(POV - 3RD)

Throughout the annals of time and history, there have been countless legendary figures that left their footprints on the world in the distant past, both heroes and villains.

Whether it was against humanity itself or another force of evil or good, these renowned figures either wielded a weapon, donned an armour or clothing that was said to bless them with great strengths or wisdom which assisted in the creation of their legends and myths.

Legends which attributed to these heroes and villains' have weapons that are often portrayed as a singular blade capable of untold powers for good or evil intents.

Excalibur, the Sword in the Stone, the Sword in the Lake which belonged to King Arthur.

Caladbolg, sword of Fergus mac Róich which is said to have severed the earth.

Dáinsleif, the deadly sword of King Högni which is cursed to kill a man upon sheathing.

Tyrfing, the cursed sword of Svafrlami which would never quench its bloodlust to slay.

Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, the blade of Susanoo, God of the Sea and Storms.

Gan Jiang and Mo Ye, the legendary married blades that are never separated.

Last but not least, the Xuanyuan Sword.

A blade that was gifted to humanity by the gods themselves, capable of vanquishing evil and safeguard mankind, the ancient people of Shenzhou viewed it as a sacred treasure.

Thought to have originated from the lost region of Jiuling, the Xuanyuan Sword was the possession of a long gone clan which the Honkai had eradicated, leaving the elder of the clan to give away the sword to his only daughter; Ji Xuanyuan.

Spurred by the desperate shouts of her clan to keep running and never look back, the young girl ran and ran until she exhausted herself and collapsed onto the ground... yet something at that very moment happened, a strange marking manifested on her body.

===============================

After the whole fiasco with the Pseudo-Herrscher in Nagazora, both him and Theresa have pretty much finished the assigned mission so after writing a report for the latter since he did kill the Herrscher albeit causing a huge collateral damage.

Both (Y/N) and secretly; Guizhong bore witness to Theresa's unknown transformation into a pinkette with a pair of fox or donkey or rabbit ears on her head?

The latter in turn was also stunned by the utter destruction of the high school as well as the fact that she sensed not a single speck of the Pseudo-Herrscher's presence, meaning (Y/N) had successfully and unexpected defeated it.

Theresa's shock would not last long before she transformed back from her furs- her unique appearance which she then stumbled to the ground from the sudden drop in strength.

Later on, (Y/N) would be the one to call in an emergency transport back to St. Freya to which he once again, ignored the dumbstruck looks on the escorting Valkyries' faces as they saw the site that used to be the school or the fact that he's carrying both Theresa AND the Oath of Judah.

From what he heard, the Divine Key was just too heavy to be carried by anyone except its users but to the Archon? It felt no heavier than the training bars he swung endlessly before.

Back to the report, (Y/N) didn't really mind writing it but it was the fact that Theresa knew he was the one who slain the Herrscher that worried him and after all, he was looking to keep a low profile as long as Otto Apocalypse was in control of Schicksal.

Now he can only hope for the best and quietly get stronger until the day of confrontation comes which leads everything to this moment where he's attempting to harness Adepetal energy and so far, he's having no trouble especially when it's similar to manipulating Elemental energy.

While the sole Einherjar of the academy is busying himself, the principal of the St. Freya is currently still recuperating in the hospital ward of the academy after almost being killed by the Herrscher via severe poisoning and lacerations from the vines.

Although her niece was a klutz and a lazy tuna, she is still Theresa's family so naturally Kiana would be worried for the former's health but the [S]-Rank Valkyrie was not someone so easily downed by some Pseudo-Herrscher's poison thanks to her unique anatomy.

However, that hasn't stopped Kiana from complaining when they can be sent on missions rather than read books and take notes in classes but unbeknownst to the irate Kaslana, her complaints and demands would soon be answered.

Despite Theresa's quick recovery thanks to her unique genetics, she is still hospitalised in the ward which led to Himeko walking to the bedridden principal after the former called her in for an important revelation which also concerned the latter's state of body.

Mainly, her Honkai-eroded body due to her unfortunately low adaptability to the energy along with using an artificial Stigmata which only worsened the symptoms and lessened her lifespan.

"I'm here, Theresa." Himeko called out, entering the ward.

"Sorry for calling you in so suddenly, but this matter is quite urgently important." Replied the bedridden Valkyrie, rubbing her head.

"No problem at all but should you really already be giving out orders now? Shouldn't you rest more?" Himeko questioned worriedly.

"Unfortunately even if I rested, I kept getting these dreams or visions of a girl and another one who looked like me... but I'll get to the point." Theresa said, getting up.

"Well, what's with all this secrecy..?" The Major asked before the principal turned around and showed her back to the increasingly dumbstruck former.

On the back laid three red Japanese tomoe symbols in a circular formation.

"This marking... it's a Stigmata?" Himeko observed, gingerly touching it as Theresa answered.

"So far, MRI scans have shown my body to be completely unchanged but the fact that I'm receiving these dreams could confirm the research and development department's belief of a new Stigmata, separate from those belonging to the Kaslana and Shariac houses."

"For thousands of years, Schicksal had only been able to discover two natural Stigmata and now, a third has appeared..."

"...How? What exactly happened out there?" Himeko questioned if not demanded to know, after all; her life was possibly depended on the answer.

"I got thrown out a window and was poisoned while at it so I was only half conscious at that moment and everything became even more hazy but I do remember a pink-haired girl kissing me... and I felt something flow into my body..." Theresa stated.

"...W-wait, d-don't get me wrong! I'm not into that sort of thing!!" She then added with a blush on her face, embarrassed.

"Right... but then according to your experience, is it possible that a Stigmata can be transferred between different users?" Himeko wondered with a hint of expectation.

"Yes, hence why I called you here. You are aware that the process of implanting an artificial Stigmata into Valkyries is not perfected yet and the side-effects greatly shortens their lifespan."

Hearing Theresa's explanation, Himeko fell into a frustrated silence as her hopes were slowly dimming at the supposedly low chances of transferring a Stigmata but Theresa continued.

"But if we can recover another natural Stigmata, the research department can refine their studies on artificial Stigmatas and may even be able to reverse the negative side-effects."

"Then do you intend to transplant the Stigmata to my body? If so then I'll be forever grateful." Himeko said but Theresa shook her head.

"Sadly, we are still unable to find out how to properly transfer a Stigmata, I don't how the girl was able to transfer it to me but if we could find more Stigmata then we should be able to figure out another option or two in transplanting them."

"So where could we possibly find another Stigmata?" The Major asked before she caught an old scroll that was suddenly thrown at her.

"What's this? It's written in some language I can't understand." Himeko remarked, unfurling the scroll as she frowned at the almost indiscernible writings inside.

 "It's the language of the Yellow Emperor, this scroll is an artifact written by a villager of Shennong, it details the legend of the Yellow Emperor." Theresa answered.

"According to the records, the Yellow Emperor possessed a marking that granted her mystical abilities which we believed to resemble that of a Stigmata." She continued.

"If the legends are true then the Yellow Emperor might have been a Stigmata user." The principal stated as Himeko glanced at the sketches of an individual fighting Honkai beasts.

"It is later stated that the Yellow Emperor travelled to Jiuling and fought the Honkai beast known as 'Chiyou', but the second half of the scroll has been damaged so we don't know the rest of the story." Theresa regretfully said.

"So the Yellow Emperor's body could be in this place called Jiuling? If she really had a Stigmata, would it still be on her after all this time?" Himeko questioned doubtfully.

After all, who knows exactly how long since the battle occurred and it wouldn't be a shock to find out the body had all but survived, turned into dust along with the Stigmata itself.

"In this case, where is this Jiuling located at?" The Major asked again.

"It's been approximately 4000 years since the scroll was written so everything written on there isn't exactly transparent to us but the only thing we were able to determine is that Jiuling may be located near today's Guangzhou." Theresa stated.

"However, you can only find out more once you're there and also, if we could find the Stigmata then there's a high chance the Xuanyuan Sword is there as well." She added.

"The Xuanyuan Sword... the legendary weapon wielded by the Yellow Emperor... if we could possibly find that then it will help with Schicksal's research in Divine Keys as well." Said Himeko, tucking away the scroll safely into her pocket.

"Indeed, your mission now is to head to Guangzhou and find more clues as to where Jiuling is, find the Stigmata and Xuanyuan Sword." Theresa declared with a nod.

"Understood, what about the team taking part in this mission?" The Major inquired as the principal let out a short hum before answering.

"Bring Fu Hua with you, she was born there and would know the area well enough. Take Kiana as well since the girl's been complaining about wanting a challenging mission."

"Roger that... actually, isn't (Y/N) also born in China? Shouldn't I bring him as well?" Himeko questioned as Theresa looked more reluctant.

"First of all, he just came back with me from Nagazora city after singlehandedly dealing with the outbreak and Pseudo-Herrscher when I should have helped, I don't think he should go on another mission that may increase his fatigue, mental or not." 

"Secondly, why do you want him to come with you anyway?" Theresa asked curiously as Himeko replied with a mischievous shrug.

"Hey, two nerds are better than one and a lazy fish, besides! The guy survived the Third Eruption and with the presence of the Herrscher of Thunder and then not even a month later, he survived AND slain a Pseudo-Herrscher. He's pretty much a lucky charm!"

"I don't know if (Y/N) would be happy about being compared to a lucky charm..." Theresa remarked with a deadpan.

"Besides, he still has the rights to not go." The principal added.

"Since I'm leading this mission, I call dibs on him coming." Himeko unashamedly declared.

"...That's a low move, Himeko..." Theresa complained.

"Oh don't worry about it, he won't hate me for it~" Himeko retorted confidently as she left the hospital ward to prepare for the said mission.

===============================

"I hate you so much, Major." (Y/N) stated with a flat tone and a deadpan as he held a steaming cup of tea in his hand.

Himeko's group which included the said Einherjar, Fu Hua, Kiana and the former herself are now seated inside a Chinese restaurant that was popular for its sweets and cuisines.

"Pfff-" Meanwhile, Fu Hua on the other side of the table held back a laughter as she saw the Einherjar's unimpressed expression aimed at Himeko.

All the while the invisible Guizhong floated around the Class Monitor, taking in her appearance with interest as she made a comparison to a certain Adeptus she knew.

Kiana on the other hand, is too busy shovelling food into her black-hole of a mouth.

"H-hey, it's not so bad. You get to sightsee Guangzhou in all its glory as well as enjoy its unique delicacies, right?" The Major replied awkwardly.

"First of all, the food on this table is coming out of our own wallets, not yours so I'll say no to the cuisines-" (Y/N) began as Kiana choked.

"W-we're paying for this?!" She coughed, remembering just how much she ate.

"Second of all, I was born in China, I know its cities well enough to not need to come here in person." The Einherjar continued, ignoring the tuna's distress.

"Third of all, I didn't get a say in whether I can come or not. So you literally rushed me to prepare for this mission which you did not have enough information on Jiuling."

"In my defence, Jiuling is supposedly an ancient location in Guangzhou so it would make sense for St. Freya to not record its existence." Himeko said, raising her hands.

"Fourth of all-" (Y/N) continued.

"T-there's more?!" Himeko questioned, choking on her canned juice.

"Geez, you really are not holding back on her." Guizhong remarked.

"You have us chasing a legend, one with no concrete answers to back up especially when we've been here for ten days." The Einherjar stated, ignoring the spectral goddess.

"Ugh... don't remind me." The Major groaned with growing irritation as she scrunched up her canned juice with the scroll laying in front of her unhelpfully.

"Out of everything we've gotten from the scroll, why was there an ancient recipe for Ma Tai cake but not Jiuling?!" She complained.

"This is why I don't chase after legends..." (Y/N) added.

"Hey, some legends are true... at least for me." Guizhong said, floating back to him.

"Easy for you to say, you live in a world where fantasy meets reality." The Archon thought.

"While I understand your disdain (Y/N), I've read a book that said the Yellow Emperor really enjoyed this pastry so there is some proof to the scroll's contents." Fu Hua helpfully said.

"Still doesn't make it any less irritating." Growled the Einherjar.

"I'd take it that you're not too fond of legends or fairy tales?" The Class Monitor asked.

"I do not trust legends, it's a huge gamble to just blindly trust and pursue one and rarely do I know of any that pays off without any consequences."

"You don't have much imaginations, don't you?" Himeko remarked before (Y/N) shot a very glazed look at her.

"...Right, sorry." She quickly apologised, remembering (Y/N) didn't exactly have a happy past whether it was at the academy or before.

"Forget about it, it's fine." (Y/N) sighed as Fu Hua quickly spoke up to change the topic.

"Don't worry, Major. Even if we're stuck right now, we still have plenty of leads to follow."

"Are we really paying for what we eat?!?!" Kiana asked again since the trio had been ignoring her which Himeko replied back tiredly.

"Yes, you are paying for yourself."

"C-come on, aunt Himeko, d-don't be so stingy about it! I'm- I'm not here to eat." Kiana stuttered before cleaning herself up.

"Debatable." Both (Y/N) and Fu Hua said with a deadpan while staring at the pile of empty plates by Kiana's side who spoke up.

"How can she eat this much?!" Guizhong commented in shock.

"You get used to it, it's literally her nature." (Y/N) thought.

"I've looked around online forums and heard that in situations like these, we're bound to run into somebody who knows about local legends or places, maybe we can get them to help and then we can find Jiuling in no time."

"This is not a manga or fanfiction for other people to read..." (Y/N) said... while feeling the distinct sensation that he made the biggest contradictions ever.

"Putting aside Kiana's fantasies and from what I've gathered, Jiuling is rumoured to supposedly be located at the absolute deepest point in Guangzhou... although for the past ten days, looking up the lowest parts of the entire city hasn't yielded any hints about Jiuling." Fu Hua stated.

"When you say deepest point of Guangzhou, did you only account for the land?" (Y/N) interjected, fishing his hand through his bag.

"Yes? Did you perhaps find something?" Fu Hua affirmed before the group saw (Y/N) drop several photos onto the table.

"What is this now?" Himeko asked, picking one up before her interest grew.

"Underwater images I've captured using a rental drone for marine activities." (Y/N) answered as Kiana gawked at one while Fu Hua looked surprised.

"When did you take these photographs?" She questioned.

"After we all agreed to split up individually to look for information on Jiuling and after you mentioned Guangzhou's deepest points." (Y/N) said.

"...Which you've surprisingly didn't include underwater topographies." He added as Fu Hua turned away in embarrassment.

"It didn't really occur to me until you said it now..." She admitted before (Y/N) continued on with his report as Himeko listened closely.

"Nevermind that then, speaking of which on that day, I mostly stayed around the shoreline while scouting for anything odd underwater which I then repeated on the next day which is why you saw me come back later than intended."

"Aren't these photos just the same thing? Why are you researching something that doesn't exist at all? You should research more about the Ma Tai cake recipe from the past!" Kiana interjected.

"Can you think of anything else other than stuffing yourself stupid? As I was saying, this specific image had what appears to be a cave underwater." (Y/N) stated, pointing at said photo.

"I'm sensing a 'but' coming..." Himeko commented as the Einherjar continued.

"...But I could be wrong BUT then again, this photo here shows what appears to be a long faded tile with just a few discernible language that somewhat matched that of the scroll."

"Are you certain of it?" The Major questioned seriously, after all, the sole male of the group may as well provided a breakthrough for their problem.

"There's a line between certainty and uncertainty and I am teetering on the edge of it." (Y/N) remarked with a shrug.

"In the end, you're the one who calls the shots, Major." He added as the redhead remained silent while gazing hard at the photographs.

"...Alright, we got nothing to lose so our next move is to get some diving suits as well as a boat to bring us to the location." Himeko announced.

"Understood."

"Gotcha!" 

"I'm surprised you all agreed to my hypothesis so quickly..." (Y/N) remarked.

"It's better than nothing but honestly? If you were correct, (Y/N). I'd kiss you after this whole mess." Himeko teased with relieved grin.

"No thanks, you're probably too old for me. Wait, scratch that, you're definitely too old for me." The Einherjar stated without hesitation.

"...You know it's a taboo to mention a girl's age, right?" Himeko asked, one eye twitching.

"Oh, I am aware of it and I don't care." (Y/N) said with a perfectly blank face.

"...You're never going to get a girlfriend if you act like this." The Major remarked with slight mirth.

"Who says I'm looking for a girlfriend right now? I got better things to do." The Einherjar retorted without much of a blink of an eye.

A.k.a; preparing himself for a confrontation with the damn clown of an Overseer which also risk himself into a fight with a certain [S]-Rank Valkyrie or more.

"Ouch, careful not to break any girl's heart, would you?" Himeko said.

"Didn't ask, don't care." (Y/N) stated as they got up.

"Inform Schicksal's Guangzhou branch that we need a boat and some diving gears." The Major ordered through her own earpiece.

===============================

Meanwhile, on the other side of the restaurant where a young girl sat by herself on a chair while observing the group's movement closely with a condescending yet murderous grin.

She is donned in a white and grey stripped blouse with long sleeves along with a pair of dark shorts that is accompanied by a pair of equally dark boots that extended up across her knees.

Despite her "harmless" appearance, Sin Mal is anything but innocent, especially with the words she spoke out later filled with utter contempt and malice aimed at the group.

"Why do I need to sit here and watch them prattle around when I could just kill them and be done with it?" She sneered quietly as to not attract any attentions.

"We still need them to locate the Xuanyuan Sword which saves us the trouble in doing so, seeing how they're quickly mobilising, I daresay they may have found some clues."

"Tch, how do we know they can lead us there without failure?" Sin Mal said as the voice in her earpiece responded coolly.

"Oh, it doesn't matter if they fail, they can lead us to the location and perhaps through any obstacles that may hinder us but if they die then it's a win-win, no?"

"Hmph! I'll wait... for now." The girl snorted disdainfully.

===============================

Back to the group which have already boarded a militaristic yacht branded with Schicksal's symbol and was currently sailing out to the open seas where (Y/N) last took the photographs.

Since there were three females and one male, (Y/N) graciously allowed the girls to change into their diving gears inside while he alone looked out into the sea with Guizhong floating next to him with his own wetsuit held by his side.

"Diving huh... never thought I'll be doing it so soon again..." The Archon remarked.

"You've done this before?" The Goddess of Dust questioned curiously as (Y/N) nodded.

"Before I met you, I dove into the waters in search of Morax's spear but the whole experience was... far less than pleasant, in fact it gave me an aversion to the sea." He said.

"Hehe..." Out of nowhere, Guizhong suddenly giggled.

"Why did you laugh?" (Y/N) asked as the spectre answered.

"Nothing, it's just that Morax himself hated sea creatures, especially slimy ones so to hear you also say you dislike the ocean is nostalgically funny." 

"Huh... that's new, he hated octopuses and squid especially?" 

"Well, he had an aversion to anything marine-related." Guizhong said.

"Who knew the Geo Archon would be so frightened of something so trivial... then again, I just said I have an aversion to the ocean so it doesn't make me any better..." (Y/N) muttered.

"Who knows? Maybe you'll get over it faster than he did." 

"Maybe, but can you turn around now?" The Einherjar requested.

"Eh?"

"I'm changing." (Y/N) said, stripping out of his clothes before donning the wetsuit though he wondered briefly if this is the largest size as Guizhong hurriedly spun around.

He feels even more constrained than before especially when the entire wetsuit is hugging his body and straining itself to fit his physique, his shoulders feel tighter than usual and he couldn't even properly move his arms without risking ripping the wetsuit apart.

"...Is that small for you?" Guizhong then asked the obvious as (Y/N) deadpanned at her.

"Oh what gave it away I wonder."

"Alright, I'm guessing everyone is ready now?" Himeko's voice snapped him out of his thoughts before he turned to see them all dressed.

"Before we begin, is this the largest wetsuit they have?" (Y/N) questioned, pointing at his struggling suit.

"Erm... yes, but the one you're wearing are for girls with huge... assets." The Major replied back awkwardly as Fu Hua strangely stared at his chest.

The Class Monitor then glanced at her own before (Y/N) heard her... quietly clicked her tongue as she looked away all the while everyone just looked at the latter's wetsuit that almost look like it was going to burst open at any second.

"Assuming (Y/N)'s suit won't break apart anytime sooner, Fu Hua, can you check the sonar radar?" Himeko then requested.

"Yes, ma'am." Affirmed the said girl, looking at a device strapped to her left wrist which had several readings within it.

"Major, the scans indicate that there's a cave below the water surface, from the coordinates and appearance, it matches the photo and contain traces of Honkai energy." Fu Hua reported.

"Huh... I somehow found it..." The Einherjar remarked, surprised at himself.

"Alright, if (Y/N)'s hunch is right then we should be able to find something noteworthy down there but don't get our hopes up just yet." Himeko ordered.

The other three followed as Himeko equipped her helmet with the rest of the group following suit before they all dove down into the water surface and then looked at each other.

"Comms check, can everybody hear me?" Himeko questioned on their communication device attached to their helmets.

"Loud and clear!" Kiana answered.

"Affirmative." Fu Hua seconded.

"Positive." (Y/N) chimed after.

"Right then, make sure to monitor your oxygen levels regularly and try not to use your propulsion jets unless absolutely necessary." Himeko then commanded.

"Roger that." The Einherjar answered with the Class Monitor nodding after him as they all began to dive deeper downwards.

"Woah..! It's so pretty! I wonder if there's any sea monsters down here?" Kiana exclaimed, looking around at the underwater sceneries of coral gardens and fishes.

"I have to admit, I've yet to hear anyone on Teyvat to create an optimal diving apparatus to explore the sea..." Guizhong added.

"Hardly surprising, your world is several technological times behind." (Y/N) thought before speaking out to Kiana.

"Talking will reduce your oxygen levels faster so stay quiet and don't jinx us." He stated as they continued their descent, losing sunlight as their feet touched the seafloor.

"Where's the cave now?" Kiana asked.

"The readings indicated that it's at a deeper point than where we are." Fu Hua answered, pointing to a certain direction.

"Then we'll try following the leftover traces of Honkai energy over there." Himeko interjected, taking lead until they've reached a ledge.

They peered downwards to see the ground slowly disappearing into the abyssal darkness which did not make (Y/N) feel any better as they continued descending into the depth of the ocean.

"Brrr... I don't feel cold at all but right now, this place is giving me the chills..." Kiana murmured, looking around the now darkened waters.

"Hold, I see something down there." (Y/N) reported as the group stopped.

"(Y/N)'s right... incoming!" Fu Hua then shouted as the light turned into multiple objects which are then revealed to be a swarm of shark-like Honkai beasts.

"I seriously think you jinxed us, Kiana!!" Himeko remarked indignantly.

"This is the last time I'm swimming with you." (Y/N) commented with a deadpan before unlatching a pair of sickles attached to him.

Admittedly, in case they don't work then he still has the same spear used to kill the "vampire" strapped to his back if he's going to get close and personal with the sharks.

Normally, using any sort of melee weapons underwater and at this depth would not work at all due to the drag which would diminish any effective damage especially when the weapons are meant for slashing around.

However, (Y/N) is anything but normal now and sickles though are also required to be swung around at its target, the concave blade would offer less resistance than a sword since the tip is curved downwards at the enemies as well as thanks to the Einherjar's strength.

Which meant the first Honkai shark that came into (Y/N)'s range immediately got its head pierced by two ends of the serrated sickles before getting swung around in the water until the force of the swing caused it to rip itself off and smash into its brethren.

"(Y/N)! Save your strength, use your propulsion jets and get-!"

Just as (Y/N) prepared to make some rotten sashimi out of the Honkai sharks, Himeko immediately a retreat or at least tried to order him to retreat only to see the Einherjar making a shockingly quick work of any sharks that came close.

"Behind!" Guizhong warned.

If there wasn't a shark with its head impaled by the sickles or its sides torn open then it would be floating around the deep waters flailing helplessly as (Y/N) had severed its tail into shreds, crippling its ability to swim around in its own natural domain.

Every time another shark dove in to take a bit out of the Einherjar, the latter immediately retaliated by swinging the sickles down which also made him spin around in the water from the force of his blows.

With Guizhong being his second pair of eyes, he was able to get a general grasp on his surrounding and situation and so far, it was boding well for him.

Although it almost disorienting, (Y/N) managed to push himself out the way of another Honkai shark from biting his side off before stabbing his sickle deep into the beast's flesh.

Which he instantly lodged the other sickle in before ripping the shark apart.

All in mere seconds to minutes since the sharks arrived, several are already dead and floating away as the Einherjar continued to maul them apart, shredding through their hides as the sickles made an effective clean-up of the beasts.

"Hey! Don't take all of them on at once, leave some for me!" Kiana exclaimed, taking out her guns but the Einherjar stopped her.

"No, conserve your strength just in case these are the vanguards." (Y/N) firmly rebuked as he sliced through another shark.

While (Y/N) relentlessly slaughtered the Honkai beasts around them, Himeko kept an eye out on their surroundings in case more hostiles join in but seeing no movements from around them, the latter was inwardly elated that the mission is proceeding smoothly for now.

"Fu Hua, has our target location changed in any way?" She then asked, earning a shake from the said girl as she glanced at the readings.

"Scans still showed a low steady trace of Honkai energy emanating from the cave below."

"Then we should head down, the sooner we finish this, the better." (Y/N) said as they saw him swam back after splitting the last shark into two bits.

"Agreed, remind me to thank you on a later date for these dead sharks." Himeko replied as the Einherjar deadpanned at her.

"Thank me by giving me a break then..." (Y/N) remarked blankly.

"Wait, I'm sensing another movement, it's bigger than the sharks." Fu Hua suddenly reported as they became alert, looking around the dark.

Despite being caught on the sonar radar, the new Honkai beast appeared to be skilful enough to weave around the water and out of their sight in the darkness but its presence was still detected though it didn't account for its speed.

Not at all.

"BEHIND YOU, THERE'S THE HONKAI BEAST!!" Kiana shouted as the Einherjar turned around before seeing a gaping mouth with rows of fangs.

With the speed it's coming at them right now, pushing himself and the girls away would still give the Honkai beast the smallest of windows to bite at least one of them into pieces but that is not an option nor will it ever be one.

Without hesitation, (Y/N) immediately shoved Himeko and Fu Hua away just as he saw a pair of jaws engulf and close over him, much to the girls' shock at the Honkai beast swallowed the Einherjar whole before swimming away.

"(Y/N)!!" Fu Hua exclaimed before activating her propulsion jets, chasing after the beast with Himeko and Kiana close in pursuit.

===============================

As the situation underwater was becoming more dire, so was the situation above on the surface also unknowingly becoming more grim as another vessel belonging to Schicksal moved across the waters towards the ship which Himeko's team departed from.

"According to Major Murata, she and her team have already gone underwater to look for 'Jiuling', our mission alone is to find them and provide support." The leading Valkyrie stated.

"Understood!" The rest of her team affirmed before one of them caught sight of another ship moored in the distance.

"Captain! There's an unknown vessel over there by the Major's ship!" 

"What?" The leading Valkyrie exclaimed in surprise before taking the binoculars as the searchlights shone onto the vessel.

"Wait... that crest... it's an Anti-Entropy ship!" She shouted in alarm as her team armed themselves for a confrontation.

Just on cue, the top hatch of the new ship opened up and a petite figure is seen launching out from it like a shadow before landing on top of the Valkyries' own vessel.

"The hell was that?!" Another Valkyrie exclaimed, taking out her firearm and aiming at what is now a girl wielding a spear.

"FIRE AT WILL!" The Valkyrie captain ordered as the night was lit up with flashes from their weapons at their bullets shot towards the invader.

Unexpectedly, the girl masterfully twirled her spear at every angle which deflected and cut away the bullets sent towards her much to the shock of the Valkyries as one of them tried to reload.

"She sliced up our bullets?!?" One exclaimed before finding a spear embedded into her chest just as she reloaded.

Sin Mal did not care whether her target was surprised but etched on her face was an insane grin as she threw away the Valkyrie's corpse before charging at the rest.

"GO TO HELL! DEATH TO SCHICKSAL!!" She howled with maniacal glee.

===============================

(POV - (Y/N)

...It was wet and silent.

This felt oddly familiar but then again, I did rip myself out from that Honkai beast before finding myself falling into this place without much of a choice.

I opened my eyes to see myself lying in a large cavern with stalagmites and stalactites, my helmet had broken from the impact and the light was flickering weakly so I discarded it, not that it made me go blind. My eyes have pretty much adapted to the dark.

"Hey, are you alright?!" Guizhong's voice shook me out of my thoughts before I answered.

"As fine as anyone who got swallowed up can be." 

"Well, if you're being smart with me right now then that tells me you're fine... but where are we??" The spectre questioned, looking around.

"You're guess is as good as mine but... perhaps this is Jiuling." I said, walking around for any possible clues though all I see are rocks and more rocks.

From where I'm standing at the moment, the cavern seems to stretch deeper down into the darkness and since I'm sitting duck here with no one friendly in sight save for one, I might as well make my way forward.

Though it wasn't long before my senses went into overdrive as I heard something in the distance, leaving an echo which made me summon Vortex Vanquisher since the girls aren't here.

"Wait... I think I see... light? Down here?" Guizhong said with some confusion which I can't fault her with, a source of light in this dark place under the sea?

Seems unlikely to be a fellow explorer or one of the girls.

However, it did not deter me from walking closer to it with Vortex Vanquisher poised and ready until I finally reached the source of the light... which is a dull golden sword.

"This is..." I muttered in surprise, dismissing my spear before my hand wrapped itself around the cold handle of the blade.

Without a doubt, though it did not exactly match that of the sketch, there were some markings on the blade that matched that from the scroll depicting the Xuanyuan Sword.

"How convenient, dropping me off in this place..." I added before pulling the sword out, it was much lighter than I anticipated.

I gave the blade a few practice swings around before gazing at the lustre that did not disappear after who knows how long it's been underwater and in this cavern, even the edge of the sword was still lethal enough to make a clear mark on the rock around.

Unfortunately, (Y/N)'s sense of unease and his doubt that was honed by many years of inferiority complex and paranoia as well as cautiousness towards other people have left him questioning why or how was it this easy to obtain his target.

With the Honkai beast dropping him off in this place and the Xuanyuan Sword conveniently placed right at the end of this cavern, it almost felt...

"...Too good to be true. What do you make of this, Gui... zhong..?" I questioned, turning around only find not the spectral goddess but myself standing in the darkness.

The cavern walls have disappeared along with the ground itself and all I see is myself standing in the midst of nowhere with the Xuanyuan Sword in hand and with my apprehension growing.

"Guizhong?" I called out again but to hear nothing in response.

"Now isn't this a sore sight to see?"

Nothing but a sneering voice from the darkness as I turned to see...

"You again..." 

===============================

It's been a while, hasn't it? Must be a big surprise for this arc since the MC is the one that found the Xuanyuan Sword first instead of Himeko but then again, this is a fanfic so anything goes especially with how convoluted the story is. I got classes again so me writing more chapters on a regular basis is far less than likely but I'll improvise, hopefully you've enjoyed this chapter after so long, see you around.