A faint crack had inexplicably appeared on the girl's golden spear. Noticing the fissure, she paid it no mind, understanding that the weapon would inevitably leave her. Its destiny was already sealed.
"Do not disappoint me... Chosen one, spirit of my creation..."
"The disappearance of a 'human,' the ascension of a 'God,' the redemption of a 'civilization.'"
"This is—the path to salvation."
Her blue eyes now glowed with golden light, her pale golden hair streaming wildly behind her.
-
The urgent wail of air raid sirens pierced the skies above New Nagazora City. Despite their confusion, the citizens, well-drilled through countless drills, calmly made their way into the air raid shelters.
As the last group of residents prepared to descend into the underground shelter, one of them glanced upward.
"What's that?!"
In the sky, a colossal Aerial Assault Ship broke through the clouds above the city, gradually decelerating. Swarms of fighter jets roared from the warship, their intentions unmistakable as they dove toward the ME Corp building.
"Wait, look over there!"
Someone in the crowd pointed to the opposite side of the sky. A cyan figure streaked across the horizon, leaving a vapor trail in its wake, and crashed directly into the ME Corp building.
-
A few minutes earlier—
"Ninti, can you hear me?"
A voice crackled through the golden-haired girl's miniature earpiece.
"Miss Simon? What are my orders?" Ninti's voice was barely a whisper as she continued to trail Bronya from her perch on a steel girder.
"Ninti, if possible, knock Bronya unconscious and bring her back immediately. Wendy is on her way..."
"Your armor is specially designed for infiltration and has a directional EMP emitter. If you deem it necessary, use it on Bronya... Even if you knock her out, Cocolia might forcibly awaken and control her through the biochip in her brain."
"Therefore, if necessary, burn out the biochip. Though it might plunge Bronya into a prolonged coma..."
"Or, we must destroy the biochip—it's just a matter of the order."
"Understood, Ninti acknowledges—"
The golden-haired girl leaped down from the girder, landing silently on the metal floor and directly blocking the path of Bronya and her Titan Squad.
Ninti's hands gripped two pitch-black, lightless daggers.
"Sister Ninti? What are you doing here? You need to leave now! If Lady Cocolia finds out, we'll both be in serious trouble!"
Bronya stared at the Valkyrie, who was a year younger than her, her expression suddenly tense with concern.
"Please come back with me, B-rank Valkyrie Bronya. This is my mission."
The golden-haired girl's expression remained impassive. Unskilled at communicating with others, she was attempting one last negotiation.
"...No. Bronya's current state would only cause trouble for everyone at St. Freya."
The silver-haired girl firmly rejected Ninti's request. Just then, another voice, one that Ninti found equally troubling, echoed through the air.
"Oh? A little Schicksal rat has snuck in. Bronya, my child—cooperate with the Titan Mecha and capture this Schicksal Valkyrie."
"...Wait, Mother Cocolia!"
Before Bronya could react or plead with her foster mother, the golden-haired Valkyrie moved first—
"Detected unexpected interference obstructing mission execution—commencing elimination protocol!"
As the words left her lips, Ninti transformed into a blur in Bronya's eyes. The white-robed girl's gaze turned icy, radiating a murderous intent capable of cutting through armies as she lunged at the Titan Squad.
Her black daggers pierced the weak points in the mecha joints, twisting and tearing through the internal circuitry with each flick of her wrist. Missiles and artillery shells launched at her became mere stepping stones, crushed underfoot by Ninti's superhuman vision and reflexes. Then, with a swift stroke, she cleaved the warheads and propulsion modules apart, leaving the severed projectiles to crash uselessly to the ground.
Before Bronya could even plead for mercy, the golden-haired girl had already torn apart the six Titan Mecha behind her. Her mastery, honed under Rita Rossweisse's tutelage, was on full display.
"Final warning, B-rank Valkyrie Bronya: return to the Schicksal Far East Branch with Ninti immediately. Otherwise, I will resort to coercive measures—"
The icy voice rang out again, accompanied by Ninti's warning. Nearby security personnel, who had been monitoring the situation and were preparing to rush to their aid, froze in their tracks when they saw the small girl on the screen shredding ME Corp's few precious Titans like they were slicing through vegetables. They began to wonder which was more miraculous: the Titans' armor or the capabilities of the human body.
"Ninti... Sister..." Bronya stammered, her words choked back as she stared at the Valkyrie before her, whose strength far exceeded her understanding.
Meanwhile, Cocolia, who had received Gray Serpent's warning and was already evacuating outside New Nagazora City, watched the Titans being shredded in mere seconds on the screen. She remained stunned, unable to react for a long moment.
"Are all of Schicksal's Valkyries monsters...?"
Snapping out of her daze, Cocolia glared at the blonde girl on the screen. The tablet in her hand creaked ominously, as if about to shatter.
"Enough, Bronya! Highest control authority—annihilation mode! Eliminate all intruders within the Me Corporation!"
"No... please don't..."
Before Bronya could finish her protest, black armor surged over her body, only to be mercilessly interrupted—
The petite golden-haired Valkyrie activated a device on her armor, raised it, and aimed it at Bronya. A powerful, focused EMP pulse burned out Bronya and all electronic equipment behind her. The gray-haired girl floated lifelessly for a moment before crashing to the ground with a thud, unconscious.
Urged on by Cocolia, the belatedly armed security personnel only witnessed Miss Ninti hoisting the defeated Bronya onto her shoulder, preparing to withdraw.
"Uh..."
"Are you going to stop Ninti from retreating?"
"This..."
The security personnel weighed the overwhelming power disparity and decisively shook their heads.
"Then move aside," Ninti demanded flatly, her expression unwavering as she brandished her dagger once more.
"Absolutely do not let the Schicksal Valkyrie retreat from ME Corp! Activate the Godfather Mecha!"
Cocolia's voice boomed through the ME Corp's intercom system, putting the security forces in an impossible bind.
Just as the situation reached its breaking point—
The outer wall of the ME Corp building was smashed through, and a cyan gale swept through every corner of the workshop.
"Where's that middle-aged hag? Come out and take a beating!"
A vibrant, cheerful voice rang out amidst the swirling dust and debris.