"Mm... it's really... not a big deal..." Vill-V said in a choked voice.
It was nothing more than the complete destruction of Helixcraft—a project that had cost her 1.95 billion and several months of painstaking construction—forcing her to confront the Herrscher of Wind head-on at the very moment the Honkai Eruption had already begun.
Ahhh, I just want to hug my head and roll around on the floor pretending nothing happened!
She had barely finished saying that everything was fully prepared and all plans were proceeding smoothly when—boom—maximum unexpected event!
This game is unplayable. Delete the account and start over! I'm never pulling for Pardo again!
Of course, these were only Id's self-deprecating jokes. She had no intention of blaming Pardo.
Not only did she not blame her, she was worried that revealing the truth would make the innocent little cat feel guilty for a long time. To Id, since the damage was already done, there was no need to burden pure little Pardo with unnecessary guilt.
If it had been Expert, she probably would have already pulled out an armed Gatling cannon and initiated a very serious "discussion" with Pardo.
"Pardo, how exactly did you get into my workshop? You grabbed the core and then got chased up here by the runaway mechanisms, didn't you?"
"Ehehehehe..." Pardo scratched her little head, silently confirming Vill-V's guess. How could she have known that the tiny crystal was so dangerous? The moment she removed it, mechanisms began going berserk one after another.
She had simply followed the path carved open by the rampaging machinery all the way to the deepest part of Helixcraft. When she tried to leave again, she found there was no way back.
In truth, those were not actual autonomous traps. They were transmission systems paired with the Directional Embedded Transmission Core, malfunctioning due to the core's removal.
Vill-V rested her cheek in her palm and let out a helpless sigh.
"Fine, fine. Let me think... how are we going to land safely?"
After all, without the Directional Embedded Transmission Core, the workshop's descent would truly become a free fall.
...
Faced with the Fourth Herrscher's reckless devastation, MOTH and the United Nations had not remained idle. They mobilized large numbers of warships and fighter jets, joining forces to encircle and suppress the Fourth Herrscher.
Yet despite their tremendous efforts, every operation ended in futility.
The Herrscher of Wind's shield was as unyielding as stone. No weapon could penetrate that solid barrier. Even powerful electromagnetic railguns and plasma cannons proved useless, like seawater crashing endlessly against a cliff only to retreat in vain.
Selwyn, Commander of MOTH's North American Theater, sat in the strategic command center. His face was pale as he smashed the coffee cup in his hand to the ground.
"Damn it! The Tethys has already been dispatched to New Zealand. Was that a deliberate diversion by the enemy? That despicable Herrscher of Wind... If only we had heavy particle cannons..."
His misjudgment of the battlefield and flawed strategic deployment were painfully obvious. As a commander who had come into the role midway through his career, he lacked not only outstanding command ability but even the most basic strategic composure. He could not remain calm in crisis, nor could he act with steady judgment.
Originally, Selwyn had been an environmental activist—the leader of Western environmentalism. Thanks to the strong support of environmental advocates and the politically correct status of environmentalism in contemporary politics, he had ascended to this position.
Why would an environmental activist hold a military command?
Because environmental advocates enjoyed extraordinarily high prestige in North American society. Even the government could not ignore their voices.
War, without question, inflicted severe damage on the environment. The use of various weapons and massive energy consumption scarred land, water, and living ecosystems in ways that were often irreversible.
Environmental activists had long marched and protested under this banner, seeking to reduce North America's military spending.
Thus, in order to secure their support, the North American Department of Defense introduced a dose of political correctness—appointing their environmental leader, Selwyn, as commander of the North American Theater. That way, if the activists wished to criticize the military, they would only be criticizing their own leader and would naturally fall silent.
But clearly, Selwyn was not a good commander.
Under his leadership, the North American military implemented a series of environmental reforms.
First, he promoted the adoption of more environmentally friendly weapons and equipment to reduce ecological damage.
At the same time, he advocated energy conservation, encouraging the military to use renewable energy sources and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
This left the North American government deeply troubled.
We only needed you as a symbolic title holder. You're actually trying to reform the army? Who could tolerate that?
And just moments ago, senior members of MOTH's North American council had already sent a video communication blaming him for the failed operations.
The so-called environmentally modified fighter jets could not catch up with the Herrscher of Wind. The "energy-saving electromagnetic railguns" and "downgraded plasma cannons" were utterly incapable of breaching her shield. As a result, the damage sustained by North America had already far exceeded the limits outlined in the Federal Safeguard Act.
After this battle, regardless of victory or defeat, Selwyn would be sent to a military tribunal for trial.
Even the environmental advocates would not defend him.
They would never admit that environmental reform had caused the problem.
If the war was lost, that was Selwyn's personal failure. Naturally, he alone would bear full responsibility.
Yet none of them considered that this battle concerned not merely his fate—but the future of MOTH and the entirety of human civilization.
If MOTH's forces collapsed across the board, it would signify the end of human civilization itself.
Herrschers were never entities to be taken lightly.
Humanity, when facing a Herrscher, could only win.
Failure was not an option.
And although Selwyn was incompetent, he understood that much. After all, one did not become the leader of Western environmentalism without a clear mind.
With no hope in his voice, he asked, "How long until the Tethys reaches North America?"
"At least three more hours, sir."
Even at full thrust, the four-core fusion battleship required at least three and a half hours to travel from New Zealand to North America. Had Selwyn not urgently dispatched it there, it would already have been reinforcing this theater.
Clutching his head, Selwyn wailed, "It's over. It's all over..."
"No. It is not over yet."
Suddenly, a mysterious voice sounded through the headset he wore.
A moment later, Selwyn abruptly stood up.
When the others thought their commander had finally regained his composure, he instead issued a cold command:
"Activate the Nuclear Arms Treaty."
The operator stared in shock.
"Sir, that's central North America! And we can't lock onto the Herrscher. The storm's dense fog has rendered all optical guidance systems and satellite positioning completely ineffective."
"Activate the Nuclear Arms Treaty!" Selwyn roared hysterically. "Carpet-bomb North America. We must eliminate the Herrscher before it becomes a global catastrophe!"