Sensing the sharpness within the blue sword qi, Welt couldn't help but increase the output of Honkai Energy in his palm. The protective shield in front of him gradually thickened, showing a tendency to become almost solid, with hexagonal patterns demonstrating a geometric beauty.
The azure sword qi shot straight forward, slamming viciously against the shield, but its unparalleled sharpness could only leave a faint white mark on the dark red shield.
*Crackle~*
A flash of purple lightning pierced through the cold mist left by the blue sword qi, directly bypassing Welt and the shield in front of him, and pounced towards the Doctor behind the First Herrscher. Within that purple lightning, a figure quickly materialized—it was, in fact, the Thunder Soul.
His gaze swept over the Thunder Soul, and Welt lightly raised his left hand. A pale red shield instantly rose, firmly blocking the punch thrown by the Thunder Soul.
Blue-purple lightning coursed and raged across the shield, yet it was unable to advance even an inch.
On the other side, Ming Yu, who had leaped in front of Welt, twisted his waist, and his body abruptly spun half a circle, driving the black longsword to slash viciously at the mark left on the shield by the blue sword qi.
The Jizo Mitama flashed with red light, and a massive, crimson-armored right arm appeared behind Ming Yu, gripping an equally enormous longsword as it chopped down.
*Bang!*
The Jizo Mitama and the giant longsword held by the crimson-armored right arm slashed down together, landing heavily on the protective shield generated by the Star of Eden. The immense force caused the shield to tremble, and cracks spread out from under the black longsword.
But even so, the shield ultimately did not shatter and still stood firm, blocking Ming Yu's attack.
*Crackle~*
With a clap of thunder, the Thunder Soul, unable to achieve its goal, instantly disintegrated into several streaks of purple lightning that scattered, yet all converged towards the Jizo Mitama.
Amidst the thunder, the black longsword began to glow with an exceptionally dazzling purple light, illuminating Ming Yu's cold, blood-red eyes.
With a sudden downward press of his right hand, the Jizo Mitama, shrouded in lightning, burst with purple light, and the fine cracks on the shield expanded in an instant.
With a crisp sound out of nowhere, the red light on the Star of Eden dimmed, and the shield instantly shattered and disintegrated, countless irregular fragments scattering in all directions.
The black longsword, carrying the momentum of lightning, continued to slash down, but the quick-eyed Welt had already pulled Einstein back several steps, avoiding Ming Yu's follow-up attack.
"Enough! Human strength should not be wasted on infighting. The Honkai is our common enemy! There must be a misunderstanding in this matter. Anti-Entropy will give you an explanation!"
Shielding Einstein behind him, Welt stared at Ming Yu and said in a deep voice, his tone having gained a measure of seriousness.
After a few exchanges, he had developed a degree of appreciation for this young man and couldn't help but feel a desire to recruit talent. Given time, Ming Yu would surely become a mainstay in humanity's fight against the Honkai, provided he didn't die prematurely.
Welt was unwilling to deliver a killing blow to such a young man. If Ming Yu weren't a member of Schicksal and wearing armor that clearly belonged to an S-rank Valkyrie, he would have even wanted to personally invite Ming Yu to join Anti-Entropy.
"A misunderstanding? An explanation?" Ming Yu sneered, his calm tone filled with mockery. "I only trust what I see with my own eyes. Besides, you can't give me the explanation I want!"
No matter what, Einstein could not be absolved of her involvement in the Anti-Entropy invasion. But given Welt's relationship with her, he would certainly never allow Ming Yu to harm Einstein.
The conflict between him and Anti-Entropy would, in the end, have to be settled by the sword!
As his voice fell, a faint green light flickered around Ming Yu, and his whole person-hood shot towards Welt like a gust of wind, the lightning-wreathed black longsword aimed straight for the blue-haired girl behind him.
Sighing softly, Welt met him head-on without any hesitation, the spherical Star of Eden transforming into a steel-blue gauntlet that covered his right hand.
As the First Herrscher, his combat prowess was among the top tier in the world. And after years of arduous training, besides his Herrscher abilities, Welt's close-combat skills were not weak in the slightest.
Taking a step forward, Welt's right fist, clad in the Star of Eden gauntlet, fiercely punched towards the slashing Jizo Mitama.
*Bang!*
The gauntlet-shaped Star of Eden and the Jizo Mitama collided violently, sending out countless bright golden sparks.
Noticing the fine marks on the Star of Eden, Welt couldn't help but let out a soft sound of surprise, giving the black longsword in Ming Yu's hand another look. There weren't many weapons that could leave a mark on a Divine Key. Even if this wasn't the genuine article, it wasn't so easily damaged.
But soon, Welt had no time to dwell on the matter of Ming Yu's weapon.
With the assistance of Lunar Abyss, Ming Yu's combat power had taken a great leap, and close combat was his forte. Facing a Welt who had almost completely abandoned his Herrscher combat style, Ming Yu unleashed a merciless, stormy offensive.
Even though his opponent was the First Herrscher who fought for humanity, in the eyes of Ming Yu, who was filled with only anger and killing intent, he was merely an obstacle on his path of revenge. Naturally, he wouldn't hold back in the slightest.
And even Welt, who was not weak in close combat, had to be on his guard when facing a full-force Ming Yu.
For a time, black gravitational rays, purple lightning, and blue-white frost bloomed across the field together. Large craters were constantly formed, and the sounds of fists and feet clashing were endless.
......
In the high sky, a dozen kilometers from St. Freya, two battleships flew at a swift yet smooth speed, leaving two parallel trails in the clouds.
On the deck of the Hyperion, Himeko's expression immediately relaxed as she looked at the screen where a communication had just ended.
According to Theresa's intelligence, the enemies who had invaded the academy had been repelled. There were no casualties on St. Freya's side; only a few Valkyries on night patrol had been knocked unconscious, but fortunately, none of their lives were in danger.
As for Ming Yu, who had arrived first, he was currently tracking the fleeing invaders. Although the result wasn't out yet, given his strength and that Lunar Abyss armor, he would probably be fine.
What a close call!
Thinking of her earlier worries, Himeko couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.
Suddenly, the lights on the Hyperion abruptly dimmed. All the screens and light bulbs went out in an instant, plunging the entire Hyperion into darkness.
"What's going on?"
Himeko shouted loudly in the darkness, but only received chaotic responses.
In just a few seconds, the screens and lights came back on, as if the darkness just now was merely an illusion, but the constantly changing strings of characters on the screens proved that a real anomaly had occurred.
"Report, Colonel, the Hyperion's control center has been attacked by an unknown source. The specific losses are still being tallied."
Staring at the strings of characters on the screen, the Valkyries immediately gave their report.
Hearing the Valkyrie's report, Himeko frowned and shouted sternly, "Ai-chan!"
In the past, whenever she heard Himeko's call, the cabbage-headed girl who called herself the "Number One Idol of the Hyperion" would pop out immediately.
But this time, Himeko did not hear that familiar voice.
After a few seconds, a strange electronic voice sounded: "This is Nemesis, temporarily assuming supreme authority of the Hyperion!"
Nemesis?
Hearing this unfamiliar voice, Himeko's frown deepened. But soon, a piece of information suddenly popped into her mind.
Isn't Ming Yu's battleship called Nemesis?
"Nemesis? What are you doing!" Pushing herself up with both hands on the table, Himeko instantly stood up and shouted sternly, "Or rather, what does Ming Yu want to do!"
"The Captain is engaged in battle with a powerful enemy and requires fire support from the Hyperion." After a concise explanation, Nemesis immediately issued an order, "Hyperion main cannon, begin charging. Countdown ten seconds. 10, 9..."
Following Nemesis's command, the silver-white battleship slowly opened up, revealing the cannon muzzle in the center. A golden light gradually gathered, aimed distantly in the direction of St. Freya.
"Stop! Stop it!" Watching the structural changes to the Hyperion on the screen, a few traces of anxiety appeared on Himeko's face. "Explain the specific situation clearly, it's not like I would just let Ming Yu be left alone!"
But hearing Himeko's urgent cry, Nemesis showed no sign of stopping, and the countdown continued in an orderly fashion.
As the countdown gradually reached zero, Himeko's body couldn't help but slump into her chair. Regardless of whether what Nemesis said was true or false, the fact that the Hyperion had fired on St. Freya would not change.
And for Ming Yu to choose such a method of forcibly seizing control of the Hyperion, apart from the urgency of the matter, it was likely also due to a deep distrust of the Far East Branch. He firmly believed that his request for support would not be granted.
In other words, in Ming Yu's mind, someone in the Far East Branch might prevent his current battle and refuse to provide him with support. They might even stand on the side opposing him.
When she thought of Theresa's hesitant expression during the communication, Himeko's heart became even more chaotic.
"3, 2, 1. Hyperion main cannon, fire!"
As the voice fell, the fully charged main cannon trembled violently, and a pillar of golden light shot out from the Hyperion, rushing towards St. Freya. The massive pillar of light broke through countless clouds, drawing a long golden line across the night sky.
......
In the eastern forest of St. Freya, a fierce battle was still raging.
Blasting a black pillar of light with his right hand, Welt knocked Ming Yu back several meters, but his gaze shifted to the three War Souls standing apart on the side.
The red, white, and cyan War Souls stood in a triangle, enclosing the several people in the field. The powers of fire, frost, and gale began to gather, faintly showing signs of encirclement.
Moreover, the scale this time was completely different from the hasty defense before. The three War Souls had actually integrated themselves into the attack, and the intense Honkai Energy fluctuations made even him a little alarmed.
If this attack fully erupted, he, as the First Herrscher, might be unharmed, but he was not completely confident in his ability to protect Einstein.
There was no time to linger, he had to leave immediately!
A trace of determination flashed in his heart, and Welt's gaze towards Ming Yu became a bit more resolute.
While the three War Souls were preparing, it was Ming Yu who had held him back at all costs. He was willing to be injured just to let the War Souls complete this attack.
The battle had gone on until now, and the three pairs of light wings on Ming Yu's back had long since dissipated, yet he still refused to give up and held him down.
And because Einstein was still nearby, and Welt had developed a fondness for Ming Yu's talent, he had not dealt a killing blow. In addition, at least three out of every ten of Ming Yu's sword strikes were aimed at Einstein, forcing him to defend, which had allowed Ming Yu to drag the fight out until now.
Although he felt it was a bit of a pity, he had no better choice at this moment. In the face of Einstein's safety, a rising star was not something that couldn't be given up.
"Sorry. If you can survive this, consider it a favor I owe you."
Speaking in a low voice to Ming Yu, Welt converted the Star of Eden back into a sphere. The originally red sphere instantly turned pitch black, as if it could absorb even light itself.
"Star of Eden, release. Pseudo..."
The black Star of Eden abruptly enlarged, and the surrounding light was tightly bound, a black hole gradually forming in Welt's hand.
As long as the one releasing the attack was dealt with, the threat would naturally be resolved. What's more, the Thunder Soul, serving as the final catalyst, was still attached to Ming Yu's sword.
But upon seeing Welt's action, Ming Yu's figure instantly leaped back, the desperate posture he had adopted before vanishing completely. His retreating body even abruptly disappeared.
"The power of space?"
Seeing Ming Yu reappear in the distance, Welt was slightly surprised but still stopped the black hole in his hand.
At Ming Yu's distance, he was clearly unable to add the Thunder Soul to the War Souls' attack anymore. Besides, considering the balance of energy intensity, Ming Yu, by choosing to retreat, had already lost his final chance. If it was just the combined attack of three War Souls, it would not be able to break through his defense.
And sure enough, Ming Yu's next actions did not exceed his expectations.
After losing hope of keeping him there, Ming Yu decisively detonated the three War Souls. The chaotic storm contained a jumble of flames and frost, but its power was even less than the first time; at best, it could only confuse one's vision.
Thinking of this, Welt's heart suddenly jumped in alarm, and he hurriedly looked up. In his senses, a golden pillar of light was coming through the clouds.
And its landing point was precisely his location.
Although he was surprised by the precise timing of this attack, as soon as he felt the energy intensity in the pillar of light, Welt immediately relaxed. He stood unhurriedly in front of Einstein, an almost solid red shield slowly unfolding before his eyes.
Watching the Star of Eden glowing red in Welt's hand, a smile crept onto Ming Yu's lips under his silver mask, a hint of triumph flashing in his crimson eyes.
In his hand, the purple light on the Jizo Mitama had already dissipated, revealing the red glow underneath that had never dimmed.
The next moment, the Star of Eden in Welt's hand suddenly dimmed, and the shield that was slowly unfolding in front of him instantly disintegrated.
The Star of Eden had been disabled!
Hearing Ming Yu's loud laughter in his ears and looking at the red-glowing black sword in Ming Yu's hand, Welt finally understood its ability.
Sensing the scorching heat from that golden pillar of light, for the first time, a flicker of panic crossed Welt's eyes.