CHAPTER 471: I WANT TO LIVE

"Hah!"

The seemingly cumbersome greatsword effortlessly cleaved the heavy mech—which stood twice a person’s height—in two. Himeko controlled her breathing, suppressing the urge to pant as she dropped low and rolled quickly to her right.

BOOM!

The massive sonic boom left her dazed. Thankfully, the ground was paved with armor plating. If it had been an ordinary concrete road, the shrapnel from the mech’s fist would have been a serious problem.

Even so, the punch completely pulverized the "corpse" of the first mech, and tiny shards of shrapnel slashed two long, bloody gashes across Himeko’s face.

"Hah—huu—"

Himeko gasped for air. Leaning forward, she propped herself up with her left hand, her knees hovering just inches from the floor. With a sharp kick, her upper body snapped backward, her entire frame flipping low across the ground to evade the heavy mech’s sweeping punch. The greatsword she held level with the ground slid forward with her motion, neatly severing the mech’s thick legs.

"Urk!"

Her exhausted body crossed paths with the toppling mech.

Himeko seized the opportunity, reaching out to grab the ammo feed belt on its back. The sharp edge of the belt instantly sliced her palm open. Gritting her teeth against the pain, Himeko pushed herself up, using her momentum to leap onto the mech’s back and thrust her sword straight into its Honkai Reactor core.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Honkai energy, so dense it was almost black, poured out from the gash the greatsword had created. Purple markings immediately began to spread across the back of the hand she used to hold the sword. On top of her fatigue, a wave of dizziness and nausea washed over her, and even her vision began to blur.

Himeko decided to abandon her greatsword for the moment. As far as she could tell, this was the last heavy mech in the area. She leaped down from its back, staggering to put some distance between them.

In just those few short seconds, the purple markings had already crept past her wrist and up her forearm, disappearing beneath her battlesuit.

"Ngh... Cough, cough!"

Himeko used her injured left hand to cover the markings on her right, but while she could hide the marks, how could she conceal the weakness spreading through her body?

The colors of the world around her faded into a blur, with only the stark white light outlining every object remaining painfully bright.

Sounds became muffled, as if reaching her through a thick curtain of water.

"Himeko... Major Himeko?"

"Ugh!"

Clarity returned with a jolt. Himeko’s foot slipped, but she managed to stabilize herself by digging the sharp heel of her boot into the ground.

"Hey! Uh... Major Himeko, are you okay?"

Tesla’s tone was as brash and impatient as ever. Himeko could tell she was clearly struggling not to lead with a curse.

"Sorry, Dr. Tesla. I think I need to rest for a bit."

Tesla’s brow furrowed, but she didn’t say anything. She simply raised her mech-encased arm, and a cannon barrel the size of a bowl materialized in her palm. With one shot, she destroyed the control center of the heavy mech that hadn’t completely powered down yet.

"My apologies. Making a researcher like you handle the finishing blow... Nngh!"

Tesla pursed her lips. She had been about to fire back with a crude taunt, but seeing Himeko in such a weak state, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything.

The two of them instinctively retreated a few steps to avoid the Honkai energy still leaking from the reactor.

It seemed Tesla had already given the order. The mech troops they had brought along had already broken up into smaller units and infiltrated the floating harbor, save for a small contingent guarding their position.

Schicksal and Anti-Entropy’s mech technology shared the same origin, and Tesla’s anger was justified.

Schicksal had indeed pirated far too much of her tech without paying any licensing fees.

As a result, many mechs from both organizations were almost identical in appearance, differing only in their paint jobs. This would likely cause the Valkyries a fair bit of trouble.

Furthermore, these mechs could also scout the points of anomalous Honkai energy readings Ai-chan had marked. Although Theresa had already tasked Fu Hua with finding Kiana, Tesla figured that even someone as powerful as the Azure Empyrea was still just one person. When it came to finding someone, the side with superior numbers ought to shoulder more of the burden.

However, this did seem to complicate their original mission.

Tesla looked at the constantly coughing Himeko, a mix of emotions churning within her. The Valkyrie before her was clearly at her limit, yet she showed no sign of abandoning the mission.

She didn’t like... no, she hated people like this, people who insisted on fighting when their bodies were already failing them. She despised those who neglected their own well-being to fight for others... just like that person she had lost contact with.

But for all her skill at swearing, she found herself at a loss for words when faced with such people. All she could do was... blame that guy for it all!

"Hmph! So this is the Artificial Stigmata your Schicksal Valkyries use. It’s a half-finished product with a ton of side effects, yet they forced it into widespread use. Fits a guy like Otto perfectly. After all, Valkyries are nothing but tools to him. And what’s more, there are still so many girls who know the risks and throw themselves into becoming Valkyries anyway. Sigh..."

Himeko glanced at Tesla, unsure how to respond. Fortunately, her body hadn’t fully recovered, so she feigned being focused on resting.

Tesla didn’t get a reply but wasn’t annoyed. Her interactions with Einstein had long since accustomed her to this. It was better to just talk to herself than to expect a response from that bird’s nest of a woman.

With Himeko silent, she just continued muttering to herself as usual.

"I’ve seen a lot of Valkyries, both before and after the advent of Artificial Stigmata. It truly is an incredible technology. Before it, A-rank Valkyries were almost all carriers of partially awakened natural Stigmata. The Valkyrie forces were small, with fewer than a thousand combat-ready personnel at any given time. For large-scale Honkai operations, we often had to form joint armies with Shenzhou."

"But after the Artificial Stigmata appeared, the number of Valkyries expanded several times over. A huge number of ordinary people without Stigmata became A-rank Valkyries, and that Rita even became an S-rank. But... when a person is forcibly given power their body can’t handle, how far can they truly go?"

For once, Tesla’s voice was calm, with no trace of her usual profanity.

"The Stigmata grants you a power you could never touch otherwise, but your body is still just a normal body. You don’t have the Honkai energy adaptability of a natural Stigmata awakener, yet you’re forced to wield a Stigmata’s power. I’ll be blunt: that fact alone means that no matter how much they improve the Artificial Stigmata, they can never erase this fundamental conflict. They can only patch it up. It just delays the organ failure caused by Honkai corruption, maybe from age thirty to thirty-two."

"That’s why we at Anti-Entropy refuse to use them. The power gap between A-rank and B-rank Valkyries can be filled by mechs, as long as you’re willing to throw more and more money at the problem. As for S-rank Valkyries with Herrscher-level combat potential, that Rita is the only exception so far."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

Himeko felt a bit of her strength return. At least her vision was no longer blurry, and though her limbs still felt weak, she could manage if she pushed herself. She finally had the energy to speak, straightening her posture as she did.

"Why? Just to make you understand what will happen if you keep fighting. And don’t bother hiding it, I saw the marks on your right hand. I thought you were struggling back on the Hyperion’s deck. Getting older means your stamina declines, but you shouldn’t be in this state at thirty."

"I thought back, and in Anti-Entropy’s records, you’ve rarely appeared in a combat role during our skirmishes with the Far East Branch these past two years. So it’s because the Honkai corruption has gotten this bad..."

"And?"

Himeko shook her head. Seeing that the Honkai energy from the mech’s reactor had mostly dissipated, she walked over, climbed onto the wreckage, and gripped the hilt of her greatsword.

"Hey! I’m not kidding around here. As a Valkyrie, your Honkai resistance is much stronger than a normal person’s. Even though you have the purple markings of Honkai sickness, as long as you avoid any more contact with Honkai energy and stop using your Artificial Stigmata, it might take ten or twenty years for those markings to reach your heart. You could even choose to amputate your right arm to stop the sickness from progressing. But if you keep fighting and let those purple marks spread to your torso, it’s a death sentence."

"A death sentence, huh..."

Himeko sighed. Blood was still dripping from her left palm, rendering the hand useless for now. She bent her left arm, using her forearm to brace against the mech as she pulled the greatsword free. She used that momentum to swing the massive blade up and rest it on her shoulder.

"Dr. Tesla, do you really think I don’t already know all of this?"

Tesla fell silent.

How could she not know? It was precisely because she knew that she hated it.

"When I signed up for the Valkyrie assessment, the instructor told us all about it. We all knew that the Artificial Stigmata would steal our futures. But more importantly, it gave us the power to change our present. Back then, I was young and hot-blooded, and I just felt that nothing is more unbearable than being powerless. Now, at least I have a chance to change things. And in a way, just having that chance is a kind of happiness."

"I’ve personally seen a comrade retire early due to Honkai infection. A few months later, I attended her funeral. I’ve even had to kill a comrade who turned into a Honkai Zombie because of the infection. So how could I not know? Or maybe, why do you think I took an early retirement and went to the Far East Branch to teach a bunch of brats for a negligible salary?"

Before Tesla could answer, she gave her own reply.

"My Valkyrie assault squad was wiped out. I was the only one who survived because I’d taken leave and missed the mission. There were other reasons, of course. I like the atmosphere at St. Freya, and I believe in Theresa’s dream. But to be objective and rational about it, when I first chose to retire, there was probably only one thought in my head—I want to live. Who wants to die if they can live?"

"It might not be the best time to quote an enemy, but I do remember Michael telling me something once: ’The essence of humanity is to offer one’s life for something that is not for oneself.’ He said those were the words of a former comrade of his, so... never mind him. Of course I want to live. But my three students are here, and I don’t even know if they’re alive or dead. What choice do I have? If it weren’t for those three little brats, I never would have gotten on Theresa’s crazy train back in the Far East."

She made a little joke, but it only made the atmosphere between them heavier.

"And stop looking at me like I’m already dead. It’s bad luck."

Himeko shook her head with a wry smile. She rolled up the sleeve of her battlesuit, looking at the purple markings that had just crept past her wrist.

"Come on, I still want to live. We’ve only just gotten here, right? As long as the markings don’t spread to my torso after this one battle, I’ll be fine. I’ll be short an arm, sure, so I’ll have to lower my standards for a future partner. But my salary from the assault squad was a huge sum. If worse comes to worst, I’ll just use that money to keep a pretty boy! Hahaha!"

"You’re unbelievable! Utterly irrational!"

Tesla tore at her hair, feeling like she was about to explode with anger.

This person, spouting "I want to live" with every other breath, while her eyes were filled with the resolve of someone marching to their death... It was...

It was infuriating, but she had no idea how to vent that anger at her.

All that pent-up frustration had nowhere to go but inward, and the feeling was indescribable.

"Forget it, forget it! I’m done arguing with you. Do whatever the hell you want, what’s it to me? Are you rested? If you’re ready, let’s move out. I promised Theresa I’d get both of those girls back."

"Uh... heh. Well, regardless, thank you for your concern."

"You... ugh. Fine. But don’t get too discouraged. Knowing that son of a bitch Otto, he always has a backup plan for everything. He’s probably already developed some cure for Honkai sickness and is just sitting on it with a stomach full of evil schemes."

It wasn’t that Tesla felt an overwhelming need to curse Otto. It was just, what was that saying within Anti-Entropy? When you don’t know how to break an awkward silence, just start cursing Otto.

It’s not like Otto or his dogs would ever hear it, anyway.

"Oh? Slandering the Overseer behind his back is very poor form, you know."

"Shit! You’ve gotta be kidding me!"

The moment the voice sounded behind her, Tesla lunged forward as fast as she could. But it was pointless. The frost-wreathed scythe was aimed at her lower body; Rita wouldn’t make such an amateur mistake.

CLANG!

Himeko swung her greatsword with one hand, parrying the blow for Tesla. As fellow Valkyries, their eyes met instinctively, and then the clang of their weapons became a continuous roar.

Sparks flew, and ice froze every arc of lightning. The afterimages left by the swinging greatsword and giant scythe almost seemed to hang in the air.

The scythe looked larger, but it was a weapon that could be wielded at high speed with one hand, requiring extremely delicate and precise control, unlike the greatsword, which relied more on the user’s explosive power.

Of course, a greatsword wielder could often use brute force to briefly overwhelm any opponent.

Unfortunately, setting aside the difference in their combat techniques, Himeko couldn’t use her left arm, robbing her of even her strength advantage. She forced herself to barely match Rita’s tempo, blocking a good twenty strikes in just a few seconds.

Then, a profound sense of powerlessness washed over her. Her arm strength and stamina were at their absolute limit. Her vision blurred, and in the next instant, Rita was behind her, scythe slung over her back.

"Tch! Don’t you dare ignore me!"

Tesla raised her hand, aiming the energy cannon in her palm at Rita’s chest.

Would this shot miss and hit Himeko?

Tesla had no time to hesitate, but unnervingly, she saw Rita’s serene smile, which remained perfectly in place even in the heat of battle.

"Is that so? And then what?"

"I’m not some defenseless researcher, you just wait and—huh?"

Her entire mechanical arm was frozen solid, stuck in place and utterly immobile. The temperature was so low that Tesla couldn’t even feel her own arm anymore.

By the time she realized what had happened, Rita had already positioned her scythe. The sharp pommel at its base was aimed at Himeko’s back, while the massive blade at its tip was pressed against Tesla’s neck.