NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 249: Susannah
Crack.
The metal frame buckled, and the crane's pillar let out a piercing screech before collapsing under the giant beast's charge.
Amidst the billowing dust cloud, the shadowy figures of several Knight-class Honkai Beasts flickered, prowling through the debris as if searching for prey.
Hidden within the wreckage, a blonde-haired girl trembled, peeking cautiously through a gap in the girder.
"They can't see me, they can't see me." Poor Susannah had only arrived in ARC City less than half an hour ago and was already caught in this disaster. As a certified logistics Valkyrie, Susannah felt that all her combat experience from the past few years combined couldn't compare to the thrill of this moment.
"Didn't Alvitr say this city was the safest place? How is it even more dangerous than I imagined?" Mentally berating her friend, Susannah held her breath.
However, the next second, a spear shot through the debris, embedding itself in the concrete floor inches from her.
"Eek!" Terrified out of her wits, Susannah dared not hide any longer. Before the Honkai Beasts could approach, she scrambled out of the wreckage.
Roar.
Its prey revealed, the Honkai Beast's lance glowed, charging towards Susannah with unstoppable momentum.
"Waaaah! Don't chase me!"
Unfortunately, the Honkai Beast couldn't understand human language and continued its relentless pursuit.
Fortunately, as a B-rank Valkyrie, Susannah wasn't physically weak. It was just that her timid nature made everyone subconsciously protect her during missions, to the point where many forgot that every Valkyrie was an elite, chosen from thousands.
So, while the situation appeared perilous, she always managed to narrowly avoid danger. If she were a bit calmer, eliminating these Knight-class beasts with her weapons wouldn't be difficult.
However, she didn't seem to realize this, focusing solely on escaping.
"I need to find Sushang quickly."
Originally, the task of investigating ARC City shouldn't have fallen to her. However, after the Pacific disaster, Honkai eruptions had become more frequent worldwide, and there weren't enough combat Valkyries to go around.
Susannah had been sent to ARC City because Li Sushang was there. As long as they met up, her safety would be guaranteed.
But right after disembarking from the transport, before even catching a glimpse of Li Sushang, she was attacked by Honkai Beasts.
To avoid civilian casualties, Susannah could only act as bait, luring the beasts towards the uninhabited areas.
"Don't be afraid, Susannah, don't be afraid. You're a veteran Valkyrie who participated in the Far East incident; you won't be stopped by this small setback." Continuously encouraging herself, Susannah tried to regulate her breathing.
"What would Durandal do in this situation?" The image of Bianca's valiant figure flashed through her mind, bolstering her courage. However, she quickly realized that Durandal would probably dispatch this level of Honkai Beasts with a single casual spear thrust.
"I can't really replicate that." The teary-eyed girl looked back at the horde of beasts, but to her surprise, they seemed to have shifted their target, converging in another direction.
"Oh no." She realized that in her panic, she had run back towards the residential area. A red-haired woman passing by had attracted the beasts' attention.
"Look out!" Without hesitation, Susannah burst forth with strength far exceeding her limits, charging towards the Honkai Beasts. She managed to shield the woman just before a lance could pierce her.
However, this exposed Susannah herself to the beasts' attack. She closed her eyes tightly, countless thoughts flashing through her mind.
If I get hit, it'll hurt a lot, right? But if I die instantly, then I won't feel the pain, will I?
As Susannah was lost in thought, the anticipated pain didn't arrive. Instead, she found herself falling into a soft embrace.
She cautiously opened her eyes, seeing only a strand of flowing red hair. The scene before her flickered, and the woman she had just protected carried her away from the encircling beasts. Before Susannah could react, the massive Honkai Beasts were cleanly sliced in half by a greatsword.
"Huh?"
…
Atop a building in the outer district.
Black cat eyes reflected the scene that had just unfolded. Seeing Susannah safe, Su Cat, who had been observing the situation, silently retracted its claws.
"Looks like I don't need to intervene." Ren breathed a sigh of relief. Currently injured, forcibly using his powers through the cat clone would add to his burden.
Susannah was from Schicksal and had proper authorization to enter ARC City. If she were to die here, it would undoubtedly attract Otto's attention.
Himeko intervening had saved him a lot of trouble.
He glanced at Li Sushang beside him. The Bomber Buddies character she was controlling had just been pushed off the platform by another player. The girl's expression clearly showed her frustration, as if she wanted to send a Taixu Sword God through the internet to the other side.
Seeing the girl from 500 years ago being tormented by the malice of modern gamers, completely absorbed in the electronic world, Ren got up and left the arcade.
From the scene he had witnessed through Himeko's perspective, Ren noticed something amiss.
Although ARC City wasn't fully constructed yet, it had been modified by him and was protected by the Herrscher's power. Under normal circumstances, Honkai Beasts wouldn't dare invade the city.
Ren pulled up the monitoring records from the city's systems. The records showed that starting half an hour ago, the Honkai energy concentration around ARC City had been rising.
High concentrations of Honkai energy naturally attracted Honkai Beasts. Perhaps these beasts had been spurred by the energy surge to breach the defensive network.
"Were they attracted by Kiana's Herrscher aura earlier?"
This was the most logical explanation, but Ren felt there was more to it.
Kiana and Li Sushang's battle had been intense, but that was merely the outward appearance. Taixu Sword Qi was a technique that contained Honkai energy; their duel shouldn't have caused such a large-scale energy leak.
Of course, there was another possibility: these Honkai Beasts might have been driven here by the Pacific battle a few days ago.
Ren couldn't predict the full impact of that disaster, which had affected half the planet. The Far East had completely fallen, with most of the land submerged, and Shenzhou, not far from the coastline, was bound to be affected.
Was that truly the only reason?
The unease in his heart lingered, and Ren frowned. He was currently in ARC City; if there were a large-scale Honkai surge, he couldn't possibly be unaware. Compared to the possibility of a widespread Honkai eruption, he felt it was more likely that someone had deliberately orchestrated this.
However, there was no evidence yet. If he wanted to investigate, it wouldn't be difficult. He simply needed to unleash his authority and use the city-wide network of Domination threads.
But doing so would expose his plan to obtain Taixu Sword God, a significant loss.
"I'll take it one step at a time." Ren sighed, keeping the Honkai Beast situation in mind for now. With Himeko around, a small-scale beast wave shouldn't cause too much trouble.
Once he dealt with Li Sushang, investigating would be a simple matter.
However, to acquire Taixu Sword God, he had to resolve the Kiana issue first.
To save himself trouble earlier, Ren had set Kiana's access level too high, to the point where even he couldn't track her location in real-time. Her interference in his plans would be a nuisance.
It just so happened that Himeko, having finally reappeared after leaving the Theater of the Domination, was now present. If he could send her back to Kiana, the girl would surely leave the city. Then, Ren could proceed without interference.
Hopefully, everything goes smoothly.