As an S-rank Valkyrie equipped with a fourth-generation Godsbane Suit, Ana wasn't particularly concerned about the battle that might unfold.
After all, they were both S-rank—unless you were Durandal, combat strength should generally be fairly comparable.
If the Overseer's experiment ended up causing too much damage to Nagazora City, the worst-case scenario was simply teaming up with Raiden Mei from Anti-Entropy to take down Li Sushang.
At most, she'd just have to write a self-criticism report afterward.
Durandal had, after all, instructed her to adapt to the situation as needed. So, making a decisive move to prevent a potential disaster was perfectly reasonable, wasn't it?
Thus, right up until she arrived at the battlefield, Ana's mindset remained fairly relaxed.
However… when she actually reached the combat zone, Ana realized the situation might be just a tiny bit different from what she had imagined.
To be more specific, Raiden Mei—the one she'd placed high hopes on—was already teetering on the edge of defeat. And judging by the way Mei's battlesuit was completely overloaded, it didn't look like she was holding back.
Could it be… that this Miss Li Sushang was a bit stronger than she'd assumed? Or had she overestimated the strength of this Herrscher of Thunder?
Ana felt a flicker of doubt, but she didn't let it show. She simply watched calmly as her colleague on the field sheathed her sword.
"Just finished one fight, and now another shows up… That Rascal really knows how to squeeze every bit of labor out of us…"
Sushang sighed. In truth, even though she only looked a little dusty around the edges, the toll from dealing with the Herrscher of Thunder was far greater than it appeared.
No matter how low Mei's mastery over the Herrscher core might be, the Herrscher of Thunder's abilities still ranked among the most destructive currently known.
Blocking all those attacks while also protecting the experimental equipment behind her—Sushang had been under immense pressure.
"Wait, you're with Schicksal, right? So you're… my colleague?"
"I am indeed with Schicksal. But first, I'd like to know what that is."
Ana looked up at the massive "void" hovering above the four of them.
Having experienced the war against Schicksal firsthand, she could tell it was most likely a Singularity opened by the Cosmic Juggernaut.
According to her pre-S-rank cultural exams, opening a Imaginary Singularity—much like opening a Quantum Singularity—would attract all sorts of locally distinctive monsters to gather around it.
The Sea of Quanta usually summoned various Quantum Shadows, while an Imaginary Singularity… would draw hordes of Imaginary Constructs.
More importantly, the strength of the attracted creatures tended to correlate with the intensity of the Singularity.
Given the size of this Imaginary Singularity… there was a real risk of drawing something equivalent to an Emperor-class Honkai Beast—an Imaginary Construct.
At the same time, the Honkai Energy leaking from the Singularity could trigger a major Honkai Eruption, just like what she'd experienced back in Manila.
"This is a task from that Rascal—oh, I mean Otto—to guard this thing and keep it from being destroyed." Sushang shrugged. "As for what exactly this thing does, I really don't know."
"How much longer is your mission supposed to last?" Hearing this, Ana's voice turned several degrees colder.
"That will determine whether we remain colleagues or become enemies."
"Roughly… another three hours or so?"
Sushang tilted her head.
"Hey, Schicksal Valkyrie!" Tesla suddenly spoke up.
"Don't listen to her nonsense! If that device runs for even one more hour, it could trigger a major Honkai Eruption. The Honkai Energy density in Nagazora City is already approaching the critical threshold!"
"In other words, the device must be shut down immediately…" Ana sighed, as her battlesuit began shifting into combat mode.
"Last time I faced that mysterious opponent, I was knocked out in under a minute. It made me wonder if my S-rank was just handed to me through connections…"
"Now, here comes a perfect chance to prove my strength—Miss Sushang, I won't go easy on you just because we're colleagues."
"No problem, come at me all you want." Sushang frowned slightly, summoning over a dozen flying swords once more.
"But you can attack me all you like—let's leave the equipment for a peaceful handover after we're done… I remember this thing is worth a ridiculously long number, probably extremely expensive."
"Don't worry…" Ana's spear was already poised to strike. "I know what you mean. If I break this thing, Amber will kill me."
"Then, try out this move I just learned from Durandal—"
Sharp ice spikes rapidly extended from her palm along the spear as Honkai Energy surged around the girl. In moments, the weapon in Ana's hands had grown several times larger.
"This strike—shall pierce the stars!"
"Not bad…"
With a gentle wave of Sushang's hand, several flying swords converged on the icy javelin from all directions.
Each sword seemed to embody a different attribute, yielding varied effects.
However, with the sheer number of sword energies Sushang commanded, the ice javelin was effortlessly worn down and dispersed by the sword formation long before it could reach her.
But then, Sushang's expression suddenly turned peculiar.
"Your Honkai Energy… why does it feel like…"
The girl furrowed her brow slightly, as if questioning whether she'd imagined the sensation.
Yet the ice javelin had vanished in an instant, and even with Sushang's keen perception, she couldn't draw a definite conclusion.
"I was hoping to just stall until time ran out, but it looks like I'll have to get serious now…"
Sushang took a deep breath and formed an unusual sword seal with her hands.
"Miss Ana, be careful!"
"Three feet of water—can yet pierce the clouds—"
Following her sharp cry, a colossal sword, as though thrust down from the clouds, descended from the sky with earth-shaking momentum. It moved with a deceptive slowness yet left almost no time to react.
Ana, who had just assumed a defensive stance, froze in place.
Seriously, sis, where did you even come from? You call this an S-rank Valkyrie?
Then what does that make me and Rita? Nepotism hires?
Only then did Ana realize that her assessment of Li Sushang's strength had indeed been off by a "tiny" margin.
That "S" next to Li Sushang's name probably truly belonged in the same category as Durandal's.
But at this point, there was no time to complain about the absurd mission she'd been handed.
Driving her Godsbane Suit to its maximum output, Ana pushed the Phantom System into immediate overload.
A self-driving phantom, composed of crescent particles—identical to those used by the Argent Knight and Bright Knight—materialized before her amidst a stream of particles, rapidly conjuring layers of ice walls in an attempt to block Sushang's strike.
However… Sushang, having gained a massive advantage with that single blow, didn't press the attack. Instead, she stared blankly at Ana, a look of astonishment crossing her face.
If she had only sensed something faintly during the earlier strike, this time—with her focused detection—Sushang could confirm without a doubt one fact.
Her colleague, who had just arrived on the battlefield, seemed to be undergoing some rather unusual physical changes.
Though Sushang wasn't entirely sure what to call this condition, based on what her master had taught her, the closest equivalent would probably be… demonic possession?
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.