Honkai Impact 3rd: Don't Die For Me/ Book 3 Paradise

Chapter 48 Captain

<Granary>

Cain could feel the air blistering his skin. He could feel his thighs tense with insurmountable pressure. The roof terraces squeaked and groaned as the power he couldn't control rocked their wooden beams. He wasn't as rusty as before. Below him, past the balcony railings and the placards of shops, the people gazed at the pillars of neon pink light. They covered their mouths with trembling hands and their eyes were wide open, reflecting the unholy force. Those who couldn't see past the slanted roofs of Paris scrambled up the ledges on the walls. They hung on metal pipes and chimneys desperate for a glimpse of the disaster.

"It's supposed to be a time of peace."

"I thought we vanquished the devil."

"It's as ordained."

"What are you spouting?!"

Cain couldn't hear any of their words because in the next moment, he was suddenly at the western wall. Behind the gate, the guards and soldiers were scrambling to organize a brigade. There were plenty of Valkyries in a sense but not enough soldiers. An unfortunate byproduct of the ill-waged war. It was strategic on Nik's part, even if he lost the war the countries would have no manpower to rebel.

It was different for Valkyries but many fell into the church's system. They had their families but nobles were limited in number and the benefits the church provided far outstriped any lone country. Speaking of Valkyries, a small team was on their way to investigate the scene. Others rushed into the city no doubt sending for the Lance and the Holy Maiden.

Cain didn't linger for less than a second, he moved faster than any Valkyrie. His movements were powered not only by his stigma but by his memory. He did not spare a glance at the chasm below the wall. He jumped, cratering the dirt road below. He wasn't done. The pressure on his legs returned as he jumped a second time in the direction of the granary. The pillar of light was fading and its last remnants rose to the sky. The time it took to cross half the city was less than a minute. If he threw caution to the wind he could have made it in even less time at the expense of the Parisians.

The injured bodies of unconscious Valkyries were laced with veins of neon purple. They were corrupted but it wasn't untreatable. He rushed past them, knowing he could do nothing to help. Blood mixed with dirt forming a blistered tar when combined with the explosion. He drew his Judgment, twin revolvers made by splitting the core of the Divine Key of the Kaslana House. In the granary, he walked past a few scorched corpses until he came across one sitting in the center. They were all recognizable, their skin remained intact. She was about 180 cm and with charred orange hair. She was in a sitting position leaning against nothing.

Cain didn't bother with formalities, he saw she was holding something. It was a locket that, like the Honkai steel weapons, survived the explosion. It had the emblem of a dove but it was faint. This was the only physical clue he'd find at the scene. The granary was no longer a warehouse and it was barely a stone foundation with wooden posts and walls.

Memories flooded in and for a moment his unstable emotions threatened to crush the only evidence found at the scene. Luckily he was patient but he feared that he had been patient for far too long.

<An Hour Later>

Golden chains surrounded the remnants of the granary. Few onlookers watched in awe as the Holy Maiden purified the toxic field of Honkai energy. Kallen looked impassive but her heart was thumping furiously in her chest. She could feel a sudden burst of blood flooding her veins every time one beat passed. She finished the process, and the radiation that threatened the common people was gone. She glanced at the corpses laid on sheets. She couldn't purify organic tissue, she could only contain Honkai energy within the body. She found that the process often didn't work on corpses. Her purification didn't work on people either, she tried a few times and all she did was bring them closer to death.