In an unknown village somewhere in Siberia.
Due to the rampage of Honkai Beasts, the entire village had long since fallen into ruins. By the time the Valkyrie unit arrived, more than half of the villagers had already lost their lives forever.
Fortunately, only low-level Honkai Beasts and Zombies were here. With the cooperation of the three B-rank Valkyries responsible for rescuing ordinary people, they quickly wiped out the enemies.
But rebuilding after the disaster was not something these three B-rank Valkyries could handle alone. They could only do what was within their abilities, such as rescuing people trapped beneath the rubble and performing the simplest first aid on the wounded.
"Captain, there are massive Honkai Energy readings ahead." Outside the village, a short, gray-haired, blue-eyed Valkyrie reported over the communicator to the tall, sharp, capable, golden-haired Valkyrie with long, wavy hair beside her.
Her name was Olga. Due to a shortage of manpower, this thirteen-year-old B-rank Valkyrie had been sent onto the battlefield for the first time. Being assigned to the rear for rescue work was undoubtedly lucky. After all, in theory, her survival rate was countless times higher than if she had been fighting a Herrscher.
"Prepare for battle. How many are there?" The captain picked up her weapon and was about to head outside.
"Fewer than a dozen, but..." She swallowed.
"If you have something to say, spit it out. Stop dawdling." The decisive captain was somewhat displeased with her attitude.
"Yes, Captain! Among them, there's one... Emperor-class Honkai Beast."
Olga stared at the enormous monster in the distance. It had three fingers on each of its two thick forelimbs. One bore pink patterns, while the other bore blue ones. The areas that looked like its eyes were the opposite colors from its arms.
Faced with a Honkai Beast she had never seen before, Olga repeatedly confirmed that her eyes had not deceived her. Although this was her first time on the battlefield, she knew all too well what an Emperor-class Honkai Beast meant to a B-rank Valkyrie.
"Captain, should we request reinforcements from headquarters immediately?" The third Valkyrie, a somewhat plump woman, made the suggestion beside the captain.
Hearing this, the captain merely smiled bitterly and shook her head.
"Even setting aside the fact that reinforcements definitely won't arrive in time, I'm afraid there's no spare manpower at the moment."
The somewhat plump Valkyrie nodded, her expression revealing a trace of despair.
"How far away is it? How strong are the remaining Honkai Beasts?" Her experiences of repeatedly escaping death had quickly helped her regain her composure. Obtaining more detailed information was the most important thing.
"Less than five kilometers. The remaining Honkai Beasts are only Assault-class and Knight-class. I can deal with them alone."
The captain drew a deep breath and spoke solemnly into the communicator.
"Don't move yet. Wait for me to get there. I'll lure away the Emperor-class Honkai Beast. Once the two of you finish off the other Honkai Beasts, immediately evacuate with the villagers who can still walk."
"What?! Captain, you...! That's an Emperor-class Honkai Beast!" An agitated voice came from the other end of the communicator, nearly bursting her eardrums.
"Olga, calm down! Precisely because it's an Emperor-class Honkai Beast, luring it away is the right choice. This is an order! Tell me its exact location!"
Inside a house that was relatively intact in the village, a beautiful woman lay on a bed, her face pale beyond description. A doctor-like figure beside her sighed and shook his head heavily.
"Alas, my condolences."
Kneeling beside the bed was a girl who looked five or six years old. She had beautiful wine-red hair and dark gray eyes. Just as the doctor had said, her mother, who lay on the sickbed, had passed away.
"Alas, poor Ivan. Her father died in an accident last year, and now her mother has too... Good people never get what they deserve..." An old man leaning on a cane sighed repeatedly. As the village chief, Kai knew very well that nearly everyone in the village had received help from the family over the years.
However, the deaths of Ivan's parents instead brought her even more criticism. The reason was simple: when Ivan was born, there had been a strange mark on her back. Many superstitious people believed that her parents had been killed by her, this ill-fated star.
Sure enough, Ivan's mother had only just died, and several villagers who loved to gossip had already begun spreading rumors. Ivan listened as more and more people came to believe the completely baseless rumors, yet she was powerless to do anything.
Just then, a purple-haired, yellow-eyed girl in a purple dress and a gray-haired, blue-eyed girl in a white top arrived. In Siberia in the year 2000, aside from Sirin and Bella, there was no one else who could have looked like this.
Kai the Village Chief found their clothing strange and was just about to ask them a few questions when the two Valkyries hurried inside.
"Kai the Village Chief, evacuate everyone immediately! A... very powerful monster has appeared outside. We're no match for it. The captain is holding it back. Hurry!"
Seeing the Valkyries of Schicksal, Sirin once again recalled her time in Babylon Tower.
"You people were worthless even while alive. You should feel honored to sacrifice yourselves for Schicksal's research and for the victory of the Valkyries!"
The researcher's voice echoed in her ears like a demonic chant. She clenched her fists tightly, suppressing her hatred of the Valkyries as much as possible. Behind her, Bella was ready as well. The moment Sirin gave the order, she would kill the two Valkyries immediately.
"Boom!" A tremendous crash rang out, and something was thrown into the village. Many people took only one look before showing nauseated expressions, because what had been thrown in was half of a human body. Though it had already been reduced to a bloody mess, the two Valkyries knew very well that the remaining lower half belonged to their captain, who had still been speaking with them moments ago.
But they did not grieve, because there was no time. The monster that had killed their captain reached the village entrance in moments.
"Thud."
"Thud."
The monster that appeared at the village entrance was Ashwatthama. It alternated its powerful blue left forelimb and pink right forelimb, leaving deep marks in the ground with every step.
Seeing Ashwatthama, Sirin felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity. In the egg that had allowed her to fully awaken as the Herrscher of Void, she seemed to have seen its figure before.
"Please, get everyone who can leave out of here. We'll hold it back." The two Valkyries raised their submachine guns and unleashed a barrage, but unfortunately, against Ashwatthama, such damage was no different from polishing its shell.
Ignoring the two Valkyries, Sirin and Bella ran into the village with the flow of evacuees. Unlike everyone else, who were fleeing in panic, a girl who remained inside a house ahead caught Sirin's attention. She walked to the window and saw Ivan kneeling before her mother. The young woman on the bed had clearly breathed her last.
Seeing this scene, countless memories surged into Sirin's mind once more.
"Bang!"
Ashwatthama struck with both forelimbs, sending the two Valkyries flying. It moved toward Ivan's house. With a rumble, the entire wall collapsed. Then, with a crash, Ashwatthama tore off the roof, leaving only a little girl curled up beside her mother, trembling in the howling cold wind.
Her instinct for survival told her to run, but fear had made her legs go weak, leaving her unable to stand. Suddenly, she noticed that someone had appeared atop the monster's head. It was Sirin, who had just returned from her memories.
Without any unnecessary flourish, Sirin snapped her fingers and sent it straight into Imaginary Space. The entire village fell silent. Even the sound of snowflakes landing on the ground became clearly audible. Apart from Bella, everyone stared wide-eyed at the scene before them in disbelief.
Before you continue