Far East Demon's Den

Thump! Thump!

Two more dull impacts.

Following the gaps between the Honkai Beasts, Fu Hua spotted a massive creature.

"A Honkai Emperor, no less. Kiana, this isn't something you or I can handle. Let's go—our priority now is ensuring the survivor's safety."

By this point, Fu Hua had confirmed the Honkai Emperor's identity, and her expression turned grave as she spoke.

The two of them going up against a Honkai Emperor was still too much of a stretch. (Though if Kiana and the survivor Xina were removed from the equation, she could handle it with one hand.)

Suddenly, Xina's brow furrowed. She felt a faint whistling wind brush past her ears, and the already gloomy sky darkened a few shades further.

Looking up, she saw that at some point, a massive warship had appeared above the three of them.

The colossal vessel slowly descended, hovering in a standoff with the Honkai Emperor across the open space.

"This is..." Xina's pupils contracted. Her wandering gaze finally landed on a tall figure standing at the edge of the ship.

That person hoisted a Heavy Sword so large it was terrifying, then leaped straight down from the sky without hesitation.

"Great, it's Aunt Himeko!"

Recognizing the newcomer, Kiana shouted excitedly.

"Ha!? Aunt? Are you kidding me? Do I look that old?" Himeko's chest ached at the grating word "aunt" from Kiana's mouth, but considering the powerful enemies around them, she decided to put off dealing with Kiana for now.

Indeed, Himeko had led the Hyperion to investigate the Honkai reaction points inside the city, only to stumble upon the Honkai Emperor and Kiana's group!

'Leave.'

Xina gave the Honkai Emperor a command with a blank expression.

A few seconds later, the Honkai Emperor, still locked in a standoff with the Hyperion, viciously smashed through several buildings before fleeing in another direction at top speed. The surrounding Honkai Beasts of various ranks, losing their leader, scattered like a receding tide.

"Hah, they're all gone? Then it's your turn, Kiana!" Himeko sheathed her greatsword and turned to face Kiana, a dangerously playful smile on her face that sent Kiana scrambling behind Fu Hua, trying to use the class monitor's wall of sighs to block Himeko's wrath.

Did that kid think hiding behind Fu Hua meant she couldn't see her?

"..." Himeko watched Kiana's futile attempt to cover her ears and steal the bell, and the anger that had just flared up inexplicably subsided. She shifted her gaze to Xina beside them and asked Fu Hua, "Fu Hua, is this a survivor you rescued?"

"Yes. She's been with Kiana the whole time."

"In that case, let's get out of here first!" Himeko swept her eyes over the devastated surroundings. Naturally, she couldn't leave a frail young girl like Xina alone in this place, so she invited her to board the Hyperion with them.

Following Himeko and the others into the Hyperion, Xina was stunned by the ship's high-tech interior and advanced facilities.

If there weren't so many people around, she really... would have wanted to reach out and touch something...

Click—

Sensing the newcomers' identities, the mechanical doors of the Hyperion's command room intelligently slid apart, revealing the ship's core secrets to Xina.

As this miraculous Hyperion door slowly opened, it also seemed to unlock some oddly-styled box.

Kiana, who had been perfectly normal a moment ago, might have spotted something irresistible to her. She instantly transformed into a woman of the wind, darting past Himeko and Fu Hua in a straight line, shouting a name without stopping: "Mei! Mei! My Mei!"

Mei? Wasn't that the Third Herrscher that Impostor mentioned? Why was she here too? Could it be that...

"?!" Xina watched Kiana's cheerful, bouncing steps in confusion, then glanced at Himeko and Fu Hua, who wore calm expressions. She asked curiously, "Judging by your faces, you seem... used to this?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty accustomed to their closeness by now." Himeko nodded, as if she fully agreed with Xina's observation.

Watching Kiana squirm in her arms, Raiden Mei's originally helpless expression softened. She raised a hand and gently stroked the head nestled against her. "Welcome back, Kiana."

After shedding her heavy gear, Himeko poured a glass of water from the dispenser. She handed the cup to Xina and asked the question on her mind.

"Miss, what's your name? Do you have any family left?"

"My name is Xina. As for family... hmm..." Xina thought for a moment, then shook her head with a bitter smile. "Setting aside the one who left my mother and me from the moment I was born... now it's just me."

"Boo hoo, living alone—you must have gone through so much."

Kiana grasped Xina's hands, tears glistening in her eyes.

She had lost her mother as a child; Xina had grown up without a father. Of course, she knew how hard it was to have a vital piece of life missing.

"Uh, it's actually fine. Living alone... I'm pretty free, really."

Xina recited the lie flatly, not even believing it herself. If not for the trembling and hesitation in her voice that anyone could hear, someone might have thought she was telling the truth.

Bronya, who had been sitting in a chair observing them, finally spoke up.

"Bronya was alone before too, so Bronya knows that feeling isn't good. But don't worry—everything will be okay."

"..." Xina kept her head low, silent, but her fists were clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

Damn it. Why do you have to act like this in front of me? Are you pitying me? I'm a Herrscher. I... I don't need your pity!

Feeling humiliated, Xina burned with shame and anger. She wanted to reveal her identity outright, then destroy this ship called the Hyperion.

Finally, she would walk away gracefully under the shocked, terrified, awed gazes of these self-righteous people.

But... for some reason, when the words of confession reached her lips, Xina silently swallowed them back.

Because she could feel the sincerity in Kiana and the others' emotions.

They weren't humiliating her—they were caring for her in a human way.

Yes, it was concern...

This ridiculous thing—when she was human, she had almost never felt it from others. But now that she had become a powerful Herrscher, these things she no longer needed came popping out one after another.

What a profound irony.

For some reason, Xina felt an inexplicable irritation stirring within her, and even the frozen Honkai energy inside her began to grow restless.

"Major Himeko! Honkai energy readings are spiking! An object suspected to be a Herrscher is approaching us!"

"Whoa, two S-Rank Valkyries couldn't hold back a Herrscher? Looks like we hit the jackpot this time. Full Ship Level 1 Combat Deployment! Close in on the reaction point! We'll buy time for the S-Rank Valkyries!" Himeko immediately issued the combat orders.

"Fu Hua, you take over command. Leave the job of stalling the Herrscher to me!"

Himeko reluctantly put on the armor she had just taken off, and under the trusting gazes of the others, she strode confidently onto the deck, a great sword resting on her shoulder.

"Um... the Herrscher must be really strong, right... Is Major Himeko going to be in danger?" Xina poked Kiana beside her, but her eyes kept drifting toward Mei.

It felt a bit off, but... she could confirm that Mei was indeed her fellow Herrscher colleague.

"Hey, don't worry! Aunt Himeko is an A-Rank Elite of the Far East Branch, and one of the Two Aces!" Kiana said with a firm expression.

From Kiana's confident words, Xina could see her trust in Himeko.

"Oh? Two Aces? Who's the other one?" Xina asked again.

"Naturally, it's our branch's Minister, S-Rank Valkyrie, Lady Theresa!" Mei added with a smile as she looked at Kiana. "This time, besides Principal Theresa, an S-Rank Valkyrie from Destiny Headquarters is also participating in the mission."

S-Rank? Two of them?

Hearing that alarming word, Xina's mouth visibly twitched.

She remembered that Impostor saying that the overwhelmingly powerful Second Herrscher had been stalled by Destiny's S-Rank Valkyrie Cecilia and then blown to pieces.

According to the combat power substitution formula, a Five-Authority Second Herrscher was slightly stronger than an S-Rank Valkyrie, and she, Xina, was just a weak, pitiful, and helpless Dual-Authority Herrscher.

Five was greater than two, so an S-Rank Valkyrie was definitely stronger than her.

What's more, this time there wasn't just one S-Rank Valkyrie, but two. Roughly speaking... if she made any reckless moves, it was a guaranteed death sentence.

At that moment, Xina felt immensely grateful for her wise decision to leave after creating a decoy to draw fire.

"Look, Aunt Himeko has already engaged the 'Herrscher'!" Kiana leaned over the table, pointing excitedly at the image displayed on the floating screen.