Honkai Beasts—when beasts became infected with a large amount of Honkai Energy, they turned into gigantic "Honkai Beasts."
And the stronger a Honkai Beast was, the larger it became.
"System, do you think 'Honkai' will happen in this world?"
"Unless a 'Herrscher' is born, there will not be a large-scale outbreak of 'Honkai' in this world at its current stage."
"But given this world's level of civilization, Honkai will break out sooner or later, right?"
"Yes."
Luo Mio ended his conversation with the system.
"Touka, tell Aunt Kuro and the others what Alice said. Have them investigate in secret," Luo Mio then said to Touka.
Touka nodded before leaving the infirmary.
"Why investigate in secret?" Stella looked at him.
"Because we don't want to alert them."
"Alert them?"
"Yes. There's no guarantee that people from the League and the Alliance haven't done this before."
"How could they...?"
"Don't worry. Because Alice defected, the Rebel Army is probably afraid the experiments will be exposed. They'll likely keep a lower profile."
"The current issue is the selection battle right in front of us."
Luo Mio watched the video replaying on the screen.
Shizuku thought of something and asked, "Alice, you should have seen them before, right?"
Arisugawa shook his head. "No. When I left the Rebel Army, I only heard their names. I never met them."
After hearing Arisugawa's words, Luo Mio fell into thought.
A divergence from the original world...
"For now, we can only wait for the new rules of the selection battle to be announced."
The next day.
On Luo Mio's first day out of the infirmary, inside Class 1-1's classroom.
Oregi Yori stood at the podium, still brimming with energy as she said, "I'm sure everyone has heard about it already, right? This year's brand-new selection battle! Now, I'll be explaining this year's new selection battle rules and the battle locations~!"
"This year's selection battle differs from previous years. In the past, the selection battle was held within a single academy, with representatives chosen to participate in the Seven Stars Sword Dance Festival. This year, however, it will be a mixed selection battle between seven academies and the new Akatsuki Academy. The opponents you face won't just be students from your own school, but formidable opponents from the other six academies as well. You might even encounter top-eight or top-four contestants from last year's Seven Stars Sword Dance Festival."
The other seven schools... and top-eight or top-four contestants?
Luo Mio and Ikki listened with grave expressions, while Stella's eyes gleamed with fighting spirit.
"The combat rules are the same as in previous selection battles."
"Likewise, the selection battles will be held in every dome arena across Tokyo. The Selection Battle Committee will also assign hotels to the participating students from each academy and provide them with accommodations."
Luo Mio raised an eyebrow upon hearing that.
"Little Yori." Luo Mio raised his hand and asked, "So all the participating students from the eight academies will gather in Tokyo?"
"That's right!"
"And the schedule is the same as previous years: one match every three days."
"However..." Oregi Yori teasingly built up suspense before continuing, "This year's win requirements are different from previous years. Participating students will play twelve matches, and if they want to become representatives for the Seven Stars Sword Dance Festival, they must win eleven of them."
"Every student gets one chance to lose. If you lose twice, your eligibility will be revoked. The committee will notify contestants of their match schedules one day in advance."
So it's basically one get-out-of-jail-free card...
That means...
Luo Mio seemed to realize something. Raising an eyebrow, he said, "This year's Seven Stars Sword Dance Festival is probably going to be very lively."
"Yeah." Ikki nodded in agreement.
"What about you, Ikki? Feeling confident?" Luo Mio asked with a smile.
Ikki glanced at Luo Mio, then replied with a confident smile, "Of course."
After returning to the dormitory, Luo Mio flopped onto the sofa.
"Damn it, why hasn't this stupid hole been fixed yet?"
Luo Mio looked at the huge hole in the wall that he had blasted open on his first day of school.
"Ababa ababa ababa..." Then Luo Mio lay on the sofa, blankly babbling to himself.
"Ding."
Hm?!
That sound...
Luo Mio then asked the system in his mind, "What's going on? Two missions in two days?"
Faced with Luo Mio's question, the system coldly chose silence.
Seeing that the system ignored him, Luo Mio turned his attention to the mission panel.
"Become a Seven Stars Sword Dance Festival representative."
"Mission Reward: An initial S-Rank Valkyrie Carrier for the current Fu Hua Character Carrier."
"Mission Reward 2: An initial A-Rank Valkyrie Carrier for a new Fu Hua Character Carrier."
Huh?!
An initial S-Rank Valkyrie?!
And it even comes with an additional initial A-Rank?!
Upon seeing the rewards, Luo Mio immediately went, "Muaohhhhhhhhh!"
"Woohoo~!!!"
"Holy crap, System, you're finally not being stingy!"
"After all these years, you finally know to give me a new character as a reward?"
The system remained silent.
Luo Mio: "Emmmmmmm, System, you're so dead."
A refined and friendly instant face-to-face beatdown.
System: "You're the one who's dead."
The system instantly lost its composure and replied to Luo Mio in a refined and friendly manner.
Luo Mio: "Do I even have anything left to die for in this world?"
System: "..."
Luo Mio smiled. "Don't be so cold, okay?"
"Let me ask you something. Can this initial S-Rank Valkyrie Character Carrier only be chosen from Teacher?"
"Yes." The system remained as stingy with words as ever.
The system's answer made Luo Mio fall into deep thought as he recalled Fu Hua's initial S-Ranks.
Vermilion Knight, Phoenix, Azure Empyrea, Senti.
Does Senti count? Even though she uses Teacher's body.
"Initial S-Rank... System, can I choose a Soul Awakening initial S-Rank?"
"No. According to this system's settings, Soul Awakening characters are stronger than initial S-Rank characters."
"Is that so..."
Luo Mio thought of something and asked the system.
"Then will my current White Night Carrier be overwritten by the initial S-Rank?"
"No. The initial S-Rank will stack onto your existing Character Carrier."
"NOOOOOOOOO, System bro! You're my superhero!!!" Luo Mio shouted inside the Consciousness Space.
"So that means I can activate White Night's skills while activating the initial S-Rank character's skills?"
"In theory, yes."
"Woohoo~!!!"
Luo Mio immediately imagined a combination—himself activating "Thousand Stars" while also using Vermilion Knight's ultimate.
Pointing at an enemy, he would say: "I've got 160 SP. Watch your mouth!"
Lying on the sofa, Luo Mio grinned foolishly with drool running from his mouth.
This year's Seven Stars Sword Dance Festival representative slot was his for the taking!!!
Banquet
A week passed, neither especially fast nor especially slow.
On the streets of central Tokyo, crowds flowed through the bustling avenues. Due to this year's new selection battle, people from all over the country—and even from abroad—had come to Tokyo.
"Ah~." Luo Mio walked through the crowd with a backpack on his shoulders, continuously fanning himself with his right hand.
"Alright, alright. We're almost at the accommodations assigned by the committee," Ikki said beside him.
Still fanning himself, Luo Mio complained, "Then why are the two of us the ones walking there?"
Thinking back to when they had left the school gates that morning, Touka had enjoyed the privileges of being a Seven Stars Sword Dance Festival top-four contestant and been chauffeured in a luxurious car. Stella and Shizuku, being ranked first and second among the freshmen, also had private cars. Arisugawa had one because of his identity. Only he and Ikki had to trudge toward the hotel step by step like miserable fools.
Having already screamed like a prairie dog hundreds of times in his heart, Luo Mio sighed inwardly.
Damn it, why is the gap between people so huge?
Before long, Luo Mio and Ikki arrived at the hotel entrance and went to the front desk to collect their room keys.
Two people per room, Room 44.
Luo Mio stared blankly at the room number.
Forty-four... four and four... death and death...
You bastard, you're targeting me! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
Ikki glanced at the room number, sighed, unlocked the door, and entered with his luggage.
"Ah..." After unpacking, Luo Mio lay spread-eagled on the bed.
"Ding-dong!"
Then the doorbell rang.
Ikki got up to answer it.
"Yo!" Arisugawa greeted Ikki from outside the door.
"Alice, what is it?" Ikki asked in confusion.
"Looking at you two, I guess you really didn't know."
"Huh?"
"The pre-match banquet—a banquet the committee is holding for the selection battle contestants," Arisugawa explained, pulling out a pile of clothes from behind him.
"Hurry up, hurry up."
Ikki looked at himself in the mirror.
Before you continue