Durandal, Let Me See Your Limits (First Update) / Brother Qianyi Waves His Hand, No Need for More Words ...

Chapter 19: Durandal, Let Me See Your Limits (First Update)

News of the attack on ME Corporation quickly reached Raiden Mei. At the same time, a beautiful carrier pigeon delivered a letter to the Raiden Residence.

"Thank you for your letter. The information you provided saved countless lives, and every member of our Heavenly Mandate team extends our sincerest gratitude to you." The letter had been forwarded directly from Heavenly Mandate headquarters. It also mentioned that the Overseer of Heavenly Mandate had been very surprised by the letter—frankly, utterly astonished—and hoped to become pen pals with its writer. He even wished he could immediately travel to Changkong City to meet him.

Reading this, Qianyi closed his eyes and spent a long time sorting out his emotions. Then he took several deep breaths, opened the room's window, and checked whether any Honkai Energy fission bombs were heading for his head.

After all, Otto's previous pen pal had been directly blasted in the face with a Honkai Energy fission bomb, dead beyond doubt.

Could you withstand the power of a Honkai Energy fission bomb if you became Otto's pen pal?

After confirming that no Honkai Energy fission bombs were flying toward Changkong City, Qianyi continued reading Otto's letter. A cluster of heads leaned over behind him to read along. "How I long to become a soaring bird, crossing mountains and seas to reach the distant land of the Far East and meet you in person. Yet the more I ponder it, the more abrupt such a method seems. Thus, I have specially sent an elegant and beautiful carrier pigeon. May she become the bridge of communication between you and me..."

Otto's words in the letter were disgustingly mushy, as though Qianyi were some peerless beauty and Otto was considering resigning as Overseer of Heavenly Mandate to elope with him in Changkong City.

"Gross. Is he brain-dead?" Qianyi felt that Otto was simply brain-dead.

"Sir, while you are an honored guest entrusted to me by the Overseer, isn't it somewhat impolite to mock him like this in front of a Heavenly Mandate Valkyrie?" The elegant and beautiful carrier pigeon mentioned in the letter reminded him with a professional smile.

Qianyi raised his head. The beautiful, elegant carrier pigeon was standing right in front of him.

Short ash-gold hair fell over half her face, revealing a single wine-red right eye.

She wore a white lace-trimmed headband, a black maid apron edged in white, and white fabric that lightly gathered over her chest while leaving half of her ample cleavage exposed. Her lowered hands pressed against the curves at her sides. Beneath the voluminous long skirt, the curve of her hips extending from her flat abdomen appeared and disappeared from view, supported by long legs clad in black stockings that outlined an inverted triangular silhouette.

Her red lips were slightly pursed, glowing softly beneath the lamplight, while a seductive smile rested at the corners of her mouth.

"Is your Overseer a five-foot-tall blonde, blue-eyed young lady?" Qianyi asked.

"Please do not casually fabricate the Overseer's gender or height," Rita immediately replied, though she very much wished that were true.

Qianyi nodded, drained the rest of his cola in one gulp, and said, "Then he really is completely brain-dead."

"I would be quite upset if you simply ignored me," the beautiful maid said, narrowing her eyes as a dangerous aura spread from her.

The next instant, a scythe, the Void Spear, the Atlias Sword, and several other weapons were all pressed to her neck.

"Mm... ah, it seems I underestimated all of you." Rita elegantly adjusted her sitting posture. Her long black-stockinged legs crossed beneath her maid skirt, over-the-knee socks wrapping around her slender, straight legs and outlining the firm lines of her calves. A glimpse of pale, alluring thigh showed between the socks and the hem of her skirt.

At that moment, a knock sounded at the door, drawing everyone's attention.

At the same time, the beautiful maid transformed from a carrier pigeon into a venomous snake. She nimbly escaped the encirclement of weapons. Before entering, she had been searched from head to toe and carried no proper weapon at all. Thus, if she wanted to turn the situation around, there was only one thing she needed to do—seize a blade!

Her eyes settled on the katana Qianyi had placed on the sofa beside him. The man named Qianyi had caught her attention the moment he entered the room.

The battle-hardened aura around him instinctively made her associate him with her Captain, Durandal. Yet his physical condition seemed somewhat concerning. From her observations, he appeared only slightly stronger than an adult man.

Her palm, wrapped in translucent black lace gloves, easily touched the sword. But the instant she gripped its hilt, she realized something was wrong.

This sword was so light!

The next instant, Talulah slashed at her with a sword. Rita instinctively raised the blade to block, and the katana that had accompanied Qianyi through countless battles snapped together with its sheath.

"A model sword?!" ×2

Talulah and Rita cried out in unison.

Because Qianyi's battle-hardened warrior's aura had seemed utterly genuine, Rita had naturally assumed that his sword was special after discovering that his physical capabilities were within the range of an ordinary person. Talulah, who had witnessed Qianyi's many miraculous traits, had held special fantasies about the sword he always carried, believing it might even be some legendary weapon.

Neither she nor Rita had ever imagined that Qianyi would carry around a model sword!

Seeing the weapon that had accompanied him for so long meet such an easy end, Qianyi instantly flew into a blood rage!

"You bastard, do you know how hard it is to find a weapon that can pass security checks and be brought onto high-speed rail and airplanes?!"

When the door opened, a certain illegally mature woman in a sports tank top who had run all the way from ME Corporation walked in and saw Rita tied up like a bundle, a sign reading "Useless Maid" hanging around her neck, Kiana's smelly sock stuffed in her mouth, and the room's only man cradling a broken sword with a pained expression.

After learning the full story, Durandal admitted her fault. "I am truly terribly sorry about this. We will compensate you for your loss. I will contact Heavenly Mandate and have them send over a new weapon immediately."

"Why do you think a new weapon can solve this? This sword accompanied me through battles great and small. Can you understand how much it was worth to me?" Qianyi's face was cold.

"...I am terribly sorry."

"Don't say sorry. Whenever people apologize, there's always a next time. I hope you can show some sincerity."

Durandal fell silent for a moment. Then she straightened her back and made a promise. "My friend destroyed a weapon you treasured, a 'friend' that fought beside you and created many memories with you. I am deeply ashamed. But please allow me to make this promise: in the name of Bianca Durandal Attagina, I swear that I will repay this sin."

"One Divine Key." Qianyi named an exorbitant price.

Durandal rejected it. "That is impossible. Every Divine Key in Heavenly Mandate is exceedingly precious. It is absolutely impossible to give one to you..."

"So one that doesn't belong to Heavenly Mandate is acceptable?"

"If I learn of its whereabouts, I will do everything I can to help you obtain it."

"Beneath Changkong City lies an ownerless, incomplete Divine Key. Use it to compensate for my loss, and I'll release Rita."

Durandal, let me see where your limits lie!

Chapter 20: Brother Qianyi Waves His Hand, No Need for More Words

Ksitigarbha, a Divine Key created from the core of the Twelfth Herrscher of the Previous Civilization, the Herrscher of Erosion. It was the only Divine Key that had remained incomplete for tens of thousands of years, and its whereabouts were unknown.

Its true identity was Ling, the younger sister of Sakura, one of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers of the Previous Civilization.

After examining her, Dr. Mei discovered intense Honkai Energy reactions within her body but no unusual abilities. Thus, Ling was believed to possibly be the Twelfth Herrscher and was imprisoned by Fire Moth.

However, after awakening as a Herrscher, the kind girl retained her human consciousness and willingly accepted imprisonment. Yet due to the fear of low-ranking Fire Moth soldiers, she was brutally murdered. What no one expected was that the Herrscher of Erosion's power within her only truly awakened after her death.

The moment she awakened, she controlled every nuclear weapon humanity possessed and destroyed the last three cities of the Previous Civilization. In the end, restrained by the fusion warrior Sakura, she was sealed by Dr. Mei inside a black box for fifty thousand years.

Now, filled with boundless rage and endless hatred, she longed for the day of her release so she could wipe out humanity entirely.

She was, without question, an "evil god."

Durandal handed the box to Qianyi and kindly warned him, "Be careful. This Divine Key is not merely incomplete. There is a complete Herrscher consciousness inside it. One mistake, and it will erode you."

"Thanks." Qianyi readily released Rita.

"Mm." Durandal nodded. She had already seen that he had no intention of making things difficult for Rita. Otherwise, she would have sent everyone in the room flying with a few punches and kicks long ago.

"Beautiful carrier pigeon, please tell my dear pen pal that I would be delighted to exchange letters with him. If there is an opportunity in the future, I will certainly visit Heavenly Mandate headquarters." As he spoke, Qianyi folded Otto's letter and returned it to her, along with a thank-you letter he had written himself.

"I will faithfully deliver it to the Overseer." Rita gently tucked her hair behind her ear. Her wine-red eyes stared at the black box in Qianyi's hands, a faint smile lingering on her lips.

This Divine Key seemed to be truly important.

After the two left the Raiden Residence, Rita asked the blonde beauty beside her, "Lady Durandal, that Divine Key is truly dangerous. Is it really all right to hand it over like that? With my strength, I would not burden you."

"Those people did not intend to make things difficult for you," Durandal said.

"Is this really all right? An unknown Divine Key, a Second Herrscher, and a vessel about to become the Third Herrscher—if left unchecked, this could become extremely serious."

"I know. So after I finish eating, I will pay them another visit as an S-rank Valkyrie."

Just now, Durandal had gone as Rita's friend. Therefore, she could temporarily pretend not to see the Second Herrscher and the Third Herrscher. Once she finished eating, took a bath, and brought Black Abyss White Flower, she would go there as Durandal, S-rank Valkyrie.

Durandal was merely a little airheaded, not stupid.

Cocolia was indeed the mastermind behind the Changkong City crisis, but Kiana, Raiden Mei, and even that Divine Key were the true root of the problem.

If they were not dealt with, whether the Second Herrscher revived, the Third Herrscher awakened, or that Divine Key came to life, any one of those possibilities would bring catastrophe.

Taking them back to Heavenly Mandate for strict supervision was the safest course of action.

Qianyi and the others did not know that Durandal was already preparing to become General Durandal and block the entrance to their base later. But they all knew that Otto was up to no good, so preparing an anti-Otto Noble Phantasm was extremely important!

Seele stared at the black box on the table and posed a question. "So, how do we solve Ling's problem?"

"We all enter Stigmata Space and Ora Ora her for three hours first. If she refuses to listen, we keep Ora Ora-ing her until she behaves!" Kiana said with a serious expression, her golden right eye especially bright.

"Calm down. We are a Dimensional Chat Group, not a dimensional mafia gang. We cannot do something so tasteless." Qianyi shook his head, rejecting this solution for being neither stylish nor trendy.

"I remember that Ling is a fox and loves fried tofu most, right? Could we use that?" Shoko suggested. Since earlier, she had been frantically searching through the manga Kiana uploaded for information related to Ksitigarbha and Ling.

"That might work!" Artoria's eyes lit up. "Since a Herrscher has a good side and an evil side, we can keep doing things Ling likes, making her good side stronger and stronger while weakening her evil side!"

"Mm, it is indeed a good idea." Talulah was a little disappointed. She had been planning to find more enemies to practice on, so that when she beat up Koschei in the future, she could provide him with the finest service.

"We must let Ling feel the care of a family and use the power of love to help her overcome the Herrscher consciousness!" Having reached a consensus, Qianyi immediately assigned tasks. "Then Shoko and Mei, I'll leave buying the fried tofu to you."

Qianyi opened a somewhat girlish wallet and pulled out ten five-hundred-euro bills, handing them to Shoko.

With so much money suddenly in her hands, Shoko immediately panicked. "Eh? It's only some fried tofu. We really don't need this much."

This was five thousand euros. Converted to yen, it was a full eight hundred thousand!

She could not earn that much even after working for an entire year.

Kiana's attention was clearly focused on something more bizarre. "Qianyi, why are you using such a girly wallet? Did a girl give it to you?"

"Oh, this isn't my wallet. It belongs to Rita," Qianyi explained.

Everyone: "???"

No, bro!

How did Rita's wallet end up in your hands?

"Why are you all so surprised? Enemies drop loot after you defeat them. Isn't that common sense?" Qianyi asked.

It had to be said that Rita was really rich. Beating her up once earned him more money than he made from desperately fighting monsters for a month in the television world.

"This is loot we acquired together. I should not enjoy this glory alone."

Qianyi took out the remaining money, divided it evenly into six portions, and gave them to Seele, Hiiragi Tina, Kiana, Raiden Mei, Artoria, and Toyokawa Shoko. "Spend freely. Go buy something you like."

"Qianyi, aren't you giving yourself a share?" Talulah noticed that Qianyi had given everyone else money but not himself.

"I've already received the best thing." Qianyi pointed at the black box on the table.

Shoko clutched eleven large bills, sweat forming in her palm. Her face was full of conflict, and even her voice trembled. "B-but... isn't this theft?"

Qianyi waved his hand. "Shoko, taking something without permission is theft. This is normal loot after defeating an enemy. It is the 'Victory Roar' that lets us recover quickly and face the next challenge at one hundred percent."

Heroes also had to receive compensation for saving the world!

If defeating enemies brought neither loot nor reward, then no matter how passionate one's heart was, it would eventually be worn away.

Shoko fell into thought...

Shoko tried to convince herself...

Shoko gladly accepted!

The door to a new world had opened, and her knowledge increased?

She successfully accepted money from her teammates, and her courage increased significantly??

She felt her bond with everyone deepen, gradually beginning to find forming a Dimensional Chat Group enjoyable???

Chapter 21: Hiroyomaru: Don't Come Near Me!

Stigmata Space, Yae Village.

To lure out Hiroyomaru, Qianyi and the others had prepared several hundred pounds of fried tofu. But fried tofu alone would not be enough. At the end of the day, fried tofu was merely an ingredient and had to be paired with other things to create delicious food.

Qianyi grinned. "In other words, we need to make fried tofu dishes so delicious that Hiroyomaru can smell them from miles away!"

"A cooking competition? I'm joining!!" Artoria was full of anticipation.

"Perfect. I brought pots, bowls, utensils, and gas." Raiden Mei displayed her arsenal.

"It's rare to have a chance to improvise freely. Watch me show you what I can do." Talulah confidently stepped forward. "On the snowy plains, I used leftovers and captured canned food to make several hearty meals for everyone in Reunion. Alina, FrostNova, Patriot, and the Shield Guard squad members were moved to tears by my cooking and wolfed down every last bite."

"That sounds great."

Under the eager anticipation of the group members, the Dragon Girl named Talulah planned to make borscht with fried tofu.

Everyone had been rather expectant of the Reunion leader's cooking, until she abandoned the gas stove and instead demonstrated how to ignite a fire using Origin Stone Arts to roast fish and mushrooms. The heat was obviously wrong, too.

Kiana's eyelids twitched.

If Hiroyomaru ate that thing, forget making her feel loved. She would probably go berserk on the spot, decide to destroy humanity, and erase this evil substance from the world forever.

"Our mission is to reform Hiroyomaru, not assassinate Hiroyomaru!" Kiana protested on Hiroyomaru's behalf and stopped Talulah's dish.

"It is clearly you who do not understand cooking!" Talulah had been stopped halfway through cooking, and someone had even suspected that her food was poisoned assassination fare. Talulah was furious!

"Talulah, admitting your mistakes and shortcomings is nothing shameful. Being stubborn is your mistake."

"Heh, I was cooking for people on the snowy plains before you were even born."

"Don't underestimate me. I've cooked for myself since I was little. As for you, are you sure everyone wasn't too afraid to complain because of your position as their leader?"