Honkai, why do you only throw me into high-level battles?

Philippines, Manila.

The weather was beautiful. The sun shone brightly, a warm breeze caressed the skin, and the sky was a vibrant blue, dotted with white clouds drifting lazily, occasionally morphing into whimsical shapes before dissolving back into the vast expanse.

"So boring…" Anna, half-lying in her hospital bed, having just beaten a new action game, stared at the sky and groaned. "When can I finally rejoin the squad?" She wasn't one for inactivity.

Back at Schicksal HQ, she loved making friends and had gotten along well with many Valkyries. Being stuck in bed, pretending to be a patient, was pure torture.

"The captain and the others don't even come to chat…" Anna mumbled. Being left alone while everyone else was busy made her feel awkward.

"Big Sister Anna, Big Sister Anna…" A little girl from the next bed stretched out her arm, holding a small package. "This is for you!"

"What, do you want me to throw your medicine out the window again?" Anna asked, taking the package quickly, afraid the girl would fall out of bed. "Don't even think about it!" Even someone as innocent as Anna knew that you couldn't indulge a child's bad habits; they needed to be addressed. Why did she know this so well? Because she had been quite the handful herself as a child…

"Hee hee, no, these are some snacks and candies I hid. For you," the little girl said, sticking out her tongue sheepishly. She was clever enough to understand Anna's meaning. "Mom and Dad are taking me home today. They don't let me eat these, so I'm giving them to you."

"Oh…" Anna opened the package, revealing candies and small biscuits. Blushing, she quickly said, "Thank you. I shouldn't have said that before." As an adult, she felt obligated to set a good example.

"Hee hee, you're welcome," the girl chirped, snuggling back under her covers.

"Wenwen…" A woman entered, spotting the snacks in Anna's hand. Glaring at her innocent-looking daughter, she said, "You! Making others hide your snacks again!"

"I… I didn't…" Anna stammered, unsure how to explain herself.

"Big brother bought them for me…" the little girl mumbled, just loud enough for her mother to hear.

"That… that Awu!" The woman poked her daughter's head, then, noticing Anna's awkwardness, forced a smile. "Sorry, young lady, for dragging you into this."

"Oh, no worries! It's fine!" Anna waved her hands dismissively.

"This child fainted in class because she's always eating these junk foods and not proper meals, that's why we ended up here." The woman's anger resurfaced. "And she still hasn't learned her lesson. Her brother too, always spoiling her… neither of them give me a moment's peace. I'll deal with them when we get back!"

"Um, please calm down…" Anna said, seeing the woman's frustration.

"Forget it, not in front of company." The woman seemed pleased to be addressed as "older sister" and her expression softened towards Anna. "Young lady, could you watch my daughter for a bit? Her father's handling the discharge paperwork. I need to ask the doctor about some things, I'll be back soon."

"No problem, leave it to me!" Anna gave a sweet smile. The woman nodded and left.

"…If your cooking wasn't so bad, who would want snacks all the time?" the little girl muttered after a while. Then, she looked at Anna quizzically. "Big Sister Anna, since I call you big sister, and you called my mom older sister, isn't our relationship a bit… messy?"

"Don't worry about it!" Anna blushed, poking the girl's forehead. "We each call people what we want!" She'd never called anyone "Auntie" before, and the word had instinctively morphed into "older sister" out of habit.

The little girl, cheered by this little exchange, jumped out of bed and snuggled up to Anna, eager to teach her some children's games. Anna, fond of the bright little girl and bored herself, readily agreed.

Time passed quickly. Five minutes, ten minutes, yet the girl's parents didn't return. It wasn't unusual; this being the most advanced hospital in the Philippines meant long wait times were the norm.

"Big sister, it's not night yet, right? Why is it getting dark so fast?" the girl asked, noticing the dimming light.

"Hmm?" Anna, facing away from the window, also noticed the sudden darkness. Turning, she saw the sunny sky now covered by a thick layer of dark clouds, plunging the city into gloom. Commotion erupted on the streets below as people reacted to the abrupt change. The only light came from the intermittent flashes of lightning within the clouds.

"This is…" Anna murmured, horrified. The lightning revealed the true color of the clouds—a purplish-red… a color etched into her memory, the most terrifying color in the world!

"Oh no…" Anna's heart plummeted. A single, chilling thought echoed in her mind: "A Honkai Eruption…"

The change was too sudden, like falling into a bottomless crevasse. Terror seized her, leaving her mind blank and paralyzed. Jell was right, she was an A-rank Valkyrie, but still just a rookie…

"Big Sister Anna, Big Sister Anna!" The little girl shook Anna's arm, trying to rouse her. "Wake up! I think there's an earthquake!"

"What?" Anna snapped out of her trance, feeling the ground tremble. Beds and cabinets slid across the floor with a screeching sound.

The other patients, realizing what was happening, scrambled out of their beds, crowding the doorway in a panicked mass.

"Let me out!"

"Hurry up!"

An elderly stroke patient, slow-moving, was pushed to the ground in the crush, his fate uncertain. Anna didn't have time to help.

"Beep, beep, beep…" Anna's communicator rang. She instinctively answered.

"Anna, return to base immediately!" The voice on the other end was urgent, cutting the connection immediately after the brief command. There was no time for explanations.

"Yes!" Anna responded, then kicked a hole in the wall near the door, sprinting into the corridor and yelling, "Run! Get out of here!" While she meant escape the Honkai, those who heard her interpreted it as escaping the earthquake. Her actions, however, only increased the panic.

"..." Realizing her mistake, Anna ignored the fallen elderly man, pushed down her fear and frustration, grabbed the little girl, who was huddled under her bed, and held her tight. "Hold on to me!" She yelled, preparing to jump from the window.

Unarmed and posing as a patient, her priority was to return to base, regroup with her squad, and re-equip. Only then could she confront this terrifying enemy and save lives. Every second wasted was a dereliction of duty.

"I'm sorry!" Anna thought, gritting her teeth. Was she a deserter or a soldier heading to the front? She didn't know. All she knew was that she could only protect this little girl…

"I will get you out safely!" Anna vowed, securing the girl to her with torn bedsheets, preparing to escape.

"Boom!" A massive explosion in the courtyard threw her back as she was about to jump. Shattering glass rained down like shrapnel. Anna just managed to shield the little girl with her back.

But she was just a young woman, unable to deflect everything. The girl, hit by several shards, bit back a cry, knowing Anna was protecting her.

"What's happening?" Anna cried inwardly, overwhelmed by despair. Why was this happening?

.........

How long does it take to fall from heaven to hell? Answer: An instant.

And how long to transform a land of humans into an inferno? This time, it took a few agonizingly long minutes…

The tectonic shifts triggered by the seabed eruption released massive energy, radiating outwards as a devastating earthquake. Buildings crumbled, burying countless innocent civilians. Those who escaped fled in terror amidst the screams of women and children. Roads, squares, and fields overflowed with panicked crowds, seeking solace and escape.

But their relief was premature. This was merely the prelude to the reaper's second swing…

The earthquake ruptured underground water and gas lines, flooding the streets with mud and a pungent odor.

"Crackle…" A fractured electrical transformer sparked and sputtered. These normally harmless sparks, igniting the escaping gas, became the reaper's blades.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Explosions ripped through the city, following the gas lines. Streets were obliterated, intersections turned into craters, and open spaces became infernos. After all, gas lines often ran along the roads.

Those who had fled their collapsing homes now found themselves trapped, with the reaper advancing along the roads, claiming countless lives. There was nowhere to run…

The city became a river of blood, littered with corpses. The injured lay dying amidst the carnage…

The few truly sturdy buildings became overcrowded shelters, offering little refuge.

Finally, a devastating tsunami swept in, ending the reaper's brutal revelry, but ushering in true hell…

The immense Honkai energy within the wave reduced countless people to dust. Others transformed into mindless zombies, attacking their loved ones. A few, wielding weapons that materialized out of thin air, began a cold-blooded massacre within the remaining shelters.

There was no escape. The once familiar city, now a desolate ruin, was overrun by Honkai Beasts that rode the waves.

"Waaah… my child, my child…" A woman, clutching a swaddled infant, stumbled through knee-deep water, her voice a desperate mantra. "I still have my child, I have to get her out… I still have… my child… where?"

Exhausted and broken, the light gone from her eyes, the woman's numb expression shifted to horror and despair. The bundle in her arms held no infant, only a handful of ashes.

"No, my child… my… chi…"

Her arm fell limp, the ash-filled cloth slipping from her fingers. The wind scattered the ashes, the cloth drifting away. The woman, oblivious, turned stiffly and shambled towards other survivors, a chilling moan escaping her lips. The loving mother was gone, replaced by a tragic, animated corpse…

.........

"Bang!" Anna, thrown back into the hospital by the tsunami, kicked a Deadman away. The noise drew the attention of nearby Honkai Beasts and Deadmen. Anna, clutching the little girl, darted through the momentary opening, hiding in a sheltered corner, observing the enemies.

"Wenwen, don't be afraid, I'll get you out!" Anna whispered, feigning confidence.

The girl was injured, and with the tsunami washing everything away, Anna had no proper medical supplies. Reaching safety was their only hope.

But could they even survive? Having witnessed the descent into hell, Anna felt no confidence. Her words were as much for herself as for the little girl.

"Mmm, Big Sister Anna, I believe you…" The weak girl looked up at Anna, forcing a brave smile that quickly dissolved into tears. "Where… where are my mom and dad?"

"..." Anna bit her lip, unable to answer, but no answer was needed.

"Come on, I'll take you home!" Anna mustered her courage, embarking on a perilous journey with the little girl in her arms.