I, Herrscher Slayer

That meant knocking them all down and claiming victory.

"Please, stop me—or let me defeat you."

Landing firmly on the ground, the Universal Angel made her choice. To minimize the damage to Shen Gonglin's body, she had to end the battle as quickly as possible. Pandora System, evolve!

The enormous wings behind her radiated a dazzling white light, while the red glow in the Universal Angel's eyes intensified.

Permanent Homing Air-to-Air Missile II, launch!

Victory

Mission Complete

In a daze, Shen Gonglin slowly woke up. But the moment his consciousness returned, he felt intense pain, as though every cell in his body hurt. The pain was worst around his shoulder. It hurt so much... What had happened?

Opening his eyes, Shen Gonglin saw several strands of afternoon sunlight filtering through the battered roof. The once high-tech training room looked as though it had been violently demolished. He was standing in the middle of the battlefield. He had lost consciousness just now, but why had things become like this when he woke up? Had someone attacked Schicksal while he was unconscious?

Come to think of it, wasn't the natural purpose of a headquarters to get attacked? This was perfectly normal.

"It's... it's not over yet..."

At last, there was another voice. Shen Gonglin looked ahead and saw Durandal shakily rise to her feet. He was immediately startled by her appearance. What had happened to her? Why had she been beaten up so badly? Had some righteous hero taught her a lesson? Or had Class President done it? After seeing her bully him so much, Class President had finally been unable to hold back.

He knew Class President spoiled him. Love it, love it. Who wouldn't love a Class President like this? Even if she was flat-chested, he still loved her.

Then Fu Hua, whom Shen Gonglin had personally beaten up, spoke.

"Durandal... a loss is a loss. If that angel hadn't held back just now, we would probably have all been blasted into rubble."

Lying on the other side of the battlefield, completely drained of strength, Fu Hua looked up at the ceiling. Once the outcome had been decided, that angel had stopped attacking. She really was incredible. Rita, Durandal, and she herself had been unable to do anything to her. If not for the limitations of Shen Gonglin's physical condition, that angel could probably have unleashed even greater combat power.

"Class President, you're here... Class President! Who did this? Who beat you into this state? Who was it?!"

Only after hearing her voice did Shen Gonglin turn his gaze toward her. The moment he saw Fu Hua, he was startled again. Was this really the Class President he knew? Fu Hua was lying spread-eagled on the ground, her clothes tattered and her exposed skin covered in black scorch marks. She looked like a wounded soldier fresh off the battlefield. Shen Gonglin did not remember fighting Class President, so who had beaten her up? Even if you beat the dog... you had to consider its owner—no, even if you beat the master, you had to consider the disciple, right?

"Cough, cough... You really don't remember? Look over there. That one is even worse off than I am. Shen Gonglin, you became famous in a single battle. Two S-rank Valkyries weren't your match. You really are full of mysteries."

Struggling to sit up, Fu Hua gestured with her lips toward the other side. Shen Gonglin turned and became even more astonished. Was that person hanging over there Rita? Class President said he had caused all this, so that meant... he had powered up in his unconscious state after all? He knew he could not have been defeated so easily. He really was the protagonist!

"Seconded... Shen Gonglin, wait a moment. I'll come down and take care of you right away... Cough, cough. Wait, just wait a moment..."

Hanging from the railing like a salted fish, Rita seemed to sense Shen Gonglin's gaze. She struggled to raise her head and gave him a smile. Seeing that his hair had returned to gold, Rita finally breathed a sigh of relief. Great, just as expected. As long as they lost, Shen Gonglin would return to normal. Her and Fu Hua's efforts to trip up Durandal during the battle had not been in vain. They had finally set her up to lose.

The facts proved that no matter how strong you were, you could not withstand useless teammates. Durandal, who had been jointly acted against by the other two, could only taste defeat for the first time. She was utterly confused now. They had clearly fought three against one, so why had it felt more exhausting than fighting alone? She had to divide her attention to take care of Rita and Fu Hua while fighting. This battle had been strange from beginning to end.

"Ah, no need, no need. Just take care of yourself first. I... Forget it, you should come down quickly. I don't think I'm doing so well either. It hurts so much."

Shen Gonglin had just wanted to move, but the intense pain throughout his body stopped him. It was fine as long as he stayed still, but the slightest movement hurt unbearably. The wound on his shoulder was still bleeding. This was bad. He had lost too much blood and felt a little dizzy.

"I-I said I haven't lost yet. Shen Gonglin, let's fight again..."

Supporting herself, Durandal gritted her teeth and slowly walked toward Shen Gonglin. She was merely talking tough. She knew her battle had ended in defeat, but Durandal was unwilling to accept it. If Rita and Fu Hua had not been there, she felt she would not have lost. Besides, she had not worn armor today, and even her weapon had only been a training knight lance... That had to be why she lost!

Ahhh! If only she had used Black Abyss White Flower, and she should have worn combat armor too. Wasn't the 4th Generation God-Slaying Armor currently under development? Once it was completed, she would definitely have another match with Shen Gonglin... No, another match with that angel. She had lost to that angel, not Shen Gonglin!

"Um, Durandal, I advise you not to move. You were at the center of the firepower barrage just now. You blocked it, but your clothes... Well, forget I said anything."

Sitting on the ground and carefully holding the strap of her clothes, Fu Hua kindly offered a warning. Valkyries' physical strength aside, although the three of them looked miserable, they had only suffered minor injuries and exhaustion. Their clothes were another matter. Rita wore a combat uniform, but Fu Hua and Durandal had been wearing ordinary clothes. Fu Hua's clothes had nearly been ruined by the aftershock of the barrage, while Durandal had been at its very center. She had probably already... well, you know.

Just as Fu Hua said, Durandal had barely taken a few steps before her clothes reached their limit. Her once-fitting outfit turned into fragments that fluttered gently to the ground, exposing her entire body before Shen Gonglin's eyes. The strongest Valkyrie instantly froze. W-what was this situation?!

"Yo, what a sight. Thanks for the hospitality... Rita, arrange a more comfortable bed for me. I think... I'm getting a little dizzy."

Looking at the sea of pale skin before him, Shen Gonglin suddenly felt lightheaded. His body had long since reached its limit, so he could only choose the direction in which to faint. Naturally, it had to be forward.

After all, there was a cushion there.

What I Can't Touch

"Alvit, why don't you go take a look? It probably isn't an enemy attack, right? This is headquarters, after all. It can't be that dangerous. Go check it out."

A member of the Immortal Blade lightly poked Alvit's waist. Not only were Immortal Blade members gathered here, but many staff from the R&D and training departments stood around as well. Everyone was watching the mangled laboratory ahead. If the Bishop came back, he would probably be shocked.

He had only gone away on a business trip, yet returned to find his nest demolished. Schicksal Headquarters had not been treated like this in a long time. Sure enough, even the strongest fortress could be breached from within. Just how fierce had the battle inside been? To fight Lady Durandal to this extent, were the new recruits really that capable?

"If you want to die, go yourselves! I'm only a clerical worker! Just how badly do you want me dead? Aren't we teammates? Why does it feel like me staying alive affects your damage output? With my combat ability, going into a place like that would be suicide!"

Alvit immediately rejected her teammate's suggestion. She could hear the explosions inside even through the protective door. The training ground had been built to the highest defense standards, and its current battered state showed just how far beyond the norm the battle inside was. She was only a pitiful, weak clerical worker who ate a lot. If she went in, she would definitely die without a whole corpse left.

Still, she had not expected Shen Gonglin's combat power to be so formidable. He had actually fought Lady Durandal for so long. As expected of Lord Angel. When Alvit had seen him so energetic before, she had known Shen Gonglin was probably not weak. It seemed she had been right.

At first, Alvit had still been able to watch what was happening inside through the surveillance cameras, but they had been destroyed before long. So they had no idea what was going on now. Still, there should not be much to worry about. The vice-captain and Lady Fu Hua were inside too. It would be fine.

"It's okay, Alvit. Isn't there a saying? The weakest usually live the longest... Oh, your communicator is lighting up. See what it is."

Her teammate was urging Alvit to go check things out when the communicator at the tool girl's waist rang. Seeing the profile icon on it, Alvit hurriedly answered. There was finally news from inside.

"Vice-Captain, what happened in the training room? We're all outside right now. Are you all right?"

It was Rita calling. Alvit hurriedly picked up, but Rita's voice sounded very weak, as though she had just gone through an intense battle. What was going on? Wasn't Lady Durandal supposed to conduct the combat assessment? Why was Rita exhausted?

"I'm fine... probably. All right, Alvit, you said you're outside, right? Then prepare three... no, four sets of clothes for us. Bring them over as soon as they're ready, and don't let anyone else know."

After saying that, Rita hung up. Thank goodness Durandal and Shen Gonglin's battle had not destroyed the communication equipment. Otherwise, the few of them would not have known how to get out. Fu Hua and she herself were still all right, but Lord Durandal and Shen Gonglin's current appearances... Tsk, tsk. She had never seen Lady Durandal like this before. This had truly broadened her horizons.

Four sets of clothes... Just how intense did a battle have to be to ruin everyone's clothes? But why four sets? Fu Hua, Durandal, Rita... and Shen Gonglin?

The Immortal Blade members crowding around Alvit all shuddered.

How terrifying.

"All right, I've notified the people outside. New clothes should be delivered shortly, so all we need to do now is wait."

After ending the call, Rita nodded to Fu Hua. The two tacitly turned away as though nothing had happened behind them. Their behavior made the strongest Valkyrie behind them tremble with anger. These two had gone too far! Durandal had already suspected they were acting against her during the fight, and now she was even more certain. These two definitely wanted to set her up!

"Hey, which one of you is coming over to pull him off me? Hurry up! Weren't you two so doting on him earlier? Why are you both hiding farther away than anyone else now? Can someone tell me why he's like this even while unconscious? Fu Hua, he's your disciple, isn't he?!"

With only strips of tattered cloth hanging from her body, Durandal desperately tried to cover herself while forcefully pushing at Shen Gonglin on top of her. This guy had inexplicably fainted just now. Fine, he could faint, but for some reason he was now stuck to her. Even unconscious, he would not loosen his grip. Go away, go away. The maid and Fu Hua over there smelled much nicer. Stop clinging to her!

Physical constitution determined everything. Shen Gonglin had safely lost consciousness, and the white armor on his body had disappeared as well. It could be said that both he and Durandal were now half-naked. The strongest Valkyrie found this difficult to accept. The other two were also battle-damaged, but no matter what, they were far better off than her utterly wrecked state. The worst part was that Shen Gonglin did not just hold her—he occasionally rubbed against her too. Was this guy really unconscious?

"Durandal, move more gently. He's still injured... Fine, leave it to me."

Fu Hua was ultimately an honest person. Durandal was right. Although Fu Hua had always refused to let Shen Gonglin call her Master, their relationship was undeniable. In Shen Gonglin's current state, he could only rely on her. Who told him to be Shen Gonglin?

Though she knew Shen Gonglin's state was troublesome, Fu Hua still walked over without hesitation. Grabbing Shen Gonglin by the waist, she peeled him off Durandal's body. Durandal, who had been tormented quite badly by Shen Gonglin, finally breathed a sigh of relief. Yet when she saw Shen Gonglin lying quietly in Fu Hua's arms, she felt a little angry. This guy had been so restless on top of her, so why was he so quiet with Fu Hua?

All of this was thanks to Shen Gonglin's instincts. After all, he had something to gain from rubbing against Durandal, but Fu Hua had nothing for him to take advantage of. Even unconscious, Shen Gonglin could clearly recognize this fact. If you did not believe it, just look.

The hand resting on Fu Hua's shoulder reached down and grabbed around. See? He caught nothing at all—only loneliness.

"Lady Durandal, I love you... Why are you pulling me? I want to go get an autograph."

"Calm down. We're Valkyries, not fangirls. I know you're excited, but going up there now would only trouble Lady Durandal. Can't you see that Lady Durandal looks like she really doesn't want to talk right now?"

"Right... But who did Lady Durandal have such an intense battle with? Her clothes were even destroyed. To fight Lady Durandal to that extent, could she have been sparring with Lady Rita? Perhaps only Lady Rita, another S-rank Valkyrie, could compete with Lady Durandal."

"No, didn't you know? Lady Durandal came back this time to assess a new recruit. That person in the back, the one Fu Hua is carrying, is apparently him. They say that although he's male, his Honkai adaptability is even higher than ours. And now he can fight Lady Durandal to this extent. I think... the world is about to change."

"Huh, the world is changing? Then I need to go back and bring in the laundry. Wait, that's a boy? He's so cute! I want his autograph too."

"Idiot! That's not what I mean by the world changing! And I already told you not to go up and bother them!"

If possible... Durandal really did not want to hear voices like these around her.

Durandal closed her eyes and endured it. Ever since the group came out, they had been receiving this sort of attention. It felt like being animals on display at a zoo. Although she often received such attention normally, Durandal found it especially unbearable today. Why were these people's looks so strange? And an intense battle... an intense battle so fierce that their clothes had been destroyed.

Even Durandal herself was starting to get the wrong idea.

"That's settled, then. Rita, come compile the data with me. Shen Gonglin's combat rating should be issued tomorrow. Fu Hua, take him to the infirmary."

Unable to endure it any longer, Durandal wanted to flee after only a few steps. Being around Shen Gonglin while everyone looked at them like that was unbearable. She had no major injuries, and now all Durandal wanted was to go home, rest properly, and take a bath. A lone wolf that had suffered defeat needed to find a quiet place to lick her wounds.

As for his combat rating, S-rank was practically guaranteed. Shen Gonglin would become Schicksal's fourth publicly known S-rank combatant.

"Mm. Leave the rest to me. Considering your current state, you really don't look very presentable."

Fu Hua raised her head and looked at Durandal before her. To be honest, having this woman in front of her was rather irritating. Leaving aside the fact that Durandal was the main culprit behind Shen Gonglin ending up like this, there was also the matter of... how eye-catching she was.

Durandal was simply too eye-catching, in every sense of the word. What had this girl eaten to develop so much? Fu Hua had heard Durandal was about the same age as Bronya, but their figures really differed by just a tiny little bit—about a hundred million times over. This showed that Bronya must have lived a life of suffering in the past. Everyone was wearing standard-issue clothes now, yet both Durandal and Rita had stretched theirs full at the chest. Fu Hua was shocked to discover that she could only seek comfort in front of Shen Gonglin... but he was a boy.

Realizing this, Fu Hua felt deeply defeated. These two had better stop wandering around in front of her. She seemed to have had something in the past too, but the passage of countless years had worn away her curves.

Their standard-issue dresses were practically about to burst. Both Durandal and Rita were like this, and those deep little cleavages could almost bury an entire Shen Gonglin. Go on, go on. Stop wandering around in front of her.

"Eh, but I want to go to the hospital too. Lady Fu Hua definitely can't take good care of Shen Gonglin alone. I want to help."

But this time, the perfect maid did not want to leave with Durandal. Shen Gonglin was so badly injured now—this was the perfect opportunity to raise his affection for her. Just imagine it: when he woke in the middle of the night, he would find her exhausted and asleep by his bedside. Then he would surely be unable to resist reaching out to stroke her hair. Rita could practically hear his affection meter climbing higher and higher. Staying by the bedside had always been the classic route. She was somewhat unwilling to leave him to Fu Hua.

This maid... definitely wanted to do something else.

At this moment, both Fu Hua and Durandal had the same thought. They both knew this maid had improper intentions. Her self-destruct in the training room had already proven plenty. If they let her take care of Shen Gonglin, Fu Hua worried that Rita would eat him up clean.

"No. Go home and compile the information first. Leave Shen Gonglin to Fu Hua."

Grabbing Rita's wrist, Durandal pulled her toward the other side of the corridor. Rita turned back with an unwilling expression. The maid still wanted to struggle a little. She was equally uneasy about leaving Shen Gonglin to Fu Hua.

"Lady Durandal, I believe it would be inappropriate to let Lady Fu Hua care for Shen Gonglin. I'm sure you saw it just now. Lady Fu Hua's attitude toward Shen Gonglin is clearly unusual. Therefore, in order to protect Schicksal's future combat strength, I believe I should..."

"All right, all right. Don't you think your attitude is even more unusual? And I keep feeling that you and Fu Hua were acting against me just now. You shouldn't have been as weak as you were. What exactly was going on?"

"You are overthinking it, Lady Durandal. You only felt that way because you were stronger. It was not due to any other reason."

Watching the two figures gradually depart, Fu Hua sighed and adjusted Shen Gonglin higher on her back. Come on. They injured you, but only Master would stay with you and treat your injuries.

Shen Gonglin, once you woke up, you had better treat her a little better.

Carrying Shen Gonglin toward the medical department, Fu Hua remembered that injuries not caused by fighting Honkai had to be paid for by the Valkyrie herself. Shen Gonglin definitely had no money, so she would have to pay for him again. Being his Master was truly... No, she was not his Master. She was merely the one who taught him martial arts.

Then why was she being so kind as to care for Shen Gonglin? Just as Rita said, Fu Hua silently pondered. She did seem to spoil Shen Gonglin a little too much. If it was merely the affection between master and disciple, it would not matter. Fu Hua only feared that this doting contained something else. It probably did not, right? Wasn't Rita the same? And Mei spoiled Shen Gonglin too, as did Kiana...

No, Kiana probably just liked bullying Shen Gonglin.

Treatment

In the medical room, Fu Hua leaned against the window and looked at Shen Gonglin inside. Lying on the white hospital bed, he looked weak, helpless, and pitiful. This guy was already afraid of pain, yet he had been injured this badly... Sigh. It seemed that power had not come without a price. While using that earth-shattering strength, Shen Gonglin's body had also endured an enormous burden. She hoped he would be all right.

"I'm sorry, we've done everything we could..."

The door to the infirmary opened, and a woman in a white coat spoke apologetically to Fu Hua. Fu Hua, still leaning against the window, turned around in astonishment. What did she mean by that? Could Shen Gonglin's internal injuries really be that severe? But Fu Hua had already examined him earlier. Although he was injured, it should not be that bad.

"S-sorry, I just wanted to imitate scenes from television. In this sort of situation, I feel uncomfortable if I don't say something like that... Assaulting medical personnel is against the law, you know. Don't worry. He just has multiple bruises, with the shoulder injury being the most serious, plus some internal bleeding. He'll recover soon."

Seeing Fu Hua's hostile gaze, the doctor hurriedly explained. If she waited any longer, she feared this Valkyrie would start hitting her. She had merely wanted to imitate a television scene. Wasn't this how such scenes usually went? To avoid getting beaten up, the doctor quickly explained Shen Gonglin's current condition. The injuries were fairly serious, since there was a hole in his shoulder, but fortunately no bone had been damaged. Schicksal's technology was the best in the world. As long as he rested properly, he would be fine.

"...Thank you."

Fu Hua really wanted to beat this doctor up. Exactly—she had thought Shen Gonglin had some grievous injury that could not be healed. How had Schicksal recruited such a person as a doctor? Was it really all right to let her treat Shen Gonglin?

"Even though you said thank you, you actually really want to hit me, don't you? Everyone is like that... All right, I'll shut up. Someone needs to stay and watch over him tonight. Seeing how worried you are, I can more or less guess what your relationship is. This ward will be the two of you's love nest tonight... Pfft, I mean, it'll belong to you two. There aren't any night rounds here either, but remember that his shoulder is injured. Don't use any particular positions that require his arms, like the old man pushing the cart... Looking at your confused face, I can tell you don't understand any of this. Anyway, it's best if you do the moving yourself. That's it, I'm getting off work."

Taking off her white coat and hanging it on the rack, the female doctor casually waved before walking past Fu Hua. This girl was no fun to tease at all. After delivering some exceptionally professional advice, the doctor simply got off work on her own. Someone was watching over him, so how could anything happen? Rather than waste time here, she might as well go out early and flirt with men. The boy in the medical room did look quite good, but he was unconscious and could not react at all. What was fun about a dead fish?

The experienced female doctor irresponsibly left at once, while Fu Hua entered the ward. The medical facilities at headquarters were much better than those at St. Freya. Although that doctor had spoken strangely, her skills seemed quite good. Shen Gonglin slept quietly on the bed. Bandages could be seen through the gaps in his clothes, and the wound on his shoulder had been stitched. His other internal injuries could only be nursed with time. If Shen Gonglin could currently master the other forms of Mindful Essence, he could use internal energy to regulate himself. As things stood, she could only help him herself.

Sitting beside the bed, Fu Hua lifted Shen Gonglin's hand. Streams of qi flowed from where they touched into Shen Gonglin's body. Fu Hua closed her eyes, as though she could see the condition of his meridians. The moment she did, Fu Hua was startled. Shen Gonglin's meridians extended freely in all directions without obstruction. Her qi encountered not the slightest pause within him. If Shen Gonglin trained his internal strength well, would he possess not only incomparable talent in Mindful Essence, but the same perfection in every other area?

He truly was a martial arts genius, one in ten thousand. Fu Hua did not know how a constitution like Shen Gonglin's had come to be. If every sign had not proven he was human, she would truly have suspected that he was the legendary angel.

After all, angels had possessed his body before. Fu Hua could not think of any more reasonable explanation than that. This disciple was good in every way.

Except his intentions seemed a little crooked. Even learning martial arts was not for any proper reason. Instead, it felt more like she was forcing him to learn, and it seemed she had always been the one losing out. This guy clearly had no good intentions toward her. Every day, he was thinking about taking advantage of her, yet she... seemed to have no good way of dealing with him?

Logically, a martial artist's mindset was the most important thing. Yet even Mindful Essence could not straighten Shen Gonglin's mentality. If he learned other martial arts, would Shen Gonglin become a scourge of the martial world?

As she channeled inner energy into Shen Gonglin, Fu Hua thought through these messy questions. Teaching him martial arts... had to be the right thing, right?

It hurt so much...

Shen Gonglin was unconscious, yet he vaguely had this feeling. Pain permeated his whole body, and he could sense it even in his unconscious state. Then, a warm current began to flow through his body. Wherever it went, the pain immediately faded. After the pain receded, Shen Gonglin could finally turn his attention to other things. All the memories from when the angel had fought in his place flooded into his mind. So he could have moments this awesome too.

As long as you wear women's clothing, Master can also use the Universal Angel's power.

Deep in his mind, the pink-haired Universal Angel seemed to see through Shen Gonglin's thoughts. Ever since he had regained consciousness, the angel had quietly remained beside him. Unfortunately, no matter how he questioned her, she merely looked adorably blank. She seemed to know only that he was her Master and knew nothing else.

He had wanted to learn about his amnesia from her, but it seemed she had lost even more memories than he had. To fight, she could only use his body. The mysteries surrounding him seemed to be growing ever deeper. Shen Gonglin was increasingly getting that protagonist feeling.