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

"I'm sorry, it's just that Lady Durandal is so adorable." Rita explained with a smile, her expression immediately becoming more serious. "Indeed, as Lady Durandal said, I received an education called assassination."

But in the first lesson of this education, I learned not how to fight, but how to sacrifice and make choices.

"Sacrifice and trade-offs?"

Durandal looked puzzled.

"Lady Durandal must have heard about the tram problem, right?"

"The tram inevitably passes along two tracks, one with one person strapped to it and the other with five. You hold the button to change the tram's direction." Rita chuckled, her tone gentle yet firm. "If it were up to someone like us, we would unhesitatingly change the tram's direction and send it across the track with only one person."

Sacrificing the few to save the many—this was something she kept in mind from the very first day she became a Valkyrie.

"..."

Upon hearing Rita's words, Durandal fell silent.

Sacrificing some to save the whole makes perfect sense.

But... this is not the path she likes.

"Of course, someone like Lady Durandal would definitely be able to stop the tram and save everyone."

I truly believe this.

With a smile, Rita grasped the blonde girl's hand tightly, naturally drawing closer to her. "So, no matter which path you choose, Lady Durandal, Rita will always support you."

“Rita…” Just as she was about to say that the distance was a bit too close, but meeting the maid’s burning and determined gaze, Durandal realized that her awareness was still too low, and quickly nodded and said, “I promise you, I will definitely drive out all the Honkai in this world!”

Even if some sacrifices are inevitable, she will do her best to save everyone.

This is the path that Durandal has chosen!

Chapter Forty-Two: At this moment, the stars shine brightly.

As the Helios continued its advance, the floating warships of the Destiny Headquarters appeared less and less, while another white creature that should not have appeared here became more and more active.

Swish!

Wendy leaped into the air, wielding a wind blade to slice off the head and most of the body of a Temple-class Honkai Beast. Then, she kicked another Honkai Beast in mid-air, blasting it to pieces. Wendy's face showed a hint of impatience: "Damn it! What are those guys at headquarters doing? They actually let Honkai Beasts get this close!"

You should know that this is the headquarters of the Church of Destiny.

If the world were to truly descend into catastrophe, these floating islands would be humanity's last bastion.

But now, this place, which should be the most fortified stronghold, is being entered and exited by a large number of Honkai Beasts, as if it had become the Honkai's backyard.

"It seems the worst has already happened."

While receiving Mei's protection and hiding behind the girl, Shihen used the Wind and Thunder Twin Swords to ambush and defeat the Honkai Beast that was fighting with Mei. His expression turned slightly serious as he analyzed the situation.

Undoubtedly, the appearance of a large number of Honkai Beasts even at the Schicksal headquarters proves only one thing—another wave of Honkai is about to arrive!

Moreover, given that the Second Herrscher possesses far greater Honkai energy than Mei and Wendy, the scale of this Honkai will undoubtedly far surpass that of the Third and Fourth Honkai.

Although he never constantly proclaimed that "the fault lies not with myself, but with the world," Otto never hesitated when it came to using the world as a bargaining chip.

"Those lunatics!"

Wendy couldn't help but curse.

Just to recreate the power of the Second Herrscher, they were willing to push the entire world into the abyss of destruction. She really couldn't understand what the high-ranking members of Schicksal were thinking.

Are those loudly proclaimed slogans, the sacrifices and ideals of countless Valkyries, truly worthless in the eyes of those people?

As she thought about it, Wendy couldn't help but recall her past self, and a surge of intense anger instantly ignited in her chest.

"More and more Honkai Beasts are coming towards us!"

With a slightly grim expression, Mei swung her sword, which flashed with lightning, and annihilated a Honkai Beast. At the same time, she flashed to Shihen's side and blocked a white spear that was thrusting at the boy.

"At this rate, our defenses will be breached in fifteen minutes."

While fighting off the relentless onslaught of Honkai Beasts alongside Seele, Bronya analyzed the situation calmly.

The Honkai Beasts are endless, but their stamina has its limits.

"Hmph! These guys are nothing. I can wipe them all out by myself."

With a cold laugh, Wendy's face was full of disdainful arrogance.

As a Herrscher, she has the right to look down on all Honkai Beasts.

Even after breaking free from Honkai control and no longer being able to command these Honkai Beasts, the Herrscher's power still surpasses that of any Honkai Beast.

“But Wendy, your power is not limitless, and now is not the time to use it.”

Time's marks served as a reminder.

Even if a Herrscher can communicate with the imaginary space through its core and draw Honkai energy from it, the power of a Herrscher still has its limits.

If too much power is consumed in a short period of time, the Herrscher Core's mana regeneration speed will not be able to keep up.

Therefore, at this moment, Wendy, like Shihen and the others, relies more on her own skills and experience to fight, in order to conserve her energy for the battles to come.

Even in energy-saving mode, Wendy can still exert power no weaker than a normal S-rank Valkyrie, but compared to the massive waves of Honkai Beasts, one S-rank Valkyrie is still far from enough.

"But if this continues..."

"Single-handedly dealing with a Honkai Beast attacking from one direction," Wendy said hesitantly, her eyes filled with deep worry as she looked at the boy and the others.

Her side was relatively relaxed, but Shihen and Bronya's teams were in considerable danger because each was missing a player.

Although it hasn't reached the point of being extremely dangerous, it's not exactly safe or secure either.

"Don't worry, I've already taken care of the Honkai Beast problem."

Theresa’s confident voice suddenly came through the communication channel.

“Teacher Theresa…”

Just as Wendy was about to ask a question, she suddenly noticed something and looked into the distance.

From within the thick sea of ​​clouds, countless solid missiles, accompanied by hundreds and thousands of energy beams, shot out, instantly clearing out a large number of Honkai Beasts that had been entrenched around the Helios.

In an instant, a large number of Honkai Beast fragments and remains scattered and fell, clearing away even the vast sea of ​​clouds.

Following closely behind, an entire fleet of warships broke through the clouds and appeared before Shihen and the others.

"Reverse entropy..."

Upon seeing a horizontally shaped "S" symbol on the lead floating warship, Wendy immediately recognized the warships' affiliation.

"I hope we're not too late, friends of the Far East Branch."

A slightly languid, calm female voice was added to the communication channel.

"No, you came just in time."

Theresa responded with a smile.

"Dr. Einstein?"

Having recognized the voice from before, Shihen asked with obvious surprise.

"And me too!" another female voice rang out, its fiery personality evident in its tone alone. "This time, we've brought almost all of Anti-Entropy's resources with us!"

"Dr. Tesla, while I understand your eagerness, could you perhaps be a little more mindful of protecting military secrets?"

Einstein sighed helplessly.

Even if the two sides are allies, they wouldn't reveal their secrets so easily, would they?

"What's the big deal? Aren't we all on the same side here?"

Tesla retorted confidently.

Wendy: "..."

She wanted to say that she didn't seem to be one of the so-called "one of us".

From beginning to end, she never imagined that the people from Anti-Entropy would get involved.

Having only returned to St. Freya a few days ago, Theresa and the others didn't have time to talk to her about the alliance with Anti-Entropy.

Or, it should be described as a secret alliance.

After all, under the forceful promotion of a certain anti-entropy leader, Destiny and anti-entropy had long been allies.

Even if such a covenant is less than a piece of waste paper.

"In short, that's roughly how things are."

Ignoring the still bewildered looks on some people's faces, Tesla abruptly ended the conversation and asked, "Shihen, are you still wearing the Apollo bracelet?"

"Yes, Dr. Tesla."

Shihen glanced at the red bracelet on his left hand, which already had several wear marks, and answered obediently.

This is what Theresa asked him to wear during this mission.

"That's good!

I'm now transferring the spare Apollo spacecraft to you. You can receive it and use it immediately.

Tesla stated this directly, without any beating around the bush.

The moment the girl finished speaking, a notification popped up on Shihen's bracelet.

After only a slight hesitation, he accepted, and a red figure quickly solidified around the boy.

when!

The half-ton mech landed on the warship's deck with a heavy thud. Its red paint job, as always, resembled a raging flame, as if the mech that had been severely damaged in New Zealand had been resurrected.

However, upon closer inspection, one can discern the differences between the two through some of the rougher decorations.

"Ahem... This machine is just a backup. Its performance will be somewhat worse than the previous one. Be careful when you use it."

Seeing that the boy was already equipped with a mecha, Tesla spoke up to explain, though his confidence seemed somewhat lacking.

Always committed to improvement and innovation, she would never personally build two identical mechs.

Therefore, rather than saying that this mech was a backup for the Apollo mission, it would be more accurate to say that it was a hastily modified version of a previous experimental prototype.

Unfortunately, after battling two Herrschers in New Zealand, the Apollo was completely destroyed and could only be reused after thorough repairs.

Even if she herself were the developer of the mecha, she wouldn't be able to complete the project in a short time.

The fact that she could modify an experimental machine to the point where it could participate in combat within a few days already demonstrates her ability.

While trying to justify himself, Tesla couldn't help but think of the Apollo spacecraft, which was in terrible condition, and felt a little frustrated.

She only delivered the mecha a few days ago! How did Shihen manage to use it and end up like that?!

“I understand, Dr. Tesla.”

Ignoring Tesla's inner monologue, Shihen answered earnestly.

"And one more thing……"

Over the communication channel, Einstein suddenly spoke up, "Although it would be more proper for us to hand this to you personally, you will need it now."

So make good use of Time Mark, and don't waste this power.

As the doctor spoke, his words were both languid and solemn, a blue gauntlet, incongruous with the style of the mecha design, appeared on the right hand of the Apollo.

"This is……"

As if shocked by the immense power contained within the gauntlet, Shihen's breathing became heavier.

“The Star of Eden,” Einstein explained, “From this moment on, this star, which shines brightly with the birth of anti-entropy, is officially handed over to you for use.”

Walter has sacrificed himself, the position of leader has been taken by a charlatan, and the power of the alliance has fallen into the hands of that scoundrel Cocolia. Anti-Entropy desperately needs a true leader now.

Therefore, even though the young man still has a long way to go before becoming a true pillar of anti-entropy, Einstein did not mind investing in him in advance.

Or rather, this boy had already caught the eye of Shihen and Tesla long before Shihen chose to betray Anti-Entropy for Raiden Mei.

"Dr. Einstein..."

As if touched by the other person's words, Shihen's voice suddenly choked up.

"Alright, stop nagging. Those Honkai Beasts won't wait for anyone."

Shine your light upon the world, Timeless Traces.