"Waaah, Judah, my Judah, you're finally back..." Theresa clutched Judah and burst into tears, while Xing watched awkwardly from the side.
"Your sister is really cute," Yae Sakura messaged him.
"She's over forty."
Yae Sakura was shocked for five hundred years. "Then... is she your mother?"
"Of course not!"
"Um, Principal, image. Please mind your image," Xing reminded her.
"Ahem. Xing, how are you feeling now? Are you uncomfortable anywhere?"
"I feel great. I can go back to class right away."
"No. You have multiple minor fractures all over your body. Go lie obediently in bed for a few days. Wait, what's that on your left hand?" Himeko had just been about to press him back onto the bed when she spotted the three magatama.
"Oh, this? It was there when I woke up."
Damn, don't tell me it was another Stigmata? Two innate Stigmata? How was that possible?
After they brought in equipment to examine him—
Himeko sat in her office chair and raised a bottle of red wine straight to her mouth. "Fuck, if I had a Stigmata, I'd have reached S-rank ages ago. That little brat's cheating, isn't he?"
Himeko, a commoner and hardcore grinder, shed tears of envy. "Just wait and see how I educate you from now on."
Meanwhile, after being confirmed uninjured and swiftly discharged, Xing faced a life-or-death challenge. Kiana glared at him like a tiger watching its prey. "Xing, did using Mei and me feel good?"
"..." Faced with the murderous girl, Xing did not dare say a word.
"What did you do to them?" Yae Sakura poked him in the mind.
After he briefly explained the reason, the Miko was puzzled. "Didn't they agree to it? Why would they still be angry?"
"If I had only used Kiana, she wouldn't have minded. The problem is that I used Mei too, and Kiana likes Mei."
"I see. This one understands now." The Miko suddenly understood.
Fortunately, Mei stepped in to rescue him in time. "All right, Kiana. Xing had no choice, and thanks to him, didn't our points reach the highest total?"
"Hmph! I could've taken first place without him!" Kiana protested.
"Um, is everyone all right?" Xing asked cautiously.
"Kiana and I only suffered a few superficial injuries. Bronya is a little exhausted. Are you all right, Xing? Teacher Himeko said you had to stay in bed for several days." Mei practically radiated the warmth of a housewife.
"I'm fine. I awakened this after I woke up." Xing raised his left hand, showing the Stigmata Sakura had given him. "It healed my injuries."
"Another Stigmata?" Kiana cried out in surprise.
Mei frowned deeply, pulled out two silk scarves, and tied them around his hands. "Teacher Himeko said they might have targeted you because you're a natural Stigmata bearer. You should keep them hidden."
"Th-thank you." Xing's little face reddened, but at the same time, he felt an icy gaze fixed on him.
Ding, Kiana Kaslana's hostility toward you has increased.
"Mei, I want some too!" Kiana became jealous.
"Kiana, stop making a fuss."
Xing hurriedly changed the subject. "So we got first place this round too?"
"According to Teacher Himeko's feedback, yes," Bronya answered.
"Then what about the reward?" Xing asked the question he cared about most.
"Oh, right, the reward!" At the mention of this, Kiana stopped being jealous. She grabbed Xing and rushed straight for the captain's office. Kicking the door open, she shouted, "Auntie, where's the reward you promised us?"
Theresa, who was hugging her recovered Judah and grinning foolishly, failed to notice them at all. The two exchanged glances and quietly closed the door.
"Did the Fire Moth Squad cheat? First place again?"
"I heard they came back covered in injuries. They probably encountered some high-level Honkai Beast."
Thanks again to Crimson Prison Beast for delivering itself, points, and equipment!
The principal's office—
"Your performance was excellent. As the reward for taking first place in this entrance test, you will receive early access to Valkyrie Armor." Theresa handed the four of them four forms. "That was originally only available after passing the B-rank Valkyrie test, so this is an exception. All right, fill out this form with your requirements for the armor's functions and appearance. The development department will make it for you."
"I get one too?" Xing was a little excited.
"Of course. Schicksal Knights have armor too."
(PS: Women are called Valkyries, while men are called Schicksal Knights.)
"Hmm, let me think. Comprehensive functions, superior performance, a black-and-red color scheme, and..." Xing quickly filled out the form.
Himeko collected the four forms. "That'll do. Remember to come to the development department in a few days to collect your armor."
"Awesome!" The four of them were delighted.
With armor, they could accept those high-level missions in the daily commissions. They could also frequently participate in Honkai Beast extermination missions, bringing them one step closer to the Fire Moth Squad's official formation!
"Hehe, I can finally get revenge for the last time Auntie Himeko rubbed me into the ground." The white-haired girl rubbed her fists together.
"Teacher Himeko has armor too," Xing reminded her.
"Uh, of course I know that! Right, come to the combat simulation room with me. Let me properly train your combat skills!"
Xing suddenly had a bad feeling.
Near dusk, Kiana dragged Xing, who had passed out from the high-intensity battle, out of the combat simulation room.
"This guy can really take it. Even I almost couldn't hold on." Kiana caught her breath and plopped down onto the floor. "Come to think of it, why did it feel like he knew Gunslinger Arts during that battle?"
Because while using Bonded Weaponry, he had read your memories and acquired Gunslinger Arts techniques.
A little head peeked in through the doorway. "Xing, are you done training?"
"Bronya? Xing, he..."
"I'm here!" The boy, who had been unconscious moments ago, instantly revived at full health and sprang to his feet. "Let me take a shower, then we can game together!"
"Okay."
The white-haired girl stared blankly at Xing, who looked perfectly fine in the blink of an eye. So you were acting all along? A deep sense of frustration spread through her heart.
"I'll remember this grudge."
He really had passed out just now, but a Pseudo-Herrscher core in his body supplied him with energy. Combined with his dual Stigmata, his recovery speed was astonishingly fast.
In Xing's dorm room, the two little ones squeezed together as they tackled the latest stages of "Kallen Fantasy."
"Watch me clear it without taking a hit!" Inheriting the will of that pediatrician, Xing believed in clearing stages in one life without losing even a sliver of health. For that, he did not mind sacrificing damage output or time.
Thus, when the two competed in one-on-one competitive games, Xing was always the winner. However, in other single-player games, Bronya could pin Xing to the ground and beat him senseless.
"Xing, the fox spirit is about to use a branch skill. Zero Time Blade Flash—quick, interrupt her startup."
"Bronya, can we stop fighting the Far East Fox Spirit? Or can I stop using Kallen?"
"But she is the boss of all the recent stages. We have to fight her, and Xing is strongest when using Kallen."
(Here, Bronya was using Otto.)
"Who made this one into Kallen's enemy? And who is this blond man? How dare he be so intimate with Kallen?!" Yae Sakura's furious roar echoed through his mind. When she had first encountered "Kallen Fantasy," she had been quite curious, even asking Xing to temporarily lend her his body so she could play for a while—until she learned her role in the game.
PS: While controlling his body, Yae Sakura discovered that Xing was actually a boy. Her expression was like this: o(≧口≦)o, then it became this: ╰(*°▽°*)╯.
With Kallen and Otto's final combined attack, the fox spirit fell.
Perfect Clear!
Schicksal Headquarters—
Otto put down the controller. "Phew, finally finished. Why did I set the difficulty so high? Forget it, let's check the rankings. I'm definitely in first place."
First Place, Metal Gear Bronya & Genius Gamer X;
Second Place, Durandal Is the World's Cutest;
Third Place, Kallen Is the World's Cutest;
"Who the hell is that?!" Otto's roar rang throughout the office.
"Lord Bishop, it's time to work overtime." Amber entered carrying a stack of documents.
"We'll talk about that nonsense later! First, let me see who this is. Could it be another alt account Durandal made? I've banned four of her accounts already, why hasn't she given up?"
"Bronya Zaychik, and Xing Kaslana?" Otto rubbed his eyes. At first glance, he thought A872 had escaped from the laboratory. "Interesting. He looks so much like little Theresa, and he enrolled together with Kiana? Oh, they happen to be issuing armor lately. Then I'll have him test the new armor alongside Kiana."
"Uh, why can't these two accounts be banned? Forget it, ban the second-place account first. The world's cutest is obviously my little Theresa."
Otto, looking at your own ID while saying that, didn't your conscience hurt? Oh right, you had no conscience.
In a certain room, Durandal slowly put down her controller. The words "Your account has been banned" on the screen were especially glaring. "Even this name doesn't work? Rita, help me register another account."
"As you command, Lady Durandal~"
Soon, the day to receive their armor arrived. The four of them eagerly went to the development department.
"Xing, I have a question for you." Himeko looked at the excited boy. "Did you specify on the form that you wanted male armor?"
"Huh?!" Xing suddenly had a bad feeling.
Three bays slowly opened, revealing, in order, the third-generation Valkyrie Armors: White Comet Domain, Crimson Impulse, and Shattering Skies. Wait, why were there only three?
"Where's mine?!"
"Uh, yours is special. Take this." Himeko tossed him a wristband in black, white, blue, and red, brimming with a futuristic feel. "Some Valkyrie Armors can be remotely transmitted. Yours happens to have a similar function. Put on the wristband and call out the activation command. The armor hidden inside the wristband will automatically equip itself onto your body."
"Wow, that's so cool!" Kiana looked at him enviously.
Xing put on the wristband. With the Book of Cang Xuan in his right hand and the armor wristband on his left, he felt like he was about to soar into the sky.
"What's the command?"
"Let me see. Magical Armor POWER ON! Who came up with such a cringey command? They even gave it an unchangeable setting."
Have I heard this command somewhere before? Xing found it oddly familiar, but he could not remember where. He did not think much about it, raised his left hand, and shouted, "Magical Armor POWER ON!"
A blue magic circle appeared beneath the boy's feet and swiftly rose, dressing him in the armor.
He could feel power overflowing within him. This armor seemed pretty good, though he felt a little chilly. Maybe they had used too little fabric? Strange, why were Kiana and the others staring at him? Hey, Kiana, why are you drooling?
"Hehe, Xing, you look really good." Kiana gave him a thumbs-up.
"Xing, you..." Mei hesitated.
"Bronya agrees with Kiana's opinion."
Himeko looked at him and smiled without saying a word.
Raising his hand, Xing saw that the armor on his torso used a symmetrical design: black sheer underwear paired with white-dominant external armor. His limbs, however, had an asymmetrical design. For example, his left hand had a glove but an incomplete sleeve, while his right hand had a sleeve but no glove. On his legs were two black stockings, one long and one short... Wait?!
Looking closely, it seemed that other than the stockings and a piece of fabric no better than underwear, he was basically wearing nothing on his lower body! Only a short skirt barely preserved his modesty. Several magazines were strapped to his right thigh and left buttock, serving as Leg Rings.
Wasn't this Kouyou's Holy Attire?!
"Although it has only appeared in the game, Schicksal recreated it in reality long ago. Its development concept is to grant a single person squad-level firepower. Unfortunately, its requirements for the user are too high, so almost no one can bring out the power of this all-purpose armor. Schicksal Headquarters gave it to you, so use it well~" Himeko patted his shoulder.
"No, isn't this women's armor? I want to apply for a replacement!"
"Armor can only be issued once. Besides, if you don't say anything, nobody can tell you're a boy, right? Look, Kiana's eyes are practically glued to you."
"I—"
Author's Note—
I chose this set because it best suited Xing's fighting style. After all, Xing was proficient with every weapon and could fight at range or in close combat.
Also, it was the only A-rank armor equipped with a five-star weapon. Of course, Xing only received it at its initial four-star, level-one state.
Before you continue