"Roar~"
Following this roar, which carried a mix of anger and domineering presence, all the lower-class Honkai Beasts stopped their movements in unison.
Although shocked, Ming Yu hadn't forgotten his objective was to find Saori and leave together.
Taking this opportunity, Ming Yu immediately signaled to Lia, temporarily retracting the Half-Body Demon Armor, and quickly escaped the encirclement of the Honkai Beast pack through a gap.
Until they broke out of the encirclement, the Honkai Beasts didn't react, and only then did Ming Yu have time to see what the Emperor-class Honkai Beast looked like.
White silicon bands shattered inch by inch, revealing a red Honkai Beast over twenty meters tall. Although its appearance was highly similar to an Emperor-class Honkai Beast, the Honkai Energy intensity displayed on the Honkai Energy Detector told everyone its identity as a Superior-class Honkai Beast.
Both the reaction of the beast pack and the massive amount of Honkai Energy hidden beneath its crimson shell demonstrated that this Honkai Beast was extraordinary.
But at this moment, there was a three-meter-long sword gash on the front of the Honkai Beast's body, which was the reason for its fury.
Evidently, Saori's operation was a success. She had broken through the beast pack's blockade and attacked the giant egg, not only interrupting the Emperor-class Honkai Beast's incubation but even leaving a wound on it.
And now, the pack's attention was indeed focused on their emperor and Saori, ignoring Ming Yu and Lia who were present.
If the two of them had actually retreated according to Saori's orders, they might have truly been able to escape the Honkai Beasts' pursuit.
However, Ming Yu was clearly not the type of person to obediently follow orders.
After passing through the Honkai Beasts that had surrounded them, they were not far from Saori's battlefield.
By now, they could finally see their captain's current state.
The Valkyrie's carefully coiled long hair had come undone, her once fair face was covered in dust, and her brown metal armor was riddled with cracks, looking as if it would completely shatter at any moment.
Noticing the two who had rushed over, Saori's expression changed, and she shouted, "Don't come over, go!"
With that, without waiting for a reply, Saori immediately swung the greatsword in her hand at the giant red Honkai Beast, continuing this disparate battle.
Carrying a dim golden glow, the silver greatsword stubbornly hacked towards the Honkai Beast.
But the next moment, a crimson Carapace Leaf flew over, blocking the greatsword's attack path.
At the same time, another sword-shaped Carapace Leaf attacked the greatsword's owner.
Pfft~
With a dull thud, the red Carapace Leaf accurately pierced the Valkyrie's body. Bright red blood flowed down the Carapace Leaf, making it look even more crimson.
In her prime, an attack like this would naturally not have been a problem for a battle-hardened Valkyrie like Saori. But at this moment, she was already spent, completely unable to dodge.
The greatsword in her hand fell powerlessly. Her eyes, gradually losing their light, slowly turned towards Ming Yu and Lia, as if still blaming them for not following orders, for not retreating!?
As the Honkai Beast retracted its Carapace Leaf, the Valkyrie's body fell to the ground with a thud.
Letting out a joyous hiss, the Honkai Beast didn't spare another glance at the fallen Valkyrie and slowly floated towards Ming Yu and Lia. The surrounding Honkai Beasts parted to make way for it.
"How could this be..."
Ming Yu's eyes widened, staring at the motionless Saori, murmuring incessantly.
This was an uneven fight from the start. As a B-rank Valkyrie, Saori had no chance of winning. Her weapon could barely break its defense, and her armor was completely unable to withstand the destructive power of the Emperor-class Honkai Beast. Even in terms of speed, she had no advantage against those Carapace Leaves.
The outcome of this battle was determined the moment it began; the only difference was how long Saori could last.
But looking at Saori's fallen body, a scene that should have been expected, Ming Yu's mind went blank, and his body trembled uncontrollably.
But this was a battlefield. The situation wouldn't pause for one person's daze. This lopsided battle was still ongoing.
The interrupted sound of gunfire erupted again. The Valkyries on the helicopter recovered from their shock at the Emperor-class Honkai Beast and unleashed their firepower on the giant red beast.
But this method of attack clearly had no effect. Several Carapace Leaves coalesced into a shield in front of the Honkai Beast, firmly blocking the feeble bullets.
However, the Valkyries on the helicopter were not aiming to kill. While pouring out bullets, they were also calling for the two below to retreat on the communication channel.
Although direct combat with the Honkai wasn't their responsibility, at this moment, they were contributing their strength for the warriors on the front lines.
Glancing impatiently at the still-firing helicopter, the carapace plates on the Honkai Beast's shoulder pulsed with red light, and two fireballs shot out.
The fireballs grew in the wind, turning into a sea of fire by the time they reached the helicopter a hundred meters in the air.
The helicopter dodged left and right but ultimately couldn't escape, finally spiraling down while emitting black smoke.
Boom!
The crashed helicopter exploded violently, its various parts shattering amidst the flames.
After dealing with the helicopter, the Honkai Beast turned its gaze back to the remaining humans on the ground. The Carapace Leaves forming the shield quickly dispersed, turning into streaks of light and shooting out.
"Dodge!"
Seeing her companion still in a daze, Lia shouted urgently and lunged towards Ming Yu.
Feeling the 'whoosh' sound by his ear, Ming Yu, who had been tackled to the ground, finally came to his senses and realized his current situation.
"Are you okay..."
Ming Yu was about to ask about Lia's condition, but the sticky, liquid sensation on his arm sent a chill down his spine, and he couldn't get the last word out.
Looking down, Ming Yu saw a long, narrow gash on Lia's back, from which blood was flowing profusely.
Apparently, in order to push Ming Yu away, she hadn't been able to completely dodge the Honkai Beast's attack.
"I'm fine... you have to go... we... can't win..."
Lia's face was pale, she couldn't even hold her black spear steady, but she still managed to speak to Ming Yu.
"Okay, we'll go, we'll leave right now..."
Ming Yu said, trembling, while summoning the five-meter-tall Half-Body Demon Armor to envelop them both, desperately trying to apply pressure to the girl's bleeding wound.
"There's... no time..." Lia shook her head lightly, saying anxiously, "The Stigmata... it's broken..."
Only then did Ming Yu notice that the wound had cut right through the red tattoo on the girl's back. Dark purple lines were spreading rapidly from the wound, and the girl's skin instantly turned pale.
After these few months of training, Ming Yu knew exactly what this scene represented.
Zombification!
These two words suddenly surfaced in his mind.
The existence of Artificial Stigmata allowed those without natural ones to fight against the Honkai, but the patterns within Artificial Stigmata were far less powerful and stable than Natural Stigmata.
Even high concentrations of Honkai Energy corrosion could cause an Artificial Stigmata to lose control, let alone a direct attack from an Emperor-class Honkai Beast.
"If a comrade loses her sanity, you must end her life at the earliest opportunity!" This pre-mission briefing suddenly resurfaced in Ming Yu's mind.
"Do... you remember... what the captain... said... if a comrade... loses her sanity..."
Lia had clearly thought of those words too, her eyes fixed on Ming Yu, urging him on.
"No, I'll take you back to St. Freya High School! You'll be fine! There has to be a way!" Ming Yu shook his head frantically, shouting.
As far as he knew, the process of Zombification wasn't irreversible. In the Xuanyuan Chapter, Himeko showed signs of Zombification, but she was saved after returning to St. Freya High School.
If even Himeko, whose body was on the verge of collapse, could be fine, Lia, who had just started her Valkyrie career, surely had a much higher chance of survival.
But the next moment, the Crimson Demon Armor trembled violently from the Honkai Beast's attack, and large cracks appeared on the point of impact.
Lia shook her head slightly and gave a wan smile, apparently already knowing her fate.
"Don't..."
Watching the purple lines gradually spread to the girl's neck, Ming Yu could only pray anxiously, unable to do anything.
"System! Get out here!"
Feeling his own powerlessness, Ming Yu could only scream in his heart, pinning his hopes on his cheat.
But no matter how he shouted in his mind, the System didn't respond at all, as if it didn't exist.
"Useless!"
Ming Yu said hatefully. It was unclear if he was referring to himself or cursing the absent System.
"You... have to live..."
Lia said softly, as if using her last ounce of strength.
With a faint, soft sound, the light in Lia's eyes gradually dimmed.
Coming to his senses, Ming Yu finally realized what had happened. He saw the crimson spirit blade in the girl's chest.
"This way... I'm free..."
Softly uttering her last words, the girl's chest stopped moving, and the dark purple lines stopped spreading, halting on her fair neck.
"No~"
Ming Yu screamed, but he couldn't change the reality before him.
With a "bang", the Crimson Demon Armor completely shattered, dissolving into specks of light.
Ming Yu looked up, but he was surrounded only by the ferocious and menacing beast pack. The Emperor-class Honkai Beast also cast a disdainful gaze upon him.