Churning waves, with lingering arcs of lightning, filled the vast ocean. The entangled Herrscher and Ryan were the focal point.
Foreheads pressed together, steam rising from their bodies, the Herrscher's eyes reflected confusion; she didn't understand why she hadn't tricked Ryan.
It was irrelevant; the Herrscher Core was in his grasp; the remaining energy rapidly dissipated.
"Any last words?" Ryan asked calmly. Perhaps due to exhaustion, he felt no triumphant exhilaration, no fervor.
Or perhaps, the mont he grasped the Herrscher Core, his vision changed; the world dissolved; his soul seed to leave his body, ascending to the sky, to the cosmos, beyond this "world."
Before him was a blue star; beneath him, silent rock; above, another dinsion—an ocean of Imaginary numbers. But sothing seed to be blocking a hole within it.
A continuous stream of Honkai energy flowed from it, like a beam, striking him.
In an instant, he felt imnse power, like a storm gathering; he felt an instinct, as if he could control so unseen law.
I see the Herrscher's essence? Is this the atomic world?
Ryan felt as though, with a single thought, he could manipulate the electromagnetic forces between atoms, disintegrating them or fusing them instantly.
Limitless desire filled him. But then, his forward montum stopped.
Sothing peered through the hole, as if observing him with an invisible eye. Before Ryan could examine it, a voice, devoid of emotion, startled him.
"You are... an extraterrestrial?"
The sea, the waves, the Herrscher returned to his view; her bloodless face reflected astonishnt; her vacant golden eyes fixed on him.
This was Herrscher of Thunder, yet more than Herrscher of Thunder.
Ryan's thoughts slowed, as if being observed. He stared into her eyes; for a mont, he saw emotion—an emotion a Herrscher shouldn't possess.
Confusion, curiosity, and desire.
Extraterrestrial, referring to ?
Ryan felt overwheld; then, the seemingly inert Herrscher moved, wielding her blade.
Astonishnt vanished; an indescribable sensation washed over him. Then, it stopped amidst the approaching pink arrow.
Elysia?
Exhaustion flooded him; the Honkai energy sealing his wounds dissipated; blood poured out. But Ryan felt no pain or fear. Before hitting the water, only one thought occupied his mind:
What is an extraterrestrial?
"Whew, the Herrscher Core is gone, yet she's still moving. And this Herrscher is so strange." Elysia caught him before he hit the water, her eyes filled with confusion.
She'd witnessed the Herrscher of Thunder's fall and was about to tease Ryan—observing his gentleness towards girls, yet ruthlessness in battle—when she sensed danger; her reflexes were faster than her thoughts.
An arrow, instantly ending the Herrscher's life.
What was that final sensation?
Elysia blinked, before fully processing it, the warmth of blood brought her back to reality; she instinctively looked down.
"No good, I need to get him to dical attention."
The man in her arms was bleeding profusely; she realized the extent of his injuries—his neck was half-severed, his chest and ribs deeply wounded; she could feel his life force fading.
She looked up—wrecks, floating corpses, drones in the sky. She didn't know who to turn to.
Over 80% of the fleet was destroyed; the rest had retreated. She didn't know whether to return to Shanghai or seek out Fire Moth; Shanghai was still a battlefield; Fire Moth might exploit the situation.
As she hesitated, a seaplane appeared on the horizon, incredibly fast, ignoring the battle's aftershocks, landing forcefully on the water.
Rescue couldn't be so swift; the battle had just ended; Fire Moth couldn't react this quickly.
The seaplane's ramp opened; a figure erged, alleviating her worries.
Mobius, in a long white coat, her hands in her pockets, expressionless, looked at Ryan, then at Elysia, subtly raising an eyebrow, a hint of displeasure.
"Hey, what are you worried about? Carry him; soone's gotta pay if he dies."
"Mobius, why are you here?" Elysia flew over, a mocking smile on her face. "I knew you liked Ryan; you're faster than the entire Fire Moth."
"Nonsense. I was just retrieving the Herrscher's corpse. And saving him is convenient; he owes a large sum." Mobius didn't look at her, but never glanced at the Herrscher's corpse.
Elysia's smile deepened; she stared at Mobius, who stared back, until a weak voice broke the silence.
"Doctor, Dr. Ryan is dying."
"What?" Mobius quickly turned, seeing Ryan's pale face; she realized his blood loss was critical; she ignored Elysia.
"Get him on the operating table. I'll stop the bleeding myself. Prepare the biological repair pod; no delay. Notify the pilot; I need a dical transport for aftercare."
"What are you waiting for? Hurry!"
The click-clack of high heels faded. Elysia was playful but knew when to stay out of the way.
Standing by the ramp, she looked at the sea; her smile vanished.
The dark clouds finally dispersed; sunlight shone on the sea; waves crashed; debris, corpses, and wreckage bobbed; distant cannon fire echoed.
Shanghai was still fighting, but without the Herrscher, the outco was certain.
Elysia's gaze fell upon the Herrscher's corpse, bobbing gently on the waves; her silver hair swayed, as if gazing at the sky.
Why?
She sighed softly, then straightened.
"No, Mobius will tease endlessly."
Elysia turned, seeing Mobius's busy back and the man on the operating table. Images flashed through her mind:
The evacuation convoy, the refuge outside the city, the Herrscher lured to the sea. Elysia was intelligent; she knew who deserved the credit, who orchestrated it all.
But she felt no resentnt or anger, only a gentle smile.
"It's only temporary, but we won. And because of you, it was beautiful."
She soared into the sky, towards the burning Shanghai. The battle wasn't over; but as she passed the Herrscher's corpse, a question echoed in her mind.
Extraterrestrial. What does that an?
...
As the pink-haired girl streaked across the horizon, the images captured by dozens of drones were transmitted from the sky, the sea, and the land command centers.
Everyone stared, breathless, the air thick with tension. As the drone image zood in, focusing on the silver-haired corpse, various sensors activated.
"Herrscher of Thunder... silent; Honkai energy signal lost."
The operator announced this in a trembling voice. A sigh of relief broke the silence, then escalated into joyous shouts.
"That monster is finally dead."
"Long live humanity!"
"We won again!"
People embraced, so weeping with relief, so trembling with excitent, so remaining calm. So gazed at the pink trail across the sky; so showed grief and weariness.
Humanity's complex emotions surged—in despair, in elation. But regardless, they'd won.
Chalice watched the celebrations, calmly propping his chin. On the large screen, besides Elysia approaching Shanghai, two massive bombers were patrolling the outskirts.
If Ryan and Elysia had failed, he wouldn't have hesitated to order the strike. But looking at the jubilant soldiers, he couldn't help but smile.
Those old n planning against them would have to reconsider.
Herrscher of Thunder wasn't the end; no one knew how many Herrschers it would take. This was rely a curtain call, revealing the cruel truth to the world.
In the future, humanity would need heroes, those who persevered, leading hope.
"Unfortunately, these heroes aren't , nor them. They'll be both envious and resentful, especially the pureblood faction, who never considered Elysia human."
Perhaps heroes should end at a certain point, becoming legends instead of living in reality.
He didn't know, nor did he care. He was more interested in Mobius's swift arrival, sensing the formation of a small faction within Fire Moth.
Individuals with unique abilities were gathering; power and prestige were shifting subtly; and the core mbers were Elysia and Ryan?
He watched the girl streaking across the sky, the transport plane on the sea, slowly curling his lips.
The future was becoming increasingly strange, sothing to look forward to.
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