"Eh? Why did the Second Herrscher suddenly stop?" Dr. Tesla stared at the motionless red dot on the map and scratched her head.
Since Enoshia had put Sirin on the whitelist, none of the equipment currently available on Earth could detect her Herrscher reaction, so they had no idea about her embarrassing battle record.
"I'm afraid she paid a tremendous price to weaken the Herrscher of Ice. The data just now showed that the Herrscher of Ice's recovery speed had already slowed significantly. It's been stationary near Lake Baikal for a long time and has barely moved. If this isn't a ploy to lure us in, then it means it's already at the end of its tether."
"Wonderful! Then we should gather our forces and wipe it out completely in one strike. Bird's Nest Head, let's drive the Moonlight Throne Mech over right now!"
"Dr. Tesla, considering the Moonlight Throne Mech's speed and the distance between us and Lake Baikal, I'm afraid that by the time we arrive, it'll already be over. But... if this turns into a prolonged battle, we might still be able to help. We should notify Joachim first."
While Sirin chased the Herrscher of Ice around and attacked it, several people from Schicksal and Welt had a rare chance to rest at the Siberia Branch.
From the afternoon of February 8 to the morning of February 10, the Schicksal group had not eaten a single meal or slept for even an hour. Theresa in particular, as a Valkyrie carrying Emperor-class Honkai Beast genes in her body, had persisted in battle whenever she recovered slightly after activating the Divine Prayer Barrier. The fact that she had held on until now was already a miracle. She knew that if she kept forcing herself, she would only drag everyone else down, so she decided to stay behind, assist Anti-Entropy in directing the battle, keep communications open, and provide support when necessary.
It wasn't that everyone didn't want to support Sirin. First, no one thought Sirin would lose. Even if she couldn't kill it, capturing it alive shouldn't be a problem. Second, Schicksal couldn't command her at all. Supporting her would not only fail to produce a one-plus-one-greater-than-two effect, but might also cause them to be caught in the backlash when she used her authority.
At that moment, Einstein informed everyone of the situation.
"In summary, we believe that the Herrscher of Ice's current condition should be..."
Perhaps it was a habit developed through years of scientific research. As she spoke, specialized terms and professional theories unconsciously began pouring out of her mouth.
Siegfried and the others: Born to be a mom.jpg
Cecilia smiled helplessly. "Let's use a game as an analogy. We'll say that, like the design of a monster in a certain game, the Herrscher of Ice has both a stagger bar and a health bar. The difference is that when we damage it, its health bar drops sharply, while the damage to its stagger bar is negligible. As long as its stagger bar isn't emptied, not only will its health be locked, but it will also refill completely on its own turn, making it impossible to eliminate no matter what. Now, thanks to Sirin and everyone else's efforts, its stagger bar is only a tiny bit away from empty. Doctor, is my explanation correct?"
"It isn't rigorous, but it's much easier to understand."
Nicholas immediately stopped looking sleepy. "So you're saying we should go all out? Why not just put it that way in the first place?"
With that, she picked up Crimson Whisper and prepared to leave.
"Ahem, Nicholas, since it's already at the end of its tether, we need to be even more wary of it making a desperate last stand. We still need to come up with a plan."
February 10, 15:00, Lake Baikal
Because of the Herrscher of Ice's arrival, Lake Baikal, which was already in its freezing season, had become even colder. The ice on the surface was now so thick that even a mech could probably walk across it without any trouble.
A missile was launched from Schicksal's base and sped straight toward it. But when it was less than one kilometer away, the entire missile froze solid. Its afterburner went out at once, and it began falling in free fall.
An icicle shot out, striking the missile with precisely enough force to send it farther away without causing it to explode.
Watching the missile leave its target before exploding, everyone understood that even without the Herrscher of Rock's authority, they would still have to approach it and fight it in close combat.
"Report, Lady Cecilia. We've confirmed that all civilians and Valkyries near Lake Baikal have been evacuated. The Bishop has ordered us to begin the attack."
Cecilia raised Black Abyss White Flower and pointed firmly ahead. "Move out."
Surprisingly, the Herrscher of Ice did not create any ice fog to obstruct their vision. The weather across the entire Lake Baikal region was clear, and the frozen surface reflected everything in the sky like a smooth, crystal-clear mirror.
The Herrscher of Ice, over two meters tall, floated in the air. An ice-blue veil seemed to cover its head, obscuring half its body, while its entire face appeared blurry and indistinct.
Welt charged ahead. With the others providing cover, he quickly flew above it.
"Kneel!"
Wang had lost the Herrscher Core of Rock. Under the terrifying pressure of gravity, he immediately fell from the sky onto the ice, his entire body unable to move.
Hundreds of cannons appeared out of thin air around Welt. He swept his right hand, and all the cannons fired at once, instantly riddling the Herrscher of Ice's body with holes. With a loud boom, its body collapsed limply onto the ice, as if it had completely lost its vitality.
Looking at the fallen Herrscher of Ice, Welt vaguely sensed that something was wrong. He increased the gravitational force, and the Herrscher of Ice's entire body was instantly torn into powder. Yet the Herrscher Core did not appear.
"This is... a puppet created by the Herrscher of Ice's authority. Not good!"
Welt had just turned around when countless icicles sprouted from the previously calm ice like bamboo shoots after rain. Although no one was attacked, the icicles formed a cage that successfully separated Cecilia from the others.
"Is the reflection the real one?" After seeing the puppet crushed while the reflection remained, Welt released a gravitational wave and blasted through the ice. However... it was another puppet."
The cage formed by the icicles could not trap Cecilia at all. Before anyone else could help, she kicked the icicles apart.
Just as everyone was baffled by their attacks having no effect on the Herrscher of Ice, a crisp sound rang out. The ice beneath their feet began cracking at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Bang, crash! In an instant, the ice covering several thousand square kilometers collapsed. Even though Welt adjusted the gravity at the first opportunity, they were in the middle of Lake Baikal and could not possibly leap straight to the shore. After floating in the air for a while, they still reached the water's surface and slowly began to sink.
The moment everyone fell into the water, the entire Lake Baikal froze over again at astonishing speed.
"White Flower, help everyone!"
Cecilia pointed Black Abyss White Flower downward. A massive vine appeared out of thin air above the lake, pulling every Valkyrie who had fallen into the water out in time. Welt also grabbed Siegfried by the back of his collar and lifted him from the lake into the air, then placed him on the vine as well.
Standing on the vine, everyone was still shaken. If not for Cecilia and Welt, they would already have turned into ice sculptures.
The Herrscher of Ice—wherever there was ice, it was her home turf.
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