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

"Why...is it so difficult..."

The light grew stronger and stronger.

Kiana, like a child who had lost everything, could no longer distinguish whether the blurry water in her eyes was blood, tears, or both: "I just wanted to be like him..."

The light was almost solidifying, and it even began to spread towards both ends of Kiana's body.

"But why...why should we lose..."

"Why can't I do it...?"

"God... if you really exist..."

"Could you please listen to my prayer...?"

The light seemed to have weakened somewhat, and even the area it had begun to spread had shrunk slightly.

"I just... I just don't want to... don't want to lose someone more important than my own life..."

Suddenly, the words that the man named Karen had spoken to her before he died flowed into her consciousness like a whisper.

That was a message Kallen had asked Kiana to convey to a group called Yae Sakura.

"You were almost dead... yet you were still thinking of others... Now I... finally understand... what you were thinking back then..."

"But... I'm not like you..."

The light seemed to be infused with some unknown fuel, leaping up like flames, jubilant and exhilarating, fluttering like sprites, trying to scatter.

A violent cough interrupted Kiana's thoughts. She felt as if her consciousness was about to sink into boundless darkness, but she bit her tongue sharply, forcing herself to wake up. The liquid in her mouth was salty and metallic, and she didn't know if it was blood or tears.

"I absolutely cannot... stop here..."

"Because there are still people... there are still people waiting for me..."

"And my happiness... needs my protection..."

"There are still people who love me... waiting for me to save them!"

"You...get moving!!"

Kiana seemed to hear a faint sigh drifting from somewhere unknown.

The light finally burst forth like fireworks in midsummer, starting from the device on her belt and spreading visibly towards both ends of Kiana's body. Her original [White Comet] armor slowly disappeared under the baptism of this light, seemingly replaced by something new.

The Shadow Valkyrie, who had been standing there quietly, suddenly changed her expression, and for the first time since the start of the battle, she showed an expression other than indifference.

It sensed a deadly threat rising from the ruins.

Without much thought, it immediately activated the [Time Fracture System], but before the dark ripples could spread, an even more powerful and domineering force suddenly overwhelmed its [Time Fracture System] and took its place.

A figure radiating dazzling light burst forth from the ruins like a sharp sword, sending rubble flying in all directions as if it had been blasted by a bomb. The Shadow Valkyrie seemed to feel a sense of suffocation.

But that figure was too fast, so fast that she couldn't react or make a move. Faced with absolute speed, no matter how strong you are, you absolutely cannot fight against it.

Strike before you can.

The attack lands on you before you can even defend yourself.

The opponent dodges before your attack even lands.

It was like a repeat of the battle from before, only this time, the roles were reversed.

It seems as if... the other party had just activated the [Time Fracture System]. At this moment, the Shadow Valkyrie has been dragged into the reverse flow of time difference, as if the entire world, including her, is slowing down for that figure.

Before the Shadow Valkyrie could even think, attacks from all directions had already landed on her. The immense force was like a heavy crushing machine, leaving her powerless to resist. She could only drift along as the armored cat claws, gleaming with white light and already leaving afterimages in the air, attacked her frantically like swatting flies.

The force was so great that it had never felt anything like it before, and it even doubted whether it really came from the Valkyrie that it had just easily defeated.

But it had no time to think about these things. The armor formed by Honkai energy on its body had been shattered by such an attack, and the Honkai energy that had solidified even showed a tendency to dissipate into the most primordial particle form.

"Are you ready to face my wrath?"

Suddenly, a face exactly like hers appeared before the Shadow Valkyrie, filled with uncontrollable rage.

The face that should have been covered in bruises and wounds showed absolutely no trace of the serious injuries that had just occurred.

It could even see that the thin wound on Kiana's face was healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Before it could think any further, a powerful force suddenly came from its chest and abdomen, slamming it to the ground like a cannonball.

After being overwhelmed by a series of attacks, the Shadow Valkyrie finally found a chance to catch her breath. She forcibly stopped her movements the moment she landed and rolled to the side with all her might.

A deafening roar erupted from where it had just been lying, as if it had been hit by artillery fire. The scattered debris told it what would have happened if it hadn't rolled over and gotten up.

The Shadow Valkyrie scrambled to her feet and retreated to a relatively safe distance, cautiously observing her opponent's actions.

The dark figure gradually emerged from the thick fog, revealing itself to be Kiana, who had just been beaten to the point of near death and was unable to even crawl!

Chapter Seventy: Let's Go Home

Even the staff in the research lab were stunned by this sudden change.

That figure, which should be Kiana, was wearing an outfit they had never seen before.

It was an outfit that resembled their headmistress's everyday nun's habit, but it was quite different.

The outfit, resembling a nun's habit, wasn't a traditional long dress. Instead, it seemed to have been tailored to fit the wearer's wishes, becoming a bodysuit for ease of movement. A black cross pattern was inlaid on the white lining at the chest. Kiana's shoulders were exposed, her hands were covered in long, white gloves, and her long, straight legs were encased in white stockings, forming an absolute territory with the hem of her shorts that could make any man's blood boil.

This... armor? It has never appeared in Schicksal's database before!

At this moment, the alarmingly fluctuating energy readings emanating from Kiana forced the researchers in the lab to believe that the excessively beautiful outfit was actually a very powerful combat suit of armor.

The energy readings even reached the level of an A-rank Valkyrie!

If Keng Huo were still conscious at this moment, he would probably scream in shock.

That was clearly another use of the [Illusion Manifestation] technique, but it looked slightly different.

Otto actually created a device that allows users to use [Illusion Manifestation] without needing to understand alchemy?

Or is this just a device that looks like a [fantasy manifestation] but is actually based on another technology?

Only Otto himself probably knows the answer.

"The [White Ribbon] system is still running!" people in the research lab exclaimed repeatedly. "What's going on? Its energy level has returned to normal!"

"The energy dissipation index at the scene is estimated to be at the A-rank Valkyrie level! Is this a new type of armor sent by headquarters? But why is the [White Comet] system still operating at the same level as before? Its own energy level has not increased either?"

"Was that the [Valkyrie Burst] module just now? Why did it last so short? It only lasted for the duration of one [Time Fracture]?"

"The detected data shows that during the time gap when the [Time Fracture System] was in effect, the armor recorded that our Valkyries launched a total of forty-seven attacks! That's fast!"

"Crimson and Chariot's health has increased! When did this happen?!"

"The energy signature has been analyzed! It's a completely new spectrum we've never seen before!"

"commander!……"

Amid the chaos, people kept casting their gazes toward the command center above, but the overwhelming array of images and data instruments in the command center blocked their view, preventing them from seeing what was actually happening inside.

But Keng Huo did not respond.

The crowd below seemed relieved and continued their work. In their minds, if an irreversible situation had occurred, Keng Huo would have certainly started making a scene and causing trouble, given his personality. Since he showed no reaction at this moment, it could be interpreted as everything still being under his control.

———————————————————————————————————

The roles of hunter and prey are never fixed. A hunter with a gun can kill a tiger, but if the tiger's overall abilities are enhanced by two or even three times, it will be fearless of bullets, and the hunter will become the prey.

The Shadow Valkyrie, now the prey, fled in a sorry state through the ruins, completely devoid of the imposing aura she had displayed moments before. Instead, she resembled a stray dog, desperately seeking any possible refuge.

But apart from it, there are no other Honkai creatures here.

Suddenly, the Shadow Valkyrie's mind was filled with a strong sense of crisis. While running at high speed, she rolled sharply to the left, narrowly dodging a bullet.

Immediately following was a lightning-fast flying kick. The Shadow Valkyrie, still unable to regain her footing, could only watch helplessly as Kiana, like a shooting star, tore through the air and hurtled towards her, the force of the kick scattering her already disheveled bangs.

With a dull thud, the Shadow Valkyrie was sent flying backward, but Kiana gave it no chance to catch its breath. Like a ghost, she stuck to it tightly, her legs transforming into sharp blades that left dazzling afterimages in the air, cutting through every inch of the Shadow Valkyrie's skin. Heavy blows echoed continuously from its body.

Despite struggling to stay upright, the Shadow Valkyrie finally seized an opportunity. Even if it meant trading blows, she was determined to retaliate. Her right hand, holding the [Holter Defender], suddenly rose, a flash of light appearing at the muzzle. A bullet, like a venomous snake, flew from a tricky angle towards Kiana's chest.

But Kiana moved even faster, almost the instant her opponent pulled the trigger, transforming into a black shadow, somersaulting to the side of the Shadow Valkyrie, grabbing her bloodstained arm, and using the force of the flip to twist her arm to an incredible angle. A crisp sound of bones cracking followed, but the Shadow Valkyrie seemed to feel no pain and didn't care at all. She grabbed Kiana's arm in return, while her left leg lashed out from below like a scorpion's stinger, trying to force Kiana back.

But Kiana's figure blurred again before its eyes. In the blink of an eye, it seemed as if it had been hit by countless heavy punches. The armor on its chest instantly turned into fragments, which flew out along with the splattered blood droplets.

This happened many times, and it couldn't understand what was going on. In close combat, the opponent's speed would often increase so dramatically, as if that moment had been infinitely stretched out by the opponent, and it was completely unaware of it.

However, the surveillance footage in the research lab at St. Freya Academy showed a different picture. Kiana's speed remained constant, fast but not to an incomprehensible degree.

On the contrary, the Shadow Valkyrie often seemed to freeze in motion and consciousness after Kiana dodged her attacks, moving incredibly slowly.

"Accelerating oneself can indeed slow down the whole world... but in reality, I don't need to slow down the whole world."

"I can achieve the same effect simply by... slowing you down!"

"Even... my bullets won't be slowed down in the slightest!"

She moved swiftly left and right, her legs and two guns dancing in the air. Feints, attacks, and interceptions—a series of fluid combos unfolded under her hands. Bullets and physical techniques wove together an impenetrable net, like a howling north wind, penetrating every crevice and leaving no room for defense. The Shadow Valkyrie was firmly trapped in the center, enduring the baptism of bullets. Yet, like a hammer and a sharp blade, it tore through all obstacles, its armor disintegrating into fragments under such attacks.

Kiana leaped into the air, spinning like a fan, and with unparalleled acceleration, slammed her kick into the Shadow Valkyrie. The Shadow Valkyrie, who had no chance to defend herself, was momentarily stunned in mid-air by this series of kicks, the angles and force of which were carefully measured.

The final, powerful flying kick struck the Shadow Valkyrie squarely in the chest, sending her flying like a cannonball against the thick load-bearing wall.

Kiana continued her relentless pursuit, and almost the instant the Shadow Valkyrie slammed into the wall, a punch aimed straight at her face arrived.

The force of the punch was so great that it slammed Shadow White's entire head into the wall, and the cracks spread across the entire wall like the bloodshot eyes of Kiana filled with anger.

She grabbed the collar of the dark white silk robe, stared into those empty eyes that remained devoid of any emotion, and roared:

"I told you, I will never let you off easily!"

"Smash it!"