While Huginn frantically pinned down the Lord of the Divine Throne, whose blood pressure was exploding, the crew of the Hermes were faring no better.
Welt Joyce was relieved that the Valkyries on this warship weren't as enthusiastic as those at St. Freya Academy, but he was also curious—why had these Valkyries been giving him such strange looks from the moment he arrived, then scurrying off to whisper about him in the distance?
The Founding Leader, unaware of how the message relayed from the bridge had been distorted, scratched his head in frustration and muttered, "These young people nowadays are really strange..."
Shaking his head, Joyce continued toward the bridge. Having just rested briefly, the Alliance Leader received an invitation from Theresa, who wanted to discuss something "extremely important," according to the Headmaster.
-
"I've arrived... And who is this young lady?"
The First Herrscher opened the bridge door, her gaze falling upon the new purple-haired girl standing before her.
"So this is Welt of this world... Seeing is believing, after all. He's actually quite pleasant to look at—far better than that deranged maniac I know..." Kyuusyou murmured softly, extending her hand to the young man as she introduced herself.
"Welt Joyce, Alliance Leader, right? I'm Houraiji Kyuusyou, the current acting captain of the Divine Authority Squad."
"Ah, hello. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Kyuusyou," Joyce replied, shaking her hand. As their hands clasped, Houraiji Kyuusyou nonchalantly used her index finger to draw an "S" on the palm of his hand. Joyce froze for a moment, then his eyes widened in dawning realization before he quickly composed himself.
"S"—Snow.
"Ahem, allow me to explain," Kyuusyou continued. "We are currently twelve nautical miles from Schicksal Third Airport. The Schicksal Floating Island Headquarters is functionally divided into two main sections—"
Clearing her throat, Kyuusyou began to speak:
"As the Overseer's Office—the core of the Holy City—most of Schicksal's operations are concentrated in this area."
"From the Overseer's Office, two distinct poles diverge: the West Pole, representing Stigmata and human biological research, and the East Pole, representing Schicksal Weapon research, Valkyrie Battlesuit development, Schicksal Mecha research, and the foundry industry."
"Schicksal has six major airports in total, three at each pole. The Third Airport, which we aim to seize, belongs to the East Pole, giving us a natural advantage here."
"Schicksal isn't free from internal strife—this conflict is particularly acute within the Headquarters' research divisions. Due to historical factors, the current Overseer, Otto Apocalypse, favors allocating funding to the biological research divisions. While there have been some improvements in recent years, the situation remains largely unchanged."
"Privately, researchers developing weapons and mecha technology often curse their counterparts in the West Pole, calling them bloodsucking parasites grown fat on human suffering."
"In other words, thanks to Headmaster Theresa's consistent adherence to the Far East Branch's philosophy, we have a natural advantage in terms of rapport with these researchers. If Overseer Otto hadn't suppressed this sentiment, it would have surfaced sooner."
"But once we publicly reveal Snow's existence, a significant portion of Schicksal will inevitably rally to our side. Of course, some will still remain loyal to the Overseer himself, given his carefully cultivated public image."
"We don't need to expose all his dirty laundry. He's still family, after all. We should at least save some face for my father-in-law."
Kyuusyou, under the watchful eyes of everyone present, turned her head and whistled.
"Ahem, our ultimate goal is to peacefully evolve Schicksal into a Second Schicksal. If we dig up all the old man's dark secrets—"
"Peaceful evolution would devolve into Schicksal turmoil. As the world's largest organization fighting the Honkai, Schicksal can split, but it must never descend into outright internal conflict—"
"Even Anti-Entropy's Leader Joyce understands this—Anti-Entropy currently lacks the capacity to manage global Honkai events amid Schicksal's internal strife."
The First Herrscher nodded in deep agreement. Over the past fifty years of Anti-Entropy's development, while the organization had absorbed numerous brilliant minds, it had also attracted its share of parasites. How could Anti-Entropy flourish while infested with such vermin?
"But Kyuusyou, we're gambling again... betting that Grandpa will relinquish power to Snow... and most of Schicksal's members are barely acquainted with her." Theresa warned the purple-haired girl, her expression grave.
"There's no need to worry about that. Dividing Schicksal into two factions won't disrupt Overseer Otto's own plans—"
"In fact, I dare say—even if we don't act, when Lord Overseer's plans are nearing completion in the near future, he'll still pass the Overseer's position to either Snow or you, Theresa."
"As for the others within Schicksal, they matter even less. Over centuries, Schicksal has inherited not only its foundational assets but also its traditions. The old guard from various Schicksal families on the Council generally share a common understanding: the Council members can be diverse, even named Welt Joyce...
"However, the Schicksal Overseer—the supreme authority—must bear the name Apocalypse. Only the name Apocalypse."
"Some of these old-timers might even openly support the change. After all, their great-great-grandfather saw Otto, their great-grandfather saw Otto, their grandfather saw Otto, their own father saw Otto, and now, even this generation still sees Otto... Anyone would grow numb."
"Handsome men are no match for Beautiful girls, ahem, ahem, ahem—"
"We're discussing serious matters, Kyuusyou! Focus!"
"Alright, alright, let's be serious—Schicksal, this colossal organization, owes its enduring stability to the Overseer's five centuries of meticulous planning and adjustments. Even after his departure, it could function independently for a considerable time. In a sense, he truly was a very responsible Overseer."
"It's just that he might not be particularly fond of us... After all, we're, in a sense, on the opposite side."
"For example, Alliance Leader Joyce... His Eminence, the Overseer... he's always considered you a friend, hasn't he?" Kyuusyou said to the indigo-haired young man beside her, a sudden realization striking her.
"Let's just forget about it. Friends you bomb with Honkai Fission Bombs... I can't handle it, I really can't," Joyce said, rolling his eyes.
"Those are sufficient conditions, Kyuusyou. What about the necessary conditions?" Theresa asked, turning to Houraiji Kyuusyou.
"Necessary conditions... Well, Lord Overseer Otto Apocalypse... he's practically an incurable daughter-con in a way—"
"Headmaster... you understand what I mean, right?"