Chapter 131 Power And Cost.

Though the majority of Valkyries were out intercepting the Ragnarok Heralds and the hoards of Calamities they led, it was impossible to stop every last one of them from advancing and despite the girl's efforts some ended up slipping through the cracks.

The numbers weren't in humanity's favor. There was no end to the mindless drones of the Nephilim unleashed on their enemies, and though they only used the most basic forms of arts, that was enough to give anyone but their owners a very hard time.

[FIRE!!!]

Following Nana's signal, seven of the Valkyries guarding the forty sixth base fired their cannons at the approaching swarm of calamities. A series of explosions shined in the distance, but even though the attack took down quite a few drones the rest flew right through the rain of fire as if it didn't affect them in the least.

The ranged Valkyries continued firing without a care for aim. Once they passed a certain distance the Calamities started firing back. As the flurry of beams raced toward the base the rest of the Valkyries moved in to block the attack with their own hands.

The two sides continued to exchange fire, slowly moving toward each other all the while. Once only a few dozen meters were left between them, the Valkyries shielding the rear with their own bodies took out their weapons and engaged the enemy head on.

The speed at which they moved and the precision of their attacks were unlike anything they were used to. The same fear that froze their limbs was now pushing them into greater heights.

Best

They maneuvered through the enemies using their large forms against them. While the monstrosities tried to recover from the friendly fire, the Valkyries swung and thrust their weapons destroying each of their cores in a single hit.

B3 went around using her metallic pillars to stun the enemies giving the back line enough time to snipe the enemy. Another one was doing the same, though instead of the lightning tendrils that sprouted out of the red twin-tails' pillars hers sent a powerful shock-wave that cased the targets to shake violently until their outer carcass crumbled leaving them completely open.

It was a tedious process that lasted for what might as well be an eternity, however after twenty minutes of continuous fighting and hundreds of Calamities destroyed the first wave finally ended and the Valkyries got a brief moment of rest.

[We didn't have a battle this intense since eight years ago.] Nana spoke, her voice calm yet a bit tense at the same time.

[Eight years? You mean...]

[Nana is a first generation Valkyrie.] Miku said answering B3's Question. [There are only a few of them left nowadays.]

[Ichigo is one as well.] Nana added. [Though I would say more special, being the first cleanser to be created.]

[It's not that special at all.] A timid voice spoke. [The higher ups just avoided sending us to battle.]

Though they had combat capabilities as well, up till recently cleansers were only ever deployed when the Resistance needed to remove the red paint from the lands they reclaimed or if there were some serious nuclear contamination.

[So that makes Nana the most experienced among us.] Said CS with a short laugh. [And I thought I was a veteran.]

As they made their way back toward the base, new enemies began to appear from the northwest. Though it was frustrating that their break ended so soon they had no choice but to prepare for the next fight.

[This wave seems to be a lot smaller.] Nino observed.

[Good for us.] CS commented. [Let's just hope they aren't some elite class or something.]

In the heat of battle none of the Valkyries bothered to evaluate the enemy, focusing on removing them before they could retaliate.

[Hey Miku!] B3 called. [Aren't you going to use the new weapon Doctor gave you?]

[Not yet!] the petite blond one said. [He said to only use it when it's extremely necessary!]

[Um, I don't know what doctor meant by that but...] Ichigo's trembling voice told the others all there is to know. [I think 'that' is most likely it!]

Just then the sound of an orchestra reached their ears. In the distance, clusters of some purple materials began to form. Seeing them B3 immediately realized how bad things were.

[We can't allow those things to be completed!!!] she shouted. [They-]

Before she could finish explaining, a thin beam of yellow light cut through the air reaching the upcoming wave of enemies in an instant, striking down the source of the loud melody along with everything that was in its vicinity.

Turning around B3's eyes widened as she she looked at the source. Miku was carrying a canon with a size that matched her small frame. At its barrel a ring of pale yellow symbols came to a stop as the air in front of it burned in an invisible haze.

[Hey, Don't tell me that's...]

There was no need for her to say anything. The fading runes were the same as the ones that appeared in front of Zero Five before that devastating light that malted mountains and burned entire countries.

What Miku held in her hands was Five's Proton Cannon which had been remodeled in a haste to make it capable of firing the yellow beam. With the second heart added to it there was no need to carry around the large nuclear batteries that used to be its power source. All it needed was a bit of energy to keep heart active until the shot is fired.

[WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!!!?] CS shouted into the communication channel startling everyone else.

Nobody could blame her though. A single beam was all it took to erase an entire wave of enemies. A feat of that caliber was impossible to achieve even with the Valkyrie's mightiest weapons.

'I knew it was strong, but...' Miku thought, her eyes still looking at the cloud of smoke in the distance.

Obviously not even Sam knew how powerful the beam would be. He did some rough calculations by comparing that of Torso and the one they fired earlier then adjusted the parameters to make the next one a bit more subdued. Even though it was just a fraction of what they achieved in their first attempt, the results were acceptable making this version perfect for their situation. Just in case, Sam had installed a mechanism that would allow the user to increase or decrease the parameters to adjust the beam, though he advised Miku to not mess with it a lot since they still don't know enough to have complete control over the result.

[Now I feel stupid for putting all that effort.] Said Nino. [If you had something like that on you then why didn't you use it from the start?]

[Like. I. said! Doctor told me to use it only if it's necessary!] Miku shot back.

[I think that's because he didn't want us to rely on it.] B3 stepped in to provide more insight. [That thing hasn't been tried before. We don't really know what it's capable of.]

[I think we all know now.] CS commented, smirking under her helmet.

[Miku, how many shots do you still have?] Nana asked, convinced that a weapon this powerful can't possibly have that much ammunition.

[I. .. don't know... but...] remembering the conversation she overheard in the lab, Miku answered hesitantly. [Doctor and Elina were talking about how it uses a source that's somewhere else...]

[What are you even talking about?] Nino sighed then went back to monitoring the horizon.

[It was science stuff, okay!? It's not something I understand!]

[I think they were arguing over how the released energy didn't match the amount used to power the weapon.] Said B3, Having paid more attention when her blond co-guard was daydreaming about making out with the Doctor. [They said something about a place with so much energy that it floods into our world the moment they open a door to it, which is what happens when you fire the beam.]

[Aaaaaah! My head hurts!] CS cried, unable to follow what they were talking about.

[Basically, they're drawing energy from an infinite source.] Said Nino. [Then why are we hesitating to use it?]

[I don't think it's that simple.] Nana said. [Something with this much power, there is no way that it comes without a cost.]

Silence filled the communication channel. There was no need to say anything, everyone understood the situation and why the weapon has to be used only in emergencies. That said, seeing how it could make things much easier for them, increasing their chances of survival in the process, made them all consider taking the risk.

Even Miku who put the Doctor's words over everything else began to consider it, convincing herself that the three Valkyries that stayed behind were undergoing modifications to be able to use the same powerful ability without relying on the weapon in her hands.