Bonds at Odds and New Companions (Part 2)

Luming Lady (in her juvenile form), transformed into Magical Girl, floated listlessly in mid-air. Wendy, who was with her, resisted the urge to fly up and dance with her. Calm down, calm down, you can't use your Herrscher Authority in this situation!

"Where are we going?" On the way, Luming asked Kiana this question for the third time. She had many guesses in her mind, but she still hoped that her companion would tell her herself.

However, Kiana and the others all seemed hesitant to speak, which annoyed her, so she stopped asking.

They didn't walk for long before arriving at a familiar-looking prison. The members of the Immortal Blades squad guarding the iron cages greeted their captain with a salute, Knight Princess waved for them to leave.

The iron cage opened, revealing the Honkai Beast imprisoned inside. Luming looked at her friends with a puzzled expression, hoping to get answers from them.

"Luming... no, there's no one else here, we don't need to hide anymore. Xing, can you help me?"

The girl hovered in the air, thinking quietly for a while. Her delicate face showed no obvious emotional fluctuations. Her gaze swept over everyone present, finally settling on the group of Honkai Beast.

"Okay." Xing revealed a smile that was very familiar to the Fire-Chasing Squad. It was the smile he would show whenever they faced a strong enemy, to encourage them and reassure them.

"Dealing with these Honkai Beast is a piece of cake, isn't it?"

Fortunately, he casually released an electric ball, which flew through the gaps in the iron cage and eliminated a small portion of the Honkai Beast inside.

"What are you doing?!" Everyone was shocked by her action. Kiana stepped forward, grabbed her ankle, pulled her down, and shouted angrily, "I'm asking if you can turn them back into humans too!"

"You should have said so earlier." Sachi pretended to suddenly realize something, and just when everyone thought she was about to repeat her previous miracle, she released an even stronger electric ball, killing a large number of Honkai Beast.

"What are you doing again?" Kiana practically yelled.

"Is there a problem with fighting the Honkai? We've always done it this way," Sachi explained innocently, her eyes full of confusion.

"You! Didn't I tell you to turn them back? Didn't you hear me?!"

"Yes, but I don't want to do it. Is there a problem?" Xing's eyes turned cold, and her Force Field trembled, forcing Kiana back several steps.

Fortunately, she returned to her suspended state, looking down at them like a judge on trial. "You, have you made a mistake? Before it was 'I wanted to do it myself,' now it's 'you want me to do it.' Of course I have the right to refuse."

"But, so many precious lives, Brother Xing, you could have saved them!" Wendy asked, puzzled, but was met with a rare reprimand from Xing.

"Hey, get this straight—" Xing's eyes were filled with an unprecedented coldness and a hint of anger. "Are you all blind? Didn't you see that I almost died just saving my classmate? Didn't Durandal tell you about my physical condition?"

Clumsy Goose honestly replied, "I told them."

"Why didn't Brother Xing just say he couldn't do it? Why did he have to kill them?" This time, White Seele asked the question, her eyes filled with confusion and tears welling up.

She was afraid, afraid of the angry Xing, afraid of this cold, unfamiliar Xing.

This wasn't just Seele's feeling; it was also the intuitive thought of the other members of the Fire-Chasing Squad present.

"Since you can't turn it back, the only option is to kill it? Or do you want to raise it and hold a Honkai Beast Tamer Competition?"

"But..." White Seele wanted to say something more, but Black Seele quickly covered her mouth and gave the others frantic looks, "Hey, this guy is acting strange, let's end this conversation!"

Mei, who is the most understanding, didn't say anything from the beginning because she felt that Xing had no responsibility for this matter. She was the one asking him for a favor, so what right did he have to make demands?

"You can't have this attitude, can you? You're a warrior of the Kaslana Family. Don't you feel any guilt at all when you attacked just now? How can you sleep at night?!" Kiana, enraged, completely ignored Mei's advice and approached Yuki step by step.

"Shut up! Kiana Kaslana, you have no right to lecture me right now!" Sachi finally lost her temper. She flew straight to Kiana and kept at a very close angle to her, the kind of close enough to either kiss or fight.

"Guilt? We've killed so many enemies before, tell me you feel guilty?!" Sachi placed her fingers on Kiana's shoulder and asked, word by word.

"That's because I didn't know they could turn back into humans!"

"So, you're saying it's my fault? My fault for turning the Honkai Beast back into humans and then being irresponsible?!"

"No, I... I didn't mean that..."

"What is that?!"

Yukio pushed Kiana away and his cold gaze swept over everyone present once again: the bewildered Kiana, the helpless Wendy Mei, the frightened White Seele and the "I knew it" Black Seele, and the Goose Tower group who hadn't spoken since the beginning.

"Huff, huff, huff..." Xing gasped for breath, trying to bring her rapid breathing back to normal. Finally, she swept her skirt and flew through them.

"Anyway, I can't help you with this. You're free to do whatever you want with them. Do you want me to convert them after I've recovered from my injuries and need to rest? Ah, based on my bold prediction, the longer the conversion takes, the lower the chance of them turning back. Or should we just kill them here? Choose quickly, after all—"

Yu turned her head and gave them a meaningful look. "I wonder how many people turn into Honkai Beast and Honkai zombie every day."

"Goodbye, forget this memory, and just celebrate the battle you thought you won."

—Sometimes don't read too fast, or you might miss the foreshadowing the author carefully prepared.—

"This is Bronya, Kiana. How did the operation go?" Bronya's voice was as casual and relaxed as ever, as if nothing in this world could stump her.

The Fire-Chasing Squad stood before the gates of the Luming's Courtyard, watching the Valkyrie, their memories erased, board the vehicles sent by Schicksal to pick them up and leave in a daze. Kiana pressed her earpiece and whispered, "We won."

"Hmm, is everyone alright?"

There were no casualties in this operation.

"Okay, I understand the situation. Have a safe trip back."

After hanging up the call, Kiana let out a long sigh. It was better not to tell Bronya that they had encountered luck again on this mission, otherwise, Bronya would probably be very conflicted.

"Alright, let's take the Helios back too... Who are you?" The group was preparing to return to the St. Freya Academy when they suddenly noticed an unfamiliar blonde girl in the group.

"Hello! I'm Susanna, a new member of the Fire Moth Squad!" Miss Hamster answered loudly and cheerfully, her back ramrod straight.

???

Noticing the puzzled looks on everyone's faces, Susanna smiled sheepishly and explained the reason to them—

Let's go back to when Luming comforted Susanna and Anna:

"Hmm... Senior is so understanding!" Susanna hugged the little girl in her arms, the warmth and softness of which fully comforted her young heart.

Honestly, isn't it incredibly comforting to hold a gentle little boy or girl?

"Senior? I feel a little embarrassed..." Luming blushed. She hadn't been a Valkyrie as long as Susanna, so being called "senior" was a bit offensive.

"Hey, have you hugged enough? It's almost my turn!" Anna nudged her with her elbow, looking annoyed.

"Hehe, hug me a little longer~" The thick-skinned Susanna continued to hoist the hug with reluctance.

Anna was exasperated. "You've said that three times already!"

While hugging her, Susanna suddenly burst into tears, "Waaah... Just thinking about that experience makes me want to cry. Seeing claws growing out of my hands was just too terrifying!"

"That's because the Honkai Beast factors implanted in your bodies are combining with your own genes. It's a Polymerization. If the subsequent surgery goes smoothly, they can even become your own power, but the success rate is very low," Luming explained.

"Huh, are my bear paw and Anna's frozen treats the same thing?"

"Yes, all of them~ But don't worry, Durandal has completely expelled the Honkai Beast factors from your bodies, so there's no need to worry about that anymore." Seeing Anna nervously touching her body, Luming slowly added.

"Very good!"

Susanna breathed a sigh of relief, but her mood immediately soured. "Senior Luming, do you think I'm not suited to be Valkyrie?"

What do you mean?

"I'm clumsy. I haven't missed any of my studies, but I always perform poorly in formal assessments. I always think I can do better next time... Besides, I wasn't born into Valkyrie family. I only came to Schicksal because I admired those powerful Valkyrie. Maybe I'm just not cut out for this. I should just go home and inherit the family fortune..."

Anna's expression gradually turned strange. "Are you deliberately playing the emotional card to hold me a little longer? And what did you just say about family assets?!"

"Don't say that. The saying 'gold will always shine' isn't quite right. What I mean is that as long as you persevere, you will eventually shine. My teacher was also a Valkyrie became a Valkyrie later in life. She missed the best age to become Valkyrie, but through her own efforts, she became a powerful A-rank Valkyrie. Her name is Murata Himeko. You should have heard of that name, right?"

"Of course! Himeko is quite famous in our B-rank Valkyrie circle! But I don't have the courage Valkyrie should have. I'm always scared when I'm in danger, and this time, I kept thinking I was going to die..."

Seeing Susanna's pathetic, cowardly behavior, Luming angrily punched her head with her little fists. "Shameful my foot! Who isn't afraid of death? We are people with independent thoughts, not fighting machines that drive out the Honkai. Remember that, you bastard!"

"Hey, Senior Luming, are you afraid of death too?"

"Nonsense! I'm terrified. After all, I only have one life, and it wouldn't be fun if I lost it."

"Then, what is Senior Luming fighting for? And how did she become stronger?"

"For what I like, for what I love, and for those who like and love me. As for becoming stronger... at first I followed in the footsteps of those who came before me and relied on their strength, but now, although I still chase after fragments of moths drawn to the flame, I rely more on the strength I have gained myself to overcome difficulties."

Seeing the sparkle in Susanna's eyes, Luming nodded thoughtfully. When she scanned Susanna's DNA before, she found that both Susanna and Anna had pretty good aptitudes. It's just that this child lacks confidence. Speaking of which, doesn't the name Susanna sound familiar? I remember Anna. Did Susanna appear in the original story?

Well, thank goodness he didn't have time to do the open-world quests before he transmigrated, otherwise he would have definitely given Susanna a beating.

"So, would you like to join the Fire-Chasing Squad?" Luming thought for a moment and then extended an invitation to them, both of whom were taken aback.

"Eh?! Really?!" Susanna's eyes widened in surprise. That legendary team, ranked only below the Immortal Blades in Schicksal's evaluation? Do I really deserve it?

"I'm on good terms with their vice-captain, Sin Kaslana, and you guys have a lot of potential, want to join?" Two trial team badges quietly appeared in Luming's hand.

"... I'm sorry, I don't want to leave the Snow Lotus Squad. Please understand." After careful consideration, Anna ultimately declined Luming's offer.

"It's alright, everyone has their own ambitions. I wish you all the best in the future~" Luming didn't care. She just needed to pay more attention to the Herrscher of Ice body from the original timeline. When the Manila Honkai Outbreak erupts next year, she could go there and rescue Chen Tianwen. That way, [Night Owl], [Star Herrscher], and [Herrscher of Frost] would not appear.

"Um, senior, I don't mean to refuse your kindness, but..." Susanna lowered her head shyly, "I'm very weak, I'm always careless, and I'm also a bit unlucky... Can someone like me really stand out in that legendary team?"

"Don't worry, they're not as mythical as you think." Luming gave her a gentle pat on the head and laughed at the bewildered little bear.

Just like me, I doubt myself, fear being rejected, and have a strong determination to become stronger...

"Well then, welcome to the Fire Moth, Miss Susanna ~"

The little bear carefully accepted the team badge from the girl's hand, almost crying with excitement. Anna, her face darkening, grabbed her shoulders and snapped, "How long are you going to keep hugging Luming? Give her to me right now!!!"

"Excuse me! Oh, right, Senior Luming, could you please ask Senior Xing for an autograph for me?"

"Uh, that won't work for now. He's out there on business and can't come back..."

—End of flashback—

Susanna's mind raced as she recounted the events briefly and in detail, completely oblivious to the growing murderous intent in Wendy's eyes.

Damn it! My Brother Xing's passive ability to bring someone back with him whenever he goes out has been triggered again!!!

"Hey, there really is a message from Sachi on the terminal. I haven't checked the terminal and didn't notice it." Kiana opened the communication channel and read it aloud, word by word:

"Hey, long time no see, you fluffy little dumpling. I've found a cute and adorable girl who's perfect for helping our logistics department, which is lacking in talent. You should appoint her as the head of the publicity department, in charge of our team's external image promotion."

"So, he really does start from logistics..." Little Bear breathed a sigh of relief, completely oblivious to the murderous glint in Wendy and Black Seele's beautiful eyes, which seemed to hold a knife in them.

Kiana, with her back to the others, looked at the message on her terminal and muttered to herself, "That brat, he's brought us newbies again without asking. But, he's still the same brat he always was. As long as that doesn't change, it's fine..."

They should catch up with Xing's pace, or they'll become a burden.

Author's Note—

Wow, this episode is unexpectedly long... I thought it was a normal episode, but it's as long as Movie Version?

In short, this episode has successfully concluded! Hooray!

That's all, let's go.

That's all. This is just Silly Loli padding the word count. Don't waste your time. Just exit now and click on the table of contents to skip to the next chapter when I update again.

Really, there are no more Easter eggs.

Hey, can't you understand me? Still watching?

Hurry up and let's go! Have you finished your homework? Have you done the Abyss run yet?

Time is life, don't commit slow suicide!

Hey, that's hell ahead!

Do you really, really want to watch this?

Quitting here is a good thing, isn't it?

But if you really want to see it... then come on.

Hidden plot—

Bronya hung up the communication with Kiana, the smile that had been on her face vanishing instantly, replaced by an extremely solemn expression.

After discovering the disappearance of her classmates, Bronya tracked down the kidnappers. To her surprise, their hiding methods were not very sophisticated, and she found them with some effort.

As the investigation progressed, she grew increasingly disdainful of the mastermind behind it all. How dare they capture the Valkyrie of Schicksal, and even the Immortal Blades? To borrow a Shenzhou proverb, "Lighting a lamp in the toilet—looking for trouble (to die)!"

But when Bronya learned that the real culprit was World Serpent, she sensed something was amiss. This didn't make sense. How could someone with the strength of an organization that Anti-Entropy Schicksal's Anti-Entropy be so easily tracked down by her? Moreover, her style of doing things was far too high-profile.

(Congratulations to the reader who noticed something was off earlier; you've discovered the hidden challenge the author set up!)

Driven by a desire to find out the truth, Bronya conducted a more detailed investigation. As for the results—

Looking at the endless list on the screen, the silver-haired girl felt a chill run through her body and her mind went numb. She slumped into her chair, unable to recover for a long time.

"I knew it... how could they have only tied up so few people?"

Another hideout rented by the Jackal—

Wearing the Anubis mask, the Jackal watched the surveillance footage of the passionate Decade Knight slaughtering and instantly annihilating the Hazard Ex-Aid army. He gasped in shock, thinking, "Damn, this guy got stronger way too fast! I need to hurry up and finish the Danger Trigger."

Jackal automatically skipped the scene of the weakened Luming Lady collapsing to the ground after reverting to her transformation. She got up and walked out of the laboratory. Countless strange sounds rang in her ears, but she was completely unaware of them. Instead, she closed her eyes in rapture, taking them as a beautiful accompaniment.

"Listen, how beautiful is the melody of evolution!"