CHAPTER 456: MO...M...

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Across a boundless snowy plain, a young woman darted about at incredible speed, pistols in hand. The afterimage of her white clothes and white hair trailed behind her, a streak of pure white against the snow.

She weaved through a horde of Honkai Beasts, firing her guns or sending smaller beasts flying with her fists and feet. Reflected in her sky-blue eyes was her one and only target—a colossal, fifty-meter-tall Chariot-class Honkai Beast at the center of the horde!

"Hey! Kiana! Get back here! Leave that thing to me!"

Hearing the slightly frantic male voice behind her, Kiana pressed forward without a word, ignoring him.

But a smile spread across her lips, the words she couldn’t say aloud echoing in her heart:

Don’t worry, you stupid old man. I’m not the same girl I was years ago. This time, I know I can do it...

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Kiana took aim at the massive Chariot-class Honkai Beast and fired several shots. The specially made bullets struck the beast’s bone-white hide, producing a shower of sparks before leaving behind scorch marks no bigger than a firecracker’s flash, dealing no real damage.

After all, that bone-white shell was tough enough to withstand even 270mm armor-piercing railgun rounds.

But it was enough. The Chariot-class beast felt a tickling sensation on its left arm. It turned its non-existent neck and cast its gaze toward the snowy plain to its left.

The "White Comet" Valkyrie battlesuit and her snow-white hair provided Kiana with the perfect camouflage. The immense Honkai Beast widened its eyes, but it couldn’t pinpoint Kiana’s location amidst the snow, much like a person trying to spot an ant in a patch of black mud.

Seeing the Honkai Beast’s vacant, dazed eyes, Kiana seized the opportunity to close the distance. Just as she was about to reach its feet, she fired again.

BANG!

It was less a shot and more a signal.

The gunshot was piercing. Though the muzzle flash was small, it was enough for the Chariot-class Honkai Beast to pinpoint her location.

"Chariot!"

The Chariot-class beast’s cry was as bizarre as ever. Coming from a creature smaller than a person, many Valkyries might have found it dorky and cute, but this fifty-meter-tall behemoth was anything but.

It raised its forelegs high and, without hesitation, stomped down in Kiana’s direction.

"Kiana!"

BOOM—

Siegfried had barely opened his mouth before he got a face full of snow.

"Cough, cough! That girl! Who’s ever heard of such a reckless Valkyrie? What kind of instructor trained her?"

"I’m not being reckless!"

A sharp retort came from within the billowing cloud of snow. A slender figure shot out of the mist, scrambling up the bent foreleg of the Chariot-class Honkai Beast as it stomped down.

In just a few leaps, she reached its shoulder, then launched herself sideways with a powerful kick aimed straight at the beast’s left cheek.

"Neko Charm!"

Every last drop of Honkai Energy in her body was drained in an instant. The core of the Valkyrie battlesuit on her back glowed with a brilliant yellow light. Then, flying out alongside Kiana’s leg, was a mechanical cat paw even thicker than the fifty-meter beast’s forelegs.

BOOM!

The giant cat paw kicked the Chariot-class Honkai Beast clean off its feet. With its momentum unchecked, it slammed the beast’s disproportionately small head deep into the snow.

"It’s not over yet!"

The immense impact of her landing forced Kiana’s knees to bend. Every ounce of energy in her body had been channeled into the battlesuit, leaving her legs trembling uncontrollably.

It wasn’t the first time she had pushed her body to its absolute limit, but it seemed that every time she was willing to do so, she could unleash even greater power than before.

She took a single breath, then pushed herself back to her feet.

She extended both arms as if embracing something in the empty air, and along their length, the giant mechanical cat paw materialized once more.

"Haaaah!"

Kiana swung the paw in a wide arc. The Chariot-class Honkai Beast had just scrambled back up when it was slapped to the ground again. This time, before its face could even touch the snow, another blow struck its abdomen, tossing its several-hundred-ton body into the air.

"The final blow!"

Kiana had somehow leaped above it again. As she brought her leg down in a powerful axe kick, the giant mechanical cat paw smashed down on the Chariot-class Honkai Beast’s spine, driving it back into the snow.

But this was the final attack, and ending it there would have been starting with a bang and ending with a whimper.

CRACK—

The shell on the Chariot-class beast’s back began to crack. Its arched back rapidly caved inward until it snapped completely. Its chest split open, revealing the purple-black flesh within.

"Hmph! Nailed it!"

Kiana landed first on the Honkai Beast’s head before hopping back onto the snow.

She pursed her lips smugly, dusted off her hands, and turned to admire her "masterpiece."

She was about to say something to boast about her accomplishment when her knees gave out, and she started to collapse.

"Hey! Be careful! What’s a B-rank Valkyrie like you doing pushing yourself so hard!"

Her body fell into a familiar embrace. Hearing that chiding tone that wasn’t really a complaint, Kiana smiled silently and couldn’t help but snuggle deeper into his arms.

"Hey, hey, what do you think you’re doing! I’ll have you know, young lady, I’m a married man..."

"Hmph!"

Kiana let out a cheerful grunt and, using Siegfried’s shoulder for support, stood up again.

"Ew—you... you old creep! For your information, this young lady just happens to share the same name as your daughter! You’re clearly the one with the dirty mind!"

"Ahem! Speaking of which, with your skill level, you should have been an A-rank Valkyrie long ago. How are you still B-rank?"

Siegfried almost choked. After clearing his throat, he looked at the Chariot-class Honkai Beast struggling in the slush, unable to get up with its broken spine, and awkwardly changed the subject.

"Uh... well... Hiss! You wouldn’t get it, old man. It’s complicated!"

Even if he didn’t realize she was his daughter, Kiana was too embarrassed to admit the truth to her own father—"it’s because I keep failing my theory exams."

After all, children tend to only report good news and hide the bad from their parents. Of course, the reverse was also true.

"Ahem! This young lady just feels that ranks like B and A are just empty titles. If I’m going to be anything, it’s going to be Schicksal’s strongest S-rank Valkyrie!"

"Uh... is that Schicksal’s strongest S-rank Valkyrie, or the strongest of Schicksal’s S-rank Valkyries?"

"Huh? Is there a difference?"

Kiana acted as if she hadn’t heard the deliberate pause in Siegfried’s question.

"I guess there isn’t, really. Even with Schicksal’s special promotion system, you still have to go from B-rank to A-rank before becoming an S-rank. At most, they might lower the difficulty of some exams... Of course, knowing the Overseer’s personality, it wouldn’t be impossible for him to just add a new rule on the spot."

"Ah?"

Looking at the girl’s snow-white hair and sky-blue eyes, Siegfried couldn’t help but scratch his cheek.

"Hey, Kiana, if we make it back alive, how about I take you for a gene test?"

"Wha... why?"

"To be honest, you never gave me your last name when we first met, and I can’t be sure just by your looks. But that dumb streak you’ve got is classic Kaslana family! Who knows, maybe you’re my long-lost sister who got separated from us at birth?"

Kiana’s lips twitched. Even with her paramecium-sized brain, she... she really didn’t know what to make of her stupid old dad...

All she could say was, he was just as dumb as she remembered.

But! How could this dumb old dad have the nerve to call her dumb! And to proudly declare that being dumb was the trademark of the Kaslana family!

Kiana was speechless.

Seeing the girl beside him looking like she was about to explode, Siegfried gave an awkward laugh, then raised his Judgement of Shamash to forcefully steer the conversation elsewhere.

"Ahem! Listen up, Kiana. As your commander, I’ll teach you one more thing—no matter what, always make sure your enemy is dead."

BANG!

A scorching flame shot from the barrel. Though Siegfried’s eyes were fixed on Kiana, the bullet precisely struck the Chariot-class Honkai Beast, which had managed to pull half its body from the slush.

The fiery projectile silently sank into the beast’s forehead, leaving only an inconspicuous black scorch mark. The Honkai Beast collapsed with a thud, its life extinguished.

The other Valkyries quickly dealt with the remaining Honkai Beasts.

A few squads broke off for reconnaissance and patrol, while the remaining two hundred or so sat down against the carcasses of the beasts, taking every second they could to rest.

They only had five minutes. In five minutes, they had to press on until they rendezvoused with Lady Cecilia’s team in the vast tundra.

Just then, Theresa stormed up to Siegfried and Kiana, fuming.

"You two... Hah... One of you, a B-rank Valkyrie, rushes to the front to take on the strongest Honkai Beast by yourself. The other, a commander, abandons his post to chase after her... I... I..."

Seeing that Theresa was too angry to even speak properly, Siegfried just smiled and patted her on the head.

"Don’t be like that, shorty. Look, Kiana successfully took down that Honkai Beast, and you took over command for me. The end result was perfect, so you should be happy!"

"You! You know I’m short and you still pat my head! I won’t grow any taller!"

Kiana, standing to the side, was trying her best not to laugh out loud.

If only... if only I could have seen this before I transmigrated, how great would that be...

That’s right, transmigration. That was the only explanation Kiana could come up with.

After all, this was the Siberian tundra, a place she would never forget. Her stupid old dad and her great-auntie were fighting side-by-side. Earlier, at a rest stop, she had checked the date: the year 2000, sixteen years ago.

She couldn’t think of any other explanation.

But... the time and place were a bit strange... She felt like she had some impression of this part of history, or to be more precise, that she had experienced it herself. But how could that be possible? According to her dad, she had been born, but she wasn’t even three years old yet. How could she have been in a battle like this...

If she couldn’t figure it out, she wouldn’t think about it. Kiana continued to watch cheerfully as her towering father was meekly scolded by her great-aunt, who was shorter than she was. She didn’t expect the line of fire to turn on her so quickly.

"What are you smiling about! You think you’re so tough? A beast like that should be handled by A-rank Valkyries. What’s a B-rank like you doing getting involved? Are you that desperate to prove yourself? What if something had gone wrong? If you had died on the spot, that would be one thing, but what if you were crippled for life, lost an arm or a leg, or ended up a quadriplegic? How would you live then... Don’t grab me, Siegfried! A Valkyrie like Kiana needs a good scolding. Today she dares to face a giant Honkai Beast alone, tomorrow she’ll dare to fight a Herrscher by herself..."

"But I succeeded..." Kiana muttered under her breath. It was the first time she had seen her great-aunt this angry, but she knew it was because she genuinely cared about her.

"Siegfried says that, and now you’re saying it too!"

Theresa’s voice jumped an octave.

"Because the outcome was good, it’s okay to break all the rules? If that’s the case, what’s the point of having rules? If every Valkyrie thought like that, the Honkai would have destroyed the world long ago! If everyone thought like that, the world would destroy itself without the Honkai!"

Theresa threw her hands up in exasperation, as if in a French military salute.

But it was clear her state of mind had nothing to do with surrender; she was just livid.

"Hey! Don’t say that, Theresa..."

"Siegfried! Don’t pat my head!"

Siegfried had successfully sacrificed himself to draw the fire away from Kiana. He even gave her a self-satisfied wink.

But in the next moment, both Siegfried and Theresa froze, their faces filled with shock as they stared at the sky.

Kiana’s reaction was a bit slow. By the time she turned her head to follow their gaze, most of the Valkyries were already on their feet, in combat readiness.

"Is that..."

There was a small black dot in the sky, vaguely humanoid in shape.

Then, enormous wings suddenly unfurled from the figure’s back. Slender bolts of lightning coiled around its body, coalescing behind it into three massive spheres of thunder.

"It’s that crony of the Second Herrscher!"

Siegfried immediately raised his Judgement of Shamash.

"Extreme range... three targets..." Kiana heard him murmur.

But before he could pull the trigger, a black line shot across the entire sky with shocking abruptness, striking the figure with perfect accuracy.

"Is that... Abyss Flower?"

"Long time no see, Siegfried, Theresa."

"..."

Siegfried and Theresa’s voices vanished. Kiana stared blankly at the woman who had suddenly appeared before her. She was certain she didn’t know her, yet she felt that her very existence, her every movement, was the embodiment of beauty. And then, without warning, tears began to stream down her face.

"Oh? And who is this little one... Ah, let me introduce myself. I am Cecilia Schariac, a Schicksal S-rank Valkyrie. You’ve probably heard of me, right?"

"Cecilia..."

Kiana repeated the name, and it was as if a switch had been flipped in her mind. Everything suddenly made sense.

"You... you’re my..."

She wiped away her tears, wanting to greet her mother for the first time with a smile.

But what she saw was her mother’s smile suddenly vanish, and reflected in those turquoise eyes was her own image—the reflection was blurry, but she could still clearly tell it wasn’t her. The girl in the reflection was not only much shorter, but she had purple hair and bright yellow eyes, completely different from her.

"How could you..."

The tip of Abyss Flower’s spear was already upon her. Kiana closed her eyes instinctively, never getting to see Cecilia’s smile.

When she opened her eyes again, the wind was no longer howling. The sun was blindingly bright, its heat beating down on the back of her head and spine.

"Oh? You’re awake? Here, try and see if you can walk."

In a daze, she felt herself being set down from a woman’s back. She watched the woman turn around. In her blurry vision, the silhouette was so familiar.

And, of course, there was the "Abyss Flower" clutched tightly in her hand...

"Mo...m..."