A fine 'shhh' of static hissed across every display screen.
The electromagnetic pulse, generated by the superimposed nuclear detonations, had instantly crippled a vast number of devices. An EMP of this magnitude had exceeded the limits of ordinary interference shielding. It took the observation equipment a full thirty seconds to gradually come back online.
By the time everyone could see the images again—
"Damage report!"
"Compiling now..."
"7.22% damage to military facilities, 5.73% to scientific facilities, and 14.59% to civilian facilities!!"
"..."
"It's manageable."
As the President uttered those two words, the most dominant feeling in his mind was helplessness.
The damage rates here referred to direct damage, with the scope covering the entire Mu Continent. The continent's population and its various facilities were primarily built expanding outward from the Eye of the Abyss. Any single meteor fragment falling could have smashed into an extremely important research facility; a facility that might have been conducting an experiment vital to humanity's future.
The Deliberation Committee's protection systems were quite comprehensive.
No one here had felt the impact of the falling meteor fragments. However, that didn't allow them to ignore the catastrophe unfolding on the surface.
Fires, collapses, toxic smoke, intense light pollution...
Whether due to the meteor or the nuclear detonations, the central region of the Mu Continent had transformed from a paradise into a living hell.
"Manageable..."
The President had done all he could.
At the very least, he had preserved the existence of the Mu Continent under the bombardment of two meteors.
The rest would be left to the professional soldiers to handle. The Honkai Beasts' ultimate gambit had been thwarted, after all. As long as the "VF Decapitation Strike" mentioned in the report succeeded, humanity could buy more precious time from the leaderless Honkai Beast legions, bringing them closer to the success of that experiment—
"Presi—"
"President..."
Just as the old man was about to allow himself a faint smile...
The messenger who had seen the latest images from the observatory... was stuttering, a complete departure from his usual composure. His deathly pale face had the word "panic" written all over it.
"Meteors."
"A third..."
"No... there are more. Three of them."
Throwing rocks might seem monotonous.
But there were still many tricks one could play.
By imbuing them with different Authorities, the effects of the meteors would also vary.
Unlike the previous two—which were "prototype meteors"—they had been enchanted by Lu Xing with the "Wind" and "Thunder" Authorities, causing them to absorb all "light" and "electromagnetic waves" directed at them, achieving dual stealth on both optical and radar levels.
This enchantment effect.
It was only gradually lifted when the meteors plunged into the atmosphere and reached a position Lu Xing felt was sufficient to "test the Mu Continent." Maintaining an Authority over such a long distance was a significant drain, even for an Emperor.
The Mu Continent was weaker than he had imagined.
They had already resorted to nuclear weapons by only the second meteor.
In Lu Xing's plan, a "light energy weapon" like the one they first used against the meteor shower should have been able to destroy at least two or three more to be considered acceptable.
From the looks of it now...
High-altitude nuclear detonations had an impact on the surface. The Mu Continent would not have risked using nuclear weapons unless they were truly at their wit's end.
They no longer had any hidden defensive capabilities.
Based on this judgment, Lu Xing decided to present them with a grand gift directly. He had seen enough nuclear bombs and had no intention of giving humanity another chance to destroy a meteor with them. Using his Spatial Authority, he opened a portal directly above the Mu Continent and teleported the meteors straight into the atmosphere!
Three of them!
At an altitude of...
Thirty thousand meters!
The meteors arrived inside the atmosphere via [Warp Drive] and hurtled towards the Eye of the Abyss at a plain and simple first cosmic velocity (7.9 kilometers per second).
The reaction time Lu Xing left for the Mu Continent was...
3.8 seconds.
No, to be precise, Lu Xing left the Mu Continent 3.8 seconds to appreciate the sight of shooting stars streaking across the sky—
Spatial ripples spread across the boundless firmament.
Within the distorted spacetime vortex, the massive meteors rapidly magnified in humanity's vision.
Soldiers, civilians, scientists...
Regardless of their status or wealth, they could only watch in despair as the black clouds directly overhead grew heavier and heavier.
Centered on the Eye of the Abyss.
The meteors, falling in a triangular formation, had left the Abyss Cannon with absolutely no opportunity to fire. Even if they risked crippling it, the cannon could now only deal with one of the meteors. As for reloading and firing the hypersonic missiles armed with nuclear warheads... even ignoring all that, it would require a minimum of four seconds of preparation time.
"The Black Emperor..."
With destruction imminent, having never even come face-to-face with his true form, the President of the Deliberation Committee personally felt the terror the Flame-Chasers had once faced.
That kind of...
The terror of everything being within the enemy's grasp.
Crimson, orange, and soaring flames—
BOOOOMM!!!!!
A vast sea of fire blazed across the dome of the sky.
A frenzied roar ravaged sight and sound.
A spectacular mushroom cloud shot towards the heavens.
A terrifying shockwave flung everything aside.
Visible even from across the sea, its true form was revealed—this was a terrifying "feast" that could be felt from anywhere on Earth.
However.
Blurred vision sharpened once more as a pair of cracked glasses were pushed back into place.
Leaning on the railing beside him, the President slowly straightened his slightly stooped body. The scene before him completely exceeded all expectations... the best of expectations.
"We're..."
"Still alive?"
Yes, still alive.
The impact of the three meteors had failed to raze the Eye of the Abyss to the ground. The blaze that filled the sky was not the masterpiece of a meteor impact—
"What is that!?"
Every operational observation device captured the tiny yet monumental figure in the sky.
Human, yet not human.
He possessed a familiarity seen countless times on the front lines of the battlefield, yet also a divinity and a sense of distance completely different from that of a human.
Distant as a man, yet close as a god.
Even on the Mu Continent, where everyone believed in science, some couldn't help but weep uncontrollably, prostrating themselves in worship towards the figure whose true face they couldn't even see, celebrating their survival.
Kevin.
In his Chimera Eruption State.
In the hands of this man, who looked like a savior, was a great crimson sword that seemed to be both the fire of Prometheus bringing hope to mankind and a world-ending divine punishment—
The Judgement of Shamash, Jiemie Form!
With just one strike.
Kevin, in his Eruption State, had used the Jiemie's heavenly fire to turn all three meteors directly into ash. One must remember that even if the Mu Continent had unreservedly unleashed all the quantum energy it had accumulated for so long, it could have destroyed two at most.
This man, this power.
It completely surpassed the limits of the Mu Continent's comprehension.
However...
The humans on the ground failed to notice.
Kevin's arm, tightly gripping the Judgement of Shamash, was trembling uncontrollably. Beads of sweat, a sight almost never seen on Kevin, had just appeared on his forehead before being instantly evaporated by the searing heat.
A radiance like a dying star.
The power of the Judgement of Shamash's "Jiemie Form" required two Herrscher cores to even be deployed.
And Kevin...
Was bearing that cost with his own flesh and blood.