Chapter 120: Vishnu
"Not bad. Clean and efficient."
Himeko watched as Rovel effortlessly cleared out the last of the nearby Death Soldiers and Honkai Beasts, a nod of satisfaction punctuating her words.
In her professional assessment, Rovel's strength in his normal state had already surpassed that of a standard A-Rank Schicksal Knight. If he were to activate his Stigmata, she mused, he might even be stronger than her in a Valkyrie battlesuit without its Nexus System engaged.
However, after the incident in the data space, Theresa had strongly advised that Rovel avoid drawing on the power of his Stigmata and Jizo Mitama unless absolutely necessary. The risk of being eroded by their power again was too great. For one, Rovel himself still didn't fully comprehend the inner workings of the Yae Sakura Stigmata. For another, Jizo Mitama's abilities invariably corroded his body with every use.
Besides, with Rovel's current level of power, he was more than capable of handling anything short of an Emperor-class Honkai Beast. And even then, an Emperor-class would likely find itself outmatched by the Rovel of today. Just earlier in this mission, a Temple-class Honkai Beast—a level 80 monstrosity—had appeared. Rovel had sent it on its way to the afterlife with a flurry of punches, shattering its defensive shield into glittering fragments. It was a brutally effective display.
"Alright, let's head—"
Before Himeko could finish her sentence, a colossal shadow lurking atop an abandoned skyscraper launched itself at them. The attack was utterly silent, causing not a single ripple in the air. One moment there was nothing, the next, a body larger than the building itself had materialized, its assault already upon them.
"Watch out!"
At that same instant, the Sword Ki of Taixuan screamed a warning through Rovel's senses. He reacted without thinking, grabbing Himeko's arm and throwing them both to the side. They hit the ground and rolled, the displaced air from the missed attack slamming into them like a physical wall, sending them tumbling further.
They scrambled back to their feet, weapons raised, and stared into the swirling cloud of dust kicked up by the violent impact. But as the dust began to settle, the Honkai Beast had eerily vanished once more. A creature of that immense size had nowhere to hide, and the ground bore no new chasms or tunnels for it to have escaped through.
It had simply disappeared, right before their eyes.
Himeko's brow furrowed, her grip on her greatsword tightening. She didn't dare let her guard down for a second, her eyes scanning every rooftop and alleyway for any sign of the bizarrely shaped creature. Left with no other choice, the two stood back-to-back, bracing for an attack that could come from any direction, at any moment.
"Rovel, did you get a good look at that Honkai Beast just now?" Himeko asked in a low, tense voice.
"I did," Rovel replied, his own voice tight. "But I've never seen anything like it in the Honkai Beast Illustrated Handbook."
He nodded grimly, pushing the perception granted by his Clear Mirror Sword Intent and Sword Ki of Taixuan to their absolute limits. Still, he found nothing. It was as if the creature had been completely erased from existence. If not for the fresh, massive crater gouged into the earth, they might have suspected the entire encounter was a shared hallucination.
Rovel had absolute confidence in his memory. If he said he'd never seen it, then it most certainly wasn't in any official Schicksal records.
They remained in their defensive posture, observing the silent, ruined cityscape for nearly ten minutes. Nothing moved. But the longer the silence stretched, the more the tension coiled in their stomachs. They couldn't afford to be careless. Cautiously, they began to move toward their small battleship.
As dusk began to bleed across the sky, painting the ruins in long, dark shadows, Himeko tapped the side of her head. A pair of tactical goggles materialized over her eyes, enhancing her vision in the failing light.
"Still no sign of it... Where on earth is it hiding?" Himeko muttered, her frustration evident. A Honkai Beast that large should be visible even to a blind man. How could it just vanish so completely?
Just as they finally stepped onto the boarding ramp of the small battleship, the ship's Honkai Energy radar shrieked to life, flashing a crimson alert.
The target's position was directly above them.
But there had been nothing there a moment ago.
"Activate the protective field!" Himeko roared.
A shimmering blue barrier flared to life around the ship, not a moment too soon. A pillar of azure light, humming with terrifying energy, poured down from the sky. The protective field was instantly spiderwebbed with cracks under the onslaught.
"Jizo Mitama!" Rovel commanded, summoning the Oni Warrior in a flash of spectral energy. The phantom samurai appeared, crossing its twin blades to intercept the beam just above the battleship. The energy pillar collided with the swords, producing an agonizing screech of tortured metal as the attack was barely held at bay.
"Hah!" Himeko's back was now connected to the ship's nuclear fusion reactor, her armor and the greatsword in her hand glowing with a furious purple light. With a powerful swing, she unleashed a wave of sword qi infused with raw Honkai Energy, cleaving upward toward the Honkai Beast's position.
Her attack sliced through nothing but empty air.
"What?!" Himeko stared in disbelief. The Honkai Beast had been right there, and in the next instant, it was gone again.
"Since when did the Honkai world get invaded by Hollows?" Rovel couldn't help but complain under his breath. This thing was far more insidious, though. It had remained hidden for over ten minutes without making a single sound. Even Hollowfication had its limits.
"Himeko," Rovel said, his mind racing. "Do you think this thing might be a Quantum Construct?"
"A Quantum Construct?" Himeko's eyes widened at his words. The theory clicked into place.
While the probability of a Quantum Construct appearing in the Proper World was exceptionally low, it wasn't unheard of. And a Honkai Beast existing in such a state of quantum superposition would be impossible to hit under normal circumstances.
It could only be struck at the precise moment it chose to launch an attack.
"Rovel, with your speed," Himeko asked, a plan forming, "is it possible for you to hit it the moment it appears?"
"I'll give it a try."
There was no other choice. If they didn't injure it—or better yet, kill it—they would never be able to leave. If they tried to fly away now, they'd be nothing more than a sitting duck in the sky.
Rovel activated his Spirit Blade Form, the spectral form of Jizo Mitama materializing in his hand. He channeled his power, enhancing himself with both Lightning Sword Intent and the Sword Ki of Taixuan.
In his normal state, Rovel's base agility was 290. After activating Spirit Blade Form, it skyrocketed to 690. The Lightning Sword Intent added another 50%, bringing it to 1035. Finally, the Jizo Mitama itself provided another 300 points.
Total agility: 1335. His strength stat had also surged past 800.
Seeing Rovel's determined nod, Himeko took the initiative. "I'll lure it out."
Rovel planted his feet on the ground, his senses stretched to their breaking point, watching everything around him.
The battleship slowly began to lift off. When it reached an altitude of about twenty meters, Rovel moved. His hand settled on the guard of his sword, his body sinking into a low, ready stance.
Hokushin Ittō-ryū: Battōjutsu.
The very instant the Quantum Construct materialized in the sky, Rovel was already in front of it.
[-146] (Sword Qi Bonus)
"Basic Kendo: Hundred Consecutive Slashes!"
[-49] (Sword Qi Bonus)
[-47] (Sword Qi Bonus)
Rovel's figure became a blur of motion, a storm of steel that carved hundreds of wounds across the Honkai Beast's body in a fraction of a second. Even so, when the assault ended, the strange creature's health bar still showed over 60% remaining.
Rovel did a quick mental calculation. The damage he'd dealt had been reduced by a full 70%.
But just as he prepared to follow up with a punch infused with Dead Force, the beast instantly vanished again.
"What a pain..." Rovel frowned, his body, now suspended in mid-air, beginning to fall back toward the ground.
Suddenly, his gaze snapped to the distance. He spotted it—a faint trail left by the Honkai Beast's retreat.
Then, he witnessed a scene that sent a jolt of shock through him.
A swirling blue vortex materialized in front of the fleeing Honkai Beast. It pulsed with a terrifying suction force, dragging a nearby Chariot-class Honkai Beast into its maw. A moment after the smaller beast was swallowed, the deep wounds on the larger creature's body began to heal at a visible, horrifying rate.
Finally, the name of this Honkai Beast surfaced in Rovel's mind, dredged up from the depths of his knowledge.
Vishnu!
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