I Am a Saintess at Schicksal

There are ten combat zones within the arena.

Just as Ragnar said, the combat zones are filled with randomly placed stone pillars and irregularly shaped stone walls, creating a unique combat environment. Valkyries fighting on such terrain naturally can't just charge headfirst.

This kind of environment makes it too easy to set up various traps, turning it into a hunting ground for predators and prey.

In each zone, many Valkyries use the cover provided by the stone walls and pillars to attack each other.

Watching the Valkyries, who could scale walls and leap across rooftops, she couldn't help but show a hint of envy.

Most of the Valkyries in Training Ground 20 are B-rank, but a small number of C-rank Valkyries are also receiving guidance here.

Valkyries of B-rank and above, with their bodies enhanced by Honkai Energy, can easily cleave through rock.

However, the stone pillars and walls used in this obstacle training ground are only coated with a layer of stone; the interior is made of incredibly strong steel.

A newly promoted C-rank Valkyrie attempted to forcibly break a stone pillar and wall, only to end up injuring her own hand.

To perform at your best in this environment, you naturally need to use your brain.

Oh, and by "using your brain," I don't mean headbutting things.

No matter how tough you are, can you be tougher than the solid steel hidden within the stone pillars and walls?

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Two unarmed Valkyries exchange blows, their fists landing with solid impact.

Powerful attacks land on each other repeatedly, as if they're trying to convince each other with their fists.

Then, one side suddenly shifts to defense, while the other intensifies their attacks.

The punches almost lift the rock floor, kicking up dust and lime into the air. The defending Valkyrie seizes the opportunity to land on a stone pillar, pausing for two to three seconds, seemingly defying Newton's laws.

The Valkyrie who landed on the pillar leaps with all her might, stomping a basin-sized crater into the stone surface of the pillar, and swiftly charges down at the Valkyrie below.

Their roles are reversed; the one who just launched a fierce attack is now on the defensive, while the one who was sent flying to the pillar in a defensive stance is now on the offensive.

Watching the Knight-style flying kick from above, the Valkyrie below assumes a defensive stance and takes the heavy blow. The powerful flying kick sends the defending Valkyrie sliding backward five to six meters.

"Got you!"

The Valkyrie who switched to defense grins triumphantly. She crosses her arms in front of her chest, blocks the flying kick, grabs the attacking leg, and spins the other Valkyrie around twice on the spot before slamming her onto the rocky ground.

The Valkyrie being slammed into the ground doesn't give up resisting. The moment she hits the ground, she braces herself with her hands, using the momentum to pull her leg free from the opponent's grasp. Then, like scissors, she clamps down on the opponent's neck.

The offense and defense between the two Valkyries in this area are dazzling.

In other zones, some Valkyries are using training firearms, while others are using training weapons like swords and spears. They are all wearing ordinary training uniforms.

Even so, the combat power they unleash exceeds her imagination.

K422 finally understands why B-rank Valkyries are comparable to tanks.

Perhaps tanks have greater destructive power than Valkyries, but when a Valkyrie dons her armor, her agility and mobility are something a sluggish tank simply cannot contend with.

It's said that many weapon manufacturers are now focusing on developing humanoid mechs, but conventional energy sources are insufficient to power them. Even if they try to utilize Honkai Energy, the efficiency of its use cannot be improved.

The Schicksal organization also has a department developing mechs. Since Schicksal has its Valkyrie forces and doesn't receive much attention from Bishop Otto, the mech development department can be said to have limited research funding.

This is also why, to this day, the front lines of the fight against the Honkai are still manned by Schicksal's Valkyrie forces.

"This is truly amazing."

She was so engrossed she could barely blink.

None of the Valkyries fighting in the arena were unattractive, and they all had great figures.

Even those with less prominent chests possessed a slender beauty.

Cough.

She was genuinely awestruck by the Valkyries' combat prowess.

"This is only B-rank?"

"Mhm, they become even stronger when they put on their Valkyrie armor. I recall the third-generation Valkyrie armor currently under development, the Stigma Blade, is said to possess a spacetime fracture system. Unfortunately, during a test a while ago, an accident occurred, and the test subject fell into the imaginary space. The success rate is currently only 30%."

"Spacetime fracture system?"

"Simply put, it's a system that can achieve relativistic time dilation in a non-light-speed environment. It's essentially slowing down the flow of time around you, what's known as bullet time."

"???"

What kind of black technology does Schicksal have?

32. How Am I Being Modest?

K422 hadn't expected Schicksal to possess such black technology.

She was starting to wonder if she could actually smash Bishop Otto's head in.

Even the fights between B-rank Valkyries without Valkyrie armor looked like battles between gods. Who knows how overpowered they become with the armor on.

Before witnessing the practice battles between B-rank Valkyries firsthand, K422 had always assumed B-rank Valkyries were just cannon fodder.

However, she now felt like she was the little sibling.

Oh, wait, with her current gender, she's the little sister.

If a B-rank Valkyrie could fight like this, then what about an A-rank…

Noticing her gaze, Laguna coughed lightly. "Since Kiana is so eager, I suppose I'll show off a little."

"Please, Instructor!"

K422 was naturally incredibly excited to witness the strength of an A-rank Valkyrie firsthand.

"Of course, there's a big difference between A-ranks. Some A-rank Valkyries earned their rank through achievements, while I… I'm a bit formidable among the A-ranks."

After speaking, Laguna walked towards the training area, intending to negotiate with the B-rank Valkyries currently training inside.

What followed was a scene of me, Laguna, taking on ten opponents at once.

Laguna swung the training greatsword in her hand, and the storm generated by the blade alone swept up the Valkyries. A few Valkyries managed to get close to her, only to be swatted away by her greatsword.

The terrifying combat power made the onlookers tremble in fear.

Even with a stone pillar blocking her path, she swung her greatsword without hesitation. The training greatsword was directly destroyed, its broken blade stuck in the steel. Laguna's hand was also injured by the recoil.

But even without a weapon, Laguna still sent the other Valkyries flying like they were just little kids.

Before long, the Valkyries fighting Laguna were lying on the ground, unable to get up.

The entire battle lasted only 5 minutes.

"Thank you for the guidance!"

"Thank you, Captain Ragnar."

"Thank you very much!"

After the battle ended, the Valkyries in Training Ground No. 20 expressed their gratitude.

K422 felt a little intimidated as she watched Laguna return to her side.

Being able to cleave into solid steel with an unopened training greatsword like that, Laguna was monstrously powerful.

She thought about how she often didn't adhere to the training standards set by Laguna, and how it might all be noted in Laguna's little black book. Perhaps when they had a sparring session, she would experience the instructor's oppressive aura.

"Instructor, is this what you call 'a bit formidable among the A-ranks'?"

The B-rank Valkyries were being manhandled like chicks.

"Of course… If it weren't for the Second Eruption, the Schicksal organization would have had many very strong A-rank Valkyries. Like your mother Cecilia's Snow Wolf Squad. Do you know about the classification of Honkai Beasts, Kiana?"

Laguna said calmly, while signaling the Valkyries in the training ground to continue their training.

"Classification of Honkai Beasts? I recall that Honkai Beasts are roughly classified from lowest to highest as Rush-class, Knight-class, Ballista-class, Tank-class, Temple-class, Emperor-class, and Judgment-class, seven categories in total. Among them, Rush-class, Tank-class, Knight-class, Ballista-class, and Temple-class are considered lower-tier Honkai Beasts, while Emperor-class and Judgment-class are upper-tier Honkai Beasts."

The learning curriculum arranged by Bishop Otto naturally included the concept of Honkai Beasts.

The reason why B-rank Valkyries were comparable to Tanks was precisely because B-rank Valkyries were equivalent to Tank-class Honkai Beasts. Temple-class and Emperor-class Honkai Beasts required A-rank Valkyries to deal with.

Judgment-class Honkai Beasts, on the other hand, required multiple A-rank Valkyries to confront.

"As expected, that's standard textbook material. In reality, besides these seven categories, there are also Warlord-class, Floating-class, Tidal-class… and rumors of Super Rush-class and Super Ballista-class."

Laguna led K422 to the rest area by the training ground, while imparting knowledge not found in textbooks.

"Of course, most Honkai Beasts are formed when wild beasts are infected by the Honkai. The strength of Honkai Beasts increases with their size. The larger the Honkai Beast, the stronger it is. While smaller ones aren't necessarily weak, larger Honkai Beasts are definitely stronger."

"Conventional weapons are already having difficulty damaging Honkai Beasts. Even Honkai Beasts under ten meters require anti-air missiles and medium-caliber autocannons. Honkai Beasts over ten meters need 270mm railguns to eliminate. And Honkai Beasts over a hundred meters require a unit composed of A-rank Valkyries to be deployed. The Snow Wolf Squad was composed of your mother, S-rank Valkyrie Cecilia, and five A-rank Valkyries."

K422 loved hearing about Cecilia's exploits.

Seeing Laguna mention her mother and the Valkyrie squad her mother formed, she naturally showed an expression of immense curiosity.

True Kiana and K423 also loved hearing about their mother's deeds.

"Yes, the Snow Wolf Squad was established in 1996, which was 10 years ago. It was a Valkyrie assault squad ordered and established by the Grand Bishop himself. There were a total of 6 core members, and its purpose was to prevent and suppress disasters caused by Honkai Beasts of Emperor-class and above…"

"At that time, under a Valkyrie assessment system even stricter than today's, the entire Schicksal organization only had 6 A-rank Valkyries, and 5 of them joined the Snow Wolf Squad. At the time, this special operations team was arguably Schicksal's most elite armed force."

Laguna spoke slowly, and K422's eyes grew brighter as she listened.

"Its core members were your mother, S-rank Valkyrie Cecilia Schariac, A-rank Valkyries Cheng Lixue, Shigure Kira, Salome Joeanan, Shub Niggurath, and Patrick Highsmith."

"Among them, Cheng Lixue could easily defeat me. Shigure Kira and Shub Niggurath, working together, defeated a Judgment-class Honkai Beast that I couldn't even touch… And the Valkyrie armor they used at the time wasn't even considered an armored-class."

"Is that for real? Instructor, are you sure you're not being modest?"

A-rank Valkyrie Cheng Lixue who could defeat Laguna, and Shigure Kira and Shub Niggurath who defeated a Judgment-class Honkai Beast with their combined strength – what kind of monsters were the members of the Snow Wolf Squad?

And what kind of heavenly being was her mother, an S-rank Valkyrie?

"Where am I being modest? I received guidance from Cheng Lixue before. She was then known as Schicksal's strongest A-rank Valkyrie and possessed the Divine Key [Ruoshui], which controlled the power of water."

"Do you know about Divine Keys, Kiana?"

K422 shook her head.

While she knew that the Black Abyss White Flower was also a Divine Key, and that Divine Keys were likely special weapons, Bishop Otto clearly hadn't intended for her to know the specifics yet.

When Bishop Otto introduced the Black Abyss White Flower, he had only emphasized that it was Cecilia's relic.

Laguna, as an A-rank Valkyrie, clearly knew some inside information.

"Does the instructor know?"

"I don't know much, so don't ask me if I know how Divine Keys are made. Even the research staff at Schicksal headquarters can't analyze them yet."

Ragnar shrugged and said, "Divine Keys are said to be the general term for weapons made from Herrscher Cores and Soul Steel by the civilization of the previous era that resisted the Honkai. Only the strongest A-rank Valkyries and S-rank Valkyries can obtain the right to use Divine Keys."

"Currently, only S-rank Valkyrie Theresa Apocalypse possesses a Divine Key. However, I heard that those who have activated the Schariac family's innate power to use the Divine Key Black Abyss White Flower are also able to wield it."

Ragnar's face was full of envy as she spoke. She had only heard of Divine Keys and had never seen one in person.

On a few occasions, she had wanted to ask Theresa to borrow the Divine Key Judas' Oath for a photo, but she had missed her chance several times.

"Kiana has activated the Schariac family's bloodline power. Once she reaches A-rank Valkyrie, she can apply for the right to use the Divine Key Black Abyss White Flower."

Ragnar was unaware that she and Maria Schariac of the Schariac family were locked in a struggle over Black Abyss White Flower.

Divine Keys were weapons manufactured from Herrscher Cores and Soul Steel by the civilization that resisted the Honkai in the previous era, so their value naturally far exceeded her imagination.

It was no wonder Bishop Otto wanted her to compete with the Schariac family.

Even without her, an imposter who had awakened the Schariac family's bloodline power, Bishop Otto would surely have supported a top Schicksal Valkyrie.

"Does Schicksal only have these few Divine Keys?"

"It's said there are only Black Abyss White Flower, Judas' Oath, and Ruoshui. However, Ruoshui was reportedly damaged during the Second Eruption."

"..."

K422 naturally knew about the Second Eruption and felt utterly speechless.

After all, her mother was gone because of the Second Eruption.

True Kiana being secretly imprisoned by Bishop Otto was also due to the Second Eruption.

Her mother's Snow Wolf Squad was annihilated, also because of the Second Eruption.

Now, even the few Divine Keys Schicksal possessed were destroyed in the Second Eruption, making her desperately want to beat up the culprit responsible for the Second Eruption (K423 shivered). Bookshelf

"The A-rank Valkyrie assessment in Schicksal has been relaxed quite a bit now. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy for me to be promoted to A-rank Valkyrie. It's like taking a driving test. The standard for A-rank Valkyries used to be a perfect score of 100; now, the standard is 70."