Angel: All Troops, Attack!

Then, her schoolbag seemed to have been hooked by a steel pipe. No matter how hard Kiana stomped forward, she could not take another step.

"Hm?"

Kiana turned her head and saw Anqi sitting upright, staring straight ahead at Fu Hua as she walked out of the classroom. Anqi was gripping Kiana's schoolbag with one hand.

"Heya!"

Kiana used all her strength, her little face turning red as she tried to yank her schoolbag free. Yet Anqi's small hand remained as motionless as an iron statue.

Kiana was tired. She simply squatted down and rolled her eyes.

"What do you want?"

"Come on, help me intercept her!"

"No way! I'm going to find Mei! I haven't seen Mei for half a day already!"

"Two strawberry cakes."

"Hey, what are you talking about? Do you think something like that can tempt me? Let me tell you, Mei is my—"

"Three. And tonight, I'll sleep in your room and reluctantly be your body pillow."

"Deal! I know the class monitor's usual route after school. Come on, I'll take you by a shortcut!"

The two shook hands amicably and reached a mutually beneficial agreement. Then Kiana eagerly led the way.

Five minutes later, Fu Hua was walking along the path to the library.

She stopped beside a patch of landscaped shrubbery by the roadside.

"Sigh, Kiana, Anqi, is there something you need from me?"

Fu Hua's expression was calm as she let out a soft sigh.

The next second, sure enough, two adorably tiny heads poked out from the grass.

Anqi's little face was solemn while Kiana grinned. Both had bits of green grass and leaves perched on their heads, clearly having been lying in wait here beforehand.

Then, under Fu Hua and Kiana's gazes, Anqi stepped before Fu Hua, brushed the grass and leaves off herself, bowed, and held out a thick envelope with both hands.

"Please teach me martial arts!"

"Uh, before that, I would like to know what this is."

"A gift for becoming your disciple—everything I've earned so far! And until I graduate, I'll hand over my wages on time every month!"

Still bowing, Anqi raised her head, her little face taut as she spoke with earnestness in her soft, sweet voice.

"That really... isn't necessary."

Fu Hua was momentarily at a loss for words.

She could feel Anqi's sincerity, but she had never seen anyone express sincerity in this way before.

Fu Hua made a fist, brought it to her mouth, and gave a dry cough.

"Ahem. Regarding money as dirt is a fine quality. Uh, but, well... in any case, I only know a few basic fist-and-kick techniques. They're family arts, nothing remarkable. Rather than seeking me out, you would do better to practice the basic hand-to-hand techniques from combat class."

Fu Hua refused somewhat helplessly.

It was not that she was reluctant to share her skills.

Rather, the basic combat techniques Otto had developed were originally a universal version highly streamlined from her ultimate arts. As far as tempering one's physique and training control over Honkai Energy went, they were already enough to serve a Valkyrie up to the level of a high-ranking Valkyrie.

As for her true ultimate arts, the talent requirements would shut out over ninety-nine percent of people. Fu Hua was rather pessimistic about this and did not believe Anqi would be an exception. Besides, her current identity as a spy made it unsuitable for her to reveal too much strength.

Anqi took a deep breath. She had tailed Fu Hua for over half a month, only for Fu Hua to get used to it, making all that effort go to waste. She had reached the limit of her patience with this shut-in personality that would not budge no matter what.

"(￣^￣)ゞ Hmph!"

Anqi straightened up and marched aggressively before Fu Hua. With a smack, she slapped the envelope into Fu Hua's hand and said indignantly,

"Take it. I'll be waiting for you at the training grounds tomorrow morning! Kiana, let's go."

"Okay! Goodbye, Class Monitor~~"

Fu Hua stood where she was, blankly watching the slender backs of the two girls rapidly disappear into the distance.

After quite a while, she blinked and looked at the envelope in her hand, murmuring,

"But I never agreed to it, Anqi..."

However, Anqi, who should have heard those words, had already sneakily vanished without a trace.

I got the direction wrong. The Immortal was never the proactive type! She's always been passive, just like when Kiana brought her back while sealing Xiao Shi!

The Immortal is the submissive one, the submissive one!

I need to learn Kiana's recklessness. That's the correct way to solve this!

The Anqis painfully reflected on their mistakes and bitterly regretted the errors they had made over the past period of time.

It had been several months already. If she had found the right direction sooner, with how hard Anqi pushed herself, who knew how many real martial arts skills she would have learned by now.

Sure enough, I still need to be forceful! As long as I'm tough enough, she'll keep backing down until she even teaches me the Sword God techniques!

I've finally sorted out my thoughts. Good, starting tomorrow, let's squeeze the Immortal's martial arts stockpile dry!

Anqi, fight!

Anqi lay in Kiana's fragrant, soft embrace, comfortably narrowing her eyes as she drifted into dreams filled with anticipation for tomorrow.

But tonight, she had a strange dream.

In the dream was a boundless expanse of pure white. Anqi's thoughts were still hazy as she unconsciously walked forward.

Until she saw an exquisite, beautiful crystal throne with no one sitting on it.

Going around the throne, she found a graceful girl with silver hair spread across the floor, leaning against the back of the crystal throne. One hand held a bag of chips, while the other operated a handheld game console.

Anqi poked her head out from beside the throne. The girl seemed to sense something as well and turned to look at Anqi.

"..." ×2

The two stared at each other, and the entire world fell terrifyingly silent.

The girl had golden eyes etched with cross-shaped patterns and the same adorably foolish, beautiful face as Kiana. Chip crumbs from the mouthful she had just stuffed into her mouth clung to the corners of her lips. Upon seeing Anqi, her expression shifted rapidly, soon radiating a hair-raising killing intent.

Anqi remained motionless, clinging to the side of the crystal throne. She recognized this queen, so beneath her expressionless little face, her heart began screaming like a marmot.

Ah!!!

Anqi: All Forces, Attack!

Boom!

Within the boundless white consciousness space, Anqi sprinted wildly, like a golden bolt of lightning constantly blinking through space.

Above her, black spatial holes opened one after another, firing countless terrifying silver lances like the muzzles of guns with unlimited ammunition.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Void Lances pursued Anqi's figure like grim reapers, relentlessly chasing after her life.

Fortunately, Anqi had never stopped developing her abilities. Though there was a vast difference in Honkai Energy, she could barely hold on if all she did was flee and evade.

Whoosh!

A lance suddenly came flying from the front at an impossible angle. Anqi's steps halted, but her body continued sliding forward from inertia, and she was about to be pierced through by the lance.

Anqi swept her gaze around, her expression calm and unruffled, her heart equally tranquil. In that instant, she spread both hands. Countless threads wrapped around the Void Lances to her left and right, and she pulled herself into the air, evading the fatal strike.

"Wild monkey, disappear!"

Above, the Queen of Void furiously wiped chip crumbs from the corner of her mouth. Then she brought her hands together, and hundreds upon thousands of Void Lances transformed into sharp ribbons that closed in upon Anqi at the center, slicing toward her.

Anqi frowned and looked up, expressionlessly glancing at the enraged Queen of Void.

She isn't letting me speak at all. She isn't even giving me a chance to kneel and surrender!

I wouldn't go around telling people that the Queen of Void was here alone, playing games and eating chips like some hopeless shut-in, right?

This seems a little like a battle over Authorities already. So did the Dominion Authority accidentally activate and pull me to where the Herrscher of the Void is?

I wonder what kind of effect dying like this would have on me?

Anqi sighed soundlessly. A cold, sleek suit of black dress armor covered her body, while a dagger glowing with faint blue light appeared in her hand.

Schicksal B-Rank Valkyrie, Anqi [Phantom Hunter Armor], making her grand entrance!

"Die!"

Sirin sneered and brought her hands together. The silver-white blade-like ribbons closed in from all sides, about to grind Anqi to death in their midst.

Suddenly, a massive force traveled through the ribbons into her hands.

"Hm?"

Sirin froze for a moment.

The next second, a tremendous repulsive force erupted from within the ribbon cocoon, violently forcing apart the closing Void Lance ribbons.

"What!?"

As Sirin stared in surprise, she saw an exquisite little girl as pretty as a doll standing amid the dense ribbons, one small hand raised and pointed at her from afar.

"O Queen in the heavens, behold the sight of stars being shattered!"

As Ninti's childish yet cold words fell, one simulated black hole after another appeared around Sirin. Chaotic gravity rapidly expanded, forming a powerful force that threatened to tear her apart alive.

Then Ninti clenched her hand.

The tiny black holes abruptly swelled, turning Sirin's location into a deadly zone where gravity expanded without restraint. Surely anything within it would be torn into thousands upon thousands of pieces in an instant, until it vanished completely?

Boom!!!

A deafening explosion reverberated throughout the entire consciousness world.

Afterward, Ninti panted slightly and raised her head, meeting the Queen of Void's gaze as she instinctively crossed her arms before herself.

Sirin's exquisite, smooth silver hair had been thrown into disarray by the black hole explosion just now. Her elegant and beautiful Herrscher dress had also been damaged in several places, leaving her looking somewhat disheveled.

"That power... no, you aren't that person. You are—a new Herrscher?"

Sirin lowered her hands, her fury and killing intent surging even further.

So what if they were kin? Anyone who sullied the queen's dignity deserved to atone with death!

As Sirin raged, the corner of her eye caught a black shadow that flashed past.

It was Valkyrie Anqi in Phantom Hunter Armor, appearing behind her with a deathly blue dagger stabbing toward her head.

Bzz—

A spatial Teleportation black hole opened in an instant, sending Anqi and her dagger straight before Ninti.

Ninti caught Anqi with repulsive force.

At the same time, a massive shadow appeared before Sirin's eyes before she could take pride in herself.

The Titan's iron fist was like the front of a speeding locomotive, charging overwhelmingly toward Sirin without giving her any say in the matter.

Bang!

Sirin was smashed into the ground. She bent her knees to lessen the impact, carving a crater into the earth.

And as she slowly rose into the air once more, a legion was gathering before her.

Anqi wielding a long blade, Anqi holding twin swords, Anqi fully armed with rifles and heavy cannons—over twenty different Anqis walked out step by step from behind Phantom Hunter Anqi.

One after another, a full hundred Titan BT72 units descended slowly into this world like a hundred white giant gods.

Ninti floated in the air, clutching a Homonculus Doll in one hand while controlling an unstable, flickering black hole with the other. She watched Sirin with cold, emotionless eyes.

"How about a ceasefire? We do not wish to come into conflict with you, Elder Sister." ×n

The words rang out in unison from the Anqis and from within the mechanical giants.

At the same time, the gleaming edges of blades and swords, the muzzles of heavy weapons, and the violet glow in the Titan giants' eyes formed a suffocatingly powerful pressure.

This was all the combat strength Anqi could currently bring out: Ninti, whose strength could be called the pinnacle beneath a Herrscher; a hundred Titans capable of overwhelming an S-rank Valkyrie head-on; and over twenty Anqi individuals far stronger than the Titans—all present except for the five sleeping individuals, as well as Young Lady Anqi and Cocolia Anqi, whose combat strength was weak.