You're the Damn Valkyrie?! [Seeking Collection, Seeking Follow-up Reads!]

Don't tense up. Read the moves. Prepare to dodge.

Yang Ming repeated this reminder to himself in his heart.

The memories of dozens of team wipes began to assault his mind.

He lowered his center of gravity, aligning his gaze with the blade, just like the starting stance he often used in the game.

The Valkyrie dove fiercely.

Yang Ming turned all his pressure into a single shout.

He lunged forward, swinging the lightsaber in his hand. The flow of time seemed to slow; the Valkyrie's sharp movements became traceable. Every muscle group in Yang Ming's body was about to explode with immense power.

Vwoom!

The two lightsabers clashed head-on, leaving afterimages in their wake!

Within almost a second, Yang Ming leaned back, bent his knees, and completed the force-dissipating motion with incredible speed. His body retreated naturally, and the lightsaber in his grip slid downward, scraping directly toward the Valkyrie's wrist, forcing her to abandon her pursuit.

The two colliding figures simultaneously pulled back—one leaped away, the other hovered—once again creating distance.

Silence. The entire tail compartment seemed to have hit a freeze frame.

The Valkyrie was clearly stunned.

A look akin to a machine glitch appeared on her face. A faint crease formed on her smooth forehead as she stared at Yang Ming's current sword-holding posture.

It wasn't just the Valkyrie who was stunned. The soldiers who could still keep their eyes open, the captain lying in a pool of blood, the crew and researchers hiding in the corners—all of them stared at this scene in disbelief.

The moment Yang Ming charged forward, everyone thought Third Mate Hanton had lost his mind.

But the Valkyrie was blocked.

Blocked head-on by that unremarkable third mate on the ship, wielding a lightsaber!

The slightly twisted smile on the Valkyrie's lips finally faded. She took a soft breath, and her form dove again.

Behind his goggles, Yang Ming's eyes were filled with resolve. He gripped his lightsaber with both hands and stepped forward once more, poised for a sweeping strike.

Vwoom, vwoom.

The sound of the lightsaber cutting through the cabin air was so seductive.

Another head-on clash. Another tactical retreat forced by skill.

Yang Ming's movements grew smoother, the power supplied by his muscles increasing once more.

The Valkyrie's form had yet to stabilize.

Yang Ming chose to lunge forward proactively, the afterimage of his lightsaber like a slithering giant python.

The Valkyrie slashed downward with a vertical cut.

Yang Ming feinted to the left, pulling the Valkyrie's attack off course, then unleashed the force stored in his legs, rolling his body to the left.

He brushed past the Valkyrie's lightsaber, and his own blade, like a whip, lashed across her back!

The Valkyrie stumbled forward two steps. The bathrobe on her back was torn, and a bloody gash appeared on her skin.

Even Yang Ming himself couldn't quite believe it. He lowered his head to look at the lightsaber in his hand.

He was... so strong now.

Strength and speed he had never experienced in the game.

"Lieutenant Hanton, this..."

"Hanton!"

"Nice one, Third Mate! Show her what's what!"

Shouts suddenly came from a few soldiers off to the side.

Yang Ming ignored them, his gaze locked on the Valkyrie as she slowly descended, her toes stopping just ten centimeters from the floor.

The Valkyrie had already realized the severity of the problem.

—She didn't have much combat technique right now.

Yang Ming had also discovered that the current Valkyrie was not the complete form from the Lost Voice; she had only just broken free from control.

The two figures charged at each other again on the same straight line.

Yang Ming felt as if he had returned to that broken, oppressive dungeon space, facing the formidable Valkyrie, falling into despair time and time again.

But if you stripped away the outer shell of despair, what was left?

Footwork.

Yang Ming dodged left and right. The Valkyrie's lightsaber was always half a beat slower, always a few centimeters short of touching him.

Skill prediction.

Every time the Valkyrie raised her hand, there was a subtle difference, allowing him to determine what move she was about to use.

While dodging and weaving, Yang Ming's lightsaber would always appear at some impossible angle, waiting for the Valkyrie to run into it, leaving a scratch on her smooth, high-toughness skin.

The Valkyrie's expression had completed its transformation from morbid, to shock, to frustration, and finally to anger.

She had actually been humiliated by her own subordinate Lifeform!

Yang Ming's assault grew increasingly fierce, the wounds on the Valkyrie multiplying rapidly.

A sharp shriek burst from the Valkyrie's mouth, a red light wave rippling outward from her forehead once more.

But as she turned, she found Yang Ming already several meters away, a pale red light shield erected around him like a reef before the tide, shattering the red light wave into fragments.

A faint curve tugged at the corner of Yang Ming's mouth.

Already entering the second stage?

His left hand slipped into a black fingerless glove, the disc on the back of his hand spinning gently as an eighty-centimeter-diameter round shield materialized over his knuckles.

Sword and shield in tandem!

Yang Ming charged forward, and the Valkyrie visibly hesitated.

"Aren't you going to eat me, Posa? Is this how you devour me?"

The warrior unleashed his elegant taunt.

The Valkyrie was clearly enraged, hoisting her Lightsaber and diving again.

Yang Ming, of course, hadn't forgotten the gap in absolute power between them.

He seemed to press the attack, but it was still a feint. The moment the Valkyrie's Lightsaber struck empty air, the light shield wedged itself between their bodies, driving its edge into the Valkyrie's developed yet soft pectoral muscles.

The Valkyrie's form immediately tilted, and Yang Ming's Lightsaber thrust forward in pursuit, his waist twisting and feet pivoting for positioning.

Before the Valkyrie could stabilize, the Lightsaber struck her wrist, and the shield ramming in again shattered her balance.

Yang Ming had suppressed the Valkyrie!

A faint ray flashed from the side—a Laser Gun fired at the Valkyrie but left no visible injury.

Still, better than nothing.

Behind his goggles, Yang Ming's eyes grew colder, his movements more precise, every ounce of his strength spent without waste.

He might actually be able to throw the Valkyrie to the ground.

It was time to end this.

Geglov leaned on his cane, hurrying down the path to the Tail Compartment.

The earpiece had gone mostly silent—the valiant Imperial Soldiers were dead or dying, and the Captain could no longer command.

"Posa, where are you going, Posa."

Geglov muttered endlessly.

But when he rounded the corner, burst through the final corridor, and reached the edge of the Tail Compartment, he suddenly froze.

Geglov's red prosthetic eye flickered faintly, his expression cycling through numbness, shock, and disbelief, his intact eyeball reflecting the scene below:

The chaotic Tail Compartment, an overturned mech, only a few soldiers still able to move;

The mighty Valkyrie pinned to the floor by a light shield, the flailing Lightsaber trying to inflict fatal wounds but only leaving bloody gashes on her smooth skin.

Oh, by the Imperial Star!

"Hanton?"

Geglov stared at the figure suppressing the Valkyrie, his voice trembling.

This overturned Geglov's understanding of the power dynamic between the two.

If that were the case, if Hanton could still obey his commands, if—

Yang Ming suddenly glanced up at Geglov.

That single look was enough for Geglov to reach a conclusion he himself found absurd.

This wasn't Hanton.

Or rather, Hanton, too, had been taken over by the ancient Deity's mind!

"Hanton, answer me, Hanton!"

Geglov shouted in a hoarse voice.

Suddenly, the Valkyrie looked up at the professor. Already battered and scarred, she slammed her hand violently against the Tail Compartment's deck.

That motion!

Yang Ming immediately retreated, putting as much distance as possible between himself and the Valkyrie, grabbing two Shock Grenades from the tactical pack strapped to his chest.

Sure enough, the Valkyrie began to tremble all over. Beams of red light pulsed back and forth, and a pair of light wings gradually coalesced from the red glow on her back as she rose into the air again.

Two black dots flew in, exploding simultaneously on either side of her.

The Valkyrie threw her head back and howled, her long hair whipping wildly, the wounds on her body healing at a visible rate.

She spun around abruptly, fixing her gaze on Yang Ming.

At that moment, Geglov hesitated no longer. Trembling, he pressed the tip of his cane three times. Gears clicked and ground inside the staff as it dismantled itself, delivering a small Hourglass into Geglov's hand.

The hourglass was wrapped in a blue arc, with a single suspended particle at its center, while above and below were two peanut-sized pink flesh masses that seemed to be squirming.

When Geglov grasped the hourglass, the blue arc receded on its own.

The Valkyrie, who had been about to charge at Yang Ming, and Yang Ming himself, who had once again gripped his lightsaber with both hands, ready to use a warrior's forward roll to outmaneuver her, both stopped in unison.

Red light flickered in their eyes as they fixed their gazes on the hourglass in Geglov's hand.

Yang Ming felt an overwhelming craving for those two cell clusters, but he snapped back to his senses.

Were those organoids cultivated from Ancient God Lifeform cells?

Yang Ming held back, but the Valkyrie had already charged forward recklessly.

Geglov raised the hourglass high, pressing a red button with his finger.

"Posa, you know what this is! Stop!"

Geglov shouted, his gaunt face, half-eaten away by machinery, twisted with a mix of madness and resolve.

The Valkyrie actually halted.

She stared at Geglov's raised left hand, the ferocity on her face quickly fading, replaced by a girl's innocent charm, and then she gazed at Geglov with her clear, bright eyes.

"Professor," she spoke, her voice like the most beautiful sound in the world, "you'll make it happen for me, right?"

Yang Ming, left standing by, felt his throat bob a few times.

Just then, a flash of movement in the corner of his eye caught the 'green little plane' icon appearing on the Landing Ship's hatch.

Joy surged in Yang Ming's heart, and without a moment's hesitation, he turned and bolted toward it.

Praise the Ancient God!

Dr. Lina had finally activated the Landing Ship's operating system!

The Valkyrie paid no attention to Yang Ming, her gaze locked on the hourglass in Geglov's hand.

As he ran, Yang Ming kept observing, and through his earpiece came Geglov's voice.

"Posa, I can make it happen for you, but you must not lose control. You have to keep your sanity. You'll become the greatest existence in this empire, a being like a Deity, but you must stay rational. Prove your rationality to me, Posa."

"Give it to me, Professor."

"That's impossible, Posa. Right now, I need to figure out whether you're that monster or my Posa!"

"You won't really destroy me, Professor," the Valkyrie's voice carried a hollow, dreamlike quality, as if she were using Mind Control. "I'm your greatest masterpiece, your life's work. To you, I'm irreplaceable."

"Don't come near me! Listen! Posa!"

"Professor, hand it over, and I can make you my vassal, my closest vassal."

"Posa."

Geglov's voice suddenly turned calm.

Yang Ming, who had already reached the Boarding Passage, turned his head and saw this scene:

The Valkyrie floated in the air, lightsaber in hand, her hair naturally tying itself into Twin Tails, as if to evoke Geglov's memories.

She kept emitting mental interference.

The gaunt Geglov held the hourglass high, his Mechanical Eye flashing red, while his other, normal eye was filled with reluctance and affection, unaffected by the mental interference.

No!

Geglov was definitely going to destroy those two cell clusters!

And that hourglass-like device must have the power to destroy the Valkyrie and this entire Research Ship!

Yang Ming didn't know how he'd reached that conclusion.

But from Geglov's expression, Yang Ming read this message:

Brother Ji wasn't going to go soft this time!

The hourglass holding the cell clusters, with its unique structure, looked like...

Holy shit! An Antimatter Bomb!

Yang Ming's soul nearly fled his body as he scrambled into the passage, hurtling toward the open hatch ahead in the microgravity environment.

Dr. Lina sat in the co-pilot seat, watching Yang Ming rush over with tension.

"Prepare for ejection!" Yang Ming roared.

Suddenly.

"Hanton," the First Mate appeared at the end of the passage, floating over in panic, "Wait for me! Oh, no! I'm begging you, Hanton! Stop! Hanton!"

Dr. Lina clearly hesitated for a moment, but there was no wavering in Yang Ming's eyes.

He moved quickly, unstrapping his tactical backpack, then turned and aimed at the First Mate.

The First Mate's expression went blank: "Hanton, what are you doing, Hanton! No, you can't do this! I'm your superior!"

"Hello, superior."

Yang Ming's muscles tensed as he hurled the backpack with force, his floating body accelerating forward again.

The First Mate was hit square in the back by the backpack, his forward momentum instantly snapping backward. Unable to find purchase in zero gravity, he slid straight back into the Tail Compartment and tumbled onto the simulated gravity zone.

"See you later, boss."

Yang Ming straightened his collar, his body already drifting into the Landing Craft. He decisively slapped the door-closing button.

"Hanton, the First Mate!" Dr. Lina's voice trembled as she called out.

"Personal grudge."

Yang Ming said calmly.

As the hatch rumbled shut, he turned and slammed the glowing launch button.

The channel's gate sealed rapidly, rows of pale blue indicator lights flickered to life ahead, and a powerful electromagnetic field enveloped the ship's hull.

Before Yang Ming could even settle into his seat, a sudden surge of thrust slammed him against the rear hatch.

They had barely burst into the starry void when a rapidly expanding flash erupted behind them.

The Antimatter Bomb had detonated!

Fortunately, this small Landing Craft had already ejected a fair distance, and the vessel itself was designed for planetary landing and exploration—boasting a sturdy Ship Hull structure and a miniature shield, tough enough to take a beating.

The only one suffering was Yang Ming. Unable to fasten his seatbelt in time, he was tossed around like a chestnut in a giant centrifuge and knocked unconscious.

In the midst of his tumbling, he still "saw" a scene:

The Valkyrie suddenly struck, diving fiercely at Geglov. Her Lightsaber thrust toward his chest, and her left hand grabbed for the Hourglass.

But Geglov only sighed, pressing the red button all the way down. He let the Lightsaber pierce through his chest, and his right arm fiercely wrapped around the Valkyrie.

"You are perfect, Posa."

Geglov murmured as if in a dream.