Humans are in chaos, despicable outsiders.

"It's not like we haven't kissed before... Why don't you go and rest for a bit, Jiuxiao?"

"Alright... I'll go lie down for a bit then." The purple-haired girl rubbed her temples and headed upstairs.

After seeing Jiuxiao off, the blonde girl continued to scrutinize the white-furred ball of fluff tormented by math and physics, until her left hand was poked a few times.

"Bronya? Is something the matter?" Looking to his right, he saw the gray-haired girl looking at him.

"Bronya heard about Kiana from the headmaster, and also received a request from Teacher Yang. Bronya wants to invite Sister Snow to help Kiana review history." Bronya's gray eyes were earnest as she stared intently at Snow, hoping for a promise.

"...That's an irresistible look in her eyes, but Bronya, how are you going to tutor her? Simply reading to her is...no different from chanting a spell on that idiot...yes, no different."

Snow looked at Kiana, whose head was being held by Fu Hua's iron hand and who was being forced to sit on the ground listening to her explain the knowledge points, and nodded with certainty.

“Bronya has a special method to guarantee that even the idiot Kiana will learn it perfectly, probably…” Bronya followed Snow’s gaze and saw the white fur ball being held by Fu Hua’s skull-splitting hand.

"Bronya has begun recalculating the feasibility of the plan..."

"No need. At worst, I'll hold him down and you can talk... chanting like a mantra for seven days and seven nights. I guarantee he'll be talking about history in his sleep." Snow shrugged indifferently and started stretching.

Bronya believes that Kiana, that idiot, doesn't deserve such a crime.

"Who knows?" Snow hummed a few times.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Apocalypse

"So... this is the study plan you came up with for me? A Homu toy? Don't make fun of me!"

After lunch, Kiana was dragged into Bronya's room by Snow like a little chick. The white-fuzzy ball of fur looked at the strange Homura doll in front of her with disdain.

“You can choose another one. I’ll hold you here, and Bronya can find a tape recorder and have her repeat the key points to you for seven days and seven nights,” the blonde girl said with an eager expression.

"You're so kind, there's no need for that!" Seeing the blonde girl's expression, the white fluffy ball immediately chose to follow her heart.

"Idiot Kiana, this isn't a doll, it's the latest model of the Homu Homu Virtual Reality Connector!" Bronya stood on tiptoe and slipped one of the blue Homu headgear onto Kiana's head.

"Sister Snow, do you want to come along?" Bronya asked, holding up a Homu headgear and looking at the blonde girl.

"Hmm... seems like an interesting new experience, I'll give it a try." Snow took the hood that Bronya was holding up and put it on.

"Sister Snow and silly Kiana, please find a comfortable position to sit down. Once the virtual reality connector is activated, the brain will temporarily lose control of the body." Bronya put on the last yellow Homura headgear and sat steadily on the sofa.

——Link Start——

Their vision went black for a moment, then a flash of white light appeared before them, and a magnificent library stood out in front of them.

"This is the core database of the Destiny Organization, containing the most detailed records of the Honkai history."

Bronya, dressed as a little witch, appeared before Snow and Kiana.

"I am Bronya, the guiding witch—lost maiden! I will guide you to the path of truth."

"The guiding... witch?" Kiana broke out in a cold sweat.

“Let’s start with the earliest Honkai records.” Bronya didn’t answer Kiana’s question, but instead pulled a book from the huge bookshelf, and a large door emitting white light appeared in front of Kiana and the others.

"Bronya's taking that silly Kiana to review history. Snow, you can look around here. Most areas of the Destiny Database are open to Valkyries." Bronya nodded to the girl who was looking around the library, and pulled Kiana through the portal.

"...Good luck with your studies, Kiana," Snow nodded to the two of them, then turned his attention to the bookshelf.

"...Let me see what books are here." His gaze swept across the bookshelf, the numerous titles catching his eye.

"The Overpowered Heroine and the Vampire Princess...? Pass."

"The Overbearing Herrscher Falls in Love with Me... Kiana probably likes this... pass."

"My Light of Life - Karen...? Pass!"

A quick glance revealed the bookshelves filled with all sorts of strange and unusual books... until the girl's gaze fell on a corner of the bookshelf.

There was a black book there, its black cover bearing no title, but instead a single, gold-embossed eye engraved on it.

"...The emblem of the Apocalypse family?" Snow pulled out a black book, and a large white door, identical to the ones Bronya and the others had, opened before him...

"Looks like it's part of history...? Interesting." The blonde girl stepped into the portal.

The grand library plunged into darkness as the last person left, and where the black book had been pulled out, a string of inconspicuous characters flickered.

[■■■■■■Identity verification passed]

--

The old headquarters of the Mandate of Heaven in Vienna, Europe, in 1476 AD.

Snow stood bewildered on the filthy street, her clothes somehow replaced by a black cloak. The pungent stench unique to medieval streets assaulted the blonde girl's senses.

".....?" Suppressing her physical discomfort, the girl bent down and reached out to grab the muddy ground, stirring up the mud and sand.

“...An interactive, realistic scene, interesting.” Azure eyes examined the mud and sand in his hand, a look of interest in them.

"Hey! You sneaky guy! What are you doing?!" A young man's sharp voice rang out behind the girl. Distracted from her thoughts, the girl looked back with some annoyance.

It was a group of soldiers clad in medieval knightly armor, their breastplates emblazoned with the symbols of destiny—judging by the mud splattered on their iron boots, they appeared to be knights on patrol here.

"Wearing a completely sealed robe in broad daylight... lurking around suspiciously, commoner! Take off your hood and turn around for inspection!" The leading knight, eyeing the black-robed man before him, cautiously gripped his sword and slowly approached.

“…Interesting,” Snow muttered softly, removing the black robe draped over his shoulders, revealing long golden hair. He turned around, his blue eyes watching the approaching guards.

"...A lady? Ahem...I'm sorry, beautiful lady, I apologize for my rudeness earlier, but please allow us to question you." Upon seeing the beautiful girl emerging from beneath the black robe, the knight visibly paused, using a cough to cover his embarrassment.

The knight carefully examined the young woman before him. Beneath her black robes lay an exquisite white dress, with an elaborate and ornate inner lining. A shawl embroidered with gold emblems hung naturally from her right shoulder, and a gold insignia belonging exclusively to the Apocalypse family adorned her waist—this was a noble young lady, the knight thought.

[Wait... the Apocalypse family crest!?] The face beneath the knight's mask froze, his gaze shifting slightly upwards to the emblem on his right sash and the long, pale golden hair draped over it.

The emblem on the right shoulder cape was a simple, golden single eye, echoing the golden insignia at the girl's waist.

"...I apologize! Lord Apocalypse, I apologize for my previous rudeness and offense. If possible, please allow my squad to escort you back to the bishop's castle."

Ignoring the muddy ground, the knight planted his sword in the earth, knelt on one knee, and addressed the still somewhat bewildered Snow. As the lead knight knelt, the guards, hearing their captain's words, quickly followed suit and knelt as well.

"...Get up, I forgive your offense." The blonde girl composed herself and quickly adapted to her role.

"My lord, would you like me to escort you back to the castle?" The knight, who had stood up, looked cautiously at the girl before him.

"Thank you for your trouble," Snow said after a brief moment's thought, nodding.

[Castle...Where's the castle...? This should be medieval Vienna, Europe. Besides the ancient castle owned by my adoptive father, what other castles are there in modern Vienna?]

[Did it collapse during the subsequent turmoil...? And why did this interactive virtual reality system assign me the identity of the Apocalypse family?] Following the guards' footsteps, Snow pondered as he walked into the distance.

--

"We've arrived, sir," the knight who had been accompanying her brought the girl back to reality.

"Sir, if there's nothing else, we'll head back to our patrol."

"Hmm, okay..." Snow subconsciously responded to the knight beside him, dismissing him. He then looked up at his destination: the castle of the Apocalypse family.

"...Why does this castle look so vaguely familiar?" The girl gazed at the castle's tower, the very spot she used to climb as a child. Aside from the difference in the age of the outer walls, the entire exterior of the castle was identical.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Reunion

Standing on the drawbridge in front of the castle gate, the girl's mind raced.

"From a purely rational standpoint... this should be my house."

"Putting aside reality, this should be the house of the Apocalypse family, the Archbishops of Destiny."

"So... me and my dad living here 500 years from now...?" The blonde girl considered a unique possibility.

“A bad feeling…” The girl carefully examined her attire: a predominantly white women's trench coat with red and black stripes and medallions, an Apocalypse family crest embroidered on the right shoulder of the cape, and a black and red ribbon resembling a scarf hanging down from the left shoulder.

"What an incredible outfit! The Archbishop of Destiny's...formal attire—" A strong wind blew across the girl standing on the drawbridge, lifting the long train of her formal dress. Her gaze swept across the area, and the Destiny knights guarding the gate met her eyes with awe.

"Let's go in and see... let's see who my dear adoptive father really is—" The girl, who had already vaguely guessed the truth, strode towards the bedroom where her adoptive father usually rested.

Since entering the magnificent castle, not a single guard or servant has been seen; only the crisp sound of heels clicking on the marble floor can be heard.

The footsteps echoing down the corridor abruptly stopped; the blonde girl had arrived at her destination and was standing before a wooden door.

This was the room where her adoptive father usually lived, as she remembered it; the door wasn't locked, and could be opened with a gentle push.

The room's layout is more like a library than a bedroom; apart from a bed, it's filled with bookshelves and countless exquisite books.

The vast number of books did not attract Snow's attention—on the desk by the window, a diary held all of the girl's gaze.

It was a black diary exactly the same as the one retrieved from the database. Reaching out, I turned the pages, and beautiful cursive handwriting leaped off the page.

My father arranged a marriage for me with my childhood sweetheart, Karen. This was the best news I had ever heard in my life. Karen was so kind and gentle...

......

If Karen and I have a first child, we'll name her Theresa. She'll be a kind and upright child like Karen, with white hair and bright blue eyes...

......

......

The Council of Destiny has sentenced Kallen to death... No, I can't accept it... Kallen, I will definitely save you... Then we'll run away and hide in the far east...

.....

[She left me...forever...because of the mistake I made....] This entry is very short, and the person who wrote it seemed to be in a very unstable emotional state; the handwriting is very messy.

...

The masses have spontaneously rallied to resist the tyranny of my puppet nephew... They are doing so in your name, Karen... the people are doing so in the name of Saint Karen. I will join them, Karen, I will not let your name be tainted in the slightest...!

...

【We succeeded, Karen...we succeeded. The corrupt Church of Destiny, which you once hated for its unwillingness to compromise, has fallen. I will rebuild it....】

It's winter in Vienna now, how much time has passed... Karen? If you were still here... our second child would have been born by now... What should we name her...?

It's snowing... Maybe we should name her Snow. She'll probably be a lot like me... But then again, this child is going to be a real headache...

...

【You will find your answer on your journey—my child】Memories that were deliberately blurred in the past are gradually reviving and becoming clear. It was a blond, blue-eyed man, a man drawn on the first page of the Destiny Valkyrie textbook.

—The Bishop of Destiny: Otto Apocalypse

“What an extraordinary person… my father—” The notebook was turned to the last page, and the book was closed again.