Heliopolis Biomedical Park — 30 minutes later...
"They've more than doubled security."
"The layout is vast... almost too vast, Should we split up?"
Rita turned to him, the corners of her lips curving into a soft, confident smile. She handed him a slim earpiece.
"It's better if we stay connected. I'll update you the moment I see movement."
Shin nodded, slipping the device into his ear.
"Alright... Just be careful."
From Rita's Perspective...
The faint scent of disinfectants and metal drifted through the corridors as she moved swiftly and silently.
"Adjutant Rita," Alvitr's voice crackled through her comms. "Are you really going in before Master Durandal arrives? I... I shouldn't question a superior, but you were injured in the last operation. Going in alone—it's not brave. It's reckless."
Rita paused, her gaze momentarily distant.
"I agree with you, Alvitr," she said gently. "I take full responsibility... for my missteps, for the fallen, for all I failed to protect. But I am still here. And the mission isn't over yet."
A breath. A beat.
"I will stop the World Serpent."
There was a pause on the line. Then, Alvitr's cautious voice asked, "...Their plans?"
"We'll win—no doubt—once Master Durandal arrives, But what if she's too late? What if the Serpent completes whatever horror they've begun here?"
She turned a corner, her tone hardening.
"I'm a Valkyrie. I do not take pride in avenging the dead. I protect the living. This is why I cannot wait. This mission... is mine alone."
But then—Shin's voice cut in sharply through the comms.
"Wrong. It's not your mission, Rita. It's our mission."
That silenced her for a moment. Her expression softened.
"Your words are... oddly poetic," she said with a chuckle. "Forgive me, Alvitr. I hadn't considered them before."
Alvitr's voice cracked with emotion.
"Then I'm coming with you! I'm sorry for doubting you, Adjutant, but please be careful! In your current state, your Honkai sync rate is practically zero—you're barely stronger than a normal human!"
"I know," Rita replied calmly. "But we Valkyries are trained to fight even without Honkai energy. My body remembers... and so does my heart."
"And don't worry," Shin added, his voice steady. "I'll be your shadow. No one's getting past me. Not this time."
...
...
Rita stepped onto the dimly lit escalator, her expression calm yet resolute as it carried her deeper into the labyrinthine facility.
"Adjutant," Alvitr's voice chimed through the comms, "I tweaked your battlesuit before deployment. Honkai energy output is still restricted, but I've restored limited operational function. You should be able to fight—just don't overexert it."
"Thank you, Alvitr," Rita replied softly. "I'll begin by searching for the cure."
As she descended, the dim glow of flickering lights reflected off her scythe. Spotting a lone Mindless Soldier wandering the hall, she moved like a shadow.
The back of her scythe slammed into the back of its head, knocking it down. Without hesitation, she drove her heel into its back, disabling it completely.
"Time to activate detection mode."
With a small flick of her wrist, her battlesuit hummed to life, scanning the surrounding area in pulses of blue light.
There.
A cluster of enemy signatures flickered on her HUD. Rita dashed forward, and with a single clean swing of her scythe, she cleaved through the Mindless Soldiers in her path, graceful yet deadly.
"Adjutant," Alvitr reported, "the research wing is just ahead. It's likely where they're keeping the data on the antidote—or Kiana."
"Noted. But... where is the EOS wreckage? We saw it crash earlier."
"Possibly cleared. Could be standard protocol."
Rita frowned.
"No... it doesn't feel right."
Meanwhile, deep within the Heliopolis Biomedical Park...
A medical pod hissed softly in the lower levels as its seal opened. Inside, Raven slowly sat up, steam rising around her as she exhaled sharply.
Her voice was low and shaken.
"I dreamed of my brother again... The day I left him behind."
A screen blinked to life beside her, Jackal's mechanical voice greeting her with cold enthusiasm.
"Good morning, Raven. You should be fully recovered now. Quite the feat—you defeated a Herrscher. That alone shows the might of World Serpent. You've proven my hypothesis correct: no matter how powerful, Herrschers are still mortal humans."
Raven stood slowly, expression unreadable.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Jackal. The Herrscher of Blades is still out there. He'll come. And when he does..."
Jackal giggled through the transmission.
"Oh, I'm counting on it! But let's not worry. Thanks to you, we've secured a live Herrscher specimen! Imagine what we'll uncover about Honkai... About the very essence of these beings."
Raven's eyes narrowed.
"And will your experiments bring back the people killed by Honkai?"
Silence.
Jackal's voice crackled through the intercom, colder now, almost devoid of emotion.
"...You're not a scientist, Raven. But I am. You don't understand the opportunity we've secured. This specimen—this Herrscher—is a gateway to truths humanity has only begun to grasp."
Raven remained silent, her fists clenched by her side.
"You won't defeat an enemy you don't understand. We must embrace it, dissect it, learn from it. That is how we break the cycle. If we fail to evolve, all your pain—all your suffering—will be meaningless. Insignificant."
Jackal continued, her tone detached and clinical.
"Individual pain is irrelevant. We are working to end the only suffering that truly matters: the agony inflicted by the Honkai on all of humanity. So let's stay focused on our respective roles."
Raven's eyes darkened. She turned her gaze toward the observation window overlooking the containment chamber where Kiana was kept in stasis. Her face bore no expression, yet her thoughts burned.
Then Jackal added, a twisted sort of pride lacing her words:
"The Herrscher of the Void is under our control. The activation 'button' is set. In two hours, no one will be able to stop it."
A heavy silence followed.
"Push the button."
Jackal's voice grew reverent, almost euphoric.
"And the people of this city will be reborn."
Meanwhile, from Shin's perspective...
According to the data I've collected, this should be the biomedical park. If we're lucky, we'll find clues about the antidote... and a way to save Kiana.
I placed one finger on my earpiece.
"Rita, I'm moving through the northwest corridor. Where are you now?"
Silence.
"Rita? Alvitr? Do you copy?"
Static. No response.
I exhaled sharply, frowning. Damn it...
"Communication's down. Either interference or—" I didn't finish the thought. I just started running.
The park's sterile halls echoed faintly with each step, but something was off. A sharp glint on the floor caught my eye—a clean slash. I knelt down beside it.
Fresh cut. Not even oxidized yet. Someone fought here.
I rose, eyes narrowing, scanning the walls—holograms flickered weakly, still active. Panels floated, half-loaded with research logs and analysis scans.
The hallway forked.
Right-wing—pharmaceutical labs.
A soft light blinked above the entrance: Formulation Lab – Access Unlocked
Someone's been here... or still is.
I tightened my grip on my blade and slipped inside.
As I scanned the dim lab, my eyes locked onto the main terminal—its screen still glowing, left open in a rush. Someone had been here recently.
Maybe there's still data in here...
I moved quickly, fingers gliding across the keys. Keywords... HSN-B46... block reactions...
There—a file buried under layers of restricted access protocols. I cracked them one by one, pulse quickening.
That's it. That's where they're keeping it... the antidote.
But then—I felt it.
A presence behind me.
My fingers froze over the keyboard.
Without hesitation, I pivoted, unsheathing my blade mid-turn and slashing in a clean arc behind me.
The figure dodged—fast. Precise.
Smoke hissed from the vents above, shrouding the figure in thick clouds. I couldn't make out a face.
But if they're here... they're no amateur.
I darted forward through the haze, blade ready to strike again.
That's when I saw it—
A glint of lightning danced in the mist.
She blocked my strike with ease, and in that brief clash, our eyes locked—
Both our expressions flickered with surprise.
"Mei-senpai?"
"Shin?"