The Calm Before the Storm

February 6, 2000, early morning.

Sirin gradually regained consciousness. She felt a flow of power entering her body while she was unconscious. Opening her eyes, she saw Enoshia sitting nearby, smiling and waving at her.

"Hey, long time no see. How do you feel?"

She spread her hands and found she could manipulate lightning.

"What did you do to me?"

"I obtained the Herrscher of Thunder's core from Schicksal HQ. The moment it touched you, it was automatically absorbed. You now have new power—you are both the Herrscher of Void and the Herrscher of Thunder."

"Then why didn't you absorb it yourself?" Sirin asked, puzzled.

"What do you think a Herrscher Core is? Something you can just absorb on a whim? There are barely any who can become a Herrscher, and someone who can bear two cores at once? Probably only you in the entire world." Enoshia pursed her lips, a genuine look of envy on her face for Sirin's unique constitution.

Sirin looked at Benares, who was lying on the ground. She had been severely wounded by Old Yang's Mimic Heavenly Father and had used her last ounce of strength to break through with Sirin. If not for being a Judgment-class Honkai Beast, she would have been long dead.

Sirin immediately went to her side. With a massive infusion of Honkai Energy, Benares woke up, her form shifting from a dragon to that of a human girl.

She had long gray hair, sky-blue pupils, and feather-like ornaments on her head like Sirin. She wore a white vest-like top with a purple four-pointed star decoration at the chest, the hem long enough to reach her knees. Black long gloves with white armor plating over them, her fingers tinged purple. Black hot pants and white thigh-high stockings, connected to purple high heels. A pair of beautiful purple wings on her back, which she could retract at will.

"Tch, been single too long—even Beebz looks pretty to me now. I'm a Herrscher too; if only I could have my own Judgment-class Honkai Beast someday." Enoshia looked at Benares, lost in thought.

"I... I'm alive?" Benares opened her eyes, astonished to find she had not only taken the form of a human girl but also gained human reasoning.

"Mhm... Bella. From today on, you shall be called Bella." Sirin nodded in satisfaction at the still-dazed Bella.

"Yes, Queen." Bella immediately knelt on one knee before Sirin. The appearance and name bestowed by Sirin were, to her, the most precious things.

"What about Schicksal's people?" Sirin knew that after sleeping so long, Schicksal's forces should have found her by now.

"Don't worry. I've modified all of Schicksal's detection equipment. As long as you don't use your Herrscher Authority in front of others, any device will just read you as a little girl with higher-than-average Honkai resistance."

Hearing this, Sirin's face immediately fell. "I can't believe you still had to step in. If I hadn't let my guard down, that Herrscher of Reason wouldn't have been a match for me."

At that, Enoshia shot her a glare. "You've got some nerve. He's the leader of Anti-Entropy, already hostile to Schicksal. He only came to negotiate because he didn't want you to harm ordinary people. Who knew that after beating Theresa, you'd think you were invincible again?"

"Ah, fine. A bet's a bet. I'll keep my word. Where are you taking me?"

"The Sea of Quanta. But don't be impatient—it's not a place you can just enter whenever you want. I need to find the right opportunity." Enoshia revealed a mysterious smile.

"For now, the most important thing is where we go next. I've modified the detection equipment's programs, but changing people is much harder than changing machines. Too many Valkyries have seen your face. I think we need to find a secluded place to lie low for a while and plan from there."

At Babylon Tower, Old Yang, who was good at bouncing back, had mostly recovered after three days of treatment. Theresa and Siegfried had a good impression of the Anti-Entropy members, so they immediately shared the latest intel from Schicksal HQ.

"Since the matter of the Herrscher of Void and the Herrscher of Corruption is settled, it's time for us to leave. Thank you for your hospitality these past days." Old Yang shook hands with Siegfried.

"You're too kind. Aside from taking out a few small fry, we did nothing. Without you, even without the Herrscher of Corruption, Babylon Tower would have been torn apart by the Herrscher of Void. Who knows how many people would have suffered?"

Salome, Jokanan, and Shub nodded in agreement. The strength of this First Herrscher had left a deep impression on these two elites of the Snow Wolf Squad.

"Please, take care. We look forward to future opportunities for cooperation." The three from Anti-Entropy walked further and further away, soon disappearing into the vast snowy plains.

"Siegfried, Salome, Shub, it's time for us to return to HQ. Leave this place to the Valkyries of the Siberia Branch."

Theresa looked at Huò Bùfán, who had just arrived with several Valkyries behind her.

"The cleanup work will be your burden."

"Ah, it's no trouble at all. Just checking for any remaining risks inside Babylon Tower. Barring surprises, it should be over soon. Something this big happened in Siberia, and as an A-rank Valkyrie of the branch, I only took out a few grunts. The real hard work was done by all of you." Huò Bùfán scratched her head, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Ahh~ Another mission done." On the transport plane, Shub stretched lazily, looking completely at ease. But Salome was still lost in thought, head bowed.

"Salome, now that we're finally done, don't keep frowning and overthinking. Once we report back at HQ, let's go have a good drink." Shub patted her shoulder warmly.

"Nicholas, you should know our next mission is to search for Fu Hua, who's been missing for days in South America. We're not familiar with her, but at least we know she's Cheng Lixue's teacher. If even she got trapped by an enemy, we should prepare well in advance."

Shub, however, looked dismissive.

"Pfft, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. There's always a way. We'll figure it out when the time comes. You said yourself it's an enemy that could trap even her. Thinking too much about it here probably won't help. We'll only know what's going on when we see it face to face. Finally got a chance to relax, so why not enjoy it while we can?"

At that, Salome gave a helpless smile. Looked like all the advance planning would fall to her again. But after all these years together, she was used to it.