Central Africa.
"Mila!"
"Leave it to me!"
The young woman, her white hair tied in neat buns, charged straight toward the behemoth before her!
Her ice-crystal spear left a trail of flurrying snow in its wake. Its Soul Steel core continuously drew Honkai energy from her body, while a super-low-temperature conduit instantly coated Mila's form in a layer of frost. The ice-aspected power, condensed to its absolute limit—
Bang!!!
—was viciously thrust into the body of the Emperor-class Honkai Beast!
"ROAR!!!"
The ferocious soundwave echoed madly throughout the canyon.
Crack—
Shatter!
Ice crystals, layers of ice, an ice sculpture!
The Honkai energy, converted into the ice attribute, completely froze the massive Emperor-class Honkai Beast into a statue!
"Now!"
Mila hadn't even pulled her war spear from the beast's body.
To freeze an Emperor-class Honkai Beast of this scale, given Mila's energy reserves, there was only this one chance. Therefore—
Swoosh!!
A figure crackling with lightning descended from the sky!
Wielding a giant battle axe, Qiaona leaped from the canyon's edge, smashing down viciously upon the Emperor-class Honkai Beast's head!
BANG!!!
Its shell shattered into pieces, exposing its core completely.
The grueling battle, lasting over twenty minutes, had completely drained the trio's stamina—and this was only the first Emperor-class Honkai Beast they had encountered.
Fortunately, their efforts were not in vain.
In the end, they had succeeded in forcing the Emperor-class beast to reveal its core.
As an aside.
This incredibly arduous process was a true reflection of what it was like for ordinary Fusion Warriors (the trio being slightly stronger than average) to fight against a high-tier Honkai Beast.
"Die!"
Wei'er, who had been responsible for drawing the Emperor's aggro with her sword and shield, successfully seized the fleeting opportunity. Her wing-shaped shield was raised high behind her shoulder. The power of wind gathered around it, shifting from invisible to a deep cyan, coalescing into the form of a soaring bird with outstretched wings!
Swoosh!!
BOOM!!!
The flying shield shattered the Emperor's core.
Amidst a flurry of dissipating Honkai energy particles, the first Emperor-class Honkai Beast that had penetrated deep into the African hinterland was successfully eliminated by the trio.
An existence like this...
Hah...
Hah...
Their heavy breaths were nearly inaudible amidst the sand-laden gales of the great canyon.
...There were still two more.
Northern Europe.
BOOM!!
Buildings, and the humans hidden within them.
All were crushed into meat paste by a tremendous impact.
The Flame-Chasers' London detachment, along with two other incomplete support teams from continental Europe, a total of eleven members, were all killed in action.
And every one of them had died at Cheche's hands.
Following Bai's instructions, upon spotting the Fusion Warriors, Cheche had unleashed a major attack without a second thought. While not as powerful as its previous [Honkai Roar Cannon] (which would have caused self-injury), its might was at least at the level of the "absolute zenith of the Emperor-class peak."
The human body could not withstand such an attack, and neither could Fusion Warriors. Cheche was not skilled in speed, but in terms of attack and constitution, its stats were already on par with a Judgement-class Honkai Beast.
The only Fusion Warrior among them who specialized in stealth had managed to evade Cheche's perception and launched a self-sacrificing strike at the "Chariot-class Honkai Beast's" core area.
However.
Not only did the attack fail to break its defense...
Instead, due to the presence of [Physical Reflection], the resulting feedback from the impact instantly splattered the warrior across the ground like a smear of crimson paint.
"Hm?"
After successfully eliminating the Fusion Warriors, Cheche did not advance with the wild horde. Instead, it remained motionless on the coast, waiting silently. Cheche wasn't a genius, but it was far from the simpleton Sheshe imagined it to be. It had also pieced together the gist of Bai's plan.
If it were to truly encounter Fusion Warriors so powerful they couldn't be defeated, they would inevitably interfere with Bai's operation.
Escaping on its own might be fine, but that would also mean the enemy would likely rush back to reinforce "that place" at top speed.
Cheche had to help Bai.
So it prepared to intercept whoever was coming. Of course, if the situation became truly impossible, Cheche would still run... after all, even the infinitely resurrecting Sheshe knew to always be ready to flee. Cheche didn't think it was dumber than Sheshe.
Now.
Cheche had found its target.
An immensely powerful aura was rapidly approaching from the southeast.
With Cheche's perceptive abilities, by the time it detected the opponent, the distance between them had already grown quite short... but it could be shorter still.
Cheche didn't move.
The Honkai energy, already compressed to its limit, was still gathering frantically, so much so that even Cheche's incomparably sturdy shell was beginning to crack...
It was held, suppressed, within Cheche's maw.
Closer.
Even closer!
A fiery red meteor was rapidly closing in on its field of vision!
"—"
Now is the time!
Forget the collateral damage, forget the cost!
The incomparably brilliant [Honkai Roar Cannon] shot straight towards the red light in the sky!
SHWAAAA— —!!!
BOOM!!!!
"No Honkai energy reaction."
"An aura I've never seen before, yet so volatile."
"Qianjie."
"..."
"A Herrscher reaction very similar to 'Infinity.' The Key of God... Black Abyss White Flower."
"Elysia."
"..."
"Oh?"
"These two..."
"Griseo... the other one must be Kosma."
"To think Sheshe actually didn't run. How rare of it."
"..."
"So faint. Not worth my attention."
"..."
"Kevin!"
That was the aura!
That was the moment!
The instant he sensed Kevin's whereabouts, the center of Australia was wracked by a violent tremor. The energy tide from the Great Rift, which had been perfectly calm, began to surge out frantically!
Lu Xing was no longer suppressing the flow of energy from the Great Rift. Or rather, he could no longer continue to suppress this vast ocean of Honkai energy. The black crystals covering the entire rift all converged madly toward a single point.
The thirty-two Space-Time Crystals, like stars paying homage to the moon, returned to their place of origin!
Crack!
CRACK!!
As the crystals continued to gather and combine, every Honkai Beast within the legion's domain instinctively lowered its body.
"Wha..."
"What's happening!?"
The Loli Demon God and her troupe could only stare, dumbfounded, at the immense transformation of the Honkai energy and the legion.
The next moment—
His might, as deep as an abyss!
His presence, as inescapable as a prison!
The Pitch-Black Emperor, for the first time before its entire legion, revealed its magnificent, true form!
"Cheche."
His Super Perception, focused into a single line, crossed oceans and continents, locking onto the distant aura of his "avatar."
Vmm!
A Space-Time Gate silently opened, and the Emperor's body vanished within.
"My side of things..."
"Will be done soon."