"Come on, Big Sis Durandal, you've been chasing me for a whole day. You really can't catch me."
The next day, Chen Luo stood atop the TV tower, shouting at Durandal, who was pursuing him from a distance.
Durandal's armor allowed her to fly effortlessly to the tower's peak, where she confronted Chen Luo.
"I am not your 'big sis.'" Durandal planted her lance into the tower's metal plating.
"It's just a term of respect! And you might not believe this, but I was born in 2003."
"So you're claiming to be a 12-year-old child right now?" Since Chen Luo was willing to talk, Durandal didn't mind using this opportunity to gather intel.
Most of Durandal's missions were resolved through force, but that didn't mean she lacked intelligence.
Trained by Otto and having saved a world bubble at just 12 years old, no one could call her stupid.
If Chen Luo was truly born in 2003, he'd only be 12 in 2014, clearly inconsistent with his physique.
Then again, Durandal herself had become an S-rank Valkyrie at 14, with a tall, flawless figure, a testament to Cecilia's genes.
Could anyone believe Durandal was only 14 now?
Yet this 14-year-old had surpassed the Immortal Phoenix's 50,000 years.
Tsk tsk.
"Of course I'm not 12. But I really was born in 2003."
"2003 in your world?" After Chen Luo emphasized it, combined with the intel she had, Durandal pieced it together.
"Yet you seem extremely familiar with this world. That makes you a dangerous individual."
"Have some conscience, Bianka! What have I done in Nagazora besides fighting Honkai beasts? I even helped Schicksal against Anti-Entropy!" Chen Luo defended himself.
"...Regardless, surrender quietly and come to Schicksal with me. The Overseer wants to meet you." Durandal raised her lance.
"Sure."
"I'll have to use force if—Wait, what did you say?" Durandal froze mid-threat.
"Captain, you might not believe this, but I've always yearned to join Schicksal." Chen Luo raised three fingers solemnly.
He genuinely wanted in—Schicksal had far more valuable resources than Anti-Entropy.
Who knew what Otto had secretly developed?
Joining would unlock Schicksal's entire exchange list.
"Fine. If you come with me now, I'll recommend you to the Overseer. If you pass the vetting but he declines, I'll let you join Immortal Blades." Considering the traveler's escape skills, Durandal compromised.
She was certain Otto would find Chen Luo fascinating, getting him into Schicksal wouldn't be hard.
Even a nominal membership would bind this otherworldly knowledge-bearer to them. A deal Otto wouldn't refuse.
As for Immortal Blades? Otto would never assign someone like Chen Luo to combat—at least, that's how Durandal read him.
But she wasn't lying either. If Otto rejected him and his character checked out, she would take him in as an intern under the Immortal Blades as compensation.
...An intern, of course.
"That won't work." Chen Luo shook his head.
"Going back on your word already?" Durandal's lance steadied.
She hadn't brought Abyss Flower for this minor mission, but even a standard lance was enough to subdue him.
"Not reneging. But I need to stay here to eliminate Honkai beasts and zombies. This city just had its third eruption, survivors' chances are highest now. Every second wasted lowers those odds." Chen Luo explained.
Also, this event only lasted seven days. Who had time to visit Schicksal first?
Besides, World Serpent was still on his to-join list.
"...Don't worry. Schicksal will dispatch teams for rescue operations." Durandal paused before responding.
"Bianka 'Durandal' Atalanta, look me in the eye and tell me you believe that. If Schicksal actually sends people within seven days to save what might be a handful of survivors, I'll drink Nagazora's entire supply of nuclear—ahem—Honkai-contaminated wastewater." Chen Luo scoffed.
While he didn't know much, the Herrscher of Sentience's memories proved Schicksal had ignored Nagazora's Honkai outbreak for years.
Forget rescue efforts, they didn't even clear out the zombies.
Well, also because Nagazora was St. Freya's jurisdiction.
"...Global Honkai incidents are escalating. Schicksal may lack immediate manpower, but we will address this." Durandal insisted.
"Not good enough. If you want me at Schicksal, wait seven days. Until then, I'm killing every zombie and Honkai beast I find while searching for survivors. No exceptions. You can't stop me."
"Schicksal might intervene eventually, but how many days can civilians last here? As a Valkyrie, you know the answer. By the time backup arrives, it'll be too late." Chen Luo rolled his eyes at Durandal.
"...You have two options. One: I defeat and drag you to Schicksal. Two: You surrender and come willingly." Durandal cut to the chase.
This wasn't a dismissal of Chen Luo's stance, quite the opposite. She agreed with him.
Fighting Honkai and saving lives was a Valkyrie's duty.
Precisely because he was right, she refused to debate further, she couldn't refute him.
But sometimes, one had to choose between two rights.
Killing zombies mattered. But Chen Luo's otherworldly knowledge,and Chen Luo himself, mattered more.
Durandal understood this perfectly.
"See? Can't win the argument, so you resort to force. A bit much, no?" Chen Luo spread his hands helplessly.
"Fairness is irrelevant. Violence may not solve problems, but it solves the person who cause it." Durandal stated bluntly.
Despite her cool demeanor, Durandal was straightforward to a fault.
After all, she was Kiana Kaslana. Their personalities differed slightly, but the two Kianas were quite similar.
The idiot gene passed down from Kaslana's ancestors had never faded.
This held true for Kallen Kaslana, Siegfried Kaslana, and Kiana Kaslana alike.
"Fine. If that's your stance, no more talking. Here's the deal, meet me at yesterday's dinner spot for a game. If I lose, I'm yours to command. If I win, leave me alone for these seven days." Chen Luo proposed.
"I have no interest in games."
"But that's not your call." Chen Luo smirked.
"I'm off." Leaning backward, Chen Luo let himself plummet from the towering TV tower.
"You—" Durandal activated her thrusters to catch him, only to see him vanish mid-air.
"Disappeared again... Not overwhelmingly strong, but infuriatingly elusive." Durandal massaged her temples.
Rarely did she encounter foes like Chen Luo—no, not foes. Opponents.
Her usual enemies were Honkai beasts—straightforward brawlers. Hide-and-seek wasn't in their playbook.
Resigned, Durandal followed Chen Luo's clue to yesterday's restaurant.
She'd humor his game—and if possible, flip the table straight onto his head before dragging him unconscious to Schicksal.
Three minutes later...
A bar door materialized abruptly atop the TV tower.
"Ah, really gone? Typical Kaslana—so easy to fool."
Emerging to find the tracking talisman inactive, Chen Luo sighed in relief.
His earlier disappearance? The War Domain.
By designating himself and Little Senti as opponents, he'd entered the domain and retreated to the bar. Three minutes later, he returned via the fixed anchor point.
"I hope Durandal doesn't rage too hard when she realizes she's been scammed." Scribbling a note, Chen Luo left it behind before soaring away, opposite the restaurant's direction.
That bank vault had been annoyingly sturdy. At 70% decryption, Durandal had interrupted. Now was his chance to finish the job.
BOOM!
Fresh from looting the vault, Chen Luo heard the explosion outside.
Glancing up, he saw the 400-meter TV tower's pinnacle—his former anchor point—sheared clean off by some implement.
Now it stood a mere 380 meters tall.
"Tsk tsk. No need for tantrums. Did you have to wreck my anchor point?" Shaking his head, Chen Luo drew the Dull Blade and advanced toward distant zombies.
With the enemy far away, he could slaughter freely.
The talisman would alert him at 3 kilometers.
This game of tag? Durandal could never win.
Escape artistry was Chen Luo's specialty.
* * *
"5,900+ Primogems... Should I pull?"
As wind blades and the Dull Blade harvested zombies near and far, Chen Luo eyed the gacha interface.
Though he preferred saving for 100-pulls, reality wasn't a game. Time pressed, and dangers lurked.
Even after setting aside emergency funds, 30+ rolls remained feasible.
Better yet, he now had Crystals. In Honkai Impact 3rd, crystals were omnipotent.
[Ding! 1,000 zombies/Honkai beasts killed. Achievement unlocked: [Honkai Reaper]]
"Hmm?" The mechanical slaughter paused momentarily.
"Only 1,000 after a full day? Too slow." Chen Luo sighed.
Against the 10,000-kill goal, this was merely 10% progress.
Five days and nineteen hours remained.
"But yesterday's side quests ate time."
Finding Kiana, explanations over lunch, accompanying her to the TV tower, fighting Bronya, the Emperor class Honkai beast, the Herrscher of Thunder...
"Gacha and spending are unavoidable now. 10,000 kills is tight otherwise. As for Durandal..."
Chen Luo had a different idea for Durandal, who kept getting in his way
Why not trap her in the War Domain for five days?
Next delivery, straight to domain jail.
Constant evasion wasted precious time, and right now, time was money.
Inside the domain, without defeating the designated foe, no one escaped.
He could deliver three meals a day.
Normally, Chen Luo couldn't arbitrarily anchor the bar's exit. But astonishingly, the War Domain qualified as a separate "world."
As long as it remained active, it could serve as an anchor point.
The catch? Unresolved domains would release prior occupants when new ones formed.
Truly, Chen Luo had mastered domain exploitation.
"Now... spending time. The hoarder's triumph!"
Surveying his 5,930 Primogems and 5,927.5 Crystals (the 0.5 from partying with Kiana's group), Chen Luo grinned.
"TALENTS!!! GACHA!!! MY TURN TO PULL!!!"