Honkai, why do you only throw me into high-level battles?

Lin Wei was gone.

It was a surprising, yet inevitable, outcome. From the moment he'd met Rita, from the moment the eruption had forced him to abandon his plans for a quiet escape, a confrontation with Schicksal had been unavoidable.

His decision to face the tsunami, to protect the others, had only accelerated the inevitable.

Both Otto and Lin Wei now faced the same dilemma: an unplanned, unavoidable clash, a head-to-head confrontation between kings.

It would be a collision of epic proportions.

But that was a story for Schicksal HQ, far away in Europe.

In Manila, Lin Wei's departure didn't bring everything to a standstill. On the contrary, things were rapidly improving.

His initial intervention, helping Rita establish communication and organize the scattered Valkyries, had stabilized the situation, minimizing casualties and preserving the city's remaining defenses.

Then, he'd faced the tsunami, absorbing the brunt of its impact, buying Rita precious time to reinforce their defenses.

Durandal's brief but effective sweep had further reduced the Honkai threat, solidifying their advantage.

And now, reinforcements were arriving, including Durandal's Immortal Blades squad, along with warships, transport aircraft, drones, and supplies, bolstering their forces, turning the tide of battle.

The stark contrast between the earlier devastation and the now seemingly effortless victory puzzled the newly arrived Valkyries. They learned the full story from the surviving members of Snow Lotus – the terrifying tsunami, the miraculous intervention, and Rita's confirmation of the events.

The legend of Lin Wei, the man who had saved them all, spread like wildfire.

But the eruption's impact wasn't limited to the Philippines.

Not all the Honkai beasts had headed directly towards the islands. While the Philippines had borne the brunt of the attack, the smaller groups that had dispersed had caused chaos throughout the Western Pacific.

Southeast Asia's Valkyrie squads had immediately deployed to the Philippines.

The Oceania Branch had sent some forces to assist, while the rest focused on eliminating the scattered Honkai beasts in their own waters, protecting their cities and coastal areas.

The Japanese Branch had a simpler task: defend their own territory.

...

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" "Ha! Yah!"

Amidst the pouring rain, a white-haired girl with twin braids charged into the swarm of Honkai beasts, her twin pistols blazing.

"Hmph, I thought they'd be tougher than this," Kiana said, wiping the rain from her face, her voice filled with youthful energy. "These guys are nothing compared to the ones in Nagazora!" She plunged deeper into the horde, her attacks swift and powerful.

Strangely, despite wielding pistols, she rarely fired them, the "bangs" mostly the sound of her fists and feet connecting with the Honkai beasts.

"Boom!" An explosion lit up the rainy sky, and a gray-haired girl with a drill-shaped hair ornament emerged from the flames, landing beside Kiana.

Unlike Kiana, who was soaked to the bone, Bronya was perfectly dry, as if shielded by an invisible barrier.

"Idiot Kiana, you're too reckless," Bronya said, her tone flat. "And while it's not the first time I've seen this, I must reiterate, that is not the proper way to use a firearm."

As a former assassin, skilled with all manner of weapons, having once eliminated an entire mercenary squad with a single pistol, she felt qualified to comment on Kiana's… unconventional methods.

Who uses a gun as a bludgeon? she wondered, still baffled by Kiana's fighting style.

"Hmph, mind your own business! My dad taught me this! It's the Kaslana style!" Kiana retorted, giving Bronya a superior look, then charged back into the fray.

Bronya looked at her retreating figure, pulled out a pistol, examined it, then put it away.

Best not to discourage her…

"Boom!" Project Bunny appeared, its massive shield blocking a Honkai beast's attack. It then grabbed the beast's head and slammed it into the ground, creating a crater. Its other arm, a massive cannon, aimed at the stunned beast, charging up.

"Boom!" Kiana, watching the execution from a distance, clicked her tongue. That rabbit is surprisingly violent.

"Kiana! Bronya!" Mei, her blade crackling with purple lightning, cut down several Honkai beasts, joining them. "You're both too reckless! Himeko is going to be furious!"

Bronya glanced at Kiana. Talk to her. She wouldn't be here if not for Kiana's impulsive charge. She didn't enjoy running around in the rain.

"Kiana!" Mei sliced another Honkai beast in half, glaring at her. The contrast between her deadly skills and her gentle, scolding tone was… interesting.

"Mei…" Kiana, realizing she'd upset Mei again, kicked a Honkai beast aside, then approached her, her voice pleading. "But Himeko said this mission counts towards our final grades! I'm just trying to… improve my score! So Theresa won't fail me again!" She pouted.

"You…" Mei sighed, unable to stay angry at her. "If you paid attention in class, you wouldn't be failing so many subjects."

"Well, about that… hehe…" Kiana chuckled nervously.

Her only real experience with formal education had been that one month at Chiba Academy. Before that, she'd been on the run with her father, then on her own. Survival had been her priority, not school.

She considered herself lucky to be literate.

And now, suddenly, St. Freya's curriculum, covering everything from middle school to university level subjects, had been dumped on her. She was proud of herself for not dropping out.

Falling asleep in class? She couldn't help it! She recognized the words, but together they formed incomprehensible sentences, paragraphs, chapters…

And she'd drifted off.

But she was too proud to admit it.

Mei, though concerned, didn't fully understand Kiana's struggles. She'd always been a top student, a privileged child, surrounded by praise and admiration. She couldn't comprehend Kiana's lack of basic knowledge. And Kiana, too embarrassed to ask for help, had been struggling in silence.

Only Bronya, having experienced a similar situation, and possessing a more objective perspective, understood Kiana's difficulties, often offering her help, finding creative ways to explain the complex subjects.

"This is so boring!" Kiana, growing frustrated with the slow pace of the battle, put away her pistols and activated her quantum transmission device, browsing the academy's arsenal. Her eyes lit up. "Perfect!"

A flash of light, and a massive, black and red chainsaw appeared in her hands. She hefted it, its weight surprisingly light, then activated it, the roaring blade tearing through the air.

"Mei, I'm going in!" She charged into the Honkai beast horde, a whirlwind of destruction, severed limbs flying in all directions, mingling with the rain.

"Nidhogg's Claw… that girl…" Himeko, watching the battle from the bridge of the Hyperion, winced.

"Theresa, are you sure about letting the students choose their own weapons?" The Japanese Branch's arsenal was second only to Schicksal HQ's, filled with powerful, potentially dangerous, equipment.

The screen displayed multiple feeds, showing the St. Freya students fighting in small groups, their teachers supervising from a distance. Kiana's group was particularly… enthusiastic, their section of the screen filled with explosions and flashing lights.

"Those weapons are just collecting dust in storage. And the students, many of them on their first mission, need all the help they can get," Theresa replied, her tone surprisingly authoritative, though her dangling feet undermined her image slightly.

"Help? I hope so…" Himeko sighed, rubbing her temples. "Kiana is being reckless again. I'm failing her for this." She grabbed her greatsword and headed towards the elevator.

"Where are you going?" Theresa asked.

"To retrieve those three idiots before they get themselves killed!" Himeko replied, without turning back. "You're in charge now!"