In the previous civilization era.
Fire Moth and Bia received warnings from the Honkai event almost simultaneously.
"A new Herrscher has been born in Australia. This time, the Honkai came unexpectedly, and I did not foresee it."
Bia's voice was filled with rare self-reproach.
However, this was not the time for comfort.
Chen Ran, Durandal, Kiana, and Sirin immediately set off.
Seele did not follow; she was not suited to appear before Fire Moth.
At this moment, Durandal said, "I have received news of a global connection. Fifty thousand years later, the Fifth Herrscher has also appeared."
Chen Ran couldn't help but furrow his brows deeply.
The Herrschers from two timelines had appeared ahead of schedule; could this be a coincidence?
He quickly dismissed the idea of coincidence.
It was clear that since the global connection could transcend time to communicate information, the Imaginary Tree, existing in a higher dimension, could also connect the future and the past.
Perhaps every time Chen Ran jumped through time, it was merely a shift from one grain of sand to another in the eyes of a higher dimension.
But there was no doubt that the global connection had brought changes to the world, accelerating the emergence of Herrschers.
"I have also received news. Once the matter of the Seventh Herrscher is resolved, I will find a way to send Kiana back."
He said, "Kiana is the key to the global connection; of course, you can also return."
Durandal shook her head, "I have said before, I will defeat Finality here."
After arriving here, Durandal had made rapid progress.
She had not lain in Mobius's laboratory, but undoubtedly, her bloodline had brought her to the most perfect state.
Surpassing Finality might not be impossible.
However, this time when they headed to Australia, Fire Moth had arrived even faster.
Kevin's first squad, Hua's fifth squad, as well as the second, third, and fourth squads had already come here.
However, at this moment, Australia was already engulfed in raging flames.
The rampant Honkai Energy shrouded the entire Australia, in high concentration and density, making it daunting to behold.
Even for the first squad members, who were experienced in battling Honkai, aside from Kevin and Kosma, the rest hesitated for a moment.
Kevin spoke softly, "I will search for the Herrscher; you all focus on evacuating the crowd."
In the face of a Herrscher, the number of people did not matter.
Elysia had not come along, so among those present, he was basically the only one capable of dealing with the Herrscher.
Kosma impulsively said, "I'll go too."
"Stay with the others; don't be reckless."
Kosma had good determination, but for now, it was merely showing resolve.
Kevin held the weapon MEI had newly designed for him and immediately headed towards the area with the most concentrated Honkai Energy.
…
…
When Chen Ran saw the true form of the Seventh Herrscher, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness, it wasn't Himeko.
The Herrscher of Flame had appeared three years earlier than in the storyline, so naturally, the Honkai would not follow the script and choose Himeko as the host.
Otherwise, Chen Ran couldn't imagine whether Kalpas would go mad.
But now was not the time to think about that.
"The center of the Honkai Energy has already exceeded 9000hw; it's truly terrifying."
Kiana and Sirin were frowning, one in front of the other.
Countless Honkai Beasts surged towards them in droves.
However, their power was overwhelming, and they directly slaughtered these Honkai Beasts with ease.
Chen Ran and Durandal found the Herrscher, who was a beautiful woman.
However, her eyes lacked the lively spark, looking like a puppet under control.
Durandal instinctively raised her gun and lunged at the Herrscher, but the raging flames created a natural temperature barrier, preventing her from getting close.
"Accelerate molecular motion to release heat."
Chen Ran's eyes narrowed, gripping the Keys of the Void, and began shooting at the Herrscher.
However, these special bullets capable of collapsing space were directly destroyed under the high temperature.
An isolated material system has an energy threshold, and space is no different.
When excessively high temperatures arise, the continuously released heat can destroy any effective attack.
"Ha!"
Durandal relied solely on her breath to approach the Herrscher, and the Lance in her hand pierced into the Herrscher's body.
A girl directly used a knight's kick, striking the Herrscher in the high temperature.
However, Durandal's strength, which she had always prided herself on, did not seem to have any effect.
The reason was simple; the levels of Honkai Energy they wielded were different.
Although the Herrscher had not fully adapted to the authority yet, her level of Honkai Energy already indicated that she could adapt to stronger powers.
Durandal shouted, "Chen Ran, give me access to the global connection."
Chen Ran immediately nodded, "Understood."
The global connection is a channel that allows information to flow rapidly.
But it also has a more important function, which is the stacking of Stigmata powers.
Even though Chen Ran was one of the earliest to come into contact with Stigmata, he still did not know the limits of Stigmata's power.
Seele's Stigmata allows her to traverse the Sea of Quanta, Sin's Stigmata can stop time, not to mention the Kaslana family's Stigmata, which can immunize against Honkai, and Schariac's Stigmata can directly manipulate Honkai.
It can be said that the potential contained in Stigmata is limitless.
However, the powers of Stigmata stacking, to be honest, Chen Ran had never tried.
He was the architect of the global connection, but Sirin was the administrator.
Chen Ran quickly had Sirin channel the power of consciousness towards Durandal, and soon, Kiana and Sirin felt a wave of weakness.
The Honkai Beasts seemed to sense the weakness in their bodies, and their attacks became even more frenzied.
Meanwhile, Chen Ran manipulated the Keys of the Void, and with the help of Bia and Bella, the two puppets, he barely managed to construct a defensive line.
He looked at Durandal, "Durandal, it's your turn now."
In response, Durandal felt an indescribable surge of power within her.
It was as if she had grasped more levels of Honkai Energy, just like the Herrscher.
"Stars, gather here!"
The girl, clad in armor, transformed her Lance into a bow and arrow, swift as a meteor.
The powerful Herrscher had not yet reacted when she was pierced in an instant, with the arrows even passing through the Herrscher's body, leaving several meters deep holes in the ground.
In just a moment, the tide of attack and defense turned, the earth cracked, and the sky collapsed.
Dust filled the air, and both Kiana and Sirin revealed a hint of astonishment in their eyes.
"That just now, was it a trick?"
Kiana couldn't help but say, "Durandal's body actually exhibited power far exceeding that of the Herrscher, even if it was just for a moment."
At this moment, Durandal resembled a weary warrior, struggling to keep herself from collapsing.
Her expression also could not hide her shock.
"I don't know why, but in that brief moment, it felt like I understood many things."
"It was as if something was awakening within my body."
She couldn't help but say.
Soon, she steeled herself, "In any case, let's handle the situation here first."
When Kevin arrived, the Herrscher had already fallen.
The scorching temperature of the Australian continent gradually cooled, but during the time the Herrscher appeared and disappeared, the entire Australia had been completely burned.
Kevin's expression was complex as he finally fixed his gaze on Chen Ran.
Chen Ran said, "Let's discuss other matters when we return; for now, let's handle the follow-up issues."
Kevin sighed, "The follow-up matters won't be resolved overnight."
The disaster was too sudden and too swift.
Australia also had a population of several tens of millions, and most importantly, Australia was one of the seven continents of the world, a significant component of the international community.
A country suddenly being destroyed was enough to make the entire United Nations wary of Honkai.
And this situation was likely what MEI wanted to see.
Kevin said, "After this incident, you all come back. No one will investigate you anymore."
Chen Ran raised an eyebrow, "Has MEI already grasped the authority of Fire Moth?"
"It's just a matter of time."
MEI speculated that Chen Ran was waiting for a shocking Major Honkai Eruption because she was also waiting.
Only a disaster that humanity felt they could not resist would give researchers like her value.
It was evident that from today onwards, whether it was the MANTIS Project or the Stigmata experiment, they would proceed smoothly.
Because humanity would abandon the ethics binding them and reveal the fangs hidden within civilization, like beasts.
At that time, scientists led by MEI would gradually grasp the authority of Fire Moth.
Whether it was Vill-V, Mobius, or Chen Ran, they would all have a place here.
MEI thought that Chen Ran and Mobius shared the same idea, but Chen Ran was clearly passively seeking refuge in Eden.
However, he wouldn't explain any of this.
He said lightly, "I've long wanted to return to Fire Moth; I still have many experiments left to conduct."
Chen Ran paused and said to Kevin, "Especially you, Kevin. I have an experiment that requires your cooperation."
Sending Kiana back to fifty thousand years later could not avoid Kevin himself.
He estimated that his global connection would also be discovered by MEI regarding the secret of time travel after sending Kiana away.
His greatest reliance would likely no longer be kept secret, but that was fine.
Now that Durandal was here, the greatest leverage to defeat Finality already existed.
"Let's resolve the matters here first."
Kiana, who had slightly recovered, spoke up, "But what was that just now? Why did I suddenly feel weak?"
"Global connection; I will explain later."
——
Meanwhile, fifty thousand years later.
The Fifth Herrscher, the Herrscher of Ice, also appeared on Coral Island.
Also due to the early timeline, this time the Herrscher was not the Ana Schariac from the storyline.
But Wendy did not care who she was.
What she knew was that the Honkai Energy contained within the Fifth Herrscher had reached a terrifying 6000hw.
This was already second only to Sirin's peak state during the Second Honkai Eruption.
The entire Coral Island was frozen in frost, making it hard to imagine how a city on the equator had turned into ice.
Countless workers and residents lost their lives because of this.
Even Cecilia, who was accustomed to life and death, felt her heart race upon witnessing this scene.
What lay before her was truly horrifying.
On the contrary, Wendy, who had seen the Herrscher from the previous civilization era, understood the power displayed by the Herrscher before them, yet it was merely a trivial part of the Honkai powers.
At that moment, Wendy sensed a message from fifty thousand years ago.
"The Herrscher of Flame has been dealt with."
Cecilia nodded, "I know, it was thanks to the global connection."
The accumulation of Stigmata powers also pointed them towards a path: the Herrscher and Finality were not invincible.
They couldn't help but look at Sirin, who had followed them.
The administrator of the global connection was none other than Sirin herself.
It had to be admitted that the current Sirin existed simultaneously in the past and future, in a state of temporal superposition.
But it was because of the global connection that she had become so special.
Cecilia quickly dismissed these thoughts as she saw her partner.
That is, Raven from World Serpent, and another person codenamed Owl.
Owl was Chen Tianwu.
The occurrence of the Manila Honkai had infected Chen Tianwu with Honkai.
Afterward, he sought to investigate the truth about Honkai, enduring many hardships until he arrived at Coral Island, becoming a thug for the Thousand Fists Society.
Later, Raven came to Coral Island looking for Chen Ran and happened to encounter the chaos caused by the Thousand Fists Society. Finding Chen Tianwu somewhat agreeable, she brought him to Jackal, who would modify Chen Tianwu's body.
However, at that time, Owl was clearly just an ordinary member of World Serpent, not yet a cadre, following Raven to carry out tasks.
Of course, Cecilia didn't care about this.
"According to the instructions, this time the Herrscher will be led by World Serpent, with Schicksal providing full cooperation."
Raven looked at Cecilia and said, "Thank you."
For Raven, having an S-rank Valkyrie from Schicksal involved was a form of insurance.
However, even so, she still had no confidence.
"A Herrscher with a concentration of 6000hw, how are we supposed to deal with that?"
Raven cursed Jackal in her heart eighteen times, yet she was forced to accept her fate.
As someone who had once distanced herself from World Serpent, Raven initially did not want to carry out this task.
However, Jackal needed the core of the Herrscher of Ice, even wanting the living Herrscher of Ice for research.
Moreover, Jackal had even provided the Yellow Springs Staff, invented in the previous civilization era.
"Hopefully, that guy Jackal can be a bit more reliable."
Raven thought to herself.
With Schicksal by her side, she wasn't worried about the Herrscher of Ice escaping Coral Island.
According to various intelligence reports, the current Herrscher of Ice did not possess self-awareness, so there were no 'measures' to escape.
Raven felt there should be a bit of a chance.
She paused and looked at Wendy: "Of course, if I can't handle it, I still hope you can help, after all, World Serpent and you actually have a bit of a connection."
Wendy replied, "If it comes to that, this level of enemy is definitely not something you can't handle. Even I need to rely on other powers."
Among the various Herrschers, the Herrscher of Wind was probably the least adept at direct combat.
Unless she mastered ideal fluid.
However, since Raven had invited her, Wendy naturally wouldn't refuse.
She exchanged a glance with Cecilia and then moved forward.
Owl listened to Raven's words and began to set up the Yellow Springs Staff. For a moment, only Raven and Wendy remained.
Raven asked, "I heard you reconciled with Otto?"
"Just reached an agreement."
Wendy replied lightly, "But this is thanks to Chen Ran, at least he informed us of part of the future, so it makes sense."
"I thought there would be turmoil within Schicksal." Raven paused and said, "Do you know, Jackal is already prepared to take over Schicksal. She believes that Schicksal cannot hold up for long under the centrifugal forces of a Herrscher and a chief Valkyrie."
Raven smiled slightly: "This time, having you come over was also Jackal's request for intelligence gathering."
Wendy replied, "Your method of gathering intelligence is quite unique."
"But at least it's efficient, isn't it?"
Raven shrugged and said, "Before I set off, Jackal asked me how to gather information, and I said just ask you directly."
"Fortunately, the existence of the Elysian Realm allows us to at least converse peacefully."
She paused and looked at Wendy: "Wendy, have you considered that the current appearance of the Herrscher is abnormal? At least according to World Serpent's calculations, the Herrscher of this era shouldn't be this powerful, and she doesn't even have her own consciousness."
"You should understand that the Herrscher of this era has another title."
Raven looked at Wendy, hoping to hear the answer from her.
Wendy nodded: "I heard from Chen Ran that due to the arrangements of the previous civilization, the Herrscher of this era will retain the powers of the Herrschers from the previous civilization to the greatest extent, and they will also retain their consciousness as descendants of Origin, breaking free from fate."
"And, the abnormality you mentioned, I also have my own speculations."
"It's Chen Ran, isn't it?" Raven said.
Wendy nodded.
Clearly, the Herrscher before them was different from the other Herrschers of this era, lacking self-awareness yet being extremely domineering.
Just like the Herrscher from the previous era, it was definitely related to the global connection.
Humans could establish a timeless information bridge through consciousness, and Honkai could achieve this as well.
Yet, the mercenary merely scoffed: "I knew it."
"Wendy, have you considered another matter, which is that people now already have enough leverage to defeat Finality, and there's no need for Chen Ran to continue jumping through time."
Wendy shook her head: "The current Chen Ran has also established enough leverage to defeat Finality."
A strange glint flickered in Raven's eyes.
She understood Wendy and naturally knew that while Wendy would defend Chen Ran, she wouldn't lie about other matters.
However, Raven chose not to press further.
Because the Herrscher of Ice had appeared.
The Herrscher before them was more terrifying than any previous Herrscher.
It wasn't about how much Honkai Energy she controlled, but rather that she was completely devoid of emotion.
Even when Sirin was the Second Herrscher, she would be filled with pride and arrogance, proving that Sirin possessed emotions, which also brought corresponding weaknesses.
But the Herrscher of Ice was not like that.
If one were to say something.
Her existence was not a consciousness arising from the rules of Honkai aberration.
But Honkai itself.
Raven held the communicator and said calmly: "The battle begins."
The instrument known as the Yellow Springs Staff began to interfere with the Herrscher controlled by Honkai.
She also held the Divine Key, Purifying Thunder, aiming at the Herrscher of Ice.
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