"I did not, in fact, stop the Herrscher of Erosion's actions ahead of time."
"But the reason remains the same."
"Whether proactively or reactively, the impact on the next Herrscher to appear is completely different. If you don't want a Herrscher of Finality to emerge that even I have no confidence in defeating, then waiting for the other party to make the first move is the wisest choice."
"Massive casualties versus total annihilation. You should all be able to weigh the difference."
"And..."
Lu Xing's gaze turned towards the sky above.
At the same time, the starry sky projected before the Flame-Chasers began to change. The eighteen [Weapon God] railguns started undergoing a visible alteration—to be precise, a visible calibration.
"You don't have much time left to hesitate."
"The Herrscher of Erosion doesn't seem to be very patient. Cutting off its 'camera' has accelerated its pace... Of course, it's also possible that it was waiting for this very moment. To wipe out both me and the Flame-Chasers in one fell swoop—isn't that simpler than being distracted and laboriously dealing with two opponents?"
Dr. Mei and Vill-V exchanged a glance.
Without the aid of any tools, the Great Mechanic calculated the time needed for the [Weapon God] railguns to lock onto their target with just her eyes. There was no need to calculate the charging time; the light that began to glow in the center of the eighteen Divine Machines was proof enough of its intent to attack.
"The time required for all [Weapon God] railguns to turn, lock on, and fire—"
"87 seconds."
"..."
"To be precise," Lu Xing interjected, "you have 79 seconds left to make a decision."
"Will you be finished off here by your own creation, perishing along with all of human civilization? Or will you choose to fulfill your promise, submit to me, and become a member of the legion?"
The power of the Weapon God railgun.
Whether it was Dr. Mei who created it or the others present, they were all very clear on its destructive capability. A force that could eliminate thirty percent of the Black Emperor's energy... if it were to strike the ground... the number of humans left alive at the scene would likely be two, or maybe two and a half.
Just as everyone stared at each other, none willing, or rather, able to take the initiative to speak—
"We fight."
"The battle, and the many sacrifices made, were all for the continuation of human civilization."
No one could have imagined that the first Fusion Warrior to speak would be Kevin, who had remained utterly silent since the Black Emperor's appearance.
"For this goal—"
Kevin's incomparably sharp gaze gradually softened as he looked at Dr. Mei.
Since Elysia had entrusted the 'Salvation' sigil to him, then Kevin, as the first among the Thirteen Flame-Chasing Heroes, had reason to make the decision for everyone... No, it was to shoulder this heavy burden, and the infamy that came with it, for Dr. Mei.
"I am willing to... to my former enemy..."
"Bow my head in submission and swear my allegiance."
"..."
"It seems," Lu Xing said, glancing around at the expressions of the Flame-Chasers, "that no one objects to Kevin's decision."
Sakura did not object because of Rin. Kalpas, who saw Sakura as his "one and only designated friend," thus lost half his reason to refuse, and the other half was constrained by Aponia's condition. The two people who influenced Kosma's entire life, Kevin and Hen (Griseo's stance), had not refuted the statement, so anything he said would be overstepping his bounds.
Thus—
"Very good."
Swoosh!
An invisible mental wave swept over everyone.
Fourteen white points of light appeared in Lu Xing's mental world. At the center of this galaxy-like spiritual realm was the gold-red sun that represented his ego. Around it were twelve blue points of light representing his [Retainers]. Further out, a vast number of green points of light represented the myriad Honkai Beasts existing on this planet.
On the outer edge of this light-green ocean, the white points of light symbolizing the Thirteen Flame-Chasing Heroes and Dr. Mei slowly materialized.
Subordinate, but without a shred of faith.
It didn't matter. Lu Xing hadn't expected them to believe in him anyway. As long as they chose to submit on the surface, it was enough...
...regardless of the emotions and thoughts they harbored.
"Then now."
Zing!
Lu Xing's body dissolved into an ocean of light, instantly vanishing before the eyes of the Flame-Chasers. In his place, appearing directly above the base, was the towering and solemn, giant form of the Monarch.
"Playtime is over."
"VMMMMM!!!"
---o---
Light illuminated the deep void of space.
A blazing white light of annihilation descended from the heavens. Three [Weapon God] railguns simultaneously opened fire on the Fire Moth base!
The ultimate form of Honkai energy became pillars of light, carving a wide channel through the atmosphere and heading straight for—
"BWOOM!!!"
The Monarch raised his right arm.
At the top of the sky-propping pillar was a chaotic, boundless, pitch-black vortex.
[Phase Shift] combined with [Mimic Black Hole]. This was an unbreachable chasm from which not even light could escape. No matter the form of energy attack, it was impossible to break through this unyielding defense before the energy sustaining the black hole dissipated.
Likewise, the Honkai energy required to maintain this move was enough to instantly drain a Judgment-class Honkai Beast at full strength.
Although it also possessed the power to destroy a civilization, it had to be said that the Herrscher of Erosion's first strike could only be considered a probe... merely a means to verify the Monarch's Honkai energy reserves.
Compared to a direct hit, the energy the Monarch consumed by using the dual-Authority combination to neutralize the [Weapon God] bombardment was about half—the 15% Honkai energy consumption could have been even lower, but if he didn't completely nullify the orbital strike, there was no telling what the overflowing energy would do to the Earth's surface.
Since this house was now his, he certainly couldn't let termites wreak havoc as they pleased.
And just as the intersecting black and white colors dissipated in the sky—
"VMMMM!!!!"
The second strike.
But this time, a full ten [Weapon God] railguns opened fire at once!
"A wise move."
The dual-Authority combination was not some common trick. The move just now seemed simple, but its actual effect was no less complex than scouring the planet's surface.
Simultaneously calculating the Monarch's Honkai energy reserves, the Herrscher of Erosion directly mobilized ten [Weapon God] railguns for a simultaneous attack.
It was obvious.
For this second strike, which came less than half a second after the first, if the Monarch wanted to intercept it completely, he certainly couldn't use the same move as before. The [Stellar Ring], his strongest defensive measure, had to be used at a time like this.
The Herrscher of Erosion had calculated as such, and the Monarch did indeed act accordingly.
Within his wide palm, the light of myriad stars converged into a flowing river, surging endlessly along a nearly perfect circle.
"CLANG!!!!"
An infinite torrent of light fell from the sky, and in the next instant, it was completely annihilated within the center of the brilliant [Stellar Ring].