HI3: I Don't Want to Be a Valkyrie

"Nothing happened..." she muttered, perplexed.

Could it be due to insufficient honkai energy? Theresa stared blankly ahead, bewildered by the lack of effect.

Or perhaps did she need a vessel first? Like infusing honkai energy into a physical body before manifesting the creature?

I wonder if there are any dragon-like demonic beasts out there, Theresa mused. It would be great to create another Honkai Impact beast akin to Benares.

She attempted to do just that but received no response... With a sigh, she retracted the Honkai fragment. She'd try again when she encountered another suitable subject next time.

For now, it was time for...

The hunt.

Luna was definitely a skilled hunter.

Gazing at the blood-red moon in the sky, Theresa felt an overwhelming sense of comfort as a pair of massive bat wings unfurled from her back.

The outfit worn by Luna Kindred had been specially designed to accommodate her wings without tearing or hindering their extension. In the game, naturally, Luna Kindred appeared wingless—yet they were always part of her essence.

"To soar..."

With a single beat of her wings, Theresa took flight effortlessly into the air.

This must be what it feels like to truly fly, she thought, reveling in the sensation.

Flying this felt entirely different from riding Higokumaru. It was far more liberated—how should I put it? Here, you could soar however your heart desired.

-

"Ah, that must be the little town," Theresa mused, gazing at the Western-style settlement before her.

She activated her Mist Form ability, dissipating her body into an invisible haze. No one could see her now as she began to explore.

In no time, she located the mayor's residence—it was impossible not to; it stood out too prominently. As the tallest building in town, nearly four stories high, its presence was unmistakable.

Theresa alighted on the roof and transformed back into solid form. She placed a hand over her chest, expecting... well, something different from what she found there. All she felt were flat planes, much like when she had been Yae Sakura four years ago—a boy with no curves to speak of.

Oh right! she thought wryly. I'm not Yae Sakura anymore. I'm Theresa now—a young maiden with a perfectly flat chest.

For some reason, this realization left her feeling slightly adrift, though she couldn't quite pinpoint why.

"What am I doing?! Disappointed about what exactly?!"

Coming to her senses, Theresa promptly slapped herself. Even after spending four years as a girl, there was no reason to get upset over such trivial things! Idiot.

Shaking off these idle thoughts, Theresa focused on her mission and stealthily infiltrated the mayor's house.

-

After infiltrating the house, Theresa retracted her wings and fangs, even rendering her cross invisible—though it wasn't truly invisible so much as stored within a personal imaginary space that made it imperceptible to both sight and touch.

Now, Theresa moved through the darkness like an utterly adorable Gothic princess straight out of a fairy tale.

Theresa closed her eyes, her ears attuned like a bat's as she listened intently. Filtering out extraneous sounds, she pinpointed a specific direction and slowly crept towards it, making no noise whatsoever.

Soon, she arrived before a tightly shut door—a mere obstacle easily overcome. Once again, her body vaporized, allowing her to slip through the narrowest crack with ease.

Inside, there was no one present, yet the voices unmistakably originated from this room. After searching briefly, she discovered a hidden compartment. With a light touch, an entrance materialized in the floor itself.

"So there really is a basement..." she murmured to herself.

Descending into the subterranean chamber, the distinctive sound reached her ears once more—it seemed akin to the lash of a whip...

"Shout for me! Why have you stopped screaming?" came a voice. "Weren't you resisting fiercely earlier? Keep fighting back! I love seeing how far you'll go when you resist."

"Are you still waiting for that penniless boy to rescue you? Ha ha, he's long since fled—who knows where he's run off to by now."

The basement consisted of a single room, its air permeated by an unmistakable scent.

Within this space lay an array of tools—countless implements of torture that defied enumeration.

Upon a cross stood bound a naked woman, her body a canvas of wounds and scars.

A blonde youth, roughly in his twenties, also nude save for a whip in hand, relentlessly lashed at her. The woman had long since lost even the strength to scream. Her voice was reduced to mere whispers, each strike driving deeper into her shattered soul.

-

"Scum..." Theresa murmured with a frown as she witnessed this scene upon her arrival.

The man before her appeared utterly drained by his indulgence in carnal pleasures—his face an unhealthy pallor, devoid of vitality. It seemed only through depraved acts could he still muster any desire.

"Who's there?" The sudden voice startled the man greatly.

However, when he turned to see Theresa, his eyes involuntarily lit up at the sight of such a delicate young maiden. He swore he had never encountered one so adorable in all his life.

Soft-spoken, frail, easy to overpower...

As he gazed upon this perfect vision, an unprecedented urge surged within him—an irresistible desire to personally corrupt and destroy her innocence.

A single slap on such a girl would surely leave her sobbing for days.

Yet, taking note of Theresa's attire, which resembled that of a princess from the kingdom itself, added a hint of hesitation to his thoughts.

"How did you get in here?" The man asked, then suddenly realized that this was his territory. With such prey practically delivered to him on a silver platter, how could he possibly let it slip through his fingers?!

Even if this creature were dead, claiming it would still be worth the risk—it wouldn't leave anything to lose by trying.

"Filthy human..." As Theresa watched the approaching man, her fangs extended past her lips, transforming into twin blood-red short swords from the very essence of her being.

"D-demon... You're a demon!" Panic set in as soon as he saw those elongated canines. He frantically cried out for help: "Someone come quick! Help me..."

But no one responded to his pleas.

"Let your blood unlock the seal upon my blades!"

With a swift kick of her right foot, Theresa materialized directly before the man and drove her short sword into his body.

"Ah... spare me..." he gasped out just as the blade began to drain all the blood from his veins, leaving behind nothing but a desiccated husk.

Theresa withdrew her now blood-red dagger, feeling the surge of energy as it infused with her Blood Seal.

"A single human yields such paltry blood seal energy," she thought, somewhat disappointed; the gain was far less than she had imagined.

I hope that demonic creatures and those powerful beings will yield more substantial amounts of blood seal energy!

Collecting herself, Theresa turned to examine the bound woman lying nearby.

"Hey! Are you alright?"

"..."

Theresa studied her closely. Though still alive, the woman seemed to have transcended despair—she had completely given up on herself. Her heart appeared dead, utterly numb to the world around her.

After a moment's consideration, Theresa untied the ropes binding her. The woman crumpled to the ground without a sound.

Well then... What kind of situation is this?!

"Do you not wish to be human anymore?" Theresa probed cautiously after some thought. "Would you rather become a demonic creature instead?"

At these words, something flickered in the woman's otherwise lifeless eyes—a hint of curiosity or perhaps another emotion long dormant.