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

"I suggest you go provide backup—your friends seem to be in trouble."

In the underground laboratory, Hera suddenly looked up from monitoring data and gazed at the ceiling as if seeing something through it. With a smirk, she said:

Kiana, Bronya, and Sin all turned to her with furrowed brows.

"You're not trying to distract us while you secretly plan something nefarious against Zeke, are you?" Kiana scowled suspiciously at Hera, cracking her knuckles audibly, signaling that she was itching for a fight.

Sin nodded in agreement.

Bronya, on the other hand, pulled up a virtual screen, her eyes reflecting deep concern.

"She's telling the truth; there is indeed trouble over there. It's unclear what the enemy has done, but the Honkai Energy concentration in that area is continuously escalating—extremely alarming. The power of the Honkai Beasts likely exceeds their capacity to handle... Sin, go provide reinforcement."

"Huh? No way, I want to protect Zeke!"

"We've got this covered here; nothing will happen to him. Among us, you have the highest mobility and long-range support capabilities. Only you can swiftly assist them. Please, Sin!" Bronya pleaded earnestly.

Bronya's expression remained impassive, her gaze unusually intense.

This earnest plea left Sin momentarily torn between choices.

Kiana gently patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry; I'm still here with you. Trust me! The others over there depend on you now—bring them back safely!"

Despite Kiana's occasional foolishness, Sin was well aware of her strength.

Sin glanced at the sturdy metal cabin behind her and then turned to Bronya, nodding resolutely.

"Alright, I'll head out there. Please take care of things here. Keep an eye on her; this one is deeply twisted and chaotic—a demon not to be taken lightly."

Sin pointed at Hera, her face filled with disdain.

Hera raised an eyebrow. "Oh? That's your impression of me? Thank you for the compliment."

Her eyes curved into a smile, as if considering Sin's description praise rather than criticism or insult.

Kiana and Bronya nodded, their initial vigilance heightened further. They were aware that Sin possessed unique perception, but they hadn't anticipated Hera being so aberrant that it warranted such specific caution from Sin.

"Boom!"

Rita was sent flying back, crashing into the corner of an armored vehicle. Her hair now disheveled, she lost her usual meticulously groomed elegance.

"Are you sure you're up for this? And they call you an S-rank candidate from Headquarters—is this all you've got?"

Wendy stood pale-faced before the unconscious group, flanked by Einstein and Tesla, their expressions filled with deep confusion.

Though devoid of scorn, their questioning gaze seemed to challenge Headquarters' evaluation standards, making Rita feel even more humiliated.

Her face flushed red as she sprang back up.

"It's just an unexpected situation—I've never encountered such a modified army sharing consciousness before!" Rita defended herself, raising her scythe once more and charging towards the vast Graysnake legion.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Gunshots echoed while Rita fiercely battled on. In truth, her performance wasn't bad; Gray Snake clones continuously fell under her scythe.

However, their sheer numbers combined with shared consciousness gave them an almost cheat-like level of coordination and combat experience. It was inevitable that Rita would occasionally falter against such odds.

At a distance, Raven, one of Gray Serpent's clones, and Jackal hid in a blind spot, observing covertly.

"How is it going? Can your device be activated?" asked Gray Serpent, his voice low.

As Gray Serpent observed Jackal assembling a complex, large-scale cannon, he asked quietly.

An S-rank Valkyrie candidate—neither overwhelmingly strong nor particularly weak. His clones could continually stall her, but that was their limit.

If they continued like this, waiting for the Titan force or worker bees to arrive as reinforcements would cost them this opportune moment to approach the Herrscher Core.

After making some adjustments, Jackal replied, "It's operational now, but the issue is her Gem of Desire hasn't been liberated yet. Bombarding her now won't have any effect!"

"You mean you need her to transform into a Herrscher?"

"Or do you have a way to directly extract the Gem of Desire from her and hand it to me?" Jackal rolled his eyes.

Gray Serpent remained silent for a moment before saying, "Then we continue waiting. The secondary effects of Honkai Energy-triggering shells are still ongoing. In such a high-density Honkai environment, she won't last long."

"The key is preventing her from injecting that inhibitor; otherwise, our efforts will be futile! Although, if worse comes to worst, capturing either one of them now could still allow us to proceed with the next step later. However, I fear Anti-Entropy and Schicksal might not give us a chance for peaceful research. Ideally, she should transform immediately, allowing me to activate the device right away."

"Raven, go sabotage her inhibitor," Jackal instructed the maid-clad girl beside him. "Kill a few more people to further agitate her emotions."

Jackal addressed the maid-clad girl beside him.

Raven shuddered but hesitated to carry out the command immediately.

Gray Serpent turned his head, gazing coldly at Raven with his red cybernetic eye. "What's this? Are you planning to betray us?"

"...No."

With stiff movements, Raven unconsciously began acting on her orders.

Honkai and Herrschers were what Raven despised most in her life. Conversely, innocent and adorable children were the only beings that could soften her heart.

But now, what was she about to do?

After taking just a few steps, Raven abruptly halted, a struggle evident on her face.

"Shhhk—"

In that instant, Gray Serpent's mechanical arm pierced through Raven's body, emerging from her abdomen.

Looking down, Raven saw the blood-soaked hand protruding from within her. Blood bubbled up from her throat, flowing audibly from her mouth as she trembled and managed to turn her head.

"Why... Why is this happening?"

"We've reached the critical moment; there must be no variables jeopardizing the return of our Lord. Cioara, whether your intentions were truly disloyal or merely prioritized compassion over orders, at this juncture, I can only consider it betrayal. Farewell. If there is another life, may you be born in a world where Honkai has already been vanquished."

Gray Serpent retracted his arm and watched silently as Raven's body crumpled to the ground.

"Tsk! Tsk! Tsk!"

Jackal, carrying his cannon, clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"I never expected our esteemed Gray Serpent to be so decisive. Wasn't she your protege, nurtured for years? Not even a hint of regret?"

"No matter how exceptional her talent or abilities, they pale in comparison to welcoming back the Lord. Jackal, it applies to you as well. We've gone all-in; if you falter, your fate would be no different."

Gray Serpent wiped away the blood from his mechanical arm, his expression hidden beneath the mask, and coldly warned Jackal.

Shrugging nonchalantly, Jackal replied, "Suit yourself. But without her, handling the inhibitor and awakening the Gem of Desire will now fall solely on you. You know, I'm just a delicate researcher; don't count on my combat prowess."

"Fine, seize this opportunity—you only get one chance," Gray Serpent said dispassionately. At that moment, several clones emerged nearby, retrieving Raven's body and moving towards Wendy.

Jackal shot him a glance.

Not only did you kill her, but now you're even exploiting her body? As expected from you, truly twisted!

"Bang!"

Wendy had been closely monitoring Rita's battle, relieved to see her effectively blocking the advancing black-clad legion. Suddenly, she heard a gunshot.

Despite reacting swiftly before the sound, Wendy was just a fraction too slow. The syringe in her hand shattered, leaving a startling gash on her otherwise pristine white skin.

"Agh!"

Gritting her teeth, Wendy endured the pain with a bitter smile inside.

Her prolonged disability had truly taken away so much from her. Before the experimental incident, such an attack wouldn't have scratched her surface.

If this impairment persisted, within a few years, even if she could still stand, her combat abilities might deteriorate below those of a B-rank Valkyrie.

"Thud!"

Before Wendy could identify the attacker, a familiar body was thrown at her feet, marred by horrific wounds and pools of glaring blood that caught her gaze.

"Rav... Raven..."

Regardless of whether she would have escaped or their differing sides, Raven remained a companion they had spent nearly every waking moment with for over half a month.

Wendy knew that Raven had a gentle side, especially towards those mischievous children. Despite often being exasperated by their antics, she would always wear a helpless yet fond smile.

Now, Wendy watched helplessly as Raven died right before her eyes.

Her pupils contracted, and eerie teal patterns crawled across her face.