Albert leaped onto the rooftop and tore off his empty right sleeve, revealing noticeable scratches and various stains on his face. He somberly reported:
"Alliance Leader, casualties among personnel were relatively low thanks to the timely evacuation; both civilians and fighters suffered minimal losses. Exact numbers aren't available yet, but visually, it seems quite limited. However, all our mechanical forces within the city, including those from Schicksal, have been absorbed by this entity. It appears specifically designed to counter mechanical creations. Even my prosthetic arm was uncontrollable; I had no choice but to forcibly detach it before it got assimilated. In summary, we're at a severe disadvantage here. We can only suppress it with long-range firepower, but it's proving impossible to kill."
"Hmm, its resilience is indeed remarkable, as I've experienced firsthand," Welt calmly responded. With a wave of his hand, a barrage of heavy weaponry filled the sky, repelling monsters attempting to attack them. Then, a black sphere materialized in his palm.
"Star of Eden - Ten Thousandfold!"
"Rumble! Rumble!!"
Under the immense gravitational force, the colossal monster was deeply pulled into the earth, causing the ground to shake violently. The entire city's landscape seemed to flip upside down.
After a prolonged moment, Welt released the gravity, looking down to see the creature flattened into countless thin metal sheets. For a considerable time, there was not a single movement.
Albert, who had been knocked down by the seismic tremors, got back on his feet, nonchalantly wiping his dirty face. He asked, "Alliance Leader, is it over?"
"It should be; the strange Honkai Energy signature has disappeared. What kind of creature was that exactly? A new form of Honkai Beast? Albert, contact Headquarters' Command Center. We must develop contingency plans for entities capable of suppressing machinery. The majority of our strength relies on mechanical systems. If this monster isn't an isolated case, we'll find ourselves at a significant disadvantage."
"Yes, Alliance Leader!" Albert saluted and then looked expectantly at Welt.
"What's wrong?" Welt queried.
Albert scratched his head, expression blank, and said, "As you know, this creature consumed a vast array of mechanical devices within its vicinity. In short, I don't have any communication equipment now. Alliance Leader... um, could you work your magic?"
"My apologies, almost overlooked that." Dense patterns appeared on Welt's hand, and moments later, two disc-shaped communicators materialized.
Following instructions, Albert reported to Headquarters, while Welt found a stone slab to sit on and attempted to contact Eins.
"Zzzt! Zzzzt!"
"Eins, this is Welt. Can you hear me? Are there issues with the communication network?"
"Zzzt!"
"Yang, this is Eins."
After enduring several seconds of static, Welt finally heard Einstein's cool voice, much to his relief.
"Phew! You had me worried there for a moment. I thought even your area was experiencing issues too."
"The radiation from force-fieldified Moonlight Thrones has proven highly effective. Unfortunately, it's not that no problems arose but rather that they were just resolved in time. Currently, only the Far East Region, where Moonlight Thrones have been fully deployed, along with Anti-Entropy and Schicksal Headquarters, plus a few well-equipped Selene bases, remain operational. Communication with other areas has been cut off."
"What happened?"
"A virus. Not a biological virus targeting cells or genes, but a contamination resembling viral infection in mechanical systems... It was discovered too late, and the situation is dire now. In any case, Dr. Tesla is quite frantic. The fact that you can contact me suggests either you haven't encountered this strange phenomenon yet, or if you did, you've managed to resolve it. Which scenario applies?"
"The latter. But let's set that aside for now. Have we received any intelligence from Otto?"
Before receiving an answer to his question, Welt suddenly turned his head, noticing two beautiful figures bathed in sunlight atop the remnants of a tall building nearby.
One figure, with shimmering blonde hair and holding a pristine white parasol, gazed down at Welt with a captivating, faint smile playing on her lips. The other, clad in black armor accentuating her alluring curves, revealed a lovely face framed by pink hair like cherry blossoms, complete with a pair of equally pink, long animal ears atop her head.
Welt opened his mouth slightly, then sighed.
"Hera, any new information? I assume it's quite serious; otherwise, you wouldn't have come out to meet me."
"As if! Do you think I'd just casually take a vacation here?"
"Stop teasing. The sooner we resolve this, the less hardship everyone will endure."
"Sigh, truly impatient. Alright, truthfully, even I'm somewhat troubled. Our adversary this time is a Herrscher... specifically, the Herrscher of Corruption from our current era." Hera raised a slender, fair index finger, waving it gently, yet despite mentioning her headache, her face beamed with an adorable expression of keen interest.
This topic plunged everyone present, including Anti-Entropy Headquarters and Einstein at both ends of the communication link, into silence.
After a moment, Einstein's voice came through the communicator in Welt's hand.
"I suspected as much too. Only a Herrscher could typically cause destruction on this scale. In the previous era, combat capabilities were concentrated in various genetically modified fighters, so the Herrscher of Corruption primarily manifested through biological erosion. In our time, large-scale fighting strength is centered around machinery, hence it displays itself through mechanical corrosion—it makes perfect sense."
"Dr. Einstein is correct. However, don't assume that it can only corrupt machines. The scope of corrosive power's effects is incredibly broad. Its current actions might be due to prioritizing based on urgency or possibly because it still needs further evolution. Regardless, if left unchecked, the corruption could eventually extend to humans and even our own Herrschers—such a scenario cannot be ruled out."
"You're saying we need to resolve this swiftly?"
"The challenge lies right there. The Herrscher of Corruption may not have a distinct true form; after all, circumstances differ between eras. So far, I haven't found any evidence suggesting the existence of a true form for this Herrscher. If it is merely an intangible contaminant, cleaning it up becomes significantly more complicated."
Hera closed her small umbrella, spread out her hands, and shrugged helplessly.
Welt was deep in thought, while on the other side of the communicator, after a brief pause, Dr. Einstein said:
"In other words, fortunately, Zeke's worker bees became inactive with his departure for now, otherwise the disaster would have continued to escalate indefinitely, right? So what's your proposed solution?"
"So far, we've identified several concentrated core points of this phenomenon, similar to the mechanical aggregates Welt just flattened. Eliminating these can clear hundreds of kilometers of mechanical corruption around them, although the exact principle remains unclear. There are two viable approaches: one involves brute force akin to Durandal or the Herrschers, while the other utilizes the Moonlight Throne and my Little Theresa's anti-Entropy energy domain. Hmm, as they evolve, the effectiveness of brute force may diminish, but the latter will undoubtedly remain consistent, given their fundamental basis is still Honkai Energy, regardless of mutations."
"Reasonable. Please continue."
"The colossal Moonlight Throne array spanning the entire Far Eastern island can effectively cover the globe's surface. However, considering efficiency, my current plan is—firstly, to mark all aggregates in the eastern hemisphere with non-mechanical technology markers, then systematically eliminate them using the Far East installation. For the western hemisphere, we'll dispatch elite forces for cleanup. Whether or not we completely eradicate this aberrant Herrscher remains uncertain, but at least restoring global order and communications is paramount. Zeke will be returning soon, and on such an important day, it's crucial that our house is thoroughly cleaned."
Hera shared her thoughts with a smile.
After a brief silence, those listening affirmed their agreement.
Then, Hera glanced sideways at Yae Sakura, her smile fading.
"Alright, brave volunteer, it's time for you to act as well. You possess the power of corruption, allowing mechanical creations like black armor to function normally on you. Just try not to die; while resurrecting you isn't difficult, wasting valuable resources solely on your behalf would be utterly inefficient."
"...Yes, Bishop!" With a bow, Yae Sakura vanished from the spot.
Following a brief exchange with Einstein, Welt also departed the city.
Amidst the deserted ruins, Hera stood alone, gazing up at the sun with unblinking eyes and letting out a soft sigh.
"As our nation nears its founding, the Will of Honkai reacts swiftly once again. This only reinforces my belief that there is some level of intelligence guiding Honkai's actions. And the power of that young lady—each encounter reveals just how increasingly terrifying she has become... The waters of this world grow ever deeper, Zeke. Can you truly see the path to victory?"
Hera's murmured words carried briefly on the wind before her figure vanished without a trace.