"Phew... finally almost done," Bronya said, wiping the sweat from her brow as she held the newly completed bomb.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted. Bronya looked down at the unexploded bomb in her hand, lost in thought.
"Finally, it begins!"
With the sound of the explosion, the impatient Kiana and Ryn leaped down from the platform.
The crowd's attention was drawn away by the explosion. Kiana delivered a flying kick, instantly knocking down the Executioner, while Ryn hoisted the kneeling Kallen onto his shoulders, who was still unaware of what was happening.
As the two prepared to escape with Kallen, the one-armed Arthur blocked their path.
"Get out of the way if you don't want to die! Don't stop us!" Ryn shouted at Arthur.
"No... I'm not here to stop you," Arthur shook his head and pointed down a narrow alley. "Take Miss Kallen through this alley. Follow it, and you'll reach the harbor. I've already arranged a ship for you to sail out to sea."
"Grandpa Arthur, I didn't expect you to be such a good person!" Kiana exclaimed happily.
"Grandpa Arthur, if you let me escape, you'll..." Kallen was deeply worried about Grandpa Arthur's actions. If Schicksal found out he had helped her escape, he would surely be executed.
"Don't worry, I'm already old. Even if I'm punished... I'll have no regrets." Arthur nodded to Ryn and then stepped aside to clear the path.
"I'm sorry about your arm..." Ryn felt awkward. But at the time, Arthur had been about to attack Kiana, so Ryn had been forced to retaliate.
"It's nothing. Hurry and go, young man. Taking Miss Kallen as far away as possible will be the best apology you can offer me." Arthur didn't say more, instead turning to face the approaching pursuers, ready to hold them off.
The group had barely taken a few steps when they saw a crowd of people frantically fleeing toward them. Behind them...
...countless Honkai Beasts charged forward, relentlessly smashing everything in their path.
Kallen and Arthur were both stunned by the sight.
Arthur shouted in disbelief, "How could Honkai Beasts be here! The outer perimeter of this city is supposed to be heavily guarded!"
Clap... clap... clap...
A figure emerged from the shadows, clapping his hands. His distinctive features instantly identified him as Otto.
Otto raised a hand to his forehead, a confident smirk playing on his lips. "Of course, this was all my plan, my dear."
"Otto... what are you doing here?!" Kallen exclaimed, her voice filled with disbelief.
"My dearest Kallen, I've come to rescue you. My father... tsk, the Bishop, thought his plan was foolproof. He believed that by sending your former subordinates, the Valkyrie squad, on a distant mission, no one would have the strength to save you.
But he forgot about the terrifying monsters lurking beneath the cathedral—the Honkai Beasts you captured. All I had to do was release their shackles and use a few decoys to lure them out.
The chaos they caused was enough to cripple Schicksal's combat forces deployed within the city. Now, we can leave here openly. Come, Kallen, let's escape together."
He had saved her like a savior in her moment of despair, perhaps this moment would overshadow the fox's influence in Kallen's heart.
At that moment, Otto's blood boiled. He couldn't help but loosen his collar, baring his chest.
"How many innocent lives will you harm by doing this!" Kallen shouted furiously.
"Ah? Stop joking around. All the lives of those commoners combined aren't worth a single strand of your hair, my goddess! My Kallen, finally no one can stop us from being together!"
Kallen stepped out of Ryn's embrace, staggering toward Otto.
"Let's forget about Schicksal, about the trivial matter of the Honkai. Let's travel together... I've already made arrangements. Our next stop will be the Far East, the place you miss most."
As Kallen approached, Otto opened his arms, convinced his confession had succeeded and she was coming to embrace him.
But what greeted him was a furious slap across the face.
Kallen placed her hand over her chest, feeling her heart pounding with rage. She roared at Otto:
"Stop insulting me, Otto! The Kaslana family are the people's guardians, their shield. I will never abandon them to save myself!"
"Thank you for your kindness... but your method is completely wrong. I won't go with you."
"Miss Kallen! What do you plan to do with that frail body of yours?" Arthur shouted anxiously.
"I'm going to draw the Honkai Beasts away and protect my people," Kallen replied firmly.
"So this is the Kaslana Family's legendary blood Grandpa Arthur always talked about? Suddenly, I feel like I have to do something too," Kiana said, placing a hand over her chest, her heart pounding in her chest.
She reached out and grabbed Ryn's hand. With Ryn by her side, it was like having the strength of a hundred and one people.
"Let us help too. Many hands make light work. I'm Ryn, and this is Kiana," Ryn said, knowing Kiana wanted to fight and protect the people. He felt the same way.
Since the Honkai Beasts had already broken loose, what was one more Herrsscher?
"Thank you, Miss Kiana, Mr. Ryn—!!!!"
Before Kallen could finish speaking, she was stunned by Ryn's actions.
"Since chaos has already erupted, let's make it even more chaotic! Now, it's time for the savior to make their move."
"First, get up!"
Ryn held Kiana's hand in one hand while pointing the other at the Honkai Beasts. He extended a single finger and pointed it toward the sky.
In that instant, the world was rewritten.
How to describe it?
Well... well... light things began to float upward...
The blood splattered by the Honkai Beasts' bites, too, froze in mid-air at Ryn's gesture, then slowly drifted toward the heavens.
The ground trembled violently, and sand and stones followed suit, rising into the air. Then people began to float upward... even the Honkai Beasts themselves began to ascend... even Otto's tears, as he lay weeping on the ground, floated upward.
"Next, like this."
Ryn twisted his wrist and pointed downward.
And so, heavy things began to fall.
The Honkai Beasts slammed into the ground like cannonballs, reduced to a pulpy mess. Debris and fragments rained down from the sky, piercing the Honkai Beasts' bodies. Countless sand and shattered corpses buried them completely.
Finally, the people drifted gently back to the ground, landing on a flat surface paved with the remains of the Honkai Beasts and sand.
"Done."
Ryn smiled and ruffled Kiana's hair. These Honkai Beasts were no challenge at all for him.
"Wow—Ryn, you've gotten so strong!"
"Of course! With Kiana here, it's like having the power of a thousand people!"