Miss Riddler just wants to level up in peace.

Tesla recalled what Ziyao had said before he entered the house and said with dissatisfaction.

If you knew there was an ambush, why didn't you say so beforehand?

"Just a bunch of insignificant people."

Ziyao shrugged, indifferent.

"The most deadly things are often hidden in inconspicuous dark places."

Ziyao raised her voice, her tone calm yet very clear, as if she weren't speaking to Tesla.

"Stop pretending, get up."

As she spoke, Ziyao kicked the female corpse on the ground.

In an instant, the concentration of Honkai energy in the wooden house exceeded the limit, reaching the level of a Herrscher.

[Ding! Congratulations! You have received 377 Crystals]

Theresa & Tesla: ??

Volume 1: Chapter 259 Inviting the Inner City

Desolate and barren, abandoned in the desert.

The bandits hid in the dilapidated village, using the dust and wind as cover to ambush travelers.

In fact, Theresa had already noticed them long ago.

As Ziyao said, they were just insignificant characters, so she didn't take action.

To everyone's surprise, such a dangerous entity was hidden in the most inconspicuous place.

If it weren't for the former's reminder, they might have lost one of their members, paying a bloody price for their carelessness.

"This reaction, there's no mistake, it's a Herrscher!"

Tesla's face turned pale. Why was he blocked at the door again so soon after arriving?

This time, they were ambushed in the wilderness, hundreds of miles away, before they even got close to the city.

This is definitely not normal; their actions should be kept secret.

Unless there are spies planted by the Lawgiver within the Anti-Entropy faction.

sizzle ————

Once the disguise was removed, the woman lying on the ground became a girl about the same height as Bronya.

"Ah...ah..."

The girl trembled all over, and her ice-blue hair visibly grew longer until it touched the floor.

A bone-chilling cold emanated from her, spreading outwards and freezing all the doors and windows, forming a cage that trapped its prey.

"Don't try to succeed."

Right at the start, the Herrscher tried to attack Ziyao, the team's darling.

Theresa showed no mercy, pulling out Judas and slamming it into the girl's face.

Faced with the cross that could easily crush him, the Herrscher quickly withdrew his attack and condensed a thick layer of ice for defense.

The ice shield shattered, shards of ice scattering everywhere.

Despite suffering a setback in the first round, the Herrscher remained unwilling to shift her target, keeping her eyes fixed on Ziyao, seemingly still harboring resentment over the kick she had received earlier.

The girl shrugged helplessly. Was it her fault?

"Guha...!"

Bronya flanks from the side, employing harassment tactics, while Mei constantly changes her position, looking for an opportunity to pierce the Herrscher's throat with her sword.

Caught between two attacks, the Herrscher quickly became overwhelmed.

"Is it just my imagination? Why do I feel like she's not very strong?"

Tesla wondered, this was different from what she had encountered two weeks ago.

Back then, a single blow nearly killed her and Einstein, instead of the way they are being suppressed now.

It's also possible that there were three Herrschers on the field, completely overwhelming the opponent.

In short, we have a significant advantage now.

If one of the two laws can be killed at the beginning, it would be a great thing.

"Yeah, he's obviously a weakling."

"I thought you would say something like, 'We should be careful.'"

Tesla thought Ziyao had some brilliant ideas, but she just started mocking him as a weakling.

Her words were undoubtedly heard by the Herrscher, who then became even more violent.

Her long hair transformed into a deadly weapon, launching a fierce and relentless attack like a venomous snake.

Theresa gritted her teeth and persevered with Bronya's help.

"Are you making it harder...?"

Tesla's lips twitched, and he couldn't help but wonder which side Ziyao was on.

Slow-movement, multi-form attack.

The characteristics of the Herrscher perfectly overlap with the function of Judah, so Theresa, as the main force, cannot gain any advantage.

Fortunately, the cabin was frozen solid; otherwise, such a fierce battle would have surely destroyed it.

The bandits outside were completely bewildered. What was going on?

I tried shooting at the ice, but it didn't budge.

"Ugh, this is too difficult."

Although weak, a Herrscher is still a Herrscher. Her stamina was about to run out, but her opponent's momentum did not diminish in the slightest, clearly indicating that she still had a lot of strength left.

Kiana is the strongest fighter, but she cannot act arbitrarily and must wait for orders.

"Hey, Theresa can't hold on much longer, now's the perfect time."

"Kiana, use the Key of Emptiness on it."

Seeing that the situation was not good, Tesla urged.

"Eh...."

The girl looked around, unsure of whose opinion to follow.

As if everything was still under control, Ziyao stood aside calmly observing the battle.

After a few rounds, Theresa revealed a weakness.

With her extensive experience, she did not defend, but instead launched a desperate attack, using offense as a form of defense.

Of course, if I were to evaluate my current state, I would definitely get knocked out.

Because of the momentary tension, she didn't realize that Judas had suddenly become very light, like a plastic toy.

The five senses are enhanced, and time slows down at this moment.

The sharp, terrifying ice spikes shattered, and Judas used the momentum to smash the girl's face.

boom---!!

The next second, the latter flew backward like a kite with a broken string, smashing into the ice wall and creating a deep crater.

"This... this is me?"

Looking at his hands in disbelief, he felt as if he had been divinely inspired in that instant.

The situation, which should have been her downfall, suddenly reversed, almost like a miracle.

Powerful Valkyries are very clear about their own limits and weaknesses, which allows them to fight freely.

Theresa was absolutely certain that the lightness she had just felt was not due to her own power.

"That's impressive, it's embedded in the wall like a baseball."

Kiana said happily, letting out a sigh of relief.

His gaze fell on the dark-haired girl beside him, who was looking at him gently, as if asking, 'Are you alright?'

"It helped a lot."

Theresa smiled back; had it been any later, she would have been the one in a sorry state.

"Idiot Kiana, don't get too cocky, it's not over yet."

Bronya said helplessly, gesturing for everyone to look over.

The Herrscher girl's legs trembled as she leaned against the wall to stand up.

The concentration of Honkai energy jumped another order of magnitude, and the air grew even colder.

"Stop being pretentious."

"This isn't your true form, is it, Herrscher?"

Ziyao walked up to the girl and looked down at her.

In an instant, the temperature dropped sharply.

Unfortunately, this was merely a last gasp of strength before the storm had passed.

The ice on the wall began to melt, proving that Ziyao was right.

"Woooo..."

Tears welled up in the girl's eyes, and the glistening tears fell, turning into ice crystals the moment they touched the floor.

"How do you know everything...? Waaah..."

She choked up, sounding nothing like a Herrscher.

Like a child who has done something wrong and is being scolded, she kept wiping away tears.

The next second, the ice shards on the ground transformed into sharp blades, flying outwards and killing all the bandits.