April 1, 2017. The Hyperion cruised steadily through the skies of Shenzhou.
“Mhm… what? Alright, alright, I understand.”
In the command room of the Hyperion, Theresa cut off the communication, and the expression on her face shifted rapidly.
“Principal, what’s wrong?”
Bronya and Kiana exchanged a glance, then turned to look at Theresa. In their memory, the principal of St. Freya Academy rarely wore such an expression.
Just yesterday, Kiana had boarded the Hyperion once again. Although less than two weeks had passed since their last meeting, both Theresa and Bronya could clearly sense that Kiana had changed—and in ways that caught them completely off guard.
Especially Theresa. Before meeting Kiana, she had run through all sorts of scenarios in her head:
Maybe Kiana would reach out to Anti-Entropy for help, perhaps because after such a heavy blow, her mental state had become dire—but at least she hadn’t done anything foolish and had chosen to see them as her last lifeline;
Or maybe Kiana would put up the same cheerful, optimistic front as before, but in reality, she’d be bottling up all her negative emotions, brushing them off even if they asked;
Or perhaps, because Mei had gone to World Serpent, Kiana would be consumed by guilt, believing it was all her fault.
But after Theresa very carefully and delicately relayed everything that had happened over those days to Kiana, none of the above scenarios played out.
To say that Kiana felt nothing about Himeko’s departure would be dead wrong. On the contrary, she was still blaming herself for it. But she wasn’t keeping those feelings locked inside—she was sharing them openly with them.
As for Mei heading to World Serpent, there was no way Kiana didn’t care about that either. However, the look on her face told Theresa that this was something she had already seen coming.
This left Theresa completely at a loss. In fact, it was she who needed to ask Kiana what on earth had happened over these past days.
“Because of two people: Class Monitor and Enoxia. Enoxia told me that I wasn’t born a disaster. On the contrary, I was born because this world needs me to save it. Auntie, about how I was really born, how Dad escaped with me back in 2006, and why there’s a Herrscher consciousness inside me—Eno already explained everything from start to finish. So you don’t need to worry about me having any dangerous thoughts now that I know I’m a clone and that I inherited someone else’s name.”
“And Class Monitor—she told me exactly what I need to do so that I can stop being a disaster to others and instead become a hero who saves them. Right now, Class Monitor is in some serious trouble, and I need your help.”
As for Kiana’s origins, Theresa herself didn’t know the full picture either. From the moment she had entered St. Freya Academy, all she knew was that Kiana was a clone of the real Kiana. When Siegfried defected in 2006, she was in the Far East, not at headquarters, so she had only caught a glimpse of the whole K-series clone project.
“Wait, Kiana, what you’re saying is… Enoxia used the Zeroth Rated Power of the Key of Corruption to create a new soul out of thin air for that body?”
Kiana shook her head:
“Not entirely. According to her, she doesn’t have that kind of power. Rather than creating, she infused Sirin’s soul into that clone body, which effectively reactivated the originally dormant soul inside it, and that’s how I came to be.”
The look of shock on Theresa’s face didn’t fade one bit:
“That’s still bringing a person to life out of nowhere! Sure, Enoxia kept stressing that her abilities have limits when she talked to you. But even with all kinds of restrictions, it’s still way too absurd… Among all the Herrschers, Schicksal’s understanding of the Herrscher of Corruption is probably the most limited. Thank goodness she’s not our enemy…”
When Kiana explained that she hoped the Hyperion could take her to Mount Taixu, Theresa fell into thought:
“According to Fu Hua, she and Grandpa have known each other for five hundred years, and he knows her very well. So the fact that you’ll be heading to Mount Taixu is probably something she anticipated as well. We need to be prepared.”
Then, back to April 1st—Theresa had just received news that left her utterly stunned.
“The troops that Schicksal had deployed in Arc City and the Deep Sea Abyss suddenly withdrew, and now we’ve got word. Schicksal headquarters was attacked, and the losses were severe. Grandpa himself… is missing.”
“That Overseer Otto… his fate is unknown?”
“Yeah. Right now, Schicksal has been fully taken over by Durandal. Even during the previous Schicksal civil war, it was never this chaotic. At the time… something really serious must have happened.”
“Unbelievable. Bronya thinks this feels more like a conspiracy.”
“…After all, he’s not the type to go down that easily. Compared to the Overseer out in the open, Otto hiding in the shadows is definitely far more terrifying.”
“Do they have any idea who the culprit is?”
Theresa shook her head:
“Even now, there’s still too much information out there, and it’s hard to tell what’s true and what’s not. Some say it was World Serpent, but it’s more likely that they were attacked by a Herrscher… We’re almost at our destination. The only thing we can do is be extra cautious.”
The Hyperion gradually descended. Kiana and Bronya made their way to the deck.
“Kiana… do you really think Class Monitor left something behind here?”
“Definitely. Class Monitor told me she lived here for a very long time—her home, her school, her hidden treasures, and the Taixu Sword Aura, which can help us control Herrscher energy and prevent us from losing control—they’re all here too.”
Soon, the Hyperion reached the designated position. The two of them used small flight vehicles to land smoothly. Gazing at the mist-shrouded, almost ethereal landscape in the distance, they were instantly captivated by the breathtaking beauty.
Just as they paused to take in the view, Theresa’s urgent voice crackled through:
“Kiana, Bronya, be careful! Just now, the Hyperion detected a small Schicksal spacecraft nearby. The people inside are moving toward your position!”
The two immediately readied themselves for battle. Before long, a figure appeared before them.
“You really did come. The Overseer’s prediction was spot on, as always.”
She lifted her head and looked toward the Hyperion, barely visible through the swirling mist.
“Lady Theresa, it’s been a long time.”
