It's well known that Valkyries usually operate in teams, with a minimum formation of three under normal circumstances.
Currently, a team composed of three senior B-rank Valkyries stood dispersed on the training ground, each wielding their preferred weapons and stared at the lone figure opposite of them.
Indeed, their opponent was only one person, but the pressure this one person exerted on the Valkyries surpassed all the battles they had experienced before!
They nervously watched their opponent, carefully adjusting their formation and their own condition.
Standing on the opposite side of the training ground, Durandal's voice rang out, "Not planning to attack?"
The three Valkyries tightened their grip on their weapons, almost simultaneously launching their assault!
The blonde knight raised her training spear, her movements not appearing fast, but her attack trajectory was Farly cunning.
To onlookers, it seemed as if the Valkyrie attacking her was delivering herself to the spear, and all Durandal had to do was twist her wrist, thrusting the spear forward with precision.
With just a brief encounter, the attacking Valkyrie flew up like a character from a comic, spinning comically before crashing onto another part of the training ground.
The three of them scrambled to their feet from the ground, quickly realizing that they, like the challenger before them, had all failed.
However, they were not discouraged, merely shaking their heads slightly, brushing off the dust from their bodies, and respectfully leaving the training ground.
As for the Valkyries watching from the sidelines, they also sighed in admiration.
"Such incredible power!"
"Is this the strength of an S-rank?"
"What I'm more interested in is her control over herself; even after such intense collisions, she didn't inflict much harm on her opponent!"
"And she hasn't even worn the latest Valkyrie Battlesuit yet!"
Amidst the chatter, Durandal approached the edge of the field, taking a bottle of water from a woman with fiery red hair, "Thanks, Instructor Himeko."
"The movements just now were very crisp, very good! I think the Valkyries from the Far East Branch should fully understand the weight of an S-rank Valkyrie with someone like you as their role model. With you leading by example, I believe they will put in more effort in their training for some time to come!"
Himeko looked at Durandal replenishing her water with a small smile, giving her a thumbs up, "In that case, Captain Ragnar's task for us shouldn't be too difficult to accomplish."
The blonde knight blinked, memories vividly flashing through her mind.
-------------------
Durandal, Himeko, and the accompanying technical personnel arrived at the Far East Branch airport last night. When they disembarked from the transport plane, they found Theresa and Ragnar already waiting at the airport gate.
"Welcome, S-rank Valkyrie Durandal."
Theresa shook hands with the blonde knight, welcoming the envoy from the headquarters with sincerity.
Durandal responded gracefully, "Hello, Lady Theresa, I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation in the future."
"Of course, this way please, we have already prepared your rooms for you."
The group proceeded towards the rest area in a grand procession.
Himeko looked at Ragnar Lothbrok lagging behind Theresa and came to her side intentionally, and greeted her softly, "Captain Ragnar."
"Long time no see, Himeko."
Ragnar glanced up and down at the Valkyrie with fiery red hair, her eyes flickering, reaching out to pat her shoulder.
Himeko could feel the faint waves of Honkai energy emanating from the hand resting on her shoulder, and Ragnar even deliberately pinched a few times on her back and arms, as if she was probing her physical condition.
After a few seconds, Ragnar withdrew her hand, sighing, "Quite healthy, no serious traces of Honkai erosion... It seems the information I heard before about the headquarters developing equipment to suppress or even treat Honkai erosion is true?"
Himeko smiled, speaking cheerfully, "Yes, Captain. And, this time we came specifically to meet Luo Lin, who brought back this technology... Of course, there may be some other reasons as well, those I'm not too sure about."
"Great..."
After that, the headmaster led and hosted a small welcome party. It was an event that resembled more of a regular buffet than a welcoming ceremony.
Compared to some of the long and tedious banquets Durandal had attended before, Theresa's approach simply involved having the waiters arrange various delicious foods and drinks on long tables for visitors to help themselves. If there wasn't enough, they could just inform the kitchen to make more.
Overall, the atmosphere was very relaxed, which relieved both Durandal and Himeko.
Durandal, Himeko, Theresa, and Ragnar, the four important figures, gathered some food and found a relatively secluded corner to continue their conversation.
Theresa waved her fork, saying, "Overseer Otto once mentioned your name to me, saying you're an fairly outstanding and pure warrior..."
And, like Cecilia, someone with the potential to lead this era forward as a Valkyrie.
She paused for a moment, swallowing back her grandfather's appraisal, and continued in her usual tone, "So, there's no need to be so formal, let's communicate as warriors, the Faf East Branch doesn't go for the European and American styles, just do whatever makes you comfortable."
Durandal's lips curled up, nodding, "It seems I'll have to thank Overseer Otto after I return..."
The blonde knight paused for a moment, finally asking the question she had been holding back for a long time, "By the way, Lady Theresa, a few days ago, there should have been a Valkyrie from the Intelligence Department completing her mission and coming to the Far East Branch. Her name is Luo Lin, and she also brought back the crucial technology. I wanted to ask about her current situation..."
"Um, I learned from Ragnar that you seem to have quite a peculiar connection with Luo Lin..."
Theresa's gaze drifted, her tone subtly ambiguous, "However, she is not currently in the Far East Branch. She said two days ago that she found information related to the Stigmata Relic and rushed to the Shenzhou area for further clues."
"Huh? The Stigmata Relic? Shouldn't it take a long time to track down clues for that thing?"
Durandal was taken aback, "Didn't you tell Teacher Luo about the headquarters sending someone to inquire these past few days?"
The headmaster's face became even more embarrassed, "I did, but Luo Lin told me that she wouldn't take long for reconnaissance, at most three days, and she would rush back..."
"Alas, the atmosphere in the Far East Branch is too lax!"
Ragnar swallowed her food, grumbling, "Little Luo Lin used to be a serious person, but now she's probably been assimilated by the lax atmosphere of St. Freya. What you expect, you get."
"!!"
Theresa tried to glare at Ragnar with her eyes, but her attempt to appear angry was rather unimpressive to someone familiar, lacking intimidation.
Ragnar herself was responsible for assisting Theresa in managing the Far East Branch, as Saint Freya and the Far East Branch were almost one and the same, the relaxed atmosphere at the academy made the overall atmosphere of the branch somewhat restless.
She needed to find a solution to this problem, and Durandal's arrival was a great opportunity.
"Could I ask you for a favor? While Luo Lin is not back yet, I will invite you to spar and educate with the Valkyries and students of the Far East Branch..."
Ragnar said to Durandal and Himeko, "S-rank Valkyrie Durandal, I believe your identity and strength will surely give those lax folks a small shock, making them feel some urgency."
Durandal had no intention of refusing this proposal, as she usually sparred and exchanged with Valkyries from other branches, fostering relationships...
Considering, the blonde knight didn't need to do much differently, she just followed her usual habits.
"Okay, no problem."
Ragnar laughed heartily, raising her glass, "Alright, thank you, I'll treat you to something better later."
"It's my pleasure."
-------------------
Durandal finished reminiscing, closing the bottle cap, revealing a gentle smile, "Haha, after all, everyone here has graduated from school and been on the battlefield... I'm just reminding them through sparring to rein in their restless hearts..."
Himeko shrugged, "It seems like you're more worried about fighting with the Valkyrie students?"
"Yeah, when I visited the classrooms at St. Freya this morning, I thought it was just an ordinary university... It's different from other Valkyrie academies; some..."
The blonde knight pondered her vocabulary for a moment, finally saying, "Some are a bit too relaxed, completely lacking any sense of urgency. I'm worried that even after sparring and competing, they'll still maintain that carefree attitude... Its honestly not good."
After all, Honkai wouldn't give you the time and opportunity to leisurely handle things; if the students continued to maintain this attitude when they stepped onto the front line against the Honkai, they might pay the price with their lives.
Durandal could easily deal with powerful Honkai beasts, command Valkyries in battle, but she wasn't good at handling these kinds of problems.
Himeko squinted, patting the girl's shoulder, "Don't worry, we're only responsible for giving them 'mind-blowing' scenes... Captain Ragnar has already prepared follow-up plans."
"That's even better... rumble."
Durandal rubbed her stomach, a strange sound coming from it, causing the blonde knight to blush suddenly, whispering, "I, I'm a bit hungry."
"Not surprising, sparring all morning must have consumed quite a bit... Well, let's end our sparring here and go to the cafeteria for something to eat."
"Yeah."
With the help of electronic navigation, Durandal and Himeko arrived at the cafeteria of St. Freya Academy. The blonde knight deliberately took some extra food, stacking them into a small mountain on her plate, attracting the attention of the surrounding students.
"Who is that?"
"It's Durandal! The S-rank Valkyrie!"
"So cool! So awesome!"
"Didn't you say you liked Teacher Welt yesterday?"
"Can't I like both?!"
A student rubbed her chin, staring at Durandal's plate, whispering, "Hmm, she seems to have an appetite matching her rank... Not good, this scene reminds me of someone."
"Who?"
"That would be the new student who came to St. Freya and eats a lot... Anyway, someone with a big appetite."
Many students nodded in agreement, "Indeed, now that you mention it, we do have some impression..."
"I remember, it should be the girl with conspicuous white hair!"
A sharp-eyed student snapped her fingers, "White hair, big eater, she's over there!"
Looking in the direction she pointed, the blonde knight who was holding her tray, stepped towards the big eater with her head down, placing the food on the table.
Of course, Kiana had noticed someone sitting across from her and the almost equally large amount of food on their tray.
The white-haired girl lifted her head, meeting two pairs of strikingly similar blue eyes.
In that instant, both Kiana and Durandal felt the strange sensation of electricity coursing through their brows, prompting both of them to feel curious.
Who is she? / Who is she?