Ethan Lane slowly opened her eyes. Patricia swam to her side, looking a bit nervous, and asked, "Ethan, how is Shigure?" "Everything went smoothly, a close call but no real danger. See for yourself, Shigure's awake. Ask her how she feels now," Ethan Lane said.
"Shigure, how are you? Is there any part of your body that feels uncomfortable?" Patricia asked anxiously, holding Shigure Kira's hand. Shigure Kira said with some excitement, "Pat, I feel more relaxed than ever before. My whole body feels refreshed. And I feel that the Honkai Energy inside me is a little different. Although I can't see what's changed, my control over Honkai Energy is easier than ever. Look."
A snowflake appeared in the palm of Shigure Kira's hand and then began to transform into various shapes. Shigure Kira seemed very relaxed throughout the process. She said excitedly, "Pat, Ethan, I can now control Honkai Energy with great ease. Although my strength hasn't increased, the abilities I use have been greatly enhanced."
"That's good. Sis Shigure, I left something inside you. It will help you repair the internal damage to your body when you absorb Honkai Energy in the future, and it can also heal your injuries when you get hurt," Ethan Lane said with a smile.
Shigure Kira looked at her, then suddenly pulled her into a hug. "Mmph!" Ethan Lane got a real face full. "Thank you, Ethan. I don't even know how to thank you." "Ah... *gasp*, I almost suffocated. Sis Shigure, can we not do this next time?" Although Ethan Lane was quite willing on the inside, she refused verbally.
"Hehe, Ethan..." Shigure Kira suddenly held her face and kissed her on the forehead, smiling as she said, "Ethan, from now on, you are the most important person to me, in every sense of the word." "Is... is this a confession? It's so sudden. Are all the Valkyries in the Honkai world this direct?" Ethan Lane's face grew hot. In her twenty years of life, she had never imagined a girl would say this to her.
"No, this isn't a confession. It's a declaration, a declaration of possession!" Shigure Kira said decisively. Ethan Lane was at a loss. What kind of confession was this? She had never seen anything like it. Was this to be expected from a Valkyrie, that even their way of confessing was so different?
Ethan Lane shook her head and turned to Patricia, saying, "Sister Patricia, do you need me to do the same for you?" Although she was a spy for Anti-Entropy, Ethan Lane didn't want to see any Valkyrie die before her eyes.
Patricia didn't hesitate; she nodded and agreed immediately. Seeing this, Ethan Lane came up behind her and did the same thing she had done to Shigure Kira. However, with the experience from before, the process was much smoother this time. She quickly compressed the Honkai Energy in Patricia's body into a crystal.
Seeing Patricia open her eyes, Shigure Kira quickly asked, "How is it, Pat? Do you feel anything?" Patricia thought for a moment, then waved her hand, and a huge, dark red sniper rifle-like gun appeared in her hands. She fired a shot into the distance.
After a long while, Patricia spoke, "My control over firearms is much stronger. The moment the bullet left the chamber, it was as if there was some connection between me and the bullet. I could perceive the influence of various forces on the bullet as it flew, not only making my shots more accurate but also greatly increasing the range. I can even control the bullet's direction slightly, making fine adjustments to hit the target from unexpected angles."
Actually, there were a few things she didn't say. For one, she could now attach Honkai Energy to her bullets, which would be a trump card against targets with their own Honkai Energy defenses. Moreover, she could also use Honkai Energy to imbue the bullets with special abilities, but she didn't plan on revealing that.
"Wow, Pat, you're probably Schicksal's best sniper now," Shigure Kira said in surprise. Patricia smiled slightly and said nothing. She believed that with her current abilities, she could definitely pose a threat to an S-rank Valkyrie with the element of surprise, and long-range sniping was inherently surprising.
"Alright, you two, it's getting very late. We should head back," Ethan Lane reminded them. "Oh, right. Soaking in the hot spring for too long is bad for the skin. Let's go." Shigure Kira didn't even bother with a bath towel and went straight ashore.
Ethan Lane's face felt hot as she silently got out and started to dress. Soon, the group returned home and went straight to bed, preparing to sleep. But Shigure Kira seemed too excited, constantly using her various abilities. Finally, Patricia couldn't take it anymore and kicked her off the bed.
After climbing back onto the bed, Shigure Kira finally quieted down, hugging Ethan Lane and falling asleep. "Ugh... so uncomfortable, I can't breathe, can't move. What's wrong with me?" Ethan Lane opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was a field of white. She was being held tightly by Shigure Kira.
"I'm going to stop breathing! This is a murder by chest!" Ethan Lane's vision blurred. She struggled to break free from Shigure Kira's embrace, but the sleeping girl's strength was surprisingly great, dooming her efforts to failure.
"Ah, I'm dead..." Ethan Lane's head lolled to the side as if she had fainted. "Ethan, wake up. The sun's out. It's time for us to go." Shigure Kira's voice seemed to come from far away. Ethan Lane finally woke up.
She opened her eyes, looked at Shigure Kira, and said, "Sis Shigure, please sleep with Sister Patricia from now on. I don't want to be smothered by you again." "Huh? What are you talking about, Ethan? Are you still half asleep?" Shigure Kira said, a little confused.
Patricia, at the side, let out a light chuckle. She had experienced Shigure Kira's poor sleeping posture before; an ordinary person would probably be strangled to death. Amidst the laughter and joking, all preparations were completed. Ethan Lane and Kakarov stood outside the town, somewhat at a loss for words.
Finally, Ethan Lane waved and said, "Uncle, take care. It won't be long before we meet again." "Haha, Ethan, if you have the chance, please be sure to visit St. Fountain. I hope my daughter can learn from you," Kakarov said.
"I will, Uncle. Well then, take care of everything. Goodbye." Ethan Lane waved and boarded the waiting helicopter. Watching Kakarov shrink into the distance, Ethan Lane felt a pang of sadness, but she quickly cheered up and thought, "Schicksal, here I come!"
The helicopter landed in St. Fountain. Ethan Lane, Shigure Kira, and Patricia headed to Antonio Church, where Kakarov's daughter, Sephie, was a student of the church's bishop.
They soon arrived at Antonio Church. The morning service had just ended, and the crowd had not yet dispersed. The three of them walked directly into the church, and Shigure Kira led her to find the bishop. This church was an asset of Schicksal, so the bishop was also appointed by Schicksal. Although not a Valkyrie, he still held some authority.
Soon, the group arrived at the bishop's office inside the church. Inside, the bishop stood up to greet them upon seeing them. "Miss Shigure, Miss Highsmith, you've returned." "Yes, Bishop Enzo, the mission was completed successfully," Shigure Kira said with a straight face.
"Excellent, Miss Shigure. I'll contact headquarters right away," Enzo said hurriedly. "No, that's not why we're here. Do you know where your student, Miss Sephie, is?" Shigure Kira asked.
"May I ask why you are looking for Sephie, Miss Shigure?" Enzo asked, a little nervous. Shigure Kira said, "You don't need to worry, we mean no harm. Her father has asked us to take her to Europe, so please give this letter to her."
"Is that so? Very well, Miss Shigure. I'll go find Sephie right now." Enzo took the letter and left. A short while later, he returned with a young girl who looked to be only about ten years old. "Miss Shigure, I've brought Sephie," Enzo said.
Shigure nodded and said to Sephie, "Miss Sephie, you've read your father's letter, haven't you? Do you agree to come with us to Europe?" Sephie hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Sister Shigure, I agree. But I don't know why my father suddenly asked me to go to Europe. Could you explain it to me?"
"Let me explain," Ethan Lane spoke up from the side. Sephie glanced at Ethan Lane, then back at Shigure Kira. It seemed she didn't trust Ethan Lane. Ethan Lane felt a bit awkward. She cleared her throat and explained the situation.
Sephie finally had no more questions. Although she agreed to go to Europe, she maintained a wait-and-see attitude about following Ethan Lane. There was nothing Ethan Lane could do about it. She just hoped the girl wouldn't be too stubborn, or it would be difficult to get along in the future.
The group left the church, boarded a helicopter, and arrived at a Schicksal airfield. A little over ten minutes later, a massive aerospace plane took off, heading for Europe.