Honkai Impact: My Power Grows When Valkyries Fall For Me — Chapter 45

Chapter 45: The Hyperion

The cataclysmic explosion ripped a hole in the sky above Changkong City, a spectacle of raw power that seized the attention of every soul in the vicinity.

This naturally included the Hyperion, the advanced battleship currently suspended in the heavens above the beleaguered city.

On the bridge, a frantic chorus of piercing alarms and blaring alerts echoed off the metallic walls. Consoles flashed red, reporting off-the-charts Honkai Energy readings.

“Headmaster! An ultra-large-scale Honkai Energy fission explosion has been detected in the vicinity of St. Freya Academy!” an operator cried out, her voice trembling with a mixture of fear and disbelief as she reported to the small figure standing behind her.

“Honkai Energy fission?”

Theresa frowned, her gaze fixed on the bridge’s main viewport. In the distance, a colossal pillar of incandescent energy clawed at the heavens. The soaring flames tore through the cloud layer, painting the sky in violent hues of orange and purple before gradually dissipating. As she watched the spectacle unfold, a flicker of understanding dawned in her eyes.

A quiet, almost inaudible whisper escaped her lips. “It really was you…”

——————

The last vestiges of the shockwave faded into the ruined cityscape, leaving behind an eerie silence. On the street below, the dissipating remains of the Honkai Emperor were all that was left, surrounded by a perfectly cleared, fan-shaped area of devastation.

Lucian lowered the energy bow as it dissolved into motes of light in his hands, letting out a long, shuddering sigh.

A dull, insistent throb pulsed from his right eye. The final attack had drained a significant portion of his reserves, but the results were undeniably effective. The sheer destructive power was immense, yet the ability came with considerable limitations. It was a trump card that could only be played in an environment like this, saturated with ambient Honkai Energy for him to command.

Under normal circumstances, he would never have access to such a vast reservoir. If he were forced to convert the energy from Imaginary Space himself, a single shot would leave him utterly spent. And then there was the obvious drawback: it was completely unusable at close range, lest he vaporize himself along with his target.

“Is… is it over?” Kiana blinked, her gaze shifting from the apocalyptic mess in the distance to the boy standing beside her. Her eyes were wide, filled with a deep astonishment that bordered on awe.

Mei simply stared, her expression a blank mask as she surveyed the ruins. Her eyes then drifted to Lucian’s profile. She pressed her lips into a thin line, a storm of unspoken thoughts swirling behind her silence.

Bronya hovered nearby, her mechanical eyes glowing faintly. She watched Lucian with an unnerving stillness, her processors likely analyzing the energy composition and raw power of the attack she had just witnessed.

“Yes, it’s dealt with,” Lucian confirmed, rubbing the space between his eyebrows to ward off a looming headache. He turned to the three girls. “But that commotion was too big. We can’t stay here any longer.”

“…The rescue team from Schicksal’s Far East Branch has arrived,” he added, deciding against a lengthy explanation for now. “Let’s head to the rendezvous point.”

Without another word, he led the group toward the coordinates Theresa had sent him. As they handled the increasingly dilapidated streets, they found their path surprisingly clear. The number of Death Soldiers seemed to have dwindled significantly, the creatures likely having been intimidated or outright annihilated by the recent explosion. The few that remained were easily dispatched by Lucian.

Roughly twenty minutes later, a relatively open plaza emerged at the end of their line of sight.

Descending from the bruised sky was a simplified, silver-white battleship. It hung in the air with a silent grace that belied its immense size. A hatch on the side of the hull slid open without a sound, extending a ramp that connected smoothly with the ground.

It was the Hyperion.

As the ramp settled, a petite figure was the first to emerge, hopping down with surprising agility. She was dressed in a neat nun’s habit, a massive golden cross strapped to her back that seemed comically oversized for her small frame. And then there were her eyes—that signature, piercing azure blue.

Theresa Apocalypse.

Her gaze swept quickly over Lucian and the three girls, her eyes lingering on Kiana for a fraction of a second longer than the others. Her pupils contracted almost imperceptibly before her expression returned to a calm, professional mask.

“Lady Theresa,” Lucian said, stepping forward and offering a slight nod of respect.

Theresa nodded back, her small face etched with seriousness. Her tone was all business. “Board the ship. We’ll discuss the details on the way.”

The group followed Theresa up the ramp and into the Hyperion. The interior was brightly lit, a sterile yet impressive environment of clean lines and advanced technology. Several figures in Valkyrie uniforms moved about with quiet efficiency, their faces focused.

“Take them to the lounge,” Theresa instructed a Valkyrie who approached to greet them. She then turned her gaze to Lucian. “You, come with me to the bridge.”

“Yes, Headmaster,” the Valkyrie acknowledged. Her eyes briefly appraised Kiana, Mei, and Bronya before she offered a polite, if somewhat strained, smile. “This way, please.”

Lucian gave Kiana a reassuring look, a silent promise that he would explain everything later, then turned to follow Theresa toward the front of the ship.

After handling several pristine corridors, they entered the bridge command room. Theresa walked directly to the main console, pulling up the real-time monitoring feed of Changkong City.

“Have a seat,” she said, gesturing to a nearby chair before hopping up onto the much higher command throne, her legs beginning to swing idly in the air.

Lucian nodded and sat, waiting for her to speak.

Theresa remained silent for a few moments, her hands folded neatly on her knees as her sharp gaze fixed directly on Lucian.

“The situation in Changkong City is worse than we anticipated. It’s a relief that you’re unharmed.” Her voice was steady, echoing slightly in the quiet of the bridge. “However, we still haven’t found any trace of the Third Herrscher…”

Her eyes shifted to the main screen, which now displayed a satellite map of the city. Several highlighted dots pulsed over the St. Freya Academy area, indicating intense Honkai Energy residue.

“Did you notice anything unusual on your way here?”

Lucian met her gaze and nodded slowly. “Headmaster, the Third Herrscher is among the three people I brought with me.”

Theresa’s swinging legs abruptly stopped. Her mouth fell open slightly, and for a solid second, she seemed completely at a loss for words.

“…You’re saying… one of those three is a Herrscher?”

Lucian nodded again, watching as a peculiar and complex series of emotions washed over Theresa’s face. It was a look that said, ‘I knew nothing good would come of this,’followed by,’You really know how to cause trouble for me,’and finally settling on,’But somehow, I’m not entirely surprised.’

“Sigh…” A long, resigned sigh escaped her lips, and she couldn’t stop herself from rolling her eyes. “So this was the task Grandfather assigned you? To monitor the not-yet-awakened Third Herrscher?”

Watching her reaction, the corner of Lucian’s mouth twitched. “To be precise, Otto’s task for me was to monitor Kiana, and the Herrscher core within her,” he corrected, seeing no reason to hide the truth from her. “Meeting Mei… that was unexpected.”

Theresa’s brows furrowed, and she looked at Lucian with a strange, knowing expression. “I thought as much…” she murmured, a trace of understanding dawning on her face.

Not long ago, Siegfried had sought her out, telling her the impossible: that the real Kiana was still alive. It was then that Theresa had learned of the cooperative agreement between the rogue Kaslana and Lucian.

“Alright then…” she said, changing the subject. “That explosion in Changkong City just now. It must have been very close to your initial location…”

“I caused it,” Lucian admitted directly, without any attempt to prevaricate. “There was a Honkai Emperor blocking our path. I decided to test a newly acquired ability to clear it.”

Theresa let out a soft ‘hmph,’ not seeming the least bit surprised by his answer.

This, however, surprised Lucian. In all his mental preparations for this conversation, her reaction was not supposed to be… this. Shouldn’t she be staring at him in shock? Demanding details? Questioning how he possessed such power?

Why was her response so flat, as if she already knew everything about him?

“You’re not surprised?” Lucian finally couldn’t help but ask, the genuine confusion clear in his voice.

Theresa looked down at him from her command chair. Her azure eyes held none of the shock or curiosity he had anticipated. Instead, they held a hint of something else entirely—the exasperated look one might give to a clever but hopelessly troublesome child.

“Well,” she said, a faint, wry smile playing on her lips. “You are Lucian, after all. So no, there’s nothing to be surprised about.”