Death Pincer desperately wanted to explain.
The reason for the current situation wasn't that he was slacking off, but that this long-tailed cat in front of him was simply too good at running. While Death Pincer's direct acceleration was incredibly fast, his massive body was not very agile. Faced with Pardofelis, whose speed was comparable but whose agility far surpassed his own... it really wasn't his fault that he couldn't catch her.
Moreover, this brown cat had a very metaphysical skill:
[Good Luck].
On several occasions when he was just about to catch her, he would fail due to various accidents. This scene had repeated itself at least seven or eight times!
There were many reasons.
"Gulp."
But some things were better left unexplained. The Monarch could accept failure, but he would absolutely not tolerate a subordinate shifting blame.
At a time like this, it was best to just obediently lower his head and admit his mistake.
"Whoa!"
This was Pardofelis's first time encountering spatial abilities. Before she could even react, she saw that the giant crab was no longer chasing her, giving her a moment to turn her head and see what had happened.
The next second—
"Big Sis Elysia!"
With a "swoosh," Pardofelis dashed towards the closest lifeline.
Information was important, and information that could save her life was especially important. Although she had never seen him before, Pardofelis instantly recognized the being before her, the one that made even the giant crab not dare to breathe too loudly.
"Pardo."
Elysia glanced at the cat-girl who had just recently become a Fusion Warrior, but her attention was focused more on the Honkai Beast that looked like a cross between a crab and a shrimp.
This Emperor-class... no, Judgement-class Honkai Beast she had never seen before was, from all appearances, clearly a subordinate of "Bai."
"Don't worry."
"It's safe here... at least for now."
The Monarch's gaze slowly withdrew from Death Pincer.
To be honest, that Death Pincer had failed to capture Pardofelis was indeed somewhat beyond his expectations. One had to know, the cat-girl's true combat power was likely not even on par with a low-tier Emperor Honkai Beast. To be able to hold out for so long against Death Pincer...
"'Good Luck' and 'Can'."
"Very interesting abilities."
[Can] naturally referred to the large cat beside Pardofelis. Normally, due to the Honkai Beast genes within their bodies, Fusion Warriors would unconsciously emit an aura that terrified ordinary animals. At Pardofelis's level, she clearly couldn't control her own aura with any subtlety.
This large cat named "Can," which only appeared as data in the original story, was essentially an external manifestation of her Fusion Warrior state, just like her cat ears and tail. Although it was classified as a skill in his [Analysis], it could actually be classified as a type of Honkai Beast in its own right.
"Congratulations."
"Winning this point was indeed unexpected."
Pardofelis's anomaly was just a minor interlude. In any case, since Death Pincer had not captured the cat-girl, humanity had indeed earned a point for the second question.
"Two points."
"For you all, this is definitely a very good start."
Lu Xing was indeed praising them.
But the meaning Elysia gleaned from his words—
"Points..."
"Black Emperor, are you treating this 'war' as a game?"
"It seems you are still more accustomed to how humans address me," Lu Xing said with a hint of regret.
"The score is important."
"While it's not entirely wrong to describe it as a game, I feel that term is probably only applicable to me. For humanity, Elysia... it would be more accurate for you to call it an exam."
"BOOM!!!"
As the second spatial gate solidified, a blazing sea of fire erupted from not far away!
"WHOOSH!"
In the next instant, with a light tap of the Monarch's fingertip in the void, an invisible gale instantly extinguished the fierce flames that were powerful enough to incinerate an entire city!
"Thud."
"Thump."
A crimson-gold figure appeared in the center of the now-vanished sea of fire.
"Monarch."
The War Temple tossed the "sack" she was holding to the ground and knelt on one knee in the Monarch's direction.
"I have fulfilled my mission."
Lu Xing glanced at Elysia, who was rushing towards Hua with a look of concern, even pulling the Sixth Divine Key from the ground where it was embedded. The War Temple, however, paid no mind to Elysia's actions. Before the Monarch's throne, she needed only to faithfully execute her orders.
"Alright."
"It seems we'll have to deduct a point now."
The newly awakened Hua had not even undergone the baptism of the "Divine Voice" yet; she was far from being a match for the War Temple at this stage. With such a vast difference in strength, it was naturally very simple for the War Temple to hold back. The reason Hua was in her current state... was the result of frantically pushing, and even overdrawing, her own potential.
She wouldn't die.
She wasn't even at the point of needing [Black Abyss White Flower]. The only problem was the slightly dimmed white hidden within her silver hair. Even with the agelessness granted by "Garuda," it would not recover in a short time.
"Next."
"Are two connected questions..."
"The Flame-Chasers, add two points!"
If this were a different kind of show, Lu Xing might have had such an interest.
But in reality, the "battle situation" that appeared from the third spatial gate was once again beyond his expectations: Kosma, in his Artificial Eruption state, was overwhelming both the White Whale and the Plague Temple!
Kosma had devoured too many Honkai Beasts. His condition should not have allowed him to enter his Artificial Eruption state, as doing so would kill Griseo, whom he needed to protect.
But that was not the case.
All of Kosma's negative emotions, including the parts that had been disturbed by the White Whale using the [Authority of Sentience], had become pigments that merged into Griseo's paintbrush!
Griseo's ability was very special.
She could attract different "emotions" and integrate them into her paintings as pigments. These sealed items could be materialized as combat power in digital spaces or spiritual worlds. In the real world, it was an effective sealing method.
Even though sweat was already dripping from her sky-blue hair plastered to her forehead, Griseo persisted, not putting down her brush. It was precisely because of this that Kosma could maintain his humanity while launching a fierce assault on the Plague Temple in his Artificial Eruption state.
This situation already meant that the mission of the Plague Temple and the White Whale had failed.
Therefore—
"Stop."
A wave condensed from psychic energy spread out.
In but a brief moment, Kosma, Griseo, and the Plague Temple all ceased their actions.
Relying on pure psychic power alone, without even using an authority, the Monarch had directly "suppressed" Kosma back into his human form. Griseo, standing not far behind, was forcibly pulled out of her state of focused painting.