"...Murata Himeko?"
At this moment, the leader of Schicksal, Durandal, looked in surprise at the fiery red figure in front of her.
The scorching heat could be felt even from a distance.
If she wasn't mistaken, this armor was the same type as the "Bright Knight: Excelsis" she was wearing!
Discarding all burdens, turning everything into a violent offensive—Crimson Knight: Eclipse!
This brutal armor couldn't be used for long even by an S-Rank Valkyrie, let alone an A-Rank Valkyrie.
Is she... throwing her life away?
Durandal looked straight ahead and saw the rising flames, dazzlingly bright, sometimes like a phoenix breaking through the clouds, sometimes like a fiery red twilight spreading out, with points of light containing life burning along with it.
Like the last ray of the flickering sunset shining on the earth, condensing in the air for a long time... Himeko's burning gaze made Durandal feel a slight sting.
This extremely intense gaze, this power of spirit.
She found it hard to believe that this was actually an Academy harboring Herrschers and Honkai Beasts.
As the S-Rank Valkyrie leading Schicksal's strongest unit, the "Immortal Blades."
Inheritor of the Key of Creation: Black Abyss White Flower.
Her name was passed by word of mouth in the organization, as famous as a mythical hero.
The Valkyries who followed her praised the deeds of this warrior.
Giving her many honors such as "Bright Knight," "Successor of the Holy Lance," and "That Valkyrie."
She wore the all-domain universal armor—"Bright Knight: Excelsis."
It was the fourth-generation God-Slaying Armor specifically designed by Schicksal for her, a tactical-conflict self-driving armor developed for the purpose of "responding to any kind of sudden combat situation."
Previously, she could be proud, because only she could withstand the huge load generated by the joint operation of the Excelsis tactical components, becoming the intermediary for connecting various systems and processing energy diversion, making the system's collaboration efficiency reach the standard.
But now, looking at Himeko, whose body was broken but whose gaze was as cold as fire, enough to give her frostbite.
Durandal remained silent.
"Give up resistance, Schicksal's main force has surrounded this place."
"You are harboring Judgement-level Honkai Beasts, several Herrschers, and large-scale armed forces, and have recently had multiple private collaborations with Anti-Entropy. The Lord Bishop is well aware of all this. Once you release these forces, I'm afraid the entire Far East will be destroyed by you, and all ordinary people will die at your hands."
"Schicksal's glory will be defended by me, and all Honkai Beasts and Herrschers will be cleared by me."
Durandal's cold voice pierced through the silent battlefield.
This was the last call for surrender.
All of Schicksal's Valkyries also temporarily stopped their attacks.
This gave St. Freya Academy a moment's breathing space.
They hurriedly rescued the wounded and transported the broken bodies of their dead friends back to the Academy.
No more crying could be heard; grief and anger filled their hearts, like a raging fire constantly burning in their minds.
On the vast battlefield, charred corpses and fragmented armor parts were everywhere.
The thick smell of blood in the air, accompanied by the smell of cooked flesh, spread out.
It was still the last period before night, the final moment of the dawn light.
During this period, it was the coldest and darkest, making people unable to see the hope of warm light.
On the walls, some of the children from the Orphanage were so tired they fell asleep sitting on the ground, while others had their arms blown off by stray bullets, sighing softly.
The little girl raised by Yunduo, bleeding and with a calm gaze, looked at Murata Himeko from afar. They were all prepared for death.
The warmth within the Academy, the selfless giving, were things the children had never dared to dream of. Now that they knew beauty and experienced a peace and happiness they had never had before, they were already satisfied.
Now, it was time to give these things back.
After hearing Durandal's words, Himeko couldn't help but mock, "How ridiculous!"
"You talk about being for humanity and for the world, yet you use ordinary people as experimental subjects."
"You say we harbor Herrschers, not knowing that they are just students of the Academy who stand on the side of humanity, while you have created one Herrscher after another who hates humanity to the extreme."
"You say we cooperate with Anti-Entropy, not knowing that Anti-Entropy is truly fighting for humanity, while what your Lord Bishop truly wants is not to eliminate the Honkai!"
As Himeko spoke, her words became sharper, like an unstoppable sword piercing into the hearts of Schicksal's Valkyries.
"And many of the Valkyries at St. Freya Academy were tools you discarded. It was Principal Theresa who transferred them one by one and arranged suitable work or study for them. Don't you know that if those Valkyries returned to their original society, almost all of them would be spat upon as monsters?"
"They fought for humanity all their lives, from graceful young girls to independent women. Because of Honkai erosion, their lives often end at thirty. They suffered and pained on the battlefield, slept with the darkness, and danced on the edge of a blade. Yet even if they live, they still face the arrogance of ordinary people. Is this the Valkyrie spirit you speak of?"
"But even so, the number of Valkyries who truly survive is less than ten percent."
"Otto, does he really care about you? The Valkyrie regulations he wrote bind you, but they don't bind him. Do you really feel like you're fighting for justice? Do you know how many Valkyries desert every year?"
"Is it because they are running away from battle?"
"No—it's not! They are running away from an unjust war."
"For example, aggression..."
Himeko's chest heaved, her words full of fury burning across the lonely battlefield.
They burned into the heart of every Valkyrie.
Hearing this, Durandal looked at the Schicksal Valkyries behind her.
She saw these girls in their teens and twenties showing expressions of hesitation and contemplation; many had warm tears in the corners of their eyes.
Himeko's words spoke to the inner thoughts of many Valkyries.
Many of them had parents who died in the Honkai, so they hated the Honkai immensely and were adopted by Schicksal as orphans.
But over the years, what has Schicksal really given them?
Endless fighting, unforgettable hatred, the fear of being treated as monsters by ordinary people... They all knew Otto's attitude.
Valkyries are tools, to be discarded at any time after use.
How could such an attitude not cause them pain?
"Enough! Say no more."
At this moment, before those Valkyries could take action, Durandal gave a cold snort.
Seeing is believing. With so many Herrschers and Honkai Beasts, how could it be as Himeko described?
She didn't believe it.
Herrschers are lifeforms that only extreme individuals can become.
Almost every birth of a Herrscher represents the deaths of tens of millions of people.
There might be one Herrscher who, for various reasons and by chance, leans toward humanity.
But how could several Herrschers all lean toward humanity?
Even if Otto's treatment of the Valkyries is poor...
That is not a reason for you to be able to bewitch them.
Durandal gripped her lance and assumed a combat stance: "Awaken! Defender of Glory!"
---------------------------------
I hope you enjoy this fanfiction! If you're having fun and want to read 30 chapters in advance, feel free to check out my Patreon: patreon.com/TLScarlet
Your support means a lot so if you like the story, don't forget to drop a Power Stone.