JX9, you overdid it a bit.

Once the tremors ended B3 addressed her fellow Valkyrie’s excessive use of force. She was pointing her cannon toward the sky, sure, but if it wasn’t for Sitta’s barrier the damage she could’ve caused to the area would’ve been much more severe.

… Sorry…

It’s okay. Just be careful not to fire directly at the ground. Remember that there are humans still living in the region.

Roger…

The forest was already on fire and it wasn’t looking good. Even if they wanted to put it out, with the battle still ongoing the Valkyries had no choice but to leave it be for the time being.

Even though they caused the enemy ship to crash none of them believed that their opponent was done for, not even for a second. They all retreated behind Sitta’s barrier and waited. Thankfully no more Calamities showed up, but that only meant that whoever shows up next would be on a much higher level, and they would definitely bring with them a lot more trouble.

Something just emerged from the wreckage. Trenta reported.

Everyone, be on guard.

The outer shell of the enemy ship cracked open and several figures jumped out. They landed at the outer edge of the crater created by the crash, forming a circle around what might be their leader, each one holding a weapon in hand.

Hold on… Trenta said, her eyes focusing on the group. Isn’t tha-

She was interrupted before she could finish, a bullet hitting her right in the head. Her force field blocked the attack but the force caused her whole body to flip. Looking down the others saw that one of the enemies had a rifle with a very long barrel pointed at her.

Halos flashed into existence and the next moment the enemies disappeared. Their movements were quite fast, bordering on teleportation, however it didn’t seem that they were warping.

Juni flailed her arm and her sword reconnected just in time to block another sword swinging down at her. It was a large broad sword much like hers, and its owner was a tall woman with dark skin and long black hair, wearing the absolute bare minimum to cover herself. Her body was enveloped in a light blue aura and over her head was a halo much like the one used by the Olympian named Antia.

Venti discarded her Proton Cannon causing it to disintegrate, the materials making it returning to their original dimension. At the same time she formed some new equipment; a short spear in her right hand and a round shield in the left, using the latter to parry a blade before stabbing at its owner.

“The name is Protesilaus.” The old man said after blocking Venti’s attack. “Why don’t you take that helmet off, sweetheart? Let me see that lovely face of yours.”

Why? Venti asked. You’re already dead, you know?

Her words sounded like nothing more than overconfident yammering, but when she teleported without a warning, the force she applied against him disappearing and causing him to lose balance, the old man sensed something strange and his eyes widened as he came to the realization.

Without turning around he could see one of the Valkyries slowly sliding her katana back into its sheath. Following the clicking sound it made, white lines began to form randomly all over Protesilaus’ body. A second later he turned into an unrecognizable mash of flesh and blood, his halo flickering out of existence as he began to fall along with his shattered weapon.

Uwah… that was a bit brutal, Trenta. Venti commented, reappearing beside her comrade.

You think? Trenta replied.

A gust of wind swept over the two drawing their attention to something that dived right beside them. Seeing that it was JX9, and that she had a large rifle pointed in their direction, they instantly realized they needed to get out of the way.

The moment they teleported a shower of bullets rained on the spot they were floating in heading straight for JX9. Pulling the trigger she fired a stream of her own blocking most of her opponent’s projectiles. Noticing a sheen on her right side she twisted her body just in time to evade a long sword slashing at her. It was the same enemy she was firing at, having teleported while using the clashing bullets as a cover.

So you can teleport… she said.

“Of course we can.” The enemy, a young man with slick back blond hair and white marble skin, replied. “It’s not as useful as you think though.”

They can predict where we teleport!

The Valkyries came to a sudden pause when Venti shouted through the communication channel. Both she and Trenta managed to avoid being shot, but each time they teleported they found themselves in the trajectory of some bullets.

“Our friend is very good at sensing space distortions.” The caucasian man told JX9 before pushing her away. “We always assume our enemies can do the same, but…”

He prepared to swing again and teleported behind her, but to his surprise she managed to block his attack.

There is no need to sense anything. She said, pointing her rifle at his face. It’s not like your actions are difficult to predict. 𝑜𝗏𝗅xt.𝒸𝑂𝗆

“Interesting…”

Now this is a bit freaky…

While the four combatants were engaging the enemy up in the air, B3, along with Sitta and Ichigo, stood face to face with the person they all assumed was the leader.

As her second armor opened up to allow her to see things with her own eyes, B3’s expression hardened despite the smile she kept on her face. She continued to stare, unable to believe what she was seeing, however there was no doubt that what was in front of her was reality, after all Valkyries couldn’t possibly be tricked by illusions.

“I heard your leader is a male but… I don’t see anyone who fits the description.”

“If it’s the Doctor you’re looking for, he isn’t here.” B3 said. “Though something is telling me he isn’t the one you’re looking for.”

“Hm? Ah, I guess it’s only natural that you would think that.”

She ran her delicate fingers through the long onyx hair cascading over her shoulders, brushing it backward. Her eyes were large yet sharp, their blood red color matching the complex halo spinning over her head. A sadistic smile slowly formed on her face as she saw the tension on the Valkyrie with the red twin-tails. She seemed to enjoy the moment a little too much, and make sure it lasted she decided to pour more fuel into the fire.

“Indeed, I came here looking for a certain someone.” Stepping in front of her subordinates, she placed a hand on her cheek and asked. “We have the exact same face, as you might’ve already noticed. There is a possibility that it’s all nothing but a coincidence, but I’m hoping from the bottom of my heart that it doesn’t turn out to be the case.”

B3 didn’t respond, her silence giving way to more stress and nervousness. When Sam left her in charge she did expect an enemy attack to occur and prepared to handle it accordingly, however never did she think that the one leading the charge would share an uncanny resemblance to someone she had gotten to know well in the past few months.

“A coincidence, huh?” B3 whispered to herself, staring intently at the enemy who shared the appearance of her friend. “I sure hope it’s just that, Nino…”

Sadly with everything that has happened so far she had no choice but to give up that hope. The signs were already present even before they arrived in this world. That said, no one could’ve predicted that this would be what awaited them. The mysteries surrounding Valkyries never seemed to end.