Shadow of the Saint and Where One Stands

Kiana Kaslana held Xing, who was severely corrupted by Honkai Energy, in her arms, her eyes not filled with worry, but with curiosity.

"Kiana, is Xing okay?" Mei asked, very worried.

"Mhm, don't worry, I can feel the Kaslana blood active within him. This bit of Honkai Energy can't do anything to him. Look, it's already starting to recede." Kiana pointed to the boy's neck, where the corruption marks had receded from his face.

Raven, who had left earlier: "..."

Logically, Xing shouldn't have been able to withstand it, but his Stigmata was special. If it hadn't been somewhat deactivated by Raven's Honkai Energy Inhibitor earlier, he would have been fine. At most, some marks would appear on his body, and then nothing.

After Herrscher Mei forcefully stuffed Honkai Energy into his body, the Stigmata woke up. As a subconscious self-defense reaction, the Stigmata sealed Herrscher Mei's consciousness, who had overfed it.

But there was a problem. During the Bonded Weaponry, Xing and Mei's bodies were in a semi-fused state, so when it was released, the Gem of Conquest was conveniently transferred along with Herrscher Mei.

Now, Herrscher Mei's consciousness was trapped within the Gem of Conquest, bound by golden chains, preventing it from wreaking havoc in Xing's body.

The problem arose again. Most of the Stigmata's power was used to seal the Gem of Conquest, leaving it with no strength to suppress the remaining Honkai Energy. Therefore, after the marks receded to his neck, they stopped moving.

It was quite awkward...

The Hyperion stopped above the four of them. What, you ask where the fourth person came from when there were only three?

Come on, did you forget about Bronya lying on the ground next to them?

Half an hour later, on the Hyperion battleship—

"That's the situation. If the girl named Raiden Mei's words are true, the Herrscher fluctuations detected earlier were emitted by her. She should be the Herrscher born this time," Murata Himeko reported to Theresa.

"And she was taken down by a brat around ten years old? Himeko, do you expect me to believe that? How can there be such a weak Herrscher?" Theresa stood on her chair, looking up at Himeko.

"I don't believe it either, but large amounts of Honkai Energy were detected within them, and the severe damage to the surrounding environment proves that a fierce battle did indeed occur there."

"That child is named Xing Kaslana. Are all members of the Kaslana family this fierce? First, there was Siegfried groping all the Valkyries' butts, and now a ten-year-old child fighting a Herrscher?"

"The former is a rumor spread by Shigure Kira. However, I couldn't find any child named Xing in the Kaslana family member list." Theresa looked at the screen. "Are you sure about this?"

"We drew his blood for testing, and he is indeed a pure Kaslana. Moreover, he is a natural Stigmata carrier. Even more coincidentally, we have his records here," Himeko glanced at Theresa discreetly, her expression very subtle.

"He was found on Taixu Mountain yesterday morning. He was supposed to be transferred to Destiny Orphanage, but he went missing en route. It's possible someone recognized his value and abducted him. As for why he later appeared in Changkong City, there are currently no clues."

"Is that so, Himeko? What's the extent of the damage at the scene?"

"Since it was in a peripheral area, there were basically no casualties, only a park was damaged, and there were only some accompanying Honkai Beasts nearby. Troops have been dispatched to clear them."

"Really, that's great. No large-scale Honkai outbreak."

"Mhm, let's go see that child."

"No, I'll go see my niece first."

"No, take Judas and go see him. He's dying."

"?"

"The Honkai Energy in his body is outrageously high. We've tried our best to suppress it, but we can only rely on your Judas. If you don't go soon, he'll probably be corrupted into a Maniac."

"Why didn't you say so earlier?!" The short white-haired girl grabbed Judas and ran.

"Theresa, you're running the wrong way!"

A golden cross was inserted into the floor, and several chains extended from it, gently caressing the boy's skin. The red marks receded accordingly.

"Strange, I haven't given any commands yet." The headmaster touched her head, not thinking much of it. After all, Judas was usually quite intelligent and would even tuck her in at night.

"Theresa, don't you find him familiar when you look at him?" Himeko looked at Theresa with a complicated expression.

"Uh, now that you mention it, he does have a bit of Siegfried's shadow in his brows. Could he be that scoundrel's illegitimate son?" The short white-haired girl clenched her fists. "Not only did he abandon Kiana, but he also dared to have an affair. Don't let me see him!"

Siegfried, who was wrestling with Raiden Ryoma, whom he had just rescued, suddenly sneezed. Raiden Ryoma seized the opportunity to pin him down, and the scene began to become philosophical...

"What are you talking about? Theresa, are you really unable to see it, or are you pretending to be ignorant?" Himeko was speechless.

"Huh? Himeko, just say what you have to say, don't be cryptic."

"Haven't you noticed that this little guy looks almost exactly like you? He might be your illegitimate son."

Theresa's mood was very subtle. She had found her niece and unexpectedly discovered a child from the Kaslana family. It should have been a double dose of happiness, so why wasn't she happy at all?

Theresa looked at the shining Judas with a complicated expression.

"Could he be an experimental subject created by Grandpa?" she guessed.

"What do you plan to do with him?" Himeko asked.

"After all, he's a rare natural Stigmata carrier. Sending him to an orphanage is like sending him to a laboratory. Let him go to St. Freya Academy with Kiana. I believe he will become an excellent warrior."

"Oh? Then wouldn't he be the first male student in St. Freya's history?"

"Heh, oh dear, I need to get him registered first. What a hassle."

— Divider —

A wooden airplane fell from the sky. Xing bent down and picked it up, looking at the tall wall. The airplane had flown out from there. Xing nimbly climbed over it, his body lighter than he had imagined.

"My airplane..." On the other side of the wall, a golden-haired little boy stared blankly at the sky. "He just keeps making these useless things all day," his older brother said disdainfully and turned to leave.

The golden-haired little boy lowered his head, his eyes filled with loneliness.

"Excuse me, is this yours?" A clear voice sounded near his ear. He looked up, meeting a pair of eyes like blue sapphires. "It was flying really high just now."

"Ah, thank you. I, I'm Otto Apocalypse. And you are?"

"I'm... Huh?"

The scene before him shattered, memories flooding back like a tide. "I think I got screwed over by Herrscher Mei and passed out. Where is this?" Xing looked around. It was an endless expanse, with nothing but broken buildings. The sky was a hazy gray, and he couldn't tell where the light was coming from.

"This is a place you shouldn't set foot in yet." A clear voice sounded by his ear. The boy turned, and a white-haired nun came into view.

"You, you are?!"

"You can't even control your own Stigmata right now, so don't aim too high. If you want to gain power here, wait until your strength reaches that of an S-rank Valkyrie." The nun raised her hand, and several golden chains burst from the ground beneath Xing's feet, binding him tightly.

"Your body has returned to normal. Go back."

"Wait, I have something to ask you!" Before the words could leave his mouth, he lost consciousness again.

"I'm looking forward to your growth, Xing Kaslana." After sending Xing away, the nun murmured to herself, "I hope you won't be like that Sigfried."

Xing opened his eyes and saw an unfamiliar ceiling.

"Awake? There are clothes prepared for you on the nightstand. Go take a shower in the bathroom over there, change into them, and I'll wait for you outside the door." A red-haired older woman stared at him with interest from beside the bed.

" (Sister Himeko)?" Xing stared at her blankly, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Why are you crying? A man can't cry so easily~"

"No, I'm just... indescribably happy."

"Alright, hurry up and take a shower and change. Sister will wait for you outside~"

"Okay, Auntie."

"Who did you just call Auntie?"

He seemed to be in a single dormitory now. After showering and taking care of his morning necessities, he put on the uniform-like clothes. They fit him well.

"I'm coming out."

"You look so cute! Come here, let Sister pinch your little cheeks~" Looking at his face, Himeko couldn't help but think of Theresa, who owed her wages and refused to pay. You owe me wages, you confiscated my wine, you always ruin my dates... The pressure on his cheeks gradually increased.

"That hurts! Let go quickly!"

Rubbing his reddened cheek, Xing was full of resentment.

"Sorry, I got carried away. Cough cough, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Murata Himeko, and if nothing unexpected happens, I'll be your teacher for the next few years."

It really is Himeko. Wait, teacher?

"Um, where is this?"

"St. Freya Academy, a place where we train to fight the Honkai. As a Kaslana, you should have the most basic common sense, so I won't go into too much detail."

"When did I enroll?"

"What, you don't want to go?"

"No, it's just... the tuition fees and such..."

"Don't worry about that. As a natural Stigmata holder, your tuition is completely waived." Himeko's eyes showed a hint of envy as she said this.

This is great?

"However, your expenses within the academy will be your responsibility. St. Freya Academy uses a credit system. All expenses here consume credits. Credits can be obtained by completing daily and weekly tasks, challenging the Memory Sea, and other methods. If your credits remain low for an extended period, you will be forcibly withdrawn."

Himeko took out something that looked like a phone and handed it to Xing. "This is a terminal that every student has. You'll need it often, so take good care of it. Replacing it if lost costs a lot of credits. Also, your initial credits have been transferred to you."

"What's with this familiar development?" For some reason, the boy's liver ached faintly.

"Oh, right. Although school doesn't start for another three days, it's better to ask in advance. What kind of weapon do you plan to major in? Since you're a Kaslana, you'll probably choose dual pistols, right?"

"What are the options?"

"Dual pistols, katana, heavy cannon, greatsword, cross, gauntlets, scythe, lance, bow, and chakram. Don't rush to choose; there are still three days until school starts. Try to see which weapon suits you first, and get familiar with the academy. Sister has something to attend to, so I'll excuse myself for now~"

"Farewell, Sister Himeko..." Seeing Himeko's stern gaze, Xing quickly changed his address.

"Almost forgot this." Himeko threw a set of keys at him. "This is your dormitory key. It's where you were just sleeping. It's a bit small, but it has everything you need. Take good care of it."

Clutching the keys, the boy smiled. This was, in a way, having a "home," right?

"Thank you." Watching Himeko leave, Xing silently thanked her. But you should be thanking Raven.

Opening the terminal, he found the map function.

"This place is huge..."

Author's Notes: I've added some of my own settings for St. Freya Academy and dug a few holes. What weapon do you all think would be most suitable for Xing? Preview: A major crisis, the entrance exam!