K424 of the Collapse World

"My name is Elena, the Valkyrie stationed on this battleship, and the captain of the fifth action team."

"Hey...Elena-senpai?"

"Just call me by my name. You can also call me sister if you don't mind. Also, don't be so nervous, little Wendy. Although the Hyperion Force is a formal military organization, the people in the command are not the rigid military. Even though Miss Jiuxiao over there is the captain here, she is actually my junior... Relax and just greet them normally."

Following Elena's gaze towards the captain's seat, Wendy saw the purple-haired girl in a white military uniform sitting on a chair. The other party's solemn expression full of oppression made Wendy swallow her saliva.

"Captain...Captain?"

"Sonoto! I, Kyushu Horaiji, am the navigator of the battleship Hyperion, the only Valkyrie with the rank of major general in the Destiny Force, and also a member of the Anti-Entropy organization... Hey! Himeko, why are you interrupting me?"

Before Jiuxiao's eyes began to light up, Ji Zi, who was standing next to her, slapped her on the head without hesitation.

"Although your powerful way of speaking is very suitable for the position of captain, now is not the time for military negotiations. So, can you speak a little more normally, my dear captain?"

"Uh... I see."

Wendy was stunned by the adjutant who dared to attack and reprimand the captain, and the captain who suddenly lost his momentum. Noticing the confusion in the girl's eyes, Shirley coughed twice and waved at Wendy.

"Don't mind. Jiuxiao's status in Hyperion is quite special. Although she is the captain in name, the actual affairs of Hyperion are still handled by Ms. Jizi and the head of the communications department. So, you can just think of our Captain Jiuxiao as a negotiating tool with an empty title."

"That's right... I understand."

Seeing Wendy nod in response, Jiuxiao, who had failed miserably in pretending to be cool, let out a wail of resignation. When her role-playing was exposed, she would also feel embarrassed and ashamed, and her little vanity would also be hurt.

"Hey, hey! Lady Shilis, you're going too far by saying that I'm just a tool in name only! Ugh...! Even if you are the only savior of this world, you will be punished by heaven if you treat your family like this! Punishment from heaven!"

"..."

Seeing Jiuxiao trying to rush over but being held down by Jizi, Wendy blinked again and cast a questioning look at Shilis. The latter shook her head and pointed at her head.

"Don't worry, she just has a little problem here."

"Eh...? In other words..."

"Yes, it means exactly what it says. And it's an incurable, stubborn disease that has already reached an advanced stage. So...be more tolerant of her in normal times."

Shirley lowered her head and said gloomily, trying hard to suppress the smile that was about to show on the corner of her mouth. But in fact, there seemed to be nothing wrong with what she said. After all, Chuunibyou is also a disease, and Jiuxiao's current level is obviously serious enough to the late stage of Chuunibyou.

However, Wendy's heavy expression obviously did not resonate with Shirley's thoughts, and she associated the words just now with some other disease.

"I see, Master Jiuxiao is... Wendy understands."

“No, it’s not like that! Ugh! Lady Shiris, how could you do this…!”

Wendy's compassionate yet serious expression completely broke Jiuxiao down. She looked at Shilis angrily. If she hadn't been caught by Jizi, she would have rushed over to bite her.

"...Teacher Jizi, long time no see."

Wendy, who graduated from St. Freya, naturally experienced the guidance of Wuliangta Jizi. Although she became an A-level Valkyrie and graduated in the second year, she still remembered Jizi and a unique elementary school principal in St. Freya, which she had not seen for a long time.

478 acquaintance >>

"Wendy... I'm sorry. I just heard from Miss Shilis about your experience in Australia. If we had known that those guys would use the Valkyries as tools, Theresa and I should not have agreed to your early graduation..."

Ji Zi said in a deep voice, loosening her hand. Jiu Xiao, who was strangled to death by her, leaned over and slumped down on the chair.

"Most of the scientific researchers in the Tianming Organization,

They all treat the Valkyries as experimental animals like guinea pigs. Although I am also aware of this, I did not expect that the situation in those remote branches would be so serious! "

Faced with Ji Zi's indignation, Wendy remained silent for a moment and just shook her head slightly.

"It's okay... Whether as a Valkyrie fighting the Honkai or as a container for the Herrscher core, in my opinion, they are both valuable. The doctor at the New Zealand Research Institute said that only my physique can keep the Desire Gem stable. If I hadn't become the fusion of the Serenity Gem at that time, wouldn't more Valkyries have died in the fusion experiment?"

"You kid... Sigh, even after going through that, you are still so hopelessly naive. It seems... Well, you are really lucky to have met Miss Shilis."

Glancing at the thoughtful silver-haired girl sitting next to her, Jizi suddenly realized that the experiences of the two girls were surprisingly similar. They were both used as experimental recipients of the Herrscher Core and were tortured in the experiments. However, compared to the obvious personality changes of Shilis, Wendy remained almost unchanged from when she left Saint Freya...

"Forget it, let's not talk about this...By the way, Wendy, I heard that you have completely mastered the power of the Fourth Herrscher. Is this true?"

"This... is probably like this, right? Lady Shiris said so, but I don't know the details... It seems that it means being able to enter and exit the Herrscher form freely, and not being affected by the Honkai energy on the mind? If it's just these, Wendy can do it now..."

"..."

Looking at this somewhat embarrassed girl, Jizi fell silent. It was hard to imagine that this seemingly pitiful girl could already freely activate and control the power of the Herrscher form? This level of power control must be stronger than Mei's Herrscher form. In other words, if she wanted to, she could probably easily destroy a branch of the Destiny...

Be it Shiris, Kiana, and Seele, plus the Pseudo-Herrschers and Honkai Beasts such as Benares Yaezakura who are currently staying in Saint Freya, when did these super-strong combat forces that cannot be normally evaluated begin to appear one after another?

"So, the wind just now was also... Could it be that you used the air current to lift your body up?!"

Jiuxiao, who had recovered his breath, suddenly asked, looking at Wendy's legs hanging on the edge of the transporter, and suddenly realized what had just happened.

"Eh? That's about right... Lord Jiuxiao, may I ask you..."

Looking at the purple-haired girl approaching, Wendy shrank back with some worry. What Jiuxiao didn't know was that in the eyes of this girl, she had been labeled as a "mental patient".

"Wendy, your current strength is at the same level as Lady Shilis, right?"

"Well... I'm not sure..."

"You are a perfect Herrscher, right? That means you are the same as Lady Shiris and Kiana-chan! I want to know, what is your power......"

Influenced by the memory of the holy scars left over from the previous era, Jiuxiao yearns for powerful strength from the bottom of her heart. As more and more powerful people gather around her, she also begins to fantasize whether she can become the same.

Before Wendy mastered the Desire Gem, she even lost her own Valkyrie power. Now that she has become a Herrscher, it is as if she has suddenly obtained the power that Jiuxiao has always dreamed of. Therefore, Jiuxiao wants to know what kind of mood Wendy is in at this moment, holding this power that can change the world?

Wendy saw the eagerness and seriousness in Jiuxiao's eyes, and thought it was just the normal behavior of this mentally unstable captain.

In the eyes of the Herrscher, except for her own kind, all beings are the same. Therefore, she cannot notice the feelings of those "weak" people...

"Okay, okay~"

Seeing Wendy's increasingly troubled expression, Shirley interrupted her softly.

"Don't be like this, Jiuxiao. Wendy just experienced Honkai energy out of control. Although she successfully controlled it, she must be very tired. Instead of asking her these rapid-fire questions, how about making a room for her to rest? How about you two have a good chat again when we return to Saint Freya?"

"This... okay."

Although he didn't get the answer he wanted, Jiuxiao still listened carefully to what Shilis said, stepped away from Wendy, and returned to the captain's seat.

"This...ah! I remember that there are a few empty lounges in area B-7 that can be used as lounges. I'll ask someone to clean them up now, and they should be available soon..."

Jiu Xiao breathed out calmly, and the next moment she returned to her usual energetic appearance. For her, using exaggerated behavior to hide her feelings was something she had long been accustomed to. No one would know how her mood had changed in those few short seconds.

......

479 Night Talk

At night...

The speed of a large warship like the Hyperion is naturally not comparable to that of a small, high-speed fighter. However, the main battleship equipped with high-tech military equipment can basically fly at the same speed as an ordinary civilian airliner.

Departing from New Zealand in Oceania in the afternoon, it would take more than a few hours to return to the Far East. Before arriving at the destination, most of the people in Hyperion, including Wendy and Jiuxiao, began to enjoy this short break. Although the warship was still in combat mode, such slackness seemed a bit inappropriate. But everyone knew that the moment they successfully received Silis Kaslana, Hyperion's mission was over.

"Aren't you going to take a break, former captain?"

Strolling around the battleship, Shirley somehow returned to the bridge where they first met. In the middle of the night, the lighting in the Hyperion's passageway had been changed to a gentle soft light, but the bridge still kept the bright and dazzling white light. The red-haired woman in the Valkyrie uniform stood in front of the battleship terminal, wondering what she was thinking. The next moment, awakened by Shirley's voice, Jizi turned around.

"Ms. Shilis? You... don't you need to rest?"

She looked a little surprised, but her expression remained serious and alert. Of course, the target of her alert was not Shilis, it was just her habit as a night watchman.

"A Herrscher with an energy body doesn't need sleep. As for Wendy, she just hasn't adapted to her Herrscher body yet. Her human instinct prompts her to go to sleep. But in fact, the girl is probably tossing and turning in sleep, but she is too embarrassed to get up and cause trouble for others..."

After the silver-haired girl walked into the bridge, the metal door behind her fell. She walked forward naturally and sat in the seat next to Jizi. Her calm and deep expression caught Jizi's eyes.

"But you should be different from us, right, A-rank Valkyrie Muliangta Himeko? Even if you have obtained the purest stigmata, your body is still that of a human. If you overwork yourself, you won't be able to handle it."

The girl's caring words flowed into her ears, and Ji Zi just shook her head slightly, but her right hand subconsciously touched her chest. On the skin under the collar, the red stigmata shaped like a sword was still imprinted on her chest.

"It doesn't matter. Compared to when I was in the stormtroopers, this level is nothing... Besides, there has to be someone to guard the command level of Hyperion. We can't leave all the security work to those young people."

Over the past decade, due to the erosion of Honkai energy on her body, it has gradually stabilized under the conditioning of Ji Xuanyuan's stigma. The life expectancy of less than a year in the physical examination report has returned to normal. It can be said that even if there was no accident, it was the stigma given by Shilis that pulled her back from the brink of death.

Just now, Jizi felt awkward during the seemingly normal communication with Shilis. Unlike the others here, she and Miss Shilis had a complicated misunderstanding. Before she got to the truth, Jizi had hurt this benefactor who repaid kindness with grievance more than once, and even indirectly caused the girl to be captured by Tianming. Even though the two sides have reconciled their past grievances, when she was alone with Shilis, Jizi didn't know what attitude she should use to face this girl...

"So...Miss Hillis, is there something going on here?"

"Nothing, I was just wandering around the battleship and ended up here without realizing it... Oh, I can't really sit down and relax when I think about meeting them soon."

Shirley laughed and cried, looking at Jizi who was standing straight as a soldier, she waved her hand to signal her to sit down as well.

"But it just so happens that since you are here too, why don't you chat with me for a while?"

"Uh, chat...? Okay, but Miss Hillis, a boring, older single woman like me probably doesn't have anything interesting to share with you..."

"Pfft... this self-deprecation is a bit too much, it's not necessary at all, just chat about something normal. Um... By the way, Jizi, speaking of that 'tattoo' I carved on your chest a long time ago, is the scar still visible? Do you need me to help you remove it?"

"No need! It has been completely eliminated after the last treatment! That thing... ahem, why did Miss Shilis think of that first?"

Jizi's face turned strange. She lowered her head slightly and looked at her chest which was tightly wrapped by clothes. She could instantly recall the shameful incident. Apart from anything else, the chest that she was proud of was engraved with an indelible "正" character, which forced her to change her dressing style and wrap her whole body tightly. Otherwise, if her colleagues saw this counting character that was commonly used in Shenzhou and Far East, who knows how many strange plots they would imagine...

Seeing Ji Zi's expression become obviously stiff, even the corners of her eyes began to twitch slightly. Shi Lisi hurriedly restrained her

With a half-smile on his face, he coughed lightly and returned to his serious state.

"Eh? Is that so... I'm sorry, sorry, but this is indeed the most memorable thing I can think of between you and me. After all, our other past experiences were not very pleasant..."

"..."

The corners of Jizi's mouth twitched. In other words, in the eyes of Miss Shilis, the "positive" incident that brought her endless troubles was actually a very happy thing?

How could she be happy? No one knows how she got through that period. She no longer dared to wear those half-exposed clothes. She would jump when someone approached her. She would not dare to take off her coat in public no matter how hot the weather was. She was even terrified in her own room, for fear that someone like Kiana would suddenly break into the room...

Although the culprit was laughing in front of her, Jizi could only sigh and bury these things in her heart. After all, compared with the small trouble caused by the girl's revenge, what she had done to Shilis before was much more excessive, so it was not a bad idea to regard that as a punishment for herself.

Indeed, compared to the bloody fights in previous encounters, this incident seemed much more interesting. Although for Jizi herself, it was not interesting at all...

"That incident is really... hard to describe. By the way, Miss Hillis, I'm suddenly a little curious, where did you get that evil knowledge?"

Under the influence of Far Eastern culture, Ji Zi naturally has a certain understanding of certain things. But Shi Lisi is different. As an experimental subject, her mind should be as blank as a blank sheet of paper at first. What happened to make her know these things so well...

"Eh? There's no such thing as a bad taste... I just burned a word as revenge, Himeko, does that word have any special meaning? Come to think of it, you seem to be planning to use a marker to retaliate against me later, right? What are you planning to write on my body?"

"No, just pretend I didn't say anything."

Seeing the silver-haired girl looking at her with an "innocent" face, Jizi closed her mouth in time and said no more. Whether the girl was pretending to be stupid or really didn't know, it was better not to discuss such topics on Hyperion.

479 Night Talk>>

"Ah, speaking of which, Jizi, I suddenly remembered that when you got the tattoo, I remember you had a mole on your chest?"

"......Yes."

Hearing this, Ji Zi's brows trembled. She didn't understand why the topic returned to that matter again, and...why did this girl like to talk to her about breasts so much?

As she thought about it, Jizi glanced at the silver-haired girl's slightly bulging chest, and then revealed an intriguing expression. Although this size is normal for a girl in her growing period, the form of the Herrscher should be permanently fixed, which means that her body will not grow any more...

Could it be that...she actually cares about her figure, but is too embarrassed to say it, so she has to keep bringing up the topic in this regard to hide her jealousy?

The moment this thought came to her mind, the silver-haired girl who was originally full of mystery and awe in Jizi's eyes suddenly became cute, and even the sense of distance between them was shortened a lot.

On the other side, Ji Zi's subtle expression fell into Shirley's eyes, and for some reason, it made her feel a little uncomfortable.

I always feel that this woman is thinking about something rude...

"Is Theresa okay?"

Finally, Shiris sighed and stopped trying to find interesting topics. Her expression quickly returned to her usual gentle smile.

Hearing such a normal greeting suddenly, Ji Zi was slightly stunned and smiled.

"Theresa... is still the same as before. She slacked off during work hours, sneaked out to Canghai City to visit the comic convention and buy comics, and was suspected of misappropriating public funds... But it remains to be verified. After all, she should know what to touch and what not to touch..."

When talking about Theresa, Himeko unconsciously opened up her mouth and smiled. Like many people, Himeko is also a slow-moving person. When facing the unfamiliar Shiris, she behaved like a serious soldier and naturally would not easily show her cute side that she would only show in front of acquaintances. But when talking about the person she likes, her true feelings will be slightly revealed...

"Haha... that sounds terrible. Having such an unreliable boss, it must be very hard on a daily basis, right?"

"It's not bad. A boss like her who lives off her won't dare to yell at us. It's just a little more work, which is acceptable. The work of the school principal is indeed very heavy and boring. I can understand why she hates that work. After all, it's just some insignificant reports and application forms.

Including my vacation note and salary increase application...”

As if she had thought of something interesting about Theresa, the corners of Jizi's mouth rose slightly. Seeing Jizi gradually letting go of her restraint, Shilis also smiled brightly.

"You two have a really good relationship... Then, next, you can ask me something, Himeko?"

"Eh?"

"I've already said that this is just a normal chat. Wouldn't it be boring for me to ask questions and you to answer them all the time? Jizi, you should have something you want to know from me, right? Why not tell me directly? As long as it's not some special questions, I should be able to satisfy your doubts~"

The girl smiled, her kind eyes fell on Jizi. Perhaps because she had just opened her heart a little, Jizi unconsciously couldn't help but ask the question she had asked in the last conversation again when she met the girl's sincere eyes.

“Ms. Shilis… I really still don’t understand. Although the stigmata are indeed insignificant to your Herrscher body, why did you… give it to an enemy like me?”

"...I remember I answered your question about this last time."

Unexpectedly, Jizi suddenly brought up such a heavy topic, and Shilis also restrained the smile on her lips. She sighed and stared at the red-haired woman in front of her quietly, her eyes becoming serious.