In the summer, sunlight streamed through the lush trees of St. Freya Academy, scattering dappled patterns across the grounds. The academy was verdant, with emerald lawns and flower beds bursting with blossoms of every color, filling the air with fragrance. A breeze stirred, and petals drifted down like butterflies dancing through the air—a scene full of life.
On the training grounds, Sheng Jiu, drenched in sweat, leaned lazily against the wall and pressed an ice pack to his face, tongue hanging out. "I'm—dying—of—heat! How much longer until class is over?"
"You little brat, get up! Training isn't over yet!" The red-haired major angrily hauled Sheng Jiu to his feet. "I said you could rest after taking out fifteen projections. That's not even a lot! Look at you—you're already done after only eight!"
"Noooo—" His pig-like wail echoed across the entire training ground.
"Hang in there, you big lazybones! Our spirits are with you!" Kiana and the other two sat beside the shade canopy, watching Sheng Jiu with glee.
"Hey, do you think Sheng Jiu might actually get heatstroke out there? He's been fighting in this heat for two hours." Yae Sakura poked Kiana, her face full of concern.
"It's okay, Yae Sakura~" Kiana wrapped an arm around Yae Sakura's shoulders and cooed. "That guy's stamina is way better than ours. He'll be fine!"
"Bronya agrees with idiot Kiana."
Just then, Theresa hurried onto the training ground, a grave look on her face. "Fall in!"
The four of them and Himeko immediately lined up in front of Theresa, waiting for her next instructions.
Theresa grimly waved the tablet in her hand. "Headquarters in Europe just sent word. There's been a large-scale Honkai incident in the Manila region, and the situation is dire. We need to send a squad into the area to rescue civilians."
"Huh? Why can't we just send out the entire Far East Branch?" Sheng Jiu asked.
Theresa covered her face in exasperation at the absurd question. "If it were that simple, do you think I wouldn't know? Changkong City is right next to the Far East Branch. If we send everyone out, who'll guard the city and all those Honkai Beasts? Besides, based on the images sent back from the scene, an Emperor-class Honkai Beast may have appeared in Manila. After deliberating, Headquarters decided to launch a Honkai Energy fission warhead at the area in thirty-six hours. Until then, we need to rescue as many civilians as possible."
"Then, what did you have in mind, Principal?" Yae Sakura had already guessed what Theresa was planning.
"Exactly. I want you four to form a squad and go to Manila for a rescue mission. The conditions for this mission are very unusual: Headquarters will only allow one squad from each branch. Your squad is the top-ranked team in the whole school, so I want you to go to Manila and carry out the rescue."
Theresa trailed off, unable to finish. Sheng Jiu could see her worry and reassured her, "Don't worry, Principal. We'll take care of ourselves. It's just an ordinary mission, isn't it?"
"That's right! Protecting innocent people is the duty of us Valkyries! I'm going to become an S-rank Valkyrie someday, so this mission will be a piece of cake!" Kiana shouted, raising her hand.
Theresa looked at Sheng Jiu, then at the others, and finally made up her mind. "All right. But to be safe, Himeko will go with you on this mission. I'll head to Manila with the Hyperion and provide fire support nearby. There's no time to waste—we leave now!"
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