Three thousand meters above Sapphire City, Mo Wang stood at the hangar door of the Hyperion.
Powerful gusts of wind whipped against his face.
"I never thought that after transmigrating, even my fear of heights would be cured. I really hope my motion sickness is the next thing to go."
Mo Wang looked down at the tiny city below, licking his somewhat dry lips.
Instead of fear, he felt a strange sense of excitement.
"Hey, boss, are you really going to jump from here? I think you should consider some other options. We're not in that much of a hurry," Ai-chan said, floating beside Mo Wang, trying to talk him out of it. "And even if you are going to jump, you should at least have a parachute or something, right?"
Ai-chan was getting scared.
When Valkyries jumped, they at least had some equipment. This guy didn't even have a parachute. He'd probably turn into a little meat pancake the moment he left the ship.
"See, Ai-chan, you just don't understand a man's romance," Mo Wang said, wagging his finger at her.
"A real man... a real man jumps with nothing, just like me! That's what you call romance!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about! Why does this have anything to do with a man's romance?!"
"Oh, Ai-chan, you really don't understand humans. Being cool is what matters for a lifetime! If you think a little height is enough to scare me, you're underestimating me!"
"I think you should go get your head checked!" Ai-chan snapped, her anger flaring. Had this guy really cracked under the pressure and lost his mind?
"Alright, Ai-chan, the Hyperion is in your hands now. It's time for The Hunt to begin," Mo Wang said, giving Ai-chan a thumbs-up.
Then, under Ai-chan's dumbfounded gaze, he leaped straight off the warship.
"As I thought! The Hunt has to be stylish!"
"GAIA!!!!!"
---||---
Meanwhile, on the streets of Sapphire City, the air was thick with smoke and the roar of cannon fire. Honkai Beasts, Valkyries, and Titan mechs were locked in a brutal, three-way free-for-all.
A colossal Honkai Beast roamed the city's ruins. Its massive body and pale white skin shimmered with an unnatural light under the sun. Each step made the ground tremble, and nearby buildings crumbled under its oppressive presence.
In the distance, a massive Titan mech slowly approached, its single, malevolent eye having already spotted the Honkai Beast. A red light flashed within its eye, and it raised a gigantic fist.
With a heavy, mechanical roar, it slammed its fist towards the beast, the sheer force of the swing seeming to tear the air itself.
Then, hundreds of missiles launched from another mech's shoulders, streaking across the sky straight for the Honkai Beast. In an instant, an entire city block was engulfed in the Titan's overwhelming firepower.
On one side were the Honkai Beasts, who currently held an absolute numerical advantage in the city.
On the other were the Anti-Entropy forces, who had an absolute advantage in firepower.
In comparison, the Valkyries were stuck in the middle, unable to gain an advantage against either side.
In fact, both sides in this battle seemed to have subconsciously ignored the Valkyries currently hiding in the ruins.
"Tch. To think it's not just Honkai Beasts, but Anti-Entropy is involved too. This has gotten really complicated."
Himeko watched the battle outside, sighing.
Behind her, the members of Squads One and Two were huddled together.
Their Valkyrie battlesuits were tattered and torn.
Several Valkyries had already fallen unconscious from serious injuries.
A few of the more psychologically fragile students were curled up in a corner, sobbing quietly.
Himeko took in the state of her students, feeling a mix of helplessness and understanding.
After all, these were just a bunch of fifteen and sixteen-year-old girls.
To suddenly expect them to be fearless, like true soldiers, was simply impossible.
Normally, Himeko might have offered a few words of comfort and guidance.
But the current situation clearly didn't allow for it.
"Cough, cough!"
Himeko suddenly coughed violently.
A trickle of blood escaped from her lips.
"Ms. Himeko, are you alright?"
Fu Hua quickly rushed to Himeko's side.
"I'm fine. Just overexerted myself a little," Himeko said, waving her hand dismissively. She then turned to Fu Hua. "How is it? Have you been able to contact the Hyperion?"
"No, our communication equipment is still being jammed. I'm afraid the entire city's network has been shut down by the enemy."
Fu Hua's voice was grave.
She could see that their current situation was far from optimistic.
"Ms. Himeko, what should we do now?" a young girl in a damaged battlesuit asked Himeko, her voice choked with sobs.
"It's alright. The Principal's side has probably already realized we're in trouble. If all goes well, reinforcements should be here soon," Himeko said, forcing herself to ignore her own discomfort to comfort the girl.
"Will reinforcements really come?" the girl asked, her voice filled with doubt.
They had all heard the previous conversation. In a situation like this, could the Principal really get to them?
BOOM!
Just then, the roof of the ruins they were hiding in was torn away by something massive.
An orange Titan mech now stood before them, its single, giant eye glowing with a terrifying crimson light.
"Fu Hua! Get them out of here! I'll hold this thing off!"
The moment Himeko saw the Titan, she issued the order to Fu Hua.
"Major Himeko!" Fu Hua looked at Himeko, who was forcing her battered body to stand and provide a rear guard for the others. She was tempted to reveal her true strength and eliminate the enemy before them.
But just then, her gaze was involuntarily drawn upward, to the sky.
A meteor, glowing with a crimson light, was streaking towards them, growing larger and larger.
"Can you see meteors at this time of day?"
"Wait, is that meteor getting bigger?"
"Why do I get the feeling that meteor is heading right for us?"
In just a dozen seconds, the Valkyries' expressions shifted from initial curiosity to outright terror.
"Everyone, run!"
Himeko forgot all about holding the rear and yelled for everyone to retreat.
The orange Titan, meanwhile, stared up at the crimson meteor with its single, giant eye, confused.
CRASH!
As the meteor fell, it punched a huge hole straight through the Titan mech.
Strangely, after crashing through the Titan, the meteor didn't explode upon hitting the ground. Instead, it bounced a few times before tumbling into the ruins.
"What... was that?"
Himeko looked at the sky in confusion, then at the nearby ruins.
How did a meteor just fall out of the sky like that?
"Um, Ms. Himeko, I don't think that was a meteor," Fu Hua said to Himeko, her face stiff.
"Not a meteor? Then what was it?"
Himeko followed Fu Hua's gaze to the ruins.
The expressions on the other Valkyries' faces also gradually turned strange.
THUD!
A single hand shot out from the pile of rubble.
The scene looked uncannily like a zombie's hand rising from the grave in Plants vs. Zombies.
"Pah, pah, pah! Damn! What did I just hit? That actually hurt."
A young man in a white uniform crawled out from the debris, cursing under his breath.
"I never knew jumping down could be this thrilling. No wonder so many people love bungee jumping."
Mo Wang straightened his clothes and looked to the side.
His gaze met the strange stares of the assembled Valkyries.
"Yo, my dear Valkyries! Your rescue has arrived!" Mo Wang said, giving them a big thumbs-up.
He was completely oblivious to the utterly bizarre expressions on their faces.
"Mo... Mo Wang?!"