In the pitch-black night, pale moonlight spilled over the land.
The desolate grass, illuminated by the cold moonlight, cast countless eerie shadows.
From afar, they looked like the perpetual, eerie flames of the undead in a dark forest.
The blazing gunfire and smoke ignited the last glimmer of dawn before the light.
Murata Himeko's head was dizzy, and her breathing had almost stopped.
But her heart was still beating, and the burning passion within her chest could not be extinguished.
As long as she remained, this place could not be breached.
This was her Academy, proof of her existence.
Even attacks like this could not completely kill her!
At this moment, Rita, hailed as one of Schicksal's three great S-Rank Valkyries, was silent.
It wasn't just physical exhaustion; more so, it was the mental torment, clinging to her soul like a gangrene.
She looked at the woman, her expression instantly becoming incredibly complex.
"It's already come to this... must we continue fighting?"
"I am only a minor character in this siege, a negligible force, yet even so, none of you can truly stop me right now, can you?"
Rita let out a long breath and looked at Himeko, who was leaning motionless on her greatsword.
She wore a set of bright red armor, connected all over by crimson lines.
She had discarded all superfluous decorations; all her fury was contained within the heart of this wildfire-like armor.
Fusion Armor: Crimson Impulse!
Special armor created after being fitted with the still-testing "Nexus System," possessing two forms: the heavily armed full-load type and the maneuverable light-load type.
As a complete enhancement specialization system, it was designed with virtually no safety considerations, which is why the Far East Branch listed this system as a last resort.
When driven by battleship-level energy, its output power reaches a level surpassing that of an Emperor-Level Honkai Beast, but prolonged operation risks overloading the armor itself.
In other words, every second she wore the armor, she was burning her life force.
Exchanging the flame of life for supreme power!
Even so, whenever Murata Himeko faced a difficult enemy, she would not hesitate to activate this dangerous armor.
Rita wanted to say something, because Himeko in front of her had suffered severe injuries in the recent battle.
Even if she held back, the power gap between A-Rank and S-Rank Valkyries was not easily bridged.
Himeko's armored left hand had been struck by the scythe, resulting in a clear fracture.
Although she clearly could no longer lift the greatsword, she still forced herself to raise it using the strength of both hands.
A part of the armor on her right hand had fallen off, revealing a blood-smeared arm, where raw white bone was visible.
Both hands were bruised and bloody, gripping the hilt tightly, twitching and trembling with every breath.
Both hands had suffered heavy blows.
She clearly could no longer continue fighting!
Why was she still holding the sword?
If this continued, even if she survived, both of her arms would be lost after the battle.
Rita couldn't bear to strike such a warrior down mercilessly, and she didn't want to continue fighting either.
Of course, as a price, she had also sustained serious injuries.
Himeko was fighting using suicidal, life-for-life attack methods.
Just now, Rita's chest cavity was struck by the greatsword. Fortunately, she was wearing the Fourth Generation Valkyrie God-Slaying Armor, Argent Knight: Artemis, which allowed her to withstand much of the damage.
Even so, she could feel three ribs broken in her chest, and a fiery sting scorched her body.
Murata Himeko could no longer speak, and blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.
Although her exterior suggested she could continue, her internal injuries were severe enough to cause an ordinary Valkyrie to pass out.
Rita could see that her gaze was blazing like fire, as if a torch had been lit in her eyes.
Rita stopped speaking and turned to leave... Rita's arrival meant nothing.
She seemed disinclined to fight, so she left quickly.
Himeko was dizzy and sitting on the city wall; her adjutant continued to command the forces.
She didn't know how much time had passed.
All she heard was the roaring scream of Benares.
Due to the Lord Queen's command, it had been guarding the Far East Branch.
The massive black shadow seemed to isolate all conflict, and the power of the Judgement-level Honkai Beast surged forth!
Not only the people inside the Academy, but even the Valkyries of Schicksal Headquarters who were besieging them were astonished.
"It's Beibei Long! It came to help us!"
"With it here, we can definitely defend the Academy."
"Benares, hang in there!!!"
This was the shout of the Valkyries of St. Freya Academy.
The shouts filled with hope greatly shocked the Schicksal Valkyries nearby!
They actually had a Honkai Beast of this level as support?
Sure enough, just as Lord Bishop said, many Herrschers were hidden in this small Academy!
This must be true!
Coldness, fear, and hatred spread through their hearts.
Many who joined Schicksal had parents who died at the hands of Honkai Beasts or Herrschers, making them exceptionally hateful towards them!
"Kill these traitors! Hiding Herrschers and Honkai Beasts, it's terrifying."
"Lord Bishop's intelligence is incredible; he managed to uncover even these things."
"We must kill it, or if this Honkai Beast escapes, countless innocent people will die unnatural deaths."
"My parents died at the hands of a Honkai Beast; we must deal with this Honkai Beast!"
"Can we really defeat it..."
The hatred of the Schicksal Valkyries had largely shifted to Benares.
Honkai Beasts attracted their hatred more than executing traitors.
Countless mechas, like a tide, frantically surged towards Benares in the sky.
The ignited cannon fire completely lit up the dense dark night, a momentary brilliance!
"Boom!!!!"
They didn't care about the cost, they didn't care about anything else.
The people of Schicksal only wanted to shoot down this giant bug flying in the sky!
But was it that easy?
No.
Benares flapped its wings, and every beat stirred up a tornado of hail.
The supposedly indestructible mechas, upon encountering the tornado, were often torn apart like paper.
Twisted into piles of scrap metal!
The cannon fire, striking its body, merely exploded with a roar, having no effect whatsoever.
Like fireworks blooming one after another.
Benares' body was harder than an extraterrestrial meteorite; it was simply not something Schicksal's mechas could destroy.
Watching countless mechas being destroyed piece by piece by Beibei Long, and the scales of victory tipping towards them, the Valkyries of St. Freya Academy were overjoyed; some even burst into tears.
But just then, a black figure leaped from the sky, a sword like white light, slashing towards the giant dragon in the firmament!
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