Himeko: We're All Cowards

Himeko hung up the call. She glanced at the things vaguely visible in the center of the sandstorm outside, and the emotions churning inside her deepened.

That was a terrifying phenomenon caused by the accumulation of intense Honkai Energy.

Although the diameter was less than thirty meters, the beam of light stretched all the way to the sky.

During the day, these seemingly soft lights spread across the clouds in the sky and blend with the sun's radiance, while at night they reveal their ferocious claws, announcing their presence over an area of tens of kilometers.

These phenomena began to appear around the world three months ago, and preliminary instrumental predictions indicate that the concentration of Honkai Energy generated within each beam of light varies.

A total of 3,726 beams of light, like chains, forcefully strangled the human heart.

During this period, the vast majority of the beams of light appeared in uninhabited wilderness areas, and even a certain number of beams of light appeared on the vast ocean.

But what the United Nations officials feared most were the pillars of light that seemed to descend like a miracle upon hundreds of peripheral cities.

A holy light shone upon the vast earth, forests, oceans, and human cities filled with steel structures, as if proclaiming the divine compassion and mercy upon all things.

The Third Honkai Outbreak is imminent—the will of Honkai so domineeringly and cruelly declares to all humanity that it will bring war to the entire world.

Among these 3,726 beams of light, even the lowest level of Honkai Energy reserves is enough to directly turn the population of a regular city into black ash, transforming them into monstrous, chaotic beings.

Currently, all the pillars of light are gathering all the terrifying amounts of Honkai Energy within their own domains. As long as one doesn't walk directly into a pillar of light, ordinary people will not be at risk of Honkai Infection even if they are only ten meters away from it.

This made the evacuation of people more difficult. The only impact that the beams of light have had on the city at this stage is that they have overturned the residents' perceptions.

With all the danger lurking in the shadows and the surface appearing glamorous and serene, even the official explanations given by the United Nations regarding the situation are difficult to believe.

Finally, it was only through the combined efforts of the military crackdown, the complete suppression of public opinion, and the government's inviolable credibility that the majority of the crowd was successfully evacuated.

The losses caused to officials and residents during this period were incalculable, but they paled in comparison to the consequences of allowing the Honkai to ravage tens of millions of people.

The Moth to Fire has dispatched various units to the areas where the phenomenon has occurred to conduct physical monitoring and observation.

Based on our own speculation, this is undoubtedly a harbinger of the impending Third Honkai Outbreak.

This harbinger came so suddenly and without warning, unlike the silent and sudden Honkai of the past.

But the fact that the United Nations is completely powerless to address this situation underscores the undisguised reason for the Honkai.

It's like a countdown to your natural lifespan hanging above your head, the clock ticking away, ticking away the remaining time, and all you can do is try your best to live without regrets in the days to come.

The United Nations initially had no way to prevent the presence of the pillar of light.

In the initial stage of the discovery of the beam of light, the authorities tentatively used modern weapons to hit one of the beams on the sea surface.

The result was the successful destruction of the Honkai Energy aggregate, but the Honkai Energy within the subsequent pillar of light was completely dispersed into that sea area, causing the Honkai Energy concentration inside to rise rapidly and creating a large number of Honkai Beast.

Destroying the beam of light is a pointless act.

Our current understanding of Honkai Energy is insufficient for the United Nations to gather all the Honkai Energy in the instant the pillar of light shatters.

Based on the preliminary assessment of the Honkai Energy levels contained in all the light pillars, if the Third Honkai Outbreak occurs, it means that these light pillars are released at the same frequency in an instant.

Compared to this, the previous two Honkai outbreaks were utterly insignificant and incomparable.

The emergence of the Third Herrscher was inevitable.

The official speculation is that the reason Honkai decided to make the signs of this outbreak so obvious is likely related to the Herrscher.

The first two Herrscher possessed the power to alter Celestial Phenomenon, and the true nature of these powers only began to reveal their terrifying aspects after humanity obtained the Herrscher Core, studied them, and began attempting to utilize their power.

The highest -High Command members of the Moth to Fire unanimously agreed that if the Herrscher were to fully master their power, it would be far more difficult for human civilization to defeat them than it had been the previous two times.

Even with the current level of human technology, it is quite possible that the combined power of the entire world would be insufficient to defeat a Herrscher has mastered the essence of their own power.

The first two Herrscher were in a state of mental chaos when they were first born. They seemed to have only a basic understanding of the nature of their power at the beginning, but were far from being proficient or even fully in control.

Moreover, it seems that because Herrscher are beings whose human bodies are shaped by a large amount of Honkai Energy, some of the fatal weaknesses that humans should have still apply to Herrscher.

The reasons stated above led to the successful annihilation of the first two Herrscher by the United Nations shortly after their appearance.

Judging from the various signs during the battle, the First Herrscher and the Second Herrscher's mental state and logical thinking are still in a relatively immature stage where they only know how to destroy.

However, since this Third Honkai Outbreak has shown something special from the very beginning—assuming that Herrscher will still be born along with the outbreak of Honkai —the Third Herrscher must also have something unique about them.

For example, the body shape no longer tends to resemble that of humans, thus losing all physical vulnerabilities.

For example, one can instantly grasp the essence of power; one can quickly acquire logical thinking and wisdom that are no less than those of ordinary people; and one's power will become more targeted towards humans.

The worst-case scenario is that all the speculations converge on one point.

The only thing humanity can do is to grasp the moment when the Herrscher is first born—that most tender and vulnerable hatching period.

And at this stage, it is killed instantly, thus eliminating all risks in advance.

Therefore, the countermeasures department of Moth to Fire judged that if the Honkai itself possessed intelligence and was deliberately targeting humanity, then perhaps the appearance of 3,726 beams of light did not mean that the Honkai outbreak required such a massive accumulation of momentum in advance.

Instead, the goal is to disperse all of humanity's forces through this operation, thereby allowing the Herrscher to safely pass through the hatching phase.

This is a conspiracy theory.

Whether the Honkai is merely a natural disaster is something no one can understand, and naturally, no one can determine whether it possesses intelligence.

The only reliable evidence is the claim made by the first two Herrscher when they destroyed the city as apostles of God.

However, it is not a bad thing to speculate about the enemy with the darkest mind. The things caused by the Honkai have been getting worse and worse over the years, and now they have exceeded the predictions of the United Nations leadership.

If humanity were to disperse all its forces across the area marked by the 3,726 pillars of light, the random arrival of Herrscher would be enough to break through such a dispersed defense and gain sufficient time to grow stronger.

If the potential Third Herrscher were to fully unleash its power, the consequences would be immeasurable.

Let's do a simple math problem: if the power of Herrscher increases with the scale of a Honkai...

How many times stronger will the upcoming Third Herrscher be than the previous Herrscher?

Therefore, in order to prevent such an uncontrollable situation from arising, human and material resources around the world began to operate frantically after the light pillar phenomenon spread.

The completeness of hundreds of filings and the rapid advancements in the Honkai -related technology tree have all entered an expansion phase under extreme pressure.

Honkai's attempt to destroy current civilization using only such methods is far from sufficient; in this situation, the extreme centralization of power by the authorities has ironically become a good thing.

Even the most incompetent high-ranking officials could understand how unprecedented this crisis was. The previous Honkai had proven that they were not to be ignored, so the only option was to go all out to deal with the situation.

Even though the most terrifying genius of the Previous Civilization has not yet fully emerged, there are still countless scientific prodigies.

It was precisely because these pioneers laid a solid theoretical and Honkai technology foundation for her that she was able to skip all the accumulation stages in a short period of time in later generations and directly enter the hall of peering into the power of the gods.

The Honkai Energy Containment Device and related Honkai Energy applications have successfully taken shape under the accelerated time, and most of the 3,726 beams of light have been laid out in an inescapable net to hinder the spread of Honkai Energy.

If all goes well, the anticipated Honkai that is expected to spread to one-third of the world will be directly crippled by this action, causing the outbreak to be delayed and ultimately greatly slowing down the expected massive casualties.

Meanwhile, to avoid dispersing forces, all the modified soldiers with low combat strength were awakened and stationed near these pillars of light, working with the monitoring equipment to grasp the first signs of the Herrscher's birth.

The three largest beams of light most likely to feature Herrscher are each stationed by the Moth to Fire.

Meanwhile, the satellite is constantly monitoring all the beams of light and locking onto their respective orbits, and can launch the most advanced special missiles in just one minute.

These measures indirectly resolved the situation of dispersed forces, and killing Herrscher basically relied on the ranged attacks that were already fully prepared.

Human forces are practically helpless against Herrscher.

The enormous pillar of light in front of them marked the area Himeko was in charge of, and this was her third month stationed there.

This is the earliest pillar of light to appear. Although it cannot be ruled out that it is a decoy, there is still a possibility that it is the birthplace of the Herrscher.

As the captain of one of the squads of the Moth to Fire, Himeko had no choice but to deal with this situation.

In current individual combat, she is among the most qualified and experienced, having risen to the position of captain during the previous two Honkai Wars.

If converted to later generations, Himeko's Honkai Energy adaptability would be roughly equivalent to that of B-rank Valkyrie.

While her rank might not be considered exceptional, the unwavering will she forged on the battlefield and her pre-enlistment identity set Himeko apart from countless corpses, allowing her to remain alive to this day.

Unlike many professional soldiers who have been trained in military camps, Himeko is a self-taught soldier.

She was a doctoral student at a prestigious university when the city where the university was located was Honkai, thus changing the course of Himeko's life.

After learning the truth about the world during that Honkai, she chose to enlist in the military and began independently developing a groundbreaking creation.

Himeko's initial idea was to use the manipulation of Honkai Energy to amplify her physical abilities in order to compensate for her physical inferiority over male soldiers.

As research continues, bursts of inspiration lead to further improvements in efficacy.

Just one year later, the first prototype of the general-purpose combat armor against Honkai was successfully created in Himeko's hands. She then released this technology to the industry free of charge, which completely changed the previous battle situation.

The United Nations proactively invited scientists in related fields to refine and optimize the prototype developed by Himeko.

This is the result Himeko wanted to see; she knew that this was a technology that could only mature rapidly by pooling the wisdom of all humankind.

For this, she could discard fame and fortune as if they were worthless.

Himeko declined a sincere invitation from the United Nations to join its research team and be given a high-ranking position, even a leadership role.

She is well aware of her own talents. She may be considered a genius in the field of scientific research, but she still lacks a lot compared to scientists in related fields. And most importantly, this is not the path she wants to take.

For this, Himeko gave up her generous benefits and comfortable future, making only one request before plunging back into the hellish battlefield.

Since then, the armor has been updated and replaced dozens of times by the relevant team.

The United Nations has kept its promise and continues to tailor-make armor for her, conducting regular technical optimizations and system replacements.

The somewhat naive girl from back then has now transformed into the iron-willed and solemn warrior she is now, gazing at the distant yellow sands, somewhat speechless.

The Third Honkai Outbreak and the Third Herrscher.

Compared to previous wars, this time they are facing a tsunami that will sweep the entire world, a cruel world where the slightest carelessness could result in the sacrifice of tens of thousands.

Ninety percent of the world's population lacks the physical constitution to survive in a high-concentration Honkai environment. This Honkai Infection, more terrifying than any virus, will become a global nightmare.

At present, the fundamental research on resisting Honkai, apart from dealing with the high-end combat forces that keep appearing in this calamity, is most importantly to find a popular method to increase the Honkai Energy of the entire population.

If this cannot be achieved, a significant reduction in the population will be inevitable.

The existence of the Honkai Infection is like the United Nations playing a coloring game on the world map, conquering cities and territories—it's domineering and unstoppable.

Himeko knew very well that the fate of humanity and the future of the war against the Honkai would hinge on this battle.

But no matter how overwhelmingly the war is won, the existence of the Honkai may not be as completely concealed as before.

In other words, Himeko's reason for refusing Doctor Muen's request to send troops to Canghai City to bring Seele back was not purely due to concerns about official policy, as she claimed.

The fact that the higher-ups were willing to let Muen come and negotiate with Himeko implies that their troop strength is not so scarce as to be unacceptable. Otherwise, they could simply deny him permission to communicate with the Moth to Fire.

Muen understood this, which is why he chose to come and negotiate. But deep down, he was still a researcher, and even though he was getting on in years, he was still not very adept at interpersonal relationships.

Himeko's revelation of the impending Third Honkai Outbreak left Muen speechless, creating a stalemate in the conversation.

The subsequent act of hanging up the communication further dashed the other party's hopes.

From the perspective of a researcher as well, Himeko acknowledged that if Doctor Muen's project succeeds, it will certainly have significant meaning and practical value.

She could also deeply understand that this old man was burning the rest of his life for humanity.

In a sense, she even admired his willingness to give everything.

Doctor Muen was an excellent and selfless scientist whose actions were entirely free from any personal gain.

These are undeniable facts.

But...

Her Amber eyes suddenly darkened; whatever the reason, she still didn't really like human experimentation.

But Himeko herself understood all too well how helpless she was in the face of this situation.

The illusion of peace in human society is crumbling.

This is like Nidhogg, the venomous dragon lurking in the Hvergelmir Spring, relentlessly gnawing at the roots of the World Tree, ultimately leading to the collapse and destruction of the Nine Realms and the twilight of the gods.

Even Odin, who possessed the divine declaration and claimed to be all-knowing, was powerless to change this.

The United Nations is in a similar position now; even after careful consideration, the Moth to Fire is confident it can withstand the Third Honkai Outbreak.

But what happens after that?

Judging from the current trend of the Honkai, it seems to symbolize endless despair, with each increasingly fierce attack constantly challenging the foundation and limits of human civilization.

No one can understand whether the existence of Honkai will have a limit when the limit is reached.

Therefore, talking about love and peace, justice and human rights are beautiful things that only exist in normal times, but now humanity doesn't have much time left.

In times of life and death, some rules will always be trampled upon.

Does Muen really want to get his hands stained with blood?

Do researchers really enjoy seeing children sacrifice themselves needlessly, witnessing them sobbing, grieving, and walking towards death?

No.

Himeko understood this, so although she made things difficult for Doctor Muen, she still respected him in her heart.

In fact, her decision to remain on the battlefield at that time may not have been entirely without foresight regarding these dark elements.

Perhaps she wasn't particularly brave; she simply chose a relatively easier path than the inner torment she would have experienced on that kind of road.

The woman gazed at the magnificent sight of the beam of light reaching towards the sky and murmured with a sigh:

"We're all cowards... Doctor."