Chapter 335
She had previously learned from Freya that the current alliance had chosen to retreat to the Far East and establish enclaves within the Far Eastern countries.
Compared to the former dominance of Schicksal, the current alliance appears quite low-key.
Or rather, it's a disadvantaged position.
Shigure Kira also knew that the current alliance had a hostile force called World Serpent.
"Well, Sister Kira missed out on a lot... The Type-B Stigmata and the new antibody alone gave the Valkyrie a leap in strength. And the Stigmata abilities... Even though the Type-B Stigmata can only draw out a portion of the Stigmata's power, far less than World Serpent's ability to activate the full power of the Stigmata, the technological explosion and tactical diversity brought about by the various Stigmata abilities are still beyond what the Valkyrie of the past could ever achieve."
Moreover, while weapon development may not be able to keep up with the progress of the Valkyrie, the new weapons being developed are stronger than the Honkai Energy weapons of the past.
Freya said this with a serious expression.
"To be honest, the S-rank Valkyrie that Sister Kira knows, without the Divine Key, might not be those Warrior Rank... No, judging from the strength of the S-rank Valkyrie, even without special abilities, they can fight against Elite Rank Valkyrie. However, A-rank Valkyrie are completely vulnerable to Warrior Rank Valkyrie."
She originally wanted to say that even S-rank Valkyrie were outdated, but after thinking about it carefully, she realized that the Schicksal only had two S-rank Valkyrie before.
One is her mother Cecilia, and the other is her Theresa.
Even without the Divine Key, the former still possesses the 'Holy Blood' modified by Otto, while the latter possesses the monstrous strength of the Kaslana Family and also has powerful combat talent.
That's why Freya immediately changed her tune and started belittling the A-rank Valkyrie.
To be honest, the A-rank Valkyrie of the past were indeed trash, completely based on the single factor of Honkai Energy adaptability.
Leaving aside Cheng Lixue, the strongest A-rank Valkyrie.
Freya also gleaned combat talent from her clone, Fu Lixue.
The other members of the Snow Wolf Squad, such as Shigure Kira, Salome Jokanan, Shub Nicholas, and Patrick Highsmith, were all just there to make up the numbers.
Incidentally, due to the merger of Schicksal and Anti-Entropy, Freya discovered that Patrick, nicknamed Genius and A-rank Valkyrie belonging to Schicksal's intelligence department, in the Snow Wolf Squad was actually an undercover agent for Anti-Entropy.
"I always feel like I'm being looked down upon by Little Freya... It seems I need to get proper combat training after I return."
Shigure Kira actually still had thoughts of escaping.
But she shook her head, ultimately unable to escape the fact that she was Valkyrie.
Although a certain Grand Bishop is annoying and often engages in brainwashing propaganda, some of the things he says are undeniable facts.
If it weren't for the Schicksal maintaining peace, that world might have already been destroyed.
Whether the Valkyrie were used as expendable objects or fought for lofty ideals, it is because of their selfless dedication that human civilization has been able to continue to this day.
Shigure Kira couldn't accept that a little girl so much younger than her was stepping onto the battlefield as Valkyrie.
Of course, the retirement age of the Valkyrie also represents that they were forced to develop quickly.
To fill the gaps in combat power, many girls who were only eleven or twelve years old, who had just become Valkyrie, were ordered to go to the battlefield.
Whether it was genuine or feigned, the Valkyrie truly fought to protect.
Shigure Kira's gaze fell on her bedroom.
On the not-so-expensive bed inside, two young girls were fast asleep.
At an age when they should be nestled in their parents' arms, they were already fighting to protect, experiencing battle after battle, and traversing battlefields unimaginable to others...
This made it impossible for Shigure Kira to continue being a deserter.
She begged Freya for help simply because Freya was Cecilia's daughter.
But now that she looks directly at the other person, Shigure Kira finally realizes who she sought help from—a child who is also very young.
The girl in front of them was a clone, so her actual age was only a little over six years old.
Such facts weighed heavily on her fragile heartstrings time and time again, almost causing Shigure Kira to collapse.
Even though she can speak in a relaxed tone now, it doesn't mean she's unaffected.
That night, Shigure Kira was sleeping on a makeshift bed on the floor in her bedroom, couldn't sleep.
Freya, on the other hand, who had made a bed out of sofas in the living room, slept very soundly in Rita's arms.
This also indirectly proves that 'soft cushion' is better than 'plump cushion'.
The next morning, in front of Freya, Shigure Kira handed the golden gem in her hand to Bianca.
It also grants a mysterious object new abilities.
"... By the way, what's this?"
"Hey, boss, I'm Little You, also known as the Holy Sword Durandal. Yesterday, my master stuffed me into his luggage~"
A short sword with wings and big eyes waved to the crowd from the air.
Having grown accustomed to the strange tone of the holy sword and their overly familiar manner, Rita, Bianca, and Sophia chose to ignore it.
The more you pay attention to something with a strong urge to perform, the more arrogant it becomes, and the more likely it is to take advantage of you.
Of course, Freya and Shigure Kira were really unfamiliar with such 'things'.
The Divine Key are already quite 'intelligent' in some respects.
Yet the intelligence possessed by this holy sword Durandal, was so advanced that it seemed to have emotions like joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure, just like a normal human being.
"Ah, it feels so exciting to be stared at like that by the boss!!"
"..."
Freya was suddenly overcome with the urge to crush the broken sword.
Although the Holy Sword Durandal is also made of Soul Steel, it has a completely different function from the Divine Key.
"Alright, let me explain first."
Although this holy sword has a somewhat strange personality, it doesn't prevent Freya from analyzing its composition and its special abilities.
The powers of the Crystallization of Reason and the Courage Crystal residing within the Holy Sword have not yet been analyzed, so Freya can only reluctantly accept the other party's free offer.
"Wait, ah!! Big Sister, what are you doing!! No, no! Ah! This feels so strange, after Big Sister touched me, I feel like something's wrong with my body... It feels like Big Sister touched every inch of my body!!"
The Holy Sword Durandal, which had transformed into a uniquely shaped short sword, gave up resisting after being captured by Freya, clearly allowing Freya to use the power of the Herrscher of Consciousness to analyze its internal structure.
Freya quickly analyzed the power of the Holy Sword Durandal and even deduced the special abilities of the other gems in the Holy Sword Durandal.
"Hmm, that's interesting... This broken sword can alter the structure and physical properties of objects by manipulating microscopic particles."
Although the Holy Sword Durandal is incomplete and cannot fully unleash its true power, it is easy to guess what functions it should possess.
It's like creating a vacuum layer inside the hardest diamond, allowing this holy sword to effortlessly slice the diamond into any shape, just like peeling a potato.
In short, this broken sword's ability is to cut through everything...
Even the sturdiest object is like a piece of butter before a hot knife, offering no resistance whatsoever.
A complete broken sword also possesses the ability to cut through space.
"To be honest, the performance of this broken sword is very close to that of the Divine Key, and its special ability can even achieve 'first-time kill'."
Freya smiled. Although she wanted the special power to mass-produce gems, she also knew that it would take an unimaginable amount of time.
After analyzing the Broken Sword using the Herrscher of Consciousness's analytical abilities, Freya's success rate in mass-producing Freedom Crystal increased significantly.
Of course, putting aside the issue of mass production, Freya is very confident that she can recreate a Freedom Crystal.
Shigure Kira gave up the Freedom Crystal for this world.
Without Freya's promise, Shigure Kira might have meant abandoning her dreams and career.
Now that she has this opportunity, Shigure Kira wants to return to the League and try being an idol again.
On a rare sunny morning, Freya examined the body of the broken sword who called himself Little You, and then, under the pretext of rest, sent Bianca and Sophia away, telling them to stay with Shakespeare for the time being.
Shakespeare seems to be seeking an audience with the Speaker today, and Freya is using this as an excuse to make Bianca and Sophia follow her around, intending to put them through some more hardship.
After Bianca and Sophia left, only she, Shigure Kira, and Rita consciously tried to make herself less noticeable, remained in the living room.
Freya turned her head to look at Rita, then turned back to speak.
"Sister Kira, now we should talk about serious matters, such as... things about you, or rather, about you and that thing inside you!!"
In fact, when Freya first met Shigure Kira, she already sensed the aura of a strange parasitic creature emanating from her.
At this point, Freya stopped teasing them and gave a direct and concise answer.
"Little Freya, are you feeling something wrong?"
Shigure Kira asked, frowning.
"Don't worry, Sister Kira, my feeling is right, it should be an alien creature."
Freya couldn't quite explain why Shigure Kira subconsciously wanted to conceal the identity of this alien creature.
Of course, she wanted to hide it, but the alien creature attached to her might not think so.
At that moment, Freya noticed the powerful pressure descending upon her.
Shigure Kira's body suddenly stiffened, and then Freya felt a pressure no weaker than that of Judgment-class Honkai Beast... She raised her defense level against these aliens once again.
"Human... you're looking for me?"
After possessing her, the alien creature became as entwined with Shigure Kira as a shadow.
Meanwhile, the shadows on Shigure Kira's body revealed a series of scarlet eyes.
"...Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Black Sugar, and I have no ill intentions toward humans."
381. Is this civilization hunting 'Honkai'?
"Meow?"
Shigure Kira was completely stunned.
When the alien creature that was parasitizing her suddenly appeared, Shigure Kira had no time to react.
Half of her body was covered as if she were encased in viscous mud, and at the same time, several open, crimson eyes were fixed on Freya.
It looks remarkably like a certain Venom.
"How is this possible! Nicholas, you..."
Shigure Kira actually knew that an alien life form was parasitizing her.
In reality, even if she told others that she was being parasitized by an alien life form, no one would believe her.
"Nicholas? Shub Nicholas?"
Hearing Shigure Kira's exclamation, Freya asked in confusion.
She discovered that the idol she was obsessed with was hiding a lot of things.
Shigure Kira state, which seemed to be eroded by Honkai, and instead gave a serious explanation.
"Nicholas ... that's the name I gave this alien life form. Just like you think, it's Shub Nicholas from the Snow Wolf Squad. I used half of her name... This alien life form can use its own cells to repair and replace the host's damaged organs and tissues, which is also the secret behind Shub's multiple resurrections."
The Shub Nicholas she was referring to belonged to the Snow Wolf Squad and was nicknamed the Child of Chaos.
Of course, Shub Nicholas is a pseudonym. Although she came from the Schicksal South American Branch, few people know her detailed background.
She was often presumed dead during dangerous missions, but always reappeared safely and successfully completed them. Afterwards, a rumor circulated among the Valkyrie that Shub possessed countless clones, making her seemingly indestructible and immortal, like the Child of Chaos.
It now appears that her ability to be resurrected multiple times was due to this alien life form that called itself 'Black Sugar'.
"Black... Sugar, never mind, let's just keep calling Nicholas. Although Nicholas can enhance the vitality of certain chosen ones, his own survival depends on the host. On the battlefield of the Second Eruption, after Shub's body completely collapsed... he chose me."
"I had already lost consciousness at that time, so I didn't know what had happened. When I woke up again, I was in another world. And Nicholas's consciousness... or rather his emotions, began to resonate in my mind."
"It's hard for me to describe this feeling because Nicholas isn't a creature with complex thoughts; it just projects all its instincts into human consciousness. I can only say... I know it brought me into this world to avoid risks, and I know that its integration with my body is unexpectedly good."
"The people of this world regard me as Star Speaker created from the Anchor, and I have accepted this new identity as I have. As you know, after experiencing such a brutal war... I myself am not very willing to return to the original world."
At Shigure Kira was explaining the origin of the alien life form that was parasitizing her, but in the end, she inevitably became sad.
The reason she came to another world but didn't want to go back was simply that there was nothing left in her original world that she cherished.
Many of Shigure Kira's companions perished in the Second Eruption, and even the Snow Wolf Squad collapsed during the Second Eruption.
So when Freya told Shigure Kira that everyone in the Snow Wolf Squad except for her and Cecilia, who had survived in some special way, was dead, she wasn't actually surprised.
"Of course, this is just my knowledge of Nicholas. In fact, I really didn't know that Nicholas also had the name Black Sugar."
Shigure Kira's surprise was no longer a feigned expression.