Kiana shouted as she waved at the Snow Lotus Squad.
Neither side could communicate, so they could only judge each other's intentions and coordinate through body language and actions.
No Valkyries had died yet. Only a few inexperienced B-ranks had been grazed by collapsing construction materials during the retreat.
But likewise, the Emperor-class Honkai Beast had not suffered any meaningful damage. It had merely been held back.
Kiana let out a breath of relief. At least the Honkai Beasts' destruction had been stopped.
Then urgency filled her again, because as long as the Emperor-class remained, they could not truly resolve the problem.
The Emperor-class's body was as massive as a mountain. Every movement made the ground beneath its feet tremble as though an earth dragon had turned over, while the Valkyries struggled to break through its defenses.
Kiana sprinted over to join the Snow Lotus Squad.
"Is there any way to defeat that thing?" she asked.
"Ganesha is chasing us too closely. We can't set up!"
"We can only hold it off for now and wait until we lure it into complicated terrain."
Kiana nodded, then began fighting alongside them.
Drawn in by the Valkyries, Ganesha chased them all the way to the docks. In the end, it accidentally stepped into the water and its enormous body immediately lost balance.
Seeing this, everyone seized the moment to form up and counterattack.
Ganesha quickly adjusted its posture, but it had already lost the initiative. The Valkyries' attacks precisely targeted it, leaving it stranded at the shore, unable to advance or retreat.
Kiana in particular relied on her monstrous strength, viciously kicking the leg Ganesha tried to use to grip the shore, preventing it from climbing back onto land again and again.
Just as the situation began to tilt in Kiana's favor, Gray Serpent atop a high-rise began to act.
"Release the second Emperor-class."
Following the order, another massive Honkai Beast emerged from the night.
It looked around as if at a loss, but it soon discovered the only active gathering of living creatures.
The ground shook even more violently as the huge four-legged Honkai Beast charged straight at Kiana and the others.
"Another one?!"
"My God, what happened here? Two Emperor-class Honkai Beasts at once!"
"We can't beat them! Retreat!"
The Snow Lotus Squad retreated immediately without hesitation.
Kiana glanced at the giant beast charging in from afar, gritted her teeth, and followed the Snow Lotus Squad.
The two Emperor-class Honkai Beasts relentlessly pursued them together.
"Is there any backup?" Kiana asked the others.
"It's just us. Everyone else has areas they need to cover!"
"We're screwed this time. I don't even know if we can get away. Those two big guys are so fast..."
The Snow Lotus Squad grew increasingly worried, and Anna could barely speak.
Emperor-class Honkai Beasts were supposed to be handled by S-ranks. They themselves were only A-ranks at best. In past battles against Emperor-class Honkai Beasts, there had been cases where two A-ranks from an entire squad died outright.
"It's over, it's over! Those things don't get tired at all!"
"We're going to get stomped to death! I don't want to turn into a meat patty!"
"If I'd known, I would've written my will before coming! Who knew a Honkai outbreak of this scale would have Emperor-class Honkai Beasts?! Is the Intelligence Department this useless without Little Yan-Yan?!"
"Hey! If Little Yan-Yan could transfer an S-rank over, wouldn't we win?"
"First, you'd have to find him! The Intelligence Department says he's off on a secret mission now."
"Ah..."
"It must be nice to be so close to an S-rank and be so powerful."
The Snow Lotus Squad sighed one after another, sighing away their morale with every breath.
Kiana occasionally turned her head to gauge the distance, but she was not too worried.
They were already far from the city and the civilians' evacuation route. Then it was fine.
Hearing their discussion, Kiana immediately said, "Don't worry, we still have a chance!"
"What chance could there be..."
"Exactly."
Kiana clenched her fists. "Let's use the same method as before. Find a chance to trap both of those things together—I'll draw their attention!"
The Snow Lotus Squad looked at Kiana, then exchanged glances.
"Forget it, stop talking. We get it—everyone, two kilometers ahead, prepare for a delaying operation!"
"Yes!"
"Understood!"
Seeing their morale recover, Kiana happily quickened her pace as well.
This time, the Snow Lotus Squad began maneuvering.
First, two people stepped forward to draw attention while the others took the opportunity to circle around and launch sneak attacks.
Whenever an Emperor-class Honkai Beast focused on someone, that person immediately began running, striking once and disengaging.
In this way, although the two Emperor-class Honkai Beasts did not sustain any substantial damage, everyone led them off course once again.
The group gradually split into two routes and even tried to lure the Emperor-class Honkai Beasts toward the mountains.
The process was far from easy. Some Valkyries had already been seriously injured, and only being swiftly carried away by their teammates prevented tragedy.
The pressure mounted, and the Snow Lotus Squad's stamina began to run dry.
They no longer had the energy to worry about anything else and instead prepared to withdraw.
After all, the Emperor-class Honkai Beasts had already been led off course into an uninhabited suburb. Everyone even had the feeling that this was a victorious escape.
Kiana did not feel tired at all at this moment. She even stayed behind to cover everyone's retreat.
However, just as everyone was escaping, an unexpected change suddenly occurred.
Purple lightning tore through the night sky and struck the nearest Emperor-class Honkai Beast in a single blow. Its left foreleg shattered, and it immediately lost balance.
The Emperor-class Honkai Beast following close behind could not brake in time and slammed directly into it.
The two massive Emperor-class Honkai Beasts tumbled into a heap, allowing the Snow Lotus Squad to run farther and farther away.
Kiana, who was covering the rear, was especially close to the Emperor-class Honkai Beasts. The instant the two collided, she could not escape in time and was struck by one of them as it staggered.
The girl was knocked senseless. Unable to steady herself, she rolled to the ground and then tumbled down the hillside.
Soon, a group of Gray Serpent clones surrounded her.
Kiana sensed something was wrong. The instant she raised her head, she froze.
"Who are you people?!"
"Surrender, little girl. Come with us, and neither you nor your companions will be hurt."
Kiana swiftly flipped herself up and raised her twin pistols, warily watching her surroundings.
"Not a chance, World Serpent dogs!"
Seven or eight Gray Serpent clones attacked Kiana together, leaving her no choice but to fight through gritted teeth.
But her strength was limited at the moment. Brute force alone could not earn her any advantage against a monster that had lived for thousands of years, and she gradually fell into a disadvantage.
Her eyes flickered slightly, as if she had thought of something.
The next moment, a Gray Serpent suddenly appeared behind her and struck the back of her neck.
Kiana collapsed face-first, losing consciousness without warning.
"The target has been captured. We are now heading to support Feather Rabbit."
A Gray Serpent hoisted Kiana over his shoulder. After joining the other Gray Serpent clones, he headed toward Feather Rabbit.
"..."
In the distance, a Gray Serpent put away the Seven Thunders of Retribution, which could not be used again for the time being.
"The target has been found. The Savior's traits are always so easy to understand—how is it on your end, Feather Rabbit?"
It's temporarily settled, thanks to Jackal.
"Let's rendezvous. Schicksal may still have more cards to play. Otto definitely won't give up on K423 so easily."
Eh?! Wait, there's a small problem here...
Gray Serpent was immediately puzzled. "What is it?"
Uh... we ran into someone else.
"That is truly unexpected."
Feather Rabbit's location.
Rita stepped forward, tightly gripping her scythe, her expression extremely grim.
"Where is Lady Durandal?"
"She? She's on leave for now. Maybe she'll be back tomorrow—no, later today."
"Where is she?"
"I can't tell you that. After all, we're still enemies."
Feather Rabbit spoke casually, but the black robe on her body was already tattered. The cloth covering her face seemed to have just been torn from somewhere else.
She was somewhat bedraggled, and her stamina had fallen sharply.
Hearing that, Bai Yan frowned.
What kind of strength did Feather Rabbit possess to make Durandal disappear?
Ridiculous!
Volume One: Wait Until I Put On the Earring...
One hour earlier.
Durandal faced the black-robed figure head-on, fully focused as fighting spirit surged within her.
At the same time, Feather Rabbit radiated an extreme wave of power, her eyes solemn.
Durandal had a feeling that the person before her was the most worthy opponent she had encountered since becoming an S-rank.
The two sides had reached an irreconcilable state. There was only one thing left to do—fight!
"What exactly is World Serpent plotting?!" Durandal demanded, pointing Black Abyss White Flower at Feather Rabbit.
"Huh? Does that mean I'll get beaten up if I don't tell you? But I can't tell you, and I don't want to fight you either."
Feather Rabbit sounded somewhat helpless, yet also distracted, which displeased Durandal.
Durandal felt that the other side was impervious to reason. She simply stopped asking questions and assumed a fighting stance.
"Uh, aren't we going to talk a little more? We're fighting already?"
"Enough idle chatter!"
The moment her words fell, Durandal launched her attack in an instant.
Empowered by immense strength, Black Abyss White Flower was as heavy as a siege hammer as it smashed straight down.
Feather Rabbit raised her gun to block. A deafening boom erupted, and her entire body was driven more than a foot into the ground.
Yet she seemed completely unharmed. After blocking the Divine Key aside, she swiftly leaped back two steps, leaving behind a pair of deep footprints.
Seeing how durable her opponent was, Durandal's fighting spirit burned even hotter. She stopped holding back and attacked with all her strength.
Thunderous explosions rang out continuously throughout the battle as extreme forces clashed again and again.
The shockwaves from their collisions spread across the ground, sending every bird, beast, snake, insect, and rodent in the wilderness fleeing in terror.
Before you continue