The tachi and the long scythe clashed, a sharp sound that threatened to split eardrums echoing through the air.
The ground vibrated, and a dense shockwave spread out. Like a mild earthquake, the floor and walls suddenly cracked.
Though it was merely a probing exchange between two people, the surrounding environment was collapsing over a large area, as if it had suffered a natural disaster.
"Whoosh—!"
The sound of wind cut through the air.
The bewitching figure suddenly flashed forward, her speed so fast that it left a trail of afterimages in her wake.
Honkai energy is a power extremely suitable for reinforcing matter. Under its enhancement, the physical attributes of an ordinary person can reach a level that martial artists in many worlds could never achieve in a lifetime of training.
And as a proper S-rank Valkyrie, the amount of Honkai energy Rita could control, as well as her fine manipulation abilities, were at a terrifying level.
Therefore, her mobility was on a completely unbelievable plane.
The astonishingly fast scythe swung up cunningly from a low angle, like a scarlet viper striking straight for the young man's arm.
This weapon's ability was to formulate a targeted toxin based on the target's genetic sequence.
For Rita, the so-called "capture alive" mission was merely a matter of grazing the enemy's body, then striking again to defeat them.
The wind from the rapidly moving blade cut the air. The scythe's edge was like a top predator advancing silently, closing in on its target.
And then—
A dark red light flared.
The blood-stained tachi, wreathed in a black gale, blocked the scythe's path.
A clash of weapons similarly infused with large amounts of Honkai energy, a battle that was not purely a contest of strength, began.
The tachi, empowered by multiple energies, was like an erupting volcano, unleashing astonishing force.
The scythe was instantly pushed away, and even the maid holding it was forced to retreat repeatedly.
The ground she stepped on burst apart, as if struck by a heavy hammer.
"The amount of Honkai energy you can control is quite frightening."
The maid, seemingly at a disadvantage, had a slight smile on her lips as she praised the young man opposite her.
The Stigmata Dracula from the system was undoubtedly one of the highest-grade stigmata, capable of controlling a terrifying amount of Honkai energy.
In the brief exchange, the battle-hardened Rita had quickly realized this.
The target was an anomaly possessing a top-tier stigmata, able to wield an extremely high amount of Honkai energy.
"To receive praise from such a charming lady is my honor."
The young man, who seemed to have the upper hand, held his long sword and glanced at the mechanical hound in the distance, which had yet to join the battle, before looking back at its master.
Right now, this hound, which should have been Rita's final combat partner, was just standing aside, not acting.
This woman is actually quite composed, isn't she?
The magus, who clearly understood that the proper S-rank Valkyrie Rita wasn't going all out, saw a faint black mist rise once again from the Divine Key in his hand.
"To be praised by you makes Rita very happy."
Rita's reply was as polite as ever. She watched the target in front of her, a slight smile playing on her lips.
The amount of Honkai energy he could control was indeed frightening, but it was only the quantity that was amazing.
His precision in controlling Honkai energy was simply atrocious.
He had more than enough power but insufficient dexterity, unable to flexibly apply the Honkai energy at his disposal to where it was needed. Therefore, he couldn't bring out the power he should have.
It was just like a rookie Valkyrie who had just acquired a stigmata.
This situation is very advantageous for me.
Perhaps I can complete the mission very soon, and then I can go play with... ahem, pay my respects to Lady Theresa.
If nothing unexpected happened, the maid, who indeed held an overwhelming advantage now, felt her cheeks flush slightly.
This one's old habit is acting up again.
"Rita doesn't really want to harm you. May I ask, could you stop now and come with me?"
A shimmering, faint green light rose from Rita's body again, shining like sparks.
Probably because of Theresa, Rita suddenly wanted to end this fight faster.
She empowered herself with even more Honkai energy, then took a step forward and issued an ultimatum to Li Zihan.
"I promised to give a girl an answer in a week. If I leave now, I'll be breaking my promise."
The young man, who clearly didn't want to leave, chuckled lightly, his smile holding an apology of indiscernible sincerity.
"So, my apologies."
"Well, that can't be helped then."
Before these words had even faded, the maid's legs—part of her incomparably perfect figure, defined by the exoskeleton armor—suddenly exerted force.
Her body dipped slightly, and the high-strength floor beneath her feet shattered with a bang.
She disappeared in an instant, leaving only afterimages.
The area on the upper levels of the Tokyo Skytree wasn't very wide.
Therefore, charging at such an astonishing speed, she would hit a wall in less than a second.
But, just at the moment before hitting the wall, her figure suddenly spun. Like a gyroscope, she whirled into the air, her feet landing heavily on the wall, her whole person moving like a phantom.
In this moment, the ground, walls, and ceiling all became her footholds.
Using the surrounding environment to perform extraordinary footwork, she increased the difficulty for the enemy to respond.
This performance was enough to scatter Newton's ashes.
She continuously closed in, compressing the distance between them. Once she broke the safe distance, she would accelerate; victory or defeat could be decided in an instant.
She only needed to hit the target twice to win.
And in this world, the number of people who could guarantee they wouldn't be harmed by her in close-quarters combat, emerging completely unscathed, could be counted on one hand.
The young man, who had clearly noticed Rita's intentions, showed no signs of nervousness. Instead, he snapped his fingers with a bored expression.
Under Rita's slightly stunned gaze, the young man's figure vanished from her sight.
What's going on?
The maid, not sensing any sharp increase in his Honkai energy, became vigilant.
Now, she could no longer sense where the target was.
If not for the feeling of being pricked by thorns from behind, she would have suspected the target had already left.
Can only confirm the enemy is nearby?
In that case, I'll just use it.
Rita looked towards her combat partner.
The battlesuit "Shadow Knight: Iron" was bound to the autonomous tracking weapon with the scientific name "Carbon-Based Hunter."
The wearer issues commands to this steel hound via neural synchronization to begin a relentless hunt for the enemy.
Even when surrounded by a group of enemies, the Carbon-Based Hunter could release its equipped neurotoxin, spreading through the air to make the opponent lose their ability to move.
Since the opponent is nearby, it's impossible for him to avoid the toxin, right?
The ornament on her neck that looked like headphones was actually a gas filter. Miss Rita smiled and issued a command to her hound.
And then—
In Rita's line of sight, an ominous red light glowed in the hound's electronic eyes.