"Ha!"
With a shout, she blasted back a Temple-class Honkai Beast that had charged with its shield raised.
The 'qi' condensed on her gauntlets materialized into an energy sphere, which she fiercely pushed towards a Ranger-class beast twenty meters away—
Boom!
"Careful!"
A teammate's warning sounded from behind.
Hua spun around rapidly, a spinning kick directly sending the twin-tailed figure tumbling from the back of the ambushing Knight-class beast!
"Hoo."
Inside the Sydney Opera House.
Within a short three minutes, this was already the fifth wave of attacks Hua had repelled.
Wailing crowds were scattering and fleeing; the magnificent opera house had already collapsed by more than half. Hua's Fifth Squad was coordinating with Armed Dolls, responsible for blocking the Honkai Beasts that had infiltrated past the temporary defensive line.
However.
This place, which had gathered almost all the city's residents, was not so easy to evacuate.
If this continued—
"Chariot-class!!!"
A heart-wrenching roar echoed from the distance!
Boom!
A bluish-black figure descended from the sky.
The colossal Variant Ice Chariot Beasts (Cheche's Royal Guard) were not yet all wiped out. When they appeared in the city, it was an utter disaster.
The Ice Chariot Beast initiated with a [Pounce], directly shattering the last intact dome of the Opera House, and together with falling steel reinforcements—
CRASH!
Towards the Chariot-class beast's landing point.
Hua, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, sprinted with all her might!
The spot where this Ice Chariot Beast had crashed down was precisely the core stage area of the Opera House!
The melodious singing had long since stopped, but Eden… Eden, who could only watch helplessly as disaster unfolded, still stood dazed in the center of the stage!
"—"
Bang!
"Hey, are you alright!"
An explosion of 'qi' blasted away all the debris pinning her down. Hua's voice awakened the dazed Eden from her stupor.
The threat of the Ice Chariot Beast was imminent.
But Eden's gaze… following Eden's widened pupils, Hua turned her head and witnessed an unbelievable sight—
"What is that!?"
————
Central Sydney.
By the time people noticed.
A rift spanning the entire sky had already appeared there.
An experienced warrior would probably recognize its nature at a glance: a Honkai energy rift. But the difference was, the length of this rift was simply too terrifying.
It made one不禁 suspect…
No, it should be said, fear—fear what level of Great Honkai Eruption would require such an outrageously large "portal."
Soon.
They would witness it.
Sssshla.
As if paper was being gently torn, as if a zipper was being silently unzipped—the incomparably sturdy "world barrier" was pierced by the rift; civilization had opened its gates to the Honkai.
The perpetrator of this rift.
The main culprit connecting the subterranean space directly with the surface city.
Was naturally…
Voom!
A "Gateway" slowly floated out from the rift.
In that instant, the legion, order restored, heralded the Emperor's return—
[Variant · Ice Emperor]
The Ice Emperor, unseen for so long, had finally appeared on the battlefield.
The purpose of taking such a long time was this very portal before them, completely integrated with the Great Rift.
Simply put.
The Ice Emperor had accomplished something only a Herrscher could do: directly connect to the Imaginary Space.
And the direct consequence of this action was…
The Great Honkai Eruption had begun.
————
"Your level has increased to Lv.45."
"Your level has increased to Lv.46."
"Your mission (Kill a Plot Character) has been completed."
"Your level has increased to Lv.47."
"You have unlocked a new skill [Aura Domain: Ice]."
"Detecting holder's first kill of a Flame-Chasers 'NPC'."
"Achievement 'Moth-Luring Light' completed."
"Based on the method of killing the 'NPC', you have unlocked a new skill [Ice Cold Puncture]."
"[Ice Cold Puncture: Increases puncture power, chance to freeze target on hit.]"
Lu Xing had killed Himeko.
Frost's Lament pierced into the scorching heart. Before it could beat again, the low temperature had already spread along the blood vessels and meridians, encasing Himeko's body from the inside out in a thin layer of frost.
Her movements, expression, and life.
The Flame-Chasers' Fifth Squad Captain, Hua's savior and mentor: Himeko. Everything about her was frozen in this instant.
The next second—
A monstrous wave of Honkai energy surged from behind him!
Regardless of injuries or consumption, Lu Xing instantly recovered to his perfect state!
However.
This was merely a drop in the ocean.
Like streams converging into a great river, an energy tide, as if possessing its own will, condensed entirely in one direction—
Himeko.
Thump.
Thump!
Thump!!
A heartbeat sounded once more.
Each beat throbbed in Lu Xing's mind like a war drum.
In a flash.
All the extreme cold vanished.
With Himeko's heart as the core, torrential flames surged skyward—they even followed the long blade plunged into Himeko's heart, sweeping towards Lu Xing!
"This is?"
Lu Xing was not burned to death.
The flames that could incinerate all things not only didn't harm Lu Xing's body but instead made him feel a different kind of "warmth."
This Honkai energy, transformed into a conflagration—
"Your level has increased to Lv.48."
"Your level has increased to Lv.49."
"Your level has increased to Lv.50."
"Your level has reached the 'Knight-class' cap. No suitable variants for evolution detected. Excess experience will be automatically converted for skill learning."
"Experience conversion complete. You have unlocked a new skill [Flame Dash]."
"Holder detected to possess [Ice Dash]. Your [Flame Dash] will merge with it to advance to [Frostflame Charge]."
"Experience conversion complete. You have unlocked a new skill [Scorching Puncture]."
"Holder detected to possess [Ice Cold Puncture]. Your [Scorching Puncture] will merge with it to advance to [Frostflame Thrust]."
"Experience conversion complete. You have unlocked a new skill [Aura Domain: Flame]."
"Holder detected to possess [Aura Domain: Ice]. Your [Aura Domain: Flame] will merge with it to advance to [Molecular Manipulation]."
"Holder detected to not meet the activation requirements for [Molecular Manipulation]. Skill has been temporarily frozen. Please reactivate this skill after meeting the usage conditions."
————
Name: Molecular Manipulation
Type: Skill
Grade: Honkai (Purple, Epic)
Effect: Control molecules within oneself and the surrounding area, accelerating/decelerating their motion. This skill consumes a large amount of Honkai energy.
Requirement: Lv.50, Attack 200 points.
————
"Holder detected to have reached Lv.50."
"Skill Enhancement function has been unlocked."
"This function allows the holder, under conditions of satisfying attributes and form, to advance skills after a certain number of uses."
"New mission unlocked."
————
Mission: Kill one Honkai Beast with strength superior to your own.
Reward: All attributes +3, Level +1, Advanced Form [Temple-class].
————