Don't Hit the Face

"Back to business," Theresa said, clapping her hands to draw everyone's attention. "Considering this mission might require operations in the deep sea, I, the Headmaster, am granting you all temporary permission to use the Third Generation General-Purpose Armor."

"Wow, really, really? Give it to me, give it to me!" Kiana excitedly rubbed Theresa's cheeks.

"Stop it, don't pinch me, in your dreams..." Theresa pushed away Kiana's grasping hands.

"Oh, okay, I'll try it," Kiana tapped the newly appeared "Domain Armor: White Comet" option on her wristband and pressed it.

A flash of white light later, Kiana's school uniform was replaced by a pure white, form-fitting suit. The suit perfectly accentuated Kiana's explosive physique, with long, slender legs, an impossibly thin waist, and the... Personal Armor on her chest, signifying the armor's extreme resilience.

"Hmph!" Kiana shyly covered her chest, glaring at Sheng Jiu with a murderous look. "Pervert! Don't look at me!"

"Why! You're not naked, it's just a bodysuit, what's the big deal!" Sheng Jiu retorted indignantly, only to realize his nosebleed had started flowing unnoticed. "...Don't mind the details, you guys continue!"

"Go to hell!" Kiana fumed and kicked at Sheng Jiu. Unexpectedly, Sheng Jiu was prepared and tilted his body slightly, thinking he could dodge the kick.

To everyone's surprise, as Kiana's foot neared Sheng Jiu, a massive phantom image appeared, sending Sheng Jiu crashing hard against the windowpane. The immense impact shattered the glass, and Sheng Jiu was kicked clean out the window, rolling a couple of times on the ground before coming to a stop.

"My new window!" Theresa rushed to the window, then realized, "Wait, no! Sheng Jiu! Are you okay?!"

The others turned, staring in shock at the bewildered and pale-faced Kiana. Himeko spoke first, "Kiana, I know this guy can be a jerk sometimes, but wasn't that kick a bit too strong?"

Kiana was already terrified and flustered, stammering for a long time without being able to speak, "I... I don't know... I really just gave him a light kick, I didn't expect it to be like this..."

Kiana rushed out of the office and outside, helping up Sheng Jiu, who had his eyes closed and his left cheek bruised, her face full of concern. "Wake up... I didn't mean to, I really didn't expect this..."

Sheng Jiu slowly opened his right eye, and a stream of tears flowed down. "My perfect face... sob sob you're bullying me, they always say don't hit the face, but you're not only hitting me now, you're even using your foot, sob sob sob..."

Kiana was startled, seeing him genuinely cry from pain for the first time. She awkwardly tried to comfort him, "Don't cry, don't cry, it's my fault, it's my fault, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, let me blow on it, whoosh~"

Kiana gently blew on the corner of Sheng Jiu's left eye, which had turned completely purple. Sheng Jiu, who had been crying and fussing, quieted down, but he seemed to be... enjoying it a little?

"Alright, you two!" Theresa shouted irritably through the broken glass. "If you're done, hurry back, I still have important matters to discuss!"

Kiana, wearing the thin, bodysuit-like armor, helped Sheng Jiu up and said in a low voice, "You, don't you dare touch me, or I'll kill you!"

Sheng Jiu grumbled indignantly, then opened his hand, allowing Kiana to lead him back to the office.

"I think Sheng Jiu's physical condition is too strong. If that kick had hit me, I would have definitely fainted," Himeko whispered to Fu Hua.

"Don't worry, Teacher Himeko, Kiana isn't someone who acts without reason."

"..."

"Okay, you all saw Kiana's kick just now. The armor she's wearing is the Third Generation Close-Combat Specialized Armor, [Domain Armor: White Comet]. This is a new type of armor specifically developed to enhance Valkyries' close-combat capabilities. Kiana, turn around," Theresa coaxed the reluctant Kiana to turn.

On Kiana's smooth, jade-like back was a small reactor. "The White Comet armor carries a prototype Power Core on its back, which can absorb Honkai Energy gained from combat as its own power source, thereby increasing the armor's endurance. The Power Core can also release the Honkai Energy within the back-mounted unit at several times the normal supply rate, greatly enhancing the armor's combat capability in a short period."

"The biggest highlight of this armor is its integration of Schicksal's top-tier projection technology - 'Burst Mode,' commonly known as the Burst System. Once activated, it can project different objects according to the user's preferences to assist them in combat. Kiana's kick just now was thanks to the Burst System."

"So cool!" Kiana looked down at the armor on herself. "This armor is really flexible when moving, it just looks like a bodysuit."

Theresa patiently explained, "Because this armor uses compression technology and is made of composite materials, the armor is directly integrated into the lining, so it looks no different from a bodysuit."

"What about Yae Sakura and Bronya? Are they wearing this armor too?"

"No, they have their own exclusive armors," Theresa said, looking at the two of them.

Yae Sakura and Bronya understood and showed off their armors to everyone.

Yae Sakura changed into an armor with a pink color scheme. Unlike Kiana's armor, this one had a distinct Eastern armor style. "The armor equipped for Yae Sakura is a specialized armor developed for close-quarters combat, [Impulse Armor: Crimson Lotus]. Therefore, Crimson Lotus has extremely high mobility. The armor's skirt armor is shaped like an aircraft's tail wing, allowing the user to temporarily float and glide during combat."

"Thank you, Headmaster. I will make good use of this armor," Yae Sakura said with a smile, thanking Theresa.

"Bronya likes this armor," Bronya's words drew everyone's attention back to the yellow armor she was wearing.

"Wait, Bronya, your [Drive Armor: Yamabuki] is supposed to be a defensive armor. Why does yours look so thin?" Theresa asked, examining Bronya's armor, which wasn't much thicker than Kiana's White Comet.

"Bronya doesn't like heavy armor, so she removed the armor plates and forged them into a shield." The Heavy Trooper Bunny appeared before everyone, holding a massive shield.

"...Alright, then we'll do it your way. Bronya's Yamabuki armor is the strongest in terms of protection among you all. It can create a four-meter diameter protective circle around the wearer, and ordinary attacks find it difficult to break through this shield. Therefore, the user must deactivate the shield when using long-range weapons, otherwise, the projectiles will hit the inner wall. This is the armor's only drawback."

"Then, what about me?" Sheng Jiu looked expectantly at Theresa.

Theresa rolled her eyes at him. "You already have Mustafa, why do you want more? We'll just add some armor plates and a diving system to your original 'Polaris' Ranger Armor."

"!? Headmaster, you're playing favorites! Believe it or not, I'll steal your hidden..." Sheng Jiu's words were abruptly cut off by Judas. "You got me..."

"Alright, alright, that's all for today's meeting. I'll give you two days to rest and prepare. In two days, we'll head to Shenzhou. Be ready."