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ArabicHonkai Impact: My VR Harem is Real — Chapter 147
Chapter 147: The Deep Sea Sanctuary
Within minutes, Himeko received the support she had requested. Troops from the local Nanwu Branch arrived, bringing with them a full complement of deep-sea exploration equipment.
“Alright, girls, playtime is over for now,” Himeko announced, her voice carrying over the sea breeze. “It’s time we parted ways.”
“Auntie Himeko… what do you mean by that?” Kiana asked, her head tilting in confusion.
“Idiot Kiana,” Bronya stated flatly from her hovering position. “Teacher Himeko means that we are not to interfere in this mission.”
“Bronya is right,” Himeko confirmed, her expression firm as she began to don her deep-sea diving gear. “You are all still students at St. Freya Academy. You haven’t even received your official Valkyrie ranks yet. A mission this dangerous is no place for you.”
“What are you saying, Himeko? We’re plenty strong!” Kiana’s face flushed with indignation, her voice rising in protest. She was clearly dissatisfied with Himeko’s decision. They had followed her all the way here, and now, with the legendary Jiuyou practically at their feet, Himeko was telling them to turn back? What kind of logic was that?
“A Valkyrie needs more than just combat power; she needs discipline. Kiana, a soldier who can’t obey a superior’s orders would be washed out in the first round of evaluations.” Himeko seemed resolute, her mind set on keeping the three students out of the water.
“But—” Kiana started, ready to argue further.
“Alright, Kiana,” Mei interjected, her gentle voice a soothing balm on Kiana’s fiery temper. “Teacher Himeko is just worried about our safety.”
“Exactly. Idiot Kiana only knows how to cause trouble,” Bronya added, delivering another perfectly timed barb.
“I do not cause trouble! Only idiot Bronya causes trouble!” Kiana’s attention was successfully diverted, and she immediately rounded on the smaller girl.
In the end, Kiana could only watch with a frustrated pout as Himeko, Rovel, and Fu Hua boarded a yacht and steered it away from the shore.
“Whatever…” Kiana grumbled, her shoulders slumped. “It’s just a stupid Valkyrie rank, no big deal! When the next ranking test comes, I’ll become a B-Rank… no, an A-Rank Valkyrie!”
Still brooding, she picked up a flat stone from the beach and angrily skipped it across the water’s surface.
“Idiot Kiana,” Bronya floated over, her expression unchanging. “Before he went underwater, Rovel assigned us other tasks.”
“Huh? And why should I listen to him?” Kiana’s mood soured even further.
“Is that so?” Bronya replied coolly. “Then Idiot Kiana can stay on the shore by herself. Sister Mei and I will proceed with the mission.”
Not bothering to indulge her further, Bronya simply turned to walk away. The mention of a mission, however, was enough to pique Kiana’s interest. Her ears perked up.
“Bronya, hey! Wait up!” she called out, immediately chasing after her. “Explain what you mean! What mission is it?”
“This should be the place,” Rovel said to Himeko, who stood beside him on the deck of the yacht. He could feel the Xuanyuan Sword at his side vibrating, the hum growing more intense with each passing moment.
“Mm,” Himeko agreed, handing him a folded diving suit. “You should put this on, too. It might be a bit restrictive, but safety comes first.”
“Himeko, I have some… special abilities,” Rovel said with a calm smile. “The water won’t be a problem for me.”
Before Himeko could protest, he stepped to the edge of the yacht and simply dropped into the sea. She rushed to the railing, expecting to see him surface, but instead, she witnessed a scene that defied all logic.
Rovel was standing on the water. His feet, clad only in his boots, rested on the churning surface as if it were solid ground. The currents seemed to part around him, gently cradling his body and holding him aloft.
Himeko’s mind raced. Her first thought was a Herrscher’s Authority. Her second was the miraculous power granted by a unique Stigma. She pursed her lips, her professional gaze narrowing as she studied him.
“And if you lose consciousness,” she challenged, “can you guarantee the deep-sea pressure won’t crush you?”
“Mm,” Rovel nodded, his expression unwavering. “The water won’t hurt me.”
It wasn’t just a boast. He wasn’t merely relying on his awakened Authority of Water. It was something deeper, a fundamental understanding that had manifested in his mind. It felt like an innate reflex, as automatic and certain as a newborn’s instinct to suckle or the jerk of a knee when tapped. This was an instinctual mastery, a gift from “Taiyi.”
Unlike the Authorities of Wood and Quantum he had already awakened, his compatibility with the Authority of Water was astonishingly high. Or perhaps, it was “Taiyi’s” compatibility that was so deep. From the moment he had entered this sea, he’d felt every cell in his body thrum with a joyful resonance.
“…If you feel any discomfort, you tell me immediately,” Himeko finally relented, not pressing the issue. Though Rovel had a flair for the dramatic, she knew he wouldn’t gamble with his life.
With that, the three of them began their descent.
Just as Rovel had claimed, he was completely at ease submerged in the ocean, able to breathe and even speak as if he were on dry land. As they plunged deeper, the sunlight faded, and the world around them dissolved into an oppressive, inky blackness. Visibility dropped to near zero, but Rovel was entirely unaffected. His eyes cut through the gloom, allowing him to see every detail of the deep sea as clearly as if it were day.
When they reached a depth of three hundred meters, the darkness was absolute. Rovel had to take Himeko and Fu Hua by the hand to guide them through the crushing pressure.
“This should be it,” he said, his voice calm in the silent depths. He gestured toward a fissure in a massive rock face and led them toward it.
They swam through the narrow opening and emerged into the impossible. Inside the underwater cave, three hundred meters below the surface, was a large, perfectly dry chamber. Not only that, but the atmospheric pressure and oxygen concentration were almost identical to the world above.
“Is this Jiuyou?” Himeko murmured in awe, stripping off her heavy diving helmet. She immediately checked her instruments. The Honkai Energy concentration was a staggering 500 HW.
There was only one path forward, a tunnel that led straight into the heart of the cavern. After walking for a few minutes, they found themselves standing before a massive stone door that blocked the entire passage.
“The patterns carved on this are dragons,” Fu Hua noted, her voice filled with academic interest. “The divine beasts of ancient Shenzhou.” She instinctively reached up to push a pair of glasses up the bridge of her nose, only for her fingers to find empty air. She’d taken them off before the dive.
“Then it seems we’ve found the right place,” Himeko nodded with satisfaction. She hefted her greatsword, its metallic form gleaming in the cavern’s faint light, and prepared to strike. “Watch me split this door in two!”
“Wait! Teacher Himeko, don’t be impulsive!” Fu Hua hastily grabbed her arm. “If we don’t open it using the correct mechanism, we could trigger traps inside the ruins!” She pointed to a worn stone tablet nearby. “Judging by the patterns on that stele, the switches to open the door are located down the paths on either side!”
“Sorry,” Himeko sighed, lowering her sword. “Got a little impatient. In that case, let’s split up to find the switches… Rovel, why are you staring at Fu Hua?”
She turned, intending to send Rovel down the other path, only to find him gazing intently at the class monitor. He was even nodding to himself, making soft, ambiguous sounds of approval.
“I’ve just never seen the Class Monitor without her glasses before,” Rovel said, a thoughtful look on his face. “Hmm… I have to say, those glasses were sealing at least fifty percent of her peerless beauty.” He finished his assessment with a confident thumbs-up.
“…”
Both Himeko and Fu Hua fell utterly silent.
“You,” Himeko said, her voice dangerously flat as she jabbed a thumb toward the opposite tunnel. “Go to that path. Alone. Keep in touch.” She gave Rovel a firm shove in the right direction, her patience clearly at its limit.