"Achoo—!"
At that moment, the blond man sitting in the Schicksal Overseer's office, preparing to seize control, suddenly sneezed, a sudden ominous premonition striking him.
-
"Amber, how is our queen's condition?"
Casting aside his baseless unease, Otto turned his attention to the core of their plan. After all, only members of the Kaslana family would place any stock in hunches and sixth senses.
Unaware of her Overseer's thoughts, Amber, the half-mechanical cyborg, reported the current progress truthfully:
"The Honkai energy within the life support pod is gradually being absorbed by the individual designated K-423. Simultaneously, Schicksal's satellites in Siberia have detected a massive surge in Honkai Beast activity. They are advancing toward the Headquarters above the Mediterranean Sea."
"As per your instructions, we've evacuated civilians along all projected Honkai Beast routes and deployed a vast number of disposable autonomous weapons."
"Excellent. The only guests we invited were the little ones from the Far East Branch... As for these uninvited pests... let them wait obediently outside. There's only one spot on the guest list for your Queen."
Emerald-green eyes watched as the pre-deployed autonomous weapons decimated a significant portion of the Honkai Beast swarm on the screen. Yet the beasts continued their relentless advance toward Schicksal Floating Island, driven by an unwavering instinct.
"Amber, activate the full-spectrum defense satellites! Notify Durandal and have the Immortal Blades Squad stand by."
"Prepare yourselves, for the world is about to change!"
"Now then... where are my beloved granddaughter and the Divine Authority Squad at the moment?"
The man turned to his secretary once more.
"Lady Theresa's Hermes-class armed transport ship has nearly reached the outermost ring of the Floating Island's defense satellite network. Upon receiving your orders, the Divine Authority Squad turned back and is accelerating toward Lady Theresa's flagship. They are expected to rendezvous 20 nautical miles from Schicksal Floating Island's airspace."
Amber paused, a hint of confusion in her voice.
"Lord Otto, I don't understand why you recalled the Divine Authority Squad... That unit was Miss Snow's... um..."
"Imperial Guard... Essentially, they were the Imperial Guard I chose for my daughter—Schicksal's most exceptional Valkyries, yet all harbored deep reservations about the current Schicksal regime."
"Yes... In terms of raw power, they rival even the Immortal Blades stationed at Headquarters. Yet you've recalled them again..."
"Amber, even if I didn't mobilize them, would they obediently stay put? Houraiji Kyuusyou, the current acting Captain of the Divine Authority Squad, is hardly the type to sit still. As the person my daughter has taken an interest in—"
"Her ability to cause us trouble is second to none. Amber, I've considered this for a long time... Rather than leaving them outside to potentially strike at Schicksal undetected, it's better to bring them directly into this crucial game of chess..."
"We have few hidden pieces left, or rather, few that we can afford to reveal at this stage. I, too, and my daughter as well, have already laid all our cards on the table—all the pieces and stakes acceptable to both sides."
"Go inform Bianca to prepare herself. Amber, I need some quiet time..."
"Understood."
The cyborg, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Kallen, bowed deeply to the golden-haired man before turning and leaving the office.
...The man lifted a tall-stemmed glass filled with purplish-red wine. The room's lights refracted through the liquid, casting a mysterious glow across his face. His expression was unreadable—
"My child... which point in this plan are the pieces you've left behind meant to leverage?"
-
"My Lady, are you interested in becoming the Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire?"
Huginn stood beside the golden-haired girl, delivering the rather bewildering news.
"...I have no intention of being blasted out of the Milky Way Galaxy by a Superluminal Cannon...???"
The girl narrowed her blue eyes, sensing something amiss in her Apostle's words.
"Kyuusyou? What is the Divine Authority Squad doing now...?"
The golden-haired girl's mind raced. She quickly eliminated other possibilities and zeroed in on her partner, who currently served as her representative in the Intrinsic Universe.
"Nothing much... You're probably about to board the ship to become the Eastern Roman Empress."
"Ah, the Western Roman Emperor is likely your Dad, Lord Otto Apocalypse."
Huginn sipped her pearl milk tea, freshly brought from the Intrinsic Universe, and relayed the current situation to Snow in small sips.
"..."
"If I get blasted out of the Milky Way Galaxy... none of you will escape my wrath."
The corner of Snow's mouth twitched, as if she were finally experiencing what stomach pain truly felt like.
"Is there any chance... My Lady, I mean, just a hypothetical—"
"If we get blasted out of the Milky Way, we could find an Intertwined Fate and bring it home as a souvenir?"
Huginn ducked her head, cautiously suggesting a possibility.
"...Actually, that doesn't sound so bad?"
-
Aboard the Nibelungen, the Divine Authority Squad—a group of Valkyries under the scrutiny of two members of the Apocalypse family's main branch—were fiercely debating their next move.
"Damn it! I've always hated those bastards in the Headquarters' biological research department. Today, I'm going to kick their asses so hard they'll see stars!"
"Today, we'll storm Headquarters and snatch Overseer Otto's bird-shit throne!"
Amidst the chaotic clamor on the bridge, Kyuusyou felt as though she had stumbled into the legendary Water Margin stronghold, where the assembled were not Valkyries but the 108 heroes of Mount Liang.
Oh, right, the numbers are a bit off—there aren't 108 of them.
"Up there, you'd better sober up... Overseer Otto has never publicly claimed to have a biological daughter. To most Schicksal members, he only has a nominal granddaughter."
This was the voice of reason in the discussion, calmly analyzing the current situation.
"Eh?... Then, my esteemed strategists, what's the plan?"
The hot-tempered sisters who had been clamoring to storm Schicksal Headquarters now turned to the ship's sages—the Division Captains and Vice Captains.
After all, pure combat prowess alone wouldn't earn you the rank of Division Captain. At best, it would make you a main DPS.
"We need to make sure most of Schicksal knows about our Lady Captain, the one who lives on in photos, combat footage, and memories..."
"What's with that way of speaking? It's like the Captain's already gone...?"