I Can Do It

Rita Rossweisse—the name was not unfamiliar to Raiden Mei. As a well-known S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal, she had always been a figure the members of St. Freya aspired to. But after their break with Schicksal, they truly felt the trouble she posed.

"If it's Rita, judging by the Overseer's style, she's very likely the one who killed Gray Serpent. This chip is probably a trap she deliberately left behind." After being reminded, Mei and the others immediately realized this. However, Bronya was in the critical phase of breaking Gray Serpent's lock, and she could not leave for the time being.

"Then, Headmistress, please be in charge of guarding Bronya. I'll go scout out her location. If I can, I'll try to stall her." Watching Bronya fully focused on operating Project Bunny to find clues about Kiana, Mei steeled her resolve, secretly encouraging herself.

"I can do it, I can!"

"Then, you must be careful. Don't fight Rita after you find her; return as quickly as you can. We'll all withdraw to the Hyperion together." Although splitting up was not a wise choice, reconnaissance was necessary. They knew nothing about Rita's current location. If they fell into her trap, they might all be wiped out.

After making a plan, Mei temporarily left the group, while Ren, controlling the [Father] puppet on a distant high-rise, silently withdrew his gaze.

Ren had expected Theresa and the others to separate. The data in the camera was merely one of the backup plans he had left behind. Even if Mei hadn't discovered those photos, he would have found a way to lure someone away.

Now, the Humanoid Machine was right in front of him. But that thing was, after all, a trap prepared by World Serpent for the members of the Hyperion. The base was already filled with all kinds of patrol mecha as guards, so it wouldn't be easy to forcefully take it.

Of course, for Ren, who had obtained the Himeko puppet, it was only a minor inconvenience. Why bother trying when he could just get it for free?

With a top-tier hacker like Bronya, it would be easier to break through the defense system. Moreover, the Humanoid Machine had top-tier encryption, so even if Ren obtained it now, he wouldn't be able to use it. It would be better to wait until the main cast rescued the Humanoid Machine, and then take advantage of the chaos to steal it. Ordering Mei to intercept Rita would not only delay Schicksal's progress but also weaken the main cast's strength.

The best-case scenario would be if Mei was taken out by Rita directly. Then, he could seize the opportunity to launch a sneak attack, and take out Bronya. After that, Theresa would be alone and helpless. Ren could send a puppet to follow her in a little car, sell her location to Schicksal or World Serpent. Even if the power of Vishnu's blood awakened in Theresa's body, it would still be a pyrrhic victory. As a Herrscher, he would come out on top either way.

Unfortunately, even Ren himself thought that was a bit of a pipe dream. Not to mention that it was not easy to trick these organizations, if Theresa was truly cornered, the Hyperion could just fire a main cannon strike at ARC City, and he would be blown into dust.

"It seems that if I want to be the hunter, I still need to be patient." Looking at the dark area on the roof obscured by the shadows, the puppet sighed, and said somewhat helplessly, "Do you think I'm right, Mr. Gray Serpent?"

…

On the other side, Mei had already followed the predicted route to the outskirts of Gray Serpent's base.

"There's no sign that Gray Serpent's base has been invaded. It seems that we arrived first. But if Rita had taken the biological authentication chip beforehand, why wouldn't she move?" She thought silently, analyzing the possible dangerous areas. "Unless she has no way of unlocking the authentication chip's permissions and prefers to wait for us to fall into the trap."

"After obtaining the information, the most likely retreat path for us… would be here."

The moonlight was full, and its silver glow spilled onto the figure dressed in a maid outfit.

As soon as Mei saw Rita, she assumed an attacking stance. She knew she should hide herself now and lie low, but the thought of the experiments that were done on Kiana filled her with a burning rage.

Her katana was drawn, cutting through the moonlight, and the Crimson Impulse Armour on her body instantly amplified her speed as she launched a reverse slash at Rita.

Clang—

The sound of metal clashing was crisp and clear. The katana grazed the maid's hair, barely cutting a few strands. But that was all. Rita had already reacted in the split second she was ambushed. Instead of wielding her heavy, long-handled scythe, the dagger she had used to kill Gray Serpent was already in her hand, narrowly blocking Mei's attack.

"Oh my, that was dangerous," Even in the face of such a thrilling ambush, Rita quickly regained her composure, lightly patting her full chest, and acting like she was scared.

"Tch." The ambush had failed, so Mei could only look at her with annoyance, searching for the next opportunity to strike.

"Sneak attacks aren't a fair method, Miss Mei. Could you tell me how you found this place?" Rita put away her dagger, a mocking smile on her face.

"Fair? That's ironic coming from you. What Schicksal did to Kiana can hardly be called fair. If we hadn't accidentally discovered your clues in that camera, we would have fallen into your trap again this time."

"Camera? Clues?" Rita quickly filtered through her memories, searching for those keywords, then quickly focused on her target. But that man should have been killed by Gray Serpent's men…

Now was not the time to dwell on these things. Since her opponent had come to her, she couldn't let them go easily. "It seems that Theresa and the others have found what they were looking for, so they sent you to stall for time. So, are you ready to fight me?"

When her pale hand grasped the long handle of the scythe, Rita's entire aura became murderous. Mei's heart tightened, but she immediately cheered herself on.

Raiden Mei, you can do it. This time, it's your turn to protect Kiana.

However, before that thought even settled in her mind, the hard concrete floor was ripped open by the tip of the scythe as if it was paper. In the blink of an eye, the blade was already in front of Mei.

Her pupils contracted instantly. Mei only had time to press her katana down to block. The heavy force traveled through the scythe. Her arms went numb, and she had to take several steps back to release the impact.

Is this the power of an S-rank?

Only after the actual exchange did Mei truly feel the difference in strength. But she quickly adjusted her stance and looked for a chance to attack when Rita made her next move.