After sending the others away, Kiana and Imhotep were alone in the living room, seemingly with ulterior motives.
"Are you really not going to tell that young man? I remember his and his girlfriend's names are Chen Tianwu and Anna Schariac, right...?"
"Telling him now would be useless. It would only make him panic from worry and lose his composure..."
"It would be better for you to launch a surprise attack on the spot... I assume Fu Hua has already taught you that move."
Imhotep, sprawled on the sofa, looked at the somewhat clueless Kiana.
"Huh? Which move...? Class Monitor taught me so many things... even a lot of cooking skills! Imhotep, want to try some?"
Kiana looked at her companion with eager anticipation, ready to head into the kitchen...
"Before you enter the kitchen, let me dial Shenzhou's local 119 fire emergency number... And I hope a certain Comrade Kiana has some self-awareness about the Kaslana family's cooking talent."
Imhotep decisively refused Kiana's lethal invitation, and the latter could only reluctantly drop the matter...
"Ahem, ahem, ahem... So all you remember are the cooking skills, huh? You silly girl, have you even mastered Taixuan Eminence?!"
Steering the conversation back on track, Imhotep shot an annoyed glare at the sheepishly grinning Kiana.
"Taixuan Eminence... I've pretty much mastered it. Wait, Imhotep, are you saying..."
Kiana seemed to have figured something out. She looked at the white-haired girl lounging on the sofa, awaiting her definitive answer...
"That's right. Anna Schariac's will will be eroded by the Honkai, and she'll lose the struggle for control of her body."
"So why don't we just freeload off the Honkai Will? Control your power carefully, sever both the Honkai Will and the Herrscher Persona, and add another Herrscher to your collection."
"And hey, if you feel up to it, you could even try for a double kill: sever two Herrschers at once. Even your Celestial Fu Hua couldn't pull that off back in her day..."
Imhotep seemed to have thought of something. She smacked her lips while looking at Kiana, clearly eager to see her pull off a double kill.
"A double kill... I'll pass on fancy tricks like that. One at a time, playing it safe is the best way."
Kiana, whose personality leaned toward caution, considered the idea. Though tempted, she ultimately rejected Imhotep's proposal.
"Suit yourself... Anyway, I'll leave these two heterosexuals in your care."
"And what about afterward? These two Herrschers... one's from Schicksal, the other from World Serpent..."
"You don't need to worry about that... Welt Joyce has been getting numb from sitting in his Anti-Entropy office lately. We'll toss him a couple of junior Herrschers to mentor..."
"Letting him slack off a bit wouldn't be so bad, would it?"
"Speaking of which... you haven't gone to see Mei even once, have you?"
"You just asked me to go provoke her a little..."
Imhotep wore a strange expression.
"Aren't you going to go cuddle with her for a bit? Soon enough, you won't even have the chance if you wanted to~"
"No... The current Mei is just too weak... And we have a ton of problems ahead that can only be solved with strength..."
"Before Mei becomes strong enough... frequently contacting her will only drag her into unnecessary trouble..."
Kiana shook her head solemnly, rejecting Imhotep's prodding...
"We're not like you and Kyuusyou... who can kick Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, World Serpent, and even the Honkai around like a ball... Even if you do things openly, no one would think twice."
"Hmm... That's a fair point. How about leaving her a letter?"
"You could also use it to provoke her a little... push her to find her resolve sooner..."
"Good idea... but I'm terrible at writing stuff like that..."
Kiana, lacking literary talent, looked utterly clueless.
"Who asked you to write anything fancy? Just pour out some heartfelt, down-to-earth words. It's not like you're trying to pick her up—"
"Raiden Mei's already fallen for you."
"Cough, cough, cough, why are you blurting out the truth like that—!"
-
"Oh, right, how are you going to deal with Jackal...?"
Kiana, having furiously scribbled and finished the letter at the table with Imhotep's guidance, suddenly thought of something and looked at her companion.
"After you've ruined her plan and beaten her so badly she can barely function and starts questioning her life—"
"I'll step in and tell her about our new plan. People are fickle; once they find a new love, they quickly forget the old one... Besides... she's not entirely useless."
Imhotep held up a disposable syringe. In the sunlight streaming through the window, the dark golden liquid inside, unlike any ordinary substance, appeared crystal clear.
"No need for any cruel Social Darwinist plans of survival of the fittest... Social Darwinists deserve to be shot."
"Flesh is weak, so should we pursue genetic ascension, or perhaps transcendent sainthood...?"
"Ah, we can set our sights much higher, much closer to madness—"
"—like stepping into the Highest Heaven and becoming a Calamity..."
-
A certain mad and incredible plan truly began at this moment, pushed forward by an unseen hand...
Until the existence known as "Humanity" truly accepted this gift.
Of course, these last few sentences were spoken so softly, almost as if Imhotep were merely reciting them in her mind, that Miss White Knight didn't hear a word.
"Hey, hey, what are you mumbling about...?"
Kiana waved her hand in front of the dazed Imhotep, trying to snap her back to reality...
"Ah... It's nothing—"
"Just thinking about something..."
"What is it?"
The Knight Princess wore a curious expression, awaiting Imhotep's answer.
"Just that after you're captured and taken to the North Africa Branch... World Serpent will launch an attack there..."
"Should I go over when Old Ancestor Kevin negotiates with Scumbag Dad..."
"And if I do go, which side should I stand on..."
"Otto probably wouldn't recognize you now... and that Old Ancestor likely wouldn't make things difficult for you?"
"He can't possibly make you represent World Serpent to negotiate with that guy Otto... That would be too twisted..."
Kiana shrugged nonchalantly, as if to say, "Don't overthink it. We Kaslanas are simple-minded like you; we don't have any ulterior motives."
"Let's hope so..."
The white-haired angel girl seemed to have forgotten who had previously forced her into the position of World Serpent's Little Sovereign...