Stowaway

Outside the heavily guarded naval port, two furtive figures crept toward the barbed-wire fence.

"Hey! You stepped on my foot!"

"Shh—keep your voice down. I didn't mean to."

Sheng Jiu slowly edged up to the fence, then turned his back to Kiana. "Quick, climb up on my back!"

"Heave-ho!" Kiana planted a foot on Sheng Jiu's back and vaulted over the fence. Then, just as an autonomous weapon passed nearby, she reached out and pulled Sheng Jiu inside too.

"Hey, lazybones, what do we do now?" Kiana asked, leaning against a shipping container beside Sheng Jiu.

Sheng Jiu looked toward the hangar ahead, where Valkyries were constantly coming and going. If they walked straight toward the Hyperion, they'd definitely be spotted. They were still wearing their St. Freya uniforms, and if they got caught and sent back to the academy, all their efforts would be for nothing.

Just then, something caught the corner of Sheng Jiu's eye. A mischievous grin spread across his face. "How about we hitch a ride?"

"...?"

Ten minutes later, in a cramped space so dark they couldn't see their hands in front of them.

"I have to admit, lazybones, you've got the wildest imagination of anyone I've ever met... Ow! You poked me in the waist!"

"...What else could I do? If we get caught, even a 3,500-word apology letter would be getting off easy!"

The two of them huddled inside a supply crate in a gunboat that was about to be loaded onto the Hyperion. They listened to the footsteps outside, too frightened to move a muscle.

Time passed, second by second. Suddenly, they felt weightless. With a loud clank, the inside of the aircraft began to shake.

"Hey, hey, what's going on?" Kiana clutched her head, looking alarmed.

"It's fine. The crane's probably loading the gunboat. We made it!" Sheng Jiu let out a long breath and opened the crate. After making sure no one else was inside the gunboat, he climbed out and helped Kiana out too. Then he slumped onto the floor and wiped away his sweat. "Damn, it's stifling in there!"

Kiana greedily gulped down the fresh air too. "Hah... hah... A few more minutes and I'd have turned into roast meat!"

By then, the Hyperion had already set sail. On the bridge, Theresa stared at the map of Changkong City on her tablet, lost in thought.

A few hours earlier, Theresa had looked at Himeko with a grave expression. "I still find all of this hard to believe. Normally, an Honkai eruption only produces one Herrscher. The Third Herrscher is under strict surveillance right now. How could one eruption produce two Herrschers?"

Himeko had shrugged. "...According to the report, the excessive Honkai Energy in Changkong City is starting to converge on Senba Academy. There must be someone formidable absorbing it."

"Never mind. What's done is done. Your injuries haven't healed yet, so I'll go investigate in person this time before making a decision."

A few hours later, the Hyperion finally reached the outskirts of Changkong City and began its descent. Inside the gunboat, Sheng Jiu rummaged around for something.

Soon, he pulled out a uniform and tossed it to Kiana. "Here. Put this on."

Kiana caught the uniform and eyed it with distaste. "What is this? It looks so ugly. There's no way I'm wearing it."

"You airhead, it's standard-issue light armor. Sure, it's a bit ugly, but it's more durable than your school uniform. Besides, you think the guards won't notice if you sneak out past Schicksal's defenses wearing your school uniform?"