Elysia fired an arrow into the head of a Honkai Beast struggling to emerge from a rift, then swung her slender leg to kick the body of a zombie impaled by pink crystals. The zombie slammed into the Honkai Beasts, knocking them all back into the rift.
But for every one defeated, two more appeared; for every two, even more swarmed out. Looking into the torn rift, it seemed there was an endless tide of Honkai Beasts and zombies, and deeper within, a terrifying shadow could be seen surging quietly.
"Is it ready yet?!"
Elysia was holding back a massive stretch of the rift alone. Even though her speed in repelling the beasts was incredible, she couldn't keep up with the rate they were emerging. Fine beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and she was forced to take another step back.
If she retreated any further, the monsters in the rift would breach the Stargate management room and destroy the facilities behind her. If that happened, the Stargate could never be closed.
On the other side, Sigma was also struggling to hold back another rift. He was visibly more exhausted than Elysia; now, they were only one step away from a total collapse of the defensive line.
"I need more time..." The researcher responsible for closing the Stargate operated the console while drenched in sweat, slapping himself hard to stay calm and keep his hands from shaking.
After the Ninth Honkai erupted, the Stargate had malfunctioned due to massive Honkai energy interference and opened automatically, causing monsters from the Sea of Quanta to emerge from rifts near the gate.
"The Ninth Honkai has erupted, and the concentration of Honkai energy is rising..." Sigma used his tail to coil around a small Honkai Beast attempting to pounce on the researcher, slamming it into the ground. "The Ninth Herrscher is very likely right near us."
His implication was clear: neither their situation nor the battle outside was optimistic.
But what could they do? Retreat?
If they retreated, these thousands—perhaps tens of thousands—of Honkai Beasts would attack human cities, with Atra, right beneath them, being the first to fall.
But if they didn't retreat, the likelihood of the Herrscher finding them would only increase. At that point, both Atra and their entire team would be wiped out.
As a former commander, Sigma was weighing the pros and cons: should they gamble the lives of these combat-capable elites on the chance that they could close the Stargate before being overrun or discovered by the Herrscher?
"It's fine, you don't need to worry about the outside."
Elysia words snapped him out of it, and he immediately refocused on holding back the beasts. Elysia glanced at Sigma, who was struggling but persevering, and gave a faint smile.
Yes, there was no need to worry; they were doing what they had to do.
Close the Stargate, and don't let the Honkai Beasts here... interfere with the battle outside.
Delta clutched her caved-in shoulder, dodging through the ruins. Having lost a foot, her mobility was drastically reduced. As she limped from one piece of cover to another, the previous cover would be crushed into fragments under the pressure of the invisible ability.
The six-limbed monster left deep indentations in the ground with every step; its body—a grotesque fusion of biology and technology—maintained an eerie, chaotic balance.
"Ha... ha... ha..."
Delta body was falling apart.
Every pore seemed to be racing to expel blood. With every step she took, more blood flowed from her body onto the ground. She couldn't even muster any strength; only the tearing pain that felt as if it were splitting her into two equal halves raged through her.
Crach.
Her right leg, missing its foot, scraped against the ground, yet it produced a sound of hard friction. She looked down in a daze, seeing that at the stump of her ankle, a pale-white shell had already encased her wound.
This shell looked so familiar—familiar enough that the monster chasing her had the same thing on its body.
"Once the scales tip, a MANTIS will transform into a monster of destruction."
These words grew in her mind like a nightmare. She gritted her teeth, trying to focus, but her back was struck by the monster's arm-palm. She vomited a mouthful of blood, her head slamming into the ground.
With the massive amount of Honkai energy and her severely injured body, she could barely maintain the balance between human and beast within her.
But... not yet...
She was the big sister; she was the adult. She had to take responsibility, end her sister's pain, and slay this monster that was using her sister's remains.
Yes, she... was her sister's hero! Since there were no braves or heroes in reality, she would become one herself!
If this ridiculous world thought she would yield... absolutely impossible!
Delta suddenly bent her waist to dodge an invisible attack that slashed like a blade. The building behind her instantly collapsed like wet cardboard. Her stubborn face was filled with defiance.
Gathering all her strength, all her soul, right here and now—
Gara!
Emotions, like the lava of an erupting volcano, filled her entire body with heat. She roared, bathing in her own blood.
The white carapace on her right leg instantly extended, filling the missing foot along with the emotional manifestation matter emerging from her body. She scraped against the earth, her petite body bursting with an aura that far surpassed this monster that was merely a fusion of distortions.
She held the greatsword level with both hands, aiming at the growth of wires, flesh, and core on the monster's chest. Her scarred face was incredibly resolute in the wind and rain. She let out a breath, and then, in a flash of cold light, she vanished from her spot.
"HOWL!"
The monster's thick four limbs trampled the earth, an invisible shockwave flipping the surface of the ground. The corpses of zombies were smashed into bone shards and meat paste the moment they were struck.
Too close!
Delta widened her blood-filled eyes. In her crimson world, she watched the approaching scythe of the grim reaper, then bit down hard on her own tongue!
The pain that jolted her brain accelerated her physical reactions. With a clean and perfectly timed somersault, she grazed past the shockwave and thrust her sword into the monster's fleshy head while in mid-air!
"Huff... HOWL!"
Delta grabbed that withered fleshy head and flipped her body onto the monster's back.
She was currently in a state of high emotional intensity, yet she was also incredibly calm. She grabbed the tailbone that swung toward her like a whip.
"Hiss... HOWL!!!" Delta craned her neck and let out a long howl no different from a Honkai Beast. Purple patterns filled her neck, and her hands, like claws, dug deep into the muscles of the tail, gripping the bones within.
Even the monster let out a scream, but it couldn't launch an attack at Delta; its own ability would cause severe damage to itself!
It swung its tail with the power to collapse an entire building with a single stomp, slamming Delta into the ground like a bug on a tail!
"Cough!"
"Wong..."
The earth shattered. Delta heard the screams of her entire body—bones cracking, muscles tearing, skin bursting.
Yet, she still held onto that tail. A person dyed crimson with blood, her eyes wide with rage like another monster, she tore off the outer shell along with the flesh!
"HOWL!"
In the gap created by the monster's pained scream, she pounced, biting into the neck of its vulnerable head.
"ROAR————"
Shaking her head, she tore backward violently, ripping another chunk of meat from the monster's body!
She slammed headfirst into the ground, then propped her body up on all fours and roared!
Two monsters, in this vast rain, in the most primitive fashion, were biting and using claws and teeth to slaughter each other to their hearts' content.