The night rain fell in a steady stream, turning the valley into a muddy mess and extinguishing the remaining flames. The cliffs on both sides of the valley were blasted to pieces, mudslides blocked the roads, and the muddy waters were filled with the dismembered bodies of collapse beasts, resembling a giant centipede.
Raindrops struck the face of the blonde woman, and her once brilliant blue eyes now reflected only the dull night sky, with the image of a young girl with gray-golden hair in her gaze. The girl's youthful face was expressionless as she closely examined the powerful warriors. After a long time, she tilted her head slightly.
"Why, so foolish?"
Following the girl's gaze, the remnants of the 'Razor' were visible, its lower half of the body completely gone, yet it still tightly grasped a heavy machete in its hand. Around her, hundreds of bodies were piled together, the blood of death warriors and mutated beasts mixing with the rainwater, creating a red lake in the valley. Among the blood lake, many black-armored warriors could also be seen.
"Well done, Varuna."
A giant, serpent-like head emerged from the ground, covered in wounds and still smoldering with the remnants of fire. The girl gently stroked it, then glanced at the bodies scattered on the ground. The doubt in her eyes turned into disdain.
Such a simple bait, and they rushed in to take it. First, they were exhausted by the beast herd, and then buried by Varuna hand. All the while, she had simply watched from the side.
However, humans had grown stronger. Only ten or so individuals had managed to cause such destruction.
Her slender brows furrowed slightly as she felt the memories of this body were no longer applicable. According to Rose's memories, to wipe out a collapse force of this size would require a legion of thousands, fighting to the death. But such a large-scale mobilization could not be hidden from her, and it was this small infiltration squad of only a dozen people that had penetrated over a hundred kilometers.
The Herrscher closed her eyes, and the night wind howled, echoing back like a distant reverberation. Moments later, her eyes snapped open.
"There is more than one rat."
She bent down and picked up the information terminal from the mud, but after a quick glance, threw it back into the dirt. This device had been encrypted, and the Herrscher, lacking the authority over electronics, could not unlock it. Facing the wind and rain, she parted her lips slightly.
"The plan has changed. The Fire Moth have deployed fusion warriors. They infiltrated from the north."
The sound of rain was constant, but the Herrscher heard a cold male voice, as if the temperature had dropped a few degrees.
"As expected. Has 'he' come?"
"Unknown. But if the number of fusion warriors is sufficient, they will pose a threat. If any of us are discovered, humanity will spare no effort."
"Spare no effort? Do they still have time?"
"Not enough time. But the lives of 30 million humans are not enough for any one of us to fall."
There was a brief pause, and only the sound of the rain and winter thunder remained. The map of Britain unfolded in their minds, and in seconds, they reached a conclusion:
This small force was far from enough. But if they added 'him,' it might just be possible.
The Herrscher absolute rationality filled the air, advantageous for their cause. For the objective, even their own lives were part of the equation. The question now was whether 'he' had truly arrived.
"The rats must be eradicated. The original plan remains the same—let Varuna test the waters. If 'he' is here, then you and I will give our all to stop him." Her cold voice, paired with her rationality, was like that of a machine.
"Understood. But before that, I'll send the beasts I've taken control of to attack various locations." The Wind Herrscher responded slowly.
"What's the purpose?"
"Humans are creatures that like to overthink. What I need to do is make them think even more. Don't worry, the beasts will keep arriving. Once this batch is exhausted, I will move in to take control." The Wind Herrscher heard her companion's approval, raised her right hand, and, as another wave of beasts approached, released the gathered collapse energy.
The energy tore through the wind and rain, rushing toward the distance.
...
"Third squad wiped out?" In the cave, Ryan was stunned, thinking of the loud-mouthed blonde woman. She hadn't even been properly introduced, and she was already gone?
"Presumed wiped out. At least the Raven hasn't made contact yet. The last location they were marked at and the battle report are all we have." Sakura handed over the tactical terminal while holding the little girl clutching her leg.
So it was like this: they had just taken down a large collapse source made up of over a thousand enemies, only to be ambushed by an Executioner-level Honkai beast. I knew the fusion warriors couldn't be this weak.
Ryan glanced at the log and had an idea. The high-energy collapse source created using the collapse energy gathering effect was undoubtedly bait. The third squad was just unlucky, they ran into the "fishing" trap.
If it had been a direct confrontation, even a small squad of fusion warriors could have tied down an Executioner-level collapse beast.
"What a heavy loss," Ryan rubbed his throbbing head. Ten or so fusion warriors would need at least five times that number of failures to compensate for this.
He was about to press the communication button when the Raven beat him to it. As soon as the connection was established, he saw Carius's handsome face.
"Doctor, I suppose you've received bad news," the man said with a calm expression, not a hint of hysteria, not even an ounce of anger.
This level of composure was exceptional. Ryan waved his hand, "Cut the nonsense, just tell me what's next. I suggest we mobilize all fusion warriors, as well as the European division forces. They're using tactics, so the Herrscher must be here." He spoke firmly. Honkai beasts were too foolish to understand fishing; there had to be a Herrscher pulling the strings behind it.
"I think the same, but I'm afraid I can't do that."
"Why?" Ryan face darkened, and once again, there was no anger in his expression.
"Because there's a situation on Mu Continent as well. You'll see the details." The screen switched, and the tactical map appeared. Moving red dots made Ryan frown.
There were over ten attack points on Mu Continent, including York, San Diego, and the Fifth Research Institute—all of them engaged in combat. The central defense line in Britain was also dotted with red points.
This was clearly an abnormal situation—Honkai beasts scattered all over, gathering in a coordinated attack.
Upon seeing this, Ryan immediately understood why Carius couldn't do it.
If he were to move the troops to the northern part of Britain for an assault, what would happen to the other battlefronts, especially York? The underground fortress was still under construction, and if the Herrscher suddenly appeared, the Fire Moth's command center would be doomed.
"This could be a feint," Ryan remarked.
"I know, but in the worst-case scenario, there's more than one Herrscher. Every feint must be handled with caution. In fact, I've already rejected the council's orders to deploy you," Carius said with a trace of helplessness, speaking slowly. "Even if the central defense line is breached, the consequences would be unimaginable."
Outside the defense line, the densely packed collapse sources were enough to make one's scalp tingle. In fact, the reserve troops had already been sent to assist, and the orders to halt operations were coming in like a snowstorm.
"But you still want to continue the plan?"
"Yes, I also believe the Herrschers are behind this. If we don't strike, passive defense is meaningless. You should know—lower-level collapse beasts aren't even cannon fodder." Ryan smiled slightly. Carius had understood the essence of it, and was willing to take the gamble.
"Then we'll figure out a way to decapitate them. At the very least, we need to confirm where the Herrscher is."
"I agree. The Raven will monitor the collapse sources. Once the Herrscher appears, we'll quickly gather forces and strike." Although Carius said this, his troops had already been mobilized. If the Herrscher appeared suddenly, reinforcements would not arrive in time, especially Aelisia—the council would never allow her to leave.
In truth, Ryan also didn't want Aelisia to go. The old-timers in the Fire Moth could perish without much concern, but people like Mei and Verve couldn't afford any accidents.
"Alright, I'll think of something."
Without waiting for Carius to say goodbye, Ryan hung up the communication. He always felt like this man was hiding something, but now was not the time to dig deeper.
He looked up and saw Sakura, who was gently patting the little girl's head. "Go to Vinall's squad. If nothing unexpected happens, they'll be the next target."
"They should have prepared, right?" Sakura hand paused, and her expression returned to seriousness.
"Preparation won't help. War is not a fair fight. As for retreating—" Ryan shrugged, his tone helpless. "And it's laughable, we're fighting on someone else's turf." Abandoned zones had no home-field advantage. If the enemy wanted to, no helicopter would be able to get in.
"Alright, I'll go immediately." Sakura understood and turned to go. She and the Fire Moth were the bait—they would draw the Herrscher out.
As she turned, her sleeve was tugged, and she hesitated for a moment before crouching down.
"Liz, I'll be back soon. You need to take care of mommy." Sakura spoke without meeting the girl's gaze.
"Mm, just... just finish the bear first. Please help me sew on the ears when you come back?" The girl summoned the courage to speak.
Sakura hesitated for a moment, then stood up decisively and disappeared into the air.
Ryan said nothing, watching her leave before glancing at Pino. The latter motioned towards a corner where an emaciated woman, heavily infected with collapse disease, was breathing shallowly. She would likely not survive the night.
His breath stopped for a moment before he silently shook his head.
Ryan wasn't a god, and he couldn't wave his hand and save a life. He looked at Pino. "Take the kids out. Collapse disease isn't always incurable. At least their infection rate isn't high. Maybe they'll survive until the drug is developed."
"If you're willing to help, I have no reason to refuse," Pino immediately nodded and entrusted the children to the two of them, feeling reassured.
Without much thought, Ryan decided, flipping through the notes with rapid speed. All that could be heard was the sound of pages turning.
Just as Pino was still confused, Ryan hand suddenly stopped, and his gray eyes narrowed slightly.
"Can you explain to me what this 'keep away from this area' is?"