They didn't have to wait long. Kika arrived with a team in an aircraft.
Once the two were on board, Kika, dressed in her combat suit, walked over.
[Image]
"Who are they? A simple kidnapping or..."
Ryn said to Kika, "It's hard to say. They're probably not ordinary people. It was too well-planned. They're likely the same group that framed Raiden Ryoma, most likely Anti-Entropy's work."
"Anti-Entropy... that's troublesome. Although they're no match for Schicksal, they're not something a few of us can handle. But as long as their Sovereign, the First Herrscher, isn't there, I can rely on 'Sabayon' to blast them to pieces."
"Is your armor that strong?" Kiana curiously touched the external armor 'Sabayon' on Kika. "Even though I've seen it many times, it still looks so cool every time."
Kika proudly lifted her head and said to Kiana, "Of course. This thing was excavated from some ruins by Schicksal. It possesses technology far beyond the current era. Schicksal also built the NEXUE System on it. Combined with my Stigmata, it will achieve firepower beyond your imagination. As long as I have enough stamina, even killing a Herrscher is not out of the question."
"Wow— with this, we're sure to save Mei. I really want a suit like this too, Ryn..." Kiana looked at Ryn with puppy-dog eyes. In her view, Ryn could do anything.
Faced with a pleading Kiana, Ryn suddenly felt full of motivation. If Otto won't give it, then I'll build it myself!
Just kidding, just kidding. If I could really build one, why would I still be working for Otto?
Ryn patted Kiana's head and said, "Don't worry, after we rescue Mei, I'll go give Otto a big gift. He'll definitely give us two battlesuits then."
"What kind of gift is so effective?" Kiana and Kika were both curious and looked at Ryn.
"It's a secret."
"Tch—"
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Mei's location was finally pinpointed to a place in North America. Ryn and the others followed the signal there, but they had arrived one or two hours later than Mei.
Ryn and Kiana were in charge of the assault, while Kika and the pilot provided fire support from the air. Cortana had already hacked into the base and uploaded the entire base's intelligence and map to Ryn's phone and the aircraft.
Kika was analyzing the intelligence with Cortana on the aircraft when she saw through the surveillance monitors that they were conducting experiments on Mei in a laboratory.
"They've taken Mei to the lab. I can't find out what they're planning to do. Ryn, Kiana, you need to be fast. I'll create a diversion to draw their fire." After saying that, Kika directly ordered the pilot and herself to open fire.
The aircraft's missiles and Kika's energy beams rained down on the Anti-Entropy base, and Ryn and Kiana took the opportunity to infiltrate.
Ryn had Cortana create a batch of anti-gravity armor for himself and Kiana. It couldn't compare to Schicksal's Valkyrie battlesuits, but it could significantly enhance some basic abilities. At the very least, bullets would be deflected by the armor.
Although Kiana and Ryn's physical constitutions could withstand some bullets, their reflexes couldn't yet match the speed of a bullet. Unless they could predict the trajectory of the bullet before it was fired, they would basically be unable to dodge.
According to Cortana's display, the two were about to encounter the enemy's defensive forces.
Ryn used Honkai energy to project his Stigmata weapon, the "Phantasmal Armament Array," into his hands. Its default form was a heavy cannon, but it had a high rate of fire and could be used like an automatic rifle. The only downside was that firing too quickly could drain him.
Looking at Kiana, who was tensely gripping her dual pistols, Ryn tried to say something to help her relax.
"Kiana, have you ever killed anyone? This is my first time... my heart is beating a little fast..."
Kiana shook her head and said, "It's my first time too... but I've killed a lot of Honkai Beasts. If we think of them as Honkai Beasts, it should be easier to bear."
"Alright then, get ready. We're going in. Kika, fire!"
With Ryn's command, a beam of light shot down from the sky, blasting a large hole in the wall ahead. While the people inside were still stunned, Ryn and Kiana rushed in and attacked.
It had to be said, Kiana's Gun Kata—no, her combat instincts—were very strong. Like an agile cat, she weaved through the gunfire, each bullet she fired precisely sending someone to hell.
Compared to Kiana's dance-like combat, Ryn's side was much more brutal. One heavy cannon blast after another created deep craters, giving the enemy almost no chance to react. When the enemy charged, Ryn planted the heavy cannon on the ground, and it immediately began to emit energy pulses, knocking down the surrounding people. Then, Ryn materialized a greatsword and charged into the enemies, spinning.
Kika's support from the air was even more ferocious than their combat. One shot from her "Sabayon" could basically wipe out an entire area.
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After learning of Ryn and the others' assault, Cocolia hesitated for a moment before ordering a retreat. She hadn't brought many combat personnel this time; those here were important researchers, and losing even one would be a huge loss.
Cocolia looked at Raiden Mei on the operating table. She had originally captured Mei to study her Stigmata, but during her research, she discovered that Raiden Mei's Stigmata had been sealed, and the thing sealing it was the Gem of Conquest.
"That useless Tesla, the gem she's been hiding for so many years turned out to be a fake. I bet she still doesn't even know, does she? Heh, Raiden Ryoma, oh Raiden Ryoma, you're even more ruthless than I am... to actually dare to implant the gem into your own daughter's body..."
After that, Cocolia retreated with the researchers, while the combat personnel outside were completely unaware, still fighting to the death against Ryn and the others. Cocolia didn't care about their lives. She now had a grand scheme in mind. She had originally planned to find Seele by studying Mei's Stigmata, but since Raiden Ryoma dared to misappropriate the Gem of Conquest, she would dare to create an Artificial Herrscher. The Honkai energy from a Herrscher's descent would be enough to create a physical body for Seele.
When Ryn and Kiana fought their way to the laboratory, it was already empty except for Mei, who was sleeping peacefully. There were no serious wounds on her body, but she had definitely been modified by those people.
At that moment, on Mei's side, a strange tattoo had appeared on her fair skin. It was the Stigmata that Raiden Ryoma had sealed, now released by Cocolia.
Unfortunately, no one knew that what had been released was not just the Stigmata... but also the Stigmata Consciousness that had fused with the Gem of Conquest!