Humans are in chaos, despicable outsiders.

The girl, feeling uncomfortable under the gazes of several pairs of eyes, trembled slightly and explained to the group of people who had turned into curious children, their eyes filled with a thirst for knowledge.

"Ahem... Ninti and Bronya have somewhat similar experiences; both were child mercenaries from Eastern Europe in the past..." As soon as she finished speaking, everyone looked at Ninti with a hint of sympathy and pity.

"I adopted her after a certain incident, and she has been cared for by one of the maids in my household ever since."

"—Looking back now, that maid must have been a Valkyrie by destiny. Besides taking care of Ningdi, she would also train and teach her some skills at Ningdi's own request."

"Her arrival here was at my invitation... but it seems that the maid has some connections... I originally planned to have Ningdi enroll as an apprentice Valkyrie..."

Knowing perfectly well who the maid he was talking about really was, Snow continued his rambling without batting an eye, almost making himself believe it.

[They certainly have connections; I'd laugh out loud if a top-tier S-rank Valkyrie didn't have connections.]

“Veteran Valkyries do have the right to recommend newcomers, but to directly promote someone to A-rank… that Valkyrie must have gotten a lot of close colleagues to recommend her,” Himeko nodded, acknowledging Snow’s words.

"Wait, you said you invited Ninti? Hmmm... So, you want to form your own Valkyrie squad, right?" Theresa asked Snow.

"Hmm~ That's the right of an A-rank Valkyrie, isn't it?" Snow nodded at Theresa.

"So... have you decided on a name for this squad? Snow, A-rank Valkyries have the right to name their own squads, you know?" Theresa chuckled mischievously, throwing out a question that would drive anyone with naming difficulties crazy. Back at Schicksal headquarters, she often saw A-rank Valkyries racking their brains for days or even weeks over this, some even banging their heads on the ground in frustration.

"The team name... Divine Authority," the blonde girl said comfortably, reclining on the sofa as she picked up her coffee and tossed out the name she had carefully prepared.

"...Divine Authority? That suits you quite well. I'll register you in the Destiny Database, Commander and Captain of the Divine Authority Squad—Miss Snow."

Theresa and Himeko recalled the advanced combat records of the girl and the Herrscher in Changkong City, and nodded in agreement...

"The team members are Houraiji Kusho and Ningdi, right..." Himeko looked at the girl lying on the sofa and made a final confirmation.

"certainly--"

"Huh!? I want my period too..." Kiana, who was passing by and still confused, seemed to be quite tempted.

"What are you thinking about too? Forming your own self-named team?"

"Of course! This young lady insists on having a powerful and imposing name, so let's call her—"

"Idiot Kiana...didn't you hear what the headmaster said...? Only official teams formed by A-rank Valkyries get this kind of naming privilege."

"Huh? How could this be! Then class monitor, you can..." Kiana looked at Fu Hua with some anticipation.

"I'm sorry, Kiana, I'm not interested in forming a team at the moment..."

"Instead of relying on others, rely on yourself. Once you become a member of the A-rank Valkyrie, you can decide the name of your team yourself." Snow shook his head helplessly at the somewhat disappointed white-furred ball of hair.

"Hmph, don't worry, my goal is to become an S-rank Valkyrie!"

"So, are you ready for your makeup exam this week, Kiana..." Himeko placed a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"...It seems...not yet..." Cold sweat crept onto the white-fuzzy ball's forehead.

"Then hurry up and go!" The angry roar echoed again in the reception room.

"Hehe!"

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Chapter Twenty-Nine: Chi You

Campus life is always filled with laughter and warmth. Even if the joyful laughter of the students at St. Freya Academy is like delicate sugar coating, wrapped around a bitter, slow-acting poison called the fight against Honkai, it is only a fleeting sweetness.

However, unlike the cheerful laughter outside, inside Himeko and the others' dormitory villa, the group stared into deep thought as they looked at the kitchen—

Jiuxiao looked at Snow and said she had never cooked before, while Snow rolled her eyes and said she only knew how to make coffee. She didn't want Snow to blow up the kitchen and further reduce the academy's already tight budget, so she shouldn't be expected to do anything.

Then the two turned their attention to Ningdi, who confidently took on the responsibility of preparing lunch. However, while chopping vegetables, she nearly shredded the cutting board and countertop into pieces, and was dragged out of the kitchen by the others.

The three women turned their gaze to the last person remaining in the villa, the headmistress of the academy, Theresa Apocalypse.

Theresa felt an immense pressure instantly when she saw the look of entrustment in their eyes.

"—So Mei, when are you guys coming back?!" the headmaster yelled in the kitchen, sounding utterly exasperated.

"Don't even think about it. Kiana, Mei, and the class president just went to Shenzhou with Himeko to search for the secrets of Jiuyou two days ago... It can't be that fast," Jiuxiao, who was helping to wash vegetables, interrupted Theresa's beautiful daydream.

"But all I can cook is bitter melon! I don't care, are you guys going to eat it?!" Theresa, exasperated, glared at the kitchen duo slacking off in the living room, unleashing her trump card.

"From a generally rational perspective, bitter melon is rich in dietary fiber, vitamin C, calcium, iron, and other nutrients. It has the effects of calming the mind, reducing internal heat, and lowering blood pressure. It's a kind of... um..." Snow's little science lesson was interrupted by Ningdi beside him.

The blonde, purple-eyed little girl covered her mother's mouth, which was babbling incessantly, and shook her head rapidly in terror at Theresa, as if recalling some unbearable memory.

"Mmm... Ningdi doesn't like bitter melon?" Snow asked, pulling away from the girl's hand that was covering her mouth, looking at her adopted daughter with some curiosity.

Ningdi nodded frantically, her side ponytail even leaving afterimages as it swung to the side.

"I see..."

The four were once again at an impasse... one couldn't cook, one was only good at bitter melon dishes, and the other two could turn the kitchen into a Syrian battlefield.

The four Valkyries present, who could chase and beat up Herrschers, were completely stumped by the small kitchen.

"The kitchen is the greatest enemy," Ningdi said seriously, looking at the cutting board she had chopped into pieces in the kitchen trash can and the countertop with its knife marks.

The others nearby nodded in strong agreement.

"So, how about we eat out?" Jiu Xiao suggested a new idea, and Ning Di and Theresa's eyes lit up.

"Where to? The shopping street, you know?"

"Going to cause trouble for Miss Arya again, huh?" Snow shrugged helplessly, looking at the group that had suddenly come back to life.

"Let's go then!" Theresa waved her hand, hoisted Judas onto her shoulder, and kicked open the door.

"Do you have to bring Judas with you even when you go out for a meal?" Jiu Xiao asked, looking at the huge cross behind Theresa.

“That’s what the Judah launch pad looks like,” Snow shrugged.

Theresa, who was walking at the front, suddenly stopped and turned around to glare at them menacingly.

"Explain this to me... what the hell is this called the Judas Launcher?"

"The full name of the Judah Launcher is: Key of Bonds - Oath of Judah Humanoid Launcher. This term is linked to the S-rank Valkyrie of the Far East Branch of Schicksal: Theresa Apocalypse."

Snow recited his explanation in a serious, academic manner as he dashed towards the door at high speed.

"Fine! How dare you mock your dean, Snow! You better not run away!" Theresa, effectively enraged, increased her movement speed by a whopping 1000%!

--

"Is this your reason for forcing the demolition all the way to my shop's entrance???"

The gentle, blue-haired older sister had completely lost her original graceful demeanor. With her left hand gripping the 1.68-meter-tall Snow and her right hand lifting the 1.45-meter-tall Theresa, she used her absolute height advantage of 1.82 meters to lift them off the ground and make them stare at her.

Look me in the eye, you little bastard!

The two people who were lifted up turned their heads away in unison, whistling in a way that was completely out of tune.

......

Outside the shop, a ditch stretches from afar across the street in front of the café. A golden Judas statue remains, its blade still embedded in the broken marble pavement. Underground water pipes are exposed on the ground—if only a construction sign were placed and makeshift barriers were erected...

"It's just like the construction site of the Nth phase of a city's drainage system project," Jiu Xiao, who arrived late, commented as he strolled leisurely along the ditch that Judas had smashed open, looking at the "construction site" before him.

"I remember the reason we went out to eat was to avoid the kitchen being blown up, making the already meager academy budget even tighter," Jiu Xiao said, glancing at Ning Di who was standing beside him.

The blonde girl nodded seriously.

"And then not only did the cost not decrease, it actually doubled...?" Jiu Xiao looked back at the two people being carried by Aria, who were currently being bombarded with the shopkeeper's spittle.

"Good afternoon, Manager Aria." To save the two from being mercilessly killed by the manager, Jiu Xiao braced himself and went up to greet her.

Ningdi seemed to notice the three cats in the shop. Her eyes lit up, and she went into stealth mode, approaching the unsuspecting cats.

"Good afternoon, Jiuxiao. Are you here for lunch?" Upon seeing the purple-haired girl enter the store, Aria quickly dropped her fierce expression and reverted to a gentle and intellectual demeanor, putting down the two she was carrying.

After their faces were covered in spittle for a while, the two of them gave Jiu Xiao a thumbs-up when the shop manager couldn't see them.

[If you knew this would happen, you wouldn't have had one of you deliberately run so slowly while the other carried Judas all the way here!] Jiuxiao roared inwardly.

"Cough cough cough, Arya, I'll send someone to repair the damage to the shopping street as soon as possible!" Theresa, who had been put down and given a chance to catch her breath, quickly assured them.

“I’ll cover the financial losses incurred during the few days of business closure for repairs…” Snow pulled a few tissues from a nearby table and handed them to the dean. The two of them grabbed the tissues and hastily wiped their faces.

"That's more like it, I'll let you off this time... Oh? What an adorable child." Arya's attention was drawn to Ninti, who was playing with the cats in a corner of the cafe.

Three unique kittens were at this moment: one was perched on Ningdi's head, another was clinging to her shoulder, and the last one was being held in Ningdi's arms.

The girl's purple eyes narrowed to slits as she cuddled the cat in her arms and rubbed it against her face.

“That child, she’s Ninti, Snow’s newest member of their team,” Theresa explained to Arya, glancing at the blonde girl who was completely absorbed in the feline charms.

"This child is the most popular with the cats in the store I've ever seen... Oh right, you're here to eat, right? What would you like to eat?" Looking at Ninti's close interaction with the cat, Aria suddenly had a bad feeling that her own cat was about to be kidnapped.

"Whatever, just order one of the recommended dishes and drinks for today from the sign you posted, manager," Jiu Xiao shrugged indifferently.

"I want bitter melon juice!" Theresa interjected, remembering something.

"Okay, then you guys go find a seat first. Please don't cause me any more trouble in the coffee shop, okay?" Arya, now back to normal, nodded with a smile, humming a tune as she began preparing lunch for the group.

......

--

While the four were enjoying lunch, the intelligence department of St. Freya Academy in the Far East Branch was thrown into chaos.

"Report! Monitoring stations along the coast of China have detected an increase in Honkai energy! It has reached a critical point!"

"Report! We have received a request for backup from Major Himeko's Valkyrie squad."

"Monitoring satellites have detected significant signs of catastrophic energy activity on the seabed along China's coastal areas!"

"Report from Major Himeko's field team has been received; the large-scale collapse reaction along the coast of Shenzhou has been confirmed as a Judgment-class Honkai Beast, Chi You!"

A brief silence fell over the room. The awakening of a Judgment-class Honkai Beast was still too distant and shocking for these new generation Valkyries born after the Second Honkai Impact.

"What are you all standing there for! Where are the Dean and Miss Snow?! The Shenzhou branch has requested military support from S-rank Valkyries and the Divine Authority Squad!" The first Valkyrie to react broke the silence, and the building erupted in noise once more.

"The Hyperion is ready for deployment!"

"Intelligence has been reported to headquarters! Reinforcements from headquarters are assembling!"

"Signs of significant anti-entropy air force activity have been detected along the coastal areas of China!"

Inside the intelligence building, the sudden surge in requests for help and intelligence feedback tightened the Valkyrie's nerves, which had relaxed somewhat in the afternoon.

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