Higokumaru noticed the giant beasts' hesitation and roared, "Useless!"
Spurred on by Higokumaru's scolding, the giant beasts moved again, scrambling over each other to pounce on Ming Yu.
"Come on!" Ming Yu said, using his smaller size to his advantage, dodging through the gaps in the beasts' attacks. The tachi in his hand never stopped, its bright blade flashing, leaving wounds on the beasts' bodies.
At the same time, Ming Yu's fists were just as active. At close range, his fists, glowing with a golden light, were more practical than the tachi. The punches thrown with the Inch-Heart Fist Technique were powerful and heavy; even if they didn't hit a vital spot, the force behind them would leave the giant beasts reeling.
A quarter of an hour later, Ming Yu pulled his tachi from the chest of the last giant bear as it slowly collapsed.
Ming Yu was now bathed in blood, though it all belonged to the giant beasts. The tachi in his hand had several new nicks from clashing with their sharp claws. However, a few cuts had appeared on his back. Fortunately, they weren't very deep, and with his extraordinary recovery ability, the bleeding quickly stopped.
Even though these Honkai Beasts weren't particularly strong, Ming Yu's combat awareness and experience were still not enough to avoid all damage. To have achieved this much was already very satisfying for him.
"Hah, hah." Panting, Ming Yu walked slowly toward Theresa and said with a smile, "Principal, I did pretty well, right?"
"You…" Theresa's eyes couldn't help but moisten. As an S-rank Valkyrie, as the Principal of St. Freya High School, when had she ever relied on a student for protection?
Yet this time, she had lost the power she was so proud of, turning into an ordinary little girl, watching her student fight a bloody battle while she could only hide behind him. And to make matters worse, the one protecting her was the very student she had suspected the most.
"That's enough. You've done a great job," Theresa said, quickly walking to Ming Yu's side, not minding the bloodstains at all.
Hearing Theresa's praise, Ming Yu grinned. At least this effort wasn't a waste.
Ming Yu turned to look at Higokumaru and said, "What other tricks do you have up your sleeve?"
Higokumaru glanced at the villagers beside her and secretly shook her head. They were just ordinary people; they would be instantly killed by Ming Yu. Even though he was exhausted from the battle, he was not someone these people could handle.
"You forced my hand!" Higokumaru roared. A circle of fire spread out from her, and the entire space changed, shifting from the training ground to the ruins of Yae Village.
The villagers and the High Priest disappeared, and Yae Sakura woke up at the moment the space changed.
Seeing the change in scenery, she instantly understood what had happened. She quickly ran to Ming Yu's side and said gratefully, "Thank you for your help, Yu. If it weren't for you, I might have…"
"Don't mention it. You've helped me a lot too." Hearing the change in how Yae Sakura addressed him, Ming Yu knew she had remembered what happened in Nagazora.
"Besides, the real enemy has only just appeared," Ming Yu said, looking grimly at the giant fox that had appeared before them.
The crimson fox was six or seven meters tall, much larger than the Honkai Beasts from before. Flames coiled around its four feet as it strode forward, looking incredibly majestic. A red and white shimenawa was tied around its neck, and on its forehead was a red pattern in the shape of a three-tomoed Stigmata. Its five massive crimson tails swept back and forth, the tips a vibrant, deep red.
"Why do you resist me! Why can't you all just die peacefully!" the fox, Higokumaru, shouted, the flames around her body intensifying.
"Heh." Ming Yu couldn't even be bothered to answer such a meaningless question.
Ming Yu flexed his empty hands. The tachi had been reset when the scene changed, and the bloodstains on his body were gone as well. He looked at Yae Sakura and said, "Sakura, can you handle this one?"
Shaking her head, Yae Sakura said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I can't use my powers in this space either."
Hearing Yae Sakura's answer, Ming Yu's relaxed expression froze. Did this mean he had to face that huge fox with his own small body? (￣ω￣)
"In that case, you can all just die here. Once you're dead, that little girl's body will be mine all the same!" Higokumaru didn't care about their situation; the fight had to be fought.
With that, Higokumaru opened her fox mouth and shot a fireball at the three of them.
Seeing the basketball-sized fireball flying toward him, Ming Yu couldn't help but gasp, but his hands moved quickly. He pulled back his right fist, and after charging up, struck the fireball heavily.
The fist, glowing with golden light, shattered the fireball. The scattered sparks dissipated in the air like beautiful fireworks, creating a rather splendid sight.
Despite shattering the fireball, Ming Yu wasn't happy at all. Because it hurt like hell!
As he silently retracted his fist, Ming Yu's gaze fell on Theresa, contemplating the feasibility of throwing the Principal at it.
Sensing the malice in Ming Yu's gaze, Theresa quickly grabbed onto Yae Sakura's shrine maiden outfit and stared at him warily, saying, "What do we do now?"
Ming Yu didn't know how to answer. He just silently lowered his head and looked at the cross on his wrist.
"I'm sorry, I've gotten you all into trouble again," Yae Sakura said apologetically, having realized the gravity of the situation.
"Haha~" Higokumaru seemed to have noticed that Ming Yu and the others were helpless against her and couldn't help but laugh loudly. "It seems this is the end of the line for you!"
As she spoke, Higokumaru opened her mouth again and spat out a series of fireballs, shooting toward the three of them like a cannon barrage.
Seeing so many fireballs, Ming Yu's heart turned cold. This was something he absolutely couldn't handle. He would definitely die.
With this thought, he held the cross in front of him as a last hope, wishing it could block the fireballs.
Under the watchful eyes of the three humans and one fox, the fireballs struck the cross one after another.
To Ming Yu's surprise, the cross, which he thought could only glow and serve as a flashlight, emitted a dazzling light. A golden light formed a semi-circular shield, firmly protecting the three of them.
The fireballs hit the shield but could not advance an inch. They were all shattered, turning into specks of light that slowly dissipated.
The moment the light shone, Yae Sakura knew what it was. Memories of that person came alive in her mind. That white-haired knight had been here all along. Ming Yu hadn't lied to her.
Moreover, there was something else within the light, something warm. It was Rin's hope!
Tears instantly streamed down Yae Sakura's face. It turned out that warmth and hope had been by her side all along.