Theresa's arduous struggle with mountains of documents continued, and Kael was constantly busy juggling the warship, the children, and 'document tutoring.' Life at Schicksal Headquarters seemed to pass day by day in this chaotic yet delicate balance.
However, this fragile peace was soon shattered by a desperate counterattack from the remnants of the Third Empire.
It was a seemingly ordinary afternoon. Kael had just gently carried Theresa, who had fallen asleep at her desk from consecutive all-nighters, to the sofa and covered her with a blanket, when a piercing global alarm tore through the tranquility of the Headquarters!
"Warning! Large-scale hostile signals detected entering low-Earth orbit! It's the remnants of the Third Empire! They've breached the outer defenses!"
"All combat personnel to your stations immediately! Non-combat personnel, head to the shelters!"
Kael instantly sobered up, his eyes sharp as blades. He glanced at Theresa, who had been startled awake by the alarm and was still a bit groggy on the sofa, and quickly said, "Theresa! Emergency! Prepare for battle!"
"Ah? Oh! Oh!" Theresa jumped up, all sleepiness gone, and instinctively reached for her Judah, which wasn't there.
"Your weapon is under the bed! Hurry!"
Kael spoke rapidly, while simultaneously connecting to Asgard's communications. "All hands to Battle Stations One! Engines preheating, weapon systems online! I'll be there immediately!"
The entire Schicksal Headquarters instantly entered a state of war. Valkyrie forces rapidly assembled, and warships ascended to meet the invading enemy.
The battle raged fiercely in the airspace outside the Headquarters, the glow of artillery fire illuminating the sky.
Kael commanded the battle calmly from Asgard's bridge.
The offensive from the remnants of the Third Empire was exceptionally fierce, a desperate, suicidal attack.
"Port escort vessel reporting damage!"
"Enemy small assault craft are breaking through the firepower net, attempting to crash into the Headquarters' residential area!"
"Intercept them! Don't let them get close!"
The battle was exceptionally brutal.
Although Schicksal held an absolute advantage in strength, the enemy's frenzied attacks still caused some chaos and casualties.
Just as the battle was at its most intense, a piece of terrible news came through the internal emergency channel, making Kael's heart almost stop beating—
"Report! The Kaslana Family residence area has been infiltrated and attacked by a small enemy force! Miss Kiana... Miss Kiana was hit in the head by a stray bullet! Her injuries are severe!"
"What?!" Kael's voice changed pitch. Kiana!
He immediately tried to contact Siegfried and Cecilia, but communications were in disarray.
The battle was still ongoing; he couldn't leave the bridge.
A tremendous sense of anxiety and powerlessness gripped him.
Just then, Bishop Otto's calm, almost cold voice cut into the communication: "I am aware of Kiana's situation. Therefore, I have intervened. Captain Kael, focus on your command."
Before Kael could respond, the communication was cut off.
The next half hour felt incredibly long for Kael.
He suppressed the turbulent waves in his heart, commanding the fleet to eliminate the remaining enemies, while also staring intently at the surveillance feed of the passage leading to the Headquarters' core medical area.
Finally, the stubbornly resisting remnants of the Third Empire were completely annihilated, and the alarm was lifted.
Kael rushed off Asgard almost immediately, sprinting towards the medical area.
Theresa followed closely behind, her face full of worry.
When they arrived at the medical area, the smoke of battle had not yet fully dispersed, and the air was filled with a faint smell of burning and disinfectant.
Siegfried and Cecilia had also just arrived, both still bearing traces of battle, their faces filled with anxiety and panic.
"Kiana! Where is my daughter?!" Siegfried grabbed a passing medical officer.
The medical officer pointed to a brightly lit operating room inside: "Bishop Otto is in there..."
Before he finished speaking, the operating room door slid open with a "swish."
Bishop Otto walked out calmly.
"Otto! How is Kiana?!" Siegfried and Cecilia immediately rushed up.
Otto elegantly wiped her hands with a disinfectant wipe, her tone flat: "Her vital signs are stable. The skull damage and brain contusion have been repaired and replaced using Soul Steel nanorobots."
Upon hearing this, everyone just let out a sigh of relief when they saw Otto step aside, and a small figure followed behind her, timidly peeking out.
Kael, Theresa, Siegfried, Cecilia—everyone's gaze was fixed on that child.
It was indeed Kiana's height and build, wearing a hospital gown.
But... her long, silver-white hair, which had originally shone like moonlight, was now... a brilliant golden, like sunlight?!
And her hair quality also seemed to have become softer and shinier, glowing with a healthy luster under the lights.
Her small face was still delicate, but her eyes, which had originally been as blue as the sky, now held a trace of blankness and unfamiliarity. Looking at the crowd gathered around, she instinctively shrunk back behind Otto.
A deathly silence.
Kael's eyes widened. He pointed at the little blonde girl, his voice dry: "This... is this Kiana?"
Otto's expression didn't change: "This is Kiana."
Kael raised his voice: "I say this isn't Kiana!"
Otto remained calm: "She really is Kiana."
Kael almost choked, pointing at the dazzling golden hair: "...Whose Kiana has blonde hair?!"
Otto then seemed to just remember, letting out a soft "Ah," and explained in her characteristic, somewhat operatic, lazy tone: "Uh, this is a side effect of the treatment. The Soul Steel nanorobots may have stimulated the hair follicle pigment cells during the repair process, leading to an irreversible mutation in hair color. Hmm, something like that."
Siegfried and Cecilia also finally recovered from their shock.
Siegfried looked at his daughter's brilliant golden hair, then at his and Cecilia's iconic silver hair. His blood pressure instantly soared. He pointed at Otto's nose: "Otto! What the hell have you done?!"
Otto spread her hands, with an expression that said, "I'm helpless too": "Experimental side effects, I can't completely control them."
Siegfried was so angry his hair nearly stood on end: "Even so... both Cecilia and I have silver hair, and now you've given our daughter blonde hair. No matter how you look at it, it's strange! Who would believe she's our biological child if she walks out like this?!"
Otto blinked her emerald green eyes, seemed to ponder for a moment, then, as if by magic, pulled out a hat from somewhere—a hat of an incredibly pure, brilliantly green color... a green hat.
She handed the hat to Siegfried, her tone sincere: "Here, it's left over from what I gave Kallen before. How about... you wear this? It might make it look more reasonable?"
Siegfried: "!!!"
He looked at the glaringly green hat, then at Otto's perfectly serious face, and instantly erupted in fury, veins bulging on his forehead, cursing loudly: "Otto, I *your* *! You * * *! I'll fight you!"
If Cecilia hadn't held him back tightly, he probably would have charged at Otto for a full-blown brawl.
The scene was utter chaos.
And the little blonde girl, startled by the sudden quarrel, trembled. She looked blankly at the unfamiliar adults around her.
Finally, her gaze fell on Kael, who stood a little further away, his face also showing shock and concern.
For some reason, looking at that older brother, a strange sense of familiarity and security suddenly welled up in her heart.
She broke free from Otto's hand, ran in small steps to Kael's side, extended her small hand, gently tugged at his clothes, and looked up with a tear-stained face, asking timidly in a small voice:
"B-Brother... who are you? I... I seem to... know you?"
Kael: "...?"
He looked down at the little girl pulling at his clothes, with a head of brilliant blonde hair, a blank look in her eyes, yet showing dependence on him. He was completely stunned.
Didn't she lose her memory? Why is she still so close to me? And this address... why is she calling me 'Brother' like Sirin? Didn't she used to call me 'Uncle'?!
Otto watched this scene, a subtle, imperceptible glint flashing in her eyes. She cleared her throat, interrupting the chaos: "Alright, everyone calm down. Although Kiana's life was saved, her brain was damaged, and her memory module was severely affected. She is currently suffering from amnesia. Furthermore, given that the remnants of the Third Empire may still be coveting the kaslana and Schariac bloodlines, for her safety, I suggest temporarily changing her identity."
She looked at Siegfried and Cecilia, her tone brooking no argument: "From today on, she will be called Bianca Ataegina. Until the new threat is resolved, this is a necessary protective measure."
Siegfried and Cecilia looked at their daughter, who was clinging to Kael and had no memory of them. Their hearts were torn, but for the child's safety, they could only accept this arrangement.
Siegfried achieved: The Green One (Pseudo).
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