An Unnamable Presence, Breath in the Cathedral

Montefiore Hill, next to a bronze statue surrounded by flowerbeds.

The three-person team remained stationed here.

Their goggles automatically switched to multi-functional binoculars.

Looking in the direction the bronze statue is gazing, one can see the urban public spaces surrounding the inner city, the two spires of the magnificent St. Peter's Cathedral, the elegant Torrens River, and the neat, tall skyline of the city's buildings.

This view was once known to local residents as "Wright's View".

Having heard that Wright was the decision-maker who chose to build the city on this land, people erected a bronze statue here to commemorate him.

Standing here at dusk, with the lights twinkling, it's easy to understand Wright's thoughts.

But now, that once prosperous, stable, and vibrant era has been shattered under the trampling of Honkai.

Today, Adelaide is far removed from the utopian dream we once had, and traces of those dreams can only be found in the historical relics that still allow us to look back.

The flowerbeds, neglected for months, were overgrown with weeds, and the bronze statue was covered in dust, but the outline of its eyes remained unchanged.

Against the backdrop of a clear blue sky and white clouds, the distant scenery remained perfectly intact, leaving the group looking at each other in astonishment.

Aside from soldiers with adequate Honkai skills, the only other resources the authorities can utilize are satellite searches and inspections by Mechanical Force.

Therefore, Adelaide was a place the troops had never visited before.

After weathering the onslaught of those waves of Honkai Beast, it's only natural that the higher-ups would want to gradually confirm whether there are any plots of land in Australia, where the Honkai calamity wasn't too severe, that could be brought back under government control.

The reason for going to St. Peter's Cathedral is because it contains an official Honkai Energy detector. The data from that detector can accurately calculate for the Logistics Department whether Adelaide has the actual environment necessary for ordinary people to survive.

Essentially, this is something that can be understood simply by using the Honkai Energy sensors that come with the Mechanical Force.

However, several inexplicable Honkai Energy tide recurrences have recently occurred in Australia. Several cities that were previously considered unaffected have inexplicably experienced large-scale Honkai Energy tide backflows, resulting in the direct deaths of tens of thousands of people and thousands contracting Honkai Sickness.

In today's world, with a rapidly declining population, such events truly deserve serious attention.

If the Honkai Consciousness can still have the ability to control regional Honkai energy after controlling the Honkai Explosion, then the world's pattern will undoubtedly undergo a complete change.

These areas, which have experienced Honkai, will become off-limits to most of humanity.

The world map would be splattered with vast swaths of black ink, turning into an irrecoverable wasteland.

However, after experiencing the feint attack of the previous Honkai, the Moth to Fire has come to understand that this calamity, which has been locked in a stalemate with humanity for a century, possesses its own consciousness.

If the previous assessment is correct, then there is no need to use multiple Honkai outbreaks to weaken the population; one can simply control the Honkai Energy spread and infect indefinitely.

Therefore, they concluded that the backflow of Honkai Energy is a spontaneous phenomenon of Honkai Energy and is most likely unrelated to Honkai Consciousness.

However, this spontaneous phenomenon still makes the region's recycling plan difficult to implement.

The higher-ups believed that to truly understand whether a backflow event would occur, they needed to have all the changes in Honkai Energy in this region at all times after the Third Honkai Outbreak. This greatly slowed down the official actions and pace, and also led to the creation of Fu Hua and others' mission.

Shiyu Qiluo removed her goggles and said to the two people beside her:

"It still seems there are no Honkai Beast. How strange."

Fu Hua tapped the dial, projecting a corresponding Honkai Energy detection map. After a moment's thought, she said:

"Furthermore, the concentration of Honkai Energy in the vicinity is also very low."

This is very unusual.

Carole glanced at the nearly intact buildings in the distance and said softly:

"Adelaide is almost indistinguishable from images transmitted from earlier satellite maps."

"It's almost as if... the Honkai never even happened."

Fu Hua reached out her fingertip and picked up a speck of black ash from the ground. She could sense with her sword heart that it was a particle formed from Honkai Energy and human remains.

This is nothing to be surprised about. Adelaide was among the first cities to lose contact with the outside world, so its Honkai was inevitable.

And since it has suffered Honkai, it is perfectly normal to have these common black and gray things.

The terrifying spectacle of black and gray hues resonating with the Honkai Energy vortex and merging into the atmosphere and clouds a few months ago has vanished without a trace as the Honkai Energy fluctuations have disappeared.

Then, large swaths of black ash fell like rain, blanketing the land once dominated by humankind.

These black and gray things are now everywhere, like weeds in the wilderness. Even knowing their origin, the people no longer felt any unease.

Fu Hua observed the values transmitted by the detector and said:

"Honkai did indeed occur here, but apart from a few Zombie, we haven't encountered a single Honkai Beast along the way, which is highly illogical."

Carole said softly:

"Let's move forward. If there were powerful Honkai Beast ahead, the buildings wouldn't be in such a complete state."

In fact, before they came in person, they all thought that the large Honkai Energy detector, located a hundred meters below the church's surface, still had a chance of surviving, but the chances of St. Peter's Cathedral not being reduced to ruins were really small.

But the reality is that, apart from the tranquility and the absence of people, the world before us seems to have retained the grand glory of the civilized era.

Victoria Square, the South Australian Museum, the St. Francis Xavier's Cathedral, and even the University of Adelaide —these areas have all been preserved in their best condition.

All these signs make it seem as if the biennial Adelaide International Arts Festival could still be held here immediately, with the jubilant cheers of the people piercing through the high clouds, as if the utopia that Wright longed for was right before our eyes.

The group remained silent, choosing instead to move forward in quiet contemplation.

Although Himeko said that when facing the unknown, one should put one's own life first, retreating back to headquarters when faced with an empty city full of Zombie is something a qualified soldier would never do.

The tiny nanomechanical insects flew silently ahead of the group and entered St. Peter's Cathedral first.

These nanobots are equipped with standard Honkai Energy detection systems and visual transmission capabilities, allowing the people hanging behind them to peek into the church's interior facilities and specific scenes.

Honkai Energy... that's weird?

Fu Hua noticed the subtle fluctuations in the Honkai Energy index and frowned.

Shiyu Qiluo glanced at the church door, which she had pushed open halfway. She could clearly see the scene inside through the crack, and the nanobots also provided a clear view. But at that moment, she only felt an overwhelming sense of darkness and dread.

The girl's previously simple and neat attire underwent a transformation; the armor on her arm extended into a gracefully winding sword blade, resembling a musical note. She gripped the weapon in her backhand, clearly ready for battle.

This is the fully activated combat state of the general-purpose Honkai combat armor. In this mode, the armor will automatically breathe the Honkai Energy from the surrounding environment and the Honkai Energy supply chain within its body, thereby conducting a large-scale cycle to strengthen the entire torso and basic defense.

However, being in this mode all the time would put a huge burden on the body, and the requirements for Honkai Energy literacy would become more demanding.

Carole and Shiyu Qiluo both possess excellent Honkai Energy literacy, which, when converted to post-era algorithms, would place them at the level of A-rank Valkyrie.

Himeko is actually inferior to the two in this respect, which is the core reason why she was willing to let them join and provide them with the most advanced armor.

Fu Hua's Honkai Energy adaptability is superior, and she is also the one who can maintain armor for the longest time among the three.

However, if the body is enhanced by both the Void Sword Qi and the armor, the combat time will be greatly reduced.

The Clear Mirror Sword Heart has indeed greatly increased the upper limit and breadth of the ability to control Honkai Energy, and even the precision has been instinctively improved, but when it comes to physical control, one must be extremely careful.

She did indeed control [Thousand Stars], but to achieve the perfect, normal state of [Thousand Stars] like Su Qing'an was simply wishful thinking.

Even with armor, the girl's physical capabilities are still far less forgiving than the boy's. Her only advantage lies in her excellent Honkai Energy adaptability, which greatly lowers the barrier to entry for this skill.

However, since [Thousand Stars] was originally designed as a short-term burst skill, learning to use it like Su Qing'an would require much more time.

Even if one accumulates thousands of deaths in Virtual Pod, whether the experience can be learned is still unknown.

Fu Hua wasn't sure if the unusual Honkai Energy ahead meant the presence of an enemy, but arming herself in advance like Shiyu Qiluo wasn't a bad thing.

The fabric flowed like water, concealing the exposed snow-white skin. The intricate, jagged scales were the decoration on the surface of the bodysuit. The outer garments slowly covered the bodysuit, and finally, a straight and familiar ancient sword slid into the hand and was grasped.

She looked at her two teammates who were ready and said softly:

"Do you want to go in?"

Carole tested the cannon muzzle on her arm armor for a while, then looked ahead, her gaze slightly narrowed.

"Excessive courage can lead to recklessness, while excessive caution can lead to timidity. As the captain of our team, you have always struck the right balance."

"I trust your judgment, Hua."

Fu Hua glanced at the distant obelisk above. As sunlight entered her eyes, the tall, ancient building seemed to become somewhat illusory in a fraction of a second.

She blinked, and facing her was a wall that slanted straight up, and looking up, the pure white clouds seemed within reach.

This magnificent Gothic-style church was built a century ago, but its history of Honkai is far longer; the Honkai Energy detector underground was buried before the church was even built.

This machine appears to use relatively old technology, which is why it is difficult to move.

After its initial establishment, the official team neglected this matter except for regular maintenance, which is why it was necessary to send someone in person to obtain the data.

Its connection with the authorities relies on routine maintenance, inspections, and data exchange every few years; it is simply impossible to directly transmit data to the authorities.

This is a necessary task. If we can use this to help the higher-ups deduce the truth about the Honkai 3rd backflow incident, then we can save many innocent lives.

Moreover, although the potential crisis already exists, the magnitude of the Honkai Energy fluctuations is clearly still constrained to a manageable level.

Leaving like this is also an unwise move.

Himeko might not think much of it, but the opinions and views of the other team members are something that must be considered.

They wore state-of-the-art armor that no one else possessed. Even though Himeko had a high reputation in the Fifth Squad, and their Honkai Energy adaptability, a crucial requirement, proved that the three of them were the most suitable, their relatively shallow qualifications still caused the team members to have many complaints in private.

From a soldier's perspective, being able to maximize the armor's power does not necessarily mean that the final combat effectiveness is the strongest.

With Fu Hua's Honkai Energy needing to be concealed, the only way to prove the correctness of this technique to her team and Himeko is to perfectly complete the mission.

The main entrance of the church was very similar to the main entrance of Notre Dame Cathedral that the girl had seen on television before, and the pattern of the stained glass window was almost identical.

She pushed the door open with one hand, the dull sound fading away as sunlight poured in, illuminating the rising and falling dust particles with exceptional clarity.

The three proceeded cautiously. The place was empty and deserted, yet surprisingly clean.

The stained glass windows that catch the eye are painted with vivid biblical stories, interspersed with glimpses of South Australia's history. Light dances down the undulating glass surfaces, but the darkness is still caused by the lights being turned off.

The night vision function inside the goggles meant that the dimness wasn't a problem, but given the obvious anomaly, the clearer the environment was, the more strange it seemed.

The fluctuations of that Honkai Energy were too subtle, and unlike the Honkai creatures such as the Zombie, they did not move or wander on their own.

The most bizarre thing is that this subtle fluctuation is almost everywhere. After the nanobots circled the entire church and transmitted this information, this eerie feeling lingered in the minds of the three people and was hard to shake off.

Is this a strange force field unintentionally created after the Honkai outbreak, or a peculiar ability possessed by a completely new form of Honkai Beast?

The unknown is often the greatest source of fear, and Fu Hua Kenshin is constantly sensing the flow of Honkai Energy, finds it even stranger and more chilling.

As she slowly ventured deeper, the girl could vaguely sense that these Honkai Energy fluctuations were not entirely random.

Having mastered the highly difficult technique of manipulating Honkai Energy, such as [Thousand Stars], her sensitivity to Honkai Energy became more refined, and her experience in manipulating Honkai Energy allowed her to understand the unique nature of this fluctuation.

If [Thousand Stars] is a technique that establishes an internal and external cyclical structure to produce wondrous effects, then this entire church is as if it is completely surrounded by a similar framework.

If we follow this line of reasoning, then comparing the fluctuations of these Honkai Energy to the way [Thousand Stars] unconsciously cuts through the surrounding air currents during its operation, we will find a strange similarity.

At the same time that Fu Hua noticed this, Shiyu Qiluo stroked the empty space in front of her, her hands moving slowly as if touching something uneven.

In the deathly silence, the cold armor and rough surface of her armor rubbed together with a distinct sound.

There is something invisible.

The vision that was once relied upon now seemed useless, turning the clean and tidy church into a terrifying inferno filled with thorns and raging flames.

Things that cannot be understood always reveal a primal fear, Fu Hua was able to remain calm because she understood the general reason.

The unseen elements essentially represent the framework of the effects of the Honkai Energy fluctuations surrounding the entire church.

However, compared to the simple and efficient function of [Thousand Stars], this Honkai Energy framework, which is similar to invisibility or affects vision, is more like magic as described in some old comics.

As the first person to notice something was wrong, Shiyu Qiluo's inner turmoil was understandable, but the calmness of her teammates gave her even more courage.

She slowly stepped back, silently gesturing as if to indicate whether she wanted to retreat.

Fu Hua nodded to the two, indicating that they should leave the church first. It was clearly not a wise move to continue acting rashly after discovering even the slightest clue.

She can now recall the tiny details inside the church, and the fleeting sense of unreality she felt when she looked up at the obelisk.

Perhaps St. Peter's Cathedral is already a dilapidated ruin, but the view that can be seen with the naked eye is completely covered and distorted by this Honkai Energy framework that seems to be a spell, so that the exterior still looks the original appearance.

If you think about it further, it becomes even more terrifying. The fact that the robots that took off on their own from the armed helicopters photographed all the intact historical sites may also be due to this strange technique or ability.

Therefore, the guy who took these actions is very likely not a mindless, pure Honkai Beast.

To date, no Honkai Beast appearing in history possess similar abilities; they can only be preliminarily considered to be entirely new Honkai species.

The city's culture, art, and architecture have all been preserved intact to the naked eye thanks to the abilities of this Honkai species.

If this wasn't intentional, it simply doesn't make logical sense.

Following this line of reasoning, one can only conclude that it has preferences... and even intelligence.

To put it bluntly, this is simply illogical.

First, we can rule out the possibility that the other party is Herrscher.

The Honkai fluctuations generated in the early stages of Herrscher's creation could not possibly be perfectly concealed unless a large-scale Honkai outbreak occurred, overwhelming the entire civilization.

If beings of the Herrscher caliber possess the patience and intelligence to conceal themselves, it would be an unacceptable calamity for the entire civilization.

This means that as long as the enemy remains in the heartland of humanity, large-scale weapons like the Honkai Fission Bomb will be difficult to deploy at will.

Fu Hua reserved her opinion for the time being. While signaling her teammates to retreat, she edited a message and tried to send it to the Moth to Fire headquarters for a decision.

"----."

But in a daze, the sound of a giant creature breathing surrounded his ears, tearing apart the illusion of peace.