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At the Ring Fortress's most crucial location closest to land, Durandal stood at the edge of a floating platform, clad in golden armor. With a grave expression, she gazed upon the colossal beast whose full extent remained unseen.
Welt had constructed and levitated a combat fortress rivaling the Great Wall encircling the continent. The behemoth Chiyou itself was comparable to an entire landmass, while its descending sword aura seemed capable of piercing and incinerating the planet—powers far beyond imagination. Compared to such entities, the distinction of being merely an S-rank Valkyrie felt utterly laughable.
"I need... I still require more training—to protect humanity's future!"
Acknowledging one's own insignificance is the first step toward achieving true greatness.
Durandal raised her riding spear, gripping it tightly with unwavering determination, fueled by an unquenchable fighting spirit devoid of fear or hesitation.
Suddenly, a fragrant breeze brushed past her. Turning, Durandal spotted the charming young maid gracefully standing beside her. With hands placed elegantly near her waist, Rita bowed slightly and said,
"Lady Durandal, the situation is not looking good. Despite my best efforts to encourage them, the morale among everyone remains..."
Rita's voice, soft and melodious like an intoxicating song, carried a hint of mild concern, causing Durandal's delicate brows to furrow slightly.
As she observed the Titans, which had maintained their formation impeccably throughout, a hint of concern surfaced on Durandal's still-youthful face.
In this war where direct combat had yet to truly commence, Anti-Entropy's machinery showcased their unique advantage—they do not fear.
Being machines, regardless of the enemy they faced, once given orders, they would always stand firm without faltering.
The Valkyries could not match this steadfastness because they were human.
This contrast made it clear that, in their first joint operation, Schicksal was clearly outmatched.
However, this wasn't what troubled Durandal.
She didn't blame the Valkyries for their disarray; after all, they confronted an adversary like Chiyou, far beyond ordinary comprehension.
The issue lay elsewhere: her usually reliable intuition warned Durandal that this crisis was far from over. The danger continued to brew, and if a significant number of Valkyries remained demoralized, how could they hope to fight effectively?
"Well then, continue encouraging them. The battle is likely not over yet. We can't have the Titans charging ahead while the Valkyries either dawdle or flee during actual engagement! That would be utterly disgraceful!"
"Yes, Lady Durandal!" Rita responded solemnly, proceeding to carry out her morale-boosting efforts with minimal success as instructed.
Just then, the azure sky brightened momentarily.
"Attention, all troops!"
Using countless worker bees scattered across the sky as audio and projection devices, a clear young voice resonated over the ocean, accompanied by a massive image displayed overhead, covering nearly half the sky.
It depicted scorched black earth, upon which sat a solemn-faced white-haired youth on a dark throne. Countless roaring Honkai Beasts surrounded him, only to be swiftly slaughtered by a swift-moving shadow clad in black.
Above them, swarms of black orbs blotted out the sun, either firing thousands of laser beams or devouring the Honkai Beasts like ants consuming an elephant—efficiently, coordinated, and ruthlessly annihilating their prey.
In the distance, dazzling bursts of white light lit up alongside mushroom clouds blooming indiscriminately, both vividly captured with accompanying thunderous sounds. The sight elicited involuntary shivers—Bloody hell, is someone clearing out a nuclear arsenal here?
"Attention, all troops! Thanks to our effective strikes, the behemoth Chiyou has been immobilized, temporarily lifting the direct threat to the continental shelf. We have achieved initial victory."
"But the war is far from over. Chiyou's body continues to spawn endless Honkai Beasts. Their target is the land; their purpose is destruction. The front line you stand on is humanity's last defense. I implore you... fight until your dying breath!"
"Hereby, as Acting Schicksal Archbishop and First Enforcer of Anti-Entropy, Zeke, I declare: We must not retreat, we cannot retreat! Before us lies chaos, behind us our homes—we have no path left but forward!"
"In the joint names of Schicksal and Anti-Entropy, I pledge that achievements in this battle will be recorded based on the number of Honkai Beasts vanquished and individual contributions. Post-war rewards include promotions, vacations, salary increases, more potent Stigmata, advanced armor, and even Anti-Entropy's recently developed medication for alleviating Deterioration by Energy of Honkai—whatever you desire, provided Schicksal and Anti-Entropy possess it, all can be obtained with merit points!"
"My promise stands as the commitment of both Schicksal and Anti-Entropy, my command echoes theirs."
"Now, I give the order: For civilization, for humanity, for those unable to fight—the only way is forward, victory is the sole outcome!"
"Today, we declare war on Honkai! Today, we will save the world!
"This message concludes—troops, advance!"
His voice remained steady and uninflected, his expression calm yet resolute as a mountain, echoing with the dying wails of Honkai Beasts from the hologram. As "advance" echoed across the battlefield, something seemed to return within the disheartened Valkyries.
Simultaneously,
"Bzzt!"
"Bzzt!"
"Bzzt!"
With the electronic sound signaling weapons release, countless Titan mechs raised their heads, stepped forward, purple light gleaming atop them. Bearing their imposing cannons that instilled a sense of security, they moved uniformly to the platform's edge, guarding the front line.
One by one, the rejuvenated Valkyries stood tall, weapons in hand, positioned behind the Great Wall formed by Titans, ready for action.
"They've been immobilized..."
"Just Honkai Beasts after all..."
"Our homes are right behind us..."
"A specialized treatment... "
"For those who can't fight..."
"We're saving the world itself!!"
Gradually, the atmosphere on the battlefield began to shift.
Durandal stared up at the sky, awestruck.
"Is that...Sir Zeke Kaslana?"
Rita nodded with a smile. "Indeed, it's him!"
As expected of the old monster who could hold his own in conversation with Arcbishop Otto and wield immense power within Anti-Entropy. With just a brief appearance—merely sitting atop Chiyou's scorched remains—he instilled an unprecedented sense of security.
Both Rita and Durandal smiled, feeling as if the cloud of darkness that had loomed over their hearts since seeing Chiyou was finally dissipating, revealing the bright sun beyond.
So what about Chiyou? In the face of humanity, wasn't it brought to its knees just the same?!
Below them, seawater rushing back from all directions gradually approached its original level. However, the turbulent tide churned up sediment from the seafloor, making the entire ocean murky and opaque.
In such chaotic waters, not even humans but giant Honkai Beasts, dwarfing blue whales themselves, would likely be disoriented by the swirling currents, unable to accomplish much.
Suddenly, a small hand clad in black armor gripped the platform's edge, and a slender, pitch-black figure emerged from the turbid sea.
With great effort, the girl climbed onto the platform and came to rest at Durandal's and Rita's feet. She sprawled out on her back, helmet retracting to reveal her signature long silver hair and flushed, panting face.
"Pant... Pant... Pant..."
"I'm exhausted!"
"Of course only that jerk Zeke would pull off such an over-the-top attack! Seriously, couldn't he have given me some warning beforehand? The waves tossed me around so much I almost drifted all the way to the Pacific Ocean! Just you wait till we get back, damn it, Zeke!"
Zzzt!
A laser beam struck just one centimeter above Kiana's head, leaving behind a fist-sized black hole.