***
Face–to–face with the Emperor class Honkai beast. Aurora consults with Alter for a plan.
(Why are you asking me? I'm not an answer book. You have more experience in combat than me.) She shut down Aurora's attempt at an easy battle plan.
"Shit." She thinks, and thinks, trying to create some sort of plan or idea at least.
That time however wouldn't come as on instinct her body uses honkai energy to dodge the knight's charge.
–Boom–
Missing Aurora the knight charged into the apartments behind her, blowing up the building itself.
"No time to think of a plan, only action then." She calls upon a ball of plasma and blasts it at the beast piercing through a few streets behind it.
(You're using too much power again. Focus — narrow it. Don't waste energy. Just because you're a Herrscher doesn't mean you get to spam flashy moves.) Alter switched to teacher mode. She does this quite often when it comes to their power itself. Due to her intrinsic understanding she can guide Aurora on how to use their power better.
"Got it." The world slows as she pulls the soulium sword from her waist. Drawing it and taking Thor's stance. She takes a deep breath. Closes her eyes and says, "First form. Severance."
She slashed her sword horizontally. Reality glitched. Space cracked. What followed was destruction — pure, utter destruction. A line of light could be seen. Nothing happened until she sheathed her sword with a click.
–Click–
Time restarted. The beasts stood frozen — then split.
Honkai fell in pieces. Buildings crumbled. Cars erupted into flame.
She stood still, sword sheathed, eyes closed.
–ZHOOOM–
She dodged a beam of light, opening her eyes and finally getting a look at the beast.
A deer–like beast. 4 Horns, 2 on the front, 2 on the rear. Using a light-based attack formed from Honkai energy.
"This could be annoying." She groaned, knowing this might take a while.
(Nah, I'd win) She said in the most Thor-like voice she could.
"Stop imitating Thor, he's a bad influence." She dodged another attack. A blast this time. She then rushed towards the beast fighting head-on.
***
"That's how a Herrscher fights??" This isn't even in the realm of humanity anymore. Thor had told her that Herrschers are built different, but she didn't think it was this much.
'Hold up. He said I'd be able to fight like that in future? Am I even going to be human at that point?
What's the point of fighting monsters if you have to become one?' Caught in a moral dilemma she didn't notice the beam meant for Aurora, would also hit her.
–ZHOOOM–
The beam hit the barrier Thor put in place, absorbing the beam and strengthening itself.
Drenched in cold sweat Hua fell to her knees knowing that if it wasn't for the barrier she'd be dead. Unable to avenge her friend, and her father.
'God bless you Thor.' She prayed, it was the best she could think of at that point to bring herself comfort.
***
A horde of beasts and zombies had surrounded a warehouse.
From the exterior walls and roof a bunch of different turrets emerged.
Neither the beasts or zombies took notice of it. A mistake, as from the roof a mortar–looking turret was charging a shot. A light blue glow and sparks crackled around it. Once the charging was complete it fired into the middle of the horde.
–KABOOM–
A pulse of energy spread from the blast. While not affecting the beasts, most of the zombies nearby had been vaporised.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The rest of the turrets open fire on the remaining beasts and zombies.
Bullets, rockets, cannons, anything to deal with the beasts was used.
Thor had watched all of this from afar. At first he wondered why all these beasts and zombies gathered here. Looking into the warehouse he saw hundreds of survivors.
He sensed a lone woman underground — likely the one controlling the turrets. Maybe even their creator?
There's nothing to show that this warehouse or woman are part of firemoth, so he came to the assumption she did all of it.
A few seconds later the horde was cleared. An incredible feat for a single person. There were even some chariot-class enemies in that horde, yet they were obliterated all the same.
Thor flashed into the warehouse out of the survivors eyeline. Analysing the survivors themselves he noticed none of them had been afflicted by Honkai, at all.
The survivors themselves had heard chaos outside. Once everything had gone silent, their tensions had run high not knowing whether they'll live or not.
Thankfully the underground elevator came up leading to the women they all saw before emerging.
Smiling faintly, a young woman with medium length dual-toned hair, split in the middle between light and dark brown. She had grey eyes with bright pink pupils. She was wearing some sort of outfit straight out of a steampunk tv show. (Pic in comments)
She held up a matching playing card — only the back visible — and tossed it. A burst of confetti followed, then a holoscreen flickered to life, showing multiple shots from outside – empty, there was nothing left of the beasts or zombies that chased them before.
The tension in the warehouse faded, people hugged one another and tears of sorrow and loss from others.
Some still together families went up to the women vehemently thanking her, relieved the storm had passed.
"Miss Vill, we thought we were going to die–"
Glancing from corner to corner Vill felt a knot in her stomach. 'What are FireMoth even doing for these people.'
She knew they would be given shelters and taken care of, but then what? What happens when time passess? What happens when they can't financially afford to support these refugees of war?
–VROOM–
The sound of trucks and vehicles pulled up outside the warehouse.
She quickly checked the feeds and saw the FireMoth insignia. She sighed knowing it's not some criminal group taking advantage of these tragedies. She then narrowed her eyes, 'Why are they only showing up now?' Even with that she opened one of the unloading bay doors letting paramedics and Soldiers flood in securing the people around them.
***
Aurora's eyes sparkled. Following the movements of the beast and using the side of her sword she reflected the light based attack back at the beast – hitting one of it's horns separating it.
"This is getting annoying." She pumped more honkai energy around her body, charging its leg again.
She had been at it for the past 10 minutes. While she had cleared out the smaller beasts, Chariot and Templar-class honkai started to show up, severely limiting her ability to focus on the Emperor-class.
Appearing by the leg she swung her sword hoping to finally cut through it, only for a templar's spear to lock onto her position.
–Crash– –Boom–
"Dammit, too shallow." She had only been able to make a shallow cut before having to move out of the way.
Weaving through the crowd of zombies aiming for the templar, a few seraphs that surrounded the templar dived towards her.
She sliced, sliced again, and sliced a few more times removing the seraphs from the fight permanently.
Leaping towards the templar, who raised their shield, Aurora coated her blade in more honkai energy, sparks of lightning around the blade as it seemed to start transforming, gaining a higher honkai limit, the Soulium adapting to her energy, strengthening the blade.
She pierced straight through the tower sized shield, her sword piercing the Templars eye effectively killing it.
When the beast started to fall back Aurora leaped backwards slashing a few flame and frost catapult projectiles.
(You're doing well. Keep it up and you'll be done within minutes. Go for the other templar before–) Alter couldn't finish as Aurora had already made her move.
Above the two templars who thrust both their spears towards her she took a Iaijutsu stance mid air. Her core pumped out an alarming amount of honkai energy. "Second Form. Collapse."
She drew her blade, superheating the air around her. Space in her path started to crack and fracture, lightning trailed her blade, turning white from her signature purple.
Once the effects reached the templars spears, they vanished, the same happened with the Templars themselves. A black void appeared in place, the effects lingered before sealing itself.
"Hah…Hah…" Aurora panted, hunched forward, her vision pulsing with each breath, a sign of the drain of using that technique on her body.
(You Idiot!! Don't you know how much energy that uses you sh–) Again Alter couldn't finish as Aurora was hit by a beam of light.
"Kaaakh… Argghhhh." She was blasted through the air, almost out of the city. The beam got weaker so she cut it and reoriented herself.
"That fucking hurt you bastard." She looked at her side, the beam had burnt through her suit into her skin. She lightly touched it causing a stinging sensation to shoot through her body.
"Fuuuuck!!" It was painful as hell.
"B-but it's manageable." Gripping her sword – her hand shook – her grip weak – Another round of lightning around her before she flashed through the air a purple streak trailing her.
(No it's not! It is not manageable, your consciousness is getting hazy as is. You need to stop or you'll pass out mid-fight.) She worried for Aurora's safety.
A chill ran up Aurora's spine, she knew Alter was right, but she couldn't do that. There are still survivors in this city. She knew they were not far from here so if she gave up they might be the next target.
So she couldn't stop until she killed that damn thing.
***
Warehouse
–Thud–
"Haah," Vill collapsed onto the sofa, hand draped over her face.
Thor stood silently in front of her, watching every movement with unreadable intensity.
She felt it, that piercing stare. Lowering her arm, her confused expression turned to shock.
That face... she would never forget it.
The new assistant director of Moth's Fifth Institute. A technological prodigy… and in almost everything else too.
Officially, he had no major inventions to his name.
But she knew better.
Raiden Mei and Su may have created Soulium — but he was listed as a consultant in the official document. New operational gear for Moth soldiers — consultant. Honkai-powered cannons — consultant again.
So much cutting-edge tech, all tied to him. All in the past two months.
It's said that even the Third institute's Director is interested in him.
Cold sweat beaded her brow. Her hands trembled. Nervousness clawed at her throat.
"Don't be so nervous. I won't kill ya," he said, calm as ever, pulling up a chair and sitting down across from her. A glint of interest in his eyes.
"Tell me, Miss Vill… how would you like to work with me? I'm interested in your inventions."
Lightning flashed through her mind.
'Did he just ask that?
Work with him — not for him?
And he even complimented her inventions?'
Her mouth opened and closed like a koi fish.
Then, shaking off the nerves, she sat straighter and met his gaze.
"Sir Arawn, I…"
***
A/N: I know Vill is part of the second institute in the original I think, but I couldn't find anything really on whether that's true or not so I went with this instead.