May 22, 2015.
A major Honkai Eruption occurred in Manila, the capital of the Philippines.
This was the largest and most destructive disaster in Southeast Asia to date, second only to the Corruption Riot in terms of destructive power.
If the Corruption Riot was merely Higokumaru's playful antics, destroying buildings but not harming people,
then the Manila Eruption was a true Honkai disaster, a completely unforeseen catastrophe.
The disaster destroyed the entire city of Manila, which was instantly reduced to ruins. Over 2 million people were turned to ash the moment the Eruption occurred, and about 3 million suffered varying degrees of Honkai corruption infection. The secondary disasters displaced tens of millions in the city and surrounding areas.
Whether the truth about the Honkai was exposed no longer mattered. Influenced by the previous Corruption Riot, people had already directed all their anger towards the Sky People. Therefore, all unnatural phenomena were blamed on them, and all actions by Schicksal and Anti-Entropy received the people's support and encouragement.
The moment the Eruption occurred, Schicksal immediately dispatched Ryn for support, as he was the fastest individual and had ample ability to deal with any potential Herrscher that might emerge.
Durandal was stabilizing the Bubble Universe within her body during this time and couldn't be deployed. Kika and Rita were sent out on other missions.
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"Do you hate? Do you desire power?"
A hollow voice emerged in the heart of Chen Tianwen, who was buried under the rubble. But severely injured and unconscious, she did not hear the inner whisper.
Yet, a sliver of power surged from her heart, and the girl's eyes fluttered open. Her body was pinned by a stone slab, every inch of her burned with excruciating pain, and her eyes could only see a blurry white fog.
"Do you desire power? Power enough to overturn the world."
This time, the girl heard it, but still paid no mind to the voice. The intense pain left her with no room for other thoughts.
Just then, the sound of a girl's cry and the rapid footsteps of long boots on stone reached her. Chen Tianwen used her last ounce of strength to call out twice.
"Big sister, save me..."
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A young girl, who should have been blossoming in her youth on campus, was now hiding in a corner shielded by debris.
She had long chestnut hair and pink eyes, with a blue-purple hairpin on the left side of her hair. On her head was a black beret, adorned with two white four-pointed star decorations.
"Dead... they're all dead."
Anna hugged herself in fear, curled up in the corner. The gruesome deaths of her comrades and the rampage of the Honkai Beasts plunged the fledgling Anna into endless panic and self-blame.
At 16, not long after successfully passing her A-rank Valkyrie assessment, she joined the elite Schicksal Valkyrie squad, the Snow Lotus Squad, and was highly regarded by the squad leader, who entrusted her with the role of vice-captain.
Everyone in the Snow Lotus Squad had a very close relationship, and they had promised each other to survive until retirement together...
But in the Manila Eruption, in just a few short minutes... the Snow Lotus Squad was completely wiped out, with Anna as the sole survivor.
"I... I'm a Valkyrie... how can I just hide here..."
Anna wanted to crawl out of the rubble, but the fear of death made her legs tremble uncontrollably, completely disobeying her commands.
A Honkai Beast's roar came from the sky. Judging by the sound and volume alone, it was a colossal Honkai Beast....
Escape... I must escape from here...
Anna had only one thought now: "Get out, survive."
Fear prevented her from moving her legs, but the desire for life gave her strength.
Anna started to run, running towards the Valkyrie assembly point.
"If I can get there... I can definitely survive."
The severed limbs, the half-dead moans and screams along the way, terrified Anna even more.
She didn't dare to look at those people, afraid that one glance would make her legs go so weak she wouldn't be able to stand up again.
"Why... why is it like this... this is completely different from what they taught us..."
"Liars... they're all liars...."
"They... they all said we were strong, why... why did everyone have to die!"
Tears streamed down Anna's face as she ran. Everything that had happened finally broke the 16-year-old girl.
"Big sister... save me..."
A weak voice interrupted Anna's thoughts. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw a girl who was not yet dead lying under the rubble.
"Big sister... save me..."
The girl's pleas for help were like a demon's, constantly tempting Anna to save her. But Anna, consumed by fear, continued to run without pausing.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry...."
Anna kept repeating words of self-blame as the distance between her and the rubble grew.
Deserter...
A terrible thought surfaced in Anna's mind.
"No... that's not it...."
Anna remembered the oath she had made when she became a Valkyrie... but now, her oath, her ideals, were shattered along with the city.
For the first time, the girl felt how weak she was, so weak that she didn't even have the courage to save a single life.
"No... I'm not a deserter.... What I wanted to do shouldn't be like this...."
"If it were Lady Cecilia... she definitely wouldn't have run away...."
"If it were Lord Durandal and Lord Ryn... they would definitely choose to save her...."
Anna's steps faltered. Clenching her trembling teeth, she turned and ran back towards the rubble where the girl was.
But reality was, after all, cruel. A Templar-class Honkai Beast stood atop the girl's rubble, and a large number of Honkai Zombies and Honkai Beasts were closing in....
Because the girl's Honkai energy adaptability was unusually high, the Honkai Beasts had received a divine oracle to welcome their new companion, or rather, their "master."
"......"
Self-blame, regret, and fear flooded Anna's heart. If she hadn't hesitated before, if she had chosen to save the girl... instead of running back now, would things have been different?
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry...."
Anna ran again. She couldn't save the girl, and she probably couldn't save herself either... the Honkai Beasts had already spotted her.
The Templar-class Honkai Beast raised its knight's lance and charged towards Anna at super-speed.
Anna watched the razor-sharp lance in despair. Death was so close now.
But time seemed to slow down, and a demon from hell wrapped itself around Anna.
"So... do you desire power? The desire to live? I can grant you the power to save everything, or destroy everything... and the price...."