Even after countless years of combating Honkai, having faced two Herrschers, most scientists within Fire Moth could still say:
I know nothing about Honkai.
This wave of destruction arrived suddenly, descending upon Shanghai with limitless malice. Even those mentally prepared were stunned; fear filled their minds.
It was unavoidable; this was humanity's instinctive reaction to a divine messenger.
"Third Herrscher detected; coordinates…"
"Energy scanning… 1000, 1500, 2000… The highest Honkai energy concentration is 3000HW!"
"Level One combat alert; maximum-level evacuation order issued; two-hundred-kilometer combat zone confirmed."
"Contact North Shenzhou and the Far East Branch; request immediate reinforcements!"
Chaos reigned within the Raven. The Herrscher's appearance was too swift; even with a pre-arranged plan, they were flustered.
Predictions had come true, but the situation wasn't ideal. Troops were scattered across East Asia; consolidation would take time. Currently, only the South Shenzhou branch's fleet was available; one branch against a Herrscher was a suicide mission.
And during this time, the Herrscher could freely ravage Shanghai multiple times. From the officers to the assistants, everyone forgot Ryan's existence.
They assumed no one would be foolish enough to provoke the Herrscher. Perhaps Ryan's efforts in repelling Mosha and issuing an early evacuation warning had saved millions of lives.
As a hero, he'd done his part.
The true "storm" appeared on the large screen—a crimson vortex, its center a fiery purple.
The extent of its power was unknown, but the Honkai energy intensity far surpassed Secpnd Herrscher, confirming the scholars' prediction:
Second Herrscher wasn't the pinnacle; each Herrscher would be more powerful.
Chalice's pupils constricted; fear mingled with excitement, like a top student facing a challenging question, brimming with ambition.
Suppressing his emotions, he calmly instructed, "Grant combat command to the South Shenzhou branch; Raven will begin intelligence gathering."
"Understood. Drones deployed; optical signals acquired."
Fire Moth had established a scientific protocol; battles were managed and controlled; their task was intelligence gathering.
Past bloody lessons taught Fire Moth that Honkai energy was only fundamental; a Herrscher's true power lay in its abilities—abilities that defied physics. During the battle with the Second Herrscher, several nuclear missiles were teleported into the allied fleet, resulting in significant losses.
If not for the appearance of that pink girl, humanity would have suffered a crushing defeat.
Secondly, they needed to identify the Herrscher's vessel; because Herrschers were ascended humans. The research team hadn't given up on psychological warfare, hoping to convince a Herrscher to join humanity.
Amidst intense electromagnetic interference, a figure gradually appeared on the screen; the gathered elite intelligence personnel widened their eyes.
A young woman, with a delicately upturned nose, thin lips, and pale skin, wore a light, flowing dress; barefoot, she stood in the center of a large crater. Her swaying silver hair added to her ethereal beauty, evoking pity.
But no one dared underestimate her based on her appearance. The computer scanned her face; countless faces flashed by before settling on a cold, beautiful face. Her file appeared rapidly.
"Data confirmed. Her name is Chen, residing at 232 Huai Xi Road, Shanghai. Occupation: orphanage caregiver. No criminal record. This is her social network, as well as her medical history."
Leveraging state power to surveil an individual revealed all her secrets—even hospital visits for common colds were recorded. But the results baffled the intelligence officers.
The Herrscher's vessel remained enigmatic, as before—not a great villain, not a seasoned warrior; she had no connection to Honkai, at least judging by appearances.
A kind caregiver, dedicated to helping others; she should've lived a normal life. Why did she become a harbinger of destruction?
"Perhaps witnessing abandoned children filled her with hatred for the world?"
"Possible. I suggest contacting her friends and family, keeping her away from the Herrscher's side; we might be able to convince her."
"Psychological warfare failed with the Second Herrscher; these people might die."
"We should still try; this level of sacrifice is necessary."
Discussions erupted; Fire Moth hadn't abandoned its attempts to persuade the Herrscher; converting such a being, either as a combat asset or research subject, would be invaluable.
Chalice watched this scene, finding it amusing.
It was like ants discussing how to catch an elephant—utterly naive.
He glanced at the large screen; around the Honkai energy vortex, numerous friendly unit markers were converging from all directions; more than five aircraft carrier icons alone; fighters were being launched continuously.
To the west, another marker attracted his attention; it was approaching Jiangsu Province.
"Elysia is arriving soon. Did she leave early?" He didn't overthink it; this didn't violate organizational regulations; only the chain of command seemed unclear.
The military was under the South Shenzhou branch's command; as for those two… let them be.
"Contact the Grand Commander." Chalice turned to his secretary. "I believe a full evacuation of Shanghai is impossible. We'll fight within the city. Ask him to persuade the Shenzhou government. Also, if psychological warfare and conventional weapons fail, neither Ryan nor Elysia will be enough to stop—"
"I request authorization for a saturation strike!"
...
The final battle had begun.
Ryan looked up at the dense contrails in the sky—missiles and fighter jets, a breathtaking spectacle.
The higher-ups' objective had been achieved. Even if the Third Herrscher did nothing, this saturation bombardment would reduce several city blocks to rubble; the damage would be astronomical.
Rumble, rumble…
Countless thunderclaps echoed; even from several kilometers away, Ryan saw continuous fireballs. A curtain of lightning erupted, forming a massive protective barrier, deflecting the attacks.
Useless. Thousands of tons of TNT couldn't even scratch its skin. Individual power had surpassed human imagination. Then, Ryan saw hundreds of white figures leap into the sky, extending the intense heat to the crowded airspace.
The clouds were torn apart by countless contrails; anti-aircraft missiles left dense trails of fire; fireballs exploded, burning wreckage falling to earth.
This wasn't a duel; it was a war. Honkai Beasts weaved through the air, displaying tactical awareness.
Catapult-Class Honkai Beasts launched Seraph-Class Beasts into the sky. While Ryan slaughtered these "mosquitoes" easily, these larger monsters were highly agile; fighter jets and their vector engines were cumbersome in comparison.
They dodged missiles with over 20G maneuvers, piercing fighter jets; then, slowing down abruptly, they pursued, crushing cockpits with the pilots' horrified expressions, before being obliterated by missiles.
They died silently; then, two hundred-million-Euro fighter jets became burning wreckage, falling like meteor fragments.
Like a meteor shower, the debris of Honkai Beasts and fighter jets streaked across Shanghai, creating a strange beauty in Ryan's eyes.
"So, before the warrior fusion, this is how Fire Moth dealt with Herrschers." Ryan witnessed the battle, filled with sadness and resignation.
It was essentially a sacrifice of lives—consuming the Herrscher's partners, using more lives to probe the Herrscher's abilities. Each step was bloody.
But it was unavoidable. Herrschers wouldn't stand still; their powers were more important than Honkai energy output. If they used nuclear weapons indiscriminately, what if they were reflected back, like with the Second Herrscher?
Ryan withdrew his gaze, ignoring the sacrifices. He opened the crate, revealing the silver armor inside.
"Fortunately, my guess was correct."
...
Rumble, rumble, rumble…
The sky was ablaze; fighter jets and Honkai Beasts clashed; missiles and cannons intertwined.
Humanity employed tactics of lure and ambush; the Honkai Beasts relied on instinct, transforming humans into fireballs. The exchange ratio was roughly 2:1 in humanity's favor, but Fire Moth was actually losing badly.
Low-Rank Honkai Beasts were plentiful, while building a single fighter jet took thousands of hours, not to mention the cost of training a pilot.
Fifty or one hundred losses?
Standing at the edge of the city, Ryan couldn't keep track. He watched the heroic acts of humanity—pilots, without parachutes, steered their burning jets toward the purple light, becoming fireballs on contact.
Like moths to a flame, they were consumed instantly.
"Strong electromagnetic pulses; by eliminating electromagnetic interactions between micro-particles, achieving atomic-level decomposition."
Ryan's eye twitched. That was a scientific explanation; for the Herrscher, it was instinct. The so-called Herrscher of Thunder didn't simply summon lightning; it manipulated electromagnetic forces.
One of the fundamental forces of nature; in Ryan's eyes, as a scientist, it was terrifying. He pulled out his terminal—Fire Moth's squad leader-level command system—and searched for the Third Herrscher's vessel's data.
"Fortunately, it's just an orphanage caregiver. If it were someone studying electromagnetism, it would be a headache."
The same power, wielded by different individuals, yielded different results. Chen was using this power purely instinctively; she knew how to use it, but not why. If it were an electromagnetism expert, things would be far more complex.
But even instinctual power was terrifying.
The residential area was reduced to a massive crater; within a radius of several hundred meters, everything was obliterated—steel, buildings, completely erased, demonstrating the Herrscher of Thunder's destructive power.
Ryan remained calm, observing. Fire Moth's second and third waves of attacks followed swiftly.
First, the sky was ripped open by falling objects; a black shadow flashed past Ryan.
"God's Rod?"
This was a kinetic strike from a near-Earth satellite; a ten-meter-long, high-strength alloy rod fell from space, like a spear from the heavens, possessing enough kinetic energy to obliterate a small town.
Then, blinding light filled Ryan's vision. In a blink, it was gone; it was as if it never existed.
"Useless. The high-strength alloy only penetrated one meter before being disintegrated."
Seconds later, almost simultaneously with the "rod's" disappearance, several hypersonic missiles arrived, carrying heavy warheads, yet failing to explode spectacularly.
Arcs of lightning rose, like blades sweeping across the sky, rendering the warheads inert before detonation.
"A Herrscher isn't a target; it will attack when threatened." Ryan sighed, observing the distance and the tactical terminal. As the uncontrolled missiles fell, the object he'd been waiting for arrived.
Dozens of cruise missiles arrived, exploding one hundred meters from the light barrier.
Crimson light spheres erupted; the warheads released their stored Honkai energy; the roaring energy consumed everything. Ryan narrowed his eyes, focusing on the figure in the crater.
She retreated; she couldn't perfectly block Honkai energy—energy similar to her own.
His clenched fists relaxed; the weight lifted. Though the Herrscher of Thunder only retreated slightly, it confirmed Honkai energy's high lethality.
"This gives me a chance." Ryan felt a surge of confidence. Seeing the saturation strike fail had been disheartening.
For instance, that God's Rod; it was beyond human defenses. Yet, he remained motionless; only his gaze sharpened.
After several attempts, communication on the tactical network became chaotic. Fire Moth had used most of its weaponry; the scientists were tearing their hair out; the supercomputers were near overload.
A single spark in the micro-world required a billion calculations; the Herrscher of Thunder had amplified this by ten thousand times. Like a bored beast, it lightly lifted its left foot.
In an instant, the slender figure in the crater vanished; a lightning bolt streaked from the ground to the sky, stopping amidst the intense aerial battle. An eerie silence descended.
Whether in the distant Fire Moth command center, or on the ground with Ryan, or in the air with the pilots—all eyes were fixed on this bizarre scene.
Without any tools, a young woman hovered in the air, her silver hair gently flowing. Around her were countless weapons of war—missiles streaking, cannons roaring—only she seemed out of place.
"That damned field is gone! All units, attack!"
"Concentrate fire; crush this monster!"
After a brief moment of astonishment, Fire Moth launched a counterattack. Ignoring the Honkai Beasts, fighter jets converged from all directions; the pilots seemed energized, frantically firing.
Whizz, whizz, whizz…
Dense missile trails tore across the sky, converging on the center. But the girl's golden eyes moved slightly; she extended her right hand.
Purple electricity gathered, condensing into a long blade, as if created from nothingness.
"Foolish, pointless resistance."
Her voice was devoid of emotion. She reversed the blade and lightly swept it downwards.
Like a stone dropped into a lake, countless purple lightning bolts expanded outward. This silent ripple swept across the sky, extending from a small point to the horizon in an instant.
It wasn't particularly dazzling, but what followed made people's scalps tingle.
Hundreds of missiles careened through the air; these sophisticated weapons were like cheap fireworks, colliding, falling onto buildings and the ground, exploding into plumes of thick smoke, setting several city blocks ablaze.
Not only missiles; the fighter jets also lost control. All electronic and communication systems failed; even manually overriding the controls was impossible.
The sky rained metal; fighter jets spun and crashed, exploding into fireballs.
In an instant, three squadrons were annihilated.
Ryan's pupils constricted; witnessing this, he understood the Herrscher's terror. Even with his Honkai energy exceeding that of an Emperor-Class, he would struggle against such an aerial assault.
Those missiles weren't mere fireworks; they required energy to defend; the Herrscher had annihilated them with a single electromagnetic pulse—effortlessly.
Was this the Herrscher's power? How was it possible?
The desire to understand overwhelmed him. But it didn't override his reason. He'd calculated that Mobius's high-molecular shielding armor could withstand three attacks, assuming the Herrscher of Thunder wasn't at full power.
Fire Moth's attacks were ineffective but could deplete the Herrscher's energy. No matter how powerful, without an energy source, its power would decrease. Two problems existed:
First, Herrschers, unlike Honkai Beasts, possessed not only high Honkai energy levels but also a rapid replenishment rate.
Second, Fire Moth wasn't stupid; they planned to use Shanghai as bait, depleting the Herrscher before launching another attack.
Ironically, Fire Moth, meant to protect the people, was using them as expendable resources.
Ryan glanced at his terminal, noticing a key order:
Full retreat; await Elysia's arrival.
That elf has finally arrived?
Ryan felt a surge of relief, but not the same elation as the soldiers. He knew the higher-ups' motives.
If Elysia could defeat Herrscher of Thunder, that would be ideal. If not, those bastards would sacrifice her; Mobius hadn't uncovered any secrets; Elysia's value had diminished.
"Then I'll create a different path." Ryan took a deep breath, looking at the Herrscher, raising his right hand.
Intense Honkai energy gathered in his palm, stretching and contracting like noodles. Instantly, the Herrscher looked down.
Although missiles continued to strike, exploding before reaching the Herrscher, this concentration of Honkai energy was unusual; it instantly sealed the source.
On a rooftop, a man watched her—black hair flowing, surrounding satellite antennas melting. He held a crimson spear that seemed to burn.
Who is he?
The Herrscher tilted its head slightly, instinctively puzzled. Before the warrior fusion, Honkai energy on the human side was rare, but instinct provided the answer:
This is… an enemy!
Thump!
The rooftop shattered; a crimson spear, traveling at several times the speed of sound, pierced the electromagnetic shield, forcing her to raise her blade.
Clang—Boom!
Thunder roared; the lightning spear and the blade collided, creating a spreading fog, enveloping the Herrscher. Then, in an instant, a larger bolt of lightning struck.
Lightning filled the sky; within a hundred-meter radius, Honkai Beasts were disintegrated. The Herrscher paid no attention, observing the ground.
A spear thrown; the strange human didn't attack directly; he vanished from the collapsing rooftop. Moments later, the Herrscher pierced the dust cloud, pursuing him.
The human leaped from the roof, stepping through nothingness. As he fell, he charged.
The Herrscher calmly tilted its head, instinctively responding:
Pursue him. Annihilate him; leave not a single atom behind!