Change / Foever

Gradually, he increased the force of his blows, displaying power far exceeding that of humans, and even surpassing that of Honkai Beast.

No one noticed that this "person" was committing murder in the city, without words or purpose, simply killing for the sake of killing.

The Squad One's attack speed far exceeded that of the other squads. Kevin's own combat style was extremely sharp, and after he took over the Squad One, the overall style of the squad began to match his rhythm.

Kevin gradually took control of the battle. His main attack method was with a rifle, and each shot accurately hit the Honkai Beast's vitals and core. He led his team members to gradually approach the Fifth Herrscher's coordinates.

"Bang!"

Kevin's legs landed heavily on the body of the Charge-type Honkai Beast for support as he aimed at the Temple-class Honkai Beast a hundred meters away and fired.

The Temple-class Honkai Beast's single eye flashed red, and its giant shield blocked all the bullets.

Among the lower-level Honkai Beast, the most formidable defense belongs to the Temple-class Honkai Beast's shield. Even the Honkai Emperor, the pinnacle of the lower-level Honkai Beast, does not possess the defensive power of the Temple-class Honkai Beast.

What's even more troublesome is that the Temple-class Honkai Beast are also quite mobile.

"Gah—"

Upon spotting the enemy, the massive body of the Temple-class Honkai Beast emitted a sound similar to a driving roar as it charged toward Kevin with eeriness and speed, like a train traveling at full speed!

"Everyone, prepare for the impact..."

"Bass!"

Before Kevin could finish shouting, a crimson figure leaped down from the high platform beside him, colliding precisely with the Temple-class Honkai Beast. A large, door-sized sword drew a violent arc in the air.

"Bang!"

The limbs of the Temple-class Honkai Beast connected to the giant shield snapped off instantly. Immediately afterward, another figure in black and blue rushed out from the side, swung the giant scythe, and plunged the tip of the scythe into the Honkai Beast's head. Then, after the Powered Armor was assembled and the force was transferred, it was pinned to the ground.

The final blow was a sniper bullet, as precise as a surgeon's scalpel, striking the core.

Kevin took the opportunity to scan the surrounding Honkai Beast. After killing the smaller Honkai Beast that were still struggling, he led his team to meet up with the three reinforcements.

"The surrounding Honkai Beast should have been cleared out. What instructions did you receive?"

After sheathing her greatsword Himiko, the captain of the Squad Five, routinely met with Kevin was approaching from the opposite direction, and reported on the progress of the operation.

"After clearing this area, we'll halt temporarily and await further instructions." Kevin took out his communicator to review the combat briefing, then frowned. "The higher-level Honkai Beast haven't appeared yet, so why are we being told to stay put?"

"You'd have to ask the one in command."

Soul, having pulled the scythe from the Honkai Beast's body, glanced indifferently at the two people conversing.

"Bass."

The blood of the Honkai Beast flowed on the ground.

"Soul, do you need to rest for a bit?" Dessidobia put away her sniper rifle, took out a bottle of water, and handed it to Soul.

"Thank you." Soul took the water, and while drinking, she glanced meaningfully in the direction where the Herrscher was.

Chapter Two: Change

"Lin, you are our hope."

"Bang!"

Something fell from the sky.

Prometheus said in a flat tone, "Lin, you can no longer return to areas with high Honkai Energy concentrations."

"..."

"Cannot".

Auditory hallucinations, visual hallucinations, fatigue, nausea, high fever...

It is indeed "impossible," everyone tells him it is impossible, because that is the truth.

"Prometheus... how far away..."

"..."

If only his death could have saved one more person.

Why do these people always try to save someone who has no value to begin with and is unlikely to survive much longer?

Why... can we still hear their messages to this day...?

"Commander, why stop at this time..." A person in the command post asked Sigma, who had been keeping an eye on the squad's movements, hesitantly.

The first wave of small Honkai Beast in Tran City has been mostly cleared out, so shouldn't we strike while the iron is hot and immediately go after the Fifth Herrscher? Why have we suddenly stopped now?

"This is an order from headquarters." Sigma gave him a cold glance. "Do you have any objections?"

"No... I just feel..."

The person who was initially thinking that dragging things out might be bad fell silent after seeing Sigma's cold gaze. The other person had more experience than him, so that shouldn't be wrong, right...?

All the squads were assigned to a delicate position, which, according to the map, was very close to the orphanage where the Herrscher was located, but the actual distance was not enough to allow for an attack at a moment's notice.

Except for one squad.

The atmosphere among the group was somewhat heavy. Hen led the way, while the team members behind him seemed particularly negative, having lost their initial optimism.

Throughout the journey, it was Hen and Kosma who were clearing out the Honkai Beast. They wanted to help, but their lack of coordination and the panic caused by the recruits' lack of experience with real Honkai Beast made their help more of a hindrance.

Moreover, they seem to have gone too deep now. The number of Honkai Beast has increased dramatically. It's not a big deal for Hen; he can wipe Honkai Beast all out by himself. But the random shooting by these new recruits has disrupted his battle rhythm. When facing multiple Honkai Beast, he has to pay attention to both his teammates and the Honkai Beast at the same time, which makes him feel somewhat powerless.

"Captain Hen."

Kosma kicked the Honkai Beast away, and after firing a few more shots, he looked at Hen while panting.

Hen noticed Kosma's gaze and glanced at the team members behind him.

They weren't seriously injured, but they seemed mentally exhausted. Traveling such a long distance from the outskirts of the city and maintaining high-intensity combat was no easy feat for them.

After checking their location on the locator, Hen ordered the entire team to rest on the spot.

We have reached the required position; now we await orders from our superiors.

He looked at the orphanage that was very close by. From this vantage point, he could see a towering ice formation that had frozen the entire orphanage, like a giant cocoon made of ice.

"Is that where the Herrscher is?" Kosma also came to Hen's side. He looked at the ice cocoon and clenched his fists in secret.

Fourth Honkai War, he only saw the storm caused by the Fourth Herrscher and her familiars, but he didn't see the monster herself that could tear the sky apart with a casual strike. So, he will likely have to face the Fifth Herrscher of the same level next. To be honest, it's impossible not to be nervous.

He secretly observed Hen's expression and found that he did not seem too nervous. He couldn't help but admire him, thinking that as a captain like Kevin, he must be a veteran who had fought against the Herrscher.

"Hmm... This Herrscher is strange. She didn't cause widespread destruction after her birth, but stayed in one place without moving." Hen responded to Kosma's words, while also voicing his doubts.

"Captain Hen, haven't you ever encountered Herrscher like this before?"

"I have only ever fought against the First Herrscher."

"Um?"

He only fought against the First Herrscher?

But haven't four Herrscher been born since the First Honkai Eruption? Besides the Fourth Herrscher, they should have encountered three other Herrscher and have rich experience.

"The Second Herrscher was defeated by Elysia." Hen saw Kosma's confusion and said indifferently, "The Third Herrscher was defeated by Lin and Doctor Mei together. I didn't have any direct contact with them."

"But you..."

"Don't seem to have any worries?" Hen examined the weapon in his hand without looking up. "If extreme emotions can't bring you any benefit, then their existence is superfluous."

Sure enough, it's still very reliable.

Kosma for any new Honkai Beast in the vicinity, but after a while, he suddenly thought of something.

"Speaking of which, why haven't the other squads sent reinforcements yet?"

"..." Hen did not speak.

In any case, it's a bit strange. Their team, which is the least efficient, has already penetrated this distance, but the other teams that should be stronger have yet to appear.

In the heavy snow, Kosma picked up the communicator and sent a message to the Squad One.

"..."

There was no response, as if the stone had sunk into the sea.

At this moment, Kosma finally sensed something was wrong, and his gaze turned to the silent figure who had been keeping his head down.

"No support."

That was the first thing Hen said.

"Shh..."

The little boy in the lead gestured for his two companions to be quiet, and only after they nodded did he cautiously peek out from around the corner.

"Ooh-ga—" A strange, low cry came from the bloodless mouth.

An ordinary Honkai zombie stumbled and wandered aimlessly.

This is a human corrupted by Honkai Energy emanating from Tran. He happened to be on the edge and his Honkai Energy resistance was too low, so he was transformed into Honkai zombie.

The sight of eyes with a color that could never be human and only the whites of the eyes made the little boy swallow hard, but he still mustered up his courage to turn around and nod firmly to his companions. Then, together with another stronger boy, he struggled to lift a rock that was a third the size of him.

The remaining little girl walked around the corner and shouted at the Honkai zombie, "Monster! Come here!"

"Gah—"

Upon seeing a human, the wandering Honkai zombie immediately accelerated their approach towards her.

"Ahhhhh!" The little girl ran back around the corner with tears in her eyes, and the Honkai zombie immediately followed.

"Haaaaaaah!"

Just as its feet touched the bend, the two boys used all their strength to smash a stone on its head, knocking it to the ground.

"Run!"

The three immediately ran past the Honkai zombie.

"Boom."

However, a voice simultaneously chilled their blood.

A huge, deformed creature stood before them, its leg, as tall as two stories, causing the ground to collapse.

The scarlet single eye slowly looked down at the three ants.

The little girl took a step back, stepped on the Honkai zombie's arm, and fell to the ground, crying out in despair, "No... no! Binai! Anna!"

"Bass--"

A beam of light descended from the sky.

Chapter Three Forever

"Bass--"

A beam of intense light descended from the sky and struck the core of the Honkai Beast, momentarily halting its brutal movements.

However, the three children did not recover from their fear and run away, and the destructive power of the beam was not enough to penetrate the core of the Honkai Beast. So after a brief pause, the Honkai Beast raised its giant arm again, ready to smash them into mincemeat.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Three identical beams of light struck the first beam precisely, and with each successive hit, the Honkai Beast's skin and muscles were torn open, and then...

"Bass!"

The final beam pierced the core.

The Honkai Beast's raised giant arm swayed precariously before crashing to the ground amidst the tearful gazes of the three children.

"Boom!"

After the enormous corpse landed, another figure, much smaller than it, also landed in front of the three of them.

The man wearing a helmet didn't feel like he was "standing" when his toes touched the ground. His limbs were loosely dragged by the flight device on his back, making him look like a lifeless puppet. Six strangely shaped Floating Cannon hovered around him, adding to the eerie atmosphere.