Honkai: Starting to Wander with Kiana

Ryn and Kiana didn't wait long before Sparkle arrived on the scene with reinforcements aboard her aerial vehicle.

Once aboard the ship, Sparkle approached them in full combat gear.

Visualize the scene.

Almost immediately, Ryn addressed Sparkle: "Do you know who the enemy is? Is this just a basic kidnapping or something more?"

"It's hard to say," Sparkle replied. "They likely aren't ordinary. Given the level of planning involved, this might be connected to the false allegations against Raiden Ryoma and could very well be the work of Entropy."

"Entropy, huh… That complicates things. They're not as powerful as Schicksal, but they're still no pushover. However, if their leader, the First Herrscher, isn't present, I can rely on my Sabayon armor capabilities to blow them to bits."

"Is your armor really that strong?" Kiana asked curiously, touching the outer layer of Sparkle's Sabayon armor. "I've seen it before several times, but it always looks so cool."

Sparkle raised her head proudly. "Of course! This armor was found at an ancient site by Schicksal. It's far more advanced than anything we have today. Schicksal even integrated their Nexue system into it. Combined with my Stigma gear, we can unleash firepower you can't even imagine. If I have enough energy, I could even take down a Herrscher."

"Wow! If we have something like that, we'll definitely save Mei. I want a set like that too, Ryn…" Kiana looked at Ryn with wide, pleading eyes. To her, there was nothing he couldn't do.

Seeing Kiana's hopeful expression, Ryn felt a sudden surge of motivation. If Otto won't give us the plans, I'll make them myself!

Though, joking aside, if I could really make something like that, why would I be working for Otto in the first place?

Ryn patted Kiana on the head. "Don't worry. After we save Mei, I'll give Otto a special present. When that happens, he'll surely give us two sets of battle armor."

"What kind of present could be that good?" Both Kiana and Sparkle looked at Ryn, curious.

"A secret."

"Tch—"

Mei's location was finally pinpointed to a site in North America. Ryn and his team followed the signal, arriving on the scene one to two hours after Mei was first detected there.

Ryn and Kiana were tasked with the assault, while Sparkle and the pilot provided air cover. Cortana had already hacked into the base's systems, uploading the layout and intel to Ryn's phone and the aircraft.

From the cockpit, Sparkle analyzed the data with Cortana, but then they saw something alarming through the surveillance feed: the Entropists were conducting experiments on Mei in a lab.

"She's in the lab. We don't know what they're up to. Ryn, Kiana, move fast. I'll create an opening and draw their fire." With that, Sparkle ordered the pilot to open fire alongside her.

Missiles from the aircraft and Sparkle's energy beams bombarded the Entropy base in a barrage, giving Ryn and Kiana their chance to sneak inside.

Ryn had Cortana produce anti-gravity armor for himself and Kiana. While it wasn't as advanced as Schicksal's Valkyrie armor, it enhanced their physical capabilities significantly. At the very least, bullets would bounce off it.

Even though Ryn and Kiana could endure some hits, their reaction times weren't fast enough to dodge bullets without anticipating the shots. The armor mitigated this disadvantage.

According to Cortana, they were about to encounter the enemy's defense forces.

Ryn used Honkai energy to project his Stigma weapon, the Virtual Weapon Array, into his hands. In its normal form, it was a heavy cannon, but it fired fast enough to function like an assault rifle. The downside was that excessive use drained his energy rapidly.

Seeing Kiana tense up as she gripped her two guns, Ryn tried to reassure her.

"Kiana, have you killed anyone before? This is my first time… My heart's racing."

Kiana shook her head. "It's my first time too… But we've killed tons of Honkai Beasts before. If you think of them as those, it might feel easier."

"Alright, get ready. We're going in. Sparkle, fire!"

At Ryn's command, a beam of light shot down from the horizon, blasting a massive hole in the wall ahead. While the people inside were still in shock, Ryn and Kiana charged in.

Kiana's gun combat—no, her combat instincts—were extraordinary. Like a nimble cat, she weaved through enemy fire, every shot from her guns sending someone to the ground.

In contrast, Ryn's fighting style was far more brutal. Each shot from his heavy cannon created craters, leaving no time for the enemy to react. When they tried to rush him, he planted his cannon into the ground. It emitted energy pulses that knocked down everyone nearby. Then Ryn summoned a massive sword and charged at the enemy, spinning wildly.

From the air, Sparkle's support was even more devastating. Every shot from her Sabayon flattened entire sections of the base.

Learning of Ryn's surprise attack, Cocolia hesitated briefly before ordering a retreat. She hadn't brought many combatants this time; most personnel present were critical lab workers, and each loss was a significant blow.

Cocolia glanced at Raiden Mei on the operating table. Her original intent had been to study Mei's Stigma, but during the examination, she discovered that Raiden Mei's Stigma had been sealed—by the Jewel of Conquest.

"That idiot Tesla," Cocolia muttered. "After hiding that Gem for so many years, it turns out it's a fake. I bet even she doesn't know. Heh, Raiden Ryoma… You're even crueler than I am. Implanting the Gem into your own daughter…"

With that, Cocolia led the researchers in retreat. Outside, the combatants remained unaware, still locked in a deadly struggle with Ryn and his allies. Cocolia didn't care about their lives; she now had a grander plan. She had originally intended to use her research on Mei's Stigma to bring back Seele. However, since Ryoma had dared to tamper with the Conquest Gem, she would dare to create an artificial Herrscher. The Honkai energy released during the Herrscher's emergence would be enough to give Seele a physical body.

By the time Ryn and Kiana reached the lab, everyone else had fled. Only Mei remained, asleep. She had no major wounds, but it was clear she had been experimented on.

On Mei's side, a strange tattoo had appeared on her pale skin. It was the seal Ryoma had used to imprison Mei's Stigma. Now, Cocolia had released it.

Unfortunately, no one realized that what had been released was not just the Stigma… but also the consciousness fused with the Conquest Gem.