He grabbed the blade of Sakura Fubuki with his left hand. The thin blade pierced his palm, and dark red blood slowly trickled down, drawing a grim line on the blade.
Normally, such heart-piercing pain would have made him let go instantly. But at this moment, he didn't feel a thing.
Looking at the peaceful girl in his arms, Ming Yu slowly pulled out the Spirit Blade with the gentlest of motions, afraid of disturbing the serenity on her face.
Unlike Kiana and the others, Lia was the first ordinary person he had met in this world. This ordinary girl also shouldered a hatred for the Honkai. Her story had made Ming Yu feel the reality of this world for the first time, and it made him understand that this world was no longer just data and a game to him, but an incredibly real existence.
If she could have lived on, perhaps she could have grown stronger through her own efforts, becoming an A-rank Valkyrie who could stand on her own.
Or maybe, one day she would have let go of the hatred she carried and left the circle of Valkyries to become an ordinary person.
Or maybe...
Her life originally had many possibilities, but now it had come to an abrupt end.
All this time, Ming Yu's perception of the Honkai hadn't been very strong. Although hating the Honkai was a common thing among other Valkyries, he didn't feel much about it.
His short time in Nagazora was the only time he had directly faced the Honkai, but the feeling was blurred by the restlessness and anxiety of first arriving in this world.
But at this very moment, he understood with utmost clarity what the word "Honkai" truly meant to him, and he felt the reason for the gnashing of teeth when the Valkyries mentioned it.
A tearing pain constantly emanated from his heart, as if his entire heart had been split in two. But the next moment, his mind felt blank, and even the pain seemed like a false illusion.
But Ming Yu could clearly feel the hatred and anger breeding wildly in his heart, rapidly filling his entire chest.
The sudden eruption of negative emotions stirred the Herrscher Core within Jizo Mitama, creating a strange fluctuation.
Feeling the pulsation of the Divine Key, Ming Yu knew that Jizo Mitama was yearning for battle.
"In that case, let's have a fight..." Ming Yu murmured softly.
As soon as he finished speaking, black flames suddenly erupted from the longsword. The Crimson Demon Armor, shattered by the Honkai Beast, reappeared and quickly shrank to the size of a person, attaching itself to Ming Yu's body.
At the same time, the Spirit Blade, pulled from Lia's body, suddenly emitted a strong red light. The blood on the blade quickly dissipated, as if absorbed by Sakura Fubuki.
When the red light faded, the originally crimson blade had become as red as blood, and the spiritual energy on it was replaced by a sinister Demonic Aura.
Watching the changes happening to the human before it, the red Honkai Beast couldn't help but take half a step back as a feeling called fear rose in its heart.
Slowly standing up, Ming Yu scanned the surrounding pack, his gaze finally resting on the conspicuous Emperor-class Honkai Beast. He gritted his teeth and said, "Die!"
Following this judgment-like utterance, the fifty-odd Honkai Beasts that had died all rose to their feet. The red of the Honkai Energy patterns on their silicon bodies vanished, replaced by an ink-like black, just like the color of Jizo Mitama's blade.
Without any hesitation, the reanimated Honkai Beasts immediately attacked their former comrades. Moreover, they attacked without defending, as if ready to perish together.
Bang!
As the chaotic battle between the Honkai Beasts began, Ming Yu stomped his feet heavily, his body shooting towards the Emperor-class Honkai Beast like an arrow.
Seeing Ming Yu charge at it, the Honkai Beast was startled and retreated slightly, but it still commanded three Carapace Leaves to shoot towards the approaching Ming Yu.
His furious gaze swept over the blood-stained Carapace Leaves, but Ming Yu was not the least bit careless.
His charging body came to a sudden halt. Ming Yu quickly spun around, swinging both the blade and the sword. After building up momentum with a spin, he fiercely struck the three incoming Carapace Leaves.
Clang, clang, clang!
With three sharp sounds, two Carapace Leaves were sent flying by Jizo Mitama, while the remaining blood-stained one was directly sliced in two by the crimson Demonblade - Florid Sakura.
After a brief charge, Ming Yu bent his knees, and his body sprang towards the Honkai Beast again like a coil.
But after being delayed by the Carapace Leaves, the Honkai Beast also had time to react.
The carapace plates on its shoulder pulsed with red light, and in the next moment, two massive fireballs flew towards Ming Yu.
Looking at the two scorching fireballs and feeling the oncoming heatwave, Ming Yu's expression flickered, and he subconsciously wanted to dodge. But thinking of the person behind him, he stopped his movement.
Taking a quick breath, Ming Yu's right hand lowered, and a large amount of Honkai Energy gathered onto Jizo Mitama, making the black longsword appear even deeper in color.
He had already witnessed the strength of the Honkai Beast's attacks; it could shoot down a helicopter from nearly a hundred meters away, let alone at this distance.
To block this attack, his usual playful skirmishes were clearly not enough. He needed more power.
With the assistance of the Crimson Demon Armor, Ming Yu not only received a significant boost in strength and speed, but the amount of Honkai Energy he could mobilize also instantly rose to another level.
And this was the third time he had wielded such an amount of Honkai Energy since coming to this world.
But this time, there was no Yae Sakura to help him control the rampaging energy, nor was there Hiyokumaru to help him channel the Divine Key.
He could only rely on himself.
As more and more Honkai Energy gathered on Jizo Mitama, the black longsword became heavier, and Ming Yu's grip on the sword slid down inch by inch.
Looking at the dark purple stripes continuously appearing on his palm, Ming Yu felt his breathing become somewhat difficult.
Although he knew what this meant, Ming Yu had no intention of stopping.
At this moment, he had only one thought in his mind: kill this Honkai Beast, even if it was an Emperor-class!
Feeling the tyrannical aura within the almost out-of-control Honkai Energy, and the tide of killing intent washing over him, Ming Yu finally understood what Lia had faced earlier.
With a contorted face, Ming Yu swung the long-charged Jizo Mitama with all his might.
The longsword drew a full arc in the air, and a ten-meter-long black Sword Qi erupted from the blade, lunging at the two fireballs in front of Ming Yu.
The ink-black Sword Qi blocked the fireballs' path, and the two vastly different, immense energies clashed in mid-air, neither yielding an inch.
Boom!
The two deadlocked energies suddenly exploded, and the violent energy ravaged the surroundings.
Ming Yu, being closer, directly bore the brunt of the attack's aftershock and was hit head-on by the energy flow.
In his haste, he only had time to activate the Crimson Demon Armor's defense, but he was still sent flying by the rampaging energy.
The red Honkai Beast, slightly further away, was not spared either. Even with its massive twenty-meter frame, it was still knocked back several meters by the turbulent energy.
Shaking his slightly dizzy head, Ming Yu caught his breath, used a Chariot-class Honkai Beast behind him as a foothold, and charged towards the Emperor-class Honkai Beast once more.