Herrscher of Dominance in Honkai, starting with the abduction of Kiana

"Beep. Honkai energy electromagnetic shielding device deployed."

As the cube's notification sounded, Susannah breathed a sigh of relief. "That should do it. With these shielding devices, the city should be safe from Honkai Beast attacks."

Looking at the fully deployed devices, a sense of pride welled up within Susannah. Setting aside her combat abilities, she was quite confident in her logistical skills.

"What are you setting up?" A weak voice came from behind her. Susannah turned and quickly supported the pale-faced Himeko.

"Are you feeling better?" After an entire night of relentless attacks, wave after wave of Honkai Beasts, even Himeko, despite her best efforts, was only an A-rank Valkyrie. Moreover, she was alone, unable to defend every part of such a large city.

The attacks had only begun to subside towards dawn. Exhausted, Himeko had collapsed. It was Susannah who had carried her, barely managing to avoid being captured by the retreating beasts.

Susannah's concern didn't ease Himeko's worry. She frowned, staring at the small cube, sensing a faint Honkai energy fluctuation emanating from it.

"This is a Honkai energy shielding device developed by Schicksal. It can prevent Honkai Beasts from entering to a certain extent," Susannah explained.

"Is that... so?" For some reason, Himeko felt uneasy about the device. However, considering she had left Schicksal a long time ago, it was possible they had developed new technology. She dismissed the feeling.

"By the way, are you the leader of a Valkyrie squad? You're incredibly strong." Having witnessed Himeko's formidable prowess firsthand, Susannah was convinced she was a powerful Schicksal squad leader.

Moreover, Himeko looked vaguely familiar. Susannah felt like she had seen her somewhere before, perhaps during a joint Valkyrie operation.

Valkyrie… Even though only a few months had passed, the term felt foreign to Himeko. She thought of her time at St. Freya, of Kiana, who had once aspired to be Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie, and the state she was in now. It was all Otto's fault.

"No, I'm not a Valkyrie," she denied, shaking her head.

"Oh?" Susannah was slightly disappointed. Honestly, besides the two squad leaders of the Immortal Blades and the newly awakened Sushang, Himeko was the strongest and most resolute woman she had ever met, especially considering she had saved her life.

Seeing Susannah's disappointment, Himeko smiled faintly, patting her head. "Alright, you probably still have a mission, right? The Honkai Beasts have retreated now. If you delay too long, you won't be able to complete it."

"Oh right, Sushang!" Preoccupied with deploying the devices, Susannah had almost forgotten that finding Li Sushang was her primary objective. As her guide, Sushang must be waiting impatiently.

Li Sushang was a recently awakened S-rank Valkyrie, and Susannah didn't know her temperament. Being late and neglecting her duties would be a serious offense.

Quickly waving goodbye to Himeko, Susannah hurried towards the area where Li Sushang might be.

As the clumsy girl's figure disappeared into the distance, the gentle smile on Himeko's face faded. Looking at the heavily damaged buildings, a worried expression crept onto her face.

Can I really protect this city?

…

"The eastern district is under Honkai attack. All residents, please evacuate to the nearest shelter. Please strictly adhere to the Honkai evacuation guidelines. We will do our utmost to ensure the safety of every citizen."

The announcement echoed through the air in another part of the city, just like four months ago.

However, unlike the panicked tone from before, the current announcement was calm and reassuring. Under its influence, the evacuating residents remained orderly.

This was the Obsidian Concord's impact on this city. They believed in the city, and they believed in hope.

"Hurry! Children and women first!" A man with a fully prosthetic right leg maintained order. He was a victim of the Honkai attack a few months ago.

Having lost his loved ones, he was now alone. He had once resented the world, but now, facing another Honkai eruption, he was voluntarily helping others evacuate. Only he knew what had changed.

Hope and miracles existed, just like the magical girls in this world. That was the significance of this Obsidian Concord city, reborn from destruction.

Everyone evacuated in an orderly manner, with no stampedes. The mechs responsible for maintaining order in the city immediately began their work, engaging the smaller Honkai Beasts.

"It seems they already know about the existence of Honkai Beasts?" Li Sushang, as she continued to slay the beasts, was puzzled. Generally, the appearance of Honkai Beasts would cause mass panic, so their existence was usually kept secret.

She hadn't expected the people of this city to be so accustomed to their presence. This saved her a lot of trouble, at least she didn't have to worry about people wandering into the battlefield.

"Perfect." She held her fingers together before her chest. Golden light traced an arc in her hands, and the sky seemed to open up like a curtain of rain, countless pale blue sword blades falling like droplets, dancing at her fingertips.

"Ten Thousand Swords Return to One!"

The sword rain poured down, piercing through the dense horde of Honkai Beasts. The larger beasts only lasted a few seconds before being shredded by the endless barrage of flying swords.

Despite this, the horde showed no signs of thinning, continuing to pour into the city from the outskirts.

"Is something attracting them?" Li Sushang sensed something was amiss. As she prepared to set up a sword array to temporarily hold back the beasts while she investigated, an Emperor-class Honkai Beast barged into the fray.

The sword array, which had easily dispatched lesser beasts, couldn't even penetrate the Emperor-class's armor. The downpour of swords shattered against its surface like raindrops. It forced its way into the street, plowing deep furrows in the ground.

Li Sushang wasn't afraid of Emperor-class beasts, but this would undoubtedly hinder her movements. If more beasts appeared at this time…

Before the thought could fully form, a roar echoed from another direction.

And it was only a step away from the crowd.

"Damn it!"

Just as Li Sushang felt overwhelmed, a flash of sword light bloomed from within the crowd.

The Honkai Beast, falling from a height of over ten meters, collided with the sword light, its descent abruptly halted.

The impact shattered the ground. Amidst the thick dust cloud, a single, slender figure stood, seemingly holding up the falling behemoth like Atlas bearing the weight of the heavens.

"Run!" A metallic taste filled his mouth, and Ren coughed up a mouthful of blood. Looking at the stunned crowd, he barked, "Get to safety!"

Even with the Herrscher of Reason core as a power source, this body's limit was only S-rank. Moreover, enduring Taixu Sword God last night had taken a heavy toll.

His objective was to eliminate the source of the Honkai eruption; he shouldn't be wasting his energy on this. Yet, seeing these hopeful faces, he couldn't bring himself to ignore them.

As a Herrscher, what do the lives of these mortals matter to me?

He repeated the thought in his mind, yet he had still chosen to intervene.

"Thank you…" Grateful gazes met his as they obediently made their way towards the underground shelter.

"Go!" Ren grunted, the sword light in his hand intensifying.