BXBX NOVEL Chapter 133 Baldr's Light.
Though they were having a much easier time than those who were fighting on the frontline, the forty sixth base\'s team was still on edge, having just finished fending against another wave of attacks.
[How long has it been?] CS asked.
She was a mele fighter who used large clawed gauntlets, and though she enjoyed ripping through her enemies a little too much, the stress was slowly getting to her accompanied with a type of exhaustion she has never felt before.
[An hour and thirty seven minutes.] Nino answered. [There is still a long way to go.]
Unlike the others who were floating in the air she was on the ground sitting on the remains of destroyed Calamity, her spear pierced into its sphere like core. The base\'s surroundings had turned into a burial ground for the monstrosities. They carried in class and there were a few on the same level as Torso, but in the end each and every one of them were destroyed.
Miku\'s new weapon played a big part in this battle. Though it wasn\'t clear at first, the yellow beam seemed to ignore all restrictions and destroyed everything in its way. Among the enemies were some that had the powerful barrier Torso had, which were quite formidable until the girls discovered that the yellow beam could penetrate it with ease.
At first everyone thought it was just a powerful beam of light, however it seems its properties are much more complicated than they appear at first.
[Don\'t let your guard down.] Miku said, studying the horizon. [This isn\'t over yet…]
They have eliminated the Calamities that have been detected, most of which were part of the armies led by the Ragnarok heralds. Whether those were every last Calamity on earth didn\'t matter, the most concerning part is that the enemy has yet to send in their most powerful weapons.
[What are they waiting for?] Nana said in a low voice.
Why has the Nephilim yet to appear? From their last appearance, it should\'ve been clear that they could easily decimate the Valkyries and get what they want. If that was the case, why bother sending in the cannon fodder?
[They\'re clearly studying us.] Said Nino, heaving a tired sight. [The large scale attack from before must\'ve scared them way too much. They\'re probably trying to figure out the extent of our capabilities without having to sacrifice any of their kind.]
In a sense, what she said was close to the truth. Even the Nephilim who don\'t care much about this world knew to be careful when going against someone who\'s willing to burn it.
Having realized that, Miku grew more tense, and so did the other Valkyries. The longer the battle against the Heralds goes on the more likely their enemies figure out their current strength.
Even if Doctor\'s new modifications gave them three Valkyries on the same level as the Nephilim, the numbers would still not be in their favor.
As soon as those three are out, Miku intended to be among the next group to undergo the procedure.
"I see. So this is what you used for Baldr\'s light."
Turning to her left, Miku found herself looking at curious face of a beautiful young woman. She had silver shoulder length hair decorated with a strange looking hairpin. Her skin was pale flawless exposed through her combat suit like attire, which consisted of a white leotard, arm length gloves and thigh highs of the same color and design.
She was of average height and her proportions weren\'t as exaggerated as the others. That said, just like the Valkyries she was a beauty that stood above humans and as if that wasn\'t enough the way she stood in the air without anything to support her.
"We usually limit its use to very specific situations." The Nephilim said, turning her eyes to Miku as her lips curled up. "Glad to see you were able to adjust its output. Ah! We already know that your first shot was a mistake. I doubt you would destroy your own planet for no reason."
Terror overtook the young Valkyrie as she jumped away, turning the barrel of her cannon toward the Nephilim.
"WAAAAAIT! Don\'t shoot! Let\'s talk first!"
Miku didn\'t comply, squeezing the trigger causing the ring of golden runes to appear. A thin beam of yellow light shot out, however the silver haired Nephilim simply pivoted to the side and allowed it to pass.
"Hey now, I know we are at war, but do you really have to shoot on sight?"
Though the tone of her voice made it clear she didn\'t meant to, the way she was acting in this situation only served to provoke the Valkyries even more.
Noticing something heading her way, the Nephilim moved aside and held her hand up. The next moment she was grasping a spear that had passed by the spot her head was in a second ago.
Cannons were fired, and propellers ignited as the fifteen Valkyries moved to attack one after the others.
"This isn\'t fun at all." The Nephilim spoke as she easily dodged the attacks. "But I admire your spirit. Fighting even when you know you can\'t win."
The calmness in her voice added to the Valkyries frustration. Her small size made her a difficult target to hit, and the instantaneous speed of her movements caused them to feel how slow they were.
After a minute of continuous assaults, the Valkyries couldn\'t help but give up one after the other. Some didn\'t throw in the towel yet, continuing to launch one attack after the other. That said, their enemy seemed to grow bored the longer it went on.
"Alright, I guess this won\'t end unless I use some force."
The moment those words left her mouth, the silver haired Nephilim raised her arm and grabbed the glowing blade of an axe swung down at her by one of the Valkyries.
Time seemed to freeze for a moment. Everyone watched in silent horror expecting to see one of their own lose her life. Miku pointed her cannon and squeezed the trigger, hoping the enemy would prioritize dodging and give her comrade the time to escape.
Sadly the Nephilim didn\'t seem phased in the least. Same as before she avoided the yellow beam with the smallest of movement. She was about to turn her attention to the shooter, her slender fingers sending cracks through the the axe she grasped, but just then she felt something restrain her from behind.
[MIKU! FIRE!!!]
It was CS. She had use the opening the others created to get close then ambushed the Nephilim from behind, wrapping her gauntlet clad arms around her body and holding her legs in place using her own.
"Oh! This doesn\'t look good…" the Nephilim said, her expression showing a little bit of surprise.
Miku was about to shoot, not intending to waste the opportunity CS was sacrificing herself to get. She hadn\'t known her for long, and to be honest she didn\'t like her that much especially after how rude she was to the Doctor. However in the end the young blond Valkyrie\'s feelings betrayed her and she hesitated for a moment.
The beam was shot and it soon was in the Nephilim\'s face, but then it passed and nothing happened.
"Sacrefising yourself to take me down, that\'s really admirable."
Hearing the voice once more, Miku froze in her place. She slowly turned around, her eyes wide with horror.
Behind her was the silver haired Nephilim, but she wasn\'t alone.
CS was there as well, still clinging to her from behind, and the Valkyries who swung the axe as well. Both were frozen still, unable to understand what\'s happening. The next second they both distanced themselves from the enemy, but they found themselves too scared to resume their attacks.
"Even if it\'s a short distance, I really would like to avoid teleportation." Said the Nephilim, patting herself and checking her attire. She then turned to face CS and said with a slight frown. "And you. What would you have done if I had the force field activated? You could\'ve died at that moment!"
Though the words she spoke reashed their ears, the Valkyries struggled to understand what she was trying to say. Having avoided their most powerful weapon multiple times, it started to feel like she was going easy on them despite having the power to obliterate every last one on their side.
"Listen, even if you are an inferior version, I would like to avoid killing those of my kind as much as possible." The silver haired Nephilim said, suddenly appearing in front of Miku. With a swift move of her hand she pearced the cannon and pulled out a fist sized orb, the cords attached to it snapping and tearing. "We Nephilim should work together, not fight a meaningless war."