Standing in front of Ana, Mo Wang was like a true knight.
But just as Ana, hand still held in his, opened her mouth to speak, Mo Wang suddenly tensed up. His head whipped around, eyes scanning the dark, swirling sky with a paranoid look.
"Captain, I—"
"Shh! Don't move! Don't say a word!" he hissed, cutting her off. "Don't jinx it. I have a really bad feeling..."
He held the pose for a few awkward seconds.
When no rogue horseshoes or milk cans materialized out of the hurricane, he let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding and sheepishly cleared his throat. "Ahem. Right. Where were we? Ah, yes. You should rest. I'll deal with these annoying pests first."
Without waiting for her reply, he turned to face the Honkai Beasts still gathering behind him. Mo Wang raised the Judgment of Shamash, and a violent flame instantly erupted. A pillar of fire shot into the sky, illuminating the surroundings like a new sun.
The shockwave from the solar-temperature flames instantly evaporated the Honkai Beasts, and even the dark clouds and raging winds were burned away, creating a temporary pocket of calm.
Looking at this power that was like a divine punishment, Mo Wang's figure seemed majestic in Ana's eyes.
"Hey! Snap out of it, Miss Ana."
Mo Wang, having finished off the immediate threat, patted the dazed Ana on the shoulder. "I really don't know what to do with you. Your teammates were clearly wiped and told you to fall back, but you just had to go lone wolf. Now look at you, you almost got corroded by Honkai energy."
As he spoke, he helped the weak Ana to her feet.
"No matter how much you want to save people, you can't gamble your own life away. You know, they say that in a high-density Honkai situation, people with high resistance like you are the most likely to turn into a Herrscher if they get corrupted. You don't want me to have to fight two Herrschers at once, do you? That would actually kill me."
"I... I'm sorry," Ana apologized, her voice barely a whisper.
"It's not about being sorry, it's about not doing it again. You'll get yourself killed for real," Mo Wang said, his tone serious for once.
Ana pursed her lips, not answering. He knew it was impossible for her to just stop being who she was.
"Fine, fine. I know you can't sit still," he sighed. "Worst case, I'll just have to save you again next time. But you have to stand down this time. I already called St. Freya, and Theresa is sending backup. Go rest with your squad."
"No... I can't!" Ana immediately became anxious. "There are still residents who haven't evacuated, and staff members are still in the branch..."
"Pfft!" Mo Wang couldn't help but laugh.
Ana just stared at him, confused.
"Alright, I knew you'd say that, so I already moved everyone to a safe place before I came to get you. Right now, it's just you and your squad left to evacuate."
"What?" Ana's expression went blank. "How...?"
"I have my ways. Now are you going to go, or do you want the refugees I just saved to be put in danger again?" Mo Wang teased.
"Really? Everyone is safe?" Even with his assurance, she found it hard to believe.
"Of course," Mo Wang said with a shrug. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got one last person to save."
"The last one? You mean..." Ana's expression tightened. "Is the Fourth Herrscher really Wendy?"
"Looks that way," Mo Wang answered without hesitation.
"You can't go!" Ana grabbed his arm, her grip surprisingly strong. "It's too dangerous! Wendy is a Herrscher now. If you go alone, you'll..."
At this moment, Ana looked at Mo Wang with worry, and her hand was tightly gripping his right hand.
In the minds of the younger generation of Valkyries, a Herrscher was a powerful enemy comparable to a god. Any Valkyrie who had learned about the disaster caused by the Second Honkai Eruption would be terrified of the Herrscher's power at that time.
Even with all of Schicksal's elites, they had not been able to defeat the Second Herrscher. It was only after sacrificing the Saintess, Cecilia, that Schicksal finally defeated the Herrscher. (This is how the Schicksal textbooks are written, just take it with a grain of salt.)
Such a powerful enemy in the hearts of the Valkyries, even if Mo Wang had just shown amazing strength, it was still not enough to make Ana put away her worries.
"Relax, I've got this!" Mo Wang gave her a big, confident smile and a thumbs-up. "If the hero runs away, who's left to fight?"
He gently pried her hand off his arm. "Besides, I'm a man committed to going on a date with every pretty Valkyrie I meet. I can't die before I achieve that goal."
"Captain, I..."
"But before I go," he interrupted, rubbing his hands together shamelessly, "can you promise me something? If I manage to bring Wendy back safely, you'll go on a date with me?"
Ana was so caught between worry and exasperation that she laughed. "You're raising a massive death flag right now!"
"Hey, I'm about to fight a Herrscher! My heart's pounding, I need some motivation!" he said with a goofy grin.
She looked at him—this ridiculous, powerful, and unbelievably brave man—and a genuine smile touched her lips. "If... if you can really bring Wendy back, Captain... I'll go on that date with you."
"YES!" Mo Wang pumped his fist. "Alright, with that, I'll risk it all to bring her home!"
"Then I'll leave Wendy to you," Ana said, her voice soft. "And... have a safe trip."
She looked like a wife sending her husband off to war.
"Don't worry!" Mo Wang declared, turning to face the storm. "We of [The Hunt] will do our best to save everyone who is worth saving!"
He struck a heroic pose, pointing dramatically towards the eye of the storm.
"Alright! It's time for the hero to set off!"
"Hyperion Captain! Mo Wang! Preparing to sortie!"
"Mission objective! Save Private Wen—"
WHOOSH!
A colossal, green, and vaguely bird-shaped object shot out of the storm clouds like a cannonball. It wasn't aimed at Ana. It was aimed squarely at the hero who had just been posing dramatically.
THWACK!
The object slammed into Mo Wang, interrupting his final word.
Ana's jaw dropped.
"eh ehhh?! ca.. Captain!!!"
As he became a speck in the sky, glued to the side of what now looked like a giant fiberglass kiwi statue from a tourist trap, his distant, fading shout echoed back through the wind:
"I KNEW IT WOULD BE LIKE THIIIIIIIS!"