Bang!
Shin reached out and caught the first energy round fired by Durandal. Instantly, a searing heat surged through his palm.
He glanced at his hand, his black glove now had a hole the size of a bird's egg, revealing the faintly reddened skin beneath.
As expected of a relic-grade weapon. Even a casual shot packed power rivaling a ship-mounted cannon.
Shin was once again reminded of the overwhelming might of pre-Collapse technology.
Bang, bang, bang!
Before he could reflect further, Durandal had already pulled the trigger several more times, weaving a golden barrage of energy bullets.
Sensing the intense heat radiating from the converging rounds, Shin's eyes sharpened.
This wasn't like those half-baked enemies crawling in the underground world. This was a true opponent—one that demanded his full strength.
Not daring to take the hits head-on, Shin deflected one energy round with his Honkai-enhanced hand and slid in close to Durandal, launching a straight punch toward her chest.
Been waiting for you to come in.
Seeing him close the gap, Durandal didn't flinch. Instead, she welcomed it. As she retracted her guns, she threw a punch of her own.
She preferred this, bare fists and visceral impact far more than gunfights.
Boom!
Their fists landed at the same time, the dual impacts merging into a single, bone-rattling thud. Cracks spiderwebbed across the deck beneath them.
Even though the ship was made from alloy far beyond conventional steel, it crumbled like a child's toy under their monstrous strength.
The sheer force behind Durandal's punch forced Shin back half a step, and his shoulder tingled with numbness.
The infamous brute strength of the Kaslana bloodline. Terrifying as always.
But what if he took it one step further?
Beneath the mask, the corner of Shin's mouth curled. A soft white glow flared across the back of his right hand, revealing a complex red sigil beneath it.
In that moment, his control over Honkai energy elevated to an entirely new level.
By precisely stimulating his cells with the energy, Shin launched another devastating punch.
Durandal, too, recovered her stance and struck again, a confident gleam lighting her sky-blue eyes.
That last exchange had told her everything, she had the advantage in raw strength.
Now, she just had to expand that edge.
Boom!
Their fists collided once again, this time, however, it was a dead even match.
The power in his punch... had increased?
Durandal's eyes widened in surprise.
"Young Valkyrie, your understanding of strength is still too shallow," Shin said with a grin.
The Kaslana family's monstrous strength originated from their unique cellular makeup, infused with organelles inherited from Honkai beasts. Their cells, at a fundamental level, were far stronger than those of normal humans.
But by refining his manipulation of Honkai energy, Shin could stimulate his own cells to reach a similar level of power. A different path, leading to the same destination.
Just like how Valkyries could surpass tactical mechs not because flesh was stronger than metal, but because they could harness Honkai energy far more efficiently.
"Don't get cocky!"
With a cold shout, Durandal launched another full-force punch.
She wasn't one to waver after a single setback. The battle was only just beginning, and victory remained uncertain.
Inside the ship's bridge, the Valkyries of Immortal Blades were frozen in disbelief as they watched the escalating fight.
Even with the surveillance cameras on full feed, they could barely make out the combatants—just two blurs crashing into each other, accompanied by thunderous shockwaves.
Wherever they moved, the reinforced alloy deck cracked like porcelain. The entire battleship shuddered under the pressure, as if even the mighty fortress of steel was trembling in fear.
There wasn't a shred of doubt. If not for Durandal holding the line, that white-robed stranger could very well tear the ship apart with his bare hands.
"We'll leave this to Lady Durandal. Everyone else, implement Operation Pattern Four. Don't let any Honkai beasts into the city!"
In the silence, Rita gave the order.
The Immortal Blades weren't just Durandal and herself—each member was an elite among elites.
A Valkyrie squad typically numbered around fifty. Even excluding support personnel, they could form three to four tactical teams.
It wasn't enough to deal with the nearly a thousand Honkai beasts unleashed in this incident... but they had fire support from the ship, and conventional forces stationed on Sicily were en route.
Their mission was to stall the enemy long enough.
"Yes, ma'am!"
With swift efficiency, the Valkyries sprang into action.
The deployment bay opened. One after another, Valkyries leapt out, supported by drones and heading toward the battlefield.
In the name of Immortal Blades, they would not allow the Honkai to breach Raymonlet City!
"…Lady Durandal…"
Up in the bridge, Rita watched the battle unfold through the panoramic window. A hint of worry colored her elegant face.
Since the last Quantum Sea mission, she hadn't seen Durandal pushed this hard.
As Immortal Blades' vice captain and second only to Durandal in strength, she could see more than most.
This man in white truly possessed a strength that shattered conventional understanding.
This man is something else.
After another exchange, Durandal's expression turned grave.
With a sudden change in footwork, she lifted her leg, spun, and whipped out a fierce roundhouse kick.
And on the other side, Shin mirrored her move, step, turn, roundhouse.
Boom!
Their legs clashed mid-air like crashing thunder, the impact forcing another dent in the deck.
"You're copying my techniques!"
Durandal gritted her teeth.
"This is replication. Please don't insult it with words like 'copying,'" Shin corrected her. "Understand, reproduce, that is the authority of the Herrscher of Reason."
"…"
Still pretending to be Walter? You really think I haven't read the intel on the Herrscher of Reason?
"You have incredible talent. Far beyond mine," Durandal admitted seriously.
She had spent a year mastering the Kaslana Gun-Fu, a hybrid martial art focused on combining melee strikes with Honkai flow manipulation.
Yet this man had caught up with her level in less than ten minutes.
She'd never seen anything so unreasonable.
It wasn't just about mimicking form. Without controlling Honkai flow, it would be a hollow imitation. But Shin had grasped it all—down to the energy circulation.
This level of talent... broke the laws of reality.
"It's just the power of the Herrscher of Reason," Shin replied, keeping up the Walter façade.
He understood, he replicated. That was what the Herrscher of Reason did.
So what was the problem with calling himself Walter?
Durandal didn't even want to talk anymore.
That freakish level of ability, in her eyes, surpassed any Herrscher power.
She was sure. Even without Herrscher abilities, Shin would surpass the real Walter someday.
But why would someone that powerful pretend to be someone else?
"What is your goal? Why cause a Honkai outbreak here?"
"We didn't mean to. It was an accident. Do you believe me?" Shin asked.
Their original target was the relic, not attention from Schicksal.
Durandal said nothing, but her fists grew heavier.
Clearly, she did not accept that answer.
"I think we can sit down and talk this out peacefully. There's no need for all this fighting," Shin offered, dodging her strike.
They had already retrieved the relic. If he kept fighting, World Serpent wouldn't even pay him overtime and might dock his bonus.
"Sure, we can talk right after you surrender. I'll make sure you're safe all the way to HQ," Durandal shot back.
"Hey now, you're the one who attacked first! I even wanted to invite you to Anti-Entropy. You'd be perfectly safe, and we'd even send you back in one piece."
Shin protested, indignant.
"You're not from Anti-Entropy!" Durandal snapped.
Who in their right mind would use their boss's name as a fake identity?
"Even if I'm not... wait, I am the leader of Anti-Entropy! If I say I'll keep you safe, not a hair on your head will be harmed!"
Shin quickly corrected himself, nearly falling into her trap.
Then he asked seriously, "By the way, you're not balding, are you?"
With her intense training regimen, he was genuinely concerned.
"…"
Durandal's attack speed increased by 30%.
So... that question wasn't getting answered.
Shin clicked his tongue in regret.
Suddenly, as he saw her throw another long punch, he smiled. "Young Valkyrie, that's a repeat move."
He'd seen this one four minutes ago.
She was out of tricks.
As Shin launched a matching counterpunch, Durandal suddenly shifted, twisting her hand into a grip, grabbing his arm, spinning on her heel and using all her strength to throw him forward.
It was a throw technique, one that used Shin's own momentum against him.
Huh?
As he felt himself soaring off the deck, Shin was momentarily dumbfounded.
This Kaslana dumb-dumb... actually played dirty and tricked him?
*********
Hey everyone! I'll be dropping an extra 1 chapter once we hit 200, 400 power stones! If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to spend some power stones. I'd really appreciate the support. Thanks a bunch!