"So, you're saying this is a space similar to the Memorial Arena system... and I'm the helper you found?"
Himeko Murata shook off the last remnants of intoxication from her head, looking down at the girl's Valkyrie uniform she wore. She moved her arms, causing the Greatsword to slowly rotate with her wrist.
All of these weapons and battlesuits were manifestations provided by the system for the assisting Valkyrie, the most suitable weapons and armor sets.
Watching Himeko warming up with the Greatsword on the open ground, Luo Lin's eyes were full of envy—especially for that Sunfire Greatsword. Despite its underperformance in Honkai Impact 3rd game, for the current Luo Lin, as long as it wasn't a basic weapon, she wanted it.
"Yeah, the weight and heat of this equipment feel very authentic... The simulation systems at Headquarters probably can't achieve this level... You're possessing a cheat code here, just like the protagonist of those popular web novels lately, so this is like your cheat." Luo Lin nodded with a wry smile.
Himeko planted the Sunfire Greatsword into the ground and looked into the distance, staring at the floating Herrscher of the Void for a while before asking,
"Is that the Herrscher of the Void? Why does it look different from what I saw in the data... Shouldn't it be a child?"
She was referring to the purple-haired little Sirin.
"Yeah... Anyway, she is indeed the Herrscher of the Void."
Luo Lin couldn't outright say that the real identity of the Herrscher of the Void was her student, Kiana Kaslana. If Himeko didn't believe it, that would be fine, but if she did and continued to ask what's going on, it would lead to explaining the whole situation with Otto's Sirin Project...
Considering how Bianka had shown an affectionate attitude towards Luo Lin in reality, she felt that the credibility of the system's statement "the assisting Valkyries won't remember what happens here" had decreased significantly, so it was better not to say that to the current Himeko.
It was hard to say whether the summoned Himeko and Kiana had developed enough teacher-student bond. If Himeko accidentally chopped Kiana because of her poor handling,
it would be a big joke...
"Herrscher... With this equipment, I'm not even a match for an Emperor-class Honkai Beast..." Himeko stared at Luo Lin with some frustration, "Can't you summon my Scarlet Fusion Armor?"
"Sorry, I don't think I can do that right now..." Luo Lin put aside these thoughts and said, "Teacher Himeko, shall we try a challenge first?"
Himeko raised her eyebrows, somewhat speechless, and asked, "You're not my student, also, why do you call me teacher?"
"... Probably because you have a strong teacher vibe, so you are definitely a good teacher."
Yes, a teacher recognized by all Honkai Impact 3 players.
"What teacher vibe? You make it sound like I'm some kind of dish." Himeko sighed, "Okay, let's... give it a try then?"
Luo Lin took out her dual pistols, took a deep breath, and pressed the start challenge button.
[Beep... Beep... Beep...]
The piercing alarm made Himeko's eyes sharpen. She quickly walked up to Luo Lin and whispered, "I'll take the front!"
"Got it..."
[10, 9... 2, 1, 0!]
As the invisible restraints on the Herrscher of the Void were released at the countdown zero, she looked at the two standing in readiness before her, revealing a dangerous smile.
Himeko lightly tapped the sword handle, and the blade of the Sunfire Greatsword burst into bright light, distorting the surroundings due to the high heat. Instead of charging at the Herrscher of the Void right away, she held the blade up vigilantly, observing the enemy.
It was still Luo Lin who initiated the attack first. Like an arrow leaving the bowstring, she dashed out, firing her pistols in succession, immediately drawing the attention of the Herrscher of the Void.
This time, Luo Lin pulled the trigger firmly, and a series of golden meteors enveloped the Herrscher of the Void. Faced with this situation, the Queen's figure briefly flickered, instantly moving to another nearby location, evading all the bullets fired previously.
Perhaps because she was forced to move, the golden gaze of the Void Queen revealed direct anger. Several Subspace lances were summoned instantly, continuously attacking Luo Lin—
"Snap!"
Himeko darted out from a diagonal stab, wielding the Sunfire Greatsword to accurately intercept the path of the Subspace Lances. She shattered two consecutive spears, and then deflected the third and fourth ones with the blade's deviation.
The harsh creaking sound from the Sunfire Greatsword made Himeko frowned, giving up the idea of continuing to block.
With Himeko's assistance, Luo Lin managed to shake off the remaining Subspace lances, continuing to fire at the Herrscher of the Void. She threw out two grenades, the projectiles traced a curve in the air, precisely detonating near the Herrscher of the Void.
—And incidentally forced Himeko's charge back.
"What are you doing?!"
Himeko couldn't help but vent her frustration. She had just found an excellent angle, holding the Sunfire Greatsword ready to bravely leap over and deliver a strike to the Herrscher of the Void, but halfway through, she found her ally throwing two grenades, forcing her to abandon her attack.
As she saw the Herrscher of the Void shifting her attention to herself, Himeko felt a thick malice.
Incompatible allies, it's unlikely to end well!
It was also the first time for Luo Lin to cooperate seriously with someone. She used the remnants of the summoned Valkyrie's silhouette as a decoy to draw fire. She realized she hadn't had a chance to review the cooperative combat lessons taught at the Valkyrie Academy, so now she had to act based on instinct.
The Herrscher of the Void didn't give the two more time to think. After enduring the explosion of the grenades, she appeared in a sorry state from the smoke, with traces of blood on her clothes and arms—she was injured.
The pain intensified the golden light in her eyes, sensing a clear threat, she pointed down with both hands, and two attacks much larger than the previous Subspace Lances descended towards Luo Lin and Himeko.
The attack was easily avoided by the two, but Luo Lin seemed to recall something, turning her guns to attack the subspace lances stuck in the ground.
Himeko didn't understand what Luo Lin was doing, preparing to continue approaching the Herrscher of the Void, but what happened next made her regret not joining Luo Lin in smashing the large subspace lance:
The two large subspace lance remained on the ground for a few seconds before shattering and recombining, giving rise to two Templar-class Honkai Beasts—each holding a spear and a shield, standing in front of the two, loyally following the order to protect the Queen.
This was the Subspace Lance summoning technique... Of course, many players had never seen this move, after all, they already wore the best meta equipment on their valks and mass violent output easily countered the Herrscher of the Void, dispatching her in the blink of an eye.
Luo Lin had tried her best to output damage with her pistols, but unfortunately, the damage wasn't enough to destroy it, but the Templar-class Honkai Beast summoned by the subspace lance, which had been under attack by the Valkyries for a while, didn't look too good either, appearing somewhat crippled.
But even crippled, the Templar-class Honkai Beasts could still move. Together with their intact companion, they formed a solid barrier, preventing Himeko from advancing.
Although Luo Lin could still bypass these two Honkai Beasts to continue her attack, her small pistols couldn't pose a threat to the Herrscher of the Void.
The next moment, after accumulating for more than ten seconds, the Herrscher of the Void unleashed her technique. Numerous portals covered the sky, and in the desperate eyes of Luo Lin and Himeko, a downpour formed by subspace lances rained down!
"At this moment, it's time for judgment!"
The orange rain of light filled the entire challenge space, and amid the intense explosions, Himeko's consciousness gradually dissipated.
"... Teacher Himeko, wake up!"
"Huh?"
Himeko opened her eyes, looking at Luo Lin beside her with concern. She touched her body up and down, confirming that nothing was missing...
"That momentum..., I now believe she's the Herrscher of the Void..."
Reflecting on the feeling just now, Himeko muttered.