Meanwhile, in Arc City...
"Kiana, are you really going to do this? You could just quietly report this to other organizations, like Schicksal. Why take such a risk?"
"Class Monitor, do you think Schicksal can be trusted? They've been conducting human experiments themselves. I don't trust them."
Standing on a tall building, Kiana looked at Shenzhou Pharmaceuticals in the distance.
If Schicksal were reliable, she wouldn't have come here.
After all, this would increase her risk of exposure. She couldn't return yet—there was still a ticking time bomb inside her that hadn't been resolved.
Returning recklessly would only hurt everyone. She didn't want that to happen again.
"Sigh, fine, do as you wish. Don't worry, I'll always be by your side."
"Heh, thank you, Class Monitor. Let's begin the infiltration."
Quietly, Kiana tiptoed her way toward Shenzhou Pharmaceuticals.
However, her plan was a bit too naive. She hadn't taken more than a few steps before being surrounded by mechs.
"Hey, hey, hey, why do these mechs look so much like Anti-Entropy's Titans? Is this Anti-Entropy's doing?"
Seeing herself surrounded by new-model Titan mechs, Kiana couldn't help but complain.
Some lobster doctor: Copyright infringement! I'm suing them! These are all my patents!
"Kiana, deal with them quickly and leave. These mechs might have already recorded your face. The longer you stay, the higher the risk of exposure."
"Don't worry, Class Monitor. I'm not weak."
Using the authority of a Herrscher, Kiana instantly broke free from the encirclement. With a gun constructed from Herrscher energy, she shot and destroyed each mech's core.
In less than a minute, dozens of Titan mechs were reduced to scrap.
"Hmph, Class Monitor, am I amazing or what?"
"Stay focused during missions, Kiana. Any distraction could lead to serious consequences."
"Yeah, yeah. You're so young, Class Monitor, but you talk like an old lady."
Covering her ears, Kiana shook her head vigorously.
Though the nagging was annoying, it also felt comforting.
Glancing at Shenzhou Pharmaceuticals, Kiana knew she had likely alerted them. It was time to retreat.
She'd find another opportunity to infiltrate later.
"Over there! Hurry, surround the intruder!"
Hearing the shouts from afar, Kiana knew it was time to leave.
Using her Herrscher authority, Kiana stepped into the air and fled the scene.
A few days later...
"Captain, how much longer do we have to wait? Slurp~"
On a certain bridge from the original story, Alvitr slurped her noodles as she asked.
To prevent any accidents, they had been stationed here for days. During the day, they could eat fast food, but at night, they were stuck with instant noodles.
"Just a bit longer. It should be soon. Look, isn't that her?"
Rita smiled faintly as she gestured toward the overpass.
At that moment, Kiana, in her Sky Ranger form, was dealing with the Honkai beasts on the overpass.
After finishing them off, Kiana took a deep breath and shouted, "Come out, you lurking in the shadows. Your gaze isn't subtle at all."
"Long time no see, Miss Kiana. The Overseer is very concerned about your safety outside and has sent me to invite you back to Schicksal. Would you be willing to return with me?"
Looking at the smiling, scheming woman, Kiana quickly recognized her.
"I know you. Rita Rossweisse, Schicksal's S-rank Valkyrie. You were the proctor during my exams."
"It's an honor for Rita to be remembered by Miss Kiana. So, could you make this easy for me and come along quietly?"
"You know my answer will always be no. Let's fight."
Raising her dual guns, Kiana prepared for battle.
Seeing this, Rita could only shake her head helplessly.
Couldn't Kiana just hand over the evidence? That would save them both the trouble.
Really, all Rita wanted was to finish this quickly and go back to cuddle with Durandal.
If only Kiana would just give her the evidence, she could leave right away.
Reluctantly, Rita picked up her scythe and glanced at her future sister-in-law.
Sorry, little sister-in-law, but this is a necessary sacrifice.
In a flurry of blades and gunfire, the two quickly clashed. The other Valkyries couldn't intervene.
After all, a fight between Kiana, who wielded partial authority of the Herrscher of the Void, and Rita, an S-rank Valkyrie, wasn't something B-rank Valkyries could handle.
Not to mention, they all knew this was just a staged fight. If they got involved, they'd likely get hurt.
They were only earning a few hundred thousand a month. Why risk their lives? Wait, actually, maybe they should.
"Hey, hey, our job is to slack off. Are you really going to jump in?"
Alvitr looked at her comrades, who were itching to join the fight, with disbelief.
If they really charged in, they'd probably be bedridden for months.
Thanks to Alvitr's intervention, the others calmed down.
They had just gotten carried away in the heat of the moment. After all, earning so much for just following Rita around and clearing out small fry felt a bit too easy.
"Alright, just watch quietly. Unless you want to be bedridden for months, don't interfere."
With that, Alvitr continued eating her noodles. Honestly, they weren't bad. That white-haired guy's recommendation was pretty good.
After a few rounds of fighting, Kiana began preparing for a verbal battle.
Seeing this, Rita knew it was time to slack off.
"Rita, do you think capturing me is more important than stopping the disaster in this city?"
"Capturing you is stopping the disaster in this city."
"The disaster in this city has nothing to do with me. It's related to a pharmaceutical company. Whether you believe it or not, that's the truth."
With that, Kiana tossed a USB drive containing the evidence she had gathered to Rita.
Then, in an instant, she disappeared.
Seeing this, Rita let out a long sigh of relief.
During the fight, she had used some of her real strength, and Kiana hadn't gone all out either.
Even so, the fight had been intense. It made Rita wonder if she could still defeat Kiana once she became the full Herrscher of the Void.
"Whatever, I'll stop overthinking. Alvitr, wrap it up. We can take a few days off. Really, couldn't we have just skipped to this part?"