"Bai Chen, you're not behaving. Is something bothering you?"
Bronya floated up in front of Bai Chen and gave him an icy stare.
"Canna tawk, cheeksh hurt."
With Kiana pinching his cheeks, Bai Chen spoke unclearly. He had never intended to drag them into this, especially Mei, since Yuno had once been Mei's schoolmate.
"Alright, Kiana, Bronya. Since Bai Chen isn't telling us, he probably has his reasons."
Gentle Mei stepped forward, removed Kiana's hand, and smoothed things over.
"Wuwuwu, thank you, Mei."
Bai Chen rubbed his reddened cheeks.
After Bai Chen had recovered a little, he finally revealed what he knew.
"According to the memories in the Memory fragments, the Mimic Herrscher is Yuno from Senba Academy."
"Senba Academy?!"
"Yuno?!"
Kiana had no impression of that person at all, but she knew Senba Academy well. Was that school cursed or something? The first deadwalkers had been discovered there, and so had a Herrscher.
And now another Mimic Herrscher had appeared. That place was practically a demon's den.
Mei, on the other hand, was familiar with the name. Unlike Kiana, she actually knew who her classmates were.
She remembered that Yuno had always been isolated in class. Even during the period when Mei herself had been isolated, Yuno had still been treated that way.
Thinking of that, Mei felt a trace of sympathy for Yuno.
"Is she... beyond saving?"
"She's been completely corrupted by Honkai."
"Wait, wasn't Mei completely corrupted back then too? Why was she saved?"
Kiana naturally could not stand by and watch them suddenly sentence someone to death. She believed that as long as they could communicate, there had to be a chance to save her.
"It's different, Kiana. Could a person stay in a classroom at Senba Academy for an entire month? The real Yuno died when the Honkai outbreak began. What remains is only a puppet revived by Honkai."
Knowing that Yuno had nearly caused Theresa's death twice in the original story, Bai Chen did not believe she retained any consciousness. Her soul was trapped by Honkai, and all he could do was free her.
"No! That's too cruel!"
For a moment, Bai Chen could not tell which of them had been corrupted by Honkai.
Once everything had finally been explained, the group boarded the fleet under orders and set off for Changkong City.
Returning to Changkong City after a month, Bai Chen felt a wave of emotion. Even now, he still did not know why he had come to this world. Was it because of that flash of white light he had seen at the end of his previous life?
Everything, much like Bai Chen's special ability, was shrouded in mystery.
"Would you like to try the cookies I made today?"
As Bai Chen looked at the clouds outside the ship, Mei approached with four boxes of cookies. Each box had been thoughtfully marked with a different color.
"Sure, thanks, Mei."
Bai Chen instinctively took a box and ate a cookie. The sweet flavor and rich aroma satisfied his taste buds, easing much of his melancholy.
"Kiana seems pretty upset, doesn't she?"
Mei suddenly spoke with a smile as she watched Bai Chen.
"Hm?"
Still chewing a cookie, Bai Chen looked at Mei in confusion, not understanding why she had suddenly brought that up.
"You see, Kiana has always been like that. Even when everyone around her tells her something is impossible or wrong, she stubbornly believes in what she believes and charges forward like an idiot."
"Even if she ends up covered in wounds, she's still a real fool. But that's how she saved me. It was truly incredible. Still, that also makes her prone to overlooking the feelings of those around her."
Mei then looked Bai Chen in the eyes and said seriously:
"Sorry, Bai Chen. Kiana has always been like this, and maybe what she said hurt you. But she never meant to dislike you. Can you forgive that idiot?"
Seeing Mei being so serious, Bai Chen was startled for a moment before he burst out laughing.
"Huh?"
Mei made a surprised sound when Bai Chen's reaction differed from what she had expected.
"Sorry, hahaha, Mei. I didn't mean to laugh. It's just that I've never been angry with Kiana. I've always known what she's like."
Bai Chen wiped away the tears at the corners of his eyes from laughing, then continued with a smile:
"Because I've always liked that side of her. It's so dazzling, isn't it?"
Hearing Bai Chen speak as if he were confessing, Mei finally relaxed. She had thought his gloomy mood was because they had argued.
"Mei."
Bai Chen suddenly called out.
"Mm??"
Mei looked at Bai Chen questioningly.
Bai Chen raised the empty cookie box in his hand and smiled.
"The cookies were delicious. Thank you!"
Knowing that Bai Chen truly did not blame Kiana, Mei returned a gentle smile and left with the remaining two boxes of cookies.
"Wow, Mr. Bai Chen, I want some too."
Inside Bai Chen's body, Kallen watched him eat with such enjoyment and wanted to try some too, but he had eaten them far too quickly!
"Then go have some with Yae Sakura next time."
Bai Chen looked out the window once more. His mood brightened again, and his gaze held a determination that belonged to him alone.
He no longer felt any hesitation about what he needed to do next. Thank you, Mei. You've helped me make up my mind for real!
Ever since he had learned to manipulate Honkai energy, he had gained a deeper understanding of his special ability. Now, he could do things he had been unable to do before!
With that thought, Bai Chen closed his eyes and began examining his ability cards. If he wanted to lure out the hidden Yae Sakura without letting Theresa get hurt, he could only use Kallen's transformation.
Valkyrie: Saint Kallen was unavailable, so that left only Divine Key: Imayoh and Original Sin Hunter...?
His ability did not have so many limitations. If he wanted to lure out Kallen, he had to use that form.
Over on Kiana's side, she lazily lay sprawled across the table and said to Mei, "Mei, I'm starving. Those few cookies weren't nearly enough."
Mei looked around with a head full of question marks. She had clearly made four boxes of cookies. Why were there only two left? Otherwise, it should have been fine to share some.
"Idiot Kiana, stop shouting. The staff around us are staring."
While scolding Kiana, Bronya took some cookies from her box and handed them to her.
"Hehe, Bronya, you're pretty nice sometimes."
Kiana happily accepted the cookies and began eating.
"Don't misunderstand. Bronya simply cannot eat that many. Mei, you should have some too."
As Bronya retorted, she took out some more and handed them to Mei.
Mei absentmindedly looked around, trying hard to remember where she had left that missing box.
The Mission Begins
Soon, the ship arrived above Changkong City. After discussing it, they ultimately decided that Theresa would hunt down the Mimic Herrscher alone, while Himeko remained aboard the ship to observe the situation and prevent any accidents.
But Bai Chen knew that Theresa's side was where an accident was most likely to happen. So after Theresa went down, he took the initiative to approach Himeko and request permission to fight.
"Ms. Himeko, there's something I absolutely have to accomplish here. If I don't do it now, I'll regret it for the rest of my life."
Bai Chen stood before Himeko and spoke seriously.
"Sigh, even if I refuse, you'll sneak off anyway, won't you? Theresa told me about it. Go on."
Himeko spoke helplessly. Sometimes, these children were truly hard to manage.
"Thank you."
As Bai Chen left, Theresa had already fought her way through the enemies below and arrived beside the Mimic Herrscher.
The deadwalkers blocking her way were smashed to pieces in a single exchange by Theresa using Judah. This newly born Mimic Herrscher probably would not last long either.
But Theresa had underestimated Yuno, this newly born Mimic Herrscher.
"Let me end your suffering."
Seeing that Yuno had not reacted, Theresa assumed she had not fully awakened as a Herrscher. Without lowering her guard, she rushed forward, preparing to use the golden spear within Judah to pierce Yuno's body.
But it had all been an illusion. The moment Theresa drew near, Yuno controlled several poisonous vines and lashed them out. They nearly pierced Theresa's petite body before she could strike first.
Valkyrie: Saint Kallen
"Theresa, get out of the way!!"
A golden warhammer suddenly fell from the sky, smashing through the building above and crashing straight down between Theresa and Yuno!
The overwhelming force instantly pulverized the ambushing vine, and even the entire teaching building shook as though it might collapse.
"!"
Theresa staggered back several steps, frightened by the sudden attack. That destructive power was comparable to an S-rank Valkyrie!
"Tch."
Seeing her ambush had been stopped, Yuno rose unhappily and glared viciously at the extra figure on the battlefield.
As the dust dispersed, the person within was revealed. It was Bai Chen transformed into Kallen, though the outfit he wore was not one of the playable battlesuits from the game, but a nun's attire.
"You!"
Theresa was startled when she saw that familiar figure, then immediately felt a wave of dizziness rush through her head.
Only then did Theresa notice a small wound on the back of her hand. It seemed she had accidentally brushed against one of the vines while dodging earlier. That thing had poison on it?!
Just a graze had caused this effect? If the Mimic Herrscher's ambush had not been interrupted, Theresa did not dare imagine the consequences.
"Are you here to interfere with me too?! Those classmates always ignored me and got in my way too, but now they're all dead, and I'm the only one who survived!"
"I received the gods' blessing. I'm the only chosen one!"
Amid her roar, Yuno summoned several more vines and launched indiscriminate attacks throughout the classroom. Though they looked crude, the vines sliced through the surrounding walls, desks, and chairs like blades.
Seeing that Theresa had been poisoned, Bai Chen hastily dodged while firing his gun to shatter several vines approaching her. Then, seizing an opening, he delivered a flying kick straight into Yuno's stomach.
The tremendous force carried Yuno through a wall and into the neighboring classroom, smashing the already chaotic desks and chairs into an even worse mess.
"Stop, Yuno. You're only sick. You need treatment. Don't let the voices in your heart deceive you."
Bai Chen climbed through the hole in the wall and approached Yuno.
"I'm sick? No, the sick ones are you hateful people! You never cared about me, cursed me, despised me. What did I do wrong?"
"That person gave me power. He chose me. You're the one trying to deceive me!!"
Completely deranged, Yuno would not heed Bai Chen's warning and merely continued summoning vines to attack him.
This attack was even fiercer than the last, and the cramped classroom left even less room to dodge.
"Then what about your mother?! Did your mother not care about you either?!"
Bai Chen shouted angrily. There might be many unfit mothers in the world, but Yuno's mother was not one of them. From the memories shown in Yuno's manga, she had absolutely been a good mother!
"Mom?"
Yuno's movements paused. Right, where was her mother? Could her mother also be like those hateful classmates...
Now!
"Judah, unfold!"
A massive golden cross crashed down! The ceiling trembled, sending wisps of dust drifting down! Judas Vow instantly fired several golden chains, binding Yuno tightly.
Just as Bai Chen prepared to follow up, Yuno let out a vicious laugh.
"Hahaha! Of course she didn't! She paid for me to go to school because she must have seen me as a burden! Otherwise, why did she never come help me even once?! Why didn't she stop those people from bullying me?!"
Before you continue