Starting from the Collapse World, I became the behind-the-scenes boss

Wendy glanced at the boy she had already sent far away, her expression becoming serious and resolute.

"Wendy..."

Upon seeing this girl who was theoretically the Fourth Herrscher, Durandal was momentarily dazed.

When explaining the feasibility of the plan to her, Otto used Wendy as an example.

If Wendy can tame the Gem of Desire, why can't Kiana control the power of the Herrscher of the Void?

In a sense, this statement makes a lot of sense.

But Durandal could still vaguely sense that Otto was hiding something quite important.

Her thoughts raced, but facing Wendy who was charging towards her, Durandal could only suppress her doubts for the time being and parry the girl's attack with her spear.

"If you want to get past me, let's see if you have the ability, Wendy."

With a soft shout, Durandal swung her lance, deflecting Wendy's wind blades, and simultaneously launched an attack forward.

In just a moment, the battle between the two girls intensified, with the gale of the Herrscher of Wind and the white light of the Shining Knight armor raging through the space.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Rebel Squad Assembles!

The battle at St. Freya did not last long; soon Wendy and Theresa, who had failed to achieve their objective, retreated together.

Even with Wendy temporarily holding off Durandal, Theresa was unable to snatch Kiana's abilities back from the two S-rank Valkyries.

After confirming that the battle on the other side had ended, Wendy and Durandal naturally had no intention of continuing the fight.

Or rather, Wendy simply couldn't stop Durandal from leaving.

Throughout the battle, although both Wendy and the other two held back to avoid affecting St. Freya Academy, Wendy was still clearly at a disadvantage.

Even disregarding the difference in strength, Wendy, who wasted three years due to her desire for the gem, could not compete with Durandal, the strongest Valkyrie, in terms of experience and skill.

After all, Durandal truly made the most of her time, aside from eating and sleeping, for fighting and training. She was even more diligent than an armed puppet like the Book of Azure... well, more diligent than Klein, who had worked overtime in the Paradise of the Past for 50,000 years.

Durandal didn't intend to take Wendy with her, otherwise the Herrscher of Wind would probably have been granted a luxurious private room at Schicksal headquarters.

"Kiana..."

Back in St. Freya, Theresa was still immersed in regret for losing the white fluffy ball, and seemed somewhat dazed.

At this moment, the nun felt nothing but endless regret.

Despite knowing that headquarters had designs on Kiana, she still failed to keep a close watch on the girl, allowing her to be kidnapped right under her nose.

"Theresa!" Seeing this, Himeko couldn't help but slap the nun's shoulder hard, her tone filled with a hint of disappointment and harshness. "Now is not the time to be discouraged. Do you really intend to leave Kiana alone at headquarters?"

"Yes, I can't give up. I have to get Kiana back!"

Awakened by Himeko, Theresa immediately patted her cheeks and cheered herself up, her once dull eyes regaining their luster.

"Headmistress, now you can tell us why Durandal and the others kidnapped Kiana, right?"

Suddenly interrupting, Shihen looked at the nun with a clearly serious expression.

Upon hearing this, Mei and the others who had arrived midway also turned their gazes to Theresa, waiting for a reasonable explanation.

Theoretically speaking, Kiana's Kaslana bloodline, while also unique, is clearly inferior to Herrschers like Mei and Wendy.

The fact that Schicksal Headquarters targeted Kiana but let the two Herrschers in the academy go is truly puzzling.

Looking up to meet the questioning gazes of the crowd, and seeing Himeko's encouraging look, Theresa pursed her lips and said, "It's time to tell you all this."

The worst has already happened, and there's no point in hiding it any longer.

Thinking it over, Theresa continued, "Actually... Kiana isn't the real Kiana."

"Not the real Kiana?"

Mei looked surprised.

Is there really a fake Kiana in this world?

Without giving everyone time to overthink, Theresa explained, "The original Kiana Kaslana was the daughter of Cecilia and Siegfried."

But... she died in an accident ten years ago.

The Kiana you know now is actually a clone created by your grandfather... that is, Bishop Otto, based on the genes of Kiana and the Herrscher of the Void.

"How could this happen?"

Upon hearing this, Seele couldn't help but cover her mouth and gasp softly.

With a pure and kind heart, the girl never imagined that such terrible things existed in the world.

The thought of countless people with the same appearance as Kiana lying in rows of culture tanks made Seele's legs tremble uncontrollably, and her body felt as if it had lost all its strength.

Moreover, even she knew that Otto's cloning experiments were not just a game; he must have a far more sinister and terrifying purpose.

"And what is the purpose?" Shihen asked directly. "Bishop Otto must have a grand purpose in carrying out such an experiment that violates human ethics, right?"

"I think... it's probably to recreate the power of the Herrscher of the Void."

Theresa said in a somewhat speculative tone.

In fact, most of the details about this matter were told to her by Einstein.

Before this, although she vaguely guessed that there was something wrong with Kiana, she didn't know the truth.

She even believed that the real Kiana was still at Schicksal headquarters, being kept under strict custody by Otto.

"So, Theresa and I plan to go to headquarters and snatch Kiana back."

What about you?

Her gaze swept over Shihen and the others, and Himeko crossed her arms and said.

Although Kiana's nature has not changed, the impression of clones is different. She does not want to hide this from the children, nor does she want to force them to participate in the war.

"Ha! How dare you say such a thing? Himeko-sensei, who are you looking down on?" Meeting the scrutinizing gaze of the red-haired Valkyrie, Shihen's lips curled into a faint but firm smile. "Whether it's a clone or a Herrscher or whatever."

The Kiana I've known from beginning to end has only ever been this one!

"Captain Hen is right, Bronya only knows Kiana."

There will never be another idiot like Kiana.

Bronya followed suit with her statement.

"Xi'er thinks so too."

With one hand placed in front of her chest, she appeared somewhat nervous, but Seele's tone was incredibly firm.

"I will do everything in my power to win Kiana back."

Gripping the hilt of the katana at her waist tightly, Mei spoke slowly and deliberately.

Even though she was quite bothered by what happened between Kiana and the boy, she absolutely did not want this kind of victory in name only.

The daughter of the Raiden family always strives to win fair and square!

"When I was in New Zealand, it was Kiana and Hen who helped me understand my true feelings."

So, this time it's my turn to repay Kiana.

Wendy glanced at the determined-looking boy beside her and said with a smile.

mark……

Upon hearing this suddenly affectionate nickname, Mei raised an eyebrow.

And, have you overlooked someone again?

A Valkyrie squad has three members, you know?!

Mei was so frustrated that she even wanted to draw her sword and have a Valkyrie duel with Wendy. It took a lot of effort for her to suppress this impulse.

"In that case..." Sensing the power contained in everyone's gazes, Theresa's face regained its radiance. "Kiana Rescue Team, move out immediately."

Target: Destiny Headquarters!

With a sharp, clear voice, the girl's voice echoed through the night sky, marking the moment when the Far East Branch raised the flag of rebellion.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Before the Collapse Erupted

Far East, St. Freya.

As the bright sun slowly climbed to the top of the sky, a warship several times smaller than the Hyperion finally set sail from the port area.

Because the Hyperion was still undergoing renovations for the Moon Throne, the transport ship Helios was sent as the vanguard for this operation.

Although they had already decided to raise the banner of rebellion against the headquarters of Destiny, the Far East Branch was about to face an inevitable war, which was not something that could be resolved by making a snap decision or by taking just a few people.

If you were to do that, it wouldn't be called rebellion, it would be pure suicide.

Even if a Herrscher like Wendy could destroy a branch with just one person based on pure strength, the strength of the rest of the staff is still necessary.

Putting everything else aside, medical and logistical support personnel are essential.

Otherwise, if someone in the team gets seriously injured, does that mean Wendy has to turn them into a suicide soldier to continue fighting?

Moreover, regardless of the outcome of this rebellion, Theresa must create a "home" that everyone can return to.

While burning one's boats in desperation may seem bold, a homeless dog is left with nothing but pitifulness.

Therefore, a certain degree of war mobilization is necessary.

Theresa needs to tell everyone, whether they are willing or not to follow her, what the reasons and purpose of this rebellion are, in order to claim a righteous cause.

While principles and morality may sometimes be just empty slogans, they can be the only trump card that enables people to persevere in adversity and ultimately turn the tide.

For the Valkyries of the Far East branch, what Theresa said undoubtedly referred to the latter.

At the mobilization meeting, Theresa did not hide her relationship with Kiana, nor did she exaggerate the consequences of the Second Herrscher's re-arrival. Instead, she chose to leave everything to the people to decide for themselves.

Ultimately, those who chose to believe in and follow the nun accounted for 60% of all members of the Far East branch.

If lies were used, this number might be increased, but that's something Theresa doesn't want.

Because lies will eventually be exposed, and only sincerity can earn the genuine treatment of others.

This honesty and authenticity is the biggest difference between her and Otto, and also the greatest charm of this short-statured leader.

Even for those who didn't believe in themselves and wanted to leave, Theresa chose to be tolerant, even settling their salaries and bonuses and reimbursing their travel expenses.

As a result of this delay, the warship heading to the headquarters of Destiny finally set off close to noon.

For a simple rescue team, this speed is somewhat slow.

But considering this is a war about rebellion, the speed is simply unbelievable.

It can only be said that Theresa, after all, had served as the leader of the Far East branch for ten years, and her personal abilities were not bad.

In the lounge of the Helios, looking down at the rapidly shrinking St. Freya Academy through the ship's porthole, Shihen's face showed obvious fatigue.

Although Theresa and the others were not entirely unprepared for the headquarters' actions, last night's events still came as a surprise, and the Far East Branch was thrown into chaos for quite some time as a result.

Even now, Himeko is still in St. Freya handling some loose ends of her work, while also waiting for the Hyperion to be remodeled.

Even though Shihen and the others, as trainees, had it a bit easier, it was still basically impossible for them to get a proper rest.

"Give!"

A gentle voice rang out, and a steaming cup was handed to the boy.

Shihen looked in the direction of the sound and, unsurprisingly, was met with Mei's beautiful smiling face.

"Hen, you're exhausted. Drink some sugar water to recover."

Mei simply smiled gently at the boy's gaze.

Amid the war preparations that kept the entire Far East branch in a frenzy, the teenagers with experience working at Anti-Entropy were naturally conscripted.

Moreover, as Shihen demonstrated his extraordinary competence, he was assigned more and more work, to the point that people almost forgot that the boy was still an injured person.

The boy was only able to take a break from his busy paperwork shortly before the Helios set sail.

"Mei, didn't you also not get a proper rest?"

Smiling, Shihen took the sugar water and sipped it, his tightly furrowed brows immediately relaxing a bit.

Even at times like this, Mei's syrup is still at his favorite sweetness level.