Gwen shook his head and asked instead:
"Since you came to clear up my doubts, I won't hold back—
Is Siegfried Kaslana really dead?"
"Unfortunately, my little friend wasn't very lucky. He lost his precious life when the Second Herrscher's consciousness awakened in 2010."
Otto nodded lightly, his expression grave.
"During those years of decline, his combat strength had fallen far too severely. When the Second Herrscher launched an unexpected sneak attack, he lost both arms outright.
After losing his arms, he had no way to use Fire of Heaven's Judgment. Faced with the Second Herrscher's attacks, he could only meet his end in bitterness.
If the assault team searching for them hadn't arrived in time and held back the Second Herrscher, even the European region of Russia might not have escaped disaster.
After that, considering that Schicksal might provoke the sleeping Herrscher consciousness into awakening again, I did not have the assault team bring the Second Herrscher back.
Instead, I had them fabricate a scene of Siegfried's departure. Little Kiana was sent traveling to temper herself, while they protected her in secret."
"..."
Gwen neither believed nor disbelieved Otto's nonsense. He merely nodded in silence—
There was no point questioning Otto about such matters when he had no intention of falling out with him.
Realizing this, Gwen set aside many of the questions in his heart and asked instead:
"Then... Bishop Otto, how do you intend to handle Kiana?"
"Regarding that, I may need to trouble you—"
Otto's answer made Gwen raise an eyebrow—
"Although our little Kiana, like Miss Raiden Mei, is a Herrscher, the Second Herrscher consciousness is clearly far more antisocial and anti-human than the Herrscher of Thunder.
So, before she completely resolves the issue of her Herrscher consciousness, for the safety of Schicksal Headquarters, I would like her to live with you. That will make it easier for you to observe her condition at all times and deal with any abnormalities promptly."
"..."
Gwen suddenly wondered whether the Otto before him also moonlighted as a pimp. He suppressed the absurd thought and nodded lightly.
"That's fine. I just need to clear out a room when I get back.
What else?"
"Everything else will be the same as for Miss Raiden Mei."
Otto smiled, displaying extraordinary boldness. Keeping two Herrschers at headquarters was practically on par with the TPC Victory Team bringing everything back to base.
"Of course, to allow you to act more conveniently, I will also raise your authorization level.
Whatever resources you need, you may requisition them directly within reasonable limits. Just remember to report it to Amber afterward."
"Alright, I understand."
Gwen nodded and accepted the assignment.
"Oh, right. When you were persuading Kiana earlier, did you mention Miss Raiden Mei's situation?"
As if something had suddenly occurred to him, Otto asked.
"Of course."
Gwen nodded.
"Although it's classified information, according to your plan, Bishop Otto, it shouldn't be classified to Kiana as a Herrscher, should it?"
"Of course."
Otto nodded without pursuing Gwen's thoughts and suggested:
"How about, once Kiana's body has recovered in a few days, we let her observe your experiment with Miss Raiden Mei using the Third Herrscher's authority? It may give her a little confidence."
"Sounds good."
Gwen was actually somewhat surprised that Otto was only now proposing an experiment to verify his earlier words, but he did not refuse—
After all, this was the key to escaping Otto's little notebook.
"Then, once the testing ground is ready, I'll have Amber notify you."
Otto smiled, perfectly demonstrating what it meant to have a secretary handle things.
"Alright."
After chatting with Otto for a few more moments, Gwen took his leave.
"How did it go?"
At Institute St. 1504, Choukai had just finished writing a report when she saw the two returning and casually asked.
"The situation is alright. The psychological trauma is rather severe, though. She may need some time to recover."
Gwen answered—
Although Choukai knew that Raiden Mei was the Third Herrscher, Kiana's identity as the Second Herrscher remained classified even from her.
Earlier, when Gwen and Raiden Mei went to the medical department, they told Choukai they were visiting a friend who had lost her family in the artificial Honkai disaster caused by Cocolia.
"Psychological trauma..."
Hearing Gwen's words, Choukai blinked and shook her head lightly.
"Then time will have to wash away the wounds."
"Perhaps..."
Gwen neither agreed nor disagreed. He merely lifted the lunch he had brought back along the way and said:
"Here, today's lunch. It was nearly eleven-thirty when we came back, so we bought it on the way. Let's eat early today."
"Thanks."
Although she had graduated from university many years ago, Choukai had always maintained a very proper attitude toward Gwen bringing her meals.
"No problem. Come eat quickly, before it gets cold."
Gwen answered casually, then took the lunch into the break room with Mei ahead of her.
Although Schicksal's Valkyries were warriors and indulgence should not be encouraged, the quality of enduring hardship was not cultivated by making warriors suffer—
Therefore, although it was not some dragon-slaying academy disguised as an aristocratic private university in America, the chefs at Schicksal Headquarters were quite skilled. Their cooking was far above both the passing line and the average, and was deeply appreciated by the Valkyries and headquarters staff alike.
That was also an important reason Mei quickly abandoned the idea of personally cooking at least one meal every day...
A Certain Pufferfish Reduced to a Unit of Measurement (Seventh Update)
"Honkai Energy suppression field ready!"
"Equipment inspection complete!"
"God-Slaying Spear ready!"
"I'll repeat this one last time. If any of the aforementioned situations occur, all units are to activate immediately without hesitation."
After confirming that every department was ready, Otto, seated in the main control room, repeated the order one last time.
"Yes!" *N
Several voices immediately answered Otto.
This was a newly built underground Schicksal base in North Africa. Conditions in every regard were still relatively crude, yet on its first day of official operation, it had received a personal visit from Bishop Otto of Schicksal. Naturally, this left the staff both nervous and excited.
After confirming one last time that none of the departments had any problems, Otto said to Gwen and Raiden Mei in the testing ground:
"Begin. Follow the plan and start with Raiden Mei's tests."
Having entered work mode, Otto's tone had changed slightly as well.
"Alright."
After responding, Gwen and Raiden Mei exchanged a smile, and he gestured for her to step forward and begin the experiment.
As this concerned a Herrscher, there were quite a lot of test items.
Raiden Mei took two deep breaths, adjusted her state, and began the tests—
Honkai Energy concentration, Honkai Energy output, authority strength, precision...
Following the sequence arranged beforehand, the tests proceeded methodically, and the data from each one was swiftly transmitted to the computers—
Considering that the Herrscher of Thunder's power came with electromagnetic interference, the facilities in this base had been treated accordingly. As long as Raiden Mei did not test her maximum output, there was no need to worry about interference.
Of course, tests concerning a Herrscher had a high classification level as well—
None of the people whose voices had answered Otto earlier knew that today's test subject was a Herrscher, nor could they see what was happening in the testing ground.
Other than Otto in the main control room and Gwen on-site, only Kiana in the observation room could see the lightning flashing within the testing ground.
"Mei..."
Pressed against the special glass of the observation room, Kiana's azure eyes were fixed tightly on the figure now surrounded by lightning. An unconscious look of envy appeared on her face—
If... if I could be like Mei too...
It took Raiden Mei more than an hour to complete all of her indoor test items. Breathing faintly, she moved to the rest area—
Besides testing Raiden Mei's current mastery over her authority and the level the two could reach together, testing the power Gwen could acquire was also one of the day's central objectives.
Under Raiden Mei's gaze, Gwen walked before the testing equipment and began his own tests—
Unlike Raiden Mei's bluish-purple lightning, the lightning that lit up in Gwen's hand was a brilliant golden glow, like sunlight itself.
After nearly another hour, Gwen's test items were also fully completed. Otto looked at the data displayed on the computer and nodded faintly—
Compared with the anticipated figures, the power Gwen had received was considerably higher. Although it was still quite far from Otto's backup plan, it was no longer so distant as to make that plan entirely impossible.
A quarter of an hour later, Otto suppressed his increasingly wandering thoughts and said to the two in the testing ground:
"Have you recovered, Gwen?"
The reports from the units earlier had not been mere formalities. If Gwen and Raiden Mei lost control, those munitions and the God-Slaying Spear would immediately strike the testing ground.
Although Otto's calculations indicated that these things could probably only beat Gwen half to death, if possible, Otto still wanted the experiment to proceed smoothly.
"We're ready."
Gwen answered, already standing with Raiden Mei at the center of the testing ground.
"Then... begin, my friend."
Perhaps to give Gwen a little encouragement, Otto abandoned his earlier solemn tone and spoke with a smile.
"Let me witness the existence of miracles."
"As you wish..."
Gwen's eyes turned blank, and his voice gained a deeper, weightier quality. His originally neat combat uniform, along with Raiden Mei beside him, was enveloped by a swirling blue nebula.
"..."
In the main control room, Otto, like Kiana in the observation room, stared intently at the scene in the testing ground without blinking.
Under their gazes, the nebula-like blue radiance dispersed, revealing a figure whose main color was purple and whose body was adorned with golden patterns.
Almost at the same moment, the Honkai Energy alarms throughout the base began to blare, startling the people in every department.
If Otto had not explained things beforehand, the God-Slaying Spear would likely have already appeared in the testing ground.
Otto glanced from the corner of his eye at the Honkai Energy concentration displayed on the nearby equipment and nodded almost imperceptibly.
"The peak has exceeded the standard 1000 HW, and it can be brought under control quickly without massive leakage... Very good..."
Although he had long passed the age of needing to mutter to himself, the turbulent emotions in Otto's heart still needed a suitable outlet.
"That is..."
In the observation room, Kiana shuddered all over. Recalling once again the pain she had suffered before losing consciousness, she confirmed that Gwen's earlier words had not been false.
An hour later, after completing the indoor tests, Gwen confirmed that there were no problems and headed outside through a temporarily opened passage.
At this moment, dark clouds filled the sky, thunder roared, and heavy rain poured down. This ensured that none of Gwen's actions would be discovered by satellites in space.
Targets for testing had long been set up on the surface as well, waiting for Gwen's ravaging.
Before you continue