"…" Seeing Raiden Mei, Kiana, and the others, who should have been far away by now, had returned… Li Xuan felt as if his heart had been trampled by ten thousand alpacas…
A large pack of Honkai Beasts was still watching him menacingly from behind, and now he had to protect everyone. Li Xuan felt a surge of panic…
"Why are you guys back?!" Li Xuan shouted helplessly. Was this like in a TV drama, where the girls couldn't bear to abandon their companion and chose to return?!
"We didn't want to come back either!…" a panting Kiana said, shattering Li Xuan's fantasy.
"Sorry, Li Xuan-kun… The reason we came back is because…" Raiden Mei explained, also covered in sweat, but before she could finish her sentence…
"BOOM!! CRASH!" The building not far behind Raiden Mei and the others instantly collapsed. The sturdy concrete building seemed to be made of paper. With a swing of its limbs, that massive, god-like figure shattered it to pieces. The buildings, a testament to human ingenuity that provided shelter from the wind and rain, were reduced to rubble.
Amidst the swirling white dust, the figure revealed its true form… as if mocking them in silence.
"Thunder God-class Honkai Beast…" Bronya Zaychik muttered to herself. This was one of the highest-tier Honkai Beasts. Even the formidable dual-wielding Honkai Zombies were no match for it. These top-tier Honkai Beasts would only submit to a 'Herrscher'.
"My God…" Li Xuan saw its true form clearly. It was similar to the Honkai Beast he had encountered at the carnival, a humanoid Honkai Beast, but far larger.
The massive shield on its left limb was probably several meters thick… and the spear-like weapon in its right hand seemed to be wreathed in burning purple flames due to the powerful Honkai energy—flames of extremely high temperature produced by burning Honkai energy…
"Bronya's analysis indicates a danger level of A. Recommend immediate retreat…" Bronya Zaychik said, still in her cold, robotic tone.
"Damn it… the paths in front and behind are both blocked…" Li Xuan said helplessly. In front of them were Chariot-class Honkai Beasts, and behind them was a Thunder God-class Honkai Beast. They couldn't hide in the buildings on either side of the road; that would be an even faster death. After all… Honkai Beasts were a demolition crew, capable of taking down a building with a single swipe…
Even China's demolition teams would have to kneel before that kind of destructive power…
There was no other choice… "Bronya, let's take on that humanoid Honkai Beast together…" Li Xuan said, extending a hand to Bronya Zaychik. Among them, only the two of them dared to fight that beast. Raiden Mei and Kiana had no protection; if they were hit, they would be seriously injured, if not killed…
"Yes, Bronya understands…" Bronya Zaychik nodded with a grave expression. Behind her, the silhouette of a phantom mecha slowly solidified from the void, becoming her partner, 'Project Bunny 19C'.
"Project Bunny 19C, charge!…" Bronya Zaychik commanded, waving her arm. Project Bunny 19C's green, crystalline electronic eyes instantly lit up, and wisps of white mist rose from the gaps in its armor… The alloy spear in its right hand began to spin at high speed with a 'whoosh whoosh!~' sound.
Bronya Zaychik herself began to levitate… Project Bunny 19C instantly shot toward the 'Thunder God-class Honkai Beast' at high speed. It slightly drew back its right arm, then thrust forward in a powerful charge!
The humanoid Honkai Beast seemed to sense the danger from its opponent. It suddenly thrust its right arm's bone-and-mixed-material spear fiercely toward the charging Project Bunny 19C…
In that instant, it was spear against spear…
The Honkai energy flames coiling around the Honkai Beast's right limb erupted violently, unleashing an unstoppable shockwave…
"BANG!!" Bronya Zaychik and Project Bunny 19C behind her were hit as if by a train, sent flying with immense force. The momentum carried them through several buildings on the side of the road before they finally came to a stop far away, buried under rubble and stones, their status unknown…
"Bronya!!…" Raiden Mei couldn't help but cry out in alarm.
"…" Li Xuan watched this scene, a blazing fire seemingly burning in his heart. His hands clenched into tight fists… He slowly walked toward the humanoid Honkai Beast, then suddenly broke into a run. The湛blue shield appeared over his Xuanyuan Festive Garb, and the emblems on his collar flashed faintly…
Just as Li Xuan's full-powered right fist was about to strike the 'Thunder God-class Honkai Beast,' a purple light flashed in the center of the beast's head. The massive shield that had been held in front of it was slightly pulled back just as Li Xuan's fist was about to make contact…
"Not good!" Alarm bells instantly went off in Li Xuan's mind… They had been deceived by the Honkai Beast's massive size. Honkai Beasts also possessed high intelligence, a gift from the Honkai, which mocked humanity's most prized advantage… 'intelligence'.
The slightly retracted shield caused Li Xuan's charged punch to miss. Then, the Honkai Beast's left limb thrust the massive shield forward…
"BANG!" The shield's impact was blocked by the shield on Li Xuan's body. The湛blue shield instantly paled… The solid-looking shield became illusory.
Before Li Xuan could breathe a sigh of relief, the spear in the Honkai Beast's right limb sliced through the air, a horizontal slash striking the shield on Li Xuan's body…
"Pop!~" The shield, which had already faded to a light blue, let out a sound like a bursting bubble, unable to bear the strain. Cracks spread across the eggshell-like shield, and in the next moment… it shattered…
Fragments of light blue energy flew into the air and vanished into nothingness…
The heavy spear slammed into the stunned Li Xuan. Blood bloomed in the air like red petals. Li Xuan was sent flying like a broken sandbag, landing at Raiden Mei's feet, his condition unknown…
"L-Li Xuan-kun?…" Raiden Mei covered her mouth in shock, tears welling in her eyes…
How could this be? Even the strongest, Li Xuan-kun and Bronya, have lost. And Li Xuan-kun is…
"Swish!~" As if something had cut through the air and was falling…
Raiden Mei turned her head, her pupils reflecting a Honkai Beast raising its sharp spear and bringing it down on her in a vicious strike!
A foot stomped firmly on the ground, and a body shot forward. A faint scent of Kiana Kaslana's hair lingered at the tip of Raiden Mei's nose…
"Always thinking about that idiot Li Xuan, and Bronya…" Kiana said with a smile, grabbing Raiden Mei's shoulders. "I'll get jealous, you know…"
The white-haired girl in Raiden Mei's vision smiled a smile of relief at her, then gently pushed her away…
"Rip!…" It was the sound of cloth tearing… The back of the girl hugging her was slashed open by the Honkai Beast's sharp spear. Bright red blood splattered, and she fell powerlessly to the ground, blooming into a crimson flower…
"........."
The world seemed to fall silent in an instant.