HI3: I Don't Want to Be a Valkyrie

Amidst this chaos, a delightful voice chimed in with a cheerful greeting:

"Hee hee, good evening, everyone!"

All heads turned hastily towards the source of the voice. There sat a young girl—a princess-like figure clad in exquisite white wedding attire—perched atop an enormous dark golden cross.

"Isn't it wonderful that your ball now has such a cute addition like me, Theresa? I'm sure you're all thrilled!"

The beautiful vampire princess, Theresa, was seated upon what she called the "Oath of Judah," adorned in her Celestial Hymn ensemble which she had donned not long ago. She swung her dainty feet back and forth playfully.

Then, as if by magical effect, red roses began falling around her—one after another.

It painted quite an alluring picture...

This allure was precisely why Theresa rarely wore this particular outfit despite owning it; its seductive nature made even her feel self-conscious.

But since she'd decided to "join" the nobles' ball tonight, donning the wedding dress seemed appropriate enough! After all, one must always look their best when making grand entrances—and exits—in life's grand theater.

Thus, the adorable Theresa had specially changed into her Celestial Hymn attire for this ball.

"Who in the devil are you?" one of the nobles demanded fearfully at Theresa's sudden appearance—complete with a massive cross—and their inability to move even an inch.

"Oh, I'm here on behalf of someone else," Theresa replied candidly, pointing directly at the eldest prince as she continued, "To... assassinate you, naturally."

Indeed, Theresa's assassination attempt was nothing if not audacious and conspicuous.

"What..." The eldest prince's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Was it sent by the third prince? What did he offer you? Name your price—I'll double it—no, triple it!"

His gaze sharpened as realization dawned upon him. He attempted to leave but found himself immobilized; even his two powerful knights seemed fixed in place. It became clear that they were facing an incredibly formidable adversary.

"Oh... so you've guessed correctly," Theresa said sweetly. "Although I must admit, dear prince, Theresa is indeed very interested in such riches... However... Theresa is a woman of her word. When she promises something, she always follows through!"

Her commissionaire had tasked her with killing the eldest prince, and having accepted the job, there was no turning back now.

As she spoke, the charming Theresa leaped down from Oath of Judah—the colossal cross—and surveyed all the immobile figures below with satisfaction. Her demeanor instantly relaxed; she was no longer rushed at all.

The Oath of Judah, as the Eleventh Divine Key and Bondage Key, was forged from the core of a Herrscher—a being capable of constraining energy itself. This superlative holy weapon had the power to inhibit energy and restrict an enemy's movements.

According to its description, if fully unleashed, the Oath of Judah could even suppress a Herrscher's Honkai Impact—their destructive force. It was undoubtedly an exceptional support-type Divine Key.

Among all the Divine Keys, the Oath of Judah did not excel in direct damage or attack capabilities; rather, it leaned heavily towards supportive functions.

During the Eastern Campaign era, Kallen brought the Oath of Judah to the Shenzhou mainland only to be thoroughly defeated by Fu Hua.

In the Honkai Impact storyline, Theresa and Kallen engaged in seven battles using the Oath of Judah, winning four and losing three. Although they secured more victories than defeats, these encounters failed to showcase the true extent of the Oath of Judah's destructive potential.

What truly made the Oath of Judah formidable was its ability to potentially suppress a Herrscher, reducing them to the level of an ordinary human.

However, this particular four-star version of the Oath of Judah certainly lacked such immense power. Only the "graduation" model equipped through one's account might still possess the capability to neutralize a Herrscher completely.

Suppressing a Herrscher down to the level of an average person would indeed be an arduous task—neither Kallen nor Theresa had ever achieved it fully.

Nevertheless, for dealing with ordinary adversaries, the Oath of Judah proved utterly sufficient.

Theresa hadn't even fully activated the Oath of Judah yet; she merely allowed its restraining influence to spread out. Yet that alone transformed everyone present into mere mortals, rendering them immobile at once.

"Curse you!" The crown prince exclaimed. "I am the future ruler of this nation—how dare you treat me thus! What are all of you standing around for? Execute her at once!"

Realizing that Theresa was unmoved by his threats—and seeing her approach with two blood-red daggers—the crown prince finally succumbed to fear.

He hastily commanded the knights, soldiers...and even the nobles and adventurers attending the ball who were within earshot:

However... though these men dearly wanted to save the crown prince, not one could move a muscle.

"Well then..." Theresa drawled as she closed in on the crown prince, raising her dagger high. "See you later!"

"No! Don't kill me—I'm the king of this realm! Name your price; I'll grant any request you have!" The crown prince watched helplessly as Theresa raised her blade, pleading desperately amidst overwhelming terror. Those accustomed to wielding power feared death most acutely because they had grown so reliant on its pleasures.

"Stop! Release the crown prince immediately!"

"Guards! Come quickly!"

The panic-stricken cries erupted from among the crown prince's loyal retainers and soldiers alike. They knew well that if harm befell their master, escape would be impossible—even if immediate execution did not await them.

But alas...

With a single agonized scream, the crimson-tipped dagger pierced the flesh of the crown prince, sealing his fate forever.

"It's over..."

Witnessing this scene, both soldiers and nobles shared a single thought: with the eldest prince dead, their own fates would be no less dire.

"Now... it's your turn," Theresa turned her gaze upon these nobles.

A chill ran through them instantly, fear gripping their hearts.

"However, the client never specified that you should die." Theresa sensed the approaching soldiers; due to Oath of Judah's influence, they couldn't possibly enter the area.

-

"However, simply releasing you doesn't seem quite right... Why not make all of you my familiars instead?"

Theresa's red eyes gleamed as her vampire fangs emerged.

Present here were many high-ranking officials and nobles from across the realm. Since their plan was to infect everyone in this kingdom eventually, why not begin now?

"A demon..."

"The demon has actually infiltrated the royal palace..."

"That damned Third Prince must be colluding with these creatures."

The sight of Theresa's transformed state only intensified the nobles' fear as they inwardly cursed the obese Third Prince over and over.

Mission: Assassinate the Crown Prince (Completed)

Reward: 3 Crystals, Soul of the Third Prince.

"Has that Third Prince already perished?" Theresa mused. "Let's exchange his soul for crystals instead." She had no use for the Third Prince's essence.

Exchange successful. Obtained 2 crystals.

"Hmm... Only 2 crystals? Well, every little bit helps, I suppose."

Now both princes of this kingdom were dead, leaving behind just one princess.

Am I inadvertently helping her gain an advantage through my actions?

No, not really, because... it was all about to become her vassal state very soon.

Theresa scanned the ballroom crowd. The plump nobles held no appeal; she couldn't bear to sink her teeth into them. However, after identifying several women who met her criteria, she wasted no time. With swift precision, she bit each one, infecting them instantly...

Under Theresa's deliberate guidance, these individuals quickly transformed into vampires, loyal to their new mistress.

"Go forth and infect them all!" Theresa released Oath of Judah's control over her minions.

"Yes..."

The newly transformed vampires lunged towards the others with eager intent.