Amidst Anti-Entropy's vast fleet, which had swollen like a ripe pineapple, the two aerial battleships forced to turn tail and flee now faced not only Wendy's relentless torment—who was far from tired of playing with them—but also a far more terrifying reality.
"Lady Cocolia... I... we..."
The security officer responsible for monitoring the battleships' internal status looked at Captain Cocolia with an expression on the verge of tears.
"Speak. What fresh bad news is there?" Cocolia asked, her voice utterly devoid of emotion, numbed by the endless calamities.
"We just saw... the Golden Demon... in the battleship's hangar."
The officer's legs trembled so violently he seemed ready to collapse to his knees at any moment.
"Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come!"
A chillingly familiar voice boomed through the Anti-Entropy Battleship's communication channels, now devoid of its usual melodious quality, replaced by a chillingly murderous intent.
The aide collapsed to his knees, trembling violently. He struggled to rise for what seemed like an eternity before finally being helped back into his seat by several newcomers unfamiliar with past events.
Cocolia stiffly turned her gaze to the battleship's surveillance monitors. A golden-haired girl in white robes was advancing through her vessel, obliterating everything in her path with a swing of the massive golden greatsword in her hand, reducing all resistance to nothingness.
"Damn it! Why is this Schicksal Valkyrie ignoring the Herrschers and targeting us specifically?"
"All personnel... abandon ship immediately!" Cocolia managed to choke out the order before turning and leading the way off the bridge.
Having arrived in New Zealand with four aerial battleships in a show of force, they had been ambushed by multiple Herrschers. Now, one of the remaining vessels had been infiltrated by the Nightmare, a ship controlled by the Anti-Entropy Radical Faction. For the first time in years, Cocolia felt the same crushing sense of helplessness she had experienced during the Second Eruption.
Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it.
However, the Shadow of Memory moving through the battleship gave them little time. The death knell-like chant echoed again from the ship's intercoms—the vessel had been switched to autonomous mode, and they now had to risk an attack from the Herrscher who commanded the storm to evacuate to another battleship.
Staying aboard meant certain death. The Valkyrie in the surveillance footage was more terrifying than ever. Titans or humans struck by her Golden Sword instantly vaporized, leaving not even ashes behind.
Boarding, transferring, Leader protect us—the Herrscher seemed uninterested in their small rafts adrift in the storm. They successfully abandoned the doomed battleship and boarded the final vessel of the fleet, the ironically named battleship Noah's Ark.
Shortly after their departure, the golden-haired Valkyrie in the battleship's corridors shattered like a reflection in a broken mirror, disintegrating and vanishing without a trace.
"Lady Cocolia, the rescue fleet is still 15 kilometers away, but given the Herrscher's demonstrated power... we have no means to attack her. Her normal movement speed already exceeds Mach 10—so fast that even our most advanced fire control radars can't lock onto her, let alone hit her. The rescue fleet can only buy us time."
"Our only hope now rests on her actually getting 'bored' of playing with us."
The feeling of entrusting their survival to the enemy's whims unsettled everyone on the battleship. A collective sigh of relief swept through the bridge as the Herrscher's voice, carried on the wind, reached their ears... only for their blood pressure to skyrocket once more.
"Ugh, what a bore. Just a bunch of cowards who only know how to run away. I'll come play with you again next time."
Wendy, seemingly acting on some unspoken command, pouted, tossed aside the torn-off battleship plating, and soared away with a whoosh.
You damn dog, you think you'll get another chance?
Upon hearing this, the hearts of the Anti-Entropy Radical Faction members nearly stopped.
...Amidst the shattered wreckage of the battleship's frame, a golden-haired girl with purple eyes, clad in custom Schicksal Valkyrie armor, clung tightly to a structural support beam and flipped the departing Wendy the middle finger.
Motherfucker!
Just as Wendy began to pursue and retaliate against the Anti-Entropy Fleet, Kiana and Mei exchanged troubled glances at the silver-haired girl who had collapsed unconscious on the floor.
After a moment of thought, Kiana established a communication link with the Hyperion.
"Kiana, what's the situation there?" Teacher Himeko's voice crackled through the comms. "The Hyperion detected multiple Herrscher reactions. Headquarters has already dispatched S-rank Valkyrie Durandal. If you can't hold out, retreat immediately! Theresa and I are on our way! Kyuusyou is also en route, but she just reported being entangled by Anti-Entropy's new Titan model."
"Uh... Teacher Himeko, one of the Herrschers already escaped. We found someone who seems to be a Herrscher, but she didn't do anything to Anti-Entropy's fleet before suddenly collapsing unconscious."
"Ah, and Kyuusyou's deduction was correct—Miss Wendy is indeed a Herrscher... And for some reason, she removed the Gem of Desire from herself, which Anti-Entropy promptly seized."
"Bronya stole the Gem. Cocolia, Bronya's adoptive mother, is controlling her using a biochip implanted in Bronya's brain... Teacher Himeko, we need to find a way to get Bronya back! Leaving her with that Cocolia... who knows what else she'll make her do."
"What about Wendy?"
Theresa and Himeko's voices on the other end of the comms were urgent.
"After Cocolia threatened Wendy by surrounding us with mecha forces, she shed her disguise, tore through the mecha encirclement, and pursued Anti-Entropy's fleet..."
"But... the Herrscher Wendy seems to be capable of communication... and even shows us goodwill?"
"Goodwill?" Himeko's voice carried a hint of confusion.
"I got the feeling Wendy had already fully manifested her Herrscher persona long ago. You remember, Himeko, back in Nagazora City, when I fought Mei during her initial Herrscher transformation?"
"Wendy is completely different from Mei. Her mastery of her powers is terrifyingly advanced, and her strength is absurdly overwhelming... When she destroyed those Titans, we could literally see tangible windstorms, yet neither Mei nor I felt a single breeze on our faces."
"Moreover, she seems to be consistently communicative and even protected us. Himeko, I believe a Herrscher-transformed Wendy is someone we can negotiate and reason with."
"I understand... I'll relay to Headquarters that their reinforcements can remain on standby for now. As for Wendy... we should discuss this in person later. Whether she's friend or foe..."
"Even if she were an enemy, we couldn't defeat her, Major Himeko," another voice interjected into the communication channel. It was Kyuusyou.
"Kyuusyou? What makes you say that?"
"Just now, I observed the Herrscher engaging the fleet in combat. Her standard movement speed is approximately Mach 10—and I emphasize, that's her standard speed."
"If she truly intended to attack, she could simply grab a metal rod, hold it in front of her, and charge straight at you with no technique whatsoever. She'd crush anyone instantly... and there's absolutely no way to evade it."
"...Is this... is this even reasonable?"