Irene floated within a void. A static noise seemed to ring beside her ears, and as her consciousness grew hazier, the noise paradoxically became clearer.
Faint lights and shadows began to emerge in the pitch-black space before her. These shadows gradually solidified, and Irene saw a mass of purple condensing into substance.
At the moment the image formed, the noise in her ears finally strung together into a complete sentence.
"This way, the mission counts as completed, right?" Pardofelis's voice rang in Irene's ear, her tone filled with extreme weakness. "Elysia-nee, did I... did I manage not to disappoint you?"
Irene heard no response. That version of Pardofelis showed no disappointment either. Irene only heard a final soft chuckle before the purple expanse before her eyes dimmed, as if someone were slowly closing their eyes.
Immediately after, Irene heard the sound of ocean waves. In her hazy vision, she saw a vast azure sea and giant bubbles floating within it.
But in the next instant, a massive roar engulfed Irene's hearing. She watched as the illusion of the blue ocean before her was torn apart by sharp claws.
The entire field of vision turned blood-red. The crackling sound of fire licking at wood filled her ears, and mixed within that crackling was a man's weak voice.
"I'm sorry... Kallen, this is my fault... I only wanted to save you..."
Irene's eyes gradually focused. Through a vision that seemed obscured by frosted glass, she faintly saw a blonde man lying in a pool of blood, a large hole blown through his abdomen by something.
In the corner of her vision, a white monster, torn to shreds, lay motionless.
Irene watched a pair of fair, tender hands frantically tearing strips of cloth from her own clothes and pressing them against the man's abdomen. But each time, the fresh blood completely soaked through the pure white cloth in an instant.
The man's voice grew weaker as his life flowed away. Only one final sentence remained in Irene's ears: "Run, Kallen. Don't come back..."
The vision before Irene's eyes became increasingly blurred, leaving only the crackling of flames and the sound of weeping mixed within.
Irene listened to that weeping and suddenly understood why her vision was blurry. The thing obscuring her sight was the girl's tears.
[Irene-nee?! Irene-nee?! Irene-nee?!]
Amidst Pardofelis's repeated calls, Irene suddenly bolted upright from the sofa, looking around in confusion. "How long have I been asleep?"
[It's been almost a day!] The cat's voice was filled with fright. [You scared me to death! Fortunately, Irene-nee, your vitals remained stable the whole time.]
"Sorry, sorry." Irene shook her head, tossing the last vestiges of drowsiness from her mind. "I take back what I said about it being tasteless. That stuff really has a kick."
[You really gave the two of us a scare.] Seeing Irene full of energy, Kallen also breathed a sigh of relief, her taut nerves finally relaxing.
Irene shook her head again, clearing the last bit of grogginess. She faintly remembered the scenes she had seen while unconscious.
If Irene guessed correctly, those were the stories of the Cat and Kallen—or rather, the scenes where they transcended their Destined Death.
"Logic of Continuation..." Irene summoned the system panel again. She would put those images aside for now; after all, that wasn't her primary goal.
The reason she had fallen into a coma was to use the potion to strengthen her Honkai Resistance. Now, after all that tossing and turning, just what level had her resistance reached?
[User Honkai Resistance: Good]
"Oh?" Irene looked at the value popping up on the system and raised an eyebrow. "Is the effect that excellent? I was at a 'Poor' level before, and it jumped straight to 'Good'."
[This is a good thing, Irene-nee.]
Although Pardofelis couldn't see the so-called system screen in Irene's eyes and didn't know exactly what the system's judging criteria were, she understood one thing: only with Honkai Resistance could one live better in this world.
As for Honkai Adaptability, you have to have resistance before you can talk about adaptability. Otherwise, it would be like Irene's previous state—poor Honkai Resistance paired with excellent Honkai Adaptability.
In that state, staying in any Honkai environment for a while was a guaranteed ticket to becoming a Deadwalker. And if Irene harbored any intense emotions like resentment, who knows what kind of monstrosity she might have turned into?
But now, with 'Good' Honkai Resistance, ensuring her own safety was certainly no longer an issue.
"Indeed, it is a good thing." Irene knocked on her forehead. The aftereffects of that potion were quite strong, leaving her still feeling a bit dizzy.
Irene stood up from the sofa and walked toward the kettle. She had originally intended to boil water after drinking the medicine, but she hadn't expected to be out cold for nearly a day.
Even if it had boiled long ago, the water would be cold by now.
After setting the water to boil again, Irene sat back on the sofa. "Did anything happen outside while I was unconscious?"
[Yes. A lot of noise came from the direction to the left.] The cat didn't just stay in Irene's mind; she could also perceive the outside world.
"A lot of noise? Could it be the Protagonist Team?" Irene rubbed her chin. Since the novice mission was complete, if the next mission didn't require her to continue killing Deadwalkers, there was no need for her to stay in Nagazora City.
After all, staying here offered no benefits, and there were many things she needed to do. She couldn't keep idling here.
If the "lot of noise" Pardo mentioned really was the Protagonist Team, she might be able to infiltrate as a survivor and join St. Freya Academy as a matter of course.
Even if it wasn't, she could continue walking outside in the Cat's guise. Unless something unexpected happened, a certain island-bombing Raven should be in Nagazora City right now.
Finding Auntie Ellie through her would also be a decent choice. It might even be nice to let the 'If-line' Cat and the original Cat exchange words.
Thinking this, Irene reopened the system to check for any other missions. After all, system products were truly top-tier. It would be even better if she could obtain another Character Card or two.
[Optional Mission: Sleeping in Thorns]
[Participation Target: Kill Pseudo-Herrscher Yuno]
[Reward: Determined by degree of participation.]
[Current Status: (Incomplete)]
"Yuno, huh." Looking at the keyword 'Pseudo-Herrscher', Irene roughly recalled the plot arc.
This was when Theresa was fighting Yuno and got overturned twice due to poison. She wondered if Yae Sakura had sacrificed herself by this point?
Irene glanced at the steaming kettle. It seemed she wouldn't make it in time for noodles; she needed to hurry over to Senba Academy.
Irene pulled Pardo's card from her bosom and flung it out the window. Immediately after, she leapt out the window following the card.
In mid-air, the card disassembled into a gate of light. Irene passed through the gate; her originally silver-white hair turned blonde, and two cat ears popped up atop her head.
Her originally modest clothes instantly became skimpier. Irene landed lightly like a cat. As for the location of Senba Academy, that wasn't hard to find.
"Pardo, can you sense where the Honkai energy is most concentrated? Can you gather it?"
[I can, but shouldn't you be able to do it too, Irene-nee? After all, you're using my body.]
"Well, I don't know how yet!" Irene pushed off with her feet, following Pardo's guidance, weaving dexterously through the surrounding ruins like a cat.
"And according to the system, I haven't brought out your full power yet. I can't do it!"
[Then you need training.] Kallen spoke up in Irene's mind. [Hmm, I actually have the training methods passed down through the Kaslana family...]
[But they don't seem suitable. Your body is too weak.]
As the Saintess and a daughter of the Kaslana family, Kallen naturally knew many training methods unique to the Kaslanas. However, those methods invariably required the trainee to possess a certain level of physical fitness.
Kallen had never thought this was a problem before—after all, in the Kaslana family, you could pick anyone at random and they would have that kind of physique.
But applying those requirements to Irene would probably be asking for the impossible.
Irene vaulted over a vehicle overturned by some unknown cause, moving just like a cat. "Nonsense, your bloodlines aren't normal! I was just an ordinary person before!"
—Senba Academy—
"Looking at it makes me so annoyed." Yuno stared at the cross standing in the square, glittering gold in the sunlight. For some reason, she felt an instinctive loathing for this object.
Feeling the irritation in her heart, Yuno swung the thorns beside her directly at the cross. However, the cross didn't tremble in the slightest, nor was there even a scratch left on it.
"What?" Yuno stared at the markless cross. Although she didn't know exactly how strong her combat power was, the thorns she swung could pierce even concrete.
Why couldn't she leave even a single trace? What exactly was this cross?
"That is a Divine Key left from the Previous Era, forged from Soulium. Attacks like yours are far from enough to destroy it."
"Hm? You again, little dwarf." Yuno turned her head and watched Theresa stepping over the thorns. Seeing it was the dwarf she had defeated last time, Yuno frowned.
She could sense that the poison was gone from the other's body. That poison was an ability bestowed upon her by God.
"How did you manage to clear the poison?"
"That's none of your business!" Theresa crossed her arms, though her eyes drifted unconsciously toward her back. In the next moment, however, Theresa registered the other party's form of address and inevitably stomped her foot.
"And who are you calling a little dwarf?!"
"I'll call anyone who answers to it." Thorns wound around Yuno. "But to think you'd run back here to die after finally getting detoxified?"
"Last time, I was just careless!" Theresa stomped in frustration at Yuno's words. "Otherwise, someone like you could never defeat this Academy Principal."
"Hmph!" With a thought from Yuno, the thorns around her instantly sprang up and shot toward Theresa. The roots stabbed into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Witnessing this, a victorious expression appeared on Yuno's lips. A mere dwarf could never be a match for her, the chosen one of God.
"Where are you aiming?" Just when Yuno was most excited, Theresa's mocking voice came from beside her ear. She looked toward the sound.
Yuno discovered that, at some point, Theresa was already sitting on the transverse arm of the Divine Key known as Judah. Seeing Yuno look over, Theresa stuck out her tongue.
"Your poison is indeed terrifying, but it only spreads from your thorns. As long as they don't hit, it's meaningless."
"Oh, is that so?" The corners of Yuno's mouth hooked into a smile. Suddenly, crimson flowers began to bloom on the thorns surrounding the ground. A sickly sweet scent wafted from the petals.
"As the saying goes," Theresa continued, completely unaware of the flowers blooming around her, "even a powerful attack is only meaningful if it hits."
"Then do you feel your breathing becoming gradually difficult? Your body losing its strength?" Yuno stood in place, lifted off the ground by a cluster of thorns.
"Oh, and perhaps a slightly accelerated heartbeat?"
"Eh?" Hearing Yuno say this, Theresa dazed out for a moment. And in that moment of distraction, her vision went black, and she nearly fell off Judah.
Realizing something was wrong, Theresa quickly covered her nose and mouth, her gaze locking onto the flowers blooming on the surrounding thorns. "These flowers..."
"Smell good? If they smell good, breathe in a little more." Yuno wasn't in a hurry. In her view, although she didn't know why Theresa had managed to cure the previous poison, that was only because the dwarf had run away.
Now, she would find it hard to escape even with wings. Once she dealt with this dwarf, she would respond to God's will and turn everything in this world into her sea of flowers. That way, she would never again...
Just as Yuno was fantasizing, she suddenly felt something step on her thorns from behind. Someone was there.
Yuno spun around rapidly. The thorns winding around her shot out instantly, and she saw clearly what had appeared behind her. It was a... cat-girl leaping toward her wielding two chakrams?
Must be the dwarf's helper. Maybe she was the one who helped clear the poison? But it didn't matter. As long as her thorns pierced that cat-girl's body, she was dead.
But something occurred that made Yuno's jaw drop. Just as the thorns were about to pierce through, the girl's body became like a phantom reflected in the world. Before the thorns could reach her, she dissolved into blue light and shadows, vanishing.
Irene realized her ambush had failed. She still wasn't used to the Cat's movements; otherwise, with Pardo's mobility, she shouldn't have been discovered.
Irene stepped onto the air, kicking off a thorn to retreat backward. A layer of light spots lit up on Irene's body.
Then the light spots shattered. The cat-girl face vanished, replaced by a strange silver-haired girl. Before Yuno could react to what was happening...
In the direction the silver-haired girl was falling, a gate of light opened once more. The girl passed through the gate with precision, and when she reappeared, the silver-haired girl had changed her face yet again, landing nimbly on the ground.
"To deal with you, perhaps this form is more suitable."
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