Rita stood amidst the wreckage of Heliopolis Life Sciences.
The facility that had once concealed World Serpent's sinister plans was now little more than a ruined shell. Broken equipment littered the corridors, shattered screens flickered weakly, and the remains of the security systems lay scattered among the debris.
Yet despite the destruction surrounding her, Rita felt a measure of relief.
She had just learned that Durandal had responded to her request for assistance. Knowing that her superior had come to her aid brought her some much-needed comfort after the exhausting events of the night.
Alvitr: "Adjutant Rita, are you alright?"
Rita: "I'm fine, Alvitr."
Alvitr: "Did you see that explosion in the sky? Did the Herrscher of the Void take the bomb away?"
Alvitr: "Why would she do that?"
Rita glanced toward the broken ceiling, beyond which the morning sky was beginning to brighten.
Rita: "To protect the city and its people."
Alvitr: "I thought she was a Herrscher…"
Rita offered no further explanation. There were more pressing matters to attend to, and they could not afford to waste time discussing Kiana's actions.
Rita: "We have other matters to attend to."
Rita: "I've found the cure from Heliopolis."
Rita: "Their plan has failed. I must grab the rat by its tail before it scurries back to its tunnel."
Rita: "We must collect enough data on Heliopolis as soon as we can."
Rita: "We might be able to dig out some clues to the core puzzle."
Alvitr: "That's so smart, Adjutant!"
Alvitr: "The security system is paralysed, making it much easier to hack into now."
Rita surveyed the wreckage around her, her expression growing more serious.
Rita: "The entire system of Heliopolis has been wrecked."
Rita: "They're trying to erase all evidence."
She had already suspected that the destruction was deliberate. The damage was too extensive to be explained by the fighting alone. Someone had taken measures to ensure that the secrets buried within Heliopolis would never be uncovered.
And that meant Raven had not been acting alone.
Rita: "Raven has an accomplice."
Rita: "The Herrscher of the Void told me that it's someone with a "dog face"."
Alvitr: "Dog face…? What does that mean?"
Rita: "Some figurative expression, perhaps. Anyway, we must hurry up."
Rita approached the remains of a computer terminal. The display was cracked, its internal components burned beyond immediate repair. She examined the surrounding equipment, hoping to find some surviving storage devices or recoverable fragments of the facility's records.
But as she took in the extent of the damage, her expression darkened.
Rita: "…I guess I'm still too late."
Rita bit her lip when she saw the thoroughly destroyed database.
So much information had been lost. Even if they managed to restore parts of the system, there was no guarantee that the data they needed would still be intact.
She took a slow breath before speaking into her communicator.
Rita: "Alvitr, I need you to come over for data salvaging."
Beep…
A moment later, another voice came through the communicator.
Durandal: "Rita, how are things looking on your end?"
Rita straightened slightly at the sound of her superior's voice.
Rita: "Most of Heliopolis' data hardware was destroyed. We're trying to fix it. Thank you for helping, Master Durandal."
Durandal: "Good. Looks like you have it covered."
Durandal: "I've retrieved the Herrscher. The Overseer ordered me to return at once, so I won't be meeting up with you."
Rita: "Understood."
For a moment, Rita remained silent.
She had completed part of her mission, but the operation had hardly gone according to plan. Kiana had escaped their grasp, Heliopolis had been devastated, and the enemy's central objective had been thwarted only because Kiana had chosen to save the city.
There were still too many unanswered questions.
And Rita knew that she could not simply dismiss her own failures.
She composed herself before speaking again.
Rita: "Master Durandal… I will bear full responsibility for the failure of this mission."
Durandal: "I'll be the judge of that once I read the debriefing reports."
Rita: "I will accept any penalty."
There was a brief pause on the other end.
Durandal: "You used to sound a lot more optimistic, Rita."
Rita lowered her eyes.
For someone who was usually composed and unfailingly polite, she found it difficult to respond. She had always taken pride in carrying out her duties, and the events of the past few days had left her with little to show for all her efforts.
But Durandal's next words caught her off guard.
Durandal: "Don't blame yourself. I'm glad you're alright."
Rita's expression softened.
For a brief moment, the weight she had been carrying seemed a little lighter.
Rita: "Thank you…"
She paused, allowing herself a moment to collect her thoughts.
Rita: "…Master Durandal."
The communication ended.
Rita stood quietly among the ruins, gazing at the remains of Heliopolis. The morning light crept into the devastated facility, illuminating the wreckage left behind by the night's events.
Arc City had survived.
Kiana had saved its people, even at the cost of pushing herself to the brink. Durandal had retrieved her, while Mei had been left behind, unable to stop Schicksal's ace Valkyrie from carrying her away.
And Rita, despite everything she had endured, was still left searching for answers.
The long and dark night at Arc City had finally ended with the arrival of dawn.
But the Serpent remained hidden.
Deep within the shadows, it continued to watch and wait, preparing to make its next move.
In a location far removed from the chaos of Arc City, a dimly lit room remained silent save for the faint hum of electronic equipment.
A large screen illuminated the room, displaying a series of reports, surveillance footage, and intelligence gathered from across the world.
Standing before it was Jackal.
Her gaze moved across the information, her expression carrying a mixture of irritation and cold calculation. The operation in Arc City had nearly succeeded, but the outcome had left World Serpent with more problems than she would have liked.
Jackal: "We've cleaned the Gray Serpent's black market and Heliopolis Life Sciences. Raven has retreated safely as well."
Jackal: "Project STIGMA at Arc City almost succeeded. Losing the Herrscher dealt yet another blow."
Jackal folded her arms as the screen shifted to display new information.
Jackal: "Of course, you can't simply sit idly by and ignore this huge mess…"
A new image appeared on the screen.
A blonde Valkyrie clad in brilliant white and silver armor, carrying the Divine Key Abyss Flower.
Durandal.
Jackal's eyes narrowed slightly.
Jackal: "Durandal, you've finally shown yourself…"
She turned toward another display, where a report detailing Durandal's movements had appeared.
Jackal: "Sire, Durandal has taken the Herrscher of the Void."
Jackal: "Our intel indicates she's heading back to a Honkai-devastated city in North Africa."
The screen changed again, showing a satellite image of a desolate city surrounded by endless stretches of desert. Its ruined streets and abandoned buildings bore the scars of an ancient Honkai disaster.
Jackal continued her report.
Jackal: "We've detected multiple Honkai energy spikes from this location during the last 2 years, and we know what they are."
She enlarged the image, highlighting several areas within the ruined city.
Jackal: "This dead city is undoubtedly the testing ground for the 2nd Divine Key."
For a moment, silence filled the room.
Then a man's voice came from the shadows.
Kevin: "Deploy the forces. We have a lot of work to do."
Jackal inclined her head slightly, acknowledging the order. She then brought up another report, its data displaying a series of energy readings recorded during the Arc City incident.
Jackal: "Also, 15 minutes and 36 seconds ago, Kiana Kaslana made contact with the EOS' reactor and willingly activated her Herrscher form."
The screen displayed the recorded energy output from Kiana's transformation.
Jackal: "Though energy readings were far lower than that of Sirin, we can assume that her metamorphosis has begun."
Jackal studied the readings for a moment before turning her attention toward the darkness where Kevin stood.
Jackal: "Perhaps we should include her…"
Kevin remained silent for a brief moment.
Kevin: "I have other plans for her."
Jackal did not question him.
Jackal: "Understood."
The room fell silent once more.