Theresa traveled across the world.
Using Schicksal's vast global influence, she initiated a worldwide screening and examination of nearly all eligible young girls, searching for those suitable to join St. Freya Academy.
Siberia.
Colonel Alexei Sydavich Zaitsev stared in confusion at Theresa and the Schicksal personnel who had arrived at his door.
"You're saying my daughter is qualified to attend St. Freya Academy?"
"Yes."
Theresa looked toward the petite girl beside him, her soft gray curls framing a delicate face.
"We've already performed a preliminary test on Bronya."
"Her IQ is 180—far above average—and she exhibits a strong adaptability to Honkai energy. She's certain to become an outstanding Valkyrie in the future."
"Leaving her here... don't you think that would be wasting her talent?"
Theresa spoke earnestly.
"Hmm..."
Alexei hesitated for a moment.
In this corrupt country, even as a colonel, he had to smuggle weapons just to make ends meet. His daughter's future here was all too predictable.
"What do you think?"
He patted Bronya's head.
"..."
Holding her plush toy, Bronya glanced up at Theresa and the others.
Then she nodded slightly.
"Mm. I want to see the world outside..."
"..."
After a moment of indecision and a few exchanged words, Alexei sighed and nodded.
"Alright, Bronya. Take care of yourself."
"Okay."
Bronya followed Theresa and boarded the aircraft.
"Hmm... the next candidate is..."
Theresa checked the holographic interface.
"Bianka Ataegina?"
"Ah, the girl born from the union of the Kaslana and Schariac families? The Archbishop mentioned she has remarkable potential—an unexpected blessing."
"Wait, there's also Seele Vollerei. She's in Siberia too. Let's visit her family while we're there."
...
Half a year later.
At St. Freya Academy, Theresa stood at the classroom podium, addressing a group of new students.
"Welcome to St. Freya Academy."
"You've all been carefully selected by Schicksal for your exceptional Honkai adaptability and potential. I hope you'll have a wonderful time here and grow into outstanding Valkyries."
"In the future, we'll explore outer space together, fight against the Honkai, and protect everything that is beautiful."
"Hmm..."
Bronya and the others exchanged curious glances.
They came from all over the world, each with different backgrounds, united by Schicksal's call.
"Hey—"
Soon after, a woman in uniform entered the room, her fiery red ponytail swaying as she walked.
"Ahem—"
Clearing her throat, she looked at the gathered students.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Murata Himeko. At Theresa's invitation, I'll be your instructor from today onward."
"Of course, we'll also be comrades during missions. When assignments come up, I'll fight alongside you."
"I'll be teaching Cosmology and Starship Dynamics—yes, that means exploring space and building starships. It's fun, I promise."
"Whoa..."
A murmur of curiosity spread through the classroom.
"Teacher Himeko, do aliens really exist?"
Durandal asked.
"Hmm..."
Murata Himeko paused for a moment, then projected several images onto the screen.
"I believe they do. The ancient people of Shenzhou recorded clear evidence of ships visiting Earth."
"Look here—don't these carvings look exactly like spacecraft?"
"Whoa..."
Bronya tilted her head, studying the images.
Indeed, ancient civilizations often recorded events through carvings—from Egypt to Europe. They depicted priests, wars, rain rituals, and other scenes—but the carvings made by the ancient people of Shenzhou looked far more... advanced.
The ancient carvings depicted ships with angular frames—complete with thrusters and turrets—strikingly similar to the spacecraft seen in science fiction films.
If not for Schicksal's assurance that they were genuine, Himeko would have thought these stone tablets were less than ten years old.
"At first, we assumed that ancient people might have mistaken some kind of animal for a ship," Himeko explained. "But as more of the ancient language was deciphered, we realized their records clearly referenced concepts like Honkai and starships."
"Furthermore, during Schicksal's Eastern Crusade over five hundred years ago, there were also accounts of starships visiting Earth. So I believe extraterrestrial civilizations really do exist."
"Wow..."
Bronya, Durandal, and the other girls listened with fascination.
Aliens and the vastness of space—such topics were endlessly captivating for young minds.
"Moreover, alien civilizations could pose a threat to Earth," Theresa added. "We must not only explore space but also defend humanity from both the Honkai and any unknown dangers that may come."
"So cool."
Bronya said in awe.
To fight the Honkai, to explore the cosmos, to protect mankind—the very thought filled them with boundless dreams.
They all turned their eyes toward the window, yearning for the day they would one day ascend into space as true Valkyries.
"Alright then! Let's begin our very first lesson!"
...
Pfft—
Setsuna nearly burst out laughing aboard the transdimensional starship as he watched how, even without the Second Eruption, everyone's fates had still intertwined so naturally.
"So Theresa's the one helping me gather everyone together? That'll save me a ton of effort."
He could barely contain his amusement.
Originally, he'd planned to send Angeloids one by one to recruit key figures when the time was right.
With the Starsea Empire's power, it wouldn't have been difficult—but definitely tedious.
Unexpectedly, Theresa had already gathered nearly all of the major Valkyries from the original timeline—plus many new faces Setsuna didn't even recognize.
Even more surprisingly, she had done it earlier than expected. Bronya and Seele, who were supposed to join St. Freya only after the Third Eruption, had both already been found.
Without the Second Eruption, Seele had never been quantumized, and Bronya, never subjected to the X-10 Experiment, was far more open and emotionally expressive. The two of them were still getting to know each other in this altered worldline.
The girls were now studying and training diligently at St. Freya Academy, dreaming of the day they could reach for the stars.
"Mm-hmm, Commander," Grey said smugly, crossing her arms. "Schicksal's building their Valkyrie corps. Let them do all the hard recruitment work for us."
"Besides, they'll practically deliver the recruits to us when they're older."
Since the current timeline was still young, most of the girls—Bronya, Seele, and the others—were still in their loli phase.
Cute as that was, Setsuna preferred to wait until they were more mature.
"Hmm..."
"Bronya, Seele, Himeko, Ana Schariac, Wendy..."
Setsuna opened a holographic interface, reviewing the personnel roster.
In this new millennial era, every notable girl from the modern civilization had already appeared, coincidentally gathered under the same roof at St. Freya Academy.
Without the Second Eruption, their lives were calm and stable.
After double-checking the list, he confirmed that while their ages and experiences had shifted, everyone was accounted for.
Once all these girls were secured, he could finally proceed to the next phase.
Conquering the world and eliminating the Honkai—neither sounded particularly difficult anymore.
"Wait a second—what about Kiana?!"
Setsuna frowned, realizing a critical name was missing.
The main protagonist of the Honkai world hadn't even been born.
The worldline truly had gone completely off the rails.
"Well..."
Grey and the Research Division displayed a complex computational report before him.
"Bringing her into existence isn't difficult. We know Kiana requires the Herrscher of the Void's core, Sirin, and Durandal's DNA."
"If Otto could create K-423 with Schicksal's outdated technology, we can certainly do the same—more efficiently and precisely."
"At present, we already have two of the three necessary components. That means we've essentially assembled two-thirds of Kiana. Once we secure the Herrscher of the Void's core, we'll be all set."
"..."
"So we still need the Herrscher of the Void? Are we supposed to just wait for another Eruption? We can't let Sirin suffer again."
Formidable twirled her hair in thought.
"No need," Grey replied confidently. "We can artificially trigger a controlled Honkai Eruption—summon the Herrscher of the Void ourselves... and then beat her into submission."
"...Huh?"
...
Boom—
The starship descended onto the docking bay of Honkai Station -1.
Before setting out, to prevent another strange spacetime bug, the entire research team stationed at the base had joined Setsuna on this expedition. Now, as the station came back online, the ancient scientific outpost began to awaken once more.
[Identification code verified. Access granted.]
[Energy modules self-check in progress... no malfunctions detected. Initializing power systems.]
Click—
With the mechanical AI's confirmation, the station's containment barriers disengaged, and the reactor began to hum with renewed life.
Pop—pop—
The once-dark, colossal floating city instantly illuminated, bathed in thousands of shimmering lights.
"Whoa—"
"So this is where you used to observe Earth from...?"
Cecilia gazed in awe at the enormous structure, instinctively clutching Setsuna's sleeve and leaning closer to him.
"Just a small toy," he replied with a smile.
Stepping into the space station, Setsuna noted that—according to the starship's reference frame—less than a month had passed for them. But for Earth, and for Honkai Station -1, five hundred years had already gone by.
Thanks to Bulins' absurdly advanced craftsmanship, every component remained intact and operational, without a single sign of decay.
The Angeloids swiftly cleaned the facility, while the researchers—carrying their belongings—returned to their stations, checking their equipment with nostalgic smiles.
"Temporal distortion... tsk."
According to the station's chronometers, they had indeed been absent for half a millennium—a surreal, dreamlike reality.
Einstein, Edison, and the others roamed the corridors, marveling at the technology. They eagerly tinkered with the futuristic instruments and data terminals like children in a candy store.
"Ahem—"
Once everyone had settled in, Grey convened the Research Division to brief Setsuna.
"We anticipated this outcome long ago. Saving Sirin inevitably prevented the Second Eruption from occurring, meaning Kiana—K-423—was never born."
"However, we can easily resolve this. K-423 was a clone from the start. For us, replicating her is trivial."
"Sirin's DNA is already available, and Durandal is currently studying at St. Freya Academy. Acquiring her DNA sample will be simple."
"So the only real challenge is obtaining the Herrscher Core of the Void."
Shhh—
Grey projected a series of detailed reports. Planck and Edison examined them with interest, while the others stared at the dense equations in bewilderment.
"As we know, Herrschers are born from Honkai Eruptions. When a Honkai energy surge reaches 1,000 HW or more, a Herrscher can manifest."
"Furthermore, Herrschers follow a predictable sequence—starting with the Herrscher of Reason, followed by the Void, Thunder, Wind, and so on. The Herrscher of Sentience, however, was an anomaly—her compatibility with the Immortal Shenzhou lineage was absurdly high."
"Based on these principles, we can artificially trigger a high-power Honkai Eruption to induce the birth of a Herrscher core."
She continued, explaining the technical details for the astonished Honkai scientists.
"The Herrscher core forms through the compression and crystallization of Honkai energy within a host body. By controlling the energy output, we can significantly increase the probability of success."
"Can it be done?"
Setsuna ignored the specifics—he only cared about feasibility.
"Yes," Grey replied confidently. "We began researching artificial Honkai phenomena back in the Shenzhou 'Saga of the Shattered Swords' era. After observing the First Herrscher, we refined the process to suit this world's conditions."
"At present, we can generate artificial Honkai reactions up to 5,000 HW. Based on simulations, the probability of successfully creating a Herrscher exceeds 80%."
"And if it fails, we can always try again."
"Madness..."
Cecilia and Cheng Lixue were both stunned.
If they hadn't witnessed Setsuna's actions firsthand—rescuing Sirin and the other children—they would have thought the entire Research Division had gone insane.
"Relax. Everything is under control."
Senju Kayo smiled reassuringly, her tone calm and confident.
"Triggering a Honkai Eruption on a space station won't cause civilian casualties, and the Herrscher will be easier to deal with."
"Besides, it's actually beneficial to release some Honkai energy now and then. If a random eruption occurred on Earth, it'd be a much bigger problem."
"Hmm..."
Everyone thought about it—and realized it made sense.
Compared to an uncontrolled Honkai eruption on Earth, a controlled one was indeed far safer.
"Whatever materials you need, just say the word. If we don't have them here, I'll call in Bulins from the capital."
Setsuna waved his hand decisively.
"Don't worry—it'll be quick!"
"In fact, we were planning to use this method to bait a Herrscher anyway..."
...
Two weeks later.
On the outer platform of the space station, a massive, tower-shaped device stood—its design intricate and ominous.
"This thing can briefly connect to the Imaginary Space, draw in Honkai energy, and trigger a large-scale artificial eruption. Unfortunately, it's a one-time-use device."
The nanobot proudly introduced the latest masterpiece of the Honkai Station's research division.
"5,000 HW? It's not going to blow up the whole station, is it?!"
Einstein shuddered, recalling the devastation of the First Eruption that destroyed Berlin.
"Oh, please. I could grab a random shipgirl from the port and toss a single Photoid blast stronger than that," Grey yawned.
"The testing field was built to withstand direct fire from a Titan-class warship. Don't worry."
At the center of the test field lay a stasis chamber, within which rested a pale-skinned, unfamiliar girl.
"What is that...?"
Fu Hua frowned in confusion.
"A vessel for the Herrscher. She's just an artificial construct—no consciousness. Her body's strong, infused with Sirin's genes. Calculations show that will attract Honkai energy and increase the odds of success."
Grey shrugged.
"I actually thought about having the Immortal upload her consciousness again—maybe it'd attract more energy like bait..."
"?"
"Terrible idea."
Fu Hua rolled her eyes.
Once preparations were complete, the research team withdrew to the safe zone, and the space station's inner shields activated.
Setsuna, Grey, and Nyarlathotep remained nearby to monitor the situation.
"Commencing the first artificial Honkai reaction—activate."
"System diagnostics complete. Power level: 5,000 HW."
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1—"
Vrrrr—
The tower-like device emitted a thunderous roar as it briefly opened a channel to the Imaginary Space.
Massive waves of Honkai energy burst forth, flooding the area.
BOOM!!!—
A violent gale swept through the entire testing field as the torrent of Honkai energy shredded the machine into dust.
Street lamps, benches, and even ornamental plants were instantly vaporized.
"Did... it work?!"
Setsuna stood unmoving amidst the storm of Honkai energy, raising his hand to form a barrier, trapping the raging force within a limited area to prevent interference with the space station's systems.
Then—
Before everyone's eyes, the Honkai energy converged upon the vessel at the center.
She slowly stood, opening golden, cross-shaped pupils as her body floated upward.
Her long white hair flowed like silk; her upper half clad in a black-and-white bodysuit, lower half wrapped in thigh-high black stockings and short boots.
Behind her floated six spear-like weapons formed from pure Honkai energy.
Tap, tap—
Each step she took created a staircase beneath her feet, allowing her to rise high into the air, looking down upon everyone below.
With a snap of her fingers—
A second shockwave of raw energy surged through the space station, shaking it to its very core.
"Holy crap, the Queen descends?!"
Setsuna could practically hear dramatic BGM in his head.
Indeed, her face resembled Sirin's—but she was a pure Herrscher of the Void, devoid of human emotion.
A lower-grade copy, perhaps—but no less terrifying.
"Arrogant, greedy humans... You dare summon me into this world?"
"Today, I shall consume all, and grant you the mercy of oblivion."
"For I... am Honkai itself!"
Her voice echoed coldly, mechanical, like an AI announcing judgment.
She raised her hand, conjuring a spear of condensed Honkai energy, and hurled it straight at Setsuna.
BOOM—
The attack was effortlessly blocked by his barrier.
"Hmm?"
While assessing her surroundings, the Herrscher noticed the strange individuals surrounding her—a silver-haired girl, a uniformed android, a sword-wielding fusion warrior... and even other Herrschers?
The energies they emitted were neither human nor Honkai.
"Pfft, acting all high and mighty, huh? Guess you've never been punched before."
Senti crossed her arms, smirking as she stepped forward.
"Now then—standing before you are the Starsea Empire's Commander, Nyarlathotep, the Spirit of Origin, the Gray Tempest, an ancient relic of Shenzhou... and the one and only Herrscher of Sentience."
"Please—choose your opponents."
"?"