Durandal had made up her mind, and as she grew serious, Shen Gonglin immediately sensed the abrupt change in her aura. Yes, this was how it should be. Shen Gonglin did not need her to hold back. Though he might not be her match if she used her true power, he liked that condescending attitude, as if she were merely playing with him, even less!
Oh no, Lady Durandal is getting serious.
As Durandal's adjutant, Rita understood her changes better than anyone. She had specifically told Durandal to go easy on Shen Gonglin before, but now Durandal clearly had no intention of doing so. If this continued, Shen Gonglin would probably get hurt... She had to stop her.
Fu Hua sensed it as well. But just as the two of them prepared to move, Durandal had already acted. It was not aimed at a vital spot, but that knight's lance had indeed targeted Shen Gonglin. Shen Gonglin focused every bit of his attention on the lance tip, yet the moment Durandal moved, he realized all his preparations had been futile. This woman was truly strong.
Drip.
Bright red blood ran down Shen Gonglin's arm. Their figures passed each other. Durandal stood with her lance withdrawn, while a small bloody hole had appeared in Shen Gonglin's shoulder. Intense pain shot through him, and he immediately collapsed to the ground. Shen Gonglin was very afraid of pain; even stubbing his little toe against a table could make him cry. But now... compared to the pain in his body, the pain in his heart seemed even worse.
Had he lost?
He used every last bit of strength to keep himself from falling flat. His gaze drifted aside, where two enormous wings lay spread across the ground. Shen Gonglin looked up at the ceiling. The pain in his shoulder told him the truth with absolute clarity: when Durandal got serious, he could not even last a few seconds. He had thought he was already strong, but now it seemed... he was still far too distant from the world.
Think about it. Was he really going to admit defeat like this? Did he have any other trump cards... Could he use electricity to stimulate himself into standing again? That was impossible now. The electricity within his body had completely run dry, and even his remaining physical strength seemed to be flowing out through the wound in his shoulder. He had no idea how to use this angel-like armor, and the missiles he used were completely useless against her. This really was a dead end.
Shen Gonglin's eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Then, at that moment, a voice suddenly sounded in his mind, like a whisper rising from the depths of his heart. Something had reappeared.
Bloodline Activation: 100%
Strategic Universal Angel Icarus requests an order.
This time, Shen Gonglin should finally settle down, right? But Durandal had hit him far too hard. What if that wound had injured the bone? She needed to examine Shen Gonglin quickly.
Fu Hua was thinking this when she ran toward Shen Gonglin and noticed a change. Shen Gonglin, who had been lying on his back, slowly climbed up again. No, rather than climbing up, it was more accurate to say he floated up. Those two enormous wings slowly flapped, lifting his body into the air. Yet he seemed completely unresponsive. His head gradually rose, but there was not a trace of expression in those green pupils. What was happening to Shen Gonglin?
Order accepted. Defeat the target.
Shen Gonglin opened his mouth in the air, but the voice that came out was not one Fu Hua and the others recognized. It was an incomparably pleasant female voice, devoid of emotion. What was going on? Just how many mysteries did Shen Gonglin have?
Variable Wing System, activated.
The voice had become unfamiliar, and Shen Gonglin's appearance changed as well. All of his golden hair vanished, replaced by long pink hair. The color of his eyes changed once more, the harmless green becoming a combat-red. Golden patterns flickered within his ruby-like red eyes, while a massive angelic halo appeared above his head. The Strategic Universal Angel had arrived!
Shen Gonglin himself was not good at using an angel's powers in battle, so why not let the real one take over?
"W-What is going on? Why has Shen Gonglin turned into this? He actually dared to fly that high... Is he still Shen Gonglin?"
Looking at Shen Gonglin in the sky, Rita could scarcely believe her eyes. With how severe Shen Gonglin's acrophobia was, he definitely would not dare fly that high. And the way he looked now... he resembled the one in the video even more. Rita sensed immense danger from this Shen Gonglin. Setting everything else aside, she could no longer gauge his combat power.
"Permanent Homing Air-to-Air Missile (Artemis)."
It was completely different from what Shen Gonglin had used before. Countless missiles shot out from around him. Durandal's gaze sharpened below. This did not feel remotely like the playful exchange from earlier. Shen Gonglin's current appearance finally made her take things seriously. This Shen Gonglin was qualified to make her bring out her true strength.
Rather than retreat, Durandal swept out with her knight's lance. The gust it created detonated the missiles around her. From within the smoke, the lance stabbed toward Shen Gonglin. Layers of data flashed through Shen Gonglin's red eyes. He did not dodge and simply held one hand out before him.
"Absolute Defense Field (Aegis)."
A multicolored curtain of light unfolded from Shen Gonglin's palm. Durandal's gaze sharpened as her lance tip struck the colorful light screen, yet could not pierce through it. Shen Gonglin had a defensive method like this?
Absolute Defense Field? Interesting.
Using the lance for leverage, Durandal kicked the light screen and used the recoil to return to the ground. The strongest Valkyrie looked up at Shen Gonglin, enveloped by the light screen above. Was he the type to rely on absolute defense while attacking from range?
It seemed she had to use some real strength as well.
Divine Judgment!
Durandal leaped again. This time, she truly understood the importance of air superiority. Shen Gonglin was in the sky raining down firepower, while she could only evade missile bombardments on the ground. She absolutely had to add research into air superiority to her custom battle armor. Though she could jump up as well, it was still... irritating.
Jumping once more, Durandal repeatedly thrust her knight's lance at the colorful light screen around Shen Gonglin. But this training lance did not seem very effective. Five consecutive thrusts did nothing to the screen. Durandal took a deep breath and fiercely grabbed at it. This turtle shell was really sturdy.
Her knight's lance swung through the air, and Durandal used the force of the swing to slam it viciously into the light screen. This attack seemed to have some effect, or perhaps Shen Gonglin had abandoned that defense in preparation for another method of attack. Either way, it was enough that he was no longer using that Absolute Defense Field.
This was no fun at all.
Without using Abyssal White Flower, Durandal truly had no way of dealing with it using this training lance.
"Shen Gonglin, I don't know whether you can hear me right now, but I, Durandal, acknowledge you!"
The two landed at the same time. Looking at the expressionless Shen Gonglin before her, Durandal made that declaration. Rita and Fu Hua stood beside her as well. They did not know what was happening to Shen Gonglin right now. Could this be some kind of possession? Could Shen Gonglin still return to how he was before?
"The master cannot hear you right now. The one on standby is the Strategic Universal Angel, Icarus."
When Durandal spoke, "Shen Gonglin" unexpectedly responded. He appeared to temporarily stop attacking, and the Universal Angel explained her current state. Shen Gonglin had indeed fallen unconscious due to his severe injuries, and at that instant, his bloodline awakening had also been completed. The one controlling this body in his place was now the Universal Angel Icarus. Icarus was faithfully carrying out Shen Gonglin's previous order: defeat the opponent.
Perhaps wearing this outfit had triggered some switch within Shen Gonglin... Not his crossdressing switch. Ever since he came to this world, he had been surrounded by mysteries. His ability to fully use the Universal Angel's power like this also stemmed from his own constitution.
Strategic Universal Angel?
Those unusual words made Fu Hua and Rita's eyes twitch. Was that the name for Shen Gonglin's current state? Strategic and Universal Angel—the combination of those two terms inevitably stirred one's imagination. But was Shen Gonglin in this state still the same Shen Gonglin?
"Then what... is his condition right now?"
As the person most concerned about Shen Gonglin, Fu Hua stepped forward and asked. What she cared about most was Shen Gonglin's condition. As long as he was fine, nothing else mattered. In this form, Shen Gonglin made Fu Hua unable to suppress her worry.
"Because the pain was excessive, the body's self-protection mechanism activated. The master is currently unconscious... Do not worry, one who carries the master's bloodline."
The Universal Angel in a possession-like state shifted her gaze to Fu Hua and looked at her with great seriousness. Layers of data flashed in those red eyes. After obtaining certain information, the Universal Angel spoke those words. Since Fu Hua possessed the master's bloodline, she was an ally.
She carried his bloodline...
Rita stared at Fu Hua in shock, and even Durandal abruptly turned toward her. Good heavens, was there someone here who had made a move on her own disciple and turned it into an established fact? Rita knew Fu Hua spoiled Shen Gonglin, but this was taking it much too far. Did spoiling him mean having his child? Who could have imagined that Fu Hua was this kind of person? Her usual disguise had been far too convincing. No one had expected Fu Hua to do something like this.
Rita and Durandal looked at Fu Hua's flat lower abdomen with complicated expressions. She had been a perfectly fine Valkyrie, so how had she suddenly become pregnant? This... when exactly had this happened?
It was not only Durandal and Rita. Even Fu Hua herself stared with her mouth wide open in shock. Was this true? When had Shen Gonglin taken advantage of her? Why did she not know anything about it? Had Shen Gonglin acted while she was asleep one day? That should not have been possible. With her vigilance, she would never have let something like that happen. What exactly was going on? Could someone explain this to her?
"L-Lady Angel, may I ask if what you said is true? Does Lady Fu Hua really have Shen Gonglin's bloodline in her stomach? How many months has it been? Is it a boy or a girl? He's so young—has that really already happened?"
The perfect maid could no longer maintain her perfect facade. Rita stammered and asked in stunned disbelief. This could not be true, right? Even Shen Gonglin was only a child. If he had a child, what was she supposed to do... No, she was a maid, wasn't she? It would only mean taking care of one more person. Should she start intensively studying maternal and infant care now?
"...I cannot understand what you are saying, other holder of the master's bloodline."
The Universal Angel turned her gaze toward Rita, and Shen Gonglin in his angel state tilted his head. What was this maid-dressed person saying? Why could even her analytical ability not make sense of it?
Another holder of Shen Gonglin's bloodline...
This time, the shocked gazes shifted to Rita. So there was another one. Not only Fu Hua, but Rita was also pregnant with Shen Gonglin's child. Durandal felt her thoughts briefly stall. Not only Fu Hua, but even Rita had that kind of relationship with Shen Gonglin. Without knowing it, had she already gained an aunt-like status? She was only in her teens! Becoming an aunt at this age... It was not like she had some extraordinarily senior standing.
"I'm not! I didn't! Really, I'm still a virgin. Y-Yes, I admit I considered resolving that matter with Shen Gonglin, but I haven't acted on it yet. I wanted it to be on a relatively romantic night... My apologies, Lady Durandal, Lady Fu Hua. Could I ask you both to forget what just happened?"
Wrongly accused like that, Rita instinctively began explaining herself. Only after she finished did she realize what embarrassing things she had said. Her cheeks flushed bright red at her slip of the tongue. As a maid, she had failed her duty!
These two... what exactly was wrong with them? Or was this just a joke? Durandal turned to look at Shen Gonglin in his angel state. She could not simply believe what he said. Fu Hua aside for the moment, how could she not trust Rita? Rita was her adjutant. After spending so long with her, Rita was the person Durandal trusted most. She should not have doubted her just now.
Trust was the most important thing between teammates. Durandal shook her head. She trusted Rita completely, and Rita would absolutely never do something like that. Hadn't Rita just said so? She had not gotten around to it yet... Wait. Did that mean Rita had actually thought about doing it?
The more she thought about it, the more terrifying it became.
"Though I don't know what you're talking about, how could Rita and Fu Hua possibly have Shen Gonglin's bloodline in their stomachs? Do you think I would—"
After sorting through her thoughts, Durandal chose to trust Rita and Fu Hua. Her blue eyes were filled with determination. This was the trust she held for her Valkyrie comrades and dear friends. Surely they trusted her the same way, right? To answer that trust, Durandal felt she had to do something. This had to be a misunderstanding.
"You have it too. It is very faint, but your body also contains the master's DNA."
Shen Gonglin in his angel state tilted his head as he said that. Durandal's lips curled upward. Just as expected, this angel was simply talking nonsense. How could her body possibly contain Shen Gonglin's DNA? The angel was trying to interfere with them through such tactics. It seemed angels were not all pure. This angel before her truly deserved the title Strategic Universal Angel, just as books described.
Those who played strategic tactics had dirty hearts.
Did she think words like that would work? They would not. She had completely underestimated the trust between Valkyries. As comrades fighting together on the Honkai front, how could they possibly let one sentence—
"You! You! What did you do to someone else's disciple?!"
Before Durandal's confident smile could fully form, someone fiercely grabbed her by the collar and shook her. Before her was Fu Hua, a mysterious Valkyrie who now refused to release Durandal's collar. No way? Did this woman actually believe it?
Then again, Fu Hua had always been rather rigid. Perhaps she believed whatever others said. But her adjutant definitely would not be like this. Rita was an excellent person. With her intelligence, she had surely already identified this as the angel's strategy.
"Lady Durandal... How could you be this kind of person too? When did this happen? Why didn't I know anything?"
Fine, so every one of them was going to slap her in the face, was that it? Seeing the questioning look in the maid's eyes, Durandal suddenly had the urge to feed all that profound camaraderie to a dog. What was wrong with these two? They believed something like this? This had to be fake. Was she the only one in Schicksal who still had a brain?
"It was the result of analysis. This lady possesses the strongest concentration of the bloodline. Next is this young... hm, young lady. Finally, you. You only have some of the master's DNA in your oral mucosa. Based on deduction, there is a seventy percent probability it came from sharing food or a toothbrush, and a thirty percent probability from kissing."
Scanning the Shen Gonglin bloodline within the three women before her, the Universal Angel gave that explanation. Since all three had Shen Gonglin's DNA in their bodies, the Angel that had entered combat mode had not used lethal force against them. However, the battle still had to continue. This halftime break could end now. She had to secure victory before the master awakened. That was a necessary condition.
The strongest concentration? M-Me... Lady Fu Hua, I think I understand now. Shen Gonglin must have drunk your blood as well. That must be why. And Lady Durandal... I told you I should replace your toothbrush, but you simply refused."
Rita's mind worked quickly, and she swiftly thought of the reason. Shen Gonglin had bitten her neck hard back then, then added another bite to her finger. That explained why the Angel said Shen Gonglin's bloodline was most concentrated in her body. As for Durandal, it was clearly because she had shared a toothbrush with Shen Gonglin. Rita could not possibly believe that Durandal and Shen Gonglin had kissed or anything like that.
...Wait? So Shen Gonglin had used her toothbrush, and Rita clearly knew about it?
Feeling as if she had discovered something serious, Durandal felt suspicion toward this maid for the first time. What exactly had Rita used her toothbrush to make Shen Gonglin do? No, she had not felt it before, but now Durandal suddenly felt as if her entire mouth was filled with Shen Gonglin's taste. What was this supposed to be?!
"Rita, I need an explanation... What, you still want to fight? If we continue, I may have trouble controlling my strength."
Durandal turned toward Rita, while the perfect maid shifted her gaze away. Durandal wanted to press further, only to notice Shen Gonglin's eyes turning red again. The Valkyrie silently raised her knight's lance. It seemed the Angel had no intention of calling a truce. Did she want to continue?
Durandal would gladly oblige.
Her previously calm heart finally rippled. The thought that this guy had used her toothbrush made Durandal want to grit her teeth, especially since she had used it afterward... Was this an indirect kiss? It truly was as unforgettable as novels described.
She rather wanted to teach Shen Gonglin a lesson.
"Yes. The master's order before falling unconscious was to defeat you. Do not worry. Only defeat, not death."
His wings spread, and Shen Gonglin in angel state flew into the air again. The data indicated that this woman had not yet used her full power. The attack pattern needed to change. Prepare to link with the Uranus System. Before that, deploy the Ultimate Weapon, Apollon.
Not death?
It seemed she was being underestimated. Durandal smiled faintly. Though this angel-assisted mode was powerful, she had not fallen behind either. She was not wearing armor or using weapons beyond an ordinary knight's lance, yet Durandal feared no challenge. So what if it was Angel Mode? She could still shoot him down. Then she would definitely drill Shen Gonglin's head with her fist. Had he asked her permission before using her toothbrush?!
However, before Durandal could move, Shen Gonglin above had already begun acting. Dangerous energy gathered in his hands and formed into a longbow.
"Ultimate Weapon, Apollon."
This was no joke. Looking at Shen Gonglin above, a cold sweat ran down Rita's temple. Even she could sense the tremendous power contained within that longbow made of light. The earlier minor scuffle had been fine, but if Shen Gonglin used this move... this was Schicksal Headquarters.
Golden light gathered together, only to undergo a strange transformation. The dazzling gold vanished, and a black longbow appeared in Shen Gonglin's hands. He drew the string, and a similarly black arrow targeted Durandal on the ground. He could not kill her outright, which meant he could not use maximum output. Otherwise, one shot would be enough to destroy a country.
"Lady Durandal!"
The situation was urgent, and Rita and Fu Hua entered combat readiness as well. They all understood what was happening. They could feel the power in Shen Gonglin's attack. It was time to stop him from messing around. If he attacked freely, all of Schicksal would not be enough for him to wreck.
"I understand."
Durandal crouched slightly, then explosively leaped into the air. Even her body felt a faint stabbing pain under the black arrow's aim. It was a warning of danger. It seemed there were still many things in this world she did not know. The title of strongest perhaps needed a question mark now.
Her knight's lance churned the air pressure as she thrust fiercely toward Shen Gonglin. Yet those enormous pink wings carried Shen Gonglin nimbly out of the attack's path. The black arrow fired in the same instant. An arrow at two percent output did not require charging, but even this level of attack made the Valkyrie Trio feel chills in their hearts.
With her extraordinary agility, Durandal tilted her head back and avoided the black arrow. The tremendous boom and howling wind behind her proved the danger of that attack. The incomparably solid wall had been blasted with a huge hole. This was no ordinary wall; this was a training ground built specifically for Valkyrie training, and it was located at Headquarters. Wealthy Schicksal had always built everything to the highest defensive standards, yet Shen Gonglin's casual strike had blown such a massive hole through it. This angel was strong.
"Ultimate Weapon Apollon. Based on the master's physical condition, five percent of maximum output is most suitable. The previous attack was two percent."
Shen Gonglin kindly offered an explanation. The battle objective Shen Gonglin had issued was victory, and making the opponent surrender was the best solution the Universal Angel could think of. Her combat methods would place an enormous burden on Shen Gonglin's body, and the wound in his shoulder was still bleeding from the injury Durandal had inflicted. Drawing the bowstring would aggravate the wound. Five percent was the current maximum output.
Blood had begun to seep from that pert little nose. It seemed the previous attack had already exceeded the limit somewhat. The master's physical condition could not sustain it.
"Miss Angel, it seems I can't let you keep acting willfully. At a time like this, you should give my foolish disciple back."
Fu Hua's voice rang out. She had also seen Shen Gonglin's current physical condition. She could not let this angel continue messing around with his body. Not only was the bloody hole in his shoulder still bleeding nonstop, he had now become like this. Her disciple was both afraid of pain and prone to fainting at the sight of blood. How could Fu Hua bear to watch this?
Edge of Taixuan: Skybreaker.
Fu Hua lightly jumped, and when she landed again, she stood atop a scythe. Rita swung the scythe with force, launching Fu Hua straight toward Shen Gonglin. Since Fu Hua possessed Shen Gonglin's bloodline, the Universal Angel had not designated her as an attack target. The Valkyrie leaped high and punched toward Shen Gonglin. The only way now was to beat her unconscious disciple awake. Handing his body over for someone else to use so casually—what if it got broken?
Her fist struck the longbow in Shen Gonglin's hands. The tremendous force in that fair fist sent Shen Gonglin plummeting from the sky, while Rita on the ground launched an attack as well. What had originally been a one-on-one match between Shen Gonglin and Durandal had become Shen Gonglin against many. The damage to Headquarters was secondary. Shen Gonglin's physical condition was what mattered most. He was only having nosebleeds now, but who knew what he would become if this continued?
Drip.
The sound of liquid falling to the ground rang out. The Universal Angel looked down at the blood on the ground. The master's body truly could not withstand high-intensity combat. If even Ultimate Weapon Apollon caused overload, there was no need to consider the Uranus System. But an order was an order and had to be carried out. Besides allowing them to stop her, there was another option.
Before you continue