The woman, eyes closed, awaiting her fate.Nothing particularly noteworthy about her.Lu Xing's gaze was quickly drawn to the stone table beside her.
A tattered rag doll, covered in patches. Through the crooked, uneven stitches, stiff and discolored yellow cotton stubbornly peeked out—Honkai Beasts didn't need water, and in areas eroded by Honkai energy, water sources would likewise be affected.This doll probably hadn't been washed in a very long time.
War.Lu Xing hadn't experienced it in his past life, but in his short time as a Honkai Beast, he had already gained a profound understanding of these two words.Therefore, the other human was more deserving of Lu Xing's attention.
Golden twin-tails, naturally curled into drill shapes. Her skin, which should have been fair, was stained black by smoke and dust.Lu Xing didn't see her face directly.But judging by her physique and aura, she should be a female human cub around ten years old—an age when one should be traveling with Pokémon or saving the world with Digimon.To appear here...
Also surging within her body, the aura of Honkai energy was far stronger than that of the woman who was likely her mother.Lu Xing couldn't make precise calculations.But judging from the condition of the other woman eroded by Honkai energy, the concentration of Honkai energy within this little girl was definitely a lethal dose, magnified geometrically.
"..."Lu Xing didn't plan to stay long.Human adaptability experiments regarding Honkai energy.The purpose of this special forces unit stationed in the city was likely not far off from Lu Xing's guess—whether it concerned "new weapons" like "Divine Machines" or "artificial Deadmen," it made little difference.This kind of matter wasn't something he, as a Honkai Beast, could interfere with.And just as Lu Xing turned to leave—
Bang!
————
"?"Lu Xing had been shot.This was quite an incredible thing.A round bullet had come from behind him—within the building behind him, the only one capable of using "firearms" seemed to be that little girl who looked to be only ten years old.
Moreover...This bullet hadn't pierced Lu Xing's body.Although the impact point was the relatively vulnerable Honkai energy jet nozzle, it wasn't something a standard-caliber ordinary round could penetrate. Without special ammunition, to inflict a wound on a "Great Universe" class, one would need at least the autocannon of a fighter jet.
Rather than an attack.To him, this felt more like some kind of greeting.Lu Xing turned around.Nothing surprising.The one who had pulled the trigger was indeed the little girl with the spiral twin-tails.She wasn't some kind of superhuman... at least not yet. The reason she had spotted Lu Xing was the doll's "eyes," the only part of its entire body that could be considered shiny. The curved glass had perfectly reflected the image of Lu Xing's appearance.
Furthermore, judging by her small frame, the negative effects of firing the handgun were definitely not insignificant.Although she had adopted an extremely standard two-handed grip, her body was, after all, far from an adult's robustness. The powerful recoil had directly bruised the web of her hand and her shoulder and elbow joints a deep, slightly purplish-black.
To be able to fire a gun.This wasn't a good thing for a child.Especially since her shooting motion could even be described as "smooth as flowing water and moving clouds."What kind of training and "tutelage" must she have undergone to be able to pull the trigger on a "stranger" without hesitation?
Yes, a strange "person."The handgun, pulled from the zipper on the doll's back which could no longer close completely, was not a weapon meant to be used against Honkai Beasts at all.
Voom.Honkai energy flowed along the edges of his wings. Light blades, nearly 30 centimeters long, vibrated at an ultra-high frequency, tearing at the surrounding air.[Power Strike]!
The gunshot would attract unnecessary attention.This was, after all, "enemy-occupied territory." Lu Xing, who had snuck in, didn't want to cause more trouble. The little girl had many strange aspects, but regardless, she was ultimately just a human.Lu Xing raised his wings.Killing was something that, once started, could never be stopped.If it were a harmless civilian and Lu Xing wasn't in danger, he might not have acted.But she had picked up a firearm, this "creation and destroyer of civilization," and raised its "blade" against the "Honkai."Then there was no...
Lu Xing lowered his wings.
————
"Forget it."The front lines were ablaze with cannon fire.Although the scent of iron and blood could also be faintly discerned from the rear of the human-controlled zone, anything not witnessed firsthand could ultimately be numbed away as if it hadn't happened.The clear gunshot shattered the tranquility.For whatever reason, humans would soon come to investigate the situation.Between a report of "Honkai Beast appearing in the rear" and the speculation of "test subject killed by an unknown target."Lu Xing felt the former was more advantageous to him.This was a conclusion based on利害 (gains and losses), and had nothing to do with pity—"Mm, that's right."
Unfortunately, things didn't unfold as Lu Xing had imagined.The moment he retracted his Honkai energy, preparing to evacuate—when it was already too late to react—a vivid golden gleam flashed from behind... the little girl's back.
Thud!Clatter, clatter, clatter.
Lu Xing mobilized his Honkai energy once more.He watched with extreme caution as the "creature" slowly stood up behind the little girl's... corpse. Its withered white hair was lusterless, and its pale golden eyes were filled with uncontrolled Honkai energy.Its plain clothes were thoroughly dyed black, and a red, whether blood or Honkai energy, radiated a halo like an indicator light in a dense fog.And the most striking feature on its entire body was the scythe that had just cleaved the girl's neck, still dripping with slightly viscous blood.
Race: Guardian DeadmanLevel: 15Abilities: None
Lu Xing's [Appraisal] quickly obtained information from it.This thing wasn't strong at all. The reason Lu Xing had subconsciously focused his attention was the way it had appeared.One second it was human.The next, it had become a fiend that had taken the life of its "former" kin, perhaps even a relative.This was Honkai Sickness.
A slightly "annoyed" emotion fermented in Lu Xing's mind.It was like that feeling of... I clearly let this one off, but you had to butt in and ruin things.The Guardian Deadman showed no hostility towards Lu Xing.But he didn't plan to let it (?) go—banishing the complex emotions from his mind, Lu Xing prepared to cleave the creature before him.Perhaps "Deadmen" could provide some special achievement, or at worst, a first-time top-up gift package of experience points.
But just as Lu Xing gathered his Honkai energy again.Something even more horrifying happened:The corpse lying on the ground, in the span of two seconds, transitioned from writhing to crawling, then picked up its own head like a bottle stopper—Ignoring the blood soaking its body and clothes, it jammed it back into its original position with a thump.
Race: Prototype Variant Summoning Demon GodLevel: 20Abilities: Coffin Princess Summoning Undead Deadman II, Dark Energy Ray, Dark Energy Burst, [Burrow]