The Seraph-class Honkai beast—a small, birdlike creature with no limbs other than its wings—tore through the air toward Nagi. He scrambled to his feet, but his movements were sluggish compared to the winged beast. He closed his eyes, bracing for an impact that never came.
Project Bunny interceded, its mechanical fist slamming into the Seraph-class from the side and launching into the wall. It shattered with a single strike. Bronya, just behind, grabbed Nagi roughly by the shoulder and threw him back towards Ana and Wendy while Project Bunny blocked an attack from a Chariot-class—a bulky creature the size of a car, which walked on all fours like a gorilla.
"Initiating engagement protocol," Bronya exclaimed. "Requesting assistance. All units must prioritize civilian safety." Bronya had barely finished speaking when Wendy rushed into the fray alongside her. A device, hidden on her hip, shined for a brief moment. Simultaneously, Wendy's clothes were instantly replaced with a battlesuit as two glaives appeared in her hands. She brought the circular blades down on the second Chariot-class, digging into its metallic flesh.
In total, there were two Chariot-classes and three Seraph-classes, not accounting for the Seraph that Bronya had destroyed. Though they were amidst the weakest classes of Honkai beasts, even one was still well beyond the level of a C-rank Valkyrie. Everything felt like a blur to Nagi as the chaos raced around him. He was pulled from his stupor when Ana grabbed him by the shoulder, shaking him back to the present.
"Izanagi, focus!"
"W-What… is happening…" Nagi muttered. His voice was listless, his mind distant, as Ana glanced in the direction of the battle on the other side of the room.
"A Honkai incursion; I don't know how, but that doesn't matter right now. Miss Mari—the other student—is working on evacuating civilians." Ana's eyes narrowed. "You're C-rank, so stay away from the battle. Support us where you can, and focus on evacuating civilians first and foremost. But stick close, we don't know the full situation yet."
"Y-Yes… R-Right, sorry!" Finally pulled from his stupor, Nagi scrambled to his feet and moved out of the way. Ana pulled a firearm from her side and moved to support the other two Valkyries. Just as a Seraph-class moved to flank Wendy—still occupied with the Chariot—Ana took aim and peppered it with a burst shot.
In the same instant, Wendy's glaives tore through the Chariot's silicon flesh like paper. On the other side, Project Bunny wrestled with the second Chariot with its arm while its shielded flank held back a Seraph. Ana and Wendy converged on Bronya, quickly dispatching the Honkai beasts with their combined strength. The final Seraph fell quickly after, leaving the arcade room secure.
"The Bronya thanks you for your assistance," Bronya said as she bowed her head. "The Bronya shall proceed with evacuation procedures. Project Bunny is detecting Honkai energy levels rising. The current situation is too dangerous for civilian bystanders to remain. Risk of Honkai corruption growing."
Momentarily taken aback by Bronya's strange manner of speech, Ana nodded in agreement. She turned to Wendy. "Wendy, you're the fastest out of the five of us. I need you to get me details on the situation outside while we gather the civilians still here."
"Mm. Got it." Without wasting a moment, Wendy rushed past Nagi and made her way outside. Nagi stumbled as she passed, his heart still pounding as he awkwardly grabbed his arm.
"Bronya, you're… a B-rank, correct? I'm impressed," Ana complimented Bronya, who nodded gratefully. "Are you fine with following my orders for the time being?"
"Да," Bronya replied, giving a thumbs up. "Subject identifies as 'Ana.' Is the Bronya's assessment correct?"
"Yes. You and I will work on explaining the situation to the remaining civilians inside the arena." Ana glanced at the fallen cashier on the ground with a sad expression. "We'll have to deal with the body. We can't risk a... z-zombie here..." Bronya nodded, and Ana turned to Nagi. "In the meantime, Izanagi, I want you to work on contacting Saint Freya. We're lucky the three of us were prepared, but we can't count on anyone else in Soukai being as equipped as we are. Please let them know that a Honkai incursion has occurred, scale unknown. Reinforcements and equipment are requested as soon as possible."
"Oh, um, right, yes!" Nagi awkwardly nodded, his hands scrambling to his pockets for his phone. At the same time, Ana and Bronya made their way into the arena as Nagi was left on his own. W-Who the hell do I even call!? He thought, struggling to enter his pin with his trembling fingers. He gripped his phone tightly and took a few deep breaths to steady his nerves. Slowly, his eyes drifted towards the corpse on the ground. His stomach sank as the cashier's lifeless eyes stared back at him. He tore his eyes away, unable to look even a second longer.
This was the real deal. His thoughts returned to just before they had made their way inside the laser tag arena, before everything had gone down. Weak link… he thought to himself, his teeth grinding against each other. He angrily shook his head. That doesn't matter right now. Focus! He took another breath and unlocked his phone.
His eyes widened. He did have a number, after all: Fu Hua's, given to him during one of their sessions. He dialed her number praying that she'd answer.
For once, luck was on his side.
"Itsuki?" spoke Fu Hua's voice over the phone. "Is something the—"
"T-Teach!" Nagi exclaimed with quivering lips, barely able to contain his feelings of relief. A wave of excitement flowed through his chest as he tried to remain calm. "I— T-There's… Ana, Wendy, we went out to Soukai, and, there's… I…"
"Itsuki, breathe!" Fu Hua commanded. "What is happening?"
"...A-Ana called it a Honkai Incursion, in Soukai, at the game center, we don't know what scale yet. There's… There's been a casualty, but we contained the group we encountered, civilians in the building." Reason took control over as he spoke, his heartbeat slowly normalizing. "We have some weapons, but only Wendy is equipped with a full battlesuit. We don't know if there's anyone armed to deal with Honkai beasts nearby either."
"In Soukai…? Understood. I'll notify the staff. Stay safe and stay with your team; do not play hero, Itsuki, you are not ready for real combat. Acknowledge."
"A-Acknowledged!"
"Good. And stay calm. Above all else, that is the most important thing of all."
"...R-Right, Teach. I'll stay calm." He heard what he could only assume was a sound of acknowledgment on the other end. The call disconnected just as the door behind him opened back up. He turned to see Wendy making her way inside with a grim expression. Simultaneously, Ana and Bronya returned with the laser tag contestants, while from a room upstairs, the other student, Mari, returned leading another group of civilians.
"Izanagi, did you manage to reach Saint Freya?"
"Y-Yeah… I got a hold of Teach. She said help is on the way." Ana let out a sigh of relief, a subtle wave of hope washing across the faces of all those inside. "Wendy, what's the situation outside?"
"Not great," Wendy replied. "At least three blocks, could be more. There were Chariots out the front door, but I dealt with them."
"Were there any other Honkai beasts nearby?" Wendy shook her head. "...For now, we'll use this location as an evacuation point. Is anyone injured?"
"I've got one," Mari called out, gesturing to an older man with a bruised arm. "But nothing too bad, just bruises. Another Seraph was upstairs, I got it before it did any real harm."
"Understood. Izanagi, please check the staff room for any medical supplies. There won't be much, but anything is better than nothing."
"R-Right!" Nagi rushed off to do as she said while Ana continued to issue out orders. He quickly scavenged the back room and soon returned with minor medical supplies; alcohol, bandages, the thing that could treat light injuries but nothing more. "S-Sorry… like you said, it's not great."
"Mari, please tend to the injury," Ana ordered, taking the supplies from Nagi and handing them over to Mari. "What rank are you?"
"M-Me? I'm only B-rank. I… didn't come armed like you guys, though."
"That's alright, Mari." Ana glanced at Nagi as a plan formulated in her mind. "Do you think you can handle defending the evacuation point on your own?"
"Against weaker beasts, sure, but I don't have a weapon for anything bigger."
"That's also fine; here, give me your cell number. Wendy, Bronya, Nagi, and I will move out into the city and begin evacuating civilians. If you have a problem you can't handle, send a call and we'll hurry back. Do you think you can handle that?"
Mari pursed her lips but nodded. "Yeah… Yeah, I think I can do that much. I'll have everyone stay in the arena for now." Ana nodded, before turning back to the others.
Nagi, however, spoke up. "Um… Ana, shouldn't I stay here? I can't exactly keep up with you guys."
"Subject: Izanagi is C-rank," said Bronya. Nagi was surprised to hear that she remembered. "Assessment. Izanagi will only slow our movements." Nagi flinched, but it wasn't as if he disagreed.
"I disagree," Ana replied. "I was keeping track during the game. You might not be able to stand on your own, but you were doing great at support. Plus, you are the class monitor's tutee. If she sees potential in you, even as a C-rank, I think you will do fine." Bronya's eyes widened as she looked at Nagi.
"...The Bronya shall withdraw their complaint."
"H-Huh?" Nagi gulped nervously. "But…" Ana placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I trust you, Izanagi. We'll be there to protect you, as long as we can count on you to support us. Is that alright? If you still disagree, then I won't complain if you stay here with Mari. I doubt she would mind the support. But without knowing the situation outside, I want more hands outside than inside."
Nagi fell quiet as Ana awaited his answer. Soon enough, he gave her a nod. "Alright. I'll try."
'Weak link' resonated in the back of his mind, but he pushed it down. He couldn't be doubting himself right now. Ana gave him a smile.
"Alright. Mari, I'll entrust the civilians to you. Please keep an eye out for anyone else we send your way."
"Y-Yes, ma'am! I'll do my best!"
"Bronya, Wendy, Nagi. Are you ready to set out?"
"The Bronya is ready to deploy."
"Mm."
"As ready as I'll ever be…"
Together, the squad of four set out into the waiting city.
"—Fire!"
"Release!"
In tandem, Bronya's missile and Nagi's orb struck the side of the Chariot-class, tearing through it and dispersing it into particles. A burst round from Ana dispatched a Seraph-class as Wendy's glaives tore through an entire cluster of both Chariots and Seraphs.
This had been their fifth encounter in the last hour, ignoring the individual Honkai beasts they dealt with along the way. The longer they spent patrolling, the more Honkai beasts seemed to appear. Wendy turned towards her companions; At the rate they were going, all three would exhaust themselves and their supplies before it was over.
In other words, it wouldn't be long before she had to start working alone. Though truth be told, she'd prefer that, shooting a glance at those standing behind her.
She shook her head. No point thinking about that right now. She thought, turning her thoughts to the situation at hand. Casualties were low so far. Well over thirty civilians—alongside a few other Saint Freya students, some armed, some not—had been found and sent off back to the gaming center, including some of the armed students. Other students chose to join in the search and repel efforts, forming their own squads and setting off in other directions.
The hardest part was when they found the bodies. Nagi was always the most disturbed by them. Not that she could blame him; every face was more haunting than the last. Despair, fear, rage, acceptance… whatever emotions they had in their final moments were engraved into their dying expressions. The only one who seemed truly unbothered was Bronya. But then again, no one could ever really tell what she was thinking.
If they had been faster, if they had been more prepared, if they had been luckier… each of these questions ran through Wendy's mind for each corpse they found. And paired with each of them, she couldn't help but think… had she been moving on her own, could she have saved them?
She shook her head and returned to the present as she spotted Nagi clutching at his wrists. If nothing else, she was impressed he was holding himself together, at least outwardly. It was more than she could say for how much he actually helped. She stared a while longer before walking over to his side. He didn't notice her approach, and so she lightly took his shoulder. A warm, soothing sensation flowed through her wrist at contact, but she paid it little mind as Nagi jumped at her touch.
"Nagi," she spoke, her voice soft. He turned to look at her. "Doing okay?"
"...No, not really," he replied bitterly, clutching his wrist. "But I'll manage." Wendy nodded as Ana and Bronya gathered back together. Ana checked the magazine on her pistol and pursed her lips.
"Bronya, do you have any spare ammunition? I brought a spare mag, but I'm running low," Ana asked. Bronya paused for a moment, before nodding her head. She reached into a spare pocket and handed a mag forward.
"Ammunition procured. Subject: Ana. Is the provided ammunition compatible?"
"You actually had some? Yes, thank you," Ana replied with a sigh of relief, stowing away the clip in her back pocket. "We're lucky you're here. We'd be moving a lot slower without you. Especially given at this rate, I would have had to leave it to these two…"
"Mm. I can handle it," Wendy replied. "With or without Nagi."
"...W-What does that mean?" Wendy didn't reply. It wasn't meant as an insult or anything. It was just simply how it was. Still, he seemed to take it the wrong way. "You…" He sighed, before turning to Ana. "So… What's our plan from here?"
"Continue as we are until reinforcements arrive," Ana stated simply. "Whether evacuating or picking off clusters, the more we can do beforehand, the better." Nagi looked down.
"It just… feels like we aren't doing anywhere near enough."
"Нет," Bronya replied, interjecting. "Subject: Izanagi. The probability of an individual squad stopping a Honkai incursion is below 0. Please redefine your measure of progress."
"But—"
"Нет."
Bronya allowed no disagreement. Nagi fell quiet, and for a moment, seemed as if he was going to continue. But thankfully, he let out a sigh and gave in. "Alright. It just…"
"...The Bronya understands, Subject: Izanagi. We are doing all we can, for now." Wendy nodded softly and turned her head, looking down the street they were walking. She felt a strange guilt for a brief moment, but she shook it off. There was something more important to focus on. She wasn't quite sure what it was, but something felt… off. She was growing restless, and so, turned back to her companions.
"...If we're ready, we should get going," she said.
Ana nodded in agreement. "I can manage a few more engagements. I don't like the thought of looting, but… if we come across any gun shops by some stroke of luck, I'd like to stop by and grab more."
"The Bronya agrees with Subject: Ana's stratagem." Wendy turned to Nagi, who remained quiet.
"Ready?" she asked. He looked up at her once more and nodded.
"Yeah, sorry. Just… thinking. I'm ready."
Wendy nodded. With the group prepared once more, they set off, with Wendy leading the way as before. Being the only one properly equipped, it was only practical for her to be in front. She eyed the arming device at her side, where she had procured her battlesuit from before.
Glad I brought it, she thought to herself, gently patting the device. It was a habit of hers to keep everything important with her wherever she went. Comes with always living free. She glanced over her shoulder at the other three. Mostly free, at least. Truthfully, she had considered telling them to stay back at the gaming center long before they departed, especially Izanagi.
It wasn't that she thought anything ill of him. But someone who couldn't keep up was a handicap; the only one she had any expectations for at that moment was Bronya, and only because of her weird mech… thing. But it'd be an argument if I said any of that. Dealing with a fit was the last thing she wanted in a time of crisis.
She shook her head. Less-than-ideal situations weren't new to her either. All she could do was roll with the punches as the four of them continued down the street. She kept her ears tuned to the wind. Subtle changes, be it smell, temperature, speed, or even simple sound, were all important to keep track of. When dealing with an enemy like Honkai that could appear from anywhere, the wind was one of the only things that could tell you it was coming.
"It's… kind of quiet, huh," Nagi said from the back.
"...Mm. It is," Wendy muttered after a second. Her earlier sense of foreboding had come from that very same silence. The fact that Nagi noticed it too… her eyes widened. "Move. Move!"
The building to her right detonated. The immense shockwave launched Wendy through the air as rubble exploded out in every direction, the surrounding buildings collapsing from the force of the explosion. She hit the ground rolling, only managing to recover halfway through her flight as she slid on her feet. She started coughing, clearing her lungs of the smoke and debris.
Even now, a dust cloud hung over the surrounding area, concealing everything in its veil. Wendy slowly stood up, her eyes narrowed, trying to pierce the veil and find her companions. A low thrumming could be heard coming from the direction of the ruined building, a quiet sound that left an uneasy feeling in Wendy's gut.
To her right, the remnants of the collapsed building could be seen, blocking off the road they had come from. In front of it, she saw Ana, injured but not dead, pushing herself up off the ground. She couldn't see Nagi or Bronya. A part of her feared they had been caught under the rubble.
But she didn't have time to think about it. The source of the thrum revealed itself, in the form of a neon-pink light forming in the center of the dust cloud. She could feel the Honkai energy in the air around her, gathering at the brightest point of the light…
A beam. Forming, coalescing… aimed directly at Ana. Wendy's eyes widened. She kicked off the ground, glaives in hand, sprinting as fast as she could at the beam. She could only vaguely make out the form of the being within, but it didn't matter.
It didn't matter. She wasn't fast enough. "Ana, move!" Wendy shouted, so loud that her throat hurt with the effort.
Ana lifted her head just in time as the intense beam of energy pierced through the cloud of dust, burning a hole through the miasma. But from further in the veil, a mechanical construct leaped in front of Ana, carrying its master beneath it. A barrier of pure psionic energy formed around them, clashing with the intense beam of Honkai energy. The beam smashed into the barrier and split, the rays of energy washing over the barrier like a flood of water. It tore through concrete and rubble like a hot knife through butter, leaving only molten slag in its wake.
But Project Bunny held, as an injured Bronya stood in front of the now-standing Ana. As the beam of light finally dispersed, Wendy's glaive tore through the air and struck the figure in the center of the cloud...
Only to bound right off, deflected off of its silicon hide, and embed itself in the dirt beneath it. Wendy slid to a stop right beside Bronya, activating a device on her wrist that pulled the glaive from the dirt back to her hand. Despite the hole it had burned in the miasma, the figure was still veiled in the dust, only a small part of it visible through the cloud. A Honkai beast, yet no Chariot or Seraph could display such power.
The thrumming whirred, growing loud, loud, louder. The dust began to spin and whirl with such intensity that Wendy had to cover her eyes. Both Ana and Bronya did the same as the three found themselves caught on the edge of the vortex of dust, dirt, and smoke.
"Subject: Ana, Wendy…" Bronya spoke as the veil slowly dispersed into the wind, and the figure of the Honkai beast was revealed.
"The Bronya…"
It was a massive creature, easily two stories tall. Its form was strange and unorthodox, hardly reminiscent of a creature so much as it was like a structure. But it was indeed a creature… one whose aura left even Wendy quaking as her eyes went wide with realization.
It had no limbs to speak of, but instead, floating plates that surrounded its body. It had no eyes, ears, nor mouth to speak of, but its entire body glowed with layers of pink light, the telltale sign of Honkai energy… and this particular specimen was radiant with the pinkish glow.
"...Urgently requests an immediate retreat."
Bronya's face was pale, and though her voice was monotone, Wendy could hear the quiver in her voice. Ana's, Wendy's, both of their expressions were the same. Wendy's throat was parched as she gripped the glaives in her hand till her knuckles turned bone white.
After all…
The monstrosity that hovered in the air before them, as the shining pink light in its body brightened...
Was an Emperor-Class Honkai beast.
It took a few minutes for Nagi's vision to be restored. Slowly, his eyes opened up as a terrible, throbbing, pain gnawed at his hip. With a groan, he placed a hand on the injured spot. But it was not flesh that his hand touched.
He looked down to find a lengthy piece of rebar impaling his hip. As the realization hit, a cry of agony escaped his lips as the pain caught up with his brain. Tears burst forth from his eyes and flowed freely as the young man gripped the bloody rebar. He desperately gripped the rebar and tried to rip it out of his flesh. Tried.
The immediate backlash of pain put an immediate stop to that. He barely budged the rebar an inch, much less pulled it from his side. His blood pooled on the floor at his side, far more of it than he'd have liked to ever see. If not for his natural healing ability, he was certain he'd have never woken up.
"Grrgh…!" Nagi groaned, gripping the rebar one more time. "C-Come on… Gah! P-Pull… pull!" He gritted his teeth while fueling his muscles with as much mana as dared. With one final effort, he ripped the rebar out of his side with a spray of blood and let out a cry of pure torment as the debris fell to the ground. His hands shot to the hole in his side, desperately trying to cover the wound to try and ease the pain. Slowly but surely, the natural flow of mana washed over the open wound, knotting skin together and quickly replacing the lost blood.
He collapsed, panting as tears spilled from his eyes. Exhausted from the effort of removing the rebar, he surveyed the area around him, quickly recalling what had happened.
When the building had exploded, Nagi had been launched away, crashing through another building as a result and momentarily losing consciousness. How long exactly, he wasn't sure. He looked around to try and find any familiar faces, but soon realized he was alone. His face turned pale.
He was alone. The worst-case scenario. In the distance, he heard a loud boom. If he had to guess, that's the direction he came from.
He couldn't stay still. Not here. His heart rate quickened as he pushed himself to his feet. Though his side still throbbed, it was quickly fading. Struggling to stand, Nagi pressed forward. He was in some kind of backroom, dark except for the hole his crash landing had left in the ceiling. He found a door and quietly pushed it open.
Two Seraph-class beasts hovered in the other room in front of it.
Nagi immediately shut the door, quickly but quietly, so as to not alert the beasts. His face turned a paler shade of white as a chill ran down his spine. Already, an obstacle. He could hardly breathe as his gut churned with anxiety.
Slowly, he peeked the door open. Slightly, hardly a crack. He watched the Seraphs as they slowly hovered across the room. His grip on the doorknob tightened. They were moving with purpose. Searching for something. He covered his mouth to stay as quiet as possible. Even a peep would mean a fight. A fight almost certainly meant death.
Were they looking for him? He had shut the door recklessly in his panic. If they were, could he take them on? Fu Hua had placed him against Seraph-class beasts before in their training as a test. But digital simulations were hardly comparable to the real deal. Worse, he only saw the two Seraphs; that didn't mean there wasn't any more. He continued to watch. They weren't moving towards his door. Not yet.
So what were they looking for? He scanned the room. He soon realized. It wasn't him that they heard.
A girl and a woman, kneeling behind a desk. The woman hugged the girl tight, covering her mouth with her hands, tears streaming down her face.
Fu Hua's words flashed into his mind. Don't be a hero. His heart pounded harder and harder in his chest, the sound beating like a drum. Any louder and it would be enough to alert the Seraphs in the dead silence of the small shop. Any sudden movements might bring them closer to the civilians, if not outright send them into a frenzy.
One of the Seraphs began to move away, but the second lingered. Before he realized it, Nagi had snuck through the door, quietly shutting it behind him as he crawled on the ground. The woman noticed him. Her eyes went wide. He raised a finger to his lips, telling her to remain silent. She nodded, and Nagi continued. He peeked out from behind the counter. The first Seraph had gone outside, but the second still remained within the shop, patrolling around. It turned towards the counter. It wouldn't be long before it floated over and found the three of them.
His palms were covered in sweat, the chilly fluid also running down the side of his face. His heart continued to pound, but not so loud now. A lucky break. He took deep breaths to steady himself as he crawled forward. He raised one hand and channeled mana into his palm, coalescing it into an orb as he watched the closer Seraph.
His hands trembled. The Seraph approached the counter now. Any moment, it would spot the three of them. Nagi watched its movements closely, trying his best to keep the glowing orb's light hidden from sight. He stopped looking at the two civilians. He needed to focus. The Seraph drifted closer.
"...Releas—" Nagi began to whisper.
Just then, the Seraph that was outside let out a shrill, high-pitched shriek. Nagi's eyes widened, and the orb in his palm dispersed along with his concentration. He nearly cursed, thinking the first Seraph had seen him. But then…
"G-God, get away from me! Help me! Someone!" shouted the voice of a man outside. Nagi's eyes widened as the Seraph at the counter spun around and darted outside. The Seraphs' ethereal chirps and shrieks continued as Nagi looked back over the counter and saw a man collapsed on the ground outside the shop.
It was like time stopped. Somehow, a bad situation grew even worse.
Don't be a hero.
Fu Hua's words echoed in his mind once more. The man's own actions had placed him in that situation. Rushing out now would only aggravate the Seraphs and put the other two in danger. Time dragged on at a snail's pace as Nagi turned to look at the two hiding beside him.
Absolute terror colored their expressions. They were barely holding themselves together. The man continued to shout like a single moment dragged on through eternity. The Seraphs hovered in the air above him, frozen in time.
Don't be a hero.
Don't be a hero.
Nagi could no longer feel the beating of his heart. It was like he couldn't feel anything.
Weak link.
Human trash.
Waste of space.
What could he do?
Nothing. That's all he was ever good for. Sitting back and watching others die. It was all he could ever do.
"Help me… Someone, help me!"
The man's desperate cry rang out across the street. But no one answered.
And before he knew it, Nagi's legs were moving. He leaped through the shattered window of the shop as one word came to his lips.
"Release!" he roared with all his might, a ball of pure energy forming in his palm as he threw it forward. The orb crashed into the side of the closer Seraph, exploding with concussive force as the Seraph was thrown to the ground. The man looked at Nagi with absolute shock, but the young man could spare him only a glance as the second Seraph turned to him.
Fast as a sparrow, it tore through the air with a high-pitched shriek and slammed into Nagi's chest. He cried out in pain as he was thrown to the ground, his ribs shattering from the strength of the blow. But as the Seraph continued to dig into him, threatening to tear through him outright, Nagi latched onto the beast with both arms, hugging it tightly.
Two orbs of mana formed in his hands as he slammed them into the sides of the creature, gritting his teeth as he ignored the pain. It became a battle of attrition as his orbs seared the Seraph's sides, burning through it as the Seraph bored through him. It lifted him onto the wall while his flesh began to tear.
Tears once more spilled from Nagi's eyes, but he gripped his fist and let out a cry of rage. Mana flowed through into his fist as he struck the Seraph with all his might. His knuckles cracked and his wrist tore as his fist unleashed its mana-infused strike into the Seraph, slamming the creature into the ground as he was freed from its oppressive assault.
He fell to his knees as his regeneration quickly took over, mending his flesh and restoring his shattered bones. He barely had a moment to breathe as he rolled out of the way of the first Seraph's attack, which tore through the wall behind him while the second retook to the air. Nagi backstepped as he lifted both hands. Another orb, larger than any of his previous, formed in his palms as the Seraph charged him.
"Release!" he shouted as blood spilled from his mouth, his eyes wide with mania. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, dulling the phantom pain as the orb launched from his palms. The Seraph collided with the orb head on… and disintegrated outright as the orb tore through it, leaving nothing but particles of Honkai energy in its wake. Nagi didn't have a chance to celebrate the minor victory as the first Seraph burst through the wall to his right, slamming into his side and knocking him down. "Gah!" he cried, rolling onto the ground as his right rib was shattered yet again.
He gritted his teeth through the pain and threw himself up onto his feet, another orb in hand as he slammed it into the approaching Seraph. The Seraph was knocked back through the air. As it realigned itself, Nagi lifted both hands. Two orbs formed in each palm.
"Release!" he shouted, and both orbs flew. They slammed into the Seraph, dispersing against its side. "Release!" he shouted again, as two more orbs were let loose. They struck their mark, but Nagi continued. "Release! Release! Release release release release release!"
Nagi let his mana flow freely as a barrage of orbs flew freely from his hands, blasting the Seraph over and over again as he refused to give it a chance to recover. And finally, as the last two orbs struck, the Seraph fell to the ground and dispersed into particles. Nagi desperately looked around, his heart still pounding with the adrenaline rush as he looked for any more approaching danger. But as he flung his head around in every direction, his eyes dancing about his skull like a madman…
Nagi realized it was quiet. No Honkai beasts to be seen.
And so, the young man collapsed to his knees. His arms, his body, it all burned hot, like a pan sitting in the heat of a stove. He desperately clutched his wrists as he clenched his teeth, trying anything he could to cool off. The heat was overbearing, it was all he could think about.
Almost all, at least.
Yet even as the heat overwhelmed his body, the phantom pain caught up with his mind, and as his eyes drooped with exhaustion, he could only grin. I did it… I freaking did it! He wanted to shout, and would have had his throat not been desolately parched. And so instead, he took a few deep breaths and forced himself to stand. His victory was short-lived.
He turned to see the man, woman, and child all looking at him. He couldn't quite put his finger on how to describe their expressions. Disbelief? Hope? Fear? His mind was hazy and unable to distinguish.
"You… You saved my life!" the man exclaimed. "I… those things would have killed me!"
"E-Ehe…" was the only response Nagi could muster, giving a half-hearted grin as a follow-up. "Just… your friendly neighborhood Nagi... doing my good deed for the day…"
"W-What are these things…?" It was the woman who spoke now. He recognized her; the lobby attendant from laser tag. How she had gotten all the way out here, he wasn't sure.
They don't know…? Nagi thought, his eyes widening. He pursed his lips. That'd make things more difficult. He didn't have time to explain.
"...M-My name is Izanagi, and I'm…" he paused, a strange sense of bashfulness coming over him. But he shook away his sense of bashfulness, closed his fists, and looked up at the three in front of them with the best smile he could muster.
"I'm a Schicksal Knight. If you want to live, follow me."
Wendy sprinted as one column of energy after another erupted from the ground beneath her, trying and failing to catch up with her. A blast of energy shot at her from the side, which she effortlessly leaped over as it pierced the building behind her. At the same time, a missile pod from Project Bunny launched at the Emperor-class, only to be intercepted by a floating plate. A burst spray from Ana ricocheted off the beast's side, entirely ineffective due to its low caliber.
Wendy slid under another beam of light aimed right for her head, hopping to her feet and throwing one of her glaives towards what could only be called the Emperor's head. Despite its size, it responded quickly, turning towards her as the plates near its bottom began spinning faster and faster. The Emperor charged at Wendy, avoiding her glave. Meanwhile, the columns of energy continued to follow close behind her.
She reached out towards her glaive as the blade shined for a brief moment. Just as she was about to be struck from both sides, Wendy was thrown into the air after her glaive, launching high above the Emperor class. She swapped the polarity mid-air, dragging the glaive back to her as she fell towards the Emperor. With a flash of light, she brought the blade down the Emperor's back and rolled away just as it tried to counter her attack.
She rolled to her feet, panting, as she surveyed the situation. At the same time, the Emperor turned to face her.
Despite her successful hit, the fight was going nowhere. Any attempts to retreat had failed miserably, cut off by the Emperor-class' beam attacks. It was like they could come from any direction, relentlessly hounding the three of them no matter where they were. The beast had a nigh omniscient sense of where they were at all times, making escape basically impossible.
They had no choice but to defeat it or die.
Emperor-class Honkai beasts. In this case, specifically a creature designated as an Imperator. In terms of scale… Those of the Emperor-class were of the second strongest class of Honkai beast, far, far above any Seraph or Chariot and just below Judgement. Even at their weakest, an Emperor would almost always require a full squadron of A-rank Valkyries to take it on, or a single S-rank
Yet, the only well-equipped A-rank present was Wendy. Ana was barely armed and Bronya was a B-rank. Certainly, there were no S-ranks among them. Wendy gripped her glaives tightly, watching as the Emperor's floating plates realigned with the floating monstrosity. The Emperor faced her in turn, its eyeless form watching her every moment. Supposedly, Honkai beasts were mindless beasts that could only single-mindedly focus on destruction.
Yet, somehow, Wendy couldn't help but feel that this creature had correctly identified her as the primary threat. Project Bunny's current weapon didn't have enough firepower to seriously threaten the creature, and Ana's gun was a peashooter by comparison. If Wendy was alone, maybe she could escape, or even win. But neither Ana nor Bronya could possibly keep up with her. She had tried to buy time for the two to escape separately on their own, but that, too, had failed when the Emperor nearly split them in half with another beam attack.
She hated the feeling. Like chains that held her down no matter how hard she tried to rise.
She was pulled from her thoughts when the Emperor started to move again. It hovered towards her, not fast but not slow, facing towards her at every moment as the plates surrounding its body detached and floated through the air. Wendy lifted her glaives when her instincts cried out for her to move.
All at once, the plates began to shine. Nearly a dozen plates aimed at her.
She took a deep breath.
Each plate fired a beam towards her, their heat burning the very air around them. In that same second, Wendy reached down to her side. With a press of a button, time itself slowed down around her. The beams crawled towards her like moving through molasses, traveling at a snail's pace.
More attacks doesn't mean you'll hit me. She taunted mentally, a smirk on her face as she charged forward. She nimbly dodged through the net of lasers, untouched by even a hair as she brought her glaives to bear. With a flurry of strikes, she began tearing into the Emperor's chest, her blades dancing in her hands.
Just as the timewarp was about to come to an end, Wendy leaped away. The beams resumed their normal speed, all crashing into the spot she had been just moments earlier with a violent explosion. At the same time, Project Bunny launched another payload at the Emperor, this time landing a direct hit and staggering the beast.
"Nice, Wendy!" Ana exclaimed. She had changed her strategy from targeting the beast itself to shooting down the plates; although they were durable, they weren't even half as much as the beast itself. For that, at least, Wendy was thankful— "Wait, Wendy, watch out!"
Still mid-leap, Wendy's eyes widened as another plate appeared, on a direct collision course with her. Just as the plate was about to strike her, Wendy threw her hand forward, leap-frogging off of it and avoiding the attack. She landed gracefully on the ground and side-stepped a second plate, ducked under a third. But in that same instant, she realized the attack she had been warned about hadn't been aimed at her. The first plate sped through the air towards the undefended Ana.
She threw her glaive as hard as she could at Ana, simultaneously swapping polarity. Wendy was violently torn through the air, speeding after the plate. Just barely, she managed to catch up to it, seconds before it struck Ana. With a mighty kick, she slammed the plate off to the side as Ana rolled out of the way. But in the corner of her eye, the Emperor prepared to unleash another barrage at both her and Ana.
"Barrier!"
Bronya slid in front of them from the side as Project Bunny materialized. The psionic barrier formed around them, once more clashing with the Emperor's powerful lasers. Bronya clenched her teeth as she and Project Bunny held out against a barrage of beams, doing her best to maintain the barrier against the relentless assault. But try as the beast would to find a hole in her defense, it would find none.
"Subject: Wendy," Bronya spoke as she maintained the barrier. She struggled to split her attention, but even so, Bronya looked over her shoulder to check on Wendy. "Are you injured?"
Wendy stared at her with wide eyes. A strange feeling filled her chest, but she quickly shook it off, shaking her head no. "Nah. I'm fine." Bronya nodded silently, returning her attention to the Emperor.
Ana's handgun rang out, knocking three of the plates out and disrupting the Emperor's attack. The moment the Emperor's attack let up, Project Bunny channeled Bronya's psionic energy into its fist, slamming it right into the Emperor's chest with a mighty shockwave that threw the creature back.
"Thank you, Wendy, Bronya," Ana said with a sigh of relief. She glanced at her leg, bleeding from her initial injury. "I'm sorry... I'm just holding you back like this..."
Wendy said nothing. Instead, she lifted her glaives back up, ready to continue the fight. Pointing fingers would do nothing here.
They had to end this soon.
"...Can you keep protecting Ana?" she asked Bronya. Bronya glanced at her and answered with a silent nod. That was all she needed to hear. She stepped forward, ready to re-engage the Emperor.
"Wait... it's doing something," Ana said. Wendy froze, preparing to move. She was right. The beast had begun to radiate a strange light, glowing bright by the moment. A vortex of energy formed on its chest.
"Subject: Wendy, retreat!" Bronya exclaimed, but it was too late.
Still recharging its barrier from before, Project Bunny was unable to defend in time. A massive burst of energy erupted from the Emperor, beams of Honkai energy shooting out in every direction. Beam after beam collided with Project Bunny's incomplete barrier, each strike cracking it further and further.
One final beam and the barrier shattered with explosive force, striking Project Bunny directly as Bronya let out a cry of pain. The Emperor's plates flew forward as Wendy moved to intercept, her glaives singing through the air as she deflected one after another. But a cry of pain from Ana behind her distracted her for a split moment as the vanilla-haired girl was thrown off to the side.
In her moment of distraction, a plate struck Wendy dead center in the gut. She wretched, spit and spittle gushing from her agape mouth as the plate slammed her into a wall. Pain wracked Wendy's body. Yet even still, the Valkyrie pushed herself to the limit, striking the plate with her glaives and cutting it in twain. She collapsed to her knees, panting heavily as her nerves screamed with pain.
She stood to her feet. She was exhausted. Her muscles burned with the exertion. She wiped her lips clean. A red stain covered her sleeve where she wiped. It didn't matter. She looked up, searching for Ana and Bronya.
Ana collapsed on the ground, knocked out cold, having been struck on the head. Bronya was no better, leaning against a wall unconscious while Project Bunny remained a sparking mess.
The Emperor's thrums filled her ears. With a solemn expression, she turned to face the behemoth as it in turn stared back at her. Its plates hovered in the air. One less, at least, as the one at her feet dissolved into particles.
She had nothing to say. She lifted her glaives once more, one in each hand. Every part of her body was in pain. But it didn't matter.
"Only the strong survive. Isn't that right?"
Her eyes narrowed. A familiar, unwelcome voice spoke in her ears. A memory.
"The only one you can depend on is yourself, Wendy."
She took a step forward. She ignored the voice from the past.
"You're strong. So live free. Unbound and unchained."
The Emperor's plates began to charge up their beams again.
"Let no one, let nothing, hold you down. Run free."
Wendy's eyes glimmered, a vicious glare delivered at the Emperor.
"Stop for even a moment…"
Glaives in hand…
"And I'll catch up to you."
Wendy charged forth.
"You wouldn't want that, right~?"
"Kid, are… you alright?" the man asked.
Nagi didn't respond. All of his mind was focused on putting one foot in front of the other. The main path back to the gaming center had been blocked by a group of Honkai beasts far too large for Nagi to take on, and so they had to take a detour deeper into the incursion.
The further they went, the more Honkai beasts appeared, many of which were at a level well beyond Nagi's capabilities. Though the four of them avoided the beasts to the best of their abilities, there had been a few small pockets that Nagi had been forced to deal with. The worst had been the Chariot. Though there was only one of them, Nagi had taken blow after blow, the likes of which could pulverize a normal human, and only just barely managed to defeat the Chariot and remain conscious. He had broken more bones in that fight than he had bones in his body.
Fresh out of that encounter, his mind was exhausted. The man continued to look at Nagi with a concerned expression. "...Much as I wanna be safe and sound, kid, you keep this up and you'll be a dead man. Shocked you aren't already… Well, the point is, if you die, we die."
"...He's right," said the woman. "We need to stop for you to rest."
Nagi didn't respond, but he listened. He continued to force one foot forward after another as he considered their words. Mana burn hasn't triggered yet… he thought, even despite the intense temperature in his limbs. He'd been careful to avoid using any more orbs, instead relying on physical enhancement. But even so, he had yet to have a chance to cool off and recover. Taking their words into account, he gave a slow nod, earning a sigh of relief from both man and woman.
Meanwhile, the young girl grabbed the edge of his shirt, torn and dirty as it now was. "Um… I think… There is safe…" she whispered, pointing to a nearby building. It was an open property, relatively untouched by the Honkai. Nagi nodded, and the four of them made their way inside. The moment the door was closed, Nagi collapsed into a panting, sweating mess, barely able to hold himself together.
"Jesus, kid, are you alright!?"
"He's obviously not!" The woman quickly kneeled down to Nagi's side, trying to pull him into a sitting position. "Oh my god… H-He's so hot!"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"He feels like fire!"
Nagi didn't bother to explain. For now, he needed to give his mana time to cool off and do its restorative work. Though his wounds were healed, his mental energy levels were depleted. For that, he was thankful for the chance to rest. But the moment Nagi closed his eyes, it was like his consciousness slipped from his fingers. He desperately reached out to try and maintain his old in the waking world, but it was far from his grasp.
No… Not right now… I can't…
Shall I take over?
A voice reached out to Nagi from the darkness. A calm, steadfast voice, one that carried a gentle warmth to it, like that of a father. It was a voice that sent a terrible chill down Nagi's spine.
No. He spoke into the void of his mind. Absolutely not.
You are in danger.
I can manage on my own.
Your wounds say otherwise.
Just shut up and let me handle this! I don't need you!
...As you wish.
Without warning, Nagi was jostled awake by a splash of water.
"Hot Jesus he's steaming!"
Nagi blinked, staring into the face of the man. In his right hand, he held a half-empty water bottle, the contents of which had been splashed all over his face. The water had quickly turned to steam due to Nagi's temperature, leaving the three with him in shock.
"T-That's… not natural…"
"Oh, you don't say, lady!"
"I… Look, I'm trying to keep my head together!"
"We all are!"
"Um…" Nagi spoke out, earning the pair's attention. "T-Thank you… could you… could you splash the rest of that on me?"
The man blinked. "You sure, kid? Surely it'd be better to drink it?"
"Ehe… I dunno what will happen if I drink it like I am…" The man looked at him strangely but shrugged. He unceremoniously poured the rest of the bottle out onto Nagi, soaking the boy in its contents. The water quickly turned to steam, and yet every drop was like heaven to his blazing skin. He let out a soft sigh. Though he was still burning hot, compared to before, it felt like he had dipped into a fountain of restoration. "That… phew. You have no idea how much that helped."
"Uh… glad to hear. We'd be right screwed if you keeled over from heatstroke."
"Aha… that wouldn't happen. It's… well, a long story. But I'll be alright with some rest."
"Mm…" The woman nodded and took a seat. "...You're a lifesaver, you know that?"
"I wouldn't go that far," Nagi replied. "Out of all the options you had, well… if you play any gacha games, you basically rolled a one-star. Ehe…"
"Kid, you saved my goddamn life," said the man. "I'd call you a jackpot, personally." The man leaned against the wall with a sigh. Just as Nagi opened his mouth to reply, the man raised a hand. "Now I imagine you're about to say something like 'it was no big deal.' I ain't taking that. Izanagi, right? You saved my life. The one life I have. Maybe someone coulda done it better, but maybe someone coulda done it worse. So before you go and start trying to act all humble, just remember that I would not be standin' right here talking to you if you didn't pull that crazy pink shit you did."
"We… would be dead, too," the woman said. "We were in that shop for what felt like hours. We'd have died there, too, if you didn't… crash through the roof like you did." The little girl, sitting beside her, nodded quietly, leaning against the woman.
Nagi stared at them in silence. He didn't know what to say. And so, he looked down, curling into himself. "Um… t-thanks."
"...Of all the things you coulda said, kid, thanks was the last one I'dda expected." The man said in disbelief, placing a palm on his forehead. At that, the woman couldn't help but laugh as Nagi's face turned red.
"W-What else am I supposed to say!?"
"You coulda asked me to lick your boots and I'd have said 'Whatever you say, boss.'"
"Huh!?"
"Ew…" The little girl looked at the man with a grossed-out expression, but he could only laugh. Soon enough, the little girl was giggling along with them, as Nagi stared in awe.
He couldn't describe the feeling in his chest. It was… warm. Though his body was heavy, his soul felt light and feathery. Before he knew it, he realized he was smiling. Pride. In how he had acted, in what he had done.
What… a strange feeling this is… he thought to himself with no small amount of amusement. And yet that was that feeling was warm and fluffy, the most relaxing thing about—
The woman's laughter suddenly stopped. The man and girl took a moment to stop as well, looking at her in confusion.
"W-What… What is that?" the woman spoke, pointing at something in the center of the room. Nagi turned to look. His face went pale.
Areas rife with Honkai energy were dangerous for two primary reasons. The first of which was the latent Honkai energy. Those with low resistance were bound to be afflicted with Honkai corruption and die, or worse, be turned into zombies. Luckily, those with him had yet to be affected by that. But the second…
Honkai beasts are beings made of pure Honkai energy. The more energy, the stronger the beast, the greater the chance of corruption. In an area filled to the brim with Honkai energy… it was thus possible for Honkai beasts to appear even out of thin air.
And from the particles of energy that had gathered in the center of the room emerged one of the worst Honkai beasts that could have appeared. Its shape was surprisingly humanoid, yet reminiscent of an archangel. In one arm, it held a great shield nearly as big as a car. On the other, it held a wicked lance with a tip thick enough and sharp enough to pierce the armor of a tank with ease.
A Templar-class Honkai beast. A being equivalent to an A-rank Valkyrie, if not slightly higher.
And it had just spawned right in front of them.
Valkyrie Details: Wendy
Battlesuit Name: Valkyrie Scout
A light-weight battlesuit which focuses on enhancing the agility of the user. Typically reserved for Valkyries of A-rank and higher due to the high skill requirement needed to utilize the battlesuit to its full potential. Wendy's features a color scheme of white, green, and black.
Weapon Name: Polarity Glaives
A pair of small, circular glaives, capable of being used both in melee and at range. Can be pulled to the user or vice versa via a small device capable of emitting a powerful magnetic pull between the glaive and the wielder.
Author's Notes:
Surprise! A new chapter that doesn't take over a month to come out. It's a… halloween miracle, I guess!
I've been thinking about how to approach this chapter for quite a long time (and the subsequent chapter to boot), so I'm very curious to gather thoughts on it.
How did you feel about Wendy's perspective this time around? I'm not quite sure I've nailed quite how I want her character to think and act just yet, so I'm extra curious on this aspect.
How were the action scenes? Too detailed? Not detailed enough? Combat is always a difficult thing to do in writing given its all up to the audience to picture it, and even more so when I'm trying to drive a narrative along with it.
Finally, is there anything this chapter makes you as a reader curious or thoughtful for the future?
With all that said, I hope you all have a wonderful day!