Honkai Impact: My Power Grows When Valkyries Fall For Me — Chapter 97

Chapter 97: London Night

The smile on Mobius’s lips stiffened, freezing in place.

A sudden, sharp silence descended upon the room, thick and cold enough to feel.

She stared at Kevin, her gaze fixed on the stagnant void within his ice-blue eyes. Then, a laugh escaped her—a sudden, sharp burst of sound.

The laughter was light, yet it was laced with an indescribable, biting mockery.

“Kill him?”

She repeated the words, her tone dripping with a sense of deep absurdity.

“Kevin, do you have any idea what you’re saying?”

Kevin didn’t answer.

He simply stood there, his gaze meeting hers with an unnerving placidity. In the depths of those glacial eyes, there was no anger, no hatred—only a calm so absolute it bordered on indifference.

“He owes me.”

His voice was a low murmur, yet it cut through the silence with chilling clarity.

Mobius looked at him, at that face that seemed perpetually carved from stone, and a wave of ridicule washed over her.

“Owes you?”

She rose from her chair, taking several slow, deliberate steps toward him. The hem of her stark white shirt swayed with her fluid movements, offering a glimpse of her long, slender legs.

She came to a halt directly before Kevin, tilting her head back to lock her gaze with his. Within her serpentine green eyes, a dangerous light began to flicker.

“What, precisely, does he owe you?”

“Does he owe you a Battle of Finality? Or does he owe you an entire world?” Her voice was a silken whisper, but each word was a shard of ice-cold derision.

Kevin’s eyes flickered, a barely perceptible reaction.

“Kevin,” Mobius continued, her voice softening into something sharp and cruel. “It’s not him you hate.”

“You hate your own incompetence.”

“…”

Kevin remained silent.

He simply turned, his back now to her, and began to walk toward the door. Just as his hand reached the frame, he paused.

“Mobius.”

His voice, still just as cold and remote, drifted back from the doorway.

“When he arrives, tell him.”

“I’ll be waiting for him.”

Mobius stood motionless, watching Kevin’s imposing figure disappear through the doorway. The chill he had brought with him seemed to linger in the air, a evident presence.

She turned, walking back to her chair and sinking into its soft embrace. Her gaze drifted back to the monitor, settling on the image of Lucian’s contemplative face.

The dangerous glint in her serpentine eyes gradually melted away, replaced by an unreadable, deep softness.

“Did you hear that?”

She spoke in a low murmur, as if conversing with the man on the screen.

“Someone wants to kill you.”

Of course, the Lucian on the screen couldn’t answer. He remained frozen in that quiet moment, his brow furrowed in thought.

Mobius’s fingertips gently traced the lines of his face on the cool surface of the screen.

But in the next second, another voice chimed in from behind her.

“Ooh! Mobius making an infatuated face… I have to get a picture of this! ♪”

Mobius’s hand froze mid-caress.

She didn’t turn around, but a flicker of helplessness crossed her features, visible in the depths of her snake-like eyes.

“Elysia.”

Her voice was languid, tinged with the distinct displeasure of being interrupted.

“When did you get here?”

“Hmm~? Probably right around the time you said, ‘Someone wants to kill you’?”

The voice was imbued with a light, carefree lilt that felt utterly alien in the oppressive atmosphere of this World Bubble. Soft, light footsteps padded across the floor from behind.

Mobius still didn’t turn. Her gaze remained fixed on the screen, on Lucian’s thoughtful expression.

“So, how long were you eavesdropping?”

“Eavesdropping?” The voice adopted a tone of wounded innocence. “How could you call it that? I just happened to be passing by and happened to hear some interesting things! ♪”

The corner of Mobius’s mouth curled into a derisive arc.

“Happened to be passing by?”

“No one ever approaches my room, Elysia. Do you really think I’d believe that?”

A light laugh bubbled up from behind her.

“Oh my, you found me out~”

Mobius finally turned her head.

A figure clad in pink stood a few paces away, a camera held playfully in her hands. Long, pink hair was tied into a low ponytail, and her matching pink eyes seemed to shine with their own light in the dim room.

Elysia.

The one who always seemed to be an eternally youthful girl.

Mobius looked at her, and a complex emotion flickered in her gaze.

“What are you doing here?”

Elysia blinked, her gaze traveling past Mobius to land on the monitor behind her.

“To see our dear Mr. Lucian, of course! ♪”

As she spoke, she glided to Mobius’s side with light, graceful steps, leaning down to get closer to the screen. Lucian’s face was reflected in her wide, pink eyes. She stared for a few seconds, then let out a soft gasp of admiration.

“…He’s exactly the same as in my memories.”

Mobius’s brow furrowed. Watching Elysia’s enthusiastic display, a sudden, inexplicable wave of irritation washed over her.

“Have you seen enough?”

Her voice was several degrees colder than before.

Elysia paid her tone no mind, simply straightening up and turning to look at her. The playful light in her pink eyes had been replaced by an unreadable complexity.

“Mobius, are you really going to let him come here?”

“What do you mean?”

Elysia studied her, remaining silent for a few long seconds before a soft smile touched her lips. The smile was faint, but it held a seriousness that Mobius had rarely, if ever, seen from her.

“You know what will happen once he arrives.”

Mobius didn’t answer. She sat quietly in her chair, her gaze returning to the screen, to Lucian’s face frozen in thought.

“He will face Kevin’s hatred.”

“He will face the truth of the Previous Era.”

“He will face… all those ‘futures’ he was never a part of.”

Mobius’s fingers curled slightly, digging into the armrest. But the expression on her face remained a mask of calm.

“So what?”

Her voice was soft, yet each word was exceptionally clear.

“That is what he owes all of us.”

Elysia looked at her, at the turbulent light swirling in those serpentine eyes, and let out a quiet sigh.

“Mobius…”

She called her name, her voice stripped of its usual vibrant energy.

“Do you really think he owes us anything?”

Mobius’s brow tightened. She turned her head, her gaze sharp as she looked at Elysia. An indescribable light flickered in her eyes.

“What are you trying to say?”

Elysia didn’t answer right away. She just stood there, her pink eyes reflecting Mobius’s tense expression. The air in the room seemed to crystallize in the silence between them.

Then, Elysia’s soft smile returned.

“The only ones he doesn’t owe anything to,” she said gently, “are us.”

“We all know that.”

——————

London, 10:50 PM.

Lucian stood at the entrance of a café near Tower Bridge, clutching a cup of Americano that had long since gone cold.

Twenty minutes had passed since he’d learned that Mobius was trapped inside a World Bubble, but his thoughts remained a chaotic storm.

He glanced down at the coffee cup in his hand. The cold, dark liquid sloshed gently inside the paper cup, a fine layer of condensation clinging to its outer wall. He couldn’t remember when he had bought it, or even why.

Lifting his head, his gaze fell upon Tower Bridge in the distance. Under the night sky, the iconic landmark was brilliantly illuminated, its two massive towers standing like silent guardians over the River Thames.

A vibration in his pocket broke his reverie.

Lucian set the coffee cup down on a nearby ledge and pulled out his phone.

It was a message from Kiana.

[Goofball Deskmate: Lucian! What are you doing?]

[Goofball Deskmate: It should be night in England now, right? Is the night view pretty?]

A faint smile touched Lucian’s lips as he read the messages. He typed out a reply.

[Lucian: I’m over by Tower Bridge. The night view is alright.]

[Goofball Deskmate: Tower Bridge? That famous bridge?]

[Goofball Deskmate: Hurry up and take a picture for me! I want to see!]

Lucian chuckled softly at her enthusiastic demands. He opened his camera app and framed a shot of the bridge in the distance. In the darkness, its bright lights stretched across the water, their reflections shimmering like long, distorted ribbons on the surface of the Thames.

He sent the photo.

A few seconds later, Kiana’s reply came through.

[Goofball Deskmate: Wow! So pretty!]

[Goofball Deskmate: Oh right, what time is it over there?]

Lucian glanced at the time in the top right corner of his screen.

10:53 PM.

He typed back a quick line.

[Lucian: Around 11 PM.]

Kiana’s replies paused for a few seconds. Then, a new message popped up.

[Goofball Deskmate: 11 PM? Then what are you doing at Tower Bridge all by yourself?]

[Lucian: Looking at the night view.]

[Goofball Deskmate: Looking at the night view alone?]

[Goofball Deskmate: I feel like you’re lying to me.]

The corner of Lucian’s mouth twitched. ‘This girl’s intuition is terrifyingly accurate,’ he thought.

He was about to type a reassuring lie when his phone vibrated again.

[Goofball Deskmate: Did you go to meet someone again?]

Lucian stared at the line, a silent second passing before he sighed in defeat.

He typed out his surrender.

[Lucian: How did you know?]

Kiana’s reply was almost instantaneous.

[Goofball Deskmate: Hehe~ Because this young lady knows you best!]

[Goofball Deskmate: Tell me, who is it this time? Male or female?]

Reading her message, Lucian felt a headache coming on. He thought for a moment, a mischievous impulse taking over.

[Lucian: Female.]

[Goofball Deskmate: …]

[Goofball Deskmate: Lucian!!!]

Lucian’s mouth twitched into a grin. He could almost picture Kiana’s hair standing on end from halfway across the world.

He quickly typed a follow-up.

[Lucian: Just kidding. I’m just out for a walk by myself.]

Kiana’s response was swift.

[Goofball Deskmate: Really?]

[Lucian: Really.]

[Goofball Deskmate: Fine… I’ll reluctantly believe you this once.]

[Goofball Deskmate: But if you dare to mess around out there, I’ll have Mei go to England to catch you!]

Lucian looked at that last line and felt a genuine laugh bubble up. Have Mei come to catch him? Given Mei’s recent possessiveness, he suspected it wouldn’t be as simple as just “catching” him if she actually showed up.

He sent a simple reply.

[Lucian: Mm.]

He put his phone away, picked up the cold coffee again, and took a small sip. The bitter, chilled liquid slid down his throat.

He looked up, his gaze once more falling on Tower Bridge. The lighthearted conversation with Kiana had managed to lift his spirits, if only slightly.

Just then, his phone vibrated again.

Lucian glanced down. It was a message from Mei.

[Mei: Kiana just ran over to find me. She said you’re in England looking at the night view alone and that it’s very suspicious.]

[Mei: Is it true?]

Lucian stared at the two messages, the corner of his mouth twitching. That girl actually went to tattle on him.

He typed back.

[Lucian: Yeah, I’m alone.]

Mei’s reply was quick.

[Mei: Really?]

[Lucian: Really.]

[Mei: Then send a selfie to prove you’re alone.]

Lucian was momentarily stunned. A selfie? He looked at the phone screen, a feeling somewhere between amusement and exasperation washing over him.

He raised his phone and snapped a quick photo of himself. The brilliant lights of Tower Bridge formed a glowing halo in the background, while his own face was slightly blurry in the dim evening light.

He sent it.

A few seconds later, Mei replied.

[Mei: Alright, I believe you.]

[Mei: Go back to the hotel soon. Don’t stay out too late.]

[Lucian: Mm.]

[Mei: Goodnight.]

[Lucian: Goodnight.]

Lucian put his phone away and let out a soft sigh. The brief distraction was over, but the advice was sound.

‘Since things have come to this,’he thought,’I might as well go back and get some sleep.’

]