Honkai, Survive

Fang Jie added that he wasn't intimidated by Theresa's aura, nor did he dodge or flee. He met her gaze head-on.

"Hiss—!"

Theresa really wanted to swing Judah at someone.

It really is that child, Kiana, or rather K423. Siegfried once came to find her, that guy who was always drunk and looked so pathetic, but he'd lost an arm. Crying, he said he'd accepted that child, given her his daughter's name, and made a promise to protect the person he loved most, no matter the cost...

"Si! Eg!! Frie!!!"

Theresa didn't shout it out loud. Instead, she took a deep breath, wanting to say nothing.

It wasn't that she blamed Siegfried for letting Kiana run wild in Chang Kong City. Wasn't he secretly looking after her? If anything was to blame, it was Otto.

She just... she just... forget it.

Losing the desire to question Fang Jie further, Theresa's mood soured. "Major Himeko, the original plan remains unchanged. Execute the bait operation. However, you are not to go deep into Chang Kong City. You will be in command of the Hyperion!"

"Yes!"

It was an order, and Himeko accepted and executed it immediately, appearing quite calm.

"And you, Academy Principal?"

"Me?"

Theresa didn't answer, merely looking in the direction of St. Freya Academy.

—Judah, activate!

How could a free S-Rank Valkyrie be bound by the earth?

She turned and flew away, as if having made some kind of decision.

Watching Theresa depart so decisively, without even further confirming the truth of the intelligence, was actually reckless.

She truly wasn't afraid of something happening later that would make her gasp, "What? The intel was fake?"

Of course, it was also the Kaslana intuition that made Theresa believe Fang Jie's words.

Himeko, however, wasn't so inclined to believe. She shot him a fierce glare, rapidly issued orders to arrange for personnel to operate the Hyperion, and without hindering her from seizing Fang Jie again, she took over Theresa's interrogation, smiling very kindly. "Well? Why aren't you talking anymore? Is there anything else you want to say?"

Is it too late to ask you to let me go now?

I've truly been enchanted by you, this righteous woman, with a mere three-star knife!

However, Fang Jie still tightly gripped the Composite Blade: Willow Leaf, his face showing a mixture of joy and desolation. His lips moved, but no sound came out.

It wasn't until Himeko was about to haul him onto the Hyperion to be held that his attitude finally became respectful. He called out clearly, "Sister Himeko..."

"Don't call me 'Sister.' We're not that close!" Himeko interrupted him brusquely.

Fang Jie didn't argue with an angry woman and got to the point. "We must prevent the Honkai fission bomb from dropping in Chang Kong City."

Go to hell! Is this about the Honkai fission bomb now? That thing is meant to eliminate Herrschers. Where is the Herrscher now?

With another hateful headbutt, which brought on an intoxicating rush like love, he was blinded by his own impulsiveness.

The Herrscher hadn't even been hit, but the innocent Fang Jie suffered persecution. Himeko dared not let go, who knew if this guy would just disappear?

"Don't rush me," Fang Jie said, dizzy and agitated by the collision. "You can completely contact St. Freya Academy to confirm the safety of Raiden Mei and Kiana. The communication disruption only happened within Chang Kong City, right?"

"..."

Himeko felt a moment of embarrassment. She glanced in the direction Theresa had flown off. It wasn't that she'd forgotten; she'd probably been assimilated by Theresa. After all, when Theresa got serious, her overwhelming presence made it impossible for her to react and remember these things.

"I know!"

Himeko shouted loudly.

Realizing this, she quickly operated her communicator and found the connection was normal. Himeko breathed a sigh of relief and quickly brought up the surveillance footage of Kiana and Raiden Mei's location.

She saw the former shamelessly taking advantage of the latter, holding her. It was unbearable. The atmosphere of the prestigious St. Freya Academy was being ruined by this lecher...

After a moment of silence, Himeko released Fang Jie, dropping him to the ground from mid-air. "Kid, get lost."

At this time, suspicious individuals were not allowed on her Hyperion. Himeko was a bit scared. Not to mention Raiden Mei, she wasn't blind to how Theresa's demeanor changed upon hearing Kiana's name. Who was that person?

She couldn't tell. She really couldn't tell.

I suspect you're a Herrscher too. JPG

Fang Jie flipped over and landed firmly on the ground, incredulously realizing she had actually let him go. He had been determined to reveal all of this.

"Then I'll be going."

His response was Himeko's retreating back, and a very unladylike raised middle finger.

What a rollercoaster of changing impressions, for both of them. She didn't even call me "handsome guy" anymore.

In this cold and merciless world of Honkai, only this knife still held a bit of warmth.

But while she was heartless, I couldn't be unrighteous. Next time we meet, I'll hit you with a big gold coin.

"If you need anything, you can find me at Chiyu Academy. I'm leaving."

He was going to continue towards the place with the densest Honkai energy in Chang Kong City.

"This Chang Kong City is getting more and more dangerous."

Fang Jie, going against the flow, spoke with a heavy tone. He had always considered Honkai Beasts and Death Troopers as the primary threats, viewing Otto as a long-term danger, and would immediately flee upon seeing his face...

It wasn't until Himeko mentioned the Honkai fission bomb that he suddenly realized that human threats in the Honkai world were also significant.

This was because people were genuinely terrified by the Second Great Eruption, and their first thought upon its recurrence was 'just blow it up for me.' Even without using Honkai fission bombs, conventional artillery barrages were terrifying.

It's just that currently, ordinary people in Chang Kong City couldn't get close enough, and mobilizing the ship's cannons took time, making it less efficient than directly deploying Honkai fission bombs.

"I... probably wouldn't be able to withstand it."

Imagining himself enduring a barrage of artillery fire, Fang Jie pondered how he could resist. He didn't have a Herrscher's Imaginary Shield; he was still flesh and blood.

'I'd probably have to teleport away, or... go all out with the Honkai Killer to absorb the shells' kinetic and potential energy.'

Holy crap, I actually might be able to withstand it!

His somewhat uneasy heart remained uneasy, but it was also filled with an... indescribable eagerness.

It felt like he had just acquired the Composite Blade: Willow Leaf and had spent his journey chopping trees, grass, reinforced concrete, Honkai Beasts, and Death Troopers...

With a hammer in hand, everything looks like a nail.

Let me try out my blade!

"No, no, Fang Jie, Fang Jie, how can you have such arrogant thoughts? Start with bullets at least..."

That's right, test it little by little.

He didn't suppress this feeling at all; instead, he built upon it to increase his chances of withstanding artillery fire.

Fang Jie, having some understanding of the foremost divine skill of Honkai, Tai Xu Sword Qi, knew well how much one's state of mind could boost combat power.

It sounds somewhat mystical, but a simple explanation is to maintain a competitive state of mind, free from fear, hesitation, doubt, or retreat. One must charge forward, never admit defeat, and dare to face even a powerful opponent, nurturing such a belief.

Of course, setting aside the fact that he didn't understand Tai Xu Sword Qi, even if he did—Tai Xu Sword Qi is most susceptible to 'going berserk,' so he didn't cultivate true qi (Honkai energy). His current path of enduring Honkai energy enhancement and storing true qi (Honkai energy) in his body clearly diverged from it.

Never mind that, enemies have been spotted ahead.

About a mile away.

Temple-class, no, Chariot-class.

True Honkai Beasts don't have uniform models like in games; they are all unique and active on the grand stage of destroying civilization, and the one before him was one of them.

Even with a colossal size comparable to Temple-class, exceeding a hundred meters in length, it had no shield and moved on all fours.

But this didn't mean its threat was any less than that of a Temple-class. With this size, it could easily destroy cities, break through defenses, and wreak havoc just by passing through, without doing anything else.

It was strong. A Honkai Beast that Fang Jie could only instantly kill with Himeko's level of sword strikes.

But this time, Fang Jie wanted to try, to try not to kill it instantly, but to kill it himself.

He wanted to nurture his belief.

"Spring."

Words carry power. Naming a technique aloud openly could adjust one's mind and body, enhance self-suggestion, accelerate the adaptation process, and strengthen execution efficiency.

Fang Jie believed this and practiced it.

As winter gave way to spring, he mobilized his body into an activated state, a burst of enhancement.

His blood began to boil, his heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and there was a massive burst of static electricity—Fang Jie couldn't control the energy within him very well, causing it to vent violently, crackling incessantly, and sounding more chaotic than a thousand birds chirping simultaneously.

This instantly transformed him from an overlooked 'small fry' to an enemy in the perception of the giant Chariot-class Honkai Beast.

"Roar!!"

It roared ferociously, not as a beast's challenge, but as the most powerful, immediate attack.

The sound waves had almost condensed into a tangible form, carrying fluctuations mixed with Honkai energy, engulfing him from above.

Amidst the booming sound waves, Fang Jie had already disappeared from his original spot, leaving behind ground cracked as if struck by lightning, and a rather rapid yet clear exclamation.

"No honor among beasts."

We Honkai Beasts have no honor; we just want to kill you or be killed.

To the left!

It was a body leaning forward, almost touching the ground, moving like a projectile, as if shot from a cannon, flying tens of meters before hitting the ground and bouncing again.

This was a speed that could catch up to the mountain-top racing god, constantly encroaching on him.

It was even faster to start.

Generally speaking, Formula 1 (F1) cars have a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of between 2 to 3 seconds. Supercars can achieve 0-100 km/h in under 2.7 seconds.

Fang Jie reduced this acceleration process by another second and maintained a slightly inferior sustained high speed.

This was Honkai energy. Therefore, any Death Trooper that had endured Honkai energy erosion without disintegrating was fiercer than any animal on land.

Strength surpassing bears, speed surpassing leopards, body coordination surpassing fierce tigers... and even more wondrous, enhancements akin to supernatural abilities, the [Eyes] of an [Eagle], the [Hearing] of a [Bat], the [Vibration Sense] of a [Spider], the [Thermal Vision] of a [Rattlesnake]...

Honkai energy was not just energy; it contained extremely vast information data. Honkai energy erosion was also information loading. Once integrated into the gene chain to a certain extent, it would manifest.

And Fang Jie, as the first to bear its brunt, obtained the chain for gradually transforming the human body into a Honkai energy container, thereby allowing him to store and utilize Honkai energy. This was also the fundamental modification of Honkai energy erosion, obtaining new organelles at the cellular level, enabling every cell to intake and expel Honkai energy.

Compared to this change, the electric current special effect was nothing. It was only visually more prominent than [Strengthen Body], but the latter was undeniably what supported the current battle.

Faster, even faster!

Run freely, without restraint.

Yeah, right.

My feet are so slippery!

Even though it was dry, solid concrete or even stone, it felt like he was running through mud.

This caused his body, which had evolved over millions of years to adapt to bipedal locomotion, to revert to crawling on all fours, almost rolling and scrambling.

Fortunately, he had to hold his sword, so he was only using three limbs at most.

Repeatedly bouncing in mid-air, Fang Jie's figure was more like flying close to the ground than running. However, since he needed to land and take off again from time to time, he had already drawn his sword, holding it with both hands at his sides in a strange stance.

That posture was less like he was preparing to swing his sword and more like a cavalryman charging on horseback at high speed, grazing with a quick slash and retreating.

Contact was made.

The two sides, moving at high speeds, had extremely short contact times. Fang Jie continuously circled behind, while the Temple-class Honkai Beast constantly aimed to trample and collide with him…

It looked like they were just spinning in circles, but during this process, they flattened another skyscraper, creating ruins, making the ground tremble, and engulfing the surroundings in roaring soundwaves.

Faster, even faster!

Having been squeezed by Kiana and headbutted by Himeko, Fang Jie knew his strength was still no match for these true monsters; speed was his only advantage.

Even if it looked like he was rolling and scrambling, his feet couldn't grip the ground at all. His body, which had shattered the ground, was frequently losing balance in mid-air. He kept his body leaning forward, constantly touching the ground, and sometimes had to reach out a hand to brace himself, tearing up the earth in a disheveled manner.

However, ordinary people couldn't see it. They likely couldn't even keep up with his movements, only perceiving afterimages due to the persistence of vision effect, seeing afterimages.

But the Honkai Beast could see clearly!

Easily.