Kiana felt a wave of anguish. To save her, Himeko and Tesla had both put their lives on the line. The others had done the same, facing down Honkai Beasts and Schicksal's forces. But was it really worth it?
"Kiana, don't blame yourself. This isn't your fault." Noticing the change in Kiana's expression, Himeko gently ruffled her hair and spoke softly, "You saw it just now, didn't you? You were just a pawn in Otto's scheme. The one who is truly at fault is Otto, not you."
"But, Teacher Himeko, if only I had been a little stronger, the Herrscher of the Void wouldn't have been able to take over my body..." Kiana said dejectedly.
Although she was completely different now from how she used to be, she knew that these changes were all thanks to the Q&A space. If the Q&A space had never appeared and they had continued along the original path, the future would have remained the same. Could she accept that?
"But didn't you succeed in the end?" Himeko said with a smile. "That moment you saved Arc City was truly amazing. You are the student I'm most proud of, both now and in the future."
"Teacher Himeko..." Kiana was so moved, she looked like she was about to break down in tears.
"By the way, about that God-Slaying Spear that appeared in the video... Theresa, is there any way you can get your hands on it?" Tesla interjected. "If we have the God-Slaying Spear, we'll have one more trump card."
"That... I probably can't do that," Theresa said, shaking her head. "Something that precious... Grandpa is definitely guarding it very closely. If I tried to touch it, he would know immediately."
"What about a sample of the Holy Blood then?" Tesla pressed on. "We already know the steps to create the God-Slaying Spear. As long as we have the most crucial components—the Holy Blood sample and the HSN-b46 serum—we can make it ourselves."
"A Holy Blood sample... I might be able to try, but I have no idea where the HSN-b46 serum is kept."
"The serum is with me," Fu Hua suddenly stated. "I believe the serum Himeko had in the future was given to her by my future self."
"Back in Singapore, Dr. Margrave gave me the last remaining vial. I didn't hand it over to Otto; I kept it for myself."
"So that's how it is. I was wondering where Himeko got that serum," the others said, a wave of understanding passing through them.
"Excellent. Then it's settled. Lady Theresa, if you get a chance, go to Schicksal HQ and try to bring back a sample of the Holy Blood. Dr. Tesla and I will be responsible for creating the God-Slaying Spear," Einstein said with a snap of her fingers.
"And that Crimson Armor, if we could also get our hands on that..."
"Dr. Tesla, let's stop the daydreaming right there," Einstein cut off Tesla's fantasy. It was a ridiculous notion. If they could get their hands on that, they might as well just pray for Otto to drop dead along with the Honkai.
"Tch, can't I even think about it?" Tesla huffed, crossing her arms.
---o---
[Question 17: In the battle against Schicksal, where did the final showdown between Murata Himeko and the Herrscher of the Void take place?]
[A: The Hyperion]
[B: Schicksal Headquarters]
[C: St. Freya]
[D: Imaginary Space]
---o---
Just then, the seventeenth question from the Q&A space appeared.
"Another question about Himeko?" Theresa asked, surprised. The frequency was almost the same as when Fu Hua had first entered the Q&A space. Was this a character-focused episode?
"This question should be about the events that happened after the last battle we saw between Himeko and the Herrscher of the Void," Einstein deduced. "It says 'final showdown,' which means this was their last battle. Although we don't know the process, I believe everyone already knows the result."
"....."
The expressions of everyone from St. Freya turned grim.
So, it's finally time?
They had often wondered how Himeko died, but they never dared to think too deeply about it. And now, the answer to that question seemed to be just around the corner, yet none of them wanted to know anymore. They were afraid—afraid of seeing the scene of Himeko's death.
Kiana, in particular, found the idea of the Herrscher of the Void using her body to kill Himeko unbearable. Just the slightest thought of such a possibility sent a sharp pain through her heart.
"Everyone, don't look so grim. You're making it seem like I'm about to die right this second," Himeko said, feeling a bit helpless at their somber expressions.
It was her death scene, so why did everyone else look more heartbroken than she did?
It wasn't that Himeko wasn't afraid of her own death. It was just that the day she became a Valkyrie, she had already prepared herself to make the ultimate sacrifice at any time.
For her, the thing she feared most was never a sudden death, but a death without meaning, without hope. She wanted to be like Captain Ragnar, passing on her will. Even if she died, people who inherited her will would continue to live in this world, fighting for all that is beautiful within it.
And she believed that Kiana, Mei, Bronya, and many more of her students could certainly achieve that.
So, what was there for her to be afraid of?
"Himeko's right. There's no need to be sad," Theresa said reassuringly. "The future is already changing, bit by bit. The most direct evidence is that Himeko's body has recovered, and she's even obtained a more powerful Stigma. This way, even if the future still unfolds in a similar way, we'll have more options to achieve the best possible outcome."
"The Principal is correct," Bronya agreed. "The future will change. Bronya will never get owned again! Bronya will be victorious in every battle!"
"Mm, I'll also work hard to become stronger so I won't be a burden to everyone," Raiden Mei added, clenching her small fists with a solemn look.
"Me too! I will absolutely not let the Herrscher consciousness inside me get out! I'll work hard on mastering the Sword of Taixuan and learn to control the Herrscher's power as soon as possible," Kiana vowed.
"I'm so glad to see you all have such resolve," Himeko said with a gratified smile.
"Now, let's return to the question," Einstein said, bringing the topic back on track once everyone had vented their emotions. "Of the four answers, I believe we can first eliminate Schicksal Headquarters. The previous vision showed that after severely wounding the Herrscher of the Void, we had already left Schicksal HQ on the Hyperion. Therefore, the final battle could not have taken place there."
"Then there's the Hyperion and St. Freya. To be honest, I don't think either of those places seems like a plausible location for a final showdown."