Ashwatthama, the Hidden Hand

What words can describe the sudden surge of emotion in my chest?

Fear, anger, sorrow, and confusion mingled into a colorless flame, burning away the very roots of reason.

Carole stared blankly at the scene ahead where the sunlight suddenly intensified.

The ferocious posture of the enormous creature stretching its body was thus reflected in those golden, burning eyes.

Her arm armor creaked and groaned as it clashed against the metal, and the Honkai Energy Reactor instantly entered an overload state under her will.

But...

The girl glanced silently at her friend, watching her movements and coordinating with the two to retreat. The gathered Honkai Energy melted away slowly like snowflakes in the blink of an eye. In just a moment of hesitation, she forced herself to calm down, abandoning her intention to fight to the death with the other party.

That's what half-baked people are like; they can only throw themselves into danger and fight desperately when they have absolutely nothing left, even if the opponent is an enemy they wish they could tear to pieces...

The same applies.

As the church's facade was unveiled by its awakening, the stained glass windows depicting biblical stories shattered and vanished like bubbles.

The serene and sacred church presents a complete and authentic image, while vast stretches of ruins reveal the once lush green grass behind it, now mottled and broken earth.

As the dome dissipated like mist, sunlight slowly streamed down, revealing the clear outline of this Emperor-class Honkai Beast.

Amidst the piles of building ruins, it slowly opened its beastly eyes and looked at the guests who had disturbed its slumber. Its enormous, spindle-shaped arm rested on the ground, displaying an unparalleled presence and implicitly revealing its identity.

Emperor-class Honkai Beast - Ashwatthama.

Its code name is derived from the twin gods in Hindu mythology, the two horsemen who are the gods of medicine and the sons of the sun god.

The twins' names are Nasatya and Darsa, symbolizing sunrise and sunset.

The term Ashwatthama is a divine name that signifies twins.

Carole knew all too well the level of the enemy before her. Reason suppressed her emotions, and the spreading branches in her mind grew as she gathered her rage.

She didn't want to repeat her mother's fate of dying at the hands of that person. Even though she had given up on herself and thought that he wouldn't be able to see it anyway, in the end, Carole couldn't bear to do anything that would make him sad.

Even though she can't see it.

Therefore, we must remain calm; we have no choice but to remain calm.

Even if it's not for personal reasons, personal grudges cannot affect the tasks assigned by superiors.

The armor and training resources that the Moth to Fire has given itself shouldn't allow it to selfishly choose to die. Besides... this is a matter for itself, and it makes no sense to involve Qi Qiluo and Hua in it.

She suppressed all her emotions and said:

"Let's go."

Shiyu Qiluo silently drew her Tale Cursed Sword, staring directly at the towering Honkai Beast, and softly said:

"You can't escape, Pepper."

"Besides, you don't want to run away, right?"

Fu Hua pulled out the virtual screen with one hand and calmly analyzed the situation:

"Pure escape is suicidal in the face of Ashwatthama, as your mother, Colonel Lewis, warned you."

"Its area-of-effect attack is very wide. According to the data collected, it is enough to completely annihilate the armor that has not been updated in the past with a single blow. If you rashly turn your back and leave, unless you can directly get out of its attack range, it is not only meaningless, but also carries other risks."

"But that's not the most important reason, Pepper."

"You want to kill it, right?"

Carole remained silent. How did everyone know?

Why do they all say such things when they've decided to give up?

Why are they all so gentle, so considerate, so... that they all make me sad?

She gazed at the Honkai Beast, which was just beginning to awaken, and suppressed her emotions, whispering softly:

"Too dangerous."

The Honkai Energy framework around her cracked abruptly like shattered glass, preventing Fu Hua's sword intent from being disturbed, thus allowing her to grasp the enemy's specific situation.

She glanced at the Emperor-class Honkai Beast's raised arm as it roared, and said softly:

"No mission is without danger."

"It's only a part of Ashwatthama, and according to our squad's level, it's still within our capabilities to fight."

"Therefore, abandoning the mission for this reason is not currently under consideration."

The ancient sword in her hand flipped over, and the Honkai Energy gathered and arranged in a fixed formula.

He swung his arm and slashed out in the shape of a sword.

Opening the sword shape and breaking the sea.

Before the arm could strike, the ring of Honkai Energy hit the Honkai Beast's joint like a heavy object. The sword-shaped frame formed by the Honkai energy was instantly crushed by the girl, and the resulting impact caused the Honkai Beast to stagger backward several meters.

The single, enormous arm swung backward and crashed onto the mountain of wreckage, a deafening roar accompanied by billowing clouds of dust.

Carole remained silent.

She shook her head and grabbed the girl's hand.

Carole could certainly understand part of what Fu Hua meant.

Before encountering his mother, Ashwatthama split into two Honkai Beasts and wreaked havoc in the city.

When Lewis encountered it, he was facing the complete Ashwatthama, formed by the fusion of the Child of Dawn and the Child of Night.

If it weren't for the nearby laboratory that supplied the large Honkai Energy with her, given the level of armor at that time, Lewis's idea of destroying Ashwatthama's arms would have been a pipe dream, let alone causing her to crash.

However, Ashwatthama is different from normal Emperor-class Honkai Beast. Even though the Ashwatthama in front of us is only half of the Child of Dawn, its strength and Honkai Energy fluctuations are already not much weaker than the complete Ganesha.

Despite being both Emperor-class Honkai Beast, Ashwatthama's combined combat power and Honkai Energy index are comparable to 1.7 Ganesha.

As a result, its numbers are extremely rare.

At least in the various battles that human civilization has dealt with so far, we have never encountered multiple Ashwatthama.

This also means that this Child of Dawn is very likely the same Emperor-class Honkai Beast that returned to full health last time because no one finished it off.

The gains made by her mother at the cost of her life were wiped out, and the girl, having come to understand this reality, had long since lost her inner fire.

However, if they stay and continue fighting the enemy, it would be tantamount to letting their comrades fight a slightly weaker Emperor-class Honkai Beast.

Carole understood that a direct escape was impossible, but a guerrilla war, fighting and retreating slowly, might be a better option.

Her personality wouldn't allow her companions to take these unnecessary risks for their own personal feelings.

But just then, those blue eyes stared intently at her, and the girl's lips parted slightly as she softly repeated a sentence:

Excessive courage leads to recklessness, while excessive caution leads to timidity.

"So you trust me, right? You trust that I can handle things properly."

Carole kept shaking her head, biting her lip, a thousand words stuck in her throat, unable to be uttered.

This is different; it's different from when I said those words before.

But for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to say it, as if she understood that such a rebuttal was simply too weak.

Fu Hua pursed her lips and patted the girl's head. Her pale fingertips pierced through her snow-white hair, and her skin felt cool.

The girl's gaze was unwaveringly fixed on those golden eyes brimming with tears, and she whispered:

"You said that it's reasonable to do immature things at an immature age, right?"

"Reason tells me to just use [Thousand Stars] to carry you away. It's okay to wait for the Moth to Fire's reinforcements to arrive before killing it. Preserving our lives is the top priority. As for emotions, just suppress them as before and control them."

"You've already endured it all before, so why couldn't you hold back at such a crucial moment?"

She held the sword blade with one hand and unleashed one Sword Defense Style after another against the Child of Dawn.

The channels through which the authentic Void Sword Qi controls Honkai Energy all originate from the gradual modification of the body by the Sword Heart Technique.

Unlike Su Qing'an, who expended his Soul Essence to bypass the inadequacy of Honkai adaptability in order to indirectly control Honkai Energy, Fu Hua only needs to use her body's instincts to control and utilize it as naturally as Herrscher using their powers.

The rate and degree of compliance with the Honkai Energy of the universe were far superior to those of Su Qing'an, who also possessed the Clear Mirror Sword Heart.

This means that techniques like the "Sword Defense Style," which are like following a set formula, are simply instantaneous moves for Fu Hua, requiring little physical or mental exertion.

The Child of Dawn's body was not much different from Ganesha's, except that its arm, which looked like it was covered in heavy armor, seemed to account for a third of the weight of its entire body, making people wonder if the arm was the center of its body.

Several Sword Defense Style, like a spider web, wrapped around the arm of the Emperor-class Honkai Beast. The ink-like sword energy spread out like raindrops, forming a fine vortex around the irregular cylinder and pulling outwards.

The surging wind tore through the air, and the immense force it generated suddenly obeyed its master's will, throwing the Child of Dawn directly backward, drawing a flamboyant arc in mid-air.

The girl's clear voice pierced through the clanging sounds of [Thousand Stars], like the clash of swords, and reached Carole's ears.

"The reasoning is very simple, Pepper."

"The official decision has left Master Su critically injured and unconscious to this day. I cannot seek revenge, nor can I bring myself to do so."

"My hometown was destroyed, and all the familiar and dear people were reduced to ashes in this Honkai fire. My father survived, but he also contracted Honkai Sickness. But I cannot vent my anger on some vague and intangible concept."

"There are many, many more things like this where you have no choice but to endure them; otherwise, you can't go on."

"But things are different now. Now, it doesn't matter if you and I don't have to endure it."

"I assure you, nothing will happen."

"So it's fine for now, let's learn from our past selves and be recklessly willful just this once."

Carole was stunned.

The cool touch of her fingertips on her skin, the tenderness in her focused gaze, and the powerful, penetrating quality in her patient words.

Without realizing it, the Fu Hua who used to blush easily and was easy to tease is now a rare sight.

Her clumsy posture of carefully measuring with a ruler while squatting on the ground to build a snowman has gradually evolved into her current cool and aloof appearance as her long hair falls loose after her hair tie is cut open by [Thousand Stars], and she seriously holds her sword.

It was as if the person's slumber had completely shattered a beautiful dream before her eyes, forcing the once naive girl, who would shrink back even when eating ramen alone, to face the fear that arose during the long night.

The result of her struggles to this day is what she is now, and herself, freed from her shackles.

Carole unfurled her massive shield, slamming it heavily onto the ground. The Honkai Energy reactor, connected to the slowly expanding, dark muzzle of the shield, roared in despair:

"I'm not responsible if Captain Himeko scolds me when I get back."

The musical note-shaped cursed sword in Shiyu Qiluo's hand draws on the Honkai Energy, shining with a colorful brilliance. The musical notes, which are both illusory and real, are essentially one of the Honkai Energy arrangement formulas loaded inside the armor.

It is said that the initial algorithm for this Honkai Energy arrangement formula was created by Mei, and the subsequent specific formulas and details were expanded and modified by the Equipment Department based on this initial model.

Both she and Carole were roughly in the upper-middle range of the post-era B-rank Valkyrie. Reaching this level in just four months was already quite remarkable, but compared to the Emperor-class Honkai Beast of the Previous Civilization, they were clearly far from sufficient.

However, neither of them was worried that they had no chance of winning.

Su Qing'an's act of killing Ganesha with a single sword strike is still vivid in my mind. As that person's apprentice, Fu Hua's strength outside of armor is undoubtedly incomparable to the two of them.

"It's alright, I'll go through with you and Hua and accept the education properly." She joked, but her eyes were fixed on the hazy Child of Dawn in the distance amidst the dust.

As one of the trio, Shiyu Qiluo could clearly see the psychological changes of the two others.

In a sense, her resilience was the strongest among the three; she could always adjust herself quickly, no matter how heavy the gloom or despair.

It seems that after the nerve-wracking death threat from Ganesha, Shiyu Qiluo became somewhat different.

Aiming to be an idol who reflects her own inner standards Shiyu Qiluo chooses to shoulder the reality of her family's extinction, accepts the truth of the Honkai, and willingly steps into an endless vortex.

She understood that the world today no longer allowed her to become the idol of her dreams.

But even so, it doesn't matter, as long as the world can be turned back to its original state.

That era, an era that allowed people to revel in laughter and anticipate the glory of their idols.

Therefore, this battle is an inevitable hardship, and death is a threat that must be faced.

Shiyu Qiluo and Carole exchanged a glance, both preparing to unleash their strongest power output at once, attempting to break through the fortress-like defense.

A swift and decisive victory is the core element of this battle.

The real risk of killing the Child of Dawn lies not in its near- Emperor-class combat power, but in the inevitable chain reaction that the Child of Night, whose whereabouts are unknown, will trigger.

The life of the Child of Dawn must be completely extinguished before the enemy arrives and the complete Emperor-class Honkai Beast Ashwatthama is revealed.

Otherwise, they would face an even more arduous and riskier battle.

Fu Hua's deliberate testing of the strength of Child of Dawn's arm was key to a swift victory. Colonel Lewis's death provided several hypotheses and speculations about this Emperor-class Honkai Beast, giving them an advantage in the information war.

Ashwatthama's two arms, with their striking shape and contrasting colors, are the most unique and important organs within the body of this Emperor-class Honkai Beast.

Based on Kenshin's assessment, the data from the Honkai Energy sensor, and Lewis's speculation, Ashwatthama's two arms contain most of the organs that assist in controlling Honkai Energy, typical of this Emperor-class Honkai Beast.

This is Ashwatthama's most important shield and spear.

Simply breaking through the outer armor would disrupt its auxiliary organs for controlling Honkai Energy, rendering its attack methods useless.

At that time, the Honkai Energy shield circulating on the Honkai Beast's shell will be completely broken from the inside out, and even the attacks of B-rank Valkyrie will be able to kill the extremely fragile Ashwatthama.

Lewis's sacrifice caused Ashwatthama to be out of service for thirty-seven minutes. If there had been properly armed troops around them at that time, they would not have encountered the Child of Dawn now.

Therefore, if these theories hold true for Ashwatthama, then they will still be the same viable strategy for Child of Dawn, only with a slightly lower difficulty level.

Having just been tested, Fu Hua was confident that she could cut through the thick armor on the outside of her opponent's arm.

The necessity of a swift victory is evident from her instantaneous activation of [Thousand Stars], demonstrating that this core principle was already being implemented from the very beginning.

The Clear Mirror Sword Heart recklessly absorbs the Honkai Energy from the outside world, shaping a new sword form on its thin blade.

The core function of using heaven and earth as the dantian means that the power furnace inside the armor can only play a small part compared to the other side, but the core formula loaded inside the armor allows the girl to better balance the operation of [Thousand Stars] and the sharpness of her attacks.

The illusory, hazy shadows were all contained within the blade, and the heavy Honkai Energy suppressed and overflowed with a violent wind. They wantonly severed the ruins piled up by the surrounding building materials, invisible and colorless.

From a purely visual perspective, in the instant she took her step, the scene that was rapidly pulled out of sight was torn apart into a shattered and wild state by the aftershocks.

This is because the control over Honkai Energy is not precise enough.

The fundamental reason lies in the fact that she reproduced the basic Honkai Energy shaping formula, which was proportionally enlarged to the blade, dozens of times in one go, and forcibly suppressed the release that should have been as brief as fireworks, using her control over Honkai Energy.

And that's what led to the scene we see today.

The Child of Dawn was caught off guard; it had several moves that would have been enough to delay the attack until its half-body was upon it.

That's too fast, too fast to comprehend.

Even with the protection of armor, her body couldn't withstand the accelerated amplification from breaking the sound barrier.

But a sword shape is acceptable.

Thus, the girl's graceful sword-wielding movements stopped just in front of the Child of Dawn. Dozens of overlapping sword shapes, through the metal conductor of the ancient sword, expanded and pulled out even more illusory blades, like enormous fan swords overlapping to form a circular halo of light. Following the trajectory of force and speed, it swept out, traversing all distances in a second, and domineeringly slashed at the thick arm armor.

Shattered, torn apart, annihilated.

Countless particles of light slowly spilled out from the severed arm, as if even the roar that should have been followed by struggle was instantly cut off the moment the outer armor tore apart.

As if its nerves had been severed and its thoughts paralyzed, the Child of Dawn successfully entered a shutdown within a short period of time.

The girl who swung the sword had her armor overloaded, causing her to automatically exit combat mode.

As the romantic sounds of [Thousand Stars] faded into nothingness, the armor that had transformed into everyday clothing emitted wisps of blue smoke from the tiny pores of its fibers, making her pale face somewhat indistinct at this moment. Only her eyes were fixed intently on the Child of Dawn, as if waiting for something.

A beam of Honkai Energy, carrying colorful musical notes that swirled like butterflies, pierced through the head of the Child of Dawn.

Fu Hua smiled as she looked at the damaged cannon muzzle on the large shield and the two holding hands.

At that moment, the power reactors of Shiyu Qiluo and Carole's respective armors made contact through their hand armor, thus connecting together to the large shield and jointly outputting this Honkai Energy beam.

For the two who cannot control Honkai Energy, this is already the maximum output they can accumulate.

Although only half of her enemies died, Carole's inner world underwent changes far beyond what this outcome could have prompted.

Even though she always cherished her friends, this battle deepened the meaning of companionship in the girl's heart.

Perhaps in such an absurd and ridiculous apocalypse, the combined weight of classmates, comrades, and friends is a treasure that cannot be compared with anything else.

Fu Hua glanced at the remains of the Child of Dawn. As part of Emperor-class Honkai Beast, this body obviously wouldn't disappear so quickly.

After informing headquarters about the battle situation and unusual occurrences here, she said to the two men:

"I have reported everything here to headquarters truthfully, and reinforcements should be arriving soon."

"Although we don't know who tampered with the church, the fact that it didn't come out earlier suggests it's probably not nearby. However, it's better to be cautious and leave as soon as we complete the mission."

Fu Hua could probably still try to unleash the same attack again, so the Child of Night's ambush was still within the risk range of the battle, which was why she was willing to stay at St. Peter's Cathedral a little longer.

About ten minutes later, the three-person team successfully obtained data on the specific changes in the Honkai Energy index in the Adelaide region.

With that, the mission can be considered perfectly completed.

An hour later, a large number of armed helicopters and reinforcements arrived to provide support.

The lengthy search confirmed one fact: those seemingly intact historical sites were basically all wearing a false exterior.

While uncovering these layers, the Moth to Fire also successfully killed the Child of Night was still in a state of slumber for some unknown reason.

The Emperor-class Honkai Beast Ashwatthama is now definitively confirmed dead.

However, the identity of who created these dozens of mirages remains unknown.

This made Adelaide's unusual situation a strange event that attracted considerable attention from the higher-ups.

To find out the real answer, we'll probably have to wait until the not-too-distant future.