Cocolia stared silently at the corpse on the floor. She recognized the technician who had shot himself. He had originally been a technician in the battleship's internal guard unit... promoted to the bridge as a core operator for his outstanding performance.
—He was also one of the few non-bridge crew members who had survived that incident aboard the Eunomia.
He broke... Cocolia thought, her gaze sweeping over the other people on the bridge. They're not far behind... The blonde woman fell silent, watching the despair gradually consume them.
Two Herrschers, both attacking the fleet—this desperate reality confronted everyone.
Will I be next...?
Her hand unconsciously drifted to her sidearm. The cold metal of the gun brought back a sliver of clarity.
"I make my home in the darkest abyss of your soul. In the shadows, I hone the edge of time. I wait patiently for you to open your eyes and realize that only my will allows you to breathe. For I am the embodiment of thought, and you are my puppet, destined to dance to my melody—"
The mocking, playful voice echoed in their minds once more, seemingly taunting their arrogance and overestimation of their own strength.
Bang!
Another gunshot rang out, marking the end of another life.
He's gone mad too...
Cocolia watched as a staff officer collapsed beside her, a smile of relief on his lips. She knew him well—he was the older brother of the only staff officer killed on the bridge during that incident. He had been the last surviving son of his family, and now he was gone too.
Fate is fickle—a desolate sorrow inexplicably crept into Cocolia's heart. Their carefully laid plans, which had been advancing smoothly, had even included assembling a force with a decisive advantage against Schicksal, let alone a single nascent Herrscher. Yet now, under the assault—no, the mockery—of two fully-formed Herrschers who were never part of their calculations, they were on the verge of annihilation.
"O Fortuna, velut luna statu variabilis, semper crescis aut decrescis; vita detestabilis nunc obdurat et tunc curat ludo mentis aciem, egestatem, potestatem dissolvit ut glaciem. Sors immanis et inanis, rota tu volubilis, status malus, vana salus semper dissolubilis..."
The voice, dripping with malice and mockery, seemed to read Cocolia's thoughts, taunting their insignificance and sorrow with lyrics from the human masterpiece, Carmina Burana.
"Enough, Herrscher! Is this all you can do—play these pathetic games? If you're going to kill us, then get on with it!"
Under Huginn's relentless taunts, Cocolia shed her usual cunning fox persona. Her Slavic nature erupted, transforming her into a furious, hot-tempered woman.
"Hehehe—Herrscher? How rude. Only the Apostles of the Honkai God call themselves Herrschers. Pathetic games? Kill you? Do you really think I would smash such exquisite, amusing, and interesting toys?"
"Cocolia—you pathetic human. You truly are a contradictory and comical individual. You waver between Honkai, power, and family, thinking you're playing both sides successfully? Hahaha—"
"As a clown in this tragicomedy, your very existence has amused me from the start. You shouldn't exist. Why do you exist? To add a touch of farce to the sacred tragicomedy of this civilization and humanity?!"
"Hmph—mortal, continue to wander within your pathetic little triangle! In the Venerable God's grand design, Her merciful grace has still left a tiny piece of the puzzle for you."
"But remember this—it is merely a corner... an insignificant corner. And it wasn't even left for your sake—"
The mocking voice vanished as if it had never been there. Silence returned to the bridge, and the intangible despair and oppression dissipated with the final words.
The people on the bridge broke free from their despair. Aside from the two new corpses and the battered, ruined hull, it was as if nothing had happened.
"The battleship's command and control systems are back online!"
"The runaway Titans have also returned to normal!"
"Other fleet commanders report that the unidentified entity that attacked us has departed. Most of the fleet is heavily damaged, but casualties are minimal!"
As the crew of the Eunomia restored order, they began reporting one piece of news after another. Each report sounded... acceptable. No, under the circumstances, they were excellent news. Hope seemed to return to the battleship's crew.
Until a peculiar email arrived—
"Lady Cocolia... there's an unsigned message here. Should I open it?"
The staff member looked toward Cocolia in the captain's chair.
"Open it."
Cocolia sighed. A moment later, she immediately regretted her decision.
"I'll be back for you... my amusing little dolls. How many more times can your pathetic, fragile souls endure... I—look forward to collecting them... Big Sister~"
It was a voice message. As it played, the all-too-familiar voice cast a shadow over the bridge once more. Some crew members, as if triggered by the sound, instinctively reached for the holsters on their belts...
-
"Hope in reality is the worst of all evils, for it prolongs the torments of man—"
Huginn, who had never actually left, stood at the very highest point of the Eunomia's command bridge, mockingly watching the people she had once again tormented.
There was no doubt they would all choose to retire or request transfers after this battle. In their eyes, the Eunomia and Cocolia had become synonymous with misfortune and ill omens.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. The name Eunomia means 'Order,' yet now it's become a symbol of bad luck—how utterly absurd."
Muninn gazed scornfully at the aerial battleship below, as if already seeing its inevitable abandonment.
-
"Enough... Damn it all! Communications officer, contact Bronya now! Tell her to retrieve the Gem of Desire and its host—and bring back the Third Herrscher too, if possible. Since when did Raiden Mei, the daughter of an Anti-Entropy Executor, start working for Schicksal?!"
Having suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the self-proclaimed "Apostles of God," Cocolia seemed intent on venting her frustration on Schicksal.
"Ma'am, the two Titan Mecha support squads we dispatched earlier have both been destroyed by Schicksal Valkyries... Furthermore, one of those Valkyrie squads is force-marching toward Miss Bronya's team."
"Damn it! It seems we have no choice but to use that technology. Initiate quantum teleportation! Directly transport five Titan squads to intercept Schicksal's reinforcements. One squad each to intercept those two small Valkyrie units, two squads to intercept the Divine Authority Force's acting commander, Houraiji Kyuusyou—and teleport the Godfather over there as well!"
"The final squad will be responsible for extracting my daughter. Move out immediately!"
Cocolia issued her orders after a brief moment of thought.
"Understood!"
The bridge crew sprang into action, their movements fueled by the desire to get this over with quickly so they could go home and file for retirement.