"Who are you? Are you human or a Herrscher? Are you an enemy?"
Faced with an opponent who had taken Kiana using unknown means, Himeko's guard was at its maximum. She held her greatsword, filled with fighting spirit. But the message on the screen in front of her already told her that the power reactor couldn't hold out much longer. If another Herrscher appeared, everyone on the Hyperion would likely die here.
The Herrscher of Thunder was a little angry that her attack had been ineffective and that Ryn had snatched Kiana away. But she didn't try too hard to stop him. After all, Kiana was better off in his hands than in hers. If Kiana was with Ryn, attacking Ryn would hurt Kiana. She'd let him off the hook this time.
"Tch, an ant is an ant. Still talking so much when you're about to die." The Herrscher of Thunder turned and taunted Himeko. Since she couldn't do anything about Ryn right now, she decided to teach the Himeko who dared to raise her sword against her a lesson before her energy ran out.
"Wild Flash—Susanoo."
The Herrscher of Thunder used her hand as a blade, unleashing several slashes at Himeko. Himeko found it difficult to dodge all the slashes and could only rely on the massive amount of Honkai energy provided by the Nexus System and her armor to withstand them.
"It's time to end this. Now, come here!"
Ryn shouted at both the Herrscher of Thunder and Himeko. The moment they heard the words "come here," it was as if a giant hand had grabbed them and pulled them in front of Ryn.
Then, Ryn waved his hand at them, and they were sent flying like cannonballs, carving two deep gashes across the Hyperion.
Ryn stretched out his hand towards their positions and clenched it into a fist. The area of the Hyperion near them shattered, and the fragments enveloped them, layer by layer, forming two large spheres.
"Done."
Seeing the two of them imprisoned, Ryn nodded in satisfaction and then, carrying the three others, landed in front of Himeko and her.
An incompletely awakened Herrscher of Thunder with mediocre combat experience, and an A-rank Valkyrie whose combat power would be drastically reduced once her external power supply was cut.
They say holding a girl in your arms doubles your damage. I'm holding Kika in my left arm and Kiana in my right, with Bronya floating behind me. How can I lose? I could win this with my eyes closed.
Facing the battle-ready gazes of Himeko and the Herrscher of Thunder, Ryn felt terrified, afraid that he might accidentally kill them both.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm just helping you guys cool down."
"Well, thanks a lot for that," Himeko said, rolling her eyes helplessly. Ryn hadn't hit her very hard, and with her Valkyrie battlesuit, she wasn't seriously injured. But the damage to the Hyperion was severe... The Herrscher of Thunder destroyed a part, and Ryn dismantled another. Thinking about the repair costs, Himeko felt it would be better to just die now.
Unlike Himeko, the Herrscher of Thunder was still struggling. Being imprisoned like this was an insult to her proud nature. But it was clear that the weakened Herrscher of Thunder's domain could not break through Ryn's domain, so she could only rage impotently.
"Heh, cool down? I've been very calm. Tearing you, a scumbag, apart, and then going to slaughter those who bullied Mei. My goals have always been very clear."
"Then you should just go to sleep for a while!"
"What are you doing! Bastard, how dare you..."
Ryn took control of Kiana's baseball bat and, under the furious gaze of the Herrscher of Thunder, brought it down on her head. The Herrscher of Thunder's angry shouts were cut short as she passed out.
He casually tossed the baseball bat aside. It was a consumable item anyway. The next time Kiana wanted to use one, she could probably pull another one out of nowhere. Such is the magic of anime!
With a snap of his fingers, the metal encasing the two of them scattered. Ryn helped up Himeko, who had collapsed to the ground without power, and the unconscious Mei. The Nexus System was as hard on the body after a fight as it was enhancing during one. A shortened lifespan was a light price to pay.
"Alright, now let's talk. I'm Ryn, a Herrscher, but I'm on humanity's side. And you are?"
"Murata Himeko... So you're the First Herrscher? The Sovereign of Anti-Entropy? But aren't the rumors that his name is Welt? And you're so young!"
"I suppose I can be considered the First Herrscher... but not Anti-Entropy's First Herrscher. He's also the Herrscher of Reason, but I'm just the First Herrscher... But you can also call me a cheat. The term 'Herrscher' doesn't begin to define my existence."
A Herrscher of unknown sequence... I need to report this to Theresa immediately, and then to Schicksal HQ, so they can send an S-rank Valkyrie...
Seeing Himeko's slightly wandering eyes, Ryn immediately knew she was planning to call for backup.
"Don't even think about it. I'm also with Schicksal. Otto knows about me."
"Ah! Is that so..."
Himeko nodded numbly. Also with Schicksal, and Otto knows... so he's from HQ. Schicksal's artificial Herrscher project succeeded... a poor child, how many experiments he must have endured...
The next moment, Himeko's gaze towards Ryn was filled with respect and a hint of pity.
"What's with that look... I feel like you're thinking something very rude."
That look gave Ryn goosebumps. Come on, I just beat you up, what's with this pitying gaze... Oh no, don't tell me I've run into a sadist!
After exchanging some information, Ryn took the four unconscious girls and Himeko to the command room of the Hyperion, preparing to take the ship to Schicksal's Far East Branch, St. Freya High School.
It had to be said, the Hyperion was truly impressive. Such a massive battleship could be operated by just a few people. This was because the Hyperion was equipped with the artificial intelligence Ai-chan (A1), which Theresa had found in some ruins.
Theresa had encountered the autonomous combat unit A1 in some ancient ruins. Because Theresa was an intruder, she was caught and beaten up by Ai. But because so much time had passed, Ai ran out of energy, and Theresa managed to retrieve her.
After being rebooted, the new Ai had lost most of her memories and abilities. After connecting to the Hyperion, a new individual, Ai Hyperion, was born. Because the newly born Ai was very small and cute, she was also called Ai-chan.
The crew of the Hyperion were all gathered in the command room. Although the Hyperion was heavily damaged, the command room was still intact. It could only be said that both the Herrscher of Thunder and Himeko had tried their best to avoid the command room in their fight. Such gentle souls.
Unfortunately, after Ryn's dismantling, the Hyperion couldn't fly for much longer. In the end, Ryn had no choice but to carry the Hyperion and fly to St. Freya High School.