"This time, I won."
Jun'an confidently pulled up his waistband, marking his first victory in their long-standing power struggle.
Being a Fusion Warrior felt good.
"Himeko, do you need to rest?"
Jun'an looked at Himeko who was supporting herself against the wall. Even though Fusion Warriors had excellent stamina, they couldn't withstand such intense activity in such a short time, leaving her temporarily unable to recover.
"No... I'm fine."
Himeko hadn't expected that she would be the one with weak legs now. She tried wiping away the fluid running down her inner thighs with tissue paper, but it seemed endless.
"Captain, as your partner, I sincerely suggest you take it slower next time."
Looking at her lower body, Himeko spoke with a hint of complaint, her mouth still having trouble closing from the intense activity: "Even the finest land can't withstand repeated battleship bombardment without rest. The ground will eventually give way."
Himeko now had a clear understanding of Jun'an's capabilities - at least in terms of pure physical strength, recovery, and endurance, he was definitely superior to her.
In just a couple of hours, she felt like her skin was about to be rubbed raw, while the Captain had only now pulled up his pants with satisfaction.
To make a comparison, the old Jun'an was like an ox, repeatedly plowing to make the land better, but now the Captain was like a multiple rocket launcher - keep bombing and the ground would be blown away completely.
Jun'an showed a slight smugness, "Well, that's payback for how you all exhausted me before. I'll have to settle this score with Theresa too."
While Himeko's natural allure and impressive assets played a part, Jun'an didn't deny his desire for revenge, which made him put in extra effort.
The results were satisfactory - at least in a one-on-one situation, he could definitely overwhelm Himeko now.
Converting it to combat power, he had recovered about 10-20% of his peak abilities. He was definitely at S-rank level now.
"Ah, right, thank you Ai-chan for operating the battleship and notifying the local military."
Himeko suddenly remembered their hardworking AI, "Later we can connect Hyperion's computer so you can play games together."
While Jun'an and Himeko were engaged in their intimate activities, Ai-chan had not only handled their paperwork but also notified the local government and managed the logistics.
She was quite experienced with such matters since the Great Eruption, though now with a bit more resentment.
AI-Hyperion: "If only crashing the ship could kill you..."
In the end, her mood only improved after Jun'an promised to clear out her gaming shopping cart.
"Himeko, why did you have to tease her?" Jun'an looked at Himeko helplessly, her previous comments were completely unnecessary and now he was out several thousand dollars.
By the way, Ai-chan had her own virtual assets and salary. Though she could hack into Steam, she wouldn't do that.
However, being an AI, her processing speed meant that buy-to-play games were like rapidly consumable items to her. So her salary, like Kiana's allowance, never lasted the month.
When they arrived at the airport and disembarked from the battleship, several black women in simple military uniforms enthusiastically approached them.
Using broken English, they greeted Jun'an: "Are you the reinforcements sent by Schicksal? Thank God, how many people did you bring?"
Himeko and Jun'an shook hands with them respectfully before Himeko replied: "Hello, I'm the Eastern Branch Director of Schicksal, and this is my subordinate."
Since Himeko had become a Marshal after the Great Eruption due to her achievements and abilities, plus her position as Eastern Branch Director, she was indeed Jun'an's direct superior now.
Jun'an also introduced himself simply, "Jun'an, Knight of the Eastern Branch."
"Oh, oh, oh, I'm so sorry, I forgot to introduce myself."
The black female soldier finally remembered to introduce herself, saying: "I'm Atari, I'm the chieftain of this country! It's such an honor to meet you both! When we heard that the noble Schicksal had finally sent support, my people and I were incredibly grateful, and we came to wait for you right away!"
After the introductions, she began looking around behind Himeko and Jun'an at the battleship, seemingly expecting more people to emerge.
Chieftain Atari asked with one last hope: "So it's just the two of you?"
"Yes, just us two."
Himeko said while patting Jun'an's shoulder, "Actually, just him alone. While it might not be enough for gathering intelligence, it should be fine for combat."
"Respected Miss Himeko, you don't understand what kind of monster we're facing!"
Chieftain Atari anxiously explained: "Swords, guns, bullets, shells - nothing works against them! Our armored vehicles are torn apart like toys, buildings are crushed like foam, armies are crushed like ants! They're demons!"
"Stay calm, Madam Chieftain,"
Jun'an replied seriously, "Everything you described, we can do too. That's precisely why we're here."
"You... you can do that too?"
Chieftain Atari looked them up and down repeatedly, "But you don't have demon horns..."
"They'll grow when needed."
Jun'an could certainly trigger Honkai corruption, "Besides, not having horns doesn't mean we're not powerful. Look at Durandal, you must know her name."
But the chieftain remained worried, "It's not that I doubt you two, but I think you should directly request Lady Durandal to deal with that monster! Only Lady Durandal can handle that monster, your special agent said so herself!"
"Special agent?"
"She means the Valkyrie we sent to investigate,"
Himeko explained briefly, then said: "Why don't you show us the situation first? It would be better if there's video footage. If we judge that we can't handle it, we'll call in Durandal."
Clearly, Durandal's reputation was indeed significant, even surpassing that of a Marshal like Himeko.
But that was normal - Durandal was Schicksal's rising star in recent years, completing the highest number of missions, while Himeko and Jun'an had previously rebelled.
"Alright, we do have footage of their battles. After you see it, you'll understand what I mean."
Atari also understood the principle of seeing is believing, so she immediately drove Himeko and Jun'an from the airport to their temporary residence.
Chieftain Atari had prepared many tents, selecting the best two for Jun'an and Himeko before going to find equipment to play the footage.
When she returned, she brought another person with her.
Jun'an curiously looked at the newcomer - white long hair, predominantly red attire, and a chest rival to Himeko's. Jun'an immediately recognized who she was.
The Valkyrie stood at attention and saluted Himeko, "Marshal Himeko, A-rank Valkyrie Helya reporting!"
Helya, one of the protagonists of Part 2.
Although Jun'an didn't know the plot of Part 2, he knew that at the end of Part 1.5, Kiana had led them for a while, and even had Bronya create a game to help build relationships with them.
Speaking of Bronya, she had a child-like appearance in 2018, but after two years suddenly developed a busty figure. Jun'an really wondered if she was using her powers to modify her body.
"Excuse me, this is...?" Helya similarly examined Jun'an, her expression visibly peculiar.
Helya's words brought Jun'an back to reality, pulling his gaze from the impressive curves, "I'm Jun'an, currently serving as a battleship captain. If you don't mind, just call me Captain, that's what everyone usually calls me."
The title of Captain in Schicksal actually had similar implications to a squad leader in the military, and one didn't need to be a Hyperion crew member to use it.
"Captain? You have your own battleship!"
Helya was suddenly shocked. To own a battleship, one had to be at least an A-rank Valkyrie, and an outstanding one at that, like Himeko, who was a Lieutenant Commander in the original story.
So Helya's expression became even more strange as she looked at Himeko, "Um, no offense meant. Lady Himeko, aren't you still quite young?"
"Just call me Himeko," Himeko didn't really mind the age issue and directly said: "I'm only in my early thirties, of course I'm young."
Although she looked like one of Jun'an's foster mothers like Cocolia, in fact, Himeko was younger than imagined, being the youngest of Jun'an's three foster mothers.
After all, when Cocolia encountered the Second Eruption, Himeko was still in high school.
Helya continued asking: "Then your relationship is...?"
"Kind of mother and son," Jun'an answered habitually, but received a pinch on his side from Himeko, who was clearly dissatisfied with this answer.
Helya swallowed hard, asking somewhat nervously: "Then, Marshal Himeko... how many years did your husband get?"
Chapter End