After using electromagnetism to move the armored vehicle back to a safe area, Ming Yu finally focused his attention on the Honkai Beasts before him.
In terms of combat ability, Joyce, who had yet to awaken his Herrscher powers, and the two doctors, who were both physically weak to begin with, were indeed far inferior to him.
Perhaps because this era was so distant, the Honkai Beasts of this time were considerably weaker and fewer in number than those of the modern age. Dealing with them was not difficult for him.
After clearing out the area around the traffic jam, this should have been the last place where Honkai Beasts were active.
The barnacle-shaped Honkai Beast, paralyzed by the electric current, finally reacted and attacked him again, only for Ming Yu to easily seize one of its tentacles.
An excessive current flowed directly into its body through physical contact. After a violent convulsion, the Honkai Beast finally lost its life and crashed to the ground.
"Whew. In any case, this should be the last one nearby... Let's head back to Joyce and the others."
Ming Yu clapped his hands.
After training seriously at St. Freya for some time, his strength had improved considerably as well. Clearing out these Honkai Beasts was no challenge.
Just as he was about to turn and leave, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
More specifically, it felt like when he had seen Rita Rossweisse aboard the Hyperion some time ago—a strong person's instinctive sense of another powerful presence drawing near.
Sure enough, a golden figure soon descended from the sky and landed before him.
Golden hair, blue eyes, curled ends to her hair, and a white knight's uniform adorned with golden decorations.
She held a beautiful white lance in her hand: the Sixth God Key: Abyss Flower.
After landing before Ming Yu, she introduced herself bluntly.
"I am Reanna Brigantia, a Valkyrie from Schicksal Headquarters. By the Overseer's order, I have come to deal with the Honkai crisis in New York."
"Hello, I'm... Ming Yu, affiliated with the North American Branch."
He recognized her. This valiant Valkyrie was the strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal in this era, and the current wielder of Abyss Flower.
Moreover, unlike Kallen Kaslana five hundred years ago and Cecilia Schariac in the future, Reanna had held the position of Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie for an entire century.
It was not because her constitution was exceptional. No matter how exceptional it was, it could not compare to the Kaslana or Schariac bloodlines.
The true reason was that she had accepted bodily modifications from the Schicksal Overseer. Over the course of a hundred years, she underwent more than a thousand human modification surgeries, continuously replacing the components within her body with Soulium until she had ultimately forged herself into the Soulium body she possessed today.
She did not tire, possessed strength beyond that of ordinary people, and her combat ability did not decline with time. It was also because of this that she could wield the power of Abyss Flower.
In a sense, rather than calling her a Valkyrie, it was more accurate to regard her as a machine—a tireless war machine.
Reanna smiled and said,
"I came here intending to clear out the Honkai Beasts nearby, but I didn't expect you to have already taken care of them all. You did well, boy."
"Thank you for the praise... So, does that mean you've already eliminated the Honkai Beasts in the other parts of New York?"
Ming Yu asked.
Reanna nodded noncommittally.
As expected of an S-rank...
Ming Yu silently thought to himself.
She had single-handedly and swiftly cleared Honkai Beasts from most of an entire city. She truly lived up to her status as Schicksal's foremost Valkyrie.
"However, merely clearing them out once cannot completely resolve the crisis unfolding in this city. Ming Yu, I am now requisitioning you as a soldier under my command. For the time being, remain vigilant against the creations of Honkai."
Reanna said sternly.
As long as the source of Honkai energy had not been completely dealt with, Honkai Beasts would continue appearing endlessly throughout the city.
After the Berlin tragedy three years ago, she had no intention of requesting inexperienced troops from Headquarters to be deployed to New York before she had investigated the situation here. She did not want any accidents to occur.
"I have no objections, but I have some companions over there. For now, it would be better for us to act together."
Ming Yu pointed down the road.
Joyce and the others were still waiting over there.
Reanna nodded and said lightly,
"Take me to meet them."
The First Herrscher Who Fought for Humanity
What happened next was, for the most part, just as history had recorded. Reanna, Schicksal's foremost Valkyrie, reunited with Joyce and the others, and together they hurried throughout New York.
They evacuated civilians, treated patients afflicted by Honkai energy erosion, and cleared out Honkai Beasts.
Because her entire body was already made of Soulium and she did not tire, Reanna could freely invoke Abyss Flower's Zeroth Power several times to treat civilians, ensuring their survival.
The group temporarily stayed at an overcrowded clinic that had taken in many refugees. When another sudden Honkai Beast attack occurred, Ming Yu and Reanna temporarily left the clinic to clear the surrounding area.
By now, Dr. Schrödinger, who had already partially transformed into a Honkai Beast, should have arrived and be helping Joyce awaken his Herrscher power through half-coercive means...
Ming Yu pondered as he dealt with the Honkai Beasts before him.
He would not interfere with Joyce's inevitable path to awakening as a Herrscher.
"Boy, your fighting form is very practiced, and your strength is quite impressive... A Schicksal knight of your caliber could not possibly be unknown. Why have I never heard your name before?"
Reanna hurled Abyss Flower with a sharp motion, effortlessly piercing the Honkai Beast before her, then asked during a lull in the battle.
"...Because I was previously stationed in relatively safe places, so I did not have many opportunities to earn military merit."
Ming Yu's mouth twitched.
This virtual scenario's role assignment was far too careless...
"By the way, why did you choose to modify your own body, Senior Reanna?"
He changed the subject, diverting Reanna's attention.
After all, this was not reality. As a data-projected existence, she would not stubbornly press him over his identity.
And as a Valkyrie who had been active for a full century, Reanna's Soulium body was not exactly an unknown secret within Schicksal.
Sure enough, Reanna thought for a moment, did not continue pursuing Ming Yu's identity, and instead answered,
"Because war is war. It will only ever bring destruction. That... has never changed."
Even if your intentions were good, you still had to endure the uncontrollable sacrifices that followed.
"Honkai is there. We cannot bargain with it, and it will not listen to any reason we offer—it will not fear its own sacrifices, nor pity ours. It does not even care what becomes of this planet."
A century of fighting Honkai had made her deeply understand one truth: unless humanity vanished completely and utterly from Earth, leaving not a single person behind, Honkai would never stop.
She said calmly,
"So from the very beginning, this was a battle with our backs against the wall. Back then, I found the Overseer and volunteered to become his test subject. That way, I could remain on the front lines against Honkai and reduce the sacrifices of others."
Having gained a form of immortality, so long as she was not defeated by a Honkai Beast, she could devote herself to this war without end.
At the same time, near the clinic.
Einstein barely controlled the newly deciphered Star of Eden, forming an energy shield as she confronted the approaching girl.
But clearly, how could someone who had only just learned to use it possibly be a match for a girl who had gained the power of Honkai?
The girl, whose body had been heavily eroded by Honkai energy across more than half of its surface, sneered mercilessly.
"Hehe... Pretty boy, are you just going to hide behind a girl and watch Einstein sacrifice herself for you?"
Two pink cat ears stood atop her head. Her left eye had undergone Honkai transformation, while her right arm and exposed chest had completely transformed into Honkai Beast-like flesh.
The newcomer was Dr. Schrödinger, who had evidently suffered severe Honkai energy infection.
Unexpectedly, even in this state, she barely retained her sanity.
And everything she was doing now was not without purpose—
"Listen. If you truly want to prove that you are different from those Herrschers recorded in ancient documents, if you want to prove that you will not lose to your Herrscher instincts... no..."
The corners of her mouth lifted slightly as she chose a more provocative phrasing.
"If you want to prove that you can still be called a real man, then pick up a weapon and defeat me head-on!"
"..."
The dark blue-haired man fell silent for a long time.
After Schrödinger had completely exposed his identity as a Herrscher, he had indeed abruptly become aware of a voice he had forgotten long ago.
That voice tirelessly tempted him. Destruction and devouring were his duty; the urge to destroy surged from every cell in his body, as though it wished to seize control of his body from him.
Destroy. Annihilate. Burn everything to ash.
Take revenge on Schicksal, which had tormented you for three years without pause, and on this world—
Yet at the same time, countless other voices flashed through his heart: soldiers, children, psychologists, and ordinary housewives.
Joyce realized that those voices belonged to the ordinary people who had died in Berlin.
Many memories flooded into his mind.
At the moment he was born in Berlin, all he saw was devastation and war everywhere.
Unwilling to accept it, he walked through the disaster site, gathering fragments and taking shards of souls into his body.
At the very moment of his birth, a gentle voice, soft as drifting blossoms, had whispered to him, telling him to engrave the souls of these suffering people into his body—
"Engrave their thoughts into your soul."
There is an illustration here. It can be viewed after updating to the latest version.
There is an illustration here. It can be viewed after updating to the latest version.
He had done so. At this very moment, the thoughts of three hundred thousand people coexisted within him.
Because the voice of the Honkai Will had begun tempting him, the thoughts of three hundred thousand people had also decided to remain silent no longer.
This was the victory of ordinary people. Three hundred thousand thoughts helped him completely overcome the Honkai Will's temptation and preserve his intact sense of self.
He stood up, walked to Dr. Einstein, and took Star of Eden from her hands.
Because time was short, Dr. Einstein had not actually taught him how to use Star of Eden. Yet the instant Joyce touched it, he immediately understood how to wield this legendary God Key.
Its method of use, the secret to activating it—everything was laid bare before him.
Joyce understood. Perhaps this was an ability he had been born with.
Schrödinger fired a beam of Honkai energy from her Honkai Beast-transformed right arm. At the same time, Joyce controlled Star of Eden to fire a gravity wave. The two dangerous energies collided, neither able to overcome the other.
"What is it, Welt? Have you already used all your strength? Is this all the so-called Herrscher can do?"
Joyce's change delighted her, but this level was still far from enough.
If he could not even kill her, how could he save everything in this city or face the mastermind behind it all?
"Dr. Schrödinger, you... are not my enemy."
The blue-haired young man closed his eyes slightly, then opened them again and sighed.
"Ridiculous. I sincerely want to kill you right now."
"No, I do not deny that... You truly want to kill me, and if you really succeeded, that would be another good outcome for everyone."
The death of a Herrscher had never been bad news.
Joyce said calmly,
"But even if you sincerely want to kill me, you are not my enemy. I am certain of that."
"What exactly are you trying to say? And who do you think you are?"
Schrödinger demanded.
"...To be honest, I do not know what I am right now either. At this moment, countless voices within my body are whispering, shouting, and chattering all at once."
Joyce closed his eyes as though listening to the voices within him. Then he spoke with unwavering resolve.
"One voice has been tempting me to destroy everything, but at the same time, even more voices are encouraging me to bring blessings to this world and make it a better place.
"The only thing I can be certain of is that if you kill me, then they... the final remnants they left behind in this world, will vanish completely. So...
"Dr. Schrödinger, if you truly wish to fight me to the death, I will not simply wait to die. After this battle is over, I still have to realize the most beautiful possibilities among those countless voices!"
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