"Ugh, seriously? Are Herrschers this arrogant now? Let me give her a taste of my bullets first."
Siegfried immediately aimed his dual-pistol form of the Judgement of Shamash at Sirin and fired a shot.
However, the moment the bullet was fired, it passed right through Sirin's body without causing any damage.
Sirin retaliated instantly, sending out a ribbon of invisible thickness at lightning speed.
Sensing the danger, Siegfried quickly dodged to the side, but the ribbon still grazed his arm.
In an instant, blood gushed from the wound.
"Damn, good thing I dodged fast. Cecilia, be careful. This Herrscher's attacks are incredibly fast, and they might be impossible to block."
"Indeed, you can't block it. This is the power of space granted to me by my god. No defense can withstand it."
After delivering her lines, the battle erupted.
"Oath of Judah, lock on!"
During this battle, countless Valkyries disappeared, but in reality, they were all teleported away by Sirin.
Until only three S-rank Valkyries remained on the battlefield: Siegfried, Cecilia, and Theresa.
"You're all so weak. I'm done playing. Now, prepare for destruction."
Raising her right hand, Sirin summoned a massive spatial gate. Through it, a meteor from outer space could be seen, heading straight for Earth.
The meteor was a hundred kilometers in diameter. If it collided with Earth, it would undoubtedly wipe out the entire ecosystem.
Seeing this attack, the three of them widened their eyes in shock.
"Dammit! Cecilia, you guys go! Head to headquarters and call for reinforcements. Leave this to me. I'll unleash that move. Remember to tell Kiana that her father was a hero!"
Facing such an attack, only his Judgement of Shamash could handle it.
But that move was a wide-area attack, and he didn't want to harm Cecilia or Theresa.
Hearing this, Cecilia's pupils shrank. She knew what Siegfried was about to do.
But there was nothing she could do. Gritting her teeth, she grabbed Theresa and quickly retreated.
Sirin didn't pursue them, simply watching as they left.
As another meteor approached, Siegfried raised the Judgement of Shamash above his head.
"To protect those I love, Judgement of Shamash, Zero Power Output—Divine Judgement!"
In an instant, a light as brilliant as a star erupted, slashing toward the meteor—and Sirin.
The intense heat caused Siegfried excruciating pain, but he didn't let go.
Seeing this attack, Sirin was terrified. She quickly layered on every defense she could think of, including but not limited to ideal fluid barriers, spatial teleportation, and even shifting her body into another dimension.
In the distance, Cecilia saw this scene. She clenched her teeth and glanced at Theresa beside her.
Finally, she made a decision.
"Theresa, you're Kiana's godmother. From now on, Kiana will be in your care."
"Cecilia, what are you doing? Don't do anything reckless!"
"He's Siegfried, my love. Even if he dies, I must recover his body. I've been a neglectful mother. Please tell Kiana that her father and I both love her deeply."
With that, Cecilia grabbed the Black Abyss White Flower and rushed back, leaving Theresa stomping her feet in frustration.
But in the end, Theresa didn't chase after her. If she went too, Kiana would truly have no one left to care for her.
"Cecilia, you must come back safely."
After sending Theresa off, Cecilia quickly fled the battlefield.
By now, the flames had dissipated, and both Sirin and Siegfried reappeared.
Unlike in the original timeline, Sirin hadn't been overconfident and hadn't taken the Judgement of Shamash head-on. Thus, she wasn't badly injured. The only damage was a singed corner of her dress and a lot of sweat.
As for Siegfried, he lay there like a charred lump of coal.
But Sirin could sense that he was still alive, and something within him seemed to be awakening.
"Seriously, it's just acting. Why are you going all out?"
Sirin couldn't help but mock.
If it weren't for the fact that she couldn't spoil the script, she would've told Siegfried not to go so hard.
She then prepared to heal Siegfried.
But the next moment, the charred parts of Siegfried's body began to fall away, revealing strange patterns on his skin.
Unlike in the original timeline, where his Honkai beast genes awakened, this time, it was his Stigmata that had awakened.
But even with this awakening, Siegfried was now like a candle in the wind.
Cecilia, who had rushed back to the battlefield, breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Siegfried still alive.
Without hesitation, she activated the Black Abyss White Flower's Zero Power Output: Sacred Lance, Hasta.
At the same time, she unleashed her own Saint's Blood, as she wasn't sure if Siegfried, in his current state, could resist Honkai erosion like normal.
However, after all this, Cecilia herself was exhausted.
But she didn't care. Grabbing Siegfried by the collar, she began dragging him away.
"...?"
Sirin wondered if she should chase after them, but then decided to stay in character.
She sat down in mid-air, crossing her legs.
"Ants, I'll give you three minutes to run. Struggle as much as you can. After all, I love seeing the joy of hope turn into the despair of defeat."
Hearing this, Cecilia ran even harder.
Ignoring her injuries, she ran as if fueled by adrenaline.
Until she found Theresa.
Without a word, Cecilia handed Siegfried over to Theresa.
"Theresa, take Siegfried and run. I'll hold her off. Don't hesitate. We don't have much time."
Hearing this, Theresa, who had been overjoyed to see Cecilia alive, immediately frowned.
But despite her reluctance, she had no choice.
As soon as Theresa left, Sirin arrived.
"Ran away? No matter. I'll kill you quickly, then catch up and kill them too."
Watching their retreating figures, Sirin spoke in a calm tone, as if their escape meant nothing.
"Hmph, I won't give you that chance, Herrscher. I know you hate humanity, and I can't apologize on behalf of all humanity for what they've done to you.
But I won't let you harm them either. I'll use my death to hold you here. I believe Schicksal will make the right choice."
Cecilia knew Schicksal was monitoring the situation. Facing such a powerful enemy, she believed Schicksal would deploy their ultimate weapon.
All she needed to do was buy time. Just a little more time, even if it cost her life.