The invisible black corruption virus left the little girl's body, circled around for a moment, and then entered the deceased fox god's body.
The dead fox god came back to life...
This time, it was no longer the transformed Honkai Beast but... a Herrscher! The revived fox god immediately sprouted four additional tails, becoming Five-Tailed!
Upon resurrection, the fox god swiftly lunged at Serenade, who still held the little girl.
"Watch out!"
Seeing the fox god's attack, Kallen, Yae Sakura, and the others finally couldn't hold back from intervening.
Their guns aimed at the fox god and fired without hesitation.
However, the bullets striking the fox god caused not even a hint of damage.
The sudden resurrection of the Fox God, more powerful than before, was entirely unexpected even to Serenade herself.
Sensing the danger behind them, Serenade swiftly changed from grabbing to embracing the little girl.
Holding the child close, Serenade's body seemed to dematerialize, the surrounding space lapsing into a rippling distortion... like a mirage or fleeting reflections on water.
As if in answer to a crow's call, the Fox God lunged directly at Serenade.
"Serenade-nee!!"
Witnessing the Fox God's attack on Serenade, Yae Sakura's expression shifted dramatically. She drew her katana, ready to charge forward.
However, after just a few steps, she froze, her face contorted with bewilderment...
The Fox God released its claws, and where Serenade should have been, there was nothing—no trace of the girl or anyone else.
Staring at the empty space where Serenade had been, not just Yae Sakura and the others were confounded, but even the Fox God itself was left utterly dumbfounded.
Just as the Fox God searched for Serenade, the cry of a crow echoed through the air, and space around Yae Sakura seemed to distort slightly.
Serenade emerged from subspace, holding the little girl.
"Serenade-nee, are you okay...?"
Relieved to see Serenade appear safely, Yae Sakura sighed. To her, any harm to Serenade would be just as distressing as harm to her little sister.
"I'm fine. Protect her!"
Shaking her head, Serenade handed the girl in her arms directly to Yae Sakura.
"She... isn't..."
Looking at the girl who had previously been possessed by the Herrscher, Yae Sakura felt somewhat hesitant.
"Don't worry! The Herrscher of Corruption has already left her body," Serenade explained immediately.
"Oh..."
Hearing Serenade's reassurance, Yae Sakura finally felt at ease.
After entrusting the girl to Yae Sakura, Serenade once again faced the Vixen possessed by the Herrscher of Corruption.
By this point, the Herrscher had fully transformed into a fox.
"Who exactly are you? A genetic warrior from the previous civilization?" Since the Herrscher of Corruption now directly inhabited the Vixen, it could speak. As it observed Serenade, the Herrscher of Corruption sensed a hint of danger...
"I'm not any such thing, merely an ordinary SSS-rank Valkyrie," replied Sereenade. Neither she nor the herrscher rushed to attack.
For... Serenade hadn't yet decided how to deal with this Herrscher.
To be honest, Serenade was currently at a disadvantage. Although she possessed several divine keys, not all Valkyries could wield them perfectly.
Each divine key required a compatible user.
And now, there were only two divine keys suitable for Serenade.
One was the strongest destructive divine key, "Judgement of Shamash," which members of the Kaslana family could use, albeit with some difficulty. The other was "Oath of Judah," which was suitable for Kallen.
The other divine keys might not allow the Sixth Serenade to fully harness their power.
For example, the owner of the "Black Abyss White Flower" divine key was either "Reanna Brigantia," "Cecilia Schariac," or "Durandal"...
If used by anyone else, the power of the Black Abyss White Flower... might not reach even one percent of its potential.
Cecilia could evenly match the Herrscher of the Void with the Black Abyss White Flower, but Kiana wielding it... would be a sitting duck.
This was the compatibility between Valkyries and the divine keys.
As for the two divine keys suitable for the Sixth Serenade, the Judgement of Shamash was simply too powerful... to be used at present. Additionally, the Oath of Judah, fully enhanced, remained in the unregistered hands of [Valkyrie Oath].
It couldn't be removed...
What a predicament...
"A mere SSS-rank Valkyrie? With that many S ranks... You may be strong, but... if I can't take you down, can I not harm those you care about?!"
Without warning, the Fox God ignored Serenade and charged straight for Kallen, Rin, and Yae Sakura.
"You..." Serenade's expression shifted instantly. She transformed into an ethereal glow, placing herself between the Fox God and her targets. Without hesitation, her Tranquil Rhapsody fired two shots directly at the charging Fox God's eyes.
But just as the bullets were about to hit the Fox God's eyes, it merely closed them, using its eyelids to block the attack. By then, the Fox God had reached Serenade, surging towards her like an enormous fireball.
Serenade's face remained composed. As the Fox God collided with her, she leaped up, landing a kick on its jaw. However...
This time was different from the previous two encounters. The Fox God seemed unaffected, while Serenade was sent flying several meters away. The impact forced her Oath of Judah crosses into the ground, coming to a halt only when they got impaled in the ground.
Serenade had been slammed away by the fox God, feeling slightly discomfort but nothing serious.
Quickly getting up, Serenade looked at the Herrscher-level fox God approaching Yae Sakura and her group... Of course, it could now be called "Higokumaru".
Since Sixth Serenade's power was not effective against this Herrscher, it's time to switch to another Valkyrie.
Serenade immediately accessed the Valkyries interface, scanning the four unlocked Valkyries without the slightest hesitation. She selected Gyakushinn Miko, another SSS-rank Valkyrie!
Change...
"The Valkyrie... Gyakushinn Miko, Yae Sakura, has joined the battle!"
Serenade's body instantly vanished, reappearing as a miko identical to Yae Sakura, except for the pair of long ears atop her head. Alongside her stood the little fox, Higokumaru, perched on Gyakushinn Miko's shoulder.
"Big sister... you're finally back!"
"Huh? Two big sisters? And there's one more without fox ears. Even that nun Kallen who stole my big sister is here..."
"And over there... that big fox is... isn't that me? Could this be Yae Village?"
Perched on Gyakushinn Miko's shoulder, Higokumaru gazed around at the crowd. Suddenly, a wave of astonishment hit her so hard that she lost her footing and tumbled off the Valkyrie's shoulder.