Returning from the Imaginary Space to the real world, Shin found that dawn was already breaking.
Perfect timing.
Still suspended midair, he looked down and saw the ruins of the castle now swarming with Honkai beasts. Raven was crouched quietly in a corner, keeping her head low, blending in with the chaos.
Right, he had nearly forgotten—Raven had that unusual ability to communicate with Honkai beasts.
She couldn't exactly talk them into submission, but she could pass herself off as neutral and move among them undisturbed.
She too had noticed the disturbance above. Her lips moved slightly, but no sound came through the earpiece. Shin took out the dead Bluetooth device, gave it a few smacks, then sighed. Yeah, it was fried.
Apparently, comms gear didn't work inside Imaginary Space. One star review.
Separated by nearly a hundred meters and a crowd of roaring Honkai beasts, Raven resorted to hand signals. She raised her arms and gestured clearly.
Shin understood immediately.
Time to scram.
The mission was complete. They had secured what they came for. Now, it was time to make a clean getaway.
As for the Honkai beasts left behind… they'd leave that to the Valkyries of Schicksal.
Seeing her signal, Shin chuckled and shook his head.
Unfortunately, escape was no longer an option.
With a flick of his wrist, a sleek porcelain-white mask slid into place over his face, fully covering his black hair.
If you're going to hide your identity, then do it right. None of that half-measure nonsense like a certain silver-haired ninja from a famous anime.
Once masked, Shin turned his gaze eastward.
There, slicing through the morning mist, was a silver leviathan—an airship. Schicksal was closing in fast.
"This is the Schicksal Valkyrie Unit, Immortal Blades. We are conducting a military operation. All personnel in the Raymonlet Castle area must cease resistance and prepare for inspection."
A scouting drone buzzed overhead, broadcasting Schicksal's demand.
Anyone loitering near the epicenter of a Honkai eruption without ID was automatically considered suspicious.
Shin ignored the drone. He bent his knees slightly, white light surging beneath his feet.
Boom!
He launched forward like a bullet. The shockwave of his departure shattered the sound barrier.
"…"
Raven blinked in disbelief.
Instead of fleeing, that lunatic had chosen to charge straight toward a fully armed Valkyrie airship?
Was he insane?
Even during her wild youth, she'd never pulled something that suicidal.
Still, she didn't intend to leave him behind.
Shifting to a higher vantage point, Raven summoned her Purification-Type VII Thunder and took aim, ready to cover him.
She couldn't match Shin's speed, but she could at least suppress some of the ship's defenses.
Meanwhile, the Valkyries aboard the battleship had locked on.
With a hiss, the panels opened. Cannons extended and locked onto their target.
"Free-fire mode. Open fire!" came the cold order from the bridge.
Vice Captain Rita's voice was calm but decisive.
If you ignored Schicksal's warning, you were the enemy.
A flurry of missiles and beams erupted from the airship, forming a tight net of deadly fire.
It should have been impossible to dodge.
But then, just as the projectiles were about to connect, the white figure jerked sideways and skimmed the edge of the barrage with surgical precision.
"He's using momentum to glide!"
"No external flight gear detected!"
The observation team quickly relayed the data.
A strange unease spread through the Valkyries.
Humans couldn't fly like that. Only Herrschers had the ability to move so freely without aid.
"No. He's not a Herrscher," Rita responded, cutting off the speculation. "Watch closely. He pauses momentarily every time he shifts direction."
"He's using compressed Honkai energy as footholds."
…
After hearing that, a few Valkyries almost wished he were a Herrscher. That, at least, would've made more sense.
Was this man even human?
They all wielded Honkai energy, but for them it was just a tool—to enhance strength, speed, reflexes. For this masked man, he was soaring across the sky like it obeyed his will.
He wasn't just different. He was on another level entirely.
Dodging every volley with phantom grace, the white figure carved through the air with mechanical precision. Rita exhaled softly.
"From here on… it's up to Lady Durandal."
They had no means to stop him.
On the deck, Durandal squinted at the incoming figure. Her grip tightened on her Divine Key pistols.
She could feel it—this enemy was overwhelmingly strong. Her instincts screamed it.
This might be the fight where she lost everything.
Boom!
Shin landed hard on the deck, cracking the reinforced plating under his feet.
"State your identity," Durandal demanded sharply.
Instead of answering, Shin looked her over with genuine interest.
Golden ponytail, pristine armor, elegant features—completely different from Kiana's rough charm. Her figure was impressive too. Schicksal clearly wasn't underfeeding their Valkyries.
She wore a third-generation Valkyrie suit, white-themed and streamlined for command. Sleek but commanding.
"Matching tastes, huh?" Shin said, gesturing at his own white cloak. "We both went with white."
As the saying goes, in a battlefield, beware the one dressed in white. Both of them certainly fit that description.
Of course, Durandal wasn't at her peak yet. She still had a ways to go.
"…"
Durandal furrowed her brows, confused.
What was this guy rambling about?
She had asked for a name. What did clothing color have to do with anything?
"Welt. My name is Welt," Shin said flatly.
Knowing the Kaslana bloodline wasn't exactly famed for intelligence, Shin figured a direct answer was best.
In this world, nobody used their real names anyway.
"Please don't joke."
Durandal's tone hardened.
Welt was the leader of Anti-Entropy. Clearly, this man was mocking her.
"I'm not joking," Shin said. "Why don't you think I'm Welt?"
Even the real Welt hadn't denied it yet.
"Welt is Anti-Entropy's leader. But you're clearly not him."
"Oh? Have you ever seen the leader of Anti-Entropy?"
"No."
"Then how do you know I'm not him?"
"You're not the First Herrscher."
"Have you seen the First Herrscher?"
"…"
"Exactly. You've never seen him, so how can you say I'm not Welt?"
He was so confident, so absurdly self-assured.
"I've seen pictures in the archives," Durandal replied, trying to hold her ground.
"And how do you know Schicksal's archives are accurate?" Shin countered. "You've never seen him. For all we know, your Archbishop might be bald."
"I've seen His Eminence. He's not bald," Durandal snapped.
"And what if he's wearing a wig?" Shin said, exasperated. "You can't prove I'm not Welt. Therefore, I am Welt!"
In this moment, on this airship, no one could refute it.
"No. You're not Welt!"
Durandal shook her head firmly.
"You've never seen Welt. You have no evidence-"
Bang!
Durandal fired.
Enough nonsense.
If she couldn't reason with him, then she'd silence him the old-fashioned way.
*********
Hey everyone! I'll be dropping an extra 1 chapter once we hit 200, 400 power stones! If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to spend some power stones. I'd really appreciate the support. Thanks a bunch!