"See? That's your Senior Brother's operation."
Ryan ran through the dense forest, holding Hua. They had completely broken out of the encirclement. When those fusion warriors self-destructed, Ryan, who was already prepared, charged out directly, using the roar of the meteor's impact and then distorting light with the Wind Authority to sneak away invisibly.
Hua huddled in the man's arms, burying her face in Ryan chest, momentarily speechless.
A truly extreme operation, manipulating the Herrschers back and forth, playing them like puppets, creating a diversion, and executing a golden cicada shedding its skin. He really did break through.
Because the Honkai Beasts were all awakened, an unexpected safe zone formed on the periphery. His mastery of Authorities was superb; the Honkai Beast resembling a ghostly dragon swept overhead several times, yet remarkably didn't detect them.
Hua lips moved. Being truly bad at flattery, she could only counter-ask, "Did you blow up the Herrscher of Death?"
'Sigh, you're not even going to praise this move of mine. You really are a wooden stake.'
Ryan sighed. This boast was wasted. He had to answer, "It's not that easy. The Herrscher of Death is the hardest to kill. Even if one cell remains, she'll probably regenerate. But there was an additional gain."
"What gain?"
"I've probably figured out the identity and Authority of the Tenth Herrscher."
In the last second of the self-destruction, Ryan finally saw the Tenth Herrscher. Wasn't that reddened skin the missing high-ranking fusion warrior, Sishou?
He still remembered JosHua conversation with him. This Sishou was a member of the Sacrifice Faction, suspected of betrayal. Now, the word 'suspected' could finally be removed from his mind.
"The Tenth Herrscher vessel is Sishou. Impressive, directly giving Authority to a fusion warrior, even saving the startup capital. And there are a few other kin taking care of him like nannies."
Ryan narrowed his eyes, again marveling at how Honkai truly adapted to local conditions. In the original timeline, simply giving Authority to an ordinary person was equivalent to gifting a Divine Key, because there would be no chance for growth at all.
Now, it was completely different. There were Herrschers, territory, and many cannon fodder that could be re-purposed. As long as the Authority was suitable, it could cause immense destruction.
"It's him. I have work together with Sishou once; he was indeed a strange person." Hua was stunned for a moment, then hugged Ryan tightly. "Senior Brother, didn't you say fusion warriors wouldn't turn into Herrschers?"
Her voice trembled slightly, clearly very afraid. For her to become a Herrscher and fight Ryan, she'd rather die.
"Theoretically, yes. But according to Joshua, Sishou's stance is very odd; it's not impossible that he actively embraced Honkai."
"He sacrificed himself?"
"That's pretty much what it means."
Hua finally breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he didn't actively defect, it was fine. How could she embrace Honkai? She closed her eyes, feigning sleep, seizing the time to recover her stamina.
'Sishou actively defecting is the most likely possibility. If fusion warriors could just be used as vessels at will, I wouldn't even bother playing.'
Ryan affirmed this idea. Any wavering would be a disservice to himself. As for that Authority...
Was it Consumption, Fusion, or Decomposition?
He thought about it, feeling that all three were somewhat similar. Functionally, it should be about taking energy for oneself. He wondered if the self-destruct energy was consumed.
If that were true, wouldn't it be like a reverse Herrscher of Restraint—one consuming or decomposing Honkai energy, and the other opening a magic-prohibition field? What kind of fight would that be?
"We need to deal with this Tenth Herrscher quickly. It will be very troublesome if he grows."
"Like Kosma?"
"Much scarier than Kosma. Kosma growing too fast would lose control, but Herrschers don't care. I don't even know if he has a limit." Ryan face turned cold, and he sped up his words: "Since all the energy he releases is red, let's tentatively call the Tenth Herrscher the Herrscher of Blood."
This was fine. Herrschers were becoming increasingly mystical now, so their naming wasn't as strict, and it was hard to describe complex Authorities in just a few words.
The two crossed the river, ran hundreds of kilometers in one go, then found an abandoned village to rest. Ryan control over the energy body had a flaw: it was equivalent to scraping off a piece of his own flesh.
Losing a large amount of Honkai energy in a short time, without direct connection to Imaginary Space, would bring a huge burden. That's why Ryan only dared to cut out 2000 HW of energy; any more, and he couldn't bear it.
"Senior Brother, you rest for a bit. I'll stand guard." Hua noticed Ryan fatigue and didn't ask further, clearly knowing that every operation had a price.
"Go ahead. There aren't many Honkai Beasts in this area; most have been moved away."
Hua nodded. The coastline, conversely, had many hidden underground, like an invisible defensive line, while the interior was quite normal. Otherwise, if it were filled like radishes, it would be unbearable.
The girl lay in a hidden spot on the rooftop, her form-fitting suit outlining her slightly arched buttocks. Ryan subconsciously glanced, then quickly shifted his gaze away.
'Not bad, this girl, though not prominent in front, is quite shapely in the back.'
The thought quickly flashed through his mind, and the musty smell in the air brought him back to seriousness. He glanced at the tactical terminal on his forearm. They were now in the inland region, about five hundred kilometers from the nearest coastline.
There was no rush for now. From the previous situation, the Herrschers' attention had been drawn to the puppet, which had already self-destructed. They couldn't possibly pursue him from the afterlife.
Moreover, blowing up the Herrscher was just a bonus; the important thing was to send a signal. Mei must have pinpointed their location via the Sky Network satellites, but with the Ninth Herrscher present, tracking and monitoring would be impossible.
An Authority of that intensity could easily bring down near-earth satellites.
'So troublesome. I thought I could turn around and bite back. If not, maybe another extreme operation?'
Ryan was conflicted. He was greedy, feeling that the battle results were not enough, yet he was also cautious, rejecting any plan with a success rate below thirty percent.
He needed to find a way to lure out the Herrscher of Blood. He couldn't let him develop peacefully. It was time to put some pressure on this continent.
The so-called base was originally a shackles Ryan had given to the Herrschers. If Honkai wanted to use this shackles, it would inevitably have to bind itself tightly. When it came to mastering the situation, Ryan was a professional.
Just as he tentatively decided to first head to the coast to establish a bridgehead, Hua slightly anxious voice came through his ear comm.
"Senior Brother, they're here."
'That fast?'
Ryan immediately got up. Logically, if a fleeing fusion warrior couldn't be caught, so be it. But when he climbed out of the shack and looked outside, his face instantly turned ashen.
"Crap, is this really necessary?"
He saw Honkai Beasts marching. Perhaps because they couldn't keep up, there weren't many low-level types among them. At a glance, there were at least a dozen Emperor-class or Judgment-class Honkai Beasts, and some warriors riding flying discs streaking across the night sky.
The most troublesome sight was the small black dot under the moon, looking down on the earth like a deity.
Ryan heart immediately sank. If it was just the first part, it would only mean the Herrschers were being overly serious. But seeing the Ninth Herrscher, he knew something was wrong.
"That's not right. Where did they get the information?"
"What do you mean?" Hua also tensed up. This formation was no less intimidating than before. Could Ryan plan have been exposed?
"They know I've come. No, at least they're assuming I've come."
Ryan was bewildered. From departure, to deep infiltration, and finally to escape, the entire process should have been completely discreet. They couldn't possibly be blaming him just because the Herrschers were tricked once.
'Wait a minute, it actually is possible!'
He gave a bitter smile. He hadn't expected the Herrschers to develop stress disorder from being teased. He then gently gripped Hua hand.
"Stick close to me later. Don't stop to cover the retreat. These Herrschers won't give you a chance to self-destruct. You wouldn't want to become a Herrscher and come kill me next time, would you?"
Hua trembled for a moment, then vigorously shook her head like a rattle-drum. This was far more terrifying than death.
'Fortunately, you're easy to fool. It's not that easy to descend an Authority.'
Ryan breathed a sigh of relief. Mentioning Sishou earlier was a precautionary measure.
"You run first later, clear out everything blocking the way ahead, and clear my retreat path. Can you do that?"
Who knew what would block their way ahead? Hua took a deep breath.
"Yes!"
"Then you go first."
It was the tone of a command. Having spent a long time with Ryan, she naturally knew he didn't like dramatic people. But as Hua quietly left, she couldn't help but look back.
The man was crouching behind a broken wall. Moonlight fell on him. Without that power armor, he still felt like a rock.
Ryan, however, didn't look back. Hua was no longer the little kid who followed behind him; she knew very well what to do and what she could do.
Indeed, not everything in life goes smoothly, and luck isn't always on my side.
He opened and closed his hand, breathing the moldy air. This time, he truly had no preparations, but these Herrschers probably forgot too.
"Before the Fifth Herrscher, I never had any certainty!"
Authority, unfold.
He suddenly clenched his fist, fully mobilizing Honkai energy. That energy, enough to distort the air, awakened the deep night and made the Herrscher of Stars in the sky abruptly stop.
The embers ignited the village ruins. A massive blaze shot skyward, swept by the fierce wind, forming a roaring fiery tornado. And a figure was wielding this giant sword of flame.
No warning, no prelude. Fortunately, the Herrschers also had no emotion of surprise.
"It really is him!"
The King of Humanity had actually delved deep into their territory. Indeed, he was difficult to predict by normal means. But then again, if it weren't for him, he couldn't have infiltrated this far.
"Hunt!"
The Herrscher command came out simultaneously with the giant sword slashing down. But before it ignited, it suddenly twisted in the air again.
"The essence of gravity is spacetime curvature; even energy can hardly escape." Ryan muttered to himself. The Ninth Herrscher Authority was still somewhat 'scientific', within his understanding. He simply snapped his fingers.
Explode.
The fiery tornado instantly shattered, transforming into thousands of fireballs, covering a larger area to escape the boundaries of spacetime curvature.
Thump-thump-thump...
Dense fireballs erupted. The entire area of dozens of square kilometers in front of them turned into a sea of fire. All Honkai Beasts below Emperor-class instantly self-immolated.
Ryan stood on a low wall, facing this fiery purgatory.
"Do you really think I'm afraid of you?!"