Silence descended upon the bridge of the Eunomia, shattered only by the sharp report of a gunshot.
Bang!
The bullet struck the nearly materialized black frost, the once-unstoppable metal projectile instantly disintegrating into dust.
"What?! No... I didn't—I wasn't... No... no... no... I didn't mean to fire!"
A staff officer, his pistol still smoking, stared in disbelief at the barrel pointed at the Valkyrie. Overwhelming fear consumed his ability to think.
He wanted to turn and flee, but the bridge had already collapsed, leaving him nowhere to escape. He wanted to cry out for help, but there were no soldiers left to answer, like a caged beast. He wanted to kneel and beg for mercy, but the still-smoking pistol extinguished his last flicker of hope.
Black ice crept up his body, fueled by his master's malevolent intent. Step by step, it devoured his corporeal form from head to toe, stripping away his rationality and feeding on his terror.
"Save me—" he pleaded, his eyes darting to his colleagues like a drowning man grasping for the shore.
No one dared meet his gaze. They turned away, avoiding him like the plague.
The black ice climbed over the last sliver of exposed skin, enveloping his wide, vacant eyes, extinguishing his final chance of survival.
The ice sculpture crumbled into dust, the humanoid form that had once existed here vanishing without a trace.
"You're testing my patience..." The golden-haired Valkyrie spoke again, her gaze sweeping over the silent crowd on the bridge, who seemed to be choking on their own fear.
"Only silence is the ultimate contempt... So—is this your final, voiceless act of defiance?"
Black ice crystals began to spread across the bridge floor, tangible fear corroding the hearts of those before her.
"This is the last mercy I grant you—"
"Insects... Choose now—survival or annihilation!" The black tendrils climbed up each person's ankles, tearing apart their last pathetic illusions.
She really will kill us. No one is coming to save us.
The encroaching Black Ice crushed their last sliver of hope, shattering their remaining courage.
"We... surrender..." Cocolia stared at the girl before her, who stood half a head shorter but had brought boundless terror to the entire warship in mere minutes. She wisely chose to honor the tradition of World War II France—surrender.
"Cowardly... but a wise choice, Commander of Anti-Entropy."
If I'd been braver, would you have slaughtered the entire crew?! Cocolia raged inwardly.
-
Boarding, one of the oldest and most enduring tactics in naval warfare history, has been the dominant strategy in human naval warfare for nearly two millennia.
During these engagements, warships would pursue and close in on each other. When the hulls of two ships came into contact, attacking warriors would leap onto the enemy vessel's deck, engaging in brutal, bloody close-quarters combat to eliminate the enemy's fighting force.
The sinking of enemy ships was often merely a byproduct of battle; the true objective was usually to capture the enemy vessel.
This ancient and savage tactic had long since been relegated to the pages of history books and novels, rendered obsolete by the rapid advancement of gunnery technology.
Heavy artillery bombardments and precision-guided weapons were now considered the mainstream and destined form of naval warfare in the era, at least according to most Anti-Entropy members.
Most members, that is. Theresa watched the screen, her lips twitching as she observed Snow and Kyuusyou casually sitting in the captain's chairs of the Anti-Entropy warship, while Ninti pressed a dagger against the throat of one of the Anti-Entropy captains.
"You three? You single-handedly crushed all resistance on an entire Anti-Entropy warship?"
On the bridge of the Hyperion, the Far East Branch members stared at the screen as if they had seen a ghost, a sense of awe blossoming within them.
Awesome! Their thoughts ultimately coalesced into a simple word.
"To be precise, Kyuusyou and I crashed into their lower decks, while Ninti directly breached their bridge and hijacked their captain... Ninti, next time try a different approach, okay?"
"What if you'd damaged their control systems and sent the battleship plunging into the sea at a ninety-degree angle? That would have been such a waste!" Snow nodded with mock sympathy, though it was unclear what exactly she was lamenting.
"Oh, right! Theresa, let me tell you—that journey was so perilous! Those guys actually sent Titan Mecha and Self-Destruct Mecha to blow me up—" Kyuusyou chimed in, exaggerating the story for effect.
"Good thing I reacted quickly! I dodged them in a flash—whoosh! Seriously, Anti-Entropy, you guys have no honor..."
Snow and Kyuusyou suddenly slipped into full-blown comedic mode, turning the comm channel into a stand-up routine. The Anti-Entropy members nearby twitched their eyes, seething with silent rage, some even adopting the "subway old man staring at his phone" expression.
What! You two were literally playing Dynasty Warriors on our ship just now!
Are these two clowns the same people who were just massacring us, mowing down Titans and security forces like they were mowing grass?!
"Ahem, ahem! You two, get serious! Chiyou's still down there! I'll contact Himeko and the others now!" Theresa coughed pointedly, reminding them to focus.
-
Short-range communication was established as they approached Chiyou's airspace. To Theresa's surprise, the contact wasn't Murata Himeko as she had expected, but Fu Hua.
"Fu Hua? Why are you here? Where's Himeko?" Theresa asked, her anxiety deepening as she gazed at the silver-haired Valkyrie before her.
"Calm down, Headmaster," Fu Hua replied. "Teacher Himeko and I were separated due to an accident. Her communicator seems to be damaged..."
"However, Mei and Kiana should be with her. With their strength, dealing with the Honkai constructs inside Chiyou shouldn't be a problem."
"Then Fu Hua, what happened before? Why did Chiyou, the Judgment-class Honkai Beast from ancient records, suddenly reappear?" Theresa pressed anxiously.
"To be precise, Headmaster, Chiyou didn't suddenly reappear. The Nine Realms we've been searching for is actually the space within Chiyou's body..."
"Historical records contain inaccuracies. Chiyou wasn't destroyed by the Xuanyuan Emperor; instead, it was sealed here. Anti-Entropy forces infiltrated the area, seeking to seize the Xuanyuan Sword—the legendary blade wielded by the Xuanyuan Emperor."
"During the conflict with Anti-Entropy, the Xuanyuan Emperor's seal was accidentally broken, reawakening Chiyou's Core and activating the beast."
Fu Hua reported the situation calmly, her steady tone slightly easing Theresa's anxiety.
"You've located Chiyou's core, haven't you, Class Monitor Fu Hua?" Snow's voice cut through the comms.
"Yes, Snow? What are you doing aboard an Anti-Entropy warship?" Fu Hua nodded, suddenly noticing the large Anti-Entropy insignia behind the golden-haired girl on the screen.
"Oh, this? I boarded and hijacked their ship. The Hyperion's firepower alone can't stop Chiyou. This Judgment-class Honkai Beast is heading straight for Canghai City in Shenzhou."
"I remember you're from Shenzhou, Class Monitor. We're here to save your hometown, you know—"
"If our earlier hypotheses are correct, Chiyou should have multiple sub-cores and a main core."
"We need you to guide us, Class Monitor. Our warships will precisely bombard those cores to halt Chiyou's movements, then completely destroy its main core."
"The warship's sensors have detected five areas of high Honkai energy concentration: the heart region and the vicinity of its four limbs. We can provide you with rough directional guidance, but pinpointing the exact core locations will depend on you marking them, Class Monitor."
"Understood, Fu Hua? The safety of Canghai City's entire population, and Himeko and the others, now rests on your shoulders," Theresa said gravely, her gaze fixed on the gray-haired Valkyrie on the screen. Her tone was earnest.
"Headmaster, I shall not fail this mission!" Fu Hua nodded earnestly and immediately began to take action.
-
"All ships, primary weapons systems, prepare to fire!"
Weapon crews aboard the four warships sprang into action. Schicksal and Anti-Entropy personnel, momentarily setting aside their previous animosity and fear, focused on their tasks.
"The Guide is approaching Core 1! Core location marked!"
"Fire! Concentrate all firepower!"
"Core 1's activity has ceased!"