Chapter 93: The Holy Maiden of Schickshal
Kallen and Sakura just finished their training. It was simply brutal, practicing multiple moves to perfection. Though the 2 were improving at a fast rate through enhanced gravity.
"Hey Sakura, watch this." Kallen brandished her railguns that were made as practice weapons. There are multiple dummies set in place, her newly enhanced senses helped her blast them to oblivion. Pulling the trigger at blinding speeds, accompanied by bullets that travelled 100km/s. Even Sakura can't use the guns due to the massive recoil.
She finished by firing a bullet behind her, hitting the dummy at the head. And because of the brutal training, with some help on her stigmata and advice from Ein. She could control her honkai reserves that were barely passable.
Controlling it and infusing her legs with energy, she disappeared and was now above a dummy upside down. Raining bullets on it, Kallen made a small foothold to reappear on her spot again. In smoking sexy style, she blew on the smoke coming from the barrels and had a smug smile on her face.
"Heh. Cool isn't it? Much more stylish than you unsheathing your sword real quick." Sakura scoffed and narrowed her eyes at Kallen, calculating the placements of her dummies. "Foolishness Kallen, do you confuse style with brute force? Let me show you true power."
She made a back step and prepared to draw her blade in an iaido stance. With lightning quick reflexes, she slashed multiple times and sheathed her blade slowly. With a chink, the dummies then were cut to pieces. Violet swords of honkai energy then appeared in 2 columns at each of her sides. The miniature swords launched at break neck speeds and pierced a poor dummy, turning it into swiss cheese.
Gathering strength and energy on her legs, she equipped her cqc gauntlets and greaves. Seemingly teleporting on top of a dummy and unleashing a spinning heel kick on it that made a sizeable crater on the ground. Tremors were felt from the blow and she finished it with her blade. "My power shall be absolute!"
Multiple long slashes in the air cut through anything, the dummies stopped moving while midair from all the quick slashes. She sheathed her blade and walked away, the dummies were then cut up in exactly 1 cm cubes. Showcasing her preciseness and elegance.
"Heh. Your showcase isn't so cool now, is it Kallen?" She retorted back and they looked at each other with narrowed eyes. Prepared to duke it out so they can know who the best disciple is.
"Hmm, fairly impressive you 2. Kallen, you need to combo more and change styles often. Sakura, your cqc is still kinda lacking, increase your physical strength instead of attacking more. You guys can take out emperor class honkai beasts ez pz, but in front of a judgement class or higher. You'll be lacking versatility and firepower."
Ein appeared and critiqued them. He wanted them to be able to take down everything, that's why he's not hyper specializing the 2 with just one weapon or style like the flame chasers.
They both nodded and looked at each other one last time. "You got lucky this time." Kallen holstered her handguns. "That's my line, or I would've shown you your errors."
"Hoh? You guys are getting competitive. How about if one wins, I'll do anything you want within reason?" The 2 disciples were surprised, but they quickly got excited.
"You're on! Now we're talking." Kallen cracked her knuckles and started warming up. "Hmph, you will see." Sakura held her blade and started to focus.
"Okay, winner takes all. 2nd place means 1st loser after all. Start!" Kallen tested the waters by using her guns, though Sakura's speed and reflexes were fast enough to anticipate the trajectory before it even fired and dodged nimbly.
"Dodging is all you can do!? Come on!" Kallen upped the speed and the hand guns were like machine guns. It was connected to a subspace for ammo so it's virtually unlimited.
Sakura's brows twitched and she decided to block them with her blade, fanning it front of her with precise movements to kill the momentum of the bullets, while deflecting all the others.
Kallen stopped and drew her sword. Sakura then lined up the bullets and sent it all back to Kallen using her blade. Kallen blocked and sent a stinger to Sakura, the miko scoffed. Getting in position for a sword draw and waited for the attack.
She then drew the blade with incredible momentum, redirecting Kallen's claymore to the side, but her opponent fired a bullet at her. Sakura didn't expect it and narrowly blocked it with her katana.
Throwing her claymore like a boomerang, Kallen made Sakura stumble from the force. She then swooped in and launched a straight aimed at her opponent's face. Sakura equipped her gauntlets and deflected it, crouching down using Kallen's earlier attack. She tensed and gave an uppercut that released jets of honkai energy below her elbow. Increasing the power of the blow.
"Heh, royal guard!" Kallen's muscles on her arm hardened and were flexed to the maximum at a single moment. Positioning herself to anchor her body and blocked the blow.
The force were distributed in her ridiculously strong body and she counterattacked. "Royal release!" Punching at Sakura's midsection, she sent her flying with the force of her own blow.
Sakura was stunned and received enormous damage. Skipping like a pebble that was thrown on a river. She stood up with shaky legs and blocked a hail of bullets. Kallen then appeared above her and rained bullets again.
Sakura dodged and willed summoned swords above Kallen when she landed. They contained strings of honkai energy that entwined on her and stopped her for a split second.
Sakura quickly gave a judgement cut on Kallen's tendons and hamstring, immobilizing her even further. The Kaslana refused to give up and used her partial cascade form, regenerating the wounds and roared. Brute forcing the network of bindings.
Sakura narrowed her eyes. Her summoned swords appeared on a circle around her, spinning quickly. Slicing anything that dared to approach her, another set appeared on her sides, pointed at Kallen.
Kallen, with her enhanced strength decided to enter a sword fight and rushed at Sakura. She was met with flying swords that tried to skewer her. With swordmaster style, she hacked them to pieces and tried to break the encirclement of swords with a stinger.
Sakura imbued her arms with honkai energy, her control was greater than Kallen. The white haired nun broke through the summoned swords and Sakura clashed with her claymore, resulting in a defeaning shockwave.
They then exchanged blows at breakneck speeds. Sakura redirecting and parrying her blows, while Kallen tried to brute force the better swordsman with strength.
The resulting exchange quickly made a circle around them that cut up everything. Kallen decided to break the dead lock with a spike of ice underneath Sakura to distract her, but because of her small lapse in concentration, Sakura could block the ice with her greaves and caught her blade with the gauntlets. She then disarmed Kallen through attacking her wrist, and stabbed her in the stomach with the claymore.
She then tried to give an uppercut but was blocked. Kallen was stubborn and broke her left hand with the hasty block. But she quickly drew her gun and pointed it at Sakura's head from the unexpected surprise.
The pinkette then answered with the tip of her blade on Kallen's eye and Ein then called the fight. "Okay! Good work girls. Unfortunately, nobody wins. Though Kallen, you shouldn't lose focus on trying a strat. While Sakura, expecting surprises should be a given. You both would've died if you continued, but it was great effort on you both." He clapped and healed them up.
"Practice more, I'd reckon I can make you guys nigh unbeatable with technique alone in a short time. I'll be your practice partners and I will simulate every fighting style I could imagine. Experience in a death battle would improve your battle sense astronomically."
The 2 agreed and learned a lot in their fight. Ein then left to develop the ether anchor. "Sakura, training's good and all. But what about Ein?"
"Ahhh, that is a cause for concern as well. No time like the present as they say." Sakura contemplated and noticed it was easier said than done.
"Hey Sakura... How are we going to do this anyway? Are we even sure he will accept us. You might because you're the spitting image of one of his lovers, but I'm unfortunately not."
The Kaslana was starting to get nervous. "Hmm, a valid point. But that's something I'm not too keen in remembering. He already has a plethora of women beside him and they're very beautiful." Sakura commented and thought about her counterpart.
"Besides, shouldn't you be worried that your ancestor is one of his close friends?" Kallen paled and thought that was a good point. She then shook her head and made a guts pose. "No, I'm a Kaslana. We never yield and I want to be closer to him, hold his hands, k-kiss him." She blushed and imagined being all lovey dovey.
"Okay, then you go 1st ms. Kaslana, you never yield right?" Sakura got her there and Kallen frowned. "But it's not that easy... Oooh, I know. I'll ask MEI, she's one of the people that knows him best!" Kallen and Sakura went to MEI and quickly asked the million dollar question, how to be in a relationship with him.
MEI frowned and quickly answered. " Huh? Why don't you just get naked and spread your legs?" Kallen and Sakura got wide eyed at her answer and quickly noted that she isn't the right person to ask.
"Oookay? Thank you, bye!" Kallen replied quickly and pulled Sakura with her. "MEI-dono is... Certainly direct." Kallen nodded and thought who to ask.
"How about we just wing it? Or... Maybe MEI is right and do that?" Sakura smacked her on the head. "You must not be right in the head, we're women of character Kallen. Maybe prepare dinner for him and then ask?" 'He's a considerate person, his cooking might be leagues better. But he'll surely appreciate it.' Sakura nodded and looked at her partner.
Kallen frowned. "I don't know how to cook..." Her words made Sakura sigh. "I'll teach you to make an onigiri Kallen, you can at least do that right?" She nodded and got fired up.
"Yosh! Let's inform him that dinner's on us. But I don't want to confess my feeling with you right there staring at me." Sakura agreed and they planned on just doing it alone.
The 2 informed him that Sakura would be serving him dinner and he agreed. While Kallen said she has a surprise for him tomorrow and practiced at the expense of Sakura's sanity.
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Ein arrived at Sakura's house and she did a formal bow. "Ein, let me treat you for all the things you did for us." He followed her and Sakura started to serve Japanese cuisine, with some sakura blossom sake and sakura mochi for dessert.
He quickly finished the dishes and smiled at her. "Umu, they were delicious Sakura. But no need to thank me you know? I just did all those things in a whim." She smiled, but quickly shook her head and gathered her resolve.
"No. I insist... And there's another reason as well." She fidgeted, eyeing his hand and slowly reaching out to it. He noticed and put his hand behind his back with a smirk.
"Hmm? Is there something else?" She flinched and started to lose control of the situation. "Well, you even helped me to become stronger. And it means a lot as a warrior."
He nodded and stood up. "Is that so? Then I'll continue to make you stronger as well, no need to thank me okay? You'll be helping me as well in the future. If that's all, I still have some work to do." He patted her head and started to leave.
"W-wait!" She grabbed his sleeve and turned red. "What's the hold up Sakura?" He asked and she breathed deeply. "Did you like the food?" She was too embarrassed and cursed herself in her mind for blowing the chance.
"I already said it right? Or is there an ulterior motive for you asking me to dinner?" He outlined her lips and she blushed a deep red.
Sakura nodded and pouted at him. "Mou. You're teasing me! You already know what I want to say you bad man." She hit him on the chest softly and pinched his sides.
"Whatever do you mean?" He whispered and gave a smirk. "I... I like you! There, I said it! Now leave me be!" She was embarrassed out of her mind and tried to crouch down, intent on hiding her face.
He pulled her up and grabbed her chin. "Ohhh? So that's your intentions. Good job in saying it then, you're a bit too shy and I enjoyed your cute hesitation. How about a little reward and thanks for the show and dinner?" He gave her a quick kiss.
"Wh-wha!?" She was shocked and wasn't prepared for her 1st kiss. "Did it register? How about I do it again?" He gave another that was a little bit longer and Sakura got dazed.
"Hello~ Another then. And how about a little extra to wake you up." He kissed her again and slithered his tongue inside her slightly open mouth, shocking her to the core.
He then separated after a few seconds of attacking her cute little tongue. "Hmmm~ I think that answers one of your questions? But let's take it slow, how about we talk and get to know each other more for now?"
She nodded absentmindedly and he chuckled. He took her to his tree and they discussed their lives. Knowing more about each other and enjoyed the moonlight with a couple of drinks in hand.
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"Okay, I hope he likes this." Kallen prepared a rice ball and it was quite literal. But she tried her best.
It was early in the morning and Ein always exercises at the crack of dawn. "Heyyy! Ein, come here. I know you always work out in the morning so I made this for you!" She took a huge rice ball that was poorly wrapped in seaweed. (pic here)
Ein saw it and smiled wryly. "That's... A nice rice ball Kallen. Thank you." He took it and started eating it, the meal had pickled sour plums and salmon inside. Kallen opted for the traditional route, copying Sakura as much as she could.
Ein finished it quickly, as he could eat any amount of food in an instant. "Thanks Kallen, but it was a bit too literal." He chuckled and she scratched her cheek with a wry smile.
"I practiced a lot, did you like it?" He nodded and she gave a bright smile. "So? What's up? Wanted to thank me as well?" She fidgeted and blushed a bit. "Yeah, it's for shaping me into an improved Kallen!" She laughed and grabbed his sleeve.
"Say, can you... Uh, teach me how to cook! That's right..." She gave a strained smile that made him chuckle. "Why not? Let's start with what you already know."
They went to the kitchen in the base and started to shape some rice for onigiri. Kallen couldn't do it right and was struggling, not hearing his instructions well because she was cursing herself. 'I'm a Kaslana! Why did I have to fail a simple confession! Damnit Kallen.'
He flicked her forehead to gain her attention. "Hmm, you're not listening Kallen. How about a more hands on approach?" He went behind her and grasped the top of her hands.
"You shape the rice like this, and add your toppings or fillings." She almost choked on her saliva in surprise. Getting nervous from him being close to her, she then quickly start to enjoy it and got lost in the moment.
"Ein... Thank you, for everything." She looked up at him with clear eyes. "You're welcome." He smiled and patted her head. "Un, but I want something more." She then held his cheeks and gave her a quick kiss.
She touched her lips and went in a daze. Desire in her eyes as she looked at him again. "More, it's not enough." She put her arms around his neck and kissed him longer.
"You're a bit assertive Kallen. But how about I show you how to really kiss?" He tilted her head and kissed her, snaking his tongue inside her mouth and started a french kiss.
Kallen separated after a good minute and started panting. "Un. That's much better." She smiled and touched his chest. "Ein, I seriously like you. Do you like me as well?"
He smiled and pinched her cheek. "I won't kiss you if I don't now do I? But let's develop our relationship more okay? Now let's train, you want to get stronger for your dream right?"
She smiled and nodded. "Yeah... We should, shouldn't we?" She chuckled and held his hand, seizing the opportunity before they train again.
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After a few months, they successfully made an ether reactor that could harness the sea of quanta's energy. This would also be the base for a mega structure that will absorb the sea in a larger scale.
"We should commence experiments to make the material now." Ein said to Vill and MEI, they nodded and he opened a portal to the sea. Dipping the device inside along with the material to be experimented on.
The anchor activated and quickly started to absorb energy at large quantities. They fine tuned the process and incorporated it to the metal. But of course things weren't easy and the material simply disappeared into nothing. Becoming transparent and then was quickly consumed by the energy of the sea.
"Hah, I knew this would be difficult, but that was a quick failure." He sighed and noted their findings. They were about to start again, but intruders were found in the perimeter.
People that were wearing clothes from Schicksal and carrying crude honkai weapons. "Huh? So they've finally traced Kallen huh? She did say she was wanted." He called her and would decide what to do after talking with Kallen 1st.
She arrived quickly and frowned when she saw them. "They've tracked me. Well, it's not like I could go anywhere else, but impressive nonetheless." She went pretty far away from Shenzou and hid her tracks. But they still managed to find her, bringing valkyries and weapons.
"So? What do you plan to do?" Kallen thought about it and had an idea. "I want to go with them, I can save the kids that might be still being experimented on. I need to do it or I won't be able to sleep at night if I miss this opportunity."
He nodded and they made a plan, he would make a dummy of her using the 1st and 6th's powers. A perfect copy before her ICHOR and stigmata was fully activated. While she infiltrate where the orphans are. She requested it, not wanting to rely on him for everything.
Aponia would connect her mind to the copy so they won't get suspicious. Ein trained them to multitask and be ambidextrous so it wasn't that hard for her. He also needed more samples of stigmata bearers to improve it with Mobius.
"Let's go, I'll only take Sakura with me so they'll have experience with infiltration missions, this is a good opportunity." He said to the others and they agreed, deciding to just watch from the sidelines.
"We'll wait for the clone to get near, let's go 1st and you guys will know where the targets are." The 2 nodded and started to prepare for the trip.
The clone that Kallen controlled engaged the squads of valkyries and was quickly overwhelmed. She improved leaps and bounds, but with the weaker body, bare hands, along with their plans. She was detained and sent to Vienna for a trial concerning her crimes.
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Kallen and Sakura learned well. They managed to find where the children that had stigmatas were and decided to wait before extracting them.
Meanwhile, the clone was in a dungeon and was visited by a friend. But it was apt to call them acquaintances now as Kallen felt that her friend Ottilie's vision of saving the world is far too different to hers, not to mention that she kidnapped those she swore to protect to experiment on them behind her back.
"Kallen... Please, admit your wrongs. Beg for forgiveness and return to serve as the captain of the valkyrie order. It's the only way I could save you! Return the black box and you can still be pardoned for your crimes." The blonde clenched her fists, begging Kallen to bend her stubbornness.
"You don't understand do you? I'd rather die than to admit that I was wrong. I'm a Kaslana, and we do not bow to tyranny and close our eyes to what is wrong. You've even hid it all behind my back!" She replied in anger and remembered her friend's role in it all.
"Kallen... I beg of you! I don't want you to die! We can just leave here! Start anew! I promise that I won't do it again, just... So you can live." She gritted her teeth and her hands bled from clenching it too tight.
"It's already too late. And you already promised me that we would save this world Ottilie... Where did that lead to? You tolerated the actions of the church! The indulgences, the harassment of the masses. Schicksal is drunk from power and terrorizes the people! I will never bow down to such vile practices! Now leave if you don't want to make sense."
Ottilie bit her lip and silently left. "What should I do!? It was for the greater good and I'm powerless against Schicksal..." She was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
She agonized, thinking on how to save Kallen. Her light, the one who believed in her when nobody did. The person who gave her hope, but was now to be executed because of her stubbornness and ideals.
Her sister Risa Apocalypse then appeared, she was planning to take over Schicksal because their father was now too old and of course. So she could be in power, and like the schemer she is, decided to use Ottilie's desire and desperation to save Kallen so they will be out of the spotlight.
Ottilie was growing ever more popular for inventing a cure for the black plague. And this is a chance to make her disappear. "Tilie. You know there's still one option, but you must sully your hands for it." She smiled sweetly.
Ottilie looked at her, desperate for a plan and chance to save Kallen. She quickly nodded. "You can take her away from here. I know how important she is to you, there are honkai beasts that are sealed yes? At the day of her execution, release them and run away with Kallen dear."
Ottilie thought about it and the plan could work. Kallen was weakened by her injuries in fighting the order, and she was also starved and dehydrated. Not in a healthy state of mind, she nodded.
"Perfect, let's go with that shall we? Escape with her and run to a far away land. With the resulting chaos, Schicksal won't be able to give chase." She hugged her sister and smirked. Believing that this would be the start of a complete take over of Schicksal.
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It was the day of the execution, the sky was dark even though it was noon. Black clouds covered the sun and blue sky.
Kallen was dragged to a platform, a noose was put on her neck and was to be executed through hanging.
Meanwhile the real Kallen was ready for extracting every child and Sakura watched the execution to give her a signal. She would light up a barrel of explosives for Kallen to start and quickly leave with the children.
When Schicksal was announcing Kallen's crimes. A large honkai beast roared and jumped in the plaza. Shocking everyone while causing panic.
"This isn't good." Sakura decided to wait and observe, only giving small judgement cuts that would prevent the honkai beast from mowing down the people. And so she won't be noticed as well.
"This will test you for unseen situations Kallen, Sakura." Ein watched from the sidelines and approved of Sakura's decision. While Kallen's clone watched on, shocked by the situation. She then heard a voice.
"Kallen! Let's go! The honkai beast would distract them! Let's run away from here!" Ottilie tried to take away Kallen but she immediately knew it was her doing.
She slapped the blonde. "You fool! Sacrificing people just to save me! How much deeper would you go! You disgust me!" She then leaped and started engaging the honkai beast.
Ottilie watched on in horror while the beast attacked her, the shock was too much and her mind shut down.
Kallen was handicapped by her old body and simultaneously saving the children. But she managed to hold it off until everyone in the plaza were evacuated. The beast then changed targets and went for a child that was hiding behind some rubble.
Her eyes dilated and time went slow. Her mind running a mile a minute. The beast raised its hand and was about to turn the girl into paste, Sakura calculated that she would make it so she just waited.
Kallen blocked the hand of the beast just in time and was relieved. But it had a retractable claw beneath, the oversized claw the size of a wide lance was launched to her abdomen. Piercing her as Ottilie gasped, the claw was so big it almost snapped Kallen in half.
She then broke it by clenching what's left of her abdomen and twisting the claw, using it as a makeshift lance. Kallen pierced its head, killing the beast as it fell down.
She then kneeled down, losing tons of blood a second. Starting to lose consciousness because of the fatal injury.
"KALLEN! NO! NO! This isn't what's supposed to happen!" Her friend quickly went near her dying beloved. It was perfect inside her head, create chaos and then quickly leave. But she didn't take into account her personality, showing that she truly didn't understand her.
She started to shed tears as she panicked. Not knowing what to do. "Kallen! Don't die god damn it! I'll carry you to the doctor! They can still heal you! Don't leave me!" Kallen couldn't bare her wounds and the light slowly vanished from her eyes.
"NO! NONONO! Kallen! Stay with me! PLEASE! God, please! If you're real, please don't let her leave! I beg you! We still have a promise Kallen! Aren't we going to save the world!?"
She shouted but nobody answered, only the flames crackling at the background resounded. She then carried Kallen's corpse, gritting her teeth so hard they might shatter. (pic here)
Sakura quickly left the scene to rendezvous with Kallen and the kids. Ein looked at the scene one more time. He then left to meet the 2 for a successful mission.
"Good job girls, let's go. We still have a long day ahead of us." He opened a portal and they returned to Yae village.
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Thanks for reading everyone, work is too hectic and I could only post now, welp. Back to work after a few hours again, so goodnight. Ciao.