Interlude: Pre-Battle Preparations

Pre-war mobilization:

Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to face enemies from other worlds.

They deserve our sympathy, but we must not show them even the slightest pity when we fight them.

Tighten every nerve in your body to the limit; in the worst-case scenario, each of you might be forced to kill yourself.

But rest assured, this time, I—the current vice-captain of the Civilization Fire-Chasing Squad, Xing Kaslana —will dedicate all my strength and all available connections to help you overcome this calamity.

"So..." Kiana weakly raised her hand from below the stage, "I understand the logic, but if it's just about shifting the battlefield to prevent St. Freya from being harmed, we don't need to come all the way to Antarctica, do we?"

All around, everything was covered in white snow, and not far away, the Guotie were happily sharing food with their newly met polar bear friends.

What? You're saying there are no polar bears in Antarctica?

Honkai is omnipotent!!!

"What do you know? This is called choosing a specific battlefield while avoiding detection by Schicksal and the World Serpent. If conditions allowed, I'd even like to fight on the moon!" The young boy on stage mercilessly smacked his sister on the head with a piece of chalk. "I've really gone all out this time, and all this trouble is for you! And you dare to complain?!"

Kiana silently sealed her mouth with tape.

"Don't be so rough, be kinder to your friends." Old Yang, holding the baby seal, asked the Guotie for a salted fish to try feeding it, and also advised his student to be kinder.

"Teacher, have you detected any spatial fluctuations nearby?"

"Nothing for now, please rest assured. I will take immediate action should any abnormalities occur." Old Yang, in excellent condition, looked very confident, after all, he was at full strength.

Not only did the leader of Anti-Entropy personally arrive, but the various devices developed through the study of the Thousand Worlds were also deployed in this upcoming battle. A large number of Titan Mech were hidden and distributed nearby, and various air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles were also deployed. However, this was nothing more than something that the Herrscher of Reason could do with a flick of her finger.

You don't really think the second Herrscher of Reason is that weak, do you?

(Luckily: Wasn't it because I healed him back in St. Freya?)

The battle did not tell Theresa the truth. He lied and said that he was taking the Fire-Chasing Squad out on a secret mission. Theresa, who trusted and trusted her son completely, let him go.

Of course, not the entire army was mobilized. For example, Susanna, who was kicked out of the group chat, was not brought along, as were Fu Hua and Rita. Durandal had not yet left St. Freya. This way, even if the IF Bug wanted to launch a surprise attack on the St. Freya Academy, there would be enough combat power to deal with them.

As for my own side...

Back in the tent, the boy pulled out a roll of paper and spread it out on the small table. What caught his eye was a blueprint for a combined giant, with detailed stats and abilities of each of the Power Beast involved in the fusion marked on it. He tapped the crimson firebird in the center of the blueprint with his finger, a hint of unease creeping into his previously confident eyes. "I hope I never have to use you, Ultimate Beast Barrage Mega Titan."

"Hoo hoo..." Jiu Xiao, who was sleeping next to him, turned over peacefully. After being tormented by Xing for several days, she desperately needed to recover through sleep.

PS: This is just training. Jiuxiao's combat experience was gained through cards. I'm a complete weakling in combat.

With a kind expression, Luming covered the sleeping Savior with a blanket, then sat cross-legged and let Xing lean against her.

Ah, I know what you're thinking when you see this. If you didn't skip the previous chapter, you should know that a fanatical fan of Happiness from another dimension sent him a doll body, the kind that's indistinguishable from a real person and can't be used in the same way.

"Hmm, the texture is even reproduced. By the way, where did that guy get the data?" Enjoying the softness behind her, but upon closer inspection, she felt a chill down her spine. Fortunately, she silently labeled the messenger who gave her the doll this time and the messenger who gave her the Q version doll last time as "perverts".

The principle behind manipulating this puppet is not hard to understand; it's essentially like having an extra body that can be controlled simultaneously. The feeling of looking at each other is quite wonderful, but it's actually very troublesome to put into practice.

It's very simple. If you want to control two bodies at the same time, come and first go find Zhou Botong to learn the art of ambidextrous fighting. Try it again after you've mastered it.

Therefore, the best approach is to lie down with one body while the other is active, and when one gets tired, lie down and switch to the other, continuously squeezing the energy out of each body, as long as the mind can keep up.

Hmm, did that Silly Loli just say something about capitalists?

But for Xing, multitasking is nothing! Not to mention multitasking, multitasking is a piece of cake! As a fan of clone skills, controlling multiple body movements is as easy as breathing.

Luming's nimble fingers peeled off a segment of orange and fed it to Xing's mouth. Xing, who was playing with herself, was as happy as a child who had just received a new toy.

P. S.: I won't use my own. Ever since I tried it last time, I haven't had any interest in that kind of thing. You could say I've seen through the illusions of the world and now have no more distractions.

"Ah, this kind of lap pillow is really comfortable." The boy lay on the girl's soft thighs, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep to recharge.

Of course, leave a feather in place so the puppet's body can maintain the repetitive, mechanical motion of having its head and back patted.

Although she could multitask, when it wasn't necessary, she chose to put feathers into the doll's body so that she could act according to the program she had set.

PS: In the Ultraman series, Sachima fought for hundreds of thousands of years, but afterwards, in order to eliminate the wear and tear, he chose to use the Feather Crossing Dust to sink it into the deep memories, retaining only the accumulated fighting instincts and memories of important events.

(After all, most of the time was spent chasing Zagi and fighting Dark Lucifer, transforming into Ginga and having a love-hate relationship with Lugiel, and using Sinnoh to travel wildly between dimensions.)

Therefore, his experience bar has already been maxed out, and in terms of combat experience alone, he has no rivals in this world.

Regarding Jiuxiao, after waking up, in order to make it easier to get closer to him, he chose to communicate with him in his boyish form, and the result was—

"Hi, are you feeling unwell anywhere?"

When Jiuxiao woke up from her warm and comfortable bed, a child's voice, tender yet subtly tinged with a hint of world-weariness, rang in her ears. The savior, whose memories of the disaster had been erased, slowly moved out of the covers and looked at the boy who seemed very approachable.

"(Well, although I used the Mortal Tribulation Difficult to Cross to erase her memories of being locked in the dark room, I still used my original appearance to interact with her just to be on the safe side. I hope everything goes smoothly.)" Looking at the bewildered Jiu Xiao, Xing felt a pang of guilt. She picked up a glass of water and handed it to her, asking with concern, "Would you like some water?"

Jiu Xiao took the bottled water and drank it all in one gulp. Having just woken up from a long sleep, she did need to replenish her water supply. After drinking, she clutched her throbbing head, her eyes filled with confusion, "Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?"

Oh no! I've been using too much of the Mortal Tribulation Difficult to Cross lately and I'm out of energy. I didn't know my limits and accidentally deleted too much and reset it to factory settings, didn't I?

"Ah, I remember now!" Jiuxiao slapped his forehead, a relieved and satisfied expression on his face. "I am the savior— Hōraiji Kyūshō!"

It's no wonder it's a basic setting; it was the first thing that came to mind. However... rather than being a chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur), she should see it more as a responsibility and obligation, because the self-proclaimed title of "savior" is not just a title in Jiu Xiao's heart, as Xing discovered when she explored her inner thoughts.

But it was so cringeworthy. Luckily, I silently covered my face and resisted the urge to hit Jiuxiao with another blow and reset him to factory settings.

"I remember fighting an enemy... and then what happened?" Jiu Xiao, whose memory was stuck on the part about fighting the IF Bug that Xing had deliberately blurred, covered his head in confusion.

"Ahem, it's like this. You stood up to save a girl who was being attacked, but you were knocked down because you were too strong. I happened to be passing by and rescued you, then brought you here for treatment." Xing told her the "truth." Perhaps due to his innate friendliness and overwhelming cuteness, Jiu Xiao believed his story and expressed her gratitude.

"Ah, haha, is that so? Then the girl I'm trying to save should be alright, right?" Jiu Xiao, who had stepped forward but lacked the strength, lowered his head awkwardly, his first thought being whether the person he was trying to save was alright.

"She's fine, please don't worry."

"That's good. By the way, since you saved me, then..." Jiuxiao looked the little boy in front of him over a few times, a puzzled expression on his face, "Could it be that you are also one of the chosen ones of the world?"

Um, was it normal to talk just now because the system was starting up?

Fortunately, she produced the Nine Heavens Driver. The girl's eyes lit up, and she couldn't wait to take it back. "Ah, the source of my magic!"

The moment Jiu Xiao's fingers touched the surface of the driver, she felt a blur before her eyes. Her slender wrist was firmly grasped by an even smaller hand, rendering her unable to move. Xing looked at the slightly flustered Miss Savior with amusement and said, "Don't rush, classmate. Please tell me where this device came from, or I'll have to treat you as a spy."

Very good, let's continue the script! Fortunately, he gave himself a perfect score for his superb acting skills.

"Eh? Why?" Jiu Xiao was shocked to recall that he was a student of St. Freya. He could speak normally now. "I'm not a spy! Besides, I transformed to save someone. Why would I be treated as a spy? This is too much!"

"It's very simple. This kind of device with unknown origins but powerful functions is a technology that Schicksal doesn't have. The only one we can think of is our enemy organization. If you obtained it by chance, please give a statement here." Under the eager gaze of Jiuxiao, Xing put away the driver and took out a small notebook and pen from his waist, ready to start taking notes.

"I can, but please give me back the Savior Driver..." With the trump card in their hands, Jiu Xiao lost her momentum. Without the belt, she was now just a girl who was slightly stronger than an ordinary person.

Taking statements—

"I see, I understand the situation roughly." Sachi put away her notebook and rested her chin on the back of her hand. "Some time ago, you were found by our school's Valkyrie during a duty shift at the epicenter of the Honkai. After waking up, you stayed here without any memory and became a student of our school. Then, not long after that, this driver appeared beside you?"

"Well, at first I thought it belonged to someone else, so I didn't pick it up, but it kept appearing around me until I touched it and was instilled with some information about it." Jiu Xiao nodded honestly.

"Oh, what information?" Xing became interested.

At this point, Jiu Xiao's eyes lit up considerably, and his face showed longing and anticipation. "This world is facing a crisis, and I am the chosen savior to liberate this Honkai world from disaster!"

Xing glanced at her sideways, her expression one of wanting to laugh but holding it back.

Jiuxiao ignored his expression and continued, "However, it didn't tell me how to use it. I only stumbled upon it recently. It allows me to freely switch between different transformations and even gain corresponding combat styles. But after excitedly trying it many times, I discovered that each card only gives me combat experience the first time I use it, and I forget it after de-transforming..."

"So, you used a whole bunch of trial cards?"

"...yes."

Seeing Jiu Xiao's depressed expression, Xing laughed heartlessly, which made Jiu Xiao so angry that he pinched Xing's little face and gave him a good beating.

"And for some reason, when I transform, I always uncontrollably say some strange things that I don't even know what they mean."

"I see. Have you told anyone else about this?" Xing asked Jiuxiao after recording the information.

No, you're the first one.

"Hey, young lady." Sachi's expression turned serious, the cap of her pen pressing against her brow. "Remember, never tell your secrets to strangers. You can't be too trusting. If I had any designs on you, the information you just revealed would have undoubtedly pushed you into an abyss."

"Hey, but, but you seem like a good person..."

"Good people and bad people can't be distinguished by their faces." Sachi returned the driver to her and said earnestly, "Besides, there are no absolutely good or bad people in this world, my dear savior."

Jiuxiao nodded as if she understood, put the driver away, then turned to look at him. After thinking for a moment, she tentatively said, "Um, although I'm a little unsure, you are Xing Kaslana, right?"

"Oh, how did you guess that?"

"There are many legends about you at school, and your picture is hung up and worshipped by many Valkyrie. Moreover, in my knowledge, the only boy who fits this description is that one." Jiu Xiao analyzed seriously, and after finishing, she put her hands on her hips and looked at him triumphantly, as if to say, "How about that, am I amazing?"

Note: I'm stuck on the "Silly Loli" arc in Honkai Impact 2. Jiuxiao wrote this entirely based on my feelings, so please forgive any out-of-character character settings.

It reminds me a bit of Kiana, I thought to myself.

"Yes, congratulations on guessing correctly." Xing clapped her hands to show her approval, then stretched out her arm and placed it on Jiu Xiao's shoulder. "Hey, Miss Savior, do you know something?"

What is the reason for your question?

"The cards in your card box are all in my likeness. Did you get my permission to change them to resemble me?"

"Huh?" Jiu Xiao put on the driver and swiped the card holder in a daze. Before she could operate it, Xing, who was very familiar with her, took out the Blue Adult Form card from the card holder and inserted it into her card. At the same time, he also switched to the corresponding form.

After a while—

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know I had been using your power all along. I'm really sorry." Jiu Xiao on the bed struck an "ORZ" pose, expressing his apology with utmost sincerity.

I have no choice but to back down! Just now, after this guy saw that he didn't believe me even after I tried to change the cards several times, several of his cards actually went black! That means that if he wants to, I can't even use a single card!

On the other hand, if he wanted to, he could unlock a huge number of cards...

After much deliberation, Jiuxiao, who was well-versed in French military strategy, decisively knelt down and apologized.

"Wait a minute, according to the customs of the Far East, shouldn't the clothes be folded and placed aside?" Xing said the plot of the book in a serious tone, which almost made Jiu Xiao cry. It's just a debt, does it have to be this serious?

"Don't be afraid, I was just kidding." Before Jiu Xiao could even breathe a sigh of relief, Jian Xing continued, "How could it only be this bad?"

A demon, this guy is definitely a demon...

Seeing that Jiuxiao was about to be completely ruined again, the Black Xing stopped his toying in time. "Alright, alright, I was just kidding. I don't really care that you're using my power. Just use it properly."

As he spoke, the previously blacked-out cards regained their color, and some new cards popped out of the card box, turning into color.

"Alas, why does my magic originate from a demon who takes pleasure in manipulating people's hearts..." The little voice in Jiuxiao's heart silently shed tears, but upon seeing the new card, his sorrow immediately turned to joy. "Hero, I am grateful for your forgiveness, and I will certainly not let down the power you have entrusted to me!"

"A hero?" Sachi switched to her adult form, playfully lifting the savior's chin while moving very close to her. "I'm not a hero. To be more precise, I'm somewhere between a hero and a demon king. So, if you were the savior, what would you do? Become my ally, or destroy this demon king?"

"(All the power is yours, do I have a choice?)" The little voice in Jiuxiao's heart was full of resentment, but she still mustered up the courage to push him away and said firmly, "I trust my judgment, but if you really become the Demon King, I will use this Demon King's power to defeat you!"

"But using the Demon King's power to defeat the Demon King is absurd in itself, isn't it?"

"Hey, you're right..."

"Then, it's best not to rely too much on this device and instead enhance yourself. I'm short-staffed right now; would you like to come with me?"

"My savior, Miss?"

"Of course, my hero."

—Is it a bit abrupt?—

On the haphazardly pieced-together wasteland, the IF Bug leans forlornly against the station, waiting for the train to arrive.

This time, their strength alone was not enough, so she chose to seek out those "companions" who had embarked on the same path as them.

However, rather than being companions, they were more like a group of losers who were also toyed with by tragic fate.

As the train pulled into the station, IF Bug looked up, his gaze falling into the slowly opening train doors, his expression shifting from blank to astonished.

"Hey, do you want to kill that 'me,' or do you want to destroy this world?!"

Author's Note—

Sorry, I've been busy with train travel these past few days, so updates have been infrequent.

The battle officially begins in the next chapter! Look forward to Kiana and the others' shining moments!

Speaking of which, the author was quite lucky. Ya Ya on his twentieth draw in the beginner pool and Old Yang on his fortieth.

Sadly, it took me over 70 pulls in the featured banner to get Seele, and then another 70 pulls in the permanent banner to get the five-star Himeko... her Light Cone.

I want Himeko herself!!!