Even though Fu Hua was a fair distance away from Schicksal headquarters, she naturally knew something was up with such a huge disturbance caused by the Herrscher’s birth. She tried to shake off Reina, who had been locked in combat with her all this time, but the other girl clearly had no intention of changing her mind just because of a sudden turn of events.
Reina’s thinking was simple: Fu Hua stood on the opposite side of Raiden Mei, which made her an enemy. And since she was an enemy who was also very powerful, then no matter what, she absolutely couldn’t let her get anywhere near the Helios!
Seeing that Reina was still being relentless, and knowing that the situation was urgent and she couldn’t afford to waste any more time, Fu Hua pulled out the Feather of Dust.
“Sorry about this, Reina.”
[Shadow Knight·Moonblossom] suddenly accelerated, and in an instant, Fu Hua closed the distance between herself and Reina. Seeing this, Reina opened her massive jaws wide, trying to swallow Fu Hua whole.
“One-Inch Punch·Sky Breaker!”
The punch, enhanced by the Feather of Dust, landed squarely on Reina’s head. Her wide-open mouth slowly began to close, and she stood frozen in place as if dazed, her wings flapping instinctively just to keep herself from falling out of the sky.
Clearly, the Feather of Dust had successfully trapped Reina in an illusion for the time being. Seeing that her plan had worked, Fu Hua didn’t hesitate for even a moment and flew at full speed toward Schicksal headquarters.
Meanwhile, since all of Schicksal headquarters’ forces were busy dealing with the Herrscher, the Helios successfully made it to the outskirts of the Third Airport.
Even though they were about to reach their destination, seeing the dense swarm of Honkai beasts below them, Himeko couldn’t feel good about it at all.
“Dammit, are we really going to get stuck here because of these monsters…?”
At this point, the average temperature at the Third Airport had dropped below minus 30 degrees Celsius. Himeko knew that fighting against such a massive number of Honkai beasts in such extreme cold would seriously reduce their efficiency.
As the Helios continued to descend, several Honkai beasts jumped onto the ship’s deck. Himeko immediately stepped forward and wiped out the intruders. But as soon as she finished one wave, another wave came.
“Tch, this is endless. Fooling around has to have some limits, Theresa. You’d better come up with a solution to this situation fast, or we won’t even get to see Kiana before we’re trapped here…”
“Miss Himeko, the solution you wanted has arrived.”
A somewhat unfamiliar voice rang out. Right after that, countless missiles rained down from the sky, wiping out hundreds of Honkai beasts surrounding the Helios. More than a hundred mechs appeared on the outskirts of the Third Airport.
“It’s Dr. Einstein from Anti-Entropy! Thank goodness, you guys finally made it!”
“Ms. Theresa, thank you for providing the coordinates. Schicksal headquarters’ defenses are incredibly tight. We barely managed to find a big hole in the ‘eggshell.'”
“I hope you came prepared.”
“We won’t let you down, Ms. Theresa.”
[Ballista Squadron assembled. Beginning assistance of allied forces in eliminating enemies along the flight path… Thunder mechs deployed. Rear mortars extending…]
[240mm anti-armor high-explosive rounds loaded. Target locked… 3, 2, 1… firing.]
Hundreds of shells roared through the air, and the entire Schicksal Third Airport instantly turned into a sea of fire.
[Preparing for second round of firing…]
Fifteen minutes later, every single Honkai beast at the Schicksal Third Airport and its surrounding areas had been eliminated. The Helios successfully landed there safely.
Himeko took the lead, charging into the Third Airport’s control tower and taking out the security robots. Dr. Tesla arrived right after her and hacked into the control tower’s terminal. At this point, Anti-Entropy and Theresa’s forces had finally fully occupied the Third Airport.
“I didn’t expect those shells to be so powerful. They took out a Honkai beast in just one hit…”
When it came to mechs, a proud expression appeared on Tesla’s face:
“This is Anti-Entropy’s latest invention. Compared to this, that pile of scrap metal from Schicksal isn’t even worthy of being called a mech… Got it. Kiana is currently at the First Airport. The Valkyrie forces are holding her back.”
“To get from here to the First Airport, we’ll need to go through the interior. There are three routes in total… Got it. This route currently has the weakest defenses. Probably because most of the forces have been sent to deal with the Herrscher, plus there’s a barrier in the way. Next…”
Himeko cut in:
“The next part is simple. Theresa and Mei will be responsible for finding Kiana and bringing her back. I’ll take another route, draw Schicksal’s fire, and shut down the barrier at the same time. We’re racing against the clock, so let’s go with that.”
Tesla wasn’t angry at Himeko for cutting her off. In fact, she appreciated her decisiveness and straightforwardness:
“I think that’s the best approach too. I’ll go with Himeko. I still have plenty of mech units left on hand anyway. With the kind of ruckus we’re going to make, anyone who isn’t an idiot will know that Anti-Entropy’s forces have also arrived. If you went by yourself, you wouldn’t be able to effectively draw the enemy’s attention.”
After exchanging glances with each other, they began their operation. Himeko and Tesla left immediately.
“Mei, there might be some very dangerous fights ahead, so… when it’s necessary, you will use the full power of the Herrscher of Thunder, right?”
Mei kept a vigilant eye on their surroundings as she answered:
“Yeah…”
“That also means the consciousness of the Herrscher of Thunder might completely overwhelm your own. You still can’t fully control that power yet, so please don’t push yourself too hard.”
“Thank you for your concern, Headmistress.”
Theresa smiled apologetically:
“Just call me Theresa. I’m going against Grandpa now, and I won’t be the headmistress of St. Freya Academy anymore. I know Kiana is incredibly important to you, but the one who ultimately decided to break into Schicksal headquarters was me. When it comes down to it, it’s because of my decision that you got dragged into this.”
Mei shook her head firmly:
“Please don’t say that. Even if you’ve left Schicksal, you’re still the headmistress we all respect. Two and a half years ago, you allowed me, a Herrscher, to enter St. Freya Academy and gave me a place to belong. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t be standing here today as a Valkyrie.”
Theresa couldn’t help but feel emotional:
“So… it’s already been two and a half years… Time really flies…”
“I used to be so afraid of the Herrscher inside me. I was afraid she would hurt Kiana and everyone else around me. But I’m not going to run away anymore. I will use this power to protect the people who are important to me.”
Just then, Einstein’s voice came through:
“Sorry to interrupt your conversation, but the readings show that the barrier has been shut down.”
“Got it. Mei, get ready to move out!”
At the same time, Fu Hua landed at Schicksal’s First Airport. There was no communication signal here, and the atmosphere was eerily silent. The only thing she could feel was the abnormally low temperature.
Fu Hua cautiously approached the source of the Honkai energy. After moving for a while, she discovered several ice sculptures.
She knew these were the forces that had been sent to deal with the Herrscher of Ice. They probably hadn’t even gotten a chance to open fire before they ended up like this.
“If I remember correctly, the commander in charge of defending the First Airport was…!!!”
As soon as this thought crossed Fu Hua’s mind, her heart skipped a beat, and her footsteps unconsciously quickened.
By the time she reached the target location, the Herrscher was long gone. All that was left at the scene were two massive blocks of ice, each over two meters tall.
Inside the ice blocks were two S-rank Valkyries of Schicksal: one was Cheng Lixue, and the other was Rita Rossweisse.
Fu Hua quickly stepped forward, shattered both ice blocks, and then placed her fingers on Cheng Lixue’s pulse.
Sensing that her life force was still intact, Fu Hua breathed a sigh of relief. After wiping the cold sweat from her forehead, she moved both of them into a nearby room and began providing treatment with the limited resources she had.
About half an hour later, Cheng Lixue woke up. Opening her eyes, she saw Fu Hua leaning against the wall and knew that she had definitely been saved by her.
“Master, the Herrscher—”
“Lixue, I know what you’re going to ask. By the time I got here, the Herrscher had already left. I didn’t fight her. Also, Rita is fine, but she’s more seriously injured. She’s still unconscious and won’t wake up for a while.”
“So tell me, what exactly happened just now?”
“Cough, cough…” Cheng Lixue tried to recall what had happened, but as soon as she opened her mouth, a chill rushed out from her lungs, and she coughed for a long time without being able to say a single word.
Fu Hua stepped forward and patted her on the back:
“Don’t rush it. You’ve been fighting for a long time in extreme low temperatures. Get your breathing steady first.”
Cheng Lixue followed Fu Hua’s advice, calmed her mind, and gradually let the disordered Honkai energy in her body return to normal. After confirming that she was mostly okay, she briefly recounted what had happened to Fu Hua.
After she had ordered the other Valkyries to fall back, the Herrscher of Ice suddenly expanded her attack range, freezing the retreating Valkyries in place.
Cheng Lixue concentrated her attacks on a single point while the Herrscher was unleashing her large-scale AOE, but unfortunately, Ruoshui’s abilities were too severely countered by the Herrscher of Ice to deal any effective damage.
Just as Cheng Lixue was starting to feel overwhelmed, Rita arrived as backup. The problem was, the battlesuit she was wearing was Moon Soul. Against the Herrscher of Ice, she couldn’t bring out any of her strength at all. In just one exchange, she was frozen inside a block of ice.
With her teammate essentially delivering herself to the enemy on a silver platter, Cheng Lixue naturally couldn’t hold out on her own either. But what puzzled Cheng Lixue was that after the Herrscher of Ice had immobilized everyone at the scene, she seemed to leave in a hurry, as if she had already picked out some target.
Just then, Fu Hua’s communicator went off.
“…What? Okay, got it.”
She turned to look at Cheng Lixue:
“The Herrscher of Ice is now on the road from the Second Laboratory to the Second Airport. Regular Valkyries are no match for her. I have to move immediately. You rest well here.”
Cheng Lixue watched Fu Hua’s departing back. She wanted to say something but held back.
“Now’s not the time to ask about that. I’ll wait until this is all over…”
After some time, Fu Hua spotted her target, but the Herrscher of Ice spotted her too. Both of them moved at the same time. Fu Hua’s fist struck the Herrscher’s head, pushing her back several meters and temporarily stunning her thoughts. But Fu Hua didn’t press her advantage because her body had been hit by ice shards, leaving her unable to move for the next few seconds.
“The Herrscher of Ice from 17 years ago was powerful because she had two Herrscher cores, along with an unbelievable regenerative ability and the power to induce hallucinations. The Feather of Dust tells me that her attacks just now didn’t contain any hallucinogenic effects, and she also instinctively blocked when I attacked her. That means my attacks at least have the potential to injure her.”
Fu Hua dodged the Herrscher’s attacks while her mind raced.
“Is she weaker because her body is Kiana’s? But something feels… off somehow…”
After several exchanges with the Herrscher, Fu Hua knew that she couldn’t stop her in her current state. She had to make a change.
Fortunately, the opportunity for that change had already arrived. In gamer terms, Shadow Knight·Moonblossom’s SP had maxed out at 60.
“Shadow Knight·Moonblosson, limiters released!”
A flash of lightning streaked through the air, and Fu Hua entered her Eclipse Form.
Taking advantage of the Herrscher of Ice’s momentary daze, Fu Hua charged right up to her and used Deadly Strike·Sky Cleaver. The Herrscher of Ice felt as though, in the instant Fu Hua lifted her foot, hundreds of feet appeared before her eyes. A smooth, fluid combo landed one hit after another, forcing the Herrscher back step by step.
“I didn’t expect that someone of this caliber would exist on this planet… So you’re a long-lived species too. That explains it. That explains it…”
“How could I tell? Your eyes. Those are the eyes of someone who has lived for hundreds, thousands, or even more years.”
“I’m curious. You clearly have two Divine Keys in your hands, yet you’ve only used one of them. Is it because activating the other requires special conditions, or does it come with a considerable cost?”
Fu Hua let out a light snort:
“Don’t you think you’re talking a bit too much?”
The Herrscher of Ice’s expression didn’t change at all:
“Because I’m observing you. Observing what kind of person you are… But unfortunately, the result has been a huge disappointment to me.”
“There’s only one basic rule in this world: either you eat others, or you get eaten. You’re unwilling to eat others, and you’re also unwilling to be eaten. Don’t you think… that’s a little too greedy?”
Fu Hua tilted her head in confusion, genuinely unable to understand what kind of cause-and-effect relationship existed between the Herrscher’s words.
“Ah well. For prey to understand the language of a predator… was probably asking for too much to begin with…”
Fu Hua had no intention of engaging in a verbal battle with her. Taking advantage of the Herrscher’s monologue, she immediately charged forward. But her fist stopped before reaching the Herrscher’s body, blocked by something.
It wasn’t an ice wall created by the Herrscher’s authority. What stopped her was a barrier made of pure Honkai energy.
The next moment, she was blasted away by an icy wind. The aura emanating from the Herrscher of Ice was rising steadily. A cold, blue light shot out from her body, piercing straight into the sky.
Back at the Third Airport, Einstein stared at the data on her screen, her brow deeply furrowed. She even wondered for a moment if the instrument itself had malfunctioned.
Because just now, the Herrscher of Ice’s energy level had climbed rapidly, finally settling on a number: 5885 HW.
