Tap, tap, tap.
Leather boots met the steel floor. Ryan was walking toward the bridge. The vast sea of clouds and the azure sky outside the porthole put him in a good mood. The smile on his lips hadn't faded.
Writing all night brought a pleasant feeling. Even though no one was paying him and few people were following his work, a long task spanning several years was nearing completion. He suddenly felt a sense of relief and pride.
Just a few more chapters and I won't be a dropout author. Look at my sense of responsibility—finishing a novel even at the end of the world. That's unique in literary history, right?
"Ryan, you seem very happy?" Sakura had been observing silently. The man's joy was impossible to hide.
"Hmm, I can't say exactly why, but it's always good to have a good mood when facing a new challenge," Ryan casually deflected. The shame of being an author made it hard to speak the truth.
This was a lie. He knew exactly where the joy came from.
Sakura frowned almost imperceptibly. She turned and saw Elysia's 'I knew it' expression. She instinctively slowed her steps and actively linked with Elysia using Honkai energy.
"Ellie, did you give Ryan another gift?"
"You figured that out? Are all you assassins this terrifying??"
You're the one being too obvious. Why are you making a 'how terrifying' face?
Sakura felt a sudden urge to complain. She asked directly, "So what did you give him? I haven't seen Ryan this happy in a long time."
She was genuinely curious. Under heavy pressure, Ryan was often seen with a forced, joyless smile. Now, there was nothing in their current situation that should make him this delighted.
"Ah, well... I'm too embarrassed to say." Elysia's face instantly flushed. She hadn't expected Mobius's top-secret files to be so effective.
Ryan really is a passionate young man. Although this habit of his is a bit unhealthy, if it makes him happy, I can indulge it.
She said nothing, but the truth was fully revealed in the eyes of the [Forget-Me-Not].
Just as Elysia was wondering whether to give him white or gray next time, Sakura looked at the rigid back in front of her and had a rough guess.
No matter how powerful he is, he is still fundamentally a man. Am I being too reserved?
'What are those two whispering about?'
Ryan had been monitoring the activity behind him, but unfortunately, they were using 'Team Comms,' and he couldn't hear them. Realizing that Sakura knew what he was writing anyway, he stopped worrying.
Elysia is the Gold Medal Wingman; she's definitely helping me push the plot.
Click—
The automatic door to the bridge opened. Ryan bumped into Hua face-to-face. The girl quickly averted her gaze, only sneaking a glance at Elysia.
Why is everyone looking at her today, and why do they look a little guilty?
Ryan looked back and forth but said nothing. The moment he stepped onto the bridge, he regained his composure and cold demeanor.
Business was paramount. He had to solve the immediate problem. Based on his discussion with Elysia, the message Calis was sending was becoming increasingly clear:
Was he not wanting to move towards End, but being forced to move towards End?
A 3D electronic sandbox was projected in the center of the bridge. Hundreds of red and blue dots were scattered across the world. After several days of deployment, a reconnaissance network covering the sky and the ground had taken shape. During this time, the previously scattered teams had also converged.
Ryan glanced at the sandbox. The situation was immediately clear:
Centered on the Eastern European snowfield, a battle line with a diameter of several thousand kilometers was sprinkled with nearly a hundred red dots, both distinct and vague. These were all targets found by the geological detectors. Frankly, this was an abnormally high number, confirming Ryan's observations over the past few days.
The Honkai Beasts were concentrating, forming a corp-level scale. However, the battle line was too wide. For example, the Hyperion, along with the [Clairvoyance] and [Golden] teams, which were meant to fill the eastern gap, were fifteen hundred kilometers away in Siberia.
Scattered around the Honkai Beasts were various blue dots. To the south were the [Annihilation] and [Scarlet] teams coming from the Middle East. To the north were the [ICE] and [Salvation] teams, which had bypassed the Antarctic and crossed half the globe.
Due to the limited number of MANTIS, the network included a large number of unmanned mechas, all remotely controlled by Prometheus. Without strong interference, this grand net was prevented from becoming too sparse.
"As expected, they had a contingency plan. Perhaps before attacking Elysia and her team, the closer Honkai Beasts had already begun gathering in this area."
"Are you saying it prepared for failure?" Hua asked, seeking guidance.
"Yes. A clever criminal always plans their escape route before the crime. I said it wouldn't be easy to catch it." Ryan showed no sign of discouragement. The previous battle was a mutual loss, and the Honkai Beast's ability to fight him must have been nullified. Not to mention, he had called for reinforcements to gang up on it.
The only surprise was that the enemy wasn't in a hurry to consolidate its power. These red dots were spaced tens to nearly a hundred kilometers apart. Logically, they should have been within the range of the big fish eating little fish game.
Is it too heavily injured and lost this ability? Or is it afraid of being too obvious and getting caught by me? Or is it...
Ryan fell into contemplation, immediately throwing out several hypotheses. The bridge was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard. No one spoke to disturb him. Their eyes were fixed on the silent man.
"Edwin, pull up the Honkai Beast reactions for the entire world."
"Yes, Commander."
With the sound of keys clacking, the projection changed back to the world map. The hunting detachments came from various continents, throwing detectors while en route, basically clearing the fog of war from most of the Earth.
A few red dots remained stationary or moved in the opposite direction. Since they were busy rushing to the main theater, no one bothered with these stragglers, leaving them to go their own way.
'This number won't put much pressure on us. Even if they all converge, I can handle them alone.'
All warfare must aim to destroy the enemy's main force. Once the beast horde in front of them was dealt with, the remaining stragglers wouldn't be able to cause much trouble.
But instead of feeling relieved, Ryan felt a growing unease. Based on his experience, such a smooth and logical progression was abnormal in itself.
It fit the initial plan too well. Even if there were a few suspicious points, they could all be perfectly explained. After all that effort, was this all the enemy could muster?
Admittedly, the losses caused by the conspiracy were significant. A huge crater was blown into the European continent. If not for the Authority of Constraint, even Ryan would have been injured. But expanding the view to the entire Earth, the month-long bloody struggle seemed too simple.
The overly suspicious Ryan felt indecisive. Everyone on the bridge was holding their breath. After several minutes, the contemplative man finally inhaled softly.
I don't care anymore. Whatever is hiding inside, I can't just stand by and do nothing. Maybe the Honkai is just using Calis to make me overthink.
"All units, proceed according to the operational plan. Attack and search-advance, and continue deploying geological detectors. I need to distinguish the important targets."
"Yes, sir."
Communication was clear now, and the commands were quickly relayed. Ryan had no intention of entering the battle yet. He watched the real-time map intently, arms crossed, his fingertips tapping a rhythm.
At this stage, they could only see 'something is there,' but they didn't know what was hiding underground. Since he had decided to put the enemy on the gallows, Ryan preferred to be cautious rather than quickly tightening the rope.
The deepest targets were only a little over a thousand meters down. Even if the ground above was solid permafrost, digging them out wouldn't be difficult.
Their concentration saved him a lot of time. If they had been scattered like stars across the globe, the difficulty of digging them out one by one would have been lower, but it would have been too time-consuming.
"They have two choices: one is to concentrate somewhere and quickly fuse into an individual capable of fighting me; the second is to do nothing and be dug up and crushed one by one. Either way, it benefits us."
"Using these remnants was a brilliant move. Otherwise, 'He' would have had to continuously send down Apostles, and the short time frame would have made it no different from a delivery service."
"Huh, weren't you afraid of 'He' brewing something big?" Sakura challenged him in her cool voice.
"I'm afraid, yes, but not unable to deal with it. If 'He' takes a few years to brew something, will I be slacking off? The Cocoon of End has limits; I do not." Ryan spread his hands, slightly amused, and glanced at the girl beside him.
If the enemy took the initiative to accelerate the process, her problem could be solved. Just as he and Mei had discussed:
Ryan didn't know how to push the fate forward while the Herrscher of Human Ego survived, nor did he need to try. He only needed to ride the current.
Whether it would proceed as envisioned remained to be seen. He couldn't stop the enemy from accelerating the pace anyway. That was the relationship between a guest and a host. The host naturally held the initiative.
And what he needed to do was utilize that initiative to steer the situation in a more favorable direction.
"It sounds like we're guaranteed to win then," Elysia said, surprised, stepping closer. "I didn't expect you to be so optimistic, after looking worried like an old man every day?"
Old man...
Hearing that assessment, Ryan was slightly flustered. He explained, "I'm speaking about the normal progression of logic within the bounds of human intelligence."
"And the abnormal progression?"
Ryan looked at the forces starting to move and, for a moment, didn't know how to answer. A commercial slogan flashed in his mind.
"Anything is possible."
"Alright! The battle is finally starting!!"
Clenching his fists, Kalpas stood up. The feeling of having prey but being unable to attack had been suffocating him on the way. His burning fighting spirit seemed ready to burst out of his chest.
The subordinates matched the captain. The warriors resting throughout the cabin quickly donned their armor, grabbed their weapons, and stared intently at the man in the center.
In the past, Kalpas would have ignored these looks and jumped out to fight alone. But having gone through this period of 'assessment,' these battle-hungry warriors, specially assigned by Mei, had earned his recognition.
They had gone through several battles, fighting from South America to this far-northern ice field, and not a single one had retreated.
Kalpas wasn't a man of many words. He met their gazes and heavily turned around.
"Lads, follow me! Burn this ice field and tear those rats to shreds!!"
"Kill them all!"
"Avenge the clerics of the Discipline Team!"
A roar of battle cries erupted on the spot. Disregarding formation and plan, they charged out in a chaotic rush. Kalpas was, of course, the one leading the charge.
Amidst the passionate shouts of the men, Ludicyna felt like an outsider. She knew trying to stop them now would only earn Kalpas's angry rebuke.
"Seriously, Dr. Mei asked me to control the rhythm, but Kalpas has assimilated everyone," she muttered, feeling annoyed. She looked down at the helmets scattered on the floor. In the [Annihilation] Team, not wearing a helmet was the sign of a true man.
"Relax. The Commander said to let Kalpas indulge himself," Coleman walked out from a corner. For some reason, Kalpas couldn't stand him, constantly barking vulgar words like 'Get lost' or 'You're courting death.'
"He's like a scalpel, best used for disrupting the enemy. Just like in South America, his chaotic actions broke the Herrscher's rhythm. Ludicyna, why are you standing so far away from me?"
Coleman was rambling when he saw the girl retreat ten meters away. Before he could figure out why, a round object slammed into him, sending him flying.
Watching him get smashed into the steel plating, everyone present shook their heads.
Why is this Major so forgetful?
Kalpas hated anyone gossiping behind his back, and he had always disliked this playboy.
And you were too close to Ludicyna! Don't infect her with your filthy aura!
Rage burned in his chest. The confusing question of why he was angry fueled the flames, causing the fire to climb all over his body.
The snowy, white permafrost was beneath him. He raised his fist.
"Die, all of you!!"
He slammed his fist down. The earth ignited. The hard-frozen soil burst apart, forming a perfect meteor crater, and a rich Honkai energy aura diffused from it.
No need for probing. He immediately used Perpetual Collapse. His punch carved a hundreds-of-meters-deep hole into the ground. He immediately saw a worm-like object in the pit.
A thick, cylindrical thing was squirming. Its white surface was covered in blood vessels. Even having seen all kinds of Honkai Beast appearances, he was slightly stunned.
This thing doesn't look like a 'Beast.' And I don't see any other parts of its body?
Kalpas was reckless but not stupid. Tapping his foot, he left a burning trail in the air. He slammed his palms together like a hammer. Using the force from his waist, he lifted the object up like hitting a golf ball.
"Hiding and tucking your tail! Get out here!"
The surface of the earth was immediately carved with a canyon several kilometers long. A sea of fire spread across the bottom of the valley, but he still didn't see any other body parts of the Honkai Beast. The thickest 'worm' only squirmed faster in the flames.
What is this thing? Is it infinitely long?
Kalpas grew more confused. Just then, the muscles in his cheek twitched. Without thinking, he swung his raised right fist forward.
Bang—
A brilliant flower of flame bloomed in the air, acting like a burning shield. His eyes under the mask widened. He clearly saw hundreds of similarly shaped 'worms' squirming in front of him.
Is its ability splitting attack? No, more than that.
He saw the squirming accelerate. He decisively swooped down to the ground. Then, he saw the white worms pierce through the flower of flame, stirring chaotically in the air, as if a beast's mouth was shredding the fire.
No, it's eating my Honkai energy?
In terms of combat instinct, Kalpas ranked in the top three of Fire Moth. He suddenly noticed the flames in the canyon were also extinguishing. The thickest 'worm' was shrinking back into the mountain range. He subconsciously chased after it.
The [Annihilation] Team warriors were already familiar with their Captain's temperament. They all stopped, unleashing a dense hail of bullets that shredded the smaller tentacles that were trying to surround them.
"Captain, stop chasing! There's a second Honkai energy signature there!"
Ludicyna's warning came through, but Kalpas ignored it. This thing was no match for him. What if its numbers doubled?
Dong, dong, dong.
Shockwaves of air explosions continuously spread. A meteor slammed violently into the mountain range. The air contracted toward the center. With a loud boom, the resulting shockwave swept away all the snow, and the rocks that flew into the sky were annihilated by the column of fire.
"Kalpas is truly unstoppable. That destructive power is second only to Kevin wielding the Key of the Void," Jian rushed up with his subordinates, lined up in a neat formation, witnessing the unrestrained destruction.
"Of course! My Captain is very strong!" Ludicyna proudly lifted her chin, following him closely. "But Mr. Jian, don't let the Captain hear that. He'll be very angry."
Jian immediately shut up. He knew Kalpas was sensitive about strength comparisons. The debate over who was stronger between him and Kevin was unresolved, but it was enough that Jian was no match for him.
But this type of attack...
He checked the combat reports from the other units, and a clear doubt emerged.
They're too similar.
"A mass-produced version?" Kalpas stood in the crater. The falling rocks vanished in the spreading flames. He stepped on a thick, white segment of the creature and slowly looked down.
The thing was still squirming. He crushed it into powder with his foot, then brought his fingers together like a knife, slashing to the side.
Shua—
A hundred-meter-long massive fire blade cut through, slicing hundreds of thin white tentacles in half. Kalpas didn't even bother turning his head, focusing his gaze on the fractured mountain range in the distance.
There were two massive white worms there. The flames hadn't scorched them. If not for the noticeable gash on one of them, Kalpas wouldn't have known which one he had attacked moments ago.
Different locations, similar bodies. They didn't look like 'twins,' because their other ends were still deeply embedded in the mountain, with no visible end.
"It's less like a bug and more like a root." Kalpas saw the heads of these two cylindrical objects split open, revealing giant, sandworm-like mouths. He stepped out of the crater, clenching his fists as his joints cracked.
"Then I'll pull you out by the roots!"
I knew there was a problem.
Ryan fiercely slammed his fist onto the control panel, causing keycaps to fly and sparks to scatter. But no one was there to reprimand him for damaging public property.
This punch wasn't out of anger; rather, it was a release born of 'I expected this.'
Combat reports had been sent back from various units. Six battles had erupted simultaneously in the north, south, east, and west. The intensity was moderate, but the results were surprisingly similar.
Worms, wrigglers, tree roots. The adjectives were basically consistent. Prometheus analyzed the combat reports and confirmed that while the abilities varied, the similarity was over 78.22%.
"They're not exactly identical, but they're the same type," Ryan muttered. As time passed, he realized this wasn't an isolated phenomenon.
Kalpas had fought the farthest, pushing through five enemy markers until he was exhausted, and the enemies he encountered were all similar.
"Did you notice another characteristic? These enemies seem impossible to describe with the word 'one'," Mei, commanding the Hyperion right across from Ryan, noted. Her situation was equally complex.
"Yes, that's a key characteristic." Ryan had also noticed it. For example, Kalpas's rage-fueled charge covered over a hundred kilometers, yet he never reached an end.
In the reports from all units, Ryan felt the analogy of 'tree root' was the most fitting, because they were being chopped in segments without an end.
"That's odd. If they were just part of some larger entity, they shouldn't show up as separate light dots on the detection map. That's illogical."
Even Mei couldn't answer this question. If the creature was simply enormous, Kalpas had fought for a great distance. Logically, he should have finished off at least one segment. She subconsciously turned her head to the side. Fire Moth already had a Honkai bio-expert.
"Mobius, you answer."
The snake-eyed onee-san was sitting in a swivel chair, swinging her feet. When asked, she rolled her eyes: "How should I know? The current Honkai Beasts aren't the same type as before. I've examined the collected samples. They're similar in appearance and molecular composition, but they're not identical."
"In other words, they're more like siblings, I guess. As for where the 'mother' is, I have no idea. But this certainly didn't form in a short amount of time."
Not formed in a short time? More like a pre-set battlefield?
Ryan's gaze grew heavy. It was like a contingency plan that had been designed long ago. But there was still one point that didn't make sense.
"Where did all the Honkai Beasts that converged from all over the world go?"
"Perhaps deeper underground. The geological detectors lack imaging capability, so we can't distinguish between the individual enemies."
A very rigorous answer. Ryan silently opened his mouth and then closed it. Truthfully, this was an unfamiliar battlefield. Fire Moth had focused its efforts on the Herrschers all these years. If Vita were here, she might have some insights.
But that individual was completely out of their control, even marked with a question mark in the 'Star Epoch' plan.
Root, tree... could it be...
Ryan took a deep breath. His hypothesis was coming true. If it was true, Ryan couldn't tell if it was good or bad. But after careful consideration, he let out a long sigh of relief.
"Hold the operation. We've exerted so much effort for minimal gain. There's no need to continue. Whatever the Honkai wants to do, we can only react. If it's merely transforming a Herrscher into a Beast, that's the best case. As for anything else, we'll take it one step at a time."
"Are you saying the initiative has been stolen back by the Honkai? But the fatty—no, the Herrscher of Human Ego is still in our hands! Didn't you just disrupt one of 'His' conspiracies recently?" Mobius raised an eyebrow, clearly disagreeing.
"There's no such thing as initiative. If we were pushing it, it would be difficult as hell. But for the Honkai to push it, it's much simpler. How can a 'god' be manipulated by an 'Apostle'?" Ryan tilted his head, speaking slower:
"After all these years, we both know the Honkai is like a wave. One wave crashes, and a second wave is definitely following it, eventually drowning the land."
Mobius closed her mouth. Then she suddenly thought of something: "Then, what is Calis's significance?"
"At a crucial moment, based on his own interests and position, he makes a decision for the Honkai."
"A decision?"
"Yes, a bad, or the worst, decision." Mei spoke coldly, taking over. Since these things were still hypothetical, there was no need to waste time. She turned to Ryan: "Do you intend to go see for yourself?"
"Yes. I need to go deep inside. Have Prometheus use the locations of these Honkai Beasts as extension lines and roughly pinpoint a central area." Ryan rubbed his chin, also deciding not to waste time on speculation.
With the help of the supercomputer and the four-sided encirclement, the extension lines were quickly drawn. Due to the limited samples and the winding paths, the central area couldn't be precise, but it was roughly the large region in the middle of the Ural Mountains.
This region also had dense red dots, indicating a high concentration of Honkai Beast signatures.
"I have to warn you. If these dots are all part of a single behemoth, the strength will be extremely high," Mei reminded him seriously.
Through the hunting, ambushing, counter-killing, and re-encirclement, the intelligence hidden beneath the ice was gradually being revealed.
"So, we don't need many people. Mobius, you just come with me."
The woman, who was lightly swinging her feet on the swivel chair, froze, then instantly sat upright. As the foremost expert on Honkai biology, she could indeed offer a lot of advice. She slightly lifted her chin.
Hmph. Now you know how important I am.
"Don't get too happy yet. Operating with me is very dangerous."
"Heh, coincidentally, I am immortal."
Fine. I've done my duty to inform.
Ryan knew Mobius wouldn't refuse. He told her to prepare her equipment and then looked at Mei.
"One more thing. This is the last piece of information we parsed from Vita's data. You can reference it."
The data transferred. Ryan looked down. It was a record of Venus's end, interspersed with summaries from Mei and others. The last sentence surprised Ryan.
The tsunami on Venus, where civilization and the Honkai's final test perished together—this wasn't due to things getting out of hand or something going wrong. Rather, the enemy's strength required a tsunami of that magnitude. Initially, the Venusian high command hadn't fully decided. They, too, considered a 'Fire Seed Plan' to conceal their experience in the Sea of Quanta and pass it to the next era.
"But they discovered this Abyss Beast had the potential to destroy the civilization and the planet together, so they had no choice?"
"Yes, that is the worst-case scenario. Since all avenues of retreat were cut off, they chose to fight. Perhaps the answer the Venusians sought was so unpalatable to the Honkai that it didn't even want to reset, preferring to utterly terminate the exam."
Mei had long suspected that Venus was cheating. They didn't have powerful warriors and relied solely on technology. No matter how strong the Abyss Beast was, throwing it into the ocean wouldn't cause a ripple.
Getting the answer wrong in this exam was fine, but cheating was too egregious.
They exchanged a look. This was also the outcome they feared. In terms of cheating methods, Ryan was not as malicious, but he definitely had more tricks up his sleeve.
Protecting the planet and defeating End were not on the same level of difficulty.
"I understand. I will be careful."
Ryan nodded seriously. He told Mei to prepare the logistics and quickly finalize the last, worst-case plan, then decisively cut the communication.
"Commander, are you really going?" Edwin couldn't help but ask. Even he understood the risk involved.
The enemy was passively defending against Fire Moth's encirclement, which clearly signaled a problem. Even concentrating their forces to break through in one direction would be more normal.
"I can't just stand by and watch. If you don't take a step forward, you'll never know what the enemy is thinking. Intelligence is confirmed through action." Ryan bent down and tightened the laces on his leather shoes. He was long used to this.
No matter how many ideas he had, they required action for verification. He was not a man who indulged in wishful thinking all day.
Edwin didn't try to dissuade him. He, and most of Fire Moth, were used to Ryan's style—used to seeing the Flame-Chaser walk in the very front, forging a path through the endless black abyss.
"Please be extremely careful."
"You too." Ryan did not reject the concern and turned to leave.
After leaving the ship, he happened to meet Elysia and the others returning. He gave a brief explanation. Hua wanted to follow, but Sakura and Elysia jointly held her back. She finally gave up.
Sometimes, you just can't be headstrong. The icy wilderness is full of danger.
Ryan quickly vanished into the snowstorm. He made no aggressive moves. Upon entering the battlefield, he immediately sensed something was wrong. Instinctively, he felt eyes watching him.
His steps hesitated for a moment, then he decisively moved forward.
Breaking through the thorns, clearing the fog, forging the path—that was his value.