Honkai Impact 3rd: Don't Die For Me/ Book 1: Promise

Chapter 28 Taken

<Vienna's Walls>

"Captain look!"

"Yes, I see it."

The guard of the east wall of Vienna peered through his scope to see a horde of Honkai beasts rushing towards the walls. He immediately rang the alarm and countless Valkyries rushed from their barracks and activities to take up arms and defend the city.

"Stations! Stations!" The captain barked at his men. "I want a full analysis of the level of those beasts, their class, how many of them, and the time it will take them to reach the wall!"

While all Valkyries were taught to assess the strength of the beast it was the job of the men on the walls to assess the threat level. For ease of communication and the safety of the Valkyries. Every individual Valkyrie was a warrior Schicksal couldn't afford to lose, even the weak ones.

"Sir reporting, two Emperor class Honkai beasts have been spotted! Fourteen templars, seven knights, and around fifty chariot class beasts. There is some fodder mixed in roughly twenty or so."

"Send for the Eleventh. Assemble an elite squad of Valkyries on our left wall."

"Sir reporting, another emperor class beast has been spotted."
"What?! Another?!"

"Evacuate the citizens behind the walls and set up a blockade! Come on, move it! Make haste! Make haste!"

The men on the wall scrambled to follow the orders of the captain of the gate. The smell of nervous sweat and old stone ripped through the walls. Ladders and platforms were lowered and raised. Valkyries soon stood atop the walls while soldiers moved on the grounds of the city to evacuate the citizens in the immediate vicinity. Footsteps thundered all around as huge masses of people trampled over each other to escape the terror of Honkai.

The East gate quickly closed after soldiers shepherded the travelers, outside, into the city. Among the crowd, Otto and Kallen, dressed in plain clothes, shifted worriedly against the crowd. Faint tips of his golden hair could be seen through his black wig, while hints of silver hair stemmed from her brown dye hair.

"Otto, there's an attack."

Her base instinct to protect the people flared like an inflammation. She started to walk towards the section of the walls the people seemed to be fleeing from. But Otto reached out his hand through the crowd and stopped her.

"We're on the run Kallen, you're going to give yourself up to them."

"But, the people-"

"Are in good hands, at the very least they are under the protection of the third strongest Valkyrie Schicksal has. The wall won't be breached, if we get caught here it's over. Think what would happen if they discover your identity? They'll divert their attention to catch you and more people will be hurt."

"But Otto, I can't let the people-"

"Kallen, look at me, at my eyes."

Otto held a serious expression, his eyes were murky yet so clear at the same time. But he said his next words with a tone of absolute certainty.

"You're not alone, there are people that want to protect the innocent and can do so. You don't have to leap into every situation with your life on the line."

Kallen looked back into his eyes with steeled resolve that burned just as bright as the day he met her.

"Otto, it's my duty."

Kallen freed her hand from his and dashed towards the sounds of Honkai beasts and Valkyries that rang out outside the wall. Otto wanted to scream, why couldn't she understand? She seemed to understand and accept reality when they were in Cologne, what changed? He held no strength, but he desperately pushed against the crowd to catch up to her. He couldn't leave her alone, not ever again.