Chapter 30

[Herrscher "Revenge" ended. After several months of pause, it finally remembered its mission.]

[The human population has sharply decreased. Stigmata Warriors have sharply increased.]

P.S. Just to clarify, the protagonist's side is still the Cocoon, and the game is also the Cocoon. Elysia and the others are using the Stigmata Terminal.

P.S. 2: Whether it is the Stigmata Terminal, the Fusion Warriors that keep appearing ahead of schedule in later stages, or the Moonlight Throne, they all exist to enrich the story. This will not turn into Honkai 2.

Volume One: Chapter 43 — Kevin Quits the Game

Herrscher: An Yu

Level: 16

Skills: Twin Familiars, Void Edict, Echo (Void)

Attributes: Attack Speed 5, Edict 5
Power Level: 3600hw

"Uh..."

"Did I really only AFK for three hours?"

As he looked at the impenetrable fortress in the distance, its dazzling energy barrier seemed to extend into Imaginary Space. Unknown weapons were mounted along the walls, while countless red-named elite monsters patrolled in orderly ranks.

An Yu was completely dumbfounded. Was this really the amount of progress they could make in three hours?

"Bebe Dragon!"

He shouted loudly. Bebe Dragon raised its head and noticed that its master seemed to have gained a little more emotion.

"It's time for Honkai Descends!"

A Herrscher?

What was wrong with a Herrscher?!

Elysia going crazy was one thing because she was his older sister. An Yu did not feel like beating her up. She was a lunatic, so he could just humor her. But if someone else told him, "Have you ever considered that the characters might have lives of their own?"

An Yu would slap them straight into the wall. I'm a god when I play a single-player game! This is Minecraft! I play games to have fun! If you don't want to mow down enemies, go play Koikatsu 6!

What character development? What plot? I don't understand any of that! If I really wanted to experience those things, I'd have gone to play some big-budget game ages ago. I'm playing this crappy game because I want to kill, kill, kill!

Snap!

With a crisp snap of his fingers, ripples spread through the air. White-and-purple Honkai Beasts began descending, falling directly from the sky.

The imposing energy barrier flickered continuously. An Yu gave a disdainful snort.

"Competing with me in endurance? I'm the Herrscher of the Void, bro!"

He was the only being connected to Imaginary Space, with an energy recovery speed that defied all reason.

The ripples gradually changed. Honkai Beasts no longer emerged from them. A dark golden passage completely formed, and before it could even take shape properly, pure energy began surging out in waves.

The defense line's multicolored energy barrier flashed constantly. Damage even appeared around its edges before being restored seconds later.

Inside the defense line.

"Wait? Wait until he completely drains the city's energy reserves to zero in a short time? Wait until we can only use flesh and blood to build a high wall?"

Kevin held his greatsword against the throat of the highest-ranking commander stationed there.

"Launch a counterattack while we still can!"

As the most outstanding Stigmata Warrior so far, Kevin stressed the point.

"Kevin! You're violating international conventions! You can't bear the consequences if something goes wrong!"

The man roared, but Kevin merely struck him with the flat of his heavy sword, easily leaving him clutching his stomach and retching.

Kevin glanced at him with a trace of pity. "Sometimes, recklessness is closer to courage than cowardice. And in a war of godslaying, courage is merely the price of admission."

"But you people seem to have let the words 'self-preservation' cover everything in your long lives."

In any case, Kevin could not imagine winning through attrition against a Herrscher.

There were always people who fantasized that a Herrscher would recklessly drain its own energy bar dry. But Mei had told him that Imaginary Energy could be converted into Honkai energy for its use at a speed that was utterly incomprehensible.

That report had been rejected, though. It was too damaging to morale...

There was nothing inherently wrong with rejecting it. They really did need to boost morale. But boosting morale was one thing—how had they ended up deceiving themselves too?

Did they seriously intend to wear down a Herrscher?

"Begin the counterattack!"

After issuing the order, he carried his sword out of the combat conference room. Its blade easily carved a crack through the floor.

Of course, no one asked why. This was a battlefield. Those with fighting spirit had long been waiting, while those without it would not dare disobey their superiors anyway.

Outside in the corridor, Elysia held a bow, seemingly waiting with her eyes closed.

Their gang of friends had already gathered, and the professor had gone to the rear. It was time to show that fake An Yu outside what they were made of.

"What's the plan?"

"We have to interrupt the Herrscher's skill. If that barrier disappears, we'll be walking straight into death."

Kevin understood completely. He had even come up with a sneaky idea.

"I have a sneaky idea."

Elysia paused. A sneaky idea?

But Kevin smiled brightly, as though saving the world made him especially... excited.

The savior is here!

A few minutes later, Elysia drew her bow to its limit atop the city wall. A pink dome appeared in the distant sky, but such a delayed attack was far too slow for An Yu.

And besides...

"You really are here, boss!"

An Yu smiled cruelly. Now that he was almost immune to stagger the entire time, he no longer had to worry about being comboed to death.

An arrow tore through the air from afar, but this time it was not aimed at the dome high in the sky.

Had they changed tactics?

The constantly pouring Void Realm Descends briefly paused. An Yu casually snapped his fingers again, and ripples from the Void Realm appeared before him, swallowing the arrow.

A second arrow, then a third...

By the time all four arrows had vanished, the instant An Yu dismissed the ripples, a greatsword was already right in front of him.

Kevin shouted excitedly, "It's over!"

Perfect coordination! Kevin had successfully used the blind spot in An Yu's vision, and the corners of his mouth rose—only to quickly freeze.

Freeze was not quite the right word, because under Temporal Slowing, every movement he made became incredibly slow. He could even clearly see the Herrscher's sneer.

The Stigmata Project had only just begun. The weight of Soul Exile had yet to be anchored, and the possibilities Stigmata Warriors offered him were far, far too limited. Even geniuses needed time to grow.

"It's over."

An Yu chuckled as well. Temporal Slowing ended, but he had already used Phase Shift to appear behind Kevin. The intangible spear in his hand instantly solidified, crushing flesh as it pierced through the man's body.

That's how we space dogs pull off plays!

An Yu was just about to continue his previous attack and quickly mow down some more enemies, but... why was he still alive?

Barely avoiding the icy blast behind him, An Yu flashed into the sky.

"You can fly too?"

Apparently not.

An Yu watched the man plummet from the sky. His blood seemed to be flowing upward through the air, though that was only because he was falling so quickly.

"Kevin!"

Elysia was utterly stunned.

Damn it, never trust a man's sneaky idea. Back when she had listened to Xiao Yu's sneaky idea to skip class, she should have learned her lesson when the entire school publicly criticized her.

The pink figure shot out like a ghost. An Yu silently counted until the instant she caught the new boss.

Boom—!

"Your underlying code really is simple."

When he had fought the masked boss before, he had already displayed the ability of Secondary Resonance. Given the technology these little monsters had shown so far, there had definitely been recordings.

So why would she still charge out without hesitation? Was she anxious? Or... did she want to grasp that sliver of impossible hope?

"I see! So this is your friendship, bonds, dreams, and future! I acknowledge you, boss!"

But then again.

An Yu sighed. "People like you, who value loyalty and friendship, really are easy to bully..."

It was wrong to think that way, but now that she had come out, what was happening inside the defense line?

Even if he wanted to watch the show, he had familiars!

With another especially crisp snap, before Elysia could recover from the bloody light before her, the defense line had lowered its barrier in preparation for a counterattack. At that moment, an enormous Demon Dragon descended from the Void Realm.

Come to think of it, something had changed. Maybe the game had received a small update. Ever since that white-haired boss died, the electronic music in his ears had weakened considerably.

A few seconds later—

[Benares has left the battlefield.]

?

???

An Yu froze. What notification had the system just popped up?

Where was his awesome Demon Dragon?

Volume One: Chapter 44 — Desolate... Land... Humanity... Victory... Honkai's...

"Say something, haters!"

If she could announce it loudly, Vill-V would definitely get on the broadcast and fiercely strike back at those old bastards who had previously cursed her for wasting funds.

Were Sister Vill-V's weapons useful or not?!

Say something!!!

"Watch out!"

Aponia instinctively pulled Vill-V away, barely dodging the illusory spear from the Void Realm.

"The opportunity is here!"

Vill-V fell to the ground without caring. Once the Herrscher's emotions could be predicted, tactical arrangements had a direction, and victory would naturally follow.

Elysia had gone completely numb inside. The opportunity had indeed come, but Vill-V, stop drawing aggro!

Who did she expect to chase down the Herrscher of the Void?

They had been friends for so many years. Did they not even have that basic level of understanding? Oh, right. In the dream, they had only just become friends...

"I have to admit, you bosses each have your own unique strengths."

An Yu touched the scorching ground, hot enough to melt flesh. He stood there in a daze for a moment, then turned his head. Amid the hellish scene, his smile was refreshing.

Elysia quietly remained on guard. "Not even the death of your companion can make you show a sad expression?"

What a heartless fellow.

An Yu tapped his head and barely managed to understand her language.

"At the end of the day, they're only familiars."

He had never envied the lights of countless homes, because he knew that behind those lights were shattered pots, pans, and dishes... and maybe relatives who were lunatics...

Before Elysia could recover from the shock that the Herrscher could communicate, An Yu vanished again. She expanded her senses to their limit, yet still could not find him anywhere in the city.

"Prepare the weapons!"

Vill-V's voice came over the broadcast, carrying a trace of forcibly suppressed excitement... Wait, Vill-V?

When had she gone to the command room? Wasn't she explicitly forbidden from entering it?