Honkai Impact 3rd: My Days as a Captain in Schicksal

But the other person did the same thing, and their knees collided hard, making a dull thud like a punch hitting a wall.

Kiana felt as if her knee had hit a cone, and the sharp pain in her knee almost made her unable to stand. However, she endured the pain and was about to raise her right hand, which was holding a pistol, to shoot at the other person. But she had only raised it halfway when she found that the other person had made the same move as her. So she had to quickly use her left hand to strike the other person's hand that was raising the gun and block it.

However, the Shadow Valkyrie used the same move to break Kiana's attack.

Like twin sisters, the two were incredibly synchronized in close combat. Every second, at the point where their hands met, they were constantly pushing, pulling, hooking, dragging, leading, entangled, and deflecting each other's guns, or pointing their guns at each other. The muzzles of their guns flashed continuously, but not a single bullet hit the other.

After just a dozen seconds of exchange, Kiana realized she was at a disadvantage.

In terms of skill, the Shadow Valkyrie, who perfectly replicated everything about herself, possessed combat skills that were in no way inferior to her own. However, she was faster and more powerful, and in fact, when the two collided, only she was injured.

Keng Huo stared intently at the surveillance footage of Dandelion, his eyes wide open, bloodshot and almost shoving himself into the battle scene.

Keng Huo's hands clenched tightly, and a creaking sound could be heard even through the protective suit.

Because of his mistake, the hunter team was not alerted in time.

Because of his mistake, Mei was caught off guard and suffered a fatal injury.

Because of his mistake... this irreversible situation has arisen.

No one can defeat the Shadow Valkyrie projected from themselves; this is almost a consensus that can be called a truth.

Because perhaps someone can defeat themselves, but no one can ever defeat someone stronger than themselves.

"Kiana..." Keng Huo felt that every word he uttered required immense courage, and behind each word lay excruciating pain. "Prepare to activate the [Abyss Escape System]... I'm going to pull you back..."

"No!" Kiana was so distracted by Keng Huo's words that she was caught off guard and the Shadow Valkyrie seized the opportunity, her hands gripping Kiana's arms tightly like pythons. With a twist of her body, she used an over-the-shoulder throw to send Kiana flying.

"Quickly deploy the disengagement module!"

"No!"

"This is an order!!"

"Shut up!" Kiana defied orders with such force for the first time in her history. "I will never abandon them... never!"

“If you don’t cooperate… then I’ll have no choice but to teleport you by force…” Keng Huo lowered his head, not daring to look at Kiana’s face on the monitor screen. Every word he uttered felt like a knife cutting into his heart.

"No! If you do that... I will never..." Kiana's face was already streaked with tears. Thrown away by the Shadow Valkyrie, she was immediately met with a storm of attacks upon landing. But she still fought with all her might to hold on to her opponent, even if she had to take a few more punches and kicks, as long as the person behind her was not attacked...

"I will never forgive you... never..." Kiana's voice was already filled with sobs. Her defenses were full of holes under the opponent's attack, and it was only a matter of time before she was defeated.

Even if Kiana could hold out for a very long time, could Mei and Bronya, whose anti-Honkai suits were already severely damaged, really hold out for that long in an area so close to the center of the Honkai energy crystal mine?

If the Shadow Valkyrie cannot be killed, the [Subspace Mass Projection Recovery Device] on the Mulch cannot be activated, and Mei and Bronya cannot be brought back safely. If the forced teleportation device is activated now, given their current physical condition, they will likely die, as the forced teleportation device will cause some damage to the Valkyrie's body.

As for Kiana... if forced teleportation is activated now, Kiana might only be seriously injured, but certainly not die. However, this would be tantamount to sentencing Mei and Bronya to death.

But if this drags on any longer, and Kiana's injuries worsen, missing the best opportunity for forced teleportation, it's likely that none of the hunter team will return.

“Kiana…” Keng Huo felt his heart bleeding.

"Please...please let me continue fighting..." Kiana's voice was distorted, but she remained resolute. "If you do this...I will hate you for the rest of my life...I will..."

You will die here!

"Then I'll die alongside them!"

Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Saintess's Prayer

Keng Huo slammed his fists hard onto the battle map, his teeth clenched tightly together, as if enduring some indescribable pain.

He hovered his hand over the emergency evacuation confirmation button, as if he could activate the emergency evacuation procedure with just a slight movement of his hand, but he hesitated and trembled, as if his hand was carrying a heavy burden.

He recalled that he had guaranteed the safety of this deep-sea dive.

He remembered Mei telling him with a smile before she left that he had been like a mother hen these past few days.

He remembered Kiana saying that she would trust his commands completely.

But the reality is...

Those who trust you... are going to die...

In the Endless Abyss, you cannot drop supplies or send reinforcements. You can only watch helplessly as the people you promised to protect die before your eyes.

Again.

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Finally, as if he had made up his mind, a resolute look appeared on his face, and he raised his hand again, wanting to press the confirmation button.

But at that very moment, he was struck by another bout of severe angina.

Keng Huo seemed to have been hit by a bullet. His eyes glazed over as he slowly knelt down, his right hand gently pressing against his heart, then suddenly clenching it as if he wanted to tear his heart out.

The words "death from overwork" flashed through Keng Huo's mind like lightning.

"At least...before that...we need to get Kiana..."

He tried his best to raise his hand and place it on the confirmation button, but just as he was about to touch the button, his vision went black, and his whole body began to spasm. The intense pain nearly caused him to go into shock.

Keng Huo slowly collapsed to the ground, like a fallen sculpture.

But before he fell, his hand seemed to change direction and rest on another button not far away.

Meanwhile, the people below, who were intently and anxiously watching the monitor screens and various data reading instruments, were unaware of what was happening in the command room.

———————————————————————————————————

Kiana charged forward again, engaging the Shadow Valkyrie in a nearly hopeless battle.

But reality cruelly crushed her.

Kiana had almost abandoned all the techniques of gunfighting, and was fighting her opponent with her instincts while her consciousness was blurred.

That's just how it is. When someone who has mastered all the skills you have is fighting against you, but she is faster, stronger, and more durable than you, how can you defeat such an enemy?

Moreover, Kiana completely abandoned dodging and only launched a frantic attack, because she knew that if she relaxed or dodged, the opponent's attack would likely fall on Mei and Bronya, whose lives were currently unknown.

But how long can this grappling match last? Ten minutes? Five minutes? Or the next second?

Despair had quietly crept into the heart of this girl who always seemed indifferent to everything.

Suddenly, the Shadow Valkyrie's left hand blocked Kiana's almost powerless right hand, pushed it upward, and then twisted her wrist slightly, tightly gripping Kiana's wrist and pulling her towards her. Her right leg bent into a knee, and a fierce knee strike slammed into Kiana's lower abdomen.

Kiana felt a sudden darkness before her eyes. Struck in a vital spot, she felt as if her body had fallen apart. Her ears were filled with a deafening buzzing sound, and her body felt limp and powerless. With almost no resistance, she was lifted up by her opponent and hurled violently towards the ruins.

Kiana was smashed onto the ruins like a rag doll. Her eyes were unfocused, and she struggled to continue fighting, but she didn't even have the strength to get up.

The other party seemed to have lost interest in her and turned to walk towards the unconscious Mei and Bronya.

Suddenly, Kiana's eyes blazed with a light that seemed to burn out the last embers of her life.

She roared and stumbled to her feet from the bricks and tiles in a clumsy and ridiculous manner, her whole body tattered, like a scavenger carrying a heavy bag and with a physical disability.

Kiana no longer cared whether her current physical condition could withstand this module that would forcibly increase her physical burden; she only thought about doing everything she could to stop the person who was about to take away something more important than her own life.

The two people sat quietly against the wall, like dolls.

Those two people who needed her protection at that moment.

Those two people who spent every day together, even in the most desperate battles, unhesitatingly entrusted their future to her...

……

Almost everything about her was there.

That was her small, insignificant happiness, which she cherished with all her heart and soul.

Even though she had to fight with all her might for this little bit of happiness, she felt incredibly fortunate.

Even if happiness is just having a simple dinner together, or handing yourself a bottle of mineral water and a towel after training when you're covered in sweat.

Even if this humble happiness seems so ridiculous to others...

That was all the happiness she possessed!

[Valkyrie Burst Module] Activated!

A cat's paw, gleaming with a metallic sheen like steel, swept through the scattered dust and slammed down towards the figure's back.

But things backfired.

As if sensing something, the figure shone with an equally brilliant light from its body just as the giant cat's paw was about to strike.

The same [Valkyrie Burst Module], flashing with an even more intense brilliance than Kiana's, suddenly erupted, like a thick protective shield, shaking off Kiana's cat claw.

The Shadow Valkyrie whirled around, and her other massive cat claw, like an assassin emerging from the shadows, suddenly struck Kiana from the side, sending her flying and slamming her into the ruins.

But Kiana, despite her severe injuries, somehow mustered up some strength and struggled to crawl out from the rubble. Like a toddler learning to walk, she tumbled and crawled toward the Shadow Valkyrie.

The soft fist seemed to gently caress the Shadow Valkyrie's chest, without even causing a wrinkle in her bodysuit. Kiana collapsed onto the Shadow Valkyrie as if she had lost all her strength. At this moment, Kiana could barely maintain a conscious mind. Only her subconscious instincts made her involuntarily use all her strength to hug the Shadow Valkyrie, trying to hinder her movements.

The Shadow Valkyrie looked down at Kiana, who was clinging to her waist, with icy eyes, as if looking at a fool trying to stop a chariot. She stretched out her hands and gripped Kiana's shoulders as if to hold her in place, and powerful knee strikes pounded on Kiana, who clung to the Shadow Valkyrie tightly.

Kiana felt as if she were tied to a temple bell, and the knee was like a heavy hammer, repeatedly pounding into her chest. Her ears were filled with a deafening buzzing sound, and each knee strike seemed more violent than the last. She had no doubt that her ribs had pierced her lungs. Blood mixed with fragments of internal organs was flowing from the corner of her mouth, and this blood, along with her tears, soaked her face.

Finally, as if losing patience, the Shadow Valkyrie bent her right arm and aimed her elbow at Kiana's spine, stabbing down like an inverted dagger.

Kiana seemed to hear the sound of her own bones breaking.

Her hands finally gave way, and the Shadow Valkyrie lifted her up by the scruff of her neck as if she were a chick. Her consciousness, along with her body which had no strength left, fell into the dust.

Kiana turned her face toward Mei and Bronya, watching helplessly as the white figure walked toward them.

Karen's face appeared in her mind's eye for a moment. The silly girl had shielded a little girl she didn't know with her own body, and felt as if she had protected her whole world.

"Why..." Kiana seemed to have lost all feeling of pain. She tried with all her might to stand up again, but to no avail. "Move...move your body..."

"I just wanted to protect the people I care about..."

A faint ray of light emanated from the [Prototype Anti-Honkai Weapon Manifestation Device] mounted on her belt.