"You bastards! I'm going to teach you two a lesson!" Theresa roared furiously. But held in Kiana's arms, she looked anything but intimidating.
"What do we do about Judah?" Ryn asked the group, but everyone turned to him instead. "Why are you all staring at me? Think!"
"I don't need handling. I'll just stay with you."
Judah's voice came from behind Ryn. He turned woodenly to find Judah standing right behind him, staring intently.
"No! If Judah stays with Ryn, what about me?!" Theresa wailed in despair.
She could lose anyone, but not Judah. Without her, she felt she'd become utterly useless.
"Theresa possesses unparalleled talent, but she has squandered it. With diligent training, her combat power could surpass all of us here. I no longer need to stay with her," Judah said, shaking her head.
Though Judah had once been fond of Theresa, she and Otto had spoiled her. Her talent had been wasted. Now was the perfect opportunity for her to start working hard again.
"No!" Theresa cried, tears streaming down her face. "Don't take Judah away!"
Theresa wasn't crying about Judah's combat effectiveness. She was crying because without Judah, she wouldn't be able to slack off. She'd lose her personal transport, her weapon, her cooking tool—all her essential tools for a lazy life.
Kallen, on the other hand, was imagining herself grabbing Judah's legs and swinging her around in battle.
"Ew... that's terrifying. I'll just stick with Ryn. I don't think I could bring myself to swing a girl around like that..."
Kallen then gave Ryn her measurements so he could buy Judah some clothes.
But Ryn patted his chest and assured Kallen that there was no need to tell him—he already had it all figured out!
Then Ryn saw Kiana's eyes, glowing with an eerie green light.
She had awakened. The hunt was on.
Seeing the others barely able to contain themselves, Ryn had no choice but to order Judah: "Everyone in this room is family. No more attacking your own people."
Judah nodded at the furious Theresa and Kiana without saying much.
Then Ryn was grabbed by the collar and pinned to the ground by Theresa and Kiana, who proceeded to beat him mercilessly. Kallen and Mei joined in, kicking him a few times for good measure.
(Damn it, why did I reward him?)
Watching Ryn's blissful expression, Judah wondered if she should join in the beating.
"A strong Honkai Energy reaction has been detected in Nagazora City. It's suspected that the Fourth Herrscher is about to be born!"
Theresa sat in her office, watching the emergency alert on the screen.
"Could it be that fox-eared girl from before?" Theresa couldn't help but think of the phantom she had seen in her mission report from Nagazora City during the Third Honkai Eruption.
"Major Himeko, can you provide more details?"
"Every major Honkai Eruption gives rise to a Herrscher, but the Third Herrscher, Raiden Mei's Herrscher transformation was incomplete.
Nagazora City is still slowly accumulating Honkai Energy, and combined with the residual Honkai Energy from the Honkai Eruption, it's attempting to spawn a new Herrscher!
The Science Department believes this amount of Honkai Energy isn't enough to form a true Herrscher Core, so the Herrscher's birth will be extremely slow. But if left unchecked, it will eventually pose a threat to us! Should I dispatch forces immediately to eliminate it?"
"No, your Artificial Stigmata corruption is already severe. I'll handle this one myself."
Theresa declined Major Himeko's request to deploy forces. Then, out of habit, she reached for something beside her, but her hand met empty air. The spot where she usually kept Judah was now vacant.
"Get Ryn ready too!!! Make that bastard bring Judah with me! Waaah, my Judah..."
Ryn, who was shopping with Judah, Kiana, and the others, received an urgent mission notification. After explaining the situation to them, he left with Judah.
There was no choice. Once they officially became Valkyries, they had to accept missions and follow Schicksal's orders. After all, the daily expenses of a full-fledged Valkyrie were no longer something Schicksal could afford to subsidize. The cost of their Valkyrie Armor alone was enough to keep them working for Schicksal for a lifetime.
Kiana, Mei, and Bronya were currently Reserve Valkyries. Only after passing their official evaluations would they receive Schicksal's Valkyrie Armor and become B-rank Valkyries.
But Ryn was different. After his Herrscher transformation, he already possessed the strength of an S-rank Valkyrie. However, S-rank Valkyries were personally appointed by Otto, who also directly commanded them. Otto didn't think the time was right, so he didn't make Ryn an S-rank Valkyrie, instead assigning him an A-rank Valkyrie rank.
As an officially appointed A-rank Valkyrie by Schicksal, Ryn's smile twisted wryly. Normally, Schicksal would equip each Valkyrie Squad with an airship, such as Murata Himeko's Hyperion. However, Himeko's original squad had been wiped out, leaving her as the sole survivor, so the Hyperion became her personal warship. Now, Himeko had formed a new squad and reactivated the Hyperion.
But Himeko's repeated large-scale damage to the Hyperion had nearly cost her the captaincy. The exorbitant repair costs had also left her deeply in debt.
(In truth, the Artificial Stigmata had taken a severe toll on Himeko, leaving her unable to endure high-intensity combat. Both Otto and Theresa had considered retiring her.
To be fair, Otto treated Schicksal's Valkyries well. Unfortunately, Himeko and Kiana had formed a bond, and Otto ultimately sacrificed her.)
Sparkle, an A-rank Valkyrie, was originally slated to receive her own floating battleship from Otto. However, Amber had vetoed the plan and given him a stern reprimand.
Undeterred, Otto embezzled a large portion of Ryn's funds, intending to use them to build Sparkle a floating fortress. After all, they constantly claimed to be a family, so it was only natural for Ryn to contribute.
When Ryn learned of Otto's scheme, he pinched Sparkle's chubby cheeks hard, then messed up her hair and ran off, leaving her bewildered. Sparkle chased him for ages with her Sabayou.