You wouldn't want them to be bullied, would you?

Page 204

"Although it is relatively backward, it is full of the vigor of a new civilization."

Eden sipped his drink, then countered, "Ellie, don't you plan to go out and see the world? In modern civilization, your fate will never be like ours."

"Of course I'm looking forward to it~ but... Eden, now is not the time."

Alicia politely declined Eden's suggestion, winked her right eye at him, and then returned to the guest sofa to continue chatting with Sirin.

—The story is mainly told by Sirin about the magical girls.

Eden looked at Alicia, who was patiently listening to Sirin's story, and suddenly smiled radiantly, as if something had occurred to her.

Then, she looked at Qiu Bi and asked curiously, "Qiu Bi, you seemed to have mentioned...precepts?"

“Yes, it originates from the commandments of ‘Aponia’,” Qiu Bi explained, then added softly, “Both Sirin and I possess ‘commandments,’ but I rarely use them.”

"I see……"

Eden nodded, without asking whether Qiu Bi and Xilin had used "commandments" on her.

As a comrade of Aponia, Eden was particularly familiar with the power of the "Commandments." Although he could not discern the number of "Commandments," he could at least tell whether he was affected by them.

Maria didn't have to wait long; Delta and Bella soon left the trial grounds.

"Eh? Lady Maria?"

When Delta saw Maria sitting upright on the guest sofa, she couldn't help but be stunned, almost thinking she was hallucinating.

Upon hearing this, Maria suddenly looked at Delta, a hint of bewilderment flashing in her eyes.

Looking at Delta's familiar face, she carefully searched her memories and finally recognized Delta.

"It was you... You've changed so much, I almost didn't recognize you."

"Lady Maria, I'm sorry for the trouble I caused you during that time."

During the time Delta was at Destiny Airport, she often went berserk due to endless hunger, and Maria or Colorless Flame would suppress her whenever this happened.

Maria waved her hand, not wanting to dwell on the matter, and instead asked, "Can I use the Trial Grounds now?"

“Of course! Lady Maria, let me guide you through your first experience of the Trial Grounds.”

"sorry to bother you."

Maria nodded to Delta, then looked at Qiu Bi, "Brother-in-law, I'll go into the trial grounds first."

"Go."

Qiu Bi waved and then watched Maria and Delta enter through the purple door.

Delta was once an ordinary Valkyrie who greatly admired S-rank Valkyries and naturally held Maria in high esteem.

Even with the physique that has become stronger by feeding on Honkai Beasts, this respect has not diminished.

Bella gracefully walked up behind Qiu Bi and bowed slightly: "Qiu Bi, I heard from Sirin that the Fifth Herrscher has already descended?"

"Yes. The Fifth Herrscher was the Herrscher of Metal, who descended last night, but has already been dealt with—did Sirin give a detailed account of what happened?"

"No."

"While Maria is at the training grounds for the first time, I'll give you a brief account of what happened back then."

"Ah."

Bella sat on the other side of Qiu Bi, her eyes fixed on Qiu Bi's profile.

Perhaps it was because she hadn't had close contact with Qiu Bi for a long time, or perhaps it was because of the recent repeated deaths, but now that she saw Qiu Bi again, she was eager to fill the emptiness in her heart.

Considering this was a paradise of the past, she could only suppress the throbbing in her heart and maintain her usual calm demeanor.

……

Maria was very unlucky.

Or perhaps, this "bad luck" was the result she had hoped for.

Having just suffered a crushing defeat at Nina's hands last night, and just as he was about to experience the bliss of the afterlife, he encountered Nina again and was killed by her.

Compared to Nina, who held back at the time, Nina's all-out attack was like an invincible "blade," instantly killing Maria.

Maria died almost instantly.

"Lady Maria, is that... the Herrscher of Metal who descended last night?"

"……Yes."

Maria seemed not to have recovered from death, and remained in a daze for a long time before answering Delta's question.

Delta gazed at Nina, who stood in the very center of the trial grounds, and then asked in confusion, "Lady Maria, how did you defeat her?"

Based on just the tip of the iceberg that Nina had shown, Delta did not believe that the Valkyries could defeat Nina.

Maria's expression was complicated. After hesitating for a long time, she finally accepted the fact that she had been defeated again.

"We failed to defeat the Herrscher of Metal."

"Whether it's me or the Lord of the World Serpent, we were both at a disadvantage when facing the Herrscher of Metal."

"If Kiana's 'Saintess Power' hadn't suppressed the Herrscher of Metal, we might have been defeated much sooner."

"I……"

"I'm just too weak. I can't do anything except kill weak Honkai Beasts and zombies..."

Maria clenched her fists, her eyes filled with resentment.

The path of the Valkyrie has come to an end; the road ahead is uncertain, or perhaps there is no road at all.

How exactly can we continue to become stronger?

Maria couldn't see the path beyond S-class Valkyrie at all.

Chapter 287 The Invitation of "Precepts"

Delta noticed Maria's confusion and wanted to comfort her, but she didn't know how.

After a long silence, she could only gently pat Maria's shoulder to comfort her.

"My lady, in the future... anything is possible."

"In the past, who could have imagined that a 'Valkyrie' would appear?"

"perhaps……"

"The path above S-rank has always existed, but it has been overlooked by everyone."

Delta spoke softly, comforting Maria with a white lie.

If paths above S-rank truly exist, then S-rank Valkyries will inevitably discover and pave those paths.

The fact that the Valkyrie's current ceiling is still S-rank already speaks volumes.

"...Thank you, Delta."

"It's alright! Lady Maria, you used to be my idol!"

When Delta became a Valkyrie, Cecilia had already retired and gotten married, leaving only Maria, who had just become an A-rank Valkyrie, to hold up half of the sky for Destiny.

—The other half of the sky was held up by Cheng Lixue.

Maria's later transformation into an S-class Valkyrie undoubtedly garnered her many fans.

Delta was one of them.

"An idol..."

Maria murmured to herself, as if she had regained her spirits, and with a deep breath, she returned to her former radiance.

Regardless, someone must pave the way for those who rise above S-rank Valkyrie.

No one has tried this before, so she will be the one to pioneer it from now on!

"Delta, let's leave the trial grounds first."

“Very well. Lady Maria, it is now my turn to undergo the trial—please enjoy my battle!”

"...Only one person can participate in the trial at a time?"

“That’s right, Bella and I used to take turns doing it.”

"..."

Maria fell silent, unsure of what to say.

Recalling that the Paradise of the Past was not open to Valkyries below S-rank, she suddenly realized the truth.

perhaps……

The reason why it is not open to Valkyries below S rank is not only because the difficulty is quite high, but also because the Paradise of the Past cannot allow multiple people to participate in the trial at the same time.

Then, the two bypassed the silent Nina and walked towards the gently floating purple door.

Just as Maria was about to step through the purple door, she suddenly turned back to look at Nina, her eyes filled with complex emotions, and it was unclear what she was thinking.

"Lady Maria, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing... Delta, let's go."

……

Paradise of the past.

Maria and Delta had just left the trial grounds when they saw a group of people gathered on the guest sofa "watching a movie".

The purple void, created by Celine, reflects popular movies of today, thus creating an atmosphere similar to a movie theater.

In addition, Celine specially took out several buckets of popcorn and distributed them to Angeline, Eden, Bella, and Qiu Bi.

As for Alicia...

She is now a memory entity and cannot enjoy delicious food.

Bella and Eden sat on either side of Qiu Bi, either resting their heads on Qiu Bi's shoulders or holding hands with him.

"Welcome back!"

Alicia noticed Maria and Delta's return immediately and quickly got up to greet them.