Chapter 24: Part (2): The Totem of the Sun

How much time had passed?
Neither Kiana nor Mei could tell. Time lost all meaning beneath the scorching heat waves. Both girls were pressed flat against the ground, unable to lift their heads.

All they could see — when they dared glance up — was fire. Fire. Fire.

The air shimmered like molten glass, stealing the moisture from their eyes and skin, leaving them on the brink of dehydration. They couldn’t even risk checking on Himeko or the monster’s condition; the only thing they could do was bury their faces into the dirt to avoid the blistering heat.

The air was gone — replaced by poisonous, superheated carbon monoxide. A single breath could bring light poisoning, or worse, burn their lungs from within.

So they held their breath, waiting, praying for the fiery storm to end.

When they finally couldn’t hold out any longer, both of them pushed their faces up from the soil, gasping shallowly, testing the air.

Warm, but breathable.

The moment fresh oxygen entered their lungs, both girls began sucking it in greedily, mouths wide as if they could swallow the world itself. Slowly, their blurred vision cleared — and they turned toward where Himeko had fallen.

But that place… was empty.

No Himeko. No monster. Nothing.

Still, neither Raiden Mei nor Kiana Kaslana panicked. Their faces showed worry, yes, but no fear. As expected of Valkyries trained for battle — even when their hearts trembled, they stayed composed.

“How is it, Kiana? Can you track them?” Mei asked.

The two approached the area where Himeko had fallen. Kiana crouched low, her blue eyes fixed on the scorched ground. There were no visible tracks — but her time living with her father in that snowbound northern town had given her sharp instincts for tracking.

“Hmm… as I thought — I can only make out a rough direction,” she said after a few seconds, clearly annoyed.

Kiana prided herself on her tracking skills; back in the Arctic missions, she could spot the faint traces left in snow by a hovering Honkai beast without using any detection devices.

But this thing… it had only left traces of where it had stood. No sign of movement. Even the orientation of its footprints looked deliberately misleading.

“Damn it. If only Bronya were here…” Mei muttered, biting her nail.

“Yeah… I hate to admit it, but if Bronya were with us, things would be a lot easier,” Kiana sighed.

With her Heavy Bunny 19C, they could’ve used its cloaking and firepower to launch an ambush from the start — maybe even cripple or kill that monster outright. It would’ve changed everything.

“No choice then,” Mei said. “Kiana, contact Headmistress Theresa. Tell her to activate the nanotech implant in Major Himeko’s body so we can track her signal.”

“Got it. Theresa, can you hear me? Aunty, you there?”

“…Huh? I think I just heard someone call me something very inappropriate,” came a young, calm, and deceptively cute voice through the static. But the sudden chill in it could’ve frozen lava.

“Say that again, Kiana? I dare you. When you get back, I’ll let you experience the full power of the Iron Hammer of Aunt Flo— I mean, of Judah’s Judgment.”

“Uhh… nope, can’t hear you, Mei,” Kiana said quickly, turning pale. “I think the heat’s still messing up the signal.”

“Oh? Really?”

“Really? You little brat, you think you can fool me?!”

Theresa’s furious voice suddenly burst into the shared comm channel, making Mei flinch. But when she glanced at Kiana’s pale face, she understood what had happened and didn’t scold her further. Instead, she quickly spoke up:

“Headmistress, the mission’s gone wrong.”

“Condensed report,” Theresa ordered.

“About twenty-three minutes ago, while observing from Colonel Yao Bingling’s residence, we detected an intense Honkai energy surge 7.8 kilometers away. Major Himeko, Kiana, and I moved to investigate. We found the corpse of a Honkai beast — and another thing feeding on it.”

For that thing, Mei couldn’t find a fitting word. “Monster” didn’t seem enough.

“You engaged it?” Theresa asked sharply.

“Yes… and we were completely overpowered. The monster shows signs of high intelligence — it uses combat techniques. Major Himeko was caught off guard and subdued instantly. Its body is terrifyingly durable; even high-alloy blades, large-caliber rounds, and armor-piercing ammunition only managed to scratch its surface.”

“Based on that, I’d say only Schicksal’s ship-mounted heavy cannons could do real damage to it,” Mei concluded.

“That’s harder than an alloy-class Honkai beast…” Theresa’s tone grew heavier. “That kind of durability matches the twin-type Honkai beasts found in the Black Forest five years ago.”

“What about Himeko?” she demanded. “You said she was down?”

“…Headmistress, Major Himeko is missing. Presumed captured by the monster. We request permission to activate her nanotech tracker for immediate rescue.”

“Do not act recklessly!”

Theresa’s sudden shout made both girls freeze.

“What’s happening now is beyond what two B-rank Valkyries can handle! I’ll dispatch A-ranks to take over. Until then, wait for reinforcements!”

“Are you kidding me, Theresa?!” Kiana shouted back. “Himeko’s missing! That thing might eat her!”

“You’re the one joking, Kiana! You have no idea what you’re up against!”

“The Honkai energy reading is 1,500 HW — the same level as the Hyperion’s reactor! From orbit, we can see the entire 1.5-kilometer forest around you was burned to ash in one blast! That’s the power of a Fire Emperor-class Honkai beast — second only to a Herrscher!”

“And if what Mei said is true, that creature is likely evolving into a pseudo-Herrscher — a humanoid mutation. The last time a Honkai beast reached that level of evolution… it became the demon god Chiyou! You’d be walking to your deaths!”

Even through the comm screen, Kiana could imagine Theresa pounding her desk, cheeks flushed with anger — looking less “cute” and more furious.

“But Himeko—!”

“That’s not your mission! Mei, can you reach Yao Bingling?”

“No. The Colonel entered the mountains ahead of us. Before he left, he took a bag from the courtyard.”

“Damn it, that reckless idiot again…”

“Headmistress — you mean…?”

“You’ve seen his file. He’s a lone wolf — thrives on asymmetric combat, always fighting stronger enemies alone. That bag had to contain weapons. This whole clash between beasts… he might’ve started it. He’s known about them — maybe for a year, or two… or even ten.”

Theresa knew Yao Bingling well — they’d worked together for years. He was a man who threw his entire being into the war against Honkai — brilliant, fanatical, unstoppable. Charging into the hordes of death and corruption alone was his signature style. He’d even spent years undercover to set traps for powerful beasts.

No wonder he’d chosen to live here — in this isolated town — for a decade. Never leaving except for annual visits to a graveyard. Always entering the mountains every year.

Everything fit.

He’d known all along there were two dangerous Honkai beasts here. And he’d decided not to report it to Schicksal — to face them himself.

“…Have you really lost that much faith in Schicksal?”

In her office, Theresa bowed her head, teeth clenched, cursing that reckless man — even as she prayed for his safety.

Then she straightened, her eyes sharp and voice like steel.

“Mei, Kiana! You have a new mission!”

Her tone was pure soldier — no trace of the childish, silly Theresa they knew.

“I’m sending the coordinates of the battle site to your locators. Move immediately. Find your captain — and locate Yao Bingling.”

“Headmistress,” Mei said softly. “With all due respect… the Colonel is only human.”

The meaning was clear. Even a Honkai-augmented Valkyrie had barely survived that monster. A normal human against two beasts at full strength? The odds of survival were near zero.

“Don’t worry,” Theresa replied firmly. “That man would never allow himself to die quietly. He’s a warrior — a legend. If he dies, it’ll be with a bang, not a whimper!”

“…Understood,” Kiana said, still anxious. “What about Himeko?”

“I’m sending our best Valkyries after her. The strongest we have.”

“Copy that. B-rank Valkyrie Mei.”

“B-rank Valkyrie Kiana.”

“Deployment x2!”

The comm line cut. Their wrist displays lit up with the new coordinates. Kiana checked her pack — thankfully, when she’d gone prone during the blast, she’d shielded it with her body. The weapons inside were still intact.

Mei wasn’t so lucky. She stared at her katana — half-melted. That blade, she knew, had been precious to Yao Bingling. It had even been stored separately, adorned with some animal fur trinket. It must’ve been a keepsake.

“…He’s going to be mad about this.”

“He’ll understand,” Kiana said. “Here, Mei — you know this one.”

She handed her a modified Winchester shotgun.

Mei blinked, momentarily lost in memory. Familiar didn’t even begin to describe it. It was the gun she’d used escaping Changkong City — sunglasses on, lollipop in her mouth, blasting through hordes like some wild outlaw.

“Feels like Changkong City all over again,” Mei murmured.

“Ha! Changkong City wasn’t a forest,” Kiana said, loading her pistols with practiced speed. “And back then, I was saving you — and Bronya — not that cranky old man.”

“Correction: Bronya saved Kiana many times. Please do not distort historical facts.”

A third voice — flat, cool — came through their comms.

“Bronya?!”

“Affirmative.”

“You’re supposed to be resting! You’re still injured!”

“It is fine. Bronya will not deploy to the front line. Bronya will act as guide for Sister Mei and Idiot Kiana.”

In a hospital room, a small figure sat up in bed. Her silver-gray twin drills, tied with black ribbons, framed a determined face. She held a golden Homu plush in her arms — but her eyes were cold and focused, sharp as steel. Before her, the meal table had been turned into a command console — monitors, scanners, sensors, and three screens flickering with satellite feeds.

Meanwhile, back in St. Freya Academy—

Theresa was hunched over her own monitors, scanning the satellite feeds for any clue. But the area’s heat was so intense that the thermal imaging showed nothing but white — pure, blinding white.

She clenched her fists, aching for a punching bag to vent on.

Her office door opened. A tall, composed young woman with silver-gray hair entered — her presence calm, controlled, and dangerous.

“Headmistress, you called for me?”

“Yes,” Theresa said, jumping down from her chair and handing her a data drive. “Fu Hua — this mission is urgent. Every second counts.”