"BOOM!!!"
Light and heat bloomed in the sky.
The nuclear explosions created a terrifying chain reaction. In the sky where they impacted, it was as if countless new suns were slowly rising.
For the Herrscher of Binding, this was a true explosion of heat. The number of nuclear warheads was not large, but the yield of each one was especially terrifying.
As for the results of their attack...
Apart from that initial flash of intense light, not even the storm kicked up by the shockwave managed to spill out beyond a one-kilometer radius from the impact point.
All the energy produced by the nuclear explosions was "eaten" in one gulp by the Herrscher of Binding!
This level of attack was not yet enough to cause direct harm to the Herrscher, but because of the instantaneous energy diffusion, the radius of its domain had once again shrunk by more than half!
A 100-kilometer radius.
This result had already surpassed the projections of the mathematical model Dr. Mei had built. Seventy percent! Facing a Herrscher of Binding whose domain had been compressed to just 100 kilometers, their chances of victory in the ensuing battle had been raised to a full seventy percent!
"BEEP."
A notification sound came from the communicators.
There were only 30 seconds left before the Fusion Warriors were to join the battlefield. Before then, Dr. Mei would try to minimize their losses... or at least, she would try.
"VMMMM!!!"
A direct bombardment from the [Weapon God] railgun!
[Divine Machine · Avalon].
This was their ultimate weapon, a true trump card whose terrifying power even the Monarch had to acknowledge. Don't be fooled by the fact that it could only deplete thirty percent of the Monarch's energy in an undefended state; one had to remember that the energy within Lu Xing's body was true Imaginary Energy!
The [Weapon God] railgun, powered by the [Moonlight Throne], was already a top-tier strike method among civilizations within the Tree. If not for her knowledge of the Herrscher of Binding's authority, Dr. Mei might not have dared to fire such a shot at the ground. After all, with even the slightest miscalculation, the [Weapon God] could have wiped the cities and the Fusion Warriors on the ground completely off the face of the planet.
A brilliant pillar of light descended from the heavens!
It condensed, contracted, and then bloomed—
"BOOM!!!!"
The explosion lasted for half a second.
Yes, that earth-shattering explosion from just a moment ago lingered on everyone's retinas for only the blink of an eye.
The Herrscher of Binding took it all.
It had devoured the energy from the [Weapon God] railgun as well!
And the consequence of doing so was...
The magnificent and terrifying barrier did not disappear, but the range maintained by the binding domain was compressed even further. The Herrscher of Binding, previously completely shrouded in a dense golden light, could finally be observed by human eyes from the outside, through the barrier.
A 10-kilometer radius!
With only one-tenth of its original power, the Authority of Binding had created a golden opportunity for Dr. Mei!
"Now!"
No hesitation, no doubt.
In that instant, all the Fusion Warriors lying in ambush nearby made the exact same move—they charged fiercely towards the Herrscher of Binding's position!
The Herrscher was fast, and it had not stopped its march towards the city.
Therefore... the Fusion Warriors did not need to reach the Herrscher of Binding itself.
They only needed to touch the binding domain, then release all the vast Honkai Energy they had never truly controlled in one go. At a time like this, there was no longer a need for lies to comfort themselves.
Most Fusion Warriors' control over Honkai Energy came from talent. While learning and training could indeed achieve gradual reinforcement, the time required for that... was not something that could be achieved in just ten or a few dozen hours.
In other words, they were fundamentally incapable of perfectly drawing out the Honkai Energy from the [Blank Armor].
There was only one truly effective method:
Self-destruction.
There were no weaklings among the Fusion Warriors present.
Except for a few who were absent for special reasons, those participating in the battle were either seasoned warriors who had been through countless battles, or they had endured the kind of pain and torment from the "Super-Metamorphosis surgery" that would have shattered an ordinary person's mind.
Heroes die for a lie. Not because they are deceived, but because they believe in the value of their sacrifice.
"BOOM!!!!!"
Five kilometers, three kilometers, one kilometer... 500 meters, 100 meters, 10 meters...
More and more Fusion Warriors fell, and the range of the binding domain grew smaller and smaller. When the distance was compressed to the final three meters, only six Fusion Warriors were left standing beside the Herrscher of Binding.
[Mystic Spirit of Flying Embers]
A firebird with pure white plumes spread its wings and soared!
Hua's talent was beyond question. Although she had been defeated in a direct confrontation by the War Temple, one had to remember that the latter's combat power was the highest among the Four Temples. While Hua's potential was still far from being fully developed, she was the only Fusion Warrior in this operation who could truly control the [Blank Armor]!
With the aid of the Honkai Energy provided by the artificial cores, Hua held on until the very last moment—charging towards the Herrscher of Binding in a "pseudo-Artificial Eruption" state, transformed into a being of pure energy!
At the same time, an attack from Eden, from Varuna, rained down. Meteorites, as brilliant as a field of stars, fell from the heavens, accompanying the firebird that was Hua—
[Song of the Stars]
"WHOOSH!!!"
Eight meters...
[Purge of All Evils]
An ink-blue crescent moon slashed across the sky!
Even without Griseo by his side, Kosma still chose to enter his Artificial Eruption state. It didn't matter if he couldn't control himself. All he had to do was gather all his energy into a single blow before he lost his sense of self, and unleash it all upon the binding domain!
"CLANG!!!"
Six meters...
[Pillar of Ruin]
Pure flame, pure Honkai Energy.
A surgery personally performed by Mobius, powered by that special heart, a new power born from fusing with the Emperor-class Honkai Beast "Asura"—this was the power that Kalpas, having just become a Fusion Warrior, could unleash in his "Artificial Eruption state"!
The heaven-shaking pillar, condensing all of Kalpas's power, slammed down violently upon the binding domain!
"BOOM!!!"
Three meters...
"SKREEE!!!"
[Taixu Sword God]
A flawless, snow-white bird charged at the Herrscher of Binding, whose domain was now only three meters wide.
With Aponia absent, the only psychic-sensory type Fusion Warrior powerful enough to use the first-rated power of the [Yudu Chen]... was likely Su.
To burn his memories was to bid farewell to the young man who once "dreamed of saving the world by studying medicine." For the Su who was now saving the world, this ideal, long buried deep in his heart... was no longer important!
"CRACK!!!"
Whether it was human, beast, or Herrscher, the final strength holding its ground, the binding domain that was no longer an impassable chasm, shattered with a resounding crack. Its soul and body were frozen solid!
And before it—
"Holy Lance!"
An unprecedented crimson ice formed into a sharp lance in Kevin's hands!
It was the cold that had once pierced Himeko, and it was the blood of the Fusion Warriors spilled upon the earth—
"Weigh Anchor!!!"