Durandal truly was a monster.
Endowed with unparalleled talent devoid of limits or bottlenecks, she relentlessly trained day after day, fueled by boundless energy granted by the world's weight upon her shoulders. While not necessarily the strongest yet, the potential of her future defied imagination.
Even now, facing off against Siegfried and Theresa, they couldn't help but acknowledge her as such—a prodigious anomaly.
"Theresa, is your Judah not working?"
After a prolonged struggle, Siegfried retreated to Theresa's side and hesitantly asked.
"No, it's working. However, her Honkai Energy continuously surges, maintaining her combat capabilities at a certain level, preventing me from weakening her further. If you can't defeat her within Judah's domain, it suggests that in a fair fight, you might not last more than a few moves."
"Hmm, although I've heard she was strong, I didn't expect her to be this formidable..."
"You should have been prepared. Grandpa's territory is notoriously difficult to navigate."
Inside the golden chain cage, a panting Siegfried stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the unwavering Theresa. They both frowned as they gazed upon their opponent across from them: the Golden Valkyrie, visibly wounded yet still radiating immense power.
"Sss—"
Durandal took a deep breath, stepping forward with her golden-booted foot, as her silver-white lance began to glow brightly.
"Lords, please stand down! If you leave now, I believe even Lord Bishop won't hold it against you... As Lady Theresa said, this could simply be considered a test of our defense mechanisms, remaining well within acceptable boundaries."
With her icy blue eyes devoid of emotion, Durandal's scarred yet striking face radiated unwavering determination and solemnity.
Sighing, Theresa descended slowly from mid-air while simultaneously wrenching the massive cross off her back, breaking free from its golden chains. With a thud, she slammed it onto the ground, maintaining the anti-Honkai energy domain formed by the intertwined chains.
"Siegfried, without Heaven's Fire Judgment, your strength is significantly diminished."
"I rushed out too hastily and haven't fully adapted to this new body's power yet. Even if I were accustomed to it, my attack capabilities still fall short without Heaven's Fire Judgment. Do you have any ideas?"
"No, at this point, even Anti-Entropy wouldn't support our actions. We're on our own; there's no way we can provide you with a new weapon. So let's work together—hold nothing back, give it everything we've got!"
"Gotcha! Let me tap into that berserk feeling from years ago..." Siegfried discarded his worn-out white pistols, now completely useless. His demeanor, once carefree, had transformed, and his clothing began to bulge oddly.
"Crrrip—"
In no time at all, Siegfried's clothes ripped apart as his height surged past three meters. Wings unfolded from his back, and a crystalline chain-sword tail trailed behind him. White scales, sharp claws, and menacing fangs replaced his human features.
Frost spread beneath the half-draconic Siegfried's feet, releasing waves of chilling, terrifying Honkai Energy throughout this confined space.
"Haaah..."
Siegfried exhaled a gust of icy breath.
Gripping Judah with one hand, Theresa frowned and looked up, asking,
"Still have your wits about you?"
"O-of course... Find... Kiana..."
"You can barely speak straight. Never mind, let's charge directly through!"
"...Charge!"
With newfound, extraordinary power, Siegfried shattered the metallic ground beneath his feet and surged forward.
Theresa followed closely behind, dragging Judah along. As they approached Durandal, she suddenly accelerated, stepping on Siegfried's spiky tail and bounding along his protruding spine until reaching his head. With a mighty leap, she brought down the massive Cross thunderously.
"An astonishing combination—but you won't pass me!"
Durandal knew her power was greatly suppressed within this domain, rendering many of her abilities unusable. Conversely, her opponents could unleash their full potential.
But as a Valkyrie, she must be prepared to face any disadvantageous situation head-on. The word "retreat" did not exist in Durandal's vocabulary; there is only forward—always forward.
Power gathered within both her spear and body, fueled by unwavering determination and courage. Durandal charged ahead with her lance raised, confronting the combined assault directly.
"Boom!!"
A massive explosion erupted as three forces collided, emitting intense light and tremors that shook the entire base. With Theresa no longer sustaining it fully, the golden cage shattered instantly.
A figure hurtled backward at high speed.
"Bam!"
It was Durandal. After crashing through several structures, she regained control mid-air, landing on one knee and skidding across the ground, leaving deep grooves behind. Without hesitation, she swiftly rose back onto her feet.
The duo who had forced her retreat, exploiting the anti-Entropy domain advantage, were already closing in rapidly, nearly upon her.
"I said, you shall not pass!"
Durandal casually wiped away blood from the corner of her mouth and tightened her grip on her riding lance, her aura surging several times stronger.
Though she had sustained some injuries due to the impact, Durandal's power only increased after escaping that troublesome suppression domain.
If faced with the same combined attack again, at this moment, Durandal was confident she could fully withstand it.
Just as the three were about to collide once more, a burst of red light melted through the road, swiftly emerging between Theresa and Siegfried, heading straight for Durandal.
"Who is this?!"
Durandal raised her lance to meet the threat.
With a deafening roar, a massive ball of fire engulfed Durandal, melting everything around them like a miniature sun rising within the aerial base.
Meanwhile, Siegfried and Theresa managed to advance significantly.
"Qi..."
"Keep moving! That child meant well; let's silently accept her gesture. However, given her status and position, we shouldn't involve her further. As elders, we've failed, but at least let's not waste her determination or burden her any more... Siegfried, don't look back! Keep going forward!"
"Aargh!!!"
The two figures of vastly different sizes disappeared at the end of the long road.
Over half a minute later, as the colossal ball of fire dissipated entirely, Durandal stood amidst the void above a charred, melted crater.
The intense heat and flames had not diminished this Valkyrie's might; rather, they had purified her gold armor, burning away dirt and grime to leave it gleaming anew, like freshly forged metal.
Durandal gazed solemnly at the scarlet blade hovering before her.
"Kiana Kaslana, even you would recklessly join them? At such a critical moment, do you intend to obstruct our elders' efforts? Have you forgotten that establishing the new nation is also part of Sir Zeke's vision?!"
"Don't throw accusations around! I have valid reasons for this! With the Honkai Disaster intensifying daily, conducting extreme stress tests on both organizations' headquarters is crucial to enhance their combined strength effectively! See, here's my approval report with Sir Zeke's personal signature!" A melodious voice echoed through the air, accompanied by the shadow of a massive dragon enveloping Durandal.
Looking up, Durandal spotted Kiana descending gracefully from the sky, her skirt armor billowing behind her. She landed at eye level with Durandal and confidently presented a document.
It was indeed an application for extreme stress testing on Schicksal Headquarters, bearing Zeke's name—but having seen his signature numerous times, Durandal could tell it wasn't authentic. Rather, it seemed more likely that Kiana had forged it herself.
"...Do you think I'm a fool?"
"Come on, please help us out here! The archbishop treated Auntie like a plaything for over a decade, driving her insane. And my old man has been holding in so much resentment too. This is their only chance to vent some steam. It's the same for me; once this phase passes, even I'll have to oppose them for the greater good... Just this once, can't you turn a blind eye?"
"Duty is duty! If you leave now, Kiana, I might be able to request leniency for you in my post-incident report."
"So there's no room for compromise?" Resigned, Kiana asked as Bright-Dazzling Blade materialized in her hand. Her snow-white armor, along with her silver hair and eyes—one blue, one gold—were all engulfed by scarlet flames.
Durandal raised her spear, and two massive ghostly figures flickered behind her—the Lunar Eclipse Suit's Phantom Module: colossal unmanned assault weapons, King with its sword and Queen with its shield, now fully autonomous. Freed from Judah's anti-Honkai domain, these dreamlike armaments were finally able to unleash their full power.
"King! Queen!"
Aware of Kiana's numerous transformations, Durandal conservatively estimated her current strength as formidable. Without holding back, she summoned giant robots armed with an exaggeratedly oversized greatsword and heavy shield for a combined assault.
Kiana swung her blade and called out, "Bella, help me!"
"Roar!!"
The enormous dragon swooped down, knocking aside both colossal robots. The three titanic entities entangled midair in a breathtaking yet terrifying spectacle.
Durandal frowned, raising her spear slightly as white sparks of Honkai Energy emanated from her body. With a stern voice, she asked, "Kiana, do you truly wish to involve yourself in this rebellion?"
"To you, it may be chaos, but to me... They're both so spirited; what can I do? Let them meet your archbishop face-to-face and clear up any misunderstandings. It'll foster better cooperation moving forward. Trust me, this is also for the greater good!"
"Unreasonable!"
"Then let's settle it with a fight first! You won't stop them anymore, and that suits us just fine. This will give us an opportunity to understand each other better. Someone once told me that throughout Schicksal's history, there were two types of S-rank Valkyries: one kind was Durandal, and the other wasn't. I'd like to verify if that holds true.
"In return, you can witness my mastery over double Herrscher energy combined with Taixuan Sword Qi—surely beneficial for our future joint battles?"
As Kiana spoke, half-jokingly, she gripped her sword tightly, causing the surrounding air to distort from intense heat.
Durandal snorted coldly, unleashing immeasurable Honkai Energy, transforming herself into a dazzling white pillar reaching towards the sky.
In the next instant, two colossal bursts of Honkai Energy, overwhelming all measurement instruments, collided directly above the city, instantly leveling vast swaths of buildings below.
Amidst the terrified cries of countless Valkyries and Schicksal personnel, the massive floating city shook violently, hinting at imminent collapse.