I'm No MOTH Hero

"Emperor-class Honkai Beasts are on the move! Coordinates are... Squad Seven! Evacuate immediately!" The monitor's face paled as he saw the destination of the rapidly moving red dot.

Garbled communication came through the communicator from Squad Four: "Zzzzzzz—Squad Four—zzzzzz—Receive—zzzzzz—Open fire!"

Gunfire, roars, the sound of something slithering across the ground, screams, thunder.

A bolt of lightning illuminated half the sky, and also the monitor's bloodless face.

"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz"

The long crackle of electricity, and Squad Seven's response was gone.

He felt as if the world was spinning, about to collapse at any moment.

He almost forced the words out from his lungs: "Squad Seven is wiped out. Requesting... backup."

Backup? From where? All combat personnel from MOTH's Headquarters and the nearest branches were already here. There was nothing they could do but watch as the Emperor-class Honkai Beast devoured the scattered squads.

The original plan was to use the Honkai energy conversion device to attack the magnetic field around the Third Herrscher, and then kill the Herrscher in one blow. But now, they couldn't pinpoint the Herrscher's coordinates. They needed combat personnel to visually confirm the target and send the coordinates before an attack path could be calculated.

Furthermore, a squad was needed to hunt down the Emperor-class Honkai Beast. Only then could the remaining squads launch their attack on the Third Herrscher. Otherwise, the combined assault of the Herrscher and the Honkai Beast would be impossible to withstand.

But now, with everyone in disarray and exhausted from dealing with the immediate threats, the soldiers were unable to go hunt the Emperor-class Honkai Beast.

This was the Third Honkai War... more terrifying and brutal than the Second Honkai War, a despair like divine punishment descending upon them.

Suddenly, an additional communication cut into the MOTH channel.

To the monitor, it sounded like a heavenly melody.

"This is Himiko, Squad Five is en route to the battlefield. We have arrived outside Changkong City. Please send the Honkai Beast's coordinates. My squad will hunt the Emperor-class Honkai Beast."

"Lin, don't push yourself. I'll handle the Honkai Beast. You and Soul just need to focus on interference."

On the transport plane, the red-haired woman, clad in crimson Powered Armor, placed a hand on Lin's shoulder.

Lin gazed at the distant thunderclouds and Changkong City shrouded beneath them, gripping his gun tightly.

Soul, meanwhile, looked at Lin's back, also clenching his scythe in his hand.

"Squad Five, Himiko, Lin, Soul, deploy."

Chapter 6: It's Me

The torrential rain, so dense that even infrared signals were severely disrupted, continued to wash over the world.

With their visibility hampered, the MOTH soldiers struggled to move through the city. The squads tried to stay in groups to fend off the Honkai Beasts' attacks. While they couldn't launch an offense, they could at least barely maintain the situation.

"This is Elysia's squad. We will engage the Third Herrscher in approximately seventeen minutes."

Even the downpour couldn't mar the girl's elegance. Her waist-length pink hair was tied into a high ponytail for combat. Her Powered Armor was less bulky than others', and she wore no thermal imaging equipment. Yet, her movements were light, swift, and precise. Whether in gun combat or close-quarters fighting, she was no less capable than anyone else.

Like a tulip blooming under the assault of raindrops.

Thanks to Elysia's active participation, a clear area was soon established around her squad, allowing them a moment to breathe.

"Honestly, they can create Titans, but they still can't build an airship?" Elysia shielded her head with one hand, a futile gesture, but she enjoyed the atmospheric feeling of being sheltered from the rain. "If we had an airship, we could just fly above the Third Herrscher and blast it!"

Her squad members exchanged strange glances, thinking their captain had quite the imagination, already thinking about building airships after just developing the Honkai energy conversion device.

Soon, their break was over. Elysia raised her gun, looking towards the densest part of the distant thunderclouds, and narrowed her eyes. "From now on, during the engagement with the Third Herrscher, the Emperor-class Honkai Beast might attack at any moment. This is the most severe operation since the Honkai began. Stay sharp, everyone."

Even their usually flippant captain was so serious that the other members felt a knot of anxiety in their stomachs, silently praying for the arduous battle ahead.

Facing both an Upper-class Honkai Beast and a Herrscher, the pinnacles of Honkai, simultaneously, some of them were bound to fall, and there was even a significant possibility of the entire team being wiped out.

"Don't be so serious..." Elysia was about to say something to comfort them when a garbled communication cut in.

"Elysia—zzzz—Please immediately—zzzz—"

Suddenly, thunder roared, and the world was split in two by a flash of lightning. Before the shock on Elysia's face could fade, the layered thunderclouds began to move.

Amidst the thunder, Elysia shouted, "Scatter, everyone!"

"RUMBLE!"

One, two, three...

What seemed like carpet bombing strikes of lightning erupted from the thunderclouds, like an erupting volcano forming a single line, rapidly "cutting" towards Elysia's squad.

Yes, "cutting." Those lightning bolts, connected into a single line, were like a divine slash.

"BOOM—"

At the last second, Elysia grabbed the nearest squad member and pulled them into a nearby building. The others reacted quickly, taking cover behind obstructions. However, one member, unable to dodge in time, was struck by the lightning. Their entire suit instantly exploded, turning them into charcoal, emitting a faint smell of burnt flesh as they fell to the ground.

"That's..." Elysia gritted her teeth, forcing herself to look away from the fallen comrade, and gazed up at the advancing thunderclouds. Within them, a faint figure floated in mid-air without any support.

The Third Herrscher... was it active?

"Announcing to all squads—zzzz—Third Herrscher's Honkai reaction—zzzz—has begun moving—zzzz—Target—zzzz—Emperor-class—zzzzzzzzzz—"

"Hah... hah... hah..."

"Creeeak—"

Kevin, panting heavily, hugged Mei tightly and ducked into an alley amidst the wind and rain. A spear flashing with cold light whizzed past the back of his head, taking a few strands of his white hair with it before embedding itself into the ground as if piercing tofu.

"Goo—"

The Temple-class Honkai Beast, making a strange sound, turned its single eye towards Kevin's retreating back. The white-haired boy happened to glance back, meeting the gaze of the giant, glowing eye.

"Damn it... what kind of monster is that..."

Kevin covered Mei's head as she tried to peek out, scrambling and weaving through the alleyways in a desperate attempt to shake off the pursuing Temple-class Honkai Beast.

If they had to escape on flat ground at that explosive speed, they would have been skewered and roasted in minutes. Only in these complex and narrow paths did they have a chance to evade the pursuit of the creature that was easily two stories tall.

Was this the end of the world? Monsters were appearing one after another, not just Mortal-like zombies, but towering Honkai Beasts, and the chilling roars echoing from not far away...

The city they once lived in had become a den of demons, and he still had to lead Mei to find a way out of this familiar yet strange place.

No, even now, they still hadn't lost the monster's pursuit.

It was a dead end ahead!

"Goo—"

A terrifying red light swept towards them from behind. Kevin's internal alarm bells blared, and he shielded Mei's head, falling forward onto the ground.

"Bang!"

The sweeping lance shattered the adjacent wall. On the other side of the wall, a group of Mortals, driven by hunger, stumbled towards the two delicious-looking meals.

They were surrounded.

Mortals and Honkai Beasts slowly closed in on the two humans who had nowhere left to retreat.

Kevin bit his lower lip, pushing Mei behind him. He casually wiped the mud and water from his face, drawing the baseball bat, which was already close to breaking, from his waist. He walked towards the Temple-class Honkai Beast, which towered over him.

Gotta win.

We will definitely win!

The will to survive in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a more ferocious killing intent.

"Come on!" the human shouted.

"Bang!"

Blood and rain simultaneously splattered onto Kevin's face.

The blood was a sickening pinkish-white.

He froze.

"Goo—"

The monster's single eye, like that of a mythical giant, flickered once more before losing its light. Its massive body, along with its arms transformed into a spear and shield, collapsed onto the ground.

As it fell, Kevin saw a charred, pierced hole in its chest.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

While Kevin was still frozen in place, the continuous gunfire from above made his ears ring. Each particle bullet accurately pierced the head of a Mortal, not a single shot missing.

Those troublesome Mortals fell in swathes, most of them dead within two breaths.

What was happening now?

"Soul, the Honkai Beast's reaction hasn't disappeared yet. Captain..."

"Don't command me! I'm the captain!"

"Goo—"

Kevin finally noticed that the red light, which had previously extinguished, had somehow reignited. The Temple-class Honkai Beast was struggling to get back on its feet.

A sound of wind breaking descended from above. Before the Honkai Beast could fully stand, a scythe pierced its head, pinning it to the ground.

"Roar!"

Another roar, this time from behind. The dead end was broken open by a giant arm. A Chariot-class Honkai Beast roared and extended its massive arm towards Mei, who had fallen to the ground, intending to crush her into a pulp.

"Mei!"

"Bang!"

A shot accurately hit the Honkai Beast's arm, deflecting its attack. Then, a crimson figure descended from the rooftop, its greatsword emitting an engine's roar in the downpour, instantly igniting a brilliant flame.

Cut in two.

Guts, blood, screams.

This was what happened when Kevin and Mei first encountered the soldiers of MOTH.

"Target Mei confirmed alive. Squad Five requests survivor retrieval. Number of survivors: two."

This was also a reunion after a long time.

Kevin blankly watched the red-haired woman and the girl wielding a giant scythe walk towards them. The red-haired woman was speaking into an earpiece.

What was this? Mecha? Powered armor?

This series of sudden events had completely overloaded his brain.

"Ms. Mei, we are soldiers from MOTH. You've already met Doctor Mobius and passed her assessment and recommendation. Although this is sudden, it's an emergency. For the future of humanity, we invite you to join MOTH. Someone will escort you to a safe location," the tall, red-haired woman said, walking to Mei's side, helping her up, and reciting her prepared lines with a serious expression.

Hearing the name, Mei frowned. She murmured, "Doctor Mobius? Could she be talking about..."

When Mei was mentioned, Kevin immediately became wary. He reached out to grab the woman's shoulder. "Wait a minute. Who are you? What do you want with Mei?"

He couldn't move her at all.

The strength that could cleave Honkai Beasts was not something Kevin, still just a student, could contend with. He immediately tried to shield Mei.

"You... oh~ I see." The woman glanced back at him, a look of recognition on her face, then nodded as if suddenly understanding. She looked up and called out, "Lin! I'll leave this to you!"

"Lin?"

Before Kevin's question could even form, a dark figure landed beside him.

His movements were as light as a leaf falling into a lake.

His azure visor shone brightly, undimmed even by the pouring rain.

"Who are you?" Seeing the rifle in his hand, Kevin knew this was the person who had shot and saved Mei. Thinking of the name the red-haired woman had spoken, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Mei also looked at the person wearing the helmet at this moment.

A feeling of something about to be revealed.

A sense of long-held confusion that was suddenly about to be unraveled.

Under Mei's and Kevin's gazes, the person straightened up and nodded faintly.

"It's me, Kevin."

Chapter 7: Moths to a Flame

"Are you really Lin?"