Honkai Diary: Start With Picking Up A White-Haired Treasure

"Even as your opponents, we can't help but admire your resilience. Your reactions are getting faster, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to spot any unnecessary movements... To grow stronger amidst such intense combat is truly remarkable. You're a force of nature."

One of the Valkyries suddenly spoke with genuine admiration. Unaware of the black armor's incredible capabilities, she assumed it was merely defensive gear.

Her words were truly heartfelt. Despite being so young, Kiana possessed extraordinary skills—a promising talent that would have made her another S-rank candidate for Schicksal. With such potential, she could've become one of their top-tier combatants.

"Thanks for the compliment; you're not bad yourselves! So, I'm about to leave now—can we call it quits and let me pass?" Kiana replied cheerfully, seemingly oblivious to the tense atmosphere. Her nonchalant tone left the Valkyries speechless.

Another Valkyrie shook her head.

"Your growth can't replace the energy you've expended. Fighting four-on-one, plus the earlier chaos, even with your impressive stamina, you must be nearing your limit, right? Do you really think we'll let you go?"

"Ahh, I knew it... Well, then there's no other choice. Zeke once said, 'Truth lies within the range of a cannon.' As long as our firepower is sufficient, there's no enemy our truth cannot persuade! Alright, brace yourselves—it's time to reveal my true trump card!"

Kiana spread her arms wide and tilted her head back as if gazing at the sky, summoning something extraordinary.

And indeed, that's precisely what she was doing.

"Buzzzzz..."

An ear-piercing hum filled the air around them.

The vigilant Valkyries looked up to see countless black spheres densely packed across the clear, cloudless sky, revealing numerous ominous red dots amidst their ranks.

"Look out!"

"ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!"

As one of the Valkyries sounded the warning, endless laser beams scorched the earth below, leaving behind horrifying craters.

Fortunately, the Valkyries swiftly retreated, escaping the range of this attack without sustaining any injuries.

But seizing the opportunity, Kiana leaped high into the air, grabbing hold of a spherical worker drone. She grinned mischievously at them.

"You're my choice! Zeke taught me the true purpose of these worker drones...and it's actually this!"

With those words, countless worker drones scattered rapidly in all directions while Kiana hurled the sphere in her hand with all her might.

"Detonate!"

"BOOM!!!"

The white light illuminated half of the city base as a small mushroom cloud slowly rose.

Kiana stood atop two worker drones, bracing against the scorching gale soaring through the air with narrowed eyes.

"Just ordinary fission bombs, no Honkai Energy added. With their speed and armor, they should survive. Valkyries are forces against Honkai; our goal isn't slaughter... Go ahead, use standard attacks only. Disrupt their formations thoroughly to draw attention away from Bronya and the others."

"Buzz—"

"What is that?"

"Anti-Entropy's unknown technology?"

"Beware! It's a laser weapon!"

"Fwoosh!"

Countless worker drones appeared above the base.

Focused solely on the Titan threat, the Valkyries were completely unprepared for an attack from the sky or behind them.

Explosions erupted along the entire frontline, swiftly dismantling the once formidable defense that had held back the Titans. The Titan force surged relentlessly into the Inner City, aided by the worker drones, exuding an overwhelming might capable of annihilating the base—or at least, it seemed so.

However, Kiana, Bronya, and Mei knew well that unless there was a massive nuclear detonation involving the worker drones, lasers alone couldn't eliminate such elite Valkyries. Once the Valkyries regained their footing, dismantling the Titan force would merely be a matter of time.

But achieving this level of disruption was sufficient for their purposes.

Kiana landed at their prearranged meeting place deep within the mountains to find herself greeted by a gentle man wearing scholarly glasses.

She kicked aside the worker bee she'd been riding and jumped off, her helmet automatically retracting to reveal her flushed, sweaty face.

"Uncle Welt, what are you doing here?!"

"Zeke asked me to come as backup, but it seems he worried too much. You're all exceptional—far more so than I imagined." Welt ruffled Kiana's hair with a warm, genial smile.

"Heh-heh!" Kiana grinned goofily, clearly elated after completing the mission and receiving praise for it.

Then Bronya's cool voice chimed in from nearby:

"It wasn't our doing. On one hand, the black armor's performance exceeded expectations; on the other, we had comprehensive intel beforehand, and the cyberattacks were remarkably effective. The Oceania Branch barely managed to deploy even one percent of its defensive capabilities. This is Zeke's success—a technological victory. Even if we weren't the ones assigned, others could have accomplished the same."

As she spoke, Bronya gently emerged from the woods cradling Wendy, who was sound asleep in her white hospital gown, bridal-style.

Following closely beside Bronya, Sin looked visibly disgruntled—why hadn't she gotten carried like that?! Another little vixen has shown up now; gotta keep a close eye on this one!

"Everyone played their part; Zeke's tech can't overshadow your exceptional performance." Welt maintained his gentle smile but furrowed his brow slightly upon seeing Wendy.

"So this is the girl infused with the Gem of Desire?"

"Yes, it's Wendy. Her appearance and Honkai Energy radiation levels match perfectly. Bronya believes there's no mistake, but we should still wait for Zeke to confirm."

"Sigh... Very well. Let's return soon. Hopefully, Zeke and Eins can help her reclaim a normal life." Welt reached out to smooth Wendy's hair away from her forehead, warmth shining in his eyes.

He was always like this—like a saint compassionate toward all living beings, yet seemingly undervaluing his own existence. Or perhaps precisely because he couldn't abandon humanity, he repeatedly found rebirth amidst death?

Bronya looked up at Welt and said, "I have a question."

Welt, about to depart with the girls, paused and turned back. "What is it?"

"Although we cut off the Oceania Branch's external communications, Schicksal hasn't sent reinforcements yet. Could it be they've already set up ambushes nearby?"

In truth, Bronya had requested five thousand worker drones specifically to counter any incoming Schicksal reinforcement.

If necessary, Bronya would clear their path with nuclear blasts. But Welt's arrival meant such drastic measures were no longer needed.

After all, from Bronya's perspective, building worker drones wasn't cheap; it was best to save resources when possible.

Welt shrugged and sighed deeply. "Actually, I'm here for the same reason. However, based on my current perception, just as Zeke said, this shouldn't be an issue."

"Has Zeke made some preparations?"

"Yes, he has kept Otto occupied, making the Oceania Branch truly isolated."

"How did he manage to keep Otto occupied?" Bronya furrowed her brow, puzzled. These words implied an almost impossible feat, potentially even dangerous.

With a resigned expression, Welt replied, "To answer that question, we'll have to wait until he returns from Schicksal's airborne base for more details."

"What?! You mean Zeke went straight into the lair of that blonde villain?!" Kiana, unusually quick to grasp the situation, stomped her feet and exclaimed.

Amidst the girls' evident concern, Welt smiled reassuringly. "Trust him—Zeke wouldn't take action without being confident in his abilities."

His words seemed like a meaningless consolation at first, but suddenly, a flash of crimson flickered in his eyes:

"And if there really is any trouble... I'll just pay Schicksal a visit and have a chat with Otto myself."

It was true that Welt wasn't in his best condition and unfit for combat, but since Zeke believed he had joined Anti-Entropy, as their Alliance Leader, it was only natural to assume the role of protector.

Breaking into Schicksal's territory was no big deal; if he could do it for Siegfried, he'd certainly do it for Zeke. Whenever necessary, Welt never shied away from danger.