiana to be such a pure-hearted girl too. How could a girl who loved playing games possibly be a bad person? Kiana was a good person.

Sigh, Kiana... She was really getting more and more shameless. She would even go this far just for victory. Bronya shook her head, her gray eyes fixed on the screen in silence. Kiana might have chosen her best character, but in Bronya's eyes... tsk tsk tsk, useless.

"Whew... Kiana is amazing. I almost died again this time."

"Urgh! Again!"

"Mm, I've already figured out how to deal with this person. Half a health bar is enough."

"Wah wah wah! Again!"

"...Kiana, I think I've learned how to play this game now. You don't need to hold back like this anymore. Not even being able to touch you is a little ridiculous. How about you use a bit more of your strength?"

"Fine, you said it!"

"...Again?"

"Again!"

"Um, Kiana... to be honest, are you just not very good?"

"..."

No one knew how many rounds they had played. Each round ended faster than the last, while Shen Gonglin grew increasingly confused. He looked at his full-health character on the screen, then at Kiana beside him, sitting there with her mouth hanging open as though all life had drained from her. Shen Gonglin endured for a long time before finally asking the question. Ever since the last round, he had been a little doubtful. This Kiana's gaming skill seemed... not nearly as high as he had thought.

She could basically be called a total noob.

"Um, it's just that I'm not really feeling it today. Shen Gonglin, you know games depend a lot on how you're feeling, right? You're pretty talented too. How about this? Play a round against Bronya and let me rest for a bit. Then I'll show you this young lady's real strength."

As though someone had stepped on her sore spot, Kiana's cheeks flushed red. Why did Shen Gonglin keep saying such brutally honest things? She did seem unable to beat him, but even so, he could not act so arrogantly. He was just a newbie, yet he dared question her? It looked like she had to deploy Bronya, her strategic weapon.

Kiana knew Bronya's gaming level better than anyone. Bronya would definitely be able to beat Shen Gonglin!

"Shen Gonglin, Bronya wants to play with you."

Bronya, who had been watching the entire time, had long since become eager to play. Her normally calm gray eyes seemed to glimmer. Playing against him would definitely be super interesting!

A Gentleman

Mm... Having a little girl seriously tell him she wanted to play games with him left Shen Gonglin with rather complicated feelings. But since it was the little girl's request, he would naturally oblige. He was not some lolicon, but playing with a little girl was fine. He had no ulterior motives anyway. Shen Gonglin was upright and honorable.

"Bring it on. I'm just about tired of playing with Kiana too. I hope you can give me a little excitement, Bronya."

He accidentally made a dirty joke. Fortunately, one of those present was an innocent little girl and the other was a pure-hearted maiden. If Mei heard it, she would definitely start getting the wrong idea again. But with these two, he had nothing to worry about. Wanting Bronya to help her regain some face, Kiana gave up her seat for Bronya and squeezed in beside Shen Gonglin. She wanted to see how Shen Gonglin played. How could he defeat her as a beginner?

"Let's begin."

The moment Bronya took the controller, she seemed to become a different person. Almost as soon as the match began, Shen Gonglin felt tremendous pressure. This was completely different from his earlier match against Kiana. Shen Gonglin had no time to pay attention to Kiana's wonderful figure leaning against him now. He focused completely on his game against Bronya. She was an opponent on an entirely different level from Kiana.

The match became intense from the very start. Kiana was nearly dumbfounded as she watched their fingers leave afterimages over the controllers. What kind of divine controls were these? All kinds of ultimate moves and hidden techniques appeared one after another on the screen. She was not surprised Bronya could do this, but how could Shen Gonglin be this good too? He had only just learned the game! Looking at Bronya's serious expression, Kiana realized this was the first time she had ever seen Bronya look like that. Even when Bronya competed with the Class President, she had never been this tense. Was Shen Gonglin really that skilled?

Kiana felt that she might have found a gaming expert capable of competing with Bronya—and the important part was that she had taught this expert herself.

"Mmgh... Wah, that was amazing. I lost... This is so annoying. How could I lose?"

The match was intense, but Shen Gonglin's health was emptied first in the end. Shen Gonglin had already done his best, yet Bronya really was stronger than him. Bronya's character still had about a finger's width of health remaining on the screen, but no matter how fiercely Shen Gonglin attacked, he could not break through her defense. Instead, Bronya caught an opening and took him out in one full combo. Though he hated to admit it, he had indeed lost. Even if he wanted to deny it, there was nothing he could do. A loss was a loss.

"Whew... Shen Gonglin, you're very good."

Bronya quietly let out a breath as well. She flexed her fingers and looked at Shen Gonglin, who was rolling around on the floor nearby. A trace of admiration flashed through her otherwise emotionless eyes. This was the first time Bronya had been pushed into such desperate straits. If Shen Gonglin had not panicked at the end, it truly would have been uncertain who won or lost. Experts recognized one another, and Shen Gonglin's skill deserved Bronya's respect. More importantly, this had been his first time playing the game today. If he kept practicing, Bronya felt that her position might be threatened.

"I'm so mad. Bronya, why are you so good? You're completely different from the opponents I met before. Let's go again!"

Shen Gonglin's words left Kiana, sitting behind him, with black lines all over her face. What did he mean by that? Hadn't his previous opponents been her? Just a few minutes ago, he had been calling her an expert. Now it was like this. He had not forgotten that she was the one who taught him, had he...? Still, Shen Gonglin really was amazing. He had forced Bronya to that extent. Kiana could see a glimmer of hope for overthrowing Bronya's dominance.

"Wait, this young lady wants to play too! Shen Gonglin, master and disciple united can cut through metal. Let me lend you a hand!"

Kiana hurriedly took out another controller. Sitting on the sofa, she propped her legs over Shen Gonglin's shoulders and joined the battle as well. This was what she thought: Shen Gonglin's skill was probably only a tiny bit below Bronya's. With her added in, they could definitely defeat Bronya. Even if it took two people to beat Bronya, it would still be worth bragging about for months. The chance to make a name for herself was right before her, and Kiana felt she had to join in.

"Two people together? Isn't that a bit unfair?"

Looking at the fair, slender jade-like legs beside his neck, Shen Gonglin resisted the urge to lick them. Calm down. These were Kiana's legs. If he licked them, maybe he would catch some irreversible disease. Forcing his eyes away from Kiana's legs, Shen Gonglin looked up at her face. This girl did not act reserved at all. Not only had she casually rested her legs on his shoulders, but she had also placed her hands on his head as support. For the sake of the benefits she was giving him, he would not argue with her this time.

"No problem. You can both come at me. Bronya will use her true strength too."

Bronya did not care in the slightest. Whether Shen Gonglin came alone or together with Kiana would not affect the outcome. Shen Gonglin's previous performance had stimulated Bronya too. She could not deal with him in a playful state. She had to bring out Bronya's serious side.

"Heh, Shen Gonglin, can you still stand it when Bronya acts like this? Hurry and use all your strength to work with me. This time, the two of us will definitely win!"

With Shen Gonglin's powerful support, Kiana was especially confident. Shen Gonglin's combat strength was already on the same level as Bronya's. With her added in, they would definitely achieve an effect where one plus one was greater than two. The thought of Bronya bowing beneath her hot pants made Kiana excited. But her excitement was one thing; Shen Gonglin was the one suffering. Could she stop moving around? Did this girl really not see him as a man at all?

Kiana sat on the sofa, her two fair, slender legs straddling Shen Gonglin's shoulders and stepping on his thighs. Her hands holding the controller rested against Shen Gonglin's head, completing their combined pose. It was practically like Kiana had completely surrounded him. Every time he turned his head, there were her legs. How was Shen Gonglin supposed to focus? Her intelligence might be lacking, but judging by her face and figure alone, Kiana was also an exceptionally beautiful girl. A girl like that sitting on his head... This was a test for him as well.

Without saying anything, Shen Gonglin focused his attention on the screen. Misfortunes always came one after another. He would treat it as training for himself. Perhaps he had once been an upright gentleman who remained unmoved even with a beauty in his arms.

At this moment, at Schicksal Headquarters, the headquarters of the massive organization that fought Honkai was located on an enormous floating island. As the earliest organization established to combat Honkai, everything there was controlled by a single man. And that man was...

The Overseer, Otto Apocalypse.

Inside the headquarters conference room, Otto Apocalypse sat in the central seat of honor. Those summoned to the meeting were all elites of the R&D Department. Everyone sat quietly in their seats, waiting for the Overseer holding a wineglass to speak. Fortunately, they did not wait long before Otto opened his mouth. The Overseer was not an iron-fisted, harsh sort of person, but perhaps because of his status, everyone could not help feeling nervous around him.

"How is the analysis of that armor progressing?"

"We still can't crack its core, but based on the intelligence we obtained before, we've already made major progress on the 4th Generation God-Slaying Armor. It is a truly astonishing creation. Its material is more extraordinary than every known material. Its defensive capability is insufficient, but its recovery capability... No, the uniqueness of the material is secondary. The most important thing is the Uranus System shown in the footage. According to the energy data transmitted by the Hyperion at the time, if it were allowed to develop freely, its destructive power would surpass anything we know. Overseer, this armor simply isn't something that can be manufactured by human hands."

The head of the technical department placed a thick stack of intelligence gathered through his research onto the table. Several large words were clearly displayed on the documents: 4th Generation God-Slaying Armor Design Concept. They had thought this work would have to remain shelved for a long time, but the armor delivered to them had given them plenty of inspiration. There was no doubt that the armor currently lying in the research department would become the prototype for all God-Slaying Armor.

"Is that so? It seems we will still need the original owner's help to uncover the deepest secrets. An angel who suddenly fell into the mortal world... Continue research on the 4th Generation God-Slaying Armor. Headquarters will provide its greatest support. Since it is an angel, use knights as the thematic element of the 4th Generation God-Slaying Armor project. Any other questions?"

Otto set down his wineglass. Schicksal used research into various supernatural objects as power in its fight against Honkai. This armor, obtained by chance a few months ago, had restarted the long-shelved task of developing the fourth-generation God-Slaying Armor. Once completed, it would surely deal a crushing blow to Honkai. After all, the fourth generation... had been prepared specifically to slay gods.

"Overseer, if we are talking about problems... there is indeed one. We have spent so long trying to decipher it, yet we still cannot unlock the core. Every design we have made so far has basically been an imitation based on the previous combat footage. As you just said, without the original owner's help, this project will be difficult to continue. Is there really no way to invite the original owner here?"

The technical department director's old face reddened as he said this. But there was no helping it. Even they, who had unraveled the secrets of Soul Steel, were utterly helpless before this armor. This was truly an apology from the technical department. Yet apart from apologizing, there was nothing else they could do. They had heard that the armor's original owner was now at St. Freya. If possible, they wanted to meet him no matter what.

"Unfortunately, our angel miss... no, young man has yet to wake up. Headquarters previously sent someone to examine him. His brain had suffered serious trauma, and he has not awakened even now..."

Otto shook his head. When Shen Gonglin had first been brought to St. Freya Academy, Otto had sent his most capable maid over. In the end, she had only brought back this armor. According to Rita, Shen Gonglin's condition at the time could not withstand a long-distance journey at all, so they could only study the armor.

"Overseer, pardon the interruption. This is a joint email from Lady Theresa and Lady Fu Hua. That angel miss has awakened."

Just then, the conference room door was quietly pushed open. A short-haired girl with grayish-gold hair walked in, her maid uniform declaring her identity. Rita Roseweisse. Though she wore a maid outfit, she was actually one of the three strongest combatants in Schicksal on the surface. She was also part of the ongoing God-Slaying Armor project.

Although a maid should not interrupt a meeting, Rita felt this email was very important. The Overseer needed to know as soon as possible. Looking at the photo in the document, Rita narrowed her eyes. Sure enough, he was even cuter awake than he had been unconscious.

"Oh? Is that so? It seems fortune is indeed on our side. And Rita, not angel miss. Our angel is male."

His tone was surprised, but Otto's actions were not affected at all. He projected the information Rita handed him onto the large screen. Waking up precisely when they needed him most—he truly was worthy of being called an angel. Had he descended into this world to help humanity?

"My apologies, but after seeing what he looked like, it truly is difficult to think of the angel as male... So cute, he must be... a boy?"

The elegant maid seemed to have fallen into a strange dilemma. Rita was very happy to learn that he had woken up, to the point that she could barely maintain her maid-like elegance.

"Such detailed information. As expected of Fu Hua's summary. He possessed strength comparable to an A-rank Valkyrie immediately after waking up... Yet he has combat power without the body needed to support it. It appears our angel still needs some training. But before that, we must have him visit headquarters. The issue with the 4th Generation God-Slaying Armor prototype will have to be resolved by him..."

Reading through the various pieces of intelligence Fu Hua had compiled in the report, Otto became increasingly interested in Shen Gonglin. The previous footage had not indicated that Shen Gonglin possessed any ability to control lightning. If the Conquest Gem were not still inside that little girl, Otto would have become suspicious. Interesting. Truly very interesting. Perhaps this person could become a powerful chess piece in the future.

"Rita, convey my order to St. Freya. Have our angel, Shen Gonglin, visit headquarters in the coming days. As for his escort... the Kaslana family's young lady would be quite suitable. Although she is not yet an official Valkyrie, she is the best candidate... Rita? Rita? Did you hear me?"

Otto issued the order, but the maid did not react. Otto turned back in confusion. The dependable, elegant maid seemed to be lost in thought. Only after he coughed twice did Rita come back to herself. How strange. Did Rita make mistakes like this too?

"Yes, I will obey your orders and convey them. However, please allow me to handle the reception. He was unconscious when I saw him last time, and I am a little curious about him."

Rita bowed slightly, and Otto nodded in agreement with her request.

"If you are interested, then leave everything to you."

Ten Years Shorter

"Shen Gonglin, I don't think our tactical arrangement just now was very reasonable. Look, I exposed such a huge opening for Bronya to attack me. You should have hit her then. Why did you just stand there? Honestly, did she send you to stab me in the heart?"

Before the television, Kiana earnestly tried to reason with Shen Gonglin. If not for the pair of long legs clamped around Shen Gonglin's neck and continuously tightening, she would have looked even more earnest. Feeling that she had been sold out, Kiana decided to strangle this fake teammate to death. What was he even good for?

"Huh? That was an opening you exposed? I thought you were throwing, or trying to make things harder for me... I'm dying, Kiana. If you don't let go, I'm seriously going to die. Don't force me!"

Shen Gonglin grabbed at her legs and struggled to breathe, but in terms of brute strength, he really was no match for Kiana. When Mei came out, she saw this scene: Kiana and Shen Gonglin tangled together on the floor, and Kiana seemed to have the upper hand. At that moment, evil surged in Shen Gonglin's heart, and he simply opened his mouth. A gentleman used his mouth, not his fists. He was definitely a gentleman.

"Ah! Shen Gonglin, you actually dared bite me? I'll take your life!"

The sensitive skin on the inside of her thigh was ruthlessly bitten by Shen Gonglin. Kiana regretted wearing hot pants now. Since this guy was using his mouth, she could not blame herself. Kiana had promised not to use her mouth as a weapon first, but he had bitten first. This young lady had wanted to bite his head for more than a day or two!

"Bronya, what's going on?"

Mei instinctively wanted to break up the fight, but the savage battle made her a little afraid to approach. She set the pot in her hands on the table and asked Bronya, who had hidden far away from the start. She had only gone to cook for a little while. How had Shen Gonglin and Kiana ended up acting like each other's father's murderer?

"According to Bronya's understanding, Kiana set Shen Gonglin up and then threw a tantrum without reason. Shen Gonglin was forced to fight back... Though he did put all his strength into biting Kiana."

Bronya had seen through everything. Thanks to Kiana joining in, Bronya had been able to maintain her winning streak. Against Shen Gonglin alone, Bronya had to stay fully alert. But if Kiana was added, Bronya felt she could let them have one hand while at low health. So halfway through the match, Bronya had also suspected Kiana was an undercover agent sent by her. Kiana had far too great an impact on Shen Gonglin's combat strength.

Naturally. No one could focus on playing a game with a pair of snowy white, slender, powerful legs draped over them. Add Kiana's various terrible teammate plays to that, hehe. It would be strange if he could win.

"All right, all right. It's only a game. You two, stop messing around. Shen Gonglin, I made cream stew especially for you. If you don't eat now, it'll get cold."

After learning the specific reason for their fight, Mei did not know whether to laugh or cry. She carefully walked to Shen Gonglin's side and patted his shoulder. Mei had actually wanted to pat Shen Gonglin's head, but Kiana was currently sprawled over it. What childish temperaments. Making such a fuss over a game—had neither of them grown up?

Mei simply did not understand. Fighting over games was nothing. Plenty of people had lost their mothers because of games.

"Oh, I'll eat right away. Let me leave another bite mark on her first... Mei, your panties are showing. Pure white doesn't suit you."

Shen Gonglin raised his eyes and was immediately drawn to a certain view. He and Kiana were lying on the floor, while Mei was crouched before him. From this prime seat, Shen Gonglin could see everything clearly. Beyond the black stockings was that pure white forbidden zone. But white was too ordinary, wasn't it? He felt Mei would look even better in black.

"Ow... Huh, Mei's panties are showing! Where, where? I want to see too... Ouch!"

Kiana, who was holding Shen Gonglin's head and mutually hurting him, brightened at once upon hearing that. She wanted to see something so good too. Although she often saw Mei while they changed clothes together, could that kind of seeing compare to a panty shot? In her excitement, Kiana released Shen Gonglin's head. Before she could lift her own head, though, a hand slammed her heavily onto the floor. Mei's pretty face flushed crimson, and her violet eyes practically sparked with electricity. Being seen by Shen Gonglin alone had nearly embarrassed her to death. Why was Kiana joining in the fun?

"...Get up already. Eat!"

Not knowing what to say, Mei could only change the subject and avoid mentioning it. The girl quickly stood and adjusted her skirt. She rarely interacted with boys and had not been guarded around Shen Gonglin, which led to this embarrassing incident. She would have to pay more attention in the future. Shen Gonglin was a boy, after all.

"Okay, I'm coming... Bronya, help me check my head. I feel like it might be bleeding."

Knowing when to stop, Shen Gonglin used Kiana being pinned down by Mei as an opportunity to quickly escape her entanglement and sit at the table with Bronya. It was the perfect chance to have Bronya inspect his head. Kiana was far too strong. Even his skull could not withstand her.

"Serves you right for bleeding. Who told you to bite this young lady?... Thankfully you didn't bite hard enough to draw blood, otherwise I wouldn't be done with you... Mei, this won't leave tooth marks, will it?"