I have released the chapter until the end on my Patreon[1] and also an extended chapter from another series, Thank you and happy reading
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Hmm, seems like I forgot to devour this Honkai Beast?
Ryan, who had been watching the battle from afar, suddenly snapped back to attention. He should have intervened in this fight, because letting Hua and Sakura resolve it was illogical. They had certainly fought with fervor, but they gained very little from the experience.
Forget it. At least he got to see a good show. There were plenty of targets left, so there was no need to rush.
Instead of beating his chest like a miser, Ryan wore a smile of profound meaning.
No wonder the public loved watching beautiful girls fight. Long hair fluttering, snow-white thighs, and the graceful beauty of wielding swords and blades. If they encountered a strong enemy and their clothing was damaged or their stockings ripped, gentlemen would surely be delighted.
In contrast, there was little to see in a hardcore guy like himself. Even if he fought until he was only in his underwear, what could the audience see? His muscular chest or a certain large protrusion?
"Sakura and Hua cooperate really well. By the way, what are you thinking about again? I suddenly feel an urge to turn around and head back to the ship." Su first praised them, then instinctively took half a step back.
"Ahem, just some serious matters." Ryan quickly reined in his philosophical thoughts, his brows furrowing unconsciously as he saw the scattered chunks of flesh covering the sea.
This Honkai Beast was strong, but even without me, two high-level MANTIS could handle it. Since they lack intelligence, their actions are easy to predict. If we summarize the data, the hunting efficiency can be further improved.
The greatest use for me is to retrieve this energy, which is why I was reluctant to let the MANTIS fight. I only wanted to focus on continuous hunting.
Thanks to the opportunity to observe, Ryan suddenly discovered a blind spot. He had been immersed in the 'joy of the harvest' before and hadn't considered this direction at all.
"No, this feels strange."
"What's strange?" Su turned her head and saw the contemplative Ryan suddenly look up, his face full of confusion.
"Even if it's recycling waste, and even if its strength is quite impressive, it hasn't caused any substantial damage and has even benefited me. Don't you find that strange?"
Su blinked, knowing that Ryan's old habit of being overly suspicious was acting up again. This guy's symptoms seemed to be getting worse recently.
From her perspective, she really didn't find it strange.
Isn't this the result of everyone's hard work? They deployed at the fastest speed, catching the enemy off guard. Hua even took a near-fatal risk. The current global hunt isn't progressing quickly, and it's impossible to eliminate all the Honkai Beasts in a short time.
If she had to find a point of suspicion, it would probably be the Honkai Beasts' low will to resist. They run if they can, and only fight if they can't escape.
"What's so strange about that? You yourself said that if they're left unchecked, they'll become a huge problem later. Also, Division Chief Edwin sent a message. The next target has been locked down, about a thousand kilometers from us in Northern Australia." Su wasn't overthinking it as she clicked on the tactical terminal.
"It's hiding in the desert. If we head there now, we should be able to catch it. Ryan, are you listening to me?"
Seeing Ryan standing still and lost in thought like a statue, Su gave a wry smile. Having known him for so many years, she could tell from his expression that he had entered a thought-storm. She simply closed her mouth and let him be.
"What's wrong with Senior Brother? Why doesn't he look happy at all?" Hua also flew back. She was initially anticipating a compliment but grew worried when she saw Ryan.
"It's my fault for getting carried away. I knew I should have held back some strength. I've wasted another hour of his time for nothing."
"Don't blame yourself. It probably has nothing to do with you. It's hard for people like him and Mei to keep up with their way of thinking. To put it bluntly, they're too suspicious," Su made a shushing gesture and quietly stood aside. No matter how Edwin urged her, she simply replied that they needed to wait a bit longer.
Ryan ignored them and quickly reviewed the entire incident in his mind. The more he thought, the stranger it felt.
This timely reaction stemmed from Calis's warning. The overall operation had been smooth, disrupting the Honkai Beasts before they reached a critical point of evolution.
Every step was reasonable, just as the preliminary research had shown: if they were allowed to fuse and evolve, a terrifying enemy would emerge at a crucial moment, and that enemy would be outside of the plan.
But it was too simple, abnormally simple. As a chess player of the same level, did the enemy really not have any countermeasures, simply allowing me to hunt everywhere?
'If the goal was just to slow down my growth, it would be better to disperse them into smaller units, or have all the Honkai Beasts globally self-destruct.'
Ryan had just acquired a massive amount of Honkai energy, much more efficiently than if he had hunted them one by one. An ordinary person would be ecstatic, thinking they could use this opportunity to continuously collect chips to fight the End, considering it a huge, unexpected windfall. But as a master angler, he smelled something fishy.
"A sweet bait, intended to trap me in greed. All things considered, it's too coincidental. As soon as one is dealt with, another appears. The intelligence isn't wrong, but why does it feel so familiar?"
Calis, coincidence, Herrscher of Binding...
A few keywords surfaced in his mind. He knew this Authority couldn't directly affect him, but it could achieve an indirect effect by manipulating the destiny of others. This trick was subtle and silent, making it hard to detect, and if he focused his mind on pursuing a certain goal, he would instinctively overlook it.
He glanced toward the other side of the ocean, where a Honkai Beast was hiding in the desert. For him, who possessed the Authority of Stars, it was like a free meal. The only 'cost' was the time spent traveling.
"Sakura, has communication been restored to all teams?" Ryan suddenly looked up and asked.
"Not yet. According to Kevin's last message, they found a part of the Honkai Beast beneath the Antarctic ice sheet, and it's indeed the one interfering with global electromagnetic waves, but the main body is unknown," Sakura immediately replied. She had been tracking this matter.
"It's like a base station. If many relay points are set up to activate in sequence, it's hard to find them all in a short time," Ryan's furrowed brow suddenly relaxed, and he muttered to himself, "That's it. A clever enemy will seamlessly switch between being the prey and the hunter, blurring the lines to conceal their true objective."
The three looked at each other, still unsure what Ryan was suspicious of, but they grew serious, feeling something was definitely amiss.
"Senior Brother, do you guess..."
"It's not a guess; it's bold conjecture and careful verification," Ryan corrected. He approached every matter with a scientist's attitude. "Su, bring the tactical map and link it to Prometheus. Let her predict the trajectories of the known Honkai Beasts."
"Oh, give me a minute." Su was full of questions but saw the grim look on Ryan's face and knew it wasn't as simple as he thought.
The massive amount of data would have taken humans days to analyze, but Prometheus only needed a minute to mark it on the tactical terminal.
Countless red solid and dashed lines covered the map. Some were tracks of beasts that had already been captured by the hunting teams, and some were trajectories detected and then predicted by 'Sky Net.' There were hundreds of them, dense and numerous.
They were spread across continents and oceans, mostly moving underground, forming intersecting or scattered trajectories. For example, several red lines converged in Northern Shenzhou, twisting into a single strand that ultimately ended in Canghai City.
This was 'Godzilla.' With a reference point, there was credibility. Ryan kept zooming out the map, casting his gaze over the entire world, and then his eye twitched.
"What is it?" Sakura leaned over. The dense red lines showed no discernible pattern, as most of them were erroneous.
"Look at the direction of these lines, especially these severed lines. They weren't defeated; the detection system lost track of them," Ryan felt his heart rate gradually quicken and spoke decisively, "Prometheus, extend these broken red lines and converge their endpoints."
"Affirmative."
The super-fast computing speed yielded results in just a few seconds. Sakura watched as many red lines intersected, extended, and then intersected and extended again at the next location, with their ultimate endpoint being—
"Europe? Elysia?"
Sakura's reaction was swift. She instantly understood that this was a complex and grand game of chess, full of sweet bait, which had, in fact, hooked Ryan. Beneath the crashing waves lay a treacherous conspiracy.
A clever hunter often disguises itself as prey. She finally understood what Ryan's self-muttering had meant just now.
"It seems this chess player likes to keep the initiative in their own hands, or perhaps the underlying program dictates that the player won't tear up the exam paper unless absolutely necessary. They used coincidence to interfere with my judgment, but who knew that I would wake up due to another coincidence?"
Ryan suddenly felt relieved. The vague sense of discomfort that had been lingering around him for some time finally vanished. His conjecture was correct.
Recalling the process of his realization, he again found it strange. He, who should have taken the bait, didn't intervene simply because Hua and Sakura were competing, which allowed him to be an observer with the leisure to rethink everything.
Wait a minute, that was also a coincidence. Could it have been deliberate?
His thoughts became confused, but Ryan quickly stopped his overthinking. Now, he had to solve the problem.
"Who says falling in love can't save the world? You two did a good job."
Huh? We did a good thing??
Hua was a little bewildered. She didn't think she had done anything, but she quickly asked, "Is 'He' trying to eliminate Elysia and bring about the End?"
"That should be right. Elysia is the Herrscher who truly went out of control. Eliminate her, and Calis won't be a problem. But why is that guy helping? Maintaining the status quo is most beneficial to him?" Ryan was stunned, and a strange feeling suddenly welled up in his heart.
Was he guiding this because he was afraid I wouldn't understand what the real danger was? Or was he afraid my judgment would be compromised by my feelings?
If that's the case, then...
As a double agent on the Honkai side, Calis might be too eager, or perhaps he knows that the Cocoon's patience is wearing thin.
For the sake of his goals, he must ensure the End descends, not the other outcome.
"Try to contact everyone and have them converge on the [True Self] Team. The three of you, stay and guard Sea Abyss City. I'm not yet certain who the mastermind is."
Without any delay, and without even waiting for the three to answer, the man beside them vanished. The gust of wind he stirred up forced them to shield their faces. When they opened their eyes again, he was already a thousand meters away.
His gray eyes reflected the moonlight and the waves. He wasn't desperately anxious. Ryan had mentally prepared himself when he sent Elysia out to fight: she was a precious key, but not a caged canary.
Did you think they should all hide under my wings? To ride on my coattails until the End passes, or become a vulnerability, a weakness for me?
You're wrong. From the very beginning, this was never my journey alone.
"Oh dear, so it was a trap for me."
A 'volcano' was erupting before her eyes. The roaring magma was reflected in Elysia's pupils, causing a slight look of surprise on her radiant face, and her small mouth was slightly agape.
From within the volcano, a giant arm stretched out. It was indescribably huge, its palm seemingly about to touch the sky and grasp the rising sun.
"It's an ambush," Aponia looked around vigilantly. This was the Alps in Western Europe, originally a beautiful autumn scene, which was shattered in an instant by the roaring volcano.
The magma erupting from deep underground ignited the pine forest and melted the snow, causing the mirror-like lake to release a large amount of white steam, which then formed a mist that hung in the sky.
The [True Self] and [Discipline] teams had been chasing the target from Britain to this point, only to have their path blocked without warning. No one was blind; this Honkai Beast, which had completely abandoned its 'cowardly' nature to actively engage in battle, must signal a problem.
According to Dr. Mei's tactical requirements, the two teams had always attacked in rotation, letting ordinary members handle what they could before the Captains intervened, so they had preserved their stamina well across half a continent.
Their remaining combat strength was sufficient to deal with any known mutated Honkai Beast—until this gigantic hand broke through the earth. Judging by its sheer volume, the monster blocking their way was not on any known roster.
"Target stopped. The interference source has expanded to ten locations. We have lost all communication channels!" Himeko stared tensely at the tactical terminal, her voice growing more urgent.
Originally, the interference source in the Antarctic had made communication intermittent, and even after Kevin led a team to resolve it, a second interference source had popped up. Everyone had grown used to operating in such a heavily jammed environment, but when the electromagnetic interference instantly surged tenfold, even normal people realized something was wrong.
It felt like the real intention was being revealed, but the 'map' had been too long. Dozens of powerful Honkai Beasts had fallen, and with such a luxurious lineup serving as stepping stones, the expected return must be enormous.
Aponia, Joshua, and Himeko all looked at Elysia simultaneously. With the globe as the chessboard and so many pieces consumed, who else but her could be the desired prize?
Aponia unfurled her azure butterfly wings and stood in front of Elysia without hesitation: "We'll cover your retreat. You withdraw to a safe area first."
Elysia didn't move. She watched the butterfly wings with an appreciative gaze. Before Himeko could get angry and scold her, she smiled and spread her palms.
"Of course, I hate to leave everyone, but I do understand priorities. However, someone has arranged such a magnificent stage play, how can the protagonist easily leave?"
No sooner had she finished speaking, and before Aponia and the others could object, they heard a loud "Boom!"
The continuous mountain range shattered before their eyes. Countless stones were thrown into the sky, and pale, bone-like structures burrowed out of the ground, looking like the vertical spines on the back of some animal.
Starting from them, a circular red membrane enveloped the mountain basin, like a large bowl inverted on the ground. Even the sky showed a faint red glow.
The Raven II that was following them crashed squarely into the light wall. Its sturdy alloy armor instantly twisted and deformed. The entire ship compressed towards the front, finally turning into a bright fireball.
Gulp.
Himeko swallowed hard. It seemed there was no need to personally test the strength of this thing. Just as Elysia had said, someone had prepared a grand feast, and guests were not allowed to leave at will.
"C-Can Ryan make it in time?" she asked subconsciously, but there was no one to answer.
According to the intelligence received hours ago, the Commander was hunting on the other side of the planet, getting his fill. At least, a normal person wouldn't react quickly.
"Don't worry too much. He'll definitely find out, because Ryan is second only to me in cleverness," Elysia was still smiling, a stark contrast to her grave-faced companions. Then, she slowly raised her head.
"It's... it's really big..."
The ground was torn apart, and the owner of the giant hand emerged. It looked somewhat similar to a human, but it had no skin or muscle, only bone that shimmered with metallic light.
A pale skull with crystal-like colors flashing in its empty eye sockets. Strands of hair, like iron chains, hung down from its head. Its ribs splayed forward like swords, and its back held two pairs of bony wings adorned with crystal decorations.
This giant—no, half-giant—was exaggeratedly enormous. Even with its lower body still in the mud, it looked six to seven hundred meters tall, several times larger than the Honkai Beast they were chasing.
A sudden silence fell. They could only hear the muffled sound of mountains collapsing. The natural sense of oppression from the colossal structure dried their throats, but its skeletal appearance gave them a sense of déjà vu.
"This is the one from South America that fought with the Commander. Look, its left arm is clearly shorter," Joshua whispered, finally putting many things together.
This conspiracy had begun a long time ago, perhaps even before the Herrscher of Binding. The goal was to make Fire Moth start a hunt, and once the hunting dogs were dispersed, the enemy would search for the most important one among them.
Thus, the prey would become the hunter. As for the consumed pieces? Honkai Beasts have never had morale settings.
"Find a way to escape. It has already far surpassed the Doom-level. It's not something we can fight against." Aponia appeared clear-headed. The Cocoon of End had merged all the 'scraps' on Earth. Leaving Ryan aside, if even they couldn't deal with it, wouldn't it be a comedy?
Before she could give the order, dozens of MANTIS raised their weapons simultaneously, releasing blinding beams of light with the aid of their power armor.
Each beam was as thick as a human's waist, but they were minuscule compared to the giant, and the light they produced was negligible. Instead, the giant opened its mouth, and the black light sphere that gathered there made their scalps tingle.
"Scatter!"
Whoosh—
The daylight was stained black. This powerful light overwhelmed everything, like a sharp blade plunged fiercely into cheese, carving a canyon in the earth.
There was none of the delicate subtlety of a Herrscher's Authority, only astonishing destructive power. This canyon, dozens of kilometers long, was bottomless. The rock exhibited a magma-like texture, and the air became so hot that it felt like being in the height of summer.
"Just how many Honkai Beasts did this behemoth fuse with?" Elysia floated in the air. The entire team had scattered. Those who hadn't managed to evade in time had not a single particle left.
The monster didn't seem to know how to answer. The crystals on its huge bony wings emitted a dazzling light. Elysia quickly retreated while deploying a pink shield. Then, she saw hundreds of thousands of light beams erupt and sweep towards her.
Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh...
The screech of energy rubbing against the air converged into a single sound. The huge basin was almost filled with light beams. They cut through peaks, swept past forests, and sliced across lakes, instantly shattering the once-beautiful basin.
They were not only numerous and fast but also immensely powerful.
Elysia pursed her lips, watching the ripples appear one after another on the pink shield. The impact kept pushing her body backward, yet the monster's main body was dozens of kilometers away, acting like a fixed turret.
"It's too far. I can't reach it. Fortunately, most of these attacks are targeting me."
Elysia simply stopped fighting back and dodged amidst the dense barrage. It was like a graceful waltz. Most of the beams were avoided, and even those that hit were refracted.
Taking advantage of her drawing the fire, the scattered warriors began to counterattack.
Da-da-da...
With quick, light footsteps and engines spewing azure flames, the power armor allowed the ordinary MANTIS to reach near-supersonic speeds. Led by Himeko, they plunged into the dense web of light beams.
Doo-doo-doo.
The trajectory computer sounded alarms, preemptively warning them of incoming light beams. Attitude adjustment thrusters were constantly firing in an emergency, making their originally straight charge more flexible. Even if they absolutely couldn't dodge, they could rely on their energy shields to deflect.
"Combat power increased by three hundred percent. Attacks of this intensity cannot kill us instantly."
Sweat beaded on her forehead, but Himeko showed a brave smile. Participating in a battle of this level was an honor in itself. Her gaze lowered. The holographic map allowed her to track the movements of the entire team. Except for two or three unlucky souls, most of them had charged forward.
"Cone attack formation! Honkai Energy engines full power! Lads, don't you dare die!"
"Yes, Major!"
Attracted by Elysia and led by Himeko, dozens of warriors, like iron cans, flew low to the ground, crossing the protruding mountain peaks and coming face-to-face with the skeletal-giant Honkai Beast.
Its massive body filled their vision. Lasers streaking through the air were dazzling. At this moment, no one retreated. They only increased their speed to the limit. The slipstream from their engines made them look like comets.
Whirr—
Molecular vibration blades and chain scythes roared. Electromagnetic cannons on their shoulders fired alloy projectiles that exploded densely in the distance.
The peaks remained unmoved. The projectiles didn't even leave a scratch. Himeko charged forward with her head down. The giant's waist, which was at least a hundred meters thick, didn't need aiming. After infusing it with fire-attribute Honkai energy, her chain scythe ignited.
Clang!!
Swinging down with all her might, the recoil caused a tearing pain in her tiger's mouth, and she almost lost her grip.
The hardness was shocking.
The thrusters covering her limbs adjusted fully, spinning her around several times. She saw the other warriors flash past, similarly carving out bright sparks.
A full-power blow was enough to cut through several meters of steel plate, yet it only left a hand-sized crack. It seemed effective, but considering the colossal size, the damage was negligible.
"At least we've attracted its attention! Lads, follow me again!"
Himeko was like a fierce general, ignoring the massive palm that was slamming down like a tidal wave, because the countless light beams had disappeared, allowing their strong members to free up their hands to attack.
Isn't the purpose of a MANTIS to use their lives to create opportunities for victory?
"Himeko, get back quickly! It's not just its size!"
Elysia's anxious voice came through. The group of warriors who had dodged the slam were reorganizing their formation when a sudden change occurred.
The ground collapsed, dissolved, and reformed, as if it had come to life, turning into countless pitch-black spikes that fiercely stabbed upwards. Alloy armor and Honkai energy shields were simultaneously pierced. Several warriors who were still on the ground were instantly skewered.
"Carbonized ground, this isn't..."
"Isn't this the ability of the Honkai Beast that escaped from Kalpas?" Aponia saw it more clearly. She immediately spread her butterfly wings, and dozens of copies of her appeared as if copy-pasted, only to be pierced and vanish into countless butterflies on the black spikes.
Butterfly Phantom.
This was her ability to force a collapse, not mere illusion, but making the enemy believe they saw an illusion.
Aponia thus escaped the attack range, then saw the skeletal giant raise its head and open its empty mouth.
Roar—
Her head was assaulted by a sharp pain, like someone driving a sharp knife into her brain and fiercely stirring it. For a moment, she lost control of her body, only barely managing to open her eyes and see the rhomboid crystal ornaments blooming with colorful light.
Mental shock, followed by a sweep of beams!?
Whoosh—
The earth became riddled with holes again, covered in magma-like cuts. It took several seconds before Aponia regained control of her body. She saw Elysia holding her in her arms, wearing a gentle but strained smile.
"You must find a way to leave. This Honkai Beast is unprecedentedly strong. It's a good thing Ryan reacted quickly. If it had managed to fuse all its kin, it might have become the End directly."
No one knew how many Honkai Beasts had been left on Earth for over a decade. Their existence was obscured by the Herrschers, and they had never been considered a primary enemy.
This was the 'experiment' Ryan had spoken of, where failure was not a concern, and one attempt would eventually cause trouble.
Elysia didn't answer. She glanced at the black forest that covered the earth, some spikes piercing human bodies, the flowing blood a jarring sight. After a few seconds, the girl firmly shook her head.
"I can't escape, nor do I intend to. Since it has the potential to become the End, it should be buried here and now."
"But it's very strong."
"Don't be afraid. Don't we still have Ryan?" The girl gave a brilliant smile. She let go of her hold, setting Aponia down beside her. A pink light bow gathered in her palm. Even though it swelled larger than her body, it still seemed tiny compared to this 'mountain.'
No need for reason, no need for explanation. Just do your part, and entrust the rest entirely to trust.
"Besides, I welcome this challenge."
Her finger released the string, and the pink giant arrow met the black light pillar. The two energies collided in the center, briefly pausing the footsteps of time.
Boom—Rumble—
This dead silence was ultimately ripped apart by the most shocking and violent roar. The two-colored light pillar shot straight from the ground into the sky, shaking the crimson light curtain until it flickered violently.
The lake instantly evaporated. Tens of thousands of tons of crushed rock swept outward. Himeko, who had been unconscious from the mental shock, suddenly woke up. She raised a hand to her head, finding her helmet had been ripped off. The blood flowing from her forehead mixed with her red hair.
A deeper basin appeared in the center of the original basin. In the foggy dust, they could only see a faint pink light, hanging in the air like the morning star.
"Elysia is this powerful when she goes all out?"
Himeko had never seen her Captain in a serious state. Even if her Authority was nullified, this destructive power was second only to Ryan's, right? However, this admiration did not last long.
A powerful suction force arrived. She quickly stabbed her broken chain scythe into the ground to steady herself. Turning her head, she saw the sky-high dust, the black spikes, and countless crushed stones all surging in one direction.
Visibility returned. A black meteor with a diameter of several thousand meters hovered in the air. Then, the giant hand slapped it down. It shot out like a cannonball, quickly burying the pink light.
"But it's still not enough."
[1] patreon.com/Matsuo4