He's back. That person has returned.
Hundreds of kilometers away, the warships were drifting with the waves like ghost ships. There was no need for any earth-shattering sound. A silent aura had already echoed between the sea and the sky.
The Herrscher of Binding, who was slowly pressing forward, slowed down. Her gaze passed through the edge of her domain, over the constantly retreating warriors, all the way to the end of the horizon.
That face, which had been expressionless from beginning to end, changed slightly. That invisible energy, which was mixed with the aura of the sea, seemed to have cut her.
'There's no aura of my kind. That person ate two Herrschers and came back alone?!'
How terrifying. It was immediately replaced by cold rationality. She acutely discovered that this aura was undisguised and looked like a bluff.
'Is he trying to scare me? Otherwise, he would have snuck over and launched a fatal blow.'
The Herrscher of Binding did not regret her procrastination. She knew where her limit was. She really had no confidence to rush into the attack range in one go. The clear logic also told her another conclusion:
Now that he had returned, continuing to move forward would only increase the risk of her own demise, and would have no meaning at all.
Her raised right leg finally fell, but she remained in place. This anomaly was immediately seen by Kevin, and his attention was immediately diverted. In an instant, he became overjoyed.
"Ryan is back!"
"What? The Commander is back?"
"Why is that bastard back? I can kill this Herrscher."
"It's true. He's back."
One stone stirred up a thousand waves. The people who were a little lost just now were all overjoyed, as if they had suddenly found their backbone.
This battle was frustrating. They suffered huge casualties but couldn't even get close to the Herrscher's body. They were getting closer and closer to the final defense line. They had no tactics and could only grit their teeth and fight with their lives.
But in just an instant, even though there was no command from the back, just a silent declaration, it made everyone stand their ground.
"It's only when Ryan is not here that I realize how important he is." Sakura was relieved. She had known this conclusion for a long time, just like how she always felt uneasy without Seven Thunders of Retribution.
'So, are you prepared to fight to the death, or are you going to run away with your tail between your legs?'
The warriors threw the problem to the Herrscher. The sorrow they felt when they learned about the plan before had now turned into a feeling of schadenfreude.
With the Commander here, the chance of them falling was greatly reduced. And the one who should die, is you!
The battlefield, which was strange just a moment ago, suddenly became quiet. The Herrscher stood a hundred kilometers away, and Kevin's mission had become to hold down the eager Kalpas.
'How to choose?'
This question lasted for a few seconds. Then, a thunderous roar was heard. The distant sea surface broke open, and a pile of Honkai beasts flew up.
Hundreds of Honkai beasts were kneaded into a gigantic sphere. The heads and limbs that were swinging looked like a kind of performance art, but it made the Herrscher's eyes twitch.
'The Authority of Stars. The Ninth Herrscher has fallen?'
Before she could even confirm if this was a bluff, red energy climbed all over this 'meatball' like a liquid, and then it slowly shrank as if it was being swallowed.
'The Authority of Blood!?'
There was no need to look any further. Even if the other party was very weak, under the effect of this authority, he would soon recover. This human had finally unlocked the fence that had been restricting him and found a way to quickly replenish his Honkai energy.
And this method was a path he had opened up in a life-or-death situation.
"That bastard is going to run!" Kalpas immediately realized that something was wrong. Just as he was about to charge forward, he was held back by Kevin and Su.
"Don't go. We can't stop him." Kevin was ecstatic, but his mind was still very calm.
Fighting the Herrscher of Binding was most afraid of the piecemeal tactic. If they were to chase her, they had to enter her domain at the same time. But now that their forces were not all there, he didn't dare to gamble.
Even if it only took a few minutes for Ryan to get here, it would still be enough for a few of them to fall, and the Herrscher would still be able to run.
"Why are you stopping me? When that bastard comes, this bastard will be dead."
"Idiot. If Ryan really wanted to kill her, would he do it so openly?" Sakura blocked his way, which made Kalpas calm down.
He was not stupid. That bastard was very cunning. How could he show up with such a big fuss? But since he was bluffing, why was that Herrscher running away?
His face darkened. He knew that Ryan had turned the Herrscher into a mental case. She wouldn't have any confidence at all.
'Damn it. He's actually that powerful.'
Regardless of how Kalpas felt, Kevin was completely relaxed. He knew the entire combat plan, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it.
Without having gone through pain and regret, how could he possibly solve his friends who had been with him day and night?
"It's a good thing he's here. I don't have to make a choice." Kevin let out a long sigh of relief, but he also felt a little strange. Why was he like Hua, needing that guy to protect him from the wind and rain?
"You never had to make a choice."
A voice interrupted his thoughts. Kevin subconsciously turned his head, and his eyes exploded with a clear surprise.
"Ryan, you're finally back."
"Yeah. You almost turned evil. It wasn't in vain that I took the risk." Ryan appeared from the air, as if his figure was outlined by a paintbrush.
He wasn't weak. Just as the Herrscher of Binding had thought, the Authority of Blood was very useful. It finally gave Ryan combat stamina.
For a long time, he was neither a Herrscher nor a Fusion Warrior. His energy replenishment was very limited. But now, he could swallow Honkai beasts and absorb a large amount of Honkai energy from the air. He even felt a qualitative leap.
His energy was replenishing, and his limit was also slowly increasing. Killing was no longer meaningless. Before, if Ryan wanted to gain anything, it had to be from a Judgement-class Honkai beast or above. Even those traitors were useless.
But what can you say? These things were very limited. Therefore, this authority was especially important to him.
"It seems you gained a lot from your trip to the Sea of Quanta?" Kevin immediately understood. He didn't feel any jealousy, because every bit of Ryan's improvement was a result of him risking his life.
Ryan glanced into the distance. The Herrscher had already run off without a trace, leaving only the warships full of dead people drifting with the waves.
"I've fixed a weakness and gained an opportunity."
"Huh? What opportunity?"
Ryan withdrew his gaze and gave the Salvation a light glance. His body 'melted' into the air once again.
"An opportunity to get through the end."
When he said that, not only Kevin but also Sakura and the others were stunned. Even though the situation was good now, the most painful thing was never being able to see the end.
This war felt endless. Every time a new Herrscher appeared, it was like walking on a tightrope. They didn't dare to relax for a moment, because one wrong step and they would fall into a bottomless abyss.
That's why neither Mei nor Ryan had ever said 'get through the end', and it was also a topic that no one was willing to discuss.
"Is there finally a chance to end all of this?"
"This Ryan, he's not even going to be clear."
"No, I have to go tell Mei."
A chorus of voices rose, but no matter if it was a protest or a question, everyone had a sense of relief.
A sense of freedom.
Without any explanation, Ryan went straight back to Sea Abyss City. He came back from the Sea of Quanta, showed up, and then went back into the ten-thousand-meter trench without stopping. This journey was quite exhausting.
Fortunately, he was back on Earth, and that familiar feeling had returned. The imaginary side of the world was still more comfortable.
The Authority of Stars he obtained from this trip to the Sea of Quanta goes without saying. It belonged to the realm of 'science' and was a control of gravity. Compared to it, it was more focused on offense and defense, but in essence, it was no different from wind, lightning, fire, and ice. It represented some of the basic rules of this universe.
Even in a fantasy world, this would be a fundamental 'magic'. The only difference was how much energy was put in to cause how much destruction.
But the Authority of Blood was different. It was a little similar to Domination and was a phenomenon that was difficult to explain with science. But after he got it, Ryan did a preliminary analysis and found that his previous thoughts were a little wrong.
This thing, rather than being devouring or decomposing, 'affinity' was a more appropriate word. It was a subtle control over Honkai energy, adjusting the energy to a unified frequency, which was the basis for control.
But the Authority of Affinity sounded too lame. The Authority of Blood had more style.
'The latter's improvement is stronger. My destructive power is enough now. Only this authority can give me a fundamental improvement.'
Ryan pursed his lips. The biggest difference between him and the end now was the total amount of Honkai energy. This was not something that could be achieved through a sudden enlightenment. The path was not interested in miscellaneous soldiers, and Herrschers were not something you could just find. He couldn't just expect Honkai to keep sending meat to his doorstep.
With this, I have a chance to achieve a qualitative leap through a quantitative change. And in my hands, it's not just an affinity for Honkai energy.
He remembered the feeling in the Sea of Quanta. This authority was like a tentacle that was drawing energy from there. It was just a shame that...
"That Sa received a warning. After she finds out that I can understand her rules, she will definitely see me as a thorn in her side."
Ryan had some regrets, but not that much. He had spent more than twenty years opening a path on the imaginary side, and he didn't have time to understand another set of rules. Besides, it was already urgent enough now, there was no need to make enemies everywhere.
He'll just let that Vita girl handle this. At least for a short time, the hatred won't be directed at him.
He wasn't afraid of that Sa. According to Vita, this farming-style player didn't dare to get close to the intrinsic world of Earth. And there was another proof. She didn't appear fifty thousand years later, so she must be wary of something.
The Cocoon of Finality?
Ryan slightly raised his head, guessing what Sa was afraid of. He then saw Mobius and Mei walking over quietly. The latter had obviously received the news.
Their gazes were burning. At this time, any random lie would attract hatred. Ryan didn't keep them in suspense and just took out a delicate golden cube.
"What is this? It seems the data port is different from ours."
"Information from another civilization, and also, besides the Moonlight Throne System—" Ryan placed the cube in Mei's palm. His tone was full of anticipation.
"It's an important way for us to get through the end."
Counting from the First Herrscher's disaster in Britain, this endless war had already lasted for almost ten years. Even if you counted from the Third Herrscher of Canghai, it had been three and a half years.
At this moment, it was the Eleventh Herrscher, and the war was still nowhere near over. Honkai was constantly coming up with new tricks, but for people like Ryan and Mei, who were at the top of humanity, a certain feeling was becoming more and more obvious.
Honkai was running out of tricks. The progress was gradually losing control, and the 'end' was becoming more and more obvious.
That one would not look for trouble when there was none. Especially after Ryan got the Authority of Blood, the room for maneuver had become very small. In the end, the initiative of 'time' was beginning to shift.
Originally, this initiative was firmly in Honkai's hands. Even if a Herrscher destroyed two cities, or exchanged for a high-level Fusion Warrior, if it didn't work in one year, they would do it in ten. If it didn't work in ten, they would do it in a hundred. They could always wear humanity down.
But now this initiative was starting to change. Ryan could calmly eat the meat, achieve a qualitative leap through a quantitative change, and finally swell up to an existence comparable to the end.
"In a sense, you shouldn't have taken this authority." Mei stared at him in a daze. In her mind, all the Herrschers should be dealt with by Ryan. It might be very slow, and many people would die, but even if only a few people were left, he would still be able to grow.
"I had to take it. Don't you think the Herrscher of Binding only has this much power? Without this authority, even with me, the Fire Moth would have to fill in at least seventy percent of its forces. What about next time?"
Mei took a light breath. Of course, she knew that Herrschers often came with surprises. The reason she was only showing her current combat power was that the combination of the Tenth and Eleventh Herrschers was already more than enough.
"I shouldn't have agreed to you building the Golden Courtyard."
"It's already happened. There's no point in regretting it. Besides, you should know my reason for fighting."
Their eyes met. No one was willing to back down. Mobius even held her breath and kept giving signals to Elysia in the distance. But before the pink fairy could come over to 'mediate', their eyes had already separated.
"There's really nothing I can do with you." Mei chose to back down because she really knew.
Ryan was different from her. His sense of mission to preserve civilization was not that strong. He was fighting for his friends and family. If it weren't for the Golden Courtyard, he wouldn't have to risk his life everywhere.
And he was too smart. It was impossible to control him and make him follow her plan.
"Elysia, you take the people back to York. You two, come with me. We'll do a good summary."
"Huh? I just got here."
"Go. I'll find you when there's something else. Don't forget, you're also one of the problem children."
"I know, I know. I'm not Griseo, so how am I a child?"
Elysia stuck out her tongue. She was really a little afraid of Mei, so she put her hands behind her back and quietly retreated.
Ryan wanted to laugh when he saw her sneaking around. He thought to himself that the food chain really had its highs and lows. He then glanced at Mobius.
"Why are you looking at me?!"
"Looking at you doesn't cost me a piece of flesh. Why do you care?" Ryan retorted. He then looked at Mei: "When are you going to have a deep talk with Elysia?"
"Her problem comes after yours, and I'm not the one who made a promise."
Mei raised her leg and walked away. Ryan, who was behind her, looked at her back, and his mouth moved as he cursed.
'That big mouth, why can't she keep a secret.'
The time to build Sea Abyss City was too short. Even with Vil-V's modular construction technology, this underwater city could not be too big. It even lacked defensive facilities and relied entirely on Fusion Warriors patrolling in the deep sea.
But because of the Third Institute, the research facilities were very complete, and even a large supercomputer had been built. And the current Prometheus had obviously evolved. As long as there was data, it was everywhere.
The big screen was flashing with tens of millions of lines of code. Because the technology of the two civilizations was completely different, every single code had to be converted. This workload could only be completed by Prometheus.
As a part of the data was unlocked, the logical calculations began to be parsed, and a corner of the vastness of the Venusian civilization gradually revealed its true face.
The rapidly flashing numbers were reflected in the lenses of the three of them. No one spoke, only their eyes moved, their brains reading, comparing, and analyzing as if they were overloaded. As time went on, the expressionless faces of the three of them gradually showed a look of joy.
It was real. A story can deceive people, just like those online writers. As long as the imagination is big enough, they can create a vivid cast of characters and a lively world.
But data cannot lie. This boring data has nothing to do with imagination. Even an expert in this field would find it hard to mislead others.
Not to mention that Ryan, Mei, and Mobius were not inferior to Sa in terms of academic level. The Fire Moth also had research on the Sea of Quanta. It was too difficult to create a logically sound pseudo-science.
"Venus, Abyss, Vita, Cocoon of Finality..."
Mei's eyes were dull. She sat in her swivel chair and muttered to herself. She had already figured out some things, and the information Ryan brought was a confirmation of her thoughts.
Honkai had actually plagued Venus. So when a planet's civilization gets through it, no matter what method they use, Honkai will change to another battlefield?
This was a hidden history. It was just like the Pre-Civilization of Earth, which only left very little information. It was of no use and could only make people nod their heads and say, 'I see.'
But what Ryan brought back was more than just history. It contained the Venusian civilization's research on the Sea of Quanta. After committing suicide, Vita summarized it over countless years. Its value was almost infinite and was worth an entire set of the Fire Moth's research.
Because these things, or rather, these lessons, required a genius like her, a hundred years of time, and the combined efforts of an entire planet, using civilization as a price to prove a tragic answer, and it even required an endless amount of luck.
Because the preliminary observation of the parallel worlds from the 'Endless Sands' Plan was very bad. No one could even achieve the mutual destruction answer of the Venusians.
"Ryan, why does fate favor you so much?" Mei turned her head heavily, and a certain person looked confused. Then Ryan understood what she meant.
To defeat the Herrschers, he planned the trip to the world bubble. Achieving the goal was already a foolproof plan, but he also ran into a survivor of another civilization, and this survivor was a clone with a need.
If Vita had not developed a self-awareness, there would have been no basis for a transaction. In her territory, Sa had a hundred ways to exhaust Ryan to death. At the very least, she could have trapped him in the sea forever.
But Vita wanted to break free from Sa's control and needed a strong enemy to get more authority. And at the moment when she was defeated by Ryan, she would cut the connection.
That battle was earth-shattering, but there was nothing to pick apart. Vita got her freedom and hid in the depths of the Sea of Quanta. As a reward, she gave Ryan a path of failure.
This kind of gain from a chance encounter couldn't be explained by luck.
"Oh this..." Ryan also became suspicious. It was as if someone had pointed out a clear path when he was in the most difficult situation.
"I fought for it with a price of almost dying."
"It's difficult to seize an opportunity, but it's even more difficult to encounter one." Mei didn't believe it. She also thought it was too much of a coincidence. "If you hadn't gone, even if you had encountered this opportunity, no one would have been able to seize it. In your words, this Vita has surpassed all the known Herrschers."
"I can't explain this. Anyway, everything happened naturally. If you really want a reason." Ryan hesitated for a moment and looked up at the cold ceiling, "Maybe it's the feedback from my path. As long as I don't stop, the path will extend by itself."
His path, again.
Mobius and Mei frowned at the same time. They both knew that this was the core of Ryan's 'mutation'. As researchers, they were naturally a little curious.
"What would happen if we could also get a path?"
"If a few Aeons look at you across dimensions, then Honkai can't play anymore. Mei, you should have a connection with Nihility. As for Mobius? I don't know if there's a Aeon of duck."
The timing was right. This was the first time Ryan had revealed information about the paths. His words made the two women a little confused, especially Mobius.
What the hell is a Aeon of duck? And why is Mei Nihility, which sounds so powerful?
"Alright, I can't explain the paths to you. I've also looked for companions, but I'm still the only one." Ryan decisively ended this pointless topic, stood up, and paced with his hands behind his back.
"Venus focused on the exploration of the Sea of Quanta. This is a powerful supplement for us, but we've only parsed less than one percent of the information. The specific methods will have to wait for Prometheus. I suggest we also let Dr. Vidic join. He's the most accomplished in this area."
The three of them had seen the general outline, so they were naturally itching to get their hands on it. This stuff was only for reference. Just the data on how to create a tsunami would be ten million times what they had now.
"I agree. We can also compare the data to see if there are any traps. But in that case, we can't abandon York. It has the most advanced computers."
You want to abandon a fortress that cost trillions of dollars to build?
Ryan looked at this prodigal woman from the side and nodded gently: "Of course we can't abandon it. If we abandon a strong fortress, we will be in a state of no support. Do you think you're a micro-master?"
What is a micro-master?
Mei was stunned for a moment. She felt that this was not a compliment.
"We need something to draw hatred and attract the Herrschers. I've already gathered all the ships in the world to execute the 'Wandering Humanity' Plan."
"Aren't you afraid of that Sa?"
"It's better than waiting for death on Earth. Besides, aren't you here?"
'Okay, so I have to reach for the moon and catch a turtle in the sea. Can I handle all that?'
Ryan was speechless. But Mei was right. Staying on Earth was a sure death. The Sea of Quanta, on the other hand, had a glimmer of hope. Even after all this, they couldn't give up.
"Transfer forces to protect the sea route. The Herrschers have already discovered our plan, so they won't let you transport people comfortably."
"I know, but that will put a lot of pressure on York."
Any choice was a dilemma. Ryan was silent for a moment. The old saying was still lingering in his mind.
It's up to humans.