"Roar—"
The pitch-black porcupine, after the daylight was completely swallowed by darkness, lifted its massive snout, lined with disorderly tusks, on the hillside, letting out its first roar since its genesis.
In her eyes, she saw "Lin" putting on his usual gear, fully armed, standing before her. The familiar azure viewing window was lit up in the darkness, shining like a light of hope into her heart.
Once upon a time, all she ever saw was his back.
Always covered in scars, but never disheartened, rising again and again like a hero people spoke of.
Even though he always said he wasn't a hero and couldn't become one, in her eyes, he was her hero, guiding her way forward.
Thus, as Lin weakened time and again, until finally, little of his original body remained, her spirit was fading along with him.
It was okay that nothing had changed before. Change only needed to start now.
Lin isolated himself behind that helmet. One day, he would surely be able to shed that curtain and return to the way he should be.
"I'm going."
"Lin" nodded to her. To her ears, the tone of "Lin's" words was no longer cold and emotionless as usual, but contained a subtle emotion that was hard to detect, yet she had discovered it.
So she smiled gently: "Yes, same as before, I will protect our comrades. Squad Member Lin, fight with confidence."
"…I will."
The ferocious porcupine shuddered. Every quill on its body, each as thick as a utility pole, rattled against one another, making a metallic sound that sent shivers down the spine. Even in the blackness of the night, those quills vaguely glimmered with a cold light capable of piercing anything.
It first targeted the West. In that direction, it could sense a considerable number of humans. As a subordinate of the Herrscher of Death, it possessed a certain degree of life-sensing ability and was exceptionally sensitive to the human aura. In the current gap before its master fully mastered her Authority, it would be responsible for eliminating the humans in this city.
And with the awakening of this behemoth, zombies and Honkai Beasts also began to appear out of nowhere in the city. Unlike before, they weren't humans and animals infected and eroded by Honkai Energy, but truly emerged from empty spaces. The only commonality was the desire for slaughter and bloodlust in their bestial eyes.
The porcupine took a step. Every step caused the entire hill to shake. The term earth-shaking couldn't be more appropriate for it. Its body, seemingly covered in fat, was full of explosive power. Even merely brushing against a tree would uproot it.
After descending the hill, every stomp of its foot caused the amusement park facilities to collapse. The massive Ferris wheel, when scraped by its quills as it passed, buckled from the base and crashed to the ground.
Perhaps influenced by the Herrscher of Death's subjective will, the porcupine possessed an intelligence that was quite high, even among High-Class Honkai Beasts. It knew that the Herrscher of Death had already annihilated the combat squads sent for reconnaissance, and the city's military strength could no longer stop it. The two little insects who frequently harassed them were not worth mentioning. One of them had a life aura so weak that it was less than that of a zombie; it could barely sense his presence.
Some impurities were mixed within that man's body. While even zombies and Honkai Beasts are merely a combination of simple biology and Honkai Energy, he possessed a substance that even living organisms feared, likely having used a drug that destroyed biological cells.
The porcupine was not in a hurry to leave. The Sixth Herrscher needed it to eliminate those two people. It sensed one of them had left, and the other, due to his weak aura, it needed to search for carefully.
In her eyes, "Lin" was using his information gathering device to search the entire amusement park. She was fully confident in "Lin," as this was what "Lin" excelled at. No information could escape his eyes.
"Don't worry. I will protect you until support arrives," she happily told the others. Seeing Lin active on the battlefield again, she felt a strange excitement.
Wait? Did I want to see Lin fight?… No, that can't be right…
The confusion in her eyes didn't last long, broken by a thunderous crash.
…
The porcupine searched every place where a person might be hiding. For it, this was not a difficult task. It only needed to use its quills, massive hooves, and tail to sweep away the buildings, which looked minuscule compared to its size, and check among the rubble for any human remains.
Just as it reached the haunted house, it didn't notice the high-voltage wire that had, at some point, fallen to the ground beneath its feet.
A figure secretly flipped the circuit breaker. High-voltage electricity instantly traveled along the wire and into the porcupine's body, but this level of voltage only caused it to twitch, like a mere tickle. It looked toward the hidden figure.
A single, glowing green vertical pupil, like a snake hunting its prey, silently watched it.
"Howl!"
The moment it confirmed the target, the quills on the porcupine's head instantly stood up, tilting downward, aiming at the fragile figure. With another furious roar, all the quills, capable of piercing a hillside, burst out instantly.
Lin did not immediately dodge. He stood at a distance, concentrating fully on the massive quills. Even an accidental brush from their air-slicing tips could turn his body into a pile of minced meat.
No, even the wind pressure generated could make him lose his balance.
Therefore, he could not run away frantically; that would only accelerate his death.
Lin used his crutch-leg for support, and his other leg burst with power. Under the continuous effect of the drug, his muscle condition returned to a normal level, making extreme maneuvers entirely possible.
His whole being shot out like a phantom, turning into an elusive shadow. Countless quills flew over his head. Not a single one hit him.
"Roar—"
Unexpectedly, Lin did not flee but charged toward it. The porcupine, which had been anticipating Lin's escape path, let out another roar. It lifted its front hoof and brought it down in a stomp aimed at the swiftly approaching Lin.
Its weight surpassed that of the Emperor-class Honkai Beast of the Fifth Honkai. The power of Death within its body also spread across its whole being at this moment, adhering to its skin.
Touch meant death.
"Don't lose, Lin!"
From a distance, she cried out to the person facing the monster.
"You are my hero! So don't lose!"
"Lin!"
That ugly monster would not be Lin's opponent. He had faced countless unbeatable opponents and achieved miraculous victories countless times.
"Lin" raised his arm, clenching his fist into a bow, as majestic as a crescent moon.
Lin lowered his head, his breath weak, frail yet charging head-on.
"Am I your 'hero'…"
Lin looked up.
That's right, heroes don't lose… so, I will win…