71 Chapter 71: Let the Salted Duck (Bronya) Offer Loyalty!
Chapter 71: Let the Salted Duck (Bronya) Offer Loyalty!
Changkong City.
What was once an ordinary garrison task had suddenly turned into a three-way melee. The forces of Anti-Entropy, Schicksal, and Honkai Beasts clashed with each other, intertwining in a chaotic dance.
On the streets, the roaring of mechs, the cries of Valkyries, and the thunderous sounds of Honkai Beasts combined with the chaotic noises. Accompanied by the splattering of projectiles flying everywhere, all of this gave the current state of Changkong City a resemblance to a neighboring mobile city that had been ravaged by calamity.
"Get out of my way!"
Brandishing a giant sword wrapped in crimson light, Kafka took a deep breath and then leapt high into the air.
Boom!
The next second, all her strength was summoned, and Kafka plummeted from the sky like a meteor, crashing down onto a group of Honkai Beasts.
With Kafka's strike, within a radius of several meters centered on her impact point, the Ruin Beasts were directly smashed into wreckage by the immense force. The power of an A-rank Valkyrie was fully displayed in that instant.
However...
Kafka's blow didn't have a significant effect, as Honkai Beasts kept appearing along with overflowing Honkai energy. Although her previous attack was fierce, it was merely a drop in the ocean compared to the countless Honkai Beasts.
With a powerful swing, Kafka sent a charging Honkai Beast that was attempting to ambush her flying.
"What in the world is happening? Why are so many Honkai Beasts suddenly appearing?"
Normally, after a Honkai event, only a small number of Ruin Beasts would be born. But the current situation was obviously amiss—there were far more Honkai Beasts continuously emerging in Changkong City than what would be expected from a minor Honkai event.
What had happened to Changkong City?!
"Host, please note that due to the awakening rate of the Conquest Gem reaching over 50%, the minor Honkai events in Changkong City have escalated and transformed into medium-scaled ones!"
From the sky, the system's voice entered Lu Yu's ears.
Oh, seriously, because the Conquest Gem was awakened, the Honkai events in Changkong City upgraded?!
What in the world had the people of Changkong City done to deserve this?
"Ascalon, can we go even faster?"
Lu Yu's tone was somewhat impatient. The progress had already reached 50%. Due to their high-speed flight, he couldn't even keep his eyes open. If it weren't for the special shield generated by Ascalon protecting him, the lack of oxygen alone might have cost him his life.
Lu Yu wasn't a Valkyrie; he wasn't equipped with specialized combat gear. Flying at high altitudes was really challenging for him!
Behind him, Ascalon's soft voice reached Lu Yu's heart directly. "Big brother, we're almost there."
"How much longer?"
"Um, let me think... about fifteen minutes and thirty seconds? Well, it's fifteen minutes and twenty-five seconds now."
What the heck!
"So fast?!"
Lu Yu clearly remembered that when he and Kafka had traveled from Changkong City to Saint Freya Academy, it had taken them a good three days. Although they had goofed off a bit during the journey, the effective travel time by car wouldn't have been less than forty hours.
How long had it been since he took off now?
Lu Yu estimated and roughly calculated that from the time they left Saint Freya Academy until now, it had been about ten minutes or so.
Was this the power of Stigmata?
Wait...
At this moment, Lu Yu remembered something!
"Dog system, why the heck did Ascalon appear in physical form at Saint Freya Academy? Wasn't she supposed to be a Stigmata?"
"Surprised about nothing. Host has already met Kafka. Isn't it normal to meet Ascalon too?" (TL/N: Btw, i'm not sure if the proper name of the stigma is actually 'Ascalon', 'Azuraki' or whatever, because i looked if there was a stigmata named Ascalon or Azuraki in HI3, GGZ, or Houkai Gakuen, but there was none. So, if anyone has any idea what her actual name is, please let me know.)
Lu Yu: "?????"
Well, the system made a good point, and now Lu Yu found himself speechless.
Lu Yu: No, what I'm asking is, what's the deal with this girl? Is she really that Ascalon?
"Yes and no."
Enough with the riddles, just spill the beans!
"In simple terms, the girl you're seeing right now has awakened the power of Ascalon's Stigmata. She's capable of transferring the power of her Stigmata to others, given their acknowledgment. Unlike regular Stigmata, these girls have a high degree of compatibility with their Stigmata, which leads to their appearance and personality closely resembling the original Stigmata bearers."
Lu Yu: And Kafka is the same?
"Yes, the situation with the lady you know as Kafka is also similar."
After hearing the system's explanation, Lu Yu felt more and more that something was off about this world.
The timeline and original storyline were completely different, with chaotic time points, and now there were these special Stigmata individuals.
Then there were those simulations that were unbelievably realistic, along with this user-friendly system. All of this formed a puzzle, with each special element overlapping and combining into a massive haze that enveloped him completely.
"Big brother, we're almost there!"
However, before Lu Yu could continue his deep contemplation, Ascalon's voice had already reached him.
Lu Yu: System, I remember I have Honkai Affinity, right?
[Yes, the host possesses the lowest level of Honkai Affinity.]
I want to use this to locate the whereabouts of the Conquest Gem. How do I use this affinity?
[All energy fluctuations in the Honkai world are transformations of Honkai Energy. The host only needs to close their eyes and feel to sense the Honkai Energy fluctuations around them.]
Upon hearing the system's guidance, Lu Yu closed his eyes and tried to feel, but he didn't sense anything.
Lu Yu: Then why am I not sensing anything right now?
[The host's Honkai Affinity level is too low. It's recommended to approach the target first before attempting to sense.]
"Big brother, we're here!"
"Prepare to land."
"Understood."
------------
"Kiana!!!!"
"Mei!"
Following a precise sniper shot, a missile exploded near Raiden Mei and Kiana.
Both Valkyries were blown away by the enormous shockwaves, their prolonged battle having left them tired.
"Miss Kiana Kaslana, target hit."
Controlling a specially crafted mech, Cocolia arrived at the spot where the missile had just detonated.
As the dust settled, Raiden Mei was now kneeling with one knee on the ground, her pulse katana in hand completely shattered. Meanwhile, Kiana had lost consciousness due to the earlier missile impact, lying in a deep crater not far from Mei.
"So this is the power of the Conquest Gem?"
Watching Raiden Mei, who had been directly hit without much damage, Cocolia couldn't help but exclaim.
Cocolia glanced at the data on the screen inside the mech.
"This astonishing concentration of Honkai Energy..."
"One hundred? No, three hundred and eighty times?!"
In the upper right corner of the screen, the current Honkai Energy concentration in the air was displayed. Seeing this number, even someone as experienced as Cocolia was momentarily stunned.
The Honkai Energy concentration in the air was now three hundred and eighty times that of a normal Ruin event, and terrifyingly, this number was still rising!
Is this the power of the Conquest Gem? Is this the power that can awaken the Herrschers? How is this even a gem? It's more like an enormous gathering of Honkai Energy!
Looking at Raiden Mei struggling to stand, Cocolia felt relieved in a way.
Luckily, this girl couldn't control the Conquest Gem within her. Otherwise, she would never have been able to push her opponent this far.
"Everyone, continue firing! Use your firepower to cover this area. The Valkyrie Battlesuits of Schicksal offer specialized protection to living beings, so don't worry about our target dying."
With Cocolia's order, a new round of bombardment began...
----------------
A dozen minutes later.
After confirming that Raiden Mei had lost consciousness and fallen to the ground, Cocolia leaped out of her mech. With every step in her military boots, she approached Raiden Mei.
Seeing Raiden Mei lying unconscious on the ground, a slight smile curved Cocolia's lips.
The Conquest Gem was finally within her grasp!
Cocolia bent down, intending to personally take Raiden Mei back to Schicksal. This was the only hope to save Seele.
However, just as Cocolia's hand was about to touch Raiden Mei, a bolt of lightning suddenly descended beside Cocolia. Her military instincts kicked in, and she swiftly moved away from the lightning. Cocolia stumbled back a few steps.
With a deafening explosion, a thunderous light erupted, throwing up countless particles of dust.
After the lightning subsided, as the dust cleared, Cocolia looked toward the direction where Raiden Mei lay. Amidst the dispersing dust, she vaguely saw a human figure.
Cocolia shouted, "Who's there?"
After a few seconds, a male voice slowly emerged from the smoke. Simultaneously, as the smoke dissipated, a man in casual clothing appeared before Cocolia.
The man's attire was commonplace, in stark contrast to the chaotic battlefield. He seemed like an ordinary passerby, but the black wings on his back indicated he was anything but an average person.
"Uh... Saint Freya's strongest janitor??"
Saint Freya's janitor?
Hearing the man's words, Cocolia was taken aback for a moment. However, after that brief moment of surprise, it dawned on her. Saint Freya Academy was under the banner of Schicksal, which meant this man was reinforcements from Schicksal.
"Everyone, open fire on this man!"
Now that she recognized him as Schicksal reinforcements, Cecilia needed no more words. Everyone preventing her from obtaining the Conquest Gem was an enemy, and enemies didn't deserve mercy!
"Can you dodge this, Ascalon?"
"Big brother, I can!"
With a gentle flutter of his wings, Lu Yu took flight.
Seeing Lu Yu ascending into the air, Cocolia was left utterly dumbfounded. What was this? An angel? Wasn't Schicksal all about Valkyries? Why was this bird-like creature suddenly appearing with wings?
However, as Cecilia was in astonishment, something even more surprising happened.
Under Cecilia's gaze, the man in the air drew a rod from his back...
Then, the man's voice resounded from the sky.
"Miss Cocolia, while it's true that we've had a bit of an interaction, you should also understand one thing.
Even in the realm of 2D waifus, there are different tiers. At the moment, the Little Angel(Mei) and the Grasshopper(Kiana) rank higher than you. So, sorry about this!"
"Nine Heavens Profound Destruction, Transform into Divine Thunder. Radiant celestial might, guide my blade!"
Hearing the man's shout, Cocolia was dumbfounded.
What did he mean by an "interaction" between them? She didn't even know him!
Also, what was this person doing? Waving a lightning rod in the sky?
While Cocolia was puzzling over what exactly this man was up to, her body provided her with an answer in an instant.
Danger! Enormous danger! Every cell in her body was telling Cocolia one thing: Enormous danger was imminent.
[Detecting ample Honkai Energy nearby. The effectiveness of the Divine Thunder Sword Art increases by one thousand percent!]
The next second.
Cecilia bore witness to a miracle.
A silver-white dragon coalesced around the lightning rod in the man's hand. This dragon roared as it circled the man before descending from the sky.
In an instant.
Cecilia felt everything around her turn white. Countless bolts of lightning descended around her, their brilliance so intense that she couldn't keep her eyes open.
After the lightning subsided, with a soft thud, Cecilia found herself kneeling on the ground.
...
"Big brother, are you a god?"
Descending slowly from the sky, Lu Yu tossed the lightning rod aside. Step by step, he approached Cocolia.
The woman before him had been thoroughly terrified by his godlike display just now. Compared to Otto, who had lived for centuries and seen much, this was the first time Cocolia had witnessed a human being so terrifying.
Lu Yu pondered for a moment as he approached Cocolia, wondering how to handle this woman with whom he had some connection.
"Please, don't harm Matushka Cocolia," Bronya's voice called out as she floated toward Lu Yu.
"Please don't hurt Matushka Cocolia, Bronya begs you. Matushka and Bronya only want to save Seele. We really didn't mean to hurt Sister Mei."
Lu Yu was taken aback by Bronya's response.
"Really?"
"Really. As long as you let Matushka Cecilia leave safely, Bronya will agree to anything you say."
Hearing Lu Yu's disbelief, Bronya immediately responded. She was even trying her best to appear pleading in hopes of convincing Lu Yu.
Unfortunately, without her facial expression system, Bronya couldn't quite pull it off.
Lu Yu looked at Bronya before him, and a strange idea formed in his mind.
"Alright then, Offer me your loyalty!"
