Identity Revealed / Herrscher

He turned and walked away, under the other person's gaze.

"Forest?"

The coldness, in an instant, robbed the warmth.

"I... don't eat gourmet food."

"I have no way to fix the crack."

Just like this world, in the Quantum Sea, it is nothing but a bubble.

His choice is irrelevant.

"..."

"..."

Forest.

A white-haired man.

In the sea of blood, they stared at each other, seeing their own mocking selves reflected in each other's eyes.

Seventy-Nine: Identity Revealed

"It's really rare for you to take the initiative to come to me."

This sea of blood has changed considerably since Lin first saw it.

The seawater, originally blood-red yet clear, reached above Lin's ankles, and the viscous, scorching sensation made him feel as if he were standing in boiling blood.

"..."

Aside from their hair and eyes, the two are almost identical, but upon closer inspection, one can see that the white-haired man has a mockery in his eyes that is different from Lin's. He stands on the sea of blood with Lin, but he seems to be the master of the sea of blood.

"You kick me aside when you don't need me, and then beg me when you do. Am I some kind of servant you can summon and dismiss at will?" The white-haired man strolled on the surface of the sea of blood, his trousers remaining completely dry, the crimson water automatically avoiding his body. His unique iridescent eyes gazed at Lin. "I told you, I won't offer any more help until you leave this World Bubble. Didn't you get the Herrscher of Erosion to take some power from me for you? Then try again."

"The premise is that your consciousness will not completely dissipate."

Lin didn't say anything; he did exactly that, and he didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

"The hole above your head, the people on the ground, you have so many things to worry about, do you still have time to talk to me? Let me see if you can save them all... or if you can't save either."

The white-haired man was certain that he was on a high vantage point, mocking Lin. Lin was like a drowning man, and he was Lin's last lifeline.

Will he help Lin? Will he help this man whose fate is intertwined with his own?

His mockery already said the answer.

"...I need your power." Lin's dark eyes stood out starkly against the backdrop of this sea of blood. He stepped forward and said in a low voice.

"I've already said I won't..."

"But I don't need you."

"..."

The sudden change of heart startled the white-haired man. He then narrowed his eyes slightly, and the iridescent light in his eyes gradually brightened as he stared at the black-haired man not far away.

The other party's intentions seemed to be different from what he had expected.

"Although I don't remember many things, I still have an instinctive fear of you." Lin kept a safe distance from the white-haired man, his sharp gaze fixed on him, watching his every move. "And a comment you made about Yue earlier really bothered me."

'You used to deal with them frequently; you could even say you were one of them yourself.'

Did you frequently interact with them in the past? And was Lin himself one of them?

If Yue's true identity is the Herrscher of Erosion, then the white-haired man's words become much clearer.

Lin had frequently clashed with Herrscher in the past, and he had also become one of Herrscher.

Thinking in this direction, Lin vaguely felt that the truth about the many people he had killed in the past, as well as the identity of the white-haired man, had become clear.

"Was the hint too blunt?" The white-haired man chuckled coldly. "So, do you intend to fight me now with your fragmented consciousness?"

"Your consciousness is also incomplete."

"..."

"If your consciousness were intact, it would be impossible for you to stay here so obediently. The fact that you haven't attacked my consciousness means that you are not confident that you can defeat me."

It must have been a long time, or perhaps only a few seconds, when the two men stared at each other, calming the entire sea of blood. The black-haired man remained as indifferent as ever, while the white-haired man's anxiety gradually subsided.

The white-haired man was deep in thought, gazing at the familiar yet unfamiliar person before him.

He's different now.

The white-haired man couldn't quite pinpoint what had changed about him, but he was certainly different from before. Perhaps it was Lin's plan back then? Or had Lin's amnesia also affected him?

But one thing hasn't changed.

He hates Lin.

"Let me tell you something," the white-haired man said, his eyes shining even brighter. He walked slowly across the sea of blood toward Lin. "My abilities alone are insufficient to fill the hole in the sky, nor can they solve the problem of the Aether Anchor."

"..."

Lin's eyes had already told the white-haired man his answer—how would he know if he didn't try?

"We are already among the lowest in terms of total Honkai Energy among the Herrscher, not to mention that we are not even complete yet. To think that we can learn from Nuwa Mending the Heavens is just wishful thinking."

But despite saying that, the white-haired man showed no sign of stopping. Every step he took was so light that it didn't seem like he was walking, leaving not even a ripple. But as he approached, the icy chill gradually froze Lin's heart.

"Bang!"

Suddenly, the shockwaves of battle spread across the sea of blood. Once the two were within each other's effective attack range, they launched an attack on each other without hesitation!

Amidst the surging waves, the black-haired man broke through the sea and appeared in the vast ocean, raising the pistol that appeared in his hand and aiming it at the white-haired man's back!

"Bang!"

Gunfire erupted, and the white-haired man's eyes shone brightly. Two chains burst forth from the sea of blood beneath his feet, blocking the deadly bullets. The sparks from the shattered bullets instantly ignited a glimmer of light in this dark world!

Two chains, like tentacles, danced nimbly around the white-haired man. He flashed for a moment, and in the blink of an eye, he was already in front of Lin!

Lin released the pistol, Honkai Energy gathered in his palm, preparing to use the Great Void Swordplay. But at that moment, he clearly saw a similar vortex flowing on the white-haired man's arm!

"Death Force - Sea Breaker"

Two identical energies erupted upon contact, instantly clearing a void in the sea within a radius of 100 meters!

Lin was sent flying backward by the reaction force, flying straight out of the hole they had created. His vision was hard to focus, and he could not make out the blurry figure in the distance.

Can a white-haired man also use the Great Void Swordplay?

Lin didn't know what the Great Void Swordplay was, but just as manipulating Honkai Energy was an ability he couldn't use without his memories, Lin could also barely use a portion of the Great Void Swordplay Technique. After the restriction of his memories was lifted, he could use more lethal moves.

... No, since the Great Void Swordplay, which is even more powerful, can be used after the memory restrictions are lifted, it's not surprising that the white-haired man with all his memories can also use the Great Void Swordplay.

Even worse, the other party might know better than you how to use it.

Before he could think any further, and before Lin Du could even stop, two golden chains, smelling his blood, were already chasing after him!

The humanoid monster, resembling a white grim reaper, opened its strange, Prismatic Eyes and pressed closer!

Chapter Eighty Herrscher

"Whoosh!"

On this ocean forged by spirit, the clash of two consciousnesses stirred up a stormy sea. Two figures of opposite colors swiftly traversed between the still-falling waves, and in an instant, only black and white remained in the world.

"Bass--"

Golden chains pierced through the waves, tearing a rift in the surging tide, and lunged at the black-haired man hiding beneath the waves.

Under the control of the white-haired man, these chains seemed to have a sense of self, cold and sharp, completely unlike Otto chains Lin had seen before, which were specifically used to bind opponents. Instead, they had the power to completely pierce and shred the enemy!

With no way to avoid it, Lin turned around and unleashed his Honkai Energy, punching the sea surface and creating even bigger waves!

"Bang!"

In the instant that the giant wave, tens of meters high, surged up, the golden chain pierced through the middle, tearing the blood-red wave to shreds!

But in less than a second, the man behind the wave had disappeared, and the still-unsettled ripples on the sea seemed to be foreshadowing something.

The white-haired man suddenly raised his head, and a figure with a black outline in the sun descended from the sky like a swift swooping down!

"Death Force - Sky-Splitting Strike"

Blood from the palm covered the entire fist, leaving a bloody afterimage as it was swung. The fierce figure stirred up hundreds and thousands of fist shadows, hiding the sun, stealing away the light, and enveloping the white-haired man in the fist shadows!

"Crackling—"

The cracking sound of the fist breaking through the air was so fast that it lost its original crispness, but the white-haired man clearly knew that Lin was good at using despicable tactics of feinting to the east while attacking in the west and had already prepared a countermeasure. He did not relax for a moment. A layer of Honkai Energy shield, which was much thinner than Yue's, covered his body and barely blocked the attack. It shattered with a bang the moment he retreated!

"Smack!"

The two stepped back, each raising their heads to stare at the other with cold indifference. There was no murderous intent or malice in their eyes, only calmness.

This is not hatred, but a responsibility that both sides feel compelled to completely kill the other.

The chains behind Lin turned and attacked him again. Without turning his head, Lin drew the gun from his waist and fired two shots, hitting the top of the chains that were attacking his vest and knocking them away. Then he stepped onto the sea of blood again, stirring up a blood-red storm, and charged towards the white-haired man!

"————"

As he charged straight toward the white-haired man, he suddenly felt a subtle sense of distortion, and his special consciousness sounded an alarm.

Lin's pupils contracted, and he spun his upper body in mid-air—

"Bass!"

The space around him twisted strangely, and a taut hand, shaped like a knife, with fingertips covered in a small amount of Honkai Energy, but enough to cut through a skull, stabbed towards his neck with lightning speed!

"Boom!"

Lin crashed into the sea, losing his balance and tumbling. He used all his strength to barely regain his footing.

"Tick-tock".

Fresh blood dripped into the sea of blood, adding a negligible amount to this sea of blood that could not be filled.

He clutched his bleeding neck, which had almost been completely severed, and quickly regulated his breathing. In this space formed by consciousness, their injuries would heal rapidly, so their battle would not end until they completely killed their opponent or exhausted their consciousness to the point of collapse.

He tried his best to focus his only eye, staring at the afterimage of the white-haired man a hundred meters away as it gradually disappeared, while the hand that had attacked him withdrew and vanished again.

Creating illusions and then launching a sneak attack... This must be at the level of consciousness rather than ordinary stealth ability. Just now, at the moment he was attacked, his consciousness stirred for a moment, and he sensed the opponent's intention, which is why he narrowly avoided a fatal blow.

This ability shouldn't allow him to sneak around and attack vital points at will; if his movements are too intense, Lin will notice.

Is this Herrscher's ability related to consciousness...?

Just as Lin was thinking this, a sharp pain from his consciousness pulled him back to the life-or-death battle.

"Crackling and popping..."

Is that... the sound of electricity?

The instinctive fear of divine punishment that runs through the night, ingrained in his biological genes, made Lin clearly hear the true nature of the danger rushing towards him from the sea. As the hairs on his body stood on end, he leaped up and escaped the cage of lightning.

At the very moment he leaped into the air, when he had no chance to dodge, a whooshing sound shot out from not far away!

"Bass!"

Lin looked down at the inky black currents covering the sea. He struggled to turn his eyes and saw the blood revealing the transparent "blades." They were probably wind Wind Blade composed of air currents. Even a gentle breeze that would normally only give a cool feeling on the face could easily... slice through a human body under the control of Herrscher.

His right arm had vanished, ripped from his body by that Wind Blade.

Before him, the persistent golden chains snaked back to him, while behind him, the white-haired man appeared silently, extending a hand enveloped in Honkai Energy to his back...

"Is this the truth behind why there are so many Herrscher in the current civilization who have Honkai from the Honkai?"

After listening to the helmeted man's story, Mei looked at the man a few steps away with a complicated expression. His tone was very natural, but she knew that things were not as simple as he made them out to be.

Even if it was just one part of Lin's consciousness, it was still the real Lin, and it was also true death. This meant that Lin not only gave up his human identity, but his consciousness was also completely incomplete.

He can never be a complete human being again.

"It's just a choice, allowing those of you who have no other choice to choose the path you want to take."

Mei had no idea what kind of expression lay beneath that cold helmet, but this time, she didn't find the statue-like figure indifferent.

"Many people have never had a choice."

Lin looked up at the sky, where there was neither light nor stars. Mei knew what he was looking at: he was looking at the Herrscher of the Previous Civilization.