By then, Siberia had become a paradise of Honkai. Hundreds of thousands of Honkai Beasts rampaged across the land, indiscriminately destroying everything. Just looking at the densely packed red dots on the screen was enough to make one's scalp prickle.
At the site where Babylon Tower had once stood, there was now a bottomless crater more than ten kilometers in radius. A deep-blue flower bud hovered directly above its center. Without a doubt, it was the Herrscher of Frost.
"No wonder someone acknowledged by the Will of Honkai can absorb a Herrscher Core so quickly." On the Crimean Peninsula, Enoshia watched Sirin gain control of the Herrscher Authorities of Void, Thunder, Death, and Wind, and nodded in satisfaction.
"Haha, no one can stand against me now☆!" With her new power, Sirin wore an extremely excited expression again. Enoshia knew that if she fought anyone from here on out, she would probably get beaten again. Of course, if she weren't a Pufferfish, she wouldn't be Sirin.
"Do you want me to help you defeat the Herrscher in Siberia?" Sirin planted her hands on her hips, wearing an expression that clearly said, "Beg me and I'll help you."
"That's right. It's very powerful. Only by having you join the battle can we guarantee victory." Enoshia spoke honestly.
"So that means I have to cooperate with those Valkyries from Schicksal? What if I don't want to go?" Sirin looked somewhat angry at the thought.
"Then you don't have to go." Enoshia smiled faintly.
"Ah... why? If I don't go, won't you very likely lose?" Sirin had imagined countless ways Enoshia might coax and persuade her, but she had never expected this answer.
"Didn't I tell you before? I won't force you to do anything. I want to deal with the Herrscher of Frost because it's my personal wish, and I shouldn't impose it on you. Besides, fighting a Herrscher is dangerous no matter what. Choosing not to fight in order to avoid that danger isn't wrong either. You're a Herrscher, not one of Schicksal's Valkyries. You never had any obligation to destroy the Honkai or protect other people."
Sirin was even more surprised.
"Didn't you say it was very powerful?"
"That's right. So if you don't go, I'll have to put in much more effort, and the price I pay in the end will definitely be several times greater." Enoshia wore a somewhat helpless expression at the thought.
"Then... what's the worst-case scenario?"
"That depends on how powerful it is. The Herrscher of Frost... in the worst case, the entire Eurasian continent could disappear, and the billions of people on it could all die. Even so, with the Herrscher of Void's Authority, you should have no trouble taking Bella and leaving safely."
Enoshia left soon afterward, while Sirin remained standing in the snow, lost in thought. From being adopted by Schicksal to becoming an experimental subject in Babylon Tower, she had long grown accustomed to being forced to do things. Yet even though Enoshia needed her, she still respected her wishes, and had not even tried to persuade her.
"Why is she treating me this way?" The question lingered in Sirin's heart.
If Enoshia wanted to study her because of her special constitution, then even if she wasn't on Schicksal's side, there was no need to give her the other Herrscher Cores and make her stronger.
But when Sirin declared that she would kill everyone in Schicksal, Enoshia hadn't stopped her like that short white-haired girl had. Instead, she had supported her with all her might. Clearly, she wasn't a gentle or kind person either.
"We've only known each other for a few days, yet she supports my wishes unconditionally—even when those wishes might hurt other people. Why is that?"
No matter how much she thought about it, Sirin could never have guessed that Enoshia supported her largely out of selfish motives.
The more Sirin thought about it, the less she understood the answer. An inexplicable vexation spread through her entire body, and it felt as though a stone were lodged in her heart.
Seeing Sirin like this, Bella stepped forward. After seriously thinking with the mind she had only recently acquired, she knelt before Sirin.
"Bella, what are you doing?" Sirin was startled.
"Queen... You look like you need something to vent your feelings on. If you don't mind... I can be your outlet." Seeing Sirin reach toward her, Bella closed her eyes.
The expected pain never came. Instead, an exceptionally soothing sensation came from the top of her head. She opened her eyes and found Sirin gently stroking her head. A strange feeling immediately rippled through her heart.
"Hm? Bella, get up."
Bella, somewhat reluctant for it to end, stood before Sirin. Imitating Enoshia, Sirin pressed herself against Bella and began running her small hands over her body. The cool sensation eased much of the irritation in her heart.
This time, Bella was the one who was startled. Although she didn't understand why Sirin was doing this, she immediately adjusted her position, doing everything she could to keep her dragon horns from poking her.
Although Sirin seemed to be treating Bella like a toy she could play with however she pleased, Bella, as the one involved, clearly sensed that Sirin was deliberately controlling her strength. She didn't feel uncomfortable in the slightest.
Watching Sirin's mood gradually improve, Bella smiled from the bottom of her heart.
"I'm so glad I can improve Queen's mood."
"Damn it, Siberia is such a huge place, and there are far too few areas with clear surveillance. Not to mention, some of them have been destroyed by these Honkai Beasts." Watching the epic-quality footage from the surveillance feeds, Enoshia punched the Data Space.
Judging from the current situation, Schicksal would begin carpet-bombing all of Siberia within a few hours at the latest. If she used her Authority to stop them from launching indiscriminate attacks, even more innocent people would die at the hands of the Honkai Beasts.
"There isn't much time. I have to hurry, find Cocolia and Alexandra, and confirm their condition." Enoshia knew that the two of them had originally escaped disaster only because Cecilia rescued them. But now that the timeline had changed, they would be doomed if they happened to encounter a Honkai Beast. And once those two were gone, both sides of the Sea of Quanta would be saying goodbye.
Bronya went without saying. Her mother had died before giving birth to her, so naturally she would have nothing to do with this. If Cocolia died, the Orphanage would probably be finished too. Unless Seele happened to encounter Schicksal, her status as a Stigmata Awakener should earn her attention, but there was an eighty percent chance Otto would take her away for experiments. Her fate would still be tragic.
"Damn it, finding two specific people using satellite images is way too difficult... Wait!"
Just as she was growing frustrated, a military vehicle in one of the surveillance feeds caught her attention. Although the image quality was terrible, the drill-shaped hairstyle of the woman in the back seat was remarkably clear. Enoshia didn't think anyone else could have a hairstyle like that.
"This location... what a coincidence. But I have to get there quickly." Enoshia swiftly traveled toward the nearest electronic device.
Schicksal HQ, Third Training Room.
Theresa stared gravely at Judah, which had just finished being inspected in her hands. After remaining silent for a long while, she let out a soft sigh.
"My old friend, you absolutely mustn't have anything happen to you. I may have to rely on you in the battle ahead."
Before you continue