Decisive Battle, Lake Baikal

"Huh, why did the Second Herrscher suddenly stop?" Dr. Tesla scratched her head as she stared at the unmoving red dot on the map.

Since Enoshia had thrown Sirin onto the whitelist, no existing equipment on Earth could detect her Herrscher reaction, so they had no idea about her embarrassing track record.

"I'm afraid she paid a heavy price to weaken the Herrscher of Ice. The latest data shows its recovery speed has slowed significantly. It's been staying near Lake Baikal for a long time now, barely moving. If this isn't a feint, it means it's on its last legs."

"Great, so we should gather our forces and wipe it out in one go! Bird's Nest Head, let's pilot the Moonlight Throne Mech over there right now!"

"Dr. Tesla, given the Moonlight Throne Mech's speed and our distance to Lake Baikal, by the time we get there, it'll probably be over. But... if it turns into a drawn-out battle, we might still be of use. Let's notify Joachim first."

While Sirin was chasing down the Herrscher of Ice, the Schicksal members and Welt were taking a rare rest at the Siberia Branch.

From the afternoon of February 8th to the morning of February 10th, these Schicksal personnel hadn't eaten a single meal or slept an hour. Especially Theresa—as a Valkyrie carrying Emperor-class Honkai Beast factors within her, she had persisted in battle after opening the Divine Prayer Barrier and recovering only slightly. It was a miracle she'd held out this long. She knew in her heart that pushing herself further would only drag others down, so she decided to stay here, assist Anti-Entropy in commanding the battle, keep communications open, and provide support when necessary.

It wasn't that no one wanted to support Sirin. For one, no one thought Sirin would lose—even if she couldn't kill it, capturing it alive should be no problem. For another, Schicksal couldn't command her at all. Supporting her wouldn't achieve a one-plus-one-greater-than-two effect, and there was a good chance they'd get caught in the backlash when she used her powers.

At that moment, Einstein informed everyone of the situation.

"To summarize, we believe the Herrscher of Ice's current state should be..."

Perhaps it was a habit from years of scientific research, but as she spoke, technical terms and professional theories slipped out unconsciously.

Siegfried and the others: Mom, is that you?.jpg

Cecilia smiled helplessly. "Let's use a game analogy instead. Think of the Herrscher of Ice like a monster in some game that has both a toughness bar and a health bar. But unlike other monsters, when we damage it, its health bar drops significantly, while the damage to its toughness bar is negligible. As long as the toughness bar isn't emptied, it not only locks its health but also fully recovers on its turn. So no matter what, we can't kill it. Now, thanks to Sirin and the others' efforts, its toughness bar is just a sliver away from empty. Dr. Einstein, is my explanation correct?"

"It's not rigorous, but it's easier to understand."

Nicholas perked up immediately. "So that means we go all out, right? Why not just say that straight up?"

With that, she picked up Crimson Whisper and prepared to leave.

"Ahem, Nicholas. Since it's already on its last legs, we need to be even more wary of its desperate gamble. We still need a plan."

February 10th, 15:00, Lake Baikal

With the arrival of the Herrscher of Ice, Lake Baikal—already in its freezing season—grew even colder. The ice on the lake was now so thick that even a mech could probably walk on it without issue.

A missile launched from Schicksal's base sped straight toward it, but less than a kilometer away, the entire missile froze solid. Its tail flame died out instantly, and it fell in freefall.

An ice spike shot out, striking the missile with just enough force to send it farther away without detonating it.

Watching the missile explode only after it had drifted out of range, everyone understood that even without the Herrscher of Rock's powers, taking it down would still require close-quarters combat.

"Report, Lady Cecilia. Confirmed: all civilians and Valkyries near Lake Baikal have been evacuated. The Overseer has ordered the attack to commence."

Cecilia raised Black Abyss White Flower, her gaze firm as she pointed forward. "Move out."

Surprisingly, the Herrscher of Ice didn't create an ice fog to obstruct their vision. The entire Lake Baikal region was clear and sunny. The frozen lake surface was like a smooth, mirror-like pane, reflecting everything in the sky.

The Herrscher of Ice, roughly two meters tall, floated in the air. A veil of ice-blue seemed to cover its head, draping over half its body and making its entire face indistinct.

Welt took the lead. Under the others' cover, he quickly flew above it.

"Kneel!"

Wang, having lost the Herrscher of Rock core, was crushed by the terrifying gravity and plummeted from the air onto the ice, his entire body immobilized.

Hundreds of cannons materialized around Welt. He waved his right hand, and all the cannons fired at once, riddling the Herrscher of Ice's body. With a heavy thud, its body collapsed limply onto the ice, as if all vitality had been drained.

Staring at the fallen Herrscher of Ice, Welt felt something was off. He increased the gravity multiplier, and the Herrscher of Ice's entire body was instantly torn to dust—but no Herrscher Core appeared.

"This is... a puppet created by the Herrscher of Ice using its powers. Not good!"

Welt turned around just in time to see countless ice spikes sprouting from the once-calm ice surface like bamboo shoots after rain. Though no one was attacked, the spikes formed a cage, successfully separating Cecilia and the others.

"Is the reflection the real one?" Welt wondered. After the puppet was destroyed, the reflection remained. He released a gravity wave, shattering the ice surface—but it was another puppet.

The cage of ice spikes couldn't hold Cecilia at all. Without waiting for help, she kicked the spikes to pieces with one blow.

Just as everyone was baffled by the Herrscher of Ice's seemingly harmless attack, a crisp sound rang out. The ice beneath their feet cracked at a visible rate.

"Bang! Crash!" Thousands of square kilometers of ice collapsed in an instant. Even though Welt adjusted the gravity immediately, those in the middle of Lake Baikal couldn't leap to the shore in one bound. After floating in the air for a while, they still touched the water and began to sink.

And the moment they fell into the water, the entire Lake Baikal froze over again at lightning speed.

"White Flower, help everyone!"

Cecilia pointed Black Abyss White Flower downward. A massive vine sprouted from the lake surface, pulling all the Valkyries who had fallen into the water out in time. Siegfried was also grabbed by the collar by Welt, lifted from the lake into the air, and then sent onto the vine.

Standing on the vine, everyone was still shaken. If not for Cecilia and Welt, they would have turned into ice blocks.

For the Herrscher of Ice, anywhere there was ice was its home turf.