Humans are in chaos, despicable outsiders.

Chapter Thirty: The Number One in Prestige.jpg

In the quiet and peaceful café, a few people who had finished their meal were enjoying the leisurely afternoon with their eyes half-closed. However, leisurely moments are always fleeting, and the piercing alarm shattered their momentary tranquility as it resounded throughout the entire academy.

"This is the Far East Branch Intelligence Department. Notice: The Far East Branch is now on Level One combat readiness! Headmaster and all members of the Divine Authority Squad are requested to report to the Hyperion immediately!"

"I repeat! The entire branch is on high alert! Lady Theresa and all members of the Divine Authority Squad are requested to report to the Hyperion immediately!"

The café fell silent, everyone's eyes fixed on the four Valkyries at the table by the window.

"What are you standing there for? Let's go!" Snow leaned back in his chair, quickly stood up, and casually pulled the headmaster up from the chair.

"Miss Arya, the food today was excellent. See you next time!" After greeting the manager, they quickly pushed open the door and headed towards the St. Freya Academy's airport, where Hyperion was already waiting for them.

...

--

"Have you made contact, adjutant?"

"I'm sorry, Lady Theresa, the concentration of Honkai energy in the area has risen to a level that interferes with long-distance communications. We are unable to communicate over long distances."

"The last message we received was about Major Himeko's team's movements: the Major and her team have entered the body of the Judgment-class Honkai Beast Chi You and have lost contact with the Shenzhou branch."

On the bridge of the warship, Theresa, after learning that her longtime friend had recently died, had been pacing near the communications officer's position, occasionally looking up to ask a question.

The clouds outside the bridge window rushed past, and the entire Hyperion was rapidly flying towards the coastal area of ​​Shenzhou where the Judgment-class Honkai Beast Chi You was located.

"Calm down, Theresa, there's no point in us worrying now—Intelligence Officer, what's the satellite reconnaissance situation? Have we been able to capture any images of Chi You?" Snow asked the Valkyrie beside him.

"Based on current satellite imagery, the Judgment-class Honkai Beast Chi You has surfaced and is slowly moving towards the coastal region of Shenzhou." A highly magnified satellite image was projected onto the bridge screen.

A colossal Honkai Beast, resembling a pangolin, is moving towards the mainland, its massive size generating miniature tsunamis that act as its vanguard, hurtling towards the coastal cities.

"Where is the expected landing point? How long will it take?"

"According to calculations, Chi You is most likely to land in Canghai City of Shenzhou, about an hour from now!"

"Has the local government already started organizing the evacuation?"

"Yes, the Canghai City government is currently evacuating citizens in an orderly and rapid manner. The Chinese government has always been highly efficient in disaster relief."

"We cannot expect local governments to evacuate all residents of a metropolis of one million people within an hour; even the most efficient mobilization capabilities have their limits."

“Theresa? Stop pacing around. What’s the most powerful weapon on the Hyperion? We must lure Chi You to turn and move it towards the open sea.” Seeing the headmistress still anxiously pacing around, Snow reached out and lifted her directly to the captain’s seat.

"Himeko... Oh, please don't let anything happen to you... -- The heaviest firepower on the Hyperion consists of six 430mm electromagnetic railguns on each side and a secondary 270mm electromagnetic railgun. As a Valkyrie-type carrier, the Hyperion doesn't carry any more powerful artillery." After praying for her friend, Theresa rattled off the armament of this Far Eastern branch flagship.

“Based on current satellite imagery, Chi You’s body is far beyond the range of the 430mm railgun on the Hyperion. To repel or even kill this colossal Honkai Beast, which is hundreds of meters long, what we need is not an airship, but the floating fortress of Schicksal Headquarters.” Theresa’s expression grew even more anxious.

"Calm down, Theresa. The method you described requires the firepower needed to completely destroy a Honkai Beast's body. We can't do that. Himeko and Kiana's team are still inside..."

"Then what should we do?" Theresa frowned as she looked at Chi You on the screen.

"You forgot, Theresa, Honkai Beasts all have cores..." Snow looked at Chi You and gave him an amused smile.

"All we need to do is destroy the core of this behemoth, and Himeko and the others currently moving inside Chi You are our best guides."

"Of course, such a gigantic Honkai Beast must have more than one core... It should have one main core plus several secondary cores to maintain the body's operation."

"Find them, destroy them one by one, first paralyze its mobility, and finally concentrate firepower to eliminate it."

"Intercepting Chi You in the outer seas of Shenzhou is of extraordinary significance to the Far East Branch, both in terms of minimizing casualties and in terms of gaining political influence in Shenzhou," Snow tapped the screen.

“But we have a problem, Snow,” Theresa interrupted Snow’s explanation.

"What's the problem?"

"Our firepower might be able to breach its thick outer shell, but railguns need cooling... We can't fire continuously; the Hyperion's reactor won't be able to keep up, and the gun barrels can't withstand prolonged overheating—and we only have the Hyperion as our warship."

"What...? Well, there are plenty of battlefields for that."

Snow opened the battlefield situation map under satellite surveillance and zoomed in on one area. Three huge airships were hovering in the distance from Chiyou. Unlike the Hyperion, these were three genuine arsenal ships, and on their decks were painted a horizontal S-shaped symbol.

"The Anti-Entropy warship... Snow, do you mean we might be able to persuade them to join us in eliminating the Judgment-class Honkai Beast Chi You? After all, we may have different ideologies, but we're all organizations fighting against the Honkai—" Theresa's eyes lit up, and she jumped up excitedly.

"No... I mean—board those three warships directly..."

"I'm going to hijack the plane—" Snow said expressionlessly, uttering words that silenced the entire bridge.

“...Do you know what you’re saying, Snow?” Theresa looked at the blonde girl beside her, giving her an expression that seemed to say, “Has this kid lost her mind?”

"Those are three Anti-Entropy arsenal ships, undoubtedly carrying a large number of tactical mechs... That's an entire... no... three armies, Snow."

“My dear Theresa… why do you think I can’t defeat an entire army…?” Her azure pupils turned a deep, dark blue, filled with majesty and arrogance.

"I alone can tear an entire army apart."

It was an incredibly arrogant declaration, yet the confidence it contained made it seem so perfectly natural.

“Alright… I agree, but! It’s best if we start with peaceful negotiations.” Theresa sighed, looking into the deep, dark blue eyes before her.

“This is your freedom—” Snow glanced at Theresa, closed his eyes, and said nothing more.

The Hyperion continued its high-speed flight through the clouds—carrying its archbishop and high-ranking lords (just kidding).

--

Chapter Thirty-One: Surrender or Death

"This is the Hyperion, belonging to the Far East Branch of Schicksal! I am Cardinal Theresa Apocalypse, Head of the Far East Branch of Schicksal. Entropy ahead, I wish to speak with your commander!" Having just entered the maximum communication range due to Honkai interference, Theresa on the bridge eagerly initiated the call.

Meanwhile, in the delivery bay below the bridge, the logistics Valkyrie was staring incredulously at the three Valkyries before her.

"Are you serious? Preparing three high-speed stealth fighters... Lord Snow, is your squadron going to board those three Anti-Entropy warships simultaneously?"

"...Why not?" The blonde girl looked at the Valkyrie beside her with confusion in her eyes.

"This..." The Valkyrie hesitated.

"Just do as instructed..."

"Since you and Lady Ningdi are both A-rank Valkyries, I'm not too worried... But Miss Jiuxiao is only a B-rank Valkyrie?"

"A B-rank who could hold her own against me? She's just short of enough merit and seniority. Obey orders, Sergeant..."

Snow shook his head, watching the Valkyrie salute him before turning away to direct her subordinates in preparing their fighter jets.

"Those who invoke the name of kings rule over all people on earth, reigning supreme over the world—this is royal power; however... royal power... is divinely ordained—"

"This is the meaning of the Divine Authority Squad—we are unmatched."

--

Theresa's communication request was quickly answered, and a mature Russian woman with blonde hair and a green military coat appeared on the screen.

"Look who's here, what a rare guest! Ms. Theresa, the branch manager of the Far East branch?" The communication was connected, and a sarcastic tone came through the communication channel.

"It's you?! Cocolia! What are you doing here?!" Theresa was both shocked and furious when she saw the blonde woman on the screen.

"Oh, it seems our Dean hasn't improved much after all this time? Asking pointless questions again," Cocolia continued to mock the white-haired dwarf in front of the screen.

"Cocolia, what are you up to now!"

...

Three Destiny fighters activated their stealth devices upon takeoff, gliding lightly off the deck and skimming the sea surface as they hurtled towards the Anti-Entropy warships. On the three Anti-Entropy warships, locked in a tense standoff with the Hyperion, no one noticed the deadly fangs hurtling towards them.

"What an unexpected gain! Not only can we retrieve the legendary Xuanyuan Sword, the divine key from the previous civilization, but we can also eliminate our greatest threat: the Hyperion, the Far East Branch's airship, and a Schicksal S-rank Valkyrie..."

"Ms. Theresa... I'll accept your kind offer! All Anti-Entropy warships, target the Hyperion! Sink it!" The blonde woman on the screen waved her hand, cutting off the communication.

"Lady Theresa, the Anti-Entropy warships are targeting the Hyperion!" The radar officer on the bridge quickly reported the situation.

"Activate the defensive field immediately! Turn the guns around and aim at the Anti-Entropy airship, Lieutenant! Where is the Divine Authority Squad?!" Theresa decisively issued the orders, and the entire bridge sprang into action.

"Sir Snow and her squadron took off in their fighters while you were negotiating with the other side. If all goes well, they should have arrived at the Anti-Entropy warship by now," the adjutant quickly reported to Theresa, who was in command of the battle, after reviewing the deck's maintenance log.

The moment the adjutant finished speaking, explosions occurred on the three Anti-Entropy warships—

--

The Entropy-Induced Aerial Fleet's flagship, the "Enomia,"

Flames burned in the cabin, accompanied by billowing smoke, as a Destiny fighter crashed into the lower deck of the warship.

A small squad of armed men, under the cover of Titans, quickly approached the wreckage of the plane, but the cockpit was empty.

"Gulp..." A sense of foreboding made these radical anti-entropy members swallow hard. They instinctively turned around to look at what they would see for the last time in their lives.

The blonde Valkyrie stood behind the crowd, black ice crystals spreading beneath her feet along everything she could touch. Her deep blue eyes held only pure contempt as she looked at them.

"Open—" The voice abruptly stopped. Black ice climbed up their weapons, their bodies, leaving only black ice sculptures in place.

"What comes from dust, shall return to dust—" The girl turned and walked towards the bridge of the warship.

The next moment, the black ice sculptures turned to dust, as if they had never existed.

"Sector 8 has been invaded! Where are the Titans and the defense forces?!"

"They lost contact less than a minute after they set off!"

"This is Sector 7, this is Defense Commander Reido! We need backup! That monster! That monster tore all our Titan mechs to shreds in a single encounter!"

"Resend it again! We need backup!!!" Heart-wrenching screams echoed through the bridge's channel, and then—a girl's voice, not theirs, invaded their channel.

【Wail, for His day is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty.】 The melodious tone stands out so starkly amidst the cacophony of wailing and screaming in the communications.

"The defense forces in compartment 7 are wiped out. This is the defense commander of area 6, Ms. Cocolia. We have sealed off the gates of areas 7 and 6..." Before the leading woman on the bridge could respond, screams and shouts rang out again from the communication channel.

"My God! She ripped open the warship's gates! That's half a meter thick titanium alloy armor—! Fire! Quick! Everyone, fire!" The nameless commander's voice abruptly stopped.

[Therefore all hands will be weak...and all hearts will be consumed...] It was that melodious female voice again, singing loudly in purgatory, seemingly out of place on the battlefield.

"Retreat! Activate Titan's auto-attack mode! Everyone retreat! Abandon Chamber 5! Oh my god, she's coming! Retreat now!!!"

[They will be terrified and grieved; sorrow will seize them—] On the bridge's surveillance cameras, the blonde girl approached the bridge step by step as if taking a leisurely stroll.

"We've deployed a large number of Spider-type mechs and explosives in compartment 4, hoping this will destroy that monster... God, please bless us..." Another commander's voice came through the communication channel.

"Boom—" The violent explosion temporarily drowned out all other noise.

"Command, have we eliminated her?—" The question was abruptly cut off, and the melodious chanting rang out again in their channel.

They were in pain, like women in labor, and looked at each other in astonishment, their faces burning with rage—