Just moments ago, this worker bee had been emitting bright light amidst the turbulent ocean currents, guiding Kiana safely through the chaos.
Now, it transformed into an emotionless instrument of discipline.
"Aaahhh!" Sensing intense heat overhead, Kiana hastily curled up and rolled aside, bumping into Rita's legs.
Kiana hastily leaped to her feet and pointed at the worker bee that had just been guiding her through the ocean, yelling defiantly:
"Zeke! You're watching me right now, aren't you, you bastard?! I'm warning you—if you pull any more stunts like this, you'll know what regret means when we get back!"
Clack!
As Kiana's words echoed, dozens of tiny blades emerged from the surface of the small worker bee, spinning rapidly along various trajectories.
In an instant, this spherical worker bee, about the size of an actual honeybee, transformed into a deadly machine capable of shredding anything it touched.
Even more terrifying were visible arcs of electricity crackling around its body.
"Bzzz! Bzzz! Bzzz!"
The buzzing sound emanating from the worker bee shifted from mono to full surround sound—because numerous identical worker bees, each armed with spinning blades and sparking electricity, surrounded Kiana, slowly closing in on her.
Like executioners approaching their condemned prisoner.
"(⊙_⊙) Hey, no big deal!" Kiana chuckled nonchalantly, scratching her head.
But in the very next moment, she dropped to her knees and bowed low, all in one fluid motion.
"Please accept my sincerest apologies! I was too impudent! I'll go find Bronya and Sin right away, so please don't waste your precious time on someone as insignificant as me!" Kiana pleaded earnestly.
Her face buried in the sand, she trembled uncontrollably, drenched in cold sweat.
After a tense moment, the worker bees finally retracted their arcs of electricity and sharp blades, slowly drifting away to vanish into the distant sky.
Kiana let out a sigh of relief, collapsing limply onto the ground. She patted her heaving chest, grumbling discontentedly under her breath.
Then, with a radiant smile bright like sunshine, she waved at Durandal and Rita.
"Hey there! Big Sis Rita and... shortie over here, nice meeting you both! Take care!"
With that farewell, Kiana leaped back into the turbulent, murky waters below.
"Who...was that?"
"A subordinate of Sir Zeke's, perhaps even his protégé? If I recall correctly, her name is Kiana Kaslana."
"Kiana? The daughter of Senior Cecilia?"
"Yes, likely due to being another Kaslana. It makes sense for Sir Zeke to personally mentor her."
Durandal nodded thoughtfully.
Then she gestured to her own height and asked, "Come to think of it, she's not much taller than me either, is she, Rita?"
"Indeed, Lady Durandal."
"What a lively little one! I'm starting to like her," Durandal said with a shake of her head, smiling with interest.
With such boundless energy, failing to properly train this spirited girl would be a complete waste!
As the Hyperion's announcement to its entire crew neared its end, the battleship finally approached Chiyou's remains.
Welt stood on the deck, gazing ahead. It was impossible to discern this as the body of a colossal beast; it appeared entirely as a vast, scorched landmass—though Chiyou's immense size played second fiddle to the question at hand: Just how powerful must Zeke be to create such devastation?
Even Welt himself couldn't achieve this feat. As for Sirin, the former Hexa-Core... While she had the potential to destroy civilizations, her direct destructive power likely fell far short of burning down an entire continent, wouldn't you say?
Lost in thought, Welt watched as Hera transformed into a golden meteor and crashed deep into the pitch-black expanse, ruthlessly tearing through countless Honkai Beasts along the way, leaving a conspicuous trail littered with their shattered remnants.
"Ah, what's the rush? Isn't Zeke perfectly fine?" Sighing, Welt issued orders to the operators within the battleship to continue advancing—a truly peculiar sight, seeing the Anti-Entropy Alliance Leader commanding Schicksal personnel.
And speaking of Zeke, he sure is audacious! Being named the first Enforcer of Anti-Entropy is one thing, but daring to casually assume the title of Acting Schicksal Archbishop? Does he not fear Otto's swift retribution?
Indeed, living long enough reveals all manner of surprises!
BOOM!
SHWOOOOSH!
A golden figure descended before Zeke with a thunderous crash, followed by the piercing sound of air being sliced through moments later.
"Zeke, are you okay?"
Finding her long dress cumbersome, Hera tore off half its skirt. With graceful strides, she approached Zeke, revealing her delicate and shapely legs.
After examining Zeke's appearance thoroughly, Hera reached out to physically check his condition.
"Slap!"
Zeke mercilessly swatted away her extended hand.
Holding her reddened palm, Hera gazed at Zeke, her luminous eyes brimming with sorrowful accusation and deep hurt—ah, now that Zeke seemed fine, her dramatic acting skills were back in full swing.
"Spare me the theatrics; get straight to the point. It's nauseating."
Zeke leaned back slightly, wrinkling his brow in disdain, clearly expressing his disgust on his face.
"How cruel! After all my worry for you, is this how you repay your dear friend? Oh, and hello again, my beloved old chum!" Hera waved towards a nimble shadow nearby.
"Boom!"
Fu Hua crushed the head of a massive Honkai Beast, landed gracefully, and turned to look at Hera, whose radiant smile sparkled like stars in her eyes.
"Hm?"
Hera pondered for a moment, lifting her hand to catch the massive forelimb of another approaching Honkai Beast. With a Short-inch Strike, she shattered nearly half its body.
Despite considering it carefully, Fu Hua couldn't deduce from the limited information who this blonde-haired (and doubly voluptuous) figure might be.
"Hello," Fu Hua responded awkwardly yet politely while dispatching several nearby Honkai Beasts before returning to Zeke's side.
"May I ask who you are? Apologies, but I don't seem to recognize you."
"Don't worry, old friend; you've just never seen me like this. It's perfectly normal not to recognize me right away."
"Old...friend?" This time, Fu Hua noticed the familiar term Hera used, causing her pupils to flicker with surprise.
"You're Otto?!"
"That's right, my dear old friend, you finally recognized me." Hera nodded cheerfully.
Fu Hua took a step back, her eyes twitching involuntarily. The shock would reverberate through her entire year!
"Your new body...it truly is beautiful." Again, Fu Hua managed a polite yet awkward response, struggling to face that captivating smile—this was fucking Otto!
The Otto whose heart was so dark that even if dropped into a mud pit, it would make the mire appear crystal clear by comparison!
"Am I really that filthy?"
"...Have you learned to read minds now?"
"No, but old friend, your thoughts were written all over your face."
"I think asking this question suggests there might be some issues with your self-awareness."
Fu Hua fell silent.
"My apologies, it's just quite overwhelming. Give me a moment to compose myself before we continue." She rested her forehead on one hand, unable to speak further lest she accidentally blurt out more unfiltered thoughts—a severe breach of etiquette.