The breath was warm, yet the touch felt cold. Ryan eyes widened slightly, then quickly became calm.
Hua was indeed different from the other Flame-Chasers. She had known him too early, and the influence was too deep, which reminded him of a trivial matter.
The so-called Mark of [Floating Life], according to Elysia, meant "every life, no matter how fleeting, is ultimately a success after failure," or simply, resilience.
He had been curious then, thinking that Hua had been well-protected by him and shouldn't have experienced any setbacks. Now he suddenly understood; the biggest setback actually came from himself.
Hua wanted to catch up to his steps, no longer a junior sister, nor even a junior, but able to walk side-by-side with him as an equal. Then she'd be left so far behind she couldn't even see his back, yet she'd desperately get up and keep moving forward. Wasn't that resilience?
When did Elysia perceive this to such an extent? Such intelligence would be so much better used in combat.
Ryan sighed. Mobius was distorted by victory or defeat, but Hua thoughts were quite normal, mixed with a bit of fear and inferiority, just battling with herself.
She wasn't as smart as Mobius, didn't have Sakura combat power, didn't even have Aponia's unique charm, let alone Eden golden, elegant glow. She was like a small blade of grass swaying in the wind under the sun.
But how to put it? Just like air, ordinary, ubiquitous, yet indispensable. Ryan had long passed the stage of measuring everyone's worth with cold value, but he approved of Hua mentality.
And this girl, so hard all over, but her mouth was very soft.
Some words, spoken, would only hurt. He thought for a moment, then also put his mouth to Hua ear: "No need to worry. If you're afraid of being left behind, I'll hold your hand tightly."
These words were plain, yet they caused the girl's pupils to suddenly contract, reflecting the crimson light above their heads. This light was almost touching Ryan hair.
'I'm about to be discovered. I should rush out and lure the Herrscher away, at least giving him some time. But why, do I feel no motivation at all?'
Hua found her state very strange, as if her previous determination had vanished in an instant. She only focused on holding the man in her arms, imperceptibly nodding gently.
"Mm."
"That's right, you can't steal Senior Brother's thunder. Just listen obediently." Ryan chuckled, snapping his fingers softly. "Now, watch my operation carefully!"
Just one second before detection—
Boom!
The cave collapsed from a strong Honkai energy blast. The dark steel warrior leaped out of the ground. The power armor reflected the moonlight, holding a 'buzzing' rotating chain scythe, then swung its arms and charged down the mountain, tearing apart the few remaining Honkai Beasts.
"Target found!"
The beast herd had already moved to a farther location, but after being startled, they all turned their heads within seconds, surging towards this side like waves.
But Ryan was too fast, and too decisive. He plunged eastward, running wildly, wielding his scythe with both hands, chopping down everything in his path.
Whoosh—
The chain saw roared, clashing with over a hundred Knight-types, but it was the latter that were sent flying. Honkai Beasts weighing several tons flew through the air like paper.
Iron boots trampled them into the mud. The long halberd pierced through several of them like a skewer, then continued forward, heading straight for the raised ground.
Thump.
As dust permeated, a worm tens of meters long drilled out. Its sharp-toothed mouth spewed a large mouthful of acid, immediately covering the warrior, making even the crystallized ground emit white smoke. The next moment, it was brutally pierced through.
The warrior charged, an endless charge. Seeing the worm's huge mouth reach out, he raised his left arm, the armguard disassembled, revealing a Honkai energy fission cannon.
Boom!
A brilliant blue beam blasted directly into its mouth, making this Judgment-class Honkai Beast raise its head. It had just shaken its head twice when the chain scythe slashed across.
Whoosh—
The saw teeth rotated, cutting open the hard carapace amidst sparks. The worm instinctively shook its head. Ryan, however, didn't resist, simply using the force to be flung away, tracing a parabola in the air, and landing hundreds of meters away.
Iron boots scraped against the ground, sending sparks flying. He slid for over ten meters, used the momentum to turn, and with a flick of his halberd, two Honkai Emperors who had just teleported were shredded.
Their bodies were impaled on the halberd, serving as a shield, blocking an incoming light beam. The Honkai Beasts, not yet completely dead, instantly turned into fragments.
In the distance, a Honkai Beast resembling a turtle, with a cannon barrel extending from its back, was slightly stunned. It felt no shame in killing its allies. Just as it was about to dive into the lake, the long halberd sliced through the air and arrived.
Clang.
A burst of sparks exploded. The halberd was bounced into the air. Ryan had already sprinted to it, halberd in his right hand, left hand lowered. The gushing beam blasted it into the lake bottom. Using the energy recoil, he swept another arc through the air, plummeting directly into the center of another pile of newly arrived Honkai Beasts.
A young man in a Fire Moth military uniform suddenly turned his head. As a Dominator, he could pursue synchronously and control the battlefield in real time. His constricted pupils clearly hadn't expected the opponent to be so fast.
The cold armor reflected the moonlight. Beneath his feet were the shattered corpses of several traitorous fusion warriors. Blood splattered the armor. Before he could react, the roaring chain scythe had already cut into his neck.
Calm, efficient, and lethal. Damage aside, the oppressive feeling was palpable.
"When did another strong human appear?"
The Herrschers pursued from the air. With so much cannon fodder blocking, they actually hadn't caught up in a short time.
"I thought it was him. Doesn't look like it?" The Herrscher of Death was a bit surprised. She hadn't expected such a daring human besides Ryan.
It really didn't look like him. Powerful, no doubt, but without any Authority's light. If it were truly Ryan, this jungle would have been set ablaze.
"No matter who he is, he must die here!" The Herrscher of Stars made her decision. This had nothing to do with saving face; it was simply because the opponent had seen something they shouldn't have.
"You go around to the front. I'll slow him down."
He raised his right hand. The sky ahead was distorting. Gravitational waves tugged at the entire jungle, indiscriminately. Some trees were uprooted, Honkai Beasts were directly pulled into the air, and the earth presented a peculiar landscape.
In the night sky, a sphere of rocks, trees, and Honkai Beasts was forming, as if a second moon had appeared.
"As expected, it's the Herrscher of Stars. Her Authority is gravity."
Ryan also sensed something was wrong. His current state was peculiar, sharing two visions, with almost no delay at this distance.
One Ryan searched the sky but couldn't find the Ninth Herrscher location. The other Ryan plunged his halberd into the ground, turned his head, and watched the strange moon in the sky burst into a white ring of air, falling straight down.
"Hua, act. I'll tell you the target."
"Yes." The girl rushed out of the cave from the other side, wearing a pair of Soul Steel gauntlets, like a tigress darting through the forest, her eyes locked on ahead.
There was a team of dozens of people, many still wearing old Fire Moth military uniforms, looking up and watching the moon falling from the sky.
"Tsk, those idiots came here to die?"
"Foolish, there's no way out against Honkai, wouldn't you agree, Your Holiness?"
The leader was an elder, the Pope whom Ryan had met once. He didn't answer, his expressionless face still bearing a benevolent smile, but his eyes held dozens of different scenes.
Strange, could it be resolved this easily?
The Herrscher of Domination had long dominated this aged body. Her power could be ignored, but her identity offered much room for manipulation. Tonight's hunt, with dozens of Dominators each leading a team, was equivalent to an airtight net.
But before she could act, the infiltrator was forced out.
Her kin were enough to kill him. The hunt felt somewhat unsatisfying. Just then, she suddenly lowered her head, seeing a dark figure charging straight towards her, a silver gauntlet pressing against her freshly opened mouth.
Thump!
A headshot, red and white fluids splattering. It was too sudden. The surrounding warriors hadn't even prepared, subconsciously raising their muzzles, and Hua had already disappeared from in front of her.
Hua crouched, supporting herself with one hand on the ground. A low sweep kick sent a group of people flying. Then she leaped up, elbowing, kneeing, and whip-kicking, shattering bodies and power exoskeletons together.
Whoosh—
A long spear pierced past her hair. She pressed down on the spear shaft with her left hand, closing in inch by inch. Before the opponent could abandon the spear and retreat, her raised slender leg kicked him under the jaw.
The man immediately flew straight up. The hand holding the spear twisted, and after a beautiful flourish, switched to a forehand grip. She took a firm stance and delivered consecutive thrusts, each a bloody hole.
Rumble!!
A strong light erupted in the distance. Dozens of kilometers away, the terrifying shockwave still swept through like a tidal wave. The trees they were holding onto were torn apart, and their neatly arrayed combat formation was scattered.
Hua, however, used this hurricane blowing from her back to slide forward and charge.
Mixed with dust, she lunged like a tiger. Her long spear killed two people, then pierced three more, constantly preventing the opponents from coordinating.
These were all fusion warriors. If they fought back and forth, it would not only waste time but also make them easily surrounded. According to Senior Brother, the moment I strike, all enemies will know.
Faster, faster! First, kill those with guns, then throw the close-combat ones behind.
The long spear was sharp. Under the force of Inch Force, it pierced through both person and shield. After kicking the corpse away with a foot, she suddenly noticed something was wrong.
The remaining few, without any formation, suddenly surrounded her from all directions, spreading their arms, and the Honkai energy within their bodies surged dramatically.
This was a self-de...
Boom!
In the afterglow of 'Moonfall,' a pillar of light rose into the sky. Even though it was tiny, it made the Herrscher of Stars turn her head.
Two intruders?
"There's another one behind, a woman. I didn't see what she looked like, but she's not strong." The blonde woman arrived on her dragon, concise and to the point.
Are they trying to escape separately?
Hua attack location was in the west, clearly deep inland. The Herrscher of Stars hesitated for a moment, but the decision wasn't difficult.
"You're responsible for the pursuit. That group of human traitors must contribute. I'll handle the other side."
His gaze pierced through the dust, seeing a heavily damaged giant figure at the edge of the crater, standing with a halberd.
To have survived this, he was clearly of greater value.