The Battle of the Lawful Ones

On the Hyperion, a small white figure paced back and forth restlessly, while a tall red-haired figure watched her quietly.

"Himeko! How much longer?" Theresa asked anxiously, looking at Himeko.

Himeko: "Don't worry, we're almost there."

Originally, according to the plan, Kiana and the others should have been brought back to St. Freya Academy, but since they were all injured at the scene, Himeko left them in a hospital in New Zealand to avoid any health complications.

Of course! To prevent that blonde fox from causing trouble and trying to harm Kiana and the others, Himeko replaced the hospital's original doctors with those from St. Freya Academy.

As for Bronya, since the video footage at the time clearly showed she was being controlled, Himeko brought her back to St. Freya Academy for treatment—just in case that blonde fox tried to forcibly manipulate Bronya's body while Wendy and the others were still recovering from their injuries.

But they never expected that not long after returning to St. Freya, Sirin would emerge again. So they had to rush back to New Zealand in a hurry.

After a while, a voice came from the bridge: "Major Himeko! We've arrived in New Zealand!"

"Great!" Before Himeko could speak, Theresa interrupted, "Hurry to Mei's location!" (?˙▽˙?)

"Unfortunately, Lady Theresa, there are strong unstable air currents ahead due to the Herrscher of Wind, so the Hyperion can't proceed any further."

"What! Even the Hyperion can't get through?" Σ(?д?|||)??

"It's the air currents caused by a Herrscher, after all." Himeko then ordered the bridge crew, "Land here, then!"

"Yes, Major Himeko!"

The Hyperion landed steadily on New Zealand's soil, and the hatch slowly opened.

Himeko, now in her Valkyrie armor, and Theresa, riding the launcher of the S-rank Valkyrie Oath of Judah, slowly stepped out.

Just as she was about to exit the hatch, Himeko turned to the others who wanted to follow and said, "You stay here. If we really have to fight a Herrscher, you won't be of any help."

Though Himeko's words were harsh, there was no helping it—that was the reality. St. Freya Academy didn't have many combat-ready forces; most of the Valkyries on the Hyperion were B-rank or C-rank. Engaging a Herrscher would only lead to more casualties.

Even she, an A-rank Valkyrie, had a high chance of dying. But her students were there—how could she, as their teacher, watch them fall into danger?

The Valkyries who had come along wanted to help, but they knew Himeko was telling the truth, so they could only stand by on the Hyperion.

Seeing that they wouldn't follow, Himeko felt a little relieved. With the Hyperion's capabilities, as long as it wasn't specifically targeted, escaping wouldn't be a problem.

"Himeko, let's go!" Theresa kept urging Himeko.

Himeko didn't dawdle and quickly caught up with Theresa.

The two hurried along, the wind growing stronger with each step. Occasionally, there were gashes on the ground from wind blades. The closer they got to the hospital, the more blade marks there were, and gradually, they could even see a few Void Lances stuck in the ground.

Both were Schicksal Valkyries, and with the help of their Valkyrie armor, they soon reached the hospital where Kiana and the others were.

"Finally... hah... we're finally here..." Theresa said, panting heavily.

"Theresa, are you okay?" Himeko asked, a little worried. Though she was also drenched in sweat, she was clearly in much better shape than Theresa. (`●__●ˊ)/

"I... I'm fine." Theresa shot a resentful look at Himeko's long legs. (?_?)

Damn it, just because you have long legs doesn't mean you're special!

All the way here, for every step Himeko took, Theresa had to take two or three to keep up. And with Judah strapped to her back, her stamina was draining much faster than Himeko's.

"Good. The hospital's just ahead—Kiana and the others are there."

"Then let's hurry! Mei and the others are waiting for us!" Theresa and Himeko sped up again. Finally, they reached the battlefield between Sirin and Wendy. (?˙▽˙?)

But the scene before them left both of them frozen in place...

Wendy: "Take this—Hurricane Blade!"

Several wind blades shot out.

(;｀O′)o))))))

Sirin: "Void Control!"

Sirin instantly opened a spatial gate in front of her, absorbing the wind blades.

)))○(`皿′)

Sirin: "My turn! Herrscher's Treasure!"

Several spatial cracks opened behind Sirin, and Void Lances flew out from them.

←←←←(▼へ▼メ)○

Wendy: "Nice try! Anemo Robe!"

The Void Lances veered off course as they approached Wendy.

↖↖

(ノ｀⊿′)ノ←←

↙↙

Wendy: "Take this! Death Harvest!"

Several more wind blades shot toward Sirin.

(〝▼皿▼))))))

Sirin: "Space Wall! ☆"

A spatial rift opened once again before Sirin.

)))○o(′^｀)o

Sirin: "Watch this! Magic Shine! ☆"

A few more Void Lances shot out.

Wendy: "Anemo's Protection!"

Those Void Lances changed direction again.

↖↖

Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ←←

↙↙

Wendy: "How is that Space Wall of yours even a wall? Just watch me! Anemo's Wrath!"

A bow formed from wind coalesced before Wendy. She set her hand on the string, and an arrow made of wind appeared on the bow. With a gentle pull and a release, the arrow shot toward Sirin, carrying a raging gale.

(?｀ェ′?)つ}--→

Sirin: "Mind your own business! I'll call it whatever I want! Void Guard ☆" o(′^｀)o

Sirin opened another spatial rift and swallowed Wendy's arrow.

--→○(??へ??╮)

Sirin: "Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers! ☆"

A massive rift tore open in the void above Wendy's head. In the next instant, countless gleaming Void Lances surged forth like a swarm of locusts, raining down upon her from all directions. In the blink of an eye, they were upon her, carrying a sharp, piercing sound as if they would skewer and shred her to pieces.

○

↙↙↓↓↘↘

Wendy: "Wind Umbrella!"

The Void Lances once again veered away from Wendy's body.

○

↙↓╮(‵▽′)╭↓↘

Wendy: "Check out my Storm Dance!"

(｀Δ′)ゞ))))

Sirin: "Magic Bullet Barrage! ☆"

←←←←ヽ('⌒′メ)ノ

And so the two of them traded blows—a few wind blades here, a few Void Lances there—while Himeko and Theresa watched from below, utterly bewildered.

Himeko: "So this is... a Herrscher's battle?"

Theresa: "It feels kind of like..."

Himeko: "Like kids fighting!" (￢_￢)

(Wahhh! I shouldn't have gotten trigger-happy! Honkai Impact 3 dropped an early gold! ??o·(????????????)?o·? After so many hard pities, why did it have to come early this time! My Sparkle! ??o·(????????????)?o·?)