Emergency! Herrscher of Honkai

"Shwing!" With a rapid whistling sound, Sheng Jiu cleaved an Assault-type Honkai Beast with his sword. Wiping down his Gale Katana, he said with disgust, "Damn! This thing doesn't look big, but it's packed with so much goo!"

Yae Sakura flipped through the air, dodging an incoming Assault-type Honkai Beast. She sliced off one of its wings and wiped the sweat from her face. "An Assault-type this size is actually small. The one Kiana and I saw at Senba Academy was as big as a bicycle!"

"Don't remind me, Yae. What sprayed out after I blew its head off was too disgusting!" Kiana's Dual Pistols continuously fired bullets at the charging Honkai Beasts, each shot precisely hitting their heads. "Hey, Bronya, give me a hand here!"

"Idiot Kiana, don't tell Bronya what to do." The Heavy Trooper Bunny behind Bronya quickly aimed in the direction Kiana indicated. A cannonball was rapidly fired, blowing the head off a hapless Knight-type Honkai Beast.

"Seriously, how much longer do we have to hold out here?" Sheng Jiu grabbed a pouncing Clawed Soldier and thrust his katana deep into its belly.

"Bronya remembers the Headmaster said we need to wait for support from Headquarters before we can withdraw." The Heavy Trooper Bunny's left-hand machine cannon never stopped rotating.

"Boom, boom, boom..." At this moment, rhythmic tremors could be heard from not too far away. Yae Sakura looked at the spent shell casings being ejected onto the ground and said worriedly, "It seems... something big is coming from the distance."

A giant Tank-type Honkai Beast suddenly appeared at the street corner not far away. It was larger than the Honkai Beast leader Sheng Jiu had encountered in the virtual space. The Tank-type Honkai Beast let out a low roar towards the group, flipping over a car and slowly moving in their direction.

"N-no, don't come any closer!" Miyamoto Rin, a classmate, was so terrified by the giant Tank-type Honkai Beast that she wildly fired harpoons. The harpoons bounced off the Honkai Beast's hard forehead, failing to inflict any real damage. This ticklish attack only seemed to enrage the giant beast, which let out a roar to the sky and charged even faster.

"Don't panic!" Kiana helped Rin up from the ground and hugged her comfortingly. "We're all here, we'll protect you." Rin tightly hugged Kiana and burst into tears. "...I'm so scared... I want to go home... Don't leave me..."

Looking at Rin's pale face, Sheng Jiu slowly walked towards the mountain-like Tank-type Honkai Beast. "Kiana, take Rin back to rest for a bit. Leave this to me."

Kiana looked at Sheng Jiu's retreating back with concern. "But what about you?"

"Don't worry, leave it to me. Watch me give it a nice SPA treatment to liven things up." Sheng Jiu turned back and gave Kiana a confident smile.

"Bronya, please call for an artillery strike from the Hyperion, using my position as the target. The bombardment will commence in one minute."

"Roger that, idiot Sheng Jiu. Bronya will help you."

"And me!" Yae Sakura also gripped her Demon Blade Muramasa, standing shoulder to shoulder with Bronya.

"...Thank you, all of you." Sheng Jiu looked back at the charging Honkai Beast, a hint of madness in his eyes. "Now, let's have a good fight!"

Sheng Jiu's figure flashed, and he charged at the Tank-type Honkai Beast with extreme speed. In an instant, he was in front of the Honkai Beast. As the Tank-type Honkai Beast raised its massive front claw to strike, he sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the blow.

The immense force shattered the road. Sheng Jiu seized the opportunity to jump onto the wreckage of a nearby truck, using it as a springboard to leap onto the Tank-type Honkai Beast's back. He raised his katana and thrust it down fiercely.

The moment the katana pierced the Honkai Beast's body, a large amount of pink fluid gushed out, splashing onto Sheng Jiu. He indifferently wiped the fluid from his face and punched the hilt of the sword.

With a "crack," the alloy-made Gale Katana snapped in half. The Tank-type Honkai Beast immediately began to roll, throwing Sheng Jiu off its back.

"Careful!" At the critical moment, Yae Sakura appeared from the side and stabbed her sword into the Honkai Beast's front claw. In pain, the Honkai Beast immediately shifted its target and began chasing Yae Sakura.

"Bronya, now!" Sheng Jiu, who had gotten back up, shouted at Bronya.

Just as the Tank-type Honkai Beast was about to catch up to Yae Sakura, the Heavy Trooper Bunny appeared between them and the Honkai Beast. The cannon in its right hand had transformed into a sharp spear. The Heavy Trooper Bunny swung its right arm forcefully, and the spear collided with the Honkai Beast's front claw, sending sparks flying.

Sheng Jiu drew a brand-new Gale Katana from his back and leaped onto the Honkai Beast's back again. He fiercely slashed at the broken blade embedded in the Honkai Beast's body. This strike drove the broken sword firmly into the Honkai Beast's back. The Honkai Beast immediately began to convulse violently, swatting the Heavy Trooper Bunny away and once again throwing Sheng Jiu off its back.

Sheng Jiu was violently thrown to the ground again, blood beginning to seep from the wounds on his face. He looked at the Tank-type Honkai Beast's raised front claw and raised his katana, preparing to face the final moment...

Three rockets flew from the distant sky, striking the Tank-type Honkai Beast precisely. The tenacious giant finally collapsed to the ground after spitting out a large mouthful of blood.

Sheng Jiu opened his eyes. The Heavy Trooper Bunny was holding a car door, shielding him from the missile's aftermath.

"Thanks, big guy." Sheng Jiu affectionately patted the Heavy Trooper Bunny's head, then looked back at Yae Sakura and Bronya who had arrived. "This... is over."

"Yes, it's over. Sheng Jiu, you were too reckless just now. You almost got crushed by that thing," Yae Sakura said, still shaken as she looked at the massive corpse.

"Ah, I was just trying to protect everyone. I won't die that easily!" Sheng Jiu said with feigned ease. He knew in his heart that if it weren't for the timely artillery support from the Hyperion, he would have truly been pounded into a pulp just now...

As the three were cleaning up the battlefield and preparing to withdraw, Sheng Jiu suddenly sensed something was wrong. A strange aura had been lingering on the battlefield. At first, he thought it was the aura of the Tank-type Honkai Beast, but now that the Honkai Beast was thoroughly dead, that aura still permeated the area...

"Something's wrong!" The katana on Sheng Jiu's back was drawn again. He nervously observed everything around him, trying to find anything amiss.

"What's wrong, Sheng Jiu? Did you find something?" Yae Sakura looked at Sheng Jiu worriedly. "Relax, the enemy has been eliminated."

"Bronya thinks idiot Sheng Jiu is too nervous."

"No, it feels like something—" Sheng Jiu's guard remained high. At this moment, the ground began to shake violently again. From beneath the ground not far away, another Honkai Beast emerged, no smaller than the giant Tank-type Honkai Beast.

This Honkai Beast was smooth all over, surrounded by sharp blades. Its base was encircled by a ring of light resembling a DNA chain.

Sheng Jiu stared at the Honkai Beast, sensing the aura it emitted. It was... the aura of death!

Unexpectedly, the Honkai Beast did not attack the three. It merely glared at them coldly before gliding away at high speed.

"Huh? What was that?" Yae Sakura asked with a puzzled look.

"That was... a Herrscher of Honkai. It's the top-tier existence among lower-class Honkai Beasts. It's a miracle we three escaped unharmed. It's strange, such a high-level Honkai Beast shouldn't be appearing on the outskirts of Changkong City." Sheng Jiu looked at the departing Herrscher of Honkai, relieved. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and chased after the direction the Herrscher of Honkai had left. "Wait!? Could it be..."

"That's the direction Kiana and Rin left! Bronya, let's go!"

Not far away, Kiana was supporting Rin as they walked quickly towards the rear of the front lines. "How are you feeling, Rin? Better?"

"...I'm sorry, Kiana. I've dragged you down, making you have to escort me back."

"What are you talking about? We're all classmates. This is nothing." Kiana smiled and gave a thumbs-up. "Besides, with me accompanying you, I can guarantee your safety. No matter what Honkai Beast, this young lady just needs to—"

Before Kiana could finish, the Herrscher of Honkai appeared before them without warning. Seeing this creature that clearly meant trouble, Kiana quickly pushed Miyamoto Rin away. "Watch out!"

The blades passed between them. Shocked, Kiana drew her pistol and unleashed a barrage of fire at the Herrscher of Honkai. The bullets were cut down by the scattering blades before they could even touch its massive body, falling neatly to the ground.

The Herrscher of Honkai let out a sharp roar, its blades swirling around it as it charged at Kiana at high speed.

At the critical moment, Kiana slipped and fell to the ground