The Maid and The Sword

[Rita's POV]

She glanced back at the evidence from Kiana, her thoughts a whirlwind. The pieces didn't fit, but she had to find the answers. Rita knew she couldn't ignore this any longer. The mystery of Shin's survival and Kiana's warnings were intertwined, and she had to uncover the truth, no matter where it led.

"Hmm... What is Heliopolis trying to do?" Rita murmured, her thoughts racing.

"Erm... There's something I need to tell you, Miss Rossweisse," Alvitr's voice crackled through the comm.

"What is it?" Rita asked, still focused on the perplexing evidence before her.

"I want to talk about the zombies' glowing patterns that I saw while in action today. I'm now very certain that they are stigmata!"

Rita's brow furrowed. "Stigmata? Are you sure, Alvitr? Your claims sound preposterous."

"I definitely saw it! People might call me careless, but I'm very certain of what I saw!"

Rita paused, processing the information. If Alvitr was right, the implications were staggering. 

 "If you were right, then this Arc City incident has turned out to be far more complicated than it appears."

"Stigmata is a secret Schicksal tech used only by the Valkyries. If the zombies have them, it would mean two things: someone has been turning Valkyries into zombies, or someone figured out how to implant stigmata on people."

Rita leaned back, lost in thought. The pieces of the puzzle were beginning to form a disturbing picture. She couldn't shake the image of Shin from her mind.

"I don't think I can sleep tonight," she said, breaking the silence. "I must investigate this and prove my hypothesis... as well as..." Her gaze drifted to the paused video of Shin's face on the tablet. "Him."

"Wait...! Are you heading to the Heliopolis facilities? Trespassing is a violation of our treaty with them..." Alvitr's voice was filled with concern.

Rita paused at the doorway, her expression resolute. "Circumventing a few rules is sometimes necessary to achieve our mission. Besides, K-423 is now the least of our worries." She glanced back over her shoulder, her determination evident. "Rita out."

Without waiting for a response, she stepped out, the door closing behind her with a soft click. Alvitr's protest faded into the background as Rita's mind focused on the task ahead.

[Switching to Shin's perspective]

Panting heavily, I kicked open the door, my eyes immediately locking onto several mechs with plasma rifles aimed straight at me. In one swift motion, I unsheathed my katana, slicing through them before they could react. The mechanical halves fell to the ground with a series of clangs.

"Gray Serpents... always lurking in the shadows," I muttered to myself, scanning the room for any clues. "They strike when you least expect it."

I sheathed my katana and began searching the area, my mind racing with the need to gather more information. Every corner, every hidden compartment, could hold a clue about their plans.

"I need to find something useful and report back to Principal Theresa," I thought, moving through the facility with purpose. "This can't go on any longer."

Where do I find a lead when I don't even know where to start... 

I stepped out of the room, scanning my surroundings. The corridor was dimly lit, with shadows dancing on the walls. I was caught in a bind, unsure of my next move.

Snooping around Schicksal crossed my mind, but I quickly dismissed it. Making contact with them would be a death sentence.

Just then, a group of zombies barged into the room, their eyes glowing with malevolent energy.

"Damn it," I muttered, gripping my katana tighter. "This is getting out of hand."

I took a defensive stance, ready to cut through the horde. Each swing of my blade was precise, slicing through the zombies with ease. But for every one I took down, it felt like two more took its place.

"This is hard," I growled, frustration bubbling up. "There's no end to them."

Just as the zombies closed in, ready to pounce, a blur of fur and fangs tore through the horde. A mechanical dog, fierce and swift, leaped into the fray, biting into the undead with savage precision.

Following close behind, a figure wielding a scythe slashed through the remaining zombies, each strike fluid and deadly.

Her skirt fluttered with each movement, and as she finished off the last zombie.

Wait... I recognized her.

"It's you...! Rita!" 

She stood before me, her expression calm but with a sharpness in her eyes. The dog at her side growled low.

"Shin," she acknowledged, her voice steady as if we hadn't just been surrounded by death. "It seems fate keeps bringing us together."

I nodded, still catching my breath. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"And I didn't expect to find you alive," she replied, her gaze unwavering. "I'd like to talk to you more about it but there's no time for catching up. We have bigger problems to deal with."

"Are you talking about Gray Serpent?"

"I'm surprised you knew... Did you encounter Raven?"

I hesitated, then sighed, a small smile tugging at my lips. "As expected of the maid... You've got eyes everywhere."

She chuckled softly, dipping into a slight bow. "I'll take that as a compliment~" Without missing a beat, she stepped further into the room, her sharp gaze sweeping over the surroundings. "What exactly are you searching for?"

"A clue," I replied, my tone resolute.

"A clue?" she echoed, turning to face me.

"That's right. I need to understand them before making a move."

Rita's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "You intend to take down their organization? I admire your boldness, Master Shin, but... that's a dangerous path to tread."

"I don't care," I replied, my voice firm, unwavering.

Rita met my gaze, her eyes searching mine for a moment before a smile curved her lips. "You haven't changed a bit... Still as stubborn as ever." She turned on her heel, heading toward the door. "Fine, follow me. I know where we need to go."

"Wait."

She stopped one hand on the doorframe and glanced back at me. "What's wrong, Master Shin?"

"I don't trust you."

Her expression didn't falter. "And why is that?"

"I have this feeling… that you'll try to take me back to Schicksal."

Rita turned fully to face me, her tone calm and measured. "As much as I'd like to, your safety is my priority now that I know you're alive."

"Are you betraying the Overseer?"

She hesitated, a flicker of something unreadable in her eyes, before she turned to leave.

I trailed after her, keeping my distance. "I appreciate what you're doing, but I don't want you to put yourself at risk because of me."

She glanced over her shoulder, a teasing note in her voice. "Oh? Are you worried about me?"

"...I am." My words came out quietly.

Rita smiled softly, her gaze shifting away as if to hide the warmth in her eyes. "I see," she murmured, her voice gentle. "I'm honored."

And then...

An hour later, under the cloak of night, Rita and Shin stealthily approached the Heliopolis research facility. Their movements were precise, dispatching mecha guards with quiet efficiency. The only sounds were the faint hum of machinery and the muffled clang of metal hitting the ground.

Reaching a security door, Rita pulled out an ID card and slid it through the scanner.

The door clicked open, granting them access.

"Master Shin, I'll head for the data servers. We need to find out what they're hiding," Rita whispered.

"Understood. I'll scout the area."

Rita's earpiece crackled to life. "Keep the channels open, Miss Rossweisse and Mister Shin. I'm here to assist."

Shin responded, "Miss Alvitr, I'd rather see you as one of our operators, not just a tool."

Rita nodded in agreement. "Indeed, you're an invaluable part of this mission."

Alvitr's voice softened. "I-I appreciate that... But if Miss Rossweisse orders it, I'll do my best."

"Thank you, Alvitr."

"Let's stay focused," Rita interjected, her tone firm but calm. "We need to uncover what Heliopolis is hiding."

We moved quietly, splitting up to search the room for clues.

"Rita... there are mindless soldiers in here," I whispered, catching sight of them patrolling the area.

"I see them."

"Let's stay out of sight and take them down quietly."

"Understood, Master Shin."

Rita moved with precision, using her scythe to silently pull one of the soldiers by the neck, bringing it down without a sound. Meanwhile, I slipped behind another soldier, using the sheath of my katana to swiftly neutralize it.

"Clear?" I asked, scanning the room.

"All clear."

"Good. Let's get back to the task at hand."

"Hm? This file details a medical aid project plan of Heliopolis," Rita murmured as she scanned the documents.

"Heliopolis has been providing humanitarian aid to Honkai-stricken cities since the 2nd Eruption," Alvitr's voice crackled through the earpiece. "After the 3rd Eruption, they expanded their efforts into the Far East and Shenzhou, and that's when they started building this industrial park."

"Free pharmaceuticals for Honkai-infected citizens..." Rita continued, her eyes narrowing as she absorbed the information. "Free clinical treatment for cases suffering from severe infection..."

I couldn't help but interrupt, "They're doing everything for free? They must be super rich..."

"'Free' things often cost more. Perhaps the price they desire is life itself."

"How awful," I muttered, feeling a shiver run down my spine.

"Anyway, let's continue."

"Got it..." 

Rita's fingers danced across the console, her eyes narrowing as lines of text scrolled across the monitor. "A study of the patented Schicksal Honkai Vaccine HBA-022… a pharmacological analysis," she murmured, her voice growing more serious. "This is the vaccine HQ has been supplying to Shenzhou."

"Are they trying to reverse engineer and copy our pharmaceutical agents?" Alvitr's voice crackled through the earpiece, tinged with concern.

Rita shook her head slightly, still focused on the screen. "I doubt it. They could easily modify the vaccine based on what we've seen in those injectors."

"What are you looking for, Rita?" I asked, watching her work.

"I'm checking the inventory for HBA-022," she replied, her tone clipped. After a moment, she paused. "It's completely depleted. The stock is at zero."

"So the entire batch of 30,000 vaccine injectors is gone?" Alvitr's voice was laced with disbelief.

A heavy silence hung in the air. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was deeply wrong.

"None of this adds up. It feels like there's something bigger going on here."

"Let's move. There should be more than just this." Rita's voice cut through the tension as we left the room, sprinting toward the next one.

As we ran, I couldn't help but wonder. "Rita, where did you get that card?"

She stopped at the door, a sly smile playing on her lips. "A certain someone gave it to me after we fought."

"Who?"

"You don't need to know." With that, she slid the card into the scanner, and the door slid open.

We stepped inside, descending further into the facility. But just as we were about to proceed, Rita froze.

"What's wrong, Rita?"

She hesitated for a moment. "No… it's nothing." But I could tell she was lying. Something was bothering her. The tension in her shoulders, the slight furrow in her brow—she wasn't at ease.

The data she had found so far had only presented fragments, but those fragments were enough to set off alarm bells in her mind. Rita was connecting the dots, and the picture forming wasn't pretty.

"My intuition tells me they're up to something evil in this place," she muttered as she stepped closer to me.

"Evil? But you're... right in the middle of it. Doesn't that mean you and Mister Shin are in great danger?" Alvitr's voice crackled through the earpiece, her concern evident.

Rita glanced at me, her confidence unwavering. "With the Herrscher of Blade by my side, I don't think I'm in any danger, right, Shin?"

I nodded, offering a reassuring smile. "You can leave it to me."

Alvitr's voice crackled with urgency. "B-But I recommend withdrawing from Heliopolis right now. Miss Rossweisse, Mister Shin. We should plan before making our next move."

Before I could respond, Rita's optics flashed a small red dot, signaling a detection. Her Phantom Iron battlesuit, forged in Hellheim Labs, was designed to hunt down Honkai-infected organisms. The in-built bio-detectors had picked up the faint scent of a zombie nearby.

"I've found something… it's now or never. A good hunter fires her shot before letting the prey escape," Rita said, her voice cold and focused. "Alvitr, I sense Honkai-infection beneath us."

Without hesitation, Rita turned to me, determination in her eyes. "Let's go, Master Shin."

We rushed down to the ground floor, our pace relentless. As we approached the infected area, we leaped into action, descending with precise force. Our plunge attacks connected with the zombies, smashing their heads with calculated precision. The battle had begun, and there was no turning back.