"What is that thing?"
The colossal tree, reaching into the clouds, dominated everyone's vision. The monitoring staff, checking the Honkai Energy concentration in the city, nearly screamed and jumped out of their seats at the sight of the densely packed, blinding red displayed on the screen.
"Dr-Dr-Dr. Spaciel! A massive Honkai Energy signature of 3500HW has appeared in the city! And it's still rising, about to surpass the historical maximum!"
The sound of a handgun dropping to the floor echoed sharply. Compared to the utter silence that comes from not knowing the severity of the situation, this clear bar graph drew out their deepest fear.
3500HW. This already exceeded the Honkai Energy concentration of conventional Herrschers and High-Class Honkai Beasts. In Fire MOTH observation data, only the First Herrscher, attempting to create something before her death, caused the Honkai Energy to reach an astonishing 4500HW, and she died before completing the creation. Thus, the record remained at 4500HW.
But now, the Honkai Energy contained within the giant tree on the monitoring screen soared like a rocket to the moon, breaking through 4000HW at an unimaginable speed, with no sign of stopping.
Even the usually composed Spaciel was momentarily stunned, his blue eyes fixed on the desperate sight.
"The Sixth Herrscher's Honkai Energy signature has reappeared! Her location is… directly above the gigantic Honkai Energy source! The Emperor-class Honkai Beast is also at the same location!" The monitoring staff suppressed his fear, reporting the progress. This was the first time a branch monitor had seen such a sight, and even the calmest voice would tremble.
"Reappeared…"
Spaciel's brain was still running despite his shock. The simultaneous appearance of the giant tree's Honkai Energy and the Herrscher's signature, with the Herrscher directly above the tree, suggested a connection between the two. The tree's record-breaking Honkai Energy concentration could not have occurred naturally.
The tree was the Herrscher's product. Was the reason she had no Honkai Energy signature and stayed in one place because she was manufacturing that thing?
"It doesn't just cause cellular decay; it can also accelerate and mutate cells…" Spaciel conjectured about the Sixth Herrscher's unfully revealed Authority, but his conjecture seemed somewhat… simplistic.
A Herrscher's Authority is not a tangible phenomenon or concept, but something more abstract, something that cannot be fully described in words. For example, the Third Herrscher's Authority was identified as controlling the electromagnetic field, but her actual manifestations went beyond simple manipulation of the electromagnetic field. Such minute control would require the user's knowledge base to be so vast that it could trigger various natural phenomena, yet it seemed she could perform any electromagnetic-related ability simply by imagining it.
If anything, it was a rule, a "rule" of the world.
Thus, Spaciel could not verbally encapsulate the feeling the Sixth Herrscher gave him. This giant tree clearly defied biological common sense. Simple concepts like cellular acceleration and mutation were insufficient to support the basis of its birth.
"Dr. Spaciel…"
At this moment, the monitoring staff swallowed hard. He wanted to hold himself back from chattering his teeth. This information needed to be reported quickly, but even gripping his leg muscles until they turned blue couldn't stop the terror in his soul.
"What is it?" Spaciel, overwhelmed, asked somewhat loudly.
"Bang!"
"The Emperor-class Honkai Beast's Honkai Energy signature is moving at high speed…" The monitoring staff slammed his hand onto the desk, his knuckles white. The resulting shock drew everyone's attention. He shouted, his tongue seemingly uncontrollable, "The direction is the Fifth Branch! Right here! And the Honkai Energy signature of that tree is also changing! Even the Herrscher's position has started to shift!"
"Damn it! They've split into three directions! The tree's root system is about to reach the nearest shelter! The Herrscher is moving toward Nagazora! The people there haven't been evacuated!"
They knew the current combat strength was insufficient and intended to use this method to divide the forces and then easily defeat the incoming support team.
Spaciel involuntarily clenched his heart at this sudden realization.
…
"After the Great Purge, the number of combat personnel who can come as support is probably only two or three squads, and they are hastily put together at that."
Her long hair, black and red, lay smoothly behind her in the windless space. The Sixth Herrscher stood on one of the branches of the towering tree crown, looking down with a smile at the Fifth Branch, which was frantically moving toward the Fifth Branch. She also glanced at the giant tree's roots, which were breaking apart the asphalt ground. Wherever they went, the filthy earth and the raging trees consumed everything.
Dark colors spread outward along the roots. Plants touched by them withered at a bizarre speed, while the giant tree grew even more luxuriant.
Finally, she stepped on the scythe stuck in the "corpse" next to her, pushing it deeper.
"For your own good, it's best not to pull this scythe out, or the massive hemorrhage will be troublesome." Her crimson eyes were indifferent, but the movement of her foot was brutally grinding the head of the scythe. She licked the corner of her mouth, which looked like it was stained with blood: "Don't cause me any trouble. I don't want to heal humans."
"Otherwise, I'll turn you into a zombie and use you to slaughter your comrades."
Lin's hands fell limply from the scythe.
"Hehe… You have a communicator, don't you?"
The Sixth Herrscher pressed one hand against Lin's neck, tightly gripping his artery, then pulled the communicator, which he hadn't had a chance to open, from his pocket and threw it directly from the treetop in front of Lin's face.
"You always play little tricks, counterattacking in unexpected places. And the crises Fire Moth has experienced are not once or twice. Each time, they've managed to 'just happen' to overcome the difficulty. So it's better to be cautious." The Sixth Herrscher was unfazed by Lin's stare. She grinned, laughing heartily.
With Seele's memory, her understanding of Fire MOTH details and Lin's condition was far beyond that of previous Herrschers. She could even pre-arrange the battle to further divide and weaken their forces.
Just as previous Herrschers would fall into a brief state of weakness after launching a certain level of Honkai Energy attack, her black mist, to achieve optimal lethality, also exposed similar issues. Therefore, she chose not to give anyone a chance, using the most reliable method to solve the biggest problem.
Especially Lin. He was a genuine opportunist. Despite his current half-dead state, if she showed even a moment of weakness, he would seize that chance to plunge a blade into her Herrscher Core.
And in leaving Lin alive, rather than killing him immediately, the Sixth Herrscher had two intentions.
"Do you see Nagazora over there? Didn't Fire MOTH research say that Herrschers won't leave a certain range within 24 hours? What do you think will happen if I, a Herrscher born within 24 hours, appear in Nagazora, where people don't know what's happening and haven't been evacuated…?"
"They will probably have to amend their so-called research report again, hahahaha… After all, they are that ignorant and that repugnant."