Lu Xing had been somewhat careless.
But he couldn't really be blamed for it. Who would have thought that Honkai Beasts of this level would have their own "squads"? Unlike other types of Honkai Beasts, the "humanoid Honkai Beasts," primarily the "Knight-class," possessed a degree of organization far exceeding other beast-type Honkai of the same tier.
Simply put.
Knight-class beasts, unlike in the game, almost always fought in groups.
Watching the Paladin-class beasts charging from the distance, their flaming lances raised in a "gonna run you down" posture, and the menacingly approaching "Heavy Cavalry Leader" at their head.
Lu Xing prepared to test them.
One opponent of his level leading four subordinates—such a lineup wasn't enough to force Lu Xing to retreat without a fight.
Even setting aside the mission factors, he had long intended to test out his skills in actual combat.
"A hero—"
Starlight-like Honkai energy flowed across his body's surface.
Silvery-white light trails, like runic patterns, spread over the "Great Universe's" entire form, while shadowy black flames erupted from behind him!
"—can't run from a fight!"
"Hisss!"
A ring of flame swept upwards!
"Dash!"
A maximum-speed charge!
Leveraging the high speed provided by the [Dash] skill itself, coupled with the additional boost from his [Vortex Jet], Lu Xing's body left countless afterimages in mid-air as he shot straight towards the leading "Heavy Cavalry Leader"!
"Swoosh!"
The opponent's reaction was equally swift!
The twintailed girl atop the mount, with immense strength belying her physique, swung the lance burning with azure flames.
In less than two seconds, Lu Xing continuously changed his attack's focal point three times. By altering the ejection angle of his Honkai energy, he could flexibly control his body's flight through the air; this had become an almost passive instinct for him. Yet even these agile movements were all forced away by the sharp lance.
The twintailed girl's eyes didn't follow Lu Xing's movements.
The "Heavy Cavalry Leader" wasn't relying on visual perception to track Lu Xing's attacks, but rather on locking onto Honkai energy... No, to be precise, it was locking onto the Honkai Core, as the Honkai energy Lu Xing used for "jetting" was also massive in quantity.
"In that case."
Seeing that a head-on clash was inevitable no matter what.
Lu Xing, making a swift decision, immediately switched targets, preparing to take out the Heavy Cavalry Leader's subordinates first!
And the "Heavy Cavalry Leader," at this moment, seemed to have a similar idea.
"Whuff!"
————
Lowering his altitude, he swooped down for a slash!
Having decided on his attack target, Lu Xing instantly changed his flight trajectory, bringing his body down to less than five centimeters from the ground.
The twintails on the Knight-class were troublesome.
But the clumsy horse-type Honkai Beast was far less agile, and its knight lance couldn't execute a [Thrust] from directly in front.
The most effective ancient infantry tactic against cavalry:
Hamstringing the horses!
Honkai energy flared with a cross-shaped cold light. [Power Strike] and [Spinning Slash] were unleashed simultaneously. Lu Xing's body became like a rapidly spinning circular saw, fiercely sweeping towards the "Paladin-class's" horse legs—
"Take this... Eight-Segment Light Wheel!"
"Zzsshhht!"
A sharp, grating sound exploded at the point of closest approach.
Dazzling sparks flew like fireworks on a summer night.
"Boom!!"
Lu Xing's body was sent flying backward!
The five Knight-class beasts also retreated in large strides, their mounts nearly toppling over from failing to maintain balance!
"Evenly matched."
Feeling the injury on his wing.
Lu Xing's non-existent eyebrows twitched slightly.
The Knight-class beasts' coordination was extremely exquisite. Lu Xing's attack had only targeted the rightmost one, but as he launched his assault, the five of them instantly changed their formation from a wedge charge to a concave pocket formation.
This way.
Lu Xing was forced to simultaneously face the attacks of all the Knight-class beasts.
They didn't attack hastily. Although the Paladin-class's [Thrust] was powerful, it didn't pose a fatal threat to Lu Xing; they couldn't pierce his main body's sturdy shell, at least not with a single blow.
The "Paladin-class" beasts transformed their lances into a cage, thrusting them straight down around Lu Xing's dashing trajectory!
It was simply...
A Forest of Flaming Lances, a Four Symbols Seal!
Soaring flames coiled around the sharp points of the knight lances. The "Paladin-class" beasts "ignited" all their Honkai energy, forming pillars of fire that blocked the four cardinal directions—south, east, west, north—forcefully halting his [Dash]!
Seizing the momentary gap during the clash between [Spinning Slash] and their [Thrust].
The only one who hadn't moved, the "Heavy Cavalry Leader," "sent" the pale azure Heavenly Fire in its hand downwards—
His movement was sealed by the lances.
Even if he could break free, it would be after the "Heavy Cavalry Leader's" [Thrust] landed.
Left with no other choice, Lu Xing could only use that skill with a considerable energy cost:
[Honkai Lance Projection]!
Vibrant Honkai energy, using the ring above the "Great Universe's" head as a conduit, rapidly condensed into a pitch-black crystal lance, aiming at the azure flame now close at hand—
And crashed straight into it!
"Boom!!"
————
Lu Xing's injury.
It was because of the [Honkai Lance Projection] he himself had released.
Such a close-range Honkai energy explosion, although it repelled the Knight-class beasts' offensive, also meant he had successfully inflicted a thousand points of damage upon himself.
After all, he had hit himself.
The sturdy and smooth surface of his shell was blasted full of pits by the Honkai energy shockwave. These indentations, which clearly defied fluid dynamics, would greatly affect Lu Xing's flight flexibility.
But it didn't matter!
Lu Xing wasn't planning to engage in a battle of speed with them anymore.
The performance of the "Heavy Cavalry Leader" and its "Paladin-class" subordinates made it difficult for Lu Xing to imagine they lacked intelligence. Their tactical discipline, as if they were a single entity, and their extremely flexible responses, far exceeded Lu Xing's understanding of ordinary Honkai Beasts.
A Variant...
That Floater-class had been at about this level in terms of its thought patterns.
But!
IQ does not equal wisdom!
It was time to let the Knight-class witness the ingenuity of humankind!
His wings flapped lightly, and he soared into the air!
In the blink of an eye, Lu Xing had already shot more than fifty meters straight up into the sky, a height of nearly twenty stories, rendering all melee options useless!
"Feeling stupid now, huh!"
The enemies were ground-based melee units.
So, just fly into the sky and wear them down with ranged attacks. Wouldn't that solve the problem?
He usually moved by hovering near the ground, but that didn't mean Lu Xing had forgotten his ability to fly.
"Swoosh!"
He lowered his altitude slightly.
Although he hadn't experienced it himself, Lu Xing knew very well the consequences of flying at a middling altitude—"Black Hawks" and "Apaches" were often shot down at such times.
A height of over twenty meters was still far beyond the Knight-class beasts' attack range.
But for Lu Xing...
"Thunk!"
Rapidly generated grayish-white spheres arranged themselves neatly above Lu Xing's wings.
"Come and witness true art!"
With a gentle flap of his wings—
"Boom!!"