The originally noisy scene fell silent in an instant, as if time itself had frozen.
Even the roar of the exhaust pipes diminished, and an inexplicable sense of pressure filled the air.
But this eerie stillness lasted only for a moment.
Soon, the biker youths in ripped jeans and riding boots began shouting loudly again.
"Cut it out—the opponent's an esper!"
"What esper? This is obviously technology, tech!"
"What kind of nonsense is that? You're looking at tech and calling it supernatural—what, you think she's Magneto?"
"Nice judgment. Then you go first, dark horse?"
"...No way. I'll go kill that little boy first!"
In an instant, the roaring engines surged again, and the acrid smell of exhaust filled the air once more.
The next moment.
They hesitated no longer, instead following their instincts—hot-blooded and savage.
Grabbing weapons from the racks beside their motorcycles, twisting the throttles, they roared as they charged straight at Hua.
At last, they were attacking. Good.
Vill-V had been worried they might run.
If they had been determined to flee, there would have been little she could do.
However...
What was with that earlier caution? It didn't feel like the nature of bikers at all.
It felt more like... a military force.
That earlier infighting was strange too.
More like an act.
Otherwise, how could a group in the midst of heated emotions suddenly calm down all at once?
This wasn't some game with a group buff.
Even entering a post-climax lull would happen in sequence, not simultaneously.
Besides, with their bloodthirsty nature, why would they argue over lost items?
The normal reaction would be to pick up a blade and start killing.
As for biker "morality," that was wishful thinking. When they got worked up, they wouldn't care whether you were a brother or a parent.
The blades in their hands showed no mercy.
There was a huge difference between those who had killed and those who hadn't.
Especially those who treated human life as worthless.
And that squad leader—remaining completely silent through all of this—was equally strange.
A leader stepping in to coordinate would boost morale.
But saying nothing and watching coldly—what was that supposed to mean?
Leaving aside Vill-V's speculation.
Hua's accumulated momentum had long been ready to erupt.
Fearless and composed, she stepped forward gracefully, took the Taixuan Divine Sword from Vill-V's hand, and faced the charge calmly.
"Azure Empyrea... please enlighten me."
This was her respect for their lives.
Because once she made her move, death would be inevitable.
Hua had already seen it clearly—none of them possessed the strength to stir even a hint of fighting spirit within her.
Several bikers rode modified heavy motorcycles, engines roaring, charging straight at Hua.
"Overestimating yourself!"
Twisted grins spread across their faces, as if they could already see Hua being smashed to pieces.
Crushing people beneath their bikes was their idea of fun.
And judging from the dried brown blood staining nearly every inch of their motorcycles, there were likely many souls already lost beneath them.
Watching the Ghostfire Syndicate's engines roar as they slammed toward Azure Empyrea, Reporter Tan—despite having witnessed her earlier techniques—couldn't help but worry for her.
After all, that earlier "skull-crushing" palm strike had looked impressive, but it was nowhere near as overwhelming as over a dozen motorcycles charging at once.
In Reporter Tan's mind, techniques were like chemistry—they relied on counters, not brute force.
Perhaps a frail young girl could defeat terrifying ghosts if she mastered such techniques.
But if that same girl were struck by a high-speed object, she would be crippled if not killed.
Let alone these weaponized motorcycles fitted with spikes.
The girl's fate seemed destined to be crushed to pieces.
No human body could withstand that.
Even a martial arts master would fare poorly. Those scenes in movies where someone counterattacks a speeding car were pure fiction.
Think about why ancient cavalry dominated the battlefield—it was speed.
In all martial arts, speed was paramount.
Now, these modified motorcycles far exceeded any cavalry in history in sheer horsepower.
Meanwhile, the immortal standing before him had no means of long-range attack with her sword.
At least a spear could counter cavalry—but what could that short, thick bronze sword do?
Ancient bronze swords were typically ceremonial—decorative objects, essentially. Why would anyone design a combat weapon like that?
Sir, times have changed!
No matter how he looked at it, the situation seemed completely unfavorable for her.
But Azure Empyrea proved him wrong with her actions.
"Taixuan Divine Sword!"
whoosh—
Another cry like a rooster's crow rang out.
The long sword in Azure Empyrea's hand moved gracefully, drawing elegant arcs. The blade's light flashed as she struck and withdrew in one seamless flow, mesmerizing to behold.
Several motorcycles flipped over instantly, skidding past her on both sides before erupting into fireballs.
Hua herself did not move an inch—only her long hair and the hem of her clothes fluttered gently in the airflow.
In truth, this was the first time Hua had fought with her full strength in this encounter.
The initial tide of Honkai Beasts had been beyond what human power could resist.
Her earlier actions had all carried a performative aspect.
They had relied heavily on Vill-V's devices to create visual effects.
But now, facing a battle that depended purely on her own martial skill, Hua felt no hesitation at all.
She had already honed her combat skills at St. Freya Academy, and several field missions had tempered her through real combat.
Members of the Ghostfire Syndicate swung large blades at her, while others wielded chains in an attempt to bind her.
Against ordinary people—even soldiers equipped with exoskeleton armor—these bikers would be extremely troublesome.
But to Hua, none of them could last even a single exchange.
Though Hua was not faster than them, Shenzhou martial arts emphasized one principle above all—stillness controlling motion.
Calm the mind, strike after the opponent.
The bikers had numbers and the advantage of elevated positions on their motorcycles.
Yet to an outside observer, it looked as though Hua was overwhelming them all at once.
"Oof."
With a simple push of her sword, a motorcycle toppled, throwing its rider violently to the ground, leaving him bloodied.
A sharp whistle of wind came from behind.
It was as if Hua had eyes on the back of her head—she tilted slightly to the side, evading. A sharp sickle sliced only a few strands of her hair before embedding itself into the utility pole behind her.
Grabbing the chain attached to the sickle, she gave it a powerful tug. Another speeding motorcycle was abruptly redirected, crashing straight into a parked one. The two riders and their bikes collided in a tangled heap, falling to the ground.
"A-amazing!"
Reporter Tan had interviewed many martial arts masters before, but he had never seen a swordsman as stylish and effective in real combat as Azure Empyrea.
An immortal truly lived up to the name—her swordsmanship was unparalleled.
In truth, this was because the Taixuan Divine Sword was as light as a cicada's wing, giving Hua no sense of weight at all.
Its lightness allowed her swordsmanship to reach a transcendent level.
If Reporter Tan truly understood the Taixuan Divine Sword, he would definitely shout: "Damn, that's future tech!"