"Wait, March!"
Dan Heng reached out, calling to March 7th, who was ahead, trying to avoid Bai Ming.
March 7th stopped.
"Huh?" She wore a puzzled expression.
But that Doomsday Beast wouldn't stop just because of those words.
With a flap of its wings, it stirred up a massive air current, charging straight toward March 7th, who was standing on the support section deck!
It was a speed that anyone could tell was utterly absurd.
Even Dan Heng, who was trained in martial arts, absolutely couldn't dodge the Doomsday Beast's strike.
It was attacking March with immense destructive malice.
In other words—
It wouldn't let March 7th escape!
And judging from the scale of that impact...
The moment the Doomsday Beast made contact with March 7th, it would turn her into March 7th Paste!
Imagining that scene—comparable to Martian ketchup—
No way!
I absolutely won't allow this to happen!
Bai Ming instantly became serious.
"Ms. Himeko, hold this for me!"
Bai Ming pulled out something she had secretly packed up earlier in the space station's rest area from her coat, handed it behind her without looking, and then dashed forward at an incredible speed.
Himeko looked down at what Bai Ming had passed her.
Cake—?
Why was she carrying something like this?
But more importantly...
Himeko watched Bai Ming sprinting desperately toward the Doomsday Beast, narrowing her eyes slightly.
"So it really followed us here?"
"Could the Doomsday Beast's target be..."
Meanwhilem
While running, Bai Ming directly activated her [Battlesuit: White Comet].
Although [Battlesuit: White Comet] is rated as a B-rank Valkyrie battlesuit in the game,
its performance, as armor specifically designed for Valkyries, isn't weakened because of that!
One of its trait skills, [Time Fracture Dodge],
allows Bai Ming to dash forward a considerable distance.
Of course—
This dash isn't without limits.
Within a certain period, [Time Fracture Dodge] can only be used twice at most.
After all, [Battlesuit: White Comet] also needs time to recover.
But...
This was enough!
The distance covered by two [Time Fracture Dodge] dashes was already beyond imagination.
One moment.
Bai Ming and March 7th were several body lengths apart.
The next she was standing before her, holding that baseball bat like a knight.
"March 7th! Cover your head!"
Bai Ming shouted, then pulled the still-reacting March 7th into her arms, lunging forward together to put some distance between them.
To reach March 7th, the [Time Fracture Dodge] charges were temporarily used up.
The Doomsday Beast also flew forward, preparing to launch its next attack.
This time, Bai Ming could only rely entirely on her control of the Valkyrie battlesuit to try and evade it.
This wasn't an easy process.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Bai Ming felt her heart pounding violently.
This wasn't a game.
This was reality.
If hit... it would be over.
In the past, she could never have dodged an attack like this.
After all, she was just a slightly good-looking, cheeky girl who shamelessly liked other girls and was a gaming nerd.
But now it was different.
Since she had the capabilities of [Battlesuit: White Comet] at hand, she had to make good use of them!
She had to protect March 7th!
Holding this thought,
Bai Ming instantly shed all her usual playfulness.
Her eyes became sharp, and her entire being radiated an intensely serious aura.
It was a completely different demeanor from her usual cheeky self—cold and focused.
Well, actually, this was just how she looked when grinding in the Abyss, except now it was translated into real action.
And it was the first time March 7th had seen her like this.
All she could hear was the sentence Bai Ming spoke now:
"March, hold on tight to me."
"Huh?"
Although it sounded cold, March 7th could sense the trustworthy sincerity in those words.
Did she... really care about me?
But if she cared about me, then why was she with Asta...?
And besides, it's not like I actually agreed to be with her...
March 7th somewhat regretted rejecting Bai Ming so decisively at the beginning.
But then again...
Shouldn't two girls really not be doing that kind of thing anyway?
No, no!
What am I thinking!
Now isn't the time to be pondering this!
Bai Ming came to save me, not for me to get lost in my thoughts here!
March 7th's gaze also hardened.
She directly reached out and tightly wrapped her arms around Bai Ming's neck, making sure she wouldn't become a burden to her!
Thinking makes time feel long.
Although both Bai Ming and March 7th had many thoughts running through their minds,
in reality, only a very short moment had passed.
The Doomsday Beast charged toward the two of them once more.
Only one chance.
They had to dodge this monster's attack flawlessly!
Otherwise, this time they'd end up as mixed sauce.
How to dodge?
How to evade this attack while still protecting March 7th?
This was something the game never taught.
And Bai Ming had to learn it right now!
This was a lesson meant for her alone!
Bai Ming's heart was beating wildly.
Her brain was running as fast as when she was tackling the final math problem during the college entrance exam...
Well, the first sub-question of the final problem, anyway.
No helping it.
Just like she could never figure out how to get a girl to say yes to her.
Bai Ming similarly never understood how to solve the final question on the math exam.
But, just like not being able to solve that one problem wouldn't determine where she ended up,
the future wasn't solely determined by just one path either.
Sort out her thoughts, handle the present, unleash all her potential.
That's what she needed to do!
As for the outcome, that wasn't something she should worry about right now.
Having sorted through her thoughts, an idea surfaced in Bai Ming's mind.
Did she absolutely have to dodge this strike?
"March, I want to take a risk."
"A risk?"
"Mm, is that okay?"
"..."
"Up to you. I'm already in this state—how can I have the nerve to make demands now..."
"Okay. If we die, I want to be buried with you."
"Don't say such creepy-sounding things!" March 7th couldn't help but retort.
"But..." Bai Ming looked toward the dragon claw swooping down at them again.
"What I'm about to do next might be a bit beyond your imagination."
"What are you going to do?"
"I... am going to break the rules."
Bai Ming gripped the baseball bat in her hand, enunciating each word clearly.
-------
A/n: Hey over on my patreon there are currently two for the time being exclusive books which are
Life Simulator: Starting in Genshin Impact!
Zenless Zone Zero: Loving Daily Life Starting in New Eridu
patreon.com/deadlygoober