After opening the video, it was still the familiar preface. After it ended, there were countless bullet comments:
[First!]
[Here we go, bro!]
[Ai-chan is still as diligent as ever. This makes me, the Lazy Grand Judge, feel really uncomfortable.]
[I can't wait to duel with my old partner Van!]
[Sharp sword, sharp eyes, the clash only lasts a moment, come, duel with me quickly!]
[The guy above, get out of this region!]
[You're the one who should get out!]
———
The beginning of the video continued from last time. The scene where Durandal reunited with Van shocked everyone present.
Kiana even blurted out, "Van, you... know each other?"
It was truly too surprising that Van knew Destiny's strongest S-rank Valkyrie.
In response, Van nodded, then walked to the front of the crowd and greeted Durandal.
"Bianka, it's been so long. You've grown taller and more beautiful. Compared to before, you really have the look of a mature young lady now."
Van's praise made Bianka blush slightly, but she quickly adjusted her expression.
"But senior, you haven't changed much all these years, you're still the same as before."
Looking at Van, who still seemed healthy and well, Bianka's expression softened. But then her tone carried a hint of grievance.
"Speaking of which, I haven't seen you at headquarters since back then. I thought you... I didn't expect that you had gone to the distant Far East."
Facing the girl's playful complaint, Van smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Bianka, actually, I've always been traveling back and forth between the Far East and headquarters these past years. As for why you didn't see me, it ultimately comes down to you being too hardworking. Either you're out on missions or on the way to missions."
At this point, Van's expression turned serious, "Have you forgotten what I told you before? Hard work is indeed the root of success, but balancing work and rest is what will help you go farther."
Facing Van's reproach, Bianka dropped her previous assertive attitude and became a bit flustered.
"Um... senior, I actually do take vacations..."
On the other side, watching the completely reversed Van, Kiana and the others were all confused.
Kiana even whispered complaints to the two partners beside her, "Is this really an S-rank Valkyrie? She looks more like an elementary schooler being scolded by her teacher."
Seeing Bianka's attitude starting to soften, Van took the opportunity to say, "Speaking of which, Bianka, with your understanding, you should also know what the consequences of bringing Wendy back to headquarters would be, right?"
To this, Bianka had nothing to say. As one of the closest people to Otto, the Archbishop of Destiny, she clearly knew some of the organization's unspeakable dark sides. She also understood that if Wendy were brought back to headquarters, it would probably be more bad than good.
But she had no choice. A soldier follows orders like a mountain.
Moreover, even taking a step back, Wendy was the culprit who caused the New Zealand Honkai Eruption.
Therefore, to prevent the "Fourth Herrscher" from endangering the world again, Bianka had no choice but to do this.
Thinking of this, Bianka made her decision. From then on, the girl who was happy to meet an old friend in a foreign land, Bianka, disappeared.
In her place stood the Destiny S-rank Valkyrie who fought to eliminate the Honkai, Durandal.
"Sorry, senior, I have reasons that I must refuse you."
After apologizing, Durandal once again raised her knight's spear, pointing it at Van and the others.
The sudden turn of events left our dear Bug (nickname for Kiana) dumbfounded, her brain overloaded, "Eh, eh, eh! Didn't we just talk it through? Why are we fighting again?!"
At this, Bronya summoned her Heavy Bunny while mocking Kiana, "Stupid Kiana, obviously, our negotiation has failed."
Looking at Durandal, Van wasn't angry at all. On the contrary, he was gratified and emotional, "Bianka, you've finally grown up~"
Durandal remained unmoved and stated, "For safety's sake, the 'Fourth Herrscher' must be recovered by me."
Looking at Durandal's firm expression, Van knew clearly that words could not persuade the girl in front of him. So he changed his tone, "Bianka, the real reason you must take Wendy away, in the end, is because of her identity as the 'Fourth Herrscher' and the 'Gem of Desire' inside her, right?"
Durandal nodded, "That's right. These dangerous existences must be kept at headquarters to be safe."
"But what if I said... I can make the 'Fourth Herrscher' disappear? Then wouldn't you no longer need to take Wendy back to headquarters?" Van said something shocking.
"Disappear? Senior, what do you mean?" Durandal looked confused.
Van didn't answer. Instead, he turned around, walked to Wendy who was surrounded by Kiana and others, stretched out his hands, and began to gather unknown energy.
———
Van's action confused the netizens watching in the real world.
[Van, what are you doing!]
[Judging from his posture, he seems to be about to do something to Wendy?]
[I get it! So when Van said make the Fourth Herrscher disappear, he meant disappear in the physical sense!]
[Shut up, Mr. Know-it-all above! No one would miss you if you didn't speak!]
[That's not right, with Van's character, he wouldn't do something that hurts an innocent person.]
[Innocent? Innocent?! Just because she looks fragile she's innocent? Did you forget she's the culprit behind the New Zealand Honkai Eruption?!]
———
While the real-world audience argued endlessly, Kiana in the video also sensed something was wrong.
To stop Van from taking further action, Kiana even directly used her body to block between Van and Wendy.
"Hey, hey, hey! Wait, Van! What are you trying to do? Don't tell me you're going to hurt Miss Wendy?!"
Seeing Kiana with the look of "If you don't explain properly, I'll fight you," Van wordlessly knocked her on the forehead.
"Ow! What are you doing~" Kiana cried out in pain.
Before Van could explain, Bronya beside him spoke first, "Stupid Kiana, believe in Brother Van. He's not that kind of person."
Raiden Mei also followed, "That's right, Kiana. After spending so long together, we should all know Van's character."
Hearing her companions all rebuke her, Kiana said shyly, "I do know Van's character. It's just... I was worried..."
After resolving the internal commotion, Van once again walked to the unconscious Wendy's side. He opened his hands toward Wendy's legs where the 'Gem of Desire' was embedded.
A dark energy burst from Van's palms, followed by a wave of void energy. Then, a shocking scene unfolded before everyone's eyes.
Under Van's power, the Honkai concentration in Wendy's body rapidly began to dissipate. The wounds on her legs, corroded by Honkai energy, also gradually healed.
Then, a green gem slowly emerged from Wendy's legs.
Seeing this, everyone finally understood what Van was trying to do.
"I'm not dreaming, am I? Van... he can actually extract the 'Gem of Desire' from Miss Wendy?" Kiana said in disbelief.
Even the experienced Raiden Mei and Bronya also admitted: They had never seen such a scene before.
Whether it was extracting the 'Gem of Desire' or healing Wendy's Honkai-corroded wounds, all of it shattered their understanding.
In the distance, Durandal was naturally also shocked by Van's action. But she soon noticed something strange.
'Whether from what I saw or what I sensed, the Honkai energy in Miss Wendy's body has indeed dissipated, and the 'Gem of Desire' was successfully removed. However, according to the law of conservation of energy, energy doesn't just vanish without a trace. It only...'
Thinking of this, Durandal looked at Van with a complicated expression.
"Senior, is this... your choice?"
Recalling the time they first met in a certain bubble world within the Sea of Quanta, Durandal showed a nostalgic look.
"At that time, you were like this too, disregarding everything for me and Rita."
"So after that, I made up my mind to become the strongest Valkyrie in the world. Because only then, could I protect the ones I treasure most... protect... you..."
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