Swish!
Ice Epiphyllum was drawn in a flash, tracing a straight, fine blue line in the air. Three ice spikes shot towards the two from Anti-Entropy, a bone-chilling mist spreading out, and the surrounding grass and trees were quickly coated in a layer of frost.
Since he had decided to act, Ming Yu naturally would not hold back in the slightest. What's more, before him was the genuine First Herrscher, completely different from the imposter just now.
If he didn't give it his all, Ming Yu himself might end up dead here.
Facing the oncoming ice spikes, and then looking at Ming Yu who had already disappeared from view, Welt frowned slightly. He took a step forward to stand in front of Einstein. In his slowly raised right hand, a red sphere emitted a heart-pounding energy fluctuation.
Star of Eden, release!
With a flash of red light, a terrifying amount of Honkai Energy was released. The three ice spikes were instantly pulverized, and the trees that had grown for many years were destroyed by the raging storm. Within a radius of several hundred meters, nothing remained but the roots between the brown soil, proving that a forest had once existed here.
In the first probing exchange, it was clear that Welt had the absolute advantage.
This was the combat style of a Herrscher; any terrain could be disregarded. Under the immense push of Honkai Energy, Ming Yu's idea of a flanking maneuver was directly thwarted.
"Little friend from Schicksal, I'll give you one last chance. Take back your earlier rudeness, and I can let you go this once!"
Pushing up the black-framed glasses on his nose, Welt's brown hair moved without any wind, a kingly dominance added to his scholarly air.
Although he could understand Ming Yu's anger over his friend being harmed, as the Sovereign of Anti-Entropy, he also had the responsibility to protect his subordinates. Moreover, this victim-like indignation was not an excuse for Ming Yu to trample on the dignity of Anti-Entropy.
As a world-class organization, he, as its supreme leader, had already personally apologized. What more did Ming Yu want? Did he really think he could assassinate an executive in front of the First Herrscher with his strength alone?
"Let me go?" Ming Yu sneered, his face under the silver mask full of disdain. "Sovereign Welt is truly magnanimous..."
In this space devoid of cover, Ming Yu stood Jizo Mitama before him, the Ice Epiphyllum tachi half-hidden behind his back. A thin layer of frost slowly spread across the ground.
"A conflict started with blood will also end with blood."
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth!
Ming Yu's thinking was simple. Since Anti-Entropy could carelessly almost get Higokumaru killed, he would "accidentally kill" an Anti-Entropy executive.
"The culprit has already been slain by you. Don't go too far! I can forgive your rudeness, but you should stop your unreasonable pestering!"
His brown eyes stared intently at Ming Yu, and the released Honkai Energy whipped up a violent gale. A hint of anger had also crept into Welt's voice.
As the First Herrscher, as the Sovereign of Anti-Entropy, he had been tolerant enough, but this Ming Yu continued to pester him relentlessly. No matter how patient he was, it was almost worn out by now.
"The culprit? Heh haha~~" Hearing Welt's words, Ming Yu suddenly burst out laughing, his scarlet eyes staring fixedly at Einstein behind Welt. "Sovereign Welt, there's another old saying in Shenzhou. When you beat a dog, you look at its owner. A dog is, after all, a dog! His actions were merely at the behest of certain people in Anti-Entropy!"
Although Ming Yu didn't specify who in Anti-Entropy, his undisguised gaze had already revealed where his blade was pointing.
The entire plan to invade St. Freya may have come from Cocolia, but were Einstein and the others really without responsibility?
Not only did they acquiesce to Cocolia making a move on the Third Herrscher, but they also used it to secretly contact Theresa and reach some consensus. In fact, in this entire operation, this so-called conservative faction, supposedly not good at fighting, was the biggest beneficiary!
If Ming Yu didn't know the inside story of the Anti-Entropy invasion, his anger would at most have stopped with Welt I. But since he understood all this, how could he possibly let the true culprit who harmed Higokumaru leave safely right before his eyes.
The reason he had spent so much effort to find this place after killing Welt I was purely for this revenge!
"Mr. Ming Yu," sensing Ming Yu's anger towards her, Einstein took a few steps forward to stand beside Welt, explaining in a steady tone, "according to our calculations, there should have been no casualties around the Third Herrscher. When a victim is about to appear, the Third Herrscher's power will erupt. And that replica did not have the power to match a Herrscher."
Looking at the expressionless blue-haired girl, Ming Yu was silent for a moment.
In a sense, Einstein's calculations were indeed correct. Even in the original story, when the strength-hiding Fu Hua was about to be killed, the erupting power of the Herrscher of Thunder did indeed protect her, even holding out until Kiana arrived.
Even in this timeline, the erupting Herrscher power also held off Welt I for a considerable time, lasting until his support arrived.
But, so what?
This was ultimately just a rough calculation made by Anti-Entropy based on incomplete intelligence. Once an error occurred, the burden of those light words "casualties" would have to be borne by St. Freya.
That tiny oversight was the difference between life and death!
In Einstein's eyes, this was a scientific and rigorous deduction and experiment with a high degree of feasibility. But in Ming Yu's eyes, this was a contemptuous act that treated life as a game, a mockery of everyone.
"Then, I wonder if Dr. Einstein calculated my existence?" Chuckling a few times, the anger in Ming Yu's heart completely detonated, but his tone became even calmer. "Did you calculate that you might, just might, die here!"
Since Einstein dared to treat Higokumaru's life as a chess game, he dared to smash this chessboard!
Looking at the boastful Ming Yu, Einstein's brow furrowed unconsciously. In Anti-Entropy's intelligence, although it was mentioned that he might have the potential to become an S-rank Valkyrie, that was something for a few years down the line, completely unworthy of concern.
Figures like him appeared in Schicksal every year. But in the end, Schicksal still only had three S-rank Valkyries.
At least at this stage, Ming Yu shouldn't have this suit of armor; that intense Honkai Energy fluctuation should clearly be exclusive to an S-rank Valkyrie.
"Insolent!"
Sensing Ming Yu's undisguised killing intent, Welt no longer held back. The Star of Eden glowed red, and a thousand-fold gravity was instantly applied to Ming Yu.
The air around him suddenly twisted, and a mountain-like pressure was applied to every inch of Ming Yu's skin. Even with the assistance of Lunar Abyss and the power of the Herrscher of Rock from the Key of Domination being activated, the pain of being crushed by the world still came unceasingly from all parts of his body.
Compared to Welt I's gravitational field, this was on a completely different level, simply incomparable.
Leaning on Jizo Mitama to keep himself from kneeling, Ming Yu's blood-red eyes stared fixedly at Welt, and he growled through gritted teeth:
"Awaken, Ruler of Honkai!"
The Stigmata on his chest shone with a bright golden light, and the wings of light on the back of the Lunar Abyss vibrated violently.
In the next instant, four battle souls—red, white, purple, and cyan—slowly materialized behind Ming Yu. The storm of Honkai Energy caused even the Star of Eden's gravitational field to falter for a moment.