Among those present, there are bound to be ambitious people.
But as long as one has self-awareness, as long as one has needs, then from the moment of birth ambition follows.
The hungry long to be fed. The wealthy long for power. A ruler of a kingdom looks to the stars and the sea.
Everyone has ambition, big or small. No one has the right to criticize others purely from the perspective of ambition.
"How should we deal with that general from Luofu? Given the current ties, Luofu's relationship with him is the best. There's no way Jing Yuan hasn't noticed anything, he's the Divine Foresight General after all."
Suddenly, someone mentioned Jing Yuan.
The Divine Foresight General, Jing Yuan.
Even though many within the Alliance secretly wish for him to lose his wits, until that day comes, no one can ignore the way he commands the situation.
Least of all those who harbor ill will toward him. For only an enemy truly understands an enemy.
"The Divine Foresight General… Though I'm not interested in him, I must admit, speaking from the perspective of the Xianzhou, he would never do anything to harm Godzilla."
Shaking his head slightly, the long-lived elder spoke calmly.
The Seven Arbiter-Generals exist to safeguard the Xianzhou. To say Jing Yuan would endanger the Xianzhou is less likely than saying the Arbiter-Generals themselves would attack the Alliance.
"What the Divine Foresight General has done is not hard to understand. It's just that… we can't wait any longer."
Not everyone can remain calm when facing the signs of the Mara.
Even by the standards of the Xianzhou, Jing Yuan's age is considered advanced, making him someone the Ten-Lords Commission keeps a close eye on.
Yet he can still maintain a carefree, almost playful attitude, something not everyone here is capable of.
In truth, people's attitudes toward death vary greatly.
When the signs of Mara appear, an adjudicator from the Ten-Lords Commission will arrive to escort the afflicted. After that, the person vanishes from public sight.
And because the Xianzhou people live such long lives, matters of life and death are viewed even more differently.
That is true for most, but not all. There are still some who are filled with dread at the thought.
Watching themselves step closer to death, perhaps even falling into the state of a mindless monster, that suffocating fear presses down on them constantly.
...
People are full of contradictions.
"Just like them. Clearly, they fear death, yet they truly do want to solve the long-standing illness that plagues the Xianzhou."
Inside the Divination Commission. Fu Xuan shook her head, helplessly.
"I find that rather normal. Just like I love spices. To outsiders I may seem calm, not easily angered, yet I truly do enjoy them. They genuinely want to break free of life's cage, while also holding onto the hope of extending it."
Lingsha chuckled softly, her projection shifting with the movement of the array.
Perhaps it seems complicated, but in truth it isn't.
Put simply: they want both.
To control their own lives, yes. To gain fame and benefit, also yes.
And the two do not necessarily conflict.
...
Honkai Impact. St Freya School.
Removing her black robe and changing into something less somber, Raven slowly walked into St. Freya Academy.
"This place… really is beautiful." Raven let out a breath, emotions brimming.
Her love for it was written all over her face.
As a mercenary who dreamed of owning her own island, and building a huge villa on it, the elegant and refined environment of St. Freya Academy struck straight at her heart.
Schicksal sure is filthy rich.
A short white-haired figure appeared before her eyes.
Raven couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Having connections really is nice. To just build such a massive academy like this…
'When will I be able to fulfill my dream? What's wrong with this world having one more rich person like me?'
"Hey, what are you doing here?" Just as Raven was lamenting this world's unfairness, a somewhat stern voice cut in.
Looking down, a headful of white hair came into view.
"…Yo, what a coincidence."
"If you're willing to pull your right foot back."
Theresa lowered her head slightly, her expression blank as she looked at Raven, who was stepping on the stone slab in front of her.
Raven raised an eyebrow.
"What are you here for?" Theresa didn't have any particularly strong feelings toward Raven.
The most famous mercenary in the underworld. Her mission success rate was godlike among mercenaries.
Such efficiency practically made her a rare species.
From what Theresa knew, sometimes when Schicksal had inconvenient missions, or when someone wanted to slack off, they'd outsource them.
More often than not, this woman before her was the one who took them on.
And she did deliver. Fast, efficient, high satisfaction.
The only thing you had to remember was to pay quickly. Don't delay her from taking the next job.
As for why Theresa had no special opinion of her, well, that was simple.
Normal-level commissions weren't worth Raven's time.
"Someone commissioned me to find a person. Once I do, I just need to talk with them. Won't take up much of your time. So, shall we talk?"
Looking up, meeting Raven's calm gaze for two seconds, Theresa spoke slowly.
"Let's talk in the Headmistress's office."
...
Seated in the headmistress's custom chair, facing Raven at eye level, Theresa wore a serious expression.
"You can talk now."
"…." Raven glanced at the chair, and roughly understood why Theresa insisted on speaking here.
Raven skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point.
"Someone wants to know, how did you deal with the Herrscher of Ice?"
The Herrscher of Ice... Theresa narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing this mercenary.
"So your business range has expanded this far? Or… is this the World Serpent probing?"
After the events at the Theater of Domination, Raven's identity was no longer a secret.
An officer of World Serpent.
In the past, Theresa would've been highly wary, maybe not even letting Raven step foot into St. Freya.
But after learning that World Serpent's leader was none other than Kevin Kaslana, the strongest warrior of the Previous Era, well, family is family.
Would my ancestor ever harm me? Even if she was an Apocalypse, not a Kaslana.
But truthfully, the main reason was Kevin's sheer power.
A man who single-handedly stood above the top combatants of this era.
If he wanted to know what happened with the Herrscher of Ice, there was no need for words.
If he brought the [Judgment of Shamash] and walked into St. Freya, Theresa wouldn't dare say a thing.
After all, St. Freya is just an academy for training Valkyries.
Most of the girls here had never truly faced the horrors of Honkai. At most, they'd fought lesser Honkai beasts in controlled simulations.
They were B-rank Valkyries-in-training and C-rank logistical support.
In front of Kevin, Theresa couldn't let anything happen to these Valkyries.
"It's nothing major. A World Serpent officer just has a small connection with that girl named Anna. I don't know the details, but… he doesn't mean any harm."
Raven spoke casually.
Hearing this explanation, Theresa's expression relaxed ever so slightly.
A World Serpent officer…Aside from Gray Serpent, that inhuman thing, most of them were still human.
Considering Anna's service time, the chance may be small, but it wasn't impossible she might've saved one of them.
"St. Freya could never allow outsiders to come and go as they please."
No matter how legitimate the other party's reasons might be, Theresa would never agree to let outsiders wander freely within St. Freya.
On this point, Theresa's attitude was unwavering!
...
Anna Shariac.
Bearing the name of the Shariac family, coupled with her outstanding performance, Anna was already well-known among the lower-ranked Valkyries.
To preserve her squad and even rebuild it with her own strength, this was something many Valkyries praised her for, a true heroine.
"The Herrscher consciousness seal is intact."
Retracting Fenghuang Down, Fu Hua, sitting quietly, spoke in a calm voice.
"I based this seal on the relationship between the Herrscher of the Void and Kiana. As long as there are no massive emotional fluctuations or external force breaking it, there should be no major problems."
Against Herrscher consciousness, both Fenghuang Down and Judah had their own remarkable effects.
Compared to Judah's violent suppression, Fenghuang Down was undoubtedly far more flexible in this regard.
"But Anna still hasn't woken up." Durandal looked at the peaceful expression on Anna's face, and asked with doubt.
"That part I'm not entirely sure about." Fu Hua shook her head slightly before continuing.
"But my guess is, Anna doesn't want to wake up, or perhaps she's still resisting the Herrscher within her consciousness."
"In other words, when Miss Anna wakes up next time, she may very well wield the power of the Herrscher of Ice?" Rita spoke softly.
"We can't rule out the possibility that she may attack us again upon waking."
Even Fu Hua, who held the Fenghuang Down, couldn't give a definite answer to that.
After all, among the very few who had managed to come to terms with their Herrscher consciousness, luck had always played the largest role.
Except for Yae Sakura. She had no Herrscher consciousness.
And Wendy didn't need one, her core nature as Herrscher was already that of a Herrscher of Wind.
For someone like Fu Hua, who had long carried the belief that the only way to deal with Herrschers was through battle, this was deeply puzzling.
"All we can do is wait and see." Fu Hua shook her head faintly, and said.
...
Fu Hua had not always been alone.
A few centuries before, the non-combat elf Nuwa and Nuwa, developed based on the real Nuwa and Fuxi, ran out of energy. From then on, Fu Hua returned to solitude.
More recently, Cheng Lixue too had passed away amidst endless snow.
From then on, Fu Hua once again became alone. For a long time, she had not opened her heart to anyone.
That was the burden of someone who had lived through countless ages.
No one is a sage, free from fault.
Even if the world called her "immortal" for thousands of years, she was, in the end, still just a person.
She wanted to witness this beautiful world together with her companions.
The scenery of the world may endure for thousands of years, but only by sharing it with friends does it become truly meaningful.
"Fuxi, Nuwa..." Two figures appeared in her mind, and Fu Hua couldn't help but smile.
...
"Squad leader, whatcha doing? Eh? What's this? So cute!" Kiana popped her head out of nowhere, curiously peeking at the sketch in Fu Hua's hands.
"A friend." Fu Hua smiled gently as she explained.
"A friend? You have such a cute friend too, squad leader? Where is she now? Can I meet her?"
Blinking her big watery eyes, Kiana pleaded in her usual spoiled tone.
"Not yet... but soon, you'll be able to see her."
"Really? Hehe, then I'll take her out for a whole day of fun! A whole day!"
Yah-hoo~~~!
Watching Kiana bounce away cheerfully, Fu Hua smiled faintly.
...
Happily stepping out of St. Freya's gates, Kiana glanced left and right, making sure no one was following her before letting out a long sigh of relief.
'Hmph, with me here, no mere humans could ever slip past my perception...'
The Herrscher of the Void scoffed disdainfully.
"Yes, yes, you're the best." Half-heartedly humoring her, Kiana lowered her voice, letting the noise of the food street cover her words.
"You're sure my dad is nearby?"
'Hmph, I could never forget that man's presence, not in this lifetime.' The Herrscher of the Void's expression darkened, letting out a cold snort.
Her greatest defeats in life had all come at the hands of those white-haired people.
Especially that sword, far too distinctive.
"My dad actually being this close... it's hard to believe."
To Kiana's confusion, the Herrscher of the Void responded coolly: 'What else? That human can't rest easy leaving his precious daughter alone, but refuses to meet you directly. Contradictory creature.'
"Come on, aren't you human too? You just talked yourself into the same category."
'Hmph! I am no such lowly creature as a human!'
"Yes, yes." Another perfunctory reply.
'Wait.' The Herrscher's voice sharpened.
"What is it?"
'That human is on the move.'
"He noticed me?!"
'Unlikely. Every location he shifts to is ordinary, and the distance hasn't changed much.'
"Good... that's a relief." Kiana sipped her milk tea to calm her nerves.
Within the consciousness space, the Herrscher of the Void's cheek twitched.
Through the link, she saw it all.
Just moments ago in the food street, Kiana had grabbed a bag of fried potatoes with her left hand, fried chicken with her right, plus a skewer, and now she was sipping milk tea.
This was clearly just a girl out hunting for snacks, what kind of parent would suspect otherwise?
And clearly, Siegfried thought the same.
"Kiana's appetite is as good as ever."
Biting into a sandwich, Siegfried chuckled as he looked down at his daughter happily feasting.
Parents love nothing more than seeing their kids eat with joy.
And the Kaslana family was no exception.
To be honest, he still found it hard to believe that Kiana could coexist peacefully with the Herrscher of the Void.
He didn't know the details of how other Herrschers were born. But the Herrscher of Domination had fit perfectly into his darkest expectations of what a Herrscher was.
It was almost unthinkable that a Herrscher would ever choose peace with humanity.
Especially one widely acknowledged as humanity's most hostile enemy.
"Hah... their malice towards humans is mutual."
Siegfried chuckled faintly, shaking his head. He pushed the thoughts aside, took another bite of his dinner, and looked down again.
Then,
"Eh?" The obvious white hair was gone, completely vanished.
Just then,
"Mutual, huh... Dad, sounds like you know quite a lot."
That voice, familiar to the point of aching, yet laced with strangeness, sounded from behind him.
Siegfried froze in place, blinking.
After a long moment, he slowly turned around, sandwich in hand.
Just as he was about to speak,
Plop.
His dinner slipped from his hand, falling to the ground.
The atmosphere grew slightly awkward.
Kiana sighed helplessly. As expected, this idiot...
"Haha, long time no see, Kiana." Siegfried scratched his head, laughing heartily, utterly unbothered.
Kiana tilted her head, silently watching his foolish grin.
"...Alright then. How did you notice me?" Siegfried shrugged and asked with a smile.
"She told me."
"She?" His brows furrowed.
The "she" Kiana spoke of could only be the Herrscher of the Void.
He didn't know exactly what their relationship was like, but his preconceived notions about Herrschers remained.
Even including the Herrscher of Thunder, who had generally stood with humanity, like the leader of Anti-Entropy, he could accept them to some degree.
But the Herrscher of the Void... That was a foe he had truly fought against.
Of this Herrscher, his impression was... complicated.
He sighed inwardly. His emotions were tangled.
On one hand, he thought of Cecilia.
On the other, he couldn't ignore that the Herrscher of the Void had been a genuine victim.
If blame had to be placed, Otto, damn him.
"I talked with her about... the past. But Dad, you were there when it all happened. I want to hear it from you."
Kiana's expression turned serious. It was the first time Siegfried had seen such a look on her face today.
So serious it didn't look like something Kiana Kaslana would ever show. Though he remembered... long ago, she had once shown that same look.
"The past, huh... it's complicated." Siegfried sighed deeply, his gaze tinged with memory.
He had no intention of dodging with empty words.
Her goal was clear; she was prepared to press until she got her answers. That was the Kaslana way.
"If you really want to know, though fair warning, some of this might not be pleasant for the one inside you to hear." Siegfried added in advance.
"The story I'm going to tell begins in a land of endless snow..."
Siberia.