Chapter 40: Counterfire

Beowulf.

This name truly exists in history and in the heroic legends of Scandinavia.

Legend has it that this brave hero fought alone against the half-human, half-demon monster, Grendel, who had tormented the Danish king for twelve years. In the battle, he tore off the creature’s arm and eventually killed it in its lair.

When the hero grew old, he personally went forth to slay a fire-breathing dragon. Though the dragon was killed, he died from the injuries he sustained.

In legend, the name Beowulf in ancient Nordic history was synonymous with a warrior, a hero, a powerful fighter.

However, while the legend closely matches reality, the truth is that the powerful warrior did indeed exist. He really did slay those monsters—but their true nature was the “Honkai beasts.”

In that era, when technology and weaponry were extremely primitive, this warrior relied solely on his body and metal weapons to kill two Honkai beasts, even by today’s standards, extremely formidable opponents. Such valor naturally earned him legendary fame!

Fast forward to the present.

Twenty years ago, a mad scientist drew inspiration from this story and proposed the “Superhuman Ultimate Soldier Program,” officially the [Beowulf Project].

He selected male soldiers of exceptional physique, spirit, and potential and conducted reckless experiments, directly implanting Honkai cores into them to gain immense power.

Because these cores were implanted directly, unlike the Valkyries who received diluted Honkai antibodies, the procedure had a very low success rate of 0.4%.

But for those who did succeed, their power would surpass even that of Valkyries who had undergone stigmata implantation.

The scientist’s plan was essentially a cross-era challenge to the Valkyrie forces.

At that time, many soldiers witnessed young girls being sent to the battlefield and perish. Some of these girls were the same age—or even younger—than soldiers’ daughters. It was not only a matter of public unease; it stirred profound guilt and responsibility.

Thus, over 20,000 soldiers volunteered for the experiment on the first day alone.

With approval from the Tiansheng bishop Otto, the experiments commenced—but the first batch of 5,000 soldiers all died.

The project faced massive skepticism. Valkyrie failure rates were already a sensitive issue for Tiansheng. Yet, after years of reflection and evidence, the organization reluctantly accepted reality: the experiments were extremely dangerous but undeniably effective.

Even after repeated losses in subsequent experiments, the controversy erupted again. Not even Otto could control the protests.

Eventually, the Beowulf Project was terminated, and the mad scientist was imprisoned for life.

But was that the end? No—it never truly stopped.

Experiments continued, though in secret. Over six years of relentless trials, the first successful experiment emerged.

The subject was a new recruit, originally slated to be the 33,792nd casualty. After a disciplinary incident, he was sent to the experiment as punishment—but he became the first success, Subject 01.

Implanted with the core of the Emperor-class Honkai beast Kasmo, he possessed physical strength surpassing that of a tank, the ability to lift ten-ton objects single-handedly, sprint at incredible speed, and even catch bullets mid-flight.

Kasmo’s core also granted him elemental control, capable of generating winds equivalent to a Category-10 storm.

The scientist then extracted his DNA to create a stabilizer for future experiments. Within a year, sixteen humanized Honkai beasts were born under the Beowulf Project.

They were fearsome fighters, capable of devastating entire battlefields, even contending with anti-Entropy forces.

Though the survival rate remained dangerously low, once the power of Beowulf was proven, Tiansheng’s higher-ups—previously justifying sacrifices—quietly accepted the project, entrusting the team to a young, exceptionally intelligent soldier: the scientist’s own brother.

This young commander did not disappoint.

Yet, just as Beowulf was poised to replace the Valkyries as Tiansheng’s ultimate weapon, the scientist vanished—along with his research assistants and all project data—bringing the Beowulf Project to a halt.

No one knew why, but years later, an incomplete Beowulf appeared. His power was unstable, but due to his identity and secrets, Tiansheng could not intervene. They could only monitor him until their scientists decoded the experiment.

A decade passed. The original Beowulf project was considered obsolete… but the unstable Beowulf who had absorbed the core of the ancient Emperor-class Honkai beast Golden Crow had finally become complete.

No!

Two weapons of unequal mass collided again and again, sparks exploding like grenades.

Both warriors absorbed the impacts with inhuman strength, their arms as steady as mechanical manipulators, showing no deviation at all.

The weapons withdrew, and the twin fiery swords fused into one. A massive flaming blade carved a scorching semicircle through the air, cleaving toward the opponent with wild, arrogant brutality.

Yao Bingling’s style was brutally direct. This strike used Polish military sword techniques.

The strength of this style lies in its sheer speed and ferocity. Masters of this technique can cut down ancient trees with a single hand. Yao Bingling wielded a massive two-meter-long flaming sword—not a mere Polish saber.

This strike could fell not just a tree but a Titan itself… perhaps multiple Titans.

Cocoria remained silent. In that instant, she pivoted, amplifying her body momentum and arm strength to swing Dawn Judgment, a high-speed Honkai particle chainsaw.

A silent explosion ripped through the area, a storm equivalent to a Category-6 hurricane, shaking nearby trees violently. Blinding light erupted.

Yao Bingling’s sword shattered. He leapt away from Cocoria’s sudden whirlwind.

As expected, his crude Honkai-formed weapon could not match the high-grade weapon constructed by Mikoyan.

“Front assault won’t work… nonsense!” Yao Bingling’s eyes burned in midair. The empty space beneath him became his stepping board. Flames enveloped his body as his fists—like heavy artillery—rushed toward Cocoria’s face.

She dodged. His fists struck the edge of Dawn Judgment, making her arms feel crushed by immense weight.

Yao Bingling seized the opportunity, kicking at her chest. Cocoria reacted so fast it nearly exceeded his expectations. She caught his leg, abandoning Dawn Judgment, and threw him like a sandbag.

Yao Bingling’s world spun. Colliding with trees, rebounding, he landed on the ground with his chest and back feeling as if run over by a vehicle.

Cocoria froze, raising Dawn Judgment defensively while retreating.

“Die!” A young voice suddenly sounded behind Yao Bingling.

A cold mercury sword pierced the air, splitting into dozens of blades, striking Yao Bingling’s vital organs.

It was Xing’er. She had stayed outside the combat zone, lurking with her limited mercury, waiting to strike the moment Yao Bingling exposed a weakness.

“Xing’er! Stop!” Cocoria shouted—but too late.

Flames ignited around Yao Bingling, forming a golden domain. Previously weakened Emperor-class Honkai battlefield fields surged again. This time, instead of exploding, the flames streamed like a faucet, blasting toward the would-be assassin.

Cocoria had known that close proximity could backfire; the flames’ recoil could injure the user.

Xing’er had not anticipated this. The torrent melted her mercury sword, blasting her dozens of meters away. Pain left her unable to act, only breathe.

Yao Bingling still did not kill her.

“…You’ve changed?”

“No, just redirected the attack without boosting power,” he answered calmly, standing up to adopt an ancient fist technique stance.

Indeed… something was off.

Though unspoken, Cocoria’s doubts grew. Yao Bingling had mastered his powers within two hours, reaching a level far beyond normal.

Beowulf power has “stages”—each representing the release of Honkai energy and personal strength. Cocoria assessed him at Stage One, capable of conscious combat for 15+ minutes without succumbing to Honkai corruption.

Yet his danger rating had to be raised two levels.

“Well, enough data collection. Fighting to the death here does not suit either of us.”

“Planning to run? It’s still night but not bedtime. Or is this midlife insanity speaking?”

“…I’ll kill you!”