A faint song echoed in the air. Entering the second movement, "Doomsday," Eden voice sounded desperate, like the lament of countless people yearning for survival but powerless.
This was a sigh for humanity, but in the ears of the Herrscher of Domination, it was like the ringing of a death knell.
Under the protection of an entire squad of elite MANTISs, the dominated bodies had no chance of assassinating Eden, let alone forcing Ryan back. Looking ahead, a path of destruction stretched from the stadium to the sea.
The road was completely shattered, filled with dense steel bars, crossing the harbor and reaching the sea, its endpoint being the calm-faced man.
I can't get close. After dealing with me, he'll go after the Herrscher of Flamescion.
Information flashed through its mind. Faced with the current situation, it quickly made a decision:
Overload Ultra-Mutation!
Golden Honkai energy bloomed in the air, making Ryan narrow his eyes. It was the first time he had seen a high-level MANTIS's Overload Ultra-Mutation, this terrifying thing, which, in the hands of the enemy, was nothing but beneficial.
Even if it couldn't revert, it could still be used as scrap, which was better than being blasted by him for nothing.
"Want to turn the tables in a two-on-two with the Herrscher of Flamescion? Don't underestimate Kevin cheat-like abilities."
Ryan felt the air grow hotter, but he had no intention of looking back. He merely stooped slightly, holding the long blade transformed from Dragon Concealment, concentrating fully as the 'sunlight' dispersed.
A somewhat indescribable monster floated in mid-air. It had a pair of strong human legs, and its body above the waist expanded sharply, like a diamond-shaped body made of golden stone. Its inverted triangular head had amber eyes and waist-length burgundy hair, and two golden wings spread out.
Somewhat bizarre, but still quite beautiful.
Ryan first admired it, then frowned. Wasn't this the radiant angel in Eden likeness?
He remembered John wish and gripped his sword, making a rattling sound. Even at this point, the Herrscher was guiding the direction of the mutation, which made Ryan feel a bit dazed.
John was Coleman friend, and he wasn't very familiar with him. If this were Hua Overload Ultra-Mutation, even he himself could theoretically be dominated.
"You really make me...feel like a murderer"
Ryan lightly vibrated his long blade, and the sea seemed to come alive, waves swirling around the blade, forming a rapidly spinning spiral.
Slash!
A hundred-meter-long water dragon roared up. As the sword descended, the Herrscher didn't just stand there stupidly; it suddenly vanished into thin air. A few lingering feathers were torn to shreds by the water dragon.
Controlling Overload Ultra-Mutation with Herrscher consciousness, thereby possessing clear rationality?
Ryan flicked his wrist, and the water dragon shattered, transforming into ice flowers that bloomed in the air, filling every inch of space within hundreds of meters.
A human body was frozen above Ryan head, but a moment later, it broke free from the ice, and a thick right leg smashed down from the air.
Clink, clink, clink.
Petals shattered one by one; the power was immense. Ryan stood motionless, staring as the thick thigh approached.
Not to mention the Honkai energy surging several times over, John was originally a physique-specialized MANTIS, and after Overload Ultra-Mutation, he seemed to gain some spatial abilities.
Is this a secondary mutation brought on by Overload Ultra-Mutation? Mobius should be very interested in this information.
Bang—
A loud bang broke his contemplation. The ice layer, several meters thick, had already developed cracks. Another punch could shatter it, but the 'angel' suddenly disappeared.
From fierce attack to stealth, this change was very sudden. Ryan instinctively raised his blade, releasing a violent wind pressure, and then—
Hmm?
The unleashed storm was as if pulled by invisible threads, refracting in mid-air.
Energy distortion? No, is it domination?
Ryan made another mental note, quickly retracting his blade to his chest. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a golden ripple blooming beside him, and a fist suddenly extended.
Clang!
A loud bang shattered a large amount of ice. As the air rings exploded, the two intertwining figures shot apart, cleaving the sea in half again.
Fists slammed against the sword's edge with a clatter. Between them lay a thin golden film, John signature energy outer layer, only now thicker and more integrated for offense and defense.
Ryan twisted his wrist, drawing the blade across, but it failed to break through. A powerful, heavy whip kick was already by his neck, so he raised his left hand.
Bang.
His forearm felt a slight pain. He was shaken back a dozen meters, and then the two-meter-tall figure in front of him disappeared again. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Overload Ultra-Mutation truly achieved a qualitative change; combat power could surge several times over.
In the original world line, not many warriors could reach this stage, and only a few Honkai Beasts could perfectly control it. He had fought John before, so he quickly calculated.
"His original ability was average, yet he can reach three times his combat power?"
The world slowed in his eyes. He saw a powerful knee strike crashing towards his back, the returning long blade blocked by a forearm, his elbow meeting the knee head-on. At the moment of contact, the opponent switched to a whip kick.
Thump—
A water pillar exploded between the two, quickly freezing into an ice wall. A golden flash, and the magnificent angel directly passed through, its raised fist slamming towards Ryan face.
So that's it, you don't want me to gather power for a single strike.
Ryan understood that his casual slash couldn't break through the energy outer layer, so he simply loosened his grip, letting the long blade fall. He tilted his head, allowing the fist to graze his right cheek, and extended his hands to press down on the opponent's shoulders.
Close-quarters combat, you're thinking too much!
Twisting his waist, the two-meter-tall 'angel' was slammed towards the sea surface. The seawater instantly froze.
Bang—
The over-the-shoulder throw cracked the ice, sending the Herrscher crashing onto the sea in a wide spread. It raised its inverted triangular head and quickly transformed into golden light, disappearing.
A moment later, the falling long blade pierced through the light feathers, penetrating the ice. Then Ryan gripped the blade in reverse, lifting the massive ice layer like a giant shield, slamming it behind him.
Boom!!
The ice shield shattered completely. A dark shadow darted into the distance, continuously bouncing on the sea surface. Its wings were spread to their maximum extent. After finally stabilizing its body, a straight electromagnetic rail extended in the distance.
A distance of two hundred meters, just an instant, even faster than its teleportation.
The rail was still far away, and the roar hadn't yet reached him. The two-meter-long glaive was already close, striking the crossed arms.
The golden energy outer layer was torn, cracks appeared in the rock-like arms, and six layers of pale air rings unfolded in sequence.
Whoosh—Thump!
From sky to seabed was only an instant. When dense bubbles appeared around it, the Herrscher was still somewhat dazed, and it understood why two of its kind were so wary of the other.
Manipulation was just a facade; without such power, how could a Herrscher outwit him?
Why must I carry out my mission?
"Because in a direct fight, he won't fear any Herrscher!"
Gurgle...
The bubbles annihilated simultaneously. The violent seawater lifted him, forming a magnificent water spouts connecting sky and sea, then solidifying into ice, like a pillar supporting the heavens!
The Herrscher was frozen within it, with no chance to move. Its still 'beautiful' body was reflected in Ryan eyes, but his solemn expression hadn't faded.
He had no intention of capturing the Herrscher alive. He merely raised his glaive, and then a fiery meteor exploded on the blade.
Boom!!!
From a distance, it looked like an orange-red flame flower, blooming magnificently, countless petals extending outwards, evaporating into high-temperature white smoke upon touching the sea.
"Does the Herrscher have a companion consciousness?" Ryan held the blade with both hands, his body constantly pushed backward by the flame flower. In the center of the flower, a woman with fiery red hair held a greatsword, her face expressionless.
The Law of Flame had no interest in answering, only raising her right palm and smashing it heavily on the back of the greatsword, releasing the berserk Honkai energy.
Annihilation.
The blooming orange-red cosmos suddenly contracted towards the center, turning into a flying meteor of fire, and then Ryan in the air disappeared. This meteor quickly swept back towards the city.
The seawater evaporated, the pier ignited, and those ten-thousand-ton giants, cranes, and warehouses instantly melted into light smoke like ice and snow under the scorching sun, and then this path of flames continued to extend.
Everything in its path, whether buildings or vehicles, was Burnd into nothingness, and large areas of streets were ignited, with raging fires engulfing everything.
"All personnel, defensive formation!"
Vinal roared, watching the path of flames rapidly approaching, as if to occupy every inch of his vision. Even though it was several kilometers away, the air was terribly hot, and he felt a bit parched.
They couldn't stop it, simply couldn't stop it. It was as if humans couldn't contend with the mighty power of nature. The frantically launched missiles and shells evaporated on their own long before reaching the Herrscher, and blood-red numbers jumped in the information terminal.
4300, 4400, 4500, 4600HW, approaching the limit of detection.
The singing also paused for a moment. The second movement 'Apocalypse' was coming to an end. Eden felt parched and was also drawn in by the spectacular scene before her.
The entire East City was burning. If the Fire Moth hadn't built the shelter on the west side, near the mountains, this single blow would have instantly annihilated hundreds of thousands of people.
'Are they fighting this kind of monster? Is this the power of the Herrscher in legends?'
A Herrscher of Domination people was not intuitive enough after all. As soon as the Herrscher of Flamescion made her move, Eden immediately understood why Ryan was always so worried. This was simply not something humans could contend with. Mighty tanks and mechs were not even toys in front of this.
So, should they flee? Should they surrender?
Eden eyes widened. The municipal building two kilometers away was dissolving like a candle. She saw the MANTIS jumping up, shooting dead a traitor who tried to assassinate her in the chaos, and saw—
The meteor slowed down, and an ice wall like a hundred-meter-tall building emerged. The man leaned against the ice wall, frantically pressing the hilt of his sword, and then the soldiers deployed around the stadium frantically shot into the sky.
No, they chose to fight to the last moment.
"The anthem of humanity is the anthem of courage."
Her amber eyes gradually became calm. She couldn't participate in this battle, but similarly, she could also provide some help for this war, and she never lacked courage.
So she faced the camera, revealing a smile to the stunned audience around the world.
"The third movement 'Hope', opening song 'Bios', I invite you all to listen."