Disorder, chaos, bloody violence—the most primitive side of humanity was laid bare and gore-streaked before everyone in a society developed to this day. The supporters and opponents of the KY Project split into two factions, staging a purge of opposing parties through relentless sectarian conflict.
Zheng!
Kevin twisted his neck, dodging a sharp ice cone by a hair's breadth. With a backhand sweep, absolute frost froze the MANTIS—who also wielded cold—into a block of ice. Life vanished instantly.
He swung the greatsword in his hands, which shone with a brilliance more intense than the sun, and cleaved downward!
Boom!
Charred remains and frozen sculptures filled this corridor. In the eyes of his enemies, his figure—brandishing Shamash—was like God dealing out judgment with holy flames. No one could cross him; no one could defeat him.
Though Kevin showed slight signs of fatigue, his opponents grew increasingly terrified by his horrific destructive power. Cold sweat evaporated under the high heat. Standing before the corpses of their comrades, they no longer dared to charge blindly.
"..."
Kevin, in his long-sleeved trench coat, stood before the passage. He stared at them without a word.
Today, they finally understood: even among MANTIS, there was a vast disparity.
"Kevin, I..." Su's voice came through the earpiece communication, but he was sharply interrupted by Kevin.
"Don't come over, Su."
"..."
Kevin knew Su wouldn't be able to bring himself to do it. He was too kind. Unlike Lin adherence to principles, Su's personality and his compassion as a doctor made it impossible for him to turn his hand against humans.
Therefore, Kevin had to do it... This was a task only he could accomplish.
Currently, he had suppressed the MANTIS units. Even though their numbers were still in the triple digits, he could still hold out, as long as he waited for Mei to complete her plan.
Until then, he wouldn't let a single Mech or MANTIS pass.
And these people... were no match for him.
Bang!
At that moment, he heard the sound of "shattering."
Crach.
He looked solemnly at a breach blown open by energy. Amidst the torrential currents of the high altitude, a rift—as if it didn't belong to the same layer of the image—appeared out of nowhere.
Immediately following, massive wings pierced through the rift, blotting out the sky.
"HOWL————————"
"These things really are endless. Where is our support?"
Vil-V had surrendered all her weight to Prometheus, letting Prometheus carry her on her back while moving rapidly. This allowed her to focus entirely on completing the Divine Key in her hands.
The shell of a Divine Key is merely a Soulium generator designed to guide the energy of a Herrscher Core. Without a Herrscher Core, it is little different from a standard Soulium weapon, yet the technical sophistication required is more than a hundred ordinary Soulium weapons combined... No, using numbers to describe it is too vulgar. It should be said they are not in the same dimension. Building a Divine Key is less like making a weapon and more like constructing a miniature building to house a Herrscher Core. It was as if she were erecting a skyscraper in the palm of her hand, and the internal structure had to be perfectly reconstructed.
Fortunately, she had finished the preliminary work before leaving Fire Moth. Now, she was simply filling the framework with matter.
"Dr. Vil-V, we have no support."
Prometheus's gunblades fired at the Mechs pouncing from all directions. The particle beams vibrated the air, illuminating the side of her face.
She gripped a gunblade and stabbed backward, grazing past Vil-V neck, and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
A Mech attempting an ambush from the ceiling fell, turning into a pile of scrap metal.
"Currently, the resistance team led by Dr. Mei is fighting for control of the headquarters. The 13th Squad is engaging the enemy MANTIS units head-on. We have no additional support."
"That truly is... terrible."
Before she could finish, a loud bang erupted from the wall of the adjacent corridor. Before Vil-V could react, Prometheus grabbed her arm and threw her out of the way.
Prometheus, however, was struck head-on by a blunt-headed greatsword. Like a bullet, she was sent flying, smashing through wall after wall.
Vil-V collapsed onto the rubble, gritted her teeth to prop herself up, and looked at the colossus.
The radar didn't detect it?
A humanoid figure, similar to the previous Elite Mechs, retracted the blunt greatsword on its arm. Its outer shell was covered in orange-red lines, and the heat sinks at its shoulders and elbows roared. On the head, which was fully encased in armor, its name was printed—
Hephaestus Type-X3.
Bang!
Prometheus walked out from the pile of rubble in the pit she had smashed into, kicking stones aside. She was covered in oil and dust but was uninjured; the toughness of Soulium was not something an attack of this level could break.
"What happened!"
At this moment, Delta, who had been covering the rear, caught up. With a greatsword in each hand, she leaped to Vil-V side, using her tail to help Vil-V up while staring warily at the unique Mech.
"Dr. Vil-V, after analysis, the primary constituent material of the Hephaestus Type-X3 is Soulium."
"Oh..."
Soulium, huh... Vil-V wasn't particularly surprised. If anything, she found it more surprising that the materials used for so many other Mechs weren't Soulium. It seemed these Mechs were manufactured and designed in different periods, and the activation of the KY Project likely predated the widespread use of Soulium.
In that case, Prometheus's advantage in physical strength no longer existed. The contest against Hephaestus would come down to weapon design and combat intelligence.
Delta eyes sharpened: "I'll join too—"
Boom!
For what felt like the countless time today, they were pinned to the ground by wind pressure, and for the countless time, their conversation was interrupted. Delta stabbed her twin swords into the ground, her tail tightly gripping Vil-V hand to prevent her from being blown away.
"High Honkai energy reaction detected."
Prometheus's pupils shifted to a deep crimson, so rich they looked like dripping wine. She became more alert than ever before as another giant object air-dropped next to the Hephaestus. Whether by Honkai energy reaction or appearance, "this kind" of enemy was far more familiar.
And the moment the raised dust settled, and the heavy rain outside the crater fell onto her frail body, Delta froze.
A white biological shell, twitching pink-purple muscles beneath it, flowing Honkai energy, two deformed arms covered in spikes, and a body clearly divided into blue and red.
"Sis... ter..."
Staring at the frantic, out-of-control, bloody... and sorrowful Honkai Beast, she blankly whispered her identity.
Splash.
Splash.
It was as if Lin had taken a swim in a river; dragging shoes filled with water, he stepped through the pool of waters one pace at a time.
"..."
"You look like you were put in a pressure cooker with spring onions, ginger, and garlic and stewed for over ten hours." Someone was already waiting for him at the end of the road. "And now you're being forced to pick up a weapon and fight your way through five passes and six generals."
Ato brushed back his soaked hair and locked eyes with the Helmeted Man in this never-ending rain.