"Whoosh!" A sharp rush of air rang out as Sheng Jiu cleaved through an Assault-type Honkai Beast. Wiping down his Gale Katana, he grimaced and said, "Damn! This thing's so small, but it's got that much goo inside it?"
Yae Sakura flipped over to dodge an Assault-type Honkai Beast charging at her at incredible speed, then sliced off one of its wings. Wiping the sweat from her face, she said, "This one's small for an Assault-type. The one Kiana and I saw at Senba Academy was as big as a bicycle!"
"Don't remind me, Sakura! The stuff that sprayed out when I blew its head off was disgusting!" Kiana fired her Dual Pistols at the charging Honkai Beasts, every shot hitting one square in the head. "Hey, Bronya, give me a hand over here!"
"Idiot Kiana, don't tell Bronya what to do." Heavy Trooper Bunny, standing behind Bronya, quickly took aim where Kiana was pointing and fired a shell, blowing the head off an unlucky Knight-type Honkai Beast.
"How much longer do we have to hold out here?" Sheng Jiu grabbed a lunging Clawed Soldier and drove his katana deep into its belly.
"Bronya remembers the headmistress saying we have to wait for reinforcements from headquarters before we can retreat." Heavy Trooper Bunny's autocannon never stopped spinning.
"Boom, boom, boom..." Regular tremors sounded in the distance. Watching the shell casings bounce off the ground, Yae Sakura said anxiously, "It seems... something big is coming."
A gigantic Tank-type Honkai Beast suddenly appeared around the corner of a distant street. It was even bigger than the Honkai Beast leader Sheng Jiu had encountered in the virtual space. The Tank-type let out a low growl and overturned a car as it slowly advanced toward them.
"N-no, don't come any closer!" Their classmate Miyamoto Rin, terrified by the enormous Tank-type Honkai Beast, fired her harpoon wildly. It struck the beast's hard forehead and bounced off. The tickling attack had clearly done no real damage; instead, it only enraged the monster. It threw back its head with a roar and charged even faster.
"Don't panic!" Kiana helped Rin up from the ground and gave her a comforting hug. "We're all here. We'll protect you." Rin clung tightly to Kiana and burst into tears. "...I'm so scared... I want to go home... Don't leave me..."
Seeing Rin's pale little face, Sheng Jiu slowly walked toward the hill-sized Tank-type Honkai Beast. "Kiana, take Rin back to rest. Leave this to me."
Kiana watched Sheng Jiu's retreating back, worried. "But what about you?"
"Don't worry. Leave it to me. Just watch me give it a little SPA to get it in the mood." Sheng Jiu glanced back at Kiana with a confident smile.
"Bronya, please contact the Hyperion and request one artillery barrage. Target my position. Fire in one minute."
"Understood, Idiot Sheng Jiu. Bronya will help you."
"And me!" Yae Sakura stood shoulder to shoulder with Bronya, clutching Demon Blade Muramasa.
"...Thanks, everyone." Sheng Jiu turned toward the approaching Honkai Beast, a hint of madness in his eyes. "Then let's fight to our hearts' content!"
Sheng Jiu flashed forward, charging at the Tank-type Honkai Beast. In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of it. As the beast raised its enormous forepaw and brought it down, he dodged aside at the last moment.
The immense force shattered the road. Seizing his chance, Sheng Jiu jumped onto the wreckage of a truck and used it as a springboard to leap onto the Tank-type Honkai Beast's back. He raised his katana and plunged it down with all his strength.
The instant the blade pierced the Honkai Beast, a torrent of pink bodily fluids gushed out, splattering Sheng Jiu. He casually wiped the fluid from his face and punched the hilt.
With a sharp crack, the alloy Gale Katana snapped cleanly in half. The Tank-type Honkai Beast immediately rolled over, flinging Sheng Jiu off its back.
"Look out!" Yae Sakura appeared from the side at the crucial moment and stabbed the beast's forepaw. The Honkai Beast recoiled in pain, immediately changing targets and starting after her.
"Bronya, now!" Sheng Jiu shouted to Bronya as he got back to his feet.
Just as the Tank-type Honkai Beast was about to catch up with Yae Sakura, Heavy Trooper Bunny appeared out of nowhere between her and the beast. The cannon in its right hand had somehow transformed into a sharp spear. It swung its right arm with all its might, and the spear collided with the Honkai Beast's forepaw, sending sparks flying.
Sheng Jiu drew a brand-new Gale Katana from his back and leaped onto the Honkai Beast again. He brought it down hard on the half of the broken blade embedded in the beast. The strike drove the broken blade deep into its back. The Honkai Beast began convulsing wildly, swatted Heavy Trooper Bunny away, and flung Sheng Jiu off its back once more.
Sheng Jiu was hurled hard to the ground again. The wound on his face had begun to bleed. He stared at the Tank-type Honkai Beast's raised forepaw and lifted his katana, bracing himself for the final moment...
Three rockets came flying from the distant sky and struck the Tank-type Honkai Beast with pinpoint accuracy. After spewing a huge mouthful of blood, the tenacious monster finally collapsed.
Sheng Jiu opened his eyes. Heavy Trooper Bunny was holding a car door in front of him, shielding him from the blast's aftershock.
"Thanks, big guy." Sheng Jiu affectionately patted Heavy Trooper Bunny's head, then looked toward Yae Sakura and Bronya as they ran up behind him. "That's... over."
"Yeah, it's over. Sheng Jiu, you were way too reckless just now. You almost got crushed to death by that thing." Yae Sakura gazed at the enormous corpse, still shaken.
"Come on, I did it to protect everyone. I'm not going to die that easily!" Sheng Jiu said, putting on a carefree act. But when he thought about it, if the Hyperion hadn't provided fire support in time, he really would have been pounded into a lump of meat...
The three of them finished tidying up the battlefield and were about to retreat when Sheng Jiu sensed something was wrong. There was still a strange presence on the battlefield. At first, he had thought it was the Tank-type Honkai Beast's aura, but now the beast was unquestionably dead, and that presence still hung in the air...
"Something's wrong!" Sheng Jiu drew the katana on his back again and tensely scanned his surroundings, trying to spot anything out of place.
"What's wrong, Sheng Jiu? Did you notice something?" Yae Sakura looked at him with concern. "Relax. The enemy's been eliminated."
"Bronya thinks Idiot Sheng Jiu is too tense."
"No, it's like there's something—" Sheng Jiu remained on high alert. Just then, the ground began shaking violently again, and another Honkai Beast emerged from beneath the ground in the distance. It was nearly as large as the gigantic Tank-type Honkai Beast.
This Honkai Beast had a smooth, rounded body, surrounded by layers of sharp blades. A circular ring of light resembling a DNA strand encircled its base.
Sheng Jiu stared at the Honkai Beast, sensing the aura it gave off. It was... the aura of death!
Unexpectedly, the Honkai Beast didn't attack the three of them. It merely glared at them coldly, then glided away at high speed.
"Eh? What was that thing?" Yae Sakura asked, looking puzzled.
"That was a Herrscher of Honkai, the strongest among the lower-tier Honkai Beasts. The three of us making it away from one unscathed is a miracle. It's strange. A high-tier Honkai Beast like that shouldn't be appearing on the outskirts of Changkong City." Sheng Jiu watched the Herrscher of Honkai disappear into the distance and breathed a sigh of relief. Then he seemed to remember something and took off in pursuit, heading in the direction it had gone. "Wait!? Could it be..."
"That's the direction Kiana and Rin went! Bronya, let's go!"
Nearby, Kiana supported Rin as they hurried toward the rear of the frontline. "How are you feeling, Rin? Any better?"
"...I'm sorry, Kiana. I held you back and made you come with me."
"What are you talking about? We're classmates. This is nothing." Kiana smiled and gave a thumbs-up. "Besides, I can keep you safe while I'm with you. No matter what kind of Honkai Beast it is, this young lady only has to—"
Before Kiana could finish, the Herrscher of Honkai appeared in front of them without warning. Seeing at a glance that it was dangerous, Kiana quickly shoved Miyamoto Rin aside. "Look out!"
A blade sliced between them. Kiana's heart lurched as she drew her pistol and unleashed a furious volley at the Herrscher of Honkai. Before the bullets could even touch its enormous body, the blades flying around it sliced them apart, and they clattered to the ground.
The Herrscher of Honkai let out a shrill screech. Blades circled around it as it charged toward Kiana at high speed.
At the crucial moment, Kiana's foot slipped, and she fell straight to the ground...
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