"Cough, cough, cough. Obsessed with self-destruction, are we?"
The air began to flow, stirring up dark red ice shards that made Ryan look hazy in the center. The man, however, disregarded this almost ethereal beauty and quickly surveyed his surroundings, then couldn't help but applaud.
It exploded suddenly, beautifully, and unexpectedly.
There was no spectacular sight. Ryan simply felt like an ant, standing alone in the center of a gigantic bowl. All around him were scarlet-red rock walls, with several breaches where water was pouring into the 'bowl.'
These were all subterranean rivers, but zooming out, one would notice that the perfectly circular crater was simply too large—so large that it was hard to spot Ryan in the middle.
"Did they just blast out a Caspian Sea in the middle of Europe?"
The man sighed. Visual estimation couldn't accurately determine the distance, but that didn't matter. He merely glanced at the three people lying sprawled on the ground.
Aponia, Elysia, and Himeko—Joshua and the others had been thrown far away, thankfully not caught in the explosion.
In the span of a single second, Ryan had used Gravity to slam himself into the ground, then enveloped himself and the three others in a pillar of light formed by the fusion of the Authorities of Ice and Blood. Finally, he concentrated the Authority of Constraint to create a two-meter-square field.
Authorities disregard friend or foe. Before Elysia and the others could cry out, their life force was erased. Fortunately, this 'death' only lasted for half a minute before Ryan forcibly dispelled the energy once it passed its peak.
Gurgle, gurgle.
Large amounts of groundwater poured in, and because the ground was so hot, vast plumes of steam rose up.
"Cutting your losses, are you? But that was far too decisive." Ryan's lips twitched slightly. The colossal explosion couldn't fool him, as a huge circular hole remained not far above his head.
Self-destruction was understandable, and escape was explicable, but he couldn't figure out why this Honkai Beast did it, especially with a much higher degree of proactiveness than the ones he had hunted before.
First, it couldn't possibly kill me outright. Second, it clearly had the power to fight me. Why blow itself up right at the start without a fight?
Ryan, who was a veteran of countless battles, was unusually confused. His aura was strong, but he conceded that this Honkai Beast was a troublesome opponent. It couldn't possibly have been scared into self-destructing by him, could it?
"Did it want to sacrifice everything just to eliminate Elysia? But if so, there was no need to flee. My Constraint field can't be maintained for too long. If it waited for me to voluntarily dispel it and then self-destructed again, wouldn't the success rate be much higher?"
Ryan couldn't figure it out, because the entire incident was inherently bizarre. Given the intellect of a Honkai Beast, even executing such a complex plan, let alone planning it, would be difficult. And then there was the question of the Herrscher of Death's aura before he arrived.
"Is he guiding this? If so, the script was perfect enough to deceive me. Is this a message being sent to me that I must accelerate the pace?"
"If I need to accelerate the pace, did Elysia's state just now meet the required condition?"
The scorching air was close to a hundred degrees. Sweat evaporated as soon as it emerged. Ryan glanced at the people lying on the ground beside him and silently merged with the air.
He wanted to try his luck and see if he could bait the enemy back. It was at this moment that he heard a faint breath.
Huuu.
Elysia suddenly sat up, her eyes unfocused and looking utterly bewildered. All physiological fluctuations had been cut off moments ago. Her heart stopped beating, her brain stopped functioning, and her Authority vanished.
Even for only a few dozen seconds, the shadow of death lingered. She stared blankly ahead, then slightly tilted her head.
"Why is the world of the dead so hot? I've always been a good person, so I shouldn't be thrown into Hell, right? Wait a minute, Aponia is a nun. Did she secretly do something bad and get thrown in here too?"
Elysia was distressed. From what she could see, the dark, lava-like earth was indeed similar to Hell in mythological stories.
"Never mind. When I see the God of Death, I'll argue my case and demand to go to Heaven."
She didn't show a hint of sadness. Instead, she raised her hands, undid the belt restricting her waist, and then took off the clip, allowing two perfectly shaped spheres to be free.
Sweat appeared on her pale skin, slid past the purple lace bra, and finally vanished into the deep valley between her breasts. Elysia unconsciously raised her hand and fanned herself up and down repeatedly.
Hell is too hot. Is this my punishment for sin already? But I've been thinking for a long time and haven't found any sins I've committed.
"Did I secretly hack Mobius's computer? Or steal Pardo's pudding? No, it couldn't be hiding Kalpas's tools as a prank, could it? Or perhaps planning a 'social death' scheme for Ryan? But I haven't executed that yet."
The girl was utterly troubled. Lost in thought, she simply lay down on the ground, staring blankly upwards, feeling like she was at the bottom of a giant, deep well, where she could see the azure sky.
Forget it. If it's Hell, it's Hell. At least Aponia and Himeko are with me, so I won't be lonely.
Just as she was feeling a bit shameful about her thoughts, a person suddenly appeared in her sight. Black hair, gray eyes, staring down at her. His purple, gem-like pupils slowly contracted, and sweat beaded on his forehead.
Ryan pursed his lips, trying his best to hold back a laugh, though he understood Elysia's naturally airheaded state.
The state of bewilderment after losing life signs—her intelligence, perception, and judgment had all plummeted. Colloquially known as hypoxic cognitive decline.
His gaze slowly drifted down, seeing the constantly rising and falling peaks. Even lying on her back, her figure was magnificent, giving the illusion that she was about to spill out.
Elysia was highly sensitive to this kind of look. Her eyes finally regained some spark. She instantly sat up, pulled her partially-removed long skirt over her chest, and her already flushed face deepened in color. She pouted.
"Even in death, you're this perverted. Be careful not to be thrown into the Hell specifically for perverts."
"I've killed so many people. If I go to Hell, it'll be the Asura Hell," Ryan maintained a nonchalant expression.
"Then I'll cut you in half and throw you into two different Hells!" Elysia flailed her hands and legs, making a ghostly face.
It wasn't scary at all; rather, it was adorably goofy. Seeing Elysia squatting and making a funny face, Ryan finally couldn't hold back.
"Ahem. Based on my research into theology and mysticism, one should turn into a soul after death."
"Mmm, a ghost. I know." Elysia wore an expression that said, 'I've studied this too.'
"Right, but ghosts don't feel temperature, they don't breathe, and they certainly don't think."
"Who says so? I read an immortal cultivation novel where the protagonist went to a place called the 'Underworld'..." Elysia's voice trailed off, because she saw her professional nun companion wake up behind her, constantly giving her meaningful looks.
Perhaps due to the high temperature, the nun's compassionate face was slightly flushed, but it looked more like pity for seeing someone act foolishly.
"Ryan, we're not dead?"
"That's right. I told you it's not that easy to kill me. And whether you're dead or not, you can test it with your Authority. A ghost wouldn't have a Herrscher Authority, would it?"
Elysia indeed tried it. Through the mental link, she sensed Ryan's almost brazen laughter beneath his composed expression.
"Ryan, you... you... you are truly..." Elysia covered her face, gritting her teeth, feeling as hot as a boiling kettle. "You are truly naughty!"
I'm socially dead. How did I fall for his trick? Phew, good thing it was only Aponia nearby. She'll definitely keep my secret.
Her optimistic nature quickly stabilized Elysia's emotions. She put her hands on her hips, only for her clothes to fall again, forcing her to fold her arms across her chest. She was about to seize the moment to launch a counter-attack.
But just as she opened her mouth, the man knelt on one knee before her, placing his hand on her shoulder.
Ryan felt her delicate and warm skin, his finger tracing her exquisite collarbone, and spoke gently: "Elysia, there's something I want to ask you."
"Mmm?"
"Could you share that 'social death' plan you just confessed to me? I'm curious."
"Ellie seems to be in a bad mood. She went straight back to her room without saying two words to me."
Aboard the Destiny, Hua was deeply frustrated. She and Sakura were too late and ultimately couldn't help at all.
No, all they did was act as chauffeurs, rescuing the exhausted Elysia and the other two. Himeko, being the physically weakest, was immediately rushed to the ICU.
She was extremely unwilling but felt helpless. Entering an explosion of that scale would only make her a burden. Didn't Elysia even shut down emotionally?
"I think her mood has nothing to do with the battle. Ellie isn't the pessimistic type," Sakura casually explained, thinking the girl was airheaded but also prone to overthinking.
"Then why is she avoiding us?"
"How should I know? Maybe you can go ask her later?"
Hua actually considered it for a moment, then shook her head: "Forget it. It's better to let Senior Brother handle that kind of thing."
Did you not notice that Elysia is specifically avoiding Ryan, not us?
Sakura glanced at the girl with the 'sudden realization' expression, not knowing how to explain it, and simply skipped the topic.
"Only three people returned from two detachments. That's a heavy loss."
"No, no, no. I heard Father Joshua and his team were found two hundred kilometers away. Miss Elysia was the one who did it. Otherwise, they would have certainly died."
"That's why I've never believed she's a Herrscher."
The atmosphere in the cabin was both relaxed and oppressive. Incidentally, Elysia gained a large number of followers, but the oppression remained. Even with Elysia's intervention, a dozen warriors had still perished.
It was a sharp turn. They had been advancing triumphantly just moments ago, and now, their ashes couldn't even be found.
Hua also didn't answer the question. She simply held her breath slightly. Although she already knew and was prepared for it, she still felt the weighty significance of the event.
The significance of life being used as currency.