"Lady Rita, the Immortal Blades Squad is fully prepared and ready to deploy for rescue operations at any time." Alvitr's voice rang out on the deck. Behind her were the fully armed Valkyries of the Immortal Blades. They were neatly lined up on the sortie bridge, awaiting combat orders.
Having arrived early but being forced to watch helplessly as the Herrscher rampaged on the island was obviously contrary to the educational concepts the Valkyries had always received. It was a test for everyone's hearts.
Therefore, after the turmoil subsided, even without instructions, they were all ready for battle.
Of course, the eagerness they felt was partly due to Alvitr's deliberate guidance with Ren's help.
Normally, the Immortal Blades, as a special forces unit, would prioritize obedience to orders as their first principle. But after all, they were all young girls. When ideals and orders conflicted, they would inevitably waver.
If this situation continued, Ren wouldn't even need extra measures to disintegrate this elite unit from within—provided that Durandal was not present.
Obviously, Rita was also well aware that she couldn't continue to delay. Therefore, even though Otto still hadn't issued any instructions, she still made orders based on the on-site situation.
She was loyal to Schicksal, but not Otto's tool. She had her own judgment.
"Immortal Blades, split into three teams and proceed to Coral Island's E6, S12, and central districts respectively to eliminate the remaining Honkai beasts and ensure the safety of civilians. Alvitr, you are responsible for coordinating the rescue efforts. If you encounter Honkai beasts that you cannot handle, call me immediately."
Beep.
Rita, who was about to continue giving orders, suddenly stopped and connected to the communication information coming from her headset. The communicator in the encrypted channel was naturally Otto, but the order he conveyed was somewhat unexpected to Rita.
Until she hung up the communication, Rita couldn't help but look towards the sky above Coral Island, revealing a strange expression.
"Lady Rita, is that headquarters' order?"
"Yes, Schicksal's logistics personnel will arrive in an hour. In the meantime, try to quell the remaining Honkai influence as much as possible and ensure the safety of rescue workers and survivors."
"In addition, during the Honkai outbreak on Coral Island, members of the Snow Lotus Squad stationed here evacuated most of the residents, greatly reducing casualties. You only need to try your best to ensure the safety of the evacuation points."
Although her strength was not top-tier, Rita's perception as an S-rank Valkyrie was naturally not bad either. That pillar of light that had quelled the Coral Island turmoil in one fell swoop was clearly something only a Herrscher could achieve.
And the aura of the Herrscher of the Void was something Rita would probably find hard to forget.
Otto calling at this time was obviously also aware of the inside story of Coral Island. However, the order he issued was for Rita to attribute all the credit for quelling Coral Island to the Snow Lotus Squad. If it was to conceal Kiana's existence, Rita would completely understand, but it didn't seem to be the case.
She temporarily put this matter aside and continued, "If you find anyone from World Serpent on the island, report to me immediately."
"World Serpent?"
"Yes, according to the analysis of Schicksal's intelligence department, the Honkai event on Coral Island is most likely another operation by World Serpent."
"Yes."
Following orders to pin the blame on World Serpent and briefly arranging tactics, Rita had the Immortal Blades begin rescue operations. But she herself did not participate in the rescue, instead taking her scythe and walking in the completely opposite direction.
…
"Cough, cough, cough."
In the ruins of Coral Island, a series of violent coughs came from the piled-up debris. A few pieces of broken bricks covering the top were lifted, and a gray-short-haired woman struggled out of them in a disheveled state.
Crimson blood overflowed from the corners of her lips with her coughs. Using the Divine Key, Seven Thunders of Retribution, as a crutch, Raven barely managed to get up from the collapsed ruins.
The destruction caused by the Herrscher of Ice was too great, and she was already seriously injured in the battle with Kiana. She was lucky not to have died directly on this island.
However, Raven, after all, had obtained extremely strong Honkai adaptability by bathing in Cecilia's holy blood. Her vitality after World Serpent's training and modification was quite tenacious, and she had still managed to survive the disaster in a precarious state.
Looking at the setting sun in the distance, Raven suddenly had a feeling of being in another world.
And what made her feel life was precious even more was the news she had learned from Kiana that Little Kong and the others were still alive.
She couldn't die here yet.
"Yo? Why is Miss Raven of World Serpent hiding in a place like this? You really made it hard for me to find you."
Just as Raven was preparing to contact World Serpent for rescue, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind her. Her expression changed drastically, and she immediately raised Seven Thunders of Retribution, aiming it at the direction of the voice.
However, before she could pull the trigger, a force came from the muzzle. A metallic blade swept across the barrel of the sniper rifle, attacking her with a sharp white light.
Ambushed, Raven immediately ducked, dodging the attack with a clumsy roll. At the moment of getting up, she used both hands to hold the gun above her head.
In the next instant, Raven only felt a numbness in her hands, and Seven Thunders of Retribution almost slipped out of her grasp. But she had no chance to catch her breath and could only use the momentum to fall backward, using the gun to protect her vitals.
Clang.
The surrounding ruins were easily cut open by the blade like tofu, and Raven's own arms and thighs also burst open with a large number of wounds under the tide-like offensive.
"Oh dear, why is Miss Raven in such a mess? You didn't look like this when you had victory in your grasp back then."
Along with the rustling sound of the enemy's scythe scraping against the ground, Rita's figure gradually became clear.
A faint smile hung on the corner of her lips as she looked at Raven with pity. However, the battle scythe in her hand, reflecting a cold light, didn't seem to be joking.
Back then, in the underground of Heliopolis Life Sciences Pharmaceutical, Rita had been schemed against by World Serpent and almost died at Raven's hands. If it hadn't been for Kiana's rescue, she would have been in a more miserable state.
At that time, Rita had made a vow that if she ever got the chance to catch Raven, she would definitely let the other party experience true pain.
Therefore, when she received Otto's secret letter, Rita was prepared to fight Raven. However, what she didn't expect was that the once high-spirited Raven was now in such a sorry state.
"Heh, it's you." Raven's eyes were cold, but now she couldn't even catch her breath when speaking, let alone fight.
"Hmm? So quiet. Do you know you're cornered?"
Raven spat out a mouthful of blood, "As expected of Schicksal's lackey, you're really good at kicking someone when they're down. But back then, you didn't look much better than me in that miserable state."
Rita wasn't angry. She had suffered too many setbacks, only the one at Heliopolis Life Sciences Pharmaceutical was the most dangerous. "Hmph, you still remember what I said back then, right?"
"Of course, I just hope Schicksal's methods won't disappoint me." Raven tried her best to find a way to break the situation, but Rita had almost blocked all her escape routes.
Unless World Serpent's people came to support her, but if it was World Serpent, perhaps only Kevin had the ability to bypass Schicksal's army. But for Kevin to personally come to her rescue, Raven admitted that she didn't have that much worth.
The only choice was to go to Schicksal for a few days first. After all, with the Lord of World Serpent around, Schicksal would definitely not dare to kill her easily. As for what kind of interrogation she would suffer, it would really depend on the other party's methods.
"Have you given up resisting? Tsk, how boring."
Watching Raven close her eyes and wait for death, Rita slowly walked to her side.
However, just as she was about to subdue her, Seven Thunders of Retribution, which had fallen to the ground, suddenly erupted with a violent arc of electricity.
In this electric light, Seven Thunders of Retribution's usual sniper rifle form actually began to change, transforming into a light purple katana.
Along with Seven Thunders of Retribution's transformation, there was also a loud dragon roar.