"Principal, a high concentration of Honkai Energy has been detected."
At St. Freya Academy, the quiet atmosphere of the Principal's office was shattered by a panicked voice. Theresa, who had been dozing off on her desk, jerked awake. She was about to offer an explanation for her less-than-dignified behavior to maintain her image, but then she remembered the intruder's words, and her expression turned solemn.
"The location?"
"The eastern suburbs of Nagazora. The only silver lining is that the Honkai eruption occurred far from the urban area. But if we delay any further, the Honkai Beasts born within the eruption are likely to attack the city."
Hearing that name, Theresa's heart skipped a beat. That was the city where Kiana lived. Her precious niece absolutely could not be in danger. Damn it, she should have left some protection for her when she went to Nagazora to see her last time.
Theresa jumped down from her office chair and spoke while striding toward the door. "Prepare the Hyperion for departure. We are heading to the eastern suburbs of Nagazora. Also, what is the power of the Honkai?"
"One hundred HW."
"Whew... As long as it's not a true massive eruption."
Only when Honkai power reached one thousand was there a possibility of a Herrscher emerging. Hearing the number the messenger provided, Theresa let out a soft sigh of relief. Such power wouldn't spread too quickly; as long as she arrived in time, she could keep casualties to a minimum.
"Um, Principal, Major Himeko has already taken the Hyperion. She set out immediately as soon as news of the eruption broke."
"That woman..."
Theresa was somewhat worried about letting Himeko handle the Honkai alone, but if it was only 100 HW, Himeko an A-Rank Valkyrie combined with the Hyperion's firepower should be more than enough to ensure success.
Theresa, who usually opposed Himeko taking the initiative to fight the Honkai without her permission, actually felt relieved this time. Since Himeko's actions were so swift, the casualties from this eruption should be kept to a very small number.
On the other side, in the suburbs of Nagazora, a beautiful woman clad in crimson armor and wielding a massive greatsword that seemed at odds with her slender figure Murata Himeko descended to the ground from the aerial battleship Hyperion. She scanned her surroundings warily. According to the instruments, this was the site of the Honkai eruption.
Even though it was a small-scale eruption, Himeko did not let her guard down. As a veteran soldier, she wouldn't make such a rookie mistake.
The ground was ravaged, clearly trampled by some giant creature. Trees were flattened, boulders shattered, and unnatural ravines ran through the earth. It looked as though a battle had already taken place.
Scanning the horizon, she could see far into the distance because the only woods that could have blocked her view had been leveled. There didn't seem to be any Honkai Beasts left in the area.
Himeko adjusted her headset and contacted the crew on the Hyperion. "Any reports of Honkai Beast attacks in Nagazora?"
"No, everything in Nagazora is normal. However, we've put the local garrison on standby. Due to the urgency, we haven't evacuated the residents yet but have ordered them to stay indoors."
Himeko fell silent for a moment, looking around once more. After confirming there were indeed no Honkai Beasts or Zombies, she spoke. "Send a team down with instruments to detect combat traces."
"Eh? Major Himeko, shouldn't we first..."
"The Honkai Energy concentration here is higher than normal, but there are no Honkai Beasts or Zombies to be seen. There are many signs of battle on the ground. I suspect someone eliminated the Honkai Beasts before we arrived."
Ten minutes later, the remaining crew from the Hyperion reached the ground with various instruments and began using high-precision equipment for testing.
Himeko arched an eyebrow as she looked at several giant silhouettes illuminated on the ground under special rays.
Another staff member approached Himeko with a look of astonishment and reported, "Major Himeko, the results are in. At least five giant Chariot-class Honkai Beasts over ten meters tall appeared here earlier.
As you know, dealing with Honkai Beasts under ten meters requires anti-aircraft missiles and medium-caliber autocannons. Anything over ten meters requires the use of 270mm railguns, and for those over a hundred meters, an A-Rank Valkyrie must be deployed. Five beasts over ten meters appearing at once..."
"And they were all wiped out at once, right?" Himeko finished.
"Yes."
Although she had guessed as much, seeing her suspicions confirmed still caused a flicker of surprise to cross Murata Himeko's face.
"Did Principal Theresa send Valkyries in advance?"
"No. Furthermore, there's been no movement from Schicksal or Anti-Entropy. After all, the Far East is under the management of St. Freya Academy."
"That means there's a powerful Valkyrie hiding here, someone at least close to A-Rank. It couldn't just be some staff member happening to pass by, right?"
Himeko received no response, as the other person didn't have the answer either.
Seeing this, Himeko handed her greatsword to another person and spoke. "Contact Principal Theresa first. Tell her the Honkai has been resolved by an unknown party. I'm going into Nagazora; perhaps I'll encounter that mysterious Valkyrie."
Without waiting for any objections, Himeko changed her clothes and prepared to head toward Nagazora. However, she hadn't gone far when she received a transmission from Theresa.
The Principal wanted her to find a girl named Kiana and deliver some items to her.
Himeko felt a wave of regret.
She had originally planned to use the search for the mysterious person as an excuse to find a place for a drink in Nagazora once she confirmed there were no anomalies. But now, she had another mission.
By the way, who was Kiana? She hadn't heard the Principal mention her before.
Himeko felt a flicker of curiosity about the upcoming task.
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