Quelling the Chaos (cont.)

Moreover, even if their own Highlord were here, he wouldn't force anything—after all, Cocoilia had contributed 90% of her strength to capture the Herrscher of Dominion completely.

He was just a heartless messenger.

"Please be careful on the road. It probably won't be long before the other Herrscher realize what's going on."

After all, this incident caused quite a stir.

Especially that dazzling slash from the Raiden Ei, even if the Herrscher of Dominion is slow to react, they should gradually realize what's happening.

Regarding this matter, Gray Serpent could not offer any help, as his individual strength was not among the top.

"Don't worry, it's a minor issue," Cocoilia chuckled. "Besides, Miss Acheron is here to cover for us, isn't she?"

Acheron is currently atop the tallest building in the entire Celestial Vault City, overlooking the entire Sky Dome Zone. He can see any major disturbances he makes—of course, he won't get involved in minor Acheron.

"Then I wish you a safe journey."

"Vice Captain! That last stab..."

The fully armed Valkyries stared blankly at the dazzling lightning that had just streaked across the sky.

This scene... they felt like their textbooks had mentioned it somewhere.

That's... a knife, isn't it?

They were seasoned veterans, and although they couldn't see exactly what happened, their ever-vigilant intuition told them that it was a stab wound.

Yes, an intuition mixed with emotions such as fear and awe.

"It was just a flash of lightning."

Rita calmly shifted her gaze back.

"There was no knife; perhaps it was just a bolt of lightning that struck a tree."

God... that slash was even more exaggerated than I imagined.

Even Rita felt the "majestic power of heaven and earth" in that slash.

(Is he the 'most magnificent and terrifying incarnation of thunder' in the myths passed down orally in the Far East?... He truly lives up to his reputation.)

No matter what, combining natural power with one's own formidable strength is just too unfair.

"Vice Captain! Honkai energy reactions have begun to appear in the Sky Dome Zone!"

"I'm monitoring most of the Sky Dome Zone," said Alvitte, sounding somewhat nervous.

Thanks to this collaboration, the Undying Blade has now obtained most of the Sky Dome Zone's monitoring and information access from the Gray Serpent.

"Magnitude?"

"Low... but there are quite a few ordinary people!"

"Then it's our turn to take action."

Rita opened the door.

"Everyone! Form groups of three! Knock out as many innocent civilians as possible. If you encounter Herrscher, immediately request assistance! The senior members of the Stormtroopers and the patrol mechs of the Sky Dome Zone will also help!"

"Yes!"

The Undying Blade acted swiftly.

Ragna's Stormtroopers were also on the move.

However, the number of members and the direction of development of the Stormtroopers are not suitable for this kind of riot control work; they are really suited for breaking through enemy lines and attacking strongholds.

They are only responsible if something serious happens.

As for the patrol mechs... those powerful mechs can block out a lot of innocent people incited by the Herrscher of Dominion just by blocking the intersection with their size.

Moreover, they can also carry riot control munitions such as tear gas.

... Speaking of which, Rita only recently learned that the patrol mechs here had also been controlled by World Serpent.

Well, for the Gray Serpent, it would be a shame not to smear something that's right on its doorstep...

However, these things were originally Schicksal's mechs, which can be considered a kind of security commercial product?

Therefore, the mechs helping is just a small matter for the Valkyries.

"Hmph... Liu Bai has really stirred up a big mess."

Ragna and his Stormtroopers were no longer as carefree as usual, leaning heavily on their greatswords.

"You really can't underestimate young people. Are you ready? This time, the enemy is Herrscher!"

"... How are the various districts in the Sky Dome Zone doing now?"

"They have basically succeeded in inciting the humans, but then mechs blocked their way and Valkyries intervened."

The Herrscher of Dominion, gathered together, did not look too pleased.

If they are still mentally sound, they will realize that they have been tricked.

Five or six mechs blocked the crowd—a suicide attack? How could it be a suicide attack?

Even if everyone lined up and tried to crash into it, it would still take a long time!

Then let those humans kill each other?

The Herrscher of Dominion discussed and came up with a rather ruthless decision online.

High-intensity infighting occurs in certain areas to divert attention from others!

However, the next reaction to the latest situation took them by surprise.

"... Were they carrying riot control weapons?"

Tear gas and potent hypnotic drugs.

Both the Sky Guardians and the Valkyries were very decisive in suppressing the riots; they would control them if they could, and if they couldn't, they would use riot control measures.

Even if a few slip through, the Sky Guardians can still shoot out their nets, while the Valkyries are even more swift and decisive in knocking them unconscious.

"... Completely outmaneuvered?" The voices of the Herrscher of Dominion present wavered. "No, neither the Sky Guardians nor the Valkyries are enough to suppress the entire Sky Dome Zone!"

The Sky Dome Zone is very large, with a total population of nearly 30 million, including the main urban area and twenty or thirty surrounding sub-districts.

Yes, it is undoubtedly a giant city, so giant that it has no boundaries.

Therefore, the occasional "gas explosions" in the Sky Dome Zone were all suppressed—the Chamber of Commerce and the World Serpent have much more power than they seem.

The Herrscher of Dominion didn't split her bets wasn't because she had no sense of crisis, but rather because it was more practical and unnecessary. Even if she had a full complement of just over a thousand people, throwing them into a megacity of thirty million people would make no difference—of course, the Gray Serpent did subtly obstruct her a couple of times.

"... But we can't incite everyone."

The Herrscher of Dominion next to him seemed slightly more rational.

Yes, that's about it. Even if you include the mechs and Valkyries, it's only a few figures. The entire Sky Dome region has an eight-figure population. If all of these people riot, let alone throwing those Valkyries and mechs in, they wouldn't even make a splash. They might even drown the Valkyries who oppose them in "public opinion."

But the problem is, they don't actually control that many people!

If they truly controlled so many people, they wouldn't be acting like rats here; why wouldn't they just stand up and fight? With 30 million people under their control, not only the Sky Dome Zone, but the entire Shenzhou, and even the world, would tremble.

Their incitement is simply not enough to control so many people!

The normal approach would be to incite a group of people to riot, then let the negative emotions spread from person to person, slowly snowballing, and then use those negative emotions to let the Honkai infect this group...

You can even distribute some of the core components within it.

But... talking about this kind of strategy now is completely useless! The snowball will be nipped in the bud before it even gets going!

"That means it's still not chaotic enough. Let us join the fray and secretly create some Honkai Beasts."

"... The theater cannot be opened."

The Herrscher of Dominion beside them spoke in a serious tone; as people who indulged in dark pleasures, none of them wanted to laugh right now.

Being targeted by that woman who can unleash blood-red sword light is no laughing matter.

They now likely know who is behind the attacks on them from other places.

—Of everyone, apart from Cocoilia and Raiden Ei, no one successfully achieved a one-hit kill outside of their field of vision.

Of course, if it's just a matter of instant kill, both Yae Miko and Yelan succeeded.

It took Chiyo and the others some time to corner the Herrscher of Dominion of Miyuki Chiyo in the alley and kill him.

Therefore, the Herrscher of Dominion has enough information.

There is currently no sign of the woman who terrified them making a move.

... Given their current predicament, they dared not gamble that the woman wouldn't show up.

And the more direct realization is... that things are beyond repair.

At least four cores have fallen into enemy hands, and the fate of one person is unknown. This is a serious problem.

At this point, they had no choice but to relocate—even if it meant sacrificing some of their "self."

Otherwise, if the other party tries to track you back, you definitely won't be able to escape if you're in the same city!

Finding a needle in a haystack among 30 million people is difficult, but if you know where the needle is, it's not difficult at all!

"I understand. We can't let our guard down until that woman shows up."

No one disagreed with the rule that theaters couldn't be opened.

The fear of the flashing blades was still etched in their hearts—and they couldn't think of any way to break free except through luck.

"Hmm... it's even more chaotic now."

Tesla looked at the chaotic city and sighed in annoyance.

"Ah, it's just like a boiling kettle—full to the brim."

"But there's order amidst the chaos." Himeko casually observed the chaos in the city. "Even if the Herrscher deliberately started the fire, it didn't spread... Hmph, they've been forced into this situation. As expected, my judgment is exceptionally good, isn't it?"

"I feel like Himeko, your narcissism has truly captured the essence of Einstein's philosophy."

Tesla glanced at Himeko.

Although Himeko wasn't exactly her student, they actually had a pretty good relationship.

After all, only Gundams in the starry sky are called Gundams... well, so the two of them have quite a lot in common.

"But it seems we need to be wary of the Herrscher resorting to desperate measures, right?"

Tesla revealed a hint of eagerness in his eyes.

Although she had previously felt that her restraints might be slightly inadequate, here... especially knowing that the other party was not the violent type of Herrscher, Tesla's experimental desires had reached their peak.

"That's right, we have to lend a hand. After all, we can't just keep watching like this; it's getting so lively..."

Himeko snapped her fingers lightly, and a screen of light appeared in front of Himeko.

"Mei, Seele, you two, prepare to lead the mech unit to assist in the riot control efforts—oh, remember to connect with Schicksal first, otherwise there might be Valkyries reacting."

Anti-Entropy's mech forces here have suffered no losses.

Since the failed attempt to capture Liu Bai, the mecha unit has been in a state of complete silence.

Now... it's time for them to move.

Come on, let's put our last chip on this battlefield.

Although it's just icing on the cake, it's enough.

"Yes, yes, yes, Himeko- nee."

The purple-haired girl looked helpless.

"In the end, why did I come here with Dr. Tesla?"

"... You think I wanted you, you brat, to come here?" Tesla scoffed. "It's just that we couldn't find anyone else."

"Uh-huh..."

Mei seemed too lazy to argue—after all, Tesla was arrogant, but not sassy.

And it's the kind of treatment that's only good for children.