Face-to-Face Battle / Lord, Let Your Divine Punishment Descend
Himeko couldn't imagine how interesting her face must have been when Lin handed her the pink trinket with a serious expression.
"This is Lin, communication is normal, buzz..."
The static whirring hurt Himeko's eardrums, but there was nothing she could do. After all, it was just a cheap product, and as long as it could communicate within a certain distance, that was enough.
"No search forces from Schicksal were found, but it cannot be ruled out that Schicksal used optical camouflage to conceal the forces searching in the sky."
"Does the Valkyrie have any equipment that allows for prolonged high-altitude flight?"
"No," Himeko replied decisively. "It's too dangerous for a single person to fly using armor, and ground combat already meets 99% of the needs. The rest can be handled by fighter jets and airships."
In other words, at least we don't have to worry about Valkyrie suddenly attacking from mid-air...
Lin made a gesture to Yue, who was not far away. The silver-haired girl slowly closed her eyes and held the data cable connected to the central hub in her hand.
"Sizzle..."
The white-haired man described the Herrscher of Erosion as someone who can infiltrate living beings and electronic devices in a viral manner. In other words, besides turning humans into familiars and vampires, Yue can also use her abilities to do things that even top hackers cannot.
Twenty seconds after she activated her power, the lights in Canghai City went out.
Chapter Fifty-Nine: Head-on Battle
"Grandfather."
"..."
"The book says that all humans are born to die."
"..."
"Then, what is the meaning of our birth?"
"..."
"Grandfather?"
"It's meaningless."
What is the meaning of human beings from birth to death?
When I was a child, I asked my father, that high and mighty bishop, and he told the believers, surrounded by them, that life is an absurd thing, and whether it is happiness or suffering, it is only for the purpose of going to the Lord after death.
But God does not exist.
The death of life is simply the cessation of heartbeat, brain thought, and the dissipation of consciousness.
If a person's life is just for a vague and illusory lie, then what meaning does it have?
The bishop told me.
It's meaningless.
"No matter how long a person travels along the river of time, when they look back, they can only see their footprints being submerged by the waters of the underworld, with no end and no return."
"Everything he did was meaningless to the world."
That's what I answered too.
"Then Grandpa, do we... I... mean nothing at all?"
"Yes, it makes no sense."
A life born for a lie is more meaningless than a life that dies for a lie.
When I saw her clear eyes, did I want to tell her a lie or the truth?
"Otto, will you help me?"
I...
"Otto, power, and that one from the Kaslana family, I can give you all of them."
I...
"..."
"And your answer?"
When did I become so good at lying?
"Your Excellency, we have not yet found any trace of the Herrscher of Erosion. Should we continue advancing towards the Canghai City?"
The blond man, dressed in a purple suit, stood on the rooftop, facing the wind. This was the place where he and Lin had first met. He truly enjoyed the perspective of looking down on humanity from such a high vantage point, like...
An entomologist observes the behavior of insects in a sand tray.
"No need. Continuing to advance and shrink the encirclement might give them a chance to escape. Just maintain a distance where we can support each other, and then send out small reconnaissance vehicles to conduct reconnaissance." Otto tugged at his black gloves and chuckled. "Be patient, Monica."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
So, what will they do next?
Otto was very interested in Lin's next move. He had noticed Lin when she first met Kallen, and after investigating, he made a surprising discovery.
Lin does not belong to this world.
Lin has an identity in this world. After investigating, Otto discovered that Lin is a Shenzhou grew up in the Far East. But strangely, he could not find any trace of Lin's life. There were no relatives or friends, no previous consumption records, and no records other than those that could prove his existence.
Otto then measured Lin's wavelength and found that it did not match the wavelength of this world, thus confirming that he was indeed a visitor from outside the world.
This outsider showed great sympathy for Kallen and Theresa, and even came into contact with the Herrscher of Erosion.
If it were only this bad, it wouldn't be enough to warrant Otto's excessive attention.
However, Lin then went on to fight the Emperor-class Honkai Beast alone, and was killed by the Herrscher of Erosion a total of 3,321 times, but he still did not suffer a mental breakdown. What was even more unexpected was that the Herrscher of Erosion gradually gave up its hostility towards humans under his influence.
Driven by emotion, the Herrscher sided with humanity, Otto never expected the experiment to succeed in this way.
A man who is beyond imagination, both in himself and in what he does.
So Otto is looking forward to seeing how many more surprises Lin will bring him next.
Otto spread his arms wide, squinted slightly, and felt the wind from the city.
"Thump—"
"..."
Like an infectious disease or a plague, but without any warning, the entire city was plunged into complete darkness.
But the city, plunged into darkness, awoke from its silence, and a cacophony of noise filled the city. Many people came out of their homes complaining. The sudden power outage was something no one had ever imagined, especially during such a hot season; it was something no one dared to even think about.
"Archbishop..."
"Monica, don't report this over the comms." Otto stopped the anxious Valkyrie captain from speaking further. He said calmly, "The Herrscher of Erosion can corrupt electronic devices. She will be eavesdropping on our conversation. From now on, just follow Plan B."
Did they cause a massive power outage and then quietly slip away among the disorganized residents?
Otto, arm in arm, pondered and looked towards the east of Canghai City. That area was close to the sea, and the chances of them being exposed on the surface of the water were too great. It was impossible for them to escape from the east. And there were far fewer buildings in the north than in the southwest, so it was also unlikely that they would escape from the north.
So, where will the West and the South escape from?
Otto waited patiently, believing that the three people couldn't easily break through the encirclement. The Valkyrie were all professionally trained, and even Herrscher wouldn't be able to escape easily.
Once the Herrscher of Erosion is captured, this experiment will come to an end, and what Otto desires will be in his hands.
Half an hour and three minutes later, a deafening explosion rang out from the south, and Otto knew that his prey had been captured.
Although the Herrscher of Erosion has stopped killing humans under Lin's influence and will not retaliate, he knows that this may not be a way to truly Herrscher of Erosion. She is still a Herrscher after all, and when she or Lin is threatened, she will still mercilessly kill all the humans who stand in her way.
Ultimately, Otto will have to come...
"Um?"
But at that moment, Otto sensed something was amiss.
So far, things have been going too smoothly.
It wasn't that Otto doubted his plan was perfect or flawed, but rather that the man, Lin, wasn't stupid. He could definitely guess that Otto's foolproof plan was essentially a calculated move. Even if Lin knew that Otto would deduce that they were escaping from the southwest, they would still only be able to escape from those two directions.
But is Lin the kind of person who will sit idly by and wait for death? Or does he intend to force his way out?
No, that's not the problem. The most important question is, what is the purpose of this man from outside the world coming here?
He approached Theresa, Kallen, and Luna, but he didn't seem to show any obvious intentions.
His goal... could it be...?
"Clatter."
Otto suddenly turned around, and a golden spear appeared in his hand!
"Bang!"
A sharp blade made of azure Honkai Energy clashed head-on with a golden spear!
One eye was black, the other gray; they stared coldly at the smiling blond man.
Chapter Sixty: Lord, please send down divine punishment!
It was neither a forced breakthrough from the south, nor a feint to the east to escape from the west, but a surprise attack on Otto.
During the stalemate between the two sharp blades, one gold and one blue, Otto tried to contact the Valkyrie Squad, but the communication seemed to be interfered with. Thinking of the explosion that had just occurred in the south... Had the Herrscher of Erosion seized the Valkyrie Squad's equipment and infiltrated Schicksal's communication system?
"Um?"
As Otto was figuring out how to escape, a "light source" caught his attention.
Through the gap between the two swords, beyond the sparks that danced from the intense friction, a very special iridescent disc quietly lit up in the darkness where only moonlight shone.
This is...
But his surprises didn't end there. His short, jet-black hair, which blended into the night, was now like burning firewood, its ends tinged with a silvery-white hue purer than moonlight.
Who exactly is this person...?
"Bass!"
The power suddenly increased, and even though Otto's body was specially made, it was suppressed by the power of Lin, whose eyes and hair were burning fiercely!
As the two swords clashed, Otto turned around, and the blade in his hand transformed into a giant double-edged sword, its surface ignited with terrifying heat. With a twist, he slashed at Lin once more!
However... amidst the stench of burning air, there was no one in front of Otto.
Did they dodge it in advance?
Otto was caught off guard by the extraordinary reaction speed. The energy from the swinging giant sword struck the tall building beneath his feet with a loud "boom," and half of the building turned to dust!
The earth-shattering commotion caused the remaining people in the stairwell to scream and run out. Everyone looked up, gazing at the two god-like creatures, wielding flaming hammers from mythology, battling overhead.
"Bang!"
Lin delivered a flying kick to Otto's back, sending him flying into the ground like a cannonball. His body crackled with electricity as he plummeted straight down from the high-rise building!
A bluish-green meteor fell from the sky, tearing Lin's skin apart in the uncontrollable electric current, the splattered blood covering his skin like a demon.
"Inch-force, rock-breaking".
"Boom!"
The blue and red meteors crashed heavily onto the ground, and spiderweb-like cracks spread from the overburdened ground, causing it to collapse towards the center!
After the smoke cleared, the panting silver-haired man clutched his head, the iridescent light in his eyes flickering erratically. Not far away, the blond man's condition was equally dire. He held a sword in one hand, his left arm missing, blood gushing from the clean cut where Lin had just cleanly severed it with a single stroke.
Lin's situation was very bad. Some images that he couldn't distinguish at all were running wild in his mind, which was why he didn't plan to use this ability that he himself couldn't control unless absolutely necessary.
He can temporarily break free from the limitations of his memories and use some of the abilities or techniques he possessed in the past. His control over Honkai Energy will also be enhanced. However, the price is that many images, whether from the past or the future, will gradually damage the integrity of his consciousness.
Moreover, this ability requires the help of that mysterious white-haired man to be used. This time, Yue used her ability to erode consciousness to help Lin actively unlock the memory restrictions.
"079 has a huge flaw: its resistance to Honkai Energy and its adaptability are far lower than those of ordinary individuals..."
"You'll be going back to school soon, so you must study hard..."
"MSA-079..."
"Forest..."
Many people were talking; they were whispering in their own ears, uttering a jumble of indistinct words.
Disordered thoughts tangled in my mind; who was speaking?
Other people?
Own?