Chapter 84

One of the Valkyrie, who claimed to be of Russian descent, shouted "Hurrah!" and downed two more bottles without any hesitation.

The scene before them was indeed giving K422 a headache.

"I don't know if this counts as dereliction of duty."

The deployment of the Assault Team to the Honkai Russian battlefield was clearly a backup plan to clean up her mess after she messed things up.

However, the other party suddenly started drinking.

"Well, Laguna has an old friend."

The Valkyrie with long, wavy apricot hair continued, "She said she hadn't seen Laguna in a long time and was complaining to Laguna..."

"Oh?"

K422 turned around and saw a familiar older sister, so she waited curiously for her to continue.

"She said that after the child started kindergarten, the expenses would be too high, and her husband was the only one working in the family, plus they still had to pay the mortgage..."

"So, Captain Ragnar decided to drink heavily because he knew his old friends' kids were already in kindergarten while he was still single? Are you sure you weren't just making excuses to drink?"

Given the nature of this Assault Team of drunkards, K422 figured they weren't likely to be upset about their friends' kids being in kindergarten while they were still single.

They might just be looking for an excuse to have fun.

"..."

The Valkyrie long, wavy, apricot-colored hair gave an awkward but polite smile.

Judging from the other party's reaction, Laguna seems to be using this excuse to indulge in lavish meals and drinks.

K422 couldn't help but purse her lips. She walked up to Laguna, who was clutching a bottle and making muffled noises, and said with a smile, "Captain Ragnar, you really don't need to be sad about this. Look, you're single now, but next year..."

"Next year?"

"Maybe I'm still single? See, if I think about it this way, there's nothing to be sad about now. I can be sad next year."

K422's seemingly comforting but actually sabotaging K422 brought a smile that made people want to stay away.

How can a nine-year-old child speak so rudely?

What do you mean by still being single next year?

The Valkyrie, who were also of marriageable age, were slightly drunk when they heard these words and felt terrible.

"..."

Laguna was the first to be affected.

"You didn't come here to comfort me?"

"Of course not. Why would I comfort Captain Ragnar? I just brought Rita over. If His Holiness hadn't transferred you here so that I could clean up the mess after I messed things up, I wouldn't have asked you to join me first."

At this point, K422 rolled her eyes. "With this time, I would have already gone to the Honkai Battlefield and done a few rounds of fighting."

Hearing her say that, Laguna retorted angrily, "Well, it's been a while, and Kiana has become quite remarkable..."

"Nonsense, I don't believe Captain Ragnar would get this drunk for such a trivial reason."

K422 rolled her eyes. Although the Assault Team was a drunkard team, they would never do anything derelict in their duties.

Their behavior was clearly a form of resistance.

"..."

Meeting her gaze, Laguna lowered his head first, after only a moment.

"I'm sorry, Kiana, I lost my composure. The captain and members of the Assault Team are willing to accept any punishment you may give."

"Tell me, this act of resisting Schicksal's orders is unlike Captain Ragnar's style. Oh, by the way, what's going on with Himeko?"

Himeko's expression of utter despair was clearly different from that of the main members of the Assault Team.

Her situation looked more like she was being harassed by a drunken Assault Team and then forcibly stripped of her clothes.

However, the members of the Assault Team all really like Himeko.

K422 figured it wouldn't be long before she heard which member of the Assault Team had become Himeko's boyfriend. Hmm? Are all the Assault Team Valkyrie?

Why can't Valkyrie be a boyfriend?

"Himeko, we don't want Himeko to get involved too much, Kiana, please come this way..."

Clearly, the feasting and drinking hadn't made this drunkard completely intoxicated. At most, her cheeks were slightly flushed, like a beautiful peach blossom in full bloom, exuding a captivating charm that seemed ready to be plucked.

Simply put, it looks particularly erotic.

Even in a quiet corner, the Assault Team members were still acting drunk and disorderly.

Of course, it looks like they're faking a drunken outburst. Given their alcohol tolerance, every time they act drunk, it's almost like they're deliberately pretending to be intoxicated... but Himeko doesn't seem to have noticed yet.

That's exactly the kind of tactics the captain and his seniors use.

"Kiana also knows that because of the martial arts tournament, A-rank Valkyrie from all over the world gathered at the Schicksal Headquarters. As a result of the Honkai Beast escaping, almost all of the A-rank Valkyrie lost their fighting ability."

Laguna's cheeks were still flushed from the alcohol, but she spoke calmly.

"I wonder if Kiana is aware of what human experimentation is..."

"Captain Ragnar, you should remember the hint I gave you before, right? If you do, then my answer is yes." K422 frowned.

Judging from Laguna's somewhat self-destructive attitude, she must have discovered human experimentation.

The research institution that led the human experiments should be affiliated with the Schicksal.

"... So, your actions back then were an implication? It's a pity that even though I've moved far away from the Schicksal Headquarters, I've never truly moved away from the Schicksal."

Laguna leaned against the very old wall of the bunker and sighed.

"Not long ago, we were transferred to the South American Branch to suppress the Honkai battlefield there, only to find that the research institute under the South American Branch was bringing many little girls under the age of ten to the Honkai battlefield and even driving them close to the Honkai Beast."

"After I found out, I saved those children, but some of them died on the spot because of the Honkai Energy emitted by the Honkai Beast."

Without sufficient resistance, simply being Honkai Energy would instantly kill you.

"I captured the researcher who led the experiment and learned from him that it was a human experiment conducted by a research institute under the South American Branch, using the Honkai Energy of the Honkai battlefield to stimulate human potential, trying to activate the original power of humans in a way different from the Valkyrie modification surgery."

"The original power?"

"Stigmata, nowadays, all the Valkyrie of Schicksal have undergone modification surgery to implant artificial Stigmata. Very few people are born with Stigmata, but... people born with Stigmata do exist. Therefore, researchers in the South American Branch have proposed whether life-or-death situations can stimulate a person's potential and guide the power of the Stigmata..."

K422 frowned and interrupted Laguna to continue.

"Captain Ragnar, this isn't human experimentation, this is blatant disregard for human life!!"

However, Laguna shook his head.

"This was an experiment led by many research institutes. In fact, there was indeed a person who awakened a Stigmata under the erosion of Honkai Energy... but the person was just a teenager, and died on the spot the moment he awakened the Stigmata because he could not withstand the attack of the Honkai Beast."

"It was after discovering this boy's condition that the researchers conducted corresponding tests on the Honkai battlefield of the South American Branch. In fact, they also injected Honkai Energy Valkyrie modification, but because they did not implant artificial Stigmata into the test subjects, the Honkai Energy injected into their bodies could not be controlled. In such experiments, nearly 120 people died."

The more Laguna spoke, the uglier her expression became.

After she began her investigation on her own, she uncovered one dark chapter after another in the history of the research institutions in the South American Branch.

Of course, there are many research institutions in the South American Branch, each conducting their own research, but the fact that several research institutions could conduct such human experiments truly terrified Laguna.

She immediately reported to her superiors.

However, what awaited her was the departure of the Schicksal Saintess, who would serve as her protectors and be transferred to Russia to clean up the mess.

"Because I couldn't stand it anymore, I destroyed those research institutes and beat up the researchers who were in charge of the experiments. I didn't let Himeko know about this, but my teammates did, and they helped me rescue those children."

"So, the entire Assault Team defied Schicksal?"

K422 couldn't help but sigh.

Although I had a feeling that the Schicksal was not clean, I did not expect it to be this serious.

"Well, thankfully Himeko doesn't know about this. We even deliberately ripped off Himeko's clothes that day."

"... Actually, you've ripped off Himeko's clothes more than once, haven't you?"

Upon hearing Laguna's words, K422 immediately understood why they had deliberately played a trick on Himeko.

It was clearly intended to make Himeko dislike them and draw a line between them.

However, Himeko was too young to see through Laguna and the Assault Team's plans.

"You're only bullying Himeko because she's young. Anyone else would have seen through your schemes long ago."

Seeing K422's condescending and disdainful look towards Himeko, Laguna couldn't help but remind him, "You seem to be only nine years old. What right do you have to say Himeko is young?"

"I'm sorry, Kiana, but right now, neither I nor the Assault Team are able to serve Schicksal."

The disregard for human life shown by the higher-ups of Schicksal, and their tacit approval of the South American Branch's heinous human experiments, dealt a severe blow to Laguna's belief in protecting the people.

"If possible, I would like to speak directly with the Grand Bishop through Kiana..."

"Oh, Captain Ragnar, you want to speak with the Grand Bishop, not to ask Grand Bishop to severely punish the South American Branch, are you?"

Laguna was clearly furious, having been hit where it hurt by K422's prediction.

"The Grand Bishop is impartial; if he knew about this..."

"Um, Captain Ragnar, have you forgotten about me again? Never mind, I'll explain it to you anyway, but remember to keep it a secret. I am a clone of Kiana Kaslana, subject number K422. I am the subject created by His Holiness the Bishop."

"... I really don't want this to be true."

A truth that Laguna was unwilling to believe weighed heavily on her shoulders. She sighed, her beliefs shattered like pieces of paper.

90. How can you do it yourself?

"Schicksal has never been a charitable institution. No matter how glamorous its appearance may be, its essence is merely a tool in the hands of His Holiness the Bishop."

At this point, K422 looked at Laguna, who was slumped against the wall, and smiled bitterly.

"I am a warrior created by His Holiness the Archbishop to fight against the Honkai, and Mother... Cecilia must have also undergone some kind of special experiment."

K422 knew that Laguna's beliefs were now being challenged.

After all, many Valkyrie grew up in the Schicksal, and many consider it their home.

I never imagined that the shadowy places they couldn't see were so filthy.

Like a room that has never been cleaned, you can never imagine how dirty it can get.

"By the way, I'm not trying to whitewash His Excellency the Bishop. That experiment should have nothing to do with him. That bastard wouldn't do such a low-level experiment."

K422 certainly didn't mean to whitewash His Excellency the Bishop.

However, she didn't want to pin all the blame on that bastard bishop.

K422 now does indeed have the idea of becoming Grand Bishop; only by becoming the Grand Bishop of Schicksal can she bring justice to Otto's crimes.

Moreover, she would never fabricate crimes against Otto that were not his, but she would also never omit any of the crimes he had committed.

This is a complete reckoning.

Their plight is pitiable, but their crimes are unforgivable.

K422 neither denied the stability brought about by Otto's guidance of Schicksal, nor did he deny that Otto was not a qualified Grand Bishop.

After all, that bastard bishop only had one goal.

He was indifferent to everything except that purpose.

Even if it's to let young True Kiana participate in experiments, or even to use True Kiana's DNA to cultivate clones, even if it's all for the sake of letting humanity master the power of the Herrscher to fight against the Honkai.

No matter how righteous the reason, it is not an excuse for him to persecute the weak and innocent.

However, Laguna's convictions were clearly shattered by the actions of other researchers within the Schicksal.

K422 wanted to pat Laguna on the shoulder, but because she wasn't tall enough, she couldn't reach him even after several attempts on tiptoe. In the end, she had to jump to finally pat Laguna's shoulder.

Everyone was completely bewildered, having no idea what had happened in the corner.

Laguna, who was patted on the shoulder, was even more confused.

"Perhaps Schicksal isn't all that wonderful right now, but Captain Ragnar, if your beliefs crumble, who will continue to help those suffering children? Perhaps while we're chatting, some research institute under Schicksal is conducting human experiments..."

"Kiana... what should I do?"

Even though K422 herself admitted that she was a clone, Laguna still regarded her as Kiana Kaslana.

Cecilia Schariac, the strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal, is undoubtedly the person she respects most.