Chapter 121: The Vishnu Gambit
Rovel stared, a cold knot of dread tightening in his stomach. He never would have expected this bizarre, almost surreal Honkai Beast to be one of the two existing Judgement-class Honkai Beasts: Vishnu.
This creature was a devourer, capable of endless growth by consuming other Honkai Beasts. And from the sheer pressure it radiated, the one before his eyes was perilously close to reaching the level of an Emperor-class.
It was already this difficult to handle now; if it truly succeeded in its evolution, the disaster it would unleash was unimaginable.
Himeko had clearly reached the same conclusion. With a sharp turn of the controls, she banked the small warship hard, its engines screaming in protest.
Using the surrounding skyscrapers as springboards, Rovel executed a series of powerful leaps, his body a blur against the twilight sky. He landed with a soft thud on the warship's deck, regrouping with Himeko.
"Rovel, that's the Honkai Beast Vishnu," she said, her voice tight with urgency. "We absolutely cannot let it leave this city! I've already notified Theresa for reinforcements; she's piloting the Hyperion and is on her way!"
The name sent a chill through Rovel, dredging up data he'd once reviewed in Schicksal's archives. The last Emperor-class Vishnu had appeared in 1971. To exterminate it, Schicksal had sacrificed five entire A-Rank Valkyrie Squads.
Five squads. One had to understand that for a unit to even be designated an A-Rank Squad, it had to be led by at least two A-Rank Valkyries. The losses were catastrophic.
The reason the cost had been so severe was a dark chapter in Schicksal's history. In 1955, Otto Apocalypse had personally authorized the launch of a nuclear missile, a weapon he used to assassinate Schicksal's one and only S-Rank Valkyrie at the time, Reanna.
After her death, the position of S-Rank Valkyrie remained tragically vacant for over two decades.
It was only many years later that the person who finally inherited that title emerged: Theresa Apocalypse. And it was precisely because Theresa possessed Honkai Beast factors derived from Vishnu within her own body that she was so powerful. Armed with the Divine Key, the Oath of Judah, Theresa had slain an Emperor-class Honkai Beast—Parvati—on her very first mission.
All of this served to highlight just how terrifying an Emperor-class Vishnu truly was.
Therefore, no matter the cost, they could not allow a second one to be born.
Standing atop the warship, Himeko swung her greatsword again, launching another wave of fiery energy toward Vishnu. But just as before, the beast dissolved into a quantum state, the attack passing harmlessly through the space it had occupied a moment before.
"Dammit..." Himeko cursed under her breath, her knuckles white on the hilt of her sword.
"Himeko, stay calm," Rovel said, his voice steady, cutting through her frustration. "If it wants to evolve into an Emperor-class, it's going to need a massive amount of energy. Under these circumstances, the fact that it's choosing to attack us is significant. It's very likely we have something it wants."
He was trying to soothe her, but his mind was racing. Although the data stated Vishnu evolved by devouring Honkai Beasts, the truth was far broader. Vishnu could devour many things. Theresa, with her partial Vishnu genes, could even devour dreams.
, Vishnu's evolution was variable; it would develop into different forms depending on what it consumed.
That meant both Rovel, a bearer of Stigmata, and the Honkai Energy Reactor powering their small warship were prime targets on its menu.
But if Vishnu continued to phase in and out of reality, they had no way to land a decisive blow. They had to create an opportunity for a one-hit kill. The problem was, Rovel lacked the raw power, Himeko lacked the speed to catch it, and Theresa wouldn't arrive for at least six hours.
"Himeko, I have an idea," Rovel began, his tone shifting. "I..."
"You're not allowed to use it." Himeko shot him a sharp glance, her eyes instantly guessing his intentions.
He wanted to unleash the power of Jizo Mitama. By channeling the Power of Erosion, he could directly affect Vishnu, severely restricting its regenerative abilities and perhaps even pinning it in place long enough for Himeko to land a finishing blow.
"Himeko, you know as well as I do that we have no idea when this thing will complete its evolution," Rovel argued, his gaze unwavering. "If it leaves this city as an Emperor-class, the number of people hurt won't be just one." His mind was already made up.
"I said no, and I mean no!" Himeko's voice was stern, her brow deeply furrowed. "We haven't reached that point of desperation yet!" How could she let her student willingly risk being consumed by Honkai corruption?
"No," Rovel replied softly, a grim finality in his voice. "We're already there."
He dropped his body's defenses. In an instant, the swirling black mist of Jizo Mitama, which had been held at bay, surged inward, pouring into his body like a tidal wave.
"...Rovel, you...!" Himeko choked on her words, a mixture of anger and disbelief warring on her face. Why was this boy so infuriatingly stubborn?
"Himeko, don't talk," Rovel said, his eyes closing as he focused his senses, letting his perception expand and merge with the corrupting energy.
Seconds ticked by, each one feeling like an eternity. With every passing moment, the progress of the Honkai Energy infection in his body crept higher. He had to let the Power of Erosion in beforehand because the process was too slow; if he waited for Vishnu to appear, it would be too late to act.
"It's here."
Rovel's eyes snapped open. The crimson of his pupils seemed deeper now, tinged with a bloodthirsty light.
As if summoned, Vishnu materialized in the sky above, unable to resist the lure of the concentrated Honkai energy any longer. It dove toward the small warship.
'Hokushin Ittō-ryū: Ultimate Technique - Moonlit Shadow Dance!'
Rovel's body flickered, his speed pushed beyond its absolute limits until he was practically walking on air. A series of phantom-like afterimages crisscrossed in the sky, each one passing directly through Vishnu's massive form, leaving a trail of black energy in its wake.
Vishnu's health bar, visible only to Rovel, plummeted by twenty percent.
The beast shrieked, a sound of pure agony, and tried to dematerialize again. But the searing pain from its wounds made its movements a fraction too slow.
"Himeko!" Rovel roared from mid-air.
"I've been ready!" she bellowed back, her voice a thunderclap. "Fusion Burst!"
The greatsword in her hands erupted with a dazzling, blindingly purple light that illuminated the entire sky, turning night into a violent dawn. She swung. A colossal wave of pure energy, wider than the warship itself, tore through the air. It struck Vishnu's core, piercing straight through its body and splitting it clean in two.
A five-digit damage number flashed before Rovel's eyes, instantly emptying the last of Vishnu's health bar.
The two halves of the great beast, now inert, fell heavily from the sky, crashing to the ground below.
As it fell, Rovel produced Mobius's scalpel and, with a final burst of speed, swiped it lightly across the creature's dissipating form.
[Obtained items: Vishnu Blood x17, Vishnu Wing-Claw x7, Vishnu Sharp Fang x5]
[Triggered Mobius's scalpel's additional collection effect: Vishnu Wing-Claw x2, Vishnu Sharp Fang x1]
With the loot secured, Rovel retracted the power of Jizo Mitama. The strength fled his limbs, and he stumbled. Himeko was there in a second, her arms catching him, her expression frantic.
Her eyes darted over his condition and her breath hitched. Disgusting, vein-like purple patterns had already spread from his chest, crawling up his neck. The degree of Honkai Energy erosion in his body had deepened yet again.
Without a word, she half-carried, half-dragged him back onto the small warship and pushed the engines to their maximum, streaking toward St. Freya Academy.
They met the Hyperion en route. Rovel was immediately transferred and placed into the flagship's advanced Treatment Pod.
Inside the pristine white medbay, Theresa and Himeko stood side-by-side, silently gazing at the boy suspended in the glowing green fluid. The air was thick with unspoken guilt and fear, leaving no room for words.
A small monitor beside the pod displayed a single, stark line of data.
[Honkai Energy Erosion Progress: 55.7%]
[Akarin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/AkarinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/AkarinTL
🔗 All My Links: linktr[.]ee/AkarinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]