Trailblazersing is not devouring; it cannot gain energy by killing opponents to achieve breakthroughs in battle.
But after understanding the Herrscher of Domination People's 'Authority of Domination', Ryan gained another trump card. Years of training made him more familiar with Authorities; even though he had just acquired it, he could barely use it.
Direct combat was certainly out of the question, but in such a critical moment, it had unexpected effects.
Victory through the orthodox and the unorthodox, taking advantage of the Herrscher inability to adjust her plan—
Fearless advance!
The distance was truly too close. For Ryan, it only took an instant. As the giant hand annihilated, he forced his way through the chaotic fire dragons.
Ahead was the Herrscher. He clenched his iron fists, swinging them against the roaring fire wave.
Inch Punch. Heaven-Shattering!
Flames rolled back. Ryan, covered in residual fire, surged forward. A whip kick sent the greatsword flying, and he then spun in the air, both legs kicking out simultaneously, like a rabbit kicking an eagle, slamming into the Herrscher of Flamescion's ample chest.
Whoosh—boom—
With full force, a ring of air first bloomed in the sky, and then a cloud of dust exploded on the distant land. The fishing port on the south side of Donggong City was instantly filled with dust, only to be swept away in the next moment.
Advance, advance, give her no chance to breathe!
Ryan entered a state of self-forgetfulness, only caring about moving forward, only caring about unleashing all his energy, using hurricanes to cut through fire waves, using lightning to shatter flaming spears, condensing killing intent into a physical form.
Tear apart, get close, face the thrusting greatsword head-on.
All Things Slumber. Time Stagnation.
"Just a few moves back and forth with a sword. As expected, you're essentially a mage with super destructive power. This vessel also doesn't have much combat skill."
Everything slowed down in Ryan eyes. He was glad he saved Himeko, otherwise, an elite warrior with this level of Honkai energy would only be harder to deal with. No wonder the Herrscher of Flamescion spent huge amounts of energy to create giants; she only knew how to overpower others.
Good, you're not good at fighting, huh? I'm very good at it.
He dodged the blade by stepping sideways. The touching pillar of fire was like a laser cannon, making the fishing village below the mountain disappear instantly and creating another straight pillar of fire on the sea.
Extremely destructive, but ultimately missed. The Herrscher of Flamescion saw the opponent gripping her forearm. Lacking experience in this area, she didn't know what the opponent wanted to do until the answer was revealed the next moment.
Iron Mountain Lean.
A violent force slammed into her chest, causing the protective residual flames to sink. And because her forearm was held down, she didn't fly out, but was forcibly pulled back.
"The energy is indeed very strong. Personal defense is hard to break."
Ryan furrowed his brows, feeling the temperature soaring. The Herrscher in his hand was turning into a scorching fireball. It was the same old trick, preparing to use destructive power to force him back. Once he retreated, rushing back in would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.
If one punch isn't enough, then two. Today, I must combo you to death!
He also went berserk. Even as the Authority permeated and scorched his entire body, Ryan felt like he was embracing a sun. The closer he got, the greater the destructive power.
Palm thrust.
The base of his palm sent the Herrscher flying upwards. Just as she took off, a pair of elbows struck her chest. Electric arcs crawled all over her body, turning her into a coiled spring ready to unleash its energy, which she did the next moment.
Elbow strike!
Whoosh—
Accompanied by several layers of pale air rings, an electromagnetic cannonball flew out, several times the speed of sound, covering several kilometers in the blink of an eye.
Mountains were shattered, border outposts broke, jungles ignited. The Herrscher flew straight into the fallen zone, her legs sinking into the ground, leaving two vertical lines on the earth.
Straight and long, everything on the vertical lines was burned to ash. Residual fire lingered on the ground, looking like two trails.
The Herrscher patted her chest, smoothing her constricted breathing, then looked up again. Another cannonball was rushing straight towards her, baring its fangs and claws, like—
A furious storm!
This was Ryan immediate perception for the Herrscher. The greatsword she had raised couldn't counterattack in time; she could only hold it horizontally above her head, and then terrifying force traveled from her forearm to her feet.
Heavy Drop!
Thump!!
The scorching Herrscher of Flamescion was slammed into the earth, making the soil take on a glassy texture. She exhaled a cloud of turbid air, and squeezed her right hand hard.
Burn.
A pillar of fire erupted, but the swirling black sand formed a shield, and as Ryan swung his fist, it transformed into a giant black iron fist.
The iron elements in the soil were sucked out by the Authority of Lightning. Ryan was like wearing a giant exoskeleton. These iron sands constantly vibrated, slamming directly onto the fire wall.
Continuously melting, continuously canceling out, and then piercing through.
The Herrscher of Flamescion had just crawled out of the pit when she saw the giant iron sand fist slamming towards her. Unable to do anything, she had no choice but to wield her sword with both hands and slash downwards fiercely. The accumulated energy was like a fiery red crescent.
Still a simple move, this red moon traversed the entire jungle, shattering mountains several kilometers away. The black giant fist was cut in half from the middle, scattering into a dense black mist that permeated the surroundings.
Because it was iron, not as easily melted as water vapor, the Herrscher of Flamescion's eyes darted around, trying to catch Ryan shadow, until two seconds later, the permeating black mist suddenly disappeared.
They reformed into twelve black iron greatspears, stabbing from all directions.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The Herrscher of Flamescion finally moved, swinging her greatsword, deflecting the black iron greatspears one by one, then continuously retreating, watching the greatspears being cut, melted, reformed, and then repeatedly thrusting.
Towns receded into the distance, and even traces of Honkai Beasts could be seen. Unfortunately, these monsters didn't even qualify to watch the battle; they were either instantly crushed by the iron sand or melted by the fleeting flames.
Where? Where?
After retreating several kilometers, her short leather boots finally landed firmly. She ignored the seventh thrust of the black spear and suddenly turned around.
There!
The Herrscher of Flamescion's entire body swelled several times its size. The surging flames erupted into a five or six-meter-tall flame giant. The black spears touched its surface and dissipated into light smoke, unable to harm even a single hair. The swinging greatsword was like a flaming scythe, unleashing fire waves that scorched the heavens and earth.
"Ugh—"
A black figure, over three meters tall, suddenly shot out from the ground, its body enveloped in flowing iron sand, also resembling a giant. As its right fist struck, the iron sand formed a shield, like an umbrella blocking a downpour.
But you can't stop me!
The Herrscher of Flamescion took another step forward, increasing her output. The iron shield visibly thinned, the energy suppression still present.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
The iron shield was finally submerged, and the black giant had taken the opportunity to leap high, watching the flow of fire bury the jungle beneath him and evaporate the distant river.
He was still charging, looking at the Herrscher below him and the scythe in her hand, facing death fearlessly, without a hint of dread.
The Herrscher of Flamescion was expressionless, as if she had long anticipated that the opponent would dodge this way, a cold smile forming at the corner of her mouth.
"You won't get close again. You can only die."
Dozens of fiery whips grew out of the flaming giant, lashing the sky like raging fire dragons. Ryan was also incredibly agile. He was powerless to gather more iron sand, simultaneously using the storm to stop and change direction, and enduring blows with his black iron armor.
Swish, swish, swish.
Each whip strike left deep marks on the iron sand. At this point, he couldn't replenish it. His body was rapidly shrinking, but he still charged towards the Herrscher, his right hand raised high, the iron sand forming a long, thin black blade.
Slash!
Boom—
The black blade collided with the scythe, then pressed down inch by inch, gradually approaching the giant's chest. This was no longer about strength; it was more like an iron will at work.
However, the Herrscher in the center showed no panic, as if she had been waiting for this moment. She gripped her sword with both hands and plunged it into the ground.
World Incineration.
Just two words, but the world seemed to freeze. The flaming giant disintegrated and deformed, completely unleashing its terrifying energy.
Boom!!!
Tens of thousands of meters above in space, a powerful light suddenly appeared in the southeastern corner of the Eurasian continent. The temperature was terrifying, like a rising star, even causing the optical satellite's detectors to malfunction on the spot.
Circles of shockwaves swept outwards. After the intense light, this lush primeval forest was directly denuded, turning into the purest charcoal. The Earth also showed a black scar of roughly a hundred square kilometers.
Within this range, everything was reduced to nothingness, not even residual flames remained, only scorched black earth. The terrain was extremely flat and monotonous; all mountains had been Burnd, rivers evaporated, leaving only air distorted by high temperatures.
Form was merely a tool. She directly allowed this accumulated power to explode. The Herrscher looked at the distorted human figure in front of her. The remaining Honkai energy resisted the scorching, but it was useless.
The energy had penetrated this steel exoplate, burning everything through. A mere puff of breath was all it would take.
Whoosh...
The steel outer layer turned into ash, vanishing into the hot air. The Herrscher of Flamescion watched expressionlessly, breathing heavily. Suddenly, her pupils constricted sharply.
Empty? It's empty!
The flying ash annihilated, but there was no one inside. Her head buzzed, and she hadn't reacted yet.
So powerful, so agile, it couldn't be a clone, unless—
It's a puppet under domination!
He doesn't have three Authorities, but four!
Boom!
Amidst the explosive sound, the Herrscher of Flamescion sharply turned her head, seeing the crystallized ground explode, and a blackened figure emerged from within.
He bore scorch marks, but the tide of flames spread along the horizon, and the shadow's outer skin blocked most of the attacks. The black skin peeled away, revealing a black-haired, gray-eyed man, and the shadows formed a jet-black scythe.
"Surprised?!"
Ryan howled to the sky. He was wounded even hiding a dozen meters underground, and even the abundant groundwater was evaporated. He felt like a 'beggar's chicken', half-cooked.
That's right, that iron sand giant was his puppet under domination, solely for the purpose of making the Herrscher unleash a fatal blow. She was strong, but her energy couldn't be infinite.
Clang!!
Without any wasted words, the shadow scythe directly struck the greatsword. Sparks burst, and the scythe deformed, turning into a sharp, triangular blade that thrust forward.
Honkai energy still blocked the way, but the sharp point had touched her full chest. Ryan was overjoyed at this sight.
This guy's Honkai energy is running low!
This was scientific, and it was full of hope. He instantly perked up, dragging his weary body forward.
The blazing greatsword swung to cut him at the waist. It was still strong, but it lacked the destructive momentum it had just moments ago. Ryan slammed his black hands beneath his ribs.
Empty-handed Blade Block!
The greatsword seemed to be clamped by iron tongs. The Herrscher of Flamescion didn't grapple. She kicked Ryan in the abdomen, then realized there was hardly any Honkai energy resisting. The man immediately spat out a mouthful of blood, which quickly evaporated on her body.
Had he lost his mind? How could a physical body block my attack?
The Herrscher of Flamescion didn't quite understand. Even though she was greatly exhausted now, a punch or a kick could still explode a tank, and without Honkai energy for defense, both Herrschers and MANTIS were just stronger flesh-and-blood bodies.
But she also understood very clearly that this man abandoned all defense precisely to concentrate his strength on offense, mercilessly, wildly tearing himself apart!
Born from death!
Ryan tore away all reason, ignoring the pain in his body. As he spat blood, he headbutted the opponent's face fiercely, and then, as the greatsword flared up.
Domination.
Invisible threads entwined the Herrscher. This didn't do much, only causing her movements to pause slightly, slowing the blazing sea of fire by half a step. Then she saw the man leap into the air, raising his knee, his extended posture like—
A horse stepping on a swallow!
Thump!!
Another heavy blow. Ryan felt his knee penetrate the energy's sluggishness, touching something hard.
Her skull, it's broken!
The Herrscher of Flamescion fell backward, the physical pain returning, making her somewhat dazed. Looking at the man who had delivered the 'heavy drop' attack, she instinctively rolled on the ground.
Her first retreat seemed very clumsy. Her destructive power now was far inferior to before.
Completely exhausted.
Completely exhausted!
As if understanding each other's state, the Herrscher of Flamescion clapped her hands and sprang up. She was neither terrified nor afraid; instead, she felt a slight urge to move.
For a weapon, the opportunity to complete a secondary mission was at hand. Absolute rationality led her to analyze the best answer.
Self-immolation!
Flames ignited on her body, burning this flesh-and-blood form. Her beautiful appearance and smooth skin instantly turned to char. But then she saw that the target not only didn't rapidly dodge, but instead lunged forward.
How could this be? I still need one second...
Absolute rationality, planning like a computer. Retreating would certainly lead to death. Advancing, however, could achieve the goal. So, my answer is also simple.
"Let madness transcend reason!"
Ryan embraced the blazing Herrscher of Flamescion. The energy was too hot; the black shadow covering his body was instantly evaporated. He felt like he was holding a nuclear reactor. Terrifying energy was ready to reduce him to molecular state at any moment, and Authority was permeating his body.
But it was still a little short. This advance rather than retreat allowed the Herrscher 'chain reaction' to continue. Ryan, his hands ablaze, gripped the almost skeletal head and squeezed inward with all his strength.
Boom!!
Like a burnt, brittle branch, the Herrscher of Flamescion, at her critical point, was completely crushed. Countless sparks swirled around, as if countless ignited moths.
Ryan released his embrace, pale ashes scattered on the ground. A large foot stepped on them, grinding a few sparks into dust.
The fuel is exhausted, the fire is extinguished!