A few days later, inside Shenzhou Pharmaceuticals...
"Miss Rita, our people have detected traces of Miss Kiana. She's infiltrating our location."
Sitting on a comfortable sofa, Raven, for once, took off her mask and sipped some coffee to stay alert.
"If she hasn't infiltrated yet, then it hasn't started. Let me enjoy my leisure a bit longer."
Rita shrugged, unconcerned.
As long as Kiana hadn't fully infiltrated, the script hadn't begun.
Who wanted to give their all at work?
This was just acting, not fighting Honkai beasts. If she could slack off, she would.
Sob, sob, I haven't seen Durandal in days. Next time, I'll use the excuse of being injured to get her to bathe me. Hehehe.
As she thought about it, Rita couldn't help but laugh.
Hearing Rita's laughter, Raven felt a chill run down her spine.
There was something unsettling about that laugh. As a fellow woman, she definitely didn't like it.
"Captain Rita, could you tone down the laughter? Otherwise, I'll start feeling like we're the villains here."
Alvitr chimed in to remind her captain.
Hearing this, Rita snapped out of her thoughts.
She also noticed Raven's strange look and blushed slightly in embarrassment.
"Ahem, Miss Raven, please forget what you just saw."
"There are cameras here. Your laughter has already been recorded. I think Miss Durandal would love to see it."
"...One million dollars."
"Ah, the cameras suddenly malfunctioned. Nothing was recorded."
"..."
As they chatted, Kiana had already quietly made her way into the outer areas of Shenzhou Pharmaceuticals.
Fu Hua, who had been with Kiana, learned how Kiana had figured out something was wrong with Shenzhou Pharmaceuticals.
She also shared her own speculation.
"The Stigmata Project. These test subjects are likely preparations for the Stigmata Project."
"The Stigmata Project? What's that?"
Kiana scratched her head, confused.
This wasn't something taught in textbooks.
"It's a plan from my era. Naturally, you wouldn't know about it. And this plan is deeply connected to your ancestors.
The executor of this plan is your ancestor, Kevin Kaslana. His strength is terrifying—even Herrschers are no match for him.
The Stigmata Project is not a benevolent plan. It's a way to bypass the Honkai. So, if you truly want to change this imperfect world, Kiana, he will be your greatest enemy."
"Huh? I have to fight my ancestor? Seriously? And he's still alive?"
Kiana pointed at herself, her face full of disbelief.
Forget how strong her ancestor was—just the idea of fighting him felt disrespectful.
Not to mention, her ancestor was ridiculously strong. She trusted Fu Hua wouldn't lie to her.
So, her ancestor could defeat Herrschers as easily as an adult beating up a kindergarten kid.
How was she supposed to fight that? She couldn't even beat an S-rank Valkyrie yet.
"He was the strongest warrior of the Previous Era. The Stigmata he possesses includes almost all known natural Stigmata, even those from Herrschers.
The Stigmata also granted him immense longevity. Even now, he probably looks like a teenager, not having aged a day."
"Cool! Class Monitor, Class Monitor, do you think I can get those Stigmata too?"
"...Kiana, Herrschers are no longer considered human. Herrschers don't age, and their lifespans are essentially endless."
Fu Hua facepalmed and explained the peculiarities of Herrschers.
Back then, when people learned that Stigmata could preserve youth and extend lifespans, many girls were tempted.
So, Kiana's reaction was within her expectations.
"Wow, I'm amazing. Now that I know, let's go destroy Shenzhou Pharmaceuticals' experimental site. We can't let them continue harming Arc City."
Now that she understood the dangers of the Stigmata Project, even if she couldn't stop it yet, she could at least sabotage their progress.
As Kiana continued to infiltrate, Rita knew it was time to act.
After finishing her afternoon tea, Rita stood up and donned her Herrscher-slaying armor.
"Now, Miss Raven, please go easy on me during the fight. And Alvitr, make sure to 'quickly' call Kiana to rescue me."
"Huh? Oh, oh, got it."
Hearing her captain emphasize the word "quickly," the perceptive Alvitr immediately understood.
She gave Raven a pitying look.
Poor Raven, she's about to be on the receiving end of some revenge.
Shaking her head, Alvitr took out her laptop and began typing.
Meanwhile, Rita and Raven began their fight.
However, during the fight, Raven felt something was off.
Wait, wasn't this supposed to be a staged fight? Why are you cutting my cloak so much with your scythe?
Before Raven could voice her confusion, Rita launched another attack.
What was supposed to be an even match turned into a one-sided beatdown, mainly because Raven had been too honest at the start and failed to control the pace.
Raven was fuming. She realized Rita was definitely taking revenge.
Fine, you want to play like that? Then I'll go all out!
Originally, Raven had planned to hold back and not use the gas from the original story to drain Rita's Honkai energy.
But now that she was being beaten like this, she'd be an idiot not to use it.
Finding an opening, Raven retreated and threw out several gas canisters.
Seeing the gas, Rita immediately understood what was happening and her expression darkened.
Sure, she had started the revenge, but that was for a reason. How could Raven do this?
If Raven knew what Rita was thinking, she'd probably call her a hypocrite.
"Have fun with that. Oh, and the android will be coming out soon. Make sure to call Kiana to rescue you quickly~."
With that, Raven disappeared.
Left behind, Rita's expression turned grim. She was now essentially a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
Fortunately, the androids were manually controlled, so they deliberately avoided fatal blows, leaving Rita only looking a bit disheveled.