Where's the promised Third Honkai?!

He continued his interrogation: "Did the drone capture anything at Yae Shrine?"

"Yes," Susanna replied. "At first I thought it was an earthquake, and I was relieved to be in Yae Village with its low buildings. But when things slowly didn't add up, I sent the Falcon Drone up to take a look."

"Good. Kill her."

Fu Li drew Little March, a nuclear-friendly smile spreading across his clean, sunlit face.

Kiana gave his shoulder a light punch with her little fist: "Don't joke like that out of nowhere!"

"Who said I was joking?"

"If you really wanted to act, why would you use that Memory Eraser?"

"Because it's efficient! Fine, I was joking."

A Schicksal reserve Valkyrie—and more importantly, she was heading to St. Freya for observation next. This identity was just what Fu Li needed.

He thought for a moment, then said: "Since your family's that rich, why do you have to become a Valkyrie?"

Schicksal's Valkyries were no easy job. In the early days, this profession consisted of warriors trained by Schicksal to face Honkai head-on on the front lines, responsible for eliminating or capturing Dead Walkers, Honkai Beasts, and the like that appeared after Honkai outbreaks.

Whenever Honkai erupted, it was accompanied by a massive release of Honkai Energy. Ordinary people exposed to high concentrations of Honkai Energy would quickly be eroded by it and transform into Dead Walkers.

But some people had varying degrees of adaptability to Honkai Energy, able to resist its erosion or even actively use it to amplify their physical abilities, thus enabling them to fight against Honkai.

Since women generally had far higher adaptability to Honkai Energy than men, and young girls had the best adaptability of all, these warriors were mostly young women.

These girls were called Valkyries. The famous Kallen Kaslana was one of the outstanding representatives of the early Valkyries.

It wasn't until the current Overseer, Otto, took power that Schicksal accelerated its research on Honkai Energy and conducted in-depth studies on how to apply it in living organisms. The Artificial Stigmata system they developed greatly improved Valkyries' utilization of Honkai Energy, significantly boosting the combat power of Valkyrie units.

However, due to technological immaturity, Artificial Stigmata also placed immense burden and damage on their hosts, drastically shortening Valkyries' lifespans. But Otto viewed Valkyries as disposable consumables, unconcerned with their safety. This callous attitude toward human life sparked dissatisfaction and opposition from many within the organization.

For example, the (former) Schicksal North American Branch used this very slogan to break away and form Anti-Entropy, entangled with Schicksal for over half a century.

As the organization developed, the scope of modern Valkyries' work expanded greatly. Public security assistance, logistics supply, intelligence investigation, and even infiltration and assassination became part of a Valkyrie's duties.

Simply put, any task involving Schicksal's interests that required combat power could be assigned to a Valkyrie.

The moment Fu Li brought up Valkyries, Susanna lit up. Despite being under hypnosis, she turned the tables and grabbed Fu Li's hand, chattering endlessly about her dreams.

—In short, she was saved by some passing Valkyrie, which sparked her desire to become one.

After testing, her Honkai Energy adaptability turned out to be quite good. She obtained reserve status and began touring Schicksal training bases across the continents, hoping to pick the most suitable academy for herself.

All of this, of course, was made possible by her jeweler father with his "slightly" considerable assets. It made Fu Li want to belt out a song: 'We're not the same~'

He glanced at Kiana, who had nothing to do, and had a sudden idea: "Susanna, traveling alone like this, didn your family prepare any self-defense items for you?"

"Of course!"

The girl said matter-of-factly, then began pulling out all kinds of gadgets one after another from her tiny pocket.

Jackpot, little sis!

There was an Escape Dagger with a one-minute cooldown that could teleport ten meters, a C-rank portable defensive shield called the Silver Bloom Seed, a Spirit Gathering Ring made from three-point crystal that could store Honkai Energy, and Heavenly Wings that sprouted a pair of wings from her back for short-distance flight—practically the limit of what could be bought on the real side.

But that was only part of it. The truly valuable stuff was already clutched in Kiana's arms, quick as a flash.

—The Dragon Lord MK2000 plasma sniper rifle, a C-rank weapon in flintlock pistol form. Its body was inlaid with blue solid crystals that turned red when fired, emitting plasma rays whose power could be adjusted based on need.

It required charging before use, with charging time varying by power level.

Minimum power was no less than a small high-explosive round, with a kill radius of 25 meters and a fire rate of 1 shot per second. Maximum power was equivalent to a medium high-explosive bomb, with a kill radius of 50 meters and a fire rate of 1 shot per 10 seconds.

Maximum range reached 500 meters, suitable for mid-to-close range group combat.

[Note: How is this not a sniper? It has a scope, single-shot, high damage—this IS a damn sniper!]

"Wah wah wah, my long-lost sister from another mother and father, mama has finally found you~"

Kiana stroked the Dragon Lord MK2000, which no one knew whether to classify as a sniper rifle, her pupils gradually twisting into peach-pink hearts.

"So, wanna kill her and take the loot?" Fu Li's seductive voice whispered in the girl's ear at just the right moment. "Look, your twin guns were just destroyed in that earlier fight, and now you've got something even more powerful in your hands. Isn't this the heavens' guidance?"

Under the moonlight in the empty room, the warm, moist breath at her ear made Kiana shiver.

She shook her head uncomfortably, then fixed her gaze on the clean-faced boy wearing a devilish smile.

'Gulp!'

—She swallowed hard.

This was a C-rank weapon! And it was a firearm category Kiana was best at using!

She'd scrimped and saved all the way from Northern Europe just to get a pair of D-rank twin guns, only to have them sliced in two like vegetables by that Miko, Ling!

As a successor of the Kaslana Gun Kata, she didn't even have a single decent gun to show for it.

Was that right?

Was there any justice?

Was there any law?

"This, this isn't good, is it?"

The girl sitting in a duck-legged position nibbled on her rose-colored lips, too timid to meet Fu Li's eyes.

Her beautiful sapphire-like eyes were instead wide open, like a pitiful fawn swaying under a demon's temptation, on the verge of falling into the abyss, letting it toy with her body and soul at will.

Looking down from above, Fu Li let out a sneer: "When you went to steal bullets from the US military base, why didn't you think it was wrong?"

"Th-that's different!" The little white lamb mustered the courage to confront the big bad wolf: "Robbing a US military base is called taking from the rich to give to the poor; stealing Susanna's stuff is called outright banditry!"

"Just tell me—do you want it or not?"

"Yes, yes, yes! I want it!" The girl ultimately couldn't resist temptation. Clutching her flintlock-style Dragon Lord MK2000, she ingratiatingly sidled up to Fu Li: "A Li, A Li~ Help me out~ I know you definitely have a way~~~"

When it's nothing, he's a creep; when there's a favor, he's A Li.

First arrogant, then deferential—thinking about it is laughable!

Fu Li shot her a glare: "And if I said I didn't? Would you then bid farewell to your half-sister from a different mother and father at Cambridge?"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

"Be clear—impossible as in 'Fu Li can't possibly have no way,' or 'Kiana can't possibly part with the Dragon Lord MK2000'?"

The white-haired bunny fell silent this time. She lifted her pitiful, delicate little face, pouting her lips and sniffing her nose—absolutely adorable.

Fu Li was amused by her reaction: "There is a way, actually."

"Yay!" Kiana cheered, spinning in place before eagerly asking: "Then what is it?"

"Susanna wants to become a Valkyrie, right? We'll just trade her for merits."

Fu Li activated the Memory Eraser's memory addition function and walked up to the vacant-eyed Susanna.

"Susanna."

"I'm here, Master."

"...Where did that title come from? Whatever. Next, I'm going to say something, and you'll remember it all."

"Yes."

"Because you didn't tell the taxi driver to wait in advance, you ended up stranded alone at the ruins of Yae Village, far from the city."

"Because I didn't tell the driver to wait in advance, I ended up stranded alone at the ruins of Yae Village, far from the city."

"As the moon slowly rose, cold and hungry, you huddled in a corner of an old building, on the verge of tears; the howling wind around you and the rustling branches made you involuntarily think of the ghost stories prevalent in East Asia."

"I really am afraid of ghosts."

"I figured you'd be with that personality... Frightened and anxious, you suddenly remembered that there was an abandoned Yae Shrine on a nearby mountain, and the Inari God enshrined there is very efficacious in the Far East."

"Afraid of ghosts, you timidly peered into the deepening night, recalling various plots from horror stories and movies, and finally mustered the courage to set out on the path to the shrine."

"I'm so amazing."

"Right, right, right—Susanna is awesome!"

"Continue."

"Okay, huh?"

Fu Li paused his narration, sizing up the vacant-eyed Susanna for a few moments.

Only after confirming that the Memory Eraser was still functioning did he continue, somewhat paranoid.

"Although the mountain path was very rugged, you still managed to reach the Yae Shrine halfway up the mountain using the flight function of your Heavenly Wings."

"As soon as you stepped into the front courtyard, you saw a massive Sessho-seki."

"You let out a relieved expression, walked quickly over, clasped your hands together, and began to pray."

"'It doesn't cost anything, so might as well believe a little—what if it answers?'—you thought, and then you saw the Sessho-seki in front of you begin to tremble violently."

"There really was a rampaging demon sealed here, and you happened to be wearing the Spirit Gathering Ring that stores Honkai Energy."

"The demon fox sucked all the Honkai Energy out of the Spirit Gathering Ring in one go, broke through the seal, and appeared before you—a four-tailed fox-type Honkai Beast!"

Wow! A golden legendary!

"You run, it chases, and if it catches you, it'll get all handsy with you."

"Having not eaten for several hundred years, the demon fox wanted to devour you, a tender-skinned young girl, to whet its appetite."

"Of course, you refused, so you used your Heavenly Wings to spar with it."

"And that demon fox did have some skills—unleashing Flame Burst beams nonstop, as if venting centuries of pent-up rage from being sealed."

"Luckily, you still had the defensive Silver Bloom Seed and the teleportation ability of the Escape Dagger, combined with your innate talent... good luck, combined with your innate good luck—the most lethal attacks were all dodged by a hair's breadth!"

"Wow! Like a Falling Devil descending from the heavens, truly a god of the mortal realm!"

"Susanna! Awesome!" Kiana clenched her little fists to her chest, radiating an aura of worship.

Fu Li, interrupted mid-thought, said irritably: "You, the person involved, stay out of it! Can't you see I'm making this up on the spot?"

"Ahem, anyway, after draining most of the Honkai Beast's energy, you raised your fully charged Dragon Lord MK2000! Risking your life! From 499 meters away, you unloaded on it!"

"This was already the limit of what you could do! The Escape Dagger, Silver Bloom Seed, and Heavenly Wings were all destroyed in the fight! Even the Dragon Lord MK2000 was overheating, about to explode!"

Mm-hmm, saying it like that, even if the stuff is gone, Susanna won't get suspicious!

Kiana grinned and gave Fu Li a thumbs-up.

"Lucky! The heavens still favor you, their most beloved child!" Fu Li pumped his fist, his voice ringing with conviction: "Though you lost all the tools in your hands, at the critical moment, you cut down this B-rank Demon Fox!"

The sheer destructive force a B-rank could unleash was terrifying enough, and with the Dragon Lord MK2000's ten-second charge boasting a kill radius of fifty meters, it made perfect sense that the place had ended up in this state after all that bombardment.

Still, Fu Li held back, keeping the Miko Ling's true strength hidden from view.

He also conveniently concealed the news of the Key of Corruption, making the Demon Fox out to be nothing more than an ordinary mutated Honkai Beast.

Susanna was a Valkyrie reserve—a reserve, plain and simple, meaning she was just an ordinary person who'd received basic training.

She didn't even have Honkai Energy in her body; otherwise, the Memory Eraser couldn't have worked on her.

For a Susanna like that, beating a B-rank with gear from her rich daddy might be a slim possibility, but beating an A-rank? That was truly living in a dream.

"That's basically the gist of it."

After roughly laying out the story's outline, Fu Li lowered his head in thought for a moment, then added a few small details for Susanna.

He wasn't worried about being seen through, since the battle process described in this story was more or less the same as what had actually happened.

Plus, the fact that a fight had taken place here would eventually come to light—rather than letting someone trace the clues back to him, it was better to push someone forward as a scapegoat.

That was, assuming people still had the energy to bother with these trivial matters after the Third Honkai.

Fu Li clapped his hands cheerfully.

And with this credit for slaying the Demon Fox, Susanna would inevitably start from a higher position and catch the attention of big shots after joining Schicksal.

As for whether she could turn those resources into real strength, that would depend on whether she was willing to put in the effort.

Beyond that—

"Susanna, you're heading to St. Freya for an inspection next, right?"

"Yes."

Fu Li glanced at Kiana, who had finally run off to the next room to change clothes, then leaned in close to Susanna's ear and whispered softly.