"Rat-tat-tat-tat!" xN!
Automatic rifles unleashed a torrent of fire.
Amidst the flying brass casings, Ranger-class Honkai Beasts less than five meters from the human soldiers were driven back step by step, until bullets pierced their already completely shattered shell armor, and the pale purple creatures thudded to the ground with a "dong."
They directly shattered into dissipating particles of light.
Without even a moment to catch his breath, the human soldier who had just dispatched the Ranger-class had his life reaped by a sharp needle piercing through his back, striking his heart.
The next second.
The second Ranger-class, having just reaped a life, was in turn sliced in half by a flash of a light blade from an Armed Doll.
Scenes like the one above.
Were happening almost every single moment.
As the human charge collided with the Temple-class-led counter-charge, the dividing line between the factions was utterly disrupted.
Neither side had any thought of retreat.
The Temple-class did not choose to get entangled; under Frost Lightning's lead, they continued to advance towards the human positions in the rear. The humans in those fire support positions, while posing a greater threat, also had defenses that weren't as tough to crack as the frontline.
Thanks to this.
The Knight-class led by Lu Xing also had to continue following behind the Temple-class, pressing their charge towards the human positions.
The humans had the same idea.
Compared to the tough-to-crack Temple-class and the numerous but "ambiguously purposed" Knight-class, their target was the ranged Honkai Beasts situated at the rear of the Honkai Beast legion, spearheaded by the Ballista-class. Human soldiers and mechanized units were responsible for tying down the larger individuals (the Chariot-class, which had not yet been deployed), while the Armed Dolls made a beeline straight for the deep rear.
Soon.
Given their respective speeds of advance, both sides rushed into the opponent's rear echelons almost simultaneously!
And there...
The Armed Dolls encountered the long-awaited Ice Emperor Guard Warlord-class.
And the Warlord-class's variant and "twin brother," a second Warlord-class Honkai Beast that had never before made an appearance, and was also the original leader of the other Honkai Beast legion—
[Variant · Zeus].
As for the human rear, awaiting the Temple-class and Lu Xing's forces, was...
"Vwoom!"
Dazzling, rainbow-colored bands of light interwove in the air.
In the blink of an eye, apart from Frost Lightning and a small number of Variant Temple-class, nearly thirty Temple-class Honkai Beasts charging from the front suffered catastrophic destruction. High-energy photon beams might not be able to pierce the main body of a Temple-class's large shield, but this light-energy cannon, with its exceptionally precise targeting, aimed exclusively at the gaps above the wing-like protrusions of their large shields.
The "Phantoms" had not revealed their presence at the outset. Thirty Spectral Scattering Cannons, seizing the instant the Temple-class disengaged [Hold Shield] to attack, "bit" at the Temple-class's weak points like vipers striking:
Their single eye.
The head structure of a Temple-class Honkai Beast was basically composed of a red eyeball that appeared to be wearing a hood.
This eyeball served as the Temple-class's sensory organ, its organ for releasing ranged skills, and also... the location of its Honkai Core.
The defense of the single eye was extremely strong.
Moreover, the Temple-class would intentionally or unintentionally protect this weak point.
However, the attack from the "Phantoms" was far too sudden, and the speed and penetration power of the Spectral Scattering Cannons far exceeded expectations. They had no chance to defend at all, and more than half of the Temple-class following Frost Lightning were lost.
Simultaneously.
Taking advantage of the window of opportunity before the ranged Honkai Beasts could catch up to the Temple-class's charge, large, bat-shaped drones named "Ruìchī," equipped with heavy firepower and hidden behind the human positions, had already begun to coordinate with ground troops, unleashing a frenzied barrage of fire.
"Bang!"
Lu Xing executed a sideways roll, dodging a drone's attack.
Two Ice Knights following behind him—newly upgraded from unranked Knight-class—had no time to prove themselves before they were directly blasted into smithereens by rocket propelled grenades.
"Swoosh!"
With a sweep of Lu Xing's right hand.
Vortex-like particles rapidly coalesced around him into three deep cyan crystal lances. This was [Honkai Lance Projection] unleashed while in the [Ice Dash] state. The energy consumed for condensation remained the same, but the crystal lances were now imbued with a new "frost" attribute.
While maintaining their original penetrative power.
The crystal lances could, upon impact, release all the ice-attribute energy contained within them, slowing or even freezing the target's movements.
Aiming at the drones in the air.
The rapidly departing lances, after leaving a trail of cyan ice particles, directly struck the bats in the sky—
"Bang!!"
Three lances, two down.
The drones' autonomous reactions were quite swift. After the first was brought down by Lu Xing, the second, in a very "human-like" manner, prepared to pull up its nose and escape. This maneuver inadvertently dodged Lu Xing's first lance but was still pierced by the second one that followed close behind.
"Tch!"
Not even half a second had passed since he shot down the drones.
With a swing of [Frost's Lament], the frosty air condensed into a biting blade aura that tore through the air.
A path, fully fifty meters long, was carved through the human lines. The cold, clear moonlight was slender and elegant; flesh-and-blood bodies along that line were perfectly bisected. As for the Tactical Machines blocking the way, they were covered in a frost resembling a burial shroud before collapsing with a crash.
Lu Xing didn't yet know the name of the "Phantoms."
He still had a few ideas for dealing with this invisible opponent.
Perfect optical camouflage required many conditions to be met. The drastic temperature change brought by frost could disrupt this balance... or at the very least, affect the camouflage's normal functioning.
The metal fragments from the [Honkai Lance Projection] explosion, imbued with ultra-low temperatures, rained down towards the ground like a celestial maiden scattering blossoms.
And in a certain area swept by the fragments...
"Found you!"
There was an unusual distortion in the scenery.
Lu Xing instantly locked onto the target. Before the enemy could reposition, Lu Xing was going to utterly eliminate this sneaky bastard!
"Swoosh!"
The lances coalesced once more.
Ground armor wasn't as fragile as aerial armaments. Lu Xing directly formed the largest possible crystal lances; even if they couldn't penetrate, the impact force would be enough to knock the enemy out of stealth!
And just as the crystal lances were launched—
"Swish!"
"Bang!"
A crimson crescent flashed through the air.
With perfect precision, it intercepted and shattered the crystal lances in mid-air!
A dark red hue covered her entire body—a pure black, form-fitting uniform paired with a multi-layered pleated short skirt. Black silk fabric, encasing thighs that suggested a bust around 41D or 42D, was tightly wrapped. Thigh-high boots, their tops reaching just past the tapered curve of her calves, struck the ground with heavy thuds that seemed incongruous with her physique.
A hood, a cloak, and a giant scythe easily twice her height.
Race: Complete Type-VI Reaper (Ruby) Armed Doll
Level: 45
Abilities: Swift Dash
Equipment: Crescent Rose
Attack: 60
Speed: 70
Constitution: 35
Evaluation: Red
"A guard?"
Lu Xing stared at the doll before him, whose attire and appearance were entirely to his aesthetic taste.
This was truly—the giant knight lance was slowly drawn from the spatial rift—an opponent worth cutting down!
"I didn't expect..."
"There was such a big fish hidden here."
"Bang!!"
Author's note:
PS1: Wrote and revised, revised and wrote, got a bit too tangled up in this part