Alicia is the Real Golden Finger in Honkai!

Bronya, who was much younger than her, had quickly surpassed her in theoretical studies.

However, despite being quite disheartened, Kiana was no longer the Paramecium of St. Freya. She didn't slack off by relying on her physical advantages but instead became more diligent and motivated...

Chapter 89: Desperate Anna

On May 22, 2015, thunderous noises continuously echoed from a Schicksal base in North Africa.

In the main control room, Otto smiled with satisfaction as he looked at the data displayed on the screen.

It had been more than half a year since Gwen dealt with the Simulated Herrscher that appeared in Changkong City.

During this period, there were no earth-shattering events like the birth of a Herrscher.

Therefore, Gwen's life had been relatively regular, filled with studying and training. However, because the two Herrschers by his side had not yet completed their Valkyrie training, Gwen's mission frequency remained pitifully low.

Still, with the missions he completed at the beginning of last year, his meritorious service in averting the Third Honkai, and his achievement of defeating the Simulated Herrscher that had defeated the former S-class Valkyrie Theresa, Gwen, along with Rita and Yolandale, who were considered veteran A-ranks in comparison, successfully passed the S-class assessment at the beginning of this year. He became the first S-class Knight in Schicksal's history—

When Otto designed and implemented this promotion system, Valkyries had already replaced Knights as the main force against Honkai.

The previous male Honkai energy adapter with outstanding abilities was named Siegfried Kaslana, who, for some historical reasons, did not have an official rating.

To celebrate this exciting moment, Bishop Otto, in his great mood, directly bestowed upon Gwen, this new S-class, the title of "Apocalypse Knight."

And at this moment, in this base, which was initially built for conducting dangerous experiments, the Apocalypse Knight, who had just been promoted at the beginning of the year, was undergoing testing—

For the past nearly year, Gwen had not slacked off at all, continuously training himself. He even invited Fu Hua, an A-class Valkyrie ostensibly belonging to the Far East Branch, to train with him when she came to headquarters for her report. Ultimately, under the punch of the A-class Valkyrie, who had specifically unleashed her power, he managed to unlock his Gene Lock to the second stage.

With his Gene Lock unlocked to the second stage, Gwen's already extraordinary progress speed, while not accelerating further, had basically been maintained and did not slow down due to his increased strength.

Under these circumstances, Gwen's control and utilization of his own power, including the power of the Herrscher of Thunder obtained from Raiden Mei, became increasingly proficient.

In repeated tests, the data left by Gwen steadily grew, making Otto even more invested in a certain plan that he had initially dismissed with a smile.

However, in the past nearly year, Gwen still had not undergone One-Body Fusion with Kiana to try and obtain the power of the Herrscher of the Void, and Otto had not urged him.

Originally, in Otto's plan, he needed to wait until Kiana had established enough bonds with the world before awakening the Herrscher's consciousness.

Although there was now the unexpected joy of Gwen, Otto was not being short-sighted and wanted to wait until Kiana had grown to a certain extent before acting—

He wanted both the complete Herrscher of the Void and Gwen, who had obtained the Herrscher's power.

After completing the training content, Gwen also left the training ground and went to the main control room.

"I thought Yolandale's talent was already rare in this world, but I didn't expect you to be even more exaggerated."

Pointing to the charts of Gwen's test data displayed on the screen, Otto couldn't stop smiling:

"With you, it truly is my greatest fortune, and the greatest fortune for Schicksal, and for this world."

"You jest, this is indeed quite pleasing data."

Looking at the line that rose almost exponentially, Gwen also had a slight smile on his face, though not very pronounced:

"However, for Finality, this is not enough, far from enough."

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself, Gwen."

Seeing this, Otto gently patted his new friend's shoulder:

"This is not fifty thousand years ago, and Schicksal is not Fire Moth. We will not let the past repeat itself."

"Mm."

Nodding, Gwen was about to say something when a buzzing sound came from Otto's person.

With an apologetic smile, Otto took out his Schicksal terminal and, without hiding it from Gwen, allowed him to see the caller ID—Amber.

Something must have happened...

Understanding that Amber would not urgently call Otto unless it was something major, Gwen thought to himself.

As expected, according to Amber's report, a large-scale Honkai outbreak occurred in Manila, and the Snow Lotus Squad stationed there instantly lost contact.

Upon hearing this news, Gwen subconsciously frowned—

At the beginning of the year, when the three of them were promoted to S-class, Anna, who was only 16 years old, also completed her A-class promotion assessment. She was dispatched from headquarters to Manila to serve as the deputy captain of the elite squad, Snow Lotus Squad.

And in Gwen's memory, Anna did indeed experience a major Honkai outbreak before becoming a Herrscher, and during that time, she met Chen Tianwu.

"Gwen, I might have to trouble you to make a trip."

After listening to Amber's report, Otto said with a solemn expression.

The immediate loss of contact with the stationed Valkyrie squad due to the Honkai outbreak indicated the severity of this outbreak.

And with Yolandale and Rita both out on missions, Gwen was the first choice to lead the team.

"Understood."

Gwen nodded and asked:

"My speed is quite fast, I can quickly reach Manila.

How about I go ahead to provide support, carry out a decapitation strike on high-threat targets, and the remaining support troops can proceed on their own?"

"Won't that consume too much?"

Otto asked.

"It's not a big problem. At a stable speed, it'll only cost two lightning spears."

Gwen shook his head and said.

As he spoke, Gwen turned and took out two energy potions from a nearby briefcase, casually downing them.

"Then Gwen, you should head to the battlefield first. The coordinates have already been sent to Prometheus, and she'll guide you to your target."

Seeing Gwen's confident demeanor, Otto didn't ask further, nodding in agreement.

"Then I'll depart first."

Nodding, he put down the potion containers and Gwen nodded, turning into a stream of light as he shot out of the emergency passage, disappearing before Otto's eyes.

"Heh..."

As if recalling something, Otto let out a soft chuckle, a playful expression on his face.

At the same time, in the near-core area of the Manila Honkai disaster, the hastily assembled Snow Lotus Squad was facing their greatest crisis yet—

A terrifying Honkai Beast, larger than most skyscrapers and as massive as a mountain, was charging towards them with an unstoppable force.

That was Ganesha, an Emperor-class Honkai Beast, a fearsome existence that required several fully staffed and equipped Valkyrie squads to take down with coordinated action after thorough preparation.

And just a few minutes after the Honkai outbreak, as the Snow Lotus Squad had barely managed to assemble, this terrifying monster was charging at them with irresistible momentum.

Undoubtedly, in this Honkai core area, where large and small Honkai Beasts and MANTISes roamed, they were helpless against the unstoppable charge of this Emperor-class Honkai Beast.

"Anna, get everyone out!"

Captain Fable, who had lost an arm during the initial Honkai outbreak due to a surprise attack from a Temple-class Honkai Beast, made an instant decision and shouted to Anna beside him:

"I'll hold this guy off."

"Captain..."

Anna called out, but didn't continue—

This was a head-on collision with a newly born Emperor-class Honkai Beast at the center of the Honkai outbreak. The terrifying aura clearly told them there was no possibility of resistance. At such close range, even dodging would not allow them to escape the range of damage. Only by intercepting it could the Snow Lotus Squad have a chance of survival.

In the Snow Lotus Squad, those with this ability were only A-rank Fable and Anna.

Clearly, Fable, having lost an arm, chose to leave the hope of survival to Anna.

"Go!"

Reality was not a romance drama, after all. Despite her unwillingness, Anna had no time to waste here. Gritting her teeth in pain, she commanded:

"Everyone below me, retreat!"

"Yes!"

Though reluctant, the Valkyries, knowing that the battlefield wouldn't give them time to cry, responded immediately and, like Anna, fled to the sides.

However, when the suddenly approaching hurricane made Anna instinctively look back, she saw that Ganesha had somehow accelerated and was already in front of Captain Fable.

And at this moment, the members of the Snow Lotus Squad, except for Anna, had not yet escaped Ganesha's charge path.

Fear and despair almost overwhelmed Anna at this moment...

Chapter 90: A Rescue at the Last Second

Anna had seen in many stories that before people died, their memories would flash before their eyes like a revolving lantern, eventually returning to the darkness of death.

However, at this moment, with the crisis of death imminent, Anna's mind recalled no past memories; there was only a blank—

Although Anna had escaped Ganesha's charge path, the terrifying aura that rolled along with Ganesha pressed down on Anna, who was already fearful, making her feel as if she would be crushed into pieces in the next second.

At this moment, in front of Anna and the other members of the Snow Lotus Squad, Fable, with his right arm severed, was leaning on his greatsword, his Valkyrie armor operating at full power, supporting a faint blue barrier.

However, this third-generation armor, lacking its right arm component, had a barrier that was still too fragile for Ganesha, who could almost be considered at the pinnacle of Emperor-class Honkai Beasts.

The moment the mountain-like body, carrying an indescribable terrifying aura, collided with her barrier, Fable heard a crisp cracking sound.

Feeling as if she had reached the end of her life, Fable even felt that Ganesha's movements slowed down considerably. The barrier, shattered in an instant, scattered into small fragments, just like her fleeting life.

After all, no matter how slow Ganesha's movements seemed, Fable, who was exhausted from overloading her armor, could not escape.

Then, as Fable looked with regret and relief, and Anna looked with despair, a golden light from the west arrived in an instant. The moment Ganesha's body crossed the short distance between the barrier and Fable's body, it rushed to Ganesha's side—

"Scum—ah!"

A battle cry accompanied by a dull impact sound. In the next second, Ganesha, who was about to crush Fable, was sent flying instantly.

Fable felt a gust of wind sweep past, almost blowing her body away like a fallen leaf.

However, what was also blown away was that almost despair-inducing terrifying aura—

Bang—

A dull thud of something heavy hitting the ground made Fable, who had already closed her eyes, instinctively open them. Following the sound, she saw a tall figure that had just landed, kicking up a lot of soil from the ground around it.

The others in the Snow Lotus Squad, including Anna, also looked at the giant figure.

"Is that..."

With her small mouth slightly open, Anna looked at the giant with disbelief.

Although the giant's body was mainly purple with golden patterns, the silver interspersed within and its god-like posture immediately reminded Anna of that scene two years ago...

"……"

The Valkyries, also realizing that something unexpected had happened, followed the sound and looked over. They all saw the imposing figure and wore expressions of disbelief.

Without a doubt, this giant was Gwen, who had arrived at a gallop all the way from North Africa.

After kicking Ganesha away with a flying kick, Gwen turned and landed. Without looking at the Valkyries around him, the Nexus armor on his arms lit up. Gwen had sent him flying into the air, and golden light rained down, enveloping both Gwen and Ganesha.

Seeing that Ganesha, who hadn't even managed to turn over yet, was unable to escape the impending Meta Field, Gwen turned around and nodded to the Valkyries of the Snow Lotus Squad, who had narrowly escaped death.

Otto nods.JPG

The next moment, before the Valkyries, who hadn't figured out what was happening, could respond, Gwen's massive figure, along with Ganesha, disappeared from their sight as the golden radiance of the Meta Field descended.

"Captain!"

Although they didn't understand what had happened, the Valkyries immediately rushed to Fable's side and helped him up as he collapsed, exhausted.

"Don't ask anything, let's go!"

Supported by Anna on his left shoulder, Fable frowned as he looked in the direction where Gwen and Ganesha had disappeared. Before his teammates could ask, he let out a low shout, stopping their questions.

"Whatever that was, it at least held off Ganesha for us."

Anna also said, "Before the people from headquarters who are specifically investigating this matter arrive, no one is to discuss this…

Let's go!"

Anna remembered the missing surveillance footage and the subsequent gag order.

"Yes"*N

Hearing their captain and vice-captain say this, the Valkyries all responded in agreement and broke through the encirclement with Anna.

This Great Honkai, which had spawned a top-tier Emperor-class Honkai Beast like Ganesha, was no longer something a single Snow Lotus Squad could handle.

What they needed to do now was to clear a path and prepare for the arrival of the headquarters' support forc