Honkai Beasts—mysterious monsters born from the Will of the Honkai taking form through biological hosts.
These creatures come in countless shapes and sizes, some powerful, others weak, but all of them share one absolute trait: a pure, unrelenting hatred toward human civilization.
Except for a rare few at the very top of the hierarchy, most Honkai Beasts are completely incapable of communication.
They exist for one purpose only—to act as the agents of the Honkai's will and bring about the total annihilation of humanity.
Within the Sea of Quanta, Kagura fought relentlessly against wave after wave of these monsters.
The continued use of her dimensional blade was draining her stamina quickly.
Upon realizing that the assault wasn't just a single wave, but an endless onslaught, she switched tactics—channeling the Reality Stone's Reality Overwrite ability to conjure new weapons suited for sustained combat.
In her left hand, she now gripped a shimmering silver crystalline sword—Prototype Armament: Shadowpiercer.
In her right, she wielded a blade black as midnight—Prototype Armament: Interpreter.
After all, a single-handed sword is meant to be wielded with one hand.
With enemies swarming from all directions, Kagura infused her body with the most efficient sword technique available, using the Reality Stone's power to its fullest.
"Pseudo-Secret Art: Niten Ichi-ryu!"
What's that?
Why not Starburst Stream?
That reckless, wildly flailing technique? Ugh, how crude. Where's the elegance in that?
Hmph!
This is far more fitting!
Arms crossed in satisfaction…
To Himeko's eyes, the once soft and cuddly Kagura had transformed into a sword-wielding specter, a divine warrior who tore through her enemies like a raging tempest.
Her twin blades danced through the battlefield like a fruit ninja in overdrive—except her targets were Honkai Beasts, and her strikes were fatal.
Any Honkai Beast foolish enough to approach her was sliced to pieces in the blink of an eye.
As their Honkai energy faded, they disintegrated into drifting motes of light.
"So this… is the power of someone from another world?"
Standing still with the Godfall Blade in hand, Himeko found herself rooted to the spot.
For a moment, she wasn't sure how—or even if—she could assist in Kagura's fight.
"The difference… it's just too vast. Against that silver-haired girl's assault, even an A-rank Valkyrie—no, even an S-rank—would barely last a few minutes…"
'Shing!'
As Himeko muttered to herself, Kagura leapt into the air, spun mid-flight, and with a flash of steel, brought down the last Quantum Honkai Beast in a clean, decisive strike.
"Whew! Finally done!"
While Honkai Beasts may not be intelligent in the human sense, they're far from mindless.
Operating under the pure directive of the Honkai's will, they typically retreat when faced with a foe they cannot defeat, rather than throwing themselves into a futile fight.
"So? What do you think, Miss Himeko? Not bad, right?" Kagura dismissed her weapons with a flick and sauntered over, hands on her hips and head held high, an eager 'Praise me!' smile written all over her face.
"You were amazing, Miss Kagura," Himeko replied with a long sigh and an admiring smile. "Honestly, I didn't expect you to be this skilled. If you were in my world, you'd easily qualify to be promoted to S-rank Valkyrie."
"Haha, S-rank, huh?" Kagura scratched her cheek with a sheepish grin. "That's… a bit more than I expected, to be honest."
In Himeko's world, the war against the Honkai was fought by elite warriors known as Valkyries—young women trained specifically to combat this cosmic threat, each carrying the heavy burden of their tragic destinies.
Based on what Himeko had shared, Valkyries were ranked by strength and skill into tiers: C, B, A, and S.
S-rank Valkyries stood at the pinnacle, capable of taking down even the most powerful Honkai Beasts, and some could even face down Herrschers—the most terrifying avatars of the Honkai.
It's worth noting that when Himeko compared Kagura's abilities to those of an S-rank Valkyrie, she wasn't claiming that Kagura had reached the pinnacle of that rank.
Rather, her point was: as far as she knew, S was the highest rank there was…
"To be honest, I was worried at first," Himeko continued. "I thought you might not understand just how dangerous Honkai Beasts can be…"
"But now? After seeing your fight, you've completely blown away my expectations."
"You really are incredible, kiddo—no wonder you're someone who can cross between worlds!"
"Ehe~ Thanks for the compliment!" Kagura giggled and stuck out her tongue, striking a playful pose without missing a beat.
As the two chatted, a shimmering blue butterfly fluttered gently past Kagura's face.
"Eh?" Kagura blinked, startled.
"What's wrong?" Himeko looked at Kagura, puzzled by her sudden reaction.
"The butterfly…" Kagura pointed behind Himeko.
There, fluttering softly in the air, was a translucent blue butterfly—flickering in and out of reality, as if drifting between illusion and the real world.
Its wings shimmered with a dazzling pattern of blue and violet, resembling a starlit sky.
Each flap sent out a soft trail of glowing particles, spreading beauty and grace across the space around it. It was elegant—breathtakingly so.
"A butterfly? Why would there be a butterfly here?" Himeko tilted her head in confusion.
Clearly, this was the first time she'd seen such a strange sight.
"Could it be a type of Honkai Beast? No… the aura is completely different. This butterfly doesn't feel like it was born of the Honkai at all…"
'Ding—!'
Just as the two were speculating, the butterfly suddenly vanished—bursting into a shower of starlike light that scattered gently into the surrounding space.
"Um… excuse me, big sisters…" A timid voice sounded behind them—soft and hesitant.
"You two… are you… are you from the real world?"
The girls turned in surprise to find a delicate, blue-eyed girl standing behind them. They hadn't even sensed her approach.
"M-my name is Seele… Seele Vollerei… I… I want to leave this place. I want to get out of this Sea of Quanta…"
The girl—Seele—had short, smooth hair in a shade of bluish-purple, and her ocean-blue eyes shimmered with tears, whether from fear or despair, it was hard to say.
She wore a white blouse with a blue vest over it, and a pleated skirt in matching tones.
The innocence of her appearance was striking, almost doll-like.
Paired with her white thigh-high stockings and polished little shoes, she looked like something out of a fairytale—pure and fragile, enough to make anyone's heart ache for her.
"Seele? That name… wait, could it be—!" A spark of recognition lit up in Himeko's eyes. "You're the Seele that Bronya always talks about, aren't you?"
The moment Himeko said that, Seele's eyes widened with hope.
"You know Sister Bronya? Really? That's amazing! You really are from the real world, aren't you?! That's wonderful! Please—I want to go back! I want to go back to Sister Bronya!"
"Seele, it's okay. We're also trying to find a way back to the real world," Kagura said, stepping forward and gently taking her hands. "So if we can find the way… I promise I'll take you with us."
She gave her a reassuring smile. "But there's a small problem—we don't know how to return. If you have any idea at all, could you share it with us?"
Kagura wasn't entirely surprised by Seele's appearance.
She had some knowledge of the Honkai universe, though at the time she'd crossed over, the Honkai Impact 3rd storyline hadn't yet explored the inner workings of the Sea of Quanta.
So she wasn't fully aware of the events that took place here.
Still, one thing was certain—Seele was no enemy.
In Himeko's world, among the Valkyrie ranks, there was a girl named Bronya.
The girl now standing before them was Bronya's childhood friend—someone she held dear above all else.
Years ago, in a tragic incident during an experiment, Seele had become quantumized—lost to the Sea of Quanta, with no way to return and no word of her since.
Having wandered through this surreal, fragmented realm for so long, Seele likely knew more about it than anyone.
If they could tap into that knowledge, they just might find a way back to reality.
"Seele will do her best." Looking into Kagura's golden eyes, Seele nodded firmly. "I know where the entrance to the real world is—but I don't have the strength to reach it on my own…"
"Don't worry, Seele." Kagura gently patted her head. "We'll find a way together. Let's return to the real world—together. So, could you please take us to that entrance?"
"Mm! Since you're Sister Bronya's friends, Seele trusts you!" She smiled sweetly and nodded. "Then let's not waste time. Please, follow me—this way…"
"Kagura… are you sure it's okay to trust her so easily?" Himeko leaned in and whispered beside her ear. "We can't rule out the possibility that she's an enemy."
"Don't worry—I know what I'm doing." Kagura replied with a calm smile. "Seele's… a poor child. Whatever happens, I want to bring her back to the real world too."