Kiana completed the Athena Valkyrie Armor in mid-air.
The moment she landed, the powerful impact force created a massive crater in the ground beneath her. The surrounding Honkai beasts lost their footing and tumbled into the pit.
Summoning her spear, Kiana spun it in a full 360-degree sweep. A holy white light radiated outward, purging every Honkai beast in its path. The creatures disintegrated into nothingness, vanishing into the air as if they had never existed.
A satisfied smirk crossed Kiana's lips as she reveled in her rampage that she had caused.
With unwavering determination, she charged through the city streets, her spear gleaming. Every Honkai beast in her path—whether lowly dead soldiers or formidable temple-level monstrosities—fell before her. None could withstand a single clash against her might.
On the battleship, Theresa closely monitored Kiana's combat performance, gathering data to refine her future training regimen.
Himeko watched from the sidelines, a knowing smile gracing her face as she observed Kiana's relentless assault.
"She's truly been pushing herself in training these past two days," Himeko remarked.
Theresa nodded in agreement. "That's true. For the first time in a long while, our world has a glimmer of hope. But Kiana's strength is still not enough. She has more to learn, more to master."
Himeko glanced at the battlefield displayed on the screen and sighed. Even with Kiana's intervention, she was only scratching the surface. The Honkai beast horde was vast—overwhelming. One Valkyrie alone was not enough to tip the scales of war.
More than two hours passed.
The battle between humanity and the Honkai forces had reached a fever pitch. The lines blurred as chaos consumed the battlefield.
Inside the combat command room, Theresa was fully immersed in directing the Valkyrie troops when a sudden anomaly appeared on her screen.
She swiftly pulled up the data. A warship had breached the battlefield.
Just as she prepared to investigate further, the system was hacked. A bright flash filled the screens, and the next moment, Silver Wolf appeared, her expression listless as she lounged in her chair.
"Long time no see, Theresa, Himeko."
Theresa's eyes widened. "Silver Wolf? What are you doing here?"
Silver Wolf shrugged. "Not just me. Almost everyone's here. What's the situation?"
Theresa didn't hesitate. "There are still many civilians trapped in the city. If you can, help us evacuate them."
Silver Wolf gave a lazy nod. "Got it. Anything else?"
Theresa thought for a moment. "No. Thank you."
Silver Wolf waved her off. "No need for thanks. Like Yuri said, we're all friends, and friends help each other."
With that, she cut the transmission.
Onboard the warship, Silver Wolf activated the radio, relaying Theresa's orders to the rest of the team.
"Alright, people, let's get to work. We've got civilians to rescue."
The landing craft prepared for deployment. Among the troops, Hu Tao and Kevin were brimming with excitement. As the warship descended into the fray, the sight of countless Honkai beasts set their blood ablaze.
"Finally!" Hu Tao grinned. "Time to have some fun!"
Kafka sat quietly inside the landing craft, anticipation bubbling within her. This mission was different. It wasn't about destruction or eradication. It was about saving lives—an unfamiliar concept for the Star Core Hunters. And yet, it intrigued her.
As Silver Wolf counted down, the landing craft ejected from the warship.
On the warship's deck, Himeko stepped forward. The briefcase in her hand expanded, ascending into Earth-Moon orbit before transforming into a colossal railgun.
Firefly walked to the edge of the deck, gazing at the swarms of airborne Honkai beasts. Memories flooded her mind—scenes from the past, a battlefield lost to history. In that war, she had lost everything: her comrades, her homeland. Only Grammer remained.
The resemblance to that past battle tightened her chest with sorrow.
A glow ignited in her hand, and a transformation device materialized.
"I dreamed of scorched earth, and a new bud breaking through the soil. It bloomed in the morning sun and whispered to me…
Fireflies rush into fire and live in death!"
With those words, Firefly leaped from the deck, midair transforming into Sam. She shot toward the Honkai beasts above, flames erupting in her wake.
"I will! Ignite the sea of stars!"
Her controlled blasts tore through the sky. Honkai beasts were engulfed in a fiery inferno, plummeting one after another. The heavens above the city glowed crimson, flames painting an apocalyptic scene across the skyline.
Meanwhile, Kevin, March 7th, and Dan Heng had reached the battlefield.
The Judgment of Shamash in Kevin's hands morphed into a massive blade. With both hands, he swung it in powerful arcs, carving through the Honkai horde. Each strike cleared entire areas of enemies.
Yet, he held back. If he unleashed his full strength—if he activated the Robbery mode—Canghai City itself would be reduced to ash. He couldn't afford that. Not with lives still at stake.
The trio carved a path through the chaos, reaching a large refugee camp where survivors huddled in terror. Their mission was clear: rescue and protect.
In another district, Zhongli sat calmly before a department store. Behind him, survivors had taken shelter within the building.
At the entrance, Hu Tao, Xiangling, and others battled Honkai beasts. Shielded by Zhongli's unwavering protection, they fought without fear. He did not intervene—this was their trial, their moment to grow. He would only step in if they faltered.
Elsewhere, Welt stood tall, gripping his cane as he located the battlefield's strongest adversary: an Emperor-level Honkai beast.
Facing the towering creature, nostalgia flickered in his eyes. He had fought such foes before. He had overcome them before.
And he would do so again.
"In the name of the world."
The Star of Eden in his grasp surged with power. A black hole materialized, swallowing the Emperor-level Honkai beast whole. With a simple motion, Welt split the void in two—ripping the creature apart.
The black hole collapsed, and with it, the beast vanished.
Adjusting his glasses, Welt stood atop the building, silently surveying the battlefield below.
On the battleship, Yuri directed Silver Wolf toward a completely overrun district. Here, no civilians remained—only Honkai beasts roamed.
Yuri and Rios led a group of six onto the deck.
Klee beamed as she pulled out an entire stash of explosives she had discovered in the ammunition compartment.
"Everyone~ Let's blow up the monsters!"
The five others cheered in unison. Standing in a line, they gathered the explosives and hurled them toward the battlefield below.
"Hey~ Hey~ Klee wants to be a hero and fight monsters!"
The six little ones kept dropping shells, turning the battleship into a bomber, bombing the Honkai beasts below.
The shells in the battleship were specially designed to deal with Honkai beasts, and the effect was devastating.
The Honkai beasts below were destroyed in large numbers.
Kiana's side.
As soon as she pierced a Temple-level Honkai beast with a spear, Theresa's voice came from the tactical headset.
"Kiana, you don't have to worry about the ground battlefield. The fighter plane that will pick you up has already set off. You need to deal with the battleship in the sky."
Kiana was puzzled.
"Why?"
Theresa explained.
"Yuri and the others are here to help. They have taken over the ground battlefield. We need to focus on the last target here."
Kiana was shocked.
"Really? Yuri and the others are here? Where are Kevin and the others? I want to find them."
Theresa sighed. Well, Kiana was getting sidetracked again.
"Wait until the Moonlight Throne is taken care of. We're in the middle of a war!"
Kiana snapped back to reality.
"Oh! Okay! Forget about the fighter planes, I'll just fly over there! Wuhu~ Take off!"
Kiana controlled the Athena Valkyrie armor to rise from the ground and quickly headed for the Moonlight Throne in the sky.
Inside the Moonlight Throne.
Kiana kicked through the outer shell of the Moonlight Throne and rushed inside.
This left Mei, who had been waiting outside, speechless. She had waited for nothing.
So, Mei and Bronya met up inside the Moonlight Throne.
As soon as Kiana saw Mei, she jumped over and hugged her tightly.
"Mei~ Did you see me just now? Am I awesome!"
Mei smiled and stroked Kiana's hair.
"Of course, Kiana is the best!"
Bronya interjected.
"Save the chit-chat for later, stupid Kiana. Let's finish this mission first."
Kiana pouted at the insult.
"You're the idiot! I am Athena Valkyrie, the symbol of wisdom! Look at my head!"
Bronya glanced at Kiana with an expressionless face.
"Athena is wise. You, Kiana, are not."
Bronya cracked the password to the locked door in front of them.
Kiana fumed at the insult.
"Bronya! You little dwarf!"
Just then, Bronya successfully hacked the door and walked inside without acknowledging Kiana's outburst.
Kiana felt like she had nowhere to vent her frustration and stomped her feet.
Mei chuckled and patted Kiana's shoulder with a smile on her face.
"Alright, alright, let's focus on the mission first."
Kiana sighed and followed them inside.
The three successfully eliminated the Honkai beasts within the Moonlight Throne and reached the control core. They deactivated the engine and secured the battleship.
On the ground, with the help of Kevin and the others, the battlefield was nearly cleared.
All the survivors had been evacuated.
Yuri and the others arrived at Theresa's battleship.
Theresa scanned Canghai City one last time, confirming there were no survivors left.
She exhaled in relief. "It's done.
Thank you for your help. Without you, the survivors would have been doomed."
Yuri smiled and shook his head. "You're welcome."
At this moment, Kevin suddenly spoke up.
"So, there are only Honkai beasts left in the city, right?"
Theresa nodded. "Yes, why?"
Kevin smirked and pulled out the Judgment of Shamash.
"Then I'll finish it."
Kevin stepped onto the deck, igniting the full power of the Judgment of Shamash.
Theresa's eyes widened in alarm.
Among everyone present, no one understood the power of the Judgment of Shamash better than her.
"No! Kevin! Stop!"
But it was too late.
Kevin roared.
"Judgment of Shamash—Unsheathed!"
The entire Canghai City was engulfed in raging flames.
At the Skymandate headquarters, Otto was watching the battle through the monitoring room.
In his field of vision, the moment Kevin swung the sword, all cameras monitoring Canghai City went dark.
When the flames finally subsided, the entire city had been reduced to ashes. Occasional embers still drifted through the sky.
Theresa's hands froze in mid-air.
Why are all the wielders of the Judgment of Shamash so reckless?
Siegfried had done this before. And now Kevin had done the same!
Theresa let out a deep sigh as she looked at the scorched remains of Canghai City.
Oh well. They'd just have to rebuild it from scratch. At least there were no ruins to clear first.
Kevin, meanwhile, felt an overwhelming sense of relief and satisfaction.
During the evacuation, he had held back. But now, with no restraints, he had finally let loose.
He returned to the cabin, sat down, grabbed a cold drink, and took a deep sip.
Theresa piloted the battleship toward the Moonlight Throne.
She understood why the Moonlight Throne was here—this was all part of her and Tesla's plan.
When they arrived, Kiana, Bronya, and Mei were already waiting on the deck.
"Aunt! You're finally here!" Kiana jumped and waved excitedly.
Kiana then noticed the others.
"Kevin! March 7th!"
She dashed toward them.
Kevin raised an eyebrow.
"Long time no see, Kiana. I heard you've been training lately. How's it going?"
Kiana puffed out her chest confidently.
"Of course, it's going great! Didn't you see my skills earlier? Wasn't I amazing?"
Kevin shook his head.
"I don't know~ I didn't see you.
But tell me, did you see my sword just now?"
Kiana nodded.
"Yeah, what about it?"
Kevin grinned.
"Was it awesome?"
Kiana nodded excitedly.
"Super awesome!"
Kevin patted Kiana's shoulder.
"Do you want to learn?"
Kiana didn't even have to think.
"Yes!"
Kevin pulled out the Judgment of Shamash.
"First, you need to get your own Judgment of Shamash."
Kiana turned to Yuri without hesitation.
"Yuri, do you sell them?"
Kevin nodded.
"Yep. Go buy one from Yuri, and I'll teach you how to wield a greatsword!"
Kiana's eyes sparkled with excitement.
She couldn't wait to unleash a powerful attack with a greatsword.
Later, Theresa took over the Moonlight Throne and set a course for St. Freya's Academy.
She gathered everyone and announced a celebration banquet to commemorate their victory.
In this battle, they had completely eradicated all the Honkai beasts in Canghai City.
Yuri and the others had nothing better to do, so they happily agreed.
Meanwhile...
Asmodeus and Kiana locked eyes in confusion.
"What..."