The commotion in the air was so great that it alerted the entire world bubble. Fortunately, there was no astronomical meaning in the Sea of Quanta. The huge black hole was hanging overhead and was constantly absorbing energy.
But from the ground, looking up, the sky was like a pitch-black, spiraling sun, so terrifying that it made the humans in the entire world bubble forget to pray.
It was like that in the distance, and it was even more vast on the top of the snowy mountain. The Herrscher of Blood looked up, slowly lowered his head, and his knuckles made a cracking sound.
There was no concept of 'sacrifice' in the Herrscher's dictionary. It was a matter of course to give up everything to achieve a goal. Even if he collapsed into a black hole inside the world bubble, it didn't matter if he was pulled into it.
The battlefield was simple, it was just a matter of seeing who would win first.
"It's a shame. Even though you were tenacious enough, you still lost."
At the end of the messy valley, Hua was sprawled out against the cliff, with a Divine Key nailed to her chest. The energy that had been absorbed and then released had frozen her into an ice sculpture.
This girl was very tenacious, but unfortunately, her strength was mediocre. She was not even as good as the high-level Fusion Warriors he defeated in South America. Willpower, in the end, cannot replace strength.
His blood-red pupils moved, and he looked at the other green-haired girl. Her head was tilted, almost resting on her shoulder.
"And you, how many times do you have to die?"
Mobius's face was pale, and she looked a few years younger. In terms of combat power, she was not as good as Hua, but in terms of tenacity, no one was above her.
"Is it necessary to drag this out? Do I have to kill you and turn you into a baby?"
Dong!
The footsteps made the ground tremble. Green lightning jumped on the Herrscher's fingertips, making Mobius's face look even worse.
This Herrscher was really difficult to deal with. He was a Herrscher that Honkai created specifically to counter Fusion Warriors. If he cooperated with the Herrscher of Binding, he would be almost invincible.
Mobius still had time to think about strategy. She wobbled and straightened her body, still sneering arrogantly: "Then go ahead and try. Anyway, that person is a Lolicon, he might even like it."
It was a strange thing to say, but this woman's mouth was really tough.
The Herrscher of Blood covered his face, as if he was back on the operating table, back when he was called Cocolia.
"Dr. Mobius, you are indeed as arrogant as ever. Very well, let me, slice you, into, pieces!"
Personality backlash? This Herrscher talks the most nonsense.
Mobius felt the fervor of a scientist. Arcs of electricity lingered on her body, and black substances gushed out, making her look more like a monster.
"Same here. I'd like to invite you to my operating table. I'm sure I can analyze every single one of your cells."
Induced Honkai Burst.
Her Honkai energy surged. With the experience from last time, she felt that she could definitely control her consciousness this time. At the very least, she could at least throw that wooden stake into the Sea of Quanta.
But this Herrscher was too fast!
The nonsense was just a cover. The moment the black swamp erupted, the figure in the distance had already disappeared. All that was left was the distorted air left by the gravity catapult.
The black swamp was supposed to form a kind of barrier, but the blood-red meteor forcefully smashed a hole in the center. No, it melted a hole, and the hand-blade went straight for Mobius's forehead.
Honkai energy couldn't stop it. It was counter-intuitive. The world in Mobius's eyes suddenly became slow. She saw the blood-red fingernails and the Scarlet eyes.
"I will, kill you, one more time."
Bang!!
A gust of wind exploded in Mobius's ears, making her instinctively close her eyes. She then felt that it was too embarrassing and forced her eyes open. With that one close and one open, the hand-blade and the Herrscher were already gone, leaving only a V-shaped mark that extended into the distance. And on the shattered cliff, the Herrscher was firmly embedded in it.
'Oh this...'
She suddenly felt that her brain wasn't good enough. She turned her head a little stiffly and saw a fist right next to her face, emitting white smoke from the high temperature. It then opened and gently rested on her shoulder.
As soon as it touched her, Mobius's entire body trembled for a moment as if there was an electric current. She instinctively clamped her legs together.
"Surprised?" Ryan walked past her. His lowered hair covered his expression. He came in front of Mobius, like a mountain that completely blocked her.
There was no need for an expression, or even words. This back was more than enough. At the very least, it made the overflowing energy calm down and slowly retreat.
'I actually controlled the Induced Honkai Burst? I broke through a bottleneck that has been bothering me for a long time??'
Mobius just felt that this was not scientific. Then she didn't care about that anymore and tried her best to raise her chin: "I knew you would win. What's there to be surprised about."
Ryan was silent for a moment. He looked at the Herrscher of Blood who was digging himself out of the cliff, and his voice was without any emotion.
"Hua, can you save her?"
"I couldn't before, but I should be able to now." Mobius answered casually, and then tried to make her voice a little softer: "How is it? Do you feel relieved?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw the back in front of her slightly squat down. The strong wind almost made her sit on the ground.
"No, my killing intent is even stronger!!"
"That's right, just like that. Those two women are so weak and soft, it's really not interesting!"
The Herrscher of Blood pulled himself out of the cliff with his feet and landed heavily on the ground. He reached out and condensed two blood-red rapiers. He was more human-like than the other Herrschers. At the very least, his heart would beat faster because of this killing intent.
The sense of excitement, finding the texture of battle in emptiness, and not caring if his kind succeeded, because—
Slaughter, is the highest form of devotion!
The two of them disappeared at the same time, and then reappeared in the next moment.
Clang!!!
The rapier and the greatsword clashed. It was as if someone had blown a breath, and the roaring flames contracted towards the center, actually poking a gap. The other blade went straight for his face.
It had the taste of the Star Sucking Art. He was indeed an expert at countering Honkai energy.
Ryan retreated a hundred meters lightly and saw this mad dog biting at him. His kick went into the air, and he twisted his waist to slash back with his rapier. Seeing that Seven Thunders of Retribution chose to meet him head-on, the rapier suddenly became soft, like a whip that wrapped around the sparkling blade.
He was full of changes and very mysterious. Then he pulled Ryan into his arms and hit him with a knee strike.
Swoosh—
The Honkai energy used for defense was torn open, and the freezing effect of Key of Blankness was also weakened. Ryan didn't think too much about it. He raised his knee to clash with his, and used the inertia to retreat a few hundred meters, his eyes slightly narrowed, gradually figuring out the pattern.
His authority was more like a kind of force field, combining the three abilities of melting, devouring, and releasing. To put it simply, he was a bit like the Anti-Mage that Ryan loved to play in his last life.
'After all, all Fusion Warriors and Herrschers are essentially mages. It's a good thing this guy didn't get a chance to grow up.'
The whip lashed out, but it only hit Ryan's afterimage. The Herrscher of Blood's authority was strange, but he didn't have much energy. After all, the Fire Moth had been interfering with his development. If he had really recycled all the Honkai beasts, he could have killed all the Fusion Warriors by himself.
No wonder he wanted to fight in close combat. No matter how strong an authority was against them, it was useless if it couldn't hit them.
Ryan was moving left and right. He could break all tricks with pure force, but there was a mastermind behind this, and if he consumed too much energy, he wouldn't have time to replenish it.
But just as he retreated a few kilometers, the Herrscher of Blood, who couldn't catch him, simply stopped and turned back to kill the others.
"You want to play a war of attrition with me? Then I'll kill those two women first!"
The Herrscher of Blood was also very direct. Ryan's action of saving Mobius just now was a sign of weakness. The lives of those two women were crucial to him.
Sure enough, a wall of ice suddenly stood in front of him. This made the corner of his mouth curl up. He didn't slow down and ran head-on into it. And on his arms, flames actually burned, and he smashed a large hole in the thick ice.
Bang—
The loud noise made Mobius turn her head. She saw the Herrscher with strong killing intent approaching quickly, but she only glanced at him and then put her attention back on the task at hand.
Hua was lying flat on the ground. The black swamp was swallowing the girl. And Mobius was holding Key of Blankness, using the characteristics of the Divine Key to gradually unlock her life.
Mobius couldn't feel the Herrscher's killing intent. She was as focused as she would be in a lab, because she firmly believed:
That Herrscher was right there, yet so far away.
Dong!!!
The ground trembled, and the trees swayed back and forth. A giant ice sphere from the sky hit the Herrscher of Blood's body. He stood on the ground, his hands spread. His burning arms were already inside the ice sphere, and a hint of blood came from his pale teeth.
"So that's how it is. You've already learned how to use it so quickly."
He used the Authority of Ice to condense it, and then used the Authority of Wind to adjust the trajectory. Ryan stood on the sky, pressed his right hand down, and finally smashed it with the Authority of Stars!
Falling Ice Star.
The second meteor smashed down, like a hammer hitting a nail. You're the Anti-Mage, aren't you? Then I'll use physical rules to kill you. Honkai energy can not only be used for metaphysics but also for materializing various physical rules.
Dong!!
This muffled sound was even more intense than before. The two ice spheres with a diameter of several kilometers crashed into each other, flattening the mountain peak. But there was a gap in the shockwave, and no storm touched the focused Mobius.
"My little flame can't melt such a big ice sphere. You swallowed too little." Ryan looked on expressionlessly, his eyes sweeping over the ground again and again.
The Ninth Herrscher was just a dessert. This guy was the main course. Ryan's eyes had been on the Herrscher of Binding for a long time. To clear this game, her authority was essential.
Time passed second by second. Just as Ryan was wondering if this mad dog was so easy to kill, he heard a 'crack, crack, crack' sound. Cracks crawled from the bottom to the top, covering the overlapping ice spheres.
'Oh?'
Crack—
The ice shattered. There were crystal-clear fragments everywhere. Then a blood-red energy stream rose from the ground. Ryan's eyes reflected the scene in the deep pit.
The Herrscher of Blood was no longer thin. Instead, he had become extremely tall. His blood-red muscular body burst his clothes. He was nearly three meters tall. His upper body was barely human, but his lower body was covered with black hair, like the hind legs of a goat.
Overmutation. So he really can do that.
Ryan was not surprised, because after John from Donggong was dominated, he was barely a similar life form. As for why he didn't use it before, it was simple.
"He can't use it when the Herrscher of Binding is around. And if he uses this cheat, I'll turn around and run."
The energy stream made the black tailcoat flutter continuously. It was harder to block Ryan's retreat than to kill him. This was the reason he was sure that Ryan would not abandon Mobius and Hua, so he took out his trump card.
"The ultimate magic-breaker. Pin me down here again. The opportunity is in your hands now."
Ryan spread his hands. The scattered electric arcs held thousands of ice fragments in the air. The electromagnetic rail unfolded, the repulsive force field condensed, and then it all burst out with his descending hand.
"Let's see if you can catch it!"
Whoosh—
Thousands of ice fragments fell like cannonballs. The superposition of the two authorities made the impact incredibly powerful. The Herrscher of Blood looked up. It was as if thousands of giant swords were falling at the same time, ready to pierce his heart.
He bent his thick legs. His large hands held two blood-red battle axes.
Bang!!
As the shockwave spread on the ground, he disappeared. Only the ice swords that fell like rain shattered into powder in the air. It was impossible to see how they were destroyed. After another half a second, a shockwave mixed with flames and blood burst out a thousand meters in the air, sweeping away the ice mist that had just formed.
Clang!
The long knife and the giant axe intertwined. Ryan looked directly at the sharp-edged head in front of him, which had only a thin layer of red skin. After a moment of wrestling, he reached behind him with his left hand, and the unsheathed Judgement of Shamash left a winding flaming giant snake in the air. The mere aftermath split the nearby mountaintop in two.
The Herrscher of Blood didn't dodge. He forcefully smashed a path with his body and raised his two battle axes.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
There were no special techniques. He just kept slashing at high speed based on instinct, cutting through the wind wall, smashing the electromagnetic force field, and firmly covering Ryan with the shadow of his body.
He was raging. Coupled with this force field that was specialized in countering Honkai energy, he had become a killing machine, chasing Ryan and biting him.
Two tangled afterimages fought from the sky to the ground, smashing mountain peaks, drilling into canyons, and collapsing rock layers, and finally returning to the sky.
Crossing, separating, slashing. The back-and-forth impact made Ryan a little dizzy. The energy he released not only didn't cause any hindrance but also made the other party's speed faster, and he even slashed out flames.
'Close-quarters combat specialist. If other Herrschers were meant for world-ending, he was meant to kill people.'
'His authority is like a kind of domain. The power is proportional to the Honkai energy. Trying to break him with force would cost me more, and he didn't give me a chance to gather energy.'
Ryan was very calm, at least not as hot-blooded as he appeared. While clashing, he summarized his findings.
He fended off a slash, a whip kick against a whip kick, and an upward elbow that hit the Herrscher's jaw. Just as he was about to slash at his waist, a flying axe forced him to retreat. He dived for a bit and saw the monster raise its 'goat legs' over its head and smash down with a powerful kick.
Dong!
The flaming shield was smashed open. The powerful downward kick hit his crossed elbows. Ryan fell back to the ground again. The gravity catapult that he was not very skilled with immediately activated, launching his body a few meters into the air again.
Swoosh—
A blood-red mark was left on his soles. It actually penetrated the wind wall and cut another mountaintop into two with the flying axe.
'Can his domain extend away from his body?'
Ryan didn't think too much about it. He simply held his greatsword in front of his chest like a door. In the next moment, a powerful straight kick hit the sword.
Bang!!
The inertia sent him flying. The soreness, however, made his brain even clearer.
'The Induced Honkai Burst has brought a qualitative change. Close-quarters combat with me is a back-and-forth battle. Anyone else would have died already.'
Even Elysia, after her Honkai energy was countered, would most likely die when facing this violent killing machine. His attacks would be weakened and absorbed, but his attacks were real. If it were a more magic-based strong person like Coleman, he would probably be gone in one hit.
To deal with this kind of enemy, any high-energy counterattack is like helping the enemy. I have to use speed to kite him and wait for his energy to be exhausted before making a move.
But the problem is, I can't hide now, and this thing is getting more and more excited the more it fights.
Ryan looked behind him. The Herrscher of Blood raised his two hands and lifted the severed mountaintop. His legs were moving at a fast pace, and he was charging towards him like he was holding a giant battering ram several hundred meters long.
The visual effect was great. A human would instinctively use all their power to repel it, but doing so would only recharge the other party.
"You want to kill me with a flurry of blows?" Ryan put away his greatsword and only held his long knife. He crushed his already cracked glasses. His gray eyes were flashing with blood.
"You, you want to compete with Khorne for affection!?"
Ryan charged forward instead. He held his knife with one hand, twisted his wrist, and the sword light he swung was as soft as a water bird.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh...
The sword moved with his body. The part of the mountain had dense sword marks and was shattered into thousands of pieces of rock. At the end, he looked directly at the Herrscher who was charging with an axe. Ryan suddenly held the sword with both hands, without a hint of agility or grace.
From being light as a bird, he became like a crashing comet. There was no stiffness at all.
Slash!!
The Honkai energy was restrained. Compared to the attacks that could destroy mountains and cut seas before, this was just a flash of sword light, but it suppressed that terrifying scream.
Dong—
A smoke pillar immediately rose from the ground. The crack in the ground extended into the distance, crawling up a mountain peak. After a moment, the mountain peak shattered into dust.
The Herrscher of Blood was lying flat in the center of the large pit, blinking repeatedly. He found that his opponent's tactics had changed. From a Herrscher-like large-scale destruction machine, he had become a pure killer. This was the so-called...
Anti-personnel specialist?
He didn't have time to think too much. He immediately rolled to the side. A 'meteor' fell into the pit. The shockwave made the Herrscher roll a few times. He quickly got up and met the swordsman's eyes.
They were indifferent, cold, and without emotion. He was simply examining his prey.
Since you like close combat, I'll satisfy you.
With a toe push, Ryan rushed forward. There was still no earth-shattering destructive power, and no Honkai energy leaked out. There was only a long knife.
The beheading was avoided. The long knife turned like a feather, leaving an inverted L-shape in the air. It was blocked by the blood axe. He then turned and faced the descending hand-blade with his back.
Clang.
Sparks flashed. The Judgement of Shamash on his back acted as a shield. Before the Herrscher of Blood could raise his leg, Ryan had already rushed into his arms. The hilt of the knife hit the center of his muscular chest. The right arm holding the knife was wreathed in circles of electric arcs, like an electromagnetic rail.
Center Pierce.
There was no energy leakage, so there was no authority clash, but the force was real.
The Herrscher of Blood's breathing stopped. He was sent flying. The hard rocks were plowed into two hundred-meter-long marks. His sternum felt a sharp pain.
"Using authority on himself to cause indirect damage!?"
"Correct."
The knife came faster than the answer. The cold light magnified in his eyes. He subconsciously turned his head and felt a coldness on his cheek. A piece of flesh was forcefully shaved off. Then his shoulder sank, and he felt as if a mountain was pressing down on it.
Ryan pressed his elbow down. The superposition of gravity made his hand as heavy as a thousand pounds, pressing the Herrscher to his knees. Then he raised his toes and stomped down.
Storm!
The strong wind launched his right leg up. His knee hit the center of the Herrscher's face. With the sound of bones cracking, the Herrscher was launched into the air. He rolled a few times and instinctively threw his battle axe.
Clang, clang.
Two flashes of sparks lit up. The long knife guarded the center. The bloody scratch on his shoulder didn't matter at all. Then he used the non-physical rule to instantly move a few meters away.
Boom!!
The Herrscher of Blood's powerful downward kick made the ground tremble. He turned his head and saw Ryan lightly shaking his knife. His sunken face couldn't help but twitch.
He was faster and more skilled. When he used authority as a tool for indirect damage, he became even more powerful.
"Who is countering who!?"
Excitement was also an innate ability of his. Blood-red energy leaked out, wrapping around his muscles. His whole body looked like it was burning. He couldn't believe that this human had no weaknesses at all.
"Of course, I am."
Zheng—
The long knife was placed against his chest, causing a large number of sparks to fly. The Herrscher of Blood seized the opportunity to raise his hands and join his fingers like a blade.
He was going to pierce his head and slice his waist with one move, but the man in front of him didn't even look. He raised his left palm and lightly patted the hilt of the knife.
"I'm countering you!"
Bursting Thunder.
It was like firing an electromagnetic cannon at zero distance. He used the Divine Key as a cannonball and shot it out. The Seven Thunders of Retribution, which was originally stationary, suddenly accelerated, pierced through this authority of blood, and stabbed into his chest.
Then he pulled out the knife and stood up straight. He watched the hand-blade pass by his chest, just barely missing him. He then saw the staggering Herrscher retreat and grab the blood that was gushing out. No, it should be the gushing Honkai energy. He seemed to want to shape it into a Scarlet spear.
Time slowed down in each other's eyes. Ryan put his knife back into its sheath and leaped up at the same time, landing on the hastily stabbing red spear as if he was walking on a tightrope.
Swift, stable, and deadly enough.
He felt as if he was back at the beginning of his journey, when he used martial arts to make up for the gap in combat power. The situation was similar now, but he was a thousand times stronger.
"Who gave you the courage to fight me in close combat?"
A distance of a few meters could be crossed in a few tenths of a second. The Herrscher of Blood didn't have time to react. He only saw Ryan's right hand on his waist and his left thumb flick the sheath. The sharp blade light magnified in his eyes.
One-Moment Blade.
Clang—
The person had already passed, and the dragon-like sound of the sword being drawn could only be heard later. The Herrscher and the swordsman stood back to back. The only sound in the world bubble was the whooshing wind.
A moment later, a rumbling sound of thunder came from the distance. Another mountain a thousand meters away suddenly had a crack, and the mountaintop slowly slid down with a rustling sound, falling into the deep valley.
Ryan glanced at the smooth cut. The Honkai energy that fell from the sky was like blood rain, covering his whole body and dyeing his black tailcoat a Scarlet color. A crystal-clear red gem fell at his feet.
The man remained silent. He lightly shook his wrist and put his knife back into its sheath.
Double Kill.