Chapter 86: Boys and Girls, the Snake Hidden in the Darkness
[Are you looking for that troublesome bird? Hehehe~]
The mocking laughter of the Herrscher of the Void came untimely, echoing in Kiana's consciousness. The mocking sound seemed like a flock of crows circling around a dying person.
[She can't help you now~]
"You, what did you do to the Monitor?!" Kiana burst into anger.
[No, no, no, you're wrong. I didn't do anything to your Monitor. It's you, Kiana.]
[Because you didn't listen to your Monitor, because of your recklessness, because of your arrogance about your own strength, that's why I had the opportunity!]
[Your Monitor sacrificed herself to protect your consciousness a long time ago!!!]
Kiana's emotions fluctuated violently for a moment, but quickly calmed down. She calmly said, "Herrscher of the Void, I won't believe what you say."
"If you could directly take control of my body, you wouldn't be here disturbing my mind, right?"
"If that's the case, it proves that the influence of the Monitor over you still exists. I won't believe what you say."
Whether it was Kiana's illusion or not, she seemed to hear a cold snort from the other side. But this undoubtedly declared Kiana's temporary victory, improving her mood considerably.
[The man in front of you is very dangerous!!!]
"Then should I give you control of my body?" Kiana asked.
[Hand it over quickly, you can't handle him. Let me take control!]
"Alright, go back and wait for further notice," Kiana replied nonchalantly.
[???]
"Herrscher of the Void, if you can't take control of my body, you can activate your dormant vessel. That way, we both have a bright future."
[???]
One has to admit that the speaking skills of Kiana learned at the St. Freya Academy is indeed useful here. Dealing with the inexperienced Herrscher of the Void is almost like a guaranteed win.
Having seen the memories of Sirin, Kiana already knew the Herrscher of the Void's intentions. While claiming to help her deal with Chase, the Herrscher must have had their own plans.
Kiana had no intention of helping the Herrscher of the Void, and she was not only unwilling but also quite interested in giving the Herrscher a hard time!
Kiana's gaze shifted to Chase, showing a hint of interest.
Well, let me see what kind of person this guy, who even caught the Herrscher's interest and is suspected to be Sirin's brother, really is!
So, Kiana looked at the black-haired young man in front of her and smiled. "Well, I do feel much better now. Thank you, Chase."
"So, Chase, do you have anything to eat? I'm a bit hungry."
"Here," Chase threw a piece of bread and handed an opened bottle of mineral water. "This is all I have. There's not much in this house, and though I can cook and there are some ingredients here, without water and electricity, I can't really cook. I'm not a certain someone who can conjure fire out of thin air."
He chuckled at his self-deprecating remark. At this moment, he suddenly missed Siegfried's Sacred Shamash. In the past, when they were in the wilderness, Siegfried would use Sacred Judgement to start a fire. However, using Sacred Judgement to light a fire somehow made the food taste better than the usual methods. Chase thought it might be a psychological effect, similar to praying before an exam.
If he had a lighter like Sacred Judgement or the power of the Herrscher of Flames, he could cook anytime and anywhere. Just imagine how wonderful that would be.
Looking at Kiana, who was eating the food and occasionally drinking water, Chase smiled and asked, "Miss Theresa, do you have any plans?"
Hearing Chase's question, Kiana was silent for a while but shook her head in the end.
"I don't know."
"Don't know?"
"But I want to do my best to save more people." Kiana looked at Chase with a determined look in her deep blue eyes. Through those eyes, Chase could even see the golden will of Kaslana hidden within Kiana's body.
The girl had become a qualified knight.
Chase looked at Kiana with a happy and content gaze. Although this Kiana here was not the one he knew as his sister, Sirin, he was genuinely happy for Kiana's growth. He felt a strange illusion that his little sister had grown up, similar to the feeling he had when he saw the grown-up cherub in the second simulation.
However, Kiana's current state...
The gap of more than ten years in her memory left him with a blank space since he arrived in this world. He knew about Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and many secrets about the Honkai, but that was it.
He was still ignorant of the current situation.
Whether it was Kiana's current situation or the potential crisis in Arc City, Chase had no clue. The limitations of information restricted his actions.
This mainline mission came too suddenly and was too forceful, not giving Chase any time to prepare. He just wanted to see what the new mainline mission was about and then discuss with Mr. Welt, the experienced witness of the Honkai, and make plans accordingly.
He was really naive. He was completely unaware that choosing a mission target would directly trigger the mainline mission, without even giving him time to discuss with Mr. Welt. He was truly naive.
But now was not the time for self-pity. With the idea of taking things as they come, Chase could only go one step at a time.
Finally, Kiana ate until she was about 80% full. She struggled a bit to sit up, preparing to get off the bed. However, Chase noticed, and he asked, "Miss Theresa, do you want more to eat?"
Kiana looked a bit embarrassed. Why did it seem like she was a big eater? She just had a big appetite, not a glutton.
"No, thanks for taking care of me," Kiana said as she was about to get off the bed. "I'm leaving."
"Going to fight Honkai Beasts?" Chase asked.
Kiana nodded, and as soon as she managed to sit up, Chase gently pressed her back down. He didn't need much effort because Kiana was currently quite weak.
Facing the resistance of the Herrscher's consciousness, the erosion from the Honkai energy, the solitary life of wandering...
Even though Kaslana was known for her resilience, Kiana's body was deteriorating in this high-pressure environment. The blow from the Honkai Beast last time was not light. Even though she, as a Valkyrie, had a much faster recovery than an average person, it still wasn't an instant process.
Kiana was a bit surprised, not just about Chase's sudden action but also about her own weakened body. Maybe it was both.
"With your current condition, going there might not be fighting the Honkai Beast but rather providing it with food," Chase poured a bucket of cold water over Kiana's plans.
"Moreover, the Honkai Beasts in this area have already been cleared, and the residents who can evacuate have already done so. After all, it's been a day since the Honkai outbreak."
Kiana was pressed back onto the bed by Chase. Even though it was unexpected for a stranger to stop her, strangely, she wasn't angry. Maybe it was the vague goodwill that came from memories or something else, but she didn't mind.
Perhaps it was because, after two months of constant struggle, Kiana's heart suddenly felt a bit warm.
Since leaving St. Freya Academy, there haven't been many people willing to care about her. Her eyes even reddened at the thought.
The fuller the soul, the more keenly one feels the incompleteness, and the stronger the sense of loneliness. Incomplete equals lonely, seeking compensation equals escaping loneliness.
Kiana obediently lay back on the bed, her eyes shining. She seemed to be thinking about something.
Chase stood up from the bedside, walked to the window, and looked at the quiet streets around. It was already late at night, and the crescent moon hung high in the sky. The moonlight was gentle and exquisite, and without the distant fires from collapsed buildings, it might have created a more picturesque scene.
Turning his head, Chase said to Kiana, "Let's rest for tonight, Miss Theresa."
Kiana nodded and asked, "What about you, Chase?"
"I'll sleep on the sofa."
Kiana nodded again and closed her eyes. Even though she had just woken up, she felt really tired.
Inexplicably, Kiana slept particularly peacefully. The moment she closed her eyes, a wave of fatigue surged from the depths of her heart. She opened her eyes, glanced silently at the back of the young man heading towards the sofa, smiled slightly, and whispered:
"Good night."
...
In the early morning, just as the sky began to brighten, and the early birds had not yet had a chance to eat a worm, Kiana opened her eyes.
She glanced at the young man still sleeping on the sofa. Listening carefully, she could still hear his steady breathing. Kiana looked out of the window, and a shadow of gloom passed through her eyes.
She felt something. It seemed that another Honkai event had occurred within this city.
Paying attention to Chase's actions on one side, Kiana cautiously climbed out of bed, put on her dirty white hoodie, covered it with the hood, walked to the window, and hesitated. She turned back to look at Chase, finding that he was still asleep. Kiana then prepared to open the window but suddenly paused.
In the mirror, she saw a different version of herself...
Her right eye had turned golden. Kiana blinked, shook her head, opened the window, and jumped out.
She still wanted to save more people.
The moment Kiana left, the next moment, the sleeping Chase slowly opened his eyes. He sat up from the sofa, staring in the direction Kiana had left, his expression somewhat helpless.
He wasn't a person who wakes up with a start; he hadn't slept at all last night.
Don't be fooled by his calm appearance last night. In reality, he had no idea about the right way to interact with Kiana. He had no clue about what Kiana had been through during this long period. Loneliness could never be understood because you could never put yourself in the other person's shoes.
The magician who had been single since birth didn't think he had superb skills to charm girls, making them trust him in one night. However, Kiana was his mission target, and he couldn't just leave her alone.
So, he stayed up all night, occasionally flipping through the panels of the simulator when bored, reminiscing about his performances in the two simulations, thinking about the days he spent with Sirin and Kiana...
Chase wasn't good at staying up late, but that didn't mean he couldn't do it. One night without sleep was not a big deal for him.
He originally thought Kiana might sneak away in the middle of the night, but he never expected that the girl would actually fall asleep. Was she not vigilant at all?
If this were in another story, such an easily deceived girl would have probably given birth to a football team for the protagonist by now.
[Pics here for: ] [AI is also good!: ]
So, from night to day, Kiana slept until dawn, and Chase waited until dawn.
Chase sighed, jumped down from the window after Kiana, and silently followed her. He genuinely couldn't rest easy with Kiana's current physical condition.
...
Headquarters of the Grey Serpent Organization.
In a dark room, a man shrouded in a black windbreaker stood in front of a monitor. He looked at the latest information compiled by the humanoid machine, and his face showed no expression because it couldn't be seen.
A pale mask covered his face, replacing all emotions. Two dagger-like imprints crisscrossed in the center of the mask, resembling a hunter poised for the hunt. His left eye was concealed by the mask, while his crimson right eye appeared more peculiar.
A heavy black robe shrouded his entire body, and against his slender and tall figure, he seemed more like a venomous creature—a serpent.
This perfectly aligned with his title among the world of serpents—the Ashen Serpent.
The Ashen Serpent, using his ever-changing red cybernetic eye, continuously scanned the surveillance footage. He spoke with a hint of mockery in his tone:
"How's the situation on the side of Hyperion?" The Ashen Serpent's voice was raspy, and the indistinct electronic modulation made it difficult to identify.
"The other side has expressed intention for a trade, and they are already on their way here," replied the humanoid machine beside him.
"Arrange the meeting location with them."
"Yes, master," replied the humanoid machine.
The Ashen Serpent remained silent, his crimson cybernetic eye emitting an eerie light. In the surveillance footage, a white-haired girl was battling a colossal corrupted beast with dual pistols, and behind her stood a group of trembling residents.
The timid and the brave, the weak and the strong, all manifested in the surveillance footage.
"There's no need to specially extract this segment of the footage. Just toss it into the database," the Ashen Serpent said slowly.
"Understood, master."
The Ashen Serpent nodded and silently left his lair.
Now, he was going to prepare to welcome the representatives from Hyperion... oh, perhaps even the representatives of destiny.
The Ashen Serpent stepped out of his lair, unfurling his black umbrella to conceal his figure.
A serpent, hidden in the darkness.
Death is nothing but the life that has lived, and life is the death on the journey.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
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