A Sudden Turn of Events

Standing in the crowded throng, Lin was overwhelmed by the noise of the Fifth Branch members and the crimson alarm. He was hit on the right shoulder while leaning on his cane, which slipped from his hand, and he lost his balance and fell to the ground.

He used to be able to stand on one leg all day long, but now if he gets distracted and doesn't consciously try to maintain his balance, even standing is a problem.

The person who knocked him down hurried past without even glancing at him. The Sixth Herrscher was about to arrive in the city, and they had to figure out how to deal with the most terrifying enemy under the Honkai's command. They simply didn't have time to pay attention to a disabled person who had been knocked down.

Lin said nothing, picked up his crutch, got up from the ground, and walked against the flow of people towards the branch.

He accepted the speaker's "order".

Defeating the Herrscher has always been his mission. From the Second Honkai War to the Fifth Honkai War, and even now the Sixth Honkai War, no matter how different the missions he receives, he always goes to the battlefield of the Herrscher.

If we could defeat the Herrscher a minute earlier, perhaps one less person would die.

Clinging to this unrealistic idea, he futilely brandished his weapon against an increasingly powerful enemy.

Anyone can become Herrscher. All Herrscher to date have been women, and all have exceptionally high Honkai Energy Adaptability. These are their only two commonalities. Apart from that, no other so-called pattern can be found.

Therefore, there is a similar probability that members of the Moth Chaser would become Herrscher.

Lin had imagined that someone close to him would become Herrscher, and countless times in his imagination, he raised his gun, aiming it at a familiar face...

Each time, he would resolutely fire the gun, then indifferently watch the blood flow to the soles of his feet, thick and scarlet.

He would wake up in shock whenever this happened.

Once he regains consciousness, the blood and the Herrscher's smile before death will become even clearer and more real, as if they are about to unfold before his eyes.

At this moment, Lin's heart was beating faster, not only because the physical burden was increasing the workload on his heart, but also because of an unspeakable emotion that was stuck in his chest.

He couldn't express what it was.

Is it because they're afraid their companions will actually become Herrscher?

No...

If this feeling is fear, then Lin is probably afraid of himself.

Because he will definitely shoot.

It was precisely because of his clear understanding and thorough analysis of the reasons for firing that he became even more afraid.

But Lin still didn't know if that was fear. Deep in his indifferent heart, there were no colors, only monotonous black and white.

"Lin, we're preparing to intercept the transport plane and shoot it down with missiles once it reaches the designated location. This might delay the Sixth Herrscher's actions. Be prepared."

"..."

"Do you need any equipment?" Spasi asked.

"Is there any equipment suitable for someone who only has one leg?"

"..."

Spasi led the Fifth Branch's combat squad to the designated location. Most of the Firemoth's elite forces were at headquarters, ready to be dispatched at any time, while the combat teams of each branch were merely self-defense forces, which were considerably less efficient and capable in combat.

However, there was no other way at the moment, so he could only try to shoot down the transport plane carrying the Sixth Herrscher with a missile.

The speaker's heart-wrenching roar echoed in his ears, but it did not interfere with his judgment.

At present, this is the only way to temporarily stop the Sixth Herrscher; we cannot sacrifice the lives of the entire city for the sake of one person.

It doesn't matter who that person is.

"Heh..." he chuckled softly.

That's right, it doesn't matter who it is...

A bright red beacon appeared on the command screen. Spasi's gaze sharpened, and he immediately issued the order—

"Use the Fission Bomb!"

With a command given, beacon dots symbolizing missiles appeared on the screen. The terrifyingly dense number of them was like bait falling into a school of fish, which swarmed in and opened their blood-red mouths at the helpless bait in the tide.

It will hit in three seconds.

However, the next moment, the seemingly helpless transport plane came to a stop and lost its signal.

"Bang!"

Even though he didn't witness the Fission Bomb explosion firsthand, Spasi had already imagined what would happen: the transport plane at the epicenter of the explosion would not have been able to escape.

However, the fact that the transport plane disappeared before the Fission Bomb exploded gave Spasi a suspicion, which was quickly confirmed.

The transport plane's signal reappeared on the screen, continuing its journey at the original course and speed.

The Fission Bomb did not explode, and he did not detect Fission Bomb thermal energy, meaning that something Fission Bomb it down before it hit the transport plane.

No, it wasn't shot down, it was "disintegrated".

"As expected, the 'Black Mist' the Speaker mentioned can also corrode ordinary matter... It's practically a high-concentration condensation of Honkai Energy ..." Spasi didn't show any panic; he couldn't afford to waver or be surprised at this moment. "But it can't possibly be simple Honkai Energy. In other words, is it a manifestation of power?"

The Herrscher's powers manifest in bizarre ways. They do not simply manipulate natural physical phenomena, but rather it is a power that combines magic and science fiction. Even if we know the principles behind their operation, we still cannot explore where the power comes from or how it is expressed in such an abstract form.

"The transport plane is about to arrive over the city!"

As my thoughts drifted by, the beacon had already moved beyond the city limits.

Spasi shook his head. There was no point in continuing to investigate at this point. Only by defeating the Sixth Herrscher and extracting its core could the truth be revealed.

Forest...

He already knew that the Sixth Herrscher was a soul; the gentle girl who had lost her parents had become the Sixth Herrscher.

Even so, you won't have any hesitation...?

"Hoo... Ready for battle."

At that moment, an accident occurred.

"Doctor Spacy, the Sixth Herrscher..."

Chapter 71: Change

"There is a problem within the Imaginary Tree."

After Mei learned this from Klein, her first reaction was that it was the "bug" in the Imaginary Tree.

By revealing the internal secrets ahead of time and making contact with "Lin," will she have the opportunity to uncover more information she wants to know this time?

So without Klein's request, Mei offered to help Klein investigate the Imaginary Tree.

"Ash Project ... Trinity..." On the way, Mei raised an eyebrow as she sorted through the information she had gathered so far.

As the Previous Civilization was on the verge of destruction, it formulated several plans to continue human civilization and defeat the Honkai. These different plans were assigned to different people and Flame-Chaser to carry out. Among the known plans recorded in Imaginary Tree and World Serpent are Hua's Seed Project, Kevin's Stigmata Project, and Su's Constant Sand Project.

The meaning and purpose of these plans are all reflected in their names. The Seed Project is the knowledge that continues human civilization, so the Ash Project should also be easy to understand from its name.

The name Ash, the fact that this plan was entrusted to a memory entity whose original body had already died, and the recent "possession" incident where Mobius tried to use her body to travel to the Imaginary Tree— Mei already had some guesses in her mind.

The "Fire-Chasing Moth," as the name suggests, is a moth that chases flames, symbolizing the powerlessness of weak humanity against the Honkai, and also symbolizing humanity's pursuit of light that will destroy itself. Therefore, the ashes should be Lin herself, or the Fire-Chasing Moth of the Previous Civilization.

Ashes that are not completely burned out are very easy to reignite. Whether it is Kevin and Hua in reality or the Imaginary Tree, they all represent that the "ashes" of the fire-chasing moths have not been completely burned out.

"Can memories be transported to reality through the Imaginary Tree?"

This is the most likely guess.

If we're talking about who the strongest warrior is in the world right now, even if Mei doesn't want to admit it, she has to admit that World Serpent Venerable Lord Kevin is the most powerful warrior against the Honkai. His strength has completely exceeded imagination.

What if there were multiple or more combatants of Kevin's caliber?

Kevin was at the height of his power in the Previous Civilization, could not escape the fate of destruction in the end, but the experience and data he left behind became the most powerful help to the current civilization. Even Mei imagined sending the Flame-Chasers from the Imaginary Tree to the present, and with their power and experience, they would surely become a huge force to fight against the Honkai.

However, the various issues involved are still quite alarming.

For example... the body.

Whether Ash Project is a method like Stigmata Project that disregards morality and humanity remains to be investigated.

"Have we arrived yet...?"

Mei quickly arrived at the location Klein had mentioned. She had passed by this place several times before, but upon returning this time, she found no problems.

Everything remained the same as usual; even the color of the sky hadn't changed.

"Is there a problem with the teleportation anchors?" Thinking of what happened last time, Mei looked at several teleportation anchors, but they all looked normal, with no problems whatsoever.

"Klein, have you been able to pinpoint where the problem lies?"

"..."

"Klein?"

Klein's slightly languid voice didn't come, instantly raising Mei's alert level to its highest. An indescribable feeling welled up inside her, and almost instinctively, she pulled her body back—

"Bang!"

A scythe slashed down from above in front of her, her purple eyes reflecting the tip of the blade and the figure hidden in the Black Mist.

The scythe slammed heavily into the ground, Mei staggered backward. Two giant hands appeared beside her. She drew the sword from her waist and squinted at the "person" in front of her.

She has short hair, is not tall, and has a female build.

Contrary to her petite frame, the figure gripped a giant scythe that was taller than Mei in a contorted posture, and a pair of scarlet, bloodthirsty eyes stared at Mei, whose back was chilling.

Something's not right.

This person gave her a strange feeling. He wasn't the type of Honkai zombie or Honkai Beast, nor was he the strange enemy she had seen in the Imaginary Tree. An extremely "real" quality emanated from this figure.

Death essence swirled around her.

It feels different from "Lin"! This figure has a strong sense of self!

"Call..."

The figure didn't give him a chance to continue observing. It raised its hand, and the Black Mist beside it instantly contracted, then surged towards Mei like a taut and released spring!

"Boom!"

However, before she could dodge, the ground beneath her feet cracked open, and a thick tree trunk sprouted out. This familiar scene immediately reminded her of someone outside the Imaginary Tree who used the Abyss Flower to create a giant tree!

The branches that grew out of nowhere blocked the Black Mist. These plants seemed to have the ability to absorb the Black Mist; they simply stood there and blocked the Black Mist's advance.

"Despair."

A helmeted man emerged from the anchor point behind her, carrying two weapons, one black and one white. The white lance was radiating a strong aura of life, clearly indicating that the tree trunk was created by Abyss Flower's creative abilities.

"How did you end up here?" Mei wasn't surprised by Lin's appearance. Ever since Lin said he was the executor of Ash Project, she knew that Lin probably had control over all the big and small things in Imaginary Tree, all for the smooth implementation of Ash Project.

"... This was an accident."

But what Lin said surprised her.

This was the first time Lin had used the word "accident".

"This is something that shouldn't exist in the Imaginary Tree ..." Lin stared intently at the distorted figure. Kuroyuki stood in front of Mei, gesturing for her to step back. "There's a problem in the Imaginary Tree, Raiden Mei. You must leave immediately."

Mei knew from Lin's tone that the matter was serious and should not be underestimated. "And you?"

"I need to deal with this problem...at least I need to stop her first."

"You know her?" Mei sensed something from his tone.

"It's not important." Lin shook his head. Seeing the shadowy figure already poised to strike, he raised his scythe and said in a deep voice, "Go find Elysia and tell her about this. Also, if possible, go see Aponia ... as soon as possible."

Without asking who Aponia was—now wasn't the time— Mei had her own insistence, "Can you handle this alone?"

"If I can't handle it, then no one in the Imaginary Tree can."

As soon as he finished speaking, the dark figure vanished from its spot, and Lin raised his hand, instantly making the anchor point behind Mei appear in front of her and swallow her whole.

At the last moment, Mei saw Lin plant the Abyss Flower into the ground, and countless vines and trees sprouted up...

But in an instant, he was cleaved in two by the chain of death.

Her eyes widened.

Blood was everywhere.

The forest was divided in two.