Thirty minutes before the storm hit, the three-person squad of Kiana, Mei, and Bronya navigated the ruins of the Singapore Branch. Guided by the Hyperion's high-precision Honkai energy wave detectors, they moved through the remnants of the newly established branch, which was primarily structured around a small town.
Most of the town's residents were Schicksal staff and their families, though there were also ordinary civilians who provided essential services. They had all lived here. Now, the streets were deserted, the only sound the rustling of leaves in the wind, adding another layer of desolation to the town.
The severed limbs of Honkai Beasts and Zombies still littered both sides of the street. Along the edges of the road, the three young Valkyries could see countless scattered shell casings. The storefronts and roadside trees were riddled with distinct bullet marks. In some shops, chairs once used for customers had been tossed aside, and metal blast shields raised from the ground formed makeshift but reliable cover with sandbags. An empty heavy machine gun, its ammunition depleted, lay abandoned on top.
"The residents of this town... no, the members of the New Zealand Branch... they all seem to be overflowing with martial spirit..."
Kiana's lip twitched as she stared at the corpse of a Ranger-class Honkai Beast on the ground. A gleaming watermelon knife was buried deep in its skull.
"Indeed. Bronya believes the members of the New Zealand Branch possess a tenacious fighting spirit... They remind Bronya of her homeland."
Bronya nodded in agreement, her gaze fixed on the remains of a Zombie folded in half—literally—against a street corner. Beside it lay a discarded disposable rocket launcher, still stained with the Zombie's black blood.
"They must have successfully evacuated... and Kyuusyou's squad has probably already swept through here."
Mei, like her two companions, scanned the surroundings. The town was silent—no roars from Honkai Beasts, no hisses from Zombies. Only their numerous remains were left behind. Similarly, there were no signs of fallen Valkyries from the New Zealand Branch.
"Could Miss Wendy really be in a small town like this? Why didn't the advance team find her?"
Kiana scratched her head in confusion. She understood that the events she had foreseen might have deviated drastically from the original timeline. Raising her guard to the fullest, she scanned every corner of the street.
"Hmm... Not on the streets. Could she be in one of the buildings?"
After another fruitless sweep of the street, Kiana proposed a new possibility.
"Bronya suggests contacting the Hyperion to reconfirm Wendy's position."
"I guess that's our only option. Searching room by room would be a nightmare."
Kiana nodded and opened the communication channel.
"Headmaster Theresa! Major Himeko! Are you there? We've reached the Branch town, but it looks like Kyuusyou's squad has already swept through. We don't see Miss Wendy on the streets. Can you reconfirm the Gem of Desire's waveband location?"
The white-haired Valkyrie swiftly relayed all the information her squad had observed.
"This is the Hyperion. We have received Second Lieutenant Kiana's request and are currently reconfirming the Gem of Desire's waveband location."
The communication channel connected, and the voice of the Hyperion's Adjutant came through. After a brief silence, the voice on the line changed—this time, it was Himeko.
"Second Lieutenant Kiana, the Hyperion has re-triangulated the Gem of Desire's position. Based on the detected waveband, Wendy is located beneath the bell tower of the church to the northeast of the town. Additionally, we've detected another unusual Honkai energy signature near the church."
"Let me repeat: Second Lieutenant Kiana, do not act rashly. Wendy's condition is unknown, and there's another unidentified presence nearby."
Himeko's voice stressed the need for Kiana's squad to proceed with caution.
"Got it, Teacher Himeko! We'll be careful. That's all for now. We'll contact you again once we find Wendy—"
Kiana briskly acknowledged Himeko's warning and then cut the communication.
"Let's go. Himeko said Miss Wendy is under the church bell tower to the northeast."
-
"She agreed that quickly? Was that really Kiana?"
Himeko froze as the communication cut off, then turned to Theresa beside her. The two stared at each other, dumbfounded.
"Theresa, did your niece eat something strange?"
"Your niece is the one who ate something strange! I was all geared up for a long lecture, and Kiana just agreed without a fight..."
Theresa clicked her tongue.
"Well, whatever. It's a good thing either way. Himeko, let's get ready too... We need to prepare for the worst."
"Ugh... More overtime? Don't forget to pay me for it."
-
In the New Zealand Branch Town, Kiana and her group rushed to the church bell tower in the northeast corner. Just as the earlier communication with the Hyperion had described, a green-haired girl in a wheelchair was taking a stroll below the distant church, accompanied by another silver-haired girl of unknown identity.
"So you finally made your choice... Heh heh, watching you agonize over it these past few weeks has been quite amusing."
Pushing the wheelchair, Muninn sneered at her colleague's earlier indecisiveness.
"You were practically ecstatic after receiving the Master's gift... Let me think, what did you call yourself back then? Oh, right—the Unfettered Wind, the King of Storms, the Unsung King of the Sky. Giggle~"
The silver-haired girl's mocking expression and laughter made Wendy squirm uncomfortably in her wheelchair and protest.
"I told you, that was another 'me'! What does the 'Unfettered Wind' have to do with me, Wendy?!"
"Oh, but there is a connection. Unlike us, you received extraordinary power from the Master as a human. The personality that emerged from it is precisely what your human psychologist, Freud, described as the Id, Ego, and Superego—specifically, the Id."
"The 'Id' refers to the thoughts in the human subconscious—the most primitive desires driven by instinctual urges."
"So, you could say that 'you' is the truest reflection of your inner self, and the ultimate manifestation of the name 'Unfettered'."
Muninn explained the origin of the personality to the girl. Upon hearing that her other self was actually her truest inner desires, Wendy wished she could find a hole to crawl into.
"Shut up, you birdbrain!"