Elegy of the Washer

"Damn it, even with Schicksal tech, a 2000-era supercomputer is still too garbage—fails at the critical moment." Watching the Frost Lantern fly out, Enoshia drew her bow to replicate the earlier effect, but within the anomalous gravity zone, the Frost Lantern's trajectory was pure chaos.

"No choice then. The rest is up to your luck." The moment she realized external support was useless, she immediately ordered the Emperor-class Honkai Beast under her control to self-destruct.

Though the energy from an Emperor-class Honkai Beast's self-detonation was clearly no match for the Herrscher of Frost before them, the resulting shockwave successfully hurled everyone lying on the ground into the air, allowing Cheng Lixue and Shigure Kira, who had been directly in the Frost Lantern's attack path, to dodge disaster.

But not all Valkyries were so fortunate. Cecilia and Salome were right in the path of two Frost Lanterns.

Cecilia, flung into the air, gripped Black Abyss White Flower and thrust it back, knocking the Frost Lantern that had already reached her away. Due to the recoil, she and the Theresa in her arms were sent flying, landing dozens of meters away on the snowy plain.

Salome threw all twelve of her flying daggers, but every single one was deflected. She could only watch helplessly as the Frost Lantern grew larger before her eyes. Her body flew back like a torn sack, and the scene before her gradually shifted...

May 1996

That was Salome's first mission as a member of Snow Wolf Squad, and also her first time partnering with Sabine Nicholas on a mission.

According to the report, over a hundred Honkai Beasts had appeared in the Zaporozhye region, but the highest was only Temple-class. Normally, this wouldn't require Snow Wolf Squad's deployment—just multiple B-rank Valkyrie teams would suffice. However, a large nuclear power plant was located in the disaster zone, and if it were destroyed, the consequences would be unthinkable. Additionally, sending the two of them was also meant to help the new team mesh.

As a team, each member of Snow Wolf Squad naturally had their own focus. Patrick handled intelligence gathering, Shigure Kira provided long-range support—during team operations, these two followed others' orders in areas outside their expertise. Cheng Lixue was undeniably the strongest among the six A-rank Valkyries, so when Cecilia was present, she served as vice-captain; when Cecilia was absent, she had full command of Snow Wolf Squad's actions.

Salome and Sabine both excelled in close and mid-range combat, so they inevitably needed frequent coordination. Their strength and age were similar—both were rising stars from their respective branches. But one was calm and elegant, the other wild and fierce—clearly the most likely source of trouble.

Salome understood Headquarters' "thoughtful" arrangement all too well. On the plane, looking at the elite from the South America Branch beside her, her heart was full of unease. What if she just charged in recklessly during battle, ignoring everything else? After all, Salome had no authority to command her.

Getting off the plane, looking down at the Honkai Beasts below, Salome was still planning tactics when Sabine grabbed Crimson Whisper and charged straight in. Salome's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately gave chase.

"Wait, we should discuss a strategy before acting..." Before she could finish, a wave of low-level Honkai Beasts had already been wiped clean by Sabine.

Hearing this, Sabine turned back and looked seriously at Salome:

"Why did Headquarters send the two of us here?"

"Because of the nuclear power plant."

"Exactly. Since the situation is urgent and there are no Emperor-class Honkai Beasts, shouldn't we finish this quickly?"

Salome stood frozen. She had mentally prepared herself to endure Sabine's temper, but instead received such a reasonable analysis. She realized she had wrongly labeled Sabine out of assumption.

Just then, a second wave of Honkai Beasts charged in, twice as many as before. Sabine showed no fear and plunged in again. Feeling guilty, Salome proactively supported her, precisely cutting down the Honkai Beasts in Sabine's blind spots. Working together, the Temple-class beasts were no match. In a one-sided battle, they easily eliminated all enemies.

"Thank you both for your assistance," the Valkyrie in charge of this area bowed to them in gratitude. From the moment they arrived, the others had just watched them dominate, ending the fight without firing a single shot.

After a brief exchange, Salome reported the mission to Headquarters. When the call ended, she found Sabine scrutinizing her closely.

"What's wrong?" Salome blinked, confused.

"Hmm, nice figure. No wonder you fight as gracefully as a dancer—were you a professional before?"

Salome nodded. Coming from a family of dancers, she had trained since she could remember.

Sabine slapped her forehead: "How could I forget the files I read? If you weren't a pro, you wouldn't have recruited Kira into Schicksal. Thanks for the fight just now. I haven't had that much fun in ages. Without your support, I couldn't have fought so freely without getting hurt." Sabine flashed a bold grin.

"Looks like this one's surprisingly easy to get along with," Salome thought, smiling at Sabine's shark-like teeth.

Just then, the communicator rang again.

"...Alright, I understand. Don't worry, since we're here, we'll see it through."

"What's up?"

"Headquarters wants us to ensure the nuclear plant's safety—coordinate with the local Valkyrie unit and do a thorough inspection before heading back."

"Any stragglers? Watch me root them all out." Sabine cracked her knuckles, looking excited.

Seeing this, Salome frowned:

"Inspecting equipment isn't the same as killing Honkai Beasts. We have to check every detail carefully. You can't just rush in."

"Oh, relax, relax—I'll make sure it's fine." Though Sabine didn't verbally concede, during the inspection, she followed Salome's instructions completely, checking every spot meticulously. Watching someone so brash do delicate work was frankly comical. As a rigorously trained Valkyrie, Salome usually didn't laugh—unless she couldn't help it.

From then on, the two were always great partners on the battlefield, the most outstanding pair among the Snow Wolf Fangs.

"Strange... why am I suddenly thinking about something from four years ago..." On the Siberian snowfield, searing pain dragged Salome back to reality. After being blasted away by the Frost Lantern, she had skidded nearly a hundred meters before stopping, leaving a trail of blood on the pristine white snow.

Salome used all her strength but couldn't move an inch. The agony of being torn apart told her that every bone in her body was broken—she would never stand again.

"So this... is the power of a Herrscher? Before a Herrscher, even an A-rank Valkyrie's strength is so insignificant..." Salome's vision grew darker. She knew her time was short.

"Nicholas... from now on, when you go on missions, someone else will have to handle the planning... She's actually easy to get along with. I hope... others can work well with her too..."

"Nicholas, the third street from the Louvre, turn right and go straight 200 meters—the parfait we bought together for the first time... I really... want to eat it one more time..."

The snow fell heavier. It landed on the ground with a rhythmic sound, as if offering a requiem to this Valkyrie.