The Birth of an S-Rank Valkyrie

The other party's mask was no ordinary thing. Even though his clothes were in tatters, the mask itself had not suffered the slightest damage.

"You can't escape. Rita and the others will be here soon."

After thinking it over, Durandal spoke, trying to dispel Shi Hen's lingering hopes.

Though she did not know where his accomplices were hiding, she believed Rita would be the first to arrive.

"Then let's make a bet. I believe it will be our Anti-Entropy people who arrive first."

Shi Hen said with a smile.

For a moment, Durandal truly wanted to make a call and summon the Anti-Entropy people, just to see whether this guy could keep talking tough.

But seeing Shi Hen covered in blood from head to toe, Durandal did not say much. She casually found a spot, sat down on the ground, and simply said:

"Fine."

Elsewhere.

Having left the castle ruins where she had been hiding, Raven was racing toward them.

When she sensed the energy fluctuations from Shi Hen and Durandal's battlefield subside, she knew their battle had ended.

Then, through the scope of Seven Thunders of Sin's Purge, Raven saw the outcome: both sides had been badly wounded.

The scope's focus lingered on the golden-haired Valkyrie for a full three seconds. In the end, Raven still gave up on that immensely tempting option.

If she used the Divine Key to finish her off now, Raven was highly confident she could kill her. But what then?

Once Schicksal went mad because of it, Shi Hen would be the first to suffer.

To Raven, compared to eliminating the enormous threat posed by an organization, the youth's life was more important.

And if Durandal was kept alive, she could serve as a useful hostage later and force Schicksal to hesitate.

A string of thoughts flashed through her mind. Raven immediately left the castle and sped toward their location, moving so fast that only a blurred afterimage remained among the trees.

Aboard the Hover Battleship, the Valkyries of the Blade of Immortality Squad had the same thoughts.

At the deployment hatch, watching the cabin door slowly open, Rita could not help taking a deep breath.

Soon, she would be able to reach Durandal's side.

After such a fierce battle, she knew this was when Durandal needed her most.

"Lady Rita, we have detected an unidentified target rapidly approaching Lady Durandal's location. She is most likely an accomplice of that Welt."

A Blade of Immortality Valkyrie's warning suddenly came through her earpiece.

At such a race-against-time moment, Raven could no longer afford to care about concealment.

Her eyes flickering, Rita made her decision in an instant. "Mark her location. I will stop her.

Also, have the third squad support Lady Durandal instead."

"Yes."

"What, do you think you're about to lose?"

Seeing the faint concern in the golden-haired girl's eyes, Shi Hen said with a smile.

Durandal glanced at him and answered seriously, "I have faith in Rita and the others."

"But fifteen minutes have already passed. If your people were able to get here, they would have arrived five minutes ago."

Shi Hen bluntly exposed her.

With the capabilities of the Hover Battleship, along with the level of the Blade of Immortality Valkyries, ten minutes should have been more than enough for them to find this place.

"I believe in them."

Durandal's tone remained serious.

"Fine." Shi Hen could not be bothered to argue over this. "By the way, have you really not considered coming back to Anti-Entropy with me?"

"This topic has no meaning." Durandal said coldly. "If you were truly sincere, why not remove your mask and tell me your real name?"

She disliked people who hid their identities, and she disliked even more someone capable of fighting her at full strength hiding his identity.

Shi Hen said, "I am Welt."

Once he had decided on something, he had to see it through to the end.

Even if the Herrscher of Reason stood before him today, he, Shi Hen, would still be Welt.

Durandal said, "...Then there is nothing left for us to say."

From the first sentence he had spoken upon meeting her, not half a word out of this guy's mouth had been true.

"What a pity. I actually like you quite a bit."

Shi Hen sighed.

He could learn a great deal by fighting someone like Durandal.

But in the underworld, there were practically nothing but rookies.

Like that Blood Axe Mafia from before. Its name sounded imposing, yet it was not even worthy of making him lift a finger.

Bullying too many rookies would make him weak too.

Hearing Shi Hen's words, Durandal merely looked at him coldly.

She had long since stopped believing anything he said.

Tap, tap, tap...

A burst of hurried footsteps suddenly rang out.

Looking up, a smile appeared on Durandal's face. "My teammates are here.

This time, you have lost again."

As if to confirm the girl's words, a series of shouts rang out at once:

"Captain!"

"Captain Durandal!"

"Lady Durandal!"

Before long, three young Valkyries hurried over. They gathered around Durandal, shielding her firmly in the middle while staring warily at Shi Hen. The guns and blades in their hands showed no sign of lowering.

Though Shi Hen looked utterly bedraggled and seemed on the verge of collapse, the power he had displayed earlier was simply too terrifying for the Valkyries to let down their guard.

"It's fine. He has no strength left. You don't need to be so tense."

Struggling to her feet, Durandal reassured them, though her eyes remained fixed on Shi Hen's every movement.

Clearly, she was not as relaxed as she claimed.

Last-second reversals were rare, but Durandal did not want to become one of their cautionary examples.

"Now, are you willing to surrender?"

Durandal asked once more.

Even with reinforcements here, allowing her to forcibly capture Shi Hen, she was still willing to give him a chance to choose.

It was her respect for a strong opponent.

"Hahaha!" Shi Hen answered the Valkyrie with unrestrained laughter. "Young Valkyrie, take pride in yourself. You actually forced me, Welt, into such a miserable state!"

"Are you still going to struggle pointlessly!?"

Durandal could not help frowning.

She truly did not understand why Shi Hen remained so stubborn even now.

Durandal did not believe he had any trump card left. Otherwise, she should have been the one lying on the ground.

"Prepare yourselves to welcome despair!"

Shi Hen spoke in a low voice, his aura growing weaker and weaker.

Then it abruptly stopped—

Durandal: ???

So the despair Shi Hen spoke of was that he would choose suicide?

Feeling his aura become as still as stagnant water, Durandal was completely dumbfounded.

Why?

Why would Shi Hen rather kill himself than give up resisting?

Did doing this truly have any meaning?

Not only did Durandal fall into self-doubt, but the three newly arrived Valkyries also exchanged confused looks.

But the next second...

Boom!

An incomparably powerful aura burst from Shi Hen's body, lifting the youth into the air as he gradually rose upright.

It was as though he had returned to his peak in an instant!

"Get behind me!"

Durandal immediately stepped to the front, drawing upon what little strength remained in her body to resist the overwhelming pressure Shi Hen radiated.

"Hehehe, the moonlight is beautiful tonight." With a wave of his hand, Shi Hen summoned a silver metal ring and smiled softly. "Don't you think so, Miss Durandal?"

"..."

Durandal glanced at the sun already peeking halfway over the eastern horizon and chose to respond with silence.

There was definitely a huge hole in this guy's brain.

"I have a sliver of moonlight, and invite you all... to enjoy it together!"

As his words fell, Shi Hen stepped through the air several times, shooting straight into the sky like a swallow in flight.

Behind the youth, the metal ring radiated an incomparably brilliant silver light. It was like a moon magnified countless times in brightness, forcing anyone who saw it to close their eyes, unable to look directly at it.

Within that silver radiance, dazzling beyond measure, only the youth's low voice could faintly be heard:

"Valkyries of Schicksal, tell that old thief Otto that I, Welt, will personally... come collect the blood debt from fifty-seven years ago!"

The Birth of an S-rank Valkyrie

Blade of Immortality Squad's dedicated Hover Battleship, medical ward.

Pale golden sunlight streamed through the porthole onto the bed in the ward, carrying a warmth that remained pleasant even through the blanket.

Today is such nice weather.

Looking at the clear blue sky outside the porthole, the girl could not help thinking so.

After all, the battleship was flying in the stratosphere. Even if torrential rain was falling below, the skies here would remain clear.

Still, good weather was always something that made people feel refreshed.

Reading some light books in the sunlight, the girl's mood was calm and pleasant.

Creak—

The ward door opened, and a Valkyrie with short ash-gold hair and a black uniform walked in with elegant steps.

"It seems Lady Durandal is in quite a good mood."

The Valkyrie saw the girl's condition in bed at a glance and spoke with a smile.

"You're here, Rita." Durandal looked up and smiled as well. "How is the situation?"

"The battle report is out. The Honkai Beasts that appeared in Raymond have all been eliminated, and the Blade of Immortality Squad..." Rita paused slightly here, looking at Durandal with some hesitation before finally continuing after a moment. "Aside from Lady Durandal, there were no casualties."

Almost everyone selected for the Blade of Immortality Squad was an elite, so naturally they knew how to protect themselves in battle against Honkai Beasts.

"I see." Durandal nodded. "Those Honkai Beasts... were they because of him?"