Chapter 92: I Can't Do Anything!!!

Due to the agreement with Chase, Kiana had been relatively quiet these days. Besides constantly moving between disaster sites in Sky City, inspecting remains, and digging for clues, she rarely exposed her whereabouts.

This area had been evacuated long ago due to the recent collapse incident. The residents were resettled in a temporary shelter in the east of the city. Many basic facilities were damaged by the Honkai Beasts, and Sky City authorities had not sent anyone to maintain them yet. However, this turned out to be convenient, providing Kiana with a temporary resting place.

She had arranged to meet the young man here, so Kiana arrived early and left a note on the table each day when she went out to collect information, just in case the other person came here and got worried.

Having investigated another disaster site just now without revealing her whereabouts, Kiana pinned the location of the Honkai event on the map hanging on the wall. She then returned to the sofa, sat down, and quietly restored her strength, sipping bottled water stored in the room.

Her gaze shifted to the three notes on the table, revealing a hint of worry.

To be honest, Kiana was getting a bit anxious. It had already been three days, and she still hadn't seen the black-haired young man who had made an appointment with her to answer her questions.

In these days, Kiana had also tried to investigate Chase's information. However, all her efforts had been in vain. Whether it was the dangerously snake-like woman or Chase taken away by her, Kiana hadn't obtained any information.

The only odd thing was the pharmaceutical company, Shengcheng Pharmaceutical. However, even if Kiana boldly speculated, she needed practical evidence to verify the truth.

Kiana couldn't help but recall the conversation a few days ago. The young man had whispered in her ear, and with a determined gaze, he had told her, amidst her astonishment:

"Trust me."

This sentence seemed to have some kind of magic. Since he said he would come, Kiana would wait.

And at this moment, just like back then.

Facing Chase's firm and unquestionable gaze, Kiana's eyes couldn't help but evade.

"Fu Hua, are you looking at me, right?"

Faced with Chase's question, Kiana looked puzzled.

How did he sense the presence of the Class Monitor? She had just awakened not long ago...

"Class Monitor, it seems he found you..." Kiana spoke to Fu Hua, who existed in her consciousness.

[Kiana, be careful. I can't quite understand this person.] Fu Hua's tone carried helplessness and vigilance. With Otto's destruction, Fu Hua's consciousness had transferred to Fenghuang Down. Her capabilities were limited, and she could only help Kiana suppress the backlash from the Herrscher.

The self-doubt and self-denial awakened by the Herrscher, coupled with Kiana's doubts, created a crack in her heart. Although the Herrscher had been temporarily suppressed by Himeko sacrificing herself, it still lingered in Kiana's mind through this crack, disturbing her soul.

As long as Kiana couldn't recognize herself and stand firm in her beliefs, the Herrscher's temptation would linger in her heart like a beast catching the scent of blood or crows circling around a corpse, never leaving for a long time.

And all Fu Hua could do was rely on the remaining power of Fenghuang Down to temporarily suppress the Herrscher's backlash. With a heart full of guilt and worry, she awaited Kiana's growth.

A few days ago, the Herrscher, which had been lurking and seeking opportunities, suddenly went berserk, madly assaulting Kiana's consciousness. Fu Hua had to concentrate all her attention on suppressing the Herrscher, with no energy to pay attention to Kiana's situation.

However, recently, Kiana's inner crack seemed to show signs of healing, and the Herrscher, for some unknown reason, calmed down a bit. This gave Fu Hua a chance to breathe and focus on Kiana's situation.

She had just come online, hadn't deliberately revealed her presence, and yet this black-haired young man in front of her had discovered her.

Fenghuang Down was crafted by the core of the Herrscher from the previous civilization, and Fu Hua, being its user, was supposed to be familiar with it. Even though she was no longer at her peak due to the murder of her seven disciples five hundred years ago, The sword's heart does not exist, but it stands to reason that such a problem would not arise. 

Since there were no issues on my end, the problem naturally lies with the young man across from me. Fu Hua thought, her gaze towards Chase becoming sharp, as if she wanted to see through him. So she reminded Kiana to stay vigilant.

"Miss Fu Hua, there's no need to be so cautious," Chase, though unable to see Fu Hua, seemed to see through her, jokingly said, "After all, I can be considered your half-disciple."

With that, Chase didn't hide it and openly released the aura of his Sword Intent, indicating that he had already reached the [Mirror of Hua] realm.

Fu Hua felt a familiar aura and stayed frozen for a while. Indeed, it was the [Mirror of Hua]. But... Fu Hua's eyes became strange. She looked at the black-haired young man in front of her and unintentionally glanced at his flat chest, finding it somewhat unbelievable.

[Kiana, ask him about his gender for me.] Fu Hua said to Kiana.

"Huh?" Kiana, after hearing this, remained stunned for a while. It wasn't until Fu Hua repeated herself in a somewhat helpless manner that Kiana seemed to wake up from a dream. However, she fell silent again.

Kiana scrutinized Chase – not too long or too short black hair, jet-black pupils, delicate facial features... Everything about him seemed like a boy, right?!

"Um, Chase, the Class Monitor wants to know your gender..." Kiana said with her head down, feeling embarrassed.

"???" Chase showed a puzzled expression. "I'm naturally a guy, not a real armed helicopter."

"Oh..." Kiana nodded and fell silent, engaging in a mental conversation with Fu Hua.

"Class Monitor, you see, I've asked like you said!"

[.....]This time, it was Fu Hua's turn to be silent.

The Tai Xu Sword Qi was originally a technique Fu Hua had modified based on the ancient civilization's divine sound for using the powers of Honkai. Fu Hua was undoubtedly familiar with this technique. Regarding this martial art, females were naturally more suitable than males from birth. Fu Hua had trained numerous male disciples, no matter how talented they were, they all stopped at the [Still Water] realm and found it difficult to make further progress. On the contrary, among female disciples, some reached the realm of [Sword God], showing a considerable gap.

But what she was seeing now was a boy who not only mastered the Tai Xu Sword Qi but had also cultivated the Sword Intent to the [Mirror of Hua] realm!

Fu Hua felt like her thousands of years of accumulated experience had encountered an error. It was as if science couldn't explain Kevin's strength, and everything seemed like an accidental occurrence, impossible to replicate...

"Alright, alright, let's not dwell on this issue for now," Chase clapped his hands, diverting the attention of the contemplative Fu Hua and the somewhat embarrassed Kiana. He introduced himself,

"Kiana Kaslana, and Fu Hua, or should I call you Phoenix Immortal. Let me introduce myself. I'm Chase, Sirin's brother."

Chase's words struck Kiana and Fu Hua like thunder. Kiana was fine, as she had seen memories of Sirin before and had some psychological preparation, along with certain speculations.

However, Fu Hua was different. She knew the Second Herrscher well!

After Sirin transformed into the Second Herrscher, her personal information had been thoroughly investigated by the Schicksal, including family members, ancestors' professions, the reason for being in the Babylon Laboratory, interpersonal relationships, education, and more. All this information had been meticulously displayed in Otto's office at the moment of the second Great Honkai. Although most of it was worthless, Fu Hua still remembered it clearly.

The Second Herrscher, Sirin, had no siblings and no so-called brother!

Fu Hua's gaze became vigilant. She wanted to remind Kiana not to believe Chase's nonsense.

"Hoho, is it really like that?" Kiana sagely nodded thoughtfully, showing an enlightened expression.

Fu Hua: '(°ー°〃)

Ah? You believe this so easily?!

"Does Kiana already know?" Chase was puzzled. Since he came to this world, he had never revealed this identity. Why would Kiana know? However, Chase naturally associated Kiana's consciousness with the Herrscher's consciousness inside her and speculated,

"Is it because of the Herrscher consciousness inside you?"

Kiana nodded, sounding somewhat unsure, like a child who accidentally broke a toy, her voice lacking confidence, "I had some dreams about you and Sirin..."

...................

After finishing the conversation with Kiana, Chase's figure appeared on top of a high building. Suddenly, he felt a slight vibration from the communication device in his pocket, raised an eyebrow, and picked it up to check.

[Grey Snake: @White Dove, how is the situation on the side of Entropy going?]

Chase thought for a moment and replied on the communication device:

[White Dove: Currently tracking.]

[Raven: The silhouette of the Herrscher of Void appeared in the North City area but disappeared quickly. Should we continue tracking?]

[Grey Snake: The Herrscher of Void is only part of the plan. Her role is not significant now. Don't let it affect our plan. Just keep an eye on her movements.]

[Raven: The recent activities of the Herrscher of Void are chaotic, appearing multiple times at the locations of Honkai incidents. I think it's necessary to be a bit more vigilant against her.]

[Night Snack: I'll go.]

[Raven: Good, remember not to engage with the Herrscher of Void, and also, you've typed your ID wrong.]

[Night Snack:...]

["Night Snack" has changed the name to "Night Owl."]

[Jackal: If you can capture her alive, remember to bring her to me. I haven't had an experimental subject from a Herrscher yet.]

"What a paranoid lunatic," Chase sighed in his mind, shook his head, and silently retracted the communication device in his hand. He looked down at the street below the tall building, his gaze deep, revealing nothing of his thoughts.

Down there, a battle was unfolding.

........

For Raiden Mei, S-rank Valkyries were still somewhat out of reach. At least, as a B-rank Valkyrie, she had a long way to go to reach S-rank.

But now, she had to challenge an S-rank Valkyrie.

It was a crucial stage for Bronya to break Grey Snake's blockade. Theresa had to stay by Bronya's side for protection, and Raiden Mei volunteered to go out and investigate Rita's whereabouts.

Since they already knew about Rita's presence, the people from Hyperion naturally had to be cautious.

They were not fools. Although the biological chip White Dove left for them was said to be protected at the cost of Grey Snake's life, they still had their suspicions.

If, and it's a big if, this chip was deliberately left by Rita after killing Grey Snake, and Grey Snake's accomplice used it to deceive Entropy for money?

And if this biological chip was intentionally left by Rita, that would be interesting. Rita wanted to reap the benefits and then... set a trap.

The seemingly undisturbed Grey Snake base seemed to confirm this speculation. Since Rita had already taken away other biological verifications on Grey Snake, why remain inactive?

Following the pre-planned route, Mei reached the edge of the Grey Snake base.

"After obtaining the information, the most likely retreat location for them... should be here."

Under the moonlight, silver-white radiance spilled onto a figure dressed as a maid.

The moment Raiden Mei saw Rita, her body tensed, and her hand involuntarily gripped the hilt of the katana beside her, assuming an attacking posture.

She knew her mission was only to investigate Rita's location. The mission was already complete, and she should withdraw immediately before being detected by the enemy. However...

At the moment she saw Rita, remembering what Kevin had done to Kiana on behalf of Schicksal, a flame of hatred ignited in her heart that could no longer be extinguished.

Drawing her katana, breaking the moonlight, the pulsating armor, Crimson Impulse, amplified her speed in an instant. Holding her weapon, she charged towards Rita. Even though the outcome of this battle was destined to end in her defeat, she did not hesitate, launching an attack with unwavering determination, much like the knight who once charged towards windmills without hesitation.

Clang—

The sound of the clash between the katana and the scythe was strong and forceful, the tip of the blade cutting through the ends of Rita's maid-like hair, almost severing a few strands, but that was all.

Rita, who had reacted, showed a calm smile on her face. She effortlessly parried Mei's attacks while mocking her with words:

"Close, but not close enough. You almost got me. You scared me there."

As she spoke, Rita's expression no longer carried the ease it had before, her entire demeanor turning stern.

Mei's heart tightened. Despite feeling nervous, she immediately cheered herself on in her mind.

Come on, I can do it. I can make it!

But before her thoughts could settle, a scythe emitting a faint glow enlarged in her field of vision...

Mei's pupils contracted. Her katana blocked the scythe's attack, but without deflecting the blade, Mei took the heavy blow and staggered backward a few steps before stabilizing herself.

Feeling the tingling sensation in her arm, Mei couldn't help but feel a hint of defeat.

S-rank and B-rank, indeed separated by an insurmountable gap, a gap that could not be bridged with mere determination.

She, Raiden Mei, was just a B-rank Valkyrie. In the face of an S-rank, there was nothing she could do...