As the orphan of someone who had been promoted as a hero of the Second Eruption War over the past few months, she had never ceased to draw outside attention.
After all, this was the information age.
As computers gradually became widespread, information's influence on society had steadily risen to an absolutely vital position.
The volume of information, the speed of its transmission and processing, and the extent to which it was applied were all growing exponentially.
K422 had no idea how many "Mom fans" she had outside Schicksal Headquarters.
So, should she say no to Bishop Otto?
"Lady Kiana?"
"Mm. Since Bishop has made arrangements, I'll cooperate with your promotional activities."
Snapping out of her silence, K422 obediently agreed.
She simply couldn't refuse!
Naturally, the Propaganda Department staff left in high spirits after receiving her answer.
She continued throwing herself into the rescue efforts on the Floating Island.
However, the Valkyries and trainees assisting behind her could not contain themselves.
"Really? Lady Kiana is finally going to debut?"
"Lady Kiana is so cute. She'll definitely become famous."
"Will she dance? Will there be merchandise?"
"Waaah! Is Lady Kiana going to become a diva? I'll support her even if it bankrupts me!"
"I'll contribute to Lady Kiana's CD sales!"
The Valkyries and trainees chatted excitedly.
They had clearly forgotten that the person in question was right in front of them.
"..."
What could K422 even say?
Every Valkyrie and trainee at Schicksal Headquarters older than her had become one of her secret fans because of the Propaganda Department's promotion over the past few months.
But these fans only wanted to be her mom.
Normally, weren't fans the targets for an idol's unspoken rules? Why was it so wrong when it came to her?
K422 thought about it but came up with nothing.
Before this, she had believed that even if she rebelled against Otto, no one would respond.
But now, she felt that if she raised her arms in a call to action, there really would be a group willing to rebel against Bishop Otto with her.
The rescue operation continued.
Many people had been injured, but most personnel had already been evacuated before the battle.
Half a day later, the fleet that had failed to catch the Anti-Entropy warship returned, bringing Theresa Apocalypse, the culprit who had obstructed their mission, back to Schicksal Headquarters.
When Theresa saw the busy figures on the Floating Island, she was completely dumbfounded.
"Kiana? Why are you here? Didn't that idiot Siegfried rescue you?!"
"..."
Looking at Theresa, surrounded by several Valkyries, K422 had no idea what to say to her.
"Big sisters, could you let me be alone with Aunt Theresa? Please..."
She pleaded with the Valkyries beside Theresa.
The A-rank Valkyries readily agreed.
After all, Theresa had been very cooperative all the way and had shown no intention of escaping.
They had not even used restraints on Theresa. Surrounding her had merely been for show.
K422 also dismissed the spectators following behind her, then found an empty corner with Theresa.
"Kiana, what exactly happened?"
Theresa was impatient by nature and hurriedly grabbed her arm.
"What else could it be? The one Siegfried took away was a clone."
"That idiot!"
Theresa instantly felt furious.
He could even take the wrong daughter. Was that guy's brain even working?
Seeing Theresa's angry expression, K422 pursed her lips.
"Also, Aunt Theresa, I'm a clone too."
"???"
Upon hearing that, Theresa did not react for a moment.
K422 watched Theresa stand there with her little mouth open and could not help smiling happily.
"And I hinted at it over a dozen times, but you never caught on. Even Captain Ragnar noticed something."
She had only hinted at it once in front of Laguna. Once Laguna noticed the hint, she immediately chose to pretend she knew nothing and fully understood what K422 was implying.
When the Assault Team left Schicksal Headquarters, she even took Himeko, who had originally remained at headquarters for special training, with them.
"This, then..."
"The real Kiana is fine. Although she has to undergo examinations from time to time, her situation isn't too bad."
Seeing Theresa at a loss, K422 naturally revealed a triumphant smile.
Who told this aunt of hers to be so adorably foolish that K422 could not help teasing her?
"Y-you're right. I'm sorry. I really didn't know anything."
Theresa suddenly became extremely dejected.
Just moments ago, she had felt a small sense of superiority from believing that she was smarter than Siegfried.
But how could she have imagined that her intelligence was actually on the same level as Siegfried's?
On the same level as that Siegfried whose rescue plan had only three steps.
"...I suddenly feel like dying. Is Kiana really okay?"
Theresa asked, covering her face with one hand.
K422 calmly replied, "She's fine."
Yes. As long as K422 did not defect from Schicksal, True Kiana would remain fine.
"I'm sorry. It seems like I made you bear a lot."
"How could that be? This is what I wanted to do." K422's lips curved upward.
Even though she had no choice but to yield to Bishop Otto for now, she had never regretted her choice.
For someone who had possessed nothing in this life, she now had an older sister she could not abandon, a younger sister she could not stop worrying about, and a mom she admired.
Of course, she also had a not-too-bright aunt.
"Oh, right, Aunt Theresa. This needs to remain secret. I hope you won't let it slip."
K422 spoke with a worried expression.
After all, Aunt Theresa did not look like she was good at keeping secrets.
"D-don't underestimate me! I'm not a child."
Theresa frowned, feeling like the other girl was looking down on her.
"Come to think of it, you..."
"You don't need to worry about me, Aunt Theresa. Schicksal has always been promoting me. I'm the one with the power of two bloodlines, I'm the one who became a Valkyrie, and I'll be the one who becomes Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie in the future."
Me, me, it's all me.
"Oh, right. I might be changing my surname to Kiana Apocalypse."
"???"
Theresa's brain suddenly crashed.
She probably could not understand why K422 would change her surname to Kiana Apocalypse.
With a hint of delight, K422 left the bewildered Theresa behind and turned to rejoin the rescue operation.
Yes, happiness really should be built upon other people's confusion.
Afterward, Theresa was placed under house arrest in her room. Naturally, she was still full of questions about K422 changing her surname to Apocalypse, but K422 had deliberately refused to give her an answer. That was why she had slipped away after saying it.
That night, after returning to her room, K422 naturally met True Kiana in her dreams.
Because her range only extended five hundred kilometers, K423, who had escaped with Anti-Entropy, could no longer connect to this consciousness space.
Of course, Bishop Otto had prepared a satellite network for her that could amplify her mind.
But he did not intend to let her use it yet.
This prevented her from knowing K423's current situation.
To be honest, she did not know whether it had been right for K423 to leave with Siegfried and Welt.
"I'm sorry. It was all because of me..."
In the consciousness space, True Kiana's first words were self-reproach.
Then K422 smacked her forehead with a hand chop.
Three times in a row.
True Kiana held her aching head, looking utterly confused.
"Why the hell are you agonizing over it? We only lost one fight. As long as we're not dead, we'll win sooner or later."
K422 stretched her limbs. In the consciousness space, she was already dressed in pajamas, since one's appearance there was affected by reality.
As soon as she returned to her room, she had taken off that grand formal gown and handed it to the maids to be cleaned.
Bishop Otto even hoped she would wear that dress more often during promotional events.
"Have you never heard that every failure before success is simply a success that hasn't succeeded yet?"
"I haven't," True Kiana nodded.
"..."
Enraged by this uncooperative older sister, K422 pounced on her.
Meanwhile, K423 woke up from a dream where she had not seen her two older sisters and burst into tears.
The Honkai Energy inside her began to stir and showed signs of losing control. The bandage covering the right side of her face suddenly came loose, revealing a crosshair pattern in her golden right eye.
The space around her began to grow unstable.
One hollow opening after another slowly appeared.
From the openings, each only the size of a basketball, small Honkai Beasts with two pairs of wings struggled to squeeze their way out.
They were Rush-class Honkai Beasts jokingly called "mosquitoes."
Soon, alarms blared. Siegfried and Welt arrived at the scene and launched attacks against the dozen or so Rush-class Honkai Beasts that had suddenly appeared.
Other Anti-Entropy operatives and members also arrived late at this point.
Then everyone witnessed a shocking scene.
The dozen or so Flame Bullets fired from the Heavenly Fire Sacred Judgment in Siegfried's hand each had a tiny hollow opening appear before them.
After the openings absorbed Siegfried's Flame Bullets, they vanished one by one. Immediately afterward, identical openings appeared beside Welt, and the dozen Flame Bullets shot out of them.
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