Honkai: Strijder (Patreon)

Chapter 133: Coercion

"How about you go back and rest first, and I'll take care of things here?"

Hera noticed Sigurd's anomaly first and suggested.

Sigurd looked at her and shook his head.

"No need. I'm not at ease with you handling the situation alone."

Sigurd said straightforwardly, with a hint of mistrust evident in his dead fish-like eyes.

On one hand, he didn't want Hera to mess up again, like in the Second Honkai Outbreak, where instead of dealing with Chi You smoothly, she ended up helping it grow to be the second Planet-Class Honkai Beast.

And considering Chi You ability, if it becomes a Planet-Class Honkai Beast, it would become a much more dangerous threat than Jyahnar. No matter how small the probability, Sigurd didn't want to take the risk.

On the other hand... Kiana and the others were still below. If he didn't keep an eye on things, Sigurd couldn't be at ease, what if they did something dangerous and he wasn’t around them when it exploded on them. 

But if he leaves, what if Hera had some other thoughts when she saw he wasn't around?

Hera quietly looked at Sigurd, not feeling awkward at all. It wasn't until she confirmed that he was just tired and not seriously injured that she continued slowly:

"So, what you're saying is, Chi You isn't actually a test for us at the moment, nor was it prepared for Shenzou 5.000 years ago. Its actually created to be the test for a civilization of the future?”

"Pretty much."

"Can the Will of Honkai know whether we will pass all of its tests or not? To think it’s already prepared for the future civilization Herrscher in advance…... No, considering what else it could do, seeing the future is not impossible. It's more like, it's only natural."

After pondering for a while, Hera thought of the so-called "Will of Honkai" she had encountered in the Second Honkai Outbreak and nodded.

Indeed, it made sense.

5.000 years ago in Shenzou, even with the remnants of previous civilizations like Fu Hua, the overall strength of Earth civilization should not have caused a Honkai Beast of the Judgement-Level like Chi You's to appear.

Now thinking back, the ancient Honkai Beast that has been written off as Legend or Myth in Human History so far are all Honkai Beast that were born from Chi You, and they all are  generally of low rank. According to the legend, while the “Demon God Chi You” is a terrifying God with the ability to devour the sky and earth, there were no records of it directly making a move to attack a specific location, it’s merely written as a Demon God that slept on some mountain and never move outside of it

So, 5.000 Years ago in Shenzou, the test Humanity needed to face was actually just the Honkai Beasts naturally born from Chi You's body, while Chi You itself is a Honkai Beast that would be used as one of the Herrscher of a distant future where Mankind has passed all of its current trial.

It's just that no one expected Fu Hua to ignore the smaller Honkai Beast and launched an attack on the sleeping Chi You, causing the little baby who just wanted to quietly grow to sink into the ocean floor.

"This is getting interesting. I want ⅕ of the Planet-Class Honkai Beast's cub."

"Sure, but the premise is to kill it first."

"Agreed. Regardless of which era it is supposed to be a test to, despite being a baby, it's already a huge threat. If it’s left to quietly grow, the chance of it destroying the distant era is quite high, so there's no reason to leave it unchecked."

"So, do you have any feasible methods to slay it?"

Sigurd looked calmly at Hera.

The "Red Lotus" sword was considered one of his trump cards.

Hera, or rather Otto, had been keeping a low profile so far. If he could have Hera test one of her cards while dealing with Chi You, that would be ideal.

Hera naturally sensed Sigurd's thoughts and replied with a smile, "You're overestimating me. Even your final move couldn't kill it. Unlike you, I’m just a weak and powerless researcher, what can I do?”

Hera carefully patted her chest, feigning fear.

However, her brute strength that tore through countless Honkai Beasts just now spoke otherwise.

Sigurd, with his deadpan expression, said, "Really? I don't believe you."

"Hee~ Why would I lie to you? At most, I can bring out some insignificant Honkai fission missiles. They work against ordinary Honkai Beasts, but as for monsters like Chi You who are the size of a continent, even if I use all of it, it's no different than being bitten by a mosquito! I really can’t do anything."

With a coquettish tone in her voice, Hera blinked her big eyes, looking innocent and cute.

If Sigurd didn't know Otto and has developed a resistance to this kind of attack due to Kiana overusing it on him in the past, he might have almost caved..

"Yeah, right, spill it."

"Oh, don't say that! So, Sigurd, my dear friend, do you have any good ideas?"

"Well, there is one..."

"Oh? Tell me tell me~."

With an expectant look in Hera's eyes, Sigurd glanced at her, a hint of playfulness in his eyes as he casually said,

"The grumpy edgelord, Kevin Kaslana."

"..."

Hera fell silent.

Her gaze swept over the few people around her.

Welt had regained his strength with Sigurd's help and had also grown significantly in mindset and thoughts, becoming a formidable presence.

Her old friend Fu Hua, from what she has seen on her battle against Chi You, has most likely become stronger than when she last met her, this boost of strength are most likely come from Sigurd, and considering how they behave around each other, while they are not friend yet, they are close enough that when someone call them as that, they can just nod.

This meant that this old grandma with a field of Shenzou placed on her chest would no longer blindly follow her own commands as before, and are more likely to obey Sigurd

As for Sigurd, he was the biggest variable, uncontrollable in his growth speed.

Overall, her control over the world had been significantly challenged. If adding in the unpredictable Kevin Kaslana whose sole focus is the eradication of the Honkai, the situation would surely spiral further out of control.

Hera, or rather Otto, didn't care much about wielding power over the world, but this affected many of his prior arrangements, which in turn affected Kallen's resurrection process. 

Truth be told, Otto didn't want Kevin Kaslana to intervene. Maintaining the current situation was most advantageous for him.

"I think the timing isn't ripe yet, right?"

Hera probed.

There was no choice; Jackal's technology was in Sigurd's hands, as was the "Gem of Desire". So the decision of when Kevin Kaslana would enter the scene rested with Sigurd, not Otto.

"I agree. It's only suitable for him to return when our resurrection technology has made enough breakthroughs."

Sigurd agreed, with an underlying implication.

When there were decisive developments in the resurrection matter, Sigurd's own abilities should have accumulated enough. By then coupled with the possibility of bringing back Dr. Mei, Kevin would stop the Stigmata Plan on his own.

He may not seem like it, but he’s the Previous Era equivalent of Otto, with Dr. Mei as his Kallen.

After all, the reason why he fought the Honkai till this time is because she asked him to.

At present, Kevin might not be willing to lay down the plan due to the lack of trust.

However, on one hand, Kevin had taken actual actions in the original work by devouring Chi You, and his personal strength was enough to directly kill the young Chi You; on the other hand, doing what the enemy didn't want him to do directly wouldn't go wrong.

No, thinking like this wasn't right. Kevin was, after all, an unstable factor, which also affected him... But it seemed Otto's rejection of Kevin's entry was stronger. In that case, coercing him a bit would also be feasible.

Sigurd looked straight at Hera, a slight curve forming at the corner of his mouth.

"Hey! You're not seriously considering doing that, are you?"

Hera sweated nervously on her forehead, laughing with a hint of panic.

Sigurd smiled very rarely, speaking softly,

"I have no choice! After all, we're at our wits' end, with no other option but to seek help from that grumpy old man."

Hera paused, puffing up her cheeks, then deflated, saying,

"Alright, I won't pretend. Firstly, Chi You's body continues to produce Honkai Beasts incessantly, which is both a consumption of Chi You's physical body and its life force. According to my observations, the scarcer the Honkai energy, the greater the consumption of Chi You's body. I can give Chi You a super-large potion to keep it continuously producing Honkai Beasts, gradually depleting its flesh and vitality until it dies completely. Secondly, several of my prosthetic bodies are already inside Chi You's body. According to my observations, there should be several core energy supply nodes within Chi You's body. Destroying them would cripple Chi You for some time. With both strategies being done at the same time, it should be enough to kill the present Chi You. There's no need for Kevin Kaslana to appear."

This could avoid using covert means to the greatest extent while still dealing with Chi You, so in Hera's view, it was the best solution.

"Good plan. Then let's go ahead with it, I'll be waiting to see your results."

Sigurd said leisurely, playing with his own golden filigree ball—housing the "Gem of Desire", also the key to Kevin's return.

Hera understood, this was a threat.

Either she exerted more effort on her side to resolve Chi You quickly, or Sigurd would simply let Kevin free, greatly influencing her various arrangements.

"You're ruthless. I'll get to work on it."

"Well, let's go to the deck and see the scenery. It's my first time in the Eastern Sea too."

"What scenery can there be now? There are Honkai Beasts everywhere, and Chi You is still lying in the sea!"

"Don't say that. Basking in the sun isn't bad."

The two of them conversed as if there were no others around, having settled on a solution.

Welt and Fu Hua exchanged glances, silently sipping their tea.

They couldn't understand what Hera and Sigurd were talking about, so they didn't understand the plan and all, but since it looked like there was already a solution to Chi You, they could just wait and see.

‘Kevin......'

Fu Hua looked at the tea in her cup, a mixture of emotion such as confusion and an sadness appearing in her eyes.