Otto had considered many possible choices Gwen might make, but this near-suicidal choice was the one thing he had never expected—
According to surveillance reports, Siegfried had once wrestled with Emperor-class Honkai Beasts and even defeated them. But Siegfried was already the strongest Caslana on record, and the changes he had undergone during the Second Honkai War had pushed him far beyond the limits of ordinary Caslanas.
Gwen, meanwhile, was still just a growing child. Even if he improved at an astonishing rate, there was no way he could compare to Siegfried, who was already a humanoid Fierce Beast.
Sensing Otto's emotions, Void Archives, who had been unusually talkative over the past year, did not open its mouth to tease him—
Void Archives believed that if it spoke now, and Gwen really was crushed to pieces, Otto would take it with him even after completing his plan.
You Lan Dai Er, who had rushed over from afar to provide support, was similarly horrified by the sight.
Watching Gwen's figure vanish beneath the smoke and dust, You Lan Dai Er raised her hand almost without thinking. Vast, abyssal power surged from her body and poured into her hand as she hurled the lance Dawnbreaker.
In an instant, a streak of fire crossed the dark sky, tearing through the clouds of dust like dawn brought to a battlefield of despair.
The fiery streak formed by Dawnbreaker struck the unstoppable Ganesha in the blink of an eye, halting its rolling movement.
The next moment, the dust around Ganesha seemed to grow even thicker, but its mountain-like body suddenly flew sideways, like a football that had been kicked, crashing into the distance.
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Alive, Sword Broken
Something was wrong!
Within the shadow cast by Ganesha's massive body, Otto's eyes visible beneath his clown mask widened slightly as he watched Ganesha fall toward him.
Having believed Gwen to be in mortal danger, Otto had thrown Mimic Judas with all his strength. Now, facing the descending Ganesha, he instantly realized that the situation was not what he had imagined.
But before Otto could figure out what had gone wrong, Ganesha, that little mountain, came crashing down and smashed a cluster of high-rises, Otto included, into rubble.
Boom—
The deafening blast and the trembling earth resounded through the entire city. The dust kicked up formed a shockwave that spread in all directions. Several nearby buildings already on the verge of collapse crumbled outright beneath the impact, raising fresh clouds of dust.
The shocking sight left everyone who saw it frozen—
That was an Emperor-class Honkai Beast that had first appeared last year and caused Destiny to lose twelve Valkyries, including two A-ranks. It had actually been sent flying just like that?
Those whose minds could not process the news immediately turned their stunned gazes toward You Lan Dai Er in the distance—
It seemed that only the fiery streak that had just torn across the sky could account for such a feat.
However, before You Lan Dai Er, who had just caught her breath, could continue charging, a female voice cried out hoarsely—
"Gwen!
Gwen is still alive!"
Anna stared at the battlefield blanketed in dust, her eyes bloodshot as tears streamed from their corners.
Though she was equally shocked by what she had seen, Anna's mind was filled with the image of Gwen being swallowed by dust while running. She did not connect Ganesha's flight with You Lan Dai Er's throw—
The directions did not match. Even if that throw had enough force, it could never have produced this result!
So it had to be Gwen!
It had to be!
Anna believed it with all her heart. The mind that had nearly gone blank when Gwen disappeared was once more seized by reason—
"Quick!
Keep firing! Draw Ganesha's attention and create an opening for Gwen and You Lan Dai Er!"
Giving orders in a hoarse voice, Anna was the first to raise her weapon and fire a laser at Ganesha, which was still overturned on the ground.
"Yes!"
They were only teenage girls in their late teens or early twenties, but they were nonetheless qualified soldiers who had undergone militarized training. Even though their minds were still somewhat muddled, they carried out the order without hesitation, raising their weapons and firing.
At the same time, You Lan Dai Er, who had thrown her lance with all her strength, started moving again and raced toward the battlefield.
However, compared to her earlier urgency, You Lan Dai Er now carried herself with greater composure, having regained her usual calm.
As the person involved, You Lan Dai Er understood even better what effect her attack could achieve.
Thus, she too was certain that the one who had sent Ganesha flying was definitely not her attack. It could only have been Gwen, standing right beneath Ganesha.
After reaching that conclusion, You Lan Dai Er's heart, which had nearly leaped from her chest, settled back into place. It gave her strength, allowing this rising star of Destiny Headquarters to charge forward far faster than the main force.
Not far behind You Lan Dai Er, Rita, who had taken over command of the troops, directed the Valkyrie reinforcements to form a combat formation. They would provide ranged support and draw the Honkai Beast's attention.
Because she had been leading the main force from the rear, Rita had not witnessed Gwen being swallowed by the dust. However, the public communications channel had informed her that Gwen was still alive.
Yet although Gwen was alive, Rita could still hear from Anna's voice that something bad might have happened—
On a battlefield, "alive" was not a particularly wonderful word. Many times, it merely meant the best outcome among misfortunes.
But Rita knew what she needed to do now, so she could only suppress the unease in her heart and direct the supporting troops to begin their assault.
Within the dust, so thick that human eyes could barely see through it, Gwen, who had just sent Ganesha flying, knelt on one knee with the remaining half of his greatsword planted in the ground. Both hands resting on the broken blade trembled slightly.
Just now, using the opening created when the distant streak of fire stalled Ganesha, Gwen had indeed relied on his solid fundamentals and the enhancement granted by Ten Directions Bearing while fighting on the ground to forcibly send Ganesha flying.
The price was Gwen's arms, trembling slightly from overexertion, and the weapon in his hands, which had broken.
Even though Gwen's weapon was exceptionally good among B-ranks because of his outstanding performance, it was ultimately neither a weapon of the Gods nor a Divine Key. Unable to withstand the force needed to send Ganesha flying, it had finally snapped.
This was not because Gwen had failed to understand his own weapon and made such a mistake.
His original goal had only been to alter the direction of Ganesha's roll, preventing it from hurting Anna and the others farther away.
But You Lan Dai Er's sudden attack had disrupted the balance of forces, forcing Gwen to increase his strength on the spot and send Ganesha flying by force, which resulted in his weapon breaking.
Still, Gwen had no intention of blaming You Lan Dai Er. The situation had happened too suddenly, and she had acted that way to save him.
Taking a deep breath, Gwen felt the heavy power flowing slowly through his body, as weighty as the earth itself. With what seemed like flames burning in his eyes, he slowly exhaled the stale breath in his chest, raised his slightly numb hands, and twisted them like some Civil War fantasy god.
During that clash, Gwen had clearly felt the immense support coming from the earth beneath his feet. It truly possessed the characteristics described by the development ability, Ten Directions Bearing.
Moreover, aside from the support coming from the ground beneath him, Gwen had felt a force within his body strengthening that trait. That was why he had been able to forcibly send Ganesha flying, yet only suffered strained arm muscles and a little blood that had not even seeped through the armor lining.
But this was still a battlefield. Gwen had no time to think about the source of that power and simply pulled out the greatsword before him, which had only half its blade left.
Even if only half remained, holding a weapon was still better than being empty-handed.
After all, Gwen was not some Saint Seiya whose fists could split the sky. Holding something in his hands was better than fighting barehanded.
He swung the half-broken greatsword to get used to its feel, then sprinted forward a few steps to the enormous "tusk" lying quietly on the ground and pulled Dawnbreaker from where it was embedded.
Although You Lan Dai Er's attack had disrupted Gwen's plan, it had also achieved something, forcibly breaking off one of Ganesha's tusks.
Ganesha's Wisdom
"Gwen, are you all right?"
Just as Gwen pulled out Dawnbreaker, a figure speeding over from afar rushed into the dust. The dust drifting through the air dimmed her golden hair, but could not diminish the light in her eyes in the slightest.
As her voice drew closer, You Lan Dai Er, using the visual flight module on her armor to advance at high speed, quickly arrived before Gwen.
She looked Gwen up and down. Seeing that he appeared perfectly fine aside from his shortened weapon, You Lan Dai Er finally breathed a sigh of relief, and her expression softened somewhat.
"I'm fine, Bianca. Thanks to that throw of yours, I was able to send Ganesha flying."
Seeing the tension on You Lan Dai Er's face, Gwen felt a warmth in his heart. Smiling, he shook his head and handed Dawnbreaker to her.
"Here, take it. You'll have to be the main attacker from here on. Until a new weapon arrives, I can only assist you."
"Mm...
Be careful. I'll have the rear send a drone with a new one for you, though it may take a few minutes."
Seeing Gwen's relaxed expression, You Lan Dai Er did not ask further questions. She nodded, accepted her weapon, and gave the order over the public channel.
After saying that, You Lan Dai Er glanced at the broken sword in Gwen's hand, then turned toward Ganesha.
"Once this mission is over, defeating an Emperor-class Honkai Beast should be enough to get you promoted to A-rank.
At that point, you'll have a specially issued weapon. This probably won't happen again."
"I'll take that as a good omen..."
Gwen stepped forward two paces and stood shoulder to shoulder with You Lan Dai Er, smiling as he spoke. He waved the broken sword in his hand, but his mind was recalling the sensation from earlier.
When he had wrestled with Ganesha before, Gwen had vaguely felt that the greatsword in his hand had somehow been different from how it was now. It had entered a state distinct from ordinary Honkai Energy reinforcement, allowing it to hold out until Ganesha was sent flying before breaking.
Otherwise, Gwen would truly have had to use his body to withstand Ganesha's crushing force.
Only a dozen or so seconds had passed from You Lan Dai Er throwing her lance to standing beside Gwen in preparation to face Ganesha, but Ganesha's mountain-sized body had already risen to its feet amid the trembling earth.
This time, however, Ganesha did not use that crushing skill again, the one that relied on its enormous body to flatten everything. Instead, it slammed both forelimbs into the ground, lowered its head slightly, its broken tusk visible, and began gathering a dense purple light in its mouth.
This was Ganesha's Concentrated Beam. In India last year, it had killed an A-rank Valkyrie in a single strike.
Not far away, both Gwen and You Lan Dai Er, who could be considered battle-hardened veterans, felt a deadly sense of danger. Without thinking, they scattered in opposite directions, leaving cracked earth behind them.
Almost in the next instant, a dense purple beam erupted from Ganesha's mouth. It tore through the air and pierced through half the city district in an instant, punching through high-rise after high-rise as the buildings began to collapse amid violent trembling.
But before those buildings, stripped of several load-bearing walls, could begin falling, the terrifying purple light suddenly swung around and swept toward Gwen.
In an instant, the purple beam became like a gigantic sword thousands of meters long, sweeping across the district crowded with skyscrapers.
Buildings that had once seemed indestructible were now like rows of chives, severed at their roots before the purple torrent.
And ahead of that purple torrent was Gwen, fleeing at full speed.
Gwen wore armor issued to B-ranks, but it was obviously incapable of withstanding the breath of an Emperor-class Honkai Beast.
Though Gwen had always maxed out his endurance stat, he had no desire to test whether he could endure an attack like this.
But Gwen's speed was fast, while Ganesha could turn its head even faster.
In the blink of an eye, the purple torrent had reached Gwen's back, and he could even feel the surging flood of energy within it.
Yet Gwen did not give up—
He held the broken sword across his chest and poured Honkai Energy madly into his armor, pushing it as though to its limit. Gwen bent his knees slightly, then exploded forward, leaving the ground beneath him shattered.
Gwen himself leaped into the air almost brushing against the breath attack, evading the sweeping Concentrated Beam by a hair's breadth.
Because Gwen's movement had been so extreme, Ganesha had no time to adjust its angle and kill this insect with its sweep.
And after this failure, Ganesha did not have another chance—
Even an Emperor-class Honkai Beast could not casually unleash an attack that covered half a city district as easily as eating or drinking.
After all, Emperor-class Honkai Beasts were still only Honkai Beasts, not Herrschers. To unleash such an attack again, it needed time to recover before it could charge up and fire once more.
And this Ganesha clearly did not have that opportunity—
Before the purple torrent pouring from Ganesha's mouth had fully faded, a streak of fire suddenly lit up. It flashed across Ganesha's front in an instant and, amid a thunderous crash, snapped off its remaining tusk. It was You Lan Dai Er, who had separated from Gwen earlier.
Yet even with both tusks broken, Ganesha did not howl or roar—
Boom!
With the earth shaking, Ganesha rolled again and slammed into the ground, smashing a patch of rubble that had stood above the surface down below ground level. It was about to bounce and roll toward Gwen, who had just landed.
Though it was not particularly intelligent, Ganesha was not stupid. Knowing it could not touch You Lan Dai Er, it simply targeted Gwen for crushing instead—
You can dodge the Concentrated Beam, but can you dodge my tracking crush?
But before Ganesha, descending like Mount Tai, could begin rolling, Dawnbreaker once again became a streak of fire as You Lan Dai Er threw it. Its target was the soft belly exposed within Ganesha's curled-up body.
"Roar—"
Rumble—
After losing both tusks in succession, Ganesha let out a miserable wail. Its enormous body, which had been about to roll, crashed back onto the ground amid an earthquake-like roar, smashing the slightly sunken earth into a giant pit more than a dozen meters deep.
Within the giant pit, Ganesha lay on its back, weakly kicking its short limbs like a fat pig awaiting slaughter.
"Phew..."
After landing two effective attacks in succession, You Lan Dai Er caught her breath. Seeing Ganesha in that state, she also let out a sigh of relief.
Before you continue