As for Mei, she gave Gwen a pleasant surprise—
Besides undergoing Valkyrie training alongside Kiana and learning how to use and perform basic maintenance on various equipment, Raiden Mei, now free from kitchen duty, had also begun reading more specialized books under Choukai's guidance.
Although Raiden Mei had yet to display the talent of Dr. Mei from the Previous Civilization, it was already enough to give Gwen endless room for imagination.
After all, people had to have dreams...
Of course, although the two were already attending classes with the reserves, Gwen remained responsible for their training outside of class—
While Gwen could not teach much more than the instructors, and in many areas knew even less than them due to her own abilities, her immense strength allowed the two to push themselves to the limit.
Moreover, Gwen's bioelectricity training, which she used to hone fine control, had already achieved modest success. She could now reduce fatigue to a certain degree, like the powers in urban supernatural novels.
As for healing hidden injuries... that would still depend on light techniques—
As everyone knew, Ultramen outside the Land of Light might not have received formal, systematic education or had any support, but most of their abilities were quite well-rounded.
At the very least, Gwen, who had acquired half a set of skills, knew a few healing light techniques.
Of course, although Gwen had recovery beams in hand and did not need to worry about overdoing it and knocking out her own good-luck charms, her training plan for the two was still carefully designed with Prometheus's assistance. There would be no jeep-related nonsense that clashed with the setting.
Besides the two Herrscher girls at her side, Gwen's strength was also steadily increasing—
As the Gene Lock, which she could now activate and control on her own, continued opening, Gwen's mastery over her own power grew day by day. Her proficiency with the skills obtained from Nexus and the former Dark Spark, now renamed the Light-Shadow Spark, also continued to rise. Even her physical abilities steadily improved thanks to sufficient energy.
As for that damned Main God Space—the space of that damned Main God—it had not provided anything new. Gwen, who had thought the damned Main God Space might keep handing out rewards for about half a year, was a little disappointed, though she did not care too much—
Even just the Gene Lock and the power of light she had already obtained, along with the Shield of Paraj she had kept well hidden, put Gwen far ahead of her peers who had gone in naked with useless systems...
Just as Gwen was preparing to spend another ordinary day as usual, a call suddenly came through to her terminal, making her stop mid-training—
Kiana and Mei had gone to class, while Yolandale, Rita, Anna, and several other friends were all out on missions. Gwen was temporarily alone.
"This is Gwen. Bishop Otto, is there a mission?"
After glancing at the caller ID, Gwen raised an eyebrow in surprise and accepted the call.
"Gwen, something has happened. I may need you to make an urgent trip."
Although Otto's tone remained as relaxed as ever, Gwen, who had become familiar with him, still sensed that something was off.
"Alright. Send me the mission details. I can depart at any time."
Realizing that something might have gone wrong, Gwen willed it, and energy swept across her body, evaporating every trace of sweat.
She casually grabbed the coat hanging to one side, put it on, and headed straight out of the training room.
"Alright. I have already sent you the information.
However, the situation is urgent. I need you to wear Valkyrie Knight: Moonlit Sky and fly directly to the mission site."
Otto did not waste any words. After saying that, he immediately ended the call, leaving Gwen with the time she needed.
Hearing Otto's request, Gwen was somewhat surprised—
Although his tone had not changed much, such a request was quite unusual coming from Otto.
The Shrine Maiden Who Walked Out of History
Gwen did not have much of an objection to Otto's request.
The power furnace installed in Valkyrie Knight: Moonlit Sky was enough to sustain flight, so it would not consume much of Gwen's energy reserves.
Although flying with equipment differed somewhat from flying with her own power, the mental effort required was not much for Gwen, who was already familiar with the operation. It remained within acceptable limits.
Curious about this mission, Gwen opened the briefing and took a look, then could not help frowning slightly—
In short, Theresa had messed up again—
Another Honkai outbreak had occurred in Changkong City, and Herrscher-level Honkai Energy readings had appeared during it.
To prevent the Valkyries of the Far East Branch from being harmed, Theresa Apocalypse, the former S-rank Valkyrie and branch chief, had ventured in alone with the Divine Key Oath of Judas, only to return poisoned.
Murata Himeko, who was coordinating the battlefield, did not act rashly. While sending Theresa back to the Hyperion to recover, she had also requested reinforcements from headquarters.
And Otto had assigned that mission to Gwen.
"So she still messed up..."
Muttering inwardly, Gwen's expression turned serious as she left the training room. Amid a faint surge of energy, she donned Valkyrie Knight: Moonlit Sky and transformed into a comet-like streak of light shooting into the distance—
Gwen remembered Theresa's famous blunder all too clearly.
However, if it was only Yuno, it would not be too troublesome for Gwen—
With sufficient information, a mere Yuno was not much of a problem for Gwen. With Valkyrie Knight: Moonlit Sky alone, she could ignore most of the opponent's abilities.
What gave Gwen a headache was the possibility of another person appearing—
Yae Sakura.
Or rather, the Simulated Herrscher Yae Sakura, who carried the incomplete Ksitigarbha's Soul and the Herrscher of Erosion.
Compared to Yuno—or that Simulated Herrscher who might not actually be Yuno—whose basic ability was merely poison, once the Herrscher of Erosion within Yae Sakura broke free of its seal and could wield its Authority, Valkyrie Knight: Moonlit Sky would become the first weapon used to attack Gwen.
If not for Gwen's impression that Yae Sakura's mental state was still fairly stable, and for the preparations she had made to deal with Hiyori Maru, she might truly have hesitated for a while...
"Let's hope it hasn't reached the worst-case scenario..."
Meanwhile, in Changkong City in the Far East, a pink figure completely at odds with the surrounding skyscrapers silently moved through the city beneath the setting sun.
Dressed in a somewhat damaged yet distinctly old-fashioned shrine maiden outfit, with wooden sandals beneath feet wrapped in white tabi socks, the girl looked like a shrine maiden who had stepped out of history. Her cherry-blossom-colored hair flowed behind her, and her blue-green eyes held a cold glint of discomfort with her surroundings. A long blade hung at her waist, making it clear that she was not someone to be trifled with.
This shrine maiden, so out of place amid her surroundings, was undoubtedly the Yae Sakura Gwen had been worried about.
"Hmph, Sakura, are you still refusing to give up?"
Inside the mind of the seemingly cold shrine maiden, a gloomy voice chattered on without pause:
"Think about that little girl. Even after hundreds of years, humanity has not changed at all—greed, hatred, deception, betrayal..."
After awakening due to the Honkai outbreak in Changkong City, Yae Sakura had followed the fluctuations of Honkai Energy and found another Simulated Herrscher.
However, instead of a friendly exchange, she had been greeted by sharp venomous stingers and lethal poison.
That was also where the several tears in her five-hundred-year-old shrine maiden outfit had come from.
"Shut up, Hiyori Maru!"
Yae Sakura coldly cut off the nagging voice in her head, her tone exceptionally resolute.
"Give up your unrealistic fantasies. No matter what happens, I will never let you out."
"Heh, keep talking tough, then."
The gloomy voice was unconcerned. Instead, it spoke with a hint of mockery:
"Without that woman, how much longer can someone like you endure?"
"Even if I cannot hold on, I will perish with you before you take control of me."
Yae Sakura answered coldly, yet the subtle change in her words showed that the shrine maiden, tormented by Hiyori Maru for five hundred years, was nearing the end of her endurance.
"Heh..."
With a cold laugh, Hiyori Maru temporarily fell silent.
"..."
Sighing softly, Yae Sakura stood amid the ruins, her figure lonely and desolate beneath the setting sun...
"Colonel Murata Himeko, how is the situation?"
Leaving a long trail behind her as she came from the west, Gwen passed verification and smoothly entered the temporary command center on the ground, where she met Murata Himeko, whom she had encountered once before.
"The situation is very bad. Theresa's condition has only barely stabilized, but the Hyperion's medical resources are insufficient to remove the poison. We can only stop it from spreading further.
Moreover, during this time, the Simulated Herrscher has stopped hiding and begun spreading poisonous gas on a large scale.
The only fortunate thing is that the poison weakens greatly as it disperses. For now, it has not reached the point where we have no choice but to move the defensive line back."
Murata Himeko did not bother with pleasantries and laid out the situation in full.
"You've all worked hard."
Gwen nodded. She did not hurry to save Theresa, whose condition was already under control, and instead asked:
"Can you monitor the Simulated Herrscher's location?
If so, send me the information.
Also, are there any other enemies within the blockade zone?"
"Yes. The target's position has not changed. I'll send it to you now.
As for other enemies, perhaps because the Honkai Energy from this outbreak is not enough to sustain that Simulated Herrscher, we have not found any other Honkai Beasts or zombies yet."
Himeko nodded as she sent the information to Gwen, then asked:
"Do you need me to send people with you?"
"No. Even Theresa was poisoned immediately. Without sufficient protection, the others would only be in greater danger."
Gwen shook her head. As she checked the information Himeko had sent, she said:
"The commotion I make next may be rather large. Do not act rashly. Before I come out, do not casually send anyone into the blockade zone."
"Alright."
Murata Himeko did not say anything more and simply nodded.
Theresa had mentioned Gwen's armor to Murata Himeko before, so she knew that it was extraordinarily versatile.
Although she truly doubted whether anyone could wear a set of armor whose burden in every aspect must be beyond imagination, there was no time to ask about that now. She could only choose to trust Gwen.
The Pitted Simulated Herrscher Core
After receiving her response, Gwen turned and left the temporary command center directly.
However, not far after leaving the camp, Gwen ran into Fu Hua, who had "just happened" to return from scouting the blockade zone.
"Be careful. Make sure to activate full-body protection. The poison can invade the body through the skin."
The two had remained in contact during the past half year, so they were no longer being mysterious like agents from a secret organization making contact. Fu Hua directly offered her warning.
"Thank you. I'll be careful."
Gwen nodded. Knowing that this was not the time for a long conversation, she passed Fu Hua and entered the blockade zone.
"Hua..."
Alicia had learned of Fu Hua's situation when Gwen spoke with her, but even so, seeing Fu Hua with her own eyes still stirred countless emotions within her.
"Don't rush. In the future, you'll have plenty of time to talk."
Gwen softly comforted Alicia and said nothing more.
For now, the coming battle was what mattered most—
She always teased Theresa for messing up. Gwen did not want to become another member of the disaster squad herself.
Although she did not have Judas to guide her automatically, Gwen was not slow. Before long, she had reached the target location Himeko had given her.
And the Simulated Herrscher, whose Honkai Energy fluctuations were impossible to miss, was not unaware of Gwen's arrival.
"Oh? You knew to wear equipment this time?"
Sitting sideways on a branch of a massive tree that pierced through the entire school building, the girl's smile was wild and arrogant.
"But how long can that tin can of yours protect you?"
As the girl spoke, several vines hard enough to pierce steel thrust forward like spears, striking toward the weak points in Gwen's armor from every tricky angle.
However, before reaching Gwen, every vine was stopped by a transparent barrier and could advance no further.
After realizing that this target's equipment was much better than that white-haired midget's, the Simulated Herrscher's expression darkened somewhat, but she did not panic. More vines swept forward alongside poisonous mist, intending to trap Gwen and drag her to death.
"You can try."
Answering the Simulated Herrscher's arrogant words, Gwen ignored the vines blocked outside the barrier and shot into the air, breaking out of the encirclement before the increasing number of vines could trap her completely.
!
Facing Gwen, who was charging straight toward her, the Simulated Herrscher—whether she was truly called Yuno or not—could not help panicking and tried to evade.
However, before the girl who had been sitting so leisurely, as if upon a throne, could make a move, Gwen's spear tip had already reached her.
She was not the Herrscher of the Void. The Simulated Herrscher, lacking the ability to flee at any moment, was pierced through the chest by Gwen's spear without any surprise.
Before you continue