"Damn it, what kind of monsters are they?!"
After leading the few remaining sane crew members out of the bridge, Cocolia kicked back a crazed pursuer and slammed her fist onto the door's closing button. She then decisively used her Captain's authority to lock the blast door.
From behind the door, there were no screams as the survivors had imagined...
Instead, a chilling chorus of cheers erupted, laced with a grotesque sense of pleasure.
"Come! Eat—!"
"Come! Drink—! Hahahaha!"
The words filtering through the blast door made it sound as if a banquet were underway. But those who knew the truth could only picture the bloody carnage unfolding on the bridge—
"Blegh—!"
The survivors promptly vomited everything they had eaten that morning.
"Abandon the Eunomia," Cocolia finally decided after a long silence, watching her subordinates still dry-heaving. "All remaining sane crew members, board the transport planes and regroup on the other battleships."
Her subordinates, too exhausted to even reply, scrambled toward the hangar as if fleeing for their lives.
-
"Gray Serpent! Some 'great job' you got me into! This is what you called 'slightly dangerous, but largely nothing to worry about'???"
"Hardly any of the named targets you mentioned showed up! Instead, a dozen unknowns appeared, and every single one of them could kill us! The one named target who did show up didn't even need to board my ship—she took out nearly my entire command structure with just a few words!"
Watching her subordinates flee, Cocolia opened a communication channel completely unrelated to Anti-Entropy and immediately began cursing loudly at the person on the other end.
"...I am already aware of the situation, Lady Cocolia," Gray Serpent replied calmly after her tirade finally subsided. "For this, World Serpent is willing to offer you greater compensation. But you must help us retrieve the Gem of Desire."
"Retrieve it? You want me to retrieve that thing from under the noses of a horde of monsters in human skin? Have you lost your mind, or have I?!"
"Calm down, Lady Cocolia. According to your report, these unstable elements have little interest in the Gem of Desire itself. They only care about human lives; none of them are truly after the Gem. And right now, they're nowhere near it."
"As for those who are interested in the Gem and are near it... we can handle them. Have your daughter act immediately. Make her seize the Gem of Desire. They'll hesitate to use lethal force, fearing for your daughter's safety."
-
"My Lady, just as you predicted, Cocolia and Gray Serpent have taken control of Bronya and are preparing to forcibly seize the Gem of Desire. Should I go and stop her?"
Huginn asked the somewhat blurry, distorted figure beside her.
"No, let them proceed. Bronya will have to make her own decision soon enough... Let the mother and daughter resolve their own affairs."
"As you will, My Lady."
-
On the other side of the small New Zealand town, Kiana ended her call and turned back to Wendy.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. I just received word that Anti-Entropy forces have begun invading New Zealand, and it seems they're coming specifically for you, Miss Wendy."
"This... I'm dragging everyone down..."
Wendy lowered her head in silence.
"Hmm, this wheelchair is way too slow... Miss Wendy! Forgive my rudeness!"
The white-haired knight scooped Wendy directly from her wheelchair and held her in a princess carry.
"Eh? E-E-Eh??? Wait, wait a moment!"
Caught off guard by Kiana's sudden move and held in a princess carry, Wendy's mind short-circuited.
People of the Kaslana family are truly sinful...
Muninn's mouth twitched, watching Wendy—blushing fiercely in Kiana's arms—and rolled her eyes.
Meanwhile, in Wendy's heart, another youthful voice full of glee spoke up—
Wow! This is like a princess and her knight! It looks so fun, other me!
Just like in storybooks, the princess and the knight always end up together, right? Right!
The other personality in her heart, eager to stir up trouble, began fanning the flames furiously.
Ahhhh, you troublemaker! What are you saying!
-
Looking at Wendy's flushed face, Kiana silently apologized to both Mei and Wendy. Then, she turned to Muninn, who was watching the drama unfold with obvious amusement.
"Uh, Miss Muninn, can you keep up with us? We need to pick up the pace. It'll be trouble if Anti-Entropy forces surround us. The nearby Valkyrie squads are all engaged with Anti-Entropy's mecha units, so we probably won't get any backup."
"Running? I'm great at that... I have plenty of stamina."
"Good. Let's go—"
The group sped toward their destination. Along the way, Kiana continued talking to Wendy, who was still cradled in her arms.
"So, Miss Wendy, how was the Gem of Desire removed? We didn't see any wounds on you."
"Uh... the Gem... the Gem of Desire... it separated from my leg on its own after the Honkai eruption... I'm not sure why, but it seems to have absorbed enough Honkai energy to exist independently outside my body now."
"Is that so? In that case, Anti-Entropy will gladly take that Gem—Bronya, activate Forced Control Mode. Seize the Gem of Desire from Wendy's hand... Oh, and take Wendy with you. Anyone who could contain the Gem of Desire for so long must be of great research value."
Just as Wendy was about to pass off her fabricated story, a discordant voice echoed beside them.
"Yes, my master," a mechanical voice echoed from behind Kiana. The controlled Bronya, piloting Project Bunny, lunged toward Wendy in Kiana's arms.
"Miss Kiana, watch out!" Wendy warned urgently, spotting the approaching Project Bunny.
"Hmph, I saw that coming," Kiana muttered, sidestepping the attack. But evading with Wendy in her arms required a wide dodge. Compounding the maneuver, Wendy deliberately manipulated the Gem of Desire, sending it flying into Project Bunny's grasp.
"Quite nimble for a fugitive," the mechanical voice sneered. "Titan Troops, disengage quantum jump. Hmph, two B-rank Valkyries think they can stand against a full-fledged Titan Legion?"
"Schicksal Valkyrie, hand over Wendy quietly, and you'll spare yourself unnecessary pain."
Twenty Titans against two B-rank Valkyries—the advantage is ours!