The Storm Approaches

"Ugh... my head hurts so much... Where... where am I?" The young boy woke up amidst the ruins, his senses gradually returning.

He was pinned down by a section of wall amidst the debris. A heavy rain had started falling, each drop hitting his head, making it impossible to open his eyes.

"Tianwen... don't be scared... Big brother is here." The boy strained his arms, trying to push away the wall pressing down on him, but it was no use.

"Hello? Hello, sir, are you alright?" a timid voice suddenly sounded near the boy's ear.

Chen Tianwu, illuminated by a flash of lightning in the sky, saw who it was: a girl with long chestnut hair, wearing a standard Schicksal battlesuit, her pink eyes filled with concern.

"Hold on, sir, don't worry, I'll save you!" The girl bit her lip and pushed with all her might against the wall pressing down on Chen Tianwu, moving the precast slab off him in less than a minute.

The girl quickly helped Chen Tianwu up. "Are you alright, sir?"

"...I'm... I'm fine. Thank you... kind young lady." A warmth surged through Chen Tianwu's heart. To be treated like this when disaster struck and everyone was just trying to save themselves, Chen Tianwu was deeply moved.

"It's okay, I'm a Valkyrie, protecting you is my duty~" A smile appeared on the girl's dust-covered face. "I'm Anna, a Valkyrie of Schicksal. What's your name?"

"I'm Chen Tianwu. It's nice to meet you, Anna... Have you seen my sister?"

Chen Tianwu took out a photo from his pocket and handed it to Anna. In the photo, a little girl was holding a small red doll, her face beaming with happiness.

Anna's pupils contracted sharply when she saw the girl in the photo, a flicker of panic crossing her face. "I... I don't think I've seen this little girl."

"Oh..." Chen Tianwu's eyes visibly dimmed. Anna patted Chen Tianwu's arm. "Don't worry, I... I'll help you look for her later!"

"Thank you, Miss Anna."

The two walked slowly in the rain, leaning against each other.

Chen Tianwu carefully observed the girl in the beret. Despite the dust on her face, it couldn't hide her stunning beauty.

"You... you're really beautiful..." Chen Tianwu blurted out, then lowered his head in embarrassment.

Anna was taken aback, then chuckled. "Thank you, Mr. Chen, you have excellent taste~"

"Where are your teammates? Aren't they with you?"

Anna's expression changed, and she gave a somewhat desolate bitter smile. "They... they died in battle... I couldn't protect them... I was too weak..."

Chen Tianwu sighed sympathetically. "It's not your fault. Everyone is afraid when facing death. What's important is whether we can do more meaningful things before death arrives."

"Thank you, Mr. Chen."

"Um... if we manage to escape here alive, will you go on a date with me?" Chen Tianwu asked with a sly grin, meeting Anna's gaze.

"Huh? Huh?!" Anna instantly turned into a flustered mess, her face as red as a ripe apple. She looked at the ruined buildings around them, then at the boy in front of her who, even in this hell on earth, still held onto hope. She took off the heart-shaped pendant on her chest, broke it in half, and handed one piece to Chen Tianwu. "This is the most important thing to me. If we escape here, I'll agree to your date. Let's consider this our bet!"

"Okay, it's a deal!" They linked pinkies to seal their promise.

"BOOM!" A huge opening was blasted in the building ahead, and a massive dark shadow emerged from the breach. A colossal Temple-class Honkai Beast appeared before them.

"Quick, get down!" Anna covered Chen Tianwu's mouth and hid behind an abandoned car, not daring to breathe.

The Honkai Beast, about twenty meters tall, rotated its single crimson eye, searching for prey. Its gaze swept over the dilapidated car in front of them but found nothing.

"Are... are we going to die?" Chen Tianwu clenched his fist, unwilling to accept it. "I haven't found my sister yet..."

"Don't worry, I'll protect you!" Anna gently patted Chen Tianwu's hand.

Just as the Honkai Beast turned to leave, and they thought they were safe, Anna's communicator suddenly emitted a series of beeps. Anna immediately pressed the power button, then looked up to see a massive eyeball staring menacingly at them.

Anna screamed in fright and pulled Chen Tianwu as they ran for their lives.

"ROAR—" The Honkai Beast let out a piercing roar, flipping over the car and charging at them.

Anna looked back, drew her sword, and faced the charging Honkai Beast. "I... I'm not afraid of you, come on!"

The Honkai Beast grinned and swung its spear. Just as it was about to strike Anna, a cannonball flew from a distance and hit the Honkai Beast squarely on its back, knocking it to the ground.

"Heavy Trooper Bunny, hit confirmed. Reloading." A mechanical voice came from not far away.

"Are you two alright?" Himeko arrived beside them and asked.

"We're fine, thank you for your support," Anna said gratefully to Himeko. "I am Anna Sandayate, an A-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal, and the captain of Schicksal's Manila Snow Lotus team."

"A pleasure, Miss Anna. We are a rescue team from the Far East Branch. I am the leader, Murata Himeko. Please leave this to us; we will escort you out of here."

"Excuse me, Ms. Himeko, have you... have you seen my sister?" Chen Tianwu asked with great anticipation. "My sister and I were together when the Honkai outbreak occurred. I got separated from her when I tried to lure away a Honkai Beast."

"BANG!" Another armor-piercing round hit the Honkai Beast. This time, it couldn't get back up.

Himeko took the photo, glanced at it, and exclaimed, "We just rescued a young lady who looks very much like your sister. Come with me!"

"Okay!" Chen Tianwu's spirits immediately lifted. He tried to run but stumbled and fell. Anna went to help him up, and the group slowly entered an abandoned building.

"One, two, three, look! You win!"

"Wow, really?! Sister is so amazing!"

Kiana sat beside the little girl, cheering her up. Sheng Jiu and Yae Sakura stood guard nearby, their hands never leaving their weapons.

"Tianwen!" Chen Tianwu rushed over and threw himself in front of the girl.

"Bro... Brother!" The little girl also hugged Chen Tianwu tightly, tears streaming down her face. "I waited for you for so long, everyone left, I was so scared!"

Chen Tianwu hugged the girl's head, tears also flowing down his face. "I'm sorry, it's my fault. We'll never be separated again!"

Kiana watched the touching scene, wiped away a tear, and nudged Sheng Jiu. "Hey, aren't you crying at such a moving scene? How can you be so heartless?"

"??? You win." Sheng Jiu's face was covered in dark lines.

Himeko walked to the window, pulled aside a corner of the curtain, and looked out.

Outside, a torrential downpour had already begun. The air was misty, obscuring the roads. Honkai Beasts and Mortals near the building were gathering downstairs. Mortals were already swarming around the corpse of the Temple-class Honkai Beast that had been killed earlier, devouring it. In the distance, a faint purple light was intermittently flashing.

"Sigh, is this what hell on earth is like..." Himeko muttered.

The sun was slowly setting. Yae Sakura frowned as she watched it descend. She glanced at her watch: "A storm is coming. Tonight might not be peaceful. We have eight hours until the bombing; we need to get out of here before then, otherwise..."

Sheng Jiu nonchalantly wiped the Honkai Beast tissue fluid from Jueying. "Don't worry, we'll escape."