NOVEL WEB Chapter 398: Hero Bernice
Like a light in the darkness, Kiana's appearance filled Bernice with hope.
Her wounds seemed to stop hurting, the fear of the Honkai beasts fading. Kiana was here. They would be saved.
"Thank goodness..."
Bernice struggled to rise, wanting to help, but her injuries wouldn't allow it. She collapsed onto the rubble.
The adrenaline wore off, and the stigmata's backlash hit her with excruciating pain. Dark red Honkai cracks spread from the stigmata on her back.
"Aagh!" A scream ripped from her throat, but she was too weak to move.
She knew what this meant.
Honkai corruption. Turning into a zombie.
So this was it.
As her body numbed, the pain faded, replaced by a strange lightness.
She wasn't afraid, just… resigned.
"Since I decided to become a Valkyrie, I've always been helped by others. That kind stranger at the airport, Ana-neesan, and… that savior-like girl."
"I've received so much kindness. I can't ask for more. At least I fulfilled my duty, buying time for her..."
"She'll take care of me when I turn… I can't feel pain, but I don't want to see myself like that..."
"My only regret is not seeing Mom again..."
Bernice pictured her mother, a typical Shenzhou woman, wearing simple clothes, a perpetually tired expression on her face.
"..."
"Finished with your last words?"
A clear, youthful voice cut through the fog in her mind.
The Honkai corruption continued, but the voice was like a cool spring, restoring a sliver of her consciousness. Out of curiosity, or perhaps instinct, Bernice nodded.
"Good."
The voice spoke again. Then, countless cool threads pierced her skin. The chaotic Honkai energy within her calmed, becoming ordered.
Sensation returned to her body, bringing with it excruciating pain.
Bernice bit back a scream, enduring the agony as the strange threads repaired her body.
It was a bizarre feeling, her organs, blood vessels, and muscles being reassembled. If not for the pain, she wouldn't believe it was her own body.
"Like watching a puppet show."
The pain vanished abruptly, replaced by a soothing coolness. Bernice sighed in relief.
She opened her eyes, seeing a gray-haired boy crouching beside her, his fingers on her arm. His gaze was fixed on the battlefield.
"Thank you."
The pain, the burning, the corruption—all gone. She felt better than before using the stigmata.
"Rest now."
He glanced at her, confirming the corruption was gone, then returned to the fight, leaving Bernice alone.
She watched the two figures fighting in perfect sync, then realization dawned. She pulled back her sleeve, revealing a faint black and white striped mark, slowly fading.
"So that's it… Obsidian Concord..."
...
Ren, having easily healed Bernice, dismissed the incident. He barely remembered her, only recalling Himeko's encounter with her on Coral Island, and his own intervention to remove Schicksal's surveillance.
In the original story, Ana's squad had perished. He hadn't paid much attention to this seemingly insignificant Valkyrie. Helping her had been a way to boost Kiana's image among ordinary people.
"Is she alright?" Kiana asked.
"Yes. Thanks to her Valkyrie resistance, the corruption wasn't severe."
"That's good."
Seeing Kiana's relieved smile warmed Ren's heart. He raised his hand, and golden light surged towards her greatsword, igniting the flames.
Against their combined power, the Emperor-class Honkai beasts were mere ants.
The sudden eruption ended swiftly. Excluding Bernice's initial fight, the entire incident lasted less than two minutes.
...
"Amazing!"
Bernice watched the massive beasts fall, her eyes wide. She'd heard legends of Durandal, but this white-haired girl was far stronger.
"I have to thank her, for Coral Island and for today."
She got up, but in the seconds she'd been stunned, the two figures had vanished. As she began to search, the airport's alarm stopped. People cautiously emerged from their hiding places.
"Big sister, did you save us?" the little girl she'd saved earlier asked, running up to her.
Before Bernice could answer, the rescued civilians began cheering.
"Hero!"
"Hero!"