Ryan had been mentally prepared for the current predicament from the start. In fact, it was inevitable. No amount of mental preparation was too much when facing End.
So far, the plan had gone smoothly: they successfully dragged the 'Cocoon' into the real world and successfully forced It to give birth to an incomplete End.
The performance of the Fire Moth-Chaser was also impeccable. Under the leadership of Kevin and Elysia, all their coordinated tactics were executed. Their attack intensity was decent, and their cooperation was excellent. They not only reached the Cocoon but also survived several targeted attacks, remaining largely intact.
One must remember that in the original timeline, the Herrscher of End, using only half its power, could wipe out the Flame-Chasers in minutes. Kevin's strongest sword only bought them twenty-four hours of lingering existence. Yet, here they were, assaulting a stronger 'Cocoon' and drawing a significant amount of its fire, even with Ryan's cover.
So, why were they still fighting so hard, with no glimpse of victory in sight?
"The only problem is that End is too powerful!"
Ryan was clear-headed. He never acted on a whim to reach this point. Even when betting his life, he had to stick to the plan.
Preventing It from giving birth to a complete Apostle of End was merely a prerequisite, because Ryan faced a different problem than Kiana or Kevin. The Cocoon was not bound by fixed thinking; It had the will and ability to unleash Its full power.
'Just a little more. Then I'll have the confidence to open the valve, at least until It has no surplus energy to retreat back to Its higher plane.'
When the Starquake appeared, unleashing tidal waves like ripples across the dark cosmos, the waves tore through space and shattered all matter.
This attack far exceeded the limits of the Fire Moth-Chaser. So, Ryan decisively accelerated his steps, holding the spear in his right hand and clenching his left hand in a phantom grip.
A Sword Splits the 'Sea'!
Constraint condensed into a sword, sweeping across the Starquake, smoothing the tide, and cutting out a gap like a Demon-Slaying Slash.
"Everyone, follow me!"
Mobius took the lead. Even though the turbulent ripples could tear anyone apart at any moment, she plunged in regardless.
As she moved, the others quickly followed. They had no retreat anyway. Could they go back to Earth now?
While they surged against the current, Ryan acted. He merely sliced open the path, then, like Runtu stabbing the zha, he plunged the Crimson Helix into End's back.
The spear tip passed through an afterimage. The Apostle of End reappeared in the distance. It first looked down at the Fire Moth-Chaser rushing toward the Cocoon through the rift, then at the warrior charging directly at It.
'Trying to separate me from the Cocoon? Hmm, do these humans truly possess the ability to crack the Cocoon?'
Although It didn't know where Ryan got his confidence, the Apostle clearly wouldn't stand by. As Ryan closed in, It reacted.
The Twilight of the Phanerozoic.
It released several pale spores, throwing them toward the Fire Moth-Chaser, who were once again nearing the 'Cocoon.' As the spores approached, they burst open, reassembling into pale-shelled monsters.
The monsters weren't large, but they were like duplicates of End. Ryan saw at a glance that they were another combination of 'Beast' and 'Herrscher,' and their strength was bound to be horrifying.
"A meaningless war of attrition. Of course, with your power, you will survive longer." End stretched out its arms, as if embracing the charging man.
The Lower Limit's Extreme Temperature.
All Things Shall Be Cut Down!
A red energy ring confined Ryan. A pale hand chopped down from afar, instantly shattering the Constraint field. However, before Its attack could split the target in two, Ryan had already vanished.
Quantum Entanglement.
Ryan again used this practically rogue evasion method. He saw a lock of black hair slip past his eyes, realizing this was yet another unknown Authority, somewhat resembling someone's 'Severance' concept.
He remained silent, simply splitting into several energy clones, surrounding End from all directions. Wielding crimson greatswords and long halberds, they blasted the shimmering crystal light shield, staring at the somewhat perplexed Apostle of End.
Kevin and the others certainly can't destroy the Cocoon, and attacking that defensive Authority is pointless anyway.
But at this stage, Ryan's mission was to fully entangle the Apostle of End, leaving the creation of a 'miracle' to the Fire Moth-Chaser.
"It's here." Mobius decisively slowed down. She wasn't foolish; why would she stupidly charge to her death?
Her snake eyes shifted to the top of the 'Cocoon,' where an immense storm of colliding energy was raging, sweeping outwards in successive waves into deep space.
End was patient, as if knowing that a war of attrition had the highest chance of victory. Under a full defense, no matter if Ryan attacked forcefully or stealthily, he couldn't harm It a bit. Instead, he had to constantly dodge that Authority which severed all things.
No one else could help Ryan in this battle. Even if Kevin charged in, Ryan would have to divert energy to protect him.
"He fights his battle; we do ours." Mobius wasn't worried, focusing her gaze forward.
The Starquake had been cleaved to form a path, but both sides were flanked by deadly 'ripples,' which even a High-tier Fusion Warrior couldn't withstand for long.
The end of the path was the 'Cocoon,' but in the middle of the road were several pale monsters.
"Apostle clones of End. Their strength is quite high, and there's no way to bypass them." Hua flew to her side, scrutinizing them with a severe expression. "What do we do? Should we leave some people to engage them while the rest rush through?"
"No one can hold them. These things have the comprehensive strength of a Seventh Herrscher, and there are several of them," Mobius countered.
"Then we have to fight with all our might. We have to hurry. Senior Brother Ryan's Constraint path won't last much longer."
She didn't need to be told. Everyone noticed that the 'sea' channel was visibly closing in, and clearly, the End clones wouldn't fear death. Their mission was to block the Fire Moth-Chaser here.
"No. If we don't deal with them, we'll only shift the battlefield backward. We won't pose a threat to the 'Cocoon.'" Kevin resolutely stepped forward. In this final battle, his presence was higher than ever.
His peripheral vision glanced behind him. The Fire Moth-Chaser no longer had the sharp edge they possessed when they first joined the battle. It had been less than three hours since the battle began, but for the warriors, including him, it felt longer than a lifetime.
Even with Ryan's cover, two moments of End's focus had cost them Joshua and hundreds of Fusion Warriors.
How much strength is left? What are the odds of victory?
Kevin had no time to ponder these things. He raised the Judgement of Shamash to his chest, having made his resolve before setting out.
No one had paved the way for them, and the Cocoon of End had resolved to act. The element of opportunism had been exhausted before the battle even began. This was a head-on duel.
The enemy is strong, we are weak, time is limited, and we cannot afford major losses. Kevin felt his intelligence was insufficient, but his resolve remained firm.
It is precisely because of this that it deserves to be called a miracle!
"Let's go. Break through their blockade and leave the opportunity to Ryan." Elysia's face showed a slight dimple. On this battlefield, she was perhaps the only one who could still smile.
In the distance, eight End clones lined up, completely blocking the path, and terrifying energy radiated from them.
Frost, fire, lightning, and black death mist. Some resembled knights, others mages, forming two distinct defensive lines.
They are coordinating. This seems even harder to deal with.
"Time is limited. Execute the battle plan distributed earlier."
Kevin glanced up again, at the direction of Ryan's fight, then no longer hesitated, charging at the very front alongside Elysia.
The hundreds of people had the momentum of a thousand horses, and the moment they took the first step, their grouping was complete. Hua and Sakura flew in the second row, looking at Kevin ahead, and then at Aponia behind.
They were all familiar faces, and their hearts instinctively found some reliance.
"Sister Sakura."
"Hmm?"
"Try hard to survive. We have more to do than just win!"
The girl was resolute. The next instant, bright flames illuminated her profile. Kevin, charging at the front, slashed his sword, cleaving the multi-colored energy turbulence in half.
Then, hundreds of pink light arrows provided suppression. The burning man pierced through the afterglow, gripping his hammer and slamming it down fiercely.
Boom—
A halo rippled. The obstacle seemed to be slightly smashed open, but Kalpas narrowed his pupils, gaining a more intuitive understanding of the strength of these monsters.
In addition to the Herrscher-like Authorities, the bodies of these things were also incredibly tough.
Purple lightning roared, causing his raised whip-kick to only hit an afterimage. Kalpas slightly turned his head, seeing the monster appear behind him, and threw the Ludicyna in his arms away.
'The movement speed of the Third Herrscher, paired with a body that surpasses an Apocalypse-class Honkai Beast?'
A devastating Lightning Blade descended at super-high speed. Even Kalpas couldn't dodge it. Just as he prepared to tank the blow, a bright flash of a blade swept through his vision.
Clang!
Two Lightning Blades collided. The 'World Serene' spear was thrown like a javelin. The monster vanished like lightning, reappearing to violently kick its front hoof toward Sakura. Simultaneously, a flaming palm struck the head of the 'knight' on its back, and a blazing elbow strike smashed into its abdomen.
Sakura retracted her blade and retreated. As Kalpas and Hua held it in a sandwich, she drew her sword, but the blade light encountered a wall of ice midway. Just as she sliced it in half, a blazing fire meteor crashed in front of the three.
Boom!!
Flames burst out, sending Sakura flying. She saw the horse-hoof-like front hoof stomp down, but an ice giant crossed its arms to block above her. Coleman on the giant's back continuously pulled the trigger. The light beams refracted in the void, exploding into fireballs.
The channel opened by Ryan was not wide. In such a confined area, only chaos was on display.
Led by Kevin, four hundred Fusion Warriors mixed and fought with the eight End clones. The light of Authorities flashed continuously. Cannonballs and light beams left behind clusters of fireballs.
Eight clones, eight Authorities, eight beast bodies. They acted more like robots, seamlessly merging and alternating the characteristics of their Authorities, maximizing their strengths and compensating for their weaknesses. No wonder End thought Ryan would survive longer.
As soon as the fighting started, Hua couldn't distinguish her opponent anymore. The clones looked identical, swapping positions at extreme speed.
They were also coordinating and providing cover. A gravity wave crushed a squad into dust, while a berserk priest charged up to fight with his light blade. An azure giant dragon flew overhead, spewing crystal-like breath.
Only Eden's song continuously echoed in their ears, along with the busy figures of Freya and the others.
Destruction and slaughter filled the space. The girl only remembered one thing:
Stand shoulder-to-shoulder with my comrades, and eliminate all enemies blocking the way!
Inch Punch: Collapsing Mountain.
A knee strike sent the lightning-shimmering monster flying. She then raised her hand and gripped the azure giant dragon's claw. Himeko, using her body as a shield, dragged her toward the enemies in the rear, her body drenched in blood from the lightning spears raining down on her.
"Go, Captain!"
Accompanied by a painful whimper, she flung Hua forward, then immediately ascended, charging head-on toward the lightning-shimmering monster.
Blocking all possible shooting lines, the monster raised its hand, gathering a gigantic Lightning Blade. This was enough to cleave her Artificial Collapse body in half.
'I can't retreat. If I dodge, this will never end. When the channel closes, everyone will die.'
Himeko had no time to think. She shrank her neck and accelerated to her limit. Seeing the Lightning Blade slash down, she merely tightened her wings and spun like a top.
Storm Impact!
Swish—
The high-power Authority of Lightning sliced through the body like tofu, annihilating all molecules in its path, splitting the several-meter-long azure giant dragon in half. But the furious impact didn't stop, smashing heavily into the monster before it could completely convert to lightning.
Thud!
Half a dragon and the monster bounced away together. The wing pressed against the monster's mouth, and the sharp dragon snout bit the figure on the monster's back. Through Elysia's link, Himeko's mental message was delivered to everyone.
"Cover me!"
A meteor shot across the battlefield at ten times the speed of sound, leaving an azure wake and attracting the attention of all parts of the battlefield.
"Is she trying to..." Eden's mouth fell open. She had never experienced such a prolonged concert.
"Do as she says. These are eight enhanced Herrschers; a head-on clash is impossible to endure!" Mobius stopped tending to the wounded. Transforming into her snake form, the green lightning she spewed blasted a flaming meteor away.
In a fair fight, the Fire Moth-Chaser would struggle to take down these eight End clones, not to mention the limited time. The opponent only needed to stall for twenty minutes, and the converging Starquake would crush everyone.
Stellar Symphony.
Eden decisively used the Divine Key, neutralizing a newly emerging black hole. She watched Himeko, with the monster clinging to her, cross the boundary and plunge headfirst into the seemingly endless Starquake Sea.
This was End's supreme application of the Authority of Stars, powered by the 'Cocoon,' and it could be sustained for a very long time. Visually, the pale, fragmented ripples could tear apart all tangible matter, and Honkai energy couldn't resist it for long.
Entering the 'waves,' everything moved in slow motion under the influence of gravity. The Dragon Girl's body began to be broken down, and the End clone, clearly having more energy, slowly walked back. Meanwhile, Its comrades blocked Kevin and the others on the periphery.
Just as It was about to crawl back to the battlefield, two azure light beams blasted Its forehead, kicking It back into the waves.
"Goddamn it! I wanted to hear your last words, but you wouldn't give me the chance." Coleman stepped out of a mirror. He saw the half-dragon body first torn into several large chunks, then pulverized into particle-like powder, as if it had been put through a paper shredder.
There was no response, no last words. It simply sank silently into the dark cosmos.
The End clone in front of him was the same. After the outward-released Honkai energy was torn away, its hard body also began to split, looking like a doll ripped apart by a naughty child.
"Reality sucks. Fiction is better." Coleman, who prided himself on being a man of action, gave a self-deprecating laugh. He turned his head and saw the End clone that had suddenly appeared behind him.
This clone had come to rescue its comrade, but it was half a step late.
Ripples appeared in the space. This was a manifestation similar to the Authority of Space. It had just swallowed a small squad without leaving a trace. Escape was impossible within this range.
Hesitation flashed across his face, but quickly turned into a mocking smile.
"You got me." Coleman allowed the ripples to swallow him, submitting to the End clone's higher control over Imaginary Space, but cracks appeared on him like a mirror.
"Motherf***er, you're too ugly. I just can't bring myself to fight seriously!"
Cracks began to appear in the dark cosmos. Coleman cursed, throwing the other side of the mirror into the sea. The arm couldn't twist the thigh, but it could cause a tiny deviation in where the thigh would appear next.
In an instant, both vanished, as if they had never appeared in this world. Only a ripple surged far away from the shattered waves, disappearing in a flash.
Kevin turned his head, his gaze fixed on the front, though his voice was trembling slightly.
"Lieutenant Colonel Coleman and Major Himeko... have shown us the way!"
The answer had been there from the start, but the survival instinct had blinded them, preventing them from finding it.
How do we, in our exhausted state, break through the blockade and eliminate the enemies in our way in a short time?
"Follow me! Use End's own power to eliminate End!"
With the example set, there was no longer any room for hesitation. Advance and die, retreat and be completely annihilated. Whether rational or emotional, they had to take that step into the bottomless abyss.
Charge!!
The channel was rapidly narrowing. Neither side had much room to maneuver. With the fastest Space and Lightning clones eliminated, End lost its rapidly mobile support force.
The remaining six clones ignored Hua, who had forcefully surged to the rear, quickly disengaged from the siege, and retreated to the edge of the 'Cocoon,' watching the humans pursue without stopping.
Kevin and Kalpas stood shoulder-to-shoulder. The overflowing flames burned in space, looking like a meteor, and even more like a blazing moth.
There was no need for entanglement. This moth intended to crash them all into the waves. Then, they would be held down and swallowed by the Starquake. The rest would step over the ashes and continue forward until they reached the 'Cocoon.'
Thud—
The massive ice wall was shattered. The sweeping giant sword of flame was split in half down the middle. They roared, they bellowed, driving the moth toward the Cocoon. This finally made the distant End turn its head.
The look in Its eyes lacked the confusion from before, gradually becoming serious, paying more attention than to Ryan, who was flying up and down beside It.
Calculation: Seventy-five percent of the humans will be annihilated along with the clones. The remaining twenty-five percent cannot cause damage to the Cocoon. Throwing down three more clones can completely eliminate them.
This is a meaningless action. The theoretical threat level is still below that of the Outsider.
Paradox: Then why are they launching a suicidal charge? It's clearly meaningless.
Supplement: The probability of their breakthrough was zero just now. Such persistence—do they have some unknown trump card?
End performed a calculation in a fraction of a second, but such rational calculations had been proven unreliable.
According to calculation, humans should never have allowed It to be born. According to calculation, humans have already been eliminated several times. According to calculation, the Cocoon should have no scars, at least none created by them.
The most troublesome Outsider had been entangled with It all this time, and hadn't landed a single attack on the 'Cocoon.' Moreover, he still hadn't used his full power, merely clinging to It like a fly.
"The Herrscher of the Human? Is he preparing to use her as a coordinate to jump over and cause significant damage to the 'Cocoon' using some method?"
In an instant, It analyzed hundreds of possible countermeasures from Ryan. These methods had been used by previous civilizations, and some had worked, thus generating an 'antibody' in It.
However, It couldn't confirm any of them. It only discovered a massive paradox in Its calculation:
The Outsider was completely unknown to It. Let alone observing his future, It couldn't even grasp the threads of his fate.
What trump card did he have? What existence was backing him? All these things were hidden in a thick fog.
But one thing End was clear about:
The noose around its neck was slowly tightening, and the number of 'impossibilities' was growing.
"Conclusion: They cannot be allowed to approach at will."
The momentum of the fierce battle didn't frighten End, but it did make It take the threat seriously, if only for an instant, diverting Its gaze.
Ryan alone was nothing. The Fire Moth-Chaser was as insignificant as sand. But combined, they made the calculation full of errors. Would the next 'impossibility' turn the tide?
Swish—
A crimson sword light passed through the afterimage. As crystalline fragments floated, Ryan stared at the void before him, his pupils slowly solidifying.
End had instantly teleported several thousand kilometers to deal with Kevin and the others, as if losing patience with an enemy It couldn't crush with a hammer. It decided to crush them with sheer overwhelming force, eliminating these unstable factors first.
Of course, Its primary attention was still on Ryan. It had roughly probed his limits: Its speed was far greater than his. The moment he lunged at the Cocoon, It would return to block, and could even launch a counterattack to find the flaw in his Quantum Entanglement.
Or rather, the previous entanglement had already allowed It to find the flaw.
Finally, It had focused its attention on the Fire Moth-Chaser. This, too, was a small miracle, as End never saw them as worthy of attention.
"But it's not enough."
Ryan remained in the void, seemingly catching his breath. His eyes already saw a huge energy wave smash the flaming moth, countless embers scattering in all directions.
The debris from the Starquake was all around them. There was no space to maneuver, and they had to face an Apostle of End several times stronger than in the original timeline.
At this moment, Ryan didn't hesitate or feel excessive emotion. He just mechanically commanded:
"Elysia, I need ten seconds."
"Understood."
It was still a cheerful voice, but it made Ryan unable to smile. Thousands of kilometers away, he couldn't clearly see the battlefield, but he knew that every second over there would feel like a year.
Will any Flame-Chasers fall? Will Elysia and the others be alright?
The seconds of fate ticked by, leaving him no room for thought. Using Elysia's turbulent Authority, he linked with Mei, tens of thousands of kilometers away.
"Open the valve. Execute the second phase of the plan."
There was no reply. It was as if the brilliant Doctor was still assessing the timing, or perhaps being held back by other matters.
But the rigidly motionless Ryan closed his eyes, surveying the Moon and Earth along the invisible thread.
He saw the remaining Honkai Beasts outside the Sea of the Abyss City attacking furiously. Clearly, End was also wringing out the last value of these 'failures,' eliminating humanity's last stronghold.
The military force had already been completely drained, leaving only combat machinery controlled by Prometheus resisting stubbornly. The battle's aftermath destroyed the protective wall, and massive amounts of seawater poured in.
In the vast city, only Mei remained. She deployed a mental barrier, guarding the 'gate.' Even as dozens of giant Honkai Beasts battered the barrier, making it flicker violently.
He saw the rule of 'Severance' cleave the ice giant into two uniform halves. With a casual wave, It extinguished the fireball Kalpas launched from behind. The white figure raised a single index finger, effortlessly blocking the fox-eared girl's instantaneous slash. A casual kick from the beast's hoof sent the latter flying hundreds of kilometers away.
Three seconds.
On Earth, Mei tossed a strange, silver, key-shaped mechanism into a blue matrix. Like a release of restraint, the azure energy roared out.
Two seconds.
In space, hundreds of gigantic light blades spread out, instantly cutting down the hundred-odd Fusion Warriors surrounding them. Hua was forced back, clutching her abdomen with her left hand. Ignoring the distant, knocked-away Sakura, she charged forward with the bravery of a seasoned general.
One second.
End gently raised Its faceless head. In a battle of this magnitude, the 'second' was the slowest unit of calculation.
It looked at the scattered humans around It. The ice giant had been shredded, the masked man was smashed into the lunar surface by a punch, the mother snake had been torn apart three times and was about to have her life taken for the fourth time by Constraint, and the singing girl was enveloped in black mist, soon to be erased at the cellular level...
There were fewer than fifty life signatures remaining. In effect, the Fire Moth-Chaser had been completely annihilated, but End was very displeased.
"Too slow. It took ten seconds to eliminate these ants, and the strongest few still have the power to fight."
It looked at the white-haired youth in front, whose greatsword was being crushed inch by inch by Its front claw. It looked at the Herrscher of the Human, confined in a red energy ring, and the white-haired girl desperately charging forward.
Endless entanglement. Truly troublesome.
"Ten seconds. It's already long enough. Die together."
Clap.
It brought its smooth palms together, causing the surrounding Starquake to completely converge. Even if this consumed a significant amount of energy, it would crush all the humans simultaneously.
The Constraint channel was instantly annihilated. Half of the outermost Golden Team, including the wounded, plunged into the waves and vanished. The wounded, such as the gasping Ludicyna, were forced to quickly fly toward the center.
The center was the despair-inducing End. The Starquake was about to drown everyone. There was no escape to heaven or retreat to the ground.
"But time is up."
Only the confined Elysia raised her slender neck, seeing a magnificent azure-blue color appear in the dark cosmic space, on the other side of the Cocoon, thousands of kilometers away.
It was like a gigantic spiral-shaped hole. A certain unfamiliar energy was surging in through this hole.
This is impossible...
End's head snapped around to look behind It. It also saw the hole. Ten seconds. It failed to eliminate these humans for a full ten seconds, and then the opponent used those ten seconds to—
Unbelievable!
If he had this ability, why didn't he use it at the beginning? Even if I had focused all my attention on you, I wouldn't have been entirely confident in stopping it.
Didn't you care about these humans the most? Didn't you desperately cover them? Weren't you swayed by emotion?
Regardless of End's thoughts, this energy had surged into the world through the hole. It was like a valve being opened, pouring in turbulently.
Beyond the ripples, a Tsunami rages!