Humans are in chaos, despicable outsiders.

"Rita, look at this Bianca, she's so lame—"

Holding a bottle of liquor, Penglaiji Jiuxiao, transformed into a drunkard, perfectly exemplifies what a true master of procrastination is. Single-handedly, without resorting to violence, he stalled the most elite Valkyrie of the Destiny Headquarters.

[This straightforward knight princess is so easy to fool....]

Looking at the clueless goose beside him who had gulped down several bottles of vodka after being provoked by him, Jiu Xiao's eyes revealed only one word—"noob".

Then he finished off the bottle of vodka in his hand in one gulp.

"Lady Jiuxiao, Lady Durandal... Excessive drinking is harmful to your health, even for S-rank Valkyries..."

"Don't worry about me—Rita, I'm going to drink this guy until he's passed out!"

The blonde Valkyrie, her face flushed and clearly tipsy, completely ignored her adjutant's words. She glared at the composed Houraiji Kyusou and, not to be outdone, downed her own vodka in one gulp.

Then, with a look of utter disbelief from Jiu Xiao, he slammed onto the table with a thud and fell unconscious...

"Hahahaha, you're such a jerk, Bianca, you're such a jerk!"

Equally excited, Jiu Xiao stepped on the table to declare her victory, and then the purple-haired girl's gaze turned to Rita Losweiser in front of her.

"You're next—Rita!"

“Please refuse, Rinta—you’re getting a little carried away… Lord Jiuxiao.”

Looking at Penglai Temple's Nine Heavens, who was smugly standing on the table, Rita remembered Snow's advice from long ago—

If you ever see Jiuxiao drinking behind my back, be sure to take a picture and record it—

Do you have any objections to your partner drinking alcohol, Mr. Snow?

Being too controlling of your partner can sometimes backfire.

No, it's just because she dared to sneak a drink without me! I'm going to remember this!

"Snap—"

Rita pressed the shutter, capturing Bianca sprawled on the table and Jiuxiao, who was letting loose on the table.

"Rita?"

The gray-blonde maid was met with a somewhat puzzled look from Jiuxiao.

"Don't mind it, Lord Jiuxiao—Rita just found this scene interesting and wanted to record it."

"Oh—I understand—!"

Jiu Xiao gave a knowing look, glanced at the unconscious Bianca, and gave Rita a thumbs up.

Rita, on the other hand, would respond with a polite smile.

...

Hmph, the bloodlines of Kaslana and the Shaniat family have their limits. Ultimately, you, Bianca, are still just a carbon-based life form. Trying to outdrink an ultimate being like me, who transcends humanity, is far too weak!

Hmm... Ultimate Life Form—

Rejected by Rita, Jiu Xiao continued to stand on the table, looking smugly at Bianca, who was lying unconscious on the table talking in her sleep. He slightly loosened the alcohol's effect on his brain, allowing himself to enter a semi-drunken state.

After being rejected by the vice-captain of the Undying Blade, the purple-haired Valkyrie looked towards the black-robed Valkyries resting nearby—

"Want to chug a bottle?"

The invincible JO Xiao issued her death invitation—

Every Valkyrie of the Undying Blade who was subjected to her death stare shook her head like a rattle drum... Just kidding, their own captain had already been drunk unconscious by this guy in front of them, and this guy hadn't even turned red in the face. Who would want to compete with you? He was probably just being forced to drink until he collapsed.

"cut--"

After being decisively rejected by everyone, Jiu Xiao resorted to force—

The purple-haired girl grabbed a hapless old man passing by and started pouring alcohol into his mouth without saying a word...

"Waaaaah—!"

The Valkyrie, who had been pulled along, looked around at her companions and her vice-captain for help.

The latter, seeing Jiu Xiao laughing wildly and pouring drinks for his teammates, shuddered and took a step back in fear, seemingly ready to turn and run.

"Drink up, why aren't you drinking...?"

.....

Beneath the golden tree, a blonde girl held a wine cup and sipped the clear liquid inside. The rich aroma and smooth taste stimulated her sense of smell and taste, and the resulting intoxication allowed the blonde deity to lean leisurely against the tree, feeling a long-lost sense of relaxation.

"Sometimes, those transcendent beings who surpass humanity and cross boundaries don't like to call themselves extraordinary in their daily lives—like Kevin Kaslana... He likes to slurp noodles. In the words of that fusion warrior, after so long, he can finally control the coldness in his body. Slurping a few hot noodles after so long is really intoxicating."

"Similarly—alcohol is the same; just loosening the restrictions even slightly can make us, who are never tired and always sober, feel a little relaxed and comfortable—"

"This is why in many myths, wine is always associated with the gods, and there are even deities specifically in charge of it..."

After finishing the jade-like liquid in her cup, the golden-haired girl leisurely watched the silver-haired proxy in front of her. She was taking small sips of the pure white liquid, and the unique aroma emanating from the transparent liquid attracted Fujin's sense of smell. However, the slightly spicy taste made the silver-haired girl dare not drink it all in two or three sips like her god.

"It can give us, those transcendent beings who live in eternity and whose bodies are not worn down by time, a real experience. A bottle of fine wine can bring people closer together—and the same applies to the relationship between humans and gods."

Seemingly slightly tipsy, Snow stopped pouring wine and leaned against the tree to continue telling his apostle the story—

"Of course... as people often say, drinking is bad for your health and can lead to mistakes—the former doesn't exist for us who are at the core of life... but the latter—if you get drunk, it really can lead to mistakes."

"And it depends on the context... the drunkard's identity... the power she possesses—that determines the extent of the impact, whether it's good or bad—"

......

The blond man, piloting the Destiny's single-person fighter jet, his eyes bloodshot with rage, charged headlong into Alahato in the distance, his roar echoing throughout the entire Destiny universe—

"Walter Joyce, I command you, now face me, face me—!!!"

On the distant Tenmei Island, Penglaiji Kusho tossed aside the last bottle of vodka from her box, then, looking at the scattered bottles and the entire squad of Undying Blade Valkyries lying unconscious on the ground, along with their captain and vice-captain, left her with her final words—

"So lame—"

Penglai Temple Nine Heavens achieved the achievement - annihilating the Undying Blade main team without bloodshed.

.....

"...And what about you?"

Foggin looked at Snow, who was resting with his eyes closed against a tree.

"Ah...it was just a sudden illness that caused me to replant those withered leaves on the tree..."

The blonde girl looked up at the branches of the golden tree—there, several pale, translucent leaves were being re-stained with golden veins.

"That's all...?"

Fokin fell silent.

Chapter 173 Password correct, account incorrect.jpg

"However—the fine wine in the cup represents more than just composing poems and indulging in pleasure..."

The goddess, resting against the tree, opened her deep blue eyes and gazed at the branches of the golden tree—

"More often than not, it is given by humans the meaning of farewell, the sorrow of separation, whether brief or eternal."

"Himeko Murata is a respectable teacher—she can bear the responsibilities that others can bear; she can also bear the responsibilities that others cannot bear..."

"Responsibility is the foundation of a person's identity—and love gives them courage, enabling them to face any test; correspondingly, a strong sense of responsibility makes them more cautious and composed... but it can also sometimes make them more impulsive than others."

"And that fate rules over people's lives—that's the biggest lie in the world—"

Seemingly having finally found his goal, the Lord of the Divine Throne's somewhat unfocused gaze settled on a leaf—

“Let the gaze of the gods fall upon us once more—there is no towering Tower of Babel here, but someone has already raised the sword of rebellion to the heavens.”

--

"Enough, Theresa, this is my own choice..."

She downed her treasured wine in one gulp, then slammed the bottle heavily onto the control panel of the warship. Himeko Murata looked at the short nun on the projection screen with a serious expression, her tone devoid of the teasing and playfulness of the past.

The Hermes, which is usually neither bustling nor deserted, was now only occupied by the red-haired Valkyrie—there was no weapons officer, no navigation officer, no intelligence officer, only the cold shipboard mainframe reporting one piece of situation data after another.

Of these warnings, the one concerning the Second Herrscher is the most jarring—

[This ship is currently traveling at 450 km/h and is expected to shake off the Second Herrscher's pursuit in 15 minutes.]

[This ship has now accelerated to 900 km/h. The Second Herrscher has been detected accelerating. We expect to shake off the Second Herrscher's pursuit in 30 minutes.]

...

[This ship has reached a speed of 420 km/h, its maximum speed limit. Second Herrscher Honkai energy reaction detected; Judgment-class Honkai Benares Honkai energy reaction detected. Warning: This ship is expected to enter combat status in 10 minutes. Recommendation: All crew members must abandon ship immediately. The Hermes is not a combat ship; please abandon ship immediately.]

The awakened Second Herrscher toyed with its prey like a hunter, maintaining a similar speed to the Hermes in the distance. However, the expression of the pursued remained unchanged, as it calmly calculated how much preparation time it had left.

"Himeko Murata! You bomb-wielding idiot! Come back! We'll find another way!"

Theresa's anxious voice echoed through the communication channel...

"It's too late to regret it now, Headmaster. Besides, Himeko Murata is a woman who'll go all out once she takes her clothes off!"

The red and black armor reappeared on the red-haired woman's body, the exquisite and gorgeous god-slaying armor outlining the Valkyrie's beautiful figure—however, there was no one here to appreciate it anymore.

Those who are watching from afar, those who know the meaning of this magnificent armor, will have even less interest in appreciating this seemingly beautiful picture—it is a beautiful, thorny rose, a flower folded from paper, which will be set on fire by its own hands.

After a brief burning, not even ashes remain.

"...Himeko Murata, you big idiot, you big moron, why do you all have to leave me? Cecilia, Siegfried, even you—"

Unable to accept the inevitable outcome, Theresa directed the Nibelungen to speed towards the Hermes.

"Theresa, you know—sometimes, when you sacrifice something precious, you don't really lose it; you just pass it on to someone else..."

"We will lose many things. But we will also give countless things... Nothing in life is perfect. In our lives, we always gain and lose at the same time. The difference between fortune and misfortune lies only in which gain or loss is more important."

“Go back, Theresa—”

In the distance, the roars of the dragon-shaped Honkai Beasts were already clearly audible, while the alarms from the ship's mainframes became increasingly shrill and frequent.

[Warning! This ship is expected to engage the enemy within 3 minutes. No fire control officer detected online. Weapon control is being transferred to the ship's main engine. All self-defense armaments are being activated.]

“I’m her teacher, so it would be better if I taught Theresa’s last lesson—?”

The red-haired Valkyrie stepped into the elevator and ascended towards the deck. She gave a playful smile as she looked at the white-haired little nun on the communication channel.

"Don't look so gloomy, Theresa. You're a grown woman now, smile! You should try to think about it differently—Himeko Murata, I can finally rest, can't I? I haven't had a proper rest in so long..."