The towering pillar of fire declared to the warring sides that Kalpas had crossed the line. Not to mention the Herrschers, even Kevin was greatly alarmed.
Extreme Overdrive was not a good thing. There were MANTIS who had crossed over, but the price was turning into monsters. He didn't want Kalpas to become a disposable item like those traitors.
This greatly eased the pressure, meaning he didn't have to rush to support. All the warriors had been dispatched; if he left now, there wouldn't even be anyone for emergencies.
Fortunately, Dr. Mobius already had a solution.
"Immediately contact Su, have him go support Kalpas, and use his spiritual power to make him come back."
"Yes."
Communication hadn't yet been restored, and the efficiency of transmitting orders was terribly low. However, new detectors had been set up, and he could finally barely see the full scope of the battlefield.
On an area of over a hundred thousand square kilometers, three regions were simultaneously engaged in battle. Friendly unit markers hadn't yet recovered, so he could only guess based on memory.
"The right flank should be Hua and Sakura. After I pulled Su away, I don't know if they can hold on. According to the intelligence just now, the enemy should be Calis group, right?"
"Elysia is in the center. She seems to be entangled with Honkai Beasts and can't break free?"
"At the very end should be Hen and Kosma. They must have retreated with the wounded and then encountered an ambush?"
Like looking at flowers through a fog, Kevin couldn't be sure of the battle situation, but the three battlefields were slowly approaching each other, separated by some distance, yet able to support each other.
Currently, only the Ninth Herrscher had appeared. According to intelligence, there were a total of four Herrschers. The Herrscher of Domination wasn't very useful in a direct battlefield, so the opponent's cards, theoretically, still included the Herrscher of Blood and the Herrscher of Death.
As things stood, the situation wasn't too bad. The Herrscher of Stars was already entangled. With Kalpas strength, he could certainly fight him evenly after Extreme Overdrive.
This was a great thing, otherwise Kevin would have had to personally intervene. Because the battlefield was fragmented, whichever area collapsed first would cause a total collapse, and the winner would snowball into a complete victory.
"So which side should I join?" Kevin didn't rush to act, only letting his Honkai energy dissipate, linking with a certain flow in the air. "Ludicyna, what's the situation?"
Kalpas adjutant was not good at combat, but she was like a human radar and mobile base station, interspersed everywhere under the escort of two squads of MANTIS.
"The right flank is very intense. Traitors have deployed five high-tier MANTIS for a desperate assault, with thousands of Honkai Beasts assisting."
'Five?! Where did five come from?!'
Kevin felt his heart stop. 'Good thing I was smart and assigned two people with Divine Keys, and Sakura is especially good at dealing with humanoid enemies. They should be able to hold on.'
"What about Elysia side?"
"She's steadily retreating. Only some Honkai Beasts are unable to stop her. Wait a minute." Ludicyna closed her eyes in the silent forest, able to 'see' the scene a hundred kilometers away:
A three-person squad stood back-to-back. The corpses of Honkai Beasts in front of them had piled up into a small mountain. But at that moment, a swirling black mist enveloped them. In just a few seconds, empty armor fell to the ground.
Flesh and blood turned to dust. Helmets rolled far across the ground until one was stepped on by a fair little foot. Surrounded by three figures, a girl wielding a scythe emerged from the darkness, a cruel smile on her face, glaring at Ludicyna 'in front' of her.
"Ah!"
The girl screamed, clutching her head somewhat painfully, forcing herself to report: "Sixth Herrscher detected. She's heading for Miss Elysia, and there are three pseudo-Herrschers behind her."
Kevin instantly froze. He knew that after the Ninth Herrscher was stopped by the unexpected Kalpas, other Herrschers would emerge. He had thought they would target the slightly weaker Ato, and Kosma's group of wounded soldiers who hadn't fully grown.
'To actually target Ellie?!'
An opportunity.
He suddenly realized this was a strategic opportunity. The Herrscher of Death's strength was generally moderate. Even with pseudo-Herrschers helping, she couldn't withstand his and Elysia combined attack. So, this was the best chance to break the balance.
Kevin, who had been unmoving moments before, suddenly crouched down. Words Ryan had spoken when he first joined the Fire Moth flashed through his mind.
"When in a stalemate, you must be patient. But when you seize an opportunity, you must never hesitate."
"When aggression is like fire!"
Thump—
The Raven suddenly decelerated, as if it had hit an invisible wall. Kevin pupils constricted. He saw the bow of the ship denting and deforming.
Gravity barrier? Wasn't the Ninth Herrscher supposed to be...
Before he could think further, a blood-red figure pierced through the clouds, crashing into the Raven's front deck at an inhuman speed. A teeth-grinding creak sounded. The aerial aircraft carrier's nose dipped, and a large dent was literally smashed into its thick armored steel plate.
The bottom of the large pit still contained ice.
If Kevin hadn't been quick, this head-on collision would have probably sunk the tens of thousands of tons aircraft carrier.
"All units, evacuate," Kevin softly pressed his ear-mic, then saw the blood-red figure emerging from the shattered ice.
"Also, tell the Supreme Commander, his target has appeared!"
...
Here it comes.
The message passed through the base station, then transmitted by communication satellite to distant Siberia. Ryan, upon seeing it, felt a sense of relief.
The Herrscher of Blood had finally appeared. As he expected, the Herrschers had no intention of escaping, but instead concentrated their forces for a counterattack.
Interesting. It makes one even more curious about the trump cards in your hands.
Ryan face darkened. The only thing he hadn't accounted for was that the Herrschers had secretly concentrated so many forces. Two-thirds of the Fire Moth's power had almost capsized. Now, one high-tier MANTIS had already fallen.
"Good thing Kalpas stepped up. Aponia, it seems our insurance wasn't a mistake."
He looked at the nun on the opposite sofa, who gently nodded. Without Kalpas Extreme Overdrive, there would have been three fatalities, and probably one or two more before Ryan arrived.
It wasn't perfect, but still acceptable. It was war, after all. People would die.
"So what did you say to Kalpas?" Eden asked curiously. She remembered Aponia seemed to have said something to Kalpas when he left.
"I [invited] him to enjoy the battle to his heart's content, without any reservations," Aponia didn't hide it and immediately gave the answer.
'Just this? Is there a problem?'
Eden was full of questions, not understanding the meaning of those words. However, Ryan knew that Kalpas had been subconsciously suppressing his power. In the original timeline, this door was opened by Su, but now it was through Aponia Discipline.
That was Kalpas of the [Deliverance] Sigil, one of the top three MANTIS. His Extreme Overdrive was even more ferocious than current Kevin. Even against an enhanced Ninth Herrscher, he wouldn't suffer a loss.
As for the aftermath, wasn't Su over there?
"Discipline might not work, but I have a second layer of insurance. Kevin is forced into a rage, and the power he unleashes will make even me retreat three steps," Ryan spread his hands, looking exceptionally sinister.
He had confirmed Kevin protagonist halo. Such a person feared pressure the least. When pushed to a desperate situation, he would unleash something called 'miracle'.
Of course, miracles were too uncontrollable. Ryan wouldn't pin his hopes on that.
"Ryan, are you going to deploy?"
"Mm, Kevin and the others have done their best. I can't just stand by."
"Didn't you say the Herrschers had a trump card?"
"I'm even more certain they do now. But my purpose is to face the unknown, even if there's immense danger within."
Ryan tone was calm. He knew exactly what he needed to do. Normally, he would absolutely trust his comrades, but at every critical moment, he would always step forward without hesitation.
The greatest terror, the greatest danger, should be borne by the strongest.
Eden was speechless. She instantly thought of many beautiful words and magnificent descriptions, but in the end, only the most simple thought remained.
Its name: responsibility.
"Let's go together, to the center of the stage."
Ryan extended his hand, gently pulled Eden up, then put on his jacket and scarf, as if going on a long journey, making one forget that he was heading to a brutal battlefield full of unknowns.
"[I invite] you to enjoy the hunt," Aponia placed her hand on her abdomen, bowing slightly. She saw the man nod imperceptibly, then step into the flower sea outside.
Discipline had no effect on Ryan, but he received this blessing. Since Eden was holding his hand tightly, he didn't let go either. A few blinks brought them to the airport outside the valley. The black-painted, streamlined shuttle was quietly parked on the runway.
Beep, beep.
The electronic screen lit up. Attitude indicator, communication system, energy core—everything was normal. Ryan had tested the aircraft in a simulator, but this was his first time flying it in reality.
'Thanks to civilization.'
He smiled, gripping the control stick with both hands. Mei voice transmitted through.
"I've already rushed to the battlefield. Mobius is there too. You don't need to worry."
"That woman fused with cockroach genes, didn't she?" As soon as Ryan finished speaking, he heard a familiar gasp. Some sarcastic words seemed to be swallowed back.
"If you talk nonsense now, be careful she settles the score later."
"I owe enough already, one more won't hurt," Ryan laughed even louder, even drowning out the engine's roar.
As he pushed the throttle to its limit, he felt a strong push against his back, then saw the numbers on the airspeed indicator wildly jumping.
Mach 1, Mach 2, Mach 3...
The ground was rapidly left behind. The heat barrier formed by hypersonic speed blurred communications somewhat.
"Since the Herrschers dared to come out, they must be fully confident. They won't act impulsively. This battle will be full of unknown dangers."
"Thanks for the concern," Ryan pressed the red button. Vil-V newly built engine roared at full speed, piercing through the clouds, allowing him to see the vast starry sky.
For a moment, he finally understood why Kalpas liked such extreme speed. It truly made one's blood boil, as if stepping on the entire world.
"But I specialize in dealing with the unknown!"
A meteor rose from the Eastern Hemisphere, skimming the atmosphere, heading to the other side of the Earth at extreme speed.
At the same time, the aerial battleship also pierced through the clouds, rushing towards its destination.
Mei wouldn't hesitate. When the Ninth Herrscher was repelled, she was already ready to depart.
Indeed, neither she nor Ryan wanted to completely wipe out the Herrschers, fearing Honkai would unleash a massive attack, but this didn't mean they would hold back. On the contrary, every battle had to be fought with all their might.
On the giant screen, a light dot flickered. Prometheus had already calculated the arrival time, accurate to milliseconds.
This was a sprint at ten thousand kilometers per hour, embodying the phrase 'unyielding forward momentum' to the fullest. Watching the rapidly counting down timer, Mei finally withdrew her gaze.
"One hour, twenty-two minutes, fifteen seconds. Ryan will enter the battlefield. Mobius, are you worried?"
"Why would I worry about him? Didn't you hear him just now, badmouthing me?" Mobius scoffed. Looking closely, one could see she seemed to have gained a touch of girlishness.
'She's gotten younger. So that's her price. If she dies a few more times, will she become a little girl?'
Mei immediately saw the problem, but this time she didn't mock. She focused all her attention on the operation.
The front line was fighting fiercely, especially Hua and Sakura group. They, along with over a hundred MANTIS, like an unmoving rock, resisted the onslaught of thousands of enemies. The exploding energy even broke through the iron curtain. Optical satellites sweeping from low orbit finally transmitted images.
The two girls stood back to back, holding the Third and Fifth Divine Keys. Before them, the corpses of Honkai Beasts had piled up into a small mountain.
Sakura left arm was pierced through, as if by some potent venom, and half her body had necrotized, yet she hold her blade with one hand, severing the head of a nine-headed serpent;
Hua was no better. The Fifth Divine Key wasn't a perfect fit, but she plunged it into the ground in front of her feet, forming a large ice wall as cover, then defended behind the wall with the MANTIS.
"She commanded her troops to stabilize the front, and then had Sakura rapidly assassinate. No wonder they could hold on for so long."
Mei instantly saw through the tactics. Very ordinary, yet very effective. But this also put a lot of pressure on Sakura.
Mobius face was grim. Her hand in her pocket quietly clenched into a fist. She saw these two annoying people fighting desperately, but found she didn't have a single thought of schadenfreude.
Instead, she wished she could fly to the battlefield right now and pull these two idiots out.
"Want to help?" Mei suddenly asked.
"Who wants to help? I just think it's not bad to do them a favor, then later I can..."
Just then, a purple fireball rose from the ground. Its dazzling light made the satellite image turn completely white.
"Brief high Honkai energy reaction detected, exceeding 4000HW," the operator immediately analyzed the data.
This was a self-detonation. They had already seen high-tier MANTIS self-destruct, injuring the Ninth Herrscher at point-blank range. These traitors seemed to be some kind of emergency product, but under Extreme Overdrive, their power was still astonishing.
The ice wall instantly shattered into dust. The shockwave tore the previously tight formation behind the wall to pieces.
"Launch Vil-V Shuttle Number Two! I'm going immediately!" Mobius seemed to have forgotten what she was about to say. She turned and left directly.
"Are you sure? You just regenerated; your Honkai energy hasn't recovered."
Mobius footsteps paused slightly. She turned her head, her long hair obscuring her expression.
"At a time like this, you have to take risks, and don't say it was voluntary."
With that, and the sound of high heels, she quickly walked away, leaving only Mei leaning against the control panel, a faint smile on her rarely expressive face.
'You platypus are truly interesting, but this is healthy competition.'
Mei didn't oppose this competition. She glanced at the screen, which was filled with white light, and her smile vanished in an instant.
'And you, Kalpas, with such powerful strength, how can you just watch the show until now?'
The war was gradually reaching its climax, but what reached Ryan ears was mostly bad news.
Kalpas and the Ninth Herrscher fought from the coast to the ocean. Wherever they went, only large expanses of high-temperature white smoke remained, and even the sea level was evaporated.
Driving them off the battlefield was a good thing, but to prevent Kalpas from going completely berserk, Su also had to follow, yet couldn't join the fight.
Elysia was also struggling. She had to cover the wounded, and the Herrscher of Death's lethality to living beings was too terrifying. She could only try to entangle her. At this point, Kosma entered Extreme Overdrive.
His berserk attacks, indiscriminately striking friend and foe, temporarily suppressed the pseudo-Herrschers, but also threw their own side into chaos. Hen and Elysia, in any case, could not execute him on the spot.
"The key is the Herrscher of Death. If she only wants to entangle Elysia, she'll be hard to kill." Ryan leaned back in his chair, feeling the heavy acceleration, but his mind remained clear.
Traveling was traveling, but thinking never stopped. All four battlefields were in a stalemate. The most dangerous were actually Kevin and Hua.
"The Tenth Herrscher growth rate is too terrifying. I found her and then kept suppressing her, and she can still possess this much power."
Ryan breathing became hurried. Based on their first contact, the Tenth Herrscher was slightly weaker than Kevin. In just over half a month, she had first heavily injured the weakened Kalpas, then pushed Kevin to the brink of Artificial Collapse.
Her growth rate was too fast, and her Honkai energy replenishment speed was also very quick. She fought two battles without much rest. What was even more troublesome was this mode.
If future Herrschers were all like this with similar Authorities, what would he even play with?
No, Honkai's losses in this battle were also very heavy. Even with similar Authorities, they wouldn't be able to feed them.
Ryan felt a little better, but then looking at the right flank of the battlefield, his face was so gloomy it could wring out water.
These shameless traitors!
Humans knew humans best. Even if Kalpas didn't personally act, his hidden plotting made Sakura and Hua very uncomfortable, because his hand held cards more troublesome than Ryan.
Even with Aponia, Ryan would never let a high-tier MANTIS become a human bomb, but the opponent had no scruples. After all, their life force couldn't last long, so using them for demolition was perfectly suitable.
"Don't worry, Mobius has already gone to support." Eden said quietly, curling her lips, making a joke: "I didn't expect these three rivals to fight side-by-side."
'I feel like you're enjoying this?'
Ryan was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "They are, first and foremost, comrades whose backs I can entrust. Other relationships come after that."
'Oh, you know everything.'
Eden smile became more pronounced. She pointed to the rapidly ticking countdown.
"So, who will you target in the first battle?"
The choice had arrived, but at this moment, Ryan had no personal feelings. He was like a rational machine, objectively evaluating the progress of each battlefield.
In terms of gains, killing the Ninth Herrscher offered the most, but there were two problems here:
First, he didn't know Kalpas current state, or if he would also consider Ryan an enemy. Second, there was the Herrscher of Stars himself. Ryan knew his self-destruction was the most terrifying.
No delay, instant kill. This would depend on Kalpas cooperation.
Uncertain, and the risk factor was too high. He listed it as an alternative.
He swept his gaze across each one. Elysia was the safest, and Kevin should also be fine. So, only one answer remained.
He gently twisted the control stick. With the aid of the computer, the hypersonic aircraft corrected its course, and the countdown reset.
Five minutes and seventeen seconds.
Eden only glanced, but she understood where Ryan was going. Her heart couldn't help but feel tense.
"Nervous?"
"Uh, a little, but I'll treat it as a performance, like stepping onto the stage for the first time."
'How elegant.'
Ryan glanced at Eden wine-red gown. She truly looked like she was dressed for a grand occasion. A smile appeared on his taut face.
"Your ability is suited for staying in the back. It's not that dangerous."
Eden's ability is spiritual, somewhat like psychological suggestion. For example, like the divas from the Macross series, providing wide-range buffs.
But her singing really worked; it wasn't just mental comfort. For such an elegant girl to be carrying a knife to the front lines and hacking people, that would be too out of character.
The countdown had entered the one-minute mark. On the screen, flashes of light were already appearing in succession. Then, another 'missile' rapidly approached from afar, thirty seconds from the rendezvous point.
The green light came on. Ryan simply got up and went to the retreat cabin, but then he heard Eden call out to him.
"Ryan, what do you want to hear?"
The shuttle slowed. The hatch opened, and a violent night wind rushed in. Ryan stared at the stopwatch, looking out the cabin.
The ground was burning. Countless lines of light intersected in the sky. Occasionally, a pillar of fire erupted, making the air scorching hot.
A hundred-thousand-square-kilometer battlefield was boiling. A single light dot rapidly approached from afar.
In this situation, he couldn't think too much, so he just blurted out.
"Then play "Starfall."
Starfall?
Eden was slightly stunned. This was a new song Ryan had given her during their Siberia vacation, categorized under something called the 'Gundam' playlist.
As a top singer, she understood within seconds. She nodded gently: "Okay, may my song be with you."
No need for a voice. Honkai energy was the best medium for transmission. Ryan smiled, took a step out, and plummeted from tens of thousands of meters in the sky.
The night wind whistled in his ears. The burning earth magnified in his vision. He didn't use any energy, letting only gravity pull him down. All calculations were precise to the millimeter.
The countdown ended. The front of the missile flying from afar split open, ejecting a dark shadow. Ryan opened his right palm and grasped the greatsword flying towards him.
[Cold fingertips, exposed to the frozen moonlight]
Eden impassioned singing drilled into Ryan ears. His normally placid heartbeat was accelerating. His cold body was burning.
Roaring Honkai energy ignited his body, resonating with the equally burning greatsword, finally transforming into a pair of gigantic flame wings.
Whoosh—
Ryan swung his sword with one hand, releasing a crescent-shaped flame that Burnd a hundred Honkai Beasts into ash, announcing to the boiling battlefield:
Flying Fire Meteor, Sword of the Azure Sky—
Descend!!