Chapter 303

It was a very serious wound, a deep cut that extended from the left shoulder to the right abdomen, exposing the bone.

The immense trauma and blood loss had left Kiana pale and her breathing weak. She was on the verge of death.

"We can only do basic bandaging here." Cecilia looked frighteningly calm.

She treated Kiana's injuries while talking.

"Mom?" "Doctor?" "Mom?"

Cecilia's calmness made K423, Wendy, Mei, and Bronya feel an eerie sense of danger. They understood and comforted Cecilia's sadness and grief. They were also anxious about Kiana's severe injuries, hoping for a swift recovery and for everything to go smoothly.

Cecilia was calm, as if she were completely detached from the situation.

Using a portable medical kit to treat Kiana's wounds can only delay the further deterioration of the injury; a complete cure requires professional medical facilities.

"Let's go to the hospital," Cecilia said, picking up Kiana. "I remember there's a large hospital nearby."

"A hospital?" Wendy said, "There probably aren't any doctors left in the hospital now, and even if there were, they might not be able to withstand the Honkai Energy. And the city's power supply seems to be completely paralyzed..."

"You're right," Cecilia said. "But large hospitals usually have backup emergency power supplies, which should be enough for a surgery. As for the doctors..."

"I am a doctor."

With the strength of the Soul of the Underworld, he was more than capable of dealing with such injuries.

"Let's go!"

Every second counts; every minute increases the chances of survival. Cecilia wasn't very familiar with the area, but she had noted the hospital's location on the map.

The journey to the hospital went smoothly. Mei and the others were prepared for battle, but they found that not a single Honkai Beast stood in their way. Even inside the hospital, there wasn't a single Honkai Beast. This left the group, who had expected a fierce fight, somewhat bewildered.

Where are the Honkai Beast? Such a huge bunch of Honkai Beast, where did they all go?

"I'll go turn on the backup power."

There was no battle as expected. Seeing Cecilia carrying Kiana and rushing into the operating room, Wendy instinctively decided to do something else to help, to show that she was still useful. Besides, she was indirectly responsible for Kiana's injury. She felt bad about just waiting there like an idiot.

"All the electrical facilities here are now powered up," Bronya said. "It's as if someone had already set it up for us."

The power was on, and the operating room seemed to be ready, with all the medical equipment gathered together.

"Are there medical staff here?" K423 exclaimed in surprise. "That's incredible."

"Impossible!" Mei shook her head and said, "Doctors and nurses who are ordinary people could not possibly withstand this level of Honkai."

Medical staff were neither the first nor the last to leave Changkong City.

Even if some people remained, they evacuated before the complete Honkai occurred. Those who didn't have time to evacuate certainly couldn't stay here.

"Who could that be?" Wendy couldn't figure it out.

If everyone has already left and there's no one here, then who is it that prepared all this for them? It's as if they were waiting specifically for their arrival.

"Look!" K423 seemed to have discovered something. She stood in front of the corridor window and pointed outside, saying, "Look over there, there are a lot of Honkai Beast!"

K423's voice made Mei and the others tense up.

Is this a trap? Did the Honkai Beast deliberately lure them here and then surround them?

The group ran to the window and looked out. Sure enough, just a short distance away, about the width of a road, the Honkai Beast had arrived! And there were quite a few of them.

Among them are some Honkai Beast that look very powerful.

The group gripped their weapons tightly; the operating room was right behind them. There was no way to retreat now; holding this place meant holding Kiana and her mother.

Bronya and the others were prepared for a fierce battle. They saw the Honkai Beast, and the Honkai Beast saw them too.

A major war seems inevitable.

Can...

But things didn't seem to go as they had expected; the road surrounding the hospital seemed to have become an insurmountable barrier.

Although the Honkai Beast gathered on the other side of the road were numerous, they didn't move an inch on the road, not even stepping over the curb. What Bronya and the others found even more unbelievable was that those Honkai Beast seemed... seemingly without any hostility.

They simply gathered on the other side of the road, exchanged glances with Bronya and the others, as if to say, 'We've confirmed they're people who need protection,' and then dispersed.

Protect?

This left Bronya and the others somewhat puzzled; why did they have this feeling?

Because the Honkai Beast seem to be genuinely protecting them! Ranger-class Ranger Honkai Evolved and Ballista-class Honkai Beast, which are capable of ranged attacks, occupy the high ground on the other side of the road. Melee-class Guard Honkai Evolved and Chariot-class Honkai Beast block the road. Assault-class Honkai Beast patrol the sky, while Knight-class Honkai Beast serve as mobile forces on the ground.

Are these the same Honkai Beast they've seen before? A chaotic, huddled mass, barely distinguishing friend from foe. Are these Honkai Beast whose area-of-effect attacks kill more of their own kind than the enemy?

The Honkai Beast are now completely organized and have a clear division of labor. Ranged attacks, melee combat, support – every Honkai Beast seems to know its place perfectly. They have completely transformed from a disorganized mob into a disciplined army! How did this happen?

The group looked at each other, completely bewildered, unsure of what to do next.

"What... what exactly is going on?" Wendy asked cautiously. "Could it be... could it be that Herrscher has appeared?"

Herrscher

The bad feeling in their hearts intensified.

Herrscher are the ultimate manifestation of Honkai, capable of controlling and manipulating the existence of Honkai Beast. When Herrscher appears in a certain area, the Honkai Beast in that area will obey the Herrscher's control and be absolutely obedient to the Herrscher's commands.

So, has Herrscher appeared here? If so, who is this Herrscher? Why is she protecting herself?

Why should we protect this hospital?

Why? The answer was almost obvious, but no one said it. They all turned to look at the brightly lit operating room.

Herrscher...

Right here?!

Chapter 330 She's Here

"They're coming!" Otto on Hyperion had been keeping a close eye on the movements of the entire Changkong City.

The blood mist shrouding Changkong City began to thin, and the Changkong City gradually became clearer. The tall buildings, like the tips of lotus leaves emerging from the water, seemed to foreshadow something.

What does this foreshadow?

Otto knew very well what this was foreshadowing; the dissipation of the blood mist had two interpretations.

The first reason is the Honkai of artificially created Honkai. Since this is artificially generated Honkai, it is inferior to naturally occurring Honkai in both destructive power and durability. Its current fading is a normal occurrence.

The second scenario represents what is considered the most dangerous situation by ordinary people and conventional thinking.

Herrscher is born!

Which scenario will ultimately unfold? Otto couldn't be certain that everything would go according to plan. As the saying goes, man proposes, God disposes. Even if he had considered all the variables, fate might play a cruel joke, introducing an unexpected mistake that could render all his efforts futile. Will it turn out this way now?

Is this artificial Honkai really as I thought?

"Rita!" Otto finally made up his mind.

"Yes." Rita appeared beside Otto in response and said, "Major Himeko has already gone to Changkong City. According to the current situation, communications will be restored in another hour, and Major Himeko should send back a message. Siegfried Kaslana also went to Changkong City shortly after Major Himeko's operation."

Himeko entered Changkong City shortly after the Honkai of the Changkong City, Siegfried followed closely behind, though a little later.

However, due to the obstruction of the blood mist, no one knows what exactly happened inside. Judging from the current situation, it's estimated that communication will be restored within an hour at the earliest. At that time, we will be able to obtain specific information about the situation in Changkong City after the Honkai.

"Did Siegfried go too?" Otto muttered to himself. "No, we still don't have enough people."

"Order Durandal... Hmm, Durandal out." Otto commanded. "The rest of the Blade of Unending squad, prepare to provide support, and so do you. If the worst-case scenario occurs, be ready to move out at any time."

"Did Lord Otto almost say something inappropriate?" Rita glanced at Otto and said, "Yes, I know."

Having received the order, Rita quickly found Durandal in the preparation room, ready to strike at any moment, and said, "Lord Otto has ordered you to strike immediately. The rest of you are on standby with me, ready to support you at any time."

"Huh? Lord Otto seems quite nervous," Durandal said. "If I go in, there will already be at least two Valkyrie squads in Changkong City, plus Himeko and Siegfried, and that eccentric Li Pu. What could possibly happen with so many people there? Isn't Lord Otto overthinking this?"

"Captain Durandal, are you going to question Lord Otto's orders?" Rita asked, feigning seriousness.

"Of course not~" Durandal didn't seem scared at all. She even seemed not to care much about the matter. "I just don't understand. This was just a man-made Honkai. The range and duration were very short. Theoretically speaking, it's impossible for any high-level Honkai Beast to be born here."

"Hmm..." Durandal thought for a moment and said, "Although the Blade of Unending Squad will not question Lord Otto's orders."

"But..." Durandal glanced at the other team members and said, "We should at least know our mission objectives, right? What if it's something like capturing Lord Otto's old flame... then we can know how to deal with it."

"Oh! That's incredible." Rita said incredulously upon hearing Durandal's words, "Durandal would never have thought of that. Who are you? How dare you impersonate Durandal here? Let Rita check if you are the real Durandal."

As she spoke, Rita prepared to get started.

"Slap~" Durandal slapped away Rita's seemingly restless hand and said, "Rita, it's not a good thing to flirt with your boss in public. Although you are now Lord Otto's assistant and second-in-command, you are still a member of our Blade of Unending team."

"And~" Durandal said cautiously, "I've already made a mistake on this once. Luckily I ran away quickly last time, or I might have been in serious trouble."

Even Silly Goose shouldn't trip over the same stone twice.

"Alright, Captain." Rita said seriously again, "If there's nothing wrong, then of course there's nothing wrong, and your going would be superfluous. Those Honkai Beast born from this artificial Honkai are not worth your time to deal with."

"But," Rita lowered her voice slightly, speaking in a tone barely audible to Durandal and herself, "Herrscher."

"Oh~" Durandal seemed to understand and said, "That is indeed very important."

"Herrscher... um..."

"Herrscher?" Durandal exclaimed incredulously, as if she had just realized what was Honkai. "Herrscher could be produced from this level of Honkai? Seriously, Lord Otto is dreaming, isn't he? How could Herrscher Honkai be produced from this level of Honkai?"

Throughout history, which Herrscher's arrival hasn't caused a global Great Honkai? And which time hasn't humanity paid a heavy price just to barely defeat the Herrscher and achieve victory?

Durandal didn't want to make any sarcastic remarks. Although this Honkai was indeed a huge burden for Changkong City and those affected, it paled in comparison to the entirety of human history, even the most recent Second Honkai in Siberia was insignificant! The Honkai that swept through Siberia and nearly engulfed the entirety of Asia required a global Honkai to quell it.

The story finally came to an end after the sacrifice of the most powerful Schicksal Witch at the time.

And this time, the Honkai...

Compared to the Second Honkai, this is utterly insignificant! This is utterly absurd, like "You dare call yourself Honkai?" or "You dare give birth to Herrscher?" This is it? This is just a training ground for those new Valkyrie to level up.

Is this how Herrscher can be created?

"I don't believe it!" Durandal's face clearly showed her disbelief.

"Don't disbelieve me," Rita said. "In Changkong City, Lord Otto left one of the most unpredictable people there. Captain Durandal, if you underestimate him..."

"We might suffer a great loss."

"Most uncertain..." Durandal pondered these four words for a moment, then said, "That's outrageous..."

"Lord Otto's plan is indeed quite outrageous," Rita said. "Herrscher with a human heart—that's Lord Otto's goal."

"So..." Durandal finally understood and said, "Lord Otto did this on purpose? Was this Honkai also orchestrated by Lord Otto?"

"Actually, to be more precise," Rita said, "Lord Otto is just fanning the flames and using them to accomplish his own plans."

Otto did nothing at all. He could have done something to stop the artificial Honkai. But he didn't, and instead, he planned to use the artificial Honkai to complete his own project, even though it was just an experiment and not yet a fully formal plan.

But that's probably Otto for you—everything is for defeating the Honkai.

"Is it worth it?" Durandal countered. "Is it worth it for Lord Otto to do this? What if, contrary to Lord Otto's predictions, some kind of... well... Herrscher with a human heart or something..."

"That's why the captain has to go first," Rita said. "If things go well, then Lord Otto will get what he wants; if things go badly, then things will go badly; if nothing goes wrong, then nothing goes wrong."

"What you said is like a revelation." Durandal shrugged and said, "I know, it's probably just to clean up Lord Otto."

"Hmm~ Lord Otto really is a handful."

'You are also...' Rita thought to herself, 'I have a feeling that if Lord Otto lets you in, you'll definitely cause trouble.'

"Let's go! Durandal, attack!"

As the mist gradually dissipated, Bronya and the others in the hospital noticed the changes. It seemed that everything was over. However, the orderly advances and retreats of the Honkai Beast before them made it difficult for them to relax.

"Something feels off," Wendy said. "We... could we really have encountered Herrscher? Where? Can Herrscher be born like this?"

"I think..." Mei hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "Perhaps we can ask someone with this kind of experience."

"Who?" Wendy asked immediately. "Besides the Doctor, surely no one else has experience with this kind of thing?"

"No..." Mei said with determination, "Actually, she still has it."

"Who..." Wendy hadn't finished speaking when she noticed Mei had changed. Her previously dark purple hair had suddenly transformed into pink hair...

"Donkey Miko?" Wendy blurted out almost immediately.

"I think I heard something rather impolite when I came out," the fox-eared Miko said, lightly placing one hand on her katana. "It really wasn't a pleasant meeting."

Wendy chose to keep quiet. Hmm, this strange guy who was transformed from Mei didn't seem very easy to talk to.

Even though Mei is usually very gentle, she has this side to her.

So she really is the Doctor's biological daughter? She can even transform...