Rita could tell the situation was turning bad. Without hesitation, she let go of her tightly gripped scythe and lunged toward the sealed window.
But the moment she took a single step, her body went limp, and she collapsed to the floor with a dull thud.
“As expected of an S-rank Valkyrie. Even without knowing a thing about my abilities, you still chose to trust your instincts and prioritize escape above all else—getting word of my presence out there was the most important thing.”
“However, when it comes to throwing teammates under the bus, Otto is a true professional. With his level of intellect, he should have already guessed that I’d be here. He just assumed I wouldn’t interfere in the scramble between Anti-Entropy, Schicksal, and World Serpent over Kiana. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had Sirin teleport Kiana from above the Mediterranean all the way to Shenzhou… See? Didn’t Otto conveniently leave out how Kiana ended up in Arc City so quickly?”
“I know you’re using process of elimination right now, trying to figure out what I did to leave you so weak and drained. After all, only by understanding my methods can you find the right countermeasure.”
“Rest assured, Miss Rita. I have no intention of keeping you in the dark. All I did was project my consciousness onto you and subtly contaminate your brain’s perception of your own body. This is the most basic application of the Herrscher of Corruption’s authority. No special equipment required—as long as you’re within my line of sight, I can activate it at any time.”
“As for why you didn’t sense my presence earlier? That’s no mystical trick either. It’s still just the fundamentals of the Corruption authority—simply converting my own body into data. No matter how sharp your scythe is, you can’t slice a holographic projection in half, can you? So, how about it? Does that explanation meet your satisfaction?”
“But you still haven’t told me why you’re helping World Serpent.”
Rita had remarkable psychological resilience. In just a few short moments, the panic on her face had completely faded, replaced by her usual calm composure and elegance.
“When a person is powerful enough, there doesn’t need to be so many ‘whys.’ A Herrscher’s momentary whim is already enough to send countless people scrambling. That said, I’m not doing this purely for amusement either.”
“On the Anti-Entropy and Theresa side, only Tesla and Mei have come to Arc City. But Schicksal sent their entire Immortal Blades squad. Who knows—maybe Kiana really would have been caught by you… Hm? And then there were more?”
“BOOM!”
An explosion roared in the distance. With flames shooting into the sky, anyone with half a brain could tell something had gone wrong.
“Just five minutes ago, the Immortal Blades, Anti-Entropy mechs, and Arc City’s defense mechs all got tangled up in a three-way brawl. No one knows whose weapon hit something flammable—or explosive—inside that factory. Shenzhou isn’t Schicksal’s territory, so Otto just landed himself another headache.”
“Just one factory? That’s hardly a problem for Schicksal.”
Enoxia turned to face Gray Serpent:
“Sigh… looks like Rita successfully drained your intelligence too. Use World Serpent’s resources and take a good look at what’s right next to that factory.”
Five minutes later, Gray Serpent reached a conclusion.
“I see. Not far from the combat zone is the largest research facility for Honkai energy in all of Arc City. At this rate of fighting, a Honkai leak is only a matter of time.”
“If Anti-Entropy’s mechs get wrecked, that’s just a matter of spending more money. Raiden Mei is a Herrscher herself—it’d be laughable if high concentrations of Honkai energy actually affected her. But the Immortal Blades members? They’re the ones who are really out of luck…”
Lying limp on the ground, Rita’s body trembled at those words. Once again, panic crept back onto her face.
“But judging by your expression, you don’t seem too worried about them.”
“Worried? What do I care if the Immortal Blades get infected into zombies or wiped out by Honkai beasts?”
“Ah… I suppose I asked that wrong. From what World Serpent knows about you, when you show that kind of attitude, it usually means you’ve already got a solution in mind.”
Enoxia gazed into the distance and spread her arms wide:
“Exactly. Right now, there’s a concerned citizen in Arc City. Without me even needing to say a word, she’ll go save people on her own. Her task isn’t exactly heavy—she just needs to hold the line until Durandal gets here.”
Gray Serpent glanced at Rita, still sprawled on the floor, then looked back at Enoxia:
“So… right. Of course. You wouldn’t do that.”
“Of course not. Taking hostages is nothing but a display of incompetence—it’s a massive mark against you in every possible way. What I am curious about, though, is how long I can hold my own against this Schicksal Valkyrie in a straight fight—without using the Corruption authority to mess with Durandal’s mind.”
“You really lack that much confidence in yourself?”
“There’s an old saying in Shenzhou: ‘Know yourself and know your enemy, and you’ll never be defeated in a hundred battles.’ Knowing your own limits is far wiser than blind overconfidence. Our business here is done. I’m leaving. As for Miss Rita Losweisser over there—she won’t have any combat ability for the next half hour.”
“What you choose to do with her is none of my concern, as long as World Serpent is willing to bear the consequences.”
With that, Enoxia turned and walked away.
At this moment, Rita lay sprawled across the cold floor, radiating an air of helpless fragility. Combined with her attire and the essence of the Herrscher of Seduction, it actually created quite an alluring scene.
But unfortunately, Gray Serpent was a bionic being—programmed from the ground up to feel no such desires. He merely gave her one glance before following Enoxia out of the building.
