The sea surface was calm and tranquil.
Inside the enormous, rigid serpent corpse, a "crackling" sound, like shattering plastic, was accompanied by falling black ash and scales.
A serpent head, several sizes smaller than before, slowly emerged from the pitch-black serpentine neck, followed by a second, then a third...
The three-headed serpent, now only a little over 20 meters long, finally revealed its complete form.
"Hiss!"
Its forked tongues flicked rapidly in the air.
Sheshe, directly hit by three "Zhurong" missiles, had become the most heavily injured entity in the entire legion. After resurrecting using [Infinity], it instantly dropped 10 levels, its strength suppressed to that of a newly-ascended Emperor-class.
However.
It had, at least, survived.
The humans' suicidal attack had far exceeded Sheshe's expectations—half of the six "Zhurong" missiles had been aimed at Sheshe, two targeted Wangxiang's underwater forces, and one struck the Tide-class battalion currently entangled with the fleet.
The main force and long-range units of the Eastern Legion surrounding Sheshe were directly annihilated; Wangxiang's underwater legion and the human submarine forces perished together; the Great Crab's Tide-class battalion and over ninety percent of the human surface vessels were mutually wiped out.
At this point.
The entire Eastern Legion was reduced to Sheshe alone—
"Lord Sheshe!"
"..."
Correction.
The Tide-class beasts were not completely wiped out. The Great Crab's position hadn't been at the epicenter of the nuclear blast. Relying on its super-strong defenses, although its appearance was somewhat wretched—its white carapace covered in cracks, purple Honkai energy gushing out like high-temperature steam—it had ultimately survived due to its formidable defenses.
It had to be said.
The Great Crab, having maxed out its defensive talents, was indeed worthy of Sheshe's study.
Relying solely on [Infinity] and focusing all its energy on offense still seemed somewhat lopsided.
Sheshe waited for quite a while.
Apart from the Great Crab currently swimming towards it, not a single other Honkai Beast from the entire legion had survived... What a pity, it had just acquired a subordinate that had the potential to be used for a pre-battle display of power, only for it to die so tragically at human hands.
As for the human side—
The fact that only one "Zhurong" missile was aimed at the surface fleet was the result of precise calculations: far from the explosion's epicenter, in the fleet's rearmost section, Shenzhou's aircraft carrier "Miemeng" and North America's aircraft carrier "Enterprise" both managed to survive. Although also severely damaged, they had not completely lost their combat capability.
Therefore...
"Whoosh!"
Organized by the "Miemeng" and "Enterprise," the last and only batch of carrier-based aircraft, a total of two air groups, flew at high speed towards Sheshe and the Great Crab!
As the fleet's reserve.
The weapons loaded on all aircraft of the two air groups were [Bunker-buster Thermobaric Bombs], designed to deal with high-ranking Honkai Beasts—their original purpose for deployment was precisely to destroy any Emperor-class Honkai Beasts that survived the nuclear blast, albeit heavily wounded.
"Crackle!"
Purple lightning danced in Sheshe's serpentine eyes.
Sheshe was in a very foul mood.
The annihilation of the Eastern Legion was heavily related to Sheshe, its commander. Even if the Emperor said nothing, this incident would cause its reputation and evaluation within the legion to plummet—there was no chance to redeem itself this time, and these surviving humans...
Not a single one must be left alive!
"Rumble!"
Although Sheshe's remaining Honkai energy wasn't much due to its recent resurrection, if it was just for one skill—
Purple orbs of lightning appeared one after another!
The lightning energy bodies, under the effect of a strong magnetic field, transformed into a giant electrical net, speeding towards the carrier battle group in the air!
[Summon Lightning Orb]
"Crack—"
"Boom!!!"
————
"Boom!"
The four fighter jets that broke out of the electrical net's encirclement were ultimately caught by the light of the Great Crab's [Dazing Eye] before they could find an opportunity to drop their bombs, and plunged directly into the deep sea.
As for the two aircraft carriers...
Although Sheshe wanted to eradicate them completely, in reality, both it and the Great Crab had reached their limits. All they could do was wait for space to stabilize and then use the Space-Time Crystals to teleport back to the Australian continent to recuperate.
Because the Great Rift had been temporarily emptied by the Emperor.
This so-called recuperation process would very likely cause them to miss the most exciting part of this campaign—there was no other way. Remaining on the battlefield with their current injuries would make them no different from deadweights, and they might even be exploited by humans as weak points.
Therefore...
"Whoosh!"
"Boom!!" x2
————
The space-time "blockade" had weakened.
Just as Sheshe was preparing to retreat with the Great Crab, a sudden attack descended from the sky, directly piercing through and detonating the two distant aircraft carriers.
[Subspace Lance]
Amidst the towering flames, thirty-two Subspace Lances quickly flew out from the inferno, forming pairs that traced golden rings in the air—
"Wom!"
[Frozen Emperor] and [Magma Emperor]
Sixteen Honkai Emperors emerged from the void; simultaneously, Honkai energy, suffused with a golden mist, surged forth above Sheshe and the Great Crab, instantly restoring the two Honkai Beasts to their optimal condition... well, Sheshe still only had three heads, but this was already the most perfect temporary remedy.
"This time only."
A steady voice resounded in Sheshe's mind.
"..."
"I obey your will."
Sheshe glanced at the surrounding Honkai Emperors.
These were clearly forces temporarily drawn from the 'Crimson Cherry' and 'Hanjiebing' legions—for the eastern sea region, which was not the main offensive front, sixteen Honkai Emperors might not be many, but in terms of combat power, they far surpassed the previous motley army.
However.
The Emperor had let it lead a motley army, originally intending to rely on high-end combat power to compensate for the lack of elite units.
Now it seemed.
Not only was this goal not achieved, but it also "cost" the Emperor a great deal—the Emperor was currently accumulating power, and during this process, any additional energy consumption would lead to a delay in the execution of the final plan.
"This time only" was the Emperor's "ultimatum."
"Hiss!"
Its forked tongues flicked rapidly.
Sheshe's super perception swept directly towards the Mu Continent's coastline, already faintly visible to the west.
The annihilation of the two main human navies indicated a significant weakening of human resistance on the eastern side of the Mu Continent. Sniping the Honkai Beast legion in the offshore area was not a wise choice. The fact that humans still chose to do so, knowing this, could only mean that the Mu Continent's land forces were insufficient to cope with attacks from four directions simultaneously.
Since the enemy's forces were already stretched thin...
"Legion."
Its serpentine body cut through the waves.
Around the bodies of the sixteen Honkai Emperors, Drifter Rings slowly lit up with a deep purple halo.
As mass-produced Honkai Emperors, they might not be proficient in any single aspect, but their comprehensive combat power was absolutely paramount among all lower-ranking Honkai Beasts—
"With me, advance!"