One Hundred Uses of Authority

Having experienced the curriculum at the St. Freya Academy, those present understood the key points.

Kiana, Bronya, and Mei all understood Himeko's physical condition, and Satou Yunona was even more aware that, in addition to Himeko herself, Su Qing'an was also suffering from the effects of Artificial Stigmata.

Even her instincts Pseudo-Herrscher allowed her to clearly sense that some of her classmates and teachers felt the same way during her long periods of time at the academy.

What do natural Stigmata signify?

It may not bring much tangible benefit, but its existence brings hope.

A hope that holds the fate of countless people in its hands.

That's enough.

The group almost ignored the shocking fact of the Judgment-class Honkai Beast and the numerous dangers ahead.

The phrase "natural Stigmata" seems to possess a magical allure, captivating and enchanting all who behold them.

Satou Yunona thought to herself.

If... we get it, it might be of some help to him.

Theresa zoomed in on the map on the screen, focusing on the area below them, and pointed to one of the red dots, continuing:

"The intelligent computer has ruled out many places that are unlikely to be the entrance to the Nine Nether. At this stage, the detector cannot survive among the countless Honkai Beasts on the seabed."

"Therefore, we have no choice but to send you down to investigate and determine the authenticity of each of these entrances."

Theresa's expression turned serious. She opened a document and projected it onto the screen:

"Based on the current behavior of the underwater Honkai Beast, they are unlikely to attack living beings carrying Honkai Energy."

"You are all Valkyrie, and you all retain some Honkai Energy within you, so theoretically, they won't deliberately attack you."

"At least, there's no possibility of a large group hunting us down together."

"However, considering their increasingly volatile temperaments, the danger of going into the water is not insignificant. At this point, you certainly wouldn't agree to withdraw, would you? So please remember to proceed with caution."

Kiana looked confident and said:

"I myself have experience of escaping from dire situations in the Atlantic Ocean, riding the monsoon and following the ocean currents."

How could I possibly be afraid of such a small difficulty?

It's impossible to tell whether this person is bragging or telling the truth, but the fact that they can make people half-believe them is already quite impressive.

Theresa was speechless, and said helplessly:

"I know Kiana, you're amazing, but can you even listen to what people say? The key is the second half of the sentence, so be careful."

She rubbed her forehead and said:

"Forget it, now is not the time for lecturing."

"Before you go into the water, I think it's necessary for you two to get to know each other better."

"About Yuno's past experiences and Mei's current situation."

"Only after understanding these things can your cooperation be more effective."

Facing the gazes of the group, Satou Yunona and Raiden Mei remained silent for a moment before speaking simultaneously:

"I am Pseudo-Herrscher."

"I am the Third Herrscher."

Kiana and Bronya exchanged a deep, meaningful glance, each sensing a different level of information being conveyed to them.

Perhaps when they fast-forward to the point where everyone is Herrscher, they'll recall today's events and feel something even stranger.

Thirty minutes later.

The already chaotic ecosystem was torn apart once again by an external force.

Countless vines wrapped around a giant sphere, creating a terrifying mass. It fell directly from a height of over a thousand meters, with hundreds of seeds sprouting and growing into other vines that, like rivers flowing into the earth, further increased the weight of the sphere.

"---!"

The deafening roar shattered the tranquility of the deep sea. The sea creatures infected and turned into Honkai Beast showed no hostility and fled to other sea areas.

In their eyes, that level of Honkai Energy fluctuation was a warning signal from a more powerful Honkai Beast. Unless there was Honkai Beast among them that could rival it, this sphere was destined to have an unobstructed path.

Even Honkai Beast have their own instinctive ecosystem, and it's perfectly normal for them to follow the law of the jungle and submit to a certain degree.

Satou Yunona took advantage of this point, which is why she used her power in a brutal and unreserved manner.

This area of the sea was completely uninhabited, Theresa was certain that Otto wouldn't know what was going on here, which was why she allowed the girl to engage in such reckless behavior.

Inside the hollow sphere, the group sat facing each other, seated on safety chairs made of vines. Emerald green Honkai Energy lights served as illumination, making the environment no longer dim.

They were momentarily at a loss for words to describe the strangeness and power of this force.

Bronya always felt that Satou Yunona was more like a Magical Girl than Pseudo-Herrscher. Although this way of thinking was very different from her usual rational thinking, perhaps it was also a kind of innocent and cute side of her.

Just as Kiana had sensed the drastic changes in Satou Yunona early on, Bronya was also able to notice the girl's unusual behavior during their long period of daily interaction.

As Herrscher herself, Raiden Mei was even more so; she and Satou Yunona almost immediately sensed that the other might be abnormal whenever they met.

Therefore, the exposure of their identities had almost no impact on the relationship between the four of them.

The only one who might truly feel envy is Mei. As Herrscher, she has no control over her own power, while Yuno, as Pseudo-Herrscher, can do as she pleases.

However, after witnessing Yuno's incredibly skillful operation, Raiden Mei had for the first time the idea of whether she could turn the Herrscher's power into her own.

Previously, she always thought this power was an evil existence, like a high-explosive device stuffed into her body. Her first reaction was always to worry about when it would explode, rather than thinking about how to utilize its existence itself.

Because that's too far-fetched and too difficult.

Herrscher are humanity's greatest enemy; even if you obediently submit now, they may betray you and go berserk at any time.

But even if the road ahead is long, Raiden Mei will never give up hope.

Satou Yunona looked at the map displayed on the instrument in her hand. The vines outside were now her field of vision, and she used the corresponding map to fine-tune the vehicle's landing angle.

Using the Honkai Energy continuously transmitted from the self -Pseudo-Herrscher Core as a propulsion mechanism, the vines are shaped into corresponding forms and structures, thereby controlling their forward and left-right movement.

These are all scientific structures calculated by intelligent computers on the Hyperion. Using real three-dimensional geometric data, Satou Yunona consumed a large amount of Honkai Energy to perfectly recreate all the structures.

The result of this sacrifice is that they saved a significant amount of time and avoided unnecessary danger.

Satou Yunona's arduous training under Fu Hua has finally yielded good results; she could never have fully replicated such precise control over Honkai Energy in the past.

She opened her mouth and said:

"We've successfully approached point one. Should we just crash into it, Himeko- sensei?"

Murata Himeko nodded and gave the order:

"Just charge in, we don't have time to waste."

Chi You is continuing to break free of its seal, and no one knows when this Judgment-class Honkai Beast will finally leave the ancient prison that was meticulously crafted for it.

However, if it successfully breaks free from the seal before they obtain the Natural Stigmata and the Xuanyuan Sword.

They not only had to face a Judgment-class Honkai Beast that was no longer a target, but also had to painstakingly search for the lost Natural Stigmata and Xuanyuan Sword in the endless deep sea.

Therefore, they must now race against time.

Driven by this potential energy and the Honkai Energy, the vehicle constructed from vines suddenly plunged into the seemingly ordinary rock formation.

The Honkai Energy hidden within was stimulated and erupted with a shockwave that roared like a hurricane. The deafening roar echoed in their ears, and Satou Yunona gritted her teeth and increased the output of Honkai Energy once again.

Such a Honkai Energy reaction...

If this were just an ordinary Honkai Energy vortex, there would be absolutely no way it would produce such a violent reaction.

They were incredibly lucky; their first investigation yielded the correct answer.

This is the entrance to the Nine Nether!

The vines on the back of the sphere were completely burned, and a large amount of Seawater rushed into the interior, but the safety chair and oxygen equipment allowed the group to adapt to the situation without much impact.

Kiana rubbed her legs together; the sudden influx of such a cool sensation was still somewhat unsettling.

All she could see was pitch blackness. The Honkai Energy aura that had been used as lighting was washed away by the surging Seawater, and the violently shaking vehicle made her feel dizzy all the time.

As the one in control, Satou Yunona was in even more pain. She forced herself to exert all her energy to reinforce the safety seat and prevent the group from being scattered by the ocean currents created by the shockwave.

She knew very well how dangerous it was to lose contact under such circumstances.

The reason the vehicle hasn't completely collapsed is simply because she's using Honkai Energy to control her powers, constantly repairing and growing the vines.

Beneath the dark, sunless depths of the sea, her powers seemed less flexible and unrestrained than on land, even somewhat obscure and difficult, requiring the Pseudo-Herrscher Core to extract more Honkai Energy for continuous trial and error.

The spherical vehicle was already constructed on the Hyperion. Even with Satou Yunona's significant advancements, it would be difficult to construct it from scratch in the deep sea.

It can be said that in order to save time and avoid other dangers along the way, Satou Yunona, as a major combatant, had already consumed a lot of physical strength before even entering the Nine Nether.

But the results were worthwhile.

Boom boom boom.

The continuous sounds finally began to fade away, and the turbulent ocean currents caused by the shockwaves no longer affected the group. A few lights appeared in their field of vision, telling them that they had arrived in a brand new place.

In such a brutal and domineering way.

Satou Yunona took the opportunity to dismantle the vehicle, which was now almost a wreck, and used a portion of the wreckage as a safety rope to tightly bind the group together.

Before landing, the girl used her powers to create a giant, soft flower bud. Using vines and ropes, she pulled the others onto this cushion, and they successfully entered the Nine Nether unharmed.

The entire process was smooth and seamless.

Bronya lay in the flower bud, her face expressionless as she turned her small face to look at Satou Yunona, her gray eyes already filled with little stars.

"Sister Yunona, you're amazing!"

Satou Yunona slumped weakly on the flower bud, and she responded:

"I'm out of strength now, so Bronya will have to protect me from now on."

The little girl said confidently:

"Bronya will protect Sister Yunona."

Kiana had already pulled Mei down from the flower bud. She used her flashlight to illuminate the surrounding scenery and exclaimed in amazement:

"This place is huge, and there are only some creepy, will-o'-the-wisps swaying around, and it's all pitch black."

Raiden Mei said helplessly:

"Kiana, don't run around! It's mission time now!"

The white-haired girl said with a serious expression:

"I didn't wander off, Mei. I was looking for clues. They say this place is a ruin, so there must be something special about it. It can't all be useless stones, right?"

Before Mei could continue speaking, Kiana seemed to have seen something. She pointed to a corner with her flashlight and said:

What is that?

The dilapidated and cracked walls are covered with ancient text and abstract images.

Murata Himeko glanced at Kiana, who had noticed this, and then began checking the equipment she had brought from her backpack. After a preliminary check and finding no problems, she sighed and said:

"Kiana, those are precious historical records, don't you dare ruin them."

The white-haired girl silently withdrew her fingertips, which had almost touched the wall, and said in a serious tone:

"Of course, Himeko- sensei."

"I, Kiana Kaslana, am not the kind of person who neglects her duties and disregards discipline."

Raiden Mei gently tapped her head as a warning; compared to before, this person had become far too lively.

Murata Himeko began to take out her instruments, record all the murals, and upload them to the Hyperion's database for analysis and comparison.

She had previously confirmed that the signal had not been cut off upon entering the Nine Nether, and that communication with Theresa should be able to be maintained with difficulty, but transmitting this data was the most important thing before reporting to her.

No one can guarantee when the signal will be lost; everything in this place is unknown. Therefore, Murata Himeko can only follow the most basic priority principles in her work.

The journey here and the start have gone very smoothly; hopefully, it will continue to be so.

The woman glanced at the girls' reactions and behavior, and couldn't help but smile.

They were a really interesting group of students, and for that reason, she, as their captain, had to take responsibility for leading them all out.

While doing the tedious work of recording videos, Murata Himeko would inadvertently begin to think about some boundless things.

The little guy should be resting and vacationing in Shenzhou right now; hopefully he won't be traveling to those coastal cities.

I wonder how things are going between him and Fu Hua?

Thus began their journey through the Nine Nether Netherworlds.

Murata Himeko was still unaware of the fate that awaited her.