K424 of the Collapse World

"Nina, I've told you before, don't pull my hair. It hurts, you know?"

Kiana hugged her two braids in her arms. She looked around at the naughty kids with caution. She clearly remembered that a long time ago, one day, she was caught by the braids by the girl without paying attention, and she refused to let go no matter what. Kiana was so painful that she almost cried. From then on, she never dared to let her guard down in the town again.

For these children, it is really not right to beat them, nor to scold them. Kiana really doesn't know how to stop these naughty children from doing this.

Noticing Kiana's subtle look, the girl retracted her hand somewhat embarrassedly.

"Hey hey hey... I've been discovered..."

The girl ran back and made a face at Kiana. Seeing this, Kiana suddenly felt unhappy.

"Hey! Are you guys listening to me?!"

"Woooooooooo~ The white-haired ball is angry, run~~"

Following Kiana's annoyed voice, the children dispersed. Kiana sighed, puffed up her face angrily, and looked around at the passers-by who couldn't help laughing.

"Hey, Kiana, let's go."

Before they knew it, Siegfried had finished talking to the village chief. Kiana breathed a sigh of relief, turned back to glare at the children who were still not satisfied, and followed Siegfried forward. But her angry look was only considered very cute by the people around her.

"Qiana, how do you feel about your life during this period?"

Siegfried looked at the girl beside him lovingly, and as he spoke, he reached out and touched Kiana's hair.

"Not at all! Uncles and aunties always like to rub my face and mess up my hair, especially those little brats, what they do is really going too far...!"

"Haha...it seems like everyone likes Kiana very much."

Seeing Siegfried laughing heartlessly, Kiana's mouth twitched and she couldn't help covering her face with her hands.

"Who wants this kind of 'like'? And dad, your daughter is being bullied, is it really okay for you to just stand there and watch?"

Kiana said this with some dissatisfaction, but when she thought of the kind smiles of the people she spent every day with, her eyes gradually softened.

Siegfried just smiled and said nothing. He looked at the silver-haired girl who was walking silently beside him, and at her gentle profile. In a trance, the figure of a silver-haired girl slowly overlapped with her...

(Such a gentle personality...Cecilia, she is really like you

But, she is not our real daughter...)

Thinking of this, Siegfried smiled and shook his head. He no longer felt entangled or painful about this issue.

(The next goal is to rescue the real Kiana! In this way, "Kiana" will have a sister... When that happens, we will go find Theresa. She should be willing to accept us.)

Thinking of the future life he had imagined in his mind, the man couldn't help but chuckle.

"Hey, Dad..."

Suddenly, the girl's voice interrupted Siegfried's thoughts. He came back to his senses and looked at the girl next to him again.

At some point, the distress on Kiana's face disappeared, and her expression became more gentle.

"Dad, do you still remember the question I asked you two years ago? Now I finally understand why you protect those strangers..."

"oh……?"

"Protecting the weak is Kaslana's honor, right, Dad? But for me, honor is nothing. I... probably just want to protect those people's smiles."

As Kiana spoke, she slightly turned her gaze and looked around.

The children hiding around were playing and frolicking with joyful smiles on their faces. People walking on the road were also always smiling. Compared to the emptiness two years ago, their eyes have now become full of hope, and they have more love and yearning for life.

No matter who it was, the look they gave him and Siegfried was always filled with a hint of respect.

but……

"What I long for is not to be admired or regarded as a hero by others. I... just want everyone to be safe, without having to worry about the attacks of Honkai beasts, without having to live in fear every day, and to be able to spend every day with a smile. As long as this is the case, even if what I do is unknown to others, what does it matter?"

Kiana held her chest tightly, and suddenly thought of something, and she couldn't help but clench her fists. The scene of the nuclear explosion two years ago replayed in her mind again...

Whenever she thought of the purple-haired girl who used her body to protect herself, Kiana's heart was filled with waves...

(You saved my life, but no one knows what you did... Come to think of it, I don't even know if you are still alive...)

"Kiana..."

Beside him, Siegfried listened to the girl's solemn and serious words, and gradually, a relieved smile appeared on the man's face again.

———!

Siegfried ignored the surprised looks of passers-by and hugged the girl beside him tightly. Perhaps, this girl was already the most precious treasure in his life...

"Kiana... my daughter, I really didn't expect that you have already realized this... Don't worry, your future will never be unknown, you will definitely be the center of attention!"

Siegfried declared so. Influenced by the girl's words, at this moment, an inexplicable fire ignited in his eyes again.

(Otto... I won't run away anymore. One day, I will go back to find you and take back what originally belonged to us!)

Kiana stayed quietly in her father's arms, surrounded by warmth and satisfaction, and gently closed her eyes. For her, these days spent with her father were the happiest times.

However, at this moment, no one failed to notice that a pure golden light flashed in the pupil of the girl's right eye beneath the bandage, and then disappeared in a flash, as if nothing had happened...

091 The Eagle in the Cage

In Europe, high in the sky...

The light blue sky was clear and cloudless. Since the headquarters of the Mandate of Heaven had long used the Collapse Furnace for energy supply in most of Europe, replacing other polluting energy sources, the long-term use of this "clean" energy gradually reduced the pollution of the atmosphere, and the sky gradually returned to the clear sky like the primeval forest.

——!

At this moment, a small shuttle-shaped plane suddenly appeared on the horizon, broke through the sparse clouds, and flew quietly towards the distance.

"Zizizi... OK, the communication connection is complete. Then, please check your equipment."

In the small cabin, a girl wearing light black armor sat quietly in the rear cabin. Hearing the female voice coming from the headset, she subconsciously turned her head and looked at the huge metal cross placed beside her.

"The weapons and equipment have been reviewed and there are no problems."

The girl spoke lightly while adjusting her armor. When she touched her neck, her hand paused slightly, but she quickly continued her actions.

"Also, the connection between the Valkyrie Armor and the command system has been confirmed. Do you have any other instructions, Lady Lucy?"

"No more... But please be careful. We are about to reach the target area. Please be prepared for action. Also... please be safe, Miss K-0...?"

Headset

The woman's voice was heard again, but her tone was a little more complicated than before.

Hearing this, the girl smiled and gently closed her eyes, and her cold expression seemed to ease slightly.

"Thank you for your concern, Commander Lucy. If you don't mind, you can call me 'Lin'. By the way, I heard that you are also a disciple of Instructor Claudia..."

"Ah... That's right. I used to be a member of Colonel Claudia's army and I once received her guidance."

Lucy's voice on the communication did not stop and continued.

"Although she is very stubborn and strict, she is also a very good person..."

"A very good person...?"

"Yeah...Lin, you also accepted the instruction of Colonel Claudia, so what do you think of her?"

At this moment, on the other side of the communication, the girl named Lucy, who was the commander of the operation, seemed to open up and chat with the silver-haired girl in the cabin on the public channel.

"Well, Lady Lucy, you are right... Although she is always strict and never smiles at me, she has never used the 'collar' on me..."

The girl said softly, stood up, and looked through the window on the side of the cabin at the wilderness below. Although the current distance was still very far, with her eyesight, she could clearly see the location of the target.

"It's been a pleasure talking to you... Lucy-sama, but it's almost time."

"Well, good luck, Lin..."

The door of the rear cabin of the transport plane slowly opened while it was flying at high speed. The violent airflow suddenly swept in from the outside, but it was completely unable to shake the girl's delicate figure. It only swayed her silver braids...

The girl silently looked at the fully opened hatch, picked up the blue and white mechanical cross placed beside her, easily put the heavy metal object on her back, and walked slowly towards the hatch...

"Lord Otto, I don't understand... For such an urgent matter, you should directly notify the nearest branch over there, but why... do you insist on sending her out?"

Inside the headquarters of the Mandate of Heaven, Claudia stood at the door of the bishop's office, looking at the blond man sitting at the desk, and asked with confusion on her face. Her voice was basically the same as usual, but with a hint of anxiety.

"What's the matter? Claudia, although the ruins they are asked to search are also important, this is a great testing opportunity. We have kept this sword hidden for two years. Isn't it time to let it show its edge? Besides, I don't think the Valkyries of the Italian branch can deal with such a Honkai beast tide."

"...But, her weapon debugging has not been completed yet, and we haven't tested her ability to adapt to the outside world before. Isn't it a bit too hasty to let her directly engage in actual combat, Lord Otto?"

Looking at the blond man with a faint smile on his face, Claudia couldn't help but ask again. Thinking of the girl who boarded the aircraft not long ago, for some reason, she suddenly felt a little anxious...

"Don't worry, the strength she showed in the test is more than enough to handle such a situation. Her current strength is unmatched in Tianming! Hehe... Of course, that includes Miss God."

Otto spoke softly, his voice revealing absolute confidence.

"Besides, she is well protected, so you don't have to worry about her going berserk. Before that, I can..."

Having said that, Otto opened the terminal's operating interface and pointed to a button with a big red exclamation mark below the "lock" button on the light screen.

"Her greatest value is her unique genetic structure. Even if something unexpected happens during the actual combat test, directly eliminating her personality consciousness will not cause too much loss to us."

Seeing this, Claudia lowered her head slightly, with a flash of sadness in her eyes.

"...I understand, Lord Otto."

At the junction of Europe and Asia, in Türkiye...

--boom!

With flames blazing everywhere, violent explosions suddenly spread across the wilderness, accompanied by billowing smoke, and some shattered shells of the Honkai beasts were blown away by the wind...

A young girl was panting slightly, standing on an open space not far away, carrying an energy cannon on her shoulder that was larger than her body. Without waiting for the red-glowing cannon barrel to cool down, she once again raised the cannon and launched the next round of attack at the huge black shadow in front of her!

--boom!

The red energy beam flew past, and the blazing flames burst out again! But the next moment, the thick smoke from the explosion was suddenly torn apart! An injured medium-sized tank-class Honkai beast rushed directly out of the smoke caused by the explosion and ran straight towards several figures not far away!

"drink!"

Suddenly, a female Valkyrie holding a shield stepped forward and met the Battlefield-level Honkai Beast with the hexagonal mechanical shield in her hand.

Giant palm...

———Bang! !

Along with the buzzing sound after the impact of a hard object, the shield and the forelimbs of the Honkai beast collided violently. The Valkyrie's feet sank deeply into the ground, but the shield in her hand also steadily caught the attack of the Honkai beast.

At this moment, a flash of cold light passed by, and the body of the Honkai Beast that was in a stalemate with the Valkyrie suddenly paused, and the next moment it fell to the ground with a bang. A hideous wound was torn open on its abdomen, and lavender liquid gushed out!

The Valkyrie holding a giant axe stood next to the Honkai Beast, withdrew her previous chopping action, raised the electromagnetic wave battle axe in her hand again, breathing slightly, and glanced around solemnly.

Looking around, there were densely packed white and purple Honkai beasts everywhere. In addition, there were scattered dead soldiers mixed in, some of whom were carrying sickles condensed from Honkai energy. These Honkai creatures surrounded a group of Valkyries in the middle. They did not stop at all because of the Valkyries' attacks, and rushed over again without fear.

As for the cause of the incident, it was just that this team of Valkyries was on their way to a mission when they were suddenly attacked by a tide of Honkai beasts. After they failed to escape, they were forced to engage in battle with the Honkai beasts. However, the number of Honkai beasts was too large, and the difference in combat power between the enemy and us was too great. They definitely could not hold out for too long...

"Damn it...! There are more and more Honkai beasts! Has the support not arrived yet? Or did the headquarters not receive our communication?"

The slightly older Valkyrie shouted anxiously, and as she spoke, she turned around and swung out her battle axe again, chopping off a small, charging, Honkai-class beast in mid-air!

"No, Captain... The headquarters has already received our distress call and has indeed responded, saying that reinforcements will arrive soon and are on the way..."

Not far behind, a girl holding a long sword blocked an arrow made of Honkai energy and answered loudly, but her tone was also uncertain. If the nearest branch had sent reinforcements, they should have arrived long ago. She didn't know what was going on...

"Damn it! Those procrastinators... If they keep going like this, we'll all be finished before they get here!"

The Valkyrie captain complained angrily, but she was not slow in her movements. She dodged a charge from a Knight-level Honkai Beast and swung her electromagnetic axe just as she passed by it, cutting the upper part of the Knight-level Honkai Beast in half.

“Hu…Hu…However, the current situation is still relatively promising. We should be able to hold on for a while longer! Yes…there is still hope…!”

The Valkyrie captain muttered to herself, turned her head to look at her companions who were fighting hard, and her heart was filled with fighting spirit again.

However, fate always likes to play jokes on people. When you think you have grasped fate, what you actually hold in your hands is just an illusion...

"Roar--!!"

With a fierce roar, the sound waves suddenly swept the whole place! As the view in front of her suddenly darkened, the captain of the Valkyrie looked up in astonishment, and what came into her sight was a black Honkai beast that was several dozen meters tall. Its huge body completely blocked the dim sunset behind it. Eight thick limbs supported its body, and the whole thing looked like a spider that had been magnified countless times, but it had something more than a spider...

The ferocious black horn, like a bloodthirsty sickle, stood on its head, and there were strange purple lines on the black shell. If someone was here, they would find that this was the Honkai beast that had appeared on the Ukrainian border, but it was obviously stronger...

At this moment, the huge single eye of the Honkai Beast turned slightly, and countless tiny compound eyes were aimed at the Valkyries present. At this moment, they seemed to feel the hairs on their bodies stand up...

"This... the Honkai energy reacts strongly. Analyzing the specific value... it is close to the emperor-level Honkai beast!"

The young girl standing at the back screamed, staring blankly at the huge black shadow with an expression of disbelief.

An emperor-level Honkai beast, this level is completely beyond their ability to handle...

At this moment, the Valkyrie captain suddenly discovered something and her face instantly became terrified.

"Everyone! Retreat immediately...!"

Before she finished her words, a purple light suddenly lit up in the spider-shaped Honkai Beast's single eye. The next moment, a violent purple energy beam swept out and directly hit the open space where the Valkyries were...