After clearing out the remaining Anti-Entropy mechas, Van came to Bronya's side.
"Cocolia, you old fox, don't think that after the last incident, we wouldn't make any preparations, right?"
———
Then, the scene shifted to before the mission began.
Just before boarding the Hyperion, Van pulled Bronya aside and took her into a sealed conference room.
This place not only could isolate external sound, but also block any signal.
"What! Van, you're saying that Bronya's previous loss of control wasn't caused by the influence of the Moonlight Throne, but was actually caused by human factors?"
"Bronya, what I'm about to say might be a bit cruel for you. Whether you believe me or not, I just ask that you don't speak of this to anyone."
Looking at Van's serious expression, Bronya nodded, "Go ahead, Bronya will keep it a secret."
Then, Van concisely explained the cause and effect to Bronya.
Sure enough, when she learned that the mastermind behind all of this was her adoptive mother, Cocolia, Bronya instinctively tried to refute it.
But just as the words reached her lips, she couldn't say them at all. Because in her mind, she suddenly recalled how she had met Kiana and the others, and how she joined St. Freya Academy.
Indeed, with her adoptive mother Cocolia's personality, she was absolutely the type who would do anything to achieve her goals.
She herself might be just a chess piece Cocolia placed in St. Freya Academy.
After figuring it out, Bronya became increasingly unable to forgive her past actions, and immediately said she could withdraw from this mission.
She even said that after this mission, she would personally apologize to everyone, and then leave St. Freya Academy.
To this, Van gently comforted her, "Bronya, the one who's wrong isn't you, it's Cocolia. And I also have a way to help you escape Cocolia's control in the future. Worst case scenario, even if everything isn't confirmed yet, all of this is just my speculation. Maybe I'm wrong, who knows?"
Although he said that, Bronya, understanding Van's character, knew he wasn't the type to make conclusions without solid evidence.
So, with trust in Van and guilt toward her friends, Bronya agreed to Van's plan.
———
Back to the present, Cocolia finally realized that the one behind everything was the person in front of her.
"So it was you, you bastard! All tactical mechas, activate self-destruct mode! Target: Van!"
Cocolia let out a hysterical roar, "Destroy that damned man completely!!!"
However, in response to Cocolia's command, only a few mechas reacted.
Because, while the two were arguing, the hacker expert Bronya had already, without anyone noticing, hacked into the remaining Anti-Entropy mechas on site.
Seeing this, Cocolia also realized the situation was already hopeless. Not only had she ruined this excellent operation, but also lost many of Anti-Entropy's most advanced tactical mechas.
And most painful of all for Cocolia, she had lost her daughter's trust.
"Just you wait! I will definitely come back!"
After shouting a 'Big Bad Wolf'-style defeated declaration, Cocolia cut off her remote connection to the mechas.
Thus, this incident finally came to an end.
Looking at the devastated surroundings and the unconscious Wendy, everyone exchanged a smile.
"Aiya~ That was really tough." Kiana stretched lazily. "But at least everything ended perfectly."
"Yes, now all we have to do is return to St. Freya Academy, and then figure out how to extract the Gem of Desire from Miss Wendy's body." Raiden Mei nodded and said.
At that moment, the restored communication channel suddenly rang with Himeko's voice.
"Everyone, I have bad news. I just received a message from HQ, because of the Fourth Herrscher's matter, an S-rank Valkyrie from the European HQ has already been dispatched..."
"Didn't we already succeed in our mission? Why would HQ still send an S-rank Valkyrie?" Kiana asked, confused.
"I'll explain that, Kiana." Van spoke.
"Not all branches of Schicksal are as gentle as St. Freya Academy. When it comes to dealing with Herrschers, the European HQ is much more ruthless than us."
Kiana stared at Van wide-eyed. "Van, you mean..."
"If Miss Wendy really falls into the hands of the European HQ, I'm afraid she won't have a good ending..."
At this point, Van asked Himeko, "Major Himeko, may I ask how long until the people from European HQ arrive on the scene? So we can make corresponding preparations."
"It's been 16 minutes and 43 seconds since I received the message, so they should be arriving in about ten minutes." Himeko replied.
"From what I know, the S-rank Valkyrie dispatched this time by the European HQ is Schicksal's strongest active Valkyrie, Durandal. So you all must be careful. If there really is a conflict, your top priority is to ensure your own safety..."
Just as everyone was preparing to take the unconscious Wendy away and rush to the new rendezvous point, a sharp sound of something tearing through the air rang out above them.
Looking up, a stream of light descended from the sky.
Boom!
"Hello, members of the Far East Branch. I am Valkyrie of the European HQ, Durandal."
As the smoke cleared, a girl in blue and white armor, holding a giant knight's lance, appeared before everyone.
"First, I thank you all on behalf of HQ for your contributions in resisting the collapse... and then, may I ask you to hand over the Fourth Herrscher to me?"
———
When Durandal in blue-and-white armor appeared in the video, netizens in the real world all excitedly expressed their feelings.
[Slurp~ As expected of Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie. She's just too awe-inspiring!]
[Wife, stop messing around. Come home with me. Don't block Kiana and the others.]
[Dude above, YOU AGAIN. Why do all the good things happen to you?]
[Let me tell you something scary. Progress Bar-kun is about to die!]
Meanwhile, in a girls' dormitory in the real world, upon seeing Durandal appear, Raiden Mei and Bronya both revealed shocked expressions.
Kiana even shouted out the moment she saw Durandal, "Big sister?! Why is she in the video too?!"
———
Back to the video.
Durandal's words immediately made the atmosphere tense.
Raiden Mei and Bronya instantly stepped in front of the unconscious Wendy after hearing her speak.
Kiana firmly refused, "No way! I'm not handing Wendy over to you!"
Durandal seemed to have expected this. She casually pulled out the knight's lance that was deeply embedded in the ground and assumed an attack stance.
Just as the battle was about to erupt, who would've thought, when Durandal looked behind Kiana and the others, a flicker of surprise flashed through her blue eyes.
"Senior!? Why are you here?"
Kiana and the others followed Durandal's gaze and looked behind themselves.
Van walked out from the crowd, face filled with nostalgia: "Long time no see, Bianka."
The screen froze at that moment.
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