Two days later.
"The Major Honkai Eruption in Manila has been contained within the city limits. Currently, there are only 68 survivors remaining, including 1 male and the rest females."
At Schicksal Headquarters, Amber summarized the losses caused by this Honkai event: "In total, 42 Valkyrie squads were deployed, along with over 5,000 various rescue personnel. The overall cost amounted to at least $370 million. During the Manila incident, six fully organized Valkyrie squads were sacrificed, resulting in the deaths of more than 2 million residents. Only one Valkyrie stationed locally survived."
"The survivor is named Ana Schariac. By unleashing her internal Schariac holy blood, she neutralized the vast Honkai Energy that was nurturing the Herrscher. However, as a result, her life force now remains weak. She has been transferred to the nearest Far East Branch facility near Manila for conservative treatment, accompanied by Xia Chen from the Immortal Blades."
"During this rescue operation, Xia Chen voluntarily stepped forward to assist in Manila. Our investigation revealed no familiar connections between him and the local Valkyrie garrison. Initially, we can infer that Xia Chen may have relatives or friends living in Manila. Considering his Shenzhou background, this assumption seems plausible; however, due to the Major Honkai Eruption, all leads were abruptly cut off."
"At present, the cause of the Manila catastrophe remains unknown, and we cannot rule out Anti-Entropy's involvement.
"Schicksal Headquarters has already coordinated with the Philippine government to craft an external statement, concealing the occurrence of Honkai. Lord Bishop, as these Honkai events become more frequent, maintaining secrecy will inevitably grow increasingly difficult. We request alternative strategies be considered."
She addressed Otto, who had just returned from Europe.
Meanwhile, during the Major Honkai Eruption in Manila, Otto and Rita successfully obtained the Divine Key Unnamed Locomotive from London.
Despite some unexpected incidents along the way, they managed to secure the Divine Key.
Otto wasn't particularly concerned about the eruption itself but rather intrigued by Ana's holy blood liberation. Since the sacrifice of the previous Head Valkyrie of Schicksal, Cecilia, House Schariac lacked any suitable Valkyries capable of controlling their unique bloodline abilities.
As a result, he had cloned multiple copies of Cecilia to replicate her lineage.
However, this specific bloodline was truly exceptional; replicating its capabilities could only be achieved by extracting the blood for creating specialized weapons to neutralize Honkai.
"Once Ana recovers, have her return promptly to headquarters for her report."
"Yes," Amber nodded.
She couldn't help but ask, "What about Xia Chen? Based on his performance during this incident and the data from the Memory Battlefield, he possesses the potential to become an A-rank Valkyrie. Should we bring him back to the Immortal Blades first?"
"Let him accompany Ana back."
Xia Chen did not possess any special bloodline, and his potential seemed to have reached its limit, making his value relatively low in Otto's eyes—at least for now.
At the Far East Branch's Saint Freya Academy.
Xia Chen rubbed his weary temples.
He hadn't had proper rest lately, even using sleep time for simulations. During the week in Manila, he conducted three simulations, but the outcomes were all unfavorable.
In the first simulation, set during the previous civilization era when the Herrscher of Flame emerged, he found himself in Australia and was instantly vaporized by flames.
The second scenario involved becoming an experimental subject for Mobius, ultimately dying on the lab table.
The third simulation took place in a "Gacha Honkai" world bubble, where the captured Gachamon went berserk; unable to control it, he became a deceased trainer.
The achievement of not surviving beyond the first day constantly taunted him.
Interestingly, whether intentional or coincidental, each of these three simulations rewarded him with Honkai Fragments. Now possessing four fragments, Xia Chen dared not extract them yet. He could sense their high concentration of Honkai energy, fearing that extraction would immediately corrupt his body.
Moreover, the simulations felt incredibly realistic, nearly causing confusion in his memories. As a result, since arriving at Saint Freya, he rarely ventured out, staying mostly near Ana to stabilize his mental state. Otherwise, he feared developing dissociative identity disorder.
However, from others' perspectives, it might seem differently.
Theresa's gaze held a mix of emotions as she reassured Xia Chen, "Don't worry; the doctor says Ana has passed the most critical phase. Although she was severely injured, it wasn't life-threatening. With proper care, she should be able to return to the battlefield."
The information about the Manila Honkai, obtained through Amber, had greatly astonished Theresa.
With two million lives lost, it rivaled the devastation seen in Nagazora City's Honkai incident. Moreover, there was almost the birth of another Herrscher during that event.
If not for Ana, the rescuers would have faced a newborn Herrscher with unknown powers, making the situation even worse.
Therefore, when Amber contacted Theresa seeking assistance for Ana, she immediately agreed, reminded of Cecilia's past ordeal.
"Alright." Xia Chen managed a strained smile, feeling unsure how to express himself after experiencing numerous simulations.
"You haven't rested properly either, have you? Saint Freya may not be large, but we do have temporary accommodations available. Why don't you take some time to rest? I'll ensure someone notifies you when Ana wakes up."
"Where is the training ground?"
He felt the need to release the pent-up frustration from the simulations, fearing he might otherwise break down.
"You..."
Theresa tried to persuade him further but noticed Xia Chen's bloodshot eyes.
She assumed it was due to the immense impact of the recent Major Honkai Eruption on him. It wasn't surprising; witnessing a city turn into ruins firsthand often leads to psychological trauma.
"Alright, I'll take you there."
She kept a cautious watch over him, fearing that Xia Chen might harm himself otherwise.
Xia Chen silently followed Theresa out of the hospital room.
It must be noted that Saint Freya Academy's picturesque scenery did help alleviate some of his heavy-heartedness.
Unlike the Immortal Blades' base, Saint Freya placed greater emphasis on humanistic aspects. Valkyries not only had weekends off but also received well-structured training schedules.
During moments when he wasn't engaged in simulations, Xia Chen found himself envious of the treatment at Saint Freya, where Valkyries were truly valued as individuals.
However, reality struck - while Saint Freya treated their Valkyries with humanity, Honkai Beasts certainly did not discriminate between them and ordinary people.
The very term "Valkyrie" signified a stark separation from normalcy.
"Auntie."
On the training field, Kiana, with her distinctive braided hair, greeted Theresa. Judging by the sweat on her cheeks, she had been there for quite some time.
Theresa couldn't help but feel exasperated, "How many times have I told you, Kiana? In front of outsiders, call me Principal."
"Alright, Principal, what brings you here today? And who is this?" She curiously glanced at Xia Chen.
However, Xia Chen's mind was focused solely on releasing his pent-up frustration. He briefly introduced himself, "Xia Chen, from the Immortal Blades."
"Principal Theresa, may I use the training equipment freely here?"
"Yes." Theresa responded, slightly resigned.
She sensed that something might be troubling Xia Chen emotionally, but as long as he was physically alright, that was the priority.