In the Sea of Quanta, Snow sat pensively on a cherry blossom tree.
"Hmm, Wendy... the Fourth Herrscher, Wendy... Kiana would never stand idly by while that girl suffers..."
The golden-haired girl murmured, constantly simulating various possibilities.
"...Using the Herrscher of the Void's Authority? No, she wouldn't be so reckless now."
"Requesting Kyuusyou's help... but Kyuusyou can't reveal too much of her true power. The last boarding incident was only covered up by my even more audacious actions aboard Cocolia's ship... Besides, no matter what Cocolia plans, she'd never align with Schicksal."
"Ninti... Forget it. If that child killed someone, it would be manageable, but asking her to save someone? That's practically torturing her."
"Looks like we need to prepare for all possibilities... Benares!" The girl lifted her head, gazing at the Dragon Girl who was gradually adapting to her puppet body, and called out her name loudly.
"Your Grace?" The little puppet obediently flew over, awaiting Snow's instructions.
"You're already familiar with this body, right?"
"Yes, Your Grace."
Hmm, the Dragon Girl, back in her serious mode, is quite reliable after all.
"Good. I'm sending you over now. The person who will receive you is a Valkyrie with short gray-gold hair and wine-red eyes. Don't start a fight with her. Her name is Rita Rossweisse, and her cover identity is an S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal."
"Until you're handed over to Kiana, don't wander around or speak unnecessarily. Avoid causing any unnecessary trouble for Rita and Kiana, understood?"
"Understood!"
Hearing she could finally depart, Benares immediately perked up with excitement.
"Good... After all, if you mess things up, it's not me who'll suffer, but your Queen..."
With a few snorts, the blonde girl turned and called out to another figure:
"Muninn! Where'd you fly off to? Get over here!"
As if summoned by her call, a black raven swooped into the World Bubble and landed gracefully on her shoulder.
"My Lady! My Lady! Listen to this! In one of the World Bubbles, your dad, Mr. Welt Yang, and Lord Kevin are debuting as idols—wearing idol outfits, no less!"
Before Snow could even speak, Muninn eagerly began sharing the strange and wonderful sights it had witnessed across various World Bubbles.
"Huh?!"
The blonde girl and the gray-and-white-haired youths beside her were both stunned by Muninn's bombshell.
"Oh, right! They're not wearing male idol outfits—they're in female idol attire!"
At the height of its excitement, Muninn flapped its wings wildly, gesticulating enthusiastically to illustrate the scene it had witnessed.
"And there's more—caw!"
The black raven's voice was abruptly cut off. The blonde girl, losing her composure, grabbed Muninn by the neck, paused to collect herself, and then spoke...
"Before Kevin catches you and roasts you like a skewer of meat... go to Schicksal's New Zealand Branch in the Prime World. Find a Valkyrie with dark green hair sitting in a wheelchair..."
The girl finished giving her orders, released her grip on Muninn's neck, and rubbed her temples.
"Oh, and take this dragon to Rita first..."
"Gah? Understood! But why are you going to New Zealand to find the Herrscher of Wind's potential successor?" Muninn tilted its small head, looking genuinely curious.
"I'm claiming the unborn Fourth Herrscher under my name. Any objections?" Snow glared at her messenger.
"Uh... emmmm... No, whatever makes you happy! I'll set off right away!"
Muninn hesitated, as if about to say something, but then caught a glimpse out of the corner of its eye: Kevin Kaslana, his face dark with fury, was closing in from behind, clearly intending to roast it into a barbecue bird. Without another word, Muninn grabbed the Armed Puppet Benares and flew out through the World Bubble's barrier.
"How utterly bizarre..."
The girl shook her head and sank deeper into thought.
"...Wendy, betrayed by Bronya whom she trusted, would be stunned and disbelieving, her consciousness then consumed by the Honkai. But replacing the subjective influence of the Honkai Will with me, who harbors little malice toward civilization, could largely prevent this..."
"And the rest... Kiana isn't some hot-blooded fool anymore... Plus, there's Kyuusyou..."
The young girl seemed to have forgotten something crucial: God's apostles manifest different personalities and tendencies based on the deity they serve.
The Honkai's apostles bring Trials upon civilizations—
But the apostles of the unbound God are naturally unbound as well...
The most joyful, most liberated, and most maddening apostle in the Honkai's history...
is about to be born.
-
Schicksal Air Transport Ship, Atlas
This medium-sized transport ship was currently carrying a single passenger, flying at high speed toward Schicksal's Far East Branch.
The passenger, however, wasn't in the ship's lounge but standing on the deck.
"Lady Rita, are you sure you don't want to rest in the Atlas's lounge?" The concerned voice of the Valkyrie serving on the transport ship came through her Valkyrie Battlesuit.
"No, thank you for your kindness. I'd like some quiet time on the deck..."
"Ah, very well. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask."
The brief communication ended, and Rita seemed to have awaited the "guest" she was expecting on the deck.
A black Raven dropped a blue-gray Armed Puppet into Rita's hand before landing on her shoulder.
"So this is Benares... Surprisingly cute."
Rita gazed at the Armed Puppet that Muninn had tossed into her hands.
"Hmph—I'll take that as a compliment, Valkyrie," Benares said haughtily, looking around at the empty surroundings.
"Lady Snow instructed me to deliver this Bella Doll to you, for eventual delivery to Kiana," Muninn perched on Rita's shoulder, relaying Lady Snow's quest.
"I understand. Then, Miss Bella, please stay by my side for the next few days... and try not to cause any trouble."
Rita nodded at Raven, cradling the Bella Doll against her chest as she posed another question.
"Muninn, when does Lady Snow plan to reveal the truth to Lady Durandal?"
"Huh? According to the Lady's wishes... probably after that White Knight from St. Freya Academy finishes her role in the most important play on Schicksal Floating Island. By then, they can finally acknowledge each other as sisters."
"Gah, I'm off! The Lady has more quests for me. Rita, I'll come play with you again soon!"
Shaking its body, Raven flapped its wings again and soared into the distance.