Australia on the Brink of Destruction

The red-haired beauty lay disheveled on the soft, white bed, her Amber eyes slightly closed, revealing a languid and bewildered expression, her fluttering eyelashes appearing somewhat white in the light.

When she awoke from her bed, she had forgotten some of the things that had happened before.

The curtains were drawn back, but the exact time had been forgotten; the tablet, which had somehow landed at the edge of my ankle, felt slightly cold against my skin; paper documents that should have been in the cabinet were scattered on the floor, swirling and turning in the wind; unsent messages from the terminal had settled into dust, while that file remained safely stored in the cloud...

Himeko's dazed mind struggled to comprehend the current situation; her consciousness was clearly fragmented, yet she no longer cared about the lingering effects of this anomaly.

My father... is dead.

The unmistakably real information was implanted into the mind like a steel stamp, and a chaotic flood of false memories overwhelmed all the incongruity and the truth that remained in place.

Genuine emotions arose spontaneously from this falsehood, just like the original Herrscher of Death. The missionary, drawing on this possibility, created the sharpest blade, leaving Himeko's exhausted mind with no time to consider the so-called truth and falsehood.

Flora believes that the power of emotion is enough to overcome this hard-won willpower for her, and therefore the end of this conspiracy will bring a destined victory.

Himeko frantically tried to hold onto the memories of her beloved family that had never left her mind. Forcing herself to calm down, she sat up, grabbed her terminal from beside her pillow, and dialed Ryusuke Muryōtō's number. After a brief ring, a familiar voice came from the other end:

"Himeko?"

She paused for a moment, then replied:

"It's me, Dad."

Himeko suppressed her turbulent emotions, but then she heard a cacophony of noise coming from the other end. She asked softly:

You've come to Australia?

At Sydney International Airport, Ryusuke Muryōtō stood in a corner of Terminal 1, looking at the sparse flow of people around him, and smiled as he replied:

"You've been found out! I was trying to give you a surprise."

Despite this, the man's tone did not become dejected; he continued:

I remember you were on vacation today.

"I've made a reservation at LUMI for tonight. I remember their ceviche and shrimp pasta were pretty good; you should like it with Grey Goose vodka."

"Oh, by the way, my colleague asked me to bring you a gift. Of course, I also prepared one myself; it's a specialty of the Mu Continent, something you probably haven't seen before..."

Himeko listened to his scattered and ethereal words, her expression dazed.

My father is not dead; this is the obvious reality.

Even with familiar voices reaching her ears and undeniable reality laid bare before her, she struggled to regain her composure. The implanted perception and chaotic, false memories trapped her in an inescapable maze, leaving her unable to find a measure to distinguish things.

The woman took a deep breath and said:

Where are you now? I'll come pick you up.

Sensing the unusual tone in the other person's voice, Ryusuke Muryōtō frowned and replied:

I'm at Sydney International Airport.

"Himeko, what's wrong?"

The woman put on high-waisted light blue jeans, then roughly pulled on a white shirt, covering most of her exposed skin. She quickly buttoned it up, burying her delicate skin beneath the fabric, and calmly replied:

"I don't know, I might have some mental problems."

"Even though I'm talking to you, my mind firmly believes that you're no longer alive, as if some force is imposing a forced cognitive impairment and continuously distorting my own will."

Even if you understand all of this, your emotions are beyond your control.

"Dad, I've never denied how important you are to me, just as you've never hidden your care and love for me. But only now, for the first time in my life, do I truly understand the weight of how important you are to me."

Ryusuke Muryōtō could hardly describe his current feelings. He said:

"I love you, Himeko."

"I hope everything is alright. I'll be waiting for you at the airport exit here."

As the man listened to the echoes of the call ending, a very bad premonition crept in. The predicament his daughter was facing was no longer some bizarre situation that could be explained by mental illness or psychological problems.

It's probably... a Honkai event.

Attributing all unknown phenomena to Honkai is a practice rejected by researchers' mindset, but Ryusuke Muryōtō feels that the current situation, combined with Himeko's identity as the captain of the Moth to Fire, is not unexpected.

But for now, all he can do is wait for the other party to arrive.

On the other side, Himeko picked up the mouthwash from the table to clean her mouth, then put on her black boots and stepped into the bathroom.

The woman looked at herself in the mirror. Her face was so haggard that it even evoked pity. Her former iron-willed, cold, and resilient temperament had been shattered between her delicate brows, becoming a mark of the past. After just one week of torment, the person in the mirror seemed to have become someone else entirely.

Himeko didn't hesitate for long. The anxiety and sorrow in her chest couldn't allow her to stay any longer. After roughly rinsing her face and the corners of her eyes with water, she opened the door and faced the bright sunlight and the cacophony of cicadas. She quickened her pace and stepped into the distance.

Iceland, Lake Tōning.

The missionary watched as the waterbirds, sensing his unease, swooped down towards the center of the lake and beyond. Under the azure sky, the dazzling sunlight reflected off the lake's surface, highlighting their presence. He murmured:

"Legend has it that God sent down a great fire that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah."

"A very interesting story, isn't it?"

"But without Lot in Australia, they would all turn into pillars of salt, until the last one was reduced to black dust, purified into a world in Honkai, and that desolate wasteland burned to nothingness would be our ideal homeland."

The Honkai Consciousness stated:

[If he can utilize that power, everything is unknown.]

Flora smiled and said softly:

"Emotions are fascinating things, my lord."

"It can allow Seele Fulei to pass on everything about herself to completely different souls, and then create a brand new history, but it can also become an ant hole in a thousand-mile dike, making the originally indestructible humanity extremely fragile."

"He can no longer fight; that's what Himeko's memories tell me."

"Is it a psychological problem? Or some kind of concern? Is it a physical illness, or has he simply become a coward? None of these matters; all that's needed is to understand the conclusion."

The Honkai Consciousness stated:

[We'll be able to draw conclusions then; at least his power hasn't disappeared, so it's still something to be wary of.]

She neither confirmed nor denied it.

Perhaps.

The missionary hummed a Bible hymn, murmuring with a smile:

"It's almost time; she's heading towards hell."

Moth to Fire, Australian Branch.

Mei stared at the sudden appearance of numerous data points and strange Honkai Energy flows on the giant screen. Her heart nearly stopped, and her nerves were stretched to their limit. She ordered Prometheus to incorporate all the data into the analysis and to contact Kevin immediately to return to the Australian branch.

This is a harbinger of the imminent birth of the Seventh Herrscher, a situation I had anticipated.

But when it actually happens, she still feels immense pressure and tension.

The flow of Honkai Energy worldwide is experiencing strange disruptions, and no place is immune to the unexpected events. What temporarily puts Mei at ease is that, based on the data flow, the possibility of Australia being located at the epicenter is not high.

Three minutes after this global anomaly occurred, the concentration of Honkai Energy in the eastern Mediterranean region, including northeastern Africa and southwestern Asia, as well as in Iran, Afghanistan, and the Balkans, dropped to almost zero.

Five minutes later, the same thing happened in more than twenty countries, including those in the eastern and southern Mediterranean, as well as in large areas of the Persian Gulf, West Asia and North Africa, and Egypt in Africa.

Ten minutes later, Southeast Asia and South Asia, namely the region east of Afghanistan and Kazakhstan, north of Australia, west of the Pacific Ocean, and south of the Arctic Ocean, seemed to have returned to the Honkai Energy concentration before the Great Honkai.

This Honkai Energy tide, which nearly engulfed the entire world, seemed to be the final act before its climax. Mei watched as the massive amounts of Honkai Energy disappeared from the world, their destination unknown, and her heart grew heavier.

It's terrifying.

Even if the exact location and time of the Seventh Herrscher's creation are still unclear, the Honkai Energy that has been lost can be understood as the resources and foundation that enabled its birth.

But this is ridiculously exaggerated. Even the combined Honkai Energy consumed by the first six Herrscher might not be comparable to the Honkai Energy level that just one Seventh Herrscher would contain.

Even though this doesn't mean that the Seventh Herrscher possesses the combat power to single-handedly face all previous Herrscher combined, it still speaks volumes.

Mei was very fortunate that Su Qing'an could become the host of the Black Abyss White Flower. Otherwise, the Fusion Warrior Project might not have been able to proceed so smoothly and quickly, and the adjustment and growth period that Kevin would have needed to go through after becoming Fusion Warrior would have been even more urgent.

To be honest, Mei was already doubting that Kevin Kaslana, who had only been injected with the Parvati gene and had not yet accepted the Chimera Project, would be no match for the Seventh Herrscher.

However, with Su Qing'an as her assistant, and by fully embracing the powers of the [Stigmata] and the Black Abyss White Flower, Kevin Kaslana possesses an undefeated foundation.

Provided the gap hasn't reached a critical value, the combination of [Stigmata] and [Creation] is a cheat code that's completely overpowered. It won't tire, die, or run out of energy. The destructive power of [Annihilation] is even more deadly to Herrscher still rely on the concept of life.

Even though the Seventh Herrscher possesses infinite Honkai Energy, the limits of her physical endurance and the injuries that slowly accumulate during battle will only worsen over time, ultimately leading to her defeat.

Mei is more worried about the future than about the current war.

If all future Herrscher will experience such an almost exponential increase in power, what immense despair will the so-called Finality bring?

Looking ahead to the final battle, she has far too many things to consider.

But one thing is certain: hoping to achieve a greater victory by praying for the enemy's weakness is not a delusion worth advocating.

Mei will continue to explore the potential of the Fusion Warrior Project, which currently has the greatest impact on combat power, and use other technological means to counterbalance it. However, the unknown always makes her realize that no matter how hard she tries, there seems to be an insurmountable barrier and estrangement.

Prometheus's statement interrupted her worries:

"Dr. Mei, those vanished Honkai Energy vortexes are slowly converging in one direction, traveling a vast distance through the medium of nothingness."

The data display subsequently underwent a series of changes, ultimately resulting in an easy-to-understand answer.

To give a simple example, if you take out a world map centered on Australia, you can clearly see that this continent is completely surrounded by oceans.

And now, the endless ocean of Honkai Energy is the same. It tirelessly flocks from all over the world, completely gathering into this once calm continent, as if God had sent down a great fire.

Mei stared blankly at the cold analysis results and drew a conclusion.

Australia is destroyed.

Regardless of how much damage the Seventh Herrscher can cause to this continent after being born here, even a tiny bit of this Honkai Energy overflowing from the ocean is enough to ignite a large-scale Honkai eruption in every city.

The current route of Holy Gate Project is completely incapable of withstanding such a terrifying force that could descend upon the world all at once.

At that time, a large number of residents who have never undergone the Honkai Outbreak trial will be screened out and killed.

Countless Zombie and Honkai Beast will far outnumber the Mechanical Force, further slaughtering the few remaining survivors.

Regardless of what the Seventh Herrscher may achieve afterward, this continent, hailed as the most peaceful besides Mu Continent, will be relegated to a gray, forbidden zone on the world map controlled by humanity.

Such a massive amount of Honkai Energy merely swept across the ocean, yet the resulting Honkai Phenomenon would be incessant, with a continuous stream of Honkai Beast settling there. Human inhabitants wishing to set foot in Australia would likely have to wait until a very distant future.

The moment Mei grasped the current situation, she issued the highest alert order. Almost simultaneously, she understood that stopping the Honkai Filter was impossible, and even rescuing the impending survivors was not very feasible.

The scope is too broad.

Gazing at the countless vortexes on the screen that kept disappearing and then suddenly approaching Australia, the girl understood that no common mode of transportation could maintain normal operation amidst the successive Honkai Energy phenomena.

The military's warships are capable of doing this, but these strategic-level large-scale armed forces are mostly located on the Mu Continent and in Haiyuan City.

Within Australia, there is only one Miniature Battleship of this caliber available for her own use, and it can carry a maximum of less than a thousand people. This number is insufficient to rescue any survivors in Australia, let alone evacuate all the personnel from the Moth to Fire.

The only way to deal with this is to defeat the Seventh Herrscher as quickly as possible.

They then used the least damaged areas as their base, allowing the Moth to Fire to lead the Mechanical Force to suppress the entire continent of Australia, rescue the survivors they could, and finally slowly withdraw.

Even this seemingly simple plan to clean up the mess appears too idealistic and naive. To expend vast amounts of resources, time, and the lives of soldiers to rescue a handful of survivors is far too extravagant and foolish in this day and age.

Moreover... to reach a situation where rescue is possible, we must first ensure that the higher-ups do not choose to deploy the Honkai Fission Bomb; otherwise, all of the above is just a meaningless castle in the air, with no possibility of being established.

From a rational perspective, ignoring all this and leaving directly is the best option. Having developed the Fusion Warrior Project, the Divine Key Project, perfected the Sea of Quantum, and created Soul Steel, his existence possesses a value greater than the sum of everything in Australia.

In order for humanity to win the final victory, one's own life can no longer be gambled with as before; otherwise, it would be a betrayal and departure from that future.

Mei has a clear understanding of herself now. She knows that anyone in this world can choose an easy death, but she is the only one who cannot.

Only I can save this crumbling world.

Such a belief would seem arrogant and conceited to anyone else, but to her alone it was simply stating a perfectly reasonable fact.

So...

Mei chose to stay for the time being.

The reason is simple: it would be foolish to hastily board a warship and leave at this stage; she must calculate the possibility that the Seventh Herrscher is coming for her.

Assuming this possibility exists, such a massive vehicle would be an unavoidable target and an extremely conspicuous landmark. It would be quite normal for the Seventh Herrscher, who should not have been able to find her way, to come directly to her. At that time, even with Su Qing'an and Kevin holding her back, they could not guarantee the integrity of the warship and their own safety.

The girl stated her command:

"Prometheus, arrange for the transfer of experimental materials and data."

"Finally, I contacted Mr. Su to take me away."

For some reason, the cicadas are chirping exceptionally loudly today, as if the height of summer is about to end.

The red-haired beauty staggered along the bustling platform. Her face, though unmade-up, was still exquisite, but her expression was troubled and her lips were pale. Combined with her tall, slender figure, she attracted occasional glances and concerned greetings from passersby.

Himeko's consciousness grew increasingly muddled. She struggled to maintain her usual politeness, simply walking in the predetermined direction. It was almost as if a week of sleep deprivation and the prolonged struggle to correct her distorted perception had pushed her to her limit on the eve of seeing her father...