High above the clouds, fragmented bolts of lightning flickered and danced within the storm.
The shrill wail of air raid sirens pierced the sky, rain and wind howling like a tidal wave.
It felt as though thousands of restless spirits were shrieking in agony above, unleashing a mournful wail of chaos and despair.
What was once a quiet city was now ablaze in an instant.
Flames surged skyward, as if spectral claws were tearing the heavens apart.
A crack of thunder illuminated the devastated city below.
Explosions roared like the wrath of gods, endless shockwaves rippling through streets that had only recently bustled with life.
It looked like hell had burst through to the surface.
The whole city was consumed by a sea of fire.
Towers of flame rose into the sky, darkening the horizon.
Nagami could feel the rising heat radiating from the chaos below.
"So this is... Honkai."
Hovering midair in her sleek black-and-blue heels, C.C. observed the burning city with solemn intensity.
Though she'd once lived a life more focused on acrobatic cleaning than battle, Mihoyo had never really shown what a full-blown Honkai eruption looked like from a civilian's point of view.
She had stopped the Third Eruption before it happened.
Only now, in this moment, did she truly grasp what the Honkai meant for this world.
Coastal cities were usually the heart of commerce, pulsing with life and connection.
But with the Honkai's arrival, that prosperity vanished like smoke.
Now...
The burning streets were overrun by swarms of Honkai beasts and undead soldiers—an unstoppable tide of destruction.
Gigantic Honkai beasts crushed steel buildings with the weight of their steps, their movements tearing through the city like glass under pressure.
The undead, deceptively elegant, wielded cold weapons that gleamed with deadly light.
They struck with mechanical precision, eyes void of mercy.
The purple-black Honkai particles in the air had thinned, but to humans, it made little difference.
Anyone even slightly injured and exposed to these lingering traces would soon be corrupted—transformed into another undead soldier in the Honkai's relentless army.
"This... is the Honkai."
Fu Hua's voice trembled with uncharacteristic weight.
At some point, both of her fists had clenched tight.
Veins bulged beneath her skin, the tension of restraint trembling in her arms.
C.C. could feel her shaking in her embrace.
"Our battlefield isn't here."
C.C. tightened her arms gently and shifted her gaze toward the glowing flares dotting the sky—like fireflies burning against the night.
"Let them handle this."
From the oppressive storm clouds above, roaring wind and energy surged forth. Massive searchlights cut through the gloom, illuminating the city below in sharp relief.
Schicksal warships.
"Coordinates reached. Deploying Valkyrie units. Priority: rescue surviving civilians."
With the cold efficiency of machinery, shadows dropped from hundreds of meters above, landing with practiced grace. Each one was equipped in standard-issue armor, moving with trained, synchronized precision—true professionals.
"Even with Otto in serious mode, all he can do is reduce the damage. No one can save everyone."
Nagami, now out of supersonic speed, let out a soft sigh.
"The epicenter of this eruption is on Xuanyuan Island, a distance from the mainland. This should just be the outer edge of the Honkai zone... and it's already this bad?"
"C.C.! We have to go! We cannot let Chiyou reach Shenzhou!"
Fu Hua's hand landed on her shoulder, her expression turning grim.
"I know!"
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In a void of deep darkness, the only light came from the soft glow of a floating holographic display.
A tall, graceful figure sat before it, her slender fingers tapping furiously at a virtual keyboard.
Her Anubis mask concealed her face, but there was no arrogance in her gaze—only focused attention locked on the data unfolding in front of her.
On the left screen: a hooded figure dressed in black, his face hidden beneath a white mask that revealed only his right eye—an artificial eye glowing ominously red.
On the right: another figure shrouded in shadow, cloaked entirely in gray.
Her outfit was adorned with belts, the skintight suit outlining her striking silhouette.
Black feathers decorated her shoulder, and her sleeves tapered into wing-like cuffs. Beneath her hood, a faint shimmer of sakura-pink irises could be seen.
They were World Serpent's elites: Jackal, Grey Serpent, and Raven.
To outsiders, those names might sound like a zoo roster.
But to those who knew the truth—they were the storm-bringers of the world.
The silence between them stretched long and heavy, tension thickening like mist.
An eerie unease crept into the stillness.
"So... what's the situation?"
As a mercenary, Raven wasn't interested in World Serpent's grand philosophies.
She wasn't like Grey Serpent, a zealot devoted to the Sovereign, or Jackal, a mad scientist obsessed with human experimentation.
She just did her job.
Grey Serpent and Jackal exchanged a glance.
The mood turned faintly awkward.
Although their Sovereign had yet to return from the Sea of Quanta, it was best to prepare ahead.
Long ago, World Serpent had set its sights on Xuanyuan Island, buried in the East China Sea—the prison of Chiyou, an ancient Judgment-class Honkai beast sealed away for thousands of years.
Even if Kevin returned from the quantum abyss, he'd be weakened—crippled, even.
Maybe not as badly as Fu Hua had been, but close.
He would need time to recover before returning to his full strength.
But if they had a Judgment-class Honkai beast—one that had accumulated millennia of energy—it would be like a power drink straight to the soul.
Instant recharge.
Or like chomping down a Snickers bar after starving—you'd pop right back to full health.
Maybe with some bonus buffs too.
Chiyou, long sealed and weakened, was the perfect power-up for their Sovereign.
World Serpent didn't care about Shenzhou's heritage.
If they had to break in, they would.
They'd already been working in secret to weaken Chiyou's seal, preparing for the moment their Sovereign returned.
All they needed to do was break the final chains.
He would absorb the Honkai energy—and return stronger than ever.
But none of them had anticipated the Fourth Eruption—at the wrong time, in the wrong place.
Though World Serpent lived in the shadows, their intel network rivaled any global power.
Not to mention, one of Jackal's Walter clones had died during the Nagazora incident—killed by C.C. herself.
They knew about the aborted Third Eruption, two mysterious individuals had stopped it from fully breaking out.
That was already shocking enough.
Now, the Fourth Eruption had unmistakably occurred—marked by the birth of the Third Herrscher: the Herrscher of Thunder.
That meant the Fourth Eruption was real.
But no one expected it to come so soon after the last one.
Just look at the gaps between the First, Second, and Third Eruptions—decades apart!
And now?
The Fourth had hit—and right on Xuanyuan Island, where Chiyou was sealed.
"Our plan is completely ruined…"
Grey Serpent's electronic voice buzzed through the silence, his gaze shifting between his companions.
"The team we sent to monitor Chiyou was completely wiped out."
They'd been at ground zero when the eruption broke the seal.
Surviving that would be a fantasy—unless you became a Herrscher.
"And..."
Grey Serpent paused.
He didn't finish the thought—but Jackal and Raven both understood.
Spy reports and satellite footage confirmed what they feared.
Even Grey Serpent, loyal to Kevin to the core, could no longer pretend.
That thing—the colossal Honkai beast towering over the island, radiating power enough to shake the heavens—was beyond reason.
No one was sending Kevin into that mess in his current state.
What if it went the other way?
What if Kevin that's fragile and still recovering—got absorbed instead?
The image alone was enough to send chills down Jackal and Raven's spines.
They visibly shuddered.
After a long silence, all three of them let out a collective sigh.
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