Desperate

"Thank you all for saving my younger sister. You gave both of us our lives back. If there's anything I can do to help, please don't hesitate to ask." Chen Tianwu thanked everyone respectfully.

"Mr. Chen, you're too kind. It was our duty," Himeko said, waving a hand. Then she took out a map. "You're a resident of the eastern district, right? The locators we brought have stopped working due to some unknown interference. We need your help finding a route to the outer district."

"No problem! My sister and I have lived here for eleven years. We know every corner of the place. From here, we go this way, and then..."

Sheng Jiu poked Kiana. She promptly brought her fist down on his head. "Ow!"

"What are you doing? Trying to take advantage of me?"

"No," Sheng Jiu said, scratching his head aggrievedly. Then he put a finger to his lips. "Look over there."

The two of them looked closely at the corner by the window. Anna sat there with her back to them, seemingly sobbing quietly.

Kiana slowly walked over and sat beside Anna. "Anna, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Anna hurriedly wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes and held her head in her hands, eyes brimming with tears. "N-Nothing. I wasn't crying!"

"You're lying, you know~" Kiana leaned closer. Anna was so startled that she shrank back again and again.

"I'll show you a magic trick." Kiana pulled out a bow, then closed her fist around it. "Watch closely. Three, two, one—ta-da!" Kiana opened her left hand, and the bow had turned into a lollipop.

"Wow! That's amazing!" Anna broke into a smile through her tears and took the lollipop.

"Thank you, Miss Kiana!"

Seeing that Anna was feeling better, Kiana gave a reassuring "OK" sign toward the shadows. Sheng Jiu left, satisfied.

"Anna, can you tell me why you were crying?"

Anna fell silent for a while before finally speaking. "Actually... while I was evacuating, I heard Mr. Chen's sister calling for help as I passed the ruins where she was trapped. But my teammates were already so far away. I was scared—scared I'd fall behind because I couldn't keep up with them, so I... left her behind."

"...I'm so useless... I'm supposed to be a Valkyrie, but I couldn't even protect everyone. How can I call myself an A-rank Valkyrie? What's the point of me being alive...?" As she spoke, Anna's eyes filled with tears again.

Kiana gave Anna a big hug. "Anna, this isn't your fault. Even Bishop Otto makes mistakes sometimes, let alone us Valkyries."

Meanwhile, at Schicksal Headquarters, someone sneezed. "Hmm, must be Rita complaining about me again..."

Kiana paused, then continued. "Everyone is born into this world for a reason. That goes for you too, Anna. Even if this world isn't perfect, we should still do our best to live on and create even a little bit of happiness in it..."

"Thank you, Miss Kiana. I won't back down again. I'll live on and witness the day humanity defeats the Honkai with my own eyes." Anna wiped away her tears, her pretty face gradually growing resolute. She smiled faintly at Kiana. "And please thank Mr. Sheng Jiu for me, too."

"Huh? You already figured it out?" Kiana blushed and switched off the tiny earpiece on her ear. In the next room, Sheng Jiu smiled wryly...

Night had fallen, and the downpour showed no signs of easing. The Honkai Beasts gathered downstairs showed no intention of leaving, either. One Honkai Beast and Soldier after another wandered aimlessly through the streets.

Sheng Jiu checked the time on his communicator. Six hours remained until the bombardment. He slammed his fist into the wall, punching a huge hole through the concrete.

"Hey! What are you doing? Have you lost your mind?" Kiana had been sitting on the floor with her arms wrapped around her knees. She jumped in fright, then hurried over to inspect Sheng Jiu's right hand, which was gushing blood.

"Tch. We might not make it out of this one. We lost contact with the Hyperion as soon as the rain started. I think..." He trailed off. "Hm?"

The communicator on the table suddenly rang without warning. Sheng Jiu and Kiana exchanged a glance, and he immediately answered. "Hello?"

"Thank goodness, I finally got through to you! Where the hell have you been?!" Theresa's furious roar came from the other end.

Sheng Jiu quickly briefed Theresa on their current situation. He could also hear faint sounds of gunfire from the other end.

"What's happening over there, Principal?"

"Things aren't looking good. The Hyperion was attacked by a large number of flying Honkai Beasts near Manila and can't get away anytime soon."

"Also, the entire force has lost contact with all the rescue teams in Manila. All communications equipment is completely down. Headquarters has already sent the Immortal Blades escort squad into the area."

"The last image transmitted by one of the drones before we lost contact showed an Emperor-class Honkai Beast... You have to... be careful... Don't..."

The signal cut off completely. Kiana was bandaging Sheng Jiu's hand and looked worriedly at his dark expression. "What happened?"

"We're trapped here. An Emperor-class Honkai Beast has appeared in the Manila area. We have to get out within four hours, and..." He paused. "Wait!"

Sheng Jiu suddenly raised a hand to stop Kiana's question, staring intently out the window. "Something's coming."

"Huh?" Kiana went to the window too, trying to make out the scene through the thick fog. "I can't see any—"

"Quick, wake everyone up! Get ready to evacuate!" Sheng Jiu drew Absolute Shadow in a flash and took a combat stance. Seeing how tense he was, Kiana immediately ran out to wake the others.

A tremendous crash sounded outside the room. The entire building began to shake rhythmically a second later.

"Damn it, what's going on?" Himeko stared coldly at the large number of Honkai Beasts suddenly fleeing below.

"Bronya thinks something big is approaching fast."

"Why are you all standing around? Hurry—"

Before Sheng Jiu could finish speaking, the window shattered, and rainwater poured inside.

"Brother, I'm scared!"

"Don't be afraid, Tianwen. I'm here."

"Don't worry, Mr. Chen. I'll protect you!"

Himeko rushed into the room and stood shoulder to shoulder with Sheng Jiu, sword in hand.

"Damn it, what is that thing?" Sheng Jiu wiped the rain from his face and looked outside.

Through the shattered window, the two of them saw a huge purple sphere of light hovering motionless in the air.

A flash of lightning revealed what the light belonged to: a gigantic Temple-class Honkai Beast, clearly more than fifty meters long. It looked like an enormous city wall, and dangerous blue light flickered all over its body.

According to the battlefield manual issued by Schicksal, Honkai Beasts between ten and fifty meters long were classified as lower-tier Honkai Beasts; those between fifty and a hundred meters were Emperor-class Honkai Beasts; and those over a hundred meters were the far rarer Judgment-class Honkai Beasts. Clearly, the enormous Temple-class Honkai Beast before them was an Emperor-class Honkai Beast.

"Supernova—Slash!" Without hesitation, Sheng Jiu set Absolute Shadow to its third mode. A solid blade of energy immediately slashed toward the Honkai Beast outside the window. It casually raised the shield on its right claw and blocked the blow, even though it was powerful enough to kill a Knight-type Honkai Beast in one strike.

"What—" Sheng Jiu stared in shock at the unharmed Honkai Beast, only for Himeko to drag him out of the room. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?! Run!"

"Boom!" The Honkai Beast furiously raised the spear on its left arm and thrust it into the room. The cramped room was instantly blown apart, reduced to a pile of splintered wood and bricks.

The two of them ran out of the room, where everyone was already waiting.

Holding his younger sister, Chen Tianwu nodded firmly at Himeko. "I know the way. Follow me!"

"Go!"

Everyone raced down the stairs at a speed that would have shattered the Guinness World Record, then ran out of the building, which was on the verge of collapsing from the attacks, and into the downpour.

"Keep up! Don't fall behind!" Sheng Jiu ran in the middle of the group, repeatedly checking that everyone was there.

Suddenly, a Clawed Soldier burst out of the fog and tackled the unprepared Sheng Jiu to the ground. Pinning down his hands with one front claw, it raised its sharp talons and brought them down toward his throat. Sheng Jiu closed his eyes, waiting for death...

A gunshot rang out. The Soldier's raised claw froze in midair, then it toppled onto Sheng Jiu.

"Huh?" The rain kept Sheng Jiu from opening his eyes. Confused, he pushed the Soldier's corpse away.

"What, you're just going to lie there? Are you waiting for me to come carry you?" A familiar voice sounded beside him. Someone pulled him to his feet.

"Keep up!" Kiana pulled Sheng Jiu into the torrential rain.

Sheng Jiu wiped the rain from his face and finally managed to make out his surroundings. Honkai Beasts and Soldiers kept emerging from the fog to block their way. Yae Sakura and Himeko, who were clearing the path, quickly dispatched them, while Anna and Bronya guarded Chen Tianwu and his sister.

"Phew, I don't think I've seen that big one."

Kiana breathed a sigh of relief. "Maybe it's already gone..."

A loud crash rang out. The building behind them collapsed, and a shadow appeared at their backs.

"Oh, for heaven's sake! You really did jinx us!" Sheng Jiu wailed.

"Is now really the time to talk about that? Run!"

"This way. Turn left." Chen Tianwu did his best to stay calm, leading everyone through a series of turns in the narrow alleys.

"Bronya, quick, help me contact Theresa!" Sheng Jiu cut down an Assault-type Honkai Beast and wiped the rain from his face again.

"Roger." Less than a minute later, Theresa's voice came through Sheng Jiu's earpiece. "Thank goodness, we finally got through to you! How did you end up... Oh my god, why are you being chased by that Emperor-class Honkai Beast?"

"Who knows?! Maybe it got dumped and is in a bad mood today. Think of something, Theresa!"

"Oh, right. We've just shaken off the Honkai Beast horde that had us pinned down. The Hyperion can fire a salvo of electromagnetic cannons at your location. Estimated time of arrival is two minutes."

"Then you'd better hurry, or you'll be collecting our bodies! When will the Hyperion have a whole carrier air wing, so it can help us out when we're in danger—"

"Watch out!"

The group ran out of the alley into a flat clearing. Behind them, the enormous shadow leapt into the air and landed right in front of them.

Only now could they get a close look at the Honkai Beast. Unlike others of its kind, the gigantic Temple-class Honkai Beast was covered in blue markings, from which wisps of mist billowed. The moment raindrops touched the mist, they turned into sharp hailstones and fell to the ground.

"Damn it, an ice-type Emperor-class? Looks like this is going to be rough." Sheng Jiu spotted a conspicuous gash on the Honkai Beast's left shoulder. "...If I'm not mistaken, someone attacked it, and it just happened to run into us..."

"Everyone, get ready to fight!" Himeko drew the greatsword from her back. Kiana turned to Chen Tianwu and his sister. "Mr. Chen, there's going to be a fight. Please get somewhere safe."

Chen Tianwu nodded. "We won't hold you back. Don't worry about us."

Sheng Jiu handed Chen Tianwu a dagger. "You know how to use this, right? Remember, protect your sister. Leave the rest to us."

"Understood!"