Mission Start!

Sheng Jiu toyed with the apple in his hand, his expression grave as he spoke to Bronya, "That foul-mouthed old man has confessed. In four hours, Kallen will be executed at the market not far from here. Security will be tight, we're in trouble."

"Bronya is truly disheartened by the old Schicksal. The Kaslana family has sacrificed so much for Schicksal, and yet Kallen's fate is so tragic in the end," Bronya said, bringing up a virtual tablet.

"Kaslana? Does that mean Sister Kallen is also from the Kaslana family? Is she my ancestor?"

"You could understand it that way," Bronya tapped Kallen's avatar on the tablet and continued reading, "Kallen Kaslana, born in 1453, daughter of Francis, the 29th head of the Kaslana family."

"In 1477, Kallen stole the crystal Schicksal was researching Honkai Energy with and fled to the Far East, where she fell in love with the Pseudo-Herrscher 'Yae Sakura'... Severely injured, Kallen was captured by Schicksal's intelligence forces and brought back to Schicksal Headquarters. At the European Headquarters' council, Kallen proclaimed, 'That Herrscher girl is innocent, and I have fallen in love with her.' After deliberation, Headquarters decided to sentence Kallen to death. She was executed not long after."

"What? Pseudo-Herrschers are humans! At this, Kiana's eyes flashed with the image of Yae Sakura. "Does that mean if Sister Yae were in the European Branch..."

"That's right. Away from the Far East Branch, Sister Yae appearing in any other branch would be... a dead end!" Bronya's words stabbed at Kiana's heart like a sharp knife. She slumped onto the chair, and after a long while, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Sheng Jiu gently nodded at her.

Kiana slowly stood up, clenching her fists, and declared, "I'm going to save Sister Kallen!"

Bronya looked at Kiana and said word by word, "This is a virtual space. The Kallen we see is merely a collection of data. The real Kallen died 500 years ago."

"I don't care! Even if it's virtual, I can't just stand by and watch Sister Kallen die!" Kiana looked defiantly at Bronya, her eyes filled with determination.

"Heh, saving someone? I'll accompany you," Sheng Jiu, standing beside Kiana, said without a second thought. "It's been a while since I've been in a brawl, a good chance to stretch my legs."

Kiana looked at Sheng Jiu's nonchalant expression and said sheepishly, "Sorry, I'm dragging you into this again."

"What's there to apologize for? We're the best partners, aren't we?"

"No... No, Mei and I are the best partners!" Kiana turned away, blushing.

"You!" Sheng Jiu was so angry he was speechless and turned to Bronya, "So, what should we do now?"

Looking at the two stubborn individuals, Bronya sighed helplessly, "I can't do anything with you two. Bronya needs to plan carefully, after all, we don't have any weapons in this world."

"Yay o(≧v≦)o!"

"Sigh..."

In the sewer, two figures stood facing each other. One of them spoke first, "Everything is ready, Master Otto."

"Very good. I won't let you die, my beloved Kallen."

"Bronya is really something, making a bomb such a hassle. If you ask me, we'll just jump down during the chaos, and I'll carry Sister Kallen and run. No one can catch me."

"Come on. If you tried that, could you get far without me holding off that old man for you?"

"Hmph! Don't underestimate me. I was just being careless that time."

"Okay, okay, quiet down. Look, they're here!"

Following Sheng Jiu's pointed finger, Kiana saw Kallen and her group being escorted by a group of black-robed figures, slowly approaching the gallows on the stage.

"Remember, idiot Kiana, you can only act after the third explosion," Bronya's voice came through Kiana's earpiece.

"Got it, got it! I've already memorized something this simple!" Kiana replied confidently.

"...I hope so."

The area below the gallows was not peaceful. A crowd of civilians had gathered, angrily denouncing the black-robed figures on stage, "Why are you killing Lord Kallen! Lord Kallen is a hero, you can't do this to her!"

"Yeah! You can't treat Lord Kallen like this!"

"Release Lord Kallen!"

The crowd's shouts grew louder, gradually escalating into pushing towards the gallows. A executioner on stage drew his sword and pointed at the crowd below, "All of you, step back! This is the Pontiff's order! Do you intend to defy God's will?!"

"If you dare to defy God's will again, I'll arrest you all as heretics!"

After speaking, the executioner turned to Arthur beside him, "Lord Arthur, let's proceed with the execution early. If this continues, there might be a riot!" Arthur looked at the civilians below and then at the sun, remaining silent.

"Lord Arthur, please give the order!" the executioner urged anxiously.

After much internal struggle, Arthur finally trembled and gave the order.

"Bronya, the plan has changed! They're going to execute Sister Kallen early!" Kiana shouted anxiously, watching the commotion below.

"Received, idiot Kiana, please wait for the third explosion—"

"It's too late, Bronya, I have to—"

"Trust Bronya."

Bronya's words were filled with absolute confidence. Kiana had no choice but to suppress her anxiety for the moment.

The reason Kallen received so much love from the people was because she was the "Saintess" of that era. The title "Saintess" was not bestowed by Schicksal upon Kallen; it was a name the people called her from the bottom of their hearts.

Compared to Kallen, other Schicksal knights, after defeating Honkai Beasts, not only did not compensate for the losses incurred during the battle, but they would also extort the meager possessions of the people. In that society, the status of Schicksal knights and ordinary citizens was like heaven and earth, a world of difference. The people dared not speak their minds.

But Kallen was a completely different existence among them.

After battles, Kallen would proactively help restore damaged buildings for the people, assist in treating the wounded, and play with the children, all without any airs. This was why the people's support for her was so high.

Just as Kiana was thinking this, Kallen had already been fitted with a noose. She couldn't help but anxiously shout, "Bronya—"

"mission start!"

Accompanied by Bronya's voice was a massive explosion: "Boom—"

Kiana's heart leaped into her throat: "The first one!"

"BOOM—!"

"The second one!" Kiana bit her lip unconsciously.

At this moment, the outer guards began to gather near the execution platform, and a large number of panicked civilians also rushed from all directions: "Monster... there's a monster, ahhhhhh!—"

Kiana's eyes were fixed on the scene below. Because the civilians were scattering and fleeing, the passage for Schicksal soldiers was actually the most loosely guarded at this moment. Just then, the long-awaited third explosion sounded from the east: "BOOM—"

A smile spread across Kiana's lips as the young girl leaped from the railing: "Now, it's Kiana time!"