Ambush

Beside the entrance to the Hyperion, two infantry soldiers in uniform stepped down, a man and a woman. But if you stopped them and took a closer look, you'd be surprised to find that the girl's white hair was tied into two thick braids, while the young man had countless white strands mixed into his black hair.

Their hairstyles clearly violated Clause 6 of Article 5 of Schicksal's wartime military regulations. If you challenged them over it and pulled down their masks, the youthful-looking man would soon knock you out and stash you in a secluded corner.

"Hey, have you seen where Auntie went?" Kiana tugged at Sheng Jiu behind her.

"Short, carrying a huge cross, white hair. Come on, Miss Kiana, do you really need to see someone with a note on her back saying 'I'm Theresa' before you recognize her?"

"...You're yelling at me! Waaah..." Kiana pretended to sulk, all the while pinching Sheng Jiu hard in the waist.

Sheng Jiu's forehead instantly broke out in sweat. Surrounded by all the people coming and going, he gritted his teeth through the pain and managed to force out a smile. "Two o'clock. I see her."

"Hmph." Kiana slowly released her vicious grip. She spotted Theresa up ahead, then tugged Sheng Jiu along toward her.

Thanks to their uniforms and their silver tongues, the two quickly slipped out of the Changkong City garrison's line of sight and continued secretly following Theresa, who was not far ahead.

After many days, they had returned to Changkong City. It was three in the morning, and the city had become a forgotten place. Its former splendor had withered away. Crumbling walls, shattered windows, and dust-filled streets lay in complete silence.

Vines crawled over the outer walls of the buildings, as if recounting their former glory. The streets and alleyways stood empty, with only the wind rustling through them. Abandoned vehicles, covered in rust, were scattered along the roadside like forsaken beasts. In the city center, the statues in the square had been reduced to broken fragments; their former glory was gone.

As she walked, Kiana glanced back and urged him on. "Hurry up, you big lazybones! We're going to lose sight of Auntie!"

Sheng Jiu leisurely waved a device in his hand that looked like a walkie-talkie. "Don't worry. Even if we lose sight of the principal, we can manage on our own."

"What's that?" Kiana leaned closer to take a look.

"Look, I grabbed this Honkai Energy detector when we slipped past the outer perimeter. If there's a Herrscher in Changkong City, then it should be—" Sheng Jiu pointed at the red dot on the screen. "Here, at Senba Academy!"

At that, Kiana's pupils visibly contracted. "Senba... Senba Academy?! Are you sure?"

Sheng Jiu was startled by Kiana's reaction. "What's wrong? Is something the matter?"

"Me, Yae Sakura, and Bronya escaped from Senba Academy when the Third Honkai erupted. It was Yae Sakura's and my alma mater!"

"What?!" Sheng Jiu was confused, too. "That makes no sense! If an outbreak of Honkai could only produce one Herrscher, and Yae Sakura's at school right now, then how could—"

"Look out!" Kiana shoved Sheng Jiu to the ground. Two sword auras swept over their heads without warning. Sheng Jiu sprang to his feet in a flash and glared coldly toward the direction of the attack.

A woman suddenly emerged from a nearby corner, gripping a large blade in each hand. She wore a white suit of armor unlike Schicksal's standard issue; it covered only parts of her body, leaving patches of unnaturally pale skin exposed. Her expressionless face fixed on the two of them, her orange, lifeless eyes filled with bloodlust and madness.

"Damn, we hit the jackpot." Sheng Jiu stared grimly at the woman as she rubbed her blades together, then drew Jueying.

"What is that?" Kiana drew the Colt Defender revolver from her holster. "I've never seen a dead soldier like her before."

"We're unlucky to run into her. She's a Loyal Ninja-Warrior Death, the highest-ranking kind of dead soldier. They're formed when fallen Valkyries are corrupted by Honkai." Sheng Jiu kept his eyes fixed on the dead soldier, not daring to let his guard down.

"Don't worry. Watch me blow her head off!" Kiana aimed at the dead soldier and quickly fired two shots.

The bullets streaked toward the dead soldier like meteors. Just as they were about to hit, she suddenly vanished like a ghost, reappearing directly behind Kiana. It happened in the blink of an eye; she moved so fast that she left afterimages behind.

"Wh—" Kiana heard the wind of a blade behind her, but it was too late to dodge. Just as the blade was about to slice through the skin on her back, a katana intercepted it and blocked the otherwise certain strike.

"Die, you bitch!" Sheng Jiu kicked the dead soldier away and shook his numbed hand. She rolled across the ground, quickly got back up, and prepared to charge again.

"Hey, Snowball, you okay?"

Kiana stared at the Loyal Ninja-Warrior Death, shaken. "...Phew, that was close. I almost got cut! Thanks, big lazybones!" Just now, Kiana had truly felt the pressure of death. If Sheng Jiu hadn't blocked the attack, she might already have been sliced up like sashimi.

"She seems to be able to teleport. Ranged weapons probably won't do much damage, so save your bullets. I'll hold her off in a moment; look for a chance to land a hit."

The Loyal Ninja-Warrior Death stared at her enemies and let out a shrill cry. She flashed in front of Sheng Jiu and lunged, thrusting her blade straight at him.

Unexpectedly, Sheng Jiu showed no fear. He charged straight at the blade. Just as it was about to cut his face, Sheng Jiu jerked his head to the side. The blade skimmed past his ear like a venomous snake, then plunged into the ground. Seeing this, the dead soldier roared madly and swung her other great blade at Sheng Jiu, driving it down with crushing force. But Sheng Jiu remained calm. He swung Jueying like a shield, firmly blocking the lethal blow.

The two weapons clashed with a grating scrape. Sheng Jiu glanced at Jueying, now slightly red from the impact, then tossed it aside, grabbed the dead soldier, and shoved her toward Kiana. "What are you waiting for? Shoot!"

He didn't need to remind her. Kiana had been watching their fight closely; she immediately aimed at the dead soldier's torso and fired an armor-piercing round. This time, the bullet pierced the dead soldier's left shoulder and passed through right beside Sheng Jiu's hand.

"What are you doing?! Are you trying to kill me—ow!" The dead soldier cried out in pain and began struggling violently. She flipped Sheng Jiu onto the ground, then yanked the great blade out of the earth and swung it down at him.

In desperation, Kiana fired more shots. This time, the dead soldier began to react, teleporting repeatedly and leaving a trail of afterimages across the battlefield.

Taking advantage of the opening, Sheng Jiu scrambled to his feet, picked up Jueying, and continued slashing at the dead soldier.

A trace of a feral grin appeared on the dead soldier's expressionless face as she swung her blade at Jueying.

At that moment, the great blade snapped the instant it touched Jueying. Jueying cut through it without resistance, severing the dead soldier's left hand. She stared expressionlessly at the hand lying on the ground.

"Nice! Big lazybones, hurry up and kill her!"

Sheng Jiu grinned, dashed up to the dead soldier, and seized the moment while she was stunned. One stroke later, her head fell.

Sheng Jiu turned to Kiana. "We did it!"

"Of course we did! With me helping you, what can't we do?"

"Oh? Is that so? Then I'll give you two ten points for conduct."

A sudden voice came from beside them. A chain wrapped around Sheng Jiu's leg without warning, dragged him to the ground, then hoisted him upside down.

"Waaah! What's going on?!" The sudden turn of events made Sheng Jiu scream. Kiana drew her revolver and kept watch for danger.

The white-haired nun emerged leisurely from the shadows and looked at the two of them. "You two have really gotten too big for your britches! Finding you here—should I be happy, or angry?"