Chapter 69: Quantum Mechanics...

"The grilled fish is ready! Here, Higokumaru..."

The Gyakushinn Miko handed the grilled fish to the sulky Higokumaru at her side.

The miko knew exactly why Higokumaru was upset. These were fox ears that even Higokumaru rarely got to touch, yet now Yae Rin was freely handling them.

So... Higokumaru felt like she'd been cheated on!

She was jealous...

"Hmph..."

Though displeased, Higokumaru couldn't resist the grilled fish. She accepted it nonetheless.

After all, Yae Sakura was her older sister, and Higokumaru had shamelessly tagged along. It wasn't as if Big Sister had begged for her company. So... no matter what, Higokumaru could never stay angry with her big sister or let any conflict arise between them.

Therefore... her animosity could only be directed at those who tried to steal her sister's attention.

As Higokumaru ate the fish cooked by her big sister, she glared resentfully at Yae Rin.

Under Higokumaru's stare, Yae Rin looked back in confusion. What have I done? she wondered. Why is she glaring at me like that?

Yae Rin had absolutely no clue what was going through Higokumaru's mind.

After handing the grilled fish to Higokumaru, the Gyakushinn Miko resumed cooking the prepared ingredients nearby.

Only the Gyakushinn Miko, Yae Sakura, and Yae Rin could grill meat here. Higokumaru, Kallen, Higokumaru (another), and another unnamed little girl could only eat.

It was quite challenging!

Just as the second fish was almost ready, a voice interrupted the Gyakushinn Miko's relaxed state of mind.

The fish nearly fell into the flames.

Ai-chan's notification: The host's zombie (Kunoichi) has died!

"Hm???"

The sudden notification voice stunned the Gyakushinn Miko!

Zombie... Kunoichi dead?

This...

The Gyakushinn Miko was well aware of the Kunoichi's abilities. Although not exceptionally strong, her... self-defense capabilities were incredibly powerful.

Her evasion and defense were such that even the Gyakushinn Miko had to take her seriously... to instantly defeat her.

With the Kunoichi's strength, in this world... it would be hard for anyone to take her down, unless they encountered a Valkyrie of A rank or higher, or a Honkai Beast.

Especially in this remote Far East region, logically... her strength should have been more than enough for self-defense.

Of course, it wasn't that the world's power levels were low; this was still the Honkai World... although the power might seem disorganized, it ran deep.

"Sis Serenade, what's wrong?"

Yae Sakura, standing beside her, noticed the expression on the miko's face and asked curiously.

"It's nothing..." Gyakushinn Miko shook her head, offering no further explanation.

Who could have killed my zombie? she pondered. It definitely wasn't an ordinary person...

[Boss, haven't you missed Ai-chan?]

As Gyakushinn Miko grappled with her thoughts, Ai-chan—long absent from the chat—suddenly appeared, nearly startling the miko once again.

"A-Ai-chan? Is something wrong?"

The miko paused, startled, immediately sending a mental message.

After so long, even the Gyakushinn Miko had nearly forgotten about Ai-chan's existence.

"Can't I chat with my boss even if nothing's wrong? It's been ages since we last talked."

"...Let's stick to business!"

The miko didn't buy it; she knew Ai-chan wouldn't suddenly pop up just to make small talk.

"Alright! There's a bounty mission available. Do you want to take it?"

"A bounty mission? Of course I'll take it!"

The Gyakushinn Miko paused for a moment before immediately responding. The system had been unresponsive for so long that she'd begun to suspect it was broken.

After all these years, aside from incomplete main quests, no other missions have triggered at all—not even when I... subdued Higokumaru. This is highly unusual!

Bounty Mission: Subduing the Honkai-Infected Ronin (Hokushin Mei)

Mission Description: In the Far East, the renowned "Demon of Murder" Hokushin Mei, known as the foremost swordsmaster, has fallen under Honkai's influence, turning her into a bloodthirsty killer. As the enemy of Honkai and a Valkyrie sworn to eliminate it, how can you stand idly by?

Mission Requirements: Defeat Hokushin Mei and assist her in shedding Honkai's corruption.

Mission Rewards: Valkyrie (Mirage Butterfly) Fragments x3, Crystals x60, Ai-chan's Mystery Wheel (chance to win new Valkyries, weapons, Stigmata, or Armed Dolls, along with Judgement Rank Honkai Beasts, Zombies, or Titans)

"..."

This quest... This reward...

Hokushin Mei?

Isn't she a character from Honkai Impact 2? Although the miko primarily played HI3, due to the similar worldviews between Honkai Impact 2 and HI3—essentially parallel worlds—they were familiar with her.

Compared to the chaotic (and retcon-heavy) worldview of HI3, Honkai Impact 2 was undoubtedly more straightforward.

However... the power gap between Honkai Impact 2 and HI3 was like night and day.

If high-tier forces in HI3 involved destroying continents or annihilating civilizations...

Then in Honkai Impact 2, it would casually escalate to eradicating Earth or rebooting the entire world. With Honkai Beasts including planetary-level ones, it felt fundamentally unplayable for humans...

The difficulty had instantly escalated from 'hard' to 'nightmare' level.

Is this the world of Honkai Impact 2?

No way...

Wait... Didn't Hokushin Mei hang around with the Chi Yan Immortal? Do I really need to stop her myself?

The miko had a torrent of doubts, but then she recalled the initial hint... This was just a parallel world...

Such changes were quite normal. Besides... even in the original world, given how much I'd interfered with various events, it wouldn't be surprising if unexpected alterations occurred.

And then... there were these rewards. The rewards revealed a wealth of information, enough to make one's head spin.

Firstly, the fragment for Valkyrie Mirage Butterfly.

Mirage Butterfly?

What the hell?

I'd never even heard of it...

The miko hurriedly switched to the Valkyrie interface and immediately scrolled to the last row. As expected... another Valkyrie had been added.

Seele, Valkyrie Armor (Mirage Butterfly)...

Just like Rita... another scythe-wielding Valkyrie. And as before... Valkyrie attributes.

"Quantum..."

Quantum attributes? Quantum mechanics?

Ugh, my brain hurts...

Has Mihoyo already entered full-on cash-grab mode? Valkyries used to appear only once every few months; now we're getting one or even two per month?

Going back? Forget it...

"Crap, still dual personalities... And with that yandere attribute?"

After skimming through the Valkyrie's description, I realized it was yet another rare yandere maiden.

Yae Sakura, the 'yandere'? No way—this is the real deal!

The mere thought of yanderes... gets my blood pumping...

Take Yuno Gasai, for instance, the poster girl for yanderes—Miko absolutely adores her! Talk about electrifying.

Besides, it's not like my girlfriend would be the yandere one. But if I ever become Seele... I'd get to experience that unique thrill firsthand.

Just thinking about it gets me genuinely excited.

I'll kill every single one of you who called me "Hil" as soon as I emerge from the Quantum Sea! #YandereFace...