Ryan floated hundreds of meters beneath the ocean surface, his face upturned. Śeṣa had become a tangled wreck, sinking into the deep sea.
This Honkai Beast, seeking an advantage, had met its doom. It never expected Ryan to abandon the Herrscher of Wind and focus all his efforts on it.
Having lost vast energy from self-detonation, it had no strength left to resist Ryan and was quickly extinguished, sinking resentfully to the seabed.
Honkai energy formed a bubble barrier against the water pressure. Ryan closed his eyes, sensing the outside world; his electromagnetic field wasn't hindered by seawater.
Śeṣa was dead. But he couldn't immediately replenish his energy. He needed time to recover. The Herrscher of Wind's anticipation wasn't wrong; he did plan a counter-attack.
Step one: lure. Step two: probe. Step three: approach. Step four: detach. And step five…
"It depends on your choice."
A meticulous plan unfolded in Ryan's mind. This battle was peculiar. Apart from Śeṣa, the Herrscher didn't have a large number of Honkai Beasts as cannon fodder. Instead, he had Fire Moth as his 'family'.
If she dared to initiate a full-scale war, then she could slowly fight Fire Moth. By then, with her energy depleted and his restored, the outcome wouldn't be certain. As for Fire Moth discovering his secrets?
If I wield two Herrscher authorities, pushing my Honkai energy above 2000HW, what can you do to me?
In the electromagnetic field, the sea surface was a maelstrom of exploding high-energy spheres, hundreds of missiles and shells detonating, shrapnel raining into the sea. Of course, such attacks couldn't harm a Herrscher.
After about ten seconds, Ryan's expression changed. He quickly plunged deeper into the sea.
Whoosh…
The air trembled, as if countless hands were drumming on glass, causing a noticeable distortion in the sky. Fire Moth unleashed another volley, but upon entering the vicinity of this sea, their winged machines lost balance.
As if slapped by a giant hand, they plummeted into the sea, resounding with thunderous crashes after a brief silence.
Boom, boom, boom—
A hundred water columns erupted simultaneously. The Herrscher of Wind watched the surface intently, without any lightning sparks, confirming the target had retreated into the deep sea, showing no intention of resistance.
He's still enduring, waiting for me and Fire Moth to wear each other down?
Another wave of 'starlight' flew in from the horizon; human firepower was endless. The fleet hundreds of kilometers away formed an anti-aircraft formation, making a breakthrough difficult.
The Herrscher hesitated for a moment, then slowly turned, displaying her tattered wings. Several energy rings bloomed sequentially.
"Herrscher is moving, exceeding Mach two, and still accelerating."
Panic surged within the battleship. At this speed, she would reach them quickly, and their fate would be no better than the Southern Shenzhou branch.
Edwin's forehead beaded with sweat. He looked up at the screen, first surprised, then stunned.
"No, why is she heading east?"
That way lay the vast ocean, devoid of cities or Fire Moth forces. The branch chief blinked, a disbelieving thought surfacing.
"She's escaping?"
How could a Herrscher escape? They always appeared abruptly, then attacked the nearest human city, didn't they?
And why would she need to escape? At that speed, Fire Moth would only be left in her dust.
"It seems the Herrscher has shown another trait." The fully armed Himiko walked onto the bridge, carrying a great alloy sword. She spoke impassively, "I sense her objective isn't destruction at all. This Herrscher is strange, truly strange. Even the intelligence department can't figure out her intentions."
No one could answer him, as humanity had never communicated with a Herrscher before. All predictions were based on past experience.
"The issue seems to be the battle itself. The interference is too strong; we don't know who she's fighting."
"What matters is what the Herrscher is thinking. She doesn't seem to be a monster solely focused on destruction."
The crowd was silent. From the Director to the lowest soldier, no one knew what a Herrscher truly was. She had simply appeared, and Fire Moth had gone all out to eliminate her. This had happened three times now.
"It doesn't matter what the Herrscher is thinking; her behavior suggests big trouble." Edwin sighed. Anyone with a bit of intelligence knew the gravity of the situation.
Herrschers could escape, rendering the army useless. She could unleash a storm on a city and then ravage an entire continent, and only two people could stop her.
Would it be Elysia or Ryan?
Himiko looked at the battle zone. Her intuition told her the Fourth Herrscher was completely different from the previous three. But what could be done? Kill these two to appease the Herrscher?
"Gather the information, report it to the higher-ups, and propose immediately initiating the Fusion Warrior plan. Otherwise, if the Herrscher of Wind resorts to guerrilla tactics, humanity is doomed." Edwin finished his analysis, rising gravely. "Activate all surveillance drones, predict her target cities. If she suddenly disappears…"
"Then the enemy we face will be truly terrifying!"
...
A streak of white extended thousands of meters high in the sky. Sakura stood at the bow, gazing at the majestic cloud trail, her violet eyes filled with worry.
Based on intercepted communications, the Herrscher of Wind had actually fled, and after traveling over a thousand kilometers, vanished abruptly, as if completely suppressing her Honkai energy. This was unprecedented.
Past Herrschers always emerged with roars, engaging in bloody battles with Fire Moth alongside their Honkai Beasts, ultimately ending as corpses. Now that she could suppress her energy and go into hiding, did that mean Herrschers could also blend in with humans?
This was terrifying. If she suddenly erupted within a city, Fire Moth wouldn't even get to collect the bodies.
Sakura hadn't thought that far ahead; she frantically adjusted her communicator's frequency, wanting to know Ryan's whereabouts. Hearing the news, she gripped her sword.
Tap.
A dripping hand suddenly pressed onto the ship's railing, followed by a black-haired man emerging. He was a bloody mess, almost unrecognizable.
Sakura grabbed her sword without hesitation, charging towards him. Seeing who it was, she quickly lowered her blade.
"Ryan, you escaped?"
"Not exactly escaped, but I can't have too much contact with Fire Moth." Ryan leaned against the railing, breathing heavily, weakness etched on his face. Sakura hurried over, offering a cup of hot tea.
It was useless. Ryan had used his last ounce of energy, traveling hundreds of kilometers underwater, relying on the link between the Śeṣa core and the mud to find Sakura.
But having hot tea made him feel slightly better; his chest rose and fell rapidly.
"The Herrscher of Wind escaped. If she'd fought Fire Moth, I would have had a chance to deal with her."
"So you're disappointed?"
"No, I felt a tremor of fear." Ryan turned his head, his grey eyes filled with seriousness. "The surprise this time wasn't just a Herrscher suddenly appearing, but her questionable objective. Damn, she can even escape after a single attack?"
He was indeed targeted, which finally explained a long-standing problem. Honkai Beasts always seemed to appear near him. Ryan had suspected this back at Chiba Academy.
Even though he'd cleverly escaped this time, almost managing a counter-kill, the Herrscher wasn't dead. She'd learned to escape and would eventually employ more complex strategies. And the Fourth Herrscher wasn't the end.
If five Herrschers ganged up on me, wouldn't I be dead for sure?
Ryan felt his stomach clench. While this possibility was extremely low – Fire Moth's research suggested Honkai energy needed to accumulate after each Herrscher before the next one could appear – the Fourth Herrscher enduring until the Fifth Herrscher arrived for backup meant a doubling of combat power.
So, did humanity harm me, or did I harm humanity?
This messy calculation was beyond even Ryan's comprehension. He only knew both their fates were now completely intertwined.
"Are you… alright?" Sakura asked with some anxiety. She rarely saw Ryan lose his composure.
"I'm fine. Do you know my biggest gain this time?"
"Understanding that High-Rank Honkai Beasts and Herrschers have intelligence?"
Ryan leaned on his sword and stood up, saying coldly, "No, it's that the curtain has been drawn on my war with Honkai."
Wasn't that the same thing?
Sakura didn't quite understand and quickly followed. But Ryan knew clearly these were two completely different things.
Herrschers were born with different purposes. The Fourth Herrscher was specifically sent to kill him. Having exchanged a few words, Ryan's understanding of Herrschers had deepened significantly.
Simply put, personality, intelligence, and strength are secondary; their foundation lies in their purpose. The Fourth Herrscher has lost the opportunity to kill me; she won't blindly charge into battle with Fire Moth.
'So, even if I hide in a cryogenic chamber, it's useless. She will find a way to deal with me, and even future Herrschers will adopt these secondary objectives. How bad will that be?'
It seemed there was no turning back.
Ryan looked at his reflection—his face covered in burn marks, his shoulder dislocated, internal organs a mess—yet he'd run hundreds of kilometers, and new skin was already growing.
Rapid regeneration, Śeṣa's ability. Unfortunately, it couldn't touch the root cause and almost drained his Honkai energy.
He remembered Mobius fusing with Śeṣa and gaining the ability to revive. He wasn't concerned about this difference; Honkai Beast abilities were weaker than authority and inferior to Fusion Warrior surgery.
"Acquiring authority by dealing with the Third Herrscher is my instinct. What is there to regret?"
Once on the Path, there was no turning back. Perhaps at first there was room for regret, but as he delved deeper, that option had been eliminated from his mind.
Either see it through to the end, or vanish like smoke.
Ryan extended his hand, taking the inner garment Sakura offered, slowly buttoning it up. He shook his still-wet hair, looking towards the cloud trail in the sky.
The Herrscher was far away, yet upon reflection, she felt ever-present. That feeling was very familiar.
He remembered the first time he killed a Honkai Beast, subsequently awakening his Path. Now, having dealt with a Herrscher for the first time, it felt like stepping onto a higher rung, heading towards a deeper abyss.
Coincidence, or inevitability?
He had no answer, nor would he reverse time; he simply swept his wet hair back.
"Let the storm come a little fiercer."