Durandal

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

"Cocolia, you sly fox, you didn't really think we wouldn't be prepared after last time, did you?"

Then, the scene shifted to before this operation began.

Just as they were about to board the Hyperion, Ye Li pulled Bronya aside and took her into a sealed conference room.

It could block out external noise and also shield any signals.

"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 say might be harsh for you. Whether you believe me or not, please don't spread it around."

Seeing Ye Li's grave expression, Bronya nodded. "Go ahead. Bronya will keep the secret."

So Ye Li succinctly told Bronya the whole story from start to finish.

As expected, when she learned that the mastermind behind it all was her own foster mother Cocolia, Bronya instinctively wanted to refute it.

But the words caught in her throat and wouldn't come out.

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

Indeed, given her foster mother Cocolia's personality, she was exactly the type to stop at nothing to achieve her goals.

She herself might well be a pawn Cocolia had planted in St. Freya Academy.

After realizing this, Bronya found it harder and harder to forgive her past actions. She immediately offered to withdraw from this operation.

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

At that, Ye Li gently comforted her. "Bronya, it's not your fault. It's Cocolia's.

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

Even so, until the final verdict is in, this is all just my speculation. Maybe I'm wrong?"

Even so, knowing Ye Li as she did, Bronya understood he wasn't the type to jump to conclusions without solid evidence.

So, trusting Ye Li and feeling guilty toward her friends, Bronya agreed to his plan.

Back to the present, Cocolia finally realized that the one behind everything 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 damn man to pieces!!!"

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

Because, while the two were trading words, the hacker prodigy Bronya had quietly taken control of the remaining Anti-Entropy mechs on the scene.

Seeing this, Cocolia realized the outcome was sealed.

She had not only squandered this golden opportunity but also lost a batch of Anti-Entropy's latest tactical mechs.

And what hurt Cocolia the most was...

She had also lost her daughter's trust.

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

After uttering a defeat speech worthy of Grey Wolf, Cocolia severed her remote link to the mechs.

And with that, this incident finally came to a close.

Looking at the devastated surroundings and the unconscious Wendy, everyone exchanged smiles.

"Ahh~ that was no easy feat." Kiana stretched. "But at least everything ended well."

"Yeah. Now we just need to get back to St. Freya Academy and find a way to extract the Gem of Desire from Miss Wendy." Raiden Mei nodded.

Just then, Himeko's voice crackled through the restored communication channel.

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

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

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

"Not all of Schicksal Organization is like the moderate St. Freya Academy. When it comes to Herrschers, European Headquarters is far more ruthless."

Kiana's eyes widened as she looked at Ye Li. "Ye Li, you mean..."

"If Miss Wendy falls into the hands of European Headquarters, things won't end well for her..."

With that, Ye Li turned to Himeko. "Major Himeko, how much time do we have before European Headquarters arrives? We need to plan accordingly."

"It's been 16 minutes and 43 seconds since I received the message, so they should be here in about ten minutes."

Himeko continued, "From what I know, the S-rank Valkyrie sent this time is Durandal, Schicksal's strongest active Valkyrie. So be careful. If you end up in a conflict with them, prioritize your own safety..."

Just as everyone was preparing to move the unconscious Wendy away and head to a new rendezvous point, a sharp tearing sound rang out above their heads.

Looking up, a streak of light descended from the sky.

Boom!

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

As the smoke cleared, a blonde girl clad in Blue-White Armor and wielding a massive Lance appeared before them.

"First, on behalf of Headquarters, I thank you for your contributions in fighting the Honkai... Now, may I ask you to hand over the Fourth Herrscher to me?"

When Durandal in her Blue-White Armor appeared on screen, netizens in the real world excitedly voiced their thoughts.

Slurp~ No wonder she's the strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal—absolutely breathtaking!

Honey, stop messing around. Come home with me already, and quit blocking Kiana and the others.

Upstairs, you little rascal.JPG, how come all the good stuff lands in your lap?

Here's a terrifying fact—the progress bar is about to bite the dust!

Meanwhile, in the real world's girls' dormitory.

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

Kiana, in particular, gasped the moment she saw Durandal: "Sis?! Why is she in the video too?"

Back to the video.

Durandal's words instantly tightened the atmosphere.

Raiden Mei and Bronya, right after she finished speaking, directly shielded the unconscious Wendy.

Kiana flatly refused: "No way! I'm not handing Wendy over to you!"

Durandal seemed to have anticipated this.

She casually pulled the Lance, deeply embedded in the ground, and assumed an offensive stance.

Just as a fight was about to break out, Durandal's blue eyes flickered with a hint of surprise as she looked past Kiana and the others.

"Senior? Why are you here?"

Kiana and the others followed Durandal's gaze behind them.

Ye Li stepped out from the crowd, a look of nostalgia on his face: "Long time no see, Bianca."

The frame froze there.