"Who are you calling a birdbrain?!"
"Whoever answered, that's who!"
"Argh, you little...!"
The infuriated silver-haired girl glared at the green-haired girl in the wheelchair, momentarily unable to think of a way to punish her.
"Heh heh..."
Suddenly, Muninn seemed to have an idea and let out a malicious chuckle. The fingers of her right hand twitched, as if sketching something in the air.
Then, a human-sized Southern cockroach... crawled out from a corner near the church. Of course... it was accompanied by the screams of several girls and the roar of gunfire.
"That's a huge cockroach—!!!"
-
"What did you do...?"
Wendy stared, looking as if she'd seen a ghost, as the three girls and a human-sized super Southern cockroach fought in a chaotic brawl.
"Tch... It's just an ordinary cockroach. What's so strange about it?"
Muninn clicked her tongue, clearly annoyed that the three girls had interrupted her fun. She whistled and turned her head away, feigning innocence as if the whole affair had nothing to do with her.
"Just ordinary? A cockroach as tall as a person that can take direct hits from Schicksal weapons without a scratch... and you call that ordinary?"
"Spill it, Muninn. What exactly is your ability...? I feel like you're always pulling these weird tricks..."
Wendy glared at the silver-haired girl beside her, clearly not letting the matter drop.
"Tch. Fine. It'll take them a while to deal with that cockroach anyway, so I might as well educate you... newbie."
Muninn emphasized the word "newbie," earning an indignant glare from Wendy.
"While the Authorities granted by My Lady and those of the Honkai Will share a common origin and overlap, the Honkai God's Authorities lean more toward dominating the world's rules. In contrast, the Authorities bestowed by My Lady are, from the very first Sequence, more abstract, conceptual, and composite in nature."
"This means our direct combat power might not be as high as the Honkai God's fully realized Apostles, but we are far more troublesome and difficult to kill."
"Take Sister Huginn, the Lord of 'Thought,' who represents the First Sequence. Her 'Thought' isn't limited to the narrow sense of biological consciousness. It can also be an AI's processing circuits, a robot's logical programming, or even the fundamental workings of the universe itself. All these things can be influenced by Sister Huginn to some extent. As the embodiment of the concept of 'Thought,' she will exist eternally unless the universe reaches heat death."
"Then there's me, the Monarch of 'Memory,' representing the Second Sequence. Similarly, this 'Memory' isn't confined to intelligent beings. Machines and the world itself possess memories—ancient legends, lost myths, even a lump of coal holds memories from tens of thousands of years ago. I can manifest these abstract 'Memories' into reality... And as long as the world exists, I will never become a mere memory myself, returning countless times from the annals of history."
"Of course, the simplest application is to manifest the things others fear most," Huginn explained to her junior, a hint of pride in her expression as she detailed the abilities of their Apostle faction. "These manifested thought-constructs will never truly die until I actively dispel them or until the targets completely conquer their inner fears."
"So... you conjured a giant Southern cockroach to scare them?"
"No, I was originally planning to scare you," Muninn huffed, glaring at the green-haired girl in the wheelchair. She made no attempt to hide her original intentions, admitting it openly. "Serves you right for calling me a bird-brain..."
Wendy shot an annoyed glance at the silver-haired girl beside her before asking with a flicker of curiosity, "You little troublemaker... Does this mean my ability isn't just simple wind, either?"
"Of course. The key to 'Unfettered Wind' isn't the 'wind,' but the 'Unfettered' part," Muninn explained. "Unfettered in the most literal sense. Anything with the concept of 'restraint'—objects, powers, actions—cannot bind you. It is the High Wind of Heaven; mortals on earth have no right to crown you, and the laws of the mortal world have no right to judge you."
"Even if you were truly locked in a prison, a cage, or a laboratory—even if they completely anesthetized you—it would be useless. As long as you don't consent, any means to render you unconscious or strip you of your freedom is meaningless."
"Locked doors will open automatically. Large doses of anesthetic prepared for injection will instantly turn into harmless glucose water. Any wanted posters issued for you will have your name, appearance, and features completely distorted by the time they're finalized, rendering them useless scraps of paper."
"Furthermore, conventional concepts like 'responsibility' and 'duty' will no longer hold much sway over you..."
As Muninn explained the true nature of Wendy's ability, the battle involving the trio temporarily came to a close...
-
Kiana suppressed her nausea and mounted the giant cockroach that had appeared out of nowhere. Overcoming her fear, she pinned it to the ground and unleashed a relentless barrage of punches on its head until the creature beneath her stopped struggling and dissolved into a pile of fine Honkai Energy Crystals.
"Honkai Energy Crystals?! Why would a Honkai Beast look like that?!"
Kiana gasped for breath, her mouth twitching uncontrollably as she stared at the crystal fragments that had once been a super-sized cockroach.
"Bronya does not understand, but Bronya is greatly impressed... Bronya hereby retracts all previous negative evaluations of Kiana... However, Bronya still strongly advises Kiana to take a shower immediately upon returning to the Hyperion. Otherwise, Bronya will resolutely maintain her distance from Kiana."
The gray-haired girl's eyes now held a mixture of admiration and awe as she looked at Kiana.
"Just how many negative evaluations did you have for me...? Never mind, let's drop it. Hurry up and contact Himeko."
The white-haired Knight Princess wiped her hands on the sandy ground in disgust before dialing the Hyperion's communication channel again.
"Teacher Himeko, we've found Miss Wendy. There's an unidentified girl with her—silver hair, red eyes, wearing a black dress with feathered accents. I'm sending you a photo. Can you confirm her identity...?"
"Kiana, I've received the photo you sent. Unfortunately, there's no one with that appearance in Schicksal's public global population database... Try to communicate, but remember to be prepared for a fight."
"The girl with Wendy is likely from Anti-Entropy... If our luck is worse... that silver-haired girl might not even be human. Theresa and I are heading your way now. Divine Authority Squad's Squad A is currently regrouping five kilometers from your position. Request their support; we'll arrive soon as well."
"Understood. We'll try our best to negotiate, Teacher Himeko."
Kiana nodded at the screen.
"Communicating would be best. Stay safe, Kiana."