Durandal

After clearing out the remaining Anti-Entropy mechs, Ye Li came to Bronya's side.

"Cocolia, you vixen, did you really think we wouldn't take precautions after what happened last time?"

Then the scene shifted to before this operation began.

Just before boarding the Hyperion, Ye Li had called Bronya away alone and brought her into a sealed meeting room.

Not only could this room block out outside sounds, it could also jam any signal.

"What?! Ye Li, you're saying Bronya's previous loss of control wasn't caused by the Moonlight Throne, but by human interference?"

"Bronya, what I'm about to tell you may be cruel. Whether you believe me or not, please don't tell anyone."

Seeing the grave look on Ye Li's face, Bronya nodded. "Go ahead. Bronya will keep it secret."

So Ye Li concisely explained the entire sequence of events to Bronya.

Sure enough, when she learned that the mastermind behind everything was her adoptive mother, Cocolia, Bronya instinctively tried to refute it.

But the words reached her lips, yet she could not bring herself to say them.

Because she suddenly recalled how she had met Kiana and the others, and how she had joined St. Freya Academy.

Indeed, given Cocolia's personality, she truly was the kind of person who would stop at nothing to achieve her goals.

Perhaps she herself had been a pawn Cocolia had placed in St. Freya Academy.

After coming to that realization, Bronya found herself even less able to forgive her past actions and immediately said that she could withdraw from this operation.

She even said that after the operation, she would personally apologize to everyone and leave St. Freya Academy.

Ye Li gently comforted her. "Bronya, you are not the one at fault. Cocolia is.

And I have a way to help you break free from Cocolia's control in the future.

Even if we take a step back, none of this has been conclusively proven yet. It is all just my speculation. Maybe I'm wrong?"

Although he said that, based on Bronya's understanding of Ye Li, he was not someone who would jump to conclusions without solid evidence.

So, with her trust in Ye Li and her guilt toward her friends, Bronya agreed to Ye Li's plan.

Back in the present, Cocolia finally realized that the person responsible for all this was the man standing before her.

"So it was you! All tactical mechs, activate self-destruct mode! Target: Ye Li!"

Cocolia let out a hysterical roar. "Destroy this damned man completely!!!"

However, only a handful of mechs responded to Cocolia's command.

Because while the two had been trading barbs, the skilled hacker Bronya had silently hacked all the remaining Anti-Entropy mechs on the scene.

Seeing this, Cocolia realized that the situation had already been decided.

Not only had she ruined such a favorable situation, she had also lost numerous state-of-the-art Anti-Entropy tactical mechs.

And what pained Cocolia most was...

She had also lost her daughter's trust.

"Just you wait! I'll be back!"

After delivering that Grey Wolf-style declaration of defeat, Cocolia severed her remote link with the mechs.

With that, the incident finally came to an end.

Looking at the devastation around them and the unconscious Wendy, everyone exchanged smiles.

"Ah, that sure wasn't easy." Kiana stretched. "But thankfully, everything ended perfectly."

"Yes. Next, we just need to return to St. Freya Academy and find a way to remove the Gem of Desire from Wendy's body." Raiden Mei nodded.

Just then, Himeko's voice suddenly came through the restored communications channel.

"Everyone, I have bad news. I just received word from headquarters. Because of the Fourth Herrscher, the S-rank Valkyrie from the European Headquarters has already set out..."

"Didn't our operation already succeed? Why is headquarters still sending an S-rank Valkyrie?" Kiana asked in confusion.

"Let me explain, Kiana." Ye Li spoke up.

"Not every part of the Schicksal Organization is as moderate as St. Freya Academy. When it comes to Herrschers, the European Headquarters is far more ruthless than we are."

Kiana stared wide-eyed at Ye Li. "Ye Li, you mean..."

"If Wendy falls into the hands of the European Headquarters, I'm afraid her chances of survival will be slim..."

At that, Ye Li asked Himeko, "Major Himeko, approximately how long until the people from the European Headquarters arrive? We need to prepare an appropriate response."

"It has been 16 minutes and 43 seconds since I received that message, so they should arrive in about ten minutes."

Himeko said, "As far as I know, the S-rank Valkyrie dispatched by the European Headquarters this time is Durandal, Schicksal's strongest active Valkyrie. You must be careful. If a conflict truly breaks out, prioritize your own safety..."

Just as everyone prepared to take the unconscious Wendy away and head for a new rendezvous point, a sharp whistle cut through the air above them.

They looked up to see a streak of light descending from the sky.

Rumble!

"Greetings, everyone from the Far East Branch. I am the Valkyrie of the European Headquarters—Durandal."

As the smoke dispersed, a blonde girl in Blue-White Armor, holding a massive Lance, appeared before them.

"First, on behalf of headquarters, I thank you for your contribution to combating the Honkai... Now, could you please hand the Fourth Herrscher over to me?"

When Durandal, clad in blue-and-white armor, appeared on the screen, netizens in the real world excitedly shared their thoughts.

Slurp~ As expected of Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie. She was absolutely breathtaking!

Wifey, stop fooling around and come home with me. Stop getting in Kiana's way.

Hey, you up there.JPG, how come all the good things happen to you?

Let me tell you all a terrifying fact—Progress Bar is about to die!

Elsewhere, in a girls' dormitory in the real world.

When Durandal appeared, both Raiden Mei and Bronya showed looks of surprise.

The instant Kiana saw Durandal, she cried out, "Big sister?! Why is she in the video too?"

Back in the video.

Durandal's words instantly made the situation tense.

As soon as Durandal finished speaking, Raiden Mei and Bronya moved to shield the unconscious Wendy.

Kiana flatly refused. "No way! I won't hand Wendy over to you!"

Durandal seemed to have expected that.

She casually pulled the Lance embedded deep in the ground free, then assumed an attacking stance.

Just as battle was about to erupt, Durandal looked behind Kiana and the others, and a flicker of astonishment flashed through her blue eyes.

"Senior? Why are you here?"

Following Durandal's gaze, Kiana and the others looked behind them.

Ye Li stepped out from the crowd, nostalgia in his eyes. "Long time no see, Bianca."

The image froze there.