Ever seen a Knight-class without a horse?
Lu Xing certainly learned something new today, and it happened to himself.
He didn't know if it was a bug in the system (after all, the description upon mission completion was a bit problematic), but the Knight-class Honkai Beast Lu Xing evolved into actually used the Knight Captain's near-death form as a template.
The Honkai Crystal, its core, was within the puppet's body—which, for Lu Xing, was his main body. The horse-shaped beast form hadn't appeared at all!
This current appearance with horns on his head... perhaps Elysia would find it very interesting.
Adding to that the Honkai energy halo atop his head, which originally belonged to a Ranger-class.
Lu Xing felt like he wasn't a Knight-class at all, but rather a stitched-together monster of three different types... although the stitching was quite aesthetically pleasing.
The light of evolution slowly faded.
The ice mist dispersed by the impact settled back onto the ground—none of this was Lu Xing's own ability. Although his name now included an affix like "Absolute Zero," he himself didn't master any related elemental abilities.
However, the system seemed to have noticed his "predicament" and provided considerable support through missions:
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Mission - Branch One: Kill 10,000 Honkai Beasts.
Reward: Attack +3, Level +1, [Dash] advances to [Ice Dash].
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Mission - Branch Two: Kill 10,000 Humans.
Reward: Speed +3, Level +1, [Crystal Wall] advances to [Honkai Energy Crystal Wall].
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Mission - Branch Three: Destroy 10,000 Mechs (including various mechanical vehicles/drones).
Reward: Constitution +3, Level +1, [Strike] advances to [Heavy Strike].
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Three mission lines.
They corresponded respectively to the three evolution branches for the next stage: "Temple-level," "Floater-level," and "Chariot-level."
Lu Xing had witnessed [Ice Dash] before. This move possessed both destructive power and extremely strong control effects. Considering that the next rank on this evolution path was the "Temple-level," which Lu Xing was most interested in, it was definitely the prime target.
[Honkai Energy Crystal Wall] was also a very practical skill. Whether it was the instantaneous defensive generation demonstrated by the Floater-class, or the way the Rotor-class simulated this move with multiple [Crystal Walls], both showed extremely strong defensive capabilities.
However, this evolution path corresponded to "Floater-level." Hmm, not that it was bad, but compared to being cool, it felt more... unsettling.
The only advantage was the possibility of tentacle play and bondage play, something a Temple-level could never achieve.
Lu Xing already had two defensive moves.
Although neither could be used as a constant defensive measure, even after evolving into a Knight-class, Lu Xing's speed was still his strong suit—compared to tanking hits, dodging was the most reliable defensive method.
Therefore, Lu Xing could only reluctantly pass on the [Honkai Energy Crystal Wall] skill.
As for the final [Heavy Strike]...
[Strike: Unleashes a small-scale concussive attack capable of penetrating armor of a certain thickness.]
[Heavy Strike: Unleashes a medium-scale concussive attack capable of shattering biological/mechanical targets within range, or causing them to lose balance/operability for a short period.]
In short.
This skill was the single-target and group-target version of a "one-inch punch head-splitter."
In the thoughtful video provided by the system, when a Knight-class used [Strike], it was like "giving you a big slap in the face"... no, to be precise, it was more like a Honkai-exclusive "chain of slaps."
[Heavy Strike], on the other hand, was a "War Stomp" unleashed by the horse-form beast body, propagating through the ground. Given that Lu Xing didn't even have a mount now, he had to give up [Heavy Strike] with regret.
It wasn't that Lu Xing hadn't considered his previous tactics.
For example, after eliminating 9,999 humans, Honkai Beasts, and mechs, he could find an opportunity to deal with the final mission target simultaneously.
But in reality...
They weren't just numbers on paper.
Excluding the mechs, which may or may not possess consciousness, Honkai Beasts were his own kind, and humans were his former kin.
It was one thing for enemies with whom he had grievances, but if there were no past grudges or recent enmity... Lu Xing, this life form that had saved Honkai Beasts from human hands and inherited the "mission to eliminate humanity" from the Knight Captain, if he could truly slaughter his own kind without any scruples, what would he view life as in the not-so-distant future?
"Experience."
"That's right, everyone is just a mobile EXP pack."
Since transmigrating into a Honkai Beast, Lu Xing had experienced many things.
He had faced death multiple times; if not for his bright enough halo, he would have truly died countless times already.
Whether it was his kin, the Honkai Beasts, or the humans for whom he still held some lingering goodwill due to time, yet who would absolutely kill him on sight.
Their fates were not something Lu Xing could control.
Therefore, to allow himself to live better, for the fate he might grasp in the future—
"Become a part of me, join the glorious evolution!"
"Bang!"
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Within the dissipating smoke.
Kuklops, piloting the Mistilteinn, charged towards this suddenly appeared "monster."
As the commander of the "Cyclops" regiment, Kuklops had accepted all sorts of missions, and he was so sick of seeing the appearances of various Honkai Beasts and Deadmen that he wanted to puke.
However, he had never seen a creature like this one.
Although Kuklops had clearly seen the actions of the two Honkai Beasts just now, he completely failed to understand what had happened.
It looked like...
The Knight Captain had repelled him with an attack, then the Ranger-class attached its final energy to the longsword and then delivered this power to the Knight Captain—Kuklops was not a researcher; from an external perspective, the scene indeed appeared this way.
After all.
No one had ever seen a Honkai Beast change its form.
No, forget seeing it; no data had ever mentioned such a thing.
This Knight Captain, resembling a Deadman, that appeared here, must have mutated after absorbing the Ranger-class to end up in this state—this was definitely good news for Kuklops. A brand-new, never-before-seen Honkai individual would fetch a "price" that would absolutely satisfy that organization.
So, he charged forward without hesitation, piloting the Mistilteinn.
And then...
He was swatted away by a simple [Strike] from Lu Xing.
"Boom!!"
Lu Xing held no weapon in his hand.
In his humanoid form, he had neither wings nor had he drawn his lance. Facing the sudden attack from the Mistilteinn, he simply slapped out—this wasn't Lu Xing being careless. The Mistilteinn was only Lv.30. Before Lu Xing, who was Lv.36 and whose attributes had inflated like a balloon, it truly only required a single [Strike].
Judging by the result.
He probably didn't even need to use a skill; a casual punch should have been enough to send this mech flying.
"Tap."
"Tap."
Lu Xing walked towards the Mistilteinn, which had crashed into the ruins over a hundred meters away.
His riding boots made crisp sounds on the ground—intermingled with the sounds of crunching gravel, ice, and bone.
Lu Xing didn't have the ability to drastically alter his appearance.
This outfit of a high-collared, short-skirted attire with riding boots could be restored and reshaped using the Honkai energy within his body, but he definitely couldn't change what he was wearing.
Considering Honkai's aesthetic was quite "stylish," he had no complaints.
"Zzzt!"
Passing by the spot where the Knight Captain had dissipated.
Lu Xing pulled out the longsword embedded in the ground—cyan and black Honkai energy swept up along the hilt, and the blade gradually transformed into a appearance befitting Lu Xing.
Name: Frost's Lament - Bio-Slayer
Type: Weapon
Grade: Hardware-grade (Blue, Elite)
Effects: All attacks made with this weapon will carry a freezing effect, slowing or freezing the target on hit; this weapon deals double damage to human individuals; this weapon deals half damage to Honkai Beast individuals; using/repairing this weapon consumes Honkai energy.
A straight blade, 120 centimeters long, pitch-black without luster, its cyan aura restrained within.
This was—
"Zing!"
"Boom!!"
An incoming red missile, adorned with shark head graffiti, was directly sliced in two mid-air by the blade Lu Xing casually swung!
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