Vast mountains, covered in white snow. Moonlight fell from the cloudless night sky, yet there was no feeling of tranquility.
This night was destined to be scorching, destined to be filled with seething destruction.
Shua—
A mountaintop was sliced in half horizontally. A burning head appeared at the fracture, and a person was suspended in the air between its brows, squinting and gazing into the distance.
The continuous mountain ranges seemed minuscule in his sight, and the perpetual attacks trailing behind him like a persistent plaster seemed too quiet in comparison.
Houston, we have a problem.
Ryan's scalp suddenly tingled. The fact that he was stirring up such a huge fuss yet not drawing the full force of the counterattack could only prove one thing:
Whatever the enemy is planning is more important than my life. They couldn't possibly have failed repeatedly and then just decided to quit, could they?
The Honkai would never quit. Ryan couldn't immediately figure out what its plan was. Judging by the scale, could it be trying to create a massive drill to pierce the Earth?
Propose a hypothesis, then proceed to verify it.
The glaive swung back, unleashing a wall of thunder. The last of the roots dissolved upon contact, and the colossal giant blocked the scattered energy.
The shockwave ruffled his black hair. Ryan only glanced back, confirmed nothing could attack him from behind, and instinctively curled his lips.
"That's roughly seven percent of their strength, wasn't it? Wasting enough power to defeat an entire detachment just like that. They're certainly willing to pay the price."
Failure to cause effective damage was waste. The enemy wasn't foolish. Committing to such active waste only proved they desired something greater.
The giant stepped over the mountain range, leaving a trail of burning footprints and marching forward.
Boom! Boom!
The earth was continuously sliced open. Ryan saw increasingly thick and dense white roots, spreading out into the distance like oil pipelines. He wasn't just controlling the blazing giant anymore.
The 10th Divine Key, the Crimson Helix, was grasped in his palm. Amidst the continuous cutting of the lightning blade, he flew forward, using the Authority of Blood to absorb energy.
His pace was not fast, but every step was solid, leaving virtually no obvious gaps. Just like his style of action over the years—unhurried, steady, calculating the enemy to death.
The azure blade light flashed, and a hundred-meter-thick root was disintegrated in the thunder net. Before it could explode, Constraint had already bound it, and the scarlet long spear decisively pierced through.
Twisting his wrist, Ryan felt the residual energy infuse his body, his gray eyes intently focused on the gradually seething mountain ranges.
"You think you can play a war of attrition with me? Not that easily!"
"He's here."
Ryan had made no effort to hide his movements, marching forward with a raging momentum. Even separated by a hundred kilometers and deep permafrost, the sheer presence gave Calis goosebumps. His instinct was trembling.
This was logically sound and shouldn't be surprising, but the individuals present had contended with Ryan for years. They exchanged glances, feeling uncertain.
Is he really here? Is he not using that fishing tactic again, drawing attention with the giant and the puppet while he sneaks up and stabs me?
"I don't think there's any need for suspicion. Dr. Ryan is very clever, but he's not a god who controls destiny. There are always areas his intellect cannot reach."
A few seconds of silence passed. Calis broke the quiet with a wry smile, sounding as if he were trying to reassure himself.
"That's debatable. I've long suspected this human can foresee the future—if he can still be called human, that is." The Herrscher of Death shrugged, contrasting her words with a solemn expression.
She wasn't spreading rumors. Ryan truly secured the upper hand in many situations, and it couldn't be explained by mere luck.
"Then we have no need to struggle. We might as well beg him for a quick end."
"We will fight, because that is your desire, and my mission."
Despite the suspicion, they had to proceed. Even with Ryan's heavy steps approaching, the task had to be completed.
Calis considered for a moment. The distance between them was short, and fortunately, the plan was nearing its conclusion.
This plan never included a direct confrontation with Ryan.
"Then let's begin."
"It's a bit hasty. Aren't you going to go out and stop him?" the Herrscher of Death asked mechanically. "If we start now, he'll be the one who benefits, which is quite detrimental to future events."
"The only thing I've gained over these years is that when dealing with him, one must never be hopeful or greedy. When the goal is met, let go immediately. Otherwise, there won't even be a chance for post-mortem compensation. And never strive for perfection. Whatever he manages to gain is his ability. Why risk stopping him?" Calis replied with a sincere tone.
"It sounds like you have a very high opinion of him."
"He has forced the Honkai to this extent. Can you really still look down on him? Wouldn't that just make us look too foolish?"
The Herrscher of Death immediately fell silent. Words like 'luck' and 'fluke' felt like an insult. Ignoring the process and looking at the result—
It seems we are the ones who are more desperate?
There was nothing more to say. Now it was her turn to take the risk. The final two Herrschers were a necessary option. There was truly no need to be greedy for a higher success rate.
"Fine. It's a pity I won't witness his end."
The Herrscher of Death raised both hands, expressionless. She no longer had her usual lively appearance. The ground beneath her feet cracked open, and white roots coiled around her bare feet, climbing past her calves and upward.
Forcing a Herrscher to become fertilizer. Dr. Ryan, you are something else.
Calis also saw the earth beneath his feet crack open. Feeling the coiling sensation, he felt as if he was being dragged into the abyss.
The survival instinct made his muscles tremble. He continuously muttered under his breath, seemingly resisting, yet simultaneously accommodating. His fingers wrote constantly in the air, and then he was ultimately swallowed. His eyes twitched, looking toward the rock wall, where Damian's wooden face was.
Their gazes met. Damian's eyes seemed to gain a flicker of sentience before being cut off again.
Since you helped Miss Elysia, I'm willing to gamble with you, too!
The deep permafrost fell silent. With the sound of soil breaking, two human-shaped packages were quickly dragged away. A few seconds later, the entire underground began to tremble, becoming increasingly violent, quickly surpassing the resonance caused by the detectors.
Something is happening.
Mei simply stood up, looking out from the bridge. She could see the earth starting to visibly warp. She didn't need her subordinates to remind her that this was definitely a super-grade earthquake.
Hualalala—
The mountain range visibly disintegrated. The permafrost was torn apart. From a high-altitude perspective, spiderweb-like cracks began to appear on the ground, each one wide, burying vast stretches of pine forest.
Something is coming out.
The same thought flashed through everyone's mind. All remaining satellites were mobilized. The main screen split into dozens of frames, broadcasting the situation in each area in real-time.
Roots burst through the soil, twitching uncontrollably like a fit, smashing everything that wasn't dragged into the abyss. The hundreds of square kilometers were covered in these wildly flailing things.
"This... this scale is impossible to hunt down completely."
"Don't panic. This is only the beginning." Mobius, unusually calm, showed no hint of triumph. She slowly raised her hand, pointing to one of the screens.
"That area is the main event."
Amidst the collapse of the world, the mid-section of the Ural Mountains remained strangely calm. But Mei looked at the energy detection map and knew Mobius wasn't being mysterious for the sake of it.
Solid lines, red as blood, poured into that area from all directions like pipelines. No light was visible to the naked eye. The towering mountains simply bulged, rose, and shattered, like a giant hand tearing its way out from the belly of the Earth!
It's coming.
Whether it was Mei and Mobius beside her, or the newly assembled Kevin and Elysia, their pupils contracted simultaneously, reflecting a colossal entity:
A white line connected the night sky and the ground. Its height was impossible to estimate accurately, but it pierced through the clouds, with no end in sight. All around it were frenzied white roots, wildly whipping the earth and kicking up thick dust.
"That looks... like a tree?" Kevin unconsciously spoke. No one around him refuted the description.
Even though it was strange, it indeed looked like a towering tree with its roots exposed. Ignoring the bizarre appearance, everyone's face darkened.
Honkai Beasts are unlike Herrschers. Based on the experience summarized during this period, their strength is roughly proportional to their volume. This thing was at least a thousand meters thick and tens of thousands of meters tall. From a distance, it looked like a space elevator from a science fiction novel.
Regardless of its abilities, given its sheer size, standing still and letting you hack away would be enough to tire a person to death.
"Is this the Honkai's true trump card?"
"Then why wasn't it used at the start?"
"I don't know. Perhaps it wasn't ready. Fortunately, Ryan reacted quickly and closed the net in a short time."
"We've concentrated our forces. We have a chance to fight back."
Kevin and the others were both surprised and relieved. As executors of the operation, they quickly reviewed the recent course of the battle in their minds.
From the initial proactive attack on South America to probe the enemy's strength, to the global hunt, then quickly exposing the Honkai's conspiracy, the thousand-mile dash to save Elysia, and finally, the global net closing.
It was one step after another. Even when deceived, their reaction was timely. No one could fault their execution. As for the Honkai's reaction, it felt more like—
"He was forced to this point. But just as Ryan said, the most terrifying thing about Him is that no matter how unfavorable the circumstances, He can always wrench destiny back onto the original track." Aponia spoke with a mystical tone, yet no one refuted her.
This was unlike Fire Moth's operational plan. It lacked logic and science. It was more like an indescribable destiny. If God wills it, so it shall be.
"Does that mean this thing is the first of many to come?" Kalpas's mouth twitched.
"I fear so. A foreshadowing followed by another foreshadowing. Even if we defeat this one, a new crisis is already brewing."
Aponia's words left everyone speechless. Over the years, Fire Moth's combat strength had remained relatively intact, and they had overcome countless difficulties. But the most terrifying thing wasn't the height of the wall in front of them, but the feeling that the path never ended.
No wonder Ryan always left some opportunities open, using risk as a ladder. But calculation has its limits, and the currency of life also runs out.
No, the threat is more direct than they imagine! It's not as complex as Aponia thinks!
Mobius, as a scientist, did not believe in destiny or foreshadowing. Her eyes twitched. Based on her research into the Honkai Beast over this period, she quickly reached a conclusion.
"Wait a moment. This volume and Honkai energy intensity could sink this entire continent."
Huh? Is that true?
Everyone turned back. Mobius was absolutely the expert on Honkai Beasts, and they had fought many times, vaguely understanding that explosion power was proportional to volume.
The Honkai Beasts they had encountered before were only a few hundred meters long. This thing was nearly touching the sky. Those with less scientific knowledge, like Pardofelis, even thought it could blow the Earth in half.
This isn't playing by the rules. What do we do?
"Don't panic. Based on Ryan's and my research, causing irreversible damage to the Earth is the last step. 'He' won't do it lightly." Mei stepped onto the deck, no longer needing to command. She let the night wind ruffle her hair.
Hearing her words, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but Mobius looked even more tense.
"We can't place our hope on the enemy's goodwill. We must neutralize this ability!"
"To solve this problem, we must force the enemy to step down from the throne of destiny, reveal the true endpoint before us, and make 'Him' use this power for another purpose."
What is 'another purpose'?
Mobius thought for a moment and quickly understood that the word meant 'goal'—forcing the enemy to switch from 'flipping the table' to 'rebooting,' because the latter didn't need the current civilization, but it did need the Earth.
"But we can't even observe it, and I can't help much either." Elysia suddenly spoke. She knew the turning point of destiny lay with her.
"If destiny hadn't been distorted, I had originally prepared Prometheus for 'Him.' But don't worry, some people are more eager than us to get the answer, and are more unwilling to let this war drag on endlessly. The foreshadowing has already been laid."
Mei replied with a smile, her words brimming with confidence. Others were baffled by the riddle, but Elysia paused and then came to a realization.
Ah, it's him. Right, he's the Herrscher on the Honkai's side, and he even spearheaded a very important project. Is he referencing that girl named Vita?
Elysia was both confused and excited. She subconsciously raised her hand.
"And then? If we really get to the endpoint..."
"Simple. Cross it, and you live. Fail to cross it, and you die." Mei put her hands back in her pockets and nodded forward. "Do as he asks. As far as I know, everything is going smoothly."
Aside from Elysia, no one knew what 'smoothly' referred to. They only saw the roots rapidly retracting, and a bright flame rising beneath the 'trunk.' In the blink of an eye, the previously minuscule flame rapidly surged.
Ryan was moving without hesitation. Looking closely, the flame was still a distance from the main tree, but it was rapidly closing the gap.
Seeing that stubborn flame, from Kevin to Elysia, from Mei to Kalpas, they all shared only one thought:
"Let's go. We'll follow him and witness the answer together."