Honkai Bomb

The sky was gradually darkening. Kiana had already prepared herself to be hunted down by World Serpent, but strangely, there hadn't been any movements all day.

This didn't make her feel relieved. Instead, her heart was filled with unease.

And it wasn't just her. Even Fu Hua, who was residing in the Feather of the Past, was feeling restless. She had warned Kiana, but her concerns lingered.

"What's wrong?"

A voice suddenly sounded beside her. Kiana snapped back to reality and slightly relaxed her furrowed brows. She forced a smile at Ren, who was looking at her with a puzzled expression from his bed.

"It's nothing. I'm just feeling a little uneasy."

With a soft sigh, Ren closed the book in his hand. He shook his head at Kiana, trying to persuade her. "If you're feeling uneasy, then go investigate it. You're a powerful warrior. You should trust your instincts."

"But what about you?"

Kiana's unease only grew stronger as she thought about Ren lying ill in his bed. She couldn't shake the feeling that this crisis was different from the others.

She thought back to her past experiences. She had also felt an intense unease when she had killed Griseo, but at the time, she hadn't thought much of it. In the end, she had committed an irreparable sin.

Looking at Kiana's worried expression, Ren gave her a relieved smile and softly said, "I'll protect myself. I absolutely won't become a burden to you."

"That's not what I meant."

Hearing Ren's words, Kiana felt as if she had hurt his feelings. She wanted to explain, but before she could, Ren pressed the book in his hand against her lips.

"Kiana, this is what I should be doing. If you truly think of me as a friend, then please respect my choice, and also respect your own choices."

His gray eyes flickered under the light of the ward, and within them was a firm determination. It reminded Kiana of the same gaze in his eyes under the dim yellow lights of that day.

He had never been a loser who needed others to protect him.

He had always clearly understood what he should do, and he knew exactly what he was doing.

The unease in her heart was completely dispelled.

Kiana remembered once again why she had been drawn to this boy. Wasn't it because of this unwavering resolve?

He was her friend, not a weakling that needed her protection.

"Okay."

All her worries had dissipated. Kiana stood up and solemnly nodded at Ren, like a warrior about to leave on an expedition, saying farewell to her family.

"Go, find the truth, and save this world."

…

The distant sun was about to set, dividing the world into yin and yang. Night was closing in, and dark clouds loomed over ARC City. It was as if even the sky knew that something world-shaking was about to happen tonight.

On the central signal tower of ARC City, steel frames had been added. In the center, a huge, porous sphere had been carefully placed. It was surrounded by mutagenic frequency agents, modified countless times. These agents were now fixed onto the sphere, waiting for the moment the engine sphere would explode. When it did, the resulting Honkai energy would flood the entire city, transmitting at a special frequency that would subject millions of people to the Stigmata induction experiment.

"The experiment will begin in four hours."

Jackal and Raven exchanged a relieved glance. With all preparations complete, they took a breath. Schicksal's troops were at least ten hours away. There was more than enough time to finish the experiment.

"Don't let your guard down. Schicksal Valkyries are still wandering through the city, not to mention the biggest variable, the Herrscher of the Void." Raven's tone was more cautious than Jackal's.

She had already asked Gray Serpent about it, but there was no cadre named Scarlet Serpent in the organization. The red-haired woman who had appeared before them that day still lingered in Raven's mind, and she couldn't shake the feeling that she might appear again.

Pushing up the dog mask on her face, Jackal said with a hint of disdain, "We've completely cut off Schicksal's signals, and Gray Serpent is monitoring the city's entire network. How could they possibly know about our plans? They're probably like rats, hiding in some corner, thinking they've escaped our pursuit."

"…" Raven sighed and took a deep breath. She gave up trying to persuade Jackal. That's just how she is. As long as the plan succeeds, that's good enough.

While they were talking, Raven had already opened her tactical panel. The overhead map of ARC City was clearly displayed, and countless red dots were densely packed around the signal tower.

These red dots represented the remaining World Serpent mechas, all hidden in a dormant state on the buildings. Even if Rita and Kiana had discovered their plan, they wouldn't easily be able to break through their defenses.

Now that all preparations were complete, it was time for them to retreat. The Stigmata Project's activation signal would also affect them. World Serpent had better testing facilities for its cadres, and this rough activation method was too risky.

Just then, Raven felt an unfamiliar gaze locking onto her. She abruptly turned around and caught sight of a streak of dark gray short hair.

"Who's there?!" The moment Raven spoke, she charged forward. But the eavesdropper was already running, and she only barely caught a glimpse of the familiar combat uniform. It was a member of the Immortal Blades.

"That Cleo really is a jinx. I'll never let her speak again." Raven cursed silently in her mind as she quickly chased after the figure.

Alvit, the eavesdropper who had just been discovered, was now under Ren's control as she fled in a panic. Rita and her squad didn't know World Serpent's objectives, but Ren had been keeping a close eye on them.

As the final step of his plan in this city, how could he not have been watching them?

The reason Alvitr was there was to relay this very information. After all, Kiana hadn't been caught by Jackal yet. She still had no idea about the bomb they were planning to set off.

The more Raven chased, the more she felt that something was off. She was an A-rank Valkyrie, yet this person was outrunning her. Why was she so fast?

Just as Raven was about to lose her patience and use the Seven Thunders of Retribution to snipe her, Alvit finally reached her destination.

"Vice-Captain! World Serpent is planning to set up a bomb in the signal tower! They're going to use the entire city as test subjects!"

Rita's brows furrowed as she met Raven's gaze again. The scene felt strangely familiar, but there was no time to think.

Without hesitation, she activated her Argent Knight: Artemis armor and prepared to fight Raven once more.

Alvit, who had been running away, stumbled near the hospital and ran directly into Kiana, who had just stepped out.

"Herrscher… Herrscher of the Void! They're going to detonate a bomb! The plan…" Before Alvit could finish, she fainted.

Kiana caught her as she fell. Her brow furrowed deeply, troubled by the limited information she had. She still hadn't figured out what was happening. Fortunately, Fu Hua was with her.

After searching through Alvit's clothes, they found a recording pen. It contained the conversation between Jackal and Raven.

"It's the Stigmata Project! World Serpent hasn't given up!"