On how PhDs become human evil

In that instant, Durandal felt as if he had truly become light!

This action is tantamount to a mantis trying to stop a chariot; Durandal will be trampled into mincemeat by the Honkai Beasts' iron hooves—no one doubts this inevitable fact.

"Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar!"

Without warning, a roar erupted in the sky, followed by a golden lightning bolt nearly a hundred meters in diameter falling from the heavens at the speed of light!

"Boom—!"

Like a nuclear bomb striking directly in the middle, the lightning struck the Honkai Beast horde head-on, then exploded with a deafening roar! The chaotic lightning unleashed a thunderstorm that engulfed all the Honkai Beasts, including Ganesha!

"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!"

Lightning ravaged the Honkai Beast, its white shell easily shattered under the bombardment, and then it was reduced to dust along with the Honkai Beast.

“GGGGGGGAAAAAAAAAA!”

Ganesha, the only one still struggling, let out a painful howl. As if its howl provoked someone, another bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, hitting Ganesha's mouth precisely and shattering its entire head!

In just ten seconds, the Honkai Beasts that had been charging towards Durandal were completely annihilated in the lightning, leaving not even a corpse behind, as if they had never existed.

(what happened?)

Durandal stared in shock and confusion at what was happening before her. Where did this storm of lightning come from? Why hadn't it harmed her at all while killing the Honkai Beasts?

"Da da da..."

Footsteps suddenly sounded behind Durandal. Before Durandal could turn around, the person behind her had already passed her and stood in front of her. The white coat looked incredibly familiar to Durandal.

"What's wrong, Bianca? Are you so weak that you can't stand up?"

The familiar voice reached her ears, and Yulandel's heart trembled violently.

"You...you are..."

Amidst Durandal's trembling voice, Bai Jie looked at the surviving Honkai Beasts, waved to the sky, and a giant lightning lion immediately galloped down from the sky to his side.

The Fourth Progenitor's familiar, Lion of Gold, is the masterpiece that just shattered so many Honkai Beasts. Although it is a familiar with many inconveniences in use, since it is in the ruins, there is no need to worry about anything.

"Alright, you trash, you've been running rampant for months, it's time to shut up—come forth immediately, [Kiffa Ater]!"

Magical flames erupted from Bai Jie's body, a deep red hue appearing in his eyes. Another shikigami talisman flew out from his sleeve, revealing the true form of a familiar in the sky!

It was a three-pronged sword, with a blade length easily exceeding one hundred meters, reminiscent of the divine swords used by gods in mythology to slay demons and monsters.

"Buzz!"

As Bai Jie infused his magic, Ye Mo's black sword immediately began to vibrate, and then crashed down from a height of nearly a thousand meters!

Pulled by gravity, the divine sword was covered in scorching flames, its shape resembling a meteorite falling from the sky.

The atmosphere rumbled and vibrated, and it seemed as if a second blazing sun had appeared in the sky.

"Boom—!"

Natural disaster struck in an instant!

Durandal didn't know how to describe the scene before her. If the Lion's Gold brought her shock, then the Black Sword of Yama brought her unparalleled awe!

Nearly a hundred meters in front of Durandal, the area that was originally occupied by countless Honkai Beasts has now completely disappeared, replaced by a huge hole with a diameter of over a thousand meters. The Honkai Beasts that were originally in the area have all vanished.

One strike! Annihilation!

"Hmm, this thing is really destructive. I'll use it less often in the future."

After commenting on his familiar, Bai Jie turned to look at Durandal: "Then, take me to see Rita, Bianca... my dear Acting Archbishop."

Section 418, Part 2: Rita is my wife! (With complete confidence)

"Lady Durandal! You're back!"

"Welcome back, Lady Durandal!"

"Would you like to try a freshly picked apple, Durandal?"

In the area under Destiny's jurisdiction, Durandal walked along the streets with Bai Jie. When the passersby and vendors saw Durandal appear, they immediately greeted her with bright smiles.

Without showing any disdain, Yulandel smiled and waved to the passersby.

"You're really popular."

Bai Jie, who was following behind Yulandal, couldn't help but laugh as he watched this scene.

"Although I heard a little from Kiana, the situation here is much better than I thought. It's clear that they genuinely respect you."

"I didn't do much. Rita was the one who gave them a place to stay. All I did was deal with the Honkai Beasts," Durandal laughed. "But you, you've been missing for so long, and then you suddenly came back, and you gave me such a big surprise. I don't even know what to say to you."

Several months ago, Bai Jie and Cecilia disappeared in the Far East branch, causing a huge uproar within Schicksal. Shortly afterward, Otto also disappeared, throwing Schicksal into chaos. Fortunately, World Serpent took over at that time.

Although they knew the World Serpent harbored ill intentions, Durandal and Rita reluctantly accepted the World Serpent's control over Schicksal in order to prevent the collapse of Schicksal.

After the Herrscher appeared, Schicksal was on the verge of collapse. Although she and Rita were there, and branches around the world extended a helping hand, Durandal still felt a sense of powerlessness. She always felt that an invisible net was covering the whole world.

But now, just like when he left without warning, Bai Jie returned without warning, and upon his return, he displayed immense strength, rescuing her from dire straits.

"Where have you been all this time?" Durandal asked. "I remember your strength used to be equivalent to a B-rank Valkyrie. How did you become that strong?"

Recalling the effects of the Lion's Gold and the Black Sword of Yama, Durandal still felt a chill. That was undoubtedly a power that surpassed the Judgment-class Honkai Beasts, rivaled the Herrschers, and might even have been above them!

With a smile and a shrug, Bai Jie said, "I just left here to see a wider world. If you want, I can take you there after I've finished dealing with things here."

"...Although I feel like you're joking, I don't really think so. — Ah, we've arrived. This is the current temporary headquarters."

Yulandel stopped in front of a small villa and opened the door.

"Rita, I'm back!"

"Welcome back, Lady Durandal. Dinner is ready..."

Rita, dressed in a maid outfit exactly as she remembered, was about to say that dinner was ready when her gaze fell upon Bai Jie standing behind Durandal.

Scratching his hair, Bai Jie looked at the maid who had taken care of him since childhood: "Uh...long time no see. I'm back, Rita."

“Fafner…sir?” Rita looked at the man who appeared before her in disbelief.

She simply couldn't believe that the person in front of her was the master she had sworn to serve for life. After all, since Bai Jie disappeared several months ago, Rita had searched almost the entire world, but she couldn't find a trace of him. If Otto hadn't assured her that Bai Jie was still alive, Rita's heart would probably have been broken.

Rita walked shakily to Bai Jie and placed her hand on his face. The clear touch from her palm instantly swept away all the gloom in Rita's eyes!

It's real, not a dream.

"Lord Fafnir, you've returned, haven't you?"

"Yes, I'm back. I'm sorry to have worried you these past few months, Rita."

Bai Jie held his personal maid's small hand and, to reassure her, moved her hand to his chest.

A powerful heartbeat reached Rita's heart, and Rita finally realized that Bai Jie in front of her was not an illusion, but a real person!

As for whether Bai Jie was impersonated, there is no need to doubt it at all. Rita can confidently say that the fake Bai Jie would be exposed in just one second in front of her!

"It really is Lord Fafnir... Thank goodness, you're finally back..."

Completely ignoring Durandal beside her, Rita threw herself into Bai Jie's arms without regard for her image, and just like Kiana had done before, she began to sob softly in his embrace.

Looking at the master and servant who had finally reunited, Yulandal suddenly glared fiercely at Bai Jie.

(Hey, why don't you put your hand on her and hug Rita?!)

Noticing Yulandal's gaze, Bai Jie immediately returned the look.

(Don't force me to do that! If I did, my wife would make me kneel on a washboard as punishment!)

Although Kal'tsit said she wouldn't mind him bringing a few more sisters home, and Bai Jie didn't say he disliked Rita, who would hate a flawless black-stockinged maid?

But we're still at war, and the Honkai has definitely noticed his return. They might send a Herrscher over at any moment, so let's talk about romance after the Honkai ends.

"Ahem, Rita, although I know you're happy right now, do you want your master to stand outside in the wind forever?" Durandal coughed twice and said.

After being told off by Durandal, Rita finally realized her situation and hurriedly got out of Bai Jie's arms: "I'm very sorry, Lord Fafnir, I was rude. It's windy outside, please come in."

Section 419.3. Hang this Honkai up and beat it.

Following Rita and Yulandal into the villa, Bai Jie froze the moment he stepped into the hall.

This wasn't because the interior decoration was particularly amazing, nor because there were any unconventional art decorations inside. On the contrary, the interior decoration was quite normal and there was nothing unusual about it.

However, looking at the interior of the house, Bai Jie immediately thought of his former home in Destiny—the home he had as Fafnir Schariac.

"Rita, the layout of this room..."

“Yes, as you can see, Lord Fafnir, everything in this villa is just like our old home,” Rita said with a smile. “To my shame, I once thought you would never come back, so I kept the furnishings of that house as a way to remember you.”

Although Bai Jie had long known that Rita was a perfectionist, he never expected that, just to remember him, Rita would completely change the layout of the villa to be exactly the same as he remembered it.

As Bai Jie approached the sofa and held onto it, he couldn't help but recall his life in that home.

"Back then, Lord Fafnir really enjoyed sitting on the sofa reading."

"Then you'll bring me a cup of black tea and stand to the side watching me read."

Bai Jie chuckled and added the second half of the sentence, then gave Rita a helpless smile: "If you ask who in this world understands me best, besides my wives, it would be you, Rita."

“As a maid, knowing your master’s preferences and habits is a basic skill,” Rita said with a smile. “By the way, Lord Fafnir, please wait a moment, I will prepare dinner for you right away. You must be very tired after just returning.”

"Rita's dinner... It's been so long since I've had one. Could you please add a lava chocolate cake?"

Lava chocolate cake—that was a dessert that Bai Jie used to often ask Rita to make. Hearing this familiar name, Rita smiled slightly: "Okay, please wait a moment."

After Rita went into the kitchen to get busy, Bai Jie didn't just stand there. He sat down in front of Yulandal and asked, "Could you please answer a few questions for me, Bianca?"

"What do you want to ask? Let me make it clear first, I don't know much."

"Besides Kiana, have any other Herrschers appeared in the past few months?"

Upon hearing Bai Jie's question, Yulandal immediately stopped cutting the steak.

Setting down her knife and fork, Durandal sighed softly and said, "I don't know the details, but a month ago, a massive Honkai event, no less than the arrival of a Herrscher, occurred in North America."

Has anyone witnessed the birth of a Herrscher?