Cultivating in Honkai!

I thought for a while and decided to grab one of the sword cases. I held it with my left hand. My right hand became coated with a hazy silver light. A mere touch is enough to pierce through someone's skin.

I haven't tried it against other targets yet, but this should suffice.

Once I reached the front door, I placed the sword case against the door. My left hand opened the peep hole.

"Hm..?"

There isn't anyone in front. An incredulous thought appeared in my mind.

I looked below.

"..."

I fell silent. Those silver-haired drills… I won't mistake it for anyone else. 

It's THE Bronya.

So many thoughts appeared inside my mind. I exhaled, canceled the silver qi in my right hand, and went back to the telephone. I left the sword case leaning against the wall.

"Wait for a while."

"Hm."

I ended the call. My eyes switched between the sleeping Kiana and the front door. Since there is a guest, I don't want to embarrass Kiana.

I chose to wake her up by tapping her shoulder.

"Hm…"

"We have a guest."

"Hm..?"

Her eyes opened up to a slit. Her bed hair stuck up.

How cute.

"It's related to the person I saved two days ago."

"What..?"

She became fully awake when she heard it.

"There's a message on your phone. I think you should read it." I explained. "I will let the guest in first."

Kiana did not reply. She is preoccupied with fighting her sleepiness while reading the said text.

It did not take long for me to open the door. The small Bronya greeted my sight. She carried a small suitcase with her.

"Come in."

"Um."

Her face showed some fluctuations when scanning the room. She paused when she saw Kiana on the bed, before redirecting her gaze on me.

"Hm?"

"..."

I don't know what she wanted to say.

"Feel free to sit down. What kind of drinks do you want? Juices or soda?"

"...Soda."

I opened the hotel's fridge. I saw a row of soft drinks and juices. These came from our time outside Siberia. The supplies are lacking inside this city.

I pulled out the one that tasted like Dr. Pepper. Funnily enough, it is called Dr. Cumin. I don't know which genius invented that name, really.

I handed it over to Bronya. She did not rush to open it. Heck, she did not even sit on the couch. It is an L-shaped couch. Since I slept on one side, I pointed her to the other side.

Kiana did not remain on the bed and sat beside me.

"Miss… What should I call you?"

"...Bronya."

My eyes did not leave Bronya. I could clearly feel my chaotic emotions at the moment. They are not as messy as before. I can perfectly suppress them and regain mental clarity.

Such is the effect of my Sword Heart.

"Miss Bronya. Can you tell us everything?"

She looked at me. I don't know what she's thinking underneath her calm expression.

"It is best to ask your questions to Matushka." 

She stated as she opened the suitcase. She took out its contents, a silver laptop, and booted it on. It took a minute or two of fiddling. Bronya did not mind the dead air.

I looked at Kiana. The latter wore a worried look. It's not surprising given the message she received.

The person who gave her the card and helped her a lot…

They admitted their connection to Siegfried.

*****

One day has passed since the huge incident in the city of Irkutsk. 

Ironically, it was Cocolia who caught wind of something. 

Schicksal agents—Valkyries—appeared in the Tsar's Village. The minor-scale honkai eruption occurred there. 

Its cause? The abnormalities that happened twice.

A minor-scale honkai eruption is guaranteed to turn 90% or even all of the humans into zombies. Yet, the statistics gathered in the town showed a drastically lower turnover. Only 20% of the people turned before they were neutralized by the Russian military. There was also a strange case reported by Durandal herself. It was through luck did this abnormality entered the higher-up's eyes.

Due to that abnormality, Schicksal has dispatched personnel to investigate the area.

Despite dealing with their traces, Ryoma still got worried. He ended up directly asking Cocolia for a favor.

In accounts of Shi Tian saving Seele, the latter agreed. Ryoma's request was for them to hide under Cocolia's base—her orphanage.

He knew how Cocolia managed to operate underneath Schicksal's radar in Siberia, out of all places. Him revealing his connection with Siegfried was simply to convince Kiana to comply with these arrangements.

Bronya fiddled with the laptop before a video conference started. She faced the laptop's webcam to the two.

"I believe Ryoma already briefed you." 

Cocolia looked at Kiana and saw an overwhelming amount of similarities between her and Siegfried. Just the 'reckless' vibe she gave off completely matched his.

She no longer doubted Kiana's identity.

"Your father, Siegfried Kaslana, is a wanted man by Schicksal. In extension, by the Kaslana Family. He entrusted you to his friend's care to remain under their radar…"

Cocolia began telling things about Siegfried's feats and reasoning.

'Well. What a butterfly effect this is.'

Shi Tian did not mind being ignored for the time being. It gave him the time to mull about things.

Since his arrival, the only thing that mattered was making Kiana stronger. It is the preparation for the Second Herrscher's return. He can vividly remember about Kiana losing her sense of pain and other abnormalities. If immortal cultivation can help fight that, it won't be a loss.

As long as her 'will' is strong enough, Sirin won't be able to resurface. It was either that or preventing Otto's capture. The insertion of the Herrscher Gem awakened Sirin.

He also has the option to stop interfering further... but that's not what he wants. He is been balling it out since the beginning. Why stop now?

'Like Seele's… or the entire Final Lesson…'

Shi Tian was scared of deviating too much at first. He thought that supporting Kiana to complete her embrace with the Cocoon suffices. There are a lot of troubles, from the Sky People to the Aeons beyond the solar system.

Later on, he realized there are simply a lot of changes that need to be done. He fully accepted the need to destroy the canon, if needed.

'Self-righteousness… This is my choice.'

His Sword Heart reacted strongly. Whatever his doubts may be is for the future. All he has to do is to stick to his heart. 

Only then would one's mind achieve clarity;

Touch upon the threshold for transcendence;

And change the future with the sword's influence.

Shi Tian's gaze changed invisibly. He felt an intangible growth of his Sword Heart. Simultaneously, he felt his body instinctively wanting more spiritual qi.

"Fu…"

Just then, he nearly jolted.

Bronya is staring at him unnaturally.