It's Perfectly Reasonable for the Assistant to Have a Tagalong, Right? / Long Live World Serpent ...

More precisely, because the host's ending had been so abrupt and inconclusive, Bronya might have continued the trial with a new dream after it ended. But it was nothing serious, at most resulting in slightly poorer sleep quality.

"I see..." Xia Ling bent down and asked gently, "Then Bronya, what kind of nightmare did you have?"

"Bronya cannot remember." Duck Duck shook her head. "But Bronya seems to remember that Sister Xia Ling died..."

"It's okay." Xia Ling patted Bronya's head, feeling the delicate softness beneath her fingertips. "Aren't I still right here? It was only a dream."

"Bronya is no longer a child. Bronya does not need others to comfort her over a nightmare." After Xia Ling had only patted her a few times, Bronya shyly shook her head. Her two drills brushed against Xia Ling's hand, bringing a soft, silky sensation.

"Alright, alright, you're not a child." Xia Ling stood up with a smile. "Go wash up. Remember to come out for breakfast later."

An Assistant Instructor Tagalong Was Perfectly Reasonable, Right?

After having breakfast with the Big Three, Xia Ling leisurely left the villa.

Generally speaking, there was nothing Xia Ling needed to help with during the morning lessons. Unless Himeko called for her, Xia Ling did not even need to show up all morning.

But today was clearly an exception, because she planned to have a chat with Theresa.

Of course, before heading to Theresa's office, she needed to make a few minor preparations.

"Boss, give me the newest volume of Hohom Adventure. Today's the release day, right?"

Standing beside the convenience store, Xia Ling asked.

"That's right. Good thing you came early. Once the students get out after their first class and come over, there probably won't be many copies left."

After taking the comic and putting it into an opaque shopping bag, Xia Ling finally made her way to Theresa's office with satisfaction.

Xia Ling raised her hand and lightly knocked on the door. "Theresa, are you there?"

Hearing the immediate frantic sounds of drawers opening and closing, paper tearing, and a chair scraping from inside, Xia Ling's lips curled into a mischievous smile.

As everyone knew, Theresa liked to secretly read comics in her office. Whenever she was caught, she would panic, tear them up, and hide the scraps.

Incidentally, Himeko was responsible for the highest comic casualty rate.

"Theresa? I'm coming in."

As she spoke, Xia Ling pushed open the door. At the same time, a series of clatters rang out from beneath Theresa's tall desk.

"Uh, Theresa, what are you doing?"

Looking at the overturned trash can poking out beside Theresa's desk, the colorful pages scattered across the floor, and the toppled tall chair, Xia Ling held back her laughter and knowingly asked.

But Theresa clearly still wanted to retain some of her principal's dignity in front of the newly arrived Xia Ling. Rubbing away the tears that had welled up from her fall, Theresa cleared her throat and acted as though nothing had happened. "Ahem, it's nothing. Schicksal's chairs are just a little too flimsy. I accidentally fell over just now."

"Ah, so that's what happened. Do you need my help?"

"No, no, I can do it myself." Theresa shook her head like a rattle drum, hurriedly righted the chair, and sat down. "Little Xia Ling, did you come to see me for something?"

Xia Ling suddenly noticed that when Theresa had been standing behind the desk just now, only her head had been visible. Now that she was seated, her upper body was visible instead.

Having once again refreshed her understanding of Theresa's height and the chair's height, Xia Ling said, "It's like this. Tomorrow, Kiana's class is having their Changkong City field combat test. I want to go with them."

"Huh? Didn't you say before that you weren't very interested in this? Why do you suddenly want to go after all?"

Theresa stopped tidying her desk and looked at Xia Ling in surprise.

"Well... after thinking about it, this field test is Kiana and the others' first real combat experience. As their assistant instructor, I should go with them."

"Besides, I've already learned the basics of this world through the electronic library during this time. The only thing I haven't personally seen is a Honkai Beast. Last time I returned with you, everything was rushed, so I thought I could broaden my horizons this time."

Standing in front of the desk, Xia Ling calmly recited the explanation she had prepared long ago.

"Hmm... if that's the case, there's no problem with you tagging along." Theresa pulled up a map of Changkong City on the teacher terminal, glanced over it, and said:

"Actually, there are barely any large Honkai Beasts left in Changkong City now. At least within the training zone designated by the school, you'll only see some Assault-type Honkai Beasts or ordinary zombies at most. These students are all inexperienced, after all. We can't possibly send them into an environment that's too dangerous."

As she spoke, Theresa opened the mission roster for the following day and added Xia Ling's name.

"Alright, I've added your name. Remember to tell Himeko tonight. Tomorrow, you'll act alongside Kiana and the others. They all escaped from Changkong City, so they're familiar with the routes and the environment."

Though Theresa did not say it outright, Xia Ling could still sense the teasing in her words, and her face immediately reddened.

"Theresa! I told you, I'm not directionally challenged. I only got lost because I'm not familiar with the teacher terminal, and because the scenery around the academy is too monotonous."

"Right, right, right." Theresa did not take her words seriously at all. "You can say whatever you want, and I'll pretend to believe it. Anyway, just stick close to Kiana and the others tomorrow. Don't fall behind."

"Hmph." Xia Ling raised the sealed bag in her hand and gave it a shake. "Think carefully. Take a look at what this is first."

"First period is almost over. If you go out to buy the newest volume of Hohom Adventure now, it'll be too late."

"!" Theresa's eyes immediately went wide, her gaze seemingly nailed to the comic in Xia Ling's hand. "N-No, what I meant was, with Teacher Xia Ling watching over Kiana and the others tomorrow, everything will definitely go without a hitch!"

"Hmph, that's more like it."

With a smile, Xia Ling placed the comic on Theresa's desk, waved, and left the office.

"Xia Ling..." Theresa silently looked at the comic in her hands. "You shouldn't know about my habit of tearing up comics. At the very least, Himeko wouldn't voluntarily tell you something like that, and the students wouldn't casually gossip about it with a new teacher."

"Does that mean our guess was right? Does Xia Ling's world really have another version of me...?"

Meanwhile, Xia Ling strolled through the St. Freya campus in high spirits, preparing to pick up some ingredients from the shopping district.

The reason Xia Ling had come to Theresa today was not actually to go to Changkong City and see Honkai Beasts baring their fangs.

It was because she wanted to find an opportunity to deploy Flame Willow.

Although she already had Flame Willow as an avatar, the system could not directly deploy Flame Willow in Changkong City. It could only deploy someone where the main body or another avatar was located.

As a result, the first step of the plan Xia Ling had spent all night devising had run into an obstacle.

Fortunately, the academy happened to have a field combat test coming up, and it was also Kiana and the others' first field combat test since arriving at the academy.

Xia Ling had not originally planned to participate, but with this issue arising, she could only temporarily ask Theresa to add her to the roster.

"Ugh, Flame Willow, do you think I need to raise my strength faster? At least enough to join the Far East Branch's combat roster." Xia Ling complained inwardly. "Otherwise, every time I get a new character, I'll have to find a way to visit the destination. After doing that too many times, I won't even know what excuse to use."

"It doesn't matter. Prioritizing Elite 2 for the main body would work too," Flame Willow Xia Ling replied in her mind.

"After all, there's still a long time before the main storyline begins. If you send an avatar with insufficient strength to Oceania, it might not have a good effect. As for Schicksal, there's no way to solve the identity issue. So until those problems are resolved, prioritizing Elite 2 for the main body isn't bad either."

"Forget it, it's too early to worry about that. I only just finished this week's trial." Xia Ling shook her head. "I should think about what to eat for lunch first."

Long Live World Serpent

A day later, above Changkong City, the Hyperion hovered quietly above the clouds.

Around the massive warship, more than a dozen Valkyrie squads boarded transport aircraft in batches and departed from the Hyperion, preparing to land at different locations throughout Changkong City.

Although the practical combat zones they were heading to had already been cleared once by academy instructors, areas closer to the outskirts were theoretically more likely to contain unknown risks, such as mutated zombies or Honkai Beasts wandering in from elsewhere.

Thus, although this was Kiana's group's first field combat mission since joining the academy, the stronger trio had still been assigned to an area closer to the outskirts.

The total cleanup area was not large. The battlefront was less than ten kilometers deep, and compared to Changkong City's total area, it was only a tiny portion.

As for why they were taking a transport aircraft instead of jumping from the Valkyrie deployment hatch... for rookie Valkyries without Valkyrie armor, the two options were practically no different from suicide.

"Sister Xia Ling, you shouldn't have any problems with the field combat test later, right?" Kiana moved closer to Xia Ling and cautiously asked.

"?" Xia Ling looked utterly confused by the question. "Shouldn't I be asking you that? Or do you think I'm an ordinary person with no combat ability, like your Teacher Yang?"

"No, no, I mean, didn't you say during your introduction that you were recovering from injuries? Auntie even specifically reminded me yesterday to keep an eye on you... Ow."

Before she could finish, Kiana suffered judgment from Xia Ling's iron fist.

"Idiot Kiana, the principal meant that you should keep an eye on Sister Xia Ling so she doesn't get lost." Bronya said helplessly. "If it were really a matter of her strength, do you think the principal would have agreed to let Sister Xia Ling come with us?"

"Huh?"

"Student Kiana, since you have such doubts about my strength, should I show you what I can do later?" Xia Ling asked with a "dangerous" smile.

"H-How are you going to show me...?" The moment Kiana saw that smile, she knew something was wrong. The last time Xia Ling had smiled like that, Kiana had been hunted down in games by Xia Ling in all sorts of ways for an entire night.

"It's nothing. If Student Kiana gets mysteriously locked in a room later, and that room keeps spawning all kinds of Honkai Beasts, please don't be surprised. It'll be a monster-spawning cage prepared for you by the Honkai God."

"What kind of Honkai God would have nothing better to do than prepare something like that?!"

Amid laughter and chatter, the transport aircraft landed on the roof of an abandoned high-rise. After the four jumped out of the cabin, the aircraft slowly rose into the air.

According to the academy's schedule, it would return here in eight hours to pick the four of them up. Kiana's group's task during that time was to reduce the number of zombies and Honkai Beasts in this area to an acceptable level.

In a sense, this was also the Far East Branch contributing to Changkong City's cleanup efforts.

After jumping off the transport aircraft, the four looked at one another.

"Alright, get started. Why are you looking at me?" Xia Ling put her hands on her hips, looking completely carefree. "As your assistant instructor, I can't help unless it's a special situation. Likewise, I can't give you any advice."

"Of course, you don't need to worry about me either. Just complete the mission yourselves. Don't worry, Theresa was my teammate the last time I fought alongside someone. You don't need to worry about my strength at all."

"Mei, behind you!"

Hearing Kiana's warning, Mei swept the katana in her hand behind her in a silver arc, cutting a zombie that had tried to sneak up on her in two.

Beside Mei, Kiana wielded dual pistols. Her long legs, wrapped in a skintight combat suit, kicked high and sent an approaching zombie flying. Then blazing fire burst from her gun barrels, clearing the zombies drawn over by the gunfire.

Even with two teammates nearby, Kiana did not worry at all about stray bullets. Everyone knew the Kaslana family's gun-fu. The moment a bullet left the barrel, it had probably already entered an enemy's body. As a close-combat technique, it carried almost no risk of friendly fire.

Bronya, meanwhile, trailed a few steps behind the two, steadily using her heavy cannon to clear distant zombies and Honkai Beasts. The thunderous blasts continuously attracted more enemies for the trio. Occasionally, Heavy Armor Rabbit would suddenly appear and toss out one or two zombies that had slipped through their defense.

On the rooftop of a building not far from the three, Xia Ling leisurely watched their cleanup work, casually taking out the occasional enemy that approached her.

"It looks like their experience escaping Changkong City improved their coordination by far more than a little," Xia Ling remarked in her mind. "Their teamwork and efficiency are even smoother and more effective than the other squads that have trained at the academy for one or two years."

"That's right. Their cleanup progress is already in the top five among more than a dozen squads, and they're still climbing. They'll probably finish the mission early, before the time limit is even up." Flame Willow Xia Ling nodded in agreement. "So, when do you plan to release me?"

"No rush." Xia Ling unhurriedly moved to a position with a better view. "Not only do they have their own Honkai Energy detection radar active, but they're also within the Hyperion's surveillance range. To avoid unnecessary risks, it won't be too late to deploy you after they complete their mission and the Hyperion withdraws its observation."

"But even then, I'll probably still be detected by the equipment they're carrying, right?" Flame Willow Xia Ling asked doubtfully. "I remember Heavy Armor Rabbit has automatic detection functions too."

"That's fine. Let them detect you. We can put on a little act then." Xia Ling drew an escape route for Flame Willow Xia Ling on the map.

"When the time comes, you'll be some unidentified being that suddenly appears, like a mutated zombie or a Pseudo-Herrscher. Uh... no, that might not work. Let's give you another identity. You can be from World Serpent or Anti-Entropy. There really is a World Serpent officer in Changkong City right now, after all."

"You'll pretend you were suddenly discovered and run away immediately. I'll symbolically chase you for a bit. Once you've escaped beyond the boundaries of this test, I'll return on the grounds that I'm worried about the students' safety."

"As long as you don't show clear hostility, Theresa definitely won't immediately order a manhunt out of concern for the students' safety. She'll prioritize recalling and protecting the students instead."

"That works. The next few days will just be troublesome for me, since I might have to deal with a possible search." Flame Willow Xia Ling spread her hands. "But it doesn't matter. I can just hide in the system space."

Flame Willow? When Did She Arrive?

As the sun gradually sank westward, the Big Three squad's eight-hour intense and exciting field combat test came to an end.

Within the designated area, the three had followed the main road and cleared out most of the zombies and Honkai Beasts. Only scattered Honkai Energy signatures remained on the detector.

By the academy's standards, the trio could already be considered finished with their mission. Thus, Xia Ling was no longer observing from the edge of the area, but clearing zombies alongside them.

"Is this Sister Xia Ling's weapon? It looks pretty different from other weapons. Is it specially made?" Kiana turned around and curiously asked while looking at Crescent Rose in Xia Ling's sniper form.

"Yep. It's a product of Schicksal's Institute S-1503, a weapon specially made for my combat style." Xia Ling lied without hesitation. "If you become A-rank or S-rank Valkyries in the future, you might get a chance to ask Changguang to make one for you too."

"Hehe, my goal is to become the strongest S-rank Valkyrie! I'll definitely have a weapon of my own then."

Kiana put her hands on her hips, brimming with confidence.

Yeah, Kiana really was the strongest S-rank Valkyrie. As for you, by the end, even after becoming the Herrscher of Finality, you seemed to still be B-rank... Xia Ling silently mocked inwardly.

After they moved forward for a while longer, the three were once again distracted by a massive Assault-type Honkai Beast. Xia Ling silently communicated with the system.

"Oh? Is it my turn?" Flame Willow Xia Ling perked up.

"That's right. Keep the commotion as small as possible if you can... though Honkai Energy fluctuations of this level probably won't escape their detector."

A few moments later...

"Alert. Alert. A high-energy individual has appeared nearby..."

Just as the trio had chopped the Honkai Beast into pieces, several red warning windows suddenly appeared on the small Honkai Energy radar on Mei's hand, accompanied by blaring alarms.

Heavy Armor Rabbit instantly appeared behind Bronya, shielding the three girls.

"What is this..." Before Kiana could finish, Xia Ling was already standing in front of them. Crescent Rose in her hand had fully unfolded, and her tone was grave. "Don't move recklessly. If something happens later, split up and leave."

A figure carrying scorching flames appeared alongside Xia Ling. The figure had emerald-green eyes and platinum-blonde hair, wearing an unusually oversized yellow robe. Beneath it was a white dress and black stockings embroidered with patterns of pure white flower petals.

Flame Willow Xia Ling glanced sideways at the four. With a casual wave of her hand, several crimson fireballs carrying terrifying heat condensed out of thin air. The blazing temperature caused the air around them to warp faintly. Then, with another gentle wave, the fireballs instantly traced strange arcs and attacked the four from every direction.

Xia Ling's gaze sharpened. A bright yellow barrier immediately spread outward from her as its center. After barely enveloping all four of them, Xia Ling stopped expanding it and continuously reinforced it, causing the barrier's color to gradually deepen.