Monster / A Sky Beyond Reach

Prometheus did not sense the gathering of energy, and the other party's actions were also ordinary, but at this moment she felt something that should not have appeared in Artificial Intelligence —a sense of crisis.

And it was precisely because she had never experienced this feeling before that she...

We were a step too late.

"Boom!"

The Ninth Herrscher looked down at the giant pit with a radius of hundreds of meters at her feet. No one knew how she could "hollow out" the entire area simply by raising her hand.

Prometheus, who was originally standing in the center, has now disappeared...

Delta staggered toward the open space, carrying two swords. She was covered in wounds and felt as if her blood was flowing backwards. She felt both the burning pain of being torn apart in a sizzling soup and the chill of her body temperature dropping.

"Cough cough..."

She took a syringe from her lining and plunged it into her neck, the liquid inside flowing into her body with a painful sensation.

Soldiers of the Fire Moth carry some emergency medications, such as painkillers, but they generally don't use them because some of these medications have such severe side effects that even Flame-Chaser with strong physical abilities may not be able to withstand the excruciating pain after the medication wears off.

But the situation isn't stable yet, and she might have to fight again in a while, so she needs to adjust her state first...

"Bang!"

A deafening bang caused the syringe to fall from her hand. She grabbed onto the nearby rubble and quickly ducked behind it.

The ground was still shaking. The epicenter was very close, and the loud noise she heard came from not far away. She quietly peeked out and looked in that direction, only to see a bizarre spectacle.

Some rubble and collapsed buildings are floating in mid-air, defying the laws of physics, and instead of falling, they are rising.

Delta's gaze slowly moved upwards, then her pupils contracted.

That "person".

She held her hands flat, and the ruins swirled around her, enveloping her. Then, an invisible hand kneaded a harder material, forming an outer shell. Finally, the hardest metal completely covered it, forming the last line of defense.

Delta's hands clenched, her heart pounding. The pain that had just subsided returned to her body with the increased blood flow.

That is Herrscher.

The first lesson for every Moth Chaser soldier is to learn the concept of Honkai.

The second lesson is about what Herrscher is.

It could be said that every soldier might not recognize all the types of Honkai Beast and Honkai zombie, but they would definitely recognize that the god-like "person" was the Herrscher.

So that's how it is. It was the Ninth Herrscher who attacked her back then.

After eight major Honkai, the Fire Moth has been able to determine the birth patterns of Herrscher and their behavioral logic after birth.

First, the host of the Herrscher Core is a "female human" with "High Honkai Energy Adaptability".

Second, the Herrscher Core will first appear in a human body, and then transform the human into Herrscher.

Third, some Herrscher possess greater intelligence and richer anthropomorphic emotions, but Herrscher without these qualities are more destructive.

Fourth... After their birth, Herrscher experience a "gap period" during which they cannot fully utilize their Herrscher Authority and their control over Honkai Energy does not reach its peak. Therefore, they seek "ascension" during this time.

Not all Herrscher act according to the fourth law. For example, the Seventh Herrscher possessed destructive power and full Herrscher Authority far exceeding that of all other Herrscher from the moment she was born. This is one of the reasons why the Flame Chaser was caught off guard.

During this critical period when other Herrscher seek to ascend to fully control their powers, some will hide themselves, some will use their familiars to protect themselves, and some will do both.

Is this the period of inactivity for the Ninth Herrscher?

Delta stared intently at the giant sphere that the Ninth Herrscher had transformed into. She was now the only one who had a chance to defeat the Ninth Herrscher when Ninth Herrscher was at her weakest, and she had to seize this opportunity.

She raised her sword and was about to step forward when she stopped and looked ahead in disbelief.

The corpse of her sister, who was already completely dead, and the massive body of the Honkai Beast, slowly flew into the sky and, under her trembling gaze, flew to the sphere.

Then, another enormous creature also took to the sky.

That was the mechanical body of Hephaestus, whose arms had been cut off and who was now unable to move.

The two were manipulated by an unseen force, converging in front of the sphere, and then emitting a tooth-grinding, chilling "fusion" sound.

In Delta's dazed gaze, "that thing" fell heavily to the ground, and then its previously lifeless body "came back to life" with the pulsation of its thick, twisted, and ferocious blood vessels.

It has a heterosexual head and a mechanical head, fleshy arms and a body of soul steel. Its original flesh has been transformed into a sharp and rugged tailbone, and four different legs slam heavily into the ground.

"Whoosh... Roar... Howl——————"

That was a true creation of the opposite sex.

That was the real Frankenstein.

It let out a twisted roar of new life, slammed its arm into the ground, and an invisible pressure instantly came from the end of its fist to Delta.

In her slowed-down gaze, wherever that invisible pressure reached, all matter was compressed into a thin sheet of paper.

"Boom!"

Delta twisted her body with all her might to dodge, but she was still a step too slow. Her right foot was crushed by the unseen "energy" and turned into a pool of blood.

"Cough--"

She lay on the ground, her blood, body temperature, and life slowly fading away from her body.

She weakly gazed at the mountains approaching her in the midst of the apocalypse.

Chapter 235 Monster

Elysia shot an arrow into the head of the Honkai Beast struggling to emerge from the rift, then kicked the body of the Honkai zombie pierced by the pink crystal on the ground with her slender leg. The Honkai zombie crashed into the Honkai Beast, knocking them both back into the rift.

But if you defeat one, there will be two more; if you defeat two, there will be many more. The torn rifts reveal endless Honkai Beast and Honkai zombie, and even deeper inside, you can see a terrifying shadow quietly surging.

"Is it ready yet?!"

Elysia was blocking a large area of cracks all by herself. Even though she was fast enough to repel the Honkai Beast, she still couldn't keep up with the speed at which they were emerging. Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and she had to take another step back.

If she continues to retreat, the monster in the rift will break through the Stargate's control room and completely destroy the facilities behind her. At that point, the Stargate will be impossible to close.

The other half of Sigma was also struggling against another breach. He was clearly in a worse state Elysia, and now he was just one step away from causing the defense to fall.

"It will take some more time..." The researcher in charge of closing the Stargate was sweating profusely as he operated the system. He slapped himself hard to calm down and stop his hands from shaking.

After the Ninth Honkai War outbreak, the Stargate malfunctioned due to interference from a large amount of Honkai Energy and opened automatically, causing monsters from the Quantum Sea to emerge from the cracks near the Stargate.

"The Ninth Honkai War has occurred, and the Honkai Energy concentration has increased..." Sigma used his tail to slam a small Honkai Beast that was trying to pounce on the researchers behind him onto the ground. "The Ninth Herrscher is very likely nearby."

His implication was that neither their situation nor the external war situation was optimistic.

But what can they do? Retreat?

If they retreat, thousands or even tens of thousands of Honkai Beasts will attack human cities, with Atra beneath their feet, being the first to be hit.

But if they don't retreat, the likelihood of the Herrscher coming after them will increase, and then Atra and the rest of them will be wiped out.

As a former commander, Sigma was weighing the pros and cons, wondering whether to gamble the lives of his still-fighting elites on closing the Stargate before it fell or was discovered by the Herrscher.

"It's alright, you don't need to worry about things outside."

Elysia's words startled him for a moment before he immediately focused on fighting off the Honkai Beast. Elysia glanced at Sigma was struggling but still persevering, and gave him a slight smile.

Yes, there's no need to worry. They just need to do what they have to do.

Close the Stargate, don't let the Honkai Beast here interfere with the battle outside.

Delta clutched her sunken shoulder as she dodged through the ruins. With only one leg, her mobility was greatly reduced. She limped from one cover to another, the previous covers crumbling under the pressure of an invisible force.

The monster, with its six limbs, leaves a deep dent in the ground with every step it takes. Its deformed body, a fusion of biology and technology, maintains a bizarre and chaotic balance.

"Hahaha..."

Delta's body is falling apart.

Every pore seemed to be vying to expel blood. With each step she took, more blood flowed from her body onto the ground. Her body was so weak that she could barely move. All that remained was the tearing pain that felt like it was splitting her into two equal parts, raging through her body.

"Click".

She lost her foot, and her right foot scraped against the ground with a hard, grinding sound. She looked down in a daze and saw that at the broken ankle, some pale shell had already covered her wound.

This shell looks so familiar, so familiar, as if it were on the monster that's chasing you.

"Once the scales tip, the Flame-Chaser will transform into a destructive monster."

These words haunted her like a nightmare. She gritted her teeth, trying to concentrate, when she was struck from behind by the monster's arm. She vomited blood and her head slammed to the ground.

With a massive amount of Honkai Energy and a severely injured body, she was barely able to maintain the balance between human and beast within her.

But... not yet...

She is the older sister, she is an adult, and she must take responsibility to end her younger sister's suffering and defeat the monster that is using her sister's remains.

That's right, she... is her sister's hero! There are no heroes or brave people in reality, so she becomes one herself!

It's absolutely impossible to make her submit to this absurd world!

Delta ducked sharply to dodge the invisible attack that felt like a sharp blade slashing down. The building behind her collapsed into dust in an instant, and her stubborn face was filled with defiance.

With all my power, with her soul, right now—

"Crack!"

Emotions, like lava erupting from a volcano, scorched her entire body, and she roared, bathing in her own blood.

The white carapace on her right foot instantly extended, filling the missing foot along with the emotional material that emerged from her body. She slid across the ground, her delicate body exuding an aura far surpassing that of this monster, which was merely a twisted fusion of elements.

She held the greatsword out to the sides, aiming it at the tumor on the monster's chest, which was made of wires, flesh, and a core. Her scarred face was resolute in the wind and rain. She exhaled, and then with a flash of cold light, she disappeared from the spot.

"Howl!"

The monster's thick limbs stomped on the ground, and the invisible shockwaves ripped off the surface of the earth. The corpses of the Honkai zombie were smashed into bone fragments and minced flesh the moment they hit the ground.

They're too close!

Delta opened her blood-filled eye sockets wide, staring at the approaching scythe of death in a crimson world, then bit her tongue hard!

The excruciating pain jolted her brain, causing her to accelerate her body and reflexes. With a swift and perfectly timed somersault, she narrowly escaped the shockwave and plunged her sword into the monster's fleshy skull in mid-air!

"Whoosh... howl!"

Delta grabbed the wilted, fleshy head and flipped sideways onto the monster's back.

She was now emotionally charged, yet incredibly calm, as she grabbed her tailbone, which was whipping towards her like a lash.

"Hiss... Howl!!!" Delta stretched her neck and let out a long howl that was no different from that of Honkai Beast. Purple patterns filled her neck, and her hands, like claws, dug deep into the muscles of her tail and grabbed the bones there.

Even the monster let out a scream, but it was now unable to attack Delta, as its abilities would cause serious damage to itself!

It swung its tail, possessing the power to collapse an entire building with a single stomp, and slammed Delta to the ground like a worm on its tail!

"Cough!"

"Buzz..."

The earth shattered, Delta heard screams from his own body as his bones cracked, his muscles tore, and his skin ripped apart.

But she still held onto that tail, and a blood-soaked figure, its eyes wide with rage, like another monster, tore off its outer shell along with its flesh!

"Howl!"

In the brief moment between the monster's painful screams, she pounced and bit into the neck of its vulnerable head.

"Roar----"

Shaking her head, she ripped another piece of flesh from the monster's body with a fierce tear!

She slammed her head to the ground, then landed on all fours to support herself, letting out a roar!

The two monsters, in the midst of the torrential rain, were tearing at each other in the most primal way, using their claws and teeth to fight to their hearts' content.

Chapter 236 The Untouchable Sky

"A high concentration of Honkai Energy reaction has been detected in the upper atmosphere of Atra! It has reached 3500 HW!"

Lin knocked down the last Honkai Beast, pierced its shell with the Black Abyss White Flower, and then used the little energy he had left. The Honkai Beast's body was pierced by the plant that grew from inside. After struggling and twitching a few times, it stopped moving.

His current state is not very good. Although the Black Abyss White Flower can resonate with his Pseudo-Herrscher Core, it is not a real Herrscher Core in the end and does not have the power of a real Divine Key. Moreover, his consciousness is becoming clearer and clearer, but the whispers in his ears are getting closer and closer. For a moment, he even had the illusion that the "self" at this time was no longer "himself", but another "thing" with the same appearance and memories.

He's in a state of lucid madness; that's his current condition.

"That's Herrscher ascending to immortality."

Lin looked up and, even from their position, could see a black dot conspicuously suspended in the air, like those temples built in the heavens in mythology, coldly overlooking the world, and bringing down divine punishment when the prophecy arrives.