25. First Meeting Kevin, The Rise of the World Serpent.
The era of the Previous Civilization was far more advanced than the current one.
Although technology already had shades of cyberpunk, with robots everywhere and prosthetic modifications common, it wasn't controlled by mega-corporations like in typical cyberpunk worlds, with a terrifying wealth gap.
In fact, if not for the existence of the Honkai, this era could even be considered a good one; people were full of confidence about the future.
—If, only if, there was no Honkai.
From the Herrscher of Reason, the Herrscher of the Void, to the arrival of the Herrscher of Thunder, the entire Far East, centered on Nagazora City, saw coastal cities in East Asia suffer horrific disasters.
When the Herrscher of Wind appeared, each strike could create a terrifying storm, effortlessly destroying a major nation.
The Herrscher of Ice was an exception. Before the Moth Chasing Fire's forces arrived, an unknown faction had already eliminated it, preventing its harm from spreading.
Then—came the sixth Herrscher.
When the Honkai energy reaction appeared on the radar, the entire Moth Chasing Fire, after months of preparation, sprang into action immediately.
Before making contact with a Herrscher individual, no one knows what their power truly is. Each "trial and error" often costs countless lives.
But, this is unavoidable. After witnessing the tragedies of the five previous Honkai Eruptions, no one wants to let a Herrscher live for long.
They might have once been human, but after becoming Herrschers, they turn into nothing but merciless killing machines.
"Squad One, arrive at the designated location.. All units, be advised. We are approaching the Honkai eruption source. Evacuate civilians as much as possible. Eliminate the Honkai Beasts and infected zombies promptly."
Under the night sky, on the rooftop of a skyscraper, a group of soldiers clad in black combat suits, equipped with exoskeleton armor, holding high-tech firearms, and wearing night-vision helmets, scaled the several-hundred-meter-tall building directly via the outer wall using silent devices and electrostatic adhesives.
Their bodies were covered with camouflage matching the environment, appearing pitch black under optical, thermal, and electromagnetic sensing.
This equipment represented the pinnacle of human civilization's technology, advanced weapons invented by humanity pushing its limits in the three years since the Third Herrscher's disaster.
The ones wearing this equipment were Fire Moth Squad One, a special operations team led by a warrior named Kevin.
Its members were all experts, one in ten thousand, veterans who had survived countless Honkai battles.
With this building as the epicenter, more and more Honkai Beasts began to materialize out of thin air. People who hadn't been evacuated in time began transforming into zombies under the Honkai energy pollution. Before the influence expanded, Kevin had to decapitate the Sixth Herrscher.
"Focus on your task, Kevin. Leave this area to my squad. Do your best, resolve this quickly. I've specially prepared a victory banquet, you know. If you do well this time, I might even help you and Dr. MEI get some time off~~"
A somewhat playful female voice came through the communicator. Even the usually stern Kevin couldn't help but show a faint smile.
This time, the Moth Chasing Fire forces arrived very timely. The disaster hadn't spread yet. If they struck first and defeated the Herrscher, the millions of people in this city could be saved.
After a final check of his firearm's ammunition, looking at the deep purple Honkai energy source on his wrist-mounted Honkai energy radar, Kevin raised his hand and gave a silent signal to the warriors behind him.
Three, two, one.
Move!
The thrusters under their feet ignited suddenly. Several warriors leaped forward first. After their camouflage deactivated, muzzles flashed with azure blue special seed bullet flame.
On the rooftop, several wandering Honkai Beasts and zombies were instantly penetrated by the bullets carrying immense energy, ceasing all movement. Without hesitation, Kevin charged through the gap created by his comrades towards the target.
The target was undoubtedly human, with short blue-black hair, a fair figure wearing a white short shirt and a blue long skirt. Perhaps before becoming a Herrscher, she was just an ordinary high school student.
But, Kevin didn't plan to hesitate. He raised his gun, aiming directly at the girl's head. Herrschers are powerful, but their human bodies make them exceptionally fragile—if killed, they die!
And just as Kevin pulled the trigger, the Sixth Herrscher, that young girl, turned her head. With an innocent, yet somewhat sorrowful expression, she smiled at him.
"I've never... never looked down from such a high place before. It's so beautiful, isn't it, big brother?"
Her face full of sorrow, the Herrscher who should have been mad, at this moment, seemed covered in despair.
"My dad, my mom, they're all dead, turned into monsters. The aunt and grandpa next door too... Was it... me? Big brother, I feel so strange, like I caused all of this. Big brother... can you kill me?"
Kneeling before Kevin, the Sixth Herrscher seemed to offer no resistance, intending to accept death silently.
Kevin hesitated. He had seen the madness of Herrschers, but never one so calm and despairing.
She didn't seem like a Herrscher, but rather, like a child in despair, just like what he had witnessed in Nagazora City...
"Squad leader, what are you doing, squad leader! Shoot!"
His deputy, seeing Kevin's hesitation, shouted urgently. But his finger lingered,迟迟没有扣下扳机.
Then, he saw the despair on the Herrscher's face transform into—twisted ecstasy.
On her chest, a crimson mark composed of two curved arcs began to glow.
"Ahahahahahahaha! You won't kill me? Then let's all die together! Let's go on this final journey!"
Belatedly, Kevin pulled the trigger, but the fired bullet encountered a cloud of black mist, instantly rusting and decaying.
Immediately, the black mist transformed into a wave, spreading towards the surrounding Moth Chasing Fire warriors. They panicked, began to evade, but some were still touched by the black mist. Like being stuck with burning white phosphorus, their bodies also began to corrode and vanish, emitting agonized screams!
"Ahhhhhhhhh!"
Kevin dodged the black mist, discarded his corroded firearm, and drew a high-frequency dagger, wanting to charge forward and fight desperately. But he saw the girl, who had just seemed innocent, now condensing a mass of black mist in her hand and throwing it towards the sky.
Even warriors with high-tech equipment found it hard to resist. If this black gas spread throughout the entire city...
How many would die?!
For a moment, a sense of powerlessness and despair surged in Kevin's heart.
But, the next second, his eyes caught a flash of emerald green light.
Hum—Thud.
From hundreds of meters away, the emerald green light, like a slender embroidery needle, pierced sharply into the "balloon" formed by black mist.
The massive black mist instantly dispersed. The emerald light suddenly expanded into a pillar, purifying the black gas completely.
The next second, a black figure followed close behind the green light.
Kevin saw the newcomer clearly—a person, a masked person!
"You—"
His speed was too fast, too fast for the naked eye to follow. The distance of hundreds of meters between buildings was breached in an instant. Before the Herrscher of Death could utter a word, a large hand clad in a black glove grabbed her fair face.
BOOM!!!
A heavy blow slammed the Herrscher of Death's head into the ground, creating a crater. The newcomer casually snapped his fingers. The honkai energy entangled that soldiers instantly disappeared, replaced by a vibrant green light.
Their wounds began to heal rapidly, leaving them looking somewhat dazed.
"I'll assume you were bewitched by the Herrscher's beauty, Mr. Kevin. Having a great beauty like Dr. MEI and still fooling around outside is no good, you know."
Gao qi stood up, looking at the man before him—still somewhat youthful, but who would in the future become a savior hero and, in the new era, the leader of a secret organization capable of rivaling Schicksal.
In a way, he was also the origin and ancestor of the Kaslana family, the ancestor of his precious daughter Kiana.
"You can call me Viper. No, forget it."
Gripping the Herrscher of Death's head, he threw another punch. Gao qi originally intended to call himself Snake Man, Batman's brother, but seeing Kevin, he had a new idea.
"You can call me World Serpent, the Midgard Serpent—Jörmungandr."
Note: I'm new to translating so please be kind and tell me any mistakes you all find, I will try to release a chapter a day but don't expect much
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Raw: 崩坏模拟器,你找的人是我么?