"!"
A pit of pain and a sudden spasm suddenly struck her body mercilessly. Fu Hua's pale eyes vanished from the world as her eyelids slammed down, wincing in pain. She clasped one hand to her mouth, gagging on a small amount of blood trailing down from her lips. She then held her heart with both hands, struggling to breathe, and she staggered on the wall, hindering her stamina from running faster than she used to.
"Hngh...! Even the slightest use...." She clasped one hand to the wall as support still gripped the Eye Slugger in her palm.
".... My body doesn't like me using my powers...."
Even when the pain struck her, she refused to give in, with her friend's safety being on top of her priority. She continued walking down the stairs, still staggering on the wall with one of her hands crawling forward.
'Not at a time like this... Must get him in time....'
—---
{Access Granted}
Dr. Magi typed the correct pin on the security pad panel to open the chamber that contained the Gem Of Serenity. The section opened on a slide.
"Whoah! Our plan is working perfectly!" Kiana raised her arms in triumph.
Y/N moved his upper body forward, raising his eyebrows to express his content face. "Ohh! There it is! The Gem we are looking for!"
"Let's go grab them!" She turned her head to him in delight and a bold gesture.
While the two thought they had successfully reached the Gem in time, they weren't aware that the older scientist wasn't expressing any positive thoughts.
"No, this doesn't feel right...." He rubbed his nose with his finger, eyes closed with bewildered and suspicious thoughts of how he still could access the place with ease.
Both looked at him, hearing the older scientist's disbelief tone. "Something's wrong, Dr.?" Y/N asked.
"Cocolia already ordered that man to kill me... But why didn't she change the codes to the storage room?" He snorted.
The scientist waltzed into the place, followed by the two, with their faces slightly puzzled. The Gem of Serenity was stored in the digital chamber. Still, the Honkai Crystals were also produced around the Gem. This made his suspicions increase even more.
"And why are there Honkai Crystals around the Gem?! This doesn't look right at all!!"
And his hand started to feel a tingling yet bearable stinging pain, which he lowered his head to look at, only to find something that surprised him to death.
"I have implants to enhance my Honkai Resistance...."
His eyes widened in fear as he kept looking at the hands that he felt starting to sting moderately.
"....But even my body is showing signs of zombification! Could this be a result of...."
The light skin on his anatomy had turned pale white as it spread slowly toward the wrist part.
"...A leak in the gem container?!"
The scientist's remark made Y/N dragged into fear and panic, knowing that he might share the same suffering as Dr. Magi. A gasp of air gathered through his mouth, taking a deep breath of concern.
'Zombification?! That means!'
However, he kept his expression hidden, not wanting to drag them into more trouble. He instantly lowered his head and showed his own palm to check if it was starting to show any drastic changes.
'Nothing has changed yet... But like how...? Could it be my bracelet thing again?'
Kiana realized that Dr. Magi wasn't doing anything to retrieve the Gem and stared at it in confusion.
"Hey, Gramps? What's wrong? The Gem is right there! Let's just take it!"
The three took a step forward slowly to the digital containment and started to inspect the Gem with their head moved even closer with deep sight and focus.
"Let me take a look...." Dr. Magi muttered. The suspicions started to increase even worse as he looked at it, with a trail of sweat coming from his forehead.
"None of this adds up. This building is heavily guarded... But why is the storage room left wide open?"
"...?!"
A beeping noise came from their side, and they glanced at their head in reaction.
"A digital Honkai Meter for measuring ambient Honkai levels...." The scientist moped to the digital measurement device that displayed "3086". The device warning noise was starting to beep at a faster rate.
"The Honkai level is still rising!" He exclaimed profoundly, holding the device in the grip of panic.
"I GOT IT! I know what she's trying to do with the Gem!"
He swung his hand in a hammer fist, smashing the table with his best power. Eyes widened in hatred, his forehead formed a wrinkle, and he realized a bit too late what their plans were.
"Cocolia! You mass-murdering maniac...!" He vented in rage. Hand clasped on the side of his face in distress, and his whole body slumped to the ground in a helpless state.
Both expressed their shock when they witnessed the scientist drop himself to the ground. They crouched down instantly and started to confront the older man desperately.
"Dr. Magi! What's going on here?! Slow down, just slow down...."
"Gramps? Are you alright?"
Kiana and Y/N held his shoulders with their hands to ease him from pressure.
Dr. Magi couldn't help but to clasped and cover his face entirely with his palm, forming a regretful look while exhaling a sob... "Oh... What have I done? I should have never taken the Gem to her!"
His eyes opened wide, and his eyebrows lowered with force behind his fingers, shifting his grief to a more venting, rageful, and unforgiving expression.
"That Witch was never interested in learning about the Gem. Finding a suitable candidate to wield the Herrscher powers will take too long... She wanted something quicker...."
He viewed the outcome with his imagination when the Gem was about to detonate. It depicted an intensely bright light with a big explosion emitted all the way around the city, destroying everything in collateral damage and creating an outbreak of Honkai energy.
"She chose to immerse the Gem in a Honkai-Rich environment fueled by a Mini-Honkai reactor! Once the Honkai level goes critical, an unstoppable Honkai cascade will start...!"
"The Gem serves as a material to trigger an artificial Honkai Eruption... Right in the middle of a densely populated city-state... And if there is a compatible individual amongst the millions who live here... That person will turn into a new Herrscher...."
And when he mentioned the last sentence, it reminded him of the previous outbreak tragedy that shared the same incident he imagined.
"She's done this before... The Nagazora Outbreak she created killed millions and gave birth to the 3rd Herrscher...." He concluded.
"Nagazora Outbreak?" Y/N asked.
Hearing his question made Kiana feel downhearted, and she couldn't help but force herself to share her past before she met him. "Y/N! I'm sorry that I forgot to tell you this... But Mei-senpai used to be a Herrscher too..." She said in a bitter tone while looking at him with her innocent face planted.
His mind was filled with even more conflict and disbelief as he panned his head to her; he didn't believe her story and thought she was just telling him a fairytale story.
"So... Mei-san was a Herrscher too...? That outbreak involved her too?" That was only the question he could ask, nothing else from it.
Kiana nodded innocently, lips widened in tightness, eyes squinting hard, expressing her bittersweet expression.
Unable to stare at her innocent face, he panned his head to the front and lowered, looking at the floor in silence. His mouth opened slightly in a silent gasp, eyes squinting of whine, grieving on his even more conflicted over whose side he should fight for now.
"What is going on in this world...? They're just the same as genociding humanity... I couldn't blame you...." He grieved in sadness and bitterly. He felt that his body trembled slightly.
Kiana reached her arms slowly and clasped both of his shoulders softly with her palm, sharing her soft grievance. "I'm sorry, Y/N... I didn't tell you about our past...." She tilted her head in an attempt to calm him. Thumbs fingered his shoulder, soothing him further.
He didn't have the mood to respond and could only indirectly express his forgiveness through a nod to her. She formed a small smile, knowing that he had forgiven her.
Dr. Magi kept smashing on the floor, still blaming himself for his action. This caused them to stare at him suddenly after hearing a loud bang on the floor.
"Damn it! I have brought doom to this city! Why did I even believe in that crazy witch?! I'm so sorry, Lin...."
"I should have known that Russian Demoness is far more insane than Otto! Everyone will die because of me! She's definitely laughing at me right now!"
—-----
At the Anti-Entropy base, Cocolia was seen viewing the city of Singapore, preparing for her next plan.
"Our plan is on schedule. We're near the critical limit for eruption. Soon, We'll find out if anyone in Singapore has what it takes to become the next Herrscher."
"Ready our forces around Singapore. Schicksal will try to grab the Herrscher we made, just as they did last time. We won't let them get away with it again." Cocolia informed.
Meanwhile, at Schicksal base, Overseer Otto and his servant, Amber, were also briefed on their next plan.
"Lord Otto. We have detected an extremely High Honkai Energy spike in downtown Singapore. It's just as you've said. Cocolia is planning to start an artificial eruption." Amber notified him.
"And she's probably deployed forces to grab any Herrscher that might result. Will She ever learn? She failed once at Nagazora, and she will fail again." Otto counseled.
"Amber, deploy S-Rank Valkyrie Durandal to intercept Cocolia's forces. We must buy Fu Hua sometime." He ordered his servant nonchalantly.
———
"Otto... Cocolia... They're all cold-blooded murderers who never cared for ordinary people like us...."
The older scientist grieved and vented weakly, eyes closed in sorrowful expression. And he bent his body down even further, placing his hands on the floor as support.
Y/N and Kiana couldn't help but slowly reach their arm to him and stop in midair, softly clenching their hands, not wanting to touch him in that state. They expressed their empathy toward the scientist's grievance with their cheerful smile.
"Hey... Don't worry, Gramps. We can take the Gem away, and there will be no eruption...."
"There's still hope for all of us, Doctor... Please, don't give up on yourself. We can try to work on it."
"No... It's too late."
"The Gem is already beyond our reach. You may be a Honkai-resistant Valkyrie, and especially you, kid. I don't know how you're unaffected by it. But the Gem is now infused with deadly levels of Honkai that will destroy your body if you touch it. The eruption will go away now...."
Dr. Magi expressed hopelessness and lowered his head further, not in the mood to stare at them, and could only grieve and suffer. The skin of his anatomy arm had turned entirely white, but he didn't care, as he had already gone through his worst time.
"Get as far away from here as you can, Kids. The residual Honkai-Neutralizing serum in your system may help keep you alive. And I hope your bracelet is the same as hers too." The older scientist pleaded with them, as there was nothing he could do to help them.
They then raised their body slowly, still with their knees bent on the ground and feet tiptoeing.
"Leave. We're too late to save anyone."
Kiana and Y/N could only watch him suffering on their priceless face. They exhaled their deep, grumbling tone, with their mouth barely baring their teeth. They then glanced slowly at each other, sharing their same complaint expression.
Kiana, stubborn in her mind, slowly raised one of her hands in midair and crooked her fingers back and forth as if to ask him to come closer to her.
He complied as he dragged himself towards her, eyes staring directly at each other, heads almost in contact, and she hung her left hand between their mouth on the side.
"What are we going to do now?" He whispered.
"I have a plan. I'm going to try to grab that Gem directly." Her eyes glanced quickly to the container, then went back to Y/N in her view.
Although that sounded obvious to him, he had no choice but to trust her plan in this pinch situation. "Okay, what else? Can your body handle it?"
"I need you to do me a favor too. We don't know our limits if we don't give it a shot, but we must try to insulate it as best as we can. Can your bracelet do its work?" She glanced down at the bracelet on his wrist, which she praised thoughtfully for saving their life previously in the hotel.
'His bracelet looks cool and stylish... I want it, though....'
He looked down at his wrist and raised it closer to her in midair. The bracelet seemed to pulsate in light, and they noticed this.
"I don't know, but we'll try. Best of our luck, Senior Kiana." He smiled in response.
She followed the same with her eyebrows curled down, giving him a straight nod. "You too, Ultra-Y/N."
They rearranged the plan, then stood up with strong determination, having enough of their confrontation moments with the older one. They noticed that the scientist was still grieving out of despair, but they didn't care anymore.
"Uncle Magi. I will not give up."
"I agree! I refuse to run!"
Y/N raised his right hand to the height of his neck and clenched it out of will and courage. "I'm a Knight. We fight for the sake of humanity in this world. The light of hope shines within this world, and there's always a light in your heart; even the slightest one succumbs to emptiness. It still can shine within our hearts. It is our destiny to fight for the beauty of this world, even when it hurts like hell."
"I'm a Valkyrie! It's my duty to protect you and the people in this nice city!" Kiana put her hands on her heart, showing her big smile of bravery.
"I got my own plan as well! It might not work, but I'll give it a shot! Yeah, Gramps! It's straightforward!"
Dr. Magi's eyes widened, ending his grieving abruptly when he heard their words of determination and their plan of retrieving the Gem. He then looked up with a slight expression of hope and glanced at them.
"You guys have a plan?"
Right in an instant, the Valkyrie and the Knight went directly to the Gems, attempting to grab it with force, which the Gem of Serenity had activated in its thundering self-defense.
"It's called:."
They looked at the Gem for a moment, then immediately lurched at the container and started to reach at the Gem with their hands. The Gem began to initiate an electric attack's self-defense mechanism, resisting them from seizing it.
"Ignore what you said and grab the Gem!"
"CHESUTO!!!"
Both snarled in a struggle with their eyebrows curled down in slam, fighting the resistance of the electric shock. They didn't care if it was agonizing, as they kept forcing it to grab the Gem with all their might. Y/N's bracelet glowed in the light again as if to give them an easy time retrieving it.
"The bracelet! It's working! Keep it up, Senior Kiana!!"
"Alright! Don't let your guard down, Y/N!!"
—----
They didn't know what happened afterward, but all they knew was that the Gem was finally out of the container. They were crouching down on their knees, holding and clasping their hands together and looking at it while catching their breath over their pushover act.
"Did we do it...?"
"We've got the Gem...."
They successfully grabbed the Gem of Serenity, secured in both hands. However, this resulted in Dr. Magi standing up in worrying face to death, witnessing what they did to the Gem.
"Foolish kids! What are you doing?!!" He yelled at them to death, showing his concern for their safety. He then backed off slightly in agape.
They didn't bother with their surroundings, as their eyes focused on their hands that secured the Gem, glowing through an opened gap in their fingers.
"We took the Gem from the Honkai container... That should stop the eruption, right?"
"Your guess is as good as mine...."
"You can't stop the Gem from absorbing ambient Honkai by covering it with your hands! Stop this nonsense and toss the Gem! Bravery and courage alone won't save the day!" Dr. Magi pleaded with them to stop as he stretched his hand out of panic.
Kiana and Y/N started to feel pain in their exposed hands, but both could still tolerate it, with only a hissing sound coming out from their mouths.
"It's hurting!"
"It's like touching dry ice!"
They dragged themselves toward each other and leaned their whole body against each other, clamping their hands between their hearts. They tried their best might to constrain the dangerous stone to stabilize the intense power.
Dr. Magi dropped himself down on his knees towards both of them in line, expelling his anxious and panicked expression over their safety that thrived by danger. "Your body can't contain the Honkai in the Gem! You'll die from a Honkai Cascade!" He yelled from the bottom of his heart.
"Why is this happening again?! You foolish Valkyrie and Knight. Why must you get yourselves killed before this old man's eyes?!"
"No! I won't give up! And I feel that this is actually working!"
"If she says 'It's working, then I'll keep pushing it!"
They hold their hands together very tightly. Eyelids slammed down, squeezing hard, shouting in the pain that inflicted stinging feelings on their palms by the dangerous Gem that was still glowing.
"I'm not letting it go!!!!" They yelled together, unleashing their strong will all at once.
Dr. Magi noticed that Y/N's bracelet lit up again and recognized it immediately, similar to when he defended him and Kiana in the hotel room. "That bracelet glowed again! It must be doing its work to tame it!"
{Ambient Honkai level is now... sub-critical and dropping}
He heard the announcer that the ambient was significantly dropped, and the warning beeping noise started to slow down gradually. Head glared to the side, getting a clear sound, in agape.
"How... How is this even possible? Did they actually insulate the Gem with their hands?! And that boy... how could he bear it even without a Honkai presence in it...?!"
The duo calmed themselves after successfully taming the Gem with bare hands. Both remained still in that position.
"That means we prevented the Honkai Eruption, right...?" Kiana muttered weakly, head dropped onto Y/N's shoulder over her calming mental exhaustion.
"Should be..." He responded in the same tone as her.
"Yes... Yes! But... Who are you, little boy and girl? You're both no ordinary Valkyrie and Knight."
"AHH! MY HEAD! IT'S HURTING!"
Suddenly, a pit of pain struck Kiana as she moved her head up in an instant, yelling in agony with her eyes wide open, and the purple cyber-like trail started streaming down from her eyes.
Y/N heard this and immediately caught his vision on her face. His eyes widened in terror; seeing his friends screaming in pain, he noticed that purple cyber-like trail streaming from her eye.
"Senior Kiana! Talk to me! Kiana! Are you okay?!" He asked her frantically.
And he was even more shocked to see her eyes changing to a different color.
'That eye!! It's turning yellow?!"
And all of a sudden, his mind and soul felt like it was trying to separate from him, and he ended up sharing the same suffering as her, which he also yelled in agony. Eyes slammed shut, struggling to bear the pain.
'My mind! It's separating from me!!!'
His vision suddenly changed into a field full of beautiful flowers colored monochromatic negative blue colors. He then witnessed what appeared to be a ghostly figure with long hair and a long scarf floating above the area.
He felt like he had unintentionally hijacked Kiana's vision.
"My serenity... bearer of my chalice... You have returned to me...."
"Join me once more... and we shall give them the Sleep of Eternity...."
Kiana mental state went unconscious, dropping her body to the floor powerlessly. At the same time, Y/N had to release their grip on her as his mind returned to him and retreated in sharp and frantic movement, where Dr. Magi managed to hold him from his back.
One of her hands was still in clench gesture, which was a Gem gripped in her palm.
The Knight's eyes widened in fear and terror, and agony made him feel distraught, gasping for air.
"Kid! Kid! Are you alright?!" He shouted over his concern for the Knight as he moved his head past his shoulder, wanting to look at his face.
"I... I... Se- Se- Senior Kiana is..." He stuttered terrifyingly as if he had suffered his traumatic event.
"Talk to me, Kid! Your uncle is here!"
Lips quivering, he felt unable to produce a word correctly.
"I was connected to her mind... I saw a ghost...."
"... I felt cold... and fear...."
He then looked down with disturbing eyes and was still catching his breath. "... I was scared...."
Y/N didn't want to continue, so he crawled away from the older man, reaching for Kiana, who was lying on the floor in an unconscious state.
"Let's... bring her back...."
"The Honkai must have reached her brain. I must have her treated before it's too late. Be strong, girl. We'll get you out of here."
They helped Kiana evacuate the place with her arms around both of their necks, but Y/N suddenly stumbled to the floor, causing both to fall off. He felt his inner soul was still weakened and unable to recover quickly.
"Kid!" The scientist looked at him and called out of concern, and he approached him, trying to help with his best.
But Y/N halted him through a palm gesture. "I'm sorry! Don't worry about me, Dr. I can still carry her! Damn it!" He snarled in frustration at being weak, holding his head filled with a distressed mind while in his crawling position.
"Dr. Magi and Y/N? You seem to need help."
A valkyrie with glasses came by right on time as she stood in a cold mood by the frame of the metal frame door.
He recognized that voice and instantly looked up with a joyful face. "Inchou...!"
Mouth opened wide and stretched. "Thank god you're here! Are you okay—!" Y/N exclaimed in hope, trying to stand up for wanting to check on her condition,
Unfortunately, he ended up dropping himself again in four. His mental state was still unstable regained his sanity. However, he was aware of it and blamed himself for only getting affected by the trauma.
She hated herself for having to be rude, and all she could do was glance her blue eyes coldly at him.
"Ahaha... Sorry... I don't mean to be weak in front of you...."
The smile of penitence formed on his face almost made her lips tremble subconsciously. She couldn't help but build the compassion mentally of looking at him suffering in his mental anguish. She wanted to rush towards him, treat him well and ensure he was alright. Still, she had to restrain herself from doing it, afraid she might break her cold image in front of the older man and get distracted from her objective.
'Oh, Y/N... What happened to you...? I heard your scream from a distance....'
He glanced lower to her hip and noticed that she was gripping the Eye Slugger in her right hand, much to his joy. Not even a slightest that her serious and cold attitude mattered to him.
"Oh...! You used it. Nice..." He pointed at the curved knife in amazement.
He changed his crawling position to a sitting posture, dragging himself to the server wall, and leaned against it. Then he was gasping weakly for air while lowering his head.
"Ah, crap... ahahaha... This is so embarrassing...." He muttered and chuckled in penitence.
Her eyes squinted in genuine sorrow when he didn't react negatively to her rude attitude or even chose to ignore it. She hoped her glasses were enough to conceal her emotional eyes from that distance.
Never in her entire life, for once, she wanted to not be herself in her usual cold-hearted manner. She hated herself for being harsh to him and for not saying anything to express her concern. Even she found herself having a hard time breathing through her nose.
'Sorry, Y/N... Later, okay...? I'll buy some food later for you....'
'And, how could you remain positive in that condition...?'
"Who are you?"
Dr. Magi asked out of thin air, with his back facing Fu Hua, staring at the controller. The Doctor's voice made her snap out of her remorseful mind as she instantly glanced back to the front view, returning to her flat expression.
"I'm Fu Hua, an A-rank Schicksal Valkyrie. Overseer Otto sent me here to save you and bring the Gem back." She recalled the objective, still voicing in her cold and passive voice.
"Another of Otto's Lackeys? You're not like this innocent little girl. Yet, you didn't help this suffering boy. I can already tell by the smell of blood on your hands." Dr. Magi muttered, insulting her in defense of Kiana and Y/N.
Eyebrows lowered down from his knowledge of her personality, forming an annoying form of getting in misperception.
"That ain't from my hand; it's from the weapon." She responded coldly with a hint of her dark humor in it.
"I'm not here to argue. We must leave, Dr. Magi." She said flatly.
"Take the girl and get her treated. The Gem is in her hands. Did Otto give you a container to insulate the Gem? I bet he wants an eruption as badly as Cocolia."
"He didn't give me a container, but there's another person... Who gave me this small box of sodium." Fu Hua showed the box that Siegfried had given her with her left hand.
"Good. That should be able to keep out the ambient Honkai. Before I forget...." The older scientist slipped into a lab pocket to grab something in it.
He took out the tube that contained Honkai-Neutralizing serum and tossed it to Fu Hua, which she caught quickly, then observed the pipe held in a red vial.
"I developed this Honkai-Neutralizing serum. Give the girl 5ml of this once you reach a safe place. Save the rest for another. The girl asked me to help with her instructor's Honkai problem." He said, referring to Himeko's illness.
"That will be Major Himeko...."
"Also, Kid. I have a present for you...."
He then crouched beside Y/N, who was still recovering from his mental attack. He took out something from his lab pocket, grabbed his hand, and placed it in his palm. Y/N, in response, clenched the item that he felt.
He unclenched his hands, revealing it to be a USB chip. He observed it for a moment, only to realize what he was trying to do. He looked up in an instant.
"Dr.?! Are you trying to...?!"
"Sorry. I guess you'll have to fail this mission."
That statement made him jump forward to him in dismay and tearfully grasped his shoulders with both hands. "Oh my god, uncle! Not this shit again! Please! Come on, you still have another chance!" He exclaimed in despair. The mental attack had put him in a severely distressed mind.
Dr. Magi, with hesitation, slowly let go of his grasp by standing away from him. "I'm sorry, Kid. I must stay and destroy the reactor before it goes critical. A reactor meltdown will render Singapore uninhabitable for years to come." He then approached the controller and typed something on the board, accepting his fate to suffer.
"Then, we can leave this place once you set the timer! I'm getting tired of this, Uncle!"
He tried to get himself on foot as he placed both hands on the floor to give himself support to raise his body steadily. However, he felt someone take hold of his chest and back, held by those hands that were thriving to him in a warming sensation.
He looked to the back and found out that it was Fu Hua who was helping him to stand up. He gave her a soft frown face of happiness. "Inchou..."
She pushed his chest up with her left palm while the right one rested still on his back until he could finally stand up on his legs, although it almost made him stumble if it wasn't for her support. She kept holding him until he felt he could stand alone. She didn't say anything in particular, as she kept staring at him softly with a caring and slight hint of her grave expression. She nodded and gave him a warming smile.
"That won't be necessary. I lived for far too long. The extreme Honkai levels here have thoroughly infected my wretched body. Consider this as my retribution for my sins."
He swiveled towards the pair and tugged the collar band downward, showing the white skin almost spreading out thoroughly, which was already in the final stage of zombifying.
His eyes widened as he tried to approach the scientist slowly with a downcast expression. But before he could, he was held off by her as he gazed at her in response.
Lips widened tightly, eyebrows raised up, eyelids squinting softly, not wanting to let him go any further to get his health exposed and contaminated. She then grazed his back and grasped his heart in response.
"No, Y/N... Just let him go...." She said bitterly like she was pleading with him.
Y/N looked down bitterly and tried to hold his sobs.
"I know you can do it, Kid. I'm proud of you. Please, your uncle is asking you to do your duty."
The scientist expressed his honor and dedication to the young Knight, placing his knuckle on his heart. He was proud of seeing his potential to save the world.
Y/N sobbed out, reluctant to leave him alone. He could feel his right shoulder getting patted by her, and she stroked his shoulder softly with her thumb with the utmost affection, like she understood his feeling. She then massaged him to soothe him up more.
"It's okay, Y/N...." She pleaded with him through the softest voice she had expressed for once in a while.
His eyes squinting in distraught, lips tightened, then he clasped one of her hands on his heart with his right hand and gave her a stroke on her knuckle before he reluctantly slid her hand down from his chest. Still, with her remorseful face, Fu Hua obeyed his gesture as her left hand swayed back to its normal position.
He then looked up with a venting face and in the stage of acceptance. "I won't let you down... Uncle Magi... I promise!" He yelled and sobbed, respecting his decision.
His mental state had almost recovered. With dedication, he swiveled his body to where Kiana was lying unconsciously. He was about to carry her and bring her away from the chamber. But then again, his action got interfered with by Fu Hua, who clasped his shoulders with her hands, moved closer to him, and shook her head. She insisted on doing it alone, feeling that he had gone through trouble already.
His eyes squinted in hesitant, but eventually, he gave her a slow nod of approval. She approached Kiana, crouched down, and lifted her in a bridal stance while Fu Hua stood up.
They then turned towards the exit passage direction, standing side by side.
"Then, we shall leave at once." Fu Hua said bitterly, with her head lowered.
Both started to depart from the place until they were abruptly stopped by Dr. Magi's last words.
"One last thing before you go."
They stopped momentarily.
"She may be quite foolish and naive at times... But her courage achieved a miracle that saved everyone in this city. Tell her that I'm very proud of her. That's all I could say for the little girl." The older scientist gave them a thumbs up as the last greeting.
".... Yeah, I will tell her... And yeah, I feel the same about her from time to time." Fu Hua replied softly and looked at Kiana, who slept peacefully in her arms.
"Thank you for everything, Uncle Magi... The light shall atone your sins....." Y/N replied along, and they resumed their evacuation.
The chamber door closed shut, leaving only Dr. Magi inside, where it was initiating the self-destruct mechanism. Still, he did not care for it anymore, as he had accepted his fate to depart from that world.
—----
{Reactor self-destruction system activated. Self-destruction countdown initiated}
{5}
Dr. Magi leaned down on the wall and tried to get some sleep, even though the alarm of self-destructs had blared. His eyes closed peacefully in acceptance, having to accept his unchanged destiny.
The whole place was falling down as rubbles started to drop down. Server machines were malfunctioning, emitting a light spark.
{4}
He felt something patted on his shoulder. He didn't bother to look, but he knew it was her late granddaughter, whose spirit just appeared beside him, smiling warmly.
"I didn't expect this at all... Meeting another brave Valkyrie at the final moments of my life. And this is the first time I met a Knight that can fight without having to worry about Honkai infecting him...."
{3}
"I was wrong. I should not have given up hope on the world...."
"It's good to see someone like you again, Lin."
{2}
"'The light shall atone your sins'... That boy watched too many superheroes... Hahaha... Ultraman is it...? Maybe we can watch it together, Lin...."
{1}
Everything turned white.
—----
Fu Hua and Y/N leaped up to the building on the roof. They looked back to where they were in the first place and witnessed a flash blink on the low ground, indicating an explosion had occurred inside. It was the last thing that Dr. Magi would prevent the outbreak.
"Good job, Dr. Magi. Singapore is safe." She praised him in honor of his sacrifice
Y/N saluted, paying his respect for his action.
"Time to take the Gem from Kiana's hands." She was reaching for Kiana's hand, attempting to take the Gem.
'!!!!!'
Y/N's eyes widened in instinct as he reached his right arm forward. At the same time, he stopped her by grasping Kiana's arm, which suddenly lunged forward at Fu Hua, preventing her from punching her face.
Fu Hua's eyes widened in surprise, though her instinct kicked in as she moved her head to the side to dodge the attack; he had already stopped it. Only her glasses were taken off due to the punch, which then dropped to the ground.
They retreated from Kiana, who was standing on her own after she got free from their hold through a leap. They both prepared in their fight stance and defending position.
"You move pretty fast." Kiana complimented on her unusual twisted voice.
"What now?!"
"She's under the control of something within the Gem!"
Her eyes opened, revealing her eye color changed to yellowish orange iris, identifying her different personality. The appearance was still Kiana, but her persona was completely different, showing a rather sinister look.
"You... Sirin, isn't it?"
"How do you know my name?" Sirin asked in her deep sinister voice.
"Sirin?! So those yellow eyes on her, were you?!" He retorted in a harsh tone.
Sirin shifted her yellow eyes towards the Knight that she didn't recognize. "Hmm? Another pair of your insects, huh...."
Fu Hua's eyebrows lowered in annoyance at hearing her calling him out with a disrespectful name. "He ain't an insect. Return to your slumber, Sirin. Or I'll make you sleep."
Her taunt made Sirin burst out laughing, to the point of making her stomach tingle. "HAHAHA! You're good at dodging questions, Valkyrie. May I ask who that insect is beside you?"
He squinted, expressing his bitter expression at getting called out. "What are you after, Sirin?!!" He shouted.
"HAHAHAHAHA! It's easy for you to say that, little insect!"
Then, she put on an evil expression of a smile and reached her hands towards them in her most intimidating motion.
"Don't worry. I'll break all your limbs and then ask nicely how you know my name."
Fu Hua observed the Gem that she was holding on her chest. Y/N still kept his focus on Sirin. They're still on their defensive stance.
'Her awakening is probably the worst thing that can happen. Severing her link with the Gem should seal her again. I must separate Kiana from the Gem of Serenity.'
'Damn! I shouldn't have spent all my feathers on that creep. They would be so helpful now.'
'I could not tell how much of Herrscher's powers she had regained... I must be extra careful in this fight.'
"Sirin" bent her body over and rushed forward suddenly, preparing to strike them at once.
'Here she comes... Eh...?!'
Y/N instinct kicked in, moving forward and stopping her fist with his palm, where he wore that bracelet, protecting Fu Hua from getting attacked.
Her eyes widened in fear, and she jumped off, fearing his action that she had known would get him backfired to death.
'No! Y/N! That punch will kill you in a vapor!'
"Hooo... You dodged it well, bug. Sadly, you're just an idiot like humans." Sirin mocked him as she unleashed the dark vaporizing energy thriving towards his arms.
His hands were starting to evaporate to specks of purple vapor. However, he wasn't fazed by the effects, as he kept staring at her coldly.
"Ultra-Suits Z: Alpha Edge; Activate"
He announced as he smashed the bracelet to activate the Battlesuit with his left hand.
"What?! What?!"
Her eyes widened in disbelief at what she just saw. The evaporation on his hand was nullified as well.
The holder dangling on his hip opened by itself, and the artificial gems shining in light glided out onto the bracelet. The gems were Ultraman Zero, Ultraseven, and Ultraman Leo Gems.
The Battlesuit materialized on his body quickly, with the helmet emerging to his head to resemble the fusion form of Ultraman Z: Alpha Edge in a more mechanical appearance.
{Ultraman Suits Z: Alpha Edge!}
"Uchu Kenpou, Hiden No Kamiwaza. (Space Martial Arts, The Inherited Fighting Techniques)."
"WHO ARE YOU?!!" She snarled in surprise, eyes widened in shock seeing the vaporizing got nullified.
He felt that she subconsciously lowered her guard on his grip on the fist, giving him a chance to strike her.
"Zestium Maser." He announced the attack, and the green lamp on the forehead fired a pinpoint green laser point blank. She managed to block the attack with her arms in a cross pattern. Still, the firepower was enough to push her backward to several yards, leaving a trail of the floor breaking into rubble. She deflected the attack by swaying her arms lower, and he stopped firing it.
Fu Hua's eyes widened and mouth agape in awe, unable to register what just happened to him. Seeing him transformed into a battlesuit that she never saw was something that she felt amazed. At the same time, she was relieved that the vaporization effect nullified her from consuming him to nothing.
'The evaporation effect... It was nullified. That Battlesuit... no... Ultra-suit, I've never seen one like this. The Inherited Fighting Techniques, Space Martial Arts...'
He was still focused on his opponent, posing in a fighting stance resembling a karate pose.
Sirin shook her head in annoyance. She recovered from the previous attack and snorted out of amusement.
"Not bad, insect. You managed to inflict damage on me. And you even know how to deal with my attacks. This time, I will vaporize you even stronger. My vapors would have eaten you down to your bones."
That arrogant talk made Fu Hua smirk mockingly. "Heh. Thanks for telling me that. Help me work on this."
She moved to his side, briefly looked at him, and shifted her gaze to the opponent in front.
Y/N replied with only a grunt and a nod of agreement. That response also made her slightly amused.
'Straight to the point, huh? I like you....'
Fu Hua stretched her left arm forward and placed the fist on her hip, posing in her fighting stance. While Y/N raised his hands in a clenched and bent his arms to his chest level before making his arms stance similar to hers, he moved his left leg behind and arched his right knee.
She then taunted her by crooking her left fingers, beckoning her to come. "Come at us. You'll never hit us."
Sirin raged in disgust at getting mocked and taunted by her opponent, which she thought she could quickly deal with. "Die, you little insect!"
She rushed forward to them and was about to deliver a punch at them. With their quick reflexes, they dodged the attack by moving themselves aside fast, causing her to miss the strike. Y/N took the opportunity by sweeping his legs to hers, causing her to trip. Followed by Fu Hua, who kicked at her abdomen midair with her legs raised up, performing her roundhouse kick. The combo attack executed flawlessly with the fluid dynamic of their movement.
Sirin ended up launching herself back where she was standing and rolled her body back in agony after landing on it hard. She crouched in her knee while catching her breath and hissing out of minor pain.
"You're stuck in Kiana's body. That places a limit on your speed." Fu Hua mocked her fearlessly.
They both returned to their fighting stance and stood side by side, facing Sirin.
Sirin casually stood up and scoffed at their performance with her evil smile. "Hmph. You're harder to kill than I thought. But I can always create more vapors. Let's see how you dodge all this, worm!"
The yellow-eyed Herrscher charged her purple energy vapor, gathering it through the palm of her hands. Then she launched the mist at them, encasing them in the process, and they raised their arms in defense.
Both were engulfed by the vapor as they got trapped inside. However, they remained calm as they looked around the dome.
Y/N quickly reacted by summoning the twin crest Sluggers from the head and circulating around them at a very high speed, with his arms stretched to the side forward with his index finger. It left a blue energy trail to neutralize any nearby dangerous vapor, giving her time to nullify it at once.
He looked at her and grunted while nodding as if to say she got the chance while he was at it. Fu Hua nodded, folded her arms, and started channeling her inner strength.
The dome was starting to get smaller, trapping them to death. Sirin watched the Vortex of Serenity keep getting more intense in a prideful evil manner.
"Haa! Take that, Insects! The Vortex of Serenity shall reduce you to a pile of dust!"
"Huh?!!"
Something was off for her as the result that she wanted wasn't what she expected, making her face flatten out in dismay.
The dome may have gotten smaller, but the dark energy was converted into a pure light blue energy vortex.
"Whoo."
Fu Hua stretched her arms, gathering the particles of lights on her palms in a vortex shape, where the dark mist was converted to pure particle lights by Y/N.
After she gained enough, she gathered her arms in a cross shape and then let it all out by stretching her arms sideways, which created massive shockwaves all over the rooftop. Particles of light scattered all over the air of Singapore town.
The circulating Sluggers returned to his head in a crest shape, and he rested his arms by his side, with his lower arms lifted upwards, clenching.
Sirin could only look at them in an unexpected and disbelieving surprise at her deadly attack getting countered with ease. "What?! How did you scatter my vortex?!"
"Impressive your vortex may be. I have a counter. I know a Valkyrie who wields the same power... and I've developed a special move to scatter it into the winds." She mocked her without any mercy.
"Special move? That's cheating! No human should be able to blast away a Herrscher's vortex!" She denied in a rasping worried tone.
Then she shifted her focus to Y/N in his Ultra-suits, who only remained in that "fist by his side" position, stared dead at Sirin with a cold demeanor, even through the mask.
"And that insect!! Who are you really?!! Take that mask off. I dare you! YOU'RE JUST CHEATING WITH YOUR SCRAP SUIT!" She pointed sharply at him.
He remained quiet and did not respond to her demanding question.
Fu Hua chuckled at her desperate and worrying tone. "We are weak when compared to Herrschers who scoff at physical laws. Thus, we worked hard to develop ways to level the playing field. And I have my ally who made my life much easier to deal with you. Better watch what you're saying." She bravely closed her eyes, showing her confidence.
"Your partially awakened state is no match against our skills. Just go back to sleep and save us both the trouble." She then opened her eyes, switching to a fighting stance, with confidence remaining on her face. Y/N followed her, too, and grunted while at it.
"How dare you, Cheater?! Do you think you can scare me?!"
She couldn't believe herself getting insulted by her human foes. As such, she responded in rage by activating her last resort power. She charged herself with pink energy power, engulfing her body, and the insignia symbol appeared on her chest.
A beacon of pink light struck upon her. Sirin has transformed into a dark Knight Moonbeam battlesuit, where Kiana achieved this during the Nagazora Outbreak incident. She went all out with her inner strength, showing off her transformed state at them. Wings of energy sprouted from her back as she dashed herself in midair and levitated.
"Good. This Battlesuit shall give me the firepower I need!" Sirin declared
Both switched their fighting stance to a normal defensive posture, looking up at the transformed Sirin.
"The Moonbeam battlesuit?! How did she get this?!" Fu Hua retorted
Index finger pointed at them upside down. "Because Herrschers can do anything, Humans! I secretly recorded its exact structure when Kiana used it."
Sirin stretched her whole body to the side and lowered in the direction of the two, and charged her energy wings to prepare to bombard them at once.
"The Gem of Serenity gave me the power to recreate this suit! I can't find a better weapon to unleash my vast Honkai reserves!"
She bombarded the energy bullets with all of her greed and merciless manner. "Wanna know how much Honkai I have? Enough to blast you to pieces!"
Y/N stretched his arm upwards to conjure the energy shield that protected Fu Hua and himself. She moved to his back and had to strategize, beating the Herrscher while Y/N defended the attacks as much as he could.
"HAHAHAHAHA! Summoning shields?! WHAT CHEAP! You can't block my attacks forever, termites! My Gem has enough Honkai to completely destroy this city!" Sirin laughed hysterically, watching them getting bombarded mercilessly.
Fu Hua clicked her tongue, expressing her frustration at being caught in the sitting duck situation. 'Damn it! I lack the means to tackle an airborne opponent!'
As if her mind read by him, Y/N suddenly grunted at her, which she thought was that she got called by him, and she looked at his back in response.
"What is it, Y/N?" She asked him in a quiet, raspy tone.
His Slugger crest glowed in light as if to remind her that she still had his Eye Slugger in her hands.
Head tilted in confusion, trying to figure out what he said. 'What does he mean?'
Suddenly, a glimpse of light glare from low caught on her sight, as she looked down, only to find out that something glowed through her outer T-shirt battlesuit. She slipped her right hand into the t-shirt and grasped it.
"Oh! This is..." She observed it in agape, and The Eye Slugger was glowing in the light as she instantly remembered that she still had his weapon in her possession.
'This glowing knife was also the same back when he first fought....'
Then, she blinked momentarily and smiled, understanding what he meant. She then stood up in determination, joining his side to perform their attacks with a determined heart.
"Push the shield and throw it at her at once!" She suggested in her loud voice.
He nodded while grunting in response.
He then pushed the shield forward as it lurched away from them, giving them room to throw simultaneously. Having to react quickly, they were in the throwing stance, aiming at her. Hands posed on his head by the crest weapon.
"Dyuwah!" They shouted their battle cry as they threw the Slugger together in a spinning motion while providing cover to the shield that had been pushed upwards.
"What?!!" Sirin noticed that a barrier of the shield was heading towards her, forming a gritted tooth in her mouth. She managed to break it with her homing attack, which was when she thought she had succeeded.
The Sluggers spun forward at Sirin, leaving energy trails behind, then split their way to perform the counterattack.
"!!!"
Her eyes widened as she realized a bit too late when the spinning knife weapon hit her body and back repetitively in a slashing motion. She forcefully had to stop the attack out of the ambush.
"Yes!" Fu Hua raised her right hand in a clenched, expressing their successful combo attack again.
The Sluggers were rebounding at them. However, Y/N quickly dashed to the sky, with the Sluggers reversed to his head while the Eye Slugger got gripped.
Fu Hua, to her surprise, gasped at him and instinctively tried to reach him with her left hand stretching forward to him. She couldn't believe what she saw and thought that he had gone beyond the line by facing directly at that dangerous Herrscher. Her eyes widened in concern and panic, gasping for breath, afraid he might get beaten to death.
She couldn't help but, for once in her life, she wanted to express her emotion of caring for him. "No!! That's a suicide, bèn de!!" She yelled and swore in Chinese, clasping her heart very tightly.
Meanwhile, he tackled Sirin, pushing her away from the site. She looked disgusted at him as she shoved his hands off her and delivered a punch at him. He attacked her back, tackling their punches until their arms held each other off with their best power.
"Human botfly! I'm going to teach you a lesson on how to treat a girl respectfully! Soon, that mask will be mine!!" Sirin snapped in a cringe and taunted him.
She released from his grip and flew away from him. He expelled his war cry when he started to chase her. Both had caught in their intense dogfight. Flashing lights occurred in seconds as they traded blows with each other in a dashing attack.
Fu Hua was still trying to think of how to get herself levitate and fly to help him, expressing pressure and concern for his safety.
"Hello there, old friend. How are you doing? How's the mission?"
Overseer Otto's voice can be heard through her red glasses, lying on the ground the whole time. She looked down in response, took it instantaneously, and started communicating through the hook.
"I bet you can see it from your place. Try to do something. She has enough firepower to destroy Singapore. Our A-rank Knight is trying to stall her." She said in her severe professional tone, although she wanted to vent her voice out of her emotion.
"Indeed. Things look bad and good on your side. Well. I've already received my test data. Tell me what you need, and I'll see if I can do something about it."
She clicked her tongue over his stall to request it. "Send that over. I don't want to make him overwhelmed."
"That will cost you, old friend. But I guess it can't be helped. Your Battlesuit is ready to be used again." Otto sent the data through her glasses.
As the data had been received, she quickly wore the glasses to the blue eyes, and the Battlesuit materialized from the mirrors. Her whole body began to cover itself in mechanical parts. Seconds passed, and she had transformed into the Shadow Knight Battlesuit. She put on her mask, initiating the Eclipse Mode, and immediately dashed to the battle zone of their dogfight in the air, leaving a crater on the roof of the building.
Meanwhile, Y/N and Sirin fend off their punching attacks in a quick move, still levitating in the air. They then held their arms against each other with their best strength.
Suddenly, he heard a blinking noise on his chest and realized his energy was depleting, and the blue lamp on the protector's chest started to blink red.
Sirin saw this and reacted in a laughing and mocking reaction. "Ha! Does that lamp indicate your depleting power?! What a shame! Soon, you'll be crushed to death as soon as your strength wears out! And I'll make that scrappy mask of yours a trophy of mine!" She mocked him profoundly.
Y/N grunted sharply, still focusing on her. He only had 30 seconds before his battlesuits disintegrated.
Afterward, at the same time, they deliver a deathblow punch at each other, causing both of them to get bounced back until they're distant.
"Eat this!" Sirin blasted a homing energy bullet from her wings.
He defended himself with his arms crossed forward, preparing to take the hit.
An explosion was heard right before him, but nothing hit him. He realized that Fu Hua had blocked the attack for him after he relaxed his arms to take a good look.
She heard the blinking noise from behind, but her eyes still focused on Sirin.
'That sound and the blinking red on his chest... Could it be his power depleting? Then, we have to end this quickly.'
"Two can play this game. Time to show you how this Battlesuit actually works." She pointed at Sirin.
"YOU'RE CHEATING AGAIN!!!" She yelled out of disgust at getting insulted again.
With no other choice, she summoned the big weapon from her arms, named Gungnir Execution, charging the beam.
"It's the Gungnir Execution!" Fu Hua screeched.
She saw him gilded forward without a second thought, passing her and stopping behind her. Once again, she gasped in surprise and worrying thoughts, doing his reckless act again.
He started to charge his beam attack, utilizing the Zestium Beam attack. Sirin fired the Gungnir Execution while screaming, and at the same time, he fired the Zestium Beam once he placed his arms on "+" style. The beams clashed together, and they were beam-struggling with each other.
'Can't you, for once, just not give me a heart attack?!'
Fu Hua witnessed the beam struggle scene agape of worried expression. She couldn't help but bare her teeth in emotional distress.
"Alright! Just keep holding on for a moment!" She shouted in a raspy tone. She glided down below their level to give her a chance to flank her from below. Then she flew up at quick speed, preparing to flank her.
"Wha...? What?!!" Sirin sensed someone from below as she helplessly looked down and saw a figure coming at her. A bit too late again for her.
"Too slow, Sirin!" She punched her with full power, ending the beam struggle, and defeated Sirin.
The soul of Sirin had vanished, returning to ordinary Kiana, still in an unconscious state. She descended down, and her grip on the Gem loosened as it levitated up.
Fu Hua caught the Gem while Y/N glided at Kiana and grabbed her to save her from falling.
The duo landed together on the same rooftop building, with Kiana secured safely in his hands. His Battlesuit disappeared right on time, reverting back to his default form. Their masks also disappeared, revealing both faces exhausted in battle.
They both turned to each other, standing and looking at each other with the sunset in the background.
"Mission complete." She declared, showing the Gem in her hands.
"That was wicked... Wow..." He finally spoke up in an exhausted state.
For once, she wanted to punch him out of distress to keep making her worried, but she had restrained herself from doing it, saving it for later when the right time came.
She gave him a warm smile. "You were cool there, Y/N...."
"Same as you. That Eye Slugger throwing part was the best thing I've ever encountered."
She saw him taking out the Eye Slugger, almost signifying their friendship over the item element. She smiled out of happiness and joyful expression.
"This Eye Slugger really suits you, Class Monitor... Look, it even can be stored as a crest." He placed the Slugger on her head, acting like she had a crest. She could only giggle out of his humor.
"How silly you're...."
Y/N lifted his lower arm in a fist and moved her arm to Fu Hua, much to her confusion, as she leaned her head.
"Cross-touch. A gesture sign of our friendship." He smiled at her.
"Oh..." She smiled nervously.
She was doing it as he did and nervously looked at her arms momentarily before bumping her lower arms to his, crossing their arms in shape.
Y/N closed his eyes and smiled. Fu Hua smiled, too, no longer nervous. Right there was where they enjoyed the heartwarming moments from their intense battle that greatly exhausted them yet paid off with the most developed bonding of friendship.
—----
"Kiana! You finally woke up!" Mei hugged Kiana right when she had awakened from her deep slumber.
"Wait, why are you all here? I thought I was on a mission in Singapore...." Kiana didn't seem to remember her previous event. Himeko, Bronya, Mei, Theresa, and Captain Muller were standing by in her ward.
"You messed up, girl. A Honkai Shockwave knocked you out. But Fu Hua and Y/N were around to get you out of there." Captain Muller addressed in his stoic voice.
"You owe her big time, girl. Make sure you thank them for this." Himeko continued.
Unbeknownst to them, Y/N and Fu Hua were not to be seen at Kiana's ward, and it turned out that they were leaning against the wall, away from them.
When they started mentioning them, Fu Hua gestured her head to the door, joining him to go out, and he followed her out from the ward, not in their mood of gathering.
As they were walking in the hallway, he noticed that the way she was walking was very improper, much to his surprise as he looked in horror.
She started coughing and gagging very profoundly, her mouth covered with her palm, and her blood oozed out from her lips. At the same time, she hated that sudden attack that occurred right in front of him.
'Nghhh! Why now?!!'
Hearing her coughing hard made him want to hold and hug her in care as he moved forward to her. "Inchou...!" He then wrapped his arms around her, trying to ease her agony with the best care possible.
She couldn't help but react in sorrowful thoughts over his treating her with care. She hadn't felt something warming for long, and for once, she wanted to keep him like that to her.
"It's alright... It's nothing...." She reached for his heart, clasped his shirt, then leaned her side body on his, placing her head on his front right shoulder, trying to let her agony fade away.
"What do you mean "nothing"? I just saw blood on your lips...." He said in an emphatic voice and worried expression.
She rested her head on his shoulder, weakly gasping for air, as she closed her eyes in misery. "This is nothing...."
Suddenly, their Overseer was standing in front of them. Y/N immediately went cautious only by looking at his face but kept his image for himself as he remembered what Dr. Magi had just said.
"Your bastard Overseer is such an inhumane and evil person for using humanity as a guinea pig to fight against the Honkai."
"Good job. Against all odds, you managed to return the Gem to us. Maybe, I should give a thank you to our viable Knight for helping you." Otto started his conversation
"Overseer Otto." He saluted him while still wrapping her.
"Nice work, Y/N. I was wrong about your performance, but you showed great potential like her. And, since you already knew our plans, I'll spill it away as a reward." He praised him.
"Her powers have yet to reach the full might of the 2nd Herrscher, but we now know she has learned the means of using the Gem."
Fu Hua's head remained low and rested on his shoulder, trying to fade her agony while Y/N kept an eye on him with caution.
"I didn't expect you to show up here, Lord Otto." She said weakly.
"I'm not a heartless person, Fu Hua. I came here to check on you. We are partners, after all, Old friend."
"Don't worry... I won't die just yet. Not before I fulfill my share of the deal...." Fu Hua said in her raspy sick tone while wiping the blood from her mouth with her knuckle hand. Y/N already knew that she was trying to hide it from him
"Good. You still remember our deal. That's why I respect you so much. And If you've done your share, I'll uphold my side of the bargain. Schicksal will serve as the everlasting Shield of Shenzhou." He smiled at his leader's demeanor.
Fu Hua didn't buy his words, as she glared at him sharply.
"I don't need your respect, Otto. If you renege on our agreement, I'll make you pay. Come on, Y/N." She replied in a sharp yet sick tone and grasped Y/N's arm with all of her life with her right hand.
He didn't say anything as they started to walk away from him. Y/N was still wrapping around her shoulder with his right hand and gripped her soft right wrist with his left hand with utmost care. She wanted to stay like this and not want to let him go from his hold.
"Hey, Y/N. Fu Hua needs some accompaniment from now on. Make sure you treat her right, okay? That's an order from your Overseer." Otto just chuckled and closed his eyes. Y/N didn't respond to him though he listened to his words, as he kept his eyes forward and walked away through the corridor.
"Strong words, Old friend. Given your weakness, I wonder how you'll make me pay. I still remember the day when we first met. She stood at the head of the Ming Army in the final battle of the Kipchak Steppe. The Immortal Guardian of Shenzou who single-handedly defeated the princes of Europe. Then she attacked, scattering the military orders of Schicksal. Even my dear Kallen was brought to her knees. But that incident robbed her of her immortality and most of her powers." Otto reminisced, leaning by the frame of the window.
"She's nothing more than a MOTH that has burned most of its wings. And now, she must dance to my tunes to ensure the safety of Shenzhou."
And He knew Captain Muller was standing beside him without words coming out. They had an almost bittersweet relationship in their history.
"Isn't that right, Dominic? Whether you like it, I have always respected your Class Monitor. Despite Betrayal, loneliness, and obvious dangers... And knowing that you might very much die for it... You've continued to dedicate your life to a promise made to someone... and fight to defend Shenzhou. You even agreed to work with me and got your hands dirty to live up to that promise."
He then walked past his old friend of Captain, tapping his shoulder, while Captain Muller glared at him with a regular face but bitter heart.
"Your dedication to your promise reminds me of my dedication towards Kallen's revival."
—----
Having already recovered from her miserable pain after some time, Fu Hua stored the Honkai-Neutralizing serum given by Dr. Magi in her locker, saved it for the best later, and locked the locker securely. She stared blankly at the vault and thought of someone who had always been there for her.
'Gonna check on Y/N....'
Meanwhile, in the lab, Y/N had just finished creating an artificial gem that contained the Honkai-Neutralizing serum mixed with the Beta System formula. He also followed the steps of Dr. Magi, provided by the USB he had received. He took it out from a chamber and observed it in glory.
"The Kindness Warrior, Ultraman Cosmos."
The item he held depicted an image of an Ultraman Cosmos Gem.