CHAPTER 469: THERESA’S COMING OF AGE

"Son of a b***h! Am I seeing things? Isn’t that... Benares?"

"My apologies, Dr. Tesla. It seems my eyes are failing me as well, because I’m also seeing Benares."

"Aaaaargh! Bird’s nest, do you really have to crack a lame joke at a time like this?! I’ve got goosebumps all over!"

"That just proves my joke was effective, does it not?"

Watching the bickering Anti-Entropy doctors, Himeko could only stare in disbelief. Putting aside the fact that these two were figures worthy of at least a full page in every country’s textbooks, the current situation the Hyperion faced wasn’t exactly the time to be wasting on pointless arguments, was it?

Or was it true, like Schicksal’s propaganda claimed, that the real Dr. Tesla and Dr. Einstein were long dead, and these two were just clones created by Anti-Entropy?

Compared to Himeko’s shock, Theresa felt like she’d seen it all before. Of course, more importantly... her subconscious didn’t seem surprised by the two doctors’ personalities at all?

One could even say... they felt very familiar? That was what truly astonished her, but no matter how she racked her brain, she couldn’t find a single clue.

Of course, most of her attention was still on Benares.

She was no stranger to the Judgement-class Honkai Beast. How could she forget the Second Herrscher’s companion beast? But for this beast, which had been dormant for sixteen years, to suddenly awaken and attack Schicksal HQ... Theresa found it hard to breathe.

The implications were, unless one chose to be willfully ignorant, painfully clear—Kiana, in the end, she had...

But what was with the reactions from Dr. Tesla and Dr. Einstein? In her memory of the Second Eruption, Anti-Entropy’s forces had only rushed onto the battlefield to snatch the Second Herrscher’s core after the Herrscher had been completely defeated.

By then, Benares was already beaten half to death and had fallen into a deep slumber. Yet, from the looks of it, they seemed quite familiar with Benares too. Had they stolen Schicksal’s files?

That... seemed even less likely.

Theresa wasn’t stupid. At least among those with Kaslana blood, she was exceptionally smart, and her observational skills were naturally sharp.

It was just that for the past few decades, she could rely on her grandfather to handle most things, and she was content to be a carefree child, just like her appearance suggested.

But she was pushing fifty; how could she really be a fool?

Sometimes, though, being too smart wasn’t a good thing. Her rusty brain had just started turning again, and it was already overloaded with too much information to process. Theresa felt a throbbing ache. She could only try to clear her mind and focus on the present.

"Alright, everyone. We’ve breached the Floating Airport’s first line of defense. Never mind why Benares is here. Dr. Tesla, Dr. Einstein, I need to confirm if the Anti-Entropy members you brought are proficient in operating the Hyperion’s railguns and close-in weapon systems."

Theresa tried to make her voice deeper, more mature, even though she knew there was little correlation between the two.

It wasn’t that she was immature. In some ways, when it came to commanding battles, especially large-scale ones, she was the most experienced person on the bridge. But she still felt nervous.

After all, the last time she had commanded a battle of this scale was... uh, during the Second Eruption.

Her performance back then was hardly what one would call satisfactory, at least not to herself.

More than once, she’d blamed herself. If she and Siegfried had commanded better from the start, could they have killed the Second Herrscher before everything that followed, averting all the tragedy?

But regardless of which time it was, in the past, when she gave commands, her subordinates were Schicksal’s most elite Valkyries. Even if she made a mistake, she had firm faith that her grandfather would have her back.

But now... how could she not be nervous, not doubt herself?

"Relax, Theresa. Anti-Entropy grew out of Schicksal’s Americas Branch. Although decades have sent our two organizations’ new technologies down different paths, the foundational tech hasn’t changed much. Besides, railguns and CIWS aren’t exactly new. Your people might even be more skilled with them than your little doll Valkyries."

It was a rare occasion for Tesla to string together such a long sentence without cursing, but her words were still hardly polite, especially the final "doll Valkyries," which practically dripped with disdain.

Theresa felt her already large head swell even more. She knew that, to a large extent, Tesla’s words were true.

Among the Valkyries from the Far East Branch who had voluntarily stayed, aside from a few instructors, the quality and quantity of the student Valkyries were severely lacking.

Theresa didn’t know if this disparity in strength would affect their cooperation. She could only hope no major issues arose during the upcoming battle. She had to place her faith in the character of the two doctors and their subordinates.

If worst came to worst, she’d have to rely on Fu Hua to forcibly glue the two sides together.

Theresa truly hadn’t expected that the squad leader she had relied on for two years was actually the Azure Empyrea herself... Although at her level, the legends of the Azure Empyrea were indeed distant, in terms of status, the gap between them wasn’t that great.

But to think she had once believed Fu Hua was just a representative from the Taixu Faction sent to Shenzhou and had treated her as a near-equal... Theresa wished she could find a box on the bridge and crawl into it.

Shaking her head quickly, Theresa lightly patted her cheeks, banishing all the thoughts that had no place here and now.

"Based on my knowledge of the Floating Airport’s defense mechanisms, the first wave of intercepting tactical mechs will consist of six squadrons. Benares is currently tying up two of them for us, leaving only four for us to deal with. If we were to activate all our CIWS and railguns, we could intercept at least one squadron, but I don’t believe that’s necessary."

Seeing Tesla drop her lazy demeanor and look at her with a serious expression, and even the "Azure Empyrea" standing silently by, Theresa felt a heavy pressure, but also a flicker of renewed confidence. At least no one was rushing to refute or question her decision. That was a good start.

"The unmanned mechs the two doctors brought have an overwhelming numerical advantage against those four squadrons. Besides, mech technology is Anti-Entropy’s specialty. I believe we can decisively crush these four squadrons..."

"You betcha! Those are all mechs I developed! Even though that shameless bastard Otto copied a lot of them, how can a knockoff ever beat the original?!"

Theresa silently massaged her forehead. How should she put it... this Anti-Entropy doctor’s personality was certainly... unconventional...

But her loud interruption had made the already nervous Theresa completely forget what she was about to say.

Fortunately, Fu Hua discreetly came to her rescue. "I don’t really understand this era’s method of warfare, Theresa. Why not use our firepower to intercept them?"

"Simple. First, while Benares’s appearance has taken some of the pressure off us, it is still a Judgement-class Honkai Beast. We need to reserve some firepower in case it attacks us. Second, the SELENE modification was rushed, taking up a lot of internal space. The Hyperion was originally converted from an aerospace carrier into a battleship. While its short-term firepower is sufficient, its ammo capacity and sustained fire capability have always been an issue. In the ten minutes it will take for us to breach the Floating Airport and deploy our troops, the Hyperion will have to face Schicksal’s counterattack. It’s better to conserve our ammunition."

The others had no objections to Theresa’s analysis. After all, as mentioned before, Theresa had the most experience commanding large-scale battles among them, and her plan was sound.

BOOM!

The ship suddenly rocked violently. Before Theresa could ask, Ai-chan automatically activated to report the damage.

"The Hyperion has sustained saturation fire! Left-wing shield energy is down sixty percent! A twenty-meter breach has appeared in the shield directly in front of engine one! Estimated time to full repair is one hundred and eighty-six seconds... Schicksal’s mech squadrons have broken through! They’re targeting engine one to disable it!"

"Bring it on!"

Tesla shouted, rubbing a new bump on her head. "I can’t wait! I’m gonna make those shameless plagiarists from Schicksal feel the wrath of the copyright holder!"

Before Theresa could say a word, she saw Tesla raise an armored fist high and charge off the bridge.

"Miss Theresa, please don’t mind her. Dr. Tesla is just like that."

Einstein expertly flicked her hair, clearly accustomed to Tesla’s behavior.

Perhaps a word from her could have stopped the reckless woman, but for some reason, she didn’t. Instead, she narrowed her eyes slightly, observing Theresa’s reaction.

Theresa secretly rolled her eyes—this was well past the point of "minding" it! Tesla was a researcher, after all. While no one said researchers couldn’t fight, the Hyperion and Anti-Entropy had just begun their cooperation.

If she got injured right off the bat, what would the Anti-Entropy members think of the Hyperion?

"Himeko!"

Their eyes met in an instant. As comrades-in-arms for many years, Himeko knew what to do without Theresa even needing to say it. She hefted her greatsword.

"I got it. Leave Dr. Tesla’s safety to me! After all... I am the ace of the Far East Branch!"

With her final step off the bridge, Himeko suddenly turned back and gave Theresa a proud wink.

"This woman..."

Theresa didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She knew full well that Himeko was asking for a vacation, didn’t she?

But Himeko was both different from and the same as Tesla. Before Theresa could speak, she had already left the bridge, leaving a bewildered Theresa behind...

"Wait, that’s not what she meant, was it?"

Suddenly, Theresa seemed to remember something. Disregarding the potential blow to morale if the other Valkyries heard, she shouted at Himeko’s retreating back, "Himeko, are... are you going to be okay?"

"Of course I’ll be fine!"

Himeko flashed a brilliant smile in return. "I told you, I’m the ace of the Far East Branch. How could I mess up at a time like this?!"

Without giving Theresa another chance to speak, Himeko waved without turning back and disappeared around the corner.

Theresa’s nose tingled, her nostrils flaring slightly. She understood everything, but there was nothing she could do to change it.

The only thing she could do was not let any sacrifice be in vain.

"Do you require my assistance?"

Fu Hua had silently appeared at Theresa’s side, her question light as a feather.

"Thank you, Hua... Azure Empyrea. Let Himeko go. We... have other enemies to face."

Theresa suppressed the impulse in her heart. She had so few cards to play; the worse the hand, the more carefully she had to play it.

She had many enemies to face. Even if Benares didn’t attack them at all, it would at most tie up one of Schicksal’s S-Rank Valkyries. Theresa planned to deal with the other one herself. Though she wasn’t confident, she was a former S-Rank Valkyrie too. She should be able to hold one off, right?

But that still wasn’t enough. If she had Fu Hua tie up Michael, then who would deal with the Second Herrscher, who had most likely already awakened?

The person from Anti-Entropy who was said to be even stronger than the First Herrscher? Perhaps.

But Theresa would never forget who their true opponent was.

Although she had never seen her grandfather fight, she believed that her grandfather, who in the public eye was known only for posturing behind his Valkyries, was no weakling.

Only a fool would believe that a genius who had lived for five hundred years and led the development of countless combat technologies, including artificial stigmata, wouldn’t have put some thought into his own combat prowess.

"We’ll see. It’s still unclear what Grandfather wants to do by reviving the Second Herrscher. We can only play it by ear..."

BOOM!

Theresa’s train of thought was cut short. A roar no less powerful than the last one sounded, and the bridge shook once more, though the vibrations were noticeably less violent this time.

"Ai-chan! Report!"

"Yes... ah, this is... Benares has broken through Schicksal’s outer defenses and is attacking the Floating Airport’s energy shield! The tremor just now was caused by the resulting air turbulence... The Floating Airport’s energy shield is down!"

Theresa’s eyes narrowed. She quickly realized something. For a moment, her mind went blank. The hours of turmoil, doubt, and sorrow had filled every corner of her heart, weighing her down, leaving her at a loss. But now, her thoughts were crystal clear—this was an opportunity!

Follow Benares and charge right in! The thought quickly drowned out all other distractions in her mind. But she managed to cling to a sliver of reason. She knew this was a huge risk.

If Benares noticed the Hyperion following close behind, a Judgement-class Honkai Beast that could shatter the Floating Airport’s shield with a single blow could do the same to the Hyperion.

The entire ship would likely be shot down!

But another voice told her that as a companion beast, Benares must have sensed Sirin’s call. Its mind was entirely focused on protecting Sirin. It might not even notice the Hyperion, and even if it did, it might not care.

Besides, it might be tied up by an S-Rank Valkyrie, right?

Follow? Or not?

Her molars ground together with a harsh, grating sound. Though the ship was flying steadily, she felt a pressure on her shoulders, forcing her to want to retreat, to fall to the ground.

Normally, she would report this idea to a certain someone and let them decide. But when Theresa stiffly turned her head, the space behind her was empty. The figure who would rub her head and perform the "magic trick" of making a delicious meal appear after she prepped the ingredients and took a nap was nowhere to be seen.

Theresa felt an agonizing urge to pull her own hair. She couldn’t believe that even at a time like this, she was still unconsciously relying on that person, on her greatest enemy...

Yes, Grandfather was her enemy now. There was no one to back up her decisions anymore. All orders had to come from her, all relationships had to be managed by her, and all responsibility had to be shouldered by her.

Theresa realized she had been wrong. She had always thought she had matured and grown up long ago, that it was only because of her grandfather’s overprotection that she chose to act like a carefree child.

The truth was, she had never grown up. For over forty years, her life had been stuck on the threshold of adulthood. Now, one foot was over the line, the other still outside.

She turned her head, hesitating, searching for the figure she had relied on for four decades, hoping he would give her one last push like he used to, yet not daring to step through the door of her own volition.

But in reality, crossing that threshold required no strength, only courage—the courage to take responsibility for all one’s decisions.

Suddenly, she remembered the words Fu Hua had murmured, those words that came from nowhere—"Raise the sword of rebellion to the heavens."

Right now, she was raising the sword of rebellion against her grandfather...

At that thought, a fire suddenly blazed in her heart, a feeling she had never had in her countless times commanding battles. She slammed her hand down on the command console.

"Ai-chan! Push the SELENE’s output to maximum! We’re following Benares straight into the Floating Airport!"

"P-Principal, that’s... that’s too dangerous! What if Benares turns around and sees us? Then... then..."

The poor, helpless AI, Ai-chan Hyperion, was so shocked by Theresa’s sudden, reckless decision that she started to stutter.

"I agree."

Einstein seemed to be perpetually fiddling with her bird’s nest of hair, but that didn’t stop her from speaking. "While it is risky, it is indeed the most suitable plan. For the Hyperion to breach the Floating Airport’s shield on its own, its only option is to blast it open with the SELENE. But I believe the SELENE’s energy should be reserved for a more deserving target. The Second Herrscher, for instance."

"Dr. Einstein is very knowledgeable about the SELENE?"

Theresa chuckled dryly. Seeing Fu Hua nod in agreement as well, she let out a long sigh of relief. Commanding a hastily thrown-together team was a real headache. Next time, she would definitely... well, if she lost this time, there probably wouldn’t be a next time.

"Ai-chan, execute the order now! We’ll be too late if we don’t follow!"

Theresa gripped the edge of the command console tightly. This was the battle to prove herself, the battle to sever her past, to sever her relationship with Grandfather Otto...

She knew a commander should never be in such an emotional state. Even though this impulsive decision had everyone’s support, it didn’t mean every impulsive decision was the right one. She closed her eyes, hoping to calm her breathing and re-evaluate everything that would come next.

Although there was another explanation—she was afraid to see the consequences of her decision.

And so, one question lingered in her mind—

"Have I... come of age?"

"Of course. Our granddaughter has finally grown up."

That annoying, insincere voice echoed in her ear, though Theresa knew it was just her own wishful thinking.

But she summoned the courage to open her eyes.

Since she had crossed the threshold of adulthood, even if it was out of a moment’s impulse rather than a well-thought-out decision, it was enough. The important thing was to never let herself regress!

Beside her, Fu Hua and Einstein exchanged a silent glance. Fu Hua’s eyes flickered, and she silently turned away. A faint smile touched Einstein’s lips.

"It seems that if we get the chance, we’ll have to make Dr. Tesla show a little more respect to Miss Theresa."