"Wooooo—"
Under Sakura's montary blade, the Herrscher's right hand, from the wrist down, dissolved into a sky full of ice crystals. The extre cold slightly delayed the transmission of pain. Only after five seconds did it let out a whimpering moan.
Its body inevitably began to tremble. Coincidentally, the first layer of the command center's armor plating could no longer bear its weight and ripped apart with a loud CRACK.
The Herrscher's body rapidly sank. Sakura slashed open the armor plate behind her with her katana. Ato and Blanka, pulling Kiel and i respectively, rushed out, running counter to the sunlight that instantly flooded in.
"Aldemir and Evangeline!" i shouted to Sakura as their paths crossed.
"Understood, I'll rescue them!" Sakura leaned on her ice blade, ready to charge straight back. Though she knew the chances of others surviving were slim, she remained resolute.
Fortunately, he was one step faster.
Fortunately, she was one step slower.
"No need." Before she could take a step, a familiar voice echoed in her mind.
Without any further action from her, blinding golden light filled her vision, imdiately followed by intense dizziness. But having experienced it many tis, she was used to it and could overco it.
The others around her weren't so lucky. The sounds of vomiting mingled together, nearly drowning out the whistling wind across the Gobi and the explosions from the nearby base.
Wait... wait a minute, why are there so many people!
As her dizzy vision gradually cleared, Sakura looked around. On the flat Gobi desert, no fewer than ten thousand people were sitting or lying around.
On either side of her were Blanka supporting i, and Kiel, knocked unconscious by Ato and slung over his shoulder.
Aldemir was face down in the Gobi, butt in the air, inexplicably still waving a fire axe until Evangeline walked over and kicked the broken axe away.
The other United Governnt researchers and soldiers weren't faring much better. Many still didn't understand what had happened, grabbing handfuls of sand and waving them around, screaming desperately.
Soone opened their eyes at that mont, staring blankly at the drastically changed scenery, slightly dazed.
But just monts later, four golden words popped into his mind—Survived a disaster!
He couldn't control himself and burst into tears, holding his head.
Sakura cast her gaze further afield. As she scanned her surroundings, more golden lights appeared, aning more people were being teleported out.
Before long, the base being frantically destroyed by the Ninth Herrscher was completely devoid of living humans.
"Michael?"
"Tsk, who else?" That familiar figure appeared before Sakura. After a brief mont of surprise, Sakura glanced around but saw no one else.
"What happened? Inside the base... there seed to be energy readings at the Herrscher level?" Michael, pressed for ti, skipped the pleasantries and asked directly.
Sakura silently stepped aside, yielding the space to i.
Unexpectedly, i's words were concise: "Clearly, the Ninth Honkai Eruption has occurred."
Michael frowned. The Ninth Honkai Eruption, like the Seventh, followed closely on the heels of the previous one. This rapid frequency of Honkai Eruptions was not only physically taxing but also a huge ntal challenge.
It wasn't just about being ntally exhausted. Since there were only thirteen Herrschers in total, the increased frequency ant... they were drawing ever closer to that predetermined end...
How ironic. Human thoughts are always contradictory. Like students eagerly awaiting the final exam because it heralds a long vacation, yet undoubtedly hating the exam itself because failing could result in... well, unpleasant consequences.
"But was the Honkai triggered by the previous events? To actually choose such a body... But does this an it changed the fate of one, no, at least two people?" Michael showed a faint smile, tinged with regret. He now almost completely understood the criteria for Herrscher selection in this Era—a combination of predetermined destiny and rational choice.
aning, if a body existed whose paraters were more suitable than the destined vessel in every aspect, it was possible to change...
Unfortunately, he understood this a bit too late. He touched his chest, where a red mark remained.
But还好, it wasn't too late. His gaze shifted slightly towards Sakura beside him.
"Its Authority..."
Just as he spoke, a mountain-like weight suddenly pressed down on Michael's shoulders. His knees buckled, a crackling sound erupting from his joints, transmitted through solid vibration to his ears.
If he yielded and knelt or sat down now, it might feel much better, but Michael didn't.
"Ah!"
He quickly beca glad he hadn't—agonized screams filled the air around him. Many people, slightly relaxing under the imnse pressure, had "complacently" plopped down onto the Gobi sand, resulting directly in cracked or fractured bones.
i was fortunate to have Blanka supporting her, but even so, she struggled to stand.
"Hahh... Hahh... The Ninth Herrscher's Authority... is gravity..."
In the distant base, the Herrscher struggled, supporting itself with one hand on the ground. It was unknown if its own movents were affected by its Authority... unlikely.
Michael艰难地 took a step forward. He was relatively less affected. After all, he possessed the Authority of Space and could use phase shifting to continue fighting...
"Michael, the current situation isn't suitable for combat! Transfer everyone around you to the underground city first!"
"I'm confident I can defeat it, Vill-V."
"Others can't provide support in this gravity environnt. How long will it take you to end the fight? This isn't just about the battle itself anymore."
As soon as she finished speaking, the ground before Michael split open with a roar, forming a fissure.
Initially just a black line, it tore open to over a hundred ters wide within re seconds.
"With excessive gravity concentrated at one point, the Mu Continent's tectonic plate movent has intensified. Michael, listen to Vill-V first."
i and Vill-V's assessnt was accurate. Michael now understood—he could defeat the Ninth Herrscher, no one doubted that. Having mastered eight Herrscher Authorities by now, if he couldn't handle a newborn Herrscher, it would be inexplicable.
Michael's initial thought was, if not to kill the Ninth Herrscher directly, at least to fight it first, test its strength.
But as Vill-V asked, how much ti would he need?
With Michael's abilities, what started as a simple probe could easily escalate into a full-blown battle. At that point, while the Herrscher might not match Michael's eight Authorities, their core power output would be comparable. Other MANTISes couldn't fight in this gravity environnt. Ending the battle quickly seed highly unlikely.
However, the Mu Continent couldn't withstand that much ti! Not to ntion, the tectonic instability would soon affect other continents.
Of course, more importantly, the Mu Continent housed two billion residents, nearly half the world's remaining population. If these people couldn't be protected, then even defeating the Ninth Herrscher...
"Tch, just tell straight, what do you need to do?" This wasn't just combat; it involved geology and physics. Michael decided it was best to follow i and Vill-V's advice.
"Initial plan: First, transfer the people you just rescued from the base to the underground city."
Michael complied imdiately. The Gobi desert instantly emptied, leaving only him. This was straightforward. Under excessive gravity, blood pools downwards, and blood pressure becos insufficient to supply the brain. Moreover, many had already suffered fractures from falling under the imnse gravity.
The only noteworthy detail was that, thanks to the consciousness-splitting ability granted by the Eighth Herrscher's Authority, he not only easily transferred these people thousands of kiloters to the underground city but could also directly move i, Sakura, and others into Fire Moth's command center.
The MANTISes who were vacationing in the North Pacific had also been previously transferred there by Michael.
The sounds of i and Sakura taking deep breaths soon ca through the comms. While they rested, Vill-V continued explaining her strategy.
"Next step, you need to contain the entire Mu Continent, including the surrounding oceanic plates, with an Imaginary Barrier. This will temporarily slow the propagation of tectonic movent. Of course, you know this effect is irreversible; it only buys ti."
Though frad as explaining her strategy, Vill-V didn't hold back. With Michael montarily occupied and i physically indisposed and needing ti to recover, she aptly switched personas, becoming the conductor of this battle.
Naturally, Michael had no objections. He activated his Authority even before Vill-V finished speaking.
Instantly, the light and shadow above the entire Mu Continent underwent a subtle, almost imperceptible shift. Observing carefully with a telescope might reveal nurous tiny hexagonal matrices in the sky.
Giant waves suddenly erupted on the sea surface surrounding the Mu Continent. From an underwater perspective, everything beca crystal clear—the Imaginary Barrier descended like a huge glass bowl into the sea, carving massive trenches on the surface. But this wasn't the end; it quickly embedded itself thousands of ters deep into the seabed crust.
Could this physical barrier really help slow down tectonic movent? Michael wasn't sure. It wasn't about trusting Vill-V or not; no one had ever researched such things. Perhaps Vill-V was just trying anything in desperation. Knowing her... quite possible.
The Ninth Herrscher finally climbed out of the base built by the United Governnt. It imdiately turned its head towards Michael's direction.
Confirming its target, its eyes glowed blood-red.
"Hm?"
To Michael's surprise, the armor plating on the Herrscher's—no, Ajax's—face distorted with a grating tallic groan. The dents twisted crookedly, oddly resembling real gaps between teeth.
The Herrscher used its remaining left hand to grip the facial armor and tore it off forcefully—
KRA-ACK!
The armor plate was casually flung away by the Herrscher. Even under the pull of imnse gravity, it flew tens of kiloters, quickly becoming a tiny dot in the sky.
"ROAR!"
The Herrscher's cavernous maw opened. In response, Michael silently raised his middle finger towards it, then beckoned with it.
Thanks to the ever-widening fissure, the two Herrschers were quite far apart. The Ninth Herrscher narrowed its eyes and slowly crouched down—a standard predatory stance in animals, also helping its lower limbs exert force to leap across the rift, now expanded to over a thousand ters.
"Hey! Vill-V, if you don't say sothing soon, I'm really going to start fighting!" Michael quipped. The Conductor's voice quickly ca from the other end of the comms:
"Alright. Next is simple. Protheus has already provided the analysis. The excessive gravity originates from the Herrscher's body as the center. Watch take it sowhere it can vent the excess gravity."
"Hey! Wait! Vill-V!" Michael had a retort on the tip of his tongue he wasn't sure he should voice—You tell not to engage, then you yourself...
Seeing the Herrscher preparing to launch itself, and not knowing Vill-V's next specific move, Michael took half a step back and adopted a defensive stance.
Just then, Michael detected a spatial fluctuation. It didn't take much thought; in this world, besides Michael, the only one wielding the Authority of Space was...
"The Second Divine Key!"
A massive spatial rift suddenly tore open beneath the Herrscher. Combined with its posture, it looked hilariously like it was squatting over a toilet.
But Michael couldn't laugh. Because accompanied by a loud whistle, the Second Divine Key charged out in the form of a train, its engine ramming directly between the Herrscher's legs.
Imdiately after, four powerful streams of fire erupted from the booster rockets temporarily mounted on the engine's four sides. The Second Divine Key, defying the imnse gravitational pull, pushed the Ninth Herrscher into the air.
Caught completely off guard, the Herrscher couldn't react, watching almost helplessly as the spatial rift opened before it, and then it was forcefully shoved inside by the Second Divine Key beneath its posterior.
Amidst the Magician's wild laughter, the spatial rift closed.
"..."
With the Ninth Herrscher phase-shifted to an unknown location, the weight on Michael instantly lifted. The gravitational influence suddenly lessened, making him feel light and airy, almost as if he were about to float away.
Confirming that the large rift had also temporarily stopped expanding, Michael couldn't help but sigh in relief.
But his heart imdiately leaped back into his throat—
"Michael, I'm at the Sea..."
In the comms, Vill-V's voice cut off abruptly.
In her haste, she hadn't managed to explain anything clearly.
There was no ti to worry about Vill-V's safety. Wasting ti now would be the greatest disrespect to her.
Michael narrowed his eyes, starting to ponder the aning of her last, interrupted sentence.
"Is she reporting her location? Sea... sowhere on the sea? Or a region starting with the word 'Sea'?" he muttered to himself. He knew his voice would reach his Fire Moth comrades through the comms, so it was less talking to himself and more speaking to i.
"But she previously said, 'take it sowhere it can vent the excess gravity'..."
Connecting the context, Michael seed to awaken so mories from his past life, his eyes lighting up.
"i, in this world, there should only be one place capable of venting the excess gravity from the Ninth Herrscher."
"Mm." i seed not yet fully recovered, her voice sowhat ethereal. But based on Michael's understanding of her, they had likely arrived at the sa conclusion again.
"Sea..."
BOOM!
As if triggered by a magic spell, the mont Michael uttered the word "Sea," the ground trembled violently. Still unaccustod to the shift in gravity, he lost his balance and sat down hard on the ground.
He wiped his mouth and chuckled. Good, didn't bite his tongue.
But the next mont, he couldn't smile anymore—
The rift, which had stopped moving after the Ninth Herrscher's departure, was now expanding at an even faster rate, widening by two or three hundred ters in just a few seconds!
Michael quickly scrambled on all fours to the edge of the rift, gripped the cliff edge with both hands, and peered down.
The color before his eyes gradually deepened from the pale yellow of the Gobi. But from a macro perspective, the transition from yellow to black was instantaneous.
Looking closer, one could even see a hint of orange-red deep within the earth.
"Sea of Quanta exit, location marked as the Eye of the Deep, emitting imnse gravitational pull! Note, it's gravitational pull, not gravity!"
"What's happening?"
Hearing the clamor in the comms, Michael silently stood up.
"I'm going to the Eye of the Deep to investigate."
Before his words faded, he vanished from the spot.
---||---
Churning, swirling, as if giant hands grasped everything, the flow of the entire seawater was thoroughly disrupted by its kneading.
The mont Michael stepped out of the spatial rift, he was dragged by an imnse attractive force, along with vast amounts of seawater, towards a distant black point.
"This is!"
After tumbling for a while, Michael crashed headfirst into the Imaginary Barrier. He had anticipated this and deliberately chosen a distant point to erge.
Michael lay spread-eagled on the Imaginary Barrier. Even with its obstruction, the incredibly powerful gravitational pull couldn't be completely nullified.
In fact, even the surface of the Imaginary Barrier itself was distorted and bent under this force, almost becoming a curved surface.
He took the opportunity to survey his surroundings. After he had sealed the Eye of the Deep, the power of the Sea of Quanta stopped flowing out, and the faint blue fluorescence naturally vanished.
But now, the blue light from all directions was far beyond re fluorescence. Even from tens of thousands of ters away, the seabed was transparently clear. This was the posture of the Sea of Quanta's gate being fully open!
Michael's pupils transford into rotating gears. The distant scene was continuously pulled closer in his vision. Against the blue backdrop of the sea, the so-called "little black dot" gradually beca clearer—it was a massive black hole.
---||---
"Based on my assessnt, that probably isn't a true black hole, but a type of collapse caused by high-mass gravity. Theoretically similar to collapses caused by Space Authority, possessing extre attraction and destructive power. However, the principle of this form of collapse aligns with black holes. Perhaps we can call it a pseudo-black hole."
In the compartnt behind the command center, complex calculation formulas were displayed on the holographic screen. i tidied them up slightly and summarized.
"This also corresponds to the Ninth Herrscher's Authority: manipulating gravity."
Elysia glanced at the overly crowded compartnt, filled with people. Michael wasn't here, and no one imdiately responded to i's words. Her eyes darted around, suppressing a hint of worry, and she naturally spoke up:
"Then... i! What about Vill-V! What's her situation now! Could she be fighting the Herrscher tooth and nail sowhere we don't know!"
i's lips twitched. She knew Ely was trying to lighten the tense atmosphere with banter. Of course, her concern for Vill-V wasn't fake, but she deliberately phrased it almost jokingly, as if afraid others would know about her concern. Quite indirect, indeed.
"No need to worry too much. The half-hour we've spent here, for Vill-V, might not even be half a minute."
"Ah... Huh? What does that an?" This ti, it wasn't Ely asking, but Kevin.
i gave him an extra glance, the aning clear: This is what happens when you don't pay attention in physics class!
"Pseudo-black holes share similarities with black holes. Excessive mass warps the surrounding spaceti. Simply put, ti slows down near a pseudo-black hole. Half an hour might have passed here, but perhaps only half a minute has passed for Vill-V."
Whether everyone truly understood her explanation was debatable, but at least they all collectively sighed in relief.
Although facing a Herrscher, Vill-V wasn't a helpless researcher. As a MANTIS, coupled with her collection of bizarre equipnt—like the anti-Michael armor, anti-Kevin armor...
(For which Michael and Kevin had even protested to her—why was there no anti-Elysia armor?)
In short, with her MANTIS physique and various strange gadgets, she could certainly hold her own against the Ninth Herrscher for a few minutes.
Elysia nodded, seemingly understanding. She sucked her finger and asked again:
"Mmm... Wait! Black holes! Didn't they say a coin-sized black hole could swallow the entire Earth!"
"Not quite. Due to the distortion of surrounding light, black holes appear much larger than their actual size. Don't be fooled by it seeming to completely cover the Second Divine Key and the Ninth Herrscher; in reality, it might not even be as thick as a strand of hair."
i shrugged. As she moved, the image on the projection changed again, shifting from complex formulas to a live feed of the seabed.
"Pseudo-black holes rely follow so physical principles of black holes; they aren't true black holes in essence. This can be seen from the endpoint of the consud seawater—the vast majority isn't swallowed by the black hole itself, but by the nearby Eye of the Deep, fully opened due to gravity."
"So, basically, we don't have to worry about this pseudo-black hole swallowing the Earth, or the Mu Continent, right?"
i blinked twice, turning to look at Elysia.
Seemingly unsure, she blinked twice more.
Seeing Ely still didn't understand, she had no choice but to point at the Eye of the Deep and explain:
"The black hole might not swallow the Mu Continent, but this thing will!"
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