Though Kiana felt that sharing a mother with Miss Sirin sounded somewhat strange, and on a personal level there was a certain unpleasant feeling of something precious being taken away —
Just as she had given up her brother and accepted the fate of becoming a deity in order to save this world, she felt that for the sake of a better future, these were things she could compromise on.
And so, after a quiet sigh, Kiana finally released Lucius.
Getting up from the ground, her face wore a melancholy expression. "Haah... Lucius, I've sacrificed far too much for this world."
Hearing Kiana's reply, Lucius was deeply moved. "Good friend — I am truly grateful for your sacrifice. Once we've beaten the Herrscher of Finality to her knees, I'll definitely make it up to you."
"Save it." Kiana shot him a look. "Tell me how you plan to do this. You're not going to just send Mom straight up to her and have her adopt Sirin as a daughter, are you?"
Lucius shook his head.
"Going in directly won't work. No one treasures what comes too easily — least of all this naturally evil little pufferfish. She'll only think there's some ulterior motive."
"So I plan to arrange for Miss Sirin to go and ask Lady Cecilia to be her mother herself."
"But before that, I need to first let Miss Sirin fly high — bring her as close as possible to fulfilling her wish of destroying all of humanity."
"And then, when she's at her highest point, with success almost within her grasp..."
Kiana watched a deeply malicious smile spread across her good friend's face.
He rubbed his hands together. A sparrow materialized in his palm, fluttered its wings a few times, and flew upward — soaring even toward the top of the towering Babylon Tower.
But just as it was about to reach the peak, it seemed to collide with an invisible wall and plummeted down with a smack.
It landed at the two of them's feet, dissolving into a cluster of blue light.
"Only when falling into the deepest abyss does emotion become easiest to cultivate. To make her feel love, first she must be made to feel bone-deep despair."
"The moment she soars to the sky and reaches the very threshold of her goal — a thunderous crash to the ground. The expression on her face should be quite spectacular."
"In the moment of her despair, we deploy our Cecilia."
"Add in some bittersweet drama — deep regret, the agony of final separation... and that should do it."
Listening to Lucius's description and watching the predatory smile on his face, Kiana went quiet.
After a moment of silence, she stood on her tiptoes and lightly pressed her fist to the top of Lucius's head. "Lucius — you know, you're smiling like a villain right now."
Then she sighed helplessly and said: "Oh well — it's not like I haven't been on your pirate ship for ages now. But tell me honestly — is this arrangement actually going to work?"
Lucius reached up and rubbed the spot on his head, then said with complete composure:
"The process isn't actually what matters most. What matters is whether the emotion is genuine."
"Even if everything originates from calculation — at the very least, the love has to be real."
"So the key to all of this is how to make Cecilia develop genuine maternal love for Sirin, and how to use that love to stir even a small measure of warmth in Sirin."
Hearing Lucius's explanation, Kiana asked with some puzzlement: "Just a small measure of warmth — can that really be enough for her to overcome the Herrscher consciousness and choose to fight for humanity's future?"
"It can, friend. It really can." Lucius's face carried quiet confidence.
"The probability that this one wisp of humanity born from hatred will suddenly surge forward, transform boundless hatred into love for a mother, and use that love to obliterate the Herrscher personality to dust is vanishingly small — but not zero."
"On this land that is fundamentally a Stigma space, I can stretch time and give her the chance to try again and again. And so 'vanishingly small' becomes 'inevitably realized.'"
Kiana rolled her eyes and complained: "Lucius — try to be a decent person. I feel like even if Sirin actually does break free from the Cocoon's shackles because of this, she'd probably want to beat you into the ground."
Hearing Kiana's words, Lucius looked at her with a smile but said nothing.
Kiana felt rather uncomfortable under his gaze. She crossed her arms over her chest and shuffled back two steps. "Lucius — your expression is very weird..."
"Heh... a mere pufferfish without the power to beat the Herrscher of Finality to her knees — and she thinks she can beat me to my knees?"
When Cecilia woke up, she found herself seated on a bench, looking out at a churning sea of clouds.
She looked around and found herself apparently on an island floating in the sky. In the distant cloud sea, there were many other similar floating islands.
"Where is this?" Cecilia pressed a hand to her head with some distress.
The last thing she had seen before losing consciousness was a hundred-ton truck — an itasha plastered with the massive portrait of a pink-haired girl wearing a profoundly silly grin.
"Right — so I was killed by the hundred-ton truck. Where am I now?"
As this thought surfaced in her mind, a series of memory fragments swept through it.
Schicksal's Saint.
Strongest Valkyrie — Cecilia Schariac.
Rank S Valkyrie.
Divine Key — Judgement of Shamash.
...
These memory fragments flashed through her mind. Cecilia gained a rough understanding of her surroundings.
But very shortly, she was drawn to a particular memory.
It showed a warmly decorated children's room.
A white-haired little girl was nestled in her arms, waving a little umbrella, boldly declaring she would become Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie.
The child's name was Kiana Kaslana — the daughter of 'Cecilia Schariac.'
Cecilia looked at the scene in the memory, and across her face spread a warmth that belonged only to a mother. She pressed a hand to her chest, feeling her heart melting.
Though her own dumb deer of a son was wonderfully endearing in his own way, she had sometimes imagined what life would be like if she had given birth to a daughter instead.
And now, in this strange place, had that wish been fulfilled in some peculiar way?
"But this child... looks so much like that girl I met before. No — they're the same person, aren't they?"
"And..." Cecilia raised her hand and abruptly clenched it into a fist at the air in front of her.
BOOM! A dull explosive shockwave erupted from her hand — like a muffled grenade going off.
"So it wasn't my imagination." Looking at her palm, Cecilia fell into thought.
From the moment she had regained consciousness, she had felt her body suffused with a powerful force. After effortlessly compressing the air into an explosion, she understood it wasn't an illusion.
She had apparently become some kind of superhuman — or rather, a Rank S Valkyrie?
Whatever the title, Cecilia felt that with the power she currently possessed, she could probably effortlessly level an entire city.
Looking at her surroundings, feeling the memory fragments that had appeared in her mind and the enormous power coursing through her body, Cecilia's expression was thoroughly bewildered.
"This can't be some elaborate prank — does this mean I've experienced a time-space transfer?"
Everything she was experiencing looked exactly like the cross-dimensional transfers that appeared in certain fantasy novels and games. As a dedicated gamer, the concept itself posed no comprehension barrier for her.
"If I'm here, I wonder what happened to Siegfried, Shigure Kira, and that girl who looked like Kiana."
Cecilia felt a touch of worry in her heart. Though thinking back to her last memory — directly facing that hundred-ton truck plastered with the silly grinning pink-haired portrait — she held no expectations whatsoever.
The only thing she could pray for was that her remains wouldn't be too unrecognizable.
"Haah..." Cecilia let out a quiet sigh.
But very quickly another possibility occurred to her.
"If I ended up here — could it be that Siegfried and those other two girls also ended up in this world?"
With that thought, Cecilia reached for her communicator and scrolled to the name 'Siegfried' in her contacts, preparing to check.
But before she could even send a message, one arrived from the other side first.
[Siegfried: Cecilia — do you still remember what that hundred-ton truck looked like?]
Seeing Siegfried's message, Cecilia blinked — then smiled. The unease and worry in her heart dissolved along with it.
Wherever she was right now — as long as Siegfried was still with her, there was nothing to worry about and nothing to fear.
And so she sent a reply.
[Cecilia: Pink. Grinning like an idiot.]
[Siegfried: Cecilia — it's really you. Thank goodness.]
[Siegfried: I'm currently on a transport aircraft headed to Siberia. Be careful not to slip up — the memories in my head are telling me Schicksal's Archbishop here is not a good man.]
[Cecilia: Understood. You be careful too.]
Though she confirmed Siegfried had also arrived here, Cecilia still felt a quiet melancholy.
"I still need to find a way to get back..."
Though the Cecilia here possessed tremendous power, an esteemed status, and a rather adorable little daughter — this was ultimately not her familiar world.
Her own dumb deer of a son was still waiting for her to come home. And the well-behaved daughter here was still waiting for her own parents to return.
Just as Cecilia was thinking this, a notification suddenly came through on her communicator.
She looked closely — and found it was a message from someone named in her memories as Archbishop Otto Apocalypse.
[Archbishop: Cecilia — come to the Archbishop's office. There is a mission I need you to carry out.]
Cecilia's instinct was to find a way to avoid it, but she quickly realized that given her current identity here, refusing the Archbishop's directives was probably not something she could do.
And so, with a sigh, Cecilia followed the memory fragments in her mind and made her way toward the Archbishop's office.
The distance wasn't far, and Cecilia arrived shortly.
Knock knock knock. Cecilia rapped lightly on the door.
"Come in." A soft voice carried from inside.
Cecilia pushed the door open and stepped inside — and upon seeing the interior of the Archbishop's office, her expression turned peculiar.
By any reasonable standard, the Archbishop's office before her was quite spacious. The interior decoration was fairly understated, with nothing particularly extravagant beyond the desk at the far end.
— Except for the figures, posters, life-size standees, and commemorative decorations filling virtually every available corner of the room...
And all of these items shared a common theme — Kallen. Every one of them appeared to be modeled after a white-haired, blue-eyed girl.
Cecilia searched through her memory fragments and found that this girl was Kallen Kaslana — historically the greatest, most exalted, most sacred, most perfect, most saintly Saint in Schicksal's history.
Well... she was just reciting from the official textbooks.
At the far end of this Kallen-themed office stood a desk. Behind it sat a golden-haired young man in a T-shirt bearing a large portrait of Kallen, smiling as he watched her. Beside him stood a white-haired woman wearing amber goggles.
"Cecilia — our strongest Valkyrie. I'm delighted you came so quickly." The golden-haired young man seemed quite pleased to see Cecilia walk in.
Based on her memory fragments, Cecilia already knew that this golden-haired young man was the current Archbishop of Schicksal and the most powerful person in the world — Otto Apocalypse.
And the white-haired woman standing beside him was his secretary, Amber.
Though the Archbishop's demeanor was quite warm and his first impression wasn't terrible, looking at the interior of this Archbishop's office gave Cecilia a persistent feeling that Schicksal was heading for disaster.
That, of course, was not something she could say aloud.
"Your Grace — what is your command?" Cecilia asked with complete composure.
Her lips carried a faint smile. Not a trace of panic or discomfort showed on her face. She had fully stepped into the role of Cecilia.
As a genuinely skilled gamer, Cecilia had naturally slipped into the mindset of playing an extremely high-fidelity open-world adventure game. Though this world was perhaps a touch too realistic — it was fine. She'd just treat it as gameplay.
Otto seemed not to notice anything off about Cecilia. Hearing her response, he let his smile fade and adopted a notably serious tone: "Cecilia — something has occurred in Siberia. It appears a Herrscher has been born."
Cecilia now knew that Herrschers were humanity's great enemies — each one utterly ruthless, with the destruction of humanity as their ultimate goal.
Connecting that to Schicksal's sworn mission of resisting the Honkai, and her own identity as Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie, Cecilia immediately guessed Otto's purpose.
So — defeat the demon lord and save the world?
If the so-called Herrscher was a demon lord bent on destroying the world, then she supposed she was the hero tasked with bringing it down.
Cecilia felt she was beginning to understand this world's logic.
"Your Grace — I will vanquish her." Cecilia said calmly.
"Vanquish?"
Upon hearing Cecilia's words, Otto's pitch rose noticeably — clearly surprised by why she would think that.
He shook his head and said with the air of someone greatly moved by compassion:
"No no no, Cecilia — as Schicksal's Saint, how can you harbor such a terrifying idea? You must understand — a Herrscher's life is a life too!"
Archbishop, are you alright?
Meeting Cecilia's uncomprehending gaze, Otto leaned slightly forward in his chair and said: "Cecilia — you know that our struggle with the Honkai can be viewed as an agonizing marathon. While we still have reserves for now, we must also think about the future."
"And so I believe we might consider a different approach. For instance... if a Herrscher could be won over, that would surely give humanity's continued existence considerably more assurance."
"Your Grace — your meaning is?"
Otto's smile deepened. He pressed his hands together, rested them on the armrests of his chair, and leaned back. The Kallen portrait on his chest became even more silly-looking for it.
"This Herrscher was only just born. We haven't yet detected excessively strong Honkai energy fluctuations in Siberia, which suggests she hasn't fully awakened. Right now is when she poses the least danger."
"Cecilia — I want you to go find her. Take her in as your daughter. Win her over."
Listening to Otto's words, Cecilia suddenly understood — this was nothing like a hero slaying a demon lord.
Oh — so it's a daughter-raising isekai game! Cecilia thought to herself.
"But Your Grace — raising a Herrscher as your daughter... is that really alright?"
Otto projected an air of total confidence and assured Cecilia earnestly: "Cecilia — I have conducted rigorous calculations. The success rate is quite high. Furthermore, every force Schicksal has dispatched to Siberia will be available to assist you."
"Understood, Your Grace. I will complete the mission."
Though she still felt this Archbishop's assignment was spectacularly implausible, based on the information in her memories, Cecilia knew that the Archbishop's orders could not be defied.
Of course, there was also another reason: Siegfried was currently in Siberia, and heading there now would let her reunite with him.
Seeing Cecilia agree, Otto was extremely satisfied.
"Excellent — I've already arranged an aircraft for you. Off you go~"
"Right now?"
"Of course — Honkai disasters can't afford to wait."
"Alright then..."
Cecilia felt a mild disappointment. She had originally wanted to go visit this world's Kiana at home, but that was clearly not going to happen now.
Having received the mission, she turned and left.
Since Schicksal's airfield was quite conspicuous on the floating island, Cecilia found it without much trouble.
And when she stepped onto the airfield, she found a transport vessel already preparing for takeoff.
At that moment, the sound of the hatch opening rang out, and the transport's door swung open.
A stocky figure leaped down from above and landed in front of Cecilia.
"Lady Cecilia — your unit took off ahead of you. They should already be in Siberia. So this time you'll be traveling with just me."
Cecilia looked at the woman before her — and woman she would call her, though tentatively.
She had a dark complexion, a body packed with explosive musculature, standing here like a powerful bear. Simply standing in the same space as her gave Cecilia an immediate sense of inadequacy.
— Lewis.
The name surfaced in Cecilia's mind. A Rank B Valkyrie in the ground support unit.
"Lewis — it's been a while. I'll be counting on you again this time."
Hearing Cecilia's greeting, Lewis punched herself in the chest with a fist, eyes burning: "Lady Cecilia — the honor of operating alongside a true Valkyrie like you is entirely mine."
Cecilia naturally caught the fire in Lewis's eyes. It was the gaze of someone starstruck with admiration — she could tell this Lewis was very much a devoted fan of hers.
After examining Lewis's musculature, Cecilia's eyes filled with unconcealed envy. She couldn't help sighing: "I've always wanted a physique like that — but for some reason, no matter how much I eat I can't gain weight, and no matter how long I train, I can't build muscle."
She looked down at her own slender frame — the kind that seemed like it might topple in a strong breeze — then back at Lewis's powerful build. The envy in her eyes deepened.
"I can't shake the feeling that I'm a fake Rank S Valkyrie..."
"My Lady, you really do have a sense of humor."
Lewis assumed Cecilia was joking at her own expense. She stepped onto the boarding ramp and invited Cecilia aboard.
Very shortly Cecilia had settled into the co-pilot's seat beside Lewis and was looking around curiously at the rows of switches and buttons before her.
"Lady Cecilia — it's a bit of a long journey to Siberia, and the way there might be a little dull. The transport is connected to Schicksal's internal network — you can catch up on shows, listen to music, whatever you like." Lewis said as she piloted the transport up into the sky.
Hearing Lewis's words, Cecilia felt a spark of interest.
As a dedicated gamer, she had always had a great interest in all kinds of electronic entertainment.
Now that she had arrived in another world, she was also curious about all the games and cultural works this world had to offer.
With that assurance, Cecilia finally began browsing Schicksal's internal network entertainment library.
And while scrolling through the music section, a familiar name appeared before her eyes.
— Shigure Kira.
Looks like Kira ended up in this world too. Cecilia thought, then tapped into Shigure Kira's profile.
Unsurprisingly, quite a large number of songs had been uploaded to Shigure Kira's personal page — and almost all of them were ones Cecilia had never heard before. Her eyes lit up the moment she saw them.
Cecilia had always felt it was a tremendous waste for Shigure Kira to be doing academic research. With such an exceptional voice, a career in singing would have been smooth sailing all the way.
Yes — she actually quite adored Shigure Kira's singing voice.
"Lewis — is it possible to listen to music on the transport?" Cecilia asked.
"Of course, my Lady. We haven't entered a silent zone yet — you can even play it out loud." Lewis replied with a smile, not yet registering the gravity of the situation.
Hearing Lewis's answer, Cecilia decisively selected a song she had never heard before.
"Da↗ da↘ da↗ da↘! Da da da la la la——!!!"
Listening to the sound of Shigure Kira's humming, Cecilia's face spread into an enraptured smile.
"This voice... it's truly moving..."
On the Schicksal floating island, watching the transport take off from the airfield —
Lucius — disguised as Otto — smiled to himself.
He actually knew Cecilia had wanted to go see this world's Kiana. But unfortunately, he couldn't let her.
Not that he was deliberately blocking her — it was simply that there was no such Kiana to see.
This was in truth a miniature world bubble, its range encompassing only the cluster of floating islands before him — and even this miniature world bubble was floating directly above Siberia.
From beginning to end, the entire Second Honkai War storyline would never leave Siberia. The stage, too, was only a portion of Siberia.
"In that case, there's no longer any need to maintain this floating island cluster."
Just as Lucius was thinking this, he watched the transport that had already soared into the clouds shudder once — and then nosedive straight down from the sky.
---
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