Just as Sin Mal stood up to give Himeko and the others some more clues, Judah returned.
Judah walked to Ryn's side, picked up a piece of pastry from his plate, and said to everyone while tasting it:
"I've detected some faint Honkai energy reactions on the seabed south of Canghai City. Some fish have even been mutated by the Honkai energy. I believe there might be a large, hidden source of Honkai contamination on the seabed, possibly some kind of large, dead Honkai Beast."
Listening to Judah's report, Ryn became thoughtful.
"Historical records say that after Ji Lin defeated Chiyou, Chiyou fled to Jiuyou. And in Shenzhou's legends, Jiuyou is in the deepest part of the earth, leading directly to the Yellow Springs. Since we've searched the surface without any clues, is it possible that Jiuyou is underground? Or on the seabed?"
"So you suspect that the source of contamination on the seabed is the dead Chiyou? If so, does that mean that place is Jiuyou... Request equipment from the permanent forces in Canghai City. We're going to investigate."
Now that they had information to verify, they naturally had to confirm its authenticity. Himeko waved her hand and announced the next mission.
Hearing that Ryn and the others had found the correct location of Chiyou, Sin Mal stomped her feet in anger.
"Damn it, damn it, my chance to look cool is gone again."
——————————
While Ryn and the others were searching for Jiuyou in Canghai City, back at St. Freya High School.
After confirming that Ryn and the others had left St. Freya High School, the rash Higokumaru wanted to stir up trouble again.
"Hmph, Ryn and Judah have been gone for several days. Without Judah, Kallen is no threat at all. Yae Sakura, this is our best chance! As long as we can infiltrate that warship, we can conquer St. Freya High School. This will definitely be our revenge against those damned humans!"
"I'm sorry, I've already found Kallen. I won't fight anymore." Yae Sakura shook her head, rejecting Higokumaru's proposal. She no longer had a reason to fight; being with Kallen was enough.
"Hmph, do you think you can still turn back? After killing so many people, do you think you still have a choice? Once a sword is picked up, it can only be put down in death."
Higokumaru sneered at Yae Sakura. Yae Sakura was far more ruthless than itself. It had only pushed a few buttons in the past and had never killed anyone personally, whereas Yae Sakura had personally slaughtered an entire village.
"I'm not going, and I advise you to give up on this idea as well. Revenge brought us nothing in the end... Those who are gone are gone. We should cherish those who are still here..."
Yae Sakura's words sent Higokumaru into a rage. "What do you know! You think you understand me! You've found your Kallen, but what about me? What about my Big Sis?!"
Yae Sakura didn't know what to say. Higokumaru carried a palpable resentment and hatred. Its hatred for humanity far surpassed her own. Yae Sakura didn't know Higokumaru's story, but she was sure its past was not a happy one.
"I'm sorry..."
"Hmph, if you won't go, I'll go myself. On the scorched earth, I made a promise to her, to those damned people, that no matter the cost... the Honkai will destroy humanity. Yae Sakura, you can continue to drown in Kallen's gentle embrace..."
Higokumaru left.
Yae Sakura sighed as she watched Higokumaru disappear. Her revenge was over, but Higokumaru's had never stopped.
Every numbered Valkyrie squad has its own dedicated warship, but not every warship is like the Hyperion... While the Hyperion isn't Schicksal's strongest warship, it is the pinnacle of its technology.
And the Hyperion was Higokumaru's target. Using its Power of Corruption, Higokumaru directly hacked into the Hyperion.
The moment Higokumaru hacked in, the Hyperion seemed to emit a strange light. In that instant, the Hyperion seemed to transform into a different ship.
The passing Welt looked at the Hyperion in the distance, rubbing his head in deep thought.
"What's going on? How come I suddenly can't understand the Hyperion anymore... Why do I feel like the Moonlight Throne was built for nothing? It feels completely inferior to the Hyperion... Never mind, I must be seeing things from working all night." Welt shook his head and didn't think about it anymore. The Moonlight Throne would be completed in less than two years, how could he give up on it just because of a sudden thought!
Meanwhile, on the Hyperion, Higokumaru had easily hacked Ai-chan. Just as it was about to take off with the Hyperion, it found itself trapped in the Hyperion's database.
As Higokumaru struggled, a series of metallic clanging sounds echoed.
"Well, well, I thought it was some little virus that took out little Ai-chan~ Turns out it's you."
"Who are you! Why isn't my power working!" Higokumaru shouted in the direction of the voice.
"Hello there, I'm Ai Hyperion Λ, but you can also call me Passing-by Protagonist A~"
And from that voice, a figure gradually emerged, a large cabbage head...
No, it was the adult Ai-chan. [Image]
"Now then, let's have a good chat, Herrscher of Corruption, Higokumaru..."
"There's nothing to talk about! You're just an AI, watch me take care of you."
Higokumaru found its restraints suddenly gone. Enraged, it shot a fireball at Ai-chan.
"It's not good to be so hasty. I guess I'll have to teach you a lesson first. Don't worry, I'm quite good at exterminating viruses." Ai-chan said as she took off the chakram circling her, the Dream-Seeking Rudder A-1.
Physical virus extermination was her specialty. The conversion between a data body and a physical entity was not something only the Herrscher of Corruption could do.
"I don't care if different versions of the Hyperion from different spacetimes are destroyed normally, but I can't just stand by and watch one get infected by a Herrscher-turned-virus~"
*Duang~ Dang~*
*Duang~ Dang~*
*Duang~ Dang~*
Ai-chan elegantly threw her chakram in a triple strike. The chakram bounced off Higokumaru three times before returning. Finally, Ai-chan did a slight twirl, caught the returning chakram, and then lightly tapped the ground with her foot, standing gracefully on the spot.
"Ahem, Protagonist A isn't just for show."
As for Higokumaru... it was instantly defeated by Ai-chan's triple strike.
"Why... why is a mere warship so powerful..."
"Who do you think I am? I'm Passing-by Protagonist A, of course~ But more importantly, I am the Hyperion. I am the Unsinkable Ship of Eternal Samsara—the Hyperion!"