Chapter 97: Sirin, Be Good

Rita Rossweisse still remembered the conversation with Archbishop Otto a few days ago.

On that day, she had intended to catch the mantis while waiting for the cicada, but she was played by the hidden bird behind. Not only did she fail to obtain information about the Herrscher of the Void, and she also failed to capture the members of the Far East Branch who had defected. She even lost the electronic eye she had snatched from Schicksal for the highest-level authentication. She returned to the Schicksal headquarters, nursing her wounds.

Otto paid high attention to this. After all, Rita Rossweisse was one of the few S-rank Valkyries in Schicksal. Although she had some gaps compared to Durandal and the dormant Lee Shu-sheng, she was still an S-rank Valkyrie.

"Arc City..." Otto sat in the bishop's office, lightly tapping the high glass containing red wine with his fingers. There was no expression on his face, making it difficult to discern his thoughts.

Otto was a bit annoyed. He had been planning for the power of the Herrscher of the Void for more than ten years. A few months ago, when his plan was about to succeed, his beloved granddaughter Theresa led a rebellion, disrupted his plan, and the whereabouts of the Herrscher of the Void became unknown.

After finally receiving information about the Herrscher of the Void, he had to be cautious. He specifically sent one of Schicksal's few S-rank Valkyries, Rita Rossweisse, to Arc City, thinking it would be a sure thing, but unexpectedly, it still went awry.

The setback of Schicksal in Arc City disappointed Otto, but there was nothing he could do. The most powerful Valkyrie of Schicksal, Durandal, was currently engaged in a mission and couldn't spare time to deal with the situation in Arc City. Otto had to make do and, once again, trust Rita Rossweisse to continue the investigation in Arc City.

However, the focus of this investigation had shifted somewhat.

The whereabouts of the Herrscher of the Void had become a side mission, and the main mission was now updated to investigate the details of the World Serpent in Arc City.

"Rita Rossweisse, I hope you won't let me down."

"...Yes." In Otto's office, the elegant maid slightly bowed, remained silent for a moment, then responded, "Rita Rossweisse will not disappoint Archbishop."

It was already evening. A huge transport ship had silently landed beneath the thick clouds. Below was a desolate land, not far from a brightly lit cybernetic city.

Rita Rossweisse no longer thought about her conversation with the archbishop. She shook her head and prepared to carry out her mission.

"Alvitr, I'll go coordinate with the personnel from Schicksal Pharmaceuticals. You lead the members of the Immortal Blades to investigate any clues about the Honkai in this city. If you find anything unusual, remember to report it to me promptly. And if you discover any information about the Herrscher of the Void or World Serpent members, make sure to inform me." After assigning the mission to her most trusted subordinate, Rita Rossweisse jumped off the transport ship, disappearing into the night.

By this time, Rita Rossweisse had changed into the Azure Exalter - Moon Soul battlesuit. Using the cold particle flow emitted by the armor, she landed smoothly, maintaining her elegance.

...

"Chase, if what you say is true, I can't just sit and wait like this," Kiana stood up abruptly from the sofa, looking anxious, but was pressed back down by the helpless Chase.

"Hey, don't worry, don't worry. Now Schicksal is in contact with the World Serpent, and your appearance in their view will have a certain impact on the situation." Chase said, "From the current situation, at least Schicksal and the World Serpent are in opposition. The enemy's enemy is a friend. Let the bullets fly a little longer."

"But, but..." Kiana wanted to say something more. She opened her mouth, but before she could finish her sentence, Chase handed her an apple, silencing her, and she could only make a humming sound. Combined with the slightly widened heterochromatic pupils due to surprise, she looked a bit cute.

"After all, we need to use a heavy hand against enemies, and facing friends, we naturally need to be open and honest." Chase smirked mysteriously, his determined eyes carrying an indisputable meaning. Kiana didn't continue to entangle and obediently ate her apple while listening to Chase's words.

"Don't worry, Kiana. If there's any situation, I'll notify you. You can take action later," Chase said. After a pause, he thought of the main objective of this current mission.

[Act 1: Arc Meteor: Identify and resolve the hidden crisis in Arc City.]

Although Chase had some doubts about the "hidden crisis" mentioned in the mission objective, he gradually got some insights.

In the three-way struggle, Entropy left early, and now there were only two forces left in Arc City: the World Serpent and Schicksal. Adding Kiana, the free agent, the situation became clearer.

Since the main objective targeted Kiana, the development of the situation undoubtedly couldn't be separated from her. Chase only needed to keep an eye on Kiana, and everything would eventually come to light.

Based on the information Chase currently had, the World Serpent's Stigmata Plan involved using the entire Arc City as an experimental subject. They planned to stimulate the awakening of Stigmata bearers by injecting a special anti-Honkai activator. This was indeed a significant crisis, but Chase always felt that if the standard answer was like this, it seemed to be missing something.

This feeling was like copying answers directly from the text during high school reading comprehension; most of the time, you couldn't get full marks. What was presented on the surface was often not the best answer.

After all, the World Serpent's method, though effective, was too slow in terms of efficiency.

Even the raw materials for the activator still needed support from Schicksal. It was feared that this plan would be forced to stop halfway due to Schicksal's detection.

But if it wasn't this, then what could it be?

Chase pondered deeply but couldn't think of the correct answer. There was one missing piece in the puzzle to open the final gateway. Once that was found, everything would be clear.

"Kiana, how's your use of your powers?" Chase asked.

"Mm, it's not as difficult as before," Kiana answered after thinking for a moment while eating an apple. "The pressure from S... Sirin on me is not as severe as before. My current state is much better than before."

When mentioning the Herrscher of the Void, Kiana seemed to realize something and quickly changed it to Sirin. She then stole a glance at Chase's reaction and found that he didn't mind, which made her slightly relieved.

"Hmph, at least you know how to be sensible," the voice of the Herrscher of the Void sounded in her ear, but Kiana ignored it.

Chase nodded, "That's good. Rita has already made contact with the World Serpent. I'll go over and settle things down. Pay attention to my messages."

After saying this, Chase paused for a moment, added a sentence, and then disappeared in place:

"Sirin, be a good girl."