The ice star fell, and dusk descended.
A mushroom cloud, rising to 100 meters, suddenly erupted near the East District Pier. The shockwave swept across most of the town, shaking the earth as if an earthquake had struck.
Boom, boom...
The deep, resounding echoes reverberated, as buildings seemed to disintegrate in the shockwave. The bounty hunters, who had hoped to take advantage of the situation, were lifted into the air like pieces of paper, even those who were far away. They fell back to the ground with long screams, crashing into the earth as mangled pieces of flesh.
But the destruction didn't end there. After the shockwave, shards of frost formed, freezing the broken houses and finishing off those who were only half-dead. The ice-blue dust that rose from the destruction gave the whole scene a doomsday atmosphere. Pieces of torn human bodies flew across the town, landing on rooftops.
Ding.
The Herrscher of Ice stood motionless, watching the frozen half of his thigh as he gazed at the mushroom cloud in the distance. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
The freezing ability, similar to his own, had been even more destructive, and it made him feel threatened.
"Going all out from the start... What a tough fighter." The Herrscher of Ice murmured, a quiet acknowledgment. In terms of combat experience, the opponent was still more experienced than him.
He turned his gaze to the other side. The golden-red cosmos was still blooming, and he saw a figure moving rapidly, leaving a series of air rings in its wake.
These two could also pose a threat, and his smile became more pronounced.
Humans were so foolish. Why would such a powerful individual obey the orders of a weaker one and ultimately fight each other? If he used his full strength to face me, it would only lead to his own demise.
"My lord, we should start."
The Herrscher of Ice turned toward the voice. A gray-haired boy, no older than sixteen or seventeen, squatted on the chimney. He was handsome, with blood-red gem-like eyes.
"Feng, can't you wait?"
The young man bit his finger and nodded gently. "I'm afraid that if we wait any longer, it will be a wasted trip. We'll die, and we won't be able to learn anything if we die."
Whether it's a Herrscher, a Pseudo-Herrscher, or a Honkai beast, there's no clear classification like there is with humans. Everyone looks at the problem rationally.
The Herrscher of Ice said nothing, his gaze drifting back to the bustling Sundown Alley. The two battlefields were clearly separated: the masked man outside the city had the upper hand, while the port area presented a different scene.
The Frost Giant raised a massive sledgehammer, destroying everything around it in a frenzy. A vague black shadow moved in panic, almost powerless to fight back.
The Honkai energy was about to run out. In five minutes, it would be done for—demolished to nothing, not even scraps left behind.
"It's time to act. It's almost clear now."
Adam was stronger than the reports indicated, but his energy was limited. He couldn't take on a violent upper fusion warrior. After this prolonged fight, his energy had nearly drained.
"Then let's go. Don't worry about the masked man. Use your identity well, injure Adam severely, and take him away. Do you understand?"
The gray-haired boy slowly stood up, took a set of black heavy armor from a box, and put it on. There was a Fire Moth "Cocoon" insignia on his shoulder.
The pseudo-herrscher didn't have a herrscher core. Before the dissection, there was little difference between him and the fusion warriors—one was instinct, the other ability, but both had official endorsements.
The light around his body distorted, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished.
"Yes, sir."
This guy was completely crazy. Was it his absolute hatred for Honkai?
Ryan felt as though he were walking through a storm. Every second, a layer of ice formed on his body, and then the Frost Giant, over five meters tall, wreaked havoc around him. The giant had used all its Honkai energy, smashing through anything in its way, tearing off a crane weighing more than ten tons as a makeshift javelin.
As expected, in three minutes, the Honkai energy would be depleted, and the body would collapse. This wasn't worth his effort—he'd have to drag Kalpas down with him.
Kalpas definitely wouldn't retreat. He was also in a state of panic, and Ryan couldn't detect the surroundings, as he was fully controlling the puppet.
For now, staying away from Kalpas seemed best. If he didn't want to overexert and super-transform, his energy was running out.
Ryan made a quick decision. The shadow unfolded like a parachute, taking the hit from the crane.
Bang——
The steel twisted, and the massive crane split into two. Ryan was flung out like a baseball, splashing into the sea.
"Still want to run!?"
Andevich jumped into the sea, his feet turning into a frost trail. He seemed unaware that his ice armor was breaking apart, as he pushed forward against the wind and snow.
He seemed to have returned to the snowfield, remembering the First Herrscher's rampage in his hometown and seeing his wife and daughter buried under artillery fire. All he could do was scream in helpless rage.
I must catch him. I can't let my tragedy repeat for all of humanity. I won't experience another betrayal.
The honkai energy roared, but he was growing farther from his target. As he was getting anxious, he saw a black shadow appear on the sea, just ahead of the target.
The familiar annihilation equipment caused him to feel ecstatic. He condensed the last of his strength into a frost sword.
You can't escape!
"Reinforcements? Another upper-level fusion warrior?" Ryan saw the person ahead, and his heart sank. He hadn't expected Fire Moth to invest so heavily, sending three fusion warriors.
Did he want to self-destruct and activate the backup plan?
He already had a backup plan—abandoning the Adam identity and cutting off the logical chain. If he fell into their hands, the testimony would be meaningless. With Andevich as a witness, the report wouldn't be easy to fabricate.
Time slowed in his eyes as the new fusion warrior raised his hand, clenched it into a hammer, and—
Boom!
A shockwave blasted through the sea, causing Ryan's body to freeze as he moved forward.
Boom.
Heavy objects fell into the sea, and Ryan slowly turned his head, seeing the exhausted Frost Giant's body disintegrating as if sliced by countless sharp blades. It fell down with confusion and unwillingness.
He was familiar with this sensation, similar to the wind's authority.
"This isn't a fusion warrior, this is..." Ryan thought.
"Fellow, I'm here to pick you up."
The gray-haired boy stretched out his hand, tilted his head, and stared at the black monster before him, his expression tinged with curiosity.
This feeling was both familiar and strange, making him uneasy. But since it was a rebellious pseudo-herrscher, it made sense.
"You're very valuable. Come with me. Let's find out why, so we can fill this gap."
The wind spoke softly, fear evident in his voice. He didn't understand why the target had chosen to side with humans.
The ice layer collapsed, and silence descended again. Then, a cold, eerie voice sounded.
"You've also joined the Fire Moth."
The boy glanced at the badge on his shoulder and gently spread his hands. "It's a disguise. And I hope you're also a disguise, if…"
"If we can learn that human's ability from you, it would be great."
The sea surface, which had just collapsed, was covered by thick frost once again. A decent gentleman emerged from the thick ice fog.
He was dressed politely, with a cane and a six-breasted brown windbreaker, exuding a mature, elegant air, moving with ease.
"That fusion warrior still has a breath left. Go finish him off." The man whispered, raising his arm toward Ryan. "Then, can you give me this answer—a very important answer?"
Ryan looked at the boy, then at the gentleman. His featureless body gave no hint of surprise, but he spoke in an oddly calm voice.
"I didn't expect you to infiltrate so deeply. Even the pseudo-herrscher has an official identity. It's really hard to tell friend from foe."
"But it's very interesting. The one who tried to kill me hates Honkai, but the one who saved me is a minion of Honkai."
The voice was full of ease and joy, causing the Herrscher of Ice's expression to freeze. He studied this "Adam" seriously, feeling an ominous foreboding.
The boy also stopped. He hadn't thought much about it but realized that such a question shouldn't be asked by a pseudo-herrscher.
"You…"
Click.
At the moment the boy spoke, the ice had already frozen Ryan. There was no warning, and it was so fast that no one could react. In the blink of an eye, a giant ice ball had appeared on the calm sea.
Something's wrong.
The Herrscher of Ice narrowed his eyes, watching the frozen target. A sense of wrongness gnawed at him, but he couldn't place it. He then saw the target's body begin to swell, causing cracks to appear on the ice ball.
This is…
The honkai energy exceeded the critical point and exploded violently.
Boom!
A column of water shot into the sky, the shattered ice flying everywhere. The calm sea surface erupted with massive waves, which crashed into a newly formed ice wall.
"Self-explosion?" Feng covered his face, realizing his mistake. Without the Herrscher of Ice's reminder, his thinking had been too naive.
After the huge waves, a storm brewed. The ice wall cracked, and Feng looked up, feeling like his own ability was no match for this storm.
The day darkened, and the clouds covered the sun.
It was authority—the true authority of wind!
The two looked into the distance simultaneously. In the center of the vortex cloud, a bell tower stood tall, and a figure stood on top, staring down at them with piercing eyes.
He held a spear, stood upright, and appeared to be staring directly at them, like a ferocious beast.
Boom boom—
Thunder flashed within the vortex cloud as the man floated upward, resembling a god who controlled both wind and thunder. The immense energy radiating from him made his indifferent gaze seem much more menacing.
At least, much more than Andevich.
Huh.
The Herrscher of Ice exhaled deeply, suppressing his instinct with reason. He didn't even think about the bigger picture because it seemed futile at the moment.
The gentleman raised his hand, pointed toward the distance, and sighed quietly.
"It's him!"