"All units, be advised. The Honkai Beasts will reach the designated area in five minutes! The first wave of strikes is about to begin. All relevant units, prepare for engagement!"
Upon hearing the voice from the communication channel, Edna's hand, which was wiping her spear, paused for a moment. She couldn't help but look up at the long white line that had entered her vision.
With her excellent eyesight, she could clearly see the ferocious appearance of the charging Honkai Beasts. Of course, the sheer size of the Honkai Beasts, impossible to conceal, was also a major factor.
Encased in thick carapaces, every step of the colossal beasts caused the ground to tremble slightly. And when thousands of Honkai Beasts charged together, even from a great distance, Edna could feel the intense vibrations under her feet.
Amidst the churning dust, the white horde of beasts seemed endless. Their mountain-like bodies exuded an intense pressure, and their red, glowing eyes revealed a boundless madness and tyranny.
Looking at the gradually approaching white line, Edna felt a daze come over her.
Although she had been a Valkyrie for quite some time and had carried out many missions, she still couldn't help but feel a pang of fear whenever she faced these Honkai Beasts.
Could humanity truly stand against such a catastrophe?
But as she glanced at the encampment behind her, Edna's gaze couldn't help but drift further into the distance. Dozens of miles away, beyond her line of sight, was a city.
To fight for humanity was the oath she took when she became a Valkyrie!
A surge of courage welled up from the bottom of her heart. Edna felt her whole body fill with strength, eager to charge forward and fight to protect mankind.
"According to preliminary calculations, the average height of this Honkai Beast horde exceeds fifteen meters, with some even approaching twenty meters."
A cold voice rang out. Edna couldn't help but turn her gaze to Soilo, who had just put down her binoculars.
Her heart tightened. Edna couldn't help but look at the other Valkyrie, Rebecca, who was leaning on a chain-toothed greatsword.
"Twenty meters... that's going to be a bit troublesome~"
Rebecca murmured, knitting her lovely brows.
Seeing Rebecca's expression, Edna also felt a hint of panic in her heart. The appearance of a large number of twenty-meter-tall Honkai Beasts, combined with their current massive numbers, indicated a high probability of an Emperor-class Honkai Beast appearing in this horde!
It was only then that Edna finally understood the heavy responsibility that Storm Squad shouldered. As an elite squad with two A-rank Valkyries, their target was undoubtedly this Emperor-class Honkai Beast.
The Emperor of Honkai Beasts, a Superior-class Honkai Beast made of pure Honkai Energy, surpassing all lower-class Honkai Beasts...
As the words surfaced in her mind, Edna's face turned pale.
A catastrophe-level monster!
This was Schicksal's assessment of Emperor-class Honkai Beasts.
Every appearance of an Emperor-class Honkai Beast was accompanied by massive casualties. Even Valkyries, whose physical fitness far surpassed that of ordinary people, were incredibly fragile in front of such a monster.
A classic example was the Emperor-class Honkai Beast Ganesha, which appeared in India three years ago. Despite being besieged by multiple Valkyrie squads, it still caused the deaths of two A-rank Valkyries and injured twelve more.
Although the popularization of the third-generation Valkyrie battlesuits had greatly improved the strength of today's Valkyries, Emperor-class Honkai Beasts were still synonymous with terror.
"Cap... Captain, for this operation, is it just our squad?"
Edna asked nervously, taking a few steps closer to Rebecca.
Although she knew Storm Squad was strong, an Emperor-class Honkai Beast was undoubtedly far more terrifying.
According to regulations, an elite squad was meant to correspond to a Honkai Emperor-level existence among the lower-class Honkai Beasts. If an Emperor-class Honkai Beast was encountered, it was mandatory for three or more elite squads to participate in the battle together.
But until now, Edna had not seen any other elite squads.
"Haha~" Seemingly noticing Edna's worry, Rebecca laughed heartily, her gaze discreetly glancing at Soilo. "Don't worry, other squads will participate in this mission.
If we're lucky, we might not even have to face that Emperor-class Honkai Beast."
"Huh? What kind of squad is it?"
Seeing Rebecca's relaxed demeanor, Edna couldn't help but be surprised.
In her mind, elite squads were already considered a rare breed among Valkyrie squads. Even if there were differences in strength between various elite squads, the gap shouldn't be that large.
But from what Rebecca was saying, it seemed a Valkyrie squad far stronger than an elite squad had joined this mission.
And the only ones who could do that, aside from Schicksal HQ's Immortal Blades, were the ace squads of the various branches.
However, the Oceania Branch's ace squad was disbanded a year ago for some reason, and there had been no news of it being re-established. The ace squads of other branches wouldn't be deployed so easily, and the Oceania Branch hadn't fallen to such a state.
Looking at the mysterious smile on Rebecca's lips, a hint of doubt appeared in Edna's eyes.
"You'll know soon enough."
Rebecca gave a slight smile, then pointed towards the Honkai Beasts, offering no further explanation.
Edna wanted to ask more, but the Valkyrie forces' artillery barrage had already begun, and countless shells rained down on the Honkai Beasts' position.
*Boom boom boom~~~*
Amidst the deafening cannon fire, mud and chunks of Honkai Beast flesh flew high into the air, and the dust cloud that was kicked up seemed to blot out the sky.
Feeling the violent tremors of the earth, Edna's face turned pale. Even from a great distance, she could still feel the furious blast waves washing over her.
It wasn't hard to imagine what a terrifying attack the Honkai Beasts at the center of the explosion were receiving.
However, Edna's complexion didn't improve because of this.
She knew very well that for those truly powerful Honkai Beasts, this kind of attack was not fatal, especially for those monsters close to the pinnacle of lower-class Honkai Beasts.
Only the weapons wielded by A-rank Valkyries could deal a fatal blow to that kind of monster.
As the sound of artillery fire gradually faded, the Honkai Beasts charged out of the strike zone, rushing towards Schicksal's position under a cloud of yellow-black dust.
And what greeted them was a new round of artillery fire. Although the frequency and power were much lower, it was more precise.
In some areas where the dust had thinned, Edna could see the scene after the artillery coverage. Although the number of Honkai Beasts had been reduced by nearly half, the remaining number was still staggering.
Compared to the massive base number of the beast horde, the number of Valkyries was undoubtedly scarce. To fight against the tide-like swarms of Honkai Beasts, even Schicksal, whose main combat force was Valkyries, would never refuse the help of mechanized military forces.
Glancing at the other Valkyrie squads rushing to the battlefield, Edna couldn't help but feel a little nervous, and she instinctively moved closer to Rebecca again.
Although Schicksal had mastered the means of gathering Honkai Beasts, using high-concentration Honkai Energy signals to attract the swarms, some Honkai Beasts would inevitably break away.
These scattered Honkai Beasts were perfect for ordinary Valkyrie squads. They were not only flexible enough but also possessed the ability to deal with these beasts.
At the same time, this was also suitable training, not too dangerous.
And once the most dangerous target was confirmed, it would be time for their elite unit, Storm Squad, to make its entrance.
Suddenly, Rebecca stood up, her right hand naturally picking up the chain-toothed greatsword leaning beside her. She glanced at the two Valkyries behind her and said with a hearty laugh, "Girls, the Emperor-class Honkai Beast has appeared.
Storm Squad, move out!"