Mei: Kiana-chan!
Mei shouted as she started running, however, she was too far away to reach Kiana in time. Bronya fired her canons, but it was no use as the Honkai only held up its shield to block the attack.
Kiana could only watch as the Honkai beast brought down its lance towards her.
Is this it? Is this the best she could do? This is nowhere near enough to become an S-rank Valkyrie like she wanted. Would she be able to fulfil her deal with Theresa so that she could find her father? Those thoughts ran through her mind in an instant.
She closes her eyes in response, preparing for the inevitable hit...
However, it didn't come. She slowly opened her eyes to the shock of seeing that the lance had been stopped by Akiri, blocking it with both of his swords, struggling against the Honkai beast's strength.
Akiri: You idiot... I know you're trying to prove to everyone that you're strong... But what you're doing is beyond stupid!
Kiana: Wh-what did you say?!
Akiri: You heard me! I said that you're an idiot! I get that you don't like me. But for now, let me help you! We need to work together if we want to get through this!
Her eyes widened as she looked up at him struggling to hold off the lance from hitting them. She felt her cheeks heating up for some reason. She couldn't help but stare at his face as she then lowered her head and bit her lip.
Kiana: Fine...
Akiri nodded as he then gathers up his energy and pushes away the lance with all of his strength, giving them time to take a few steps back and regroup.
Akiri: Alright, here's the plan. Bronya and Kiana, you two need to distract him while Mei and I get in close to kill it
Kiana: Hey, wait! Why do you get to be the leader?
She complained as she points a finger at him.
Akiri: Well, if you have a better plan, I'm all ears
Kiana: Alright, fine
Akiri: Good. Now, let's go
Now armed with a plan, Valkyrie Squad V began their assault on the Honkai beast.
Bronya was the first to engage with her mechanoid, Project Bunny 19C aiming towards her target as she charges her weapon to full capacity.
Bronya: Target locked. Fire!
With her cannon fully charged, she fired towards the Templar, which then defended itself using its shield. However, it did get knocked back by the force of the blast. At the same time, Mei and Akiri had gotten behind the enemy while it was in a daze and started to attack, dealing out more slashes.
The monster quickly turns around to fight back, however it was then distracted by Kiana firing her guns at it, hitting it with a barrage of bullets.
Kiana: Hey, ugly! Over here!
The monster now has its attention on Kiana and started to attack her, but the silver-haired girl dodges all of its strikes with sidesteps and backflips.
As Kiana was diverting its attention, it is time for Akiri and Mei to start their second wave of attack.
Akiri: Let's go, Mei!
Mei: Right!
Just like before, Mei leads with a series of slashes, injuring the Templar as it turns around and swings its lance at her in retaliation and Mei dodges the hit by jumping backwards.
At the same time, Akiri had gotten behind the Templar unnoticed and started to run towards the creature, going for the finishing blow. Leaping up, he stabs both his sword into the back of the creature, penetrating his blades deep into its flesh.
Akiri: Burst!
His swords began to glow bright and released an explosive burst of energy, exploding the creature into pieces, ultimately killing it as Kiana and the others looked at him with an impressed look on their faces.
System: Stage five; passed. Loading stage six...
Akiri: Good work everyone. Let's keep this up, team
Mei: Right!
Kiana: Hmph! I'll help you just this one time
Bronya: The Bronya will assist the best she can
They then proceeded to fight their way through the simulations, now united as a team as each of them coordinated their attacks, covering each other's backs.
System: Stage seven; passed
Although the simulations get more difficult with each advancements, they steamrolled through the harder stages with no trouble, killing every wave of Honkai beasts in their way.
System: Stage nine; passed
Eventually, the four of them had gotten to the final stage of the trials.
System: Loading final stage
The computerised voice echoes through the arena as a massive horde of Honkai beasts materialized in front of them. They noticed that the monsters are a mix of every Honkai beasts they've faced in the last nine stages. Archangels, Cassiels, Chariots, Knights and a single Templar.
Kiana: Alright! Just one more
Akiri: Yeah. We kill off the other ones first, leave the Templar for last
Mei: Got it!
Up at the observation room, both Himeko and Theresa now had impressed smiles on their faces, watching them working closely together to clear out the simulated monsters.
Theresa: Looks like they've found their rhythm. Their teamwork is much more closely-knit now
Himeko: Yeah
They kept watching as the team fought through the hordes of enemies.
Akiri: Kiana, watch your left!
Kiana: I know!
Mei: Bronya-chan, stay close to me
Akiri and Mei are in front, taking on most of the enemies while Kiana and Bronya stayed close behind them, providing cover fire and support. And after a few minutes of gruelling battles, they killed off all of the enemies and took down the Templar, achieving victory for Squad V.
System: Final stage; passed. Congratulations
Mei: We... We did it...?
Mei asked in between breaths as she and the others are recovering from the exhaustion.
Akiri: Yeah... We did it
Kiana: Yes! We passed! We passed the test!
Kiana shouted as she jumped in excitement and she went to hug Mei from behind with a wide grin on her face.
Himeko: They did it
Theresa: Yeah. Yeah they really did
The two observers had a mix of shocked and impressed looks on their faces as they watch the squad celebrate their victory.
Himeko: ...And they're the first to clear all the stages too. That was something else
Theresa nodded firmly with a satisfied smile on her face.
Theresa: They're still some kinks that needed to be worked out. But they'll be among the best Valkyries in history that's for sure
Theresa Apocalypse kept her smile as she then looked to the other side of the room, where a mysterious figure is seen standing still, looking at the screen quietly.
Theresa: What do you think, Rita?
It was revealed to be a woman with short light blonde hair with magenta-coloured eyes, wearing a maid outfit. This person is Rita Rossweisse, the lieutenant of Schicksal's elite Valkyrie squad, the Immortal Blades.
Rita: They're an interesting bunch for sure. It was surprising to see them complete all ten stages of the simulation. Not many squads could accomplish that
Theresa nodded in agreement. Rita then looked back towards the screen, the gaze of her eyes were fixed on a certain boy.
Rita: To be honest, the boy is the most fascinating to me. He has the potential to be a Schicksal Knight. The first in a very long time
She said before peering over at Kiana.
Rita: The Kaslana girl is impressive as well. Her skills are certainly fitting for someone bearing the Kaslana name
The maid said and she then silently stood up and went to exit the room.
Theresa: Are you going back to HQ?
Rita: Yes. The Overseer would certainly like to hear about this
Himeko: You're not sticking around to see the other candidates in action?
Rita: I doubt the other's performance would be able to exceed what I've just witnessed, don't you agree?
Both Himeko and Theresa only stayed silent, unsure of what to say.
Rita: Then I will be taking my leave
With a polite bow, Rita walked out of the observation room and the metal door slides shut with a thud.
(Timeskip)
March 24th 2014 / St. Freya Academy
Another week has passed and the results of the Valkyrie trials have finally been announced. The students are currently gathered in front of the bulletin board to see their final scores.
Girl #1: I passed!
Girl #2: I did better than I thought in the field exams!
Two other girls celebrated their good results.
Girl #2: Wow! The transfer students made it to ranks two, three, and four!
She pointed towards the top part of the overall rankings list, listing the names of every student in St. Freya in the order of their individual performance in both the written test and field trials.
Girl #3: Hmph. The male probably just got lucky. He's in a squad with a Kaslana after all
At the top of the list, Akiri's name could be seen in third place, one place below Bronya who is in second and one place above Mei who is fourth.
Kiana: Sorry guys. Looks like first place is gonna be all mine
Completely oblivious, she steps forwards with complete certainty that her name would be on the top of the list, however, she would soon find out otherwise.
Kiana: What?!
Instead of her name like she had expected, it was the senior, Fu Hua who tops the list instead.
Kiana: Her?! The girl who doesn't even speak proper English?! Where's my name then?!
Mei: Kiana-chan, I think I found your name here...
Mei called out as she was looking at the board from the far side and Kiana looked relieved.
Kiana: Thanks, Mei-senpai! My rank must be way off the charts! Sorry to leave you in rank four!
She happily went to where Mei is, only to then be proven wrong once again. Her face turned from bright to dark in an instant as she saw that she is the only one who had failed.
Kiana: What?! I failed?!
Akiri: Good job, Kiana. You're basically rank one backwards
Kiana: How is this possible?!?!
She shouted as she angrily rips the notice into small pieces. Which would normally get her in trouble, if not for the fact that her name was the only one on the list.
???: Although you did well in the field trials, you failed all the written sections, there's no way we could let you pass
A male voice spoke out from behind them and they turn around to see that it is their history teacher, Welt Yang, who is carrying a huge stack of exam papers.
Welt: Look, you got zero for history
He said as he showed them Kiana's exam paper and the girl immediately panicked as she went to cover it up to not let her friends see it.
Kiana: Kyaa!!! I can't let Mei see this!
She exclaimed in a panic. However, the others had already had a clear view of the paper.
Kiana: Give it to me!
She tried to snatch the paper out of his hand, but she couldn't reach it as the teacher held it up high.
Welt: Your aggregate score for biology, history, geography, physics and chemistry was 21
Akiri: You stoopid
Kiana: Well, whatever! Who cares about the stupid written test anyway? Let's go see where our squad ranks
She said as they then went towards where the squad results have been listed. However, they can't seem to find their squad anywhere on the list among the other Valkyrie squads.
Akiri: Huh? That's weird...
Kiana: W-we must've been put in a special category! We did complete all of the stages after all. Keep looking
She said with the same confidence she had earlier as they kept on searching and they went further down the list... Into the failed section...
Their eyes immediately went wide in shock as they saw the name of the only squad in the failed section; their very own Squad V.
Mei: W-we failed...?
Kiana: What?!
Akiri: What the fu-?!?!
Their screams of shock and disbelief fills the halls, gaining the attention of all the surrounding students.
(Timeskip)
Himeko: Well, if someone in your squad fails, the entire squad could not advance
After the shocking revelation that their squad didn't pass, the four of them went straight back to their shared dorm room with Major Himeko, expecting an explanation from their teacher.
Himeko: That means that none of you will become a Valkyrie and will be repeating the school year
Mei: No way...
Bronya: An expected outcome. The Bronya's calculations indicate that having Kiana idiotka as a part of the team will increase the chances of failure to approximately 99.9%
Himeko: I've seen stupid before, but you've set a new low for me. An aggregate score of 21? You're the living proof that cup size directly correlates to brain size. Ergo, I'm a genius
Akiri: That makes no logical sense whatsoever...
Bronya: Agreed...
The two said with a deadpan expression.
Kiana: Then, what are we going to do? I can't repeat the school year again!
Himeko: Don't worry. There will be a remedial exam for you to take. Considering that you did rather well during the field exams, you can just retake the written section
Everyone in the squad breathes a sigh of relief, hearing the good news.
Akiri: Okay, so when is that?
Himeko: In a week
Akiri: A week?!
Mei: That's so soon
Himeko: If Kiana still couldn't pass, then you all would have no choice but to repeat the school year
Mei: Is one week really enough...?
As he said that, they noticed that Kiana is now walking towards her room, happily humming along with every step with a carefree smile on her face.
Mei: Kiana-chan?
Akiri: Where do you think you're going?
Kiana: Oh, there's a week left, there's plenty of time!
Akiri: One week is not a lot of time to study months worth of classes!
Bronya then seemingly had an idea as she went to whisper to Mei's ear. Mei looked at her for a moment before nodding and she looked back at Kiana.
Mei: Kiana-chan. If you don't study, I won't cook you your favourite food again
Mei threatened the silver-haired girl for the first time in a long while, making Kiana panic immediately.
Kiana: No! Anything but that!
Akiri: Then you need to do your best to pass this remedial exam. For everyone's sake
Kiana: Alright, fine. I just need to study and read some books anyway, how hard can it be for a genius like me?
Akiri: Genius...? You got 21
Himeko: Then we shall commence special training
Mei: Special training?
What followed could only be described as hell for Kiana. She was forced to study all day for the rest of the week until the day of the remedial exam. Himeko, along with Mei, Bronya and Akiri each helped her revise different subjects.
(Timeskip)
March 29th 2014 / Valkyrie Dormitories - St. Freya Academy
Akiri: ...Because of the high tensions between the two parties, Shicksal's North American Branch cut ties with Schicksal and established a new organization called Anti-Entropy in November of 1952
Currently, Akiri is helping Kiana study history in her room. He had a whiteboard set up in front as Kiana sat on the floor with a book open in front of her.
Akiri: And that's how Anti-Entropy defected from Schicksal and-
He stopped mid-sentence as had just noticed that Kiana was nodding off in the middle of his lecture.
Akiri: Kiana!
Kiana: Huh? What?
She blurted out as she lifted her head, now awake to see that Akiri had a frown on his face.
Akiri: This is the sixth time I caught you sleeping! Where did I lose you this time?
Kiana: Umm... New York?
He released a frustrated sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
Akiri: Great... Just great... I'm trying to help you here, Kiana, but you still have to put in the effort!
Kiana: Well sorry, I can't help it! History is way too boring for me
Akiri: Well, you have no choice if you want to pass this exam!
At that moment, the door opens up and they saw Bronya walk in and saw Akiri's frustrated look.
Bronya: The Bronya assumes that the idiotka has trouble learning
Akiri: Yeah, this isn't working at all... She was fine when Mei was teaching her, but I guess history is just too boring for her short attention span
Bronya: Figures as much. However, the Bronya believes she has a solution
She walked out of the room for a moment and went back carrying three helmets shaped like Homu characters.
Akiri: Are those... Homu VR headsets?
Bronya: Da
She replied before walking over and putting on the headsets for Kiana and Akiri.
Kiana: Hey, Bronya! What did you just put on my head? Unlike you, I'm not a Homu fan
Bronya: It's a Homu-Homu virtual reality comm link
Kiana: A Homu what now?
Bronya ignores her question as she puts on her own headset and proceeded to turn on all three devices.
Bronya: Link start
Everything went black for them for a brief second and they opened their eyes again to see that they were now in an entirely different place.
Kiana: Whoah! What is this place...?
It had the appearance of a library. Only this one is the largest she had ever seen. The bookshelves doesn't seem to have a limit to how tall they are as they endlessly stretch upwards.
Bronya: Welcome. To Schicksal's central database