A Suspicion

Rita's suspicions weren't completely unfounded. After these last few encounters, she had clearly sensed the changes in this girl.

She remembered their meeting from the previous night. Back then, Rita had deliberately provoked her with words to test the stability of the Herrscher of the Void's mental state.

At the time, Rita had essentially lost her combat capabilities. Even so, her Argent Knight: Artemis armor still concealed an injector loaded with an agent similar to the HSN serum. If Kiana had been careless or shown any signs of madness, Rita would have used the injector to suppress and Capture her.

But Kiana's actions had been completely unexpected. She hadn't shown any signs of a mental breakdown. She also wasn't as easily tricked as before.

Instead, Kiana had been calm—too calm. Her aggression had been sharper than ever, and she hadn't hesitated to respond to Rita's provocation with a beating.

That wasn't something Theresa would have taught her students.

If that was the case, then the Herrscher of the Void's scheming was far more complicated than Rita had imagined.

Could even her ambush by Scarlet Serpent two days ago have been intentional?

Wait. Why had she automatically assumed that Scarlet Serpent was definitely from World Serpent?

Rita's brow furrowed as the thought crossed her mind. She realized she had overlooked something important. The codename "Scarlet Serpent" had only ever been mentioned by the red-haired woman herself.

The only reason Rita had firmly believed she was from World Serpent was because she had been defeated by her. That anger had clouded her judgment, making her unable to analyze the situation properly.

Was there a chance that Scarlet Serpent wasn't part of World Serpent after all?

What if she was working for the Herrscher of the Void?

Perhaps even the previous battle between her and Raven had been orchestrated by her. Had she used their difference in information to trick both Schicksal and World Serpent?

Like the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

The more Rita thought about it, the more uneasy she became. If her suspicions were correct, then Kiana had been scheming against her for at least half a month.

What was she planning? Rita couldn't imagine. The sheer scope of it left her breathless.

She's terrifying.

"Alvitr, prepare the combat records," Rita ordered firmly, pushing aside her unease.

After sorting through her thoughts, she explained her suspicions to Alvitr. While Alvitr's primary role was to organize and compile information, this kind of speculation needed to be recorded in Schicksal's archives.

If her suspicions turned out to be true, at least they wouldn't be completely clueless the next time they faced the Herrscher of the Void.

"Yes, Vice-Captain." Alvitr immediately responded, taking out her electronic tablet to begin recording data.

What Rita didn't notice was that, while Alvitr appeared to be seriously documenting the information, she was actually writing down unimportant details—like what she had eaten for lunch. Completely useless information.

"Vice-Captain, I've completed the records," Alvitr said after finishing her "report."

She suddenly snapped back to reality, blinking in confusion. In her memory, she had followed Rita's orders and faithfully recorded the data. She had no idea why she had written something so trivial instead.

Rita didn't notice the oddity and turned her attention back to the ward. The door had already been tightly shut since her departure.

Despite her growing concerns, Rita hesitated to act immediately. In her current state, she likely wouldn't stand a chance against the Herrscher of the Void. Worse still, the enemy might already know her intentions.

If she made a rash move, it would give them a perfect excuse to eliminate the entire Immortal Blades squad in ARC City.

"I'll just wait for Ms. Durandal to arrive."

…

After several Honkai attacks, even the usually lively central district of ARC City was shrouded in a dark cloud. The once-bustling streets were now filled with anxious whispers. People lived in constant fear, worried that the next attack would fall right on their heads.

Only the younger children seemed untouched by the gloom. Some were even excited about the giant monsters' arrival. After all, those attacks brought with them the one thing they looked forward to most—Magical Girl Kiana.

For these children, seeing her had become the ultimate dream. They formed their own little social circles, where spotting the magical girl became a hot topic. In fact, just claiming to have seen her was enough to make someone popular in the entire kindergarten.

Take, for example, the little boy who recognized the magical girl during the last attack. He now spent his days gazing out the window, completely lost in thought. In his heart, he felt something he could only describe as "falling in love."

Every day, he eagerly awaited the chance to see Ms. Kiana again. To prepare for that moment, he had already reread her manga countless times. He knew every detail, every setting, and every twist in the story by heart.

Unfortunately, he hadn't seen her since then. Even his favorite toy no longer held his interest, and the bunny-shaped candies he used to love were now only tasty enough for him to eat two.

"It's already over before it even began. Is this what it feels like to have a broken heart?" The six-year-old boy stood by the window, sighing deeply.

"What nonsense are you saying? Hurry up and come eat." His young mother looked at him, completely speechless. She felt like she should probably explain the meaning of "unrequited love" to her son.

Under his mother's pressure, the little boy reluctantly set aside his "love" and obediently sat down to eat his dinner.

As he turned his back to the window, he missed the fleeting shadow outside.

On a rooftop, a man with gray-white hair stood alone by the edge of a wall. A black mask covered his face, and the cold wind made the cape on his back flutter dramatically.

He stood perfectly still, like a sword embedded in the earth. From this vantage point, he could see the entire city stretching out before him. The sight filled Ren with an unshakable sense of invincibility.

Buzz—

A sharp blade sliced through the evening wind, creating a faint buzzing sound. In an instant, white light flashed.

The blade swept past Ren's neck, cutting clean through the cement wall behind him and leaving a long, jagged slash.

"It seems your way of saying hello is truly... special." Ren, piloting the Kalpas puppet, stood completely unshaken. A few strands of gray hair drifted away in the wind, but nothing else had happened.

"Hello? No, I just wanted to kill you."

The voice came from a girl holding a sharp katana that radiated a chilling aura.

Compared to half a month ago, Raiden Mei had changed dramatically. She now wore new combat armor—Crimson Impulse—and the Hokushin Itto-ryu sword techniques she had inherited from her family had improved significantly after weeks of relentless training.

Without strength, you can't protect anyone. All pain stems from your weakness.

These words had been deeply imprinted in Mei's heart.

While Theresa and the others had taken the Hyperion to the Sea of Quanta, Mei had made a different choice. She chose to stay behind and train.

She had personally cut off her waist-length purple hair. The remaining strands were tied back into a neat ponytail. Now, she looked more like a warrior.

Mei had bid farewell to her past. She pushed her body to its absolute limit, squeezing out every ounce of potential, all in pursuit of greater strength.

She wasn't just fighting to bring Kiana back to her side. She wanted revenge on that masked man.

"Is that so? Then let me see how strong your resolve is to kill me."

With a faint chuckle, Ren stood unmoving. Slowly, he reached into his large coat and pulled out a katana—the very one Raiden Mei had left behind.