Chapter 334: Interlude: Intentions
Durandal was, without a doubt, a monster.
A unique talent without limits or bottlenecks, relentless training that consumed every waking moment, and the inexhaustible energy granted by the power she bore for the sake of the world—she might not be the strongest now, but her future was beyond imagining.
Even at this very moment, Siegfried and Theresa, standing opposed to her, could only acknowledge her as a monster.
"Theresa, your Judas… isn't working?"
After a bout of fierce exchanges, Siegfried retreated to Theresa's side and asked with hesitation.
"No, it is working. But her Honkai energy keeps surging forth, forcibly maintaining her combat ability at a certain level. I can't weaken her any further. If you can't defeat her even within Judas' domain, then in a fair fight you might not last more than a few moves."
"Yeah… I knew she was strong, but I didn't think it'd be to this extent…"
"You should have expected it. This is Grandpa's turf—it's never been easy to break through."
Inside the golden chain-bound cage, the panting Siegfried stood shoulder to shoulder with the ever-unshaken Theresa. Both frowned at the sight of the golden Valkyrie before them—her face and body bore wounds, yet her aura remained fierce and unyielding.
"Haa—"
Durandal drew in a deep breath. Her booted foot, wrapped in golden light, stepped forward, and her silver knight's lance shone brilliantly.
"Please withdraw, both of you! Leave now, and I'm sure the Overseer will not pursue the matter… As Lady Theresa said, this is nothing more than the HQ's defense systems test. Everything remains within the bounds of reason and legitimacy."
In her ice-blue eyes, there was no trace of joy or anger. Her wounded yet flawless face carried nothing but heroic resolve and solemn dignity.
Theresa sighed and slowly descended from the air. She tore the massive cross from the golden chains at her back and slammed it heavily into the ground, maintaining the anti-Honkai energy field woven by the chains.
"Siegfried, without the Judgment of Shamash, your strength is far from what it should be."
"I came out too quickly—I'm not used to this body's new power yet. But even if I was, without the Judgment, my attack power is definitely lacking. Got any ideas?"
"None. At this point in time, even Anti-Entropy won't back our actions. We're on our own; I can't get you a new weapon. So—let's go together. No holding back—pour everything into it!"
"Got it! Let me try to find that feeling from back when I lost control…"
Siegfried discarded the broken white twin pistols. His usual air of careless humor was gone; his clothes began to bulge in strange ways.
Rip—
His garments tore apart as his height shot past three meters. Wings unfurled from his back, a tail like an icy chain-blade dragged behind him, and white scales, claws, and fangs replaced human features.
Frost spread beneath his feet, and an extreme cold—laden with terrifying Honkai energy—swept across the small domain.
"Haa—"
He exhaled a cloud of freezing mist.
Theresa, gripping Judas in one hand, frowned and looked up.
"Still got your mind?"
"O-of… course… Find… Kiana…"
"You can barely talk. Forget it—let's just go. Force our way through!"
"…Go!"
Siegfried crushed the metal ground beneath his feet, charging forward with power far beyond anything he'd shown before.
Theresa followed, dragging Judas behind her. Just as they were about to reach Durandal, she suddenly accelerated—stepping from the base of Siegfried's tail, racing up the line of sharp, protruding spines along his back, until she reached his head. Then she leapt high, bringing the massive cross crashing down.
"An impressive combination, but don't think you can get past me!"
Durandal knew that within this domain, her strength was heavily suppressed—many of her techniques could not be used—while her opponents could fight at full power.
Even so, a Valkyrie must always be ready to face any disadvantage head-on. In Durandal's dictionary, there was no "retreat."
Only forward. Always forward.
The lance in her hands was brimming with power, her body was brimming with power—and Durandal's fighting spirit and courage had never once dulled. Rather than retreat, she stepped forward with her spear in hand, charging head-on into the combined assault coming her way.
Boom!!
With a deafening roar, three forces clashed at once. The brilliant light and shockwaves shook the entire base, the impact shattering the golden cage now left without Theresa's full power to maintain it.
A figure was sent flying.
Crash!
The one thrown back was Durandal. Smashing through several buildings, she twisted midair, landing on one knee and skidding across the ground before rising again without hesitation.
By then, the man-beast and woman who had driven her back—taking advantage of the anti-Honkai field—were already rushing straight toward her, now only a few steps away.
"I told you, you're not getting past me!"
Durandal casually wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, tightened her grip on her knight's lance, and let her aura surge severalfold.
Though she'd taken some damage from the earlier clash, being freed from that troublesome suppressive field had actually boosted her power rather than lessened it. If that same combined attack came at her now, she was confident she could block it entirely.
But just before the three forces were about to collide again, a streak of red light seared across the path, melting the ground as it shot between Theresa and Siegfried—rushing straight at Durandal's face.
"Who!?"
Durandal leveled her spear to meet it.
Another thunderous detonation rang out as a massive fireball engulfed Durandal's body. The searing heat melted vast sections of the surrounding area, as if a miniature sun had risen inside the airborne base.
In the meantime, Siegfried and Theresa were able to push far ahead.
"Ki—"
"Keep moving! That's the child's will—just accept it in silence. But her identity and position shouldn't be dragged any deeper into this. As her elders, we've already failed her… but at least don't waste her resolve, and don't let her carry more than she already has. Siegfried—don't look back! Keep going forward!"
"Rooaar!!"
The two—so different in size—vanished down the long central corridor.
The fireball lingered for over half a minute before it finally faded away, revealing Durandal standing in midair above a charred, molten crater.
The heat and flames had done nothing to diminish the Valkyrie's majesty; if anything, they had burned away the dust and grime clinging to her golden armor, leaving it gleaming as though newly forged.
Durandal's gaze darkened as she looked ahead to the fiery-red longsword floating before her.
"Kiana Kaslana—are you planning to join them in this reckless stunt as well? At such a critical moment, are you really going to obstruct the actions of the lords? Have you forgotten that nation-building is also Lord Sigurd's will?!"
"Don't stick labels on me! I've got a perfectly legitimate reason! The Honkai disasters are getting worse, so to improve the combined strength of both major organizations, it's very necessary to carry out an extreme-attack test on both headquarters! Look, I even have a signed approval form from Sig himself!"
A clear, ringing voice drifted down from above. At the same time, the shadow of a dragon loomed over Durandal.
Looking up, Durandal saw Kiana—her skirted armor swaying in the wind—as she descended gracefully until she was level with her. With a perfectly righteous air, she held out a document.
It really was an application for an extreme-attack test on Schicksal Headquarters, and it really did have Sigurd's name on it—except Durandal had seen Sigurd's signature many times before, and she was certain this handwriting wasn't his. In fact, it looked suspiciously like Kiana's.
"…Do you take me for a fool?"
"Come on, cut me some slack! My aunt's had her mind toyed with like a puppet by your Overseer for over a decade, and my lousy old man's been bottling up his resentment all this time. This is their only real chance to cause a ruckus. And it's the same for me, once this phase passes, I will have to stand on the same side as your Overseer for the sake of the bigger picture… Can't you just turn a blind eye, just this once?"
"Duty is duty! Kiana, if you leave now, I can at least request leniency for you in my report afterward."
"So, that's a no deal?"
Kiana spoke helplessly as Kōmei flew into her grasp. The white skirted armor she wore—and even her mismatched gold and blue eyes, along with her flowing silver hair—were all tinged with a crimson flame.
Durandal tilted her lance, and behind her, two massive, indistinct silhouettes shimmered into view—automatic phantoms modules of the Excelsis armour. The colossal unmanned combat weapons, sword-wielding King and shield-bearing Queen, now operated independently. Freed from the anti-Honkai suppression of Judas' domain, these dreamlike weapons could finally unleash their true might.
"King! Queen!"
Durandal knew well that Kiana had undergone many transformations. She estimated the girl's current strength on the high end—and still took no chances, going all-out from the start. The giant mechs materialized fully behind her, raising their enormous sword and heavy shield in synchronized attacks.
Kiana swung her blade and looked upward.
"Bella—help me!"
ROAR!!
The massive dragon circling overhead dove from the sky, slamming into both colossal machines and knocking them aside. The three titanic figures became entangled midair in a spectacular, terrifying clash.
Durandal frowned, lifting her lance slightly. White motes of light—Honkai energy overflowing—spread from her body. Her voice was cold and unyielding.
"Kiana, do you truly mean to take part in this riot?"
"To you, it's a riot. To me… with those two so fired up, what choice do I have? Let them meet your Overseer face-to-face—some things need to be said directly before future cooperation can work. Trust me, this is for the greater good down the line!"
"Unreasonable!"
"Then we'll fight it out! Either way, you're not going to stop them now. And this is a good chance for us to get to know each other better. Someone once told me that Schicksal's S-rank Valkyries fall into two categories—Durandal, and everyone who isn't Durandal. I'd like to see if that's true. Likewise, you can see for yourself what it means to wield the power of two Herrschers and the mastery of the Edge of Taixuan—should be good for future teamwork, don't you think?"
With a hint of playfulness in her tone, Kiana gripped her sword in both hands as the air around her warped under the heat.
Durandal gave a cold snort, unleashing an immeasurable surge of Honkai energy that burst from her in a pillar of white light tearing into the sky.
In the next instant, two overwhelming torrents of Honkai energy—both far beyond any measurement—collided above the city. In a single moment, vast swathes of the surface below were flattened.
Amid the panicked cries of countless Schicksal Valkyries and staff, the colossal airborne citadel shuddered violently, as though on the verge of falling from the sky.
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