Chapter 271: A Meeting Gift
Wmm—
The ceiling trembled slightly.
In truth, the vibrations were very faint, and the sound that came through was barely audible. If you weren't listening for it specifically, you wouldn't notice at all.
But unfortunately—or perhaps fortunately—the children in the classroom were no ordinary kids. Despite their individual flaws, the Honkai energy flowing within them granted them extraordinary abilities.
"Big Sis Director, is there a war outside?"
Sora, who had been sculpting clay, suddenly looked up and tugged on Cioara's hem as she patrolled nearby, asking crisply.
There was no fear in those clear, bright eyes.
Cioara gently patted the little girl's head.
Seeing that the surrounding children were all looking her way, she thought for a moment, then simply nodded and said:
"Yes, there's a war."
"With who? Is it against Schicksal?"
"No, it's between a Herrscher."
"Can we win? Do you need our help?"
Sora asked, grabbing her inhaler and taking a deep puff.
The world was dangerous.
Even though everyone at the orphanage had been living well since coming to Anti-Entropy, they hadn't forgotten the things they'd experienced.
Cioara was momentarily speechless. Then she rubbed Sora's soft hair hard and said:
"You little runt better act like a little runt. No way are you getting on that battlefield! Seriously, people keep saying this Herrscher of the Void is different, might be playing tricks, and our leader's too tied up to keep an eye on things. If that wasn't the case, I'd have taken all of you far away from here! But this place is safe enough—the thing outside can jump and scream all it wants, it's not getting to you. Now be good and go back to your clay."
After muttering under her breath, Cioara pinched Sora's cheek, ready to change the topic, but another child next to them chimed in:
"Sister Cioara, we can use guns too! We can fight!"
"Guns? Who taught you that?"
"Uncle Albert."
Click!
A black pistol appeared in Cioara's hand as she switched off the safety.
"Three Honkai energy bullets—one to the head, one to the heart, and one to the gut… That should make sure he's dead for real, not even a chance of revival."
Cioara muttered coldly.
She had put her heart and soul into running the orphanage, making sure every child here grew up healthy and happy. Wasn't it all so their childhood could be free from war, so they could enjoy a peaceful life?
Teaching them to shoot, to fight on the battlefield—what the hell was that supposed to mean? Wasn't that just spitting on all her efforts?
Cioara was mad. Very mad.
Then Tina hurried over to explain:
"It's not what you think, Director! It's for survival training! It's part of the survival curriculum! Albert was just following the lesson plan, that's all!"
Cioara paused.
Alright, that was another matter.
She would never agree to teaching children to go to war, but teaching them some basic survival skills for battlefield situations… that wasn't exactly something to object to.
The nature of it was completely different. In a world where the Honkai could strike at any time, no one could guarantee they'd never face sudden danger.
Afterward, Cioara knocked Tina lightly on the head with the butt of her gun and said irritably:
"Let me ask you—if I got into a fight with that punk Albert, who would you help?"
"Umm… who's stronger, you or Albert?"
"I'd beat him with one hand tied behind my back!"
"Then I'd help Albert!"
Tina nodded with righteous confidence.
Cioara rolled her eyes, rubbed Tina's head, and said with a laugh and a scold:
"So you help whoever's weaker, huh? You little schemer!"
Perfectly dodging the question of who was more important, little Tina had made her choice: to protect both. If that wasn't a crafty little fox, then who was?
Then, in her little notebook, Cioara quietly added another entry—"Today, little Tina said that bastard and I, the orphanage director, are equally important. I, Cioara, will remember this grudge!"
Rumble—
Another faint tremor came from above.
Cioara gently stroked the top of Tina's head, then looked up at the ceiling, narrowing her eyes.
The battle outside was clearly intense.
She couldn't help but wonder—would everything go smoothly?
. . . . . .
On the surface, the once clean and orderly outer city of Anti-Entropy was now flooded with countless Honkai beasts and Honkai Zombies.
The wreckage of Titans and drones lay scattered across the city, and the smoke and craters from countless bombardments bore witness to the fierce resistance that had once taken place.
But it was no use. The enemy held superiority in both numbers and strength, and the disaster was further intensified by the presence of thousands of Herrschers. Though called "weak" for Herrschers, that was only by comparison—against standard Titans, they were death incarnate, utterly unstoppable.
"Well, that was easy. This is all Anti-Entropy HQ has to offer?"
Amid the ruins, a golden-haired doll stood atop the sparking carcass of a Titan, smiling brightly.
"Idiot."
Another doll dragged a heavy machine gun as she sauntered past, leaving behind a melodic jab.
"You wanna die?"
"What's there to be happy about taking an uninhabited zone? Look at that wall. Only by crossing the wall will we reach the real target."
"You think I need you to point that out!?"
It wasn't just the two arguing—every intelligent doll on the battlefield found themselves looking up during that brief silence, gazing at the towering white wall that had risen amid the chaos of war.
Over 100 meters tall, blindingly white, thick and impenetrable, bristling with densely packed cannons and artillery—an impregnable fortress.
No matter how many Honkai beasts or Honkai Zombies they threw at it, they wouldn't even scratch the surface.
"We're really not the siege type, are we..."
"What about her? Is she gonna step in herself?"
"Shh! Everyone stay sharp—I can feel it. Massive Honkai energy is approaching!"
"Look to the sky! She's coming!"
Not only the dolls with intelligence—even the endless swarm of Honkai beasts and Honkai Zombies felt the overwhelming, indescribable pressure. Unease spread like a virus, and one by one, they halted, eyes turned skyward.
The thick storm clouds blocking out the sun crackled with thunder, as though heralding the descent of something immense.
"ROAR!!"
A bone-shaking dragon's roar echoed from above, louder than the thunder itself. The shockwave alone toppled many massive Honkai beasts to the ground.
A moment later, a massive black hole tore open in the sky. From it, a blinding white beam laced with countless wind blades and colossal ice spikes shot forth, smashing through the clouds and streaking toward the towering wall below.
"ROOOAR!!!"
It was Benares' breath, infused with her own power along with that of the Herrscher of Wind and the Herrscher of Ice.
It's three times the energy of a standard Herrscher. Even as a raw and unrefined blast, it possessed the power to tear the sky apart.
Inside the inner city command room, Bronya activated a pre-loaded code sequence.
"Sequence Thirteen: Dawn, activate!"
In an instant, in the path of the dragon's breath, a million worker drones materialized. Forming a series of colossal concentric rings, they connected to each other with flashing arcs of electricity—like a giant, conjured railgun made of drones.
Then, from this makeshift cannon, an overwhelming surge of energy exploded forward, slamming straight into the incoming dragon's breath.
BOOM!!!
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