Invited, In Honkai, Grinding Stats to Level Up

Otto had considered many of Gwen's possible choices, but this one, which was practically suicidal, was something he hadn't anticipated.

While surveillance reports indicated Siegfried had wrestled with and even defeated Emperor-class Honkai Beasts, Siegfried was already recognized as the strongest among the documented Caslanas. The changes he underwent during the Second Honkai Outbreak pushed him far beyond the limits of an ordinary Caslana.

Gwen, however, was still a child in his growth phase. Even with his rapid progress, he couldn't possibly compare to Siegfried, who had become a human-shaped beast.

Sensing Otto's emotions, the Void Archives, which had become unusually talkative over the past year, refrained from making any sarcastic remarks.

The Void Archives believed that if it spoke up now, and Gwen was truly crushed, Otto would take it with him even after his plan was complete.

Also on the verge of collapse from witnessing this scene was You Lan Dai Er, who was rushing from afar to provide support.

Seeing Gwen's form engulfed by the dust, You Lan Dai Er raised her hand without a second thought, unleashing the immense, abyss-like power within her into her weapon, and throwing the Dawnbreaker spear in her hand.

Instantly, a streak of fire streaked across the dark sky, tearing through the dust-filled air, bringing dawn to the desperate battlefield.

The fiery light, transformed from the Dawnbreaker, struck the unstoppable Ganesha in an instant, causing its rolling movement to falter.

The next moment, the dust around Ganesha seemed to thicken, but Ganesha's mountain-like body suddenly flew sideways, like a kicked football, smashing into the distance.

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Chapter 49: Alive, Sword Broken

Something's wrong!

In the shadow cast by Ganesha's massive body, Otto's eyes, peeking from behind his clown mask, widened slightly as he watched Ganesha fall towards him.

Otto, who had just thought Gwen was in mortal danger and thrown Mimic Judas with all his might, suddenly realized the situation was not as he had imagined when facing the falling Ganesha.

However, before Otto could ponder what had gone wrong, the mountain that was Ganesha crashed down, reducing a block of high-rise buildings, along with Otto inside, into rubble.

Boom~

A deafening roar, accompanied by the trembling of the earth, echoed throughout the city. The dust kicked up transformed into a shockwave that spread in all directions. Several nearby precarious buildings even collapsed under the impact of the rising dust, creating new plumes of dust.

This shocking scene caused the expressions of everyone who witnessed it to freeze.

That Emperor-class Honkai Beast, which had appeared for the first time last year and caused Destiny to lose twelve Valkyries, including two A-ranks, was actually sent flying like this?

Some people, unable to immediately process the news, turned their shocked gazes towards You Lan Dai Er in the distance.

It seemed only the streak of fire that had just pierced the sky could be worthy of such a feat.

However, before You Lan Dai Er, who had caught her breath, could charge forward again, a female voice let out a hoarse cry.

"Gwen!

Gwen is still alive!"

Anna, her eyes bloodshot, stared at the dust-filled battlefield, tears streaming from the corners of her eyes.

Although also shocked by the scene before her, Anna, whose vision was filled with the image of Gwen being engulfed by dust as he ran, did not connect the flying Ganesha with You Lan Dai Er's spear.

The trajectory was wrong, and even with the spear's immense power, it wouldn't have produced this effect!

So, it had to be Gwen!

It had to be!

Anna believed this firmly. Her mind, which had gone almost blank when Gwen's figure disappeared, was now reasserting its dominance with intelligence.

"Quick!

Keep firing to attract Ganesha's attention and create an opening for Gwen and You Lan Dai Er!"

Giving the order with a hoarse voice, Anna was the first to raise her firearm and shoot lasers at the Ganesha still lying on the ground.

"Yes!"

Although they were just girls in their late teens and early twenties, they were still qualified soldiers who had undergone military training. Even if their minds were still a bit fuzzy, they could still carry out orders resolutely. They raised their guns and began to shoot.

At the same time, You Lan Dai Er, having thrown her spear with all her might, began to move again, charging rapidly towards the battlefield.

However, compared to her previous urgency, You Lan Dai Er now had a bit more composure and had regained her usual calmness.

As the person involved, You Lan Dai Er knew better than anyone the effect her attack could achieve.

Therefore, You Lan Dai Er was also certain that it was not her attack that had sent Ganesha flying, but rather Gwen, who was right at Ganesha's feet.

With this conclusion, You Lan Dai Er's heart, which had been about to leap out of her chest, returned to its proper place, providing her with the strength to charge forward at a speed far exceeding that of the main force, as the rising new star of Destiny's headquarters.

Not far behind You Lan Dai Er, Rita, who had taken command of the troops, directed the supporting Valkyrie units to form combat formations and provide long-range support, attracting the Honkai Beast's attention.

Although she hadn't seen Gwen being engulfed by dust because she was leading the main force from behind, Rita had learned that Gwen was still alive through the public channel communication.

However, even though Gwen was alive, Rita could still hear from Anna's voice that something bad might have happened.

On the battlefield, "alive" was not a very pleasant word; often, it was just a sliver of luck amidst misfortune.

However, Rita knew what she needed to do now, so she could only suppress her unease and command the support troops to launch their offensive.

And in the dust so thick that the human eye could not see, Gwen, who had just sent Ganesha flying, knelt on the ground, leaning on his greatsword, which was now only half its original length. The hands supporting the broken greatsword trembled slightly.

Just now, using the pause caused by the distant firelight hitting Ganesha, Gwen, with his solid foundation and the enhancement from the "Ten Directions Bearing" characteristic that allowed him to fight on the ground, had managed to heave Ganesha away.

The price for this was his slightly trembling arms due to excessive force, and the breakage of his weapon.

Even though Gwen's weapon was considered excellent among B-ranks due to his outstanding performance, it was still not a Divine Key or a weapon of the Gods' Seat. It could not withstand the force required to send Ganesha flying and eventually broke.

This wasn't due to Gwen's lack of understanding of his own weapon, which led to this mistake.

Gwen's original goal was merely to alter the rolling direction of Ganesha, to prevent it from harming Anna and the others further away.

However, due to You Lan Dai Er's sudden strike, the original balance of force was broken. As a result, Gwen could only temporarily increase his strength, forcefully flipping Ganesha and causing the weapon to break.

Still, Gwen didn't blame You Lan Dai Er for this. After all, the situation was sudden, and she had acted that way to rescue him.

Taking a deep breath, feeling the heavy, earth-like power slowly flowing through his body, with eyes as if burning with flames, Gwen slowly exhaled the stale air in his chest. He raised his somewhat numb hands and twisted them, like some mythical hero from an internal conflict.

During the recent clash, Gwen could clearly feel the robust support coming from the ground beneath his feet. It truly possessed the characteristic of "Ten Directions Bearing," as described in the development of abilities.

Moreover, in addition to the support from the ground beneath his feet, Gwen also felt a power within him that amplified this characteristic, allowing him to forcefully flip Ganesha. The result was only strained arm muscles and a little blood that didn't even seep through the armor lining.

However, as he was still on the battlefield, Gwen didn't have time to ponder the source of that power. He pulled out the greatsword in front of him, which was now only half its original length.

Even though it was only half, having a weapon in hand was better than being empty-handed.

After all, Gwen wasn't some Saint Seiya who could tear through the sky with his bare hands; holding something was better than being empty-handed.

Shaking the half-broken greatsword in his hand and adjusting to the feel, Gwen took two quick steps and arrived before the giant "ivory" that lay quietly on the ground, pulling out the Dawnbreaker that was stuck in it.

Although You Lan Dai Er's strike had disrupted Gwen's plan, it also yielded results, as she had managed to break off one of Ganesha's tusks.

Chapter 50: Ganesha's Wisdom

"Gwen, are you alright?"

As soon as Gwen pulled out the Dawnbreaker, a figure speeding from afar rushed into the dust. The swirling dust dimmed her golden hair, but it couldn't diminish the brilliance in her eyes in the slightest.

As the sound grew closer, You Lan Dai Er, who was advancing at high speed using the flight modules on her armor, quickly arrived in front of Gwen.

Looking Gwen up and down, who appeared unharmed except for his weapon being shorter, You Lan Dai Er finally breathed a sigh of relief, her expression softening slightly.

"I'm fine, Bianca. It's thanks to your shot that I was able to flip Ganesha away."

Seeing the worried look on You Lan Dai Er's face, Gwen felt a warmth in his heart. He smiled and shook his head, handing the Dawnbreaker in his hand to You Lan Dai Er.

"Here, take it. You'll have to be the main force from now on. Until a new weapon is delivered, I can only assist you."

"Mm...

Be careful. I'll have the rear send a drone with a new one for you, but it might take a few minutes."

Seeing Gwen's composed demeanor, You Lan Dai Er didn't ask further. She nodded, took her weapon, and issued commands on the public channel.

After speaking, You Lan Dai Er's gaze swept over the broken sword in Gwen's hand, and she turned to face Ganesha.

"After this mission ends, the achievement of defeating an Emperor-class Honkai Beast should be enough for you to be promoted to A-rank.

At that time, you'll have specially equipped weapons, and this kind of situation shouldn't happen again."

"I hope you're right..."

Gwen stepped forward and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with You Lan Dai Er, smiling as he spoke. He waved the broken sword in his hand, his mind replaying the sensation from earlier.

When he was struggling with Ganesha before, Gwen vaguely felt that the greatsword in his hand was somehow different from now. It was a state beyond the basic Honkai energy enhancement, which allowed the greatsword to hold on until Ganesha was flipped away before breaking.

Otherwise, Gwen would have really had to endure Ganesha's crushing power with his bare body.

Although only a little over ten seconds had passed from You Lan Dai Er throwing her spear to standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Gwen to face Ganesha, the Ganesha, whose size was like a mountain, had already stood up again amidst the trembling of the earth.

However, this time, Ganesha did not unleash its crushing skill that used its massive body to crush everything. Instead, it stomped its front limbs fiercely onto the ground, its head, which had a broken tusk, lowered slightly, and a dense purple light began to gather in its mouth.

This was Ganesha's concentrated beam. Last year in India, it had killed an A-rank Valkyrie with this very move.

Not far away, both Gwen and You Lan Dai Er, who could be considered battle-hardened veterans, felt a sense of fatal crisis. Without hesitation, they scattered in opposite directions, leaving behind cracked marks on the ground.

Almost the next moment, a dense purple beam erupted from Ganesha's mouth, tearing through the air and instantly piercing half of the city district. High-rise buildings were instantly penetrated and began to collapse in a tremor.

However, before these buildings, which had lost several load-bearing walls, could collapse, the terrifying purple beam suddenly changed direction and swept towards Gwen.

In an instant, the purple beam was like a giant sword thousands of meters long, sweeping through the city district filled with tall buildings.

The once indestructible buildings were now like leeks, snapped at the root by the purple torrent.

And in front of the purple torrent was Gwen, who was desperately fleeing.

Although Gwen was also equipped with armor for B-rank Valkyries, it clearly couldn't withstand the breath of an Emperor-class Honkai Beast.

And although Gwen had always maxed out his stamina attribute, he had no intention of testing whether he could withstand such an attack.

However, although Gwen's speed was fast, Ganesha's turning speed was even faster.

In an instant, the purple torrent arrived behind Gwen, and Gwen could even feel the surging energy flow within it.

However, Gwen did not give up—

Holding the broken sword in front of him, he injected Honkai energy into his armor, pushing it to its apparent limit. Gwen bent his knees slightly, exerted force, and left behind a patch of cracked earth.

And Gwen himself, almost brushing against the breath, leaped into the air, narrowly dodging the sweeping concentrated beam by a hair's breadth.

Because Gwen's movement was so extreme, Ganesha couldn't adjust its angle in time to kill Gwen, the "bug."

And this time, Ganesha didn't get another chance—

Even an Emperor-class Honkai Beast couldn't unleash such an attack that covered more than half the city district as easily as eating and drinking.

After all, an Emperor-class Honkai Beast was still just a Honkai Beast, not a Herrscher. To unleash such an attack again, it would need some time to recover before it could charge and unleash it again.

This Ganesha, however, clearly wouldn't get that chance—

Before the purple torrent spewed from Ganesha's mouth had even fully faded, a flash of fire suddenly ignited. In an instant, it streaked across Ganesha's front, severing its remaining tusk with a thunderous roar. It was You Lan Dai Er, who had just parted ways with Gwen.

However, despite having both its horns broken, Ganesha didn't let out a roar or a bellow—

Boom!

Amidst the earth's trembling, the Ganesha, rolling once more, landed and forcibly smashed a section of ruins that had been above ground level down to the ground plane. It was about to bounce and roll towards Gwen, who had just landed.

Although its intelligence wasn't high, Ganesha wasn't stupid. Knowing it couldn't reach You Lan Dai Er, it decided to aim for Gwen instead—

You dodged the convergence beam, can you dodge my rolling crush?

However, before the Ganesha, descending like Mount Tai crushing down, could even start rolling, Dawnbreaker transformed into another flash of fire, hurled by You Lan Dai Er. Its target was the soft abdomen within Ganesha's curled-up body.

"Roar~"

Rumble~

Having had both its tusks broken in quick succession, Ganesha let out a piercing wail. Its massive body, about to start rolling, once again slammed onto the ground amidst the earthquake-like roar, smashing a giant pit tens of meters deep into the slightly sunken earth.

Within the pit, the Ganesha lay on its back, its four legs flailing its short limbs powerlessly, like a fattened pig awaiting slaughter.

"Whew…"

You Lan Dai Er, having landed two effective blows in a row, took a breath. Seeing Ganesha in such a state, she also breathed a sigh of relief.