The furious Theresa snapped her fingers. The sides of the Oath of Judah opened up, and golden chains shot out, binding Kiana tightly.
"Who are you calling a kid! My name is Theresa, and I'm the head of Schicksal's Far East Branch!"
Kiana looked at the Theresa in front of her, who, even standing on the bed, was only a head taller than her sitting up, and expressed deep suspicion. As for being instantly defeated by Theresa, Kiana's attitude was: you can defeat my body, but you can't defeat my spirit!
"Not even using a fake name, and you barge into a dangerous Honkai zone. Are you expecting your old man to notice you? Siegfried's daughter..."
"I didn't barge in! I live there! You know my dad?"
"That's right~ I know your dad, we're old acquaintances... And, I even know where Siegfried is right now~" Theresa walked over to Kiana and crouched down, looking directly into her eyes.
*Go on, ask me where Siegfried is! Then fall into my trap step by step, and join St. Freya High School.*
However, Kiana clearly wasn't very interested. She just gave Theresa a faint reply.
"Oh."
Regarding Siegfried, Kiana found that she no longer had such a strong desire to find him. Three years a stranger, one year a relative, followed by leaving without a word... If she hadn't met Ryn, hadn't met Kika, hadn't met Mei and the others, perhaps she would be desperate to know Siegfried's whereabouts right now...
"What's with that attitude? Don't you want to know where Siegfried is?!!"
Theresa was very angry, but not at Kiana, but at Siegfried. *That bastard Siegfried, how did he raise Kiana! The file Himeko gave me said Kiana has been looking for him, but from Kiana's expression, it's clear she's not in a hurry.*
*Constantly searching, yet not in a hurry. Doesn't that just mean Siegfried was usually terrible to Kiana!!! That bastard Siegfried actually bullied Kiana!!!*
"Let me ask you, if I ask, will you tell me where Siegfried is?"
"Er... I won't..."
Theresa shook her head. Actually, she didn't know where Siegfried was either...
"Then that settles it..."
Kiana waved her hand. On their journey, Ryn had taught her that people who ask a series of leading questions before you've even asked anything are usually trying to trick you. Kiana didn't get it at first, but when Ryn rephrased it as someone trying to lure her by claiming to know where Siegfried was, Kiana understood immediately. Look, wasn't Theresa falling perfectly into that trap?
"Forget it, let's change the subject. Your current strength is too weak. You were locked in a desperate battle against a single Honkai Beast.
And your friend, Mushoku Kika, based on an analysis of the situation, if she wasn't trying to save you, she could have continued to charge up and blast that Honkai Beast to pieces with one shot.
That girl has extremely high compatibility with the Nexus System. With the brand new Nexus System built for her at Schicksal HQ, she possesses strength far exceeding that of an A-rank Valkyrie, not far from S-rank.
And this person next to you, your little boyfriend? He has the strength to crush both Himeko using the Nexus System and the Herrscher of Thunder. Even I don't have much confidence in beating him.
And then there's Raiden Mei. The power of the Herrscher of Thunder is hidden within her body. If that power emerges again, can you still rescue Mei so easily?"
Kiana remembered being attacked by that Honkai Beast. So it was Kika who took that hit for her...
Theresa's words echoed in Kiana's ears like a demon's whisper. Kiana wanted to refute Theresa, but she couldn't get the words out... She was still too weak right now.
Seeing Kiana fall into self-blame but with determination in her eyes, Theresa smiled happily.
"Then, allow me to announce a new proposal!"
"?"
Theresa put her hands on her hips and said to Kiana with a proud look on her face: "That is to join our St. Freya High School and receive training to become a Valkyrie. I will personally train you to become a warrior who can stand on her own two feet!"
"St. Freya High School?"
"That's right. It's the only institution in the world that trains warriors to fight against the Honkai, also known as Valkyries."
"Can you give me an A-rank Valkyrie battlesuit then?"
"Yes! But you must first pass the A-rank Valkyrie assessment, and then apply to Schicksal HQ."
"Tch, in the end I still have to ask Otto for it..."
"Hehe, but don't worry. As long as you meet the standard, Grandpa definitely won't refuse to give you the battlesuit! By the way, your other three friends also agreed to join St. Freya High School this morning~
So, do you want to work hard with your friends to become warriors who save the world?"
"What big talk. How can I believe the words of someone who ties up another person on their first meeting? I need to confirm with Ryn before I can agree."
Theresa snapped her fingers, and the chains binding Kiana retracted into Judah. Then Theresa lowered her head and left, saying as she walked away.
"To say it's our first meeting is truly heartbreaking. I even held you when you were a child."
Kiana stretched her wrists, not believing Theresa's words. She was clearly smaller than her, yet she claimed to have held her.
"Ryn, Ryn~"
Kiana hugged Ryn, rolling back and forth coquettishly. But even so, Ryn didn't wake up. After all, he wasn't asleep; he had been knocked out.
"Huh? How did he get such a big bump on his head..."
————————
This morning, with Mei.
When Mei woke up, she was filled with despair and self-blame. She had turned into the Herrscher of Thunder again, and now everyone else was unconscious in the hospital. Only she was fine, apart from a slight headache.
*I must have hurt them again...*
She asked Himeko next to her to kill her but was sternly refused. Himeko did say, however, that she could install a bomb in her heart, which would detonate if the Herrscher of Thunder ever emerged again.
At this moment, Kika woke up. She saw Himeko and Mei talking. Just as she was about to go over and say hello, she heard Himeko say she was going to put a bomb inside Mei. An angry Kika immediately summoned Sabayon and aimed it at Himeko.
"Impossible. No one is putting a bomb inside Mei."
"Kika... but if..."
"Shut up, Raiden Mei. I don't have many friends, and I cherish every one of them. Mei, you're my friend, and I can't just watch you hand your life over to someone else! If the Herrscher of Thunder appears again, then I'll defeat her! I've defeated her so many times already, haven't I?"
Seeing how resolute Kika was, Mei was moved and hugged her, tears streaming down her face.
"Thank you..."
Himeko held up her hands, looking at the two embracing each other with a wry smile:
"Hey, hey, hey, don't get all emotional yet. Shouldn't you put the weapon down first? I'm not wearing my battlesuit. If that thing goes off by accident, one shot will definitely finish me."