After hearing Lynelle's words, Mei immediately drew the long blade she carried on her back.
Before heading to the The Deep this time, Anti-Entropy had given both her and Bronya's Valkyrie armor a full upgrade.
Bronya's suit was a set called Drive Kometa, while Mei received enhanced armor known as Striker Fulminata.
"There are four enemies, all modified humans specifically tailored to counter our abilities. Corruption likely won't take control of them as instantly as it does with machines, and your electromagnetic control should face the same issue."
Lynelle sighed. "So we have to make this quick… The message Dr. Einstein sent me was a top-priority emergency assembly order, meaning something major must have happened that only I can handle."
"So this attack was anticipated?" Mei asked instinctively.
"Exactly. To be more precise, it was long premeditated."
The reply didn't come from Lynelle, but from four voices speaking almost in unison.
Four identical Grey Serpents surrounded Mei and Lynelle in a four-cornered formation.
Judging by their identical attire and the familiar "wetware" inside their bodies, these four were likely the same specialized modified Grey Serpents Lynelle had encountered in Oceania—the kind that could transform into Honkai beasts.
However, what Grey Serpent said next made Lynelle's vision darken abruptly.
"Respected Saintess, we mean no hostility toward you or your friend. However, the liberation of our Lord concerns the safety of the entire world."
"We humbly ask that you condescend to remain here awhile longer and refrain from further willful actions… If our methods have displeased you, we are prepared to atone with our lives afterward."
"Saintess…?"
Mei blinked, then looked at Lynelle with a puzzled expression.
"Lynelle, do you… know them?"
"I wish I didn't…" Lynelle's face fell instantly.
She couldn't even begin to explain whether these Grey Serpents were doing this on purpose.
The girl smacked her own forehead in frustration, nearly on the verge of tears.
"It's a long story, but you don't need to hold back on my account. If you need an explanation, I can give you one later—"
"Hey, hey! What are you thinking?"
Mei quickly pressed a finger to Lynelle's lips.
"I haven't even started doubting you, and you're already confessing? You know how I am—I'll see the truth for myself. At least for now, my attitude toward you won't change because of what these guys say."
"Besides, what I meant to say was… your situation really reminds me of when Bronya was at St. Freya. And think about it—did we ever treat Bronya differently because of her background?"
"Hmm…"
Following Mei's line of thought, Lynelle suddenly realized she was absolutely right.
Even if her identity technically made her something like a "World Serpent Saintess," she was still with Anti-Entropy, wasn't she?
Wasn't that exactly the same position Bronya had been in back then?
The only difference was that her relationship with the Serpent wasn't as strained as Bronya's with Cocolia—in fact, it was a little… too close.
So close that she didn't know when she might be utterly devoured after one of those "little animal" moments with either 'Snake' or Elysia (sigh).
"I understand, Mei."
Lynelle took Mei's hands, her eyes shimmering with exaggerated "emotion."
If Wendy—who often teased and messed with Lynelle—were here, she'd have seen right through the girl's playful act.
Unfortunately, Mei, being the most rule-abiding of the group, had no experience in this regard.
"Thank you for understanding my situation. Don't worry, I won't let this create distance between us. We'll always be good friends."
"That's a relief…" Mei let out a soft sigh and was about to offer more reassurance when Lynelle's next words nearly made her choke.
"Alright then, Mei—you've been powered up. Now go!"
With a casual swipe over Mei's body, Lynelle infused a surge of Honkai energy directly into Mei's armor, fully recharging it in an instant.
"Einstein's situation is urgent, so I'll leave these four Grey Serpents to you for now."
"?"
"Don't worry, even if you can't hold them off, they won't go for the kill. Besides, by my estimate, if you push just a little beyond your limits, you should be able to handle them."
"So… I'll head out first. After this is over, I'll agree to any way you want me to make it up to you!"
With that, Lynelle suddenly crushed a card in her hand. Before Mei could even see what item she had used, Lynelle vanished from the spot.
"I really did mean for Lynelle not to worry too much about all this, but her idea of 'friendship' is something else…"
Watching the four Grey Serpents make no move to stop Lynelle, Mei sighed softly as crackling lightning began to shimmer around her.
"But breaking through my limits…? I was thinking the same thing. After all, if I don't push myself to change, I'll be left far behind by my comrades…"
--+--
"Dr. Einstein, how are things on your end?"
"As you can see—out of control, but not completely."
Einstein sighed. "The sudden surge in quantum tides has turned closing the Eye of the Deep into a matter of pure chance. As long as the Eye remains open, these quantum monsters will keep pouring out endlessly."
"Next time, I'd rather face Titans here than deal with this."
Cocolia, who was frantically directing her Titan squadrons, grumbled in exasperation.
"As for why this happened, there's no doubt it's…"
"World Serpent?"
Lynelle finished the sentence for her.
"Exactly. Did you run into interference from them as well?"
"Yes. Mei stayed behind to cover me, which is how I got here so fast…"
"No wonder… On our end, World Serpent somehow got their hands on the Gem of Serenity that originally belonged to Schicksal."
"They hid the gem inside a probe vehicle and drove it straight into the Sea of Quanta. What's worse, before they set their plan in motion, our monitoring systems didn't even detect a Herrscher core inside the base. Their technical capabilities are truly unfathomable."
"In any case, the problem we face now is…"
"Do we still venture into the Sea of Quanta under these circumstances and confront the [Serpent] directly?"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.