"I won this time."
Jun An stood up confidently. This was his first victory in a long time resisting the forced squeezing of the 'landlord,' a great victory! A victory that spanned eras!
Being a MANTIS felt great.
"Himeko, do you need to rest for a bit?"
Jun An looked at Himeko, who was leaning against the wall for support. Although MANTISes had excellent stamina, they couldn't withstand such high-intensity combat in a short period without consequences, leaving her struggling to recover momentarily.
"No, it's fine."
Himeko retorted, dissatisfied, "Captain, as your opponent, I sincerely advise you to go slower next time. These old bones of mine can't endure combat at your intensity for too long."
Himeko now had a rough understanding of Jun An's current capabilities. At the very least, his pure physical strength, recovery rate, and endurance definitely surpassed hers now.
To make a comparison: the previous Jun An was like an ox, whose repeated plowing could improve the land. The current Captain, however, was like a repeating rocket launcher; if he kept blasting away, he'd tear the whole field apart.
Jun An felt slightly smug. "Serves you all right for squeezing me so much before. When I get back, I need to settle this score with Theresa too."
The outcome was pretty good, all things considered. At least in a one-on-one situation, overwhelming Himeko was no longer an issue.
Converting that to combat power, he had indeed recovered about ten to twenty percent of his peak strength. He was definitely at S-rank power level, no doubt about it.
"Ah, right. Thanks, Ai-chan, for piloting the battleship for us, and also for notifying the local military."
Himeko suddenly remembered the model worker, Ai-chan. "Later, I can connect the Hyperion's computer for you to play online games."
While Jun An and Himeko were practicing the Path of Propagation, Ai-chan had not only handled the necessary procedures for them but also notified the local government and helped manage the logistics.
She had become proficient at such tasks during the Great Honkai Eruption period, albeit now with a bit more resentment.
Ai Hyperion Λ: "If only crashing this thing could actually kill you..."
In short, her mood only improved after Jun An promised to clear out the games in her shopping cart.
"Himeko, why are you needlessly teasing her?" Jun An gave Himeko a helpless look. Her previous comment was absolutely unnecessary and cost him several thousand dollars for no reason.
Incidentally, Ai-chan had her own virtual assets and salary. Although she could hack into Steam, she chose not to.
However, being an AI with immense processing speed, buy-to-play games were extremely fast consumables for her. Thus, her salary, much like Kiana's allowance, made her part of the 'moonlight clan' (spent entirely each month).
The two arrived at the airport and disembarked from the battleship. Immediately, several black women in simple military uniforms walked towards them enthusiastically.
Using halting English, one greeted Jun An, "You must be the reinforcements sent by Schicksal! Thank God! How many people did you bring?"
Himeko and Jun An shook hands with them respectively, expressing their respect before Himeko spoke, "Hello. I am the head of Schicksal's Far East Branch. This is my subordinate."
Because Himeko had been promoted to Marshal after the Great Honkai due to her merits and personal abilities, coupled with her status as head of the Far East Branch, she was indeed Jun An's direct superior now.
Jun An also gave a simple self-introduction, "Jun An, Knight of the Far East Branch."
"Oh, oh, oh, my deepest apologies, I forgot to introduce myself." The black female soldier only now remembered her manners. "My name is Atari. I am the Chief of this nation. It is a great honor to meet you both! Upon hearing that the esteemed Schicksal had finally sent aid, my people and I were immensely grateful and immediately came here to wait for you!"
After the introduction, she began looking around eagerly behind Himeko and Jun An towards the battleship, seemingly hoping for more people to emerge.
Chief Atari asked, clinging to a final shred of hope, "So... it is only the two of you?"
"Yes, just the two of us." Himeko patted Jun An's shoulder as she spoke. "Technically, just him. While he might not be enough for intelligence gathering, combat should be no problem."
"Respected Miss Himeko, you don't know what kind of monster we are facing!" Chief Atari exclaimed anxiously. "Knives, bullets, cannon shells – they're useless against them! Our armored vehicles are torn apart like toys, buildings crumble like foam, and soldiers are crushed like ants! They are demons!"
"Please calm down, Madam Chief," Jun An replied with perfect seriousness. "The things you described? We can do them too. That's precisely why we came here."
"You... you can do that too?" Chief Atari looked Jun An and Himeko up and down repeatedly. "But... you don't have demon horns growing on your heads..."
"They grow when needed." It wasn't like Jun An couldn't induce an Artificial Honkai Eruption. "Besides, not having horns doesn't mean someone isn't strong. Look at Durandal, for example. You should know her name."
But the Chief remained worried. "It's not that I doubt either of you, but I believe you should have directly requested Lady Durandal to handle that monster! Only Lady Durandal can defeat that monster! Your own special envoy said so!"
"Special envoy?"
"The Valkyrie we sent to investigate," Himeko explained briefly, then said, "Why don't you show us the situation first? It would be even better if you have recordings. If we determine we can't handle it, we will dispatch Durandal."
Evidently, Durandal's fame was indeed immense, surpassing even that of a Marshal like Himeko in public recognition.
Though that was understandable. Durandal was Schicksal's rising star in recent years, holding the record for the most missions completed. Meanwhile, Himeko and Jun An had a history of rebellion.
"Very well. We do have combat recordings of them. After watching, you should understand my words." Atari understood the principle of seeing is believing. She immediately drove Himeko and Jun An away from the airport to their temporary lodgings.
Chief Atari had prepared many tents, selecting the best two for Jun An and Himeko before going off to find equipment to play the recordings.
When she returned, she brought another person with her.
Jun An looked at her curiously. White hair, predominantly red attire, and a chest that rivaled Himeko's. Jun An recognized her instantly.
The Valkyrie snapped into a standard military posture and saluted Himeko. "Marshal Himeko, Schicksal A-rank Valkyrie Helia reporting!"
Helia. One of the protagonists from Part 2.
Although Jun An didn't know the plot of Part 2, he knew that Kiana had looked after them for a period at the end of Part 1.5. Kiana had even gotten Bronya to make a game just to bond with them.
Speaking of Bronya, though... Bronya still looked like a child in 2018, yet just two years later, she sported a huge bust. Jun An seriously suspected she might have used her Herrscher powers to modify her own body.
"Excuse me, and this is?" Helia appraised Jun An with an equally curious, visibly strange gaze.
Helia's question snapped Jun An back to reality, forcing him to tear his eyes away from the large 'meatballs'. "My name is Jun An. I currently serve as the captain of a battleship. If you don't mind, just call me Captain; that's what everyone usually calls me."
The title "Captain" in Schicksal held a meaning similar to "Squad Leader" in a regular army; one didn't necessarily need to be part of the Hyperion crew to use the title.
"Captain? You have your own battleship?!" Helia was momentarily stunned. To command one's own battleship, one typically needed to be at least an A-rank Valkyrie, and an outstanding one at that – like Himeko, who was a Major in the original story.
Helia's expression became even more peculiar as she looked at Himeko. "Um, no offense intended, Lady Himeko... but you seem quite young?"
"Just call me Himeko," Himeko wasn't particularly sensitive about her age and stated directly, "I'm only just over thirty. Of course, I'm young."
Although, like Cocolia, she seemed like Jun An's adoptive mother, Himeko was actually younger than imagined – the youngest of Jun An's three adoptive mothers.
After all, when Cocolia experienced the Second Honkai Eruption, Himeko was still in high school.
Helia pressed on, "Then... your relationship?"
"Mother and son, I guess," Jun An answered out of habit, but received a sharp pinch to the kidney from Himeko, who was clearly dissatisfied with that answer.
A woman in her early thirties... with a fourteen-year-old son.
Helia swallowed hard, asking nervously, her mind racing, "Then... Senior Himeko... how many years was your husband sentenced for?"