Under Cecilia's guidance, Kiana, though clueless, was utterly shocked.
This is possible?
Using a game as the switch to activate an elevator—could it be that Bishop Otto is a sly little genius?
Moreover, according to Cecilia, she was a master at this game.
Not long after playing, she surpassed Otto's top rank on the leaderboard.
However, her account was soon banned.
With Cecilia's help, Kiana quickly passed the game.
Because of this, Kiana became even more convinced of the magic spell's power, believing it could truly grant any wish.
However—
At that moment, Otto's communication came through. He indicated that if Cecilia wasn't absolutely certain she could handle the Second Herrscher, he would launch a Honkai fission bomb to destroy the entire lab, along with the Herrscher.
At this point, the barrage lit up with activity:
[What the heck kind of bomb? Can it even take out a Herrscher?]
[Classic, very American. Can't win? Just drop a nuke.]
[I feel like in a world with such supernatural powers, bombs are kinda pointless unless they're some special kind of weapon.]
[Otto feels like such a dog.]
[Honestly, it's not that bad. I hate Mary Sues more. If the Second Herrscher reached a city, wouldn't the casualties be worse? Better to take her out with minimal cost.]
— —
To defeat the Second Herrscher faster, Cecilia asked Kiana to shut off the power, which would allow her to open the passage.
Without a second thought, Kiana rushed toward the basement.
At that moment, a nightmare from a few days ago flashed in her mind:
Her mother and the Second Herrscher perishing together!
Kiana absolutely couldn't let that happen, even if it was just simulated data!
She searched harder for the power switch but found nothing.
When she tried to backtrack, she realized she was trapped in a safe room.
Cecilia was preparing to face the Second Herrscher alone, ensuring Kiana would be safe from the missile's impact inside the safe room.
When Kiana finally exhausted all options and reached the battlefield, Cecilia was already a cold, lifeless corpse.
[????]
[Huh???]
[For real? A knife this early?]
[Damn it!]
[Well, well, well, filming a web drama like this, huh? Well, well, well…]
— —
Suddenly, Kiana's vision went black, and she found herself back a few minutes earlier.
She didn't question why this happened. Her only priority was finding a way to save Cecilia.
With the advantage of a second loop, Kiana successfully ambushed and drove off the Second Herrscher.
The mother and daughter continued their journey together, discovering many victims forced into experiments along the way.
A thought arose in Cecilia's heart: "I've always had a dream. There are still many children in this world born with Honkai resistance. I want to build an academy just for them. Valkyries, the children here…
They should all grow up like normal people, not become sacrifices to war. The tragedy of this tower must never happen again.
So, if you're willing, would you help me make this dream come true?"
"Of course, Lady Cecilia! Please, let me walk this path with you!"
"Haha, wonderful! Then we'll need to think about where to build the academy. I've heard there's a beautiful island in the Far East…"
[Oh! I get it. This is the origin of St. Freya!]
[Sigh, I must be getting old. I can't handle plots like this. Thinking about what happens later… ugh.]
[Don't sigh. This isn't reality, just a data simulation. Maybe they can fix things?]
— —
The mother and daughter finally found the weakened Second Herrscher on the rooftop.
Under their combined efforts, Cecilia successfully defeated the Second Herrscher.
"Rest in peace, Second Herrscher… no, I should say, Miss Sirin."
Suddenly, Kiana tightly hugged Cecilia. "We did it… we succeeded!"
She was overwhelmed with joy from fighting alongside her mother, unable to contain herself.
Cecilia didn't resist at all. She simply smiled and gently stroked Kiana's head. "You're just like a little kid."
"Lady Cecilia, can I hug you a bit longer? Just a little longer."
Cecilia responded tenderly, "Of course, hug me as long as you want."
"You worked hard, Kiana."
[Not bad, not bad.]
[I told you, it's the New Year—don't they deserve a happy moment?]
[At least the writers have some conscience. Kiana briefly got the motherly love she never had. Poor kid.]
[I hope Kiana can keep pushing forward strongly.]
— —
But then, the plot took a sharp, dizzying turn, leaving the audience reeling.
"Kiana, why are you here!?" Theresa suddenly appeared behind Kiana.
"Theresa?" Kiana, full of pride, pointed at Cecilia behind her. "The Second Herrscher has been defeated by me and Lady Cecilia together!"
"What are you talking about, Kiana? There's no one else here…"
"What nonsense are you saying? Lady Cecilia is right by my si—" Kiana turned abruptly, only to find no one there. "Mom…!"
"How did you slip into this space?" Theresa reached to grab Kiana's sleeve. "Come back with me, this place…"
Suddenly, a figure subdued Theresa in a single move. "To avoid interfering with our mission, please step aside for now, Principal."
It was none other than Class Monitor Fu Hua, her expression stern and serious. "Kiana, your mother isn't here."
"Huh? That voice?" Kiana slowly turned, her eyes filled with despair. "Class Monitor! Where is this place? Where's my mom?"
"This data space never had any virtual environment or AI. The Babylon Lab and Cecilia never existed from the start."
Kiana shot up. "What are you saying?! No, you're lying! Mom was right by my side. We defeated the Second Herrscher together. I protected my mom!"
In the next moment, Kiana grabbed Fu Hua's arms tightly, tears streaming uncontrollably. "Give me back my mom!"
Fu Hua looked at Kiana expressionlessly. "From the moment you entered this data space, you've been standing in place. It was that Herrscher's trick, trapping you in your own dream. Everything you saw, everything you experienced—it was all fake.
The Cecilia you were searching for, the mother you fought so hard to protect, was just an illusion Sirin created from your desires."
Each of Fu Hua's words pierced Kiana's beautiful memories like steel needles, shattering them completely.
"No… impossible!" Kiana collapsed to her knees, clutching her face in agony.
"This isn't real. Mom must be here. I'll definitely find her! Right, there's still that magic spell."
"Ich★ liebe★ dich."
"Ich★ liebe★ dich."
Kiana opened her eyes, revealing golden pupils.
"Ich★ liebe★ dich…"
— —