Lightning and thunder flashed, and several warships suddenly emerged from the dark clouds.
The fleet in the air was like a city wall. After a moment of silence, a dazzling beam of light pierced the darkness and slammed into a crystallized forest.
Boom—
After a dull sound, the forest had been uprooted, with a giant crater several hundred meters in diameter remaining in the center.
The inside of the crater had a lava-like texture. One could see densely packed holes on the rock walls, like a giant, defeated ant nest.
"Unmanned reconnaissance drones released. Live footage is being sent back."
"The Honkai energy concentration is 'lethal.' There's serious electromagnetic interference."
The Hyperion's bridge was wider. Dozens of operators were simultaneously typing on keyboards, controlling the global surveillance facilities. A few staff members, transferred from various branches, were gesturing at the electronic sand table.
The footage sent back by the drones was full of static. The Honkai energy in the air was too strong, enough to interfere with military-grade control circuits. Then, these palm-sized drones found a hole and drilled into it. Before they went far, they lost their signal.
"It looks like a hive. These monsters are really good at digging holes. In less than two years, they've hollowed out the entire continent. Oh, and it's not just that."
Ryan sat upright, having already buried the happy moments of the past few days in his memory. With his status in this era, happiness was a seasoning, and only war was eternal.
But the happy memories made Ryan's mouth curve into a smile. Even when he entered a combat state, he was in a great mood. He turned to look at the electronic sand table. After analyzing the Honkai energy, they had roughly figured out the scope of the 'hive.'
The entire South American continent, and it was still expanding in all directions. The deepest part reached several kilometers underground, extending outward along the seabed. In terms of engineering, it was ten thousand times stronger than the Fire Moth's headquarters.
A group of tireless, brainless Honkai Beasts. As long as the Herrscher gave the 'dig holes' command, they could dig out the Earth into a honeycomb without eating or drinking.
"Now, even if you shatter this continent, it will be useless." Mei adjusted her glasses, her fingers continuously tapping on the keyboard, calculating the theoretical model.
"Mm. Unless we cut this continent off from the Earth like a surgery, but I can't control that level of power." Ryan was a bit eager to try. With his current energy exceeding 10,000HW, sinking the South American continent was not difficult. Several authorities could achieve that effect.
But the problem was that this was a surgery on the Earth. If he was not careful, the people on Earth would be even worse off than the people on Venus, as their home planet would be gone.
"Even if you could control it, I wouldn't allow it. The Fourth Divine Key can restore the ecosystem, but it can't rebuild a planet. Please stay away from this little broken planet."
Mei rarely complained, and it was clear she was also in a good mood. Her expression then became serious as she carefully read the received information.
The Fire Moth didn't intend to completely solve the problem this time. They mainly wanted to see what the Honkai was doing. As sworn enemies, they couldn't just ignore it and go on a date next door.
But they were a bit shocked when they arrived.
The continent, once filled with rainforests and warm climates, had changed its appearance. Everything was bare, the soil was full of Honkai energy crystals, and the entire continent was like a giant energy source.
"Huh, are these things useful to you?"
"They are useful, but the absorption efficiency isn't very high. It requires a lot of time to digest. If I had the Authority of the Void, I could store some to use as a power bank in emergencies." Ryan of course understood what Mei meant, but the Devouring ability of the Authority of Blood was different. To give an inappropriate analogy, it was very picky. Fresh things were the most efficient.
This kind of Honkai energy crystal had too many impurities. It needed to be purified even to be used as engine fuel.
After solving the problem of the Herrscher of Binding, Ryan specifically came to hunt Honkai Beasts to increase his energy bar. In a way, he had stepped onto the 'devouring' path.
"But the other side isn't stupid. They didn't jump out to become your food and cause a qualitative change."
"Of course. It would be too stupid for all the power they've accumulated for so long to be all for me." Ryan was a bit regretful, knowing that the Honkai wasn't stupid and wouldn't let him fatten up for free.
The fleet continued to advance and soon entered the heart of the continent. This third time, the roles had completely changed. No matter how the humans bombed and enticed, the Honkai Beasts, once incredibly irritable, didn't even dare to show their heads.
How boring. Their ability to bully the weak and fear the strong is impressive. Now they've all become cowards.
The barren land was covered with crystals, and it was silent. After crossing the Herrscher of Binding, the Honkai's reaction was within expectations.
Bringing down another Herrscher would be just sending meat to their door. The Cocoon of Finality wouldn't be that stupid. Instead, it used the reaction that Ryan feared the most—
It was maintaining this war, accumulating strength over time, and preparing for a big one.
Crack.
The sole of his shoe crushed a crystal. Energy visible to the naked eye was released into the air. Looking up, this silent continent could no longer be considered an alien world. It was a dead end.
The energy in the air was enough to kill an ordinary person in three seconds. Even people with a certain degree of adaptability couldn't live for long. Every grain of sand was repelling carbon-based life. Prometheus had just simulated it. Even with the Fourth Divine Key, it would take thousands of years to restore the ecosystem.
Ryan stomped his foot, creating a shallow pit. He could feel the undercurrents surging beneath the calm ground, as if eyes were staring at him.
Led by Kevin, dozens of Fusion Warriors were searching the surroundings. They soon found hundreds of holes. But they kept swallowing their saliva as they looked at the deep holes. Even though they were seasoned veterans, they were inevitably nervous.
"If we go in rashly, it will be very dangerous." Hua stroked the smooth rock wall. She didn't know how these Honkai Beasts made it so smooth, even more so than a tunnel boring machine.
"After all, this is a nest that the Herrscher has managed for many years. I'm a bit nostalgic for the first Herrschers." Andrei looked around and sighed: "The Herrschers back then were so straightforward. They would appear directly on the outskirts of the city, and we had many opportunities to kill them."
"The past has no reference value. Specific targeting is the most important characteristic of the Honkai." Kevin called everyone back and then, according to Mei's command, set up dozens of instruments. After pressing the start button, the entire ground began to tremble.
Buzz buzz buzz...
The ground was resonating, and they could hear the sound of 'rumble rumble' as it collapsed. This 'earthquake generator' was a product that Vil-V had specially prepared. It used the principle of energy resonance to cause crustal movement.
This thing was specifically for punishing 'moles'. It was enough to bury the tunnels within a city's range.
Level six, seven, and eight earthquake intensity.
The ground began to crack, as if someone was carving lines with a chisel. The mountains in the distance also began to disintegrate. The falling rocks raised a cloud of dust. At the foot of the mountain, the abandoned city turned into a pile of rubble in the blink of an eye.
The ground was cracking, and the power of technology was quickly destroying everything.
The warriors, who were facing a great enemy, floated in the air and looked around, staring at the destruction they had created with their own hands. At least within their sight, it was a scene of the end of the world. It was hard to imagine what it was like underground.
The earthquake slowly subsided, with only rocks being pulled down by gravity. The warriors carefully observed the surroundings again and then dejectedly lowered their guard.
No startled Honkai Beasts rushed out to their deaths. It was as if they were fighting with thin air.
"Ryan, it seems these monsters are determined to be cowards. They won't come out even if we defecate on their heads." Kevin reported sullenly and then nudged the warriors who were being re-energized. "How about we try another place?"
"It's too slow. And this device can't affect the deep crust. Honkai Beasts can continue to hide deeper. I'm curious about where these monsters went." Ryan held the tablet. When Kevin was causing destruction, he was carefully observing the movement of the Honkai energy.
Strangely, there was almost no change, which was against common sense.
"The Honkai Beasts below didn't even try to avoid it. Did they just stand there and get squashed into a meat patty? Or are there no Honkai Beasts here at all?"
Kevin and the others looked at each other. It was possible that they just stood there and died, as Honkai Beasts had no brains to begin with. But there must be Honkai Beasts below. This was the result of the detector.
The Honkai energy intensity underground was much higher than on the surface. It was impossible for there to be a giant crystal below.
"Maybe they're hiding very deep?"
"That's also possible. Who knows what these monsters are thinking." Ryan threw the tablet to Sakura, put his hands in his pockets, and paced back and forth in the air. A few seconds later, he simply raised his right hand.
Dark clouds gathered above their heads. The noon sky instantly turned into night. With the ruins on the ground, it really looked like the end of the world had arrived. Just as everyone's heartbeats instinctively quickened, a strong light illuminated the sky and the ground.
Rumble—
A Scarlet lightning bolt with a diameter of a hundred meters crashed down, hitting the ground. The Authority of Thunder fully manifested, shattering everything at the molecular level.
When the warriors came back to their senses, they only saw a smooth, perfect circular crater on the ground, seemingly bottomless.
Oh, this... A casual blow was even more powerful than the Honkai energy array cannon. Is this still a human?
Their faces became dazed. They looked at the man in the center of the crater, as if they were looking at a monster. This was no longer something that could be achieved by human power. They even suspected that if the commander-in-chief was more serious, he could punch a hole through the Earth.
In an instant, this silent continent was no longer scary. Even a Judgment-class Honkai Beast would be broken down into atoms by this lightning bolt.
"Strange, is it really empty below?" Ryan raised his eyebrows. He actually used two authorities. If there was something below, even a Rush-class Honkai Beast, the Authority of Blood would have received feedback.
But he only hit a mass of air. There was nothing.
"I still have to go in and see. Is the Honkai planning to give me another surprise?" Ryan said to himself and then raised his hand to stop Hua from following him. "I'll go in alone. You guys go back to the Hyperion."
"But..."
"Follow my orders. If I really run into danger, I'll use the Authority of Binding. This thing doesn't differentiate between friend and foe. Having too many people would be useless."
Ryan gave a brief explanation. Hua was also sensible enough to stop. She watched him descend from the center of the crater, as if falling into an abyss. He soon disappeared from her sight.
"Fall back, fall back. Hua, you stop watching too. No matter what the Honkai's plot is, it's very difficult to kill Ryan." Sakura patted the girl's shoulder and dragged her away.
It was hard to say how strong Ryan was now, but in terms of survival skills, he had undoubtedly maxed them out.