The Third Branch was established as the temporary operational command center, and with the buffer time, the Moth of the Fire could be fully prepared to deal with the large-scale Honkai outbreak this time.
"The range of the Honkai energy radiation has extended beyond Trant!"
The moment the Fifth Honkai outbreak began, the Honkai energy value in Trant instantly soared to the average height for a large-scale Honkai event. The scarlet-colored range on the originally unremarkable detector spread all the way from the epicenter of the outbreak to outside the city.
Sigma, the operational commander for this mission, immediately issued a directive, "Immediately detect any abnormal Honkai energy! We must confirm whether a Herrscher or High-level Honkai Beasts have been born at once!"
"Herrscher-level Honkai energy confirmed! A large number of Honkai Beasts have appeared in the city, the temperature on the outskirts of Trant has dropped to minus ten degrees Celsius, and the central temperature continues to fluctuate, with the lowest temperature monitored at minus ninety degrees Celsius! All the city's rivers are frozen solid!"
"The Fifth Herrscher is provisionally designated as the 'Herrscher of Ice'! The Second and Sixth Squads will handle the scattered Honkai energy! Everyone else, put on your cold-weather gear and prepare to enter Trant for the sweep operation!"
…
"Is this… a Herrscher birth?"
Upon receiving the operational order, Kevin's face, which had just slightly improved, instantly sank. The Herrscher's coordinates displayed on the locator already told him that unevacuated civilians in Trant had been converted into a Herrscher.
If there were no one in Trant, would the location of the large-scale Honkai have been different? If everyone had evacuated, would the Honkai have descended upon a more densely populated area? So, was leaving some people in Trant specifically to let them be converted into a Herrscher considered a method to minimize losses?
Is that why, during the resident evacuation, they didn't specifically check if everyone had been completely evacuated?
But wouldn't doing this play right into the Moth of the Fire's plan? This way, they could be prepared for the first time to deal with a large-scale Honkai outbreak.
This contradictory thought clashed in Kevin's mind.
"Wait a minute, this location…" Elysia, who was beside him, suddenly exclaimed, looking at the Herrscher's coordinates, "Isn't this the orphanage Lin mentioned! The people there should have evacuated long ago!"
Kevin turned his head in confusion, "What orphanage?"
…
The time from being corrupted to being converted into a Honkai Beast depends on the concentration of Honkai energy in the environment. A large-scale Honkai outbreak is called large-scale precisely because, under the dispersal of high-concentration Honkai energy, living organisms are constantly being corrupted, converted, and spread, leading to an endless tide of Honkai Beasts and zombies, like a cockroach infestation.
In the initial stage of the Honkai outbreak in Trant, just like every previous large-scale Honkai, the time interval between the start of small Honkai Beasts and the appearance of large Honkai Beasts was about half an hour. This period could be considered a lull in the Honkai, which could be used to confirm the Herrscher's intelligence and prepare for the subsequent subjugation campaign.
"…"
A Biting-type Honkai Beast blocked the way. Its head, wrapped in black cloth, lifted slightly in the gusting wind. Seeing the grotesque ferocious beast, the man in tattered rags simply waved his hand as if to shoo it away.
"Gah—"
However, how could a Honkai Beast understand a human's intention? The Biting-type Honkai Beast, known for its speed, swooped down like a fighter jet after circling in the air, its two sharp, blade-like wing-sheath tips aimed at the man's body.
"Bang!"
The wings, along with the pinkish-purple blood, were frozen into ice sculptures by the cold wind.
The man stepped on the Biting-type Honkai Beast's corpse, and with a light stomp, the frozen corpse of the Honkai Beast shattered into pieces.
After stepping around the corpse, the man seemed to receive some signal and began to actively seek out Honkai Beasts in the city. In his hands, almost all Honkai Beasts could not withstand a single move.
His skin tissue was frostbitten in the extreme cold, but at the same time, it regenerated at an incredible speed.
Gradually, the force of his strikes grew heavier, and the power he displayed far exceeded that of a human, even surpassing that of a Honkai Beast.
No one noticed this "person" unleashing a massacre in the city, without language or purpose, purely killing for the sake of killing.
…
Squad One's attack speed far exceeded that of the other squads. Kevin's own fighting style was extremely sharp, and after he took charge of Squad One, the squad's overall style also began to coordinate with his rhythm.
Kevin gradually took control of the battle rhythm. His main offensive weapon was a rifle, and every shot accurately hit the Honkai Beasts' vital points and cores. He led his team members to gradually close in on the Fifth Herrscher's coordinates.
"Bang!"
Kevin's leg heavily landed on a Biting-type Honkai Beast to support himself, aiming and firing at a Templar-type Honkai Beast a hundred meters away.
The Templar-type Honkai Beast's single eye flashed red, and its huge shield blocked in front of it, deflecting all the bullets.
Among the low-level Honkai Beasts, the Templar-type Honkai Beast's shield was the most durable defense. Even the Honkai Emperor, the pinnacle of low-level Honkai Beasts, did not possess the Templar-type Honkai Beast's defensive power.
And even more troublesome was the fact that the Templar-type Honkai Beast's mobility was also decent.
"Gah—"
Upon discovering the enemy, the Templar-type Honkai Beast's enormous body let out a roar similar to the hum of some kind of driving force, and it charged towards Kevin's position, bizarrely and swiftly, like a full-speed train!
"Everyone, prepare for impact…"
"Swish!"
Before Kevin could finish shouting, a crimson shadow leaped down from a nearby high platform, accurately colliding with the Templar-type Honkai Beast, and a door-sized greatsword sliced through the air in a brutal arc.
"Bang!"
The limb connecting the Templar-type Honkai Beast to its enormous shield snapped off immediately. Then, another figure, black and blue, rushed out from the side, swung a giant scythe in a circle, and plunged the blade deep into the Honkai Beast's head. Then, with the compounded force transferred through the powered armor, it pressed the beast down and pinned it to the ground.
The final blow was a sniper bullet, precise like a surgeon's scalpel, hitting the core.
Kevin seized the opportunity to sweep the surrounding Honkai Beasts, and after shooting down the smaller Honkai Beasts that were still struggling, he led his team to rendezvous with the three reinforcements.
"The surrounding Honkai Beasts should have been cleared. What instructions did you receive?"
Himeko, the captain of Squad Five, routinely exchanged information with the approaching Kevin after she retracted her greatsword, reporting their operational progress.
"After sweeping this area, we are to temporarily hold position and await further orders," Kevin took out his communicator, reviewed the operation brief, and frowned, "The High-level Honkai Beasts haven't appeared yet, why are we being told to stop moving temporarily?"
"You'll have to ask the commander that."
Seele, who had pulled her scythe out of the Honkai Beast's body, looked indifferently at the two talking.
"Swoosh."
Honkai Beast blood flowed on the ground.
"Seele, do you need to rest?" Dystopia put away her sniper rifle and handed Seele a bottle of water.
"Thank you." Seele took the water. In the interval of opening the bottle cap and drinking, she looked meaningfully in the direction of the Herrscher.