The propeller made a clattering sound as the purple-haired young man squatted outside the cabin, gripping the handrail and gazing down at the Earth.
A long and narrow scar marked his left eye, and burn scars covered the right side of his face, leaving only a glimpse of his once handsome features visible. He was clad in a full set of DMK.V heavy exoskeleton armor, holding a heavy electromagnetic rifle in his arms, exuding the aura of a seasoned warrior.
At first glance, he appeared to be an elite soldier, but his bright red eyes, with cracked pupils, lent him an almost inhuman quality.
The young man glanced at Elysia on the 'mountain top' before focusing his attention on the foot of the mountain. He turned off his headset.
"Sir Carius, I've seen Dr. Ryan. Yes, he didn't accept the cheers and left quietly."
"Really? How strong do you think he is?"
"I'm sorry, I can't judge without witnessing the battle, but based on data from the Third Herrscher period, his combat power isn't higher than mine." The young man paused, answering cautiously. "However, the data from that crusade is incomplete, so I'm unsure whether he used his full strength. Dr. Ryan will also undergo a Mantis surgery."
"Yes, and it's very likely he has been infused with the gene of a Judgment-level Honkai Beast. Vinal, as the most powerful warrior of the Southern European branch, do you feel jealous?"
The chief of staff's voice was gentle, as though they were simply chatting after a meal. The young man's red eyes froze for a moment before he quickly regained his composure.
"I can only fuse with one mutated Honkai Emperor. This is determined by my genetics. I'm not jealous. I'm looking forward to fighting alongside Dr. Ryan."
"Haha, you have a good attitude. Let's get ready."
"Yes, sir."
Vinal turned and saw more than a dozen figures seated in the cabin. Some were male, some female, with various expressions, but two things were common among them: they were all young—since veterans couldn't survive fusion surgery—and their weapons were extremely advanced, some so heavy that ordinary people couldn't carry them without risking injury.
"Let's get ready."
"Ah, we came out here full of confidence, just to hang out?" A girl with silver curly hair complained, her bubble popping with a 'pop' sound.
"Freya, we came here to fight the Herrscher, but she's already escaped. Do you want to stay and clean up?" The sturdy woman with dark skin and well-defined muscles spread her hands.
"Tsk, she's lucky. I've already written my suicide note."
"I even wrote a lot of the words in it for you. I told you to read more, but you didn't listen." A girl with short golden hair and a well-behaved face smiled. Seeing her companion's sour expression, she stuffed a lollipop into her mouth. "Don't be angry, eat some candy, and don't overthink it. Sooner or later, we'll get a chance to defeat the Herrscher."
The team quieted down, clearly fond of her.
Elysia wasn't just sweet and lovely; she was of noble birth, and it was rare to see someone like her fighting on the front lines.
She comforted her companions, then tilted her head and asked, "Captain, if we really fight the Herrscher, do you think we can win?"
Vinal paused before shaking his head gently. "I don't know, but it's not a problem for an entire team to engage her. We've tried it in simulated battles."
They'd conducted targeted training using virtual reality, and discovered that charging in one by one would only lead to defeat, but with the right equipment and coordination, they still had a 30 percent chance of victory, which was remarkable.
"Let's go back. We haven't rested yet, and we still need to continue with the next phase of training and debugging new equipment. The research committee is making rapid progress."
He turned around and felt a tug at the corner of his clothes. Instinctively, he turned his head and saw a young man sitting on a stool.
The boy's gray-blue hair was tied in a small braid, slightly metallic. His childish face was expressionless, but his light green eyes were striking—sharp, low, and filled with hatred and murderous intent.
"Captain, I want to participate in the eradication operation in the southern rainforest."
"Can you tell me why, Ed?"
The boy covered his eyes, suppressing the hatred in his heart.
"Because I want to fight. I must fight. Even if the Herrscher escapes, I will drive out all her lackeys without leaving a single one alive!"
This was not an escape at all but a victorious retreat.
Ryan touched his chin, not intending to mock the Fourth Herrscher. Her move was clever. She had completely transitioned from light to dark, making her a more troublesome adversary than the previous three.
As a result, he and Elysia were immediately recalled to the Fire Moth headquarters in New New York. The higher-ups were very concerned that the Herrscher would launch a central attack or a decapitation strike.
"This is annoying. I'm not their guard dog."
"But your operation was approved." Mei swiped her fingers across the tablet, viewing the combat data from San Diego.
"So this is also one of the benefits. It indirectly promotes the Mantis Program. Otherwise, even with a higher success rate, they wouldn't be this happy."
Mei nodded slightly. The changes brought on by the Herrscher didn't really affect Ryan. Unless a Herrscher specializing in assassination appeared and killed him while he slept, the form of warfare would remain largely the same.
The suddenness and concealment were enough to turn the military into mere support, just like the unfortunate Third Fleet. The Herrscher could strike before the war machine got started, rendering the huge fleet useless.
"So powerful individuals have become the new trend. At least fusion fighters are far more flexible than warships and aircraft. I'll adjust the research priorities. Giant electromagnetic cannons can be lowered in priority."
Mei deleted some projects as she spoke. She had long wanted to do this, but military-industrial groups had objected, claiming that such weapons were more powerful than the Law Enforcers and that a single shot could destroy dozens of miles.
Now, no one would dare argue. No matter how powerful these weapons were, they would be useless if they couldn't locate the target.
Ryan smiled. Technology wasn't useless; it was just too rigid and hard to adapt to changing situations. But it couldn't be abandoned.
"The early warning Starlink plan needs strengthening, and the Honkai energy detector needs further refinement. It should at least be able to analyze the spectrum and determine the identity of the enemy."
"Are you looking for the Fourth Herrscher?" Mei reacted quickly and raised the matter to the highest priority.
"It's not just the Fourth. There will be other Herrschers in the future," Ryan nodded slightly, asking casually, "By the way, Mei, have you ever played chess?"
"You mean the exchange of pieces in chess?"
"Yes, pawns against pawns, generals against generals, and kings against kings. Every piece has its role. It's impossible for us to defeat Honkai alone. Just like with the Third Herrscher, if she hadn't underestimated the enemy and advanced rashly, the outcome would've been unpredictable."
The Herrscher of Thunder had almost exhausted the Fire Moth forces. Ryan only managed a fatal strike, but without the prerequisites, he wouldn't have found any opportunity.
Mei held her chin thoughtfully for a moment, then added back the items she had just erased. "Do you think the individual strength of the Herrschers will continue to grow?"
"Yes, there must be some kind of pattern. I assume that..." Ryan licked his lips, his eyes darkening. "The more intense the human resistance, the higher the level of civilization, the stronger the Herrscher will become."
He had always wondered why they hadn't just sent the Ruler of Constraint to handle things. The reason was simple.
It's not that I don't want to, but I can't.
Mei nodded and swiped the computer over, explaining, "It's an interesting hypothesis. This is the Houkai energy reaction table I just created. After the Fourth Herrscher appeared, the average global Houkai energy increased by 1.3, and the cases of Houkai disease outbreaks increased by 3% month-on-month."
"So you've figured this out already," Ryan said, sliding the mouse and reading through the data. He noticed the words "top secret" at the end. "So this data can't be released?"
"Yes, because this result is devastating. There is no victory in defeating the Herrscher or subjugating the Honkai beasts. Once the cycle of destruction begins, humanity will no longer have the luxury of playing at being 'heroes.'"
Mei adjusted her glasses, her pupils filled with coldness. Ryan admired her calm tone.
Confrontation would only lead to more violent retaliation, and surrender was pure suicide. It was truly despairing.
Ryan hesitated for a moment but then replied, "There will be an end, and there's also an upper limit to the collapse. We only need to race against time. If we exceed that limit, we can win."
"Are you sure?" Mei eyes lit up.
"A lot of things have changed, but this one shouldn't change."
Mei sharp gaze softened slightly. She stared at Ryan and nodded silently. "Okay, I believe you."
Ryan had never confessed anything, and there was no need for a genius like Mei to express doubts. The possibilities surrounding his origins had long been theorized and included in countless assumptions.
"Are you suddenly motivated?"
"No, even if you didn't say anything, I would have found the answer eventually. But if I believe in it, I can save some energy." Mei rolled her eyes at Ryan, slowly stood up, and motioned for him to follow.
The two of them descended into the basement of the Fire Moth headquarters, a space that had been hollowed out long ago. It was far larger than the underground bunkers Ryan had seen, and it was incredibly sturdy. After the Fourth Herrscher incident, the Fire Moth had expanded and reinforced the area.
There was a 100-meter rock layer above their heads, and fifteen layers of alloy armor. It was said that even if the Herrscher came, the structure could withstand the assault for 24 hours.
Ryan looked around with interest. Powerful people were afraid of death, so they'd built such a solid underground fortress. There were also special departments located here.
The research committee was here, and the deepest section of the building held buzzing mechanical sounds.
"Are you planning to expand this into an underground city?"
"Yes, the top level will be opened up to form a massive underground cave that can house civilians. Eventually, these areas will only serve as entrances." Mei explained as she walked, her high heels clicking with each step. She stomped a few times, making a noise.
"Excavation will continue below. The final depth may reach 800 meters. When complete, various departments will be relocated further down. Forget it, just look at the map yourself."
Mei realized it was too troublesome to explain and handed Ryan the tablet. As part of the "Human Refuge Plan," Fire Moth had invested an enormous amount of resources. After the destruction of San Diego, the plan received an epic boost.
Ryan examined the design and realized the underground area was being shaped like an inverted triangle. It could house nearly a million people. An "optical fiber" system would reflect sunlight underground, ensuring humans could survive for an extended period.
Then, the ground would be fortified with various weapons, cooperating with the fleet to create a super fortress.
The third new Tokyo?
Ryan felt an odd sense of déjà vu, then looked more carefully at the project leaders. Most of them were Vil-V, no wonder she'd disappeared excitedly after returning to the headquarters.
This guy really loves building things.
As he flipped through the pages, his concern grew. This Fire Moth group was planning for a long-term underground existence. The plans included sub-projects like food cultivation areas and identity recognition programs, so densely packed that Ryan couldn't keep up.
"You don't object to this meaningless investment? The Herrscher is capable of more than just physical attacks. As time passes, their authority will surpass even what science can explain."
"Then what should we use?" Mei asked seriously.
"Metaphysics or theology," Ryan shrugged. Some Herrschers couldn't be explained by science, like Elysia.
Mei pondered for a moment, nodded, and removed her glasses. She scanned the iris detector on the wall. As the hydraulic bolt released, the heavy door slowly opened.
"By the way, where are you taking me?" Ryan frowned.
Mei turned and raised her long eyebrows.
"Don't you want to see the most precious trophy of the Fire Moth?"
The most precious trophy?
Ryan hesitated, his pupils shrinking slightly. He already knew what was inside.
The body of the Herrscher and the core of authority!