A Real Man Doesn't Flee the Battlefield

At this critical moment, three kunai flew from a distance, heading straight for the Honkai Emperor. The Honkai Emperor, caught off guard by this sudden attack, immediately redirected all the blades flying towards Kiana to surround itself and deflect the kunai.

Sheng Jiu, wielding the last remaining Gale Katana, stood in front of Kiana.

"You, how did you get here!"

"Leave this to me, run! Don't look back!"

Time rewound to a minute earlier. The three were pursuing the Honkai Emperor at full speed when countless clawed Honkai beasts, ambushing them, emerged from the ground and blocked their path.

"Damn it, that thing is different from other Honkai Beasts. It must have known we were coming and laid an ambush here in advance," Sheng Jiu cursed, drawing his katana.

"You go help Kiana, leave this to us," Yae Sakura said coldly to Sheng Jiu, her gaze fixed on the enemies before her.

"I'm counting on you." Finally, Sheng Jiu caught up to the Honkai Emperor at top speed and appeared at the crucial moment to block an attack for Kiana.

"Hey, you ugly monster, what kind of skill is it to bully girls? Fight me if you dare!" Sheng Jiu slowly walked towards the Honkai Emperor, dragging the Gale Katana. The blade scraped against the ground, sending sparks flying.

Man and beast began circling the area. Kiana and Rin watched anxiously from a distance. Kiana shouted, "Hang in there! Lazybones, I've already reported to command, they'll send reinforcements as soon as possible."

"No need. If it can block us here, it's likely already commanding lower-tier Honkai Beasts to suppress the other squads."

"Protect Rin, tell her everything will be alright. It's normal to be scared, don't put too much pressure on yourself." Seeing Sheng Jiu actually had the leisure to worry about others, Kiana clenched her fists. "You have to be careful..."

At this moment, the Honkai Emperor, tired of the tense atmosphere, roared and charged at Sheng Jiu. A cold smile appeared on Sheng Jiu's face. "Can't hold back any longer, huh? Slash!" Sheng Jiu leaned back, dodging the flying blades, and then kicked the Honkai Emperor in the stomach.

The Honkai Emperor immediately split off a blade to block Sheng Jiu's kick and sent three more blades from three directions to stab at him. Sheng Jiu parried one with his sword but was hit by the other two in the back.

The sharp blades instantly tore through Sheng Jiu's armor, and blood gushed from his back. Sheng Jiu grunted, pulled a sharp spike from the hilt of his katana with his right hand, and quickly inserted it into the Honkai Emperor's torso. A small spurt of bodily fluid sprayed out after the spike pierced the body.

The Honkai Emperor screamed and charged forward. The immense impact sent the unprepared Sheng Jiu crashing into a wall five meters away. The moment his back hit the wall, a piercing pain spread from his back. Sheng Jiu coughed up a large mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground.

"Sheng Jiu!" Kiana rushed forward immediately, cradling the severely injured Sheng Jiu. His appearance was horrific: his armor was in tatters, two large wounds marred his back, and his face was covered in crisscrossing cuts. He looked like a "bloody mess." Kiana looked at the dying Sheng Jiu in her arms, tears streaming down like a broken string. "Why are you pushing yourself so hard! If you can't win, retreat! Why..."

Sheng Jiu forced a weak smile. He trembled as he raised his hand, wiping Kiana's tears away. "A man... doesn't run from a fight... Help me up..."

Kiana, holding the weakened Sheng Jiu, entrusted him to Rin's care and walked towards the Honkai Emperor standing in the center of the battlefield, pistol in hand.

"Come back... Kiana... You can't beat it..."

Kiana looked at the giant beast before her and said, word by word, "It was you who hurt my companion. You will pay with your life!"

The Honkai Emperor's blades shot out from its back again, flying towards Kiana.

Kiana seized the opportunity, stomping on a blade and shattering it completely. She then leaned forward to dodge the blades whizzing past behind her. Standing up, she fired two armor-piercing rounds. The bullets precisely hit the spike Sheng Jiu had previously inserted. The Honkai Emperor's massive body trembled violently, and then it lunged madly towards Kiana.

Kiana dodged nimbly to the side and then leaped high into the air. She adjusted her posture mid-air and fired several shots at the Honkai Emperor's eyes.

However, the Honkai Emperor easily swung its blades, changing the position of its head, causing all the bullets to miss.

Seeing this, Kiana landed and rolled to create distance. But the Honkai Emperor wouldn't let up. It flapped the plates on its back, creating a strong gust of wind that swept towards Kiana. Kiana struggled to maintain her balance in the strong wind. Gritting her teeth, she continued to evade the Honkai Emperor. Suddenly, she noticed blood seeping from a wound on the Honkai Emperor's abdomen and an idea sparked.

Kiana concentrated her energy, aiming at the Honkai Emperor's wound and firing continuously. The bullets hit the wound, eliciting a pained roar from the Honkai Emperor. Seizing the opportunity, Kiana quickly moved closer, preparing to deliver a fatal blow.

However, the Honkai Emperor sensed Kiana's intention and swung its plates violently, sending Kiana flying. Kiana crashed heavily onto the ground, but she didn't give up, struggling to stand up.

At this moment, the Honkai Emperor was struck by several gusts of wind, sending its massive body flying backward. It crashed into the ruins behind it, kicking up a cloud of dust.

As the dust settled, Fu Hua stood in front of Kiana. "You've worked hard, Kiana."

Kiana looked at Fu Hua in disbelief. "Class Monitor! How did you get here?"

"I apologize. The moment I received the distress signal, I started heading here. I was delayed by some minor obstacles along the way. Now, I'll handle it. Go check on Sheng Jiu and the others; the medical team will be here soon." Fu Hua adjusted his red-rimmed glasses, calmly observing the re-emerging Honkai Emperor.

The frustrated Honkai Emperor shot out several more blades towards Fu Hua. Fu Hua walked directly towards them. Kiana couldn't help but shout anxiously, "Class Monitor, be careful of its blades, they can change direction!"

Fu Hua dodged the first blade with a sideward flip, then gripped the second incoming blade with both hands and tore it in half with his bare hands. He then used the broken blade as a dagger and stabbed it into the Honkai Emperor's left shoulder.

Unexpectedly, unlike Sheng Jiu's previous attack that had no effect on the Honkai Emperor's torso, the blade in Fu Hua's hand left a deep wound, from which thick bodily fluid oozed. Disregarding the Honkai Emperor's roar, he threw away the blade and punched into the wound, digging out a fist-sized crystal. "This time... it's goodbye!" The Honkai Emperor's massive body crashed to the ground and never got up again...

Forty minutes later, Sheng Jiu, his face covered in bandages, sat in the gunship cabin, recounting the recent events to Yae Sakura and Bronya. "And then, I swung my sword at that beast, but who knew that darn thing would..."

"End up slamming you into the wall? You looked so pathetic," Kiana said, rolling her eyes at Sheng Jiu and pressing down on the thick bandages on his back. "Take it easy, you. You're already this injured, you should be more careful with your body."

Sheng Jiu chuckled. "Well, I'm still alive, right? It's just a minor issue... I'm too tired, I'm going to sleep for a bit. Wake me up when we arrive." He then leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

Not long after, the gunship gave a slight jolt. Kiana, who had been spacing out, felt a weight on her shoulder. Turning her head, she saw Sheng Jiu leaning against her, asleep.

Kiana thought for a moment, then gently placed Sheng Jiu's head on her lap. Looking at his bandaged face, Kiana couldn't help but recall how, despite being covered in wounds, he had never cried out in pain, repeatedly trembling and getting up to charge at the Honkai Emperor to protect her and Rin. With a pang of heartache, she gently stroked Sheng Jiu's head.

She glanced at Yae Sakura and Bronya, who were sitting opposite her with motherly smiles. Kiana's face instantly turned red. She mouthed "just this once" but had no intention of waking Sheng Jiu up