North Africa.
Schicksal Vimur Labs.
The day before the Arc City incident.
This place had once been a modern city connecting Europe and Africa. A beautiful Mediterranean metropolis, its streets had been filled with life, and its nights had never truly ended.
Then a single Honkai Eruption changed everything.
The bustling city became a dead metropolis in the middle of a lifeless desert. Its streets fell silent, its buildings stood abandoned, and the remnants of its former inhabitants vanished beneath the endless sands.
Yet, for precisely these reasons, the city had become an ideal testing ground for Schicksal.
Far beneath the ruined metropolis, a secret experiment was about to begin.
Comms: "Attention all personnel. Test firing 42 of the 2nd Divine Key will commence in 5 minutes."
Alarm sirens echoed throughout the abandoned city. A countdown was broadcast through the facility's communication network, reaching every corner of the testing grounds.
Five minutes.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
BOOOOOOOOM!
At the heart of the city, an enormous cannon roared to life.
The earth trembled beneath the immense discharge, sending waves of dust across the desert. A colossal pillar of light shot into the heavens, its radiance so overwhelming that it seemed capable of cleaving the world in two.
The beam continued upward until it struck an invisible barrier suspended high above the city.
For a brief moment, the heavens seemed to resist.
Then—
CRACK!
The sky shattered like a gigantic mirror.
Fragments of distorted space scattered across the opening, raining down like broken shards of glass. Beyond the breach lay a realm of chaos, where the laws of reality seemed to have lost all meaning.
Stars of ill omen blinked within the roiling darkness.
Something was watching from the other side.
Comms: "Divine Key firing success. Initiating Stage 1. Energy output stabilised. Quantum interface wetting confirmed."
Hundreds of shadowy figures materialized within the breach.
They seeped through the broken boundary between dimensions, descending toward the ruined city like a tide of darkness. Their twisted silhouettes distorted the surrounding space as they emerged from the quantum realm.
As the Quantum Shadows poured into the sky, the very fabric of space-time seemed to tilt, as though the world itself were struggling to accommodate the intrusion.
Yet one woman watched the spectacle without the slightest hint of fear.
A blond Valkyrie stood upon an elevated platform, calmly observing the unfolding chaos.
Her long strawberry-blonde hair flowed behind her in the wind. She wore a fitted, military-inspired black coat over a white collared shirt, decorated with teal accents, golden buttons, and chains. A short, asymmetrical teal cape fluttered behind her, complementing her long gloves, brown leggings, and dark thigh-high boots.
A black military hat bearing a golden emblem rested upon her head.
This was Durandal, wearing her Valkyrie Gloria battlesuit.
The communication system crackled.
Comms: "Quantum Shadow incursions detected. All yours, Master Durandal."
Durandal: "Roger."
Without hesitation, Durandal leaped from the platform and plunged into the battlefield.
Her lance gleamed in the reflected light of the dimensional breach as she descended toward the approaching enemies.
Comms: "A horde of Quantum Shadows are approaching. Get ready for attack."
Durandal: "Roger."
The first Quantum Shadow lunged at her.
Durandal accelerated forward, her lance thrusting through its body in one clean movement.
SHING!
Before the creature could dissolve, she lifted it with her weapon and swung it into another approaching Shadow.
CRASH!
Both creatures disintegrated in a burst of dark particles.
Durandal landed lightly on the ground and immediately pivoted, sweeping her lance through the next group of enemies.
Her weapon carved brilliant arcs through the air. One Quantum Shadow after another fell beneath her relentless assault, their distorted bodies breaking apart as her strikes tore through them.
She moved with absolute precision, conserving neither time nor effort where it mattered.
Within moments, the immediate threat had been eliminated.
Durandal rested her lance against her shoulder.
Durandal: "Target eradicated."
Comms: "Coordinates updated. Please head to the next location."
Durandal turned and moved toward the designated coordinates.
Behind her, the Divine Key continued to emit its immense pillar of light, holding the dimensional breach open above the city.
Comms: "Divine Key energy has reached operational threshold. Quantum dimension breached. Prep Stage 2 for coordinates observation."
Comms: "Stage 2 will start any moment, Master Durandal. Please await further orders."
Durandal stood silently, waiting for the next phase.
She had participated in these tests many times before. The procedures had become so familiar that she could recite them without consulting a manual.
Durandal: "…"
Beneath the city, ten Hyperion-class Honkai reactors operated at maximum capacity.
Their combined output powered the 2nd Divine Key, allowing it to pierce the space-time barrier and establish a tunnel into the Sea of Quanta.
However, the process was far from perfect.
The unstable quantum interface caused Quantum Shadows to manifest within the local dimension, forcing Schicksal to deploy combat personnel to eliminate the resulting incursions.
That was Durandal's assignment.
Defend the Divine Key.
Neutralize the invading Shadows.
Ensure that the experiment proceeded without interruption.
But the Sea of Quanta was not the true objective.
Once the Divine Key reached its operational threshold, Stage 2 could begin. The Key would then attempt to establish a tunnel that passed through the quantum dimension and reached something beyond it.
A place that remained unknown to humanity.
A terra incognita where the laws governing the universe—and perhaps the ultimate truth of life itself—originated.
The Imaginary Tree.
The experiment was an attempt to reach the foundations of reality itself.
And Durandal was the shield protecting that attempt.
The dimensional breach began to pulse again.
New Quantum Shadows emerged from the darkness, their numbers increasing with every passing moment.
Comms: "Quantum Shadows still emerging."
Comms: "Please proceed with extermination, Master Durandal."
Durandal moved immediately.
She charged into the incoming horde, her lance flashing as she cut through the first wave. A Quantum Shadow lunged from her blind spot, but she twisted around and struck it with a powerful punch, sending it crashing into another creature.
Both dissolved into particles.
More enemies descended from the breach.
Durandal hurled her lance with tremendous force.
The weapon streaked through the air, igniting in a trail of brilliant flames before impaling a Quantum Shadow and carrying it backward into the horde.
BOOM!
The resulting impact scattered several enemies across the battlefield.
Durandal retrieved her lance and continued forward.
She struck, swept, and thrust without hesitation. Whenever the Shadows attempted to surround her, she broke through their formation with overwhelming strength, turning their numbers against them.
Her movements were efficient and controlled.
There was no wasted motion.
One by one, the Quantum Shadows were eradicated.
And throughout the entire battle, Durandal's expression remained composed.
Far away, at Schicksal Headquarters, a different battle was taking place.
Not one fought with weapons, but with numbers.
Otto: "…"
Otto Apocalypse stood before a series of laboratory monitors, his eyes following the rapidly changing data displayed across their screens.
The information streamed directly from the African testing facility, recording every detail of the 2nd Divine Key's firing sequence.
His laboratory housed some of the most advanced Soulium computers available to Schicksal. Their processing power was extraordinary, capable of analyzing astronomical quantities of information in a fraction of the time required by conventional systems.
Even so, the task before them was almost impossible.
The data was simply too vast.
Every firing of the Divine Key opened a brief window into the unknown, allowing Schicksal to observe an enormous number of potential destinations. Yet finding the specific target Otto sought among them remained an immensely difficult challenge.
The communication system interrupted his thoughts.
Comms: "Divine Key out of power. Tunnel collapse in 5, 4…"
The Key required an enormous amount of energy to fire and sustain its beam. Once its power reserves were depleted, the tunnel would collapse, ending the observation window.
Otto had less than a minute to collect the information he needed.
Every second mattered.
Comms: "…3, 2, 1. Tunnel collapse confirmed. The test run has ended."
The massive data stream abruptly stopped.
Silence settled over the laboratory.
Otto waited as his computers processed the collected information, searching for a useful result among the countless observations.
An extraordinary amount of resources had been poured into this project.
All because the Overseer needed a few numbers.
Numbers he had spent years searching for.
Numbers that continued to elude him.
Finally, the results appeared on the monitor.
Comms: "Results compiled. Total nodes observed: 186,940,000. Deviation units from target node: 54."
Otto studied the figures.
Otto: "54… our progress seems limited."
His voice betrayed no frustration.
He understood the difficulties of the experiment better than anyone.
The Divine Key had allowed him to observe nearly 187 million nodes, yet the result still fell short of his objective.
And that was only one firing.
His calculations indicated that the tunnel would need to remain open for at least 80,000 hours to locate a probable answer through the existing method.
The required duration was staggering.
Otto had no intention of wasting that much time.
He wasn't interested in the false realities offered by bubble universes. They might provide temporary answers, but they would not lead him to the truth he sought.
He needed something more direct.
A more efficient method of firing the Divine Key.
A way to accelerate the search before the Honkai destroyed human civilization.
Otto's gaze settled on the data one last time.
Then he spoke.
Otto: "It would seem we need the Herrscher of the Void and her powers."
Back in North Africa, the final Quantum Shadows continued to emerge from the dimensional breach.
Durandal met them head-on.
She thrust her lance through one Shadow, spun around, and struck another with a forceful kick. When a third creature approached from above, she leaped into the air and intercepted it before it could reach the Divine Key's installation.
Her lance flashed.
The last of the Shadows disintegrated.
The battlefield finally fell silent.
Comms: "All Quantum Shadows neutralised."
Durandal lowered her weapon.
Comms: "Orders from HQ. The experiment has ended, Master Durandal. Please report back to base."
Durandal: "Roger."
She turned away from the battlefield as the Divine Key's enormous beam began to fade. The shattered opening in the sky slowly closed, its fragments of distorted space disappearing one by one until the heavens returned to their former state.
Vimur Labs. One kilometer underground.
The facility bustled with activity.
Technicians moved between control stations, shutting down equipment and resetting instruments. Others began clearing the testing areas, ensuring that the installation was ready for its next operation.
Every experiment demanded preparation, observation, and analysis.
The 2nd Divine Key was far too valuable to leave unprotected.
Its underground installation had been designed to withstand attacks capable of devastating the surface. Its machinery was shielded by layers of reinforced structures, and its power systems were distributed throughout the facility.
Yet despite the importance of the entire operation, the installation had only one Valkyrie assigned to defend it.
One warrior was considered sufficient.
Because that warrior was Durandal.
And now, after completing her mission, Schicksal's most powerful Valkyrie had returned to her quarters.
She sat quietly, her expression stern as she read a report sent by her adjutant, Rita Rossweisse.
The document was titled "Artemis."
Durandal's eyes moved across the report.
Then stopped.
Durandal: "Rita…?"
She stared at the screen for a moment longer.
Durandal: "…"
No further words followed.
Durandal rose from her seat.
Without calling for an escort or offering an explanation to the personnel nearby, she left her quarters.
Back to now
Mei was only a few steps away from reuniting with Kiana when a massive plant suddenly blocked her path.
Thick branches twisted and coiled around the street, growing from the ground where Durandal's Abyss Flower lance had struck. The enormous tree towered over the two Valkyries, its branches cradling Kiana's unconscious body.
Standing between Mei and her best friend was Durandal, the ace S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal.
Mei: "Durandal!"
Durandal: "Greetings, Mei Raiden."
The wielder of the Sixth Divine Key, Abyss Flower, and Schicksal's most formidable S-rank Valkyrie stood before Mei.
Although Mei was no longer a Valkyrie, she knew of Durandal's fearsome reputation. She had witnessed the blonde warrior's extraordinary strength firsthand, having watched her spar with Kouga on numerous occasions.
Even though Kouga had always emerged victorious in those sparring matches, Durandal had never been an opponent to underestimate. Her skills, instincts, and combat experience were exceptional. The fact that she could repeatedly challenge someone as powerful as Kouga was proof enough of her abilities.
And now, Mei was standing against that very same warrior.
She knew the difference between their strengths.
But she had no intention of backing down.
Durandal: "My orders are to retrieve Kiana Kaslana."
Mei drew a deep breath and tightened her grip on her weapon. Her eyes remained fixed on Durandal, her expression growing increasingly resolute.
Mei: "You will not take her…"
Mei: "You can't take Kiana away!"
Durandal: "Let's see if I can."
Without another word, Mei charged.
Her katana flashed as she closed the distance between them, its blade cutting through the air toward Durandal's shoulder.
CLANG!
Durandal effortlessly raised Abyss Flower and blocked the strike.
Mei's eyes widened slightly.
Before she could withdraw her blade, Durandal twisted her lance, redirecting the force of Mei's attack. She stepped forward and drove her weapon toward Mei's torso.
Mei hurriedly turned her body aside. The lance grazed past her, but Durandal was already moving again.
A swift kick struck Mei in the abdomen.
BAM!
Mei stumbled backward, barely managing to regain her balance before Durandal pursued her.
She swung her katana in a sweeping arc, aiming for Durandal's side. Durandal lowered her stance and slipped beneath the blade, then brought Abyss Flower up to intercept Mei's follow-up strike.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Steel clashed repeatedly as the two exchanged blows.
Mei attacked with everything she had, chaining together rapid slashes and thrusts. Her movements were fast and precise, driven by the desperate determination to protect the person standing behind her opponent.
But Durandal read every movement.
She parried Mei's katana with minimal effort, redirected her attacks, and countered each opening with overwhelming precision.
Mei tried to change her rhythm, striking from a different angle, but Durandal caught her blade against the shaft of Abyss Flower.
With a sharp twist of her weapon, Durandal forced Mei's katana aside.
Then she struck.
BAM!
The blow sent Mei flying backward.
She crashed onto the pavement and skidded several meters across the empty street. Pain shot through her body, and for a moment, she struggled to draw breath.
Durandal lowered her lance and watched her opponent from a short distance away.
Durandal: "This should come to an end."
Mei gritted her teeth.
With trembling arms, she pushed herself upright and plunged her katana into the ground, using the embedded blade to support her weight.
Durandal approached and pointed Abyss Flower toward her.
Durandal: "It's over, Mei Raiden. You stand no chance against me."
Mei's breathing was ragged. Her entire body ached, and her fingers struggled to maintain their grip on the katana.
Yet she refused to look away.
Mei: "Our fight… it isn't over yet…"
Durandal: "…"
Mei: "I will not let you take Kiana away…"
For a moment, Durandal studied the determination in Mei's eyes.
Durandal: "I like that strong look in your eyes."
Durandal: "But your powers fail to match your will."
Mei lowered her gaze.
Then, with her free hand, she quickly grabbed the crystal necklace around her neck.
Durandal raised an eyebrow at the unexpected movement.
Mei closed her fingers around the violet crystal and focused all her remaining willpower into it.
Suddenly, five streams of violet light appeared across Arc City emerged from different directions, converging upon Mei like shooting stars.
FWOOOSH!
The five streams of light plunged into the violet crystal.
Its surface glowed brilliantly, releasing a pulse of energy that spread across the street.
Durandal's eyebrow rose again.
Before she could determine what was happening, five transparent warriors materialized around Mei, their bodies shimmering with violet light.
The first warrior wore dark armor and carried an imposing sword, its blade radiating a fearsome presence.
Kamen Rider Tycoon — Bujin Sword.
The second stood in the form of a mythical beast king, its imposing appearance radiating overwhelming power.
Rio — Mythical Beast King.
The third warrior holding a sword with the composure of an experienced commander.
Dekamaster.
The fourth was clad in elaborate armor, wielding twin green sashimono and a formidable weapon.
Kamen Rider Zangetsu — Kachidoki Arms.
The fifth warrior stood with the fierce, imposing appearance of a martial artist, its powerful stance radiating the spirit of the Gekirangers.
Super Gekired.
Durandal's eyes widened.
For the first time since the battle began, genuine shock crossed her face.
She recognized those forms.
Or, at the very least, she recognized what they represented.
These warriors bore the unmistakable characteristics of the powers Kouga had wielded during their encounters. Their appearances suggested that they were more advanced forms of those same powers, although Durandal had no way of knowing their exact origins.
But one of them was impossible for her to forget.
Super Gekired.
It had been the first form with which Kouga had ever defeated her.
Before Durandal could gather her thoughts, all five warriors moved.
They rushed toward her simultaneously.
SWOOSH!
Tycoon Bujin Sword attacked first, his blade sweeping toward Durandal with deadly precision. Durandal immediately stepped aside, narrowly avoiding the strike as the sword cut through the air where she had been standing.
Dekamaster followed, his sword flashing toward her from the opposite side.
Durandal twisted away from the attack, but Tycoon had already adjusted his stance and launched another slash.
CLANG!
She raised Abyss Flower and blocked the incoming blow.
Before she could counter, Rio Mythical Beast King charged forward with a powerful strike. Durandal braced herself and intercepted the attack with the shaft of her lance.
The impact sent a shock wave through the surrounding air.
BOOM!
Durandal's boots scraped across the pavement as she absorbed the force.
Super Gekired immediately pressed the advantage, rushing in with a fierce combination of martial arts strikes. Durandal parried the first blow, deflected the second with Abyss Flower, and narrowly evaded the third.
At the same time, Zangetsu Kachidoki Arms attacked from the flank.
His twin green sashimono swept toward her in rapid succession, forcing Durandal to abandon her counterattack and retreat to avoid being caught between the two weapons.
CLANG! CLANG!
The five warriors continued their relentless assault.
Tycoon Bujin Sword and Dekamaster attacked with precise swordsmanship, leaving Durandal little room to maneuver. Rio Mythical Beast King and Super Gekired forced her to meet their powerful strikes head-on, while Zangetsu Kachidoki Arms kept her occupied with his sweeping attacks.
Durandal could barely find an opportunity to counterattack.
And she understood why.
These were not ordinary summoned creatures.
They were warriors whose abilities resembled those of the man who had repeatedly challenged her own limits.
While Durandal was occupied defending herself, Mei seized her opportunity.
She pulled her katana from the pavement, forced herself to stand, and rushed toward the enormous tree where Kiana lay unconscious.
Her legs trembled with every step, and the pain from Durandal's earlier attacks threatened to bring her down.
But she kept moving.
Durandal noticed Mei's movement from the corner of her eye.
Her expression changed.
She could not afford to let Mei reach Kiana.
With a sharp movement, Durandal disengaged from the five warriors and drove Abyss Flower into the ground.
THOOM!
A brilliant flash of light erupted from the lance.
Enormous roots and branches burst from the pavement, rapidly growing into a towering wall of vegetation. The sudden growth forced the five warriors to retreat, disrupting their coordinated assault and pushing them away from Durandal.
At the same time, another cluster of branches erupted directly in front of Mei.
CRASH!
Mei was caught by the sudden surge of vegetation and thrown backward. She struck the ground hard, her katana slipping from her hand as the enormous branches rose between her and Kiana.
Mei: "Kiana!"
But Durandal had already moved.
She leaped toward the giant plant, reached out, and caught Kiana securely in her arms.
The five transparent warriors attempted to pursue her, but the expanding roots obstructed their path. Durandal used the opening to launch herself skyward with Kiana held against her.
FWOOOSH!
A brilliant trail of light blazed behind her as she ascended into the sky.
Within moments, she had climbed beyond the surrounding buildings, carrying Kiana farther and farther away from the city streets.
The glowing trail gradually faded into the distance.
And then it disappeared.
Mei stared at the empty sky.
For several seconds, she could not move.
She had fought with everything she had. She had summoned Kouga's warriors. She had pushed herself beyond her physical limits, refusing to surrender even when Durandal had completely overwhelmed her.
And still…
She had failed.
"Kiana" was gone.
Again.
Mei forced herself to her feet and began running.
She chased after the fading trail of light, sprinting through the empty streets and pushing her exhausted body as hard as she could. Her lungs burned. Her legs grew heavier with every step. She tried to accelerate, to find even a little more strength within herself.
But no matter how hard she ran, the distance between them only grew.
The light was already gone.
Eventually, Mei could no longer take another step.
She stopped in the middle of the empty street, bent forward, and struggled to breathe. Her hands trembled uncontrollably as she stared at the sky where Durandal had vanished.
Mei: "I… I can't do anything at all…"
Her voice cracked.
The words escaped her lips before she could stop them, carrying all the regret, anger, and guilt that she had kept buried inside for so long.
Her body shook.
She clenched her fists, but that only made the trembling worse.
Durandal had defeated her so easily.
Even when Mei had given everything she had, even when her determination had burned brighter than her fear, she had been unable to stop the blonde Valkyrie from taking Kiana away.
The ease with which Durandal had brushed aside her attacks—and the calm certainty with which she had declared the fight over—cut deeply into Mei's heart.
She could still remember the feeling of her katana being knocked aside.
The impact that sent her crashing onto the pavement.
The sight of Abyss Flower pointed directly at her.
And then, even after the crystal had answered her desperate call, even after five powerful warriors had appeared to help her, she had still failed to protect Kiana.
The memory made her chest tighten.
Her best friend had been taken away from her right before her eyes, and she had been powerless to stop it.
Again.
Mei lowered her head.
The memories of St. Freya Academy flooded back into her mind.
Those days had seemed so ordinary back then.
She could still remember spending time with Kiana and Kouga, the three of them sharing moments of laughter and happiness amid the chaos of their lives. Kiana's cheerful smile, Kouga's familiar presence, and the warmth of their bond had once made the future seem far less frightening.
It felt as though those days had happened only yesterday.
But everything had changed.
Kiana had become the Void Queen of the Honkai, wearing that grim smile as she stood against the world.
Kouga had lost his life.
And Mei had been left behind, unable to save either of them.
She had struggled through the days that followed, carrying the pain of those losses while trying to find a way to bring Kiana back.
She had endured so much, holding on to the hope that one day she would finally be able to see her best friend again.
And now, when that reunion had finally come, Durandal had appeared and taken Kiana away before Mei could do anything.
Her fingers curled tightly into her palms.
She wanted to chase after them.
She wanted to fight Durandal again.
She wanted to do something—anything—that would allow her to bring Kiana home.
But her exhausted body could barely support her weight.
The difference in their strength had been painfully clear.
No matter how much she wanted to protect Kiana, her current abilities were not enough.
Everything around her had changed.
Kiana had changed. Kouga was gone. The world she had once known had been torn apart by tragedy, loss, and the relentless advance of the Honkai.
And yet, when Mei looked at herself, she could not help but feel that she had remained the same.
The timid girl who had once hidden in her own corner.
The girl who had struggled to stand up for herself.
The girl who had watched the people she loved walk into danger while she remained powerless to stop them.
She had believed that she was finally strong enough to protect Kiana.
But Durandal had shattered that belief in a matter of moments.
Mei slowly raised her head and looked toward the distant sky.
Kiana was gone.
And with every passing second, the chance of bringing her back seemed to grow slimmer.