An Army of over eight hundred people was currently riding Danger Beasts trained by the Northern Empire, advancing steadily through the snowy terrain. Their objective was the eastern coast, the place where a certain Super Class Danger Beast had been sighted.
At the very front of the Army, Cerydra, acting as the supreme commander, furrowed her brows—only because an unpleasant incident had just occurred.
Since ancient times, humans had possessed methods to domesticate Danger Beasts. Some were hunted for food, while others were trained as mounts and tools for travel.
Horses were naturally among them, and Cerydra had initially intended to ride a horse and set out alongside the other Chrysos Heirs.
However, the moment Cerydra sat on the horse's back as she desired, the style of the scene changed instantly.
The petite Imperator seemed not to have realized that she had short legs. After mounting the horse, her feet could not reach anything at all, which was somewhat embarrassing... while Hysilens on the other side had no issues, Cerydra simply could not do it.
It was only at this moment that Cerydra realized why the character she was Roleplaying in Honkai: Star Rail preferred riding the Great Ground Beast...
Because if she rode a horse, her legs would look extremely short from the side!
If she truly rode a horse through the streets of the Northern Country, it would directly cause the citizens' impression of the Empress to shift. There might even be some ignorant children asking...
"Why are Her Majesty the Empress's legs so short?"
Fortunately, Cerydra had the foresight to test her compatibility with the horse a day in advance. Otherwise, if such a thing had actually happened, her glorious image would have been completely ruined!
Consequently, Cerydra directly swapped her mount from a horse to a creature resembling a Velociraptor from Jurassic Park.
Although it looked somewhat dangerous, the humans of this world also had their specialties. With a certain amount of training, even a young man from the countryside could defeat high-level Danger Beasts...
I'm talking about you, Tatsumi!
Therefore, as long as the size difference between the creature and a human wasn't too vast, they were generally quite easy to tame.
Of course, Cerydra hadn't dismissed the idea of sharing a horse with Hysilens or Esdeath, but the visual effect...
Better forget it!
Cerydra would absolutely be mistaken for a child.
"Oh! Finally found a trace of you..."
As a massive crater appeared ahead, the rank of Chrysos Heirs came to a halt, staring solemnly at the hole...
At this moment, even the densest person could realize that this wasn't a "crater" at all, but a "footprint."
A footprint left behind by a gargantuan creature!
The footprint was enormous; by visual estimation, it exceeded a hundred meters, enough to rival a small lake. The depth was equally terrifying, indicating that the weight of this creature was greater than any being they had ever encountered!
"Should I say as expected of a Super Class Danger Beast? To be able to leave such legends in history, it truly isn't a simple organism."
"Are we going to fight a monster like this next?"
The Soldiers in the back whispered among themselves, but the Imperator turned her gaze toward Esdeath beside her.
"Can you estimate the opponent's height and weight through the footprints?"
Esdeath was originally a hunter who had dealt with Danger Beasts in the Snowy Mountains for many years; she had surely summarized a lot of experience. Furthermore, during this time, Cerydra had ordered Esdeath to go to the Northern Country's library to familiarize herself thoroughly with knowledge of Danger Beasts.
And now, it was time for Cerydra to test Esdeath's learning progress!
"This... is very difficult."
Esdeath spoke bluntly. Although she had much experience and had encountered many Danger Beasts, a legendary existence like a Super Class Danger Beast was somewhat beyond her cognition.
"However, for a creature with footprints this large, its height should exceed a thousand meters! I cannot be certain of the specifics..."
There are disparities even among Danger Beasts; there might exist monsters with exceptionally small bodies but oddly large paws. Esdeath could only guess this far.
"A thousand meters? That's fine; at least it seems like it can hold up appearances."
Cerydra's expression was indifferent, showing no signs of panic. This scene also calmed the Chrysos Heirs, who had been somewhat flustered.
Her Majesty the Empress is actually so confident; she must already possess a way to defeat the opponent, right?
Besides, we haven't even seen its face yet, what's the rush?
Look at Her Majesty the Empress...
Elegant!
So elegant!
As the commander of the entire Army, Cerydra naturally wouldn't be afraid, let alone show a cowardly expression. Thus, she used a confident attitude to soothe the Army's morale, but in reality...
This confidence was entirely faked!
Because Cerydra didn't know the settings of those Super Class Danger Beasts either. Who knew how strong they were?
Although the First Emperor from a thousand years ago killed many Super Class Danger Beasts, there might be differences between them... perhaps the ones he killed were all the weak Super Class Danger Beasts?
Precisely because she was unsure, Cerydra left behind the necessary guards and chose to have everyone else move out in full force!
Over eight hundred Chrysos Heirs should be enough to deal with you, you monster, right?
"As suspected before, that giant beast headed toward the Snowy Mountains... no wonder the fog around here is so thick!"
"In that case, let's set out!"
Looking at the continuous Snowy Mountains in the distance, though Cerydra had many thoughts in her heart, the urgent priority was to find that giant beast; otherwise, everything was moot.
As the Army of eight hundred followed the footprints forward, the surrounding Chrysos Heirs could clearly perceive the temperature beginning to rise. Furthermore, the surrounding snowflakes showed signs of melting, which was clearly an omen.
Simply walking across the snow could cause such an impact?
In her heart, Cerydra had already raised the threat level of the Super Class Danger Beast to the maximum.
Simply passing through an area was enough to change the surrounding environment; this wasn't something just anyone could achieve.
Finally, when Cerydra led the Army of eight hundred into the Snowy Mountains, the sight inside the mountains attracted everyone again.
This was clearly a snowy mountain range, but where was the "snow"?
And the footprints of that Super Class Danger Beast—how did they all vanish here?
"Prepare for battle!"
Cerydra frowned and jumped off her mount. The other Chrysos Heirs followed suit, immediately scattering around to prevent being wiped out by a sneak attack.
This was also a result of Cerydra's training. To prevent tactics like a "starting hydrogen bomb," the Chrysos Heirs had to maintain a certain distance from each other, yet not be too far apart.
The ground here is so hard...
This was Cerydra's first sensation upon stepping onto the ground.
Judging from the intelligence, the body temperature of that Super Class Danger Beast should be extremely high, enough to melt the Snowy Mountains.
But now, even though the snow had melted, there wasn't even a hint of moisture in the surroundings. Clearly, the Danger Beast's body temperature was far higher than imagined!
But why did the traces vanish here?
Cerydra tapped her Scepter on the ground, then gently pressed down... However, the dry earth was instantly shattered in that moment, revealing the hard, pitch-black object beneath the soil!
Cerydra: !!!
"Run!"
This wasn't the ground at all; it was the body of that Super Class Danger Beast.
In that instant, Hysilens mobilized the Authority of the ocean, rushing directly toward the Chrysos Heirs behind her. Cerydra also grabbed Esdeath at that moment and leaped upward...
RUMBLE—!
The earth completely shattered at this moment. A massive dragon head emerged from the ground, its crimson gaze locking directly onto one person...
The Demigod of the ocean, Hysilens!