After a cataclysmic explosion reminiscent of the birth of the universe itself, everything fell silent.
A breeze tinged with sea salt drifted through the air, stirring the dust and sand across the ground, casting a desolate mood.
Only minutes earlier, this area spanning several kilometers had been lush and full of life.
Unfortunately, it had become the battleground for a pair of wanton destroyers.
"Cough, cough..." Wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth, Durandal forced a strained smile. "Looks like... I won."
Her entire body ached to the point of numbness, as though every cell was on strike from exhaustion. And yet she was still standing.
"Yeah, looks like it." Shin's voice came from where he lay not far from the Valkyrie. It was weak now, stripped of its usual rasp. "To possess Honkai energy to this degree... Durandal, you've earned my respect."
"Of all the Valkyries I've fought, you're undoubtedly the strongest!"
Though, truth be told, she was the only Valkyrie he'd ever fought.
Still, credit where it's due, this girl was seriously strong.
Even relying on his Stigmata alone, he couldn't match her blow for blow.
She was a genuine prodigy, with talents and advantages bordering on outright cheating.
"Thank you for the compliment," Durandal replied sincerely.
To be acknowledged by a powerful opponent like this was the highest form of praise in her eyes.
"As I thought... I'm truly powerless."
Shin's voice was quiet, carrying a tinge of despair, as if he was ready to give up on everything.
Durandal: "..."
All this just because he lost a fight?
Beneath the mask, Shin blinked. No mysterious surge of power bubbled up within him.
Was the password wrong? Or did the Honkai world not even recognize his login?
The boy fell deep into thought.
"Come back to Schicksal with me. I'll plead your case to His Eminence," Durandal said. Her voice was weak, but her tone was firm.
They say that true warriors can understand each other with just a clash of fists.
In their fight, she had sensed it faintly, Shin wasn't evil.
"Sorry, not happening," Shin declined without hesitation. "If anything, I was still thinking of trying to drag you over to Anti-Entropy."
"...You're not even from Anti-Entropy, are you?" Durandal was genuinely irritated now.
Could this guy not be honest for once?
"I'm a man who inherited the name of Welt," Shin declared, sticking to his character. "Carrying that name, I'll never submit to Schicksal."
"..."
Durandal stared at the unyielding white mask on Shin's face and was hit with a strange urge to smash it and see what lay beneath.
Unfortunately, she no longer had the strength.
The mask wasn't some ordinary prop. Even though his clothes were tattered, the mask remained pristine and intact.
"You can't escape. Rita and the others will be here soon," Durandal warned, trying to break Shin's delusion.
She didn't know where his allies were hiding, but she believed Rita would be the first to arrive.
"Then let's make a bet. I'm willing to wager that my people will reach me first," Shin said with a smile.
For a brief moment, Durandal was genuinely tempted to make a call and summon Anti-Entropy just to shut this guy up.
But when she glanced at Shin's bloodied and battered appearance, she didn't push the issue. Instead, she sat down nearby and simply said, "Fine."
Elsewhere.
Leaving the ruins where she had been hiding, Raven was racing through the forest.
After sensing the battlefield's energy signatures calm, she knew the fight between Shin and Durandal had ended.
Peering through the scope of her Purification-Type VII Thunder, she saw the aftermath—both combatants were heavily injured.
Her crosshairs hovered on the golden-haired Valkyrie for a full three seconds before Raven finally decided against it.
Sure, if she used the Divine Key to finish Durandal off now, she was confident it would work—but then what?
If Schicksal went berserk in retaliation, Shin would be the first to suffer.
To Raven, his life was more important than eliminating a dangerous enemy organization.
Besides, if they left Durandal alive, she could serve as a valuable hostage to hold Schicksal at bay.
With her mind made up, Raven dashed out of the ruins, heading straight toward Shin and Durandal's location, her speed so fast that she left only a blur through the trees.
Meanwhile, aboard the airship of the Immortal Blades unit, the Valkyries there had reached the same conclusion.
At the drop gate, watching the hatch open, Rita took a deep breath.
Soon, she would be at Durandal's side.
After such a brutal fight, she knew this was when Durandal needed her most.
"Lady Rita, we've detected an unidentified target moving quickly toward Lady Durandal's location. It's likely an accomplice of Welt."
The message crackled through her earpiece.
With time of the essence, Raven had abandoned any effort at stealth.
Rita's eyes narrowed. "Mark the target's location. I'll intercept her myself. Send the third squad to support Lady Durandal."
"Yes, ma'am!"
"What's wrong? Starting to think you've lost?" Shin asked, noticing the faint worry in Durandal's eyes.
She glanced at him. "I trust Rita and the others."
"But it's been fifteen minutes. If your people were coming, they should've been here five minutes ago."
Shin called her out without hesitation.
With a floating battleship and elite Valkyries on her side, ten minutes should've been more than enough.
"I still believe in them," Durandal said, her tone unwavering.
"Fair enough." Shin dropped the argument. "By the way, are you really not considering defecting to Anti-Entropy?"
"There's no point in discussing this," Durandal replied coldly. "If you were sincere, you'd remove that mask and tell me your real name."
She despised cowards who hid their faces. Even more so when they were powerful enough to fight her seriously.
"I am Welt," Shin insisted.
Once he committed to something, he stuck with it to the end.
Even if the Herrscher of Reason himself showed up right now, Shin would still be Welt.
"...Then there's nothing more to say between us."
From the very first word out of his mouth, nothing he said had been true.
"That's a shame," Shin sighed. "I actually kind of like you."
Fighting someone like Durandal taught him a lot.
The underground world was mostly full of amateurs.
Take the Blood Axe Mafia for example, sure, the name sounded intimidating, but they didn't even deserve a flick of his finger.
If you beat up too many weaklings, you'd become weak yourself.
Durandal just gave him a cold stare.
She had stopped believing his nonsense a long time ago.
Clack, clack, clack...
Suddenly, rapid footsteps echoed.
Durandal looked up, a smile tugging at her lips. "My teammates are here. Looks like you've lost again."
As if on cue, a flurry of voices rang out:
"Captain!"
"Captain Durandal!"
"Lady Durandal!"
Three young Valkyries rushed over, forming a protective circle around her. They eyed Shin warily, weapons trained on him.
Even though he looked completely spent, the power he had shown earlier still haunted them.
"No need to be so tense. He doesn't have any fight left in him."
Durandal slowly stood, offering reassurance, but her eyes stayed locked on Shin.
Clearly, she wasn't as relaxed as she pretended.
A last-second counterattack wasn't unheard of, and Durandal didn't want to become another cautionary tale.
"Will you surrender now?"
She asked again.
Now that backup had arrived, she could force his capture. But she still chose to give him a chance.
It was her way of respecting a worthy foe.
"Hahaha!"
Shin burst into unrestrained laughter.
"Young Valkyrie, be proud. You've managed to drive me, Welt, into such a sorry state!"
"Are you still struggling?" Durandal frowned.
She truly didn't understand why he was being so stubborn.
If he had a trump card, she'd be the one on the ground.
"Prepare yourselves, for despair!"
His voice dropped to a whisper, growing fainter... until it stopped entirely.
Durandal: ???
Was this the despair he spoke of? Suicide?
Sensing the deathly stillness of his aura, Durandal was stunned.
Why?
Why would Shin rather die than surrender?
What was the point?
Even the three new Valkyries exchanged bewildered glances.
But then, in the very next second-
Boom!
An immense pressure erupted from Shin's body, lifting him off the ground as he slowly rose upright.
It was as if he had returned to peak condition in an instant.
"Get behind me!"
Durandal immediately stepped forward, summoning what little power remained to shield her squad from the overwhelming energy.
"Hehehe, the moonlight tonight is truly beautiful."
Raising his hand, Shin summoned a silvery metal ring. He smiled quietly.
"Don't you agree, Miss Durandal?"
"…"
Durandal glanced toward the east, where the sun had already begun to peek over the horizon.
She chose not to respond.
Clearly, something was off in this guy's head.
"With just a thread of moonlight, I invite you all… to witness."
As his words fell, Shin kicked off into the sky with a few light steps, soaring like a swallow.
Behind him, the ring blazed with dazzling silver light, as radiant as a hundredfold moon.
It was so bright that anyone who saw it had to shut their eyes.
And within that blinding glow, a deep voice rang out:
"Valkyries of Schicksal, give this message to that old thief Otto"
"The blood debt from fifty-seven years ago... I, Welt, will come to collect it myself!"
*********
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!