"Everyone, take down the nearby Honkai beasts and reduce Lady Durandal's burden."
"Yes!"
-----------------------------------------
The howling storm winds swept the clouds away.
Buildings, flowers, trees, rocks, everything visible to the naked eye had no power to resist the raging gale.
The gentle breeze of ordinary times was now showing a completely different face.
Holding a lance, boots lightly treading the barren ground, Durandal moved steadily toward the center.
The vast, levelled ground held not a single Honkai beast.
This was the domain of the Herrscher of Wind.
"The surrounding Honkai energy is decreasing." She raised her head slightly, a flash of enchanting violet light mixing in, making one's gaze waver.
Thick Honkai energy turned into flowing streams, continuously converging in the same direction.
She sensed that a powerful existence was being born there.
If allowed to break free of its cocoon, even if she could bring it down, the entire region would be paralyzed.
Swift, precise, ruthless. The fundamentals of this mission.
'As expected, I still have to wait for Theresa to act together with me.' Durandal thought.
Divine Key · Oath of Judah.
With this weapon, the battle could avoid excessive damage to the region, the constraints of its chains restricting the Herrscher's power in an instant.
Durandal stood with her lance across the storm like a rock weathered by time, unshakable.
Emerald green seeped into the colorless storm, her skin feeling the moisture carried by the air.
The next second,
"Huuh!!"
A blade of wind suddenly tore through the gale, its force slicing through the area!
Its appearance was like a signal, for afterward, endless emerald dyed the storm!
Beneath her feet, reflected green light and, without warning, seized Durandal's ankle!
Durandal lowered her body slightly, fists clenched. The sudden change didn't disturb the strongest Valkyrie's focus, her mind was sharper than ever.
"Haah!!"
"Boom!!"
The ground quaked, waves surged. The breath of the sea filled the battlefield.
The tremor didn't last long; moments later, the wind blade vanished, leaving only traces of seawater on the ground.
Durandal held her punching stance, a thoughtful look on her face.
"Manipulating fluids… stronger than expected."
The Herrscher's authority was always tied to some physical phenomenon. The Gem of Desire had long been recorded in Schicksal's archives, and Durandal naturally had access. Yet this Herrscher of Wind seemed far stronger than the gem's previous wielder.
There had been no record of the Gem of Desire granting control over water.
Just now, the powerful current had locked her firmly to the ground, while the wind blades attacked relentlessly. Anyone else would've been struck down; in Durandal's eyes, aside from a very few, everyone else would collapse under such an assault.
Outside, the Immortal Blades squad members, tasked with clearing Honkai beasts, looked in shock toward the source of the tremors.
"This power… is it really at the level between rank-3 weapons and beyond?!"
"I wonder how the Captain is doing."
"Captain Bianca is the strongest Valkyrie, she'll be fine!"
Herrschers had not appeared many times this century, and since Valkyries rarely lived long, most Immortal Blades had never faced one directly. Such a fierce battle was bound to stir their imagination.
"Lady Durandal…" Holding a scythe freshly withdrawn from a slain Honkai beast, Rita looked toward the tremor's source, her heart heavy with worry.
She trusted Durandal's strength.
But Herrscher powers were ever-changing. Though Schicksal had research records on the Gem of Desire, no one could claim full understanding.
Rita knew that for Durandal, defeating a Herrscher wasn't the problem. But this newly-born Herrscher was clearly unusual, far beyond past standards of Honkai outbreaks.
Moreover, instead of wreaking havoc, she was gathering Honkai energy. With such unknowns, Durandal would never recklessly attack, lest she give the Herrscher an opening.
"How lively… so these are Honkai beasts? Mhm, interesting."
A familiar figure appeared beside Rita, leisurely observing the bisected Honkai beast.
"Miss Herta, Miss Himeko, and Miss Bronya, Miss Kiana!"
Seeing them, Rita's face lit up, Herta's appearance was an unexpected boon.
Though she didn't know Herta's full power, anyone whom the Overseer respected that much was certainly extraordinary. For her to appear voluntarily on the frontlines meant she couldn't possibly lack strength.
"The headmistress and the others went to face the Herrscher. The signals are confirmed." Bronya spoke calmly.
"Lady Theresa, that's wonderful. Lady Durandal was worried the battle with the Herrscher would cause chaos, but with Lady Theresa's help, everything will be stable."
Hearing that Theresa had gone to support, Rita's expression eased.
Her worries were mostly dispelled. Now, with two S-rank Valkyries and two Herrschers present, the situation was manageable.
Even the Sixth Herrscher could not stir up a storm against such a force.
Meanwhile, Herta continued studying the Honkai beasts. She had gathered all of St. Freya's data on Honkai beasts, even observing them up close in training simulations.
But those were always artificial.
In the real world, while small outbreaks existed, local Valkyrie squads usually eliminated them before word spread.
"Thud!" Before everyone's eyes, Herta calmly pulled out an huge hammer and knocked out a fifty-meter-tall Temple-class Honkai beast in one blow.
Taking out a magnifying glass, she began examining it with great interest.
"That shortie… could actually fight like that?" Kiana, twin pistols in hand, stared dumbfounded. She looked at her guns, momentarily at a loss.
Weren't scientists supposed to stay behind the scenes?
Bronya declared confidently: "As is well-known, scientists are always in the top tier of strength."
"…I feel like you're messing with me."
Shaking her head, Kiana perked up again, full of energy.
"This young lady won't be underestimated! This battlefield is mine to rule!"
Watching Kiana charge forward, Rita went to Bronya's side, puzzled.
"What's gotten into Miss Kiana?"
"She became like this after being ordered not to engage the Herrscher." Bronya answered flatly.
…
Within the cocoon of wind, Wendy's eyes filled with disbelief.
"Mere humans… how can they be this strong?!"
Was this the composure of the strongest Valkyrie?
As a Herrscher, stronger than any of her predecessors, Wendy had thought no one in the world could stand in her way, not even the strongest Valkyrie.
Valkyries were mortal, after all. But reality had given her an impossible answer.
A mortal body, meeting her head-on without flinching.
Wendy even felt that if she appeared before Durandal directly, the battle would end faster than she could imagine.
The thought alone was unbearable. Before becoming a Herrscher, she had been hailed as the one most likely to become the fourth S-rank Valkyrie.
Knowing her former strength only made her current disbelief greater.
Was this truly power a human could obtain through training?
No need to rush. Calming herself, Wendy reassured herself inwardly.
She already held the key to a higher level. That power, she could obtain it too.
…
Meanwhile.
Three figures entered the storm.
Mei surrounded herself with electromagnetic protection, Yuno with a thin mist, while Theresa… was stuck in the middle.
"Let's move. This time, we must bring Wendy back." Taking a deep breath, Theresa spoke with determination.
At first she recommended Wendy to participate in the experiment, but she didn't expect that after the experiment failed the people of the Oceania branch would treat Wendy that way.
To treat a meritorious person like that. Especially since Wendy had previously been the genius most likely to become an S-rank Valkyrie, yet was treated that way...
No matter what, the mistake she made back then, today she will pull back!
At that moment. The wind stopped, the clouds dispersed.
"Long time no see, Theresa."
A shadow reflected on the ground. Theresa and the two others looked up together, and saw a girl wearing a dress, a green windmill ornament hanging at her waist, her body wrapped in bandages, cyan wind wings behind her, with a cowlick on her head, looking down calmly at the three.
"Wendy..." Looking at Wendy in this state, Theresa's lips trembled slightly.
This appearance is so familiar yet strange.
"You two must be those two Herrschers, right." With her eyes slightly narrowed, Wendy spoke.
When she became a Herrscher, she knew that in the world there were not only herself as an existing Herrscher, but also two others who had already betrayed and succumbed to the Honkai.
To be precise, three Herrschers in this region.
The Herrscher of Thunder was an artificially induced Herrscher, who did not go through the proper procedures.
Regarding this behavior, Wendy felt no emotion. Her motive for becoming a Herrscher was hatred; being a Herrscher was only part of her revenge.
She had no interest in a Herrscher who had come about through such a path. She became a Herrscher to exact revenge on those she hated; everything else was irrelevant.
"Wendy..." Theresa's words had just left her mouth when two strong wind blades flew toward her at astonishing speed.
With pupils contracting, several chains shot out from Judah, their tips carrying a faint purple glow, and in a resolute manner shattered the wind blades.
"Principal, she has already been enticed by the Honkai. To save her we must defeat her!" Mei cried out.
Nodding, Theresa's expression grew firm.
Wendy was the one she had recommended to participate in the experiment; it was only right that she bring Wendy back from the clutches of the Honkai.
If it had been herself from long ago, at most she could have defeated Wendy, but now there are two Herrschers by her side! Nearby there was also a Durandal rushing over.
If even with this lineup they couldn't bring Wendy back, then humanity shouldn't talk about defeating the Honkai!
No nonsense, both sides were beings of the same level; only by deciding a victor could they continue speaking!
Mei's figure flashed, she dashed forward, and charged at Wendy!
Wendy's eyes flickered, Mei suddenly felt her body stall, breath becoming difficult.
A windless zone!
Wendy couldn't withdraw the ubiquitous air, but she could manipulate fluids to form a barrier zone; within this area, no one could act freely!
A regular Herrscher of Wind would have had to seriously study fluid dynamics to achieve this, but because of the massive Honkai energy, Wendy could completely manage it with sheer force.
Before Mei could make another move. A flash of lightning passed around Mei's body, directly breaking through this barrier; her speed not only didn't decrease, but grew faster!
Wendy was greatly alarmed and hurriedly gathered a gale to protect herself.
Then, before she could relax, a light shout came: "Mei!"
Mei held a knife in one hand, her palm sliding along the blade, strands of electric light flashing; in a blink, endless electric light enveloped Wendy, forming a thirty-meter diameter thunder cage.
That wasn't all, pale purple dense mist gradually appeared within the thunder cage, surrounding Wendy completely!
"Poison!" Wendy exclaimed in surprise, staring incredulously at the seeping poisonous fog.
'When did this happen?'
Suddenly, a scene flashed through Wendy's mind of Theresa using Judah to shatter her wind blades just now.
Purple!!
"It was there from the start." Wendy's expression turned ugly.
She hadn't expected to have been set up from the very beginning.
Now it was too late to react; her body began to weaken, Honkai energy started to spiral out of control.
Wendy tried to break through; golden light flashed, various gilded chains formed around her limbs.
The gradually uncontrolled barrier was only blocked for a moment before being pierced. Golden-yellow chains wrapped Wendy layer by layer, leaving no chance.
Mei added the final chains. Controlling the current to paralyze Wendy's body.
Sixth Herrscher, Wind Herrscher, capture complete!
"Damn it, I haven't finished my revenge!" Wendy struggled, but under the toxin, Judah's restraints, and the paralysis of thunder, she could no longer put up a fight.
Seeing Wendy lose the ability to resist, Yuno breathed a light sigh.
"Good, nothing went wrong."
In a short time Yuno still couldn't poison a Herrscher to death, but after this period of training, with the help of the Herrscher of Thunder, Yuno's toxin could now bring down a Herrscher who was unguarded.
This performance told her how important learning was. If a Herrscher doesn't learn, once given power they can become a bloated fool.
In no time they were punctured.
Wendy was still in impotent rage, never having expected these three to be so despicable.
They had developed for so much longer than she had, and yet they used poison! You have disgraced the dignity of Herrschers!
"But, I am naturally a support-type." Tilting her head, Yuno answered sweetly.
"..." This time, even denial wouldn't help.
Wendy fell silent. A Poison Herrscher... why would such a thing exist!
"Wendy, don't worry, I will definitely help you recover and rid you of the influence of the Honkai." Stepping forward, Theresa solemnly promised.
"Tch." Wendy sneered disdainfully.
If humanity really had such technology, how could they have struggled so hard against the Honkai in battles?
She was a little resentful; she had finally obtained this powerful strength, and before she could even exert it she was bound, indeed absurd.
Theresa didn't say much in response to Wendy's scorn.
After all, if it had been her former self, she wouldn't have believed it either.
But after witnessing the First Herrscher and the matters involving Mei and Yuno, along with the wisdom of the Herta, she held hope for this matter.
Among the six Herrschers that have appeared so far, three have broken free from Honkai control and returned to the human camp.
If that's the case, why not try to bring Wendy back too?
At that moment.
"Theresa, Mei, Yuno."
Durandal, who had hurried over, looked stunned at the scene before her and stared blankly at the sixth Herrscher tied up like a caterpillar.
'Am I late?'
...
"I see."
After hearing Theresa recount the course of the fight, Durandal slightly nodded.
Two Herrschers who had planned beforehand, plus Theresa who carried Judah, opposing the newly created sixth Herrscher was indeed not a problem.
Wendy had been melancholy during the time her legs were crippled and had not studied.
If Wendy had enough deep understanding of fluids, the outcome might have been predictable.
Tilting her head slightly, looking at Wendy who no longer struggled, her eyes were complex.
Wendy could have won the treasure she desired.
Human hearts...
"I intend to take Wendy back to Saint Freya." Suddenly, Theresa interrupted.
Durandal was taken aback, then frowned: "She is, after all, a Herrscher."
"We are Herrschers too." Mei said softly.
Durandal was stunned.
She shook her head slightly and asked again.
"But her situation is different from yours; she harbors hatred. If an accident occurs, what about the other students at Saint Freya?"
"I will seek Miss Herta's help. If that doesn't work..." Theresa's tone grew complicated as she pursed her lips, "If it really doesn't work, I will send her to Schicksal Headquarters."
"..." Gazing at Theresa, she raised her head slightly, her eyes scanning Mei and Yuno, and finally resting on the three gathered.
In the tense atmosphere, Durandal slowly nodded.
"Okay, but you must ensure she remains within a safe range. I will have members of the Immortal Blade enter Saint Freya to monitor her. If there is the slightest sign of loss of control, I will personally rush to Saint Freya to stop her!"