To be honest, MEI had never intended to open the spatial gates directly beside the Girl Dolls' targets.
For one thing, opening a gate too close to an Undersea Temple would allow its defenses to fire straight through the portal and attack Headquarters. Worse, it could expose the entire operation before they were ready.
There was also the issue of accuracy.
MEI had only just begun using the Authority of the Void. She could not yet guarantee that every portal would open at the exact coordinates she intended.
Because of that, she could only send the Girl Dolls into the general vicinity of their assigned targets. Once they arrived, each unit would have to locate its designated Undersea Temple on its own.
In simple terms, the deployment worked much like a modern paratrooper operation.
Of course a transport helicopter could simply fly directly over the target.
But what pilot with even the slightest sense of self-preservation would casually ignore enemy anti-aircraft fire?
Opening the portals directly at the bottom of the ocean was even less practical.
Kevin had already demonstrated exactly what would happen.
The last time he tried something similar, the immense pressure difference sent seawater blasting through the portal with enough force to tear through several layers of laboratory walls.
The aftermath had been a complete disaster.
And this time, MEI's highest priority was speed.
She needed to complete as many teleportations as possible in the shortest possible time.
She could hardly afford to wait for torrents of high-pressure seawater to erupt through every portal, forcing Girl Dolls far weaker than Kevin to withstand the initial impact before fighting their way through.
Even if their Omnic bodies survived, the deployment would slow to a crawl.
So after weighing every option, teleporting the Girl Dolls onto the frozen ocean surface remained the safest and most efficient choice.
Right now…
"Everyone, the Self-Destruct Squad is in position. What's the situation on your end…?"
Boom!
MEI had only just recovered her breath and begun checking the battlefield over the communication channel when an enormous explosion abruptly drowned out her voice.
A moment later…
"MEI, the Herrscher of Thunder passed through Region R3."
Sim Kevin's voice came through the channel.
"She destroyed the Base City here."
"I couldn't stop her."
At that very moment, somewhere on the Mu Continent…
Sim Kevin stood amid a landscape of devastation.
Unlike the original Kevin, he did not possess the Judgement of Shamash.
As a result, his fighting style closely resembled the way the original Kevin had fought underwater before. He condensed ice into a sword, then relied almost entirely on overwhelming physical strength to crush whatever stood in front of him.
Unfortunately…
"…"
Behind him, the entire area had been reduced to ruins.
The strange crimson lightning released by the Herrscher of Thunder could not seriously injure him, even when discharged across a wide area.
But it could paralyze his body for an instant.
And against an opponent that fast, an instant was enough.
The Herrscher of Thunder had simply bypassed him before he could counterattack at close range, then destroyed the city behind him.
That was why Sim Kevin's report had been so simple.
He had failed to stop her.
As for brute strength?
What good was overwhelming power if you could not wipe out the entire area in a single attack…
…and could not even land a hit on your target?
Speed taken to this extreme was troublesome beyond reason.
And Sim Kevin was far from the only one having trouble.
Boom!
Elsewhere on the Mu Continent…
Elysia's original body had also failed.
She had originally intended to use her Herrscher Authority to restrict the Herrscher of Thunder's movements.
But although the Herrscher of Thunder was reckless by nature, she was not stupid.
The moment she sensed that Elysia's Authority posed a genuine threat, she immediately changed direction and fled at full speed.
Apparently, the recent survival lessons drilled into her by the Herrscher of Blood had not gone to waste.
Elysia could only stare after the disappearing streak of crimson lightning.
A troubling thought surfaced in her mind.
"Why do I feel like she can sense danger before it happens?"
Elysia frowned.
"Could our communications have been compromised?"
She considered the possibility for a moment, then shook her head.
"No. That shouldn't be possible."
The communication devices Vill-V had distributed today were newly developed models designed specifically for operations against the Herrscher of Thunder.
They did not rely on conventional electrical signal transmission.
Instead, they used quantum communication.
The Herrscher of Thunder had no known means of deciphering that system.
And Vill-V, being Vill-V, had gone considerably further than simply changing the transmission method.
Every message was continuously encrypted using multiple dynamically changing keys.
Even if the Herrscher of Thunder somehow managed to intercept the quantum transmissions, all she should receive was meaningless noise and incomprehensible fragments.
Their communication network should have been secure.
Besides…
Elysia thought back over what had just happened.
Everything had occurred so quickly that she had never even spoken over the channel.
So how had the Herrscher of Thunder known?
"What exactly is going on?"
The more Elysia thought about it, the more confused she became.
And beneath that confusion…
A faint sense of unease began to grow.
Then more reports arrived.
Sim Eden: "The Herrscher of Thunder has entered Region R4."
Sim Vill-V: "Region C3."
Sim Kosma: "E6."
Bad news poured through the communication channel one report after another.
And every encounter ended almost exactly the same way.
Against the Herrscher of Thunder, any one of these Flame-Chaser-level combatants possessed enough power to fight her.
Some could even defeat her if they managed to force a proper battle.
But that was the problem.
None of them could force her to stay.
No one could stop that streak of crimson lightning from tearing past them at blinding speed.
Fortunately, the Newborn World Serpent had anticipated precisely this possibility.
They had already witnessed the Herrscher of Thunder display similarly absurd speed when she rescued the Herrscher of Blood.
So MEI had prepared accordingly.
On the surface, the Herrscher of Thunder appeared to be moving unpredictably across the Mu Continent.
One moment she charged east.
The next, she abruptly turned southwest.
Then north.
Then somewhere else entirely.
It looked chaotic.
It was not.
Without realizing it, the Herrscher of Thunder was being guided.
Every interception point MEI had selected, every position assigned to a combatant, and even the manner in which they pressured her had been calculated to influence her next decision.
Avoid this area.
Turn here.
Accelerate there.
Choose this route instead.
None of it involved mind control.
There was no supernatural compulsion.
It was simply psychology, battlefield pressure, probability, and prediction woven together into an invisible net.
After stepping onto the Path of Erudition, MEI had refined the technique even further.
In a sense, it resembled the so-called "scenario magic" found in certain stories.
Except there was nothing magical about it.
It was entirely "scientific."
And finally…
"MEI, the Herrscher of Thunder has entered the intended route."
Sim Elysia's report came through the channel from another region.
"Estimated arrival at Region A2 in seven seconds."
"Understood."
By the time MEI answered, she had already activated the Authority of the Void.
A spatial gate opened.
She stepped through and emerged directly in Region A2.
Aponia followed her.
Then Fu Hua.
Sim Hua.
And Sakura.
Prometheus Prime, still carrying the Void Archives, did not accompany them.
She remained at Headquarters as their final reserve.
MEI and the four Flame-Chaser-level combatants were the gatekeepers stationed at the end of the route.
The final checkpoint.
As long as the Herrscher of Thunder continued charging forward…
"Wait!"
Almost the instant MEI finished responding to Sim Elysia, Prometheus Prime's urgent voice burst through the communication channel.
"Doctor, the surveillance satellites have detected a change in the high-density Honkai Energy signature corresponding to the Herrscher of Thunder."
"She changed direction."
"She's heading toward MOTH Headquarters!"
Whoosh!
MEI did not hesitate.
She chose to trust Prometheus Prime immediately.
Another spatial gate opened, this one leading straight to MOTH Headquarters.
MEI leapt through.
Behind her, Aponia, Fu Hua, Sim Hua, and Sakura exchanged brief glances before following without hesitation.
The portal closed behind them.
In the span of only a few seconds, all five had arrived near MOTH Headquarters.
Their reaction had been fast.
Their response to the sudden change had been nearly flawless.
Even Prometheus Prime, who had remained behind as a reserve, had already fulfilled her role by detecting the deviation.
And yet…
MEI and the others had barely regained their footing when…
Boom!
A brilliant streak of crimson lightning tore across the distant sky.
It was already approaching.
Fast.
Far too fast.
The instant they saw it…
"Sakura!"
"Leave it to me."
There was no time to wonder why the Herrscher of Thunder had suddenly abandoned the route toward Region A2.
They could investigate that later.
For now, the operation had to continue.
Screech!
The harsh sound of boots grinding against the ground rang out.
Sakura lowered her center of gravity.
Her long cherry-blossom hair swayed behind her as her legs bent into a combat stance.
Her eyes sharpened.
Every trace of hesitation disappeared.
Her gaze locked onto the streak of crimson lightning racing toward them.
One hand rested near the hilt of her blade.
Her entire body settled into the opening posture of an iaijutsu strike, ready to launch herself forward at any moment.
The woman once feared throughout the world as the assassin "Forget-Me-Not" was preparing to draw her sword.
And then…
"…!"
The crimson lightning stopped.
Not slowed.
Stopped.
It came to an abrupt halt in the distant sky and advanced no farther.
Sakura's eyes narrowed.
The Herrscher of Thunder was still outside the maximum effective range of her "Blink."
For several seconds, no one moved.
Then a single thought crossed MEI's mind.
What was happening?