The storm roared, and red light burst out. To be honest, the people in San Diego were already numb. If a meteorite had fallen from the sky, it might have shocked them, but at least it would have felt like a relief.
The indescribable force of nature didn't care about the situation. In just a short time, hundreds of thousands of people were wiped off the earth.
Kosma stared at the red light, his mind frozen, wanting to see what other tricks the Herrscher had to torment everyone. At that moment, his breath caught in his chest.
Huh? Something's wrong.
The hurricane stopped at the city's edge, the buzzing sound faded, and the world seemed to freeze. The storm no longer swirled, and humans dared not leave their positions. They simply stared in stunned silence as the light dyed the entire sky.
Swoosh——
With a soft sound, wind pressure formed a white line that swept out into the distance, blowing Kosma so hard that he could hardly keep his eyes open. He raised his hands in front of his face, slowly opening his eyes. His pupils contracted as he realized what he was seeing.
The hurricane had appeared suddenly and disappeared just as suddenly. If it weren't for the ruins scattered across the city, it would have seemed like a bad dream. Kosma couldn't shake the shock that lingered in him.
"Dystopia, pinch me."
Pop.
The girl slapped him to the ground and then scratched her disheveled hair. "My hand hurts a little. I guess it's not a dream."
"You..." Kosma climbed up, not wanting to argue with his friend. But suddenly he raised his hand. "Look, what is that?"
In the empty sky, two stars were slowly falling, and beneath them lay a mountain of wreckage. When the storm had cleared, all the debris it had swept up had fallen back to the ground.
Wrecked warships, shattered houses, bricks, and countless body fragments piled together into a massive garbage heap, two to three hundred meters high—taller than the tallest buildings in the city. The two stars fell directly onto the pile.
As the remaining energy dissipated, hundreds of thousands of people saw the true form of what had happened. The muscles that had just relaxed tensed up once again.
"That's... a person??"
Kosma could see it clearly now. Though it was a bit far off, he could tell it was human. A pink-haired girl and a black-haired young man stood together, holding hands, seemingly looking down upon the devastated world.
Anyone who wasn't completely stunned could tell that the two of them had stopped the storm from advancing any further. But the power they displayed was so incredible it was hard to accept.
"The storm dissipated, and the satellite captured the optical signal and confirmed the identity—"
"It's Miss Elysia and Dr. Ryan!"
At Fire Moth headquarters, the intelligence officer almost screamed as he reported the good news. His earlier despondency was momentarily forgotten.
The image on the screen was enlarged, and hundreds of operators stared in amazement. They saw the beautiful face of the pink-haired girl, her long skirt billowing in the remaining wind, embodying the very essence of "goddess."
The black-haired young man, though somewhat overshadowed, exuded an elegant and indifferent aura, making it difficult to look directly at him.
"Very good!"
"Long live!!"
No one knew who started it, but soon everyone was cheering. The two had dispersed the storm and saved the city. With their striking appearance, even the most stubborn people had to applaud.
"They… are acting on their own." Carius clapped his hands and shook his head. According to orders, these two were supposed to remain on standby.
But he couldn't rebuke them. Protecting humanity was the ultimate political correctness.
"We can't do anything. Our public relations campaign depends entirely on them to save face," Carius said with a bitter smile, unsure whether this could be considered a loss.
Fire Moth had aggressively searched for the Herrscher but ended up with its entire fleet wiped out, nearly destroying a large city in the process. The investigation afterward left everyone embarrassed.
"So we'll still publicize them, make them the heroes of this operation, but remember—hide their appearances and personal details." The commander-in-chief's smile also turned bitter. He had realized that things were spiraling out of control.
But what could they do? Ryan actions were in line with humanity's interests, and that couldn't be changed by personal will.
This was the first time Fire Moth had faced off against the Herrscher in public, and it had failed to showcase its advancement and leadership. This was unacceptable. Moreover, with so many witnesses, no one could usurp the credit.
"Let's adjust the plan. Let's not talk about the future. At least they're still members of the Fire Moth."
Carius winked and stood up, pressing his hands down to quiet his cheering subordinates.
"Dr. Ryan and Miss Elysia are the most capable forces within Fire Moth. It is their duty and honor to protect humanity. But the battle isn't over yet. Quickly detect the location of the Fourth Herrscher and fulfill our responsibilities."
"Yes!"
Hundreds of people saluted in unison and quickly resumed their work.
The commander-in-chief, though, couldn't help but feel uneasy watching his subordinates' rising morale. He understood that something like 'prestige' was growing rapidly. He glanced at the two figures on the screen, filled with helplessness.
At this moment in time, humanity needed heroes.
The core goal of this operation was to allow the Sword of Punishment, a team of Mantis absolutely loyal to the Council, to take center stage. But since the Fourth Herrscher hadn't shown up, the two had managed to capitalize on the situation.
But there's a saying: a hero is not named by anyone. It is humans who choose their heroes.
Ryan also felt the attention. Fearless media had arrived in helicopters, surrounding them and taking pictures.
"This is the first time I've been stared at by so many people. I feel a little embarrassed." Elysia blinked, poking Ryan with her elbow. "Should I wave or cheer now?"
"It's fine. It's hard to see us clearly with all the remaining Honkai energy. And didn't you say you were sorry?"
"So it's small."
Ryan rolled his eyes, ignoring the pink fairy. After a moment of silence, he relaxed and smiled.
Unexpectedly, there was an unexpected gain.
The Herrscher must have fled, but he had seized the opportunity. The chance to step from the shadows into the limelight.
Prestige may seem unimportant, but it's something that can't be gained by force.
It's not a loss. Keep it for now, there will be a chance to cash it out sooner or later.
Of course, with Ryan personality, he wasn't one for unnecessary gestures. He just stood quietly on a high place, overlooking the city and feeling the gazes of the survivors.
Fear, joy, admiration... and perhaps some disgust?
Ryan didn't mind being seen as a monster. After all, humans are complex, and no one can expect them to think alike.
As for Elysia, she didn't care at all, as if she couldn't see the fearful or disgusted looks. After thinking for a moment, she raised her hand with a smile, waving gently.
Her beauty was enough to make her the dream lover of many people. Perhaps, in this moment, many people had taken pictures of her on TV, printing them out and pasting them on their bedroom walls.
"I really envy you for not taking anything to heart."
"Everyone will be liked or hated. So why not just focus on the people who like you?" Elysia smiled as the cheers grew louder in the distance.
It was true that not everyone was cheering, but most were clapping in gratitude for surviving, thankful that the two had stopped the horrific storm and saved their lives.
It was a pure thought, but unfortunately, Ryan wasn't accustomed to it.
He was extremely doting on Elysia, so he let her do as she pleased. But as for himself? He just wanted to use this reputation to his advantage. He didn't expect respect from others.
Ryan had spent too long in the shadows and was long past the phase of wanting to be a hero. Mei handled the brainy tasks, Elysia did the flashy work, and he lurked in the dark, controlling everything from behind the scenes.
Even the TV station didn't react. Ryan had already disappeared, stepping over the wreckage and human remains, slowly vanishing into the darkness, with only his gray eyes observing his surroundings.
'It's confirmed that the Herrscher of Wind has taken the opportunity to leave. The tactics were clever, but she's not stupid. Creating such a city-destroying storm requires a large amount of Honkai energy and can't be replicated.'
"The Fire Moth Chaser has finally arrived. Something's wrong with the rotorcraft. I can feel the Honkai energy response."
Ryan raised his head, looked at the planes in the sky, quickly locking onto one, and faintly saw a figure near the cabin door.
Is this the Sword of Punishment?
Ryan remembered Mei intelligence. Thanks to his involvement, the Mantis were not only more advanced but had also avoided the urgency seen in the original timeline. They could proceed step by step, scientifically.
No wonder the higher-ups approved the celebration.
He understood now. These were the Mantis of the Fire Moth. Though they all had genes from lower-level Honkai beasts, they were fundamentally different from humans. They were even more different from the crude failures of the pure-blood faction.
With numbers on their side, they could crowd out the Herrscher of Wind and become the protagonists of this battle, ensuring Elysia wasn't the only one in the spotlight.
"Another secret research line bypassing Mobius. No one is truly foolish," Ryan thought, nodding slightly. This was obviously a move against him, but he didn't object. At least it was the fighting power of humanity.
At least, for now.
In the original timeline, there were hundreds of Mantis, almost wiped out during the Herrscher of Constraint's reign. Afterward, Mei finally gained control of the Fire Moth.
These Mantis must be monitoring Mei. With her cunning, she could have used Kevin to suppress all opposition long ago. It was precisely because the parliament held power over her that she had been able to hide for so long.
"It'll be too late when she takes control of everything. I have to learn this lesson. Fortunately, my IQ isn't as sharp as hers, but my strength has always been among the top three humans," Ryan said to himself, realizing that the situation had completely changed since Mei time.
Humans had created monsters in advance, and the Herrscher had learned to judge the situation. The intensity of the war would only double.
Ryan stepped on the cracked ground, chuckling bitterly to himself:
"Earth, I hope you can hold on."