---o---
Immaculate… luminous… and an aching numbness…
Those were Rita's first impressions as she regained consciousness and cautiously observed her surroundings.
Rita had to admit, this defeat stemmed from her own carelessness.
She tentatively tried to move her limbs, only to discover that her hands and ankles were bound fast, rendering her completely immobile.
Surveying the environment, Rita bit her lip, a sense of astonishment growing within her.
As Otto's most effective assassin, she was no stranger to confinement and interrogation, but the scene before her defied all her expectations.
The walls were made of a pristine, high-tech metal, flowing seamlessly into the metallic floor. Bright light strips were embedded in the ceiling.
This setting was a stark contrast to the dark, cramped rooms she typically used. It felt less like an interrogation chamber and more like the Babylon Tower she had once inspected.
This style of decor... is it a research laboratory?
If so, this is troublesome... Should I lose my usefulness, my fate will likely be grim.
After all, the body of an S-rank Valkyrie was an exceedingly precious specimen, no matter how you looked at it.
As the saying goes, one who kills must be prepared to be killed. Rita did not fear death itself, but the thought of the torture that might precede it sent an involuntary shiver down her spine.
However, just as her own grim imagination began to stoke the embers of fear, the metal door before her emitted a soft 'beep' before sliding open.
The figure who appeared in the doorway was not the person who had knocked her out, but rather... a pipsqueak?
It was a diminutive figure, seemingly less than a meter tall, with a delicate yet cold face. Her body was proportioned like a cute stuffed toy, dressed in a white lab coat, and seated atop a device that resembled a suitcase.
It didn't appear to be human, but what else could it be?
Having never encountered an armed puppet, Rita experienced a brief moment of existential doubt. She felt she ought to say something, but before the words could form, the little one spoke first.
"Hey, you're Rita, right?"
"Mm... I am..."
Sensing no immediate hostility from the small figure, Rita calmed her nerves.
As a 'bad woman' with a penchant for teasing 'lolis,' Rita naturally felt an innate fondness for a petite, doll-like girl such as this.
After all, a girl this cute couldn't possibly be some kind of pervert, could she?
Yet, just as this thought crossed her mind, Rita saw the little girl produce a strange, metallic creature from her suitcase.
She called it a creature because it was shaped like a four-legged spider. Its body was forged from pitch-black metal and was no larger than a quarter of her pinky fingernail.
"Hey, wait, you... what are you doing?"
The instant she saw it, Rita instinctively tried to shrink back, only to find the cold, unyielding wall at her back.
No matter how she looked at it, that thing spelled trouble.
"There, there, don't be afraid. It'll be over in a moment."
Looking at Rita's tensed muscles, a delighted smile curled on Snakey's lips, and an excited flush bloomed on her Soul Steel cheeks.
It had been far too long since she had last savored such an expression.
"Hey! You pipsqueak, what are you doing?!"
As Snakey advanced step by step, a dreadful premonition once again seized Rita's heart.
She realized she had been catastrophically wrong. The cute little thing before her was, in fact, a demon.
"Now, now, little guinea pig. Don't be afraid."
The demon's voice whispered beside her ear. Rita's body went rigid, but with the venom's effects still lingering, she could only turn her face away, adopting a posture of one prepared to meet their end.
Then, she felt a pair of hands firmly seize her chin and wrench her head forward, forcing their eyes to meet.
What do you think you're doing?
Rita wanted to scream the rebuke, but Snakey gave her no time. Without a shred of hesitation, she aimed the metallic spider at Rita's nostril.
Then, as if it had a will of its own, the tiny spider crawled into the dark opening.
Ngh! What is this!
The initial sensation was one of chilling cold, immediately followed by a wave of tingling numbness. Starting from her trigeminal nerve, an indescribable feeling surged into her brain.
"Mmmph!!? This is—?! Ahhh?!"
With no chance to resist, Rita's entire body began to convulse as if electrocuted, her eyes rolling back into her head.
Her body was no longer under her control, but her mind was excruciatingly lucid.
The feeling was like trying to crack peanuts with your eyelids while riding a roller coaster. It seemed to last an eternity, yet also felt like a single, fleeting moment.
When the convulsions finally ceased, every ounce of strength had been drained from her body. Her clothes were soaked through with sweat, and she looked utterly broken.
Rita, the proud S-rank Valkyrie, the most elegant of them all, could only slump limply in the restraint chair, staring at Snakey through a hazy, unfocused gaze.
"Hah... what... exactly... do you want?"
"What do I want?"
Seeing Rita's pathetic state, the excitement on Snakey's face slowly receded, replaced by a placid calm.
"Relax. That device is to temporarily shield your mind from the influence of [Discipline]. You're one of Schicksal's, after all. It's not surprising you'd have something like that buried deep in your consciousness."
Discipline? What's that?
The word left Rita bewildered, but Snakey was clearly in no mood to waste her breath explaining.
She first straightened Rita's disheveled appearance before reaching back into the suitcase. This time, she pulled out a communication device shaped like a microphone and thrust it into Rita's hand.
"I know you won't believe me right now. So, I found someone you can believe."
"Someone I can believe?"
Rita had recovered slightly. She stared at the microphone that had been placed in her hand, but before she could ask any further questions, a voice from the device cut her off.
"Hello, Rita. It has been a while."
"Is that... Lord Bishop?"
What is going on?
Rita's mind raced. She glanced at Snakey, her eyes widening in sudden realization.
Could it be? This doll-like girl... is she actually a mole Schicksal planted by Fu Li's side?
So... that whole ordeal just now... was she actually trying to help me?
As this possibility took root, Rita's heart steadied. In a low voice, she asked, "Lord Bishop, what is this situation?"
Hearing her question, the voice on the other end seemed surprised as well. "Oh? The Lord of World Serpent didn't tell you? Well, no matter..."
"Rita, you do not need to know too much at this moment. Your only task is to cooperate with the person before you and perform in a little play. That is all."
"And this play... is the true purpose for which I sent you there."
Author's Note: The author has reorganized the plot. It has been decided that the portion regarding Mei's awakening in the real-world timeline will be split into two parts. (Mainly because if the real-world timeline moves too fast, the sequence of certain foreshadowing will be disrupted.)