Get a Grip, Damn It!

Why are the two of us still sitting here?

Fu Hua asked softly, her usually expressionless demeanor making her appear less panicked than she thought.

"Because some little mice will definitely sneak in."

Rita chuckled.

"Although this formation is very intimidating, it is not enough to take over the headquarters. At most, it can only suppress it temporarily. The defense system is just paralyzed, not completely destroyed."

"Perhaps, but what about troop strength? Isn't the Schicksal's troop strength at a disadvantage?"

Fu Hua said indifferently.

"Trading Valkyrie, Anti-Entropy might not make a profit, but it will never lose money."

"Miss Fu Hua, you are underestimating the Unfading Blade."

Rita smiled as she watched Durandal on the screen, wielding her lance and moving invincibly through the Durandal.

... Is it just my imagination? Lady Durandal seems a little distracted?

Rita hid her surprise behind a smile.

Even if she was distracted, those mechs were no match for Durandal, not to mention she had nearly a hundred members of the Unfading Blades Squad with her.

But just then, the Hyperion in the sky dropped support from the drop sluice gate again—but this time, it wasn't the Titan Mechs, but one after another humanoid beings covered in black armor and wielding greatswords.

Mech, or human?

The bulky armor, with its similar design to the Titan Mechs, left Rita somewhat uncertain.

However, despite their bulky armor, it did not seem to affect their agility at all. The swordsman at the head of the group clashed fiercely with Durandal, and for a moment, neither side could gain the upper hand.

Upon closer inspection, Rita realized that the remaining dozen or so black-armored men, under the cover of the Titan Mechs nearby, were each capable of taking on ten men.

What the heck?

This was the first time they had been beaten so badly since they formed the Unfading Blade.

In the past, the Unfading Blade was always able to take on ten opponents single-handedly; this was the first time someone had taken on ten opponents single-handedly.

Rita was so surprised that she unconsciously stood up.

However, Rita then saw Bianka's serious expression on the screen and immediately felt relieved.

(Tsk... How come I didn't realize this girl had such superhuman strength back then?)

Feeling the power that had come from his wrist, Ragna grinned from behind the mask.

The greatsword in his hand almost flew out of his hand.

... And was that a careless strike?

Even if the Valkyrie Armor on the other side has a stronger amplification than the fake armor on me, it shouldn't be this outrageous, right?

Ragna looked at Bianka, whose serious demeanor even affected her, and felt incredibly gratified.

(If this goes on, I might really get pinned to the ground and beaten up by this girl...)

After years of training, she has been rated "S-rank" by Reanna. However, in Reanna's words, even S-rank Valkyrie are divided into different levels.

Ragna is very self-aware. Although she has good talent, she ultimately missed her prime and was only able to reach S-rank by meeting a renowned teacher like Reanna.

But Bianka... reached S-rank several years ago. As the former head instructor of Schicksal Fighting, how could Ragna not know the educational standards of Schicksal?

Back then, she was a real high-level executive, wasn't she?

After all, at that time, Schicksal was only one S-Rank Valkyrie that no one had ever seen before, and below her were the A-rank Valkyrie. Moreover, as the chief combat instructor, Ragna was half a head taller than the other A-rank Valkyrie.

That is why Ragna could better understand Bianka's extraordinary talent.

Ragna was somewhat resentful that Himeko hadn't just been ruthless and tied Bianka under her armpit back then.

If this were trained by Reanna for six years...

Ragna cleared his mind and silently adjusted his posture, preparing to face Bianka's serious second round.

However... Bianka, when she got serious, lost her temper again.

Because Bianka discovered something very important.

Weren't they here to rescue Kiana? Then why are you stopping them?

Although the black-armored man in front of her aroused her fighting spirit, it was completely unimportant in the face of Kiana.

She wasn't a battle maniac, and her opponent was quite strong, not some roadside weakling.

Although if things get serious, ten rounds can probably decide life or death, is that really necessary?

Not at all.

However, given her status, she couldn't afford to lose... Bianka glanced at her teammates, who were outnumbered yet still being suppressed, and immediately understood what she had to do.

In Bianka's hands, the massive lance danced like a butterfly, traversing the battlefield and balancing the situation between the two sides.

At that moment, Bianka mastered the skill of "slacking off" without any instruction.

"... This unit is very strong."

Fu Hua spoke up to defuse the awkward situation.

She recognized him immediately as Ragna.

Unfortunately, neither Rita nor Bianka had ever sparred with Ragna, otherwise they would have recognized him much sooner.

After all, the Valkyrie Assault Team's fighting style was quite distinctive in Fu Hua's memory.

Hmm... wait a minute, if Durandal didn't fight Ragna, then why did she suddenly hold back?

Fu Hua's eye began to twitch, recalling the substitution of Himeko, Durandal dressed like a high school girl, and her teacher's strange popularity with women...

Fu Hua came to an unacceptable conclusion.

No, really?

It's too much of a coincidence, isn't it?

However, Fu Hua is also somewhat of an intuitionist. When this possibility comes to mind, it means that it is likely true.

Fu Hua silently rubbed her forehead.

Well, both of them are the type of people who don't talk to strangers unless absolutely necessary.

Thinking about it carefully, it seems that there really wasn't much communication between the two of them.

What kind of nonsense is this?!

If such a thing were to happen, Fu Hua felt she wouldn't even have the face to see Teacher Liu!

So... is it too late for her to knock Rita unconscious now?

Ah, wait a minute, what if Rita also has a connection with Teacher Liu?

Chapter 228 Wake Up, You Old Lady!

Fortunately, Fu Hua didn't dwell on how to knock Rita unconscious for too long—because Rita left on her own.

However, Rita didn't forget to turn off the cameras before leaving.

So, the other party doesn't trust me?

Fu Hua looked at the completely black screen and felt slightly disappointed.

Because she had been away from headquarters for too long, and because she was only A-rank Valkyrie on the surface, her authority at headquarters was not high.

Without Rita leading the way, Fu Hua wouldn't be able to get into many places—of course, this is in the conventional sense.

If it really came down to fists, even a heavy iron door would be nothing more than a punch for Fu Hua.

But... does Rita know that Durandal is also holding back?

Thinking about her teacher's personal issues, Fu Hua rubbed her temples in distress.

Having a teacher like this is really giving her, as a student, a headache.

... I had a slight urge to keep Teacher Liu by my side and prevent him from going out and flirting with other women.

Unfortunately, it can only be an impulsive act.

Fu Hua smiled wryly as she pondered what her next step should be.

(... Shouldn't I just go find Otto after all?)

There is probably only one reason why the Demonic Dragon Benares broke free from its seal on the battlefield in Siberia.

Sirin.

Fu Hua isn't some young girl like Rita or Bianka; she's not the kind of person Otto would readily blame Kiana for the sudden Honkai Beast invasion.

If they were really attracted by Kiana, they would have arrived yesterday during the transport mission, wouldn't they?

Given the current situation, Fu Hua believes that Otto is most likely injecting Honkai Energy into Kiana to actively stimulate Sirin's awakening.

"...madman."

Fu Hua muttered a curse under her breath, a rare occurrence for her.

Thinking about it this way, it seems I've never really understood Otto.

So why did I choose to cooperate with Otto back then?

Fortunately, Fu Hua's memory is fine, and she can still remember the route she took before.

Thinking of this, Fu Hua immediately turned around and walked towards the place she remembered without any hesitation.

However, the next moment, the entire Schicksal Headquarters was shaken.

"Hmm... let me see what I found? A little bug?"

Rita looked at the red-haired female scientist who was tied up in front of her and smiled slightly.

"I thought it would be Miss Himeko. What, did you get lost with your companions?"

"Tch, damn maid..."

Tesla, who had sneaked in to steal technology from Schicksal Labs, now looked extremely grim.

The only thing that reassured her was that the other party didn't seem to intend to kill her; they had simply tied her to a chair.

... Well, this might not be a good thing.

I might be used to threaten my companions...

Tesla gritted her teeth, about to say something, when a sudden tremor interrupted her, even causing her and her chair to roll to the side.

"... This Honkai Energy reaction?"

Rita had no interest in paying attention to Tesla anymore; instead, she looked in shock toward the direction of the laboratory.

"Your Majesty Bishop..."

"Roar--!"

Bang--!

With a cold expression, Mei mercilessly slashed Benares into the sea.

"Still not dead? As expected of Judgment-Class Honkai Beast."

Mei glanced indifferently at the huge waves splashing in the sea, then shifted her gaze to the Schicksal Headquarters.

"This aura... Kiana? No, that's not right."

Thunder roared again.

That aura, so similar to Kiana's, was rushing towards him.

"Interesting."