While listening to Saori's briefing, Ming Yu looked out the porthole at the shrinking St. Freya, a wave of emotion welling up inside him.
The mission was prompted by the intelligence department's discovery of Chariot-class Honkai Beasts in a forest not far from the city. Their objective was to clear out those Honkai Beasts.
The situation was neither tense nor complicated. According to the intelligence department's scans, it would take at least several more weeks for these Honkai Beasts to develop to the point of attacking the city.
It could be said that this was a mission with a difficulty level well-suited for newcomers. That was precisely why it was assigned to their newly formed Valkyrie squad.
Although the squad had been officially formed a few days ago, it was only today that Ming Yu had met all its members.
One could say that for Squad 16, this mission was more about honing the members' teamwork. Otherwise, for these Honkai Beasts that had yet to become a major threat, conventional forces could have easily eliminated them.
While individually powerful Valkyries were the best weapon against the Honkai, it didn't mean conventional forces were completely useless against them.
In fact, for lower-level Honkai Beasts, the numerous conventional forces were the main army. Otherwise, if every Honkai Beast had to be dealt with by Valkyries, then even if Schicksal's Valkyries were made of iron, they wouldn't be enough.
After all, even in the current era, the total number of B-rank and above Valkyries in all of Schicksal was only a few thousand, and the number of A-rank Valkyries was even rarer. And after excluding those who specialized in support skills, there weren't many left.
Compared to the hundreds of thousands of Honkai Beasts across the world, this was undoubtedly a tiny number.
Normally, only the troublesome Honkai Emperors and even Emperor-class Honkai Beasts were enemies that had to be handed over to the Valkyries.
And missions like this, dealing with ordinary Chariot-class Honkai Beasts, were usually handled by conventional forces. Other missions assigned to Valkyries were typically for training purposes.
After finishing the mission briefing, Saori put away her terminal and looked at the two teammates in front of her, warning them with utmost seriousness, "You know the mission. I won't say much more about other things. But there's one last thing I must emphasize!"
"On the battlefield, besides paying attention to the enemy, you must also keep a constant eye on your teammates' condition."
"We gain powerful combat abilities through Honkai Energy, but we could also lose control at any moment and turn into monsters that want to destroy everything."
"So, if a teammate loses control, you must kill her without hesitation! There can be no delay!"
Looking at her now-serious captain, Ming Yu was also slightly surprised.
In fact, this was not the first time he had heard such a statement. It was written on the first page of the Valkyrie Operations Handbook, a rule that every Valkyrie had to remember at all times.
Even so, Ming Yu didn't think it was anything worth paying attention to. Thanks to the System's modifications, his Honkai resistance, while not comparable to a Stigmata holder's, was not so low that he would lose control so easily.
But looking at Saori's intense gaze, Ming Yu still nodded solemnly and replied, "Understood."
Lia nodded thoughtfully, her expression turning extremely grave as if something had come to mind. She said seriously, "Got it!"
Seeing that her squad members had remembered this, Saori breathed a sigh of relief, but still maintained a stern face and added, "As your captain, I will do my best to protect you. But if things really get out of control, I will not show mercy. Similarly, you must not hesitate either!"
Seeing the determination in Saori's eyes and noticing Lia's now downcast mood, Ming Yu couldn't help but feel a sense of solemnity.
On this plane, Ming Yu, who had only been thinking about getting by at St. Freya, for the first time experienced the seriousness and tension of the Honkai war.
…
At the same time, back at St. Freya, several girls watched the black shadow gradually disappear into the sky, their emotions also somewhat unsettled.
"That guy Ming Yu just left like that? I was going to see him off. It's his first mission, after all. How inconsiderate!"
Squinting at the receding black shadow, Kiana said indignantly.
"Big Bro Yu wanted to tell everyone, but this mission isn't very difficult, and it'll probably be over in less than a day. That's why he didn't inform everyone."
Tending to the flowers and plants on the balcony, Hiyokumaru explained without looking up.
Although "first time" was a meaningful phrase, the girl knew that he really didn't care much about such things. He didn't even place much importance on the meaning behind the title of Valkyrie.
For that person, staying here was what he truly wanted to do.
"If that's the case, then I guess I'll forgive him for now."
With a light snort, Kiana didn't dwell on the matter. She was just a little annoyed that Ming Yu had left without saying goodbye, but upon thinking about it calmly, Ming Yu's actions weren't really surprising.
If a mission of this difficulty required a send-off, that wouldn't fit Ming Yu's personality at all.
"Kiana the great idiot, isn't that obvious!"
Bronya said mercilessly, not passing up any opportunity to mock the white-haired fluffball.
"You little pipsqueak, are you looking for a fight!"
Looking at the calm, expressionless girl, Kiana bared her teeth. Although she sometimes spoke without thinking, the one thing she couldn't stand was Bronya's mockery.
Looking helplessly at her two friends' daily squabble, Mei couldn't help but facepalm and let out a long sigh.
…
In the Principal's office, the white-haired nun watched the receding black shadow and couldn't help but sigh. With the start of his first mission, the agreement she and Ming Yu had signed was gradually coming into effect.
"Have Ming Yu's squad and mission been confirmed?" Retracting her gaze, the Principal asked the red-haired woman on the sofa.
"Yes, confirmed long ago. The captain of Squad 16 is B-rank Valkyrie Saori, and the other member is also a newly promoted Valkyrie with a clean background." Himeko replied without looking up, flipping through the documents in her hand. "Even this mission has been thoroughly confirmed by the intelligence department."
Hearing Himeko's reply, the Principal nodded with a serious little face.
Although she had said she wouldn't interfere with Ming Yu's squad assignment, his value made Theresa have to pay attention, so it was impossible for her to be completely unconcerned. Even without any backroom dealings, necessary intelligence confirmation was a must.
"I have some impression of this Saori. She's a reliable person. But, is it really not necessary to arrange for an A-rank Valkyrie to lead the team?" Himeko asked in a probing tone, biting her thumb.
Although A-rank Valkyries were rare in the Far East Branch and most already had their own teams, for someone as important as Ming Yu, assigning an A-rank Valkyrie to lead was not impossible.
"There's no need." Shaking her head, Theresa naturally knew what her second-in-command was trying to say. "A B-rank Valkyrie is enough. He can protect himself. Besides, this fits his status as an ordinary student better."
Although Ming Yu himself was special, it wasn't enough of a reason to assign an A-rank Valkyrie to lead him. For Theresa, as long as it didn't affect the bigger picture, reducing the attention others paid to Ming Yu was a very beneficial thing.
If Ming Yu really entrusted his life and safety to the leading Valkyrie, then it would only prove that he was nothing special after all.