After leaving the amusement park, Inaba Tsukiyo and her companions prepared to return. Anti-Entropy forces were already waiting to meet them outside the city.
The rendezvous point was outside the city, so they still needed to walk out of the city and take a relatively secluded path to reach the extraction point.
However, as they were leaving, a figure had been following them, and it was obvious this person was trailing them.
The three of them exchanged a knowing glance until the person tracking them hurried to catch up but found no one.
"What's going on? They were clearly here just now. Did I miss something? Or did I get exposed?"
The girl wearing sunglasses said with a puzzled expression. As she pondered, she felt the sky gradually darken.
Although this was a deserted area, the faint streetlights still illuminated it. For it to turn dark even with lights meant that... the people she was tracking hadn't disappeared. Just as she thought, they had already noticed her following them and were hiding on the wall, waiting for her to appear.
Without overthinking, the girl directly rolled on the ground, jumping away from her previous position. Just as she expected, two people jumped down where she had been standing.
"V-23 requesting emergency support! Target has discovered my whereabouts! Please immediately deploy weapons to me according to contingency plan 8! Mobile units on standby!"
The girl pulled out a miniature walkie-talkie-like device from her person.
"Repeat! Target has discovered my whereabouts! Please immediately deploy weapons to me according to contingency plan 8! Mobile units on standby!"
The moment the girl finished her call, something suddenly fell from the sky. The girl didn't even look and directly gripped the hilt of the weapon.
This was a giant lance. Upon closer inspection, it could be seen that it was composed of two different parts, black and white.
As the opponent finished her call, Yae Sakura had Higanbana interfere with the opponent's communication device, preventing her from using any equipment.
"This weapon is... Black Abyss White Flower! You are the S-Rank Valkyrie Durandal!!!"
Having spent so many years in Schicksal, Kiana immediately recognized the true identity of this weapon, and she couldn't possibly be mistaken, knowing it was a weapon her mother, Cecilia, once used.
According to Schicksal's records, the only person to use the Black Abyss White Flower was the S-Rank Valkyrie Durandal, and Durandal also had golden hair.
"Oh? You know me? It doesn't matter. I'll just capture all of you and report to His Excellency the Overseer. Eh? I remember the person I was supposed to capture wasn't you..."
Durandal clearly knew that the person she was supposed to capture was a Little Loli who looked about twelve or thirteen years old. Kiana and Yae Sakura didn't fit that description at all.
That's right, just now only Kiana and Yae Sakura ambushed her on the rooftop. Besides the two of them, there were no traces of anyone else.
But Durandal remembered that three people should have entered the alley. Where did the third person, Inaba Tsukiyo, go?
"Are you looking for me?"
As Durandal pondered, a chilling voice came from behind her, and at the same time, Durandal heard the sound of a weapon being gripped.
Years of combat experience made her quickly turn around and swing the black abyss.
The black abyss's attack was blocked. Looking up, Durandal found that the person who ambushed her was indeed the target of this mission.
Inaba Tsukiyo was not holding a weapon made of soul steel, yet Durandal could still feel a terrifying pressure from Inaba Tsukiyo.
Following the first clash, the battle between Durandal and Inaba Tsukiyo continued.
Durandal's ability to become an S-Rank Valkyrie was not solely due to her divine key; her own combat abilities were also extremely powerful.
Furthermore, she herself was a hardworking genius. Don't let her appearance as a beautiful girl fool you; when she gets serious, even an Emperor-class Honkai Beast would be instantly killed by her.
Unfortunately, Inaba Tsukiyo also possessed the ability to contend with an Emperor-class Honkai Beast, so Durandal's attacks fell short in front of Inaba Tsukiyo.
Both were masters of cold weapons. Durandal's black abyss possessed the power of [Decomposition]. Inaba Tsukiyo's weapon should have been easily destroyed, but every time the black abyss struck mikazuki munechika, it had no effect.
It was as if the power of [Decomposition] had vanished, having no effect no matter how many times they clashed.
Kiana originally intended to help, but Yae Sakura stopped her. Durandal was an S-Rank Valkyrie, and Inaba Tsukiyo herself possessed strength comparable to an S-Rank Valkyrie.
From the initial head-on collisions to the later weapon clashes, this was not something others could intervene in. Going to help might very well affect Inaba Tsukiyo's performance.
"Is this... the battle between S-Rank Valkyries? So amazing. But, I remember one of the Black Abyss White Flower's abilities should be decomposition, so why is Mama's weapon perfectly fine?"
It was clearly just an ordinary blade, so why could it withstand so many attacks from a divine key without breaking?
"Don't look at Tsukiyo with ordinary eyes. In the past, I also fought with Tsukiyo, but even using my full strength, I was no match for Tsukiyo."
"Eh? Sister Sakura, you can't beat Mama either? Even though your swordsmanship is so incredible."
When Kiana was at Anti-Entropy headquarters, she once foolishly challenged Yae Sakura and ended up being thoroughly dominated by her.
She had thought that with her powerful long-range attacks, it should have been a sure win.
But Yae Sakura could find those bullets that could harm her and cut them in half, which was simply terrifying.
Kiana and Yae Sakura's conversation was clearly heard by Higokumaru, who expressed disdain. Was this all of Inaba Tsukiyo's strength?
How could that be? This was an existence referred to as a god by all Herrschers. How could she only possess this much power?
Inaba Tsukiyo was merely playing with Durandal; if she had truly fought with all her strength, it's unknown how long Durandal would have lasted.
Clang!
The black abyss and mikazuki munechika collided, emitting intense sparks.
Cold sweat continuously dripped down Durandal's face. She had initially thought this would be a very simple mission, but she never expected the target she was supposed to capture to be so troublesome.
'This is too strange! Why isn't the Black Abyss White Flower's decomposition ability being used? No, the Black Abyss White Flower's power is being used, and the decomposition is proceeding smoothly, but why?'
Durandal pondered for a moment and suddenly noticed that mikazuki munechika's blade seemed to be covered with something.
Before she could observe it, a sudden immense force pushed Durandal violently away.
After flipping several times in the air, before she could stabilize herself, Durandal saw a pair of pupils glowing with a crimson light.
It happened in an instant. Durandal seemed to see three attacks coming at her simultaneously, as if three slashes were delivered in a single moment.
Cloud Radiance: Instant Light
Three Slashes in an Instant—this is one of Inaba Tsukiyo's ultimate techniques, a move that, when used within her critical range, can render an enemy unable to fight.
However, there's another condition for rendering an enemy unable to fight: that enemy must not possess any overly special attack capabilities.
Holy Lance Bloom!
A sky-piercing light seized everyone's attention. This was one of the Black Abyss White Flower's combat techniques, which Cecilia had used back when she was at St. Freya Academy.
Under this intense light, the slashes that were about to hit Durandal dissipated. Wielding the Black Abyss White Flower at full power, she charged towards Inaba Tsukiyo.
The Black Abyss White Flower at full power displayed an even stronger decomposition ability than before, which put pressure on Inaba Tsukiyo.
"Why does decomposition have no effect on your weapon? I know the weapon in your hand isn't made of Soul Steel! Even if it were made of Soul Steel, it couldn't withstand the power of the black abyss."
Moreover, the Black Abyss White Flower was being used at full power. Why was the only effect that the sparks became larger?
"I know... you mean the black abyss's decomposition power, right? It is indeed decomposing, but it's not decomposing the blade; it's decomposing something else."
The thing the black abyss had been decomposing all along was the magic power Inaba Tsukiyo had attached to the sword. It was precisely because this magic power resisted the decomposition force that it could continuously clash with the Black Abyss White Flower.
Coupled with the Magic Power Release ability, even if mikazuki munechika wasn't a weapon made of Soul Steel, it possessed the power to withstand a divine key.
"Something else? No wonder the Bishop wanted to capture you. It seems there's indeed something about you that interests the Bishop."
Although she had considered it might be because Inaba Tsukiyo was too cute, upon careful thought, Otto already had Theresa, so he shouldn't be dissatisfied. Moreover, with Otto's aloof personality, he wouldn't deploy an S-Rank Valkyrie like her just for a girl.
The only explanation was that there was something about Inaba Tsukiyo that Otto cared about, which was why he sent her to meet her.
The battle continued. The power of the Black Abyss White Flower, which was at full output, gradually diminished, but Durandal showed no signs of fatigue.
Despite such an intense battle, neither of them showed any signs of exhaustion. "These two are monsters," Kiana thought.
Just as a head-on clash concluded, Inaba Tsukiyo suddenly felt something and abruptly distanced herself from Durandal.
She looked at mikazuki munechika in her hand, puzzled. mikazuki munechika seemed to convey a feeling of fatigue, as if it could no longer hold on.
Although it sounded very mysterious, Inaba Tsukiyo still trusted this feeling. She stopped fighting and returned her weapon to the Imaginary Space.
"? Giving up the struggle?"
Durandal looked at Inaba Tsukiyo, puzzled by her act of putting away her weapon. Was she planning to surrender?
"No, it would be a pity to surrender after finally meeting such an interesting opponent."
"You should know that the battle has just begun. Let me let you experience the battle that the holder of this weapon experienced fourteen years ago."
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