"Black... Emperor!"
"Hm?"
With the Herrscher of Binding at its center, the 500-kilometer radius domain of binding was being forcibly nullified by the Monarch's own [Divine Grace Barrier]. This was the only reason the Fusion Warriors and ordinary humans had not immediately perished upon the Herrscher's appearance.
However, the Herrscher before them was somewhat different from what they had imagined.
The lingering obsession of this entity in life, at the moment of its transformation into a Herrscher, was clearly greater than the resentment from its tragic death. Although the binding domain was not taking effect, empowered by the massive influx of Honkai Energy, the newly "born" Herrscher of Binding actually ignored its own authority and charged Lu Xing, relying on pure physical strength alone!
"BOOM!!!"
A circular shockwave rippled outwards.
The terrifying impact directly blew away every structure on the island taller than ten meters. The walls, made of high-strength alloy, offered not a shred of defense.
But—
"VMMMM."
A platinum-gold ring appeared, blocking the path before the Monarch.
Forget the gale and the shockwave; even the Herrscher of Binding itself was stopped dead in its tracks, unable to advance against this defense.
[Stellar Ring].
With just a simple raise of his hand, all the energy that rushed towards the shield was completely nullified.
"He looks..."
"He doesn't seem very lucid."
The Herrscher of Binding roared in a completely inhuman manner, Honkai Energy still pouring endlessly from its body, continuously battering the impassable defense before it.
Xiao Zi, standing on Lu Xing's shoulder, observed the Herrscher before her very seriously. Compared to the Herrscher of Binding from the stories Odin had told the Mechanical Species—the one that had destroyed an entire world—the creature before them... its eyes held not a trace of clarity, only a chaos more frenzied than that of a rabid beast.
"A cobbled-together soul."
"There is no rationality to speak of, so there's naturally no need for a 'consciousness' to inhabit it."
Lu Xing roughly understood why the Herrscher of Binding's authority was being passively released. A beast that knew only destruction like this was likely incapable of even crude control over its own powers.
"No."
Even beasts understand the principle of seeking advantage and avoiding harm. Except for creatures like the honey badger that were hostile to everything, few beasts would actively provoke an opponent stronger than themselves.
"This thing doesn't even count as a beast."
"HSSS—"
Amidst the swirling storm of energy, the Monarch slowly raised his arm.
An inky black energy, completely different in nature from Imaginary Energy and the [Divine Grace Barrier], stained the Monarch's dark-gold body, making it appear even more profound.
"This is!?"
Among the members of the Flame-Chasers observing from the side, Dr. Mei, who was analyzing the binding domain, was the first to notice the change in the Black Emperor.
It wasn't Honkai Energy.
It wasn't even that golden energy of extreme concentration, which one could question if it even still fell under the category of Honkai Energy. It was—
Quantum Energy!
The binding domain was effective against all forms of energy. Among them, Imaginary Energy and Quantum Energy were the least affected. While the [Divine Grace Barrier] was still nullifying the effects of the binding domain, if Quantum Energy were to invade its body...
There was no doubt.
Even using only thirty percent of his Quantum Energy, the Monarch could cause the Herrscher of Binding before him to explode from the inside out. This was a literal explosion, as using this level of Honkai Energy and Quantum Energy simultaneously without "permission" would mean the Herrscher of Binding's fate would be no better than that of a hybrid Herrscher.
Unfortunately...
"Sizzle!!!"
The light protecting its body was like ice doused with boiling water.
The surging energy enveloping the Herrscher of Binding instantly disintegrated, and its patched-together, skeletal body was grabbed directly by the Monarch.
The Herrscher had initiated the provocation. This was fundamentally different from Lu Xing making the first move. Even if he were to directly kill the Herrscher of Binding, it would seem like a perfectly reasonable course of action.
But...
"BOOM!!!"
The Herrscher of Binding was slammed violently into the ground by the Monarch!
This was a [God Fist Pulverizer] with its power and direction controlled. A tsunami hundreds of meters high spread out madly to both sides of the impact point. The ocean, stretching as far as the eye could see, was split in two by the shockwave from the blow!
"Hmph."
Regrettably, Lu Xing could not kill this creature.
An examiner could modify the point distribution of a question based on the actual situation, but he could not simply cross out a question already on the test paper, nor could he directly fill in the answer. If he did, the test paper, with a total score not matching the set value, could very well result in an irreversible situation.
"Dr. Mei."
The Monarch turned around again.
"In all this time," he said, "even if you cannot see the essence of the [Divine Grace Barrier], you should at least have an idea of its effects and how to solve it."
The great sea closed back in on itself.
Countless tons of seawater rushed madly down into the "abyss," and a massive vortex began to devour everything on the surface.
"You have thirty minutes."
After taking a direct hit from the Monarch, the Herrscher of Binding would need at least half an hour to slowly recover and heal its wounds (as passively maintaining the binding domain greatly slowed its Honkai Energy replenishment).
"Devise a countermeasure, evacuate the humans, defeat the Herrscher..."
"There are still 'too many' humans. How far you can go, I will leave that choice to you."
Golden threads condensed into a circle.
A chaotic spatial vortex appeared behind all the members of the Flame-Chasers... including the headquarters personnel who had survived the battle and its aftershocks.
"I look forward to..."
"Your next act."
"WHOOSH!"
Lu Xing sent the Flame-Chasers back.
He could have left first, but if he did, the [Divine Grace Barrier] he was using to counteract the Herrscher of Binding's would have vanished with him. The battered and unprepared remnants of the Flame-Chasers would have likely been annihilated the second after the Monarch left.
"They can win."
Xiao Zi glanced into the ocean depths below the great vortex.
"Kevin, Elysia, and that Divine Machine you control."
"The Herrscher of Binding's authority has been weakened to this extent. I think the three of them alone are enough to fill the upper limit of the Authority of Binding..."
"Plus some expendable sacrifices."
Xiao Zi had seen her fair share of grand scenes. Her understanding of "Machinery" and "Binding" was absolutely profound. This "drama" that Xiao Bai had staged for the Flame-Chasers... while not entirely a drama, it was close enough, and she could see it with extreme clarity.
However, Xiao Zi was wrong on one point.
The ideological and moral standards of humans were not at the level where every member, like the Mechanical Species, had the courage to die generously for their civilization.
The seemingly expendable sacrifices were the biggest problem.
But well—
"Correct."
"This question isn't difficult. What's difficult is..."
"How much time it will take to choose the 'correct' answer. If Elysia is still unable, unwilling, or does not dare to reveal her Herrscher form, then they will be forced to choose between the 'Thirteen Flame-Chasing Heroes' and 'Avalon'."
The Monarch's voice was devoid of emotion.
"Of course," he added, "your premise about 'expendable' sacrifices won't change... Whether willingly or not, Dr. Mei will make the most rational choice."