Miss Riddler just wants to level up in peace.

Rita gripped the long handle of the scythe tightly, not daring to be careless for even a moment.

Why did you take action?

Kiana questioned, "How did we become enemies in just one day?"

Not only that, even the class monitor...

"Miss Kiana, you must have already noticed."

“There is something very dangerous hidden inside you. If it gets out of control, it will cause a disaster and kill a lot of people, including your friends.”

"..."

Kiana lowered her head, unable to offer a rebuttal, her words hitting the nail on the head.

She knew her body best, and the nightmares in the fragments of her memory would occasionally bare their fangs.

She saw one ruin after another, and her hands were covered in blood.

Rita's words confirmed her worst fears.

If that moment really comes, what choice should she make?

"Don't listen to her, I have my own plans."

"But....."

Judging from Rita's words, this whole thing started because of her, and it even dragged Ziyao into it.

Kiana tried to pull her right hand away, but Ziyao grabbed it tightly.

Soft and warm, it gave her a sense of security.

However... the opponent is Rita, and Kiana feels that her chances of winning are slim.

The S-rank Valkyrie of Destiny, an existence that these students look up to.

"Is that so? It seems we'll have to ask you to leave."

Seeing Ziyao take out a weapon, Rita shook her head.

It would be best to resolve this peacefully, but unfortunately the other side gave up on that option.

"You go up the mountain first, I'll follow later."

Suddenly, a salted fish sword appeared in the girl's hand, its strange appearance making it hard to associate it with a weapon.

In their first encounter, they barely managed to fight to a draw.

The first strike was merely a probe; Rita was extremely cautious. Once she confirmed the feel of the hit, a barrage of attacks followed.

Ziyao calmly parried the attacks while searching for openings.

"Your body is too weak, you should give up."

"Don't worry."

As if she had figured out her secrets, Rita blocked the attack and immediately unleashed her killing move.

The fallen leaves were instantly severed, the sharp attack slicing out in a crescent shape, as if time itself had frozen.

"Whoosh—!"

He raised his sword to parry, and the purple-quality salted fish sword immediately shattered.

As the fragments scattered, a wisp of pale pink smoke also rose into the air.

"Ahem... As expected of Rita, her ability is truly admirable."

As the fog dissipated, Ziyao took a deep breath.

My wrist trembled, and the violent shaking made my thumb and forefinger ache.

Just blocking that one attack exhausted all his strength.

My arms and legs are sore and weak, and it's already a struggle to stand.

"You flatter me. Could you please move aside?"

My body feels a little hot, probably due to the strenuous exercise.

Rita dared not relax for a moment, keeping a close eye on Ziyao's every move.

"Of course you can, but do you still have the strength?"

Ziyao breathed a sigh of relief as she tossed the packaging bag containing the powdered tea into the trash can.

Although it's a bit shameless, playing dirty tricks is indeed very effective.

Furthermore, the other party had also poisoned them, so this was a case of tit for tat.

"Clang—!!"

The attack, which was clearly losing momentum, was easily blocked by the girl's broken sword.

The medicine, which should have worked quickly, was taking a very long time to take effect. I guess that's typical of Rita...

"The more you exercise, the more poisoned you become, so save your breath."

The "Strange Pink Tea" I drew back then wasn't poison, but rather a cat aphrodisiac.

"Tsk..."

Careless.

I never expected that the smoke that came out of the sword blade after it was cut was actually poison.

There's nothing to say about falling behind others due to a lack of thorough consideration.

Rita knelt on the ground, feeling weak and feverish, as if she had just finished a 10,000-meter race.

On the other side, Fu Hua gradually recovered, and Guan Xing was put on the defensive.

Leaving Rita behind, Ziyao climbed the mountain path.

The mountaintop was covered with rosemary, but the overly strong fragrance was actually quite unpleasant.

Next to it stands an old Ferris wheel. This place used to be a scenic park, but it has become rusty due to a lack of maintenance for a long time.

Below was a precipice, and the deep valley echoed with birdsong.

"Why are you hurt?"

Kiana quickly took out a tissue and wiped the bloodstains from Ziyao's shoulder.

Although he blocked the attack, he still suffered a minor injury.

Upon seeing the blood, Kiana suddenly became very nervous, worried that Ziyao's injuries were serious.

"It's alright, more important than this, we need to get out of here first."

Only by making contact with Theresa can we get help.

But to cross this valley, one must rely on the power of stargazing.

Thinking this, Ziyao told Guanxing to stop fighting and immediately return to the mountaintop.

"Um... will I really become a Herrscher?"

She has been worried about this matter for the past few days.

Rita and the others' actions undoubtedly turned their doubts into reality.

Destiny is the first line of defense against the Honkai, so wouldn't it be better to cooperate with Destiny?

"If nothing unexpected happens, something unexpected is likely to occur."

Ziyao replied that becoming a Herrscher was unavoidable.

Since the first time is very painful, we can only take it slowly and proceed step by step; the principle is the same.

"What should we do? Is there any way...?"

The girl clutched Ziyao's clothes tightly, her moist eyes filled with helplessness.

She didn't tell anyone else about this; the only one who knew was Ziyao.

If she only knew about the Herrschers, but not those fragments of memory, perhaps she would be better off.

But having experienced that scene firsthand, it's impossible to forget it.

"Kiss me and I'll tell you."

To calm Kiana down, Ziyao pointed to her cheek.

"Dream on... I wouldn't kiss you. I might consider it if it were Mei..."

Kiana turned her head away haughtily, secretly glancing at Ziyao.

"By the way... can that white-haired girl help us...?"

She recalled that blurry figure, which inexplicably overlapped with the girl in front of her.

"perhaps?"

swish swish...

—An uninvited guest arrives.

Rita, dragging her long scythe, approached the two step by step.

If you replace the rosemary with reeds, Ziyao's DNA will be activated.

Judging from her appearance, Rita has not yet recovered from the effects of the pink tea.

At the same time, the stargazer returned to the mountaintop.

"Lady Theresa... no, you are not her."

Not only are their outfits different, but their demeanor is also different.

"You have excellent insight; I admire you."

He waved his feather fan and nodded as he observed the stars.

"Then Rita will not stand on ceremony."

Before the words were even finished, the sharp scythe was only inches away from Guan Xing's delicate neck.