A full moon appeared in the sky. Its bright white light pierced through the perpetually lingering white mist, illuminating the entire valley.
There were no mountains of corpses or seas of blood, not even the few Honkai Beasts Ryan had seen earlier were gone, leaving only the crystallized earth and crumbling cliffs.
The blood-red skinned man stood at the highest point, looking at the Honkai Beast swarm covering the entire jungle.
They ultimately failed to catch the attackers, patrolling like enraged bees. A moment later, a young man fell beside him like a meteor.
"Humans actually got to this place?" The Herrscher of Stars was a little surprised. This was the heartland. Bravery aside, just getting here through so many obstacles was impressive.
"It must be the humans she mentioned. Haha, they left a tail, making us think they all retreated." The blood-red figure shook his head, retracting his gaze. "Whoever this is, they must be quite powerful. Do you think there's a trick?"
"This continent has long been thoroughly infused with Honkai energy. Humans can't even contact the outside world. Even if there's a conspiracy, how would they coordinate?"
"But they discovered me."
"That's certainly troublesome."
The two fell silent. This trump card had been exposed before it was even used. Knowing that an Herrscher who didn't exist suddenly appearing in battle would be overwhelming.
"So we can't let them leave alive. This is our lair. Even if he came, it's a dead end." The Herrscher of Death approached barefoot, her agile tongue licking her lips. "And don't you want to taste the flavor of a true human? You're tired of Honkai Beasts, aren't you?"
"Of course, some post-meal exercise wouldn't hurt. You, send out the remaining Dominators to coordinate and command. Any problems?"
"No problem." The blonde woman rode on the dragon's back, glancing at her other kin. "What about you? Are you starting this hunt?"
"I agree."
"This must be done."
No bickering, no shirking. In a few seconds, four Herrschers reached a consensus. This efficiency was many times higher than that of the Fire Moth Council. And then, without even needing to convey commands, just a snap of the fingers.
Snap.
A strange Honkai energy swept outwards like a hurricane. The Honkai Beasts, which had been aimlessly wandering like headless flies, all solidified. A second later, as if by order, they instantly split into hundreds of groups, led by the Emperor-class and Judgment-class Honkai Beasts flying in the air, heading in all directions.
Ten minutes after Ryan action, after only a few brief exchanges, the hunt began.
...
"Their reaction speed is too fast."
In the air, the Honkai energy fluctuations couldn't escape Ryan perception at all. He had already leaped out of the encirclement and was hiding with Hua in a cave.
Hua immediately straightened her back. Her perception wasn't as sharp as Ryan, but with his warning, she could also sense something was wrong, such as the slight trembling of the ground. Her expression also became tense.
It was indeed too fast. In just a few minutes, an organized pursuit began. This amount of time wasn't even enough to relay commands.
"Senior Brother, should we fight or flee?" The girl was a bit nervous, speaking rapidly.
"Only a fool would fight. This is their territory. These thousands of Honkai Beasts alone can exhaust you to death."
"Then... scatter and flee?"
"Foolish, you really want to be bait, huh?" Ryan lightly smacked the girl's head, a bit exasperated.
Hua was almost obsessive in her desire to help, desperate to prove herself.
"Ah, then what do you suggest?" Hua rubbed her head, about to speak, when she suddenly saw Ryan taking off his power armor.
"Of course, we hide right here."
The power armor disassembled, and quickly reassembled in automatic mode. Its interior wasn't empty; instead, it used a strong mass of Honkai energy to replace the body. Under the effect of the 'Dominance' Authority, it transformed from armor into a puppet.
The Lightning Authority formed a slender beam of light, cutting the ground like tofu. In the blink of an eye, a tunnel was formed. Ryan embraced Hua, going downwards, making an 'L' shaped turn at the end.
The power armor was already huge, just enough to block the cave entrance. The Mirage System unfolded, restoring everything to normal.
All preparations were completed within seconds. Hua was still a bit stunned. She looked at Ryan in front of her, just opened her mouth.
"Shh, they're coming."
Buzzing...
The cramped shelter began to tremble. Who knew how many Honkai Beasts were rolling past? They scattered like ants, searching every inch of land, clearly knowing that the enemy could reach here and must have stealth capabilities.
Perhaps it was mental force detection, or some strange probing ability, or simply a physical search net.
Never complaining, never tiring, and meticulously thorough. This made Ryan slightly hold his breath, feeling the fierce aura that wanted to find him and grind him to dust.
He was a bit nervous, but not entirely so. Even if they were discovered, there was still a chance to break out. He casually glanced at Hua, and couldn't help but smile.
The girl's face was taut, her hands clenched into fists on the ground. She was like a tigress entering a battle state, or a hen ready to spread its wings at any moment.
Hua was truly nervous. She had quite a bit of combat experience, but when had she ever seen a scene like this?
Communications were cut off. They were in the center of an unfamiliar continent. Thousands of Honkai Beasts with red eyes were searching frantically above their heads, followed by four Herrschers and an unknown number of defectors.
This absolute advantage in combat power would even crush Ryan into a meat paste. However, she had already made up her mind.
If they were discovered, she would be the first to charge out. Not only could she provide cover, but without her, a burden, Ryan would definitely be able to break out. No one could catch up in terms of speed.
While determined, Hua was also unwilling. There were still so many things she hadn't done, and so many things she hadn't said.
Just then, she suddenly felt her hand being patted. She subconsciously looked up and saw Ryan smiling at her, opening his mouth and silently forming words.
"Nervous? Does it feel exciting?"
"Of course I'm nervous, and don't joke with me at a time like this."
Ryan was taken aback. Hua rarely contradicted him, but his emotional intelligence was good, and he quickly understood the girl's psychology.
She must have made up her mind to sacrifice herself, afraid of lingering due to weakness, and not being a good bait.
She was overthinking a bit, but from Hua perspective, she really had to think this much.
Because she could sacrifice herself, Ryan could not be trapped.
"Alright, don't be so nervous. Even if we're discovered, I can take you out. I told you to trust me."
"Of course I trust you, but what's the success rate?"
"About thirty percent." Ryan answered silently, watching the girl's bright eyes dim, and then rolled his eyes.
As expected of a wooden stake, this single-mindedness was indeed impressive.
He knew how stubborn his junior sister was. Once she believed her judgment was correct, nine oxen couldn't pull her back.
Ryan thought for a moment, then decided to stop talking nonsense. He simply crawled forward a step and suddenly pulled her into his arms, whispering in her ear:
"Don't overthink it. I won't die, and I won't let you take risks. Just listen to me obediently."
Hua instinctively wanted to struggle, thinking that 30% success rate was what he said. But Ryan held her very tightly, and she didn't dare to use force. If she startled the Honkai Beasts above, wouldn't that be suicide?
Moreover, Ryan embrace seemed to have some magic. Her previously taut muscles suddenly relaxed, and even her iron-hard determination began to soften.
She buried her face in Ryan shoulder, somewhat greedily inhaling his scent. Suddenly, her eyes shifted.
'Eh, does it seem like a blessing in disguise? No, the situation is too dangerous now, Hua, you can't think of messy things.'
'But Senior Brother hasn't hugged me in a long time. It was indeed a good thing to force myself to come along, even if I die with him, it's worth it. No, I can sacrifice myself, Senior Brother must not be in danger. This thought is truly shameful.'
That stubborn battle intent faded, and Hua felt her mind become chaotic, as if two little people were fighting in her head. A few hours ago, she had actually been complaining.
She had finally gotten to go out alone with Ryan, but this idiot was wearing a completely sealed power armor, making all the romance magazines she had recently crammed useless.
After all, no matter how strong those romance gurus were, none of them taught how to get close to a two-meter-tall steel giant. In a sense, she was truly grateful to the Herrschers.
If they hadn't conspired and started a hunt, how would Ryan have taken off his power armor, let alone be alone with her in this confined space?
Was this a blessing in disguise?
Hua wasn't quite sure, she just quietly raised her hand and hugged Ryan back.
This girl is overthinking again, isn't she?
Ryan was summarizing what he had seen and heard. He was slightly lost in thought when he felt Hua spontaneous embrace. Supervising or whatever was just an excuse; he originally just wanted to see his junior sister's growth.
The beast herd was getting closer, and dust was already starting to fall from above. Feeling the girl in his arms tense up again, he added a bit more force.
"Do you remember the last time we knelt and hugged like this?"
"Hmm, in junior high, a few people bullied me. That night, you held me like this, and you were gone by dawn. When I went out to look for you, the matter was resolved."
Hua lowered her voice, every scene etched into her mind.
Back then, Ryan had just started learning boxing. Hua, who had always been a bit dull, was bullied at school. After fighting back and injuring a few classmates, their families retaliated.
The mayor, a big crime boss—they were formidable figures to a dilapidated martial arts hall. Her own father was ready to fight to the death when he saw Ryan push open the door and return, the bloodstains on the young man's white clothes still vivid in her memory.
"'I gave them an offer they couldn't refuse. Boil some water, I need a bath.' That's what you said back then."
"Did I say that? You must have remembered it wrong." Ryan old face flushed. His dark history was being dug up again. He had killed too many people; he couldn't remember how he resolved it back then.
"You did say that! I remember it clearly!" Hua nodded firmly. Her peripheral vision caught the soil beginning to turn red, but she couldn't muster any energy, only holding Ryan tighter.
Then, as now, the girl was no longer as weak, but the young man was the same as before, unchanged.
"Senior Brother." Hua felt her heartbeat. There was no need to be stubborn, no need to change the subject, just muster courage.
"Hmm?" Ryan stared intently at the infiltrating red light, converging all energy. Then he felt a soft, cold sensation on the side of his face, and a slight warmth whispered into his ear.
"No matter how the world changes, you are my goal, and my hero."