15. Benares Joins the Battle / 16. Xia Ling: "You Can't Imagine How Much of a Bastard Otto Is"

"How are you, Himeko? Are you nervous?" Theresa looked at Himeko, who was directing the warship.

"I just want to say that if the Hyperion were here, these enemies would be nothing."

Himeko skillfully maneuvered the warship, dodging several attacks.

"Then you'd better not even think about it. I absolutely will not let the Hyperion go into battle before that thing is fully modified."

"I was just venting. You really think I can't do anything about these automated defense systems?"

Himeko raised an eyebrow, and the cannons on both sides of Helios automatically deployed, shattering several mechs blocking its path amidst the roar of the cannons.

"Back then, my fleet command and warship piloting were among the top in the entire Schicksal. Although the ships were a bit rubbish, this level of AI was just a nuisance."

"Well said! Sister Himeko is the best in the world!"

Xia Ling clapped along in agreement.

"Alright, alright, Xia Ling, if you keep praising her, she'll get all cocky."

Theresa looked at the radar, her expression somewhat puzzled. "The welcoming ceremony at headquarters was really enthusiastic... But, is Schicksal's reaction really that timely?"

"Theresa, an unidentified communication is being connected!"

Before they could finish speaking, a communication was forcibly connected to the screen in front of the three of them.

"What a delightful scene! But what do you intend to do with that toy, Theresa?"

Otto's image appeared before the three of them with an irritating smile.

"Go back obediently. Everyone has a rebellious phase. I won't blame you for being childish."

"Hehe, Grandfather, you're really 'gentle'."

"However, this time, I won't make the same mistake."

"I absolutely will not hand Kiana over to you!"

Theresa retorted defiantly.

"Although, I'm almost fifty... shouldn't I be going through menopause?"

Xia Ling whispered to herself.

However, her words immediately shattered the tense atmosphere between them. Theresa's face began to turn red at a visible speed, and Himeko's lips twitched as she forcibly suppressed her laughter.

"Hahaha, Theresa, your companion certainly has a knack for livening up the atmosphere," Otto laughed heartily, seemingly unconcerned.

"Xia Ling, I'll settle this score with you later!" Theresa glared at Xia Ling.

"Hey, it's okay, Theresa. I'll annoy Otto a bit more for you, and then we'll be even."

Xia Ling blinked. "Your Lord Bishop, you know I've always been your sweet little darling."

"For example, when I heard that you wanted Kiana to awaken in the data space, I didn't dare to trouble you. I just stepped on the gas and helped Kiana awaken ahead of time. Unfortunately, I was unlucky and failed."

"However, this time is different. Since His Lord Bishop does not want us to interfere in the Herrscher of the Void's affairs, we will go back."

Xia Ling pulled out the Kishinuma and planted it directly on the main control panel: "Then I wish the Lord Bishop and Sirin a pleasant time~"

With that, Xia Ling abruptly ended the communication.

"Alright, next, activate the Father directly. I remember that the main gun of the Helios is now linked to the Father, right? Let's aim directly at the protective net of Schicksal."

Xia Ling held the Kishinuma and began to control the warship's system.

On the deck, the massive Father-class Mech slowly rose to its feet. With the power required to activate using Herrscher Core, coupled with the cannons of a battleship caliber, an energy cannon that seemed to pierce the sky instantly blasted through Schicksal's protective network.

"Wow, that's terrifying power. No wonder it was inspired by the Hyperion's Nexus-20," Theresa exclaimed.

Then she discovered that the Helios had turned around on the spot and was speeding off in the opposite direction.

"Hey, Xia Ling, did we go the wrong way?"

"We didn't go the wrong way, we're turning back." Xia Ling looked innocent. "Didn't we just tell Otto?"

"Return, return to base?" Theresa's eyes widened. "You were serious! But Kiana is still at Schicksal Headquarters!"

"Don't worry, I'll explain it to you slowly." Xia Ling said calmly, "Besides, Otto is probably even more anxious than you are about to leave."

"Your Lord Bishop, just now, a terrifying energy attack struck our defensive barrier."

"It's alright. If Theresa and the others want to come in, we can just symbolically stop them."

Otto swirled his wine glass, completely at ease.

"But, Your Lord Bishop, only a large number of Honkai Beast are coming in through the breach."

"Hmm? What about Theresa?"

"Uh, Lord Theresa ..." The Valkyrie in charge of the report looked conflicted, "It seems that they... have already headed back towards the Far East Branch."

"Huh???" Otto almost spilled his drink. "She actually replied!"

Chapter Fifteen: Benares Joins the Battle

"So, why are we leaving?" Theresa, her eyes full of confusion.

"Theresa, Kiana's Herrscher transformation is a setup, and the premise for this setup to exist is that we enter the game."

Xia Ling gripped the hilt of the Kishinuma sword and experienced the joy of sailing a boat.

"Of course I won't abandon Kiana, but now is clearly not the right time to enter Schicksal."

Under the shroud of Kishinuma, the Helios exuded an aura dominated by Honkai, and for a moment, the surrounding Honkai Beast automatically avoided it.

"First of all, with Sirin's gradual awakening, the area around Schicksal is now basically filled with all kinds of Honkai Beast. Breaking the protective barrier will undoubtedly add a lot of pressure to them, but if we go in now... then we will also have to feel this pressure."

"Furthermore... we need to take the initiative."

Xia Ling said seriously, "The other side has been planning this operation for a long time. If we just blindly follow their rhythm, it's like we're just executing Otto's script step by step."

"Therefore, we need to wait for the Hyperion. The modified Hyperion's main gun has the ability to convert Honkai Energy into the Moon Throne, and Otto knows very little about this. This is the initiative we need to wait for."

"As long as we keep following the Hyperion, it's like holding the trump card against the Herrscher. That way, even if Otto has other plans, we'll at least have room to counter them."

"Wait, Xia Ling, there seems to be a situation outside."

Himeko suddenly spoke up, "The radar shows that a giant creature seems to be flying towards us."

"Let me see..."

Theresa leaned closer and exclaimed, "Isn't that Benares?"

"Benares? The Companion Honkai Beast the Second Herrscher during the Second Honkai Outbreak?"

Having just experienced the events of the Great Ocean Continent, Himeko was clearly sensitive to the term "Companion Honkai Beast": "But, I remember it wasn't..."

"Perhaps it sensed Sirin's awakening and came to support her master."

Xia Ling pulled out the Kishinuma: "It's alright, we still have the Heavenly Father on our ship, let these two big guys fight it out slowly."

As he spoke, a crimson light suddenly flashed in the eyes of the massive Father-class Mech on the deck, and the cannons on its body rose up, aiming at the soaring dragon in the sky.

Meanwhile, at the Schicksal Headquarters.

Xi raised her hand and released a scroll that enveloped all the Honkai Beast in a large area. Then, to the astonishment and admiration of the group of Valkyrie below, the Honkai Beast vanished instantly.

Although new Honkai Beast will soon be added to replace them, this approach undoubtedly greatly reduces their pressure.

"Let me see... This one is 'Frozen Sea Shadow,' I should be able to beat it... The rest are 'Close at Hand, Far Apart yet so far,' 'Where the Blade Points,' 'Noise Interference,' 'The Calamity of Music Theory'... Wait, why is there another one called 'The End of Life'?"

After extracting this highly complex painting that had been mixed in with the regular paintings and storing it separately, Xi put away the paintings and looked behind her.

"Alright, Sister Alvit, take me somewhere else."

"Okay, as expected of Little Xi, you're really amazing. Well then, hold on tight."

Alvit skillfully started the aircraft and took Xi to the next location.

"My goodness, was that Miss Xi just now? I've seen her occasionally at headquarters before, but I never expected that someone as cute as her would be so powerful!"

"That's because you're out of touch. I saw Lady Durandal taking Little Xi to the S-rank Valkyrie's private training room last time. I thought it was because Lady Durandal was using connections to get Little Xi in, but I didn't expect that Little Xi's strength had already reached the S-rank level."

"So, this is what they mean by 'like father, like son'? Uh, wait, isn't there something wrong with that saying...?"

Even after Xi left, the Valkyrie on the ground were still whispering and discussing Xi's strength.

For a long time, because Durandal often brought Xi to the headquarters, and because Xi was cute and adorable, she was especially liked by these young Valkyrie. In addition, with her unique horns and tail, the Valkyrie at the headquarters were all deeply impressed by this Immortal Blade's beloved pet.

However, since Durandal always brings Xi with her whenever she takes a vacation, no one minds that Durandal takes Xi to the S-rank training room every day.

However, after today's incident, people were surprised to discover that Xi's strength should not be underestimated.

"Your Lord Bishop, Xi has swiftly quelled the situation at the first and second airports. Should we continue with the cleanup...?"

Rita approached Otto and reported in a low voice.

"No need. The third airport is to be reserved for Anti-Entropy to occupy. We only need to deploy the autonomous defense system there."

Otto shook his head. "As for Xi... let her continue clearing out the Honkai Beast for now. It's time to raise her reputation at headquarters."

"Yes, Your Lord Bishop. By the way, what about Benares..."

"Hmm... Let my old friend Fu Hua go there. She should be familiar with this old rival."

"As for Theresa..." Otto couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. "That Xia Ling actually turned around and ran away with Theresa. Although I know it's unlikely they really escaped, it's still annoying to see them doing things like this all the time..."

"Forget about them for now. Have Durandal go to Heimdall Laboratory to stand by in case Sirin wakes up prematurely. They're suddenly not in a hurry, they must have something to rely on. But as long as Kiana is here, they will definitely come back."

At this moment, aboard the Helios.

"Good heavens, what is Benares eyeing that we have? Why won't he leave!"

Theresa was annoyed as she looked at the cratered deck.

"How about we just..."

"Forget it, even if Benares isn't in good shape right now, she's still Judgment-class Honkai Beast. It's easy to defeat her, but killing her will take some effort."

Xia Ling quickly pressed Theresa's shoulder down.

"I'll lure it away. Anyway, her target should only be Sirin. I'll just lead her to the Schicksal Headquarters."

"We probably have a few more tough battles ahead, and it's not worth wasting too much energy here."

"Why don't I go? You were injured yesterday..." Theresa said with some concern.

"Sit down right now. You think you can lure her away? Can you fly?"

"Judah has a flight mode!" Theresa said angrily.

"Oh right, right..." Xia Ling said dismissively, "That's Judah flying, not you flying."

"In short, as the most mobile person here, I should be the one to meet her, no matter from any perspective."

Before Theresa could refute, Xia Ling appeared on the deck.

Chapter Sixteen Xia Ling: You simply cannot imagine how Otto was born.

On the deck of the Helios, between Benares and the Father, a tiny figure suddenly appeared.

Compared to the height of these two, Xia Ling, who is only 1.5 meters tall, is very inconspicuous when sandwiched between the two big guys.

However, Benares still noticed her.

Because this guy has a strong aura from his master.

If Xia Ling knew that this was the reason why Benares had targeted her without hesitation, she would definitely feel very wronged, since it is well known that Kiana likes cute girls.

Therefore, although Xia Ling is usually ruthless towards Kiana in academic matters, she is very happy to be close to her in daily life, so it is understandable that she was targeted by Benares.

"Hey, why are you coming straight at me?"

Seeing Benares slap her with its claws without hesitation, Xia Ling was startled and disappeared from her spot, reappearing above Benares's head.

Spatial abilities? Benares felt her brain was going to explode. If she weren't certain that this guy only carried her master's aura, she would have suspected that he was her master's alternate account.

However, Xia Ling couldn't see the doubt in Benares' eyes. After all, her goal was simply to lure Benares away, so all she needed to do was attract as much hatred as possible.