Because Bianka was slung over his shoulder facing backward, she could see the entire process of the Honkai Beast leaping and pouncing.
There was no way the man beneath her could withstand such a powerful, heavy attack! Moreover, Bianka was certain that, at his current speed, there was no chance he could escape the landing's impact zone...
Bianka's brain finally kicked into gear. She gently placed a hand on the shoulder pressing against her stomach, preparing to break free from Siegfried and take the hit herself...
That familiar sensation of being pushed to the side returned, and the thoughts that had just started to align in Bianka's mind went haywire again.
"Whoa!" Two more synchronized screams. Bianka felt the massive shockwave from the Honkai Beast's landing send her flying.
In mid-air, Bianka felt that familiar sense of crisis return. The urge to flee in her mind reached its peak—and she instinctively reached out and grabbed something. Looking down, she found a strange pistol in her hand, adorned with brilliant gold, crimson red, and platinum white.
Even with her limited experience, Bianka could tell it was a next-generation design.
"Mind taking care of the Star of Judgment for me?" that familiar voice called out again. Then, an even more familiar arm reached out and swept Bianka up, holding her horizontally in front of him.
Bianka's grip on the pistol tightened. Siegfried, holding Bianka, flipped several times in the air before landing in a rather clumsy posture. Without a moment's hesitation, he took off running again.
"Man, what bad luck!" The shockwave seemed to have blasted them onto another dune. Siegfried's legs were moving so fast they were practically kicking up sparks, just to keep his balance on the downward slope.
It was then that they finally saw each other's faces.
Hm, younger/older than I thought...
Siegfried suddenly frowned. He felt an inexplicable sense of malice.
"Yo, little lady!" Even while in a frantic retreat, Siegfried didn't forget to flash a careful smile at Bianka. When he got a good look and saw she was actually about fourteen, his confident, wild grin instantly switched to a reassuring one.
"I don't know why you're out here, but whatever it is can wait until we've dealt with this Honkai Beast!" Siegfried glanced behind him. Sure enough, the beast was still relentlessly chasing him.
Looking down, he saw Bianka clutching his Star of Judgment tightly. He'd had to use both hands to catch her just now, and his original plan had been to hold the gun in his teeth.
It was probably a good thing the girl had caught it; at least she wouldn't have to take it from his mouth.
"Do you know how to use a gun?" Siegfried asked with a smile, leaping to evade a ground slam from the Honkai Beast.
Bianka looked at the gun in her hand. She saw a small switch that looked like a safety and a trigger. She nodded immediately.
"Then fire a shot at the sky! Thanks for the help!" Siegfried ducked low, narrowly avoiding a sweep from the Honkai Beast's front limb.
Akman was nearby. He had said he would come to help if he fired a shot into the sky!
Bianka raised her hand with a somewhat dazed expression and obediently aimed the gun at the sky.
In truth, she wasn't in a good state. Three different thoughts were wrestling for control in her mind.
A tiny, violent persona, invigorated by her proximity to Siegfried, jumped up and punched the tiny persona that wanted to run. The fleeing persona, clutching its bruised behind, ran around in circles, refusing to surrender.
The commotion threw Bianka's own thoughts into chaos. She could barely maintain control of her body while the two factions fought.
Her body felt even stranger... but somehow, through all the difficulties, Bianka managed to follow Siegfried's instructions. She aimed the pistol at the sky, flicked the switch that might be the safety, and pulled the trigger.
One second—
Nothing happened. Both Bianka and Siegfried froze. Bianka even began to wonder if she'd done something wrong, or if the gun was all looks and no...
In her peripheral vision, she saw Siegfried's expression change from surprise to realization, and then to terror.
Before Bianka could comprehend how someone's expression could change so drastically in an instant, Siegfried's hand shot out. Just before she hit the ground, he snatched the Star of Judgment from her, and in less than 0.3 seconds, aimed it at the charging Honkai Beast behind them.
JUDGMENT—!
A thick pillar of light, carrying an immense amount of high-energy particles, erupted from the barrel. The massive recoil instantly sent both Siegfried and Bianka, whom he was still clutching tightly, flying.
The thick beam pierced through half of the Chariot-class Honkai Beast's body, then, carried by the recoil, shot straight up into the sky!
The overwhelming power, carrying the force to destroy everything in its path, not only obliterated the Honkai Beast but also seemed to clear Bianka's chaotic mind in an instant.
The violent little persona cowered, turning to flee with more skill than the persona that specialized in running. It quickly found a corner and hid itself away, leaving only its butt sticking out.
The running persona, on the other hand, scrambled even more frantically through Bianka's mind before Bianka, now in control, punched it into a state of calm.
After they landed, Siegfried's arm finally loosened. After being carried and held for so long, Bianka was finally free.
She scrambled to her feet and immediately looked at the man who had, in a way, "protected" her the entire time.
The man was not in good shape. He was curled up on the sand, clutching one arm and trembling slightly, as if enduring intense pain.
But when he saw Bianka approach, he quickly concealed his pained expression, hiding his hand and the Star of Judgment behind his back, and offered her an awkward smile.
Bianka had sharp eyes. She immediately saw that the webbing between the thumb and index finger of the hand Siegfried held the gun with was split open, bleeding profusely.
Blood...
Bianka froze, instinctively wanting to back away from Siegfried. She was afraid the sight of blood would bring the violent persona back...
The little persona didn't appear. It just continued to tremble in its corner. At the same time, Bianka felt her clothes were getting in the way, as if they were several sizes too big, so much so that she couldn't even get her hands out of her sleeves...
Hiss—Something's not right.
Bianka stared in shock at her sleeves, which were definitely a size too big, and then at the cloak that had fallen to the ground, completely covering her.
How did she get smaller?