Dark clouds blotted out the azure sky. Despair and death spread endlessly through the city. The once-prosperous metropolis had been reduced to apocalyptic ruins.
Flames raged everywhere, and Honkai Beasts roamed through the streets.
"No, no... how could this happen..."
A young girl in white Valkyrie armor, wearing a blue beret and a blue-violet cape draped over her left shoulder, clutched her head in anguish. She could not accept the senseless tragedy before her eyes.
She had pink eyes and chestnut hair, yet a natural streak of white fell across her forehead—proof of her lineage as a Schariac.
Ana Schariac trembled from head to toe in terror.
She had only accepted a reinforcement mission to eliminate a high-ranking Honkai Beast. Yet the sudden Honkai Eruption had turned everything into a nightmare. In an instant, the human world had become hell.
With her own eyes, Ana had seen countless people reduced to ashes by Honkai corrosion or transformed into the undead. Large numbers of high-level Honkai Beasts had materialized out of thin air, trampling what little remained of the shattered world.
Instinctively, Ana had wanted to stop them—to fight.
But as only an A-rank Valkyrie, even though she had been assigned a pseudo-Divine Key, she was incapable of contending with such overwhelming numbers. Her final shred of rationality forced her to retreat.
It had been the correct decision.
Yet once that last trace of reason faded, her heart was completely consumed by fear.
During the Fourth Honkai Eruption, she had witnessed the Herrscher of the Void summon an army of Templar-class Honkai Beasts.
But back then, she had teammates by her side—countless individuals stronger than herself, people she could rely on. Now, she stood alone on this hopeless battlefield of Honkai.
"Wuu... wuuu..."
A broken sob escaped Ana's lips as she hugged the pseudo-Divine Key tightly in her arms.
The weapon resembled a white knight's lance similar to the Abyss Flower, capable of condensing flying snow. She had chosen it out of admiration.
And who had she admired?
Of course, the white-haired boy who had once saved her. But now...
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry, Lord Elias... I can't do anything!"
Tears streamed down her face as she cursed her own weakness.
Faced with a Honkai Eruption of this magnitude, an A-rank Valkyrie like her could accomplish nothing.
After all, a Honkai Eruption was far more terrifying than ordinary natural disasters—earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes. It was a calamity beyond comparison.
ROOOOAR—!
A thunderous Honkai Beast's roar echoed through the ruins, startling the girl into another shudder. Forcing her trembling legs to move, she struggled to recall the proper response in such a situation.
The answer was simple: retreat. Escape the affected zone.
"I have to reach the rally point as soon as possible. I need to regroup with the other Valkyries in this sector and contact the academy for reinforcements. Yes... that's what I should do. I don't want to die. I want to live!"
Using her lance as a makeshift cane, Ana oriented herself and began moving toward the rendezvous location.
Her decision was not wrong. In the face of a Honkai Eruption, individual strength was painfully insignificant. Regrouping, reorganizing, and entrusting matters to those with absolute power was the rational choice.
The fact that she could make such a judgment and act on it under extreme fear proved she was already a qualified Valkyrie.
In truth, aside from the big-hearted fools of the Kaslana family who seemed incapable of feeling fear, most Valkyries would lose their courage entirely in such circumstances—unable even to move.
And yet, at that very moment—
"Big brother... where are you... big brother..."
From beneath the rubble in the distance came a weak, trembling voice.
Ana froze mid-step.
"There's a survivor?!"
"...Help me... someone... please help me..."
A black-haired girl lay miserably on the ground, pinned beneath several chunks of stone. A pink Homu doll had fallen beside her. Its fabric was torn open, white stuffing spilling out like pale blood across the floor.
"!!!"
Ana's eyes widened.
If she did not save the girl now, it would not be long before real blood stained that white stuffing crimson.
She was about to step forward when—
ROOOOOOAR—!!
"P-Parvati!"
As though even fate itself opposed her attempt at rescue, a massive Honkai Beast manifested between Ana and the trapped girl.
It bore a pair of white tusks, and blue patterns glowed across its black armored shell.
As a diligent student, Ana recognized it instantly.
An Emperor-class Honkai Beast—Parvati.
Her grip tightened instinctively around her lance.
No... I can't act recklessly!
With her A-rank strength and the pseudo-Divine Key, she could indeed kill Parvati.
But fighting now was absolutely not a wise choice. It would be tantamount to suicide.
She had no way to defeat an Emperor-class Honkai Beast in a short time. And once the battle caused too much disturbance, it would inevitably attract the surrounding Honkai Beasts as well.
At that point, forget saving the girl—Ana herself would not survive.
And to speak a cold, cruel truth—
Human lives were not equal.
At the very least, the life of a dying child could not compare to that of an A-rank Valkyrie—especially one like Ana, who carried a trace of Holy Blood within her.
It's so scary, so scary... I have to reach the rally point. I can't fight the Honkai Beast now. Otherwise not only that child, but I'll die too. But... but... I'm a Valkyrie. If I don't save her...
ROOOOOOOAR—!!
Parvati let out another deafening bellow. Ana instinctively stepped back.
But in the next instant, she realized something.
The beast had not noticed her.
The one it had noticed—
Was the little girl.
ROAR—! (Kill the human.)
Following the mission engraved into its existence by Honkai at the moment of its birth, Parvati sought to exterminate every human it detected—even a dying child.
The mammoth-shaped Honkai Beast opened its massive jaws and lumbered toward the girl pinned beneath the rubble.
It intended to devour her.
"Big sister... save me... please save me..."
The girl spotted Ana. Terrified of being devoured, she burst into tears, large droplets streaming down her face as she stretched a trembling hand toward her only hope—Ana.
Ana's face turned deathly pale.
She had many choices right now. If she did not want to witness that cruel scene, she only needed to turn her head and run.
No one would blame her for weakness at a time like this.
Because right now, "running away" was the correct choice.
And Elias had once told the Valkyries in class that although they were warriors who protected ordinary people, their own safety was actually more important.
Because a living Valkyrie could kill more Honkai Beasts. And even killing a single low-tier Honkai Beast could save several lives—perhaps even a dozen.
And in the end... Valkyries were human too.
They only had one life.
They bore the mission of protecting humanity.
But they were not obligated to sacrifice themselves for others.
They also had the right to be selfish.
"...W-What should I do?"
Ana felt as though she stood at the crossroads of fate. If she chose to save the girl, she might die as well. If she did not, the girl would certainly perish.
And somewhere in the unseen depths, it felt as though some invisible force was urging her to leave.
Yet the tip of her pseudo-Divine Key lance had already angled toward Parvati, as if urging her to fight.
If it were Lord Elias... this is what he would do.
The image of the one she admired surfaced in her mind. The answer came in less than half a second.
If it were that white-haired boy, he would not hesitate at all. He would rush forward and save her. A mere Parvati did not even qualify to earn his full attention.
And even if he lacked overwhelming power, Ana believed he would still charge in without regard for himself—staking everything on that sliver of hope.
Back during the Fourth Honkai Eruption,
Ana had witnessed Elias stand against the falling Honkai Fissile Bomb that threatened St. Freya Academy. It was in that moment she had begun to admire him.
Later, she once asked him a question.
Faced with so many dangers, was he not afraid?
His answer echoed in her mind now, clear as the toll of a distant bell.
Elias had said, "Afraid? Of course I'm afraid. Who wouldn't be when facing a missile head-on? But compared to death, losing the ones I love is far more terrifying."
"Life is precious, yes—but the most important thing is this: never do something you'll regret. Rather than carry regret for a lifetime, it's better to stake your life at the critical moment."
The memory ended there.
Ana took a deep breath and looked straight at Parvati, asking herself from the bottom of her heart.
"Never do something you'll regret... If I run away now, I'll regret it for the rest of my life. In that case, I choose to uphold the mission of a Valkyrie!"
She poured Honkai energy into her lance. The pseudo core of the Herrscher of Ice embedded within it flared to life.
With a sharp cry, she drew Parvati's attention and charged at the Emperor-class Honkai Beast.
ROOOOOAR—!
"Aaaahhh—!"
From beneath the rubble, the little girl stared blankly at the scene.
The holy and beautiful big sister truly looked like a Valkyrie from myth, locked in a life-and-death struggle against a terrifying monster.
The battle was so intense, so heart-stopping, that it was impossible to look away. For a time, she even forgot the pain.
Ten minutes later.
Seizing an opening, Ana slid low across the ground and thrust her lance upward, piercing through Parvati's abdominal armor.
At last, she shattered the Emperor-class Honkai Beast's core.
"Hah... hah... hah..."
Dropping to one knee, Ana panted heavily. Only when Parvati collapsed and fell silent did she finally relax.
She could not help but marvel at her luck. Ten minutes of fierce combat had failed to attract other Honkai Beasts.
But the greatest stroke of fortune was that Parvati was also ice-aspected.
Though it could manipulate wind and snow, its power was inferior to the pseudo core of the Herrscher of Ice within her Divine Key. Thanks to that, Ana had been immune to its blizzard.
"Don't be afraid, little sister. Big sister will get you out now."
"Big sister... you're so beautiful... and so strong..."
"I-I'm still far from that..."
Blushing at the praise, Ana carefully lifted the stones pinning the girl down.
To her relief, the child was largely unharmed—no broken limbs, no serious injuries.
"That's incredibly lucky. They're all just minor injuries. I don't have many first-aid supplies with me right now. Little sister, can you tell me your name?"
"M-My name is Chen Tianwen. Big sister, what about you?"
"My name is Ana—Ana Schariac. Don't be afraid, Tianwen. Big sister is a Valkyrie from St. Freya Academy. I'll make sure you reach a safe place unharmed."
Ana gently patted Chen Tianwen's head, unaware that her own aura had subtly changed.
If the Ana Schariac from before had been an inexperienced, innocent girl, then now she was beginning to transform into the "saintess" symbolized by the Schariac name.
She had broken through her destined tragedy and rewritten what would have become a lifelong regret.
"Thank you, Sister Ana. Oh, I also have a brother named Chen Tianwu. Have you seen him?"
"Chen Tianwu? I'm sorry, Tianwen. I haven't. Let's get you somewhere safe first. I'll look for other survivors along the way. Maybe we'll find your brother."
Ana shook her head regretfully.
Without sufficient Honkai resistance, surviving a Honkai Eruption was nearly impossible. In her view, Chen Tianwu's chances were slim.
"Okay! I understand."
Chen Tianwen nodded obediently. Picking up her torn Homu doll, she followed behind Ana.
She was a sensible child. She did not throw a tantrum or demand that Ana search for her brother immediately.
In this apocalyptic ruin, with monsters roaming everywhere, Sister Ana had already risked her life to save her.
All Chen Tianwen could do was pray her brother was lucky enough to still be alive—and that their paths might cross.
The two of them began heading toward the evacuation point together.
Unexpectedly, there were quite a few survivors nearby.
That meant they all possessed some degree of Honkai resistance—potential talents who might one day become Valkyries.
Ana no longer hesitated.
If she saw one, she saved one.
"Everyone stay quiet and follow behind me. Don't let the Honkai Beasts notice you. I'll lead you out safely. Don't give up—we will survive!"
More than a dozen survivors nodded vigorously, covering their mouths as they obediently followed behind her.
They watched this self-proclaimed Valkyrie weave through terrifying monsters one after another.
Whenever there was no way around, she eliminated them cleanly with her lance.
Little by little, the fear in their hearts faded.
Some even began to believe that this brave and beautiful girl before them might be an angel sent from heaven.
"Well done, Ana. You have successfully crossed your fate."
From afar, Elias watched the girl with a satisfied smile.
Behind him...
Lay the corpses of tens of thousands of Honkai Beasts.