"Target acquired."
Bianka surveyed her surroundings.
For hundreds of nautical miles in every direction, not a single island remained afloat on the sea's surface. Directly below her was nothing but a massive whirlpool formed by the chaotic fluid dynamics.
"Oceania Branch, former Valkyrie squad captain, A-rank Valkyrie Wendy."
"Honkai energy concentration..."
The power that had limited the destructive force of the [Wind Pressure Cannon] came from the world bubble within her counterpart. It was a power that could not be sustained indefinitely.
After witnessing a blow of such magnitude, Bianka had gained some understanding of the Fourth Herrscher's destructive power, but she was still momentarily stunned by the feedback from her [Bright Knight: Excelsis] armor.
"15000 HW."
"15000 HW!?"
The moment the words left Bianka's lips, Theresa's voice crackled through the communicator.
The reason Bianka had arrived early and prepared her defenses in advance was due to a distress signal from Theresa.
Neither the airship carrying the Immortal Blades squad nor her Godsbane armor, [Bright Knight: Excelsis], was capable of reducing her travel time to less than a third of the original.
That, too, was the power of a world bubble.
Theresa's surprise was justified. Of all the active airships in Schicksal, including the floating headquarters above Vienna, none had a Honkai energy output exceeding 1000 HW. Even the ghost ship recently acquired by the Far East Branch (the Moonlight Throne) had a projected engine fluctuation index of just over 14000 HW... which was already far beyond Schicksal's technological limits.
An existence of 15000 HW simply did not conform to the known patterns of Herrscher emergence!
"Do not be alarmed, my dear granddaughter."
Next to Theresa's communication screen, a faceless interface transmitted Overseer Otto's voice.
"15000 HW is indeed exaggerated, but it has not yet reached the point where you are needed for support."
In the video feed from the Far East Branch, Theresa was clearly preparing her own Valkyrie armor.
"I trust that Durandal can resolve this problem."
"Can't you?"
"Durandal?"
Amidst Theresa's questioning voice, Bianka, her gaze fixed on the figure across the whirlpool, spoke slowly.
"No problem."
"The testing system's recording limit is 15000 HW. I have broken it more than once."
Bianka raised her lance, assuming a charging stance.
"But that is on the condition that—"
"This Herrscher has truly just been born... and I cannot guarantee the integrity of the [Gem of Desire]."
"..."
"Do what you must."
Otto was the first to end the communication.
"All four from St. Freya Academy have been sent back to the Hyperion. Although they are seriously injured, their lives do not appear to be in danger."
The Hyperion was docked at a very high altitude, and since Imperial Wendy had not targeted it deliberately, the airship was well-preserved. The moment Bianka blocked the [Wind Pressure Cannon], she had stabilized the four's injuries and sent them directly back to the Hyperion... that was also the last of the world bubble's power she could use for a short time.
"They will be able to return to the Far East Branch shortly."
"...Thank you. Be careful."
As Theresa also ended their communication—
"Finished chatting?"
Imperial Wendy's voice came from a distance.
As for the original Wendy... she was currently encased in a [Fluid Shield] and had been sunk by Imperial Wendy to a depth of over 4,000 meters below sea level.
Even with her new core and mastery over the power of wind, the original Wendy's strength was only that of a half-baked Herrscher (by the old civilization's standards). It was doubtful if she could even reach the level of a [Higher Primordial Species]. To get involved in a battle of this caliber would be suicide.
"Finished."
Bianka gave a slight nod.
Although their communication seemed somewhat detached, it did not sound like an exchange between enemies.
"Then let's begin."
Wendy (who will be referred to by this name from now on) raised an arm. Following the line of muscle hidden beneath her fair skin, she slightly lowered her index finger and gave Bianka a provocative little beckon.
"You must be eager as well, right?"
"...As you wish."
---o---
"Voom."
Streams of light, in varying shades, flashed across the tactical module nodes of her armor.
Bianka forcefully lowered her slender waist. The astonishing curves and arcs of her form were on full display, from the clavicles defying gravity below her ribs to the point 8.5 centimeters above her pelvis.
"Beep—"
The thruster wings on the sides of her skirt armor pivoted from below to behind her.
Dazzling, incandescent blue wings of light spread wide, and a torrent of gamma particles erupted from the power core!
As the fourth-generation Godsbane all-environment universal armor, [Bright Knight: Excelsis], only Bianka in the entire world could unleash its full power. The enormous load generated when all its tactical components operated in unison was difficult for even fellow S-rank Valkyries like Theresa and Rita to control.
The armor's light-wing propulsion system combined all the advantages of the [White Knight: Moonlight]'s gamma particle thrusters and the [Shadow Knight: Moonbeam]'s burst modules, generating an instantaneous acceleration that granted Bianka unparalleled destructive power!
"HISS!!!"
The Bright Knight transformed into a comet streaking across the sky, charging violently toward the unprepared Wendy on the other side of the whirlpool!
"CLANG—SPLASH!!!"
The seemingly endless whirlpool was split by the impact from the sky, carving a bottomless trench. An incalculable mass of seawater, measured in tens of thousands of tons, cascaded madly into the "cleaved" center.
At the horizon behind Wendy, a pillar of water rose like a mushroom cloud. The sky-blotting rain clouds kicked up by the [Wind Pressure Cannon] were momentarily torn open!
And then... an even more torrential downpour fell.
"Hah."
Wendy did not turn her head.
Her neck was slightly raised, her gaze focused on the area diagonally above her [Fluid Shield].
As a legion commander who could touch the threshold of an [Apostle], the [Authority of Wind] that Wendy specialized in could already replicate a true [Perfect Fluid]. The shield generated from it could deflect any form of physical attack. Even against energy attacks, it still had a weakening effect of over ninety percent.
In other words, unless the opponent used a psychic attack, or a power derived from a [Dominion] that involved a higher dimension like the Monarch's, an opponent of the same level had no chance of even injuring Wendy... This gap was magnified infinitely under "planetary" conditions.
And yet, this seemingly invincible defense—
"It can be scratched?"
That was right.
Bianka's first strike had not inflicted damage, but it had successfully left a scratch on the [Fluid Shield]. The shield's defense was strongest when its wall was thinnest; Bianka's attack could be considered to have breached Wendy's defense.
If not for the fact that the [Fluid Shield]'s regenerative cycle was faster than her opponent's attack, her body would have been pierced by the lance... or so one would think!
"As I thought."
"This one is worthy of fighting me."
Wendy slowly turned to face Bianka, who had leaped from the sea and was closing the distance again.
The [Fluid Shield] was a passive skill.
Maintaining it only required about fifteen percent of her Imaginary energy supply. If her opponent couldn't even break through this, they were not worthy of fighting her.
As for the means Bianka had just used...
The intertwined blue and white lance of the gods, [Hler's Serenity], had been put away. The weapon Bianka had used to slice the [Fluid Shield] was a simple-looking, golden one-handed sword: the Holy Blade "Durandal."
Unlike the eponymous exclusive weapon manufactured by the Empire, the Holy Blade in Bianka's hand originated from the Previous Era and had been super-enhanced by "Little Jo" (a microscopic particle computer) and the world bubble. The two holy blades were almost identical in strength. The "Durandal" in Bianka Kaslana's hand was equivalent to a "weapon counterpart" created by the Monarch himself in a "simulated environment"... This was the "privilege" of those rumored in the Empire to be "watched over by the Emperor."
The Holy Blade Durandal possessed seven different abilities. What she had just demonstrated was its function, in its complete state, to "cut space itself."
That's right.
Wendy's [Fluid Shield] had not been cut. What was actually attacked was the "space the shield occupied."
And the reason Bianka, who had intended to end the fight in one blow, had failed to injure her opponent despite wielding the holy blade was: Quantum energy.
"Durandal" possessed the ability to manipulate different forms of energy. After falling into the Quantum Sea, this ability had evolved to control Quantum energy.
Logically, the best way to combat Honkai energy on the level of 15000 HW was to use Quantum energy, which surpassed it in energy level, to win through superior quality.
However, in reality, the 15000 HW reading did not represent Honkai energy at all, but Imaginary energy—which was on the same level as Quantum energy. Schicksal's current technology could not yet identify or interact with Imaginary energy. The judgment of quantity was correct, but the judgment of quality was outrageously off.
Not to mention, as a legion commander, Wendy was all too familiar with Quantum energy.
---o---
"Your turn is over."
A trace of satisfaction mixed with her untamed and wild demeanor—Wendy's voice clearly reached Bianka's ears from a distance.
It wasn't that she was adhering to some "turn-based" rule.
It was simply that her previous attack had been too powerful, causing a certain degree of overload in the [Bright Knight: Excelsis]'s systems. Using the "space-cutting" ability of Durandal without the support of the world bubble had also placed an immense burden on Bianka's body.
Adopting a defensive posture to recover was the most reliable plan.
However, some things could not be blocked just by wanting to, or rather, Wendy had ways that didn't require a forceful assault.
"Now, it is my turn."
Wendy spread her arms, speaking calmly.
"Whoosh~ Drip."
The sounds of wind and water intertwined.
"Clap!"
She clapped her palms lightly above one side of her head.
From the center of her slowly separating palms, a translucent, white-green wheel of light bloomed like a flower!
The atmosphere roiled, the ocean roared.
The sea and sky were connected by an invisible force. A pillar that pierced the heavens formed an endlessly repeating circle around Wendy.
As she drew this "circle," a large number of shining turquoise runes began to appear on her body. The Honkai energy seeping from these runes dyed her pure white dress in a gradient from light to dark grey.
"Thrum!"
A texture like an eagle spreading its wings materialized behind Wendy.
"Take this—"
"Shed Feather · Flowing Wind."
" "
A sky-blotting ring unfolded in the heavens.
Starting from a point at its very top, the "disintegrating" ring transformed into threads that fell gently toward the massive sphere (the planet) below.
There was no friction, hence no sound, and thus no trace.
There was only... the vast and irresistible Imaginary energy, like that of the great sun!
It couldn't slice the Earth in half, but it was more than enough to leave a scar deep enough to see bone across a distance of more than a third of the planet's diameter. The resulting volcanic eruptions, changes in ocean currents, and tectonic movements would be more than sufficient to give the Earth a somewhat forced cleansing.
The appearance of the [Death Spot] and the surface-scouring [Shed Feather] skill.
This all went beyond Wendy's usual performance. Without a doubt, in the special environment of Earth, she had broken through the barrier of a [Higher Primordial Species] and stepped into the realm of an [Apostle] in terms of combat power, not just in title. Wendy had become the first mid-level officer of the Empire in nearly a thousand years to break through this level on her own strength.
"This is bad!"
The moment the [Death Spot] appeared behind Wendy, Bianka had sensed the danger.
Even if she tried her hardest to draw power from the world bubble, with only the [Bright Knight: Excelsis] and the holy blade "Durandal" without a sufficient energy supply... the current Bianka absolutely could not block this attack.
Despite this, Bianka charged toward [Shed Feather] without a second thought.
"We are warriors, people who might die unexpectedly at any moment, and also people who will always carry the fate of the masses on our shoulders. Since we could not sit idly by and watch the destruction before us from the very beginning—then in fact, from that moment on, we had already decided what our lives would be. If there are those who still hesitate... I think they have not thought carefully enough about what it truly means to become a 'Valkyrie,' to fight for all that is beautiful in the world."
Those words flashed through Bianka's mind.
In that instant, an aura that felt strangely familiar yet completely new, surged covertly into her...
Stigmata!
The "Kaslana" and "Schariac" stigmata were activated simultaneously!
Unlike an artificial collapse, and unlike the native power of the Honkai, it was using the holy blade "Durandal" as an anchor point and merging with the world bubble within her counterpart's body!
In a flash, black, silver, gold, red. The figure of a knight, a magnificently armored warhorse.
In the process of charging toward [Shed Feather], the Godsbane armor [Bright Knight: Excelsis] covering her body, under the blessing of some higher-dimensional power, transformed into an unprecedented new form:
[Palatinus Equinox · Song of the Nibelungs]
At the same time, the brilliance emanating from the holy blade "Durandal" into a lance that likewise pierced the heavens—
"Starlight · Spiral!!!"
"DOOM— — —"
"BOOM!!!!!!!!"