Fifteen minutes before Elias awakened—
St. Freya Academy had already become a battlefield.
The Herrscher of the Void was proclaiming her arrival to the world!
"Humans, your very existence is a mistake!"
From high above, the Herrscher of the Void looked down on everything like a world-weary goddess.
"War, deceit, jealousy, greed—you made him lose everything!"
"But today, I will devour everything!
"Because I am the Herrscher of the Void!
"Because I am—Honkai!"
With the queen's declaration, countless black portals rimmed with gold burst open. One after another, Templar-class Honkai Beasts poured out.
In less than a minute, a legion of over a thousand beasts had formed, and the number continued to grow every second.
These Templar-class Honkai Beasts, now the queen's soldiers, formed an army to conquer the world on her behalf.
Their orders: slaughter and destroy. Such a force could easily topple a small nation.
But this was the feared stronghold of the Far East—St. Freya Academy!
"Activate highest alert mode! Remember your training!"
"Mech units, prepare for coordinated fire!"
"Idiot, careful! She might just teleport everything back! No need for a barrage, fire at will with precision!"
"Schicksal Valkyries, this isn't the time for infighting—unite and face the Honkai!"
"Agreed! We're not good at fighting each other, but when it comes to Honkai Beasts, which Valkyrie here isn't a professional?!"
Every Valkyrie of St. Freya, along with numerous high-ranking Valkyries from Schicksal, was on-site.
Facing the wave-like army of Honkai Beasts, both sides set aside their differences and fought side by side.
In truth, the fact that the Fourth Honkai Eruption took place at St. Freya Academy was a stroke of luck.
In this school filled with Valkyries, almost no one turned into a zombie due to the outbreak.
It was like a criminal showing up at a police station—the girls immediately deployed.
However, the Herrscher of the Void was no ordinary foe.
"You think you can stop me? What arrogance!"
The Subspace Lances rained down like light, capable of slicing through space itself. In theory, there was no way to defend against them.
But the Titan mechs constructed by Elias instantly shifted into defense mode, positioning themselves to shield the nearest Valkyries, intercepting the deadly lances with their mechanical bodies.
This act seemed to enrage the Herrscher of the Void.
"Damn it! Again! Always this! Even your creations want to do the same thing as you?! It's exactly because of this behavior that you...!"
As if witnessing something intolerable, she grasped a floating Subspace Lance, which morphed into a white ribbon and lashed out like a whip.
The space-infused strike could slice through anything it touched.
The entire battlefield looked like it was about to be cleaved in two.
Just then, a knight's spear came crashing down.
"What?!"
Seeing the spear hurled with the intent to nail her to the ground, the Herrscher of the Void reflexively opened a portal before her, redirecting the weapon elsewhere.
Boom!!!
A deafening roar followed. Gazing at the spear that looked capable of piercing the stars, the Herrscher's brow furrowed.
She knew that if she hadn't redirected it in time, she'd be in critical condition now.
But that strike was only a distraction.
"Miss Kiana, please wake up!"
Durandal had already closed the distance and charged directly at the Herrscher of the Void.
Although her knight's spear had been thrown like a javelin, her fists and feet remained deadly weapons.
So long as she could get close enough, even bare-handed, Durandal in her Godsbane Suit could overpower a Herrscher.
"Tch! Insignificant ants, stay away from me!"
Time-space confinement.
The Herrscher of the Void unleashed her authority, freezing Durandal in place. She then teleported to a distance and summoned Subspace Lances, firing a barrage at the golden goose.
Clang! Clang!
Fortunately, Li Sushang and the others arrived just in time, deflecting the incoming lances.
"Durandal, don't overdo it! The Honkai energy within us is chaotic right now. Focus on stalling her!"
"Mm, I know. I was being too hasty."
Durandal nodded and reset her stance.
Under normal circumstances, no matter the opponent—even a Herrscher—this golden goose could charge in and beat them down.
But now, due to the effects of the "God-Killing Spear," the Honkai energy within Durandal and the others had become unstable and was rapidly dissipating.
They were forced to rely solely on physical ability and combat skill. For most people, that wasn't enough to even pose a threat to a Herrscher. Surviving such an encounter would already be a miracle.
"You think you can kill me? Laughable! Flatten this place! Kill everyone!"
The Herrscher of the Void sneered at them all.
She continuously summoned Honkai Beast portals, and following their queen's will, the Templar-class beasts rampaged with full force.
"Damn! The numbers are just..."
"They keep increasing!"
"Each one is tough! Damn it!"
"We're almost out of mechs too!"
Even with so many Valkyries present, they were starting to falter.
They had just fought a major battle earlier and were already fatigued.
Though the earlier eruption hadn't killed or zombified them, it had worsened the symptoms of Honkai erosion, causing significant pain.
If not for Elias' preemptive construction of so many mechs, they would have already suffered heavy casualties.
"...But this can't go on."
Bronya and the others desperately held the Honkai Beast army at bay.
The enemy's numbers continued to grow, while their own side was gradually worn down. Though it looked like an even fight, they were barely holding on.
At this rate, the front line would eventually collapse!
"We must suppress all enemies in one go!"
Bronya clenched her small fists, her mind racing. While directing Project Bunny to defeat the nearby beasts, she racked her brain for a way to turn the tide.
But reversing the battlefield with one person's effort was no easy feat.
Moreover, like the others in the dorm, she too was weighed down by despair from Elias' supposed death. The fact she was even still fighting was a testament to her strength.
Meanwhile—
"Get lost, you beasts!"
With a shout of fury and a slash of her blade, the blue-haired girl cut down Honkai Beasts one after another.
Seele's ferocious form stunned the Valkyries who didn't know her well. No one expected this gentle-looking girl to be so brutal in combat.
But in truth, White Seele had fainted the moment she saw Elias collapse. Had Dark Seele not taken over the body in time, they would have been trampled to death.
Even Dark Seele now fought with tears in her eyes, her massive red claws fueled by despair and rage. Her angry shouts sounded more like sobbing to Bronya.
Elias' death was despair for all of them. Though Dark and White Seele hadn't confessed, their feelings for the boy were no less than anyone else's.
"No... Elias isn't dead. He's definitely not dead!"
Suddenly, Bronya exclaimed, as if she'd noticed something.
"If the creator had truly died, could these mechs and Bronya's armaments constructed through his authority really still exist? Their existence is proof of the Herrscher of Reason's authority. If that power hasn't disappeared..."
Bronya clung to this thought like a lifeline. Her once dull and empty eyes now shimmered with renewed light.
It was just a hypothesis, unproven and unconfirmed—but even that hope was enough for now. Because next, she would become the proof herself.
"Seele, Teacher Himeko! Everyone, listen to me! Elias isn't dead! He's definitely still alive!"
Bronya shouted to all the girls around her.
"What did you say?!"
"Bronya, are you serious?!"
"Still alive? Elias is still alive?!"
Her words made every girl's heart leap. They all turned to Bronya, searching for hope in her eyes.
And they were not disappointed. Bronya nodded firmly, speaking with certainty.
"Bronya's existence is the proof. In the past, Elias shared the Herrscher of Reason's authority with me. That connection still exists, and the mechs and weapons he constructed haven't disappeared! That means Elias is definitely still alive!"
And if his life hadn't ended, then that person would absolutely come back!
Thinking of this, Bronya's lips curled slightly upward.
(If that's the case, then Bronya's mission is to hold this front line until he returns. Elias, I will not fail the power you entrusted to me!)
Bronya closed her eyes, placing a hand over her heart as if to feel her heartbeat.
When she opened them again, they gleamed with determination—she was ready to bet everything.
"Project Bunny 19c, initiate full armament deployment!!"
[Warning! Warning! You are currently unable to operate this many weapons simultaneously! Forcing the system will cause extreme overload every second!]
"It's fine, Bunny, you're coming with me too!"
[Eh?]
"As long as you link with every armament and co-control them with me, the load will reduce significantly. This is the moment we must go all in! Execute the command!"
[No, nooo! Boss Bronya, please spare me! Do you have any idea how pampered Elias made you? Do you know how many weapons he left for you in the quantum arsenal?! If we activate them all, my brain—my chip will melt!]
"Shut up! This is the only way! I'll say it again—full armament deployment! Or I'll fill your main storage drive with viruses afterward!"
[Anything but that! Aaaaah! Okay okay okay! I'll do it! Full system deployment! Maximize performance! Open the arsenal! Remove all restrictions! Deploy—!]
In the next second, countless weapons appeared mid-air.
Plasma cannons, Gatling guns, electromagnetic railguns, floating cannon arrays, long-range lasers, rocket clusters, Honkai energy grenade launchers, missile tanks, Moonlight Thrones, Silver Bullets, Honkai Fissile Bombs, and even Honkai nuclear warheads!
Bronya: "Cancel! Cancel those last few!"
Seeing the densely packed armaments—likely thousands, maybe tens of thousands in number—Bronya finally understood that Project Bunny's earlier screams weren't exaggerated.
Elias had crammed every constructible weapon into the shared quantum arsenal with Bronya.
Faced with this arsenal, powerful enough to wipe out several small countries, everyone on the field involuntarily gulped.
"Just how worried was he about Bronya's safety? This is overkill!"
"He really did prepare everything, huh? I remember Elias once said he had a fear of insufficient firepower..."
[Waaaah, broken... My brain—my chip is frying... Sob sob... All weapons deployed. Awaiting Bronya's command... Ababa...]
Bronya stood still, stunned by the overwhelming arsenal. But then, she broke into a smile.
Every weapon here was a testament to Elias' care for her. She had thought the arsenal was only a tenth this size.
But now, as all of it came to life, she realized just how far he was willing to go to protect her.
He had prepared this arsenal for her—a force capable of challenging the world itself.
"Elias, you're always such a worrier. And you once said..."
Bronya's lips curled into a high smile.
Standing on Project Bunny's shoulder, she soared into the sky, facing the now over ten-thousand-strong army of Templar-class Honkai Beasts without fear. She formed a finger-gun gesture with her small hand.
"Truth lies only within the range of cannons. Today, let me and Elias show you our truth! All weapons ready—Fire!!"
"Damn it! You dare!!!"
The Herrscher of the Void stared at the arsenal in horror, raising her hand to open a portal and teleport them all away, but...
"You're not stopping her!"
Durandal, Li Sushang, and Fu Hua launched a fierce attack in perfect sync, stopping her from casting.
The next moment, tens of thousands of gun barrels lit up.
Missiles, lasers, machine guns, heavy cannons, Star of Eden—an endless array of weapons fired at once.
A storm of annihilation descended.
Tens of thousands of Templar-class Honkai Beasts?
Under such overwhelming firepower, they were wiped out in an instant!
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