Honkai: Fire Moth Herrschers

Thump, thump, thump...

Kalpas sprinted across the churning sea as if it were solid ground, each footfall sending up sprays of seawater and white mist. Not far ahead of him, the Herrscher, her legs broken, fled with the wind at her back.

She whipped gusts of wind behind her, but Kalpas simply and violently swept his arm across, tearing the invisible gales apart as if they were nothing, leaving only faint whistling sounds in their wake.

"What is this monster?!"

The Herrscher was losing her mind.

If her opponent had been that traitor, she could have understood. But she couldn't fathom how this man before her could have the audacity to pummel her so thoroughly—did Herrschers not deserve respect?!

Damn it, damn it, damn it!

If that woman hadn't destroyed all the storms she'd conjured, she wouldn't be in such a sorry state! If that powerful air current had still been there, this strange man wouldn't have been able to break free from its restraints to chase her!

Of course, she could create another storm now, but her power was reserved for what was to come...

Kalpas's heart was even more turbulent—his body was already weak, and he had been severely injured by Mikael in the Sea of Quanta. If not for that, he wouldn't have just broken the Herrscher's legs in that first encounter. He would have broken her neck!

As the distance between them closed, the Herrscher actually felt a sense of relief. She abruptly stopped and, enveloped by the wind, slowly ascended.

Kalpas's gaze followed the Herrscher's rising form. A tsunami she had somehow conjured had already taken shape, looming over him like an inverted world.

"Come on! Come on! I dare you to keep coming!"

The Herrscher laughed maniacally, believing she had outsmarted her opponent. Kalpas's reckless pursuit had led him to the open sea, playing right into her hands. After all, her abilities could be fully unleashed here, and this heaven-overturning tsunami was just an appetizer.

Kalpas's form paused for an instant—just an instant.

The Herrscher's laughter abruptly ceased. She had expected Kalpas to be shocked, to be terrified, and then to desperately try to escape—that was how a normal human would react.

But the mask, still stained with dark blood, appeared right in front of her.

"How… how so fast…"

She wanted to say those words, but her throat couldn't make a sound. Blood gurgled from her mouth. She forced herself to look down through the pain, only to see Kalpas's thick fist had punched clean through her throat.

"Hmph… Pathetic! Is this the level of enemy you face?"

Kalpas ripped the Herrscher's head off. From beneath his mask, his eyes glanced sideways at Mikael, who had suddenly appeared beside him.

"Hey, hey, hey! Can you not be so brutal? A Herrscher's corpse is very valuable!"

Kalpas unceremoniously tossed the Herrscher's head and body at Mikael, who casually opened a spatial rift that swallowed them whole.

"Tch!"

Kalpas clicked his tongue. He was really fed up with Mikael's spatial abilities… Of course, it wasn't all bad. If Mikael hadn't opened that rift in his charge path just now, he wouldn't have been able to take the Herrscher's head so easily while she was completely unguarded… and he certainly wouldn't be standing in midair like this.

He took a long look at Mikael, curiosity bubbling up inside him: How did he manage such perfect coordination?

It would have required Mikael to predict his charge path and speed, and to have a deep understanding of his personality: Would he charge at full speed or hold back? Would he charge straight ahead or flank? Would he even choose to flee?

They had only fought a few times. Kalpas didn't think Mikael could understand him to that extent.

He wanted to ask, but his pride held him back. He could only let out a muffled grunt.

A fine drizzle drifted down, seeping through the cracks in his wooden mask and wetting his face. He and Mikael looked at the towering tsunami rushing towards them.

Although the Herrscher was dead, the tsunami she had unleashed wouldn't stop. Or rather, having lost the Herrscher's conscious control, the giant wave that covered the entire sky became even more unpredictable and dangerous.

"Alright, I'll take care of this. You go down and rest. And while you're at it, look after that pink-haired girl for me."

"?"

Before Kalpas could unleash his verbal barrage, he was sucked into a spatial rift by an immense force.

"Hoo…"

The sea churned for hundreds of kilometers, as if ready to swallow everything whole at any moment. Mikael closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled. Between the inhale and exhale, his entire body glowed with a blue aura.

His silver-gray hair rapidly grew, reaching his waist.

When he opened his now blood-red eyes, his slightly darker, gear-shaped pupils spun. To him, now in his fully unleashed Herrscher form, the thousand-meter-high wave was no different than a page turning in a book.

"Come to think of it, this is the first time I've used Sakura's weapon, right?"

He held the blue katana horizontally across his chest. Honkai energy, thick as black ink, seeped into the ice blade. A biting chill, visible to the naked eye, spread outwards along the blade, just like the tsunami. Following it with his gaze to the horizon, he couldn't see its end.

With a gentle swing, he drew the blade, severing the sea. Heaven and earth were divided. The wave, cleaved by the katana, was frozen in that instant—only its size had increased, now in the form of ice.

From Agania Island, the all-consuming wave simply stopped. What appeared before everyone was a continuous ice mountain range stretching for hundreds of kilometers.

The next moment, the ice mountain collapsed, and the waves churned. But compared to the previous turbulence, the sea now seemed strangely calm.

Watching the images transmitted by the small drone, silence descended upon the underground command room on Agania Island.

Vashak had completely given up. Shaking his head, he pulled his hood over his head and lay down on the table to sleep.

But clearly, not everyone wanted him to have it so easy.

Pro walked over to him and asked softly, "Commander, the Chief of Staff sent a message."

"What does he want?"

Vashak was a bit irritated. The Fourth Herrscher didn't have the Third Herrscher's ability to interfere with communications. So, everything that happened on the battlefield, including the images, could be seen by both the command room and Lucien at headquarters.

Knowing that, Lucien should understand that the best course of action now was to do nothing, and to tacitly allow Mikael, Elysia, and that mysterious man to leave. That was why Vashak had so brazenly given up.

"Uh… the Chief of Staff hopes we can test their strength, especially that of the mysterious man."

"?" Vashak rubbed his cheeks. "Do we still need to test their strength? No, he's just interested in that mysterious man, isn't he?!"

Pro gave an almost imperceptible nod.

Vashak rubbed his cheeks again. Lucien really loved to watch a good show. But it didn't matter. As commander, he had the authority to reject Lucien's proposal.

"The Chief of Staff also said that your previous performance in the command room has caused concern among the entire staff and the United Government. They need to re-evaluate your ability to continue in your role. Therefore, the unanimous opinion of the staff is that, just like with the battlefield command earlier, Dr. Mei should be in charge of this matter…"

Vashak slapped his hand on the table, then let it fall. "Then why are you even here talking to me? Dr. Mei is right. You should listen to her!"

He hadn't been idle while Mei was commanding the battle. He had anticipated this kind of messy situation, so it didn't faze him much.

"But… Dr. Mei…"

"Alright, Uncle Pro, let me handle this: Commander, have you all forgotten one crucial thing—the Fourth Herrscher's corpse and core?"

"!"

Oh, right!

He and Lucien, he didn't know what had gotten into them, but they had both overlooked this issue!

So, when Mikael returned to the Chasing Flames Three, bringing Kevin and Hua back to Agania Island with him, he saw Elysia standing in front of Kalpas, as if confronting some enemy.

But there was no enemy, only Kalpas. As for the other mechs and soldiers, they had formed a wide circle around them. Some were watching, while others were digging out the previously collapsed underground rooms.

"Mei!"

Kevin, still dizzy from the phase transfer, perked up the moment he saw Mei.

He was about to run towards Mei as usual when he felt a chill on his neck. The tip of a Void Lance was pressed against his throat, even slightly indenting his skin.

He took a step back and turned his head to look at Mikael, the corner of his mouth twitching. "Hey… Mikael, what are you doing?"

Before he could finish speaking, he felt a blow to the back of his head, and his consciousness faded into darkness.

"This idiot, can he not be so trusting of others…"

Mikael hoisted Kevin over his shoulder, signaled to Elysia to keep Kalpas in check, and walked towards Mei alone.

Mei simply pushed up her glasses and glanced at the unconscious Kevin, just a glance.

"It seems my boyfriend has also become your bargaining chip?"

She was only wearing a purple shirt, which seemed a bit thin for the current weather, just like Fire Moth's leverage in this negotiation.

Her words were calm enough, but she was still young, and her expression was a bit forced. She thought that by not paying too much attention to Kevin, she could appear indifferent, but this only made her gaze unnaturally evasive.

Mikael waved his hand, and the Fourth Herrscher's corpse appeared on the ground between them. The bloodstains on her chest were still fresh. Clearly, Mikael had already taken the core.

"You were the one commanding Fire Moth's battle just now, right? As an acquaintance, I might say, Mei, well done!"

Although all of her arrangements hadn't had the intended effect under the Fourth Herrscher's absolute power, Mikael still believed that it was the best Fire Moth could do with their current combat strength in such a short time.

After all, they were facing a Fourth Herrscher who was more powerful than in the original timeline and who had the advantage of the battlefield.

According to the information Mikael had obtained in the bubble world, the Fourth Herrscher shouldn't have appeared here, nor should she have demonstrated the power to control ocean currents.

For Mei to be able to eliminate almost all of the Honkai beasts with conventional human troops under these circumstances was already a remarkable achievement.

Mei naturally understood this, but she wasn't arrogant. Instead, she spread her hands, indicating for Mikael to get straight to the point.

"Well… how about we make a deal?"

"What kind of deal?"

"The Fourth Herrscher's corpse, consider it a free gift from me out of personal friendship."

Mei shook her head. While it seemed like an advantage she could take, accepting it would mean falling into Mikael's verbal trap. To put it in Paradox Interactive terms, both sides had claims to the Fourth Herrscher's corpse and core, but Mikael was in actual control.

He seemed to be giving up the Herrscher's corpse, but if Mei accepted, it would mean acknowledging his claim to both the corpse and the core.

And because it was a "gift," Mei would be at a disadvantage in subsequent negotiations.

But she also had a headache. After all, these things were firmly in Mikael's hands. As the weaker party in the negotiation, she couldn't even think of anything Fire Moth had that Mikael needed.

Fortunately, Mikael didn't seem to care. And indeed, he had plenty of bargaining chips.

"Alright then, consider it me just casually leaving the corpse here… So, Mei, I hope Fire Moth will revoke the internal bounty on us and not treat us as enemies—at least not openly. And what you'll get in return… Kevin, or the Herrscher's core. Take your pick."

The corner of Mei's mouth twitched slightly. Mikael's conditions weren't excessive at all, not at all. In fact, it was no longer possible for Fire Moth to actually eliminate them, given Mikael's current combat power—unless both sides disregarded the Honkai and simply wanted to perish together.

Therefore, maintaining this strange balance was inevitable.

The question was, the core or Kevin? How to choose?

"Kevin."

Mei didn't hesitate. She knew that even if she weighed the pros and cons a thousand times, ten thousand times in her mind, she would still make the same initial choice.

As expected, Mikael put Kevin down and pushed him into Mei's arms.

"Then the core belongs to us."

Mikael waved his hand, about to leave.

"Wait!"

"Hmm?"

"About that man…"

Mei's gaze shifted to Kalpas, who was standing impatiently, occasionally kicking at the air.

"Mei, you have no more bargaining chips."

"…"

"Ah, right!"

Before disappearing, Mikael suddenly turned back. He looked openly at Aldemir, who had been pulled unconscious from the ruins not far away, even drawing Mei's attention to him.

But what he said was completely unrelated:

"Mei, Dr. Mobius hopes you'll give her regards to Klein."

Klein?

Having inherited Mobius's position, she naturally also inherited that rather taciturn assistant…

Mei's eyes widened slightly. When she came back to her senses, Mikael, Elysia, Hua, and that strange man had all disappeared.

Only Kevin in her arms radiated a familiar warmth.

The Herrscher's corpse at her feet still reeked of blood, but Mei was completely used to it. Compared to six months ago, it felt like a lifetime ago.

So she turned off the communication device clipped to her lapel, even though Lucien on the other end hadn't said a word the entire time.

With Karabiya's help, she first took Kevin to the field hospital, and then, under the pretense of visiting the wounded, she quietly approached the unconscious Aldemir.

Evangeline was sitting beside him on a small stool. Seeing Mei, she quickly stood up and saluted.

Mei blinked silently: It seemed getting that phone now would be a bit difficult. But it didn't matter, she had plenty of time.