CHAPTER 473: HSN-B46 SERUM

It all happened so fast, Mei didn’t even have time to say anything.

But... it was true.

Even if she’d had the chance, what could she have said?

Should she have foolishly demanded to know why Michael was doing this? Or repeated those pointless pleas?

Regardless, by the time Mei processed what had happened, the purple gemstone had been ripped from her body. In a way, she was finally free of the shadow that had haunted her since Nagazora.

She would never again have to worry about the Third Herrscher seizing her body and devouring her consciousness. But obviously, she felt no relief or any other positive emotion.

She could only watch helplessly as Michael shoved the gemstone into Kiana’s body. The azure blue of the silly girl’s other eye rapidly faded, and she saw Kiana’s mouth open, as if to say something. But before any sound could escape, a glaring, bright gold consumed everything.

"Ah!"

Michael casually tossed Mei aside. The pain in her chest momentarily overwhelmed everything else. She instinctively tried to cover the wound, but when she touched her chest, she felt only a gory mess of flesh, a gaping hole, and jagged, protruding bone.

"Heh... heh... heh..."

Staring at the blood covering her palm, Mei felt her breathing grow rapid, and her consciousness once again began to fade. In the last moment before she blacked out completely, she felt someone’s arms lift her up again.

Michael sent Mei through a spatial rift before slowly turning back to the Second Herrscher, who had been released from the chains.

"Does my Lord have a fondness for that imposter?" the Second Herrscher asked hesitantly, wiping a spatter of blood from her cheek.

Michael paused, taking a moment to realize who she meant by "imposter." He had to admit, Sirin’s sharp tongue was as reliable as ever, a perfect inverse of her mental stability. Though, to her, Mei, who had stolen the power of the Gem of Conquest, probably did count as an "imposter."

"No, that girl is simply useful for my future plans. In the decade or so you were gone, I had hoped she could fill the void you left, but her performance was far too disappointing. She couldn’t even wield a tenth of the Gem of Conquest’s power.

Heh, the First Herrscher is a traitor, the Third a useless weakling... It had to be you, Sirin. It’s only thanks to that greedy fool Otto, who dared to covet the power I bestowed upon you, that I had the chance to revive you."

"Thank you, my Lord! Heh, an imposter is an imposter. The Gem of Conquest was just a waste of my Lord’s power in her hands. And the First Herrscher is a shameless traitor. My Lord should just strip him of his power..."

As she spoke, the Second Herrscher seemed to remember something. The muscles in her cheeks twitched, and she suddenly lowered her head, apologizing in a small voice.

"I’m sorry, my Lord. Sixteen years ago, it was my willfulness that gave those insects a chance to turn the tables..."

Michael’s gaze swept over the Second Herrscher’s face, betraying no emotion. He stated, as placidly as still water, "It is of no consequence. Time is meaningless to me. A dozen years or a dozen seconds makes no difference."

"I understand, my Lord! This time, I will not be merciful. I will make humanity feel their own darkness, feel the pain they once inflicted upon me... But please, my Lord, return to your throne on the moon. Leave this place to me."

"On the moon? A throne?"

Michael scoffed.

"That was merely a shackle placed upon me by the humans of the Previous Era. In fact, I should thank you, Sirin. You helped me break their seal, allowing me to descend upon the Earth."

"Humans could harm my Lord!?"

Sirin was filled with disbelief. In her limited understanding, her god was supposed to be omnipotent. But on second thought, it did make sense. When she first met her god on the moon, he had looked as if he were "sealed."

"Yes. Humans cannot kill me, but those wretched insects devised a way to temporarily seal me. In the Previous Era, I did not lose, but I did not win, either. Therefore, Sirin, you are very important to me. Do you understand?"

"I understand, my Lord! This time, I will help my Lord achieve victory! My Lord, please tell me what I must do!"

Sirin’s expression immediately became feverish, as if she’d been injected with adrenaline. This was well within Michael’s expectations.

Freely admitting he wasn’t omnipotent might tarnish the "Lord’s" perfect image in Sirin’s mind, but it also explained many issues she would eventually notice, such as why he was nailed to a cross when they first met.

Besides, Sirin was a fanatic. Even a display of powerlessness wouldn’t shake her faith in her "Lord." In fact, it was precisely because her Lord couldn’t do everything on his own that she could find her own purpose.

After all, being needed by the "god" one worships is, in a way, the greatest encouragement for a believer.

However...

"Do you know where we are?"

Sirin turned her head at the question and glanced out the massive floor-to-ceiling window.

"Bella? She’s here too! Ugh... Schicksal symbols everywhere. Could this be..."

"That’s right. Schicksal HQ’s floating Airport. Before everything begins, how about you get some proper revenge? Interested?"

"Of course I’m interested! But... it seems I’m still missing a Gem..."

"Hah, that was Otto’s doing. He kept a little something for himself, hiding the most destructive power... But no matter. Four gems are enough. Besides myself, you are now the most powerful being on this planet. Now, go. Go and destroy everything you see. And, of course, if you happen to find the missing Gem of Pestilence, you know what to do, don’t you?"

"I understand!"

Sirin was visibly struggling to contain her excitement. Fortunately, the idle chat was over. Michael turned his back, indicating he had nothing more to say.

"My Lord, in that case, I will..."

BOOM!

The laboratory’s iron door flew towards them faster than the explosion that sent it flying.

Sirin only reacted at the very last second, opening a narrow spatial rift in front of her. But it clearly wasn’t large enough to swallow the entire door.

CLANG!

Fortunately, Michael was standing right in front of her. An invisible Imaginary barrier effortlessly blocked the impact.

Then, with a gesture from Michael, the two halves of the door shot back the way they came. With another loud clang, the intruder simply slapped the heavy door panels aside with their bare hands. It was a stalemate.

"You... you are..."

Sirin stared at the woman before her. Though her hair and eye color were slightly different, there was no mistaking that face. And because of that, some unpleasant memories from sixteen years ago resurfaced, causing her to instinctively take half a step back.

Truth be told, quite a few humans had given her a beating sixteen years ago. From the first few A-rank Valkyries to that traitor, the First Herrscher, and then that idiot Siegfried. It seemed the only one she had dominated from the start was that short, white-haired girl.

After regaining her power, she had taken her revenge on them one by one. But this woman, this Azure Empyrea... in front of her, even with the power of six Herrschers, she had been completely helpless.

The woman seemed to understand every single one of her Authorities, and in the end, she had even severed her connection with her Lord. If it weren’t for her... she would have wiped out humanity sixteen years ago!

Of course, this was merely her own wishful thinking.

"Alright, Sirin. Go do what you want to do. She’s here for me. She is an old acquaintance of mine, after all."

Sirin—or perhaps she could no longer be called Sirin, but the Second Herrscher—hesitated no more. She shot a fierce glare at Fu Hua before quickly leaping into a spatial rift.

And so, in the end, only the two of them remained in the cramped space.

"Sigh..."

"Sigh..."

There was no longer any need for words between them. Nothing to question, nothing to explain. There was only the sound of two people sighing in unison.

In the next moment, amidst a torrent of roaring flames, the tallest tower in the Helheim district collapsed with a mighty crash.

...

"Ladies, if you please."

Even before her defeated enemies, Rita maintained her elegant demeanor. She was like a maid showing the way, bowing slightly and extending a hand to indicate the path forward for Himeko and Tesla... not that there was much to indicate. The only path before them was to walk meekly into the cell.

Of course, there was another option: try to resist... if they thought they could beat Rita, that is.

The thought of struggling wasn’t entirely absent, especially since Rita was their only guard. But when they remembered how the two of them had been defeated in less than ten seconds... perhaps it was best not to act rashly.

As for now... that urge to struggle was completely washed away by a different kind of shock.

"Bronya! You’re here too?"

Bronya scratched the back of her head, silently thankful that she hadn’t impulsively rushed out the moment the cell door opened.

She’d been here ever since she woke up. Without an accurate timepiece, she estimated it had been about twenty minutes.

She hadn’t spent those twenty minutes in a daze.

After a brief period of anxiety and fear, she had begun to speculate on possible future scenarios. She wasn’t surprised to see Himeko, but the woman behind her... uh... she looked familiar... Wasn’t that Dr. Tesla from Anti-Entropy? Schicksal textbooks naturally included information on the two doctors of Anti-Entropy.

Although the books claimed they were dead and the ones active now were just androids, Bronya had once been a member of Anti-Entropy herself. She knew the truth. And even if she didn’t, it didn’t matter. She could still recognize the face from the photos.

But the confusion lasted only a moment. She once again pieced together the situation with incredible speed—Theresa, no matter how foolish, wouldn’t be stupid enough to challenge HQ with only the Far East Branch. And Shenzhou was a long-time ally of Schicksal. The only remaining option was Anti-Entropy.

"Well then, I hope the three of you have a nice rest here."

Watching Himeko and Tesla obediently walk into the confinement cell, which was being used as a makeshift prison, the corners of Rita’s lips, which had been turned up in a smile, flattened imperceptibly. But before Himeko and Tesla could turn back around, she had put on her signature smile again.

"Alright, until this is all over, please stay here quietly.

Per the Overseer’s instructions, as long as you three refrain from any foolish overestimations of your abilities, Schicksal will not press charges... Ah, of course, that mainly applies to Major Himeko and B-rank Valkyrie Bronya. As for Dr. Tesla, Schicksal will negotiate with Anti-Entropy after the battle.

Of course, if you would be willing to serve Schicksal, Rita can release you this instant. But in the worst-case scenario, your life will not be forfeit. However, this is all contingent on the three of you not doing anything foolish. Have I made myself clear?"

Tesla tossed her ponytail, ready to launch into her trademark tirade, but Himeko was quicker, clapping a hand over her mouth.

"Alright, Dr. Tesla. To the victor go the spoils. There’s no point in saying more."

"Mmph mmmph—cough cough!"

Tesla broke free. She was about to say exactly what everyone expected, her brow already furrowing, but the words that came out were subtly different.

"Damn it, of course I know that! But we already lost, can’t you at least let me get in a few last taunts?"

That... actually made sense.

It was Bronya’s first time meeting the legendary doctor, and her impression... was completely different from what she’d imagined. Himeko turned her head, and the two of them exchanged a look, the muscles around their eyes twitching in unison.

Rita, on the other hand, let out a light chuckle without any attempt to hide it.

"That’s true. But I’m hardly qualified to judge you for your words, am I, Dr. Tesla? Now then, everyone, please remember what I said. Don’t try anything foolish! Especially not things like climbing through vents or prying up floor tiles. You mustn’t do that."

As she said the last two sentences, Rita’s eyes narrowed into thin slits.

"You say that like we could actually do anything," Himeko said with a wry smile. "Speaking of which, is this it? You’re not going to put us in electronic shackles or anything?"

"Oh my? That’s a good point... But unfortunately, Schicksal’s preparations were also quite rushed, and we can’t find anything like that at the moment. So... I’ll have to trust you to behave."

Tilting her head slightly, she offered one last smile before closing the cell door and turning to leave.

"Oh! I almost forgot this."

After taking just two steps, she suddenly turned back, reopened the door, and tossed Himeko a small vial.

"What’s this?"

"The newly developed HSN-b46 serum. Major Himeko, you should know your own physical condition better than I do. If you inject this serum, the inhibitors within will purge the Honkai energy from your body. However, it also means you will lose your abilities as a Valkyrie... But that’s better than losing your life, isn’t it? Besides, I believe you may prefer the role of a teacher."

"Is that so?"

Himeko nonchalantly tossed the vial in her hand a couple of times. Seemingly deciding there was no need to hide anything, she caught it on its third descent and clenched it tightly in her fist.

"I never thought your Overseer would have calculated even this."

"It’s ’our Overseer’," Rita corrected, her expression neutral. "However, Major Himeko, you’re mistaken about one thing. It wasn’t the Overseer who asked me to give this serum to you. Of course, that’s all I can say."

The answer didn’t seem to surprise Himeko. She just nodded faintly, everything understood without words.

This time, Rita truly left.

The moment her back disappeared around the corner, the three women in the cell exchanged a silent look.

Before they even had time to share information, Himeko, being the tallest, was already standing on a stool to check the ventilation shaft, while Tesla and Bronya began examining the floor tiles. Rita’s hint had been obvious. While it could be a trap, if they wanted to do anything, they had no choice but to spring it.

"The vent is locked, and the opening is too small. Even Bronya couldn’t fit through."

Himeko quickly reached her conclusion. At almost the same time, Bronya raised her hand.

"There’s something wrong with this tile!"

She tapped it lightly with her heel. The sound echoed, long and hollow. It was clearly empty underneath.

"Himeko, what’s the plan?"

After less than a second of hesitation, Himeko, clutching the vial of serum, made her decision.

"Tch! What other choice do we have? Open it, and jump. It’s that simple!"