A Dilemma of Choice

Vesitan Region, Center of Divine Blessing Barrier.

"Is this the center of the Divine Blessing Barrier...? Sure enough, here, the Divine Blessing Barrier's suppression of energy has reached the same level as in my previous life. The Herrscher of Binding should be here." Zhu Yufeng said, looking around.

"But there's nothing here..." Pardo looked left and right, but there was no sign of life in the ruins.

"Indeed, Beifengge's mental perception didn't detect any trace of the Herrscher's fluctuations." Su's voice rang out. In the previous life, it was Beifengge's mental perception that locked onto Michael's location. But this time, even with the scope narrowed, even Beifengge couldn't find the Herrscher of Binding's location?

"Is it possible that this Herrscher of Binding has evolved some kind of power similar to stealth?" Lilith asked.

Elysia and Zhu Yufeng looked at Lilith, knowing that Lilith had absorbed the powers of the Eighth Herrscher. Lilith simply crossed her arms and said, "Because I didn't find any trace of her consciousness. Unless this Herrscher of Binding has no consciousness and doesn't possess the basic life conditions, the only explanation is that she has evolved the ability to conceal herself."

"Are you sure your special ability hasn't been suppressed or affected by the Divine Blessing Barrier?" Zhu Yufeng asked.

Mostima and Pardo cast questioning glances at Lilith. In their previous lives, neither of them had ever heard of Lilith's special abilities including thought perception. However, this special ability was generally not very useful, Astaroth and Griseo also had thought perception abilities. This ability was indeed somewhat dispensable for Lilith.

It's understandable that they didn't know...

"Perhaps," Lilith shrugged. "But I think you're the one being targeted the most. You've always been the one under the special care of the Divine Blessing Barrier, and besides, we're now in the area where the Herrscher might exist. Even if my abilities are suppressed to a great extent, it's not like I can't sense any trace of her thoughts. Putting aside my abilities, not finding Beifengge is also a problem, isn't it?"

Zhu Yufeng: "... That makes sense."

"I don't have the special abilities you and Beifengge possess, but I can sense the ever-present danger in the air of this area." Sakura bent slightly, her hand gripping the hilt of the Seven Thunders of Purification at her waist. "I can confirm that the enemy is here, but I also have difficulty pinpointing her exact location."

"Yes, there are enemies." Xila nodded, indicating her agreement with Sakura's words.

"Of course, I can sense it to some extent too," Zhu Yufeng said. "Even with my senses interfered with, my body's instincts are still warning me, but it's only to the point of knowing there's danger. If the other side doesn't take action, we can only waste our time here. Or..."

Zhu Yufeng looked at his hand, where golden Honkai Energy could be seen flowing like light from his palm outwards. "I'll try to forcefully use Honkai Energy to counteract the suppressive effect of the Divine Blessing Barrier and unleash my existing powers. If she wants to continue suppressing me, she must reveal herself."

"Maple, don't force yourself," Elysia said.

"Don't worry." Zhu Yufeng lowered his eyes. "Now that we've found her location, a little indulgence is within acceptable limits. After all, I'm now a 'rebel' personally Honkai by the Honkai... Besides, I'm just temporarily activating my powers; there won't be any problems."

When he entered the Divine Blessing Barrier, he wondered if he could forcefully use his Honkai Energy to counteract the Divine Blessing Barrier break through it on a qualitative level. However, this idea was just that—an idea—because doing so would easily alert others to his Herrscher identity and cause unnecessary trouble.

This is now deep within the Divine Blessing Barrier; ordinary Fusion Warrior can no longer venture this far.

Elysia wanted to say something more, but Lilith simply crossed her arms and said, "Don't worry, he's always been very self-aware in this regard... He's always preferred to take all the blame himself, and therefore... perhaps things will change in the end, but his fate may not necessarily change."

"Lilith, you..." Elysia looked at Lilith, but Lilith only focused her gaze on Zhu Yufeng, becoming distant and serene.

He had already made his choice, and her answer had never changed.

Even if the road ahead is a bottomless abyss, they will go to hell together and suffer eternal damnation together.

Elysia lowered her eyes, lost in thought.

Zhu Yufeng raised his right hand, and a golden cross pattern appeared on the back of his hands. His pupils were tinged with silver light, and his hair gradually turned silver from the tips upwards.

He was enveloped in golden light, and when the light faded, Seraph wearing a halo appeared.

He once plunged into darkness, letting the flames of hell burn his soul; now he chooses the light once more, just so that when that destined moment arrives, he can trample fate under his feet.

"You want to replace the thorn-woven crown of those who bear the world's suffering with a crown adorned with stars? Ha, that's certainly your style," Lilith thought to herself, her gaze falling on Zhu Yufeng's hands. "The cross on his hands... are you willing to be nailed to the cross for her sake?"

Outside the Divine Blessing Barrier.

Beifengge opened his eyes. Forcibly activating his special ability to conduct a wide-range detection of the Divine Blessing Barrier had also caused great damage to his body. Now his head felt like it was about to split open, and bloody tears were streaming from his eyes. However, he opened his eyes not because he couldn't take it anymore, but because he had just noticed something else.

He looked towards the interior of the Divine Blessing Barrier, thoughtfully stroking his chin.

Just now, a strange energy fluctuation from Herrscher appeared. Was it the Herrscher of Binding?

No, the nature of that Herrscher's energy fluctuations is different from that of the Herrscher of Binding. I remember those researchers always talking about the X Herrscher theory, and...

"Sir Beifengge, what's happening inside the Divine Blessing Barrier?!"

"No, no, everything is going smoothly. I believe we'll hear news of Feng and the others' victory soon." Beifengge closed his eyes again, continuing to observe every movement within the Divine Blessing Barrier with Su.

The powerful Honkai Energy shook the Divine Blessing Barrier, and the person behind the scenes, who had been hiding their identity, finally revealed their true form on the void of the sky—a giant Mutant Honkai Beast with six pairs of wings.

Zhu Yufeng deactivated his Herrscher form, looked up at the gigantic Honkai Beast, and after a moment of silence, uttered its name: "Gabriel?"

"It seems a little different from how it appeared in the files before?" Elysia drew her bow. "So, is the Herrscher of Binding hiding inside its body?"

"No, there's no Herrscher aura within him, that's been confirmed by Beifengge." Su's voice was filled with solemnity. "Moreover, Beifengge said... judging from the energy flow of the Divine Blessing Barrier, the center of the Divine Blessing Barrier is undoubtedly this Mutant Honkai Beast, and it may have reached the End-of-Dharma level!"

"The Divine Blessing Barrier, created with Honkai Beast at its core, still has the Herrscher's whereabouts unknown..." Zhu Yufeng frowned. Surely it couldn't be that Gabriel appeared on her own, could it?

"Something's not right!" Zhu Yufeng exclaimed, "Su, has anything unusual happened over there? And what's the latest news from headquarters?!"

The others quickly realized what Zhu Yufeng meant. Su's voice was filled with seriousness. "Lionel is in charge of communication with headquarters, but he hasn't sent any updates about headquarters yet. The suppression of the Honkai Beast Tide is ongoing, and nothing unusual has occurred."

"Brother Yu Feng, you mean... another Herrscher of Binding went to Mobius's group? Is that... you know...?"

"A diversionary tactic," Lilith said with amusement. "It seems we've all been outmaneuvered by that Herrscher of Binding."

If the other Herrscher of Binding doesn't appear here, then considering Michael within the Fire Moth, it's not hard to guess where she'll appear. If the Herrscher Core is incomplete, then a normal Herrscher would want to first complete their powers, so...

"We must finish this quickly!" Zhu Yufeng said through gritted teeth. "Su, go and check with Lionel to confirm the situation at headquarters!"

As if understanding Zhu Yufeng and the others' intentions, Gabriel's body began to glow, the range of the Divine Blessing Barrier began to shrink, and its effect suddenly intensified at this moment. Cracks also gradually began to spread across Gabriel's body.

"Even if it costs you your own life force to shrink the barrier's range, are you going to keep us here?" Zhu Yufeng stared at Gabriel with his silver eyes, and golden light began to surge around him.

"Feng, are you really going to do this?" Lilith's voice rang out. "If you forcibly unleash your power within the Divine Blessing Barrier to kill Gabriel, your identity Herrscher will be impossible to hide. Can humanity truly accept you now?"

"I..."

"If the Black Abyss White Flower were still in your hands, killing Gabriel without using your powers might not have been difficult, but you returned it to SEELE," Lilith said. "The Honkai has indeed made a brilliant move."

Lilith lowered her eyes. "What has happened before will happen again. Is this how the dilemma before the Tragedy of Binding is being repeated...?"

They either expose their Herrscher identity to quickly kill Gabriel and return to headquarters, or they are held back by Gabriel. In the meantime, they can only hope that the warriors left behind at headquarters can fight against the Herrscher of Binding whose powers are not yet fully complete in order to buy enough time.

Even Kevin, who possessed the Heavenfire, couldn't kill Gabriel within the Divine Blessing Barrier in a short time...

"Why don't we hold off Gabriel, and you go back first, Boss Yu Feng!" Mostima suggested.

As soon as he finished speaking, Gabriel launched an attack on the warriors who had gathered. Light feathers fell from the sky like sharp swords, forcing everyone to fight with all their might.

"I'm late to the party. The Divine Blessing Barrier is centered on Gabriel, meaning it moves with Gabriel. Gabriel has now reached the level of End-of-Law Honkai Beast, and we've had a lot of our power suppressed within the Divine Blessing Barrier, so the outcome is really hard to predict," Lilith said.

If anyone tries to leave, Gabriel will chase after them, and the Divine Blessing Barrier will move. There are still many ordinary people outside the Divine Blessing Barrier, including Mei!

"We're completely... on the defensive."

Lilith's tone was nonchalant, and even Sakura was glaring at her angrily. Her sister Rin was still at headquarters, and Lilith's daughter was there too, but Lilith's attitude showed that she didn't care at all!

"Ling is with Griseo and the others at Astaroth's place today," Zhu Yufeng said. "With Astaroth's abilities, even within Michael's Divine Blessing Barrier, she can protect those children for a while..."

"Maple..."

"It's hard to say what might happen if someone tries to sneak into Astaroth's protection zone. After all, Astaroth isn't very good at saying no, is she?" Lilith chuckled.

"Lilith!" Elysia frowned, now angry at Lilith's instigation.

She never expected that this time, all the pressure would fall on Zhu Yufeng...

A towering flame erupted, accompanied by Kevin's voice reaching everyone's ears. "Feng, trust us. This time, you won't be fighting alone. Let's go together and take down Gabriel!"

"Kevin..."

Lilith turned her gaze to Elysia. "How come even Kevin can steal your spotlight?"

Elysia didn't have time to deal with Lilith. Time was of the essence, and not a single second could be wasted. Rather than arguing with Lilith, she should focus her attention on Gabriel. If this was the Honkai the Honkai was putting on Zhu Yufeng, wasn't it also putting pressure on everyone else?

This time, no one will let him bear these burdens alone again.

The main body of the Fire Moth, the outer ring of the Divine Blessing Barrier.

Hen dragged his heavy steps toward the outside world. In order to get the message out as quickly as possible, he disobeyed Mobius's warnings and used all his strength to travel. Having consumed too much Honkai Energy, he could barely see the road ahead as he approached the outer edge of the Divine Blessing Barrier.

With a thud, he collapsed to the ground. His consciousness was fading, but he hadn't given up. Every heartbeat brought unbearable pain, and his brain was buzzing. He crawled on the ground with all his might, and gradually he almost completely lost his sight. He could no longer see anything.

"I can't yet..."

Hen continued crawling forward, feeling nothing but the excruciating pain of every cell in his body screaming with agony as if it were dying.

Suddenly, he felt his outstretched right hand regain some sensation, and he knew that he had arrived outside the Divine Blessing Barrier.

He used the last of his strength to turn on the communicator on his right hand, pushing it as far as he could, before his hand fell limply to the ground.

The outer perimeter of the Divine Blessing Barrier in the Vesitan Region.

"We can't guarantee that our current speculations aren't part of the Herrscher of Binding's conspiracy," Lionel said, frowning. "While we have indeed lost contact with headquarters, we can't rule out other possibilities... If we go back and find nothing, and are then caught off guard by the Herrscher of Binding, things will be even worse. Besides, even if Feng and the others rush back now, after the battle within the Divine Blessing Barrier and their long journey, how are they supposed to deal with a Herrscher of Binding who is waiting in ambush?"

"I agree with Secretary Lionel's view. At least until the situation is confirmed, we cannot act rashly and disrupt morale," May said.

Vill-V remained silent, inwardly sneering, "This is truly... a real stunt by the Herrscher of Binding..."

Suddenly, the communicator connecting to headquarters rang, transmitting only a pre-recorded message: "Headquarters has been attacked by Herrscher of Binding. The closer you are to the outside world, the stronger the Divine Blessing Barrier becomes!"

Everyone present fell silent.

"Or, sir, we could..."

"Keep this a secret. No one is allowed to leak this information until the battle within the Divine Blessing Barrier is over!" Lionel said.

"But!"

"I must be responsible for Feng and the others' lives!"