Humans are in chaos, despicable outsiders.

Honkai Energy Serum

........

"To ensure there are no oversights in the details... I think... I have a suitable candidate..." Snow seemed to remember something, opened his terminal screen mirroring, moved a photo onto the projected map, and placed it in one corner.

It was a girl with light blonde hair, just like Snow. However, unlike Snow's long, flowing hair, the girl in the photo wore a neat, single ponytail, secured with a small black crown-like hair accessory. Even through the photograph, one could sense the hidden sharpness in her purple eyes.

“Ningdi...?” Jiuxiao looked at the familiar face and uttered her name with an expression of disbelief.

"...Not the Ninti you know, although she does look very similar—like Bronya, she was an assassin adopted and trained after the Second Honkai Impact."

"It's just that Bronya ran into Cocolia... while she, she ran into Irene, or rather Rita Losweiser...?"

"I still remember how Eileen grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and dragged her into the living room like she was a kitten," the girl said with a teasing smile, seemingly recalling that amusing scene.

"...Pfft, so is there anything special about this child?"

"It may sound cold-blooded, but if it's just about child mercenary assassins after the Second Honkai Impact, then it's nothing special, and it's actually quite common in Eastern Europe," Jiu Xiao said, looking at the girl on the projection screen.

"She's definitely special...she's played Assassin's Creed, hasn't she..."

"Assassin's Creed? The game from that French company that uses potatoes as servers?"

"Yes, that's the one..."

"That explains it easily. That child is a natural Stigmata holder... and the Stigmata grants her an ability similar to eagle-eye vision... and a scientifically inexplicable ability—this child can reduce her own presence, literally, to the point of being almost invisible."

"The person is standing right in front of me, but I just can't notice her?" Jiu Xiao thought for a moment and gave an example.

"Pretty much. Of course, if it's a camera, this ability isn't very useful. Surveillance footage can't be fooled. She can't just crawl through the screen and make the person watching the recording lose their physical memory..." Snow nodded, agreeing with Jiuxiao's statement.

"...I remember you used a similar technique, right? You fooled Heavy Bunny and sneaked up behind Bronya back then."

"My other half is Kaslana," Snow said to Jiuxiao out of the blue, a statement that seemed completely unrelated to her question.

"...So, this is a betrayal by the Knights of Justice?" Jiu Xiao joked.

"No... I mean—my other half's bloodline is genetically dominant... Where do you think that freezing cold, like liquid nitrogen being poured on me, came from before I kissed you?"

"...Well, so you're a fusion warrior, right?"

"Speaking of which, your body temperature is indeed much lower than normal, but compared to Kevin, it's still within acceptable limits. At least it must be very comfortable to hold you in the summer."

"...It's spring now, don't think too far ahead," Snow said, curling his lip.

"I lowered my body temperature to the same level as room temperature, fooling the life sensors on the Reloaded Bunny. And stealth techniques... I know a little bit about them." The girl shook her head, steer the conversation back to the main topic.

"I later insisted on adopting this child, but now Rita is probably taking care of her..." Snow thought for a moment and said somewhat uncertainly.

"I'll write her a letter later, inviting her to St. Freya Academy," Snow said, opening his desk drawer and starting to rummage for paper and pen.

"Soon, Himeko and the others will go to explore the Nine Netherworld, and then Anti-Entropy will invade... That little one would better come to the academy as soon as possible... The sooner, the better for us." Jiuxiao nodded.

"The Nine Netherworlds aren't worth our excessive attention... it's just a waste of effort... the final result will only be a complete loss." Snow shook his head and crossed out the Nine Netherworlds from the mind map.

"It's worth noting the entropy that's following closely and Singapore's coveted gem..." The girl tapped her fingers on two spots on the screen.

“That Dr. Magi…we must obtain the initial sample of the Honkai Energy Serum.” Jiu Xiao’s gaze turned to Dr. Magi, the chief scientist of the Third Research Institute of Destiny, whom the two had identified as the key figure in the Singapore operation. Dr. Magi was an elderly man with gray hair, nearing eighty years old.

"Furthermore, we need to reach some kind of agreement with Anti-Entropy... A simple serum sample is meaningless to us; we need their scientific research capabilities... to complete the [Godslayer Spear], and not just one sample..." Snow then focused his attention on the matter marked as Anti-Entropy's invasion.

The photo included close-up portraits of Mr. Yang, the history teacher at the academy, and a petite blue-haired girl, with smaller print below identifying them.

"Walter Yang, the leader of the Anti-Entropy Alliance, and Dr. Einstein, the executor..." the girl murmured, her expression inscrutable.

--

That evening, the postman from St. Freya Academy carefully retrieved a meticulously sealed letter from the academy's mailbox. It would soon be transported by the Heavenly Mandate's special transport plane to Vienna, Europe, and delivered to a certain young girl.

"From the most basic perspective, Otto Apocalypse's plan does not directly conflict with ours; in fact, it aligns with our interests in some aspects."

"...This is a good thing." Watching the postman walk away, the girl drew the curtains and commented.

Chapter Twenty-Six: Judas, Save Me!

Dear Ningdi Zhanxin, it has been a year since we last met. I have made new companions and friends on my travels, and I have also rediscovered my surname.

You told me you'd forgotten your surname, and that I would share it with you after I found it—that was our agreement. So... from now on, you are a member of the Apocalypse family, but—don't easily tell anyone... Ninti, the things and history this surname carries are far older and heavier than you can imagine.

Finally, come to me—Nindy, I need you now, my friends need you, come to me... my child. Go to Eileen, she will tell you I'm there.

So far

敬候

Snow Apocalypse

--

The petite blonde girl closed the letter again, tucked the envelope into her pocket, rose from her chair, and headed towards her bedroom. She needed to pack her things; it was time to leave.

She folded her clothes and put them in her suitcase. She then took out the two daggers Miss Eileen had given her and placed them inside. Looking at the flimsy suitcase, Ningdi wondered if something was missing.

Shifting her gaze to the right, Ningdi's large, golden orange cat came into view. Her purple eyes swayed back and forth between the sleeping cat and the nearly empty suitcase. Finally, she reached out her wicked hands, picked up the chubby orange cat, and stuffed it into the suitcase.

"Neither cats nor daggers are prohibited items that can be put in your suitcase," a gentle, slightly teasing voice sounded behind Ningdi. A maid with short, grey-gold hair stood behind the girl.

"Sister Eileen..." Ningdi turned her head, holding the orange cat, feeling a little lost, unsure where to put the cat in her hands.

"Put the kitten on the ground first, Ningdi," the maid said helplessly, looking at the little girl in front of her who lacked common sense.

"So, Ningdi wants to go out?" Rita asked Ningdi, looking at the neatly packed suitcase in front of her.

The girl nodded.

"So, who is Little Ningdi going to see?" the maid continued to smile at the uneasy blonde girl.

"..." The girl hesitated for a moment, then took out an envelope from her bosom and handed it to the maid.

“Sister Eileen...can we trust her?” Ningdi nodded.

Rita took the girl's envelope and opened the letter inside.

The maid didn't look at the body of the letter, but instead focused her gaze on the signatory at the end of the envelope—Snow Apocalypse.

.....

“I see… Lady Snow has found what belongs to her.” Rita nodded gently, folded the envelope again, and returned it to Nindy.

"So, is Little Ningdi going to see Lord Snow?"

"Lord Snow said he needs Ningdi... Ningdi wants to stay with the Lord," Ningdi said earnestly, looking at the maid in front of her.

“...Is that so? Then Ninti must protect Lord Snow well, okay?” Rita nodded.

“…Ninti will do it!”

"So, Sister Eileen prepared a gift for Ningdi, which she originally intended to give to you after little Ningdi grew up."

"Since Xiao Ningdi is going on a long trip, we can only give it to her now."

Rita pulled out a white robe and hooded outfit from somewhere behind her.

"Hmm..." Seeing the new clothes, the girl didn't excitedly approach; instead, she seemed to recall some ominous encounter and retreated step by step with a look of terror on her face.

"Come on, Ningdi, try this on. I'll teach you how to use this outfit," the maid said with a smile, grabbing Ningdi who was trying to escape.

"Ugh! What are you doing? Let go!" The blonde girl uttered strange Cantonese.

On this day, Ningdi once again recalled the humiliation of being treated like a doll and dressed up in all sorts of strange clothes by Rita.

"Hmm...it's all dressed now." Rita nodded, looking at her masterpiece. Dressed in a white robe and wearing a hood, he looked like an assassin master straight out of a video game, standing right in front of her, although this assassin might be a little bit shorter.

"Nindi, listen carefully. The official name of this suit is Valkyrie Armor. It is equipped with an all-around cloaking device, an electronic jamming system, and a bio-pheromone deception device that is currently in the Schicksal testing phase."

"It can be activated via the wristband on your wrist or a voice command. The operation is very simple. Xiao Ningdi, you can try it later." Rita reached out and smoothed the white robe that Ningdi had made a little wrinkled during her fuss.

"And one last little gift... Ningdi, remember to say thank you if you ever meet a big sister who looks a bit like Lord Snow, okay?"

"A big sister who looks almost as good as Lord Snow?" Ningdi looked somewhat confused.

"It's Lady Bianca! Here, Ninti, this is your identity card. This is the A-rank qualification for the Valkyrie of Destiny that I, Eileen, asked Lady Bianca to obtain for me."

"Lady Bianca... I understand, Sister Eileen, with this I can go to Lord Snow's side, right?" Ninti looked at the rectangular card in her hand, somewhat puzzled.

“I just submitted the application for Xiao Ningdi. Miss Snow is located at the Far East Branch of Schicksal. The transport ship responsible for the transfer should be ready by this afternoon,” Rita said to the girl after thinking for a moment.

"Huh? When?"

"Just now, after all, the first standard for a perfect maid is to be meticulous in every aspect."

--

"What? Grandpa wants to send an A-rank Valkyrie to the Far East branch? No way! I absolutely disagree!"

Theresa, looking at an approved application in her office, was making a scene at her adjutant and Himeko Murata.

"But this wasn't approved by His Holiness the Bishop..." The adjutant looked helplessly at the headmaster, who was throwing a tantrum.

"Huh? Let me see... You applied to be transferred to the Far East Branch yourself? And it was approved by the Destiny Council?" Theresa looked at the application report with some confusion.

“But shouldn’t this type of Valkyrie belong only to Schicksal Headquarters?!” Theresa pointed to the application information card under the application report.

[Infiltration Operations], [Intelligence Reconnaissance], [Special Operations], [Assassination]—if the data card has tags, then all four tags can be affixed to this data card without exception.

"This guy must be one of the cleanup squad members, right?! He must be! Why would someone like that come to St. Freya Academy?!" Theresa screamed in despair.

"Am I finally going to be found out that I've been secretly using the academy's funds to buy Houmu comics?! Is Grandpa finally going to get rid of this spendthrift granddaughter?!" Theresa jumped off the headmaster's office chair and paced anxiously around the room.

A deathly silence suddenly fell over the office.

"...Theresa/Headmistress, you'd better explain...what do you mean by using the academy's funds to buy Homu comics and dolls?!" Veins bulged on the foreheads of the adjutant and Himeko.

Two iron hands grabbed Theresa, who was standing in the office, with such force that Theresa felt her skull creak.

"...Judas, save me!!!" A scream rang out from the dean's office, startling a flock of birds into flight.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Family Harmony

In the chaotic Dean's office, Theresa, clutching the Oath of Judah, hid behind the towering Cross and Key of God, while her adjutant and Himeko were kept outside by a wall of Judah's chains, the two roaring angrily from the outside.

"Theresa, come out here!" The red-haired Valkyrie's iron fist pounded against Judah's chains, causing them to rattle and clang. Meanwhile, the adjutant produced a chainsaw sword from who-knows-where; the rapidly spinning chain drove the saw teeth, sparks flying from the golden chains.

Hiding behind the chain wall, Theresa looked at the two demonic figures and inwardly cried out that her life was over. Then she looked towards the window beside her...