Reinforcements Arrive / There's Only One Request

The unharmed Sixth Herrscher emerged from the smoke of battle, her crimson pupils gazing into the distance at the emerald green eyes in the night.

It's pointless. Conventional weapons can no longer harm her. Even if she's still in the adaptation period, the Sixth Herrscher's abilities, given their unique characteristics against humans, make her an enemy that no single human can handle.

During this brief standoff, the Emperor-class Honkai Beast at the foot of the mountain strode heavily to the mountainside, blocking the falling rocks, while the Honkai zombie stood silently behind the Sixth Herrscher.

All the "people" surrounded Lin, and in that instant, Lin was the only lone outsider.

"Are you a conscious Honkai zombie?"

The Sixth Herrscher abruptly said something to Lin, and as if afraid he hadn't understood, he gestured a few times with his hands, and there was even a hint of expectation in his eyes.

Lin's finger trembled slightly on the trigger.

The voice was not much different from "hers," except that it had an ethereal quality that made her seem otherworldly.

It's like "she" is still "she".

"If you're conscious, can you talk to me? I don't think you're necessarily a monster. Is there some unspeakable reason why you attacked me and my friends?"

"Killing is wrong... I don't think you'd like killing either, right? I apologize to me and my friends for attacking you. I can heal your injuries. Can you please stop? If you're truly conscious, there's definitely a way to turn the Honkai zombie back into a human..."

Lin listened quietly as she tried her best to explain with a smile. Seeing that he didn't make any more moves, she seemed to lower her guard and gestured even more vigorously.

It was so clumsy, it felt like I was back in the early days of our acquaintance.

At this moment, Lin thought of the Second Herrscher's Companion Honkai Beast, a Honkai Beast whose abilities had not yet been fully understood.

Its destructive power is not outstanding compared to other Emperor-class Honkai Beast, but it has a strange "travel" ability, often disappearing and reappearing suddenly, but each time it appears in the place where it disappeared before.

At first, the Fire Moths regarded it as a manifestation of some of the powers of the Second Herrscher, the Herrscher of the Void. However, later, they discovered that the disappearance of this Emperor-class Honkai Beast, Wasak, was far beyond what spatial abilities could explain.

That's more like a phenomenon of "time travel".

If the Honkai Beast named Wasak's ability truly is time travel, then in this moment of weakness, in a corner of his frozen heart, a trace of delusion remains.

"I am Lin."

Lin spoke to the Sixth Herrscher.

His words caused the Sixth Herrscher to frown in confusion. To her, the Honkai zombie seemed to be consciously saying something to her, but to her it was just a series of irregular roars.

"You can write it down..."

"And how much of this body still belongs to 'Lin'?" Lin raised his head, which had lost its right eye, its left arm, and its right leg, and was almost unrecognizable as human. He shouted at the Sixth Herrscher, who was still smiling and talking to himself.

His blood was corroded by the venom, his organs and muscles turned pale and deteriorated under the influence of Honkai Energy, his brain was surgically modified, and his consciousness was scattered into fragments in a chaotic mix of true and false memories. From the inside out, Lin was no longer a real human being; the part that belonged to him had become so small that it was no longer visible.

"Even so, I am still 'Lin,' not 'Zero,' nor MSA-079. Right now, I am just 'Lin,' and that will never change." Lin gazed at the night sky. There were no stars or moonlight. This world had always been this dark and hopeless, with no way out.

"Even if you have the same appearance, the same personality, the same seemingly normal consciousness, and the same near-perfect disguise as her, it doesn't change the fact that you are not a soul."

Lin raised his gun and aimed it at the silent Sixth Herrscher. He was always calm and composed, but at this moment, the Sixth Herrscher saw the sorrow that belonged to humanity in his eyes.

"You are Herrscher, not a spirit, and you are just imitating her to deceive me."

Silence.

The Sixth Herrscher, who hadn't understood what Lin was saying before, was surprisingly calm. She first looked up in the direction of the Fifth Branch, then her increasingly vivid red eyes were fixed on Lin, the human who was still struggling to hold on.

"You're smarter than I thought."

She spoke.

In a complete departure from her previous familiar tone, "she" spoke with disdain and mockery, revealing an irrepressible desire to show off.

She casually glanced at the Honkai zombie behind her, then walked past them without a care, took a few steps forward, and came to Lin's side.

Facing the raised gun barrel of Lin, she tilted her head and smiled coquettishly, calling out softly, "Team Member Lin ~ when did you figure it out~ I think I even fooled myself~"

"Don't you have even a little bit of hope? Hope that the Herrscher retains human consciousness, that your companion still has a chance to return to her former self, that she's still that silly little girl who would follow you around, secretly clenching her fists to help you despite her reckless back view?"

"Or are you just so heartless that you don't even leave yourself this sliver of hope?"

The Sixth Herrscher's mockery echoed in the despair of the night.

Chapter 91 Reinforcements Arrive

"You really do look exactly like the cold, helmeted man I remember. You look even less human than I do. Most people would have a little hope and wish for a miracle to happen at this point."

"To make it more believable, I deliberately made it so that 'I' couldn't understand what you were saying, so that it would seem like 'I' was just seeing a different world."

"Hmm? Say something, my lovely Team Member Lin, how are you feeling right now?"

The face pressed against hers was that familiar one, but the expression was one of mischievous cunning that Hun had never shown before. Long hair cascaded down her shoulders, and her bewitching red eyes met his green ones.

If it were someone else, they would probably think she was just an ordinary, cute girl.

Kelin knew that the person in front of him was the true Sixth Herrscher, the Herrscher of Death controlled the power of decay.

"Not saying anything... What a boring man. Come to think of it, you rarely do anything interesting. You never socialize or have fun. You're always working towards the goal of saving humanity. You're practically a robot. I don't know what it is about you that girls like."

"But now that I look at your face, it's starting to pique my interest a little~"

She chuckled and reached out to stroke Lin's cheek, but he dodged her hand. Unperturbed, she continued speaking leisurely to the silent Lin, "Speaking of which, does the Fire Moth have a confirmed codename for me?"

"..."

"Hehe, don't be so boring. In exchange, you told me this, and I can tell you something interesting too~"

Lin stared at "her," and seeing that "she" had no intention of making a move, he slowly exhaled and said, "Herrscher of Death."

"Oh~ that's a good description, but it's not very comprehensive. If someone had seen all my powers, they might change it to... Herrscher of Death? Hmm, that's strange..."

"..."

"But I'm glad you told me this, Team Member Lin, so I'll tell you something to be happy about as well." Her tone was feignedly respectful, but in reality, it was full of condescending contempt. "Your 'soul,' it does indeed still exist in this body."

Lin's pupils dilated.

"How about that? Aren't you surprised?"

She made no attempt to conceal her malice.

"This is..."

Kevin stared at the ravaged city. The desolate and chaotic scene reminded him of Changkong City in the storm. It was as if he had returned overnight to that night before he joined the Fire Moths.

On nights when a hundred demons roam, neither starlight nor moonlight can be seen.

Dressed in military uniform, he stood on Titan's arm and immediately spotted the building where the Fifth Branch was located.

At this moment, the Fifth Branch appeared to be in grave danger. Countless Charge-type Honkai Beast surrounded the building and attacked the defensive devices with their wings, which were comparable to cutting blades. Among them were many mutants, which looked like a densely packed Honkai Beast nest from a distance.

Below the building were streets flooded with Honkai zombie. He couldn't see a single crack in the ground. The sea of corpses formed by the Honkai zombie was as high as five stories, covering the bottom of the building and still piling up.

However, the reason they haven't completely overwhelmed the Fifth Branch with sheer numbers is because a pink figure is active on the battlefield.

The transparent blade pierced the Honkai Beast's flesh as easily as cutting through tofu. A burst of cold air erupted within its body, instantly freezing the massive Honkai Beast into an ice sculpture. Then, two blades cleaved down from its head, moving so fast that only two beams of light could be seen merging into a line, splitting the Honkai Beast into three pieces, which crashed to the ground and shattered into pieces of ice.

She gripped the ice blade in her backhand and swung it at the surging tide of corpses. An icy path stretched from her feet all the way to the feet of the Honkai zombie, sculpting the piled-up Honkai zombie into giant ice sculptures, and then smashing them again with the same trick.

Clearly, it was Sakura, who was fighting alone to protect the Fifth Branch, who was fighting the battle.

She seemed to be fighting with ease, able to move freely across the battlefield even when surrounded by a large number of Honkai creature, but in reality, she was almost exhausted and at her last gasp.

No matter how fast she is or how many she kills, a person's stamina is ultimately limited. For every Honkai zombie Sakura kills, ten more will appear to fill the spot. For every Chariot-class Honkai Beast she cuts down, three Temple-class Honkai Beasts will pounce on her.

Gradually, she also began to feel powerless. The fact that the Fifth Branch was surrounded by the Charge-type Honkai Beast, but she could only continue to deal with the ground-based Honkai zombie and Honkai Beast, clearly showed her helplessness.

If it weren't for the ice blade's massive destructive power, the Fifth Branch would probably have been destroyed long ago.

"Kevin, I will have a portion of the Titans protect the Fifth Branch, while you will be responsible for defeating the Sixth Herrscher."

May's command began when she saw this hellish scene through the Titans' vision.

Azure particles spread through the air, and dozens of Titans descended from the sky. Their terrifying weight instantly crushed the Honkai zombie beneath their feet into a bloody pulp. Beam guns, commensurate with their size, pierced the cores of the Honkai Beast. Mechanical arms with only three fingers lifted the corpses of the Honkai Beast and hurled them into the distance, while shoulder-mounted Vulcan cannons fired at the Charge-type Honkai Beast surrounding the high-rise buildings.

Exhausted, Sakura stared in astonishment at the giant robots that had descended from the sky. They were similar in size to Honkai Beast, but their combat capabilities far surpassed those of the Honkai Beast. In just a short while, they had cleared out the surrounding space.

A large number of Honkai Beast corpses fell from the sky. Titan used flamethrowers to burn them all, and then used four in the air and four on the ground to defend against the still surging Honkai Beast and the horde of Honkai zombie.

"Cherry."

Sakura watched as the cockpit door of a Titan rose in the distance, and Kevin, fully armed, jumped out, her surprise growing even stronger.

However, her surprise didn't last long. She quickly composed herself and asked Kevin, who was approaching, "Are you part of the support force?"

"It's not me, it's us."

As soon as he finished speaking, the hatches of the other Titan cockpits also rose, and Hua, Immer, Kosma, Hen, Erwin and others left the cockpits and gathered around Kevin.

Sakura nodded slightly to the cold-faced Kevin. Despite being covered in blood and exhausted, she showed no signs of fatigue; on the contrary, she was full of fighting spirit.

"We need the current status and exact location of the Herrscher," Kevin said to Sakura, then connected to the Fifth Branch's communication channel.

"Reinforcements?"

"I am Kevin, the captain of this operation. Doctor Spacy, we and the Autonomous Titan unit will be responsible for defeating the Sixth Herrscher and the Emperor-class Honkai Beast. Please report the information we need immediately."

At this point, two hours had passed since the Sixth Honkai War.

In an amusement park in a remote corner of the city, a man pinned to the ground with a scythe piercing his abdomen gazes, barely alive, at the Herrscher looking down at him from mid-air.

Chapter Ninety-Two: Only One Request

"What, don't you believe me? Your lovely descendant is actually still living in this body, but I will only let her see what I want her to see, and let her remember what I am willing to think for her."

"Bang!"

Without turning his head, the Sixth Herrscher caught the dagger with his claws and said with a grin, "Fragmented memories, and the personality I've intentionally maintained, how about it? Does it remind you of anything?"

"Yes, that's what that man did to you, and now I'm doing it to myself."

Lin loosened the dagger and raised the gun. At such close range, even the Black Mist would be too late. But before he could pull the trigger, the sound of wind breaking overhead forced him to retreat quickly.

"Bang!"

A sharp spike was stuck between him and the Sixth Herrscher. The porcupine watched Lin's every move with a calm look that was different from its appearance, while the Sixth Herrscher stepped out from behind the spike with a cheerful step and gave Lin a gentle smile.

"I know you're wondering why I did this? Why do I, the Herrscher, look different from the previous ones?"

Lin wiped the blood off his face. He felt that something was wrong with his body. Although he had been in an abnormal state for a year, the abnormality at this moment did not refer to various disabilities, but rather... his condition was getting better.

Yes, he could clearly feel that he was faster than before. His previously atrophied muscles were now able to support a lot of exercise, his exhausted mind was being revitalized, and his reaction speed was approaching normal levels.

This couldn't be a miracle, nor could it be due to the drugs. He calmly stared at the smiling Sixth Herrscher, recalling what the Sixth Herrscher had said before, about the "Herrscher of Death," and the abnormal number of Honkai zombie around her. He already had some guesses in his mind.

"This is love, Team Member Lin, this is my love for you."

"..."

Beneath the ravaged mountains, the Sixth Herrscher's long hair danced in the night wind. Her expression was both excited and sickly, her face flushed with an unnatural hue. She stretched out her hands towards Lin, making a gesture that Lin recognized all too well.

One, as if about to embrace him, made a gesture.

Like?

This absurd term, coming from the mouth of a Herrscher, is so ridiculous it's laughable.

"She and I are the same person. I am her, and she is me. I am not a complete Herrscher, and she is not a complete human." The Sixth Herrscher licked her lips, and the red light in her eyes became even brighter. "So we have the same personality and love the same people. You see, she wants her companions to come back to life, so I will help her fulfill her wish."

Her finger pointed to the group of Honkai zombie standing in the cold wind.

"She wants you to live, so I will treat your body. You can feel that you are not as tired and in pain as before, right?"

Really...

Even though she had prepared herself mentally, Lin's heart still sank when the Sixth Herrscher said those words with such excitement.

"I have no intention of hurting you or answering your questions right now, because I love you just like she does."

"Do you understand, my Team Member Lin?"

By the end, she couldn't contain her desire to see Lin's expression change. She had never even seen Lin's true appearance before, and she wanted to observe it closely.

You are lying.

However, Lin's resolute words made her tilt her head and ask in confusion, "Why do you think I'm lying?"

"She wouldn't do such a thing."

Lin pointed to a city riddled with corpses and seas of blood.