52. Mistress Rita? Goodbye, Kiana!
For any member of Schicksal, holding an S-rank Valkyrie in their arms would be the greatest reward imaginable.
So, when word got out that "a certain lucky bastard" had successfully hugged Dame Durandal without being slapped away, Gao Qi was destined to become the public enemy of all Valkyries.
Of course, at the very least, the girls of the Immortal Blades were won over by Gao Qi's excellent skills.
However, no one could have expected that just a few days later, this lucky bastard would once again hold another of Schicksal's S-rank Valkyries in his arms, sprinting at full speed through the alleys of Arc City.
Thankfully, a certain Otto fanatic, Schicksal's third S-rank Valkyrie, was still tucked away in Otto's cryo-chamber at the time, with some time left before her awakening. Otherwise, Gao Qi mused, he might have been able to make it a full set.
"Huff—ha, ha."
Carrying Rita in a princess carry, Gao Qi strode swiftly, fleeing through the deep alleys with agile steps.
His breathing was somewhat labored, and he was drenched in sweat, clearly exhausted.
The reason was simple: while escaping with Rita, Gao Qi didn't use the power of a MANTIS. Instead, he relied solely on his natural physique and a slightly damaged exoskeleton armor to run.
But logically, with Gao Qi's still diligently maintained muscular physique, carrying a girl while running shouldn't have been so strenuous. The problem was the horde of Honkai beasts chasing them from behind, and…
"I'm not intentionally teasing you, Vice-Captain Rita, but… is your gravitational pull toward Earth a bit strong?"
With one arm wrapped around Rita's slender back and the other supporting her firm yet soft thighs, Gao Qi had to admit that this young lady felt amazing to hold—her skin exceptionally smooth, almost rivaling Mobius's.
Rita's figure was slender yet voluptuous, the kind of perfect proportions rarely found outside of two-dimensional worlds, with just the right amount of flesh in all the right places. By visual estimate, she likely weighed just over a hundred pounds.
However, the heaviness he felt from her body far exceeded what someone of her stature should weigh.
Two hundred pounds? No, probably even more! If not for the exoskeleton assistance, Gao Qi, without using MANTIS powers, likely wouldn't have been able to lift her at all. In fact, the moment he caught Rita, his armor had already malfunctioned.
How to put it? While Gao Qi appreciated beautiful women, the physical strain was harder to bear than the mental pleasure—in every sense, it was overwhelming! If they were to marry in the future, his pelvis might just be crushed.
Of course, that was just a passing thought. He had no intention of straying—absolutely none!
"Th-This is the temporary deactivation of the Living Metal! Mr. Gao Qi, the enemy's special weapon temporarily isolated my Living Metal from the Honkai reactor. Normally, this armor is very light—and please refrain from discussing a lady's weight! It's quite impolite!"
Held tightly in Gao Qi's arms, Rita clung to his neck, somewhat helpless. This intimate contact was rather embarrassing for her, but she truly couldn't move at the moment.
The functionality of the 3rd Divine Key was similar to the electromagnetic laws controlled by the 3rd Herrscher—both could dissolve electromagnetic interactions between particles, achieving the effect of disintegrating matter.
Even though the 4th-generation armor was highly durable, after multiple hits from the 3rd Divine Key, the Azure Knight armor had temporarily shut down. In its unpowered state, the Living Metal material was terrifyingly heavy.
"If we just wait a bit longer, the reactor will restart. However, I'm afraid I can't move for now—I'm sorry, Mr. Gao Qi, for you to see me in such a sorry state."
Her pretty face couldn't help but flush slightly, and her wine-red eyes wavered a little. Rita, who always upheld elegance, rarely showed such hints of shyness and fluster.
Rita had always strictly demanded of herself to be a proper maid—more precisely, a Watcher.
To this end, she had to maintain elegance and composure, always staying perfect—a state that brought her great satisfaction.
But now, she knew well that her current state was far from elegant, even somewhat disheveled.
Having this embarrassing side fully witnessed by someone truly made Rita feel extremely awkward.
In response, Gao Qi simply smiled and shook his head.
"Don't worry, Miss Rita. This is hardly disheveled. I once knew a maid who, despite living independently for over a decade, never separated clothes by color when washing, often mixed up salt and sugar while cooking, and panicked every time a child cried, always needing my help… Sacrificing your appearance for a mission is quite dashing too~~"
Looking at Rita in his arms, Gao Qi thought of another maid he had just parted with—Raven.
Maid Miss Natasha was a fierce person who could pull an RPG from under her maid skirt. Compared to her, Miss Rita was much more professional.
"Miss Rita, are you aware of an attribute called 'gap moe'? A normally capable and elegant maid occasionally showing a clumsy side is quite cute too, isn't it?"
As he spoke, Gao Qi pulled out a string of energy-draining grenades from his waist—these weren't just for internal conflicts; they could also disable Honkai beasts.
"Seems there's no choice. These are the last grenades, Miss Rita."
However, before Gao Qi could throw them, Rita's small hand, braced against the heavy Valkyrie armor, gently touched his face.
"Huff, I'll take that as a compliment then, Mr. Gao Qi. I've recovered a bit of strength. Come, take a deep breath, slow your heartbeat. I'll hide our traces."
But with Rita's touch, Gao Qi nearly stumbled, his heart racing and his face flushing red.
"Uh, Miss Rita, while you are indeed adorable, I already have someone in my heart. Please don't take advantage of the situation to mess around. The suspension bridge effect is so strong; I'm afraid I might fall for you—I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have been cheeky!"
Before Gao Qi could finish, Rita raised her willow-leaf brows, extended a jade-like finger, and pinched his nose hard.
"No time for your cheekiness. Hold your breath and focus. Imagine you're diving. Three, two, one."
The next moment, following Rita's whisper, Gao Qi took a deep breath as if plunging into the deep sea.
Thump-thump-thump—
Amidst the heavy sound of galloping hooves, several Knight-class Honkai beasts, accompanied by a few mosquito-like Charge-class Honkai beasts, ran off into the distance. Shortly after, from the dense woods by the roadside, Gao Qi, still holding Rita, emerged from the shadows.
"Letting them go like this might endanger civilians. We can only hope everyone adheres to the curfew—this power is truly peculiar."
Although Rita couldn't activate her armor yet, she had used a unique power to merge the two into the shadows, erasing all traces of their presence—almost like Presence Concealment.
Gao Qi knew this was Rita's special skill. While not exactly a Stigma, it was an innate talent encoded in her genes. Raven's ability to sense Honkai was somewhat similar. Many people in this world were born with such powers.
"Let's rest for a bit. My armor will recover soon—please, please put me down."
Finally, as the surrounding Honkai reactions disappeared, Rita relaxed. But she soon realized she was still held tightly in Gao Qi's arms, her slender hand lightly pinching his nose—a rather ambiguous scene.
"OK, OK, be careful."
Gao Qi shrugged and gently set Rita down on the ground. In truth, if Gao Qi wished, those Honkai beasts would be no match for the power of a MANTIS.
But… once his power was exposed, Gao Qi wouldn't be able to stay in Schicksal any longer, and he quite liked it here.
Of course, if Rita were truly in danger, Gao Qi would have to unleash his true power. In that case, he could only ask Rita to convey an apology to Bianka.
"Ouch—hiss."
However, when Rita's armor-clad feet gently touched the ground, even someone as resilient as her couldn't help but let out a pained gasp.
"Don't move, I'll set you down slowly."
Gao Qi's expression turned serious. He gently picked Rita up and placed her on a bench along the forest path, then patted her calf.
"Take it off."
"Huh, wait—oh."
For a moment, Rita's mind went somewhere inappropriate, but she quickly understood what Gao Qi meant. With a light press on her thigh, her leg armor detached with a clatter, appearing lightweight but actually incredibly heavy.
A pair of jade-white feet and slender, delicate legs immediately caught Gao Qi's eye, but his attention was soon drawn to Rita's swollen ankle, making him frown.
When infused with Honkai energy, these materials were as lightweight as stockings and boots, causing no discomfort. However, after being struck by the Judgement of Shamash, Rita had been fighting in what felt like heavy plate armor.
Even with her superhuman physique, an ankle sprain was inevitable after intense combat. She had only pushed through thanks to adrenaline and painkillers.
Now, with the adrenaline wearing off, Rita finally felt the pain.
"Mmm—Mr. Gao Qi, don't, don't touch! Not there, you can't touch there!"
Rita watched nervously as Gao Qi gently cradled her foot in his hand and couldn't help but squirm.
"Stop fidgeting!"
Gao Qi promptly took out medical supplies from his bag, applying ointment and a cold compress in one swift motion. He then wrapped her foot with a special supportive bandage to prevent further injury. The variety of medical supplies in his backpack even put Rita, a maid well-versed in care, to shame.
Of course, when it came to childcare experience, Rita was miles behind him. Just think of little Hua—throughout her martial arts training, she'd suffered countless injuries, all treated by Gao Qi at home.
Soon, Rita's sprain was properly treated. She couldn't help but wiggle her bandaged foot, her toes rubbing slightly against the fabric as she adjusted to the unfamiliar sensation. She bit her lip lightly, looking somewhat awkward.
After all, she was usually the one caring for Bianka. Being looked after by someone else… felt indescribably strange.
Seeing her flustered expression, Gao Qi couldn't help but smirk, an idea forming in his mind.
"So, are you satisfied with my service, Rita—Master?!"
He then bowed seriously toward Rita, addressing her as "Master" with the professional smile he reserved for Mobius as her butler.
Mobius loved secretly playing this kind of role-play with him—even Klein wasn't allowed to watch!
The moment the words left his mouth, Rita's face flushed bright red all the way to her ears. She often used such teasing lines on Bianka and even other Valkyries during her maid duties, but this was the first time she had been addressed like this in return.
"N-no, no, Mr. Gao Qi, don't call me that! I-I'm just a maid, no—wait, we're colleagues!"
Rita finally understood how awkward and conflicted the people she teased must have felt.
Now, her usual composure was completely gone, and her embarrassed expression was something Gao Qi thoroughly enjoyed.
"Alright, alright, no more jokes. Seeing this adorable side of you, Miss Rita, I can fight without worries now."
Drawing two Honkai energy weapons from his waist, Gao Qi had long sensed a large number of Honkai beasts gathering nearby.
Rita's cloaking ability could only hide them for so long. Her armor was now saturated with the energy of a Divine Key, and the high concentration of Honkai energy would continue to draw Honkai beasts to their location.
Knowing this, Gao Qi had wanted to tease Rita a little. After all, if he truly unleashed the power of a MANTIS, he wouldn't be able to stay in Schicksal.
Where should he go next—maybe defect to Anti-Entropy?
Soon, Honkai beasts began approaching them from all directions, accompanied by faint purple flashes.
"Wait, Mr. Gao Qi, reinforcements will arrive soon. Don't go! No—I'm coming too!"
Just as Rita tried to stop Gao Qi and prepared to fight alongside him, a familiar, spirited shout echoed in their ears.
"Haahhhhhhh!!!"
Several laser beams shot past, instantly killing the leading Honkai beasts. Then, a white spear flew through the air, piercing another Honkai beast ahead.
The next moment, a nimble girl with long white hair, dressed in a black and white uniform, landed before them, wielding dual pistols.
"Don't you know there's a curfew in Arc City? What are you two lovebirds doing out here? Can't you adults behave? Hurry to a safe place… Huh?"
Turning around, the girl with heterochromatic blue and gold eyes looked surprised at the familiar faces before her.
"Rita! You—!"
Gao Qi and Rita were equally astonished, exclaiming in unison.
"Kiana?!"
Note: I'm new to translating so please be kind and tell me any mistakes you all find, I will try to release a chapter a day but don't expect much
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Raw: 崩坏模拟器,你找的人是我么?