Just as Simon was observing his surroundings, a sharp, piercing sound assaulted his ears. Following the direction of the noise, Simon didn't have time to look. His body reacted instinctively, rolling to the side.
Bang!
A white blur streaked past the corner of his eye, carried by a fierce gust of wind, and smashed straight into the door frame of the partition door.
Simon scrambled to his feet after the roll. The door frame was half-shattered. From the pile of concrete and wood debris, a Chariot-class Honkai Beast wobbled as it floated up.
Jumpscares aren't absent; they're just late.
Chariot-chan, your aggro range is a bit too far, don't you think?
Simon roasted it mentally, then tightened his grip on his sword, cautiously watching Chariot-chan recover and prepare for another attack.
The System synchronized the enemy data:
[Chariot-class Honkai Beast]
[Attributes:]
Strength: 12
Constitution: 12
Stamina: 15
Intelligence: 2
Spirit: 2
Agility: 19
[Description: DASH! DASH!]
As expected, it's the Blue Form. Chariot-chan.
Known Fact: The attack patterns of a Chariot-class Honkai Beast are either a straight dash or a spinning blade attack. Its physical structure doesn't support other movements. So, facing its offense, one only needs to decide whether to roll sideways or pull distance.
And the combat environment here...
Simon estimated the width of the corridor versus the wingspan of Chariot-chan. He decided it was best not to test how round its spinning circle was.
So, the battle plan is clear!
Keep distance. Bait Chariot-chan into using its hard-to-steer Dash. Attack during the stun frames after it hits a wall.
Remember: Do not be greedy. Greed leads to getting hit by the spinning blade.
Plan set. Simon took two steps back under Chariot-chan's cold gaze and flashed a provocative smile.
Although he didn't know if Chariot-chan understood, judging by the flapping of its wing blades, it was clearly planning to attack.
DASH!
The brainless Honkai Beast was indeed inflexible. After a short charge-up, it used a straight dash to slam toward Simon.
Facing the blade, you didn't run away, but instead came right at me?
Simon had intentionally positioned himself slightly closer to the wall. Now facing the charge, he had more lateral dodge space. With a practiced roll, Chariot-chan's charged attack hit nothing but air, and guided by Simon, it slammed into the wall.
It fell! It fell!
Prepared this time, Simon rushed forward immediately after his roll to land a hit. Due to limited leverage space, he could only execute a Reverse Kesagiri (upward diagonal slash), aiming for the Chariot's underbelly.
The blade sliced against the Chariot's hard, smooth carapace, sparking fire. The weird sensation told Simon instantly that this strike was ineffective.
Tsk. This streamlined silicon-based carapace resists sharp weapons.
Seeing Chariot-chan recovering its posture, Simon could only retreat for now and seek another opportunity.
It feels like I'm playing Elden Ring.
I don't want this feeling of rolling around on the ground just to land one light attack on a dog, then running away immediately!
Isn't this the Honkai World? Where is my high-speed ACT combat? Give me the authentic Honkai Impact 3rd experience!
Without i-frames on dodge, without Time Fracture, and without Combo Attacks, Simon felt like calling the police.
Fine! It's just a streamlined shell, right? I'll show you how I smash it!
This time, Simon stood by the half-broken door frame, hoping the debris would cause more stun duration when Chariot-chan hit the wall again.
But facing Simon's kiting attempt, Chariot-chan... it... it?!
It flew over!
No dash. It just slowly floated forward?!
Holy crap, it learned!
Simon realized Chariot-chan intended to compress his space. If he didn't retreat, he would enter its spinning blade range.
In a split second, Simon made a decision.
Turn around. Run!
In Chariot-chan's eyes, this was an extremely stupid decision. Mammalian physiology made it hard to observe behind them. Turning your back on an enemy, especially one faster than you, was suicide.
With this "thought," Chariot-chan didn't hesitate to charge up, then DASH toward its prey!
The familiar sound of wind breaking came from behind. A smile crossed Simon's lips.
He indeed couldn't see behind him. But after several life-and-death battles, Simon discovered that when threatened, he felt a prickling sensation. "Like thorns on the back" described it perfectly.
This was likely part of the effect of his Talent [Mind's Eye].
Wife, are you protecting me even inside a dungeon? I'm moved to tears.
The sensation of sharpness on his back peaked in an instant. Simon executed a dangerous side roll. Without checking the situation, he scrambled up, catching the exact moment Chariot-chan slammed into the wall.
This time, having gained ample attack time, Simon took a deep breath and raised his longsword high above his head.
"Hah!"
With an explosive shout to release his breath, the longsword tore through the air, chopping down uncontrollably onto Chariot-chan's back.
Chariot-chan, I'm entering your backside like a Fuxing Bullet Train~
The carapace there was not streamlined, and it was slightly thinner than the front. The longsword met only slight resistance before shattering the silicon shell.
Feeling the resistance, joy filled Simon's heart.
The texture is right!
Then, he slammed the embedded blade down toward the ground with all his might.
Crack—
Poor Chariot-chan was split in two from head to toe by Simon—wait, does Chariot-chan even have feet?
Whatever. Unlike Deadwalkers, Honkai Beasts bled Honkai Energy, not blood.
Pink-purple Honkai particles dissipated from the open cross-section. Soon, even the silicon shell vanished into the air.
"Phew—"
Simon leaned against the wall to rest.
Melee combat was physically exhausting. Just those two exchanges made him pant, despite his 18 Stamina. An ordinary person would have collapsed.
After catching his breath, Simon checked his status. There was a small cut on his arm—just a flesh wound, didn't even hurt the muscle. Much lighter than the slash from the Zombie Sister last time.
Tearing off a sleeve to bandage it simply, Simon stepped over the wreckage of the door frame and headed toward the nearby stairwell.
This stairwell led to the third floor. The third floor was an office area. The space wasn't huge, so at least big guys like Titans or Chariot Beasts wouldn't appear. Simon didn't want to relive the sensation of becoming [Simon Sauce].
More importantly, the third floor had a skybridge connecting to the main tower. If he could flank around to the main tower, maybe he could descend to the first floor and bypass the Titans.