"This sanctuary, is but a vision—"
"Break!"
A cyan spear-shadow flashed, instantly piercing a gaping hole through one of the Doomsday Beast's claws.
"Since when was Dan Heng's armor-piercing so high?"
"This spear was forged by an old friend," Dan Heng said, shielding the "utterly combat-inept" Lynelle behind him.
"According to him, its edge is sharp enough to pierce dragon scales." He added casually, "Though I've never tested that myself."
"No worries, you'll get your chance."
Lynelle reached out curiously and touched the tail of his spear, Cloud Piercer, simultaneously scanning it into her archive. "Still… the Doomsday Beast doesn't seem all that impressive. I really thought we were done for."
"It's not that simple. Unlike those Fragmentum monsters whose minds hold nothing but destruction, the Doomsday Beast possesses a degree of intelligence. Once it realizes it can't gain the upper hand on the ground…"
Before Dan Heng could finish, the Doomsday Beast let out a furious roar and, before Lynelle's eyes, retreated beyond the platform's edge.
"Right. Just like that."
Dan Heng sighed. "They adapt their tactics in time. For instance… with saturation bombardment."
"March, can you shoot it down?"
"You're seriously overestimating the power of my bow! Even if I shot your Cloud Piercer up there, it wouldn't bring that thing down!"
March, who was hiding behind a pillar with Stelle, sounded utterly exasperated. "But… if it flies a bit lower, I could try using Six-Phase Ice to drag it down."
"You wouldn't get flung off along with it?"
Stelle, clutching her baseball bat and unable to help much, voiced her doubt. "Want me to go with you?"
"In an open area like this platform, there aren't many places to take cover. No time to hesitate. I'll act as bait, March 7th, you seize the opportunity."
Dan Heng reversed his grip on his spear, speaking rapidly.
"Once you've got it pinned, I'll attempt to destroy its core… Even if that fails, we can at least buy some time, hold out until Mr. Yang arrives. Lynelle, you stay put right here."
"Wait, I can actually—"
But before Lynelle could finish her sentence, Dan Heng had already stepped out, his figure appearing in the open space of the platform.
"Ah, really, there was no need to be in such a hurry…"
Lynelle sighed and directly crushed the card in her hand.
She was starting to piece things together now. Setting aside the earlier deviations in the 'plot,' the current situation unmistakably corresponded to a combat sequence from the game.
The difference was, in the game, losing to the Doomsday Beast just meant restarting the stage. But losing here? That would spell real trouble.
Still, considering Welt Yang should arrive before long, using a Character Card now would be a bit of a waste. So this time, Lynelle opted for a prop card she'd drawn from the weapon banner.
--+--
[Black Abyss White Flower (Consumable)]
[Type: Weapon]
[Rarity: 5-Star]
[The Sixth Divine Key. A weapon crafted from the core of the previous era's Herrscher of Death. Upon use, this weapon can separate into the pure white knight lance, White Flower, and the black knight sword, Black Abyss, according to the user's will.]
[Among them, Black Abyss can release a corrosive black mist that imposes the authority of withering and disintegration upon anything it touches. White Flower can heal the wounded through the authority of creation (Note: Limited to living entities).]
[Divine Key series weapons possess a special Rated Output. After using this prop card, non-Zeroth Rated Output can be used twice, while the Zeroth Rated Output can only be used once. Once all uses are expended, regardless of the weapon's remaining energy, it will immediately vanish.]
[Remaining uses for this prop: (2/3).]
--+--
Judging by its effects, this Black Abyss White Flower lived up to its 5-star rarity. The ability to unleash its Rated Output three times was undoubtedly its core feature—after all, even Cecilia herself might not have been able to activate the Rated Output three times in a row.
However, Lynelle had another reason for using such a powerful card without hesitation… Cecilia's Character Card came with Black Abyss White Flower included. While it was incredibly powerful, for Lynelle… its uses were actually somewhat plentiful.
"Lynelle! Why did you come out?"
Stelle noticed Lynelle's unusual position, and of course, she also spotted the black-and-white knight lance in Lynelle's hands.
But the current battle situation left no room for further questions.
Lured by Dan Heng, the Doomsday Beast had indeed closed the distance slightly. Its massive claw swept down from the sky, attempting to swat Dan Heng right off the platform.
"Get down here... now!"
Just as Dan Heng successfully grabbed the Doomsday Beast's attention, an icy blue light erupted from March 7th's hands.
Several pillars formed of Six-Phase Ice shot up from the ground, firmly trapping the Beast's descending claw.
Seizing the chance, Stelle leaped up and slammed her baseball bat into its head, sending it reeling.
"Good, I'll— Hm?"
Using the newly formed ice pillars as a foothold, Dan Heng pushed off, his Cloud Piercer poised to strike. But then, an exceptionally sharp and chilling aura suddenly erupted from below him.
"Dan Heng, move aside!"
Lynelle held the lance with both hands. A tangible black mist had already fully extended from the lance tip, causing the already considerable knight lance to suddenly lengthen several times over.
"I am the black that devours all, I am the white that gives birth to all; born before creation, existing beyond annihilation..."
As Honkai energy surged, the Black Abyss White Flower in Lynelle's hands fully entered its released state.
"Black Abyss White Flower, First Rated Output— Banish Bloom!"
Imbued with the authority of destruction, the mist-shrouded lance shot instantly from Lynelle's hands. It pierced clean through the Doomsday Beast's chest, and from the point of impact, a massive cloud of black mist violently exploded outwards.
"So... so cool!"
Stelle rushed over immediately. "I want to learn that!"
"Don't worry, you might get a lance of your own someday..."
"Well, Lynelle..."
March 7th came over too, but the young girl now had her cheeks slightly puffed out, resembling a little pufferfish.
"This is what you call 'not skilled in combat'? Huh? Our 'delicate' research assistant?"
"Uh... A beautiful girl needs some means of self-defense when she's out and about, right? Ehe?"
Lynelle averted her gaze guiltily.
But turning her head, she spotted a familiar figure.
Not far from her, a reliable-looking brown-haired adult man was wearing an expression of astonishment that completely belied his age. To be precise, his mouth was hanging open wide enough to fit a Void Archives inside.
"Pfft— Cough, cough, cough..."
"A face almost identical to Elysia's? And the Black Abyss White Flower...?"
"Just where have I ended up? Is this still the Herta Space Station?"
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.