"We must defeat the Second Herrscher who has revived through Kiana's body, no matter the cost."
Kyuusyou said, looking at the tactical map projected on the screen.
"That child is my student! I made them a promise! I won't let this happen!"
"Absolutely not—I'll bring her back, as her teacher!"
In the makeshift command center, Himeko slammed her fist on the table—
The red-haired Valkyrie spoke with unwavering resolve, brooking no argument.
"Miss Himeko... While I fully support your intentions, if Miss Kiana's will has truly been corrupted by the Herrscher Consciousness, we may find it impossible to awaken her," Joyce sighed.
"Moreover, according to Headmaster Theresa's description... before Fu Hua struck her down, Kiana seemed to be trapped in an illusionary realm, repeatedly crying out, 'Save my mother! Give her back to me!'"
"Yet her nominal mother, Cecilia Schariac, perished during the Second Eruption in 2000," Kyuusyou added from the side.
"And Fu Hua did indeed inform Kiana of this truth, immediately after which Kiana lost control, went berserk, and was struck down and taken away."
"So, within the illusionary realm, Miss Kiana likely dreamt of the Second Eruption and, within that dream, rescued her mother...?" Joyce mused, stroking his chin uncertainly.
"And then Fu Hua mercilessly shattered that dream with reality, triggering her rampage... If that's the case, we might be able to leverage Headmaster Theresa's connection to Kiana and attempt to awaken her after suppressing the Second Herrscher."
"Even setting aside how daunting it would be to suppress the Second Herrscher... relying solely on that connection would likely prove insufficient to awaken Kiana," Kyuusyou countered.
"After the mission in Singapore, Snow accessed Schicksal's classified database and discovered the codename for our Kiana—"
"K-423. The 'K' stands for Kaslana, and the 423... Headmaster Theresa, you should understand Schicksal's naming conventions better than I do."
"The 423rd cloned experimental subject..."
Kyuusyou's words and Theresa's response plunged the Command into temporary silence.
"According to the classified documents our young mistress unearthed... all 422 previous experimental subjects, created by merging the genes of the real Kiana and Sirin, failed to develop consciousness and were destroyed—"
"After hundreds of failures, the Overseer resorted to a radical solution: implanting the Second Herrscher's Core into Subject 423. And then... the Kiana we know was born."
"Or rather, Sirin? After all, her personality originated from the Herrscher Core—a benevolent aspect of that core's consciousness."
"As for why such a personality emerged... Snow's explanation at the time was, 'Perhaps the noble woman, remembered as gentle as a mother in the records, did something for her in her final moments.' This remains the most plausible theory."
"...Based on the information we've gathered so far, Miss Kyuusyou, your hypothesis seems correct. Miss Cecilia appears to hold an exceptionally special place in Miss Kiana's heart."
Joyce nodded, breaking the silence in the Command Room.
"This explains why ordinary familial affection... simply can't awaken her. In the true historical records, Cecilia and Sirin were both entombed beneath the Siberian snowfield by the Honkai Fission Bomb."
"Teacher Himeko, do you remember how Kiana's impressions of the Second Eruption were always impossibly vague? No matter how we tried to teach her, she couldn't grasp it... This must be her instinct and the Herrscher Consciousness at work, resisting the truth."
"Now that she knows the truth—that the very girl she thought was her mother's killer is actually herself—she's likely retreated into deep-seated withdrawal..."
"Superficial appeals to emotion will likely be useless. Even if we defeat the Second Herrscher, if Kiana's consciousness refuses to reclaim her body, the Herrscher Consciousness will simply awaken again afterward."
"....."
The conference room fell into complete silence until Murata Himeko slammed her hand on the table.
"Kyuusyou, do you know of any devices that can temporarily match a Herrscher's power? Or did Snow ever mention anything?"
The red-haired Valkyrie stared intently at Houraiji Kyuusyou, her expression grave.
"...Lady Himeko, what are you planning?"
"Enough chatter, girl. Tell me now."
"Your intentions are too obvious, Ms. Murata Himeko... In Schicksal's Helheim Laboratory, they store prototypes of all Valkyrie Battlesuits—the Key of Blankness from the previous era and the Godsbane Armor, forged by fusing the Gem of Serenity, which Schicksal recovered during the Second Eruption, with anti-Herrscher technology."
"According to research logs, when equipped with a Core, the Key of Blankness can briefly unleash power rivaling that of a Herrscher... Of course, only temporarily—no human can withstand the Honkai energy output of a Herrscher Core for long."
"...You can't use that thing, Teacher Himeko."
"Any one of us would be better suited to use that armor than you. Your body doesn't have much time left..."
"You'll die, die in the battle against the Second Herrscher..."
Kyuusyou stared solemnly at Murata Himeko, who had already turned to walk towards the door.
"Do you expect me, your teacher, to cower behind you students and watch you fight to the death?"
"Himeko..." Theresa called out her name, as if to dissuade her.
"Enough! My mind is made up—and there's no one better suited to awaken Kiana than me. I'm her teacher, and a teacher must take full responsibility for her students to the very end."
"If Cecilia Schariac could sacrifice herself to bring forth the Second Herrscher's benevolent side, why can't I, Murata Himeko, do the same?"
"...You'll die." Kyuusyou repeated gravely, watching Himeko stand at the door, emphasizing the fate awaiting the red-haired Valkyrie.
"I've long since cast aside my fears."
The Valkyrie turned and left the Command, determined to find the Key of Blankness.
"Himeko—!" Theresa shouted after her retreating figure. She knew her companion's stubbornness well; once Himeko had made up her mind, no one could change it.
"I'll leave the rest to you two. I need to go talk to Himeko... The Doctors and the Hyperion should be arriving at Headquarters soon. I want to ask them if there's any other way."
Theresa hurriedly greeted Kyuusyou and Joyce before rushing out after Himeko.
"You did that on purpose, didn't you, Miss Houraiji Kyuusyou?"
"Of course... How else would we get that worrywart of a teacher to retire and rest? We both know exactly what state Miss Kiana is in right now."
"To be honest, Miss Kyuusyou, Murata Himeko would likely be vehemently opposed... Even if we could repair her body afterward and erase the trauma from the artificial Stigmata, forcing such a fiercely independent woman to remain on the sidelines... She'd probably refuse a hundred times over."
"Ah, I know. That's why—actually, we've prepared another plan..."
"Fusion Warriors—Mr. Joyce, what do you think?"
"Emmmmmm... It sounds promising, at least, but where would we get the technology?"
"Why not ask the Amazing Snow?"