The blazing sun in the sky illuminated the battlefield and dispelled all evil spirits.
Aside from the scattered corpses, the terrifying Honkai tide that had just been so overwhelming rapidly receded, even faster than when they arrived. And besides the Ninth Herrscher, the other three Herrschers had not shown themselves.
Won? They won just like that?!
Most people couldn't believe their eyes. Honkai, supposedly without the concept of 'morale,' and still numbering in the tens of thousands, with the unsettling Herrschers not even making an appearance—they had charged forward so mightily, only to recede like a tide, feeling somewhat anticlimactic.
But humanity didn't stand idly by. Data links transmitted information, and various squads pursued, trying to tear off a piece of flesh. Then, emergency medical teams deployed, rescuing the wounded amidst the mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
The fleet regrouped, replenished ammunition, and dispatched reserve teams to take over the pursuit. Everything was orderly. Of course, none of this concerned Ryan. All orders were conveyed by designated personnel; he just needed to hold the flag in the air.
Yet, no one dared to treat him as a mascot, because as long as this man was here, the retreating Honkai wouldn't dare to launch a counterattack.
"Hua, I finally understand your struggles," Elysia stood on a floating piece of debris, her combat suit slightly damaged, looking up at the sky.
Golden light filled her vision. It was so dazzling that one instinctively wanted to look away.
Hua leaned on her double-bladed sword, bobbing up and down on the ice floes in the sea, panting heavily, clearly much more exhausted than Elysia.
Her tight combat suit was torn, and blood flowed from her wounds, staining her fair skin. Her Honkai energy was almost depleted, making it impossible for her to hold the Divine Key in her hand.
The Divine Key itself emitted powerful energy and could cause frostbite to its wielder, but Hua wouldn't let go, like a stubborn piece of wood, ignoring the pain, wanting only to firmly grip the gift Ryan had given her.
"His radiance is truly dazzling, isn't it? Fearing that if you close your eyes, you'll never see it again," Elysia said gently, taking the Divine Key, twirling it in her hand like a crystalline scepter.
"Yes, I absolutely won't allow that, so I'll fight to the very last moment, unleashing all the power of this body!" Hua remained half-kneeling on the ground. During the fiercest part of the battle, she had almost crossed the limit.
Indeed, the Honkai Beasts here were no match for her, but a battlefield isn't a sparring ring. Excessive exertion would progressively weaken a person, and even Ryan himself couldn't claim invincibility.
"Alright, alright, your stubbornness is really cute."
"Cute?"
"Of course it's cute." Elysia nodded earnestly, then put her hand to her lips, amused: "But have you ever thought, Ryan brilliance isn't just aimed at you. Even I feel a sense of crisis. So why rush?"
The usually headstrong Hua paused slightly, blinking repeatedly, realizing that she had indeed overlooked an important issue.
Fearing being left behind, fearing becoming a burden, she wasn't the only one whose eyes were stung by that dazzling light. At least, she only wanted to catch up to Ryan, not to surpass him.
Yes, someone should be more uncomfortable than me!
"That scoundrel, what a show-off."
On the deck of the Minerva, Mobius craned her long neck. Due to the close proximity, she could feel the heat in the air, and her eyes itched from the fiery glow. As she watched, she pursed her lips.
Annoying guy. He's so formidable, where does that leave my face?
She had also given her all just now. Several high-tier Honkai Beasts couldn't even approach the battleship, and she had even created a storm of emerald lightning that neatly tore apart the sky. Yet, before she could gloat for long, Ryan suddenly appeared, raising his flag directly above her, as if stepping on her head.
This was infuriating, because as soon as Ryan appeared, even without using any attacks, the battlefield situation immediately changed. The restless Herrschers and their subordinates immediately retreated, surrendering the battlefield.
As Hua thought, Mobius purpose for leaving the laboratory wasn't simple. She wanted to help Ryan, but more so, she wanted to regain her pride, such as having Ryan humbly seek her advice on combat techniques. If that happened, she might even grudgingly show some kindness.
Or perhaps, if he were suppressed by a Herrscher and struggled in battle, she could descend like a goddess and rescue him, then she could offer some good suggestions.
The thought of these scenarios turning to dust made her stomp her foot lightly.
"What Herrscher? They just flee at the sight of him. How disgraceful!"
"What are you muttering about, Mobius?"
A cold voice suddenly entered her ears, startling Mobius who jumped up, quickly turning her head to find Ryan in a suit standing behind her. She couldn't help but look up, seeing the light still in the sky.
"Don't look, I can remotely override authority. The battle is still in its final stages, no time to relax," Ryan said calmly, then frowned, "You don't look very happy?"
"Who says I'm not happy? A great victory, yes, anyone should be happy." Mobius dared not speak the truth, otherwise she would be the disgraceful one. She secretly glanced at Ryan, and seeing him turn his gaze to the battlefield, she finally relaxed.
"You, are you alright?"
"I just threw a flashbang, what could happen?" Ryan replied without turning his head, though his expression was very serious.
He saw the battlefield return from chaos to order, leaving only vast stretches of wreckage and corpses—human and Honkai Beast, all mixed together. The ground in the combat zone was almost like the moon's surface, covered in dense craters.
Shuttles flew back and forth in the air, transporting fresh troops and bringing back the wounded. Some machinery was also thrown into the occupied areas. These were modular materials manufactured by Vil-V, capable of erecting a fortress in a short time.
They finally won.
Ryan let out a long sigh of relief. This first pitched battle was large in scale, but its intensity wasn't as terrifying as imagined. At least, neither side's highest-tier combat power had been fully deployed.
"You won and you're still not happy? Not many people died, right?" Mobius suddenly interrupted.
Because Mei managed things properly, with multiple levels of command among the various detachments, there were many wounded, but the proportion of fatalities was small. After all, the front line hadn't been breached; as long as they weren't instantly killed, they could always be covered by teammates and retreated to the retreat.
"Casualty statistics haven't come out yet, but I estimate no more than fifty MANTIS died, and perhaps two to three thousand regular soldiers."
"So?"
"It's something to be happy about, but Honkai's retreat was too decisive, which is concerning."
Mobius immediately understood. Rampaging enemies weren't terrifying, but those who could seamlessly transition between rampage and calmness were truly terrifying. After all, Pseudo-Herrschers and Honkai Beasts were essentially no-cost ventures.
"You originally wanted to take the opportunity to take down one or two Herrschers?"
"Something like that. Unfortunately, they didn't give me the chance. If they retreat like this, there's no way I'm going to blindly chase them," Ryan slowly replied. In an instant, his serious expression relaxed again.
"It doesn't matter. As long as the strategic objective is achieved. We've driven a nail into their doorstep. There will be plenty of opportunities for engagement in the future. This is just the beginning."
Looking at the cheers erupting from various parts of the battlefield, Ryan, who oversaw the battle, seemed very cold. The victory in the pitched battle certainly boosted morale, but this was the beginning of a series of bloody attritional wars.
Without them, it would be difficult for me to take down the Ninth Herrscher alone.
Ryan strongly affirmed the value of the Fire Moth. Even in a fair arena duel, he and the Ninth Herrscher were evenly matched, not to mention the other three Herrschers. But with him as the backbone, only a third of their strength was enough to make the terrifying Honkai army retreat.
Unfortunately, before the End, Honkai could not be completely eradicated. Ryan also couldn't sweep South America clean with all his forces, because it would be meaningless, only attracting more terrifying Herrschers, leading to an endless cycle.
"This will be a good place to continuously bleed Honkai and also temper humanity's cutting edge. Countless small-unit battles will take place in these jungles. Blood will strip away impurities from the blade, leaving only the strongest warriors," Ryan muttered to himself, speaking all the unspoken words, then abruptly turned: "Mobius, do you think doing this is cruel? I could clearly gather all thirteen detachments and sweep South America."
"Doing that would be meaningless. The Herrschers wouldn't engage. They're not foolish; hiding would be the most troublesome. The 'Wandering Humanity' plan has just begun. If that Herrscher engages in guerrilla warfare everywhere, thirteen detachments could at most secure one continent." Mobius was very intelligent and understood Ryan choice, spreading her hands.
"Killing is actually fine. What I fear most is Honkai suddenly disappearing one day, just as mysteriously as they appeared."
It's more than fear; it's absolutely terrifying.
Ryan felt that if he woke up one day and all Honkai in the world had disappeared, it would either be because he was under the Herrscher of Sentience's authority, or it would be a prelude to the End.
"A thrown punch isn't scary. What's scary is when that punch is pulled back, and you don't know how much force it will unleash next time."
"So, not too relaxed, but not too pressured either?"
"Mm, if it's too pressured, that Ninth Herrscher will be very troublesome. If they all die, perhaps a game-changing Herrscher will descend."
"Like what kind of authority?"
"Making Honkai's energy go to waste, sweeping everything we've carefully cultivated into the trash heap."
Mobius pupils constricted slightly. Without Honkai energy, the value of MANTIS would plummet, and technology would revert to pre-First Herrscher levels. That Honkai tide from earlier could instantly overwhelm everything.
However, she still felt that Ryan was overthinking. That would be too unfair, and wouldn't the Herrscher themselves be affected?
"They won't take risks until the Herrschers are exhausted beyond endurance," Mobius said, hands in her pockets, knowing that bleeding them out would take time. She then looked at the cold man, "I think you should return to the Golden Courtyard."
"Yes, it's time to rest. The feeling of blood everywhere is terrible." Ryan withdrew his gaze, instinctively smiling, letting the lingering coldness gradually dissipate.
"Let's go. We're going home first."