It was not until the alarm sounded.
Asgard, one of the Nine Floating Islands, had come under attack.
"Now!"
K422 kicked the door hard. The metal door warped from the blow, opening a gap in the middle just wide enough for a child to squeeze through.
"I have to move quickly. There may not be as much time as I thought."
This operation relied far too much on luck.
Or rather, K422 was gambling with her life.
If she failed, she could not imagine what would happen to her.
But such an opportunity was too rare. Given Bishop Otto's vigilance, she could not imagine him giving her another chance.
K422 had no choice but to bet on that slim possibility.
After rushing out of the room, K422 immediately stopped.
Since she did not know where Bishop Otto had imprisoned her, she first had to determine which direction the disturbance was coming from.
This major incident was undoubtedly centered around the hero's daughter undergoing modification surgery.
Whether they wanted to eliminate her or seize her, they would focus on the laboratory performing the modification surgery.
And True Kiana definitely would not be there, so as long as she stayed away from that area, there was a high chance of finding True Kiana.
Of course, she might be on the other side.
But it was worth the gamble.
Because she could manipulate Honkai Energy, K422 quickly noticed where the conflict had erupted.
"Since the Honkai Energy over there is becoming chaotic, that means it's this way."
She chose the opposite direction and headed deeper inside.
There was no doubt that every one of her actions now was a gamble.
She was betting on Anti-Entropy, betting on Theresa, and betting that Siegfried could hold out against Bishop Otto a little longer.
She was betting that Bishop Otto had not taken a minor figure like her seriously at all.
She was betting that some ancient organization might exist and, in order to muddy the waters, stab Schicksal in the back.
She was betting that True Kiana really was in this direction.
She kicked open laboratory doors one after another, ignoring the astonished expressions of the researchers inside as she moved on to the next lab. Along the way, she picked up several ultra-heavy greatswords as temporary weapons.
"Kiana, please stop..."
Half an hour after she began her operation, Amber, holding a scythe, blocked her path.
"...You're standing in my way. Does that mean Kiana is inside?"
At this point, there was no need for her to keep pretending before Bishop Otto and Amber that she did not know True Kiana existed.
In fact, K422 had long suspected that Bishop Otto already knew about her mental connection with True Kiana and K423.
She could clearly communicate with True Kiana mentally, yet she had deliberately concealed that fact.
No wonder Bishop Otto had never let down his guard around her.
Or rather, because she had never trusted Bishop Otto, Bishop Otto had not believed her obedient, harmless act either.
Of course, perhaps Bishop Otto trusted no one.
"I am very sorry, Kiana. The Kiana you seek is not inside. Bishop Otto merely asked me to stop you here."
"Yeah. Even if True Kiana isn't ahead, there's a massive Honkai Energy Reactor ahead, right?"
After becoming a Valkyrie, her senses had improved as well.
The deeper she went, the more she noticed that enormous amount of Honkai Energy.
The only thing she could think of that could contain such a huge quantity of Honkai Energy on a Floating Island was a Honkai Energy Reactor.
She was grateful for every day she had studied seriously so far, as well as the courses Bishop Otto had arranged.
"I see. Bishop Otto is worried I'll get myself killed."
K422 immediately smiled happily.
She seemed to have discovered some important information.
"So Bishop Otto hasn't cloned me in large numbers yet?"
Amber frowned slightly at her words.
"Kiana, please do not speculate about Otto's thoughts. That person's thoughts..."
"I see. There's no way to control me. Heh, Sister Amber... Though you barely show any expression, your thoughts are far easier to read than Bishop Otto's."
K422 had also found it strange that she had been acting for over half an hour.
If Bishop Otto had truly implanted some restriction within her body, it should have activated by now.
Yet it had not.
"It's not that he didn't do it. It's that he couldn't."
"..."
Amber remained silent.
"Sister Amber, staying silent is the wrong choice. That means I guessed right again, doesn't it? Because Bishop Otto lacks a way to restrain me, he... can't just clone me whenever he wants, right? That's really good news. I don't want to suddenly have twenty thousand younger sisters."
"Twenty thousand younger sisters? Kiana, what are you talking about?"
Amber gripped her scythe tightly and assumed a guarded stance.
"Then, is Kiana inside?"
"No."
Facing her question, Amber answered without changing expression.
"Thank you, Sister Amber."
Just as Amber had answered, she truly was not ahead.
K422 felt relieved. Otherwise, she would have had to capture a researcher and question them about it.
The researchers she had encountered in the laboratories earlier had relatively low clearance. They were merely junior researchers, and they definitely would not know where Bishop Otto's laboratory was.
That was why K422 had not considered grabbing them for directions.
"I just wonder whether Sister Amber is willing to tell me where Kiana is. After all, I only have this one chance."
Although she did not have a lance, the weight of the ultra-heavy greatswords actually suited her better.
As she spoke, she stomped the ground and charged at Amber, swinging the ultra-heavy greatswords in her hands at the same time.
Even the Heavy Greatswords that Assault Team members needed both hands to wield were easily held one-handed by her, with one in each hand.
Clang!!
The ultra-heavy greatswords in K422's hands collided with Amber's scythe.
Under Amber's astonished gaze, she was sent flying by a single blow.
After K422 became a Valkyrie, the monstrous strength of the Kaslana Family had evolved completely, allowing her to easily send an adult flying despite her childlike body.
Of course, in terms of weight alone, she might not be much lighter than Amber.
"...What a strange sensation. Sister Amber, you're not purely human, are you?"
"That is correct. My body has undergone cyborg modification."
Amber climbed up from the ground and answered calmly.
Her hands were trembling, and she nearly could not hold on to her scythe.
"Otto truly created a terrifying Valkyrie. Just standing before her makes me lose more than half my combat strength."
Especially with a modified body like hers, which required Honkai Energy to operate.
Under the anti-Herrscher fluctuations the other girl emitted, she could barely even fight normally.
The only thing she might have over her opponent was the experience gained from years of battle.
"Sister Amber, right now you're thinking that the one advantage you still have over me is combat experience, aren't you?"
K422 smiled happily.
Only after fighting someone else did she truly confirm how strong she was.
The monstrous strength of the Kaslana Family was the easiest power for her to control. As for her ability to manipulate Honkai Energy and the Saintess blood that could erase Honkai Energy, she still could not control them because she had been unable to train in her room.
But that was already enough for her.
Amber remained expressionless, but she understood how terrifying her opponent was.
"You don't resemble a nine-year-old child at all. No... you don't resemble a clone that was born less than a year ago."
"Oh? How honest. Of course, I don't deny that I'm special."
With that, K422 charged at her again.
If she wanted to fight someone with abundant combat experience and even surpass them, she could not compete with them in combat experience or fighting techniques.
It was like a Bronze player choosing to lane against a King player and trying to kill them through positioning. It was simply impossible.
But what if this Bronze player's speed and firepower far exceeded Amber, the King player?
Her opponent's attacks could not keep up with her, while her own attacks could kill the opponent outright.
Then there was no need to talk about positioning or combat experience at all.
Come on, let's stand still and trade blows.
Bang!!
The two ultra-heavy greatswords swung down at once. Amber wanted to pull away, but she was slightly slower and could only raise her scythe to block again.
Then, as though she had been hit head-on by a train, Amber's body flew away, and the scythe in her hands shattered into two pieces.
Her limbs were twisted to varying degrees, and she clearly could no longer stand to stop K422.
"Sorry, Sister Amber. No matter who blocks my path, it won't matter."
Afterward, K422 searched Amber, taking a pair of crystal goggles and her access pass, then crushing her communicator.
She did not ask Amber where True Kiana was.
The other girl would not have told her anyway.
"I wonder how much time is left. Aunt Theresa, damn dad, that Alliance Leader or whatever, you'd better pull through."
What do you mean, something attacked you?
After leaving Amber behind, K422 raided a laboratory and captured a researcher with relatively high clearance to ask about Bishop Otto's laboratory.
With an ultra-heavy greatsword pressed to their neck, she could usually get the answer she wanted.
This was a friendly person. Not only did they give her a map of the Nine Floating Islands, but they also marked Bishop Otto's laboratory on it.
To avoid getting them implicated, K422 used a physical memory-erasure method.
Since it was her first time using it, she did not know how effective it would be.
If possible, it would be best if they forgot everything after their birth.
After dealing with the researcher, K422 headed toward the laboratory marked on the map.
Time shifted back slightly.
Before Schicksal Headquarters came under attack, a transport ship from the research institute had just docked.
The port staff were responsible for unloading the supply crates from the transport ship and placing them one by one onto the conveyor belt.
Several Valkyries who had arrived at the scene began checking the delivered supplies against the list.
Before you continue