Chapter 207: A New Companion
Kevin could tell that the Seven Thunders of Retribution no longer wished to return to Raven's hands. He wasn't sure exactly why — it might have been the influence of Origin, or it might have been a consequence of Irene being chosen as Finality's vessel.
Either way, even if Irene were to forcibly return the Seven Thunders, there was a good chance it simply wouldn't serve Raven anymore — and even if it did, the results would certainly be inferior to what it could achieve in Irene's hands.
Given that, there was no reason not to let Irene keep it. He could consider it a gift.
"Then I'll accept without a second thought." Irene gave a nod and moved to set the Seven Thunders aside — only to find the weapon contract on its own, its entire frame shrinking down before her eyes into a bracelet that slipped neatly onto her wrist.
"Oh, it does that?" Irene gave her wrist a shake. Vill-V's handiwork, as expected — if she recalled correctly, Vill-V had mentioned it could even transform into lipstick. How exactly Vill-V had pulled that off was anyone's guess.
"I'll leave the Herrscher of Ice in your care, then." Kevin lifted off the ground and turned to the others. "But two Herrschers emerging at once means one thing — the time this civilization has left is running short."
"I know. But there's still time, isn't there?" Irene met his gaze. "It's not over until it's over. And who knows — this civilization might yet surprise you."
"There have already been many surprises. Miracles, too. But it isn't enough." Kevin shook his head. Yes — this civilization had produced miracle after miracle.
Whether it was the civilization's own growth, or Schicksal's hand in shaping it — every single Herrscher who had chosen humanity's side could be called a miracle in its own right. And yet, none of it was enough.
None of it was enough when set against Finality.
"Let's go." Kevin dismissed Judgment of Shamash. The matter of Coral Island he would leave to the Current Era to handle themselves — they were capable of seeing it through.
Raven took one last look at the Seven Thunders of Retribution, exhaled a long sigh, and cursed under her breath again before turning to leave. Chen Tianwu stood for a moment longer, eyes lingering on Ana, then reached into his coat and held out a small communications terminal to Irene.
"Miss Irene, if it's possible..." Chen Tianwu knew that they weren't truly on the same side yet. What he was asking bordered on poaching, and he didn't dare say it outright.
"I'll only pass it along." Irene took the terminal and looked at him evenly. "After that... you're on your own."
Chen Tianwu frowned — not at any irritation with Irene's words, but because they struck him as strange. Was there something between them, some unspoken difficulty he wasn't aware of?
Then he remembered Ana's sudden, wordless departure. His expression shifted through several things before he finally turned away. Once Ana woke up, he was sure she would explain.
"Ah, a couple in a complicated Honkai situation." Irene watched Chen Tianwu go, allowed herself a quiet moment of sympathy, then turned back to the group.
"Alright, time to head back and celebrate! Mei, do you have a victory-feast menu in mind?"
"Mm, let me think about it." Caught off guard by the sudden question, Mei glanced around at the others and instinctively started running through options in her head.
Ingredients weren't a concern — Anti-Entropy was enormous, they could get their hands on practically anything. The only question was whether his cooking was up to the occasion. Well, it could at least fill Kiana up, so that probably counted for something.
"Oh, I want grilled chicken wings!" Kiana shot both arms into the air, enthusiastically endorsing Irene's celebration plan.
Mei smiled fondly and ruffled Kiana's hair. Kiana looked up — and for just a moment, a flash of gold moved through her eyes. Her expression shifted along with it. When she spoke, it was Sirin's voice.
"Some fries... please."
"Sure." Mei nodded, then looked around at the others. "And what about the rest of you? Anything you'd like?"
"Whatever's fine."
The others didn't have particular requests either. With Mei cooking, there was no need to micromanage — just let him do his thing and see what came out.
Meanwhile, Irene tapped her chin as she surveyed the enormous quantities of ice crystals scattered everywhere around them. "You know... what would everyone think about making some shaved ice?"
---
"Mm..." In the darkness, Ana's consciousness began to stir — dim and formless at first. The first sensation to arrive was touch. She seemed to be pinned down on something cold and hard.
Had Schicksal captured her? Was this their research facility? Was she blind? Why was everything so dark?
Well... she supposed she'd brought this on herself. How had she even become a Herrscher? She could only hope that Schicksal's researchers would at least make it quick — at the very least, please don't cut into her while she was still awake.
Lost in a spiral of anxious thoughts, Ana was suddenly aware of light flooding in around her.
"Awake already, Miss Ana?" Irene stepped into the room and looked down at Ana, who was strapped to the bed. "How are you feeling? Any discomfort?"
Ana stared at the woman who addressed her with such easy familiarity and opened her mouth. She didn't know this person — and wasn't that a researcher's coat she was wearing?
"No need to be nervous, I'm one of the good guys." Irene pulled over a chair and settled in beside the bed. "This is Anti-Entropy's base. You are, at the moment — well, I suppose 'prisoner' is the most accurate word."
"A-Anti-Entropy?!" Ana tried to sit up, but the restraining strap across her chest held her flat against the mattress. She craned her neck down to look at the bands securing her — sleek, with a faint metallic sheen.
They looked like the kind of thing used on severely disturbed patients. Not that something like that could possibly hold her. She was an A-Rank Valkyrie — and now a Herrscher. How could ordinary straps contain her strength?
"Stop struggling. You don't have any Honkai energy right now — these are just a safety measure." Irene patted Ana's head, nudging her toward calm.
Of course they hadn't simply left Ana free inside Anti-Entropy's base. No one could guarantee she wouldn't be seized by the Herrscher personality again. So.
Those who remembered Dr. Magi would know he was still here with Anti-Entropy. The Honkai-cleansing agents he had contributed were moderately effective even on Herrschers — so they'd administered a dose to Ana here.
They didn't have the Godsbane Spear, but Honkai-cleansing agents? Those they had in abundance. As a result, there wasn't a trace of Honkai energy left in Ana's body right now — and a Valkyrie without Honkai energy posed no real threat to restraints made of Soulium.
As for how they'd obtained the Soulium — the scientists housed in Irene's mind were hardly decorative. The Authority of Creation belonging to the Herrscher of Reason was not a parlor trick.
With an ample supply of blueprints and accumulated knowledge, producing a bit of Soulium was trivially simple.
"You're... Miss Irene." Ana, having calmed down enough to think, began piecing together her situation. So — after her Herrscher transformation, Schicksal hadn't moved in immediately? Instead, Anti-Entropy had gotten to her first?
Or had Schicksal tried and simply lost? That didn't make sense. Surely Captain Durandal hadn't actually failed to defeat her?
Whatever the case, it seemed she'd been taken in by Anti-Entropy and strapped to this bed. And she had seen that news broadcast — the one about the Hyperion defecting to Anti-Entropy. Strangely, the Overseer hadn't seemed to order any kind of pursuit.
Then there was that long list of Herrschers that had accompanied the announcement — it had sent shockwaves through the Valkyrie corps. Their entire education had consisted of two tenets: Herrschers must die, and Herrschers are humanity's enemy.
And yet, why did it look like every single Herrscher over there was fighting for humanity? Was that actually possible? Something like that was probably what she'd been thinking.
"That's right." Irene nodded. "Seems like I've built quite a reputation over in Schicksal." She reached over and began unfastening the restraints.
"Just... like that? You're letting me go?" Ana watched the straps come loose and immediately sat up, staring at Irene with a puzzled look. Wasn't she a prisoner?
"We only had you restrained to prevent you from still being under the Herrscher personality's control when you woke up — in case you tried something." Irene offered a brief explanation and tucked the restraints away. "Do you look like someone being controlled by a Herrscher right now?"
Ana instinctively shook her head. Irene spread her hands. "There you go. Since you're clearly yourself, there's no reason to keep you tied down."
"Besides — do you actually enjoy being restrained? I didn't have you pegged as a masochist."
"N-no, I'm not, it just felt strange." Ana immediately waved both hands in denial, then swung her legs off the bed and stood up as if to prove a point.
"Good." Irene gave a satisfied nod. "Is there anything you'd like me to explain?"
At those words, Ana's first question came instantly: "What's happened to Coral Island? Is everyone alright?"
"Don't worry. You retained your consciousness throughout your Herrscher transformation, and you did everything you could to protect the civilians there." Irene placed a hand on Ana's shoulder. It was precisely because of that, in fact, that they had decided to give Ana this chance.
"Everyone there is safe. As for the frozen buildings — they'll need some time to thaw, but rest assured, that's nothing Schicksal can't handle."
"As long as everyone's safe. That's all that matters." The tension drained visibly from Ana's shoulders; she sank back down onto the bed.
She had been terrified — terrified that her Herrscher transformation had hurt the civilians around her. If it had, she truly would not have been able to live with herself. Not as the person she was. Not as the oath she had sworn.
"Any other questions?" Irene watched Ana breathe out the last of her tension.
"I... I think I can't go back now, can I?" Ana glanced toward the door. With the return of consciousness, other things were coming back online too — among them, her sensitivity to Herrscher auras.
She could sense it clearly. Behind that door, at least three or four distinct Herrscher presences. With that many seniors — seniors who were, apparently, blocking the exit — did she have any realistic chance of running?
"If you want to step outside for some air, of course you can. As for going back to Schicksal — are you sure that's truly what you want? There's nothing wrong with staying here. We're all fighting for humanity, aren't we?"
"But... I'm still a Schicksal Valkyrie." Ana scratched the back of her head. Had Schicksal already filed her as killed in action? Or listed her as a defector?
"So was I, once upon a time. What's the problem? It's just a career change." Irene spread her hands as if discussing what to have for dinner.
"Of course, if you truly want to leave, we won't stop you. Whenever you're ready — you can go."
Ana listened, opened her mouth, and fell silent. She didn't know whether she could actually go back anymore. She remembered clearly — the moment of her Herrscher transformation, the members of her own squad she had hurt.
Technically, it hadn't been her fault. But Ana couldn't quite make herself believe that.
And staying with Anti-Entropy genuinely didn't seem like a terrible option. As Irene had said — everyone here was facing the Honkai. Everyone was trying to save humanity. Did it really matter where she stood? It seemed like it genuinely didn't.
Ana's head was turning it over — stay or leave, stay or leave — when Irene reached into her coat and produced the communications terminal she'd been carrying, holding it out to her.
"Miss Irene... what is this?"
Ana took it reflexively, confused.
"Mr. Chen Tianwu's communications terminal. You should be able to reach him through this." Irene crossed her legs and watched Ana steadily. "He isn't with us, and he isn't with Schicksal — he's with a different organization. The details are... complicated. We can leave that for another time."
"After we rescued you, Mr. Chen Tianwu handed us his terminal. He hoped that if you were willing, you might reach out to him."
"..." Ana stared at the terminal in her hands. For a long moment she said nothing. She ran her thumb along the casing, brushing back and forth over the button that would bring it to life with a single press — and couldn't bring herself to push it.
"I know a little about the situation between the two of you." Irene rested a hand briefly on Ana's shoulder. "As for your guilt — there's nothing I can say that will help. Nothing anyone can do.
"That part, only you can face." Irene gave her shoulder one final pat, then rose and walked toward the door.
In truth, she didn't particularly care whether Ana made the call. Nor whether Ana chose to stay or to leave — it made no real difference either way. Since it made no real difference, there was no point dwelling on it.
By now, Otto's preparations were probably nearly complete. Everything that needed to be done had been done. What he most likely still lacked was a Herrscher Core that was truly his own.
He needed a Core as his entry ticket. Not that Otto would do anything to harm Ana, of course — even if she returned, he still needed this world to be saved after he had achieved his goal.
But that was fine. Just as Otto had always believed — that humanity's love could surpass everything — he also knew that some things were not so easily changed.
Take the Herrscher of the Legion. If one truly wanted to redeem the Herrscher of the Legion, it would require every single one of those thousand people to possess absolute conviction and an unbreakable soul. All one thousand, simultaneously.
That condition? Forget it. Even Elysia — who had more faith in the Current Era than anyone, who believed every Herrscher could be redeemed — wouldn't bet on that one.
It could safely be said that the Herrscher of the Legion was the one Herrscher least likely to ever be redeemed. So Otto could afford to wait — wait for the Herrscher of the Legion to emerge, and then attempt to acquire it.
If that fell through, he could always dismantle a Divine Key. He simply preferred not to waste the combat strength and the weapon unnecessarily.
Back in the room, Ana stared at the terminal in her hands. After a long moment of hesitation, she pressed the power button. She scrolled through it, found the one and only usable number currently stored inside.
And connected the call.
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