K424 of the Collapse World

, even as a souvenir, it is a very precious gift, thank you dad~!"

"Then I will accept it, father."

Kiana bowed slightly, placed the exquisite special pistol gently in the drawer full of gifts, then turned around again, her eyes becoming slightly more serious.

"So... back to the topic just now, father, what exactly are you going to tell us? If it's about my mother... Cecilia Shaniat, I only know that she died in the second collapse, and the remaining memories were implanted into the brain of the experimental subject K424, that is, Sister Shilis. Are there any hidden secrets about these things?"

Following Kiana's question, Diana, who was playing with a pistol nearby, became a little more serious. She put the single-handed Guardian of the Moon Goddess back on the table and began to listen carefully.

"Ah... Behind this seemingly bright and great battle, there are more than just a few secrets hidden. Even opening another file in the database may not be able to explain it clearly! Everything is because of that man, Otto Apokalis...!"

As he spoke, Siegfried's breathing began to speed up, and he was obviously emotional. Kiana just listened quietly without interrupting the man.

"After all, the Second Herrscher was just a poor kid who was used. What really caused Cecilia's death was the Honkai fission bomb that man fired later to clean up the battlefield! I don't know what Cecilia...Cilis is thinking. Even if she chooses to re-ally with Destiny, it doesn't necessarily mean that she has forgiven that guy! Moreover, as our daughters, you also have the right to know the truth of all this."

Having said that, Siegfried also realized that he was a little excited, so he adjusted his mentality a little and calmed his breathing down.

"Alas, I shouldn't have said these things on your birthday, but I'm worried that I will give up this idea tomorrow. As a father, I also hope that you can live like normal girls and never come into contact with the dark side of the world, but this is obviously impossible... So, I hope you can face what I'm going to say next seriously and rationally..."

Motioning for the two girls to sit on the edge of the bed, Siegfried also pulled out a chair from under the desk and sat down, as if to begin a long conversation.

"It all started from the Babylonian laboratory built by Tianming in Siberia..."

In the lighted bedroom, Siegfried's calm and gentle voice slowly rang out. Outside the bedroom door, the silver-haired girl who was carrying a chair also stopped moving, silently stood in front of the door, slowly lowered her head, and her blue eyes with golden light flickered slightly.

(Cecilia...?)

Looking at Shilis who had stopped moving, Theresa, who was supporting Himeko not far away, was about to say something, but the girl's deep and lonely eyes made her give up the words she was about to say.

"Principal, over there in the bedroom..."

"Shhh."

Shaking her head at Mei who came to ask questions, Theresa stood up, helped Mei carry the drunk red-haired woman back to her room, and then quietly returned to the living room, waiting for the discussion in the bedroom to end.

However, what they did not notice at this moment was that the face of the girl who was standing in front of the door and eavesdropping had her shrunken pupils filled with astonishment!

(...I was killed by Siegfried before Cecilia arrived? How could it be...didn't Cecilia and I die together?! That's exactly what I remember before I died, but why...?)

Listening to Siegfried's story on the other side of the room, Shirley's heart was in turmoil.

The facts described by the other party were completely inconsistent with the scenes in her memory! In her memory, as the second Herrscher, she had to dodge the fission bomb attack from Destiny. Before she could deal a fatal blow to the seriously injured Cecilia, she hurriedly opened the imaginary space with all her strength to try to evade it, but this exposed a flaw, and Cecilia's self-sacrificing attack shattered her Herrscher core, and they died together in the sea of ​​fire of the fission barrage...

But the facts that Siegfried said were things that had never happened in her memory!

517 Chaotic Mirror Image >>

(Is Siegfried lying to Kiana? But he has no reason to do so... Or is it that he was injured so badly that his memory became confused after the war?)

The girl covered her head gently, recalling the extremely clear scenes in her memory before the end of her life, but her inner turmoil became more and more intense.

Siegfried's tone didn't sound like he was making up a lie. His strong hatred and anger were definitely not fake. Moreover, if it was true as Siegfried said that the Second Herrscher died at his hands, it would explain why he had no hatred for the murderer of his wife, and even had a subtle attitude towards him...

If what Siegfried said was true, and the scenes in his memory were true events, then what exactly happened?

Unconsciously, Shiris, who had relaxed a little on Kiana's birthday, had regained her usual concentration.

The future, which was already very clear, was once again covered with a vague and ominous shadow.

Everything on this planet is under the absolute control of advanced civilizations. Since they can actively interfere with the progress of human civilization, this also means that this world can also be used as their testing ground to manipulate everything in this civilization, including the progress of time and space and the memory of life forms...

(No! Blaming all the unexplainable phenomena on the mastermind is an act of avoiding the truth. We must investigate thoroughly...)

"Well--!"

Suddenly, with a sudden trance, Shirley's eyes lost their luster. In her sight, she could see the door with the class schedule posted on it, and the coffee table and TV cabinet in the living room also appeared in her other half's field of vision. It seemed that what she saw was divided into two parts...

(This is......?!)

Suddenly, Shirley seemed to feel that she was sitting on the sofa, watching the evening news program with Kiana and Diana. The Canghai City TV station was broadcasting the follow-up news of the Changkong City infectious disease incident. The messy gift boxes and ribbons were piled on the table in front of them. The ribbons that covered the room were still hanging in the living room, but they were completely different from the gorgeous arrangement set up by Fu Hua. These ribbons were draped across the ceiling like spider silk, which was exactly the arrangement that Theresa had just made when she was showing off her prowess...

No! The TV had been turned off before dark, the plates and tables had been put away, the gift boxes of the two girls had been opened in their own rooms, and the ribbons that Theresa had originally tied up had been restored to neatness after Fu Hua's handling! However, these things had clearly never happened, but they suddenly appeared in her sight at this moment, accompanied by a strange sense of déjà vu spreading in her mind, as if she had experienced it herself...

(I’m clearly standing at Kiana’s door, but these scenes…?! What on earth am I…?)

——Ka La

Suddenly, the sound of the door rang, and the girl woke up instantly. Siegfried walked out of the room slowly, leaving the two girls in deep thought in the room.

"Hi, long wait."

Siegfried smiled at the dazed Silis. It seemed that he had expected that the girl would be guarding the door, but he did not notice the surprised eyes of the girl who lowered her head...

"You won't blame me, will you? Shilis."

"..."

"However, since you didn't stop me directly, it means that you actually agree with it, right? Even if we have to cooperate with Tianming, it's better to let them know the true nature of Otto as soon as possible..."

Siegfried said with a smile, looking at the silver-haired girl who was still keeping her head down and keeping silent, he gently reached out his hand and smoothed down the few strands of hair that were sticking up beside Shirley's ears.

"I'm sorry. I brought up some uncomfortable memories for you. It's okay... Even if the memories were painful, they are just a sad dream for you who only have that part of the memory, right?"

"Yeah...I'm fine."

Shaking her head to get rid of Siegfried's hand, the girl raised her head, her eyes full of confusion and astonishment were perfectly concealed. Looking at Siegfried, a hidden smile appeared on Shirley's face.

"Is it really okay to tell them like that?"

"So... will all of Otto's crimes be exposed? In Kiana's heart, she has long wanted to skin that guy alive, so it is necessary to prepare Diana for this..."

"...Yeah, that's right."

Looking into Siegfried's eyes, after a brief pause, Shirley nodded in agreement, then yawned softly and walked towards Mei and Theresa who were sitting on the sofa.

"Although the birthday party is over, it seems to be quite early... It's only seven o'clock. How about we watch TV and chat for a while?"

Without waiting for the other three people to respond, Shilis quickly picked up the remote control and turned on the TV, pretending to accidentally adjust the channel to the TV station in Canghai City. The next moment, she froze in place as if struck by lightning, and fell completely silent...

"...Regarding the infectious disease blockade in Changkong City, let us now invite Mr. Chen from the Shenzhou Natural Disaster Research Association to speak..."

Watching the follow-up news of Changkong City on the TV program, the familiar host came into view. Shirley's shrunken pupils gradually returned to normal, and her surprised expression gradually turned into a stiff bitter smile.

(This is really...)

519 Intertwined Reality

"Is this all an illusion, or..."

On a public seat in the green area of ​​the school, Shirley leaned against a chair and looked up at the sky covered with clouds. During the morning class time, the outer area of ​​the school was deserted, and the quiet environment was very suitable for rest and relaxation. However, the girl sitting here at the moment was full of doubts and distress.

Tapped her head gently, although Shilis was willing to believe that the abnormal situation that happened the night before was just

It was a hallucination caused by overwork. However, her mind clearly told her that this matter was definitely not that simple...

"No matter what happened here, the original itinerary cannot be changed... I can only investigate it later. Or is there any secret about the Herrscher's ability that I don't know?"

The field of vision was divided into two parts, as if I was in two spaces at the same time, but it was a bit too far-fetched to say that this was an illusion, as it was a strange feeling that was basically unimaginable at ordinary times. Moreover, the TV program that was seamlessly connected to the other field of vision afterwards, there was no doubt that the period of time that should not have existed was indeed theoretically possible. If I had not stayed at the door to listen to Siegfried's conversation at that time, but turned on the TV, I would have seen the same picture as that field of vision!

(Can I see the development of another world line? Similar to the ability to predict the future, but very unstable and uncontrollable?)

Feeling the Herrscher core running normally in her body, Shiris was puzzled and could only attribute it to the hidden ability of the Herrscher. After all, although she could perfectly control the Herrscher energy in her body, she still had not fully studied what secrets were hidden in the Herrscher core that transformed herself into a Herrscher body...

"Hey~ Miss Hillis, you're basking in the sun in a place like this so early in the morning. Don't you need to wait in the health room?"

The sound coming from the side of the road made the girl turn her head subconsciously. However, before she could see the face of the person, she had already recognized the other person's identity by the tone of voice.

"I'm not a formal health teacher at St. Freya, Lillian. At best, I'm just a temporary worker. Well, I just want to have a legitimate reason to stay here."

"Eh~? That's fine, but if I just become a full-time teacher, wouldn't that be a bit too much of a loss? If I don't want to do it one day, I still have to pay a penalty, right?"

The female voice sounded again and appeared directly next to her ears. Lillian came directly to the chair here and sat down next to Shirley.

"Come to think of it, since you introduced me to this academy, I rarely see you here at Saint Freya, Silis. Is it because you are too busy with your work as an Anti-Entropy Executor?"

"It's not all anti-entropy work. Aren't there a lot of executors with nothing to do? For example, a certain Miss Doctor who eats here... By the way, Lillian, it's class time now, right? As a faculty member, don't you need to teach?"

"Haha... I'm only responsible for teaching the shooting class. Not all of Saint Freya's Valkyries choose gun skills as their main tactical course. The course hours are less than other compulsory courses..."

"But I remember that during the school term, the Valkyrie teacher has to stay in the office even if there are no classes scheduled. I think that's the school's rule, right?"

"Who would follow such a ridiculous rule? There's no point in sitting there when there are no classes scheduled, right?"

"Eh......"

"Well, don't look at me like this. When I need to teach, I work hard... Besides, I'm not the only instructor who is good at gun skills in St. Freya. Isn't it enough to have Mr. Siegfried there?"

Lillian, who was wearing a Valkyrie uniform, said softly, combing her fluffy dark brown hair. In the four years since she met Shirley, time has made her lose her former childishness and arrogance, and her work in education has made her more cheerful. In the past, she would never dare to think about such a peaceful chat with Shirley.

"But if Ji Zi finds out that you're blatantly slacking off like this, you'll probably get your salary deducted, right?"

"As for Sister Himeko, today's classes are fully booked. There is definitely no time to go to the office to check attendance. Besides, I believe Sister Shilis won't tell on me, right?"

"Well......"

Looking at the helpless silver-haired girl, Lillian also laughed. After a long time of contact, she found that the K424 experiment subject, who was called "extra-legislator" by the Destiny Organization, was just an ordinary girl in the final analysis. She had terrifying strength on the battlefield, but also had a lovely side as a girl in life, and her personality was surprisingly gentle. In daily communication, even if you did something rude, you would not easily make her angry...

"By the way, Lillian, I never had the chance to ask you where Claire went. She said she was on vacation, but she's been gone for more than four months, right?"

Shirley's sudden question brought Lillian back to her senses from her previous contemplation. When she mentioned her long-lost partner, the woman's expression quickly changed from gentle and easygoing to melancholy.

"Claire...yeah, when she left, she just said she wanted to go on vacation, but it's been nearly five months now, and she has no plans to come back..."

"Could there be some accident?"

"No... Claire is not out of touch. She just refuses to accept video chats. When I send her audio and text messages,

I always get a reply, but no matter how I ask, she is always vague and doesn't give a clear answer as to when she is willing to come back. If it weren't for the fact that I couldn't spare the time due to work here, I would have tracked the communication signal to find her long ago!"

Seeing Lillian's distressed expression, Shirley smiled and patted the woman's back to comfort her. However, Shirley couldn't imagine that the responsible Captain Claire would disappear for more than four months. She still felt a little concerned about this.

"However, it's hard to imagine that Claire would abandon her job as a Valkyrie and hide away alone. I think she must have been tripped up by some trouble. Given her personality, it's impossible for her to abandon everything just because she's tired of war..."

"Eh? So you think so, Silis? To be honest, I've always wondered if Claire didn't want to spend her days leisurely in Saint Freya Academy, so she returned to Europe to resume her duties as the Valkyrie at the headquarters, and then joined the clearing force to hunt down Honkai beasts?"

Lillian speculated worriedly. She knew very well that the partner who had fought side by side with her for ten years would not abandon this mess and hide away to enjoy a good life. She would rather believe that he was being dragged down to protect a village in the disaster area than to believe that Claire was sunbathing in a resort...

"That's a possibility... Then, where is the address she uses every time she contacts you?"

"The address was encrypted by default at the transfer station and was not displayed on the terminal. However, through Dr. Tesla's cracking and reverse tracking, I can be sure that Claire is definitely in Europe!"

Hearing this, Shilis nodded. She had been so busy recently that she had accidentally neglected her friends in Saint Freya. Now that she had heard about Claire's movements, whether as a leader or as a friend, she could do something for them.

519 Intertwined Realities >>

"Europe... That's perfect. Because of the alliance between Anti-Entropy and Destiny, I should be able to get some information about Claire when I go on a business trip to Destiny headquarters next time."

"Really? Thank you, Shirley. I knew you wouldn't let that idiot go... Eh?! Shirley, what's wrong with you?!"

As Lillian was thanking him, she suddenly noticed that the silver-haired girl sitting next to her swayed from side to side, and then suddenly collapsed as if she had fainted! Seeing this, Lillian quickly reached out and grabbed the girl's shoulders, preventing her from falling to the ground.

"Shiris! Shiris! Are you okay?"

"Well......"

The silver-haired girl who was held in Lillian's arms frowned, pressed her temple with one hand, and clenched her teeth as if she was enduring a headache.

"I'm fine, Lillian..."

Facing Lillian's urgent cry, Shirley, who had come to her senses a little, shook her head slightly. Her azure pupils, which had been fluctuating violently, had turned into a pure golden cross at some point, proving that her Herrscher form had been activated.

In fact, Hillary did not encounter any attack and did not feel any discomfort. These abnormal behaviors were just due to the same visual confusion as yesterday.

However, what kind of image could have surprised her to the point where she forgot to control her body and even instinctively activated the Herrscher state?

The split vision was exactly the same as yesterday, but this time, the scene occupying the other side of her vision was no longer the same scene somewhere close in front of her, but a completely unfamiliar scene...

The ground was covered with ashes, the ruins were burning with flames under the bloody sky, and the smoke and dust of Mars filled the air, forming a sharp contrast with the other side of the view which reflected the Saint Freya scenic area.

However, this doomsday scene gave Shirley a strange sense of familiarity. It was not a déjà vu experience. Seeing the outline of the ruins in the distance and the burnt and broken clock tower, Shirley suddenly realized that this scene was the school clock tower that she could see from her position!

This ruin... is St. Freya's Academy? !

With the sudden shock, the image of the ruins slightly enlarged as the girl's focus shifted, occupying a larger part of her field of vision. A strange feeling as if she were actually there filled the girl's mind...

Before she could further confirm the image, the blazing red flames suddenly filled her field of vision! Looking at the flaming giant sword slashing down in front of her, Shiris' pupils suddenly shrank! Although it was the first time she saw such an attack, she seemed to have known the terrifying power of this attack for a long time. The extremely real illusion image made her instinctively activate the Herrscher state and try to fight back. However, the self in the illusion reacted faster, dodging the downward attack with a flexible side dodge, and then used the energy-constructed golden spear to shatter the floating energy defense crystal, and then pierced the attacker's body!

(Shit…!)

However, Shiris, who was watching all this from a first-person perspective, immediately discovered that the attacker's moves were not over yet! The moment the flaming sword fell to the ground, an extremely huge flame shock wave spread out, and the "self" holding the spear was immediately destroyed by the impact of the fire wave.

Then, the huge sword swept across and directly chopped her body, and the high-temperature energy that exploded dyed her vision into a scorching red!

In the image, the spear was cut off, and her body was torn apart by the giant sword and flew backwards. The rolling vision made Shilis lose her balance and she almost fell off the chair. The next moment, Lillian's worried voice came into her ears. However, at the same time, the man's voice in the hallucination seemed to hit her heart directly...

"To prevent humanity from redeeming itself... is it worth it? Look at what has become of the things you have been protecting?! Or is this what you expected? How many times do you want the tragedy of world destruction to repeat itself?!"

As the angry questioning sounded, the blurry vision became clear again. The white-haired man holding the flaming giant sword coughed up blood and pulled out the broken spear that pierced his chest without changing his expression.