Theresa's Decision

Though his movements were somewhat rusty, Ming Yu still successfully flicked the coin into the air.

At the same time, a massive current began gathering at his fingertips.

Using the principles of electromagnetic induction, he fired the coin at an initial velocity of three times the speed of sound, giving it immense destructive power and accuracy.

The instant the coin fell back into his hand, Ming Yu focused his gaze and steadied his mind, then suddenly fired it.

Carrying immense energy and electric current, the coin shot toward the tactical mech cluster ahead like a beam cannon.

At this hour, with night approaching, the light from that strike was especially dazzling.

And its effects were just as immense and pronounced as its spectacle.

After the light flashed, that single strike rendered every Titan Mecha hit head-on completely incapable of combat. The first few tactical mechs struck directly were even pierced straight through.

"Ha... This seems even more outrageous than I imagined..."

Though the results were remarkable, after firing that electromagnetic cannon, Ming Yu felt as though his body had been completely drained.

He crouched weakly on the ground, barely managing to support himself and keep from collapsing.

Ever since arriving in Changkong City, he had been fighting for survival. After entering Chiba Academy, he had then fought one intense battle after another against Honkai Beasts, Dead Soldiers, and the Herrscher of Thunder.

And now, on top of that, he had overdrawn himself to fire a Railgun...

Whether physically or mentally, he was already close to his limit.

"So, for now, I can only fire one Railgun..."

Endless drowsiness surged over Ming Yu, leaving his mind foggy and heavy.

Even if he rewound time now, he would probably fall asleep the instant he returned.

Just as he was about to fall backward, a pair of soft hands supported his body.

Then came the worried voice of a white-haired girl:

"Y-you, are you okay?"

"...No."

Aboard the Hyperion, which was advancing at full speed.

Theresa, Himeko, and Fu Hua stood on the deck in their Valkyrie armor, fully prepared for battle and waiting to engage the Herrscher.

"Report, Commander! A high-intensity energy reaction has been detected ahead. The source is unknown, but it is presumed to be the Herrscher!"

The Hyperion's adjutant hurried forward and reported to the three of them.

At the same time, an enormous bolt of lightning appeared before them.

It extended from one side of the ground and shot in a certain direction, causing vast destruction visible to the naked eye.

"...I can see it."

Theresa stood on tiptoe and gazed toward the light in the distance.

"That strike was no joke... Is this the power of a Herrscher?"

Even Himeko could not help sighing in amazement.

Previously, she had had no real concept of a Herrscher's destructive power. Seeing it with her own eyes now completely overturned her understanding.

"...Yes. Power on this level does match my impression of a Herrscher."

Theresa waved a hand, then said to the others:

"Locate the energy source's coordinates and send them to our terminals later. Also, order the Hyperion to remain on standby in the air. Fu Hua, Himeko, we'll deploy as a squad and go down to assess the situation."

Before a powerful Herrscher, trying to overwhelm it with numbers was not particularly useful.

At the very least, one needed combat power at the level of an A-Rank Valkyrie or higher to barely be able to engage a Herrscher.

That was her judgment, and it was also why she had brought Fu Hua along.

Everyone answered in unison:

"Yes, Headmistress."

Theresa's Decision

When Ming Yu woke again, he was already lying in a warm, comfortable bed.

The room was decorated entirely in white, and several medicines sat in the cabinet across from him.

He did not recognize this place, but from the scenery outside the window, he could still tell that they were high in the air.

Could this... be aboard the Hyperion?

Judging from the bright sunlight outside, it was at least daytime on the following day.

Had he slept through the entire night...?

Ming Yu stretched lightly and was about to get out of bed to find someone and properly ask what had happened, only to discover that his physical condition still had a bit of a problem.

For the time being, it seemed he was not really able to get out of bed and move around.

"But does this mean we've made it through this Honkai crisis...?"

Ming Yu muttered to himself.

"Ming Yu, you're awake."

Yae Sakura's voice rang out again.

"Ah... I didn't expect you to still be here."

Ming Yu spoke in surprise.

After "exorcising" the Herrscher of Thunder, he had originally thought Yae Sakura would leave. Yet she was still within him, maintaining her possession.

"...Since you fell asleep, I remained for the time being out of concern for your safety."

Yae Sakura explained.

"All right... Can you tell me what happened after that?"

The Hyperion hovered above Changkong City.

Though ordinary crew members were unnecessary for the operation against the Herrscher, the search and rescue of civilians depended on the efforts of these personnel from the Far East Branch.

After dispatching most of the personnel to search for survivors, Theresa sat alone in an office.

—She had more important matters to handle.

Himeko stood nearby as well. She waved a hand and said to the petite girl before her:

"I didn't expect us to achieve the mission objective in this Herrscher crisis without shedding a drop of blood, Theresa."

When the three fully armed Valkyries had arrived at the site of the Honkai energy outbreak, near Chiba Academy, there had been no terrifyingly imposing Herrscher as they had imagined.

Instead, they had only found two girls and an unconscious man, along with more than a dozen Titan Mechas that had been completely paralyzed by the impact and excessive current.

In short, after asking them a few questions and roughly understanding the situation, Theresa had first brought the three of them back aboard the Hyperion.

"Not having to fight should be a good thing... But isn't it strange?"

The white-haired girl spoke with some frustration:

"...According to the Honkai energy detection equipment, Herrscher-class Honkai energy signals were detected in both Raiden Mei and Ming Yu."

Information on Raiden Mei had already been pulled up on the screen before her.

She was the daughter of the president of Massive Electric, a famous multinational electronics company. Meanwhile, its former president, Raiden Ryoma, was also one of Anti-Entropy's long-standing executives and a sworn enemy of Schicksal.

That layer of intelligence had been very easy to find.

With that identity, it was no wonder those tactical mechs, now reduced to scrap metal, had been found at Chiba Academy.

Perhaps those Anti-Entropy people had also intended to retrieve the Herrscher?

As for the other person named Ming Yu, Schicksal's database contained no information on him whatsoever.

Other than knowing his name, there was no further intelligence.

Yet according to Schicksal's existing records, a major Honkai outbreak should only produce one Herrscher.

"So, how do you intend to deal with these two suspected Herrschers?"

Himeko asked.

"...I don't intend to hand them over to headquarters. If they end up in Grandpa's hands, who knows what might happen."

Theresa had her own plans.

After confirming that they retained complete self-awareness and had no desire to attack humanity, she had a bold idea.

The St. Freya Academy under her administration was a special educational academy dedicated to training Valkyries to fight the Honkai.

It accepted all kinds of gifted children and trained their combat abilities.

And these two suspected Herrschers, Mei and Ming Yu, clearly possessed talent in that area—exceptional talent, at that.

Rather, anyone chosen to become a Herrscher during a Honkai outbreak was surely an individual with extraordinary talent.

If such special individuals could instead be trained into warriors who fought the Honkai, would that not weaken one side while strengthening the other?

Thinking this, Theresa said to Himeko:

"Have them... I mean Raiden Mei and Ming Yu, enroll at St. Freya Academy as students. What do you think, Himeko?"

"I certainly have no objections. But you're going to admit a boy into St. Freya? The council will have objections, won't they?"

Himeko asked with a smile.

Though there was no explicit rule, every child currently enrolled at St. Freya Academy was female.

The reason was that women's average resistance to Honkai energy was far greater than men's.

A man like Ming Yu, with exceptional Honkai energy resistance, was exceedingly rare.

"Hmph, they won't be much of a problem. I'll handle them. Mm, it's decided!"

Theresa said firmly.

As the granddaughter of the Schicksal Overseer, her authority within the Far East Branch was absolute.

Whether in terms of her own strength or her status, dealing with that so-called council that only hid behind the scenes and offered schemes was no difficult matter.

Besides, while rare, there were precedents for men serving as Schicksal warriors.

The occasional man capable of fighting on the battlefield would also receive a special title within Schicksal, distinct from Valkyries—Schicksal Knight.

Uh, the most recent Schicksal Knight should have been that Siegfried Kaslana...

Speaking of that irritating white-haired man, Theresa could not help turning her attention to the next matter related to him—

"Besides Ming Yu and Raiden Mei, we also brought back two other girls from Chiba Academy. They both seem pretty good. Should we enroll them in the academy as well?"

As Himeko spoke, she pulled up the other two girls' information.

One was a silver-haired girl named Bronya Zaychik.

Information on her was similarly scarce, with no useful details to be found.

And the other one...

Theresa's gaze stalled slightly.

Kiana Kaslana...

"..."

"Theresa, what's wrong?"