Clearly, the goddess of luck had not completely abandoned them.
They soon received contact from the Valkyries—traces of the Second Herrscher had been discovered at two locations.
The three split up to act. Kiana went with Theresa.
Siegfried headed alone to the other side, deciding to unleash Divine Judgment the moment he spotted the Second Herrscher.
Time passed quietly.
After defeating the controlled mech forces, Kiana and Theresa confirmed that the Second Herrscher was on Siegfried's side.
Siegfried also sent a communication: "Theresa, I heard the operator's report. It seems the Second Herrscher is heading my way. Looks like my luck is better after all."
Theresa hurriedly said: "Siegfried, don't be reckless! I'll be there in 10 minutes!"
Siegfried replied: "10 minutes? Hey, speaking of which, Theresa—how long did your battle with the Second Herrscher last from start to defeat?"
Theresa fell silent: "...4 minutes 50 seconds."
Siegfried kept his optimistic tone: "Oh dear, that's bad news. I can see the Second Herrscher now, which means... I have to hold out twice as long?"
"Ah, whatever. Dragging things out isn't really my style anyway. Alright, Theresa—I'll try to eliminate the Second Herrscher here."
Theresa panicked completely: "Hey! As expected, from the very beginning, you planned to perish together with her using Divine Judgment! Siegfried."
Siegfried said: "Of course. Goodbye, Theresa. Oh, right—take good care of Cecilia and Kiana for me."
Hearing the two's conversation.
All the viewers watching the TV were shocked.
Even the actors at Fire Moth Interstellar Entertainment Company were extremely shocked.
The story unfolding now was vastly different from what the previous episodes had shown!
Who was Theresa?
She was the one who had displayed overwhelming strength in the last episode, sweeping through the ME Corporation—yet she only lasted 4 minutes 50 seconds against the Second Herrscher??
"No way, just how strong is this Second Herrscher? Isn't she a Herrscher like Wendy?"
"This indirectly shows her power is way beyond Wendy's."
"They said before—Wendy was the most outstanding student, so she must have suppressed the Herrscher's power and wasn't fully controlled."
"Tsk tsk tsk... this battle is too brutal. Good thing it's already in the past."
"I feel like I underestimated this worldbuilding. I had that feeling during Theresa's live stream too."
"Is the only way humans can fight Herrschers... mutual destruction? Thankfully, in Kiana's era, they've dealt with Herrschers more, like with Wendy."
"I feel... this episode hurts Wendy the most."
"Stop saying that—not all Herrschers are weak; Wendy was suppressing hers, that's why!"
"..."
In the office.
Himeko watched the plot and seemed to realize what kind of story Hessian wanted to tell.
She quietly glanced in Hessian's direction.
Well...
He was still playing games as usual.
Himeko could only continue watching the TV.
On screen.
Siegfried had already been fighting the Second Herrscher for several minutes.
He was covered in wounds, struggling to stand, wiping blood from his mouth: "Theresa hasn't arrived yet? As expected, her legs are too short?"
"Hehehehe... Human, to think you could fight me this long. Your strength seems greater than that nun's."
The voice came from a female figure in the sky, her appearance unclear.
Siegfried gripped the Greatsword of Shamash: "Thanks for the compliment. The instant we clashed, I regretted it. Even if Theresa and I teamed up, we probably wouldn't be your match."
Second Herrscher: "You have good self-awareness, human. If you beg for mercy, I might spare you."
"Thank you for your kindness, beautiful miss." Siegfried tightened his grip on the greatsword: "But I've made up my mind. To protect the ones I love most, I'm willing to offer my life!"
The Greatsword of Shamash instantly erupted with astonishing power.
This force even made the Second Herrscher feel fear: "Why... why does this weapon possess such power?"
Siegfried raised the greatsword high: "Take your questions to hell with you—Shamash! Unsheathe!"
Torrential flames engulfed everything.
Turning the entire land into a sea of fire, incinerating all.
The Second Herrscher was wounded by this strike and desperately fled toward the tower.
Siegfried himself had half his body burned—if Cecilia hadn't arrived in time to save him, he would already be a charred corpse.
After contacting them, Theresa brought Kiana toward the tower.
After treating Siegfried, Cecilia also pursued.
On the way.
Kiana asked Theresa: "Theresa, why have you been trying to stop Cecilia from coming to the battlefield?"
Theresa answered: "Cecilia—although she's the strongest Valkyrie, she's been recuperating ever since giving birth to her daughter. If she joins the battle..."
Kiana suddenly remembered—the voice in her dream had once said that her mother Cecilia would die in the Second Honkai Eruption.
No!
She absolutely could not let her mother die here.
Not even in this virtual data space!
At that moment, Cecilia's communication came through: "Theresa, I have good news—my dear is out of danger."
Kiana was extremely excited: "As expected of Mom—oh no, Lady Cecilia. Even burns from Divine Judgment can be healed."
Theresa, unlike Kiana who knew nothing, was far from pleased.
She immediately shouted: "This isn't good news at all! Burns from Divine Judgment can only be healed by another stigmata relic—the Black Abyss White Flower."
"But using the Black Abyss White Flower greatly consumes your life force and stamina. After healing Siegfried's wounds, your stamina won't even be half of what it was."
"If you fight the Second Herrscher now..."
Cecilia said: "If I can't defeat her alone, then I'll have to trouble Theresa to fight alongside me!"
Theresa anxiously said: "Give up the battle! Cecilia, your health has been poor this past year. I... I don't want to lose you."
Cecilia refused: "That's impossible, Theresa. If we retreat here, more people will lose their lives to the Second Herrscher."
"Protecting humanity is the glorious mission of us Valkyries. Alright, I'm heading to the tower now. We'll meet up in front of the tower."
Theresa ended the communication.
Her mood instantly sank as she hurried along with her head down.
Kiana followed beside her when suddenly Cecilia's voice came through her communicator.
"L-Lady Cecilia! Why suddenly contact me?"
Cecilia sounded very happy: "This voice... it's definitely Kiana."
"Eh?"
Cecilia continued: "Actually, there's one thing I'd like to ask of you."
Kiana quickly said: "As long as it's something Lady Cecilia asks, even if it costs my life, I'll definitely do it! Please give me your orders!"
Cecilia said: "It's not that serious. I just want you to call me 'Mommy' once."
These words completely shocked Kiana—she even suspected she had misheard.
Until Cecilia's voice rang out again: "Please, please—because your voice sounds just like what I imagine my daughter's would be when she grows up."
Kiana felt like crying inside but still bravely called out: "Mommy~"