Honkai, why do you only throw me into high-level battles?

Rewind to a short while earlier, when the eruption had just begun…

"Lin Wei, we have a problem! A big problem!" Tesla, ignoring the rapidly increasing pressure differential that threatened to crush the already damaged Arahato, rocketed upwards from the ocean depths.

The moment she breached the surface, she frantically contacted Lin Wei, her voice filled with panic. "We accidentally triggered a massive release of Honkai energy while exploring the ruins! Hordes of Honkai beasts are swarming towards Southeast Asia!"

"What?!" Lin Wei was momentarily stunned, then roared, "You're at Eye of Deep?!" The newly discovered ruins were still being excavated. They barely had a numerical designation, let alone an official name.

"Eye of what…?" Tesla, exasperated, assumed he was rambling. "We are underwater, but that's not important right now, Lin Wei, you…" Have to do something!

The call abruptly ended. Tesla stared at the communicator, speechless, then slammed her fists against the console, screaming in frustration, "Damn it!!!"

She didn't know who or what she was blaming.

The impending disaster? Cocolia, who'd drained Anti-Entropy's resources to excavate these mysterious ruins, forcing her and Einstein to participate? Lin Wei, who'd hung up on her mid-sentence? Herself, for failing to foresee the danger?

Or something else entirely?

She didn't know. Perhaps it was everything, and nothing.

She didn't want to think about why he'd hung up. She preferred to believe it was his usual rudeness, not the terrifying alternative – that the Honkai had already engulfed Southeast Asia, cutting off communication.

If that were the case, it was already too late.

"There's still time… there has to be…" She broke out in a cold sweat, then dialed another number, one she rarely used. Her voice was barely a whisper. "Schicksal… I have to warn Schicksal…"

The line rang and rang, but no one answered.

"…How could this be?" A chilling sense of isolation washed over her. She felt abandoned by the world.

Meanwhile, at Schicksal HQ, halfway across the globe, the alarms were blaring. The sudden, large-scale eruption, without any warning, had thrown their communication systems into chaos.

The operations department furiously blamed the monitoring department for their failure to detect the impending disaster.

The monitoring department, feeling unjustly accused, shifted the blame to the technical department, claiming their expensive equipment was useless.

The technical department, bewildered by the accusations, blamed the finance department for refusing to fund their research and development.

The initial chaos escalated.

Blame-shifting solved nothing. They needed to understand what had happened. A flurry of communication ensued – between departments at HQ, between HQ and the various branches, between departments within the branches, between branches and their Valkyrie squads.

Amber, as Otto's assistant, was at the center of the storm, trying to make sense of the chaos, summarizing the key information and relaying it to Otto, who would then make the final decisions.

Tesla's call for help was lost in the noise, a single drop in a raging ocean.

"Damn it…" Overwhelmed by a profound sense of isolation, Tesla felt a surge of despair, a fleeting urge to simply give up.

"No! It's not over yet! I can't give up!" She shook herself, slapping her cheeks, forcing herself to calm down. "We still have Anti-Entropy… we can still do something…"

She knew the damage was done, irreversible. All she could do now was damage control.

And there was no time to waste.

She rallied her spirits and ordered all available Anti-Entropy mechs to assemble near the Mariana Islands. First, they would rescue Cocolia and her forces, then they would head to Southeast Asia.

Please, let it not be too late… she muttered, sending orders to Anti-Entropy HQ in North America. She received confirmation, a wave of relief washing over her as she finally re-established contact with the outside world.

She looked towards the dark horizon, towards Southeast Asia, towards the Philippines.

What's happening there? she wondered.

The ominous, dark clouds, the increasingly turbulent sea… a constant reminder of the irreversible disaster.

She hesitated, then gritted her teeth, pushing the control stick forward, diving back into the churning waves, descending towards the abyss.

She knew that even if she rushed to Southeast Asia, she wouldn't be able to do much alone.

It was better to use the Arahato's remaining power to support Cocolia. Only by freeing the trapped mech forces could they have a chance of mitigating the disaster.

...

"Prepare for battle!" Cocolia watched the swarm of Honkai beasts surrounding the ruins, her voice strained.

After entering the ruins, she'd divided her forces. The main force accompanied her inside, assisting with exploration and Honkai beast extermination – and, secretly, keeping an eye on the two scientists.

The smaller detachments left outside, responsible for maintaining the energy engine, perimeter security, and ship protection, were likely overwhelmed by the sudden influx of Honkai beasts.

But with her main force intact, she could still fight.

"Ms. Cocolia," Einstein's calm voice echoed from within a Titan mech, surrounded by smaller units.

"What is it, Doctor?" Cocolia replied, her attention focused on the approaching horde. "If it's not important, we can talk later. I'm busy."

"This is important. It concerns the survival of everyone here." Einstein, unfazed by her dismissive tone, continued, "Thanks to that energy barrier, we were able to drain the water from the ruins…"

The thought of the barrier, and the catastrophic consequences of its failure, filled her with dread.

She composed herself and continued, "But now, that barrier has become our greatest threat."

"Oh?" Cocolia's attention was piqued.

"It's a simple matter of physics, Ms. Cocolia." Einstein held up a finger, her tone laced with subtle sarcasm. "We were able to drain the water because the barrier was reactivated, creating a physical separation between the ruins and the surrounding ocean. But now, the barrier is losing power, about to collapse. This will turn the ruins into a massive low-pressure zone. And we're in the deepest part of the ocean, under immense pressure. Do you understand the implications?"

"Hmph, you underestimate my mechs, Doctor," Cocolia scoffed.

But then she considered the consequences. Even if her mechs could withstand the implosion, the ruins themselves might be destroyed.

She shuddered, unable to contemplate such a loss. "What's your solution, Doctor? This isn't the time for arguments."

"Two options." Einstein, ever pragmatic, held up another finger. "One: send someone to reactivate the external energy engine and restore power to the barrier."

"Heh. A clever way to get someone killed, Doctor." Cocolia sneered. Send someone outside? Into that swarm?

Her voice turned colder. "I hope your second option is more… feasible."

"Then listen carefully," Einstein said, unperturbed. "Since you were able to activate the barrier, I assume you know how to control it."

"You…!" Cocolia bristled, then waved her hand dismissively. "Go on."

"If the barrier's collapse is inevitable, then we should take the initiative. We'll let the water in."

"What?!"

"Control the barrier, create a small, controlled breach, and allow the water to flow in, gradually equalizing the pressure. The conserved energy will allow the rest of the barrier to last longer, buying us time to escape."

"That's easy for you to say! What about the Honkai beasts that will flood in with the water?"

"That's what your mechs are for." Einstein's voice remained calm, almost languid. "Do you really think those Honkai beasts we unleashed will simply return to the depths on their own?"

Cocolia weighed her options. "…Fine. We'll do it your way. What are the specifics?"

Einstein typed a few commands. "I've calculated the optimal breach size to maximize water intake while minimizing risk. I'm sending the data to your terminal."

She paused, then continued casually, "As for the location of the breach… I'm sure you, with your access to the ruins' map, know which areas are less critical, which areas can be sacrificed to the incoming water… and the ensuing battle."

Cocolia felt a twinge of guilt at Einstein's pointed remark. "Hmph. We'll do as you say."