The evolved Herrscher of Thunder did not gain combat experience—what she gained was nothing but the beauty of raw numbers.
Welt Yang, who had previously been able to trade blows back and forth with the Herrscher of Thunder by relying on his own combat experience, even seizing flaws to counterkill her—
Was now completely suppressed by this suddenly strengthened Herrscher of Thunder, unable to fight back at all.
"HU-MAN-I-TY you all deserve to die!"
Lightning flickered within the Herrscher of Thunder's eyes. A purple lightning katana condensed in her hand and was raised high above her head. Dense bolts of lightning rained down from the violet thunderclouds in the sky.
Terrifying Honkai energy gathered upon the blade, forming a forty-meter-long edge of lightning.
The katana in her hand emitted a buzzing hum. Leaping arcs of lightning reflected upon her exquisite face, her expression growing ever colder. "Die."
The violet electricity transformed into a colossal blade and slashed down fiercely. A purple thunder blade shot toward Welt Yang with unstoppable force.
"Pseudo Black Hole."
Gripping the Pseudo–Star of Eden, Welt Yang unleashed a Pseudo Black Hole with all his strength to defend.
Rumble—!!
A violent surge of energy rippled outward.
Welt Yang's presence vanished.
Purple lightning coiled around the Herrscher of Thunder as she floated in midair, looking down upon the bottomless grand canyon below.
Viewed from space, Earth's entire Far East region had been cleaved into two halves by her strike.
Thinking of the girl who had protected her once more—leaving not even a corpse behind—the Herrscher of Thunder pressed a hand to her chest and experienced, for the first time, the pain of losing someone she cherished.
"Da-mn hu-mans."
She clenched her teeth, boundless fury contained within her voice.
Her body transformed into a streak of purple lightning and shot into the distance.
After she left, at the bottom of the lightning-scorched canyon, a gray crystal trembled faintly.
On the other side, Herrscher of Fire Kiana was battling Kallen.
"Why? Why are you standing on their side?"
At this moment, Herrscher of Fire Kiana was already consumed by anger and hatred. They had lived happily at Chiba Academy. What had they done wrong?
Why hurt everyone?
Just because we're monsters—different from humans?
If that's the case, then I'll become a true monster and burn the entire world to ashes.
"Kiana, listen to me. It's not what you think."
Holding the Oath of Judah, Kallen wielded the golden chain spear in both hands, defending against Herrscher of Fire Kiana's assault. Within this region where molecular motion had been super-accelerated, she felt extreme discomfort. If ordinary humans tried to breathe here, the scorching air alone would fatally damage their internal organs.
"Everyone's dead. Why are they still alive? All of you—die!"
Kiana's Sirin genes were activated. Intense hatred and desire for revenge flooded her heart as she attacked everything around her with full force.
"Judah, deploy Zeroth Power."
Kallen placed the Oath of Judah before her. Golden gears appeared in the sky one after another, interlocking and crossing together. Herrscher of Fire Kiana and Kallen were enveloped within a golden barrier, isolated from the outside world.
Crack~
The golden gears began to turn, sprinkling down a drizzle like starlight.
Herrscher of Fire Kiana grew weak and powerless, collapsing to her knees. Tears streamed down her face as she looked at Kallen. "Why?"
"I'm sorry!" Kallen gazed at the fully Herrscher-transformed Kiana, unable to bear it. She could not understand where things had gone wrong. Why had the Human Contract Alliance attacked Chiba Academy?
She had clearly come to an agreement with them.
Before Kallen could say anything further, the binding barrier deployed by the Oath of Judah's Zeroth Rated Power suffered a violent attack. In an instant, large spiderweb cracks spread across it.
Taking advantage of Herrscher of Fire Kiana regaining a moment of clarity, Kallen hurriedly said, "Go to the Moon. The answers you seek are there."
"Hurry."
As soon as she finished speaking, the golden barrier shattered. The Herrscher of Thunder seized Herrscher of Fire Kiana at lightning speed and fled at full velocity.
Rumble—!!!
After seizing Schicksal's branch, the Human Contract Alliance rained down Honkai fission bombs as though they cost nothing. The Herrscher of Thunder barely managed to escape the explosion radius while carrying Herrscher of Fire Kiana.
After witnessing the Herrscher of Thunder awaken and evolve—killing Welt Yang with a single slash—the upper echelons of the Human Contract Alliance grew afraid.
Seeing her fly toward Kallen and Herrscher of Fire Kiana, they immediately ordered their subordinates to launch Honkai fission bombs, intending to annihilate both Herrschers at once.
As for Kallen, who was still fighting for humanity against Herrscher of Fire Kiana, they did not hesitate to abandon her.
Just a monster.
To sacrifice herself for all humanity was her honor.
However, what they did not expect was that the evolved Herrscher of Thunder possessed an extremely vast electromagnetic perception range. The moment over a dozen Honkai fission bombs were launched, she already knew.
Upon arriving at her destination, she violently broke through the Oath of Judah's Zeroth Power barrier, grabbed Herrscher of Fire Kiana, and ran.
This was Mei's last remaining true friend—and one of her own kind.
If she could be saved, then she would be saved.
In the end, the Human Contract Alliance's dozen Honkai fission bombs failed to hit any Herrscher.
Instead, they only killed Kallen.
A classic case of friendly fire.
No.
From beginning to end, the Human Contract Alliance had never regarded Kallen as one of their own.
After all, Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent were in a cooperative relationship.
Regarding what was being done in Nagazora, that woman had refused to tell them anything.
Such a person could not be trusted.
Even using her as a weapon was dangerous.
This was the perfect opportunity to eliminate her as well.
On the Moon, Otto and Kevin were playing chess.
"Brother Kevin, it seems I've won this wager." Otto picked up a chess piece and placed it down upon the board, his tone relaxed and calm, as though everything were under control. "Check."
"Heh…" Kevin gave a faint laugh, a trace of loneliness flashing through his eyes. "You win."
Turning his head, he looked toward Earth. "She's dead. You don't care at all?"
Otto's expression paused slightly, then he smiled faintly. "Perhaps this is for the best. We both still have the chance to start over. For her, this is merely a trial."
"Their power is formidable. Even I cannot perceive them," Kevin said calmly, gazing at Otto. "Just as you said, humanity has always been failing."
The Human Contract Alliance was incompetent, yes—but after seizing nearly all of Schicksal and part of Anti-Entropy's weaponry and resources, they should not have been unable to kill even a single Herrscher.
There was only one possibility for this outcome.
The Will of Ruler was interfering from behind the scenes, manipulating everything in secret.
Humanity could not possibly win.
"Only natural. Once you have truly witnessed their power, you will realize just how insignificant you are…"
"The Will of Ruler has, in a certain sense, transcended life and death, transcended the cycle of reincarnation, transcended the laws of nature within this universe. It already stands above all things, looking down upon everything, scorning everything."
"To speak to It of human ethics and morality is meaningless."
Otto's gaze grew profound, as though he were contemplating something.
On Earth, the Human Contract Alliance had gone completely mad.
Wherever a Herrscher appeared, they hurled Honkai fission bombs. They did not care whether it was a city—city and civilians alike were bombed together.
After all, once a Herrscher arrived in a city, ordinary people would either be infected by Honkai energy, slaughtered by Honkai Beasts, or turned into zombies after death.
It made no difference who killed them.
Dying this way at least reduced their pressure somewhat.
Their regular armies suffered repeated defeats against these monsters that defied all common sense.
Many soldiers died without even understanding how, before they could approach a Herrscher.
At a Human Contract Alliance base.
Merlin Cavendish, leader of the Human Contract Alliance and the one who had secretly planned to overthrow Schicksal's rule.
Merlin Cavendish stared at Theresa and demanded sternly, "Miss Theresa, what exactly are Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent plotting?"
She did not believe that old fox Otto had no plan at all.
Anti-Entropy and World Serpent's attitude toward the Human Contract Alliance was equally strange.
The three great organizations that had long controlled the world from the shadows were acting as though they had simultaneously abandoned humanity.
They had even gathered a group of Herrscher vessels at Chiba Academy in Nagazora.
Originally, the Human Contract Alliance had intended to eliminate these great enemies of mankind in one stroke before the Herrscher vessels awakened.
They had not expected that after a single round of missile bombardment—every single one of them awakened.
Theresa remained silent.
"Do you know?" Merlin Cavendish continued coldly. "Kallen is dead. She was killed by your so-called Herrscher of Fire—your niece, Kiana Kaslana."
"…"
Theresa's body trembled slightly upon hearing of Kallen's death.
"Humanity is on the brink of annihilation by the Herrschers, and you still intend to keep hiding it? What plan could possibly be more important than the entirety of human civilization?"
"Or is it that after finding a way to travel to another world, you plan to abandon the humans of this world and let the Herrschers wipe us out?"
Theresa finally spoke. "We have not abandoned humanity. Our plan is more important."
Merlin Cavendish let out a cold laugh. "More important than all of human civilization?"
"I don't know the details. For the sake of secrecy, my memories were erased." Theresa sighed helplessly. "I only know that the plan is very important. More important than the whole of human civilization."
Merlin Cavendish clenched her fists in fury. "This is irresponsible!"
At that moment, alarms blared.
"Report! A large number of Honkai Beasts are approaching headquarters!" a subordinate rushed in anxiously.
"Hmph. It must be those Herrschers' doing." Merlin Cavendish ground her teeth.
On the Moon, Otto looked down at Earth. The entire world had fallen into a Honkai Eruption. He muttered to himself, "It is time to advance the next step of the plan."
On Earth, as Kevin gradually loosened his control over Honkai energy, those who had transformed into Herrschers grew stronger day by day, crushing all resistance with absolute power.
Even if they did nothing, the constant outbreaks of Honkai events and the birth of Honkai Beasts and zombies were enough to force the Human Contract Alliance to exhaust themselves completely.
The Human Contract Alliance was far from united. In the face of hopeless despair, factions began accusing and suspecting one another.
Some believed they should concentrate all forces against the Herrschers. Others insisted that Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent were the true masterminds and that only by finding them could the crisis be resolved.
Merlin Cavendish frowned and asked Fabella, "Still no sign of them?"
Fabella shook her head. "The key leaders of Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent have all disappeared. They may have gone to another world."
"The Honkai incidents are growing more severe. It seems they have no intention of intervening. What kind of plan could make them abandon everything—abandon humanity itself?"
From the intelligence she had gathered, Merlin Cavendish knew that Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent were cooperating on a secret plan.
The content of that plan was related to cultivating Herrschers.
Previously, based on analysis from Welt Yang's intelligence, she had assumed their intention was to turn humans into Herrschers and then restore their human consciousness—thus controlling Herrscher power to combat the Honkai.
She had originally opposed attacking Chiba Academy in Nagazora. The city gave her the uneasy feeling of a trap dug by Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent, waiting for them to jump in.
But within the Human Contract Alliance, she was not the sole decision-maker. Other council members existed, and some of them had acted privately, launching missiles at Chiba Academy.
Fighting the Honkai with such a group—human extinction would come sooner or later!
Now she only wanted to know what plan could make Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent cooperate together.
What kind of plan could make Otto abandon the Saintess Kallen he had long obsessed over, as well as his granddaughter Theresa? And Anti-Entropy as well—Einstein and Tesla had abandoned Welt Yang, the Herrscher of Reason.
Otto was capable of anything.
Abandoning Kallen and Theresa?
That did not surprise her.
But Anti-Entropy relied on Welt Yang, the Herrscher of Reason. According to intelligence, Einstein and Tesla shared an extraordinary relationship with him.
Merlin Cavendish found it hard to believe that Welt Yang had simply been cast aside by those two without emotion.
"Have we successfully landed on the Moon?"
The passage to another world above Nagazora could not be opened by unknown means. Combined with the fact that it was the region most severely affected by Honkai, the Human Contract Alliance could barely even approach it.
They had searched the entire world without finding Otto, Einstein, Tesla, or any other key figures who knew the details of that mysterious plan. They had captured plenty of irrelevant individuals who had been discarded—but those people knew nothing.
Otto, Einstein, Tesla—Merlin Cavendish speculated they had either fled to another world or gone to the Moon.
"Our lunar rocket was shot down," Fabella reported truthfully.
"So they're on the Moon…" Merlin Cavendish murmured.
The entire world was drowning in Honkai. Outbreaks erupted everywhere.
Humanity was on the verge of extinction.
Yet Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent remained shrouded in secrecy, doing who knew what.
Her goal had been to destroy Schicksal's authoritarian rule and unite the world's armed forces to fight the Honkai together.
Now, everything had spiraled completely out of control.
"Leader, Otto has appeared. He has hijacked global media signals and is delivering a speech," Fabella suddenly said.
Merlin Cavendish froze, then opened her computer.
Otto's figure appeared on the screen. He wore a smile—but there was a chill beneath it.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am Otto Apocalypse, former Overseer of Schicksal. Many of you who know me believe I am a villain. I deny that."
Otto continued, "I have committed many wrongs. The one I regret most concerns Sirin. Yet it was also because of her that I came to understand that the Honkai is invincible."
"In this world, no one understands the Honkai better than I do. The Honkai has never been an enemy. The Honkai is evolution. With humanity's current strength, we cannot resist this evolutionary tide. The Herrschers will replace humanity and become the new ruling species within the solar system."