Snow Wolf Squad

"Kira, Nicholas, clear the other Honkai beasts on the side. Salome and I will hold it off first!" Facing the sudden appearance of an unknown Emperor-class Honkai Beast, Cheng Lixue made a snap decision, charging forward with Ruoshui in hand, deliberately leading the fight away from the main force to prevent its area-of-effect damage from accidentally hitting the other Valkyries.

The Honkai Beast's tail was like a high-pressure water cannon, continuously spraying Cheng Lixue with ice mist at extremely low temperatures. The water tornadoes generated by Ruoshui couldn't even touch it before freezing solid.

On the other side, Salome's attacks weren't going smoothly either. Though a few throwing knives dodged the ice mist and struck its shell, they were deflected outright, failing to inflict any real damage. Fortunately, their mission was merely to lure it away and stall it—for now, they could barely call that goal achieved.

[Care for a date with a bullet?]

Shigure Kira pulled out her sniper rifle from who-knows-where, using a special move that could peek under other Valkyries' skirts. The scope activated. After three shots, a large swath of Ballista-class and Knight-class Honkai Beasts ahead were eliminated, while the remaining few Temple-class Honkai Beasts turned into barely-breathing ice sculptures.

Shub also swung Crimson Whisper fiercely, and a group of Honkai Beasts were reduced to almost nothing in an instant. At that moment, an unusual roar and rumble came from afar, but the two had no time to pay it any mind. After confirming no Temple-class Honkai Beasts were nearby, they immediately rushed toward Cheng Lixue's direction.

By then, the Emperor-class Honkai Beast had opened its mouth. Contrary to its tail, it sucked in a massive amount of ice mist, then spat out several Ice Spears at Cheng Lixue like a chain of cannon fire. She dodged left and right with Ruoshui's help, unharmed, but she knew that to destroy it, she had to get close.

"Salome, cover me!" Cheng Lixue charged forward. Though the currents from Ruoshui and Salome's blades couldn't deal substantial damage, they successfully obstructed its vision. With its aim thrown off, Cheng Lixue soon closed to within less than a meter of it.

Just then, it spat out another Ice Spear from its mouth. This time, only one, but it came with a homing lock-on function. Once ejected, it automatically shot toward Cheng Lixue.

"What?!" Cheng Lixue was startled. She knew that if she went all out to block it, Ruoshui couldn't keep harassing it, and her plan to close the distance would likely fall apart. They were stalling the Emperor-class Honkai Beast, but weren't they also being stalled by it? The longer these two high-combat-power units were tied up, the greater the chance of casualties among the other Valkyries.

So she gritted her teeth, deciding to take the hit head-on. Just as the Ice Spear was a hair's breadth from her body, a "bang" rang out. Shigure Kira, having arrived on the scene, shot the Ice Spear to pieces with a single bullet.

Seizing the opportunity, Cheng Lixue slid into a low position beneath it. Its underside lacked the green shell, looking much softer.

[Inch-Punch: Heaven Splitter]

Cheng Lixue held her breath and focused, punching it from below and sending it flying. It landed on its back not far away, all its legs pointing skyward. Salome immediately fired all twelve throwing knives, pinning its twelve legs to the ground to prevent it from flipping back over.

As Cheng Lixue leaped up, it spat out another homing Ice Spear. But this time, she didn't even glance at it. Swinging Ruoshui, she slashed down, carving a wound over a meter long across its abdomen. The Ice Spear was once again shattered by Shigure Kira's shot before it could touch Cheng Lixue.

"Nicholas, it's all on you!" Cheng Lixue shouted, pinning down its tail.

Shub, already poised to strike, leaped up and precisely drove Crimson Whisper into the wound left by Ruoshui, immediately activating the Electromagnetic Cannon on the blade. A faint hum sounded, and the Emperor-class Honkai Beast's internal organs were severely damaged. Seconds later, all its legs naturally splayed out, and it completely lost its life.

Having dealt with the Emperor-class Honkai Beast, the four A-rank Valkyries dared not rest for a moment. They immediately regrouped with the main force to clear the remaining Honkai Beasts, completely unaware of Enoshia watching the entire battle from the air.

"What a brilliant coordination. Four A-rank Valkyries, through seamless teamwork, take down an Emperor-class Honkai Beast without a scratch. That's the real standard for 'elites.' A B-rank Valkyrie like that amoeba going one-on-one with Ganesha and winning—that's the real freak show."

Recalling her experiences playing co-op with others, some idiot teammates either refused to thaw themselves out when frozen or just bailed right before the sixth stage, costing her the rewards. In contrast, their flawless teamwork in a life-or-death fight made Enoshia deeply envious.

The squad, having cleared the surrounding Honkai Beasts, took a brief rest before cautiously advancing again. When they reached the designated location, Theresa and Siegfried were already waiting there.

After some exchange, they learned that both sides had encountered Emperor-class Honkai Beasts. However, Theresa's side had run into Parvati. For the Honkai Beast that had made her famous, Theresa knew it all too well. With Siegfried's help, she took Judah and smacked Parvati down in one go.

"An unknown Emperor-class Honkai Beast... You guys were really unlucky. Good thing no one got hurt..." As they were sharing intel, a massive Honkai Beast reaction was suddenly detected ahead. Strangely, they were marching toward them in a perfectly orderly formation, as if something was commanding them.

Standing at the front of this group of Honkai Beasts was another Emperor-class Honkai Beast. It towered over thirty meters tall, its entire body seemingly made of gray rock. A single black eye sat on its head, and two red horns grew from its temples. With every step, the ground seemed to tremble, shaking snow off the surrounding trees. A few unlucky Valkyries were buried. Many Valkyries gripped their weapons tightly—even with training, their hearts were in their throats.

They stopped less than a hundred meters from the Valkyrie force, neither attacking nor retreating. Just as everyone was baffled, Enoshia emerged directly from its body.

Yes, Enoshia had discovered that anything she could erode—whether person or object—she could use as a dwelling in a possession-like manner. But since living beings lacked the network connection between electronic devices, she couldn't freely travel between them. Otherwise, she'd have something akin to a weakened version of the Herrscher of Void's authority.

"This road is closed. Turn around and go back where you came from."