The transport plane hovered steadily at an altitude of nearly a hundred meters.
The enchanting red eyes gazed at the scenery below through the window. "She" reached out her hand toward a certain part of the tiny city below.
"Tap."
The transparent glass blocked "her" finger. After a hesitant silence, "she" looked at the black mist surrounding her. These semi-real, semi-illusory mists were drifting in the air.
With a shift of consciousness, the black mist all retracted back into her body, which caused "her"…
Surprise.
"She" could feel the power within the black mist that could cause all things to wither, yet "she" could freely control this power. Furthermore, there was another completely different energy within her body, radiating vibrant vitality.
Great, this way, I can…
"Her" joy lasted for less than half a second on her delicate face.
Can… what?
My head hurts so much… I can't remember something…
"She" only recovered from the headache after a moment, but "she" could never recall the thing "she" had forgotten.
The most important thing, "she" had to remember it, it was related to someone…
Finally, "her" gaze fell upon a certain part of the city outside the transport plane.
…
Lin stood in the crowded human flow. The clamor of the Fifth Branch personnel and the red blare of the alarm dominated his hearing and sight. Using a crutch, his right shoulder was bumped, his crutch flew out of his hand, and he lost his balance and fell to the ground.
He used to be able to maintain balance and stand on one leg for an entire day, but now, if he didn't concentrate on intentionally maintaining his balance, even standing was a problem.
The person who knocked him down hurried past without even looking at him. With the Sixth Herrscher about to arrive in the city, they had to find a way to deal with Honkai's most terrifying enemy, with no time to spare for a disabled person who had been knocked over.
Lin said nothing either, picked up his crutch, and got up from the ground, walking against the flow of people toward the outside of the branch.
He had accepted the Councilman's "order."
Subjugating Herrschers had always been his mission. From the Second Honkai to the Fifth Honkai, and even the current Sixth Honkai, even though the tasks he received were all different, he always went to the Herrscher's battlefield.
If he could defeat the Herrscher a minute earlier, perhaps one less person would die.
Holding onto this impractical idea, he wielded his weapon fruitlessly, facing increasingly powerful enemies.
Anyone could become a Herrscher. All Herrschers up until now have been female, and all had exceptionally excellent Honkai Energy adaptability. These were their only two common points; beyond that, no so-called pattern could be found.
Therefore, the likelihood of a member of Moth's Flame becoming a Herrscher also existed.
Lin had once thought that the people around him might turn into Herrschers. Countless times in his own imagination, he had raised his gun, aimed at a familiar face…
Each time, he would resolutely pull the trigger, and after the gunshot, he would look indifferently as the blood flowed to his feet, thick and scarlet.
Whenever this happened, he would wake up with a start.
After waking, that blood and the Herrscher's smile before death would become even clearer and more real, as if they were about to be acted out right in front of him.
At this very moment, Lin's heart rate was accelerating, not just because the physical burden increased the load on his heart, but also because an emotion he could not articulate was stifled in his chest.
He couldn't express what it was.
Was it fear that his comrade had truly become a Herrscher?
No…
If this emotion were fear, then Lin was probably afraid of himself.
Because he would definitely pull the trigger.
It was precisely this clarity, this understanding, and the complete dissection of the reason for firing the gun that made him even more afraid.
But Lin still didn't know if that was fear. In the depths of his indifferent heart, there were no colors, only monotonous black and white.
"Lin, we are preparing to intercept the transport plane. We will use missiles to shoot it down once it reaches the designated location. This might delay the Sixth Herrscher's actions. Get ready."
"…"
"Do you need equipment?" Spaciel asked.
"Do you have equipment suitable for a person with only one leg?"
"…"
…
Spaciel commanded the Fifth Branch's combat squad to head to the designated location. Most of Fire MOTH elites were at the headquarters to be readily available for deployment, while the combat teams in the various branches were just self-defense forces, significantly lacking in combat efficiency and capability.
However, there was no other way for now. He could only first try to shoot down the transport plane carrying the Sixth Herrscher with missiles.
The Councilman's heart-wrenching screams echoed in his ears, but they couldn't interfere with his judgment.
This was the only way to temporarily stop the Sixth Herrscher. He couldn't sacrifice the lives of the entire city for one person.
It didn't matter who that person was.
"Heh…" He chuckled softly.
That's right, it didn't matter who it was…
A bright red beacon appeared on the command screen. Spaciel's eyes narrowed, and he immediately issued the command—
"Use the fission missiles!"
With that order, the beacons symbolizing the missiles appeared on the screen. The terrifyingly dense number was like bait dropped into a school of fish. The fish swarmed, opening their gaping maws toward the isolated bait in the tide.
Impact would occur in three seconds.
However, the next moment, the seemingly helpless transport plane stopped where it was, and its signal disappeared.
"Boom!"
Even without witnessing the fission missile explosion, Spaciel had already visualized the scene. The transport plane at the center of the explosion could not possibly escape.
However, the transport plane's signal disappeared before the fission missile exploded. This led Spaciel to a suspicion, which was quickly confirmed.
The transport plane's signal reappeared on the screen, continuing to travel along its original course and speed.
The fission missile had not exploded. He had not detected the thermal energy of the fission missile, meaning something had shot it down—or rather, "decomposed" it—before it struck the transport plane.
"As expected, the 'black mist' the Councilman mentioned can also erode ordinary matter… It's simply a high-concentration condensate of Honkai Energy…" Spaciel showed no panic; he could not afford to waver or be surprised at this moment. "But it absolutely cannot be simple Honkai Energy. Does that mean that is a manifestation of Authority?"
The manifestations of Herrschers' Authority are mostly bizarre. They are not simply controlling natural physical phenomena; they are more like a combination of magical and scientific power. Even if one knows the principles of their action, it is still impossible to investigate where the power comes from and how it manifests in such an abstract form.
"The transport plane is about to arrive over the city!"
While his thoughts raced, the beacon had already reached the outskirts of the city.
Spaciel shook his head. There was no point in delving deeper now. Only by subjugating the Sixth Herrscher and extracting her core could they know the truth.
Lin…
He already knew that the Sixth Herrscher was Seele, the gentle girl who had lost her parents.
Even so, will you have no hesitation…
"Huff… Prepare for combat."
And at this moment, an unexpected event occurred.
"Dr. Spaciel, the Sixth Herrscher…"