I am a hero of the former civilization.

Endless variations?

Ryan ran up the sloping iron bridge, raising his fist as he faced the crowd blocking his way.

Extremely powerful. Iron Mountain Lean.

He slammed into the crowd, his eyes scanning the surroundings. He would suddenly stop and change direction, or take a step forward and dash forward, skillfully dodging the dense blades. He would slip through the gaps and dodge with agile movements using the Bagua Step, his fists flying like rain.

A straight punch shatters the skull, a whip kick breaks the waist, an elbow pierces the chest...

Ryan was like a killing machine. He wasn't particularly fast, but his reactions were extremely sharp. No matter if it was a shadow blade, a black needle, or an insect attack, none of them could hit his vitals. Instead, his fists and elbows would shatter anything that touched him, leaving limbs and broken pieces everywhere.

'It must parasitize living things until it becomes uncontrollable.'

With countless thoughts churning in his mind, Ryan suddenly stopped. His whip-like leg, filled with shattered energy, was like a knife, not only crushing the defenses but also breaking several people in half at the waist.

Their mangled remains swooped down from the air, covered in spikes like sea urchins, and when they landed with whip-like kicks, Ryan's punch shattered them into dust in mid-air.

'There's no real sense of killing them. These shadows didn't die; they just went back on their own, no longer possessed by their host?'

Ryan turned around and looked at the dense swarm of enemies chasing after him.

They either leap into the air or sprout a pair of black wings, swooping down with an attack density that clearly exceeds the limits of dodging, aiming to physically turn the enemy into mincemeat.

Without a second thought, Ryan turned and ran. With a few loud crashes, the iron bridge was instantly dismantled, disappearing piece by piece like an eraser. Meanwhile, the people gathered together, their shadows intertwined, like a floating train.

'Can this even be done? From a single person forming an army, they become a composite entity, with their defense and damage resistance increasing dramatically.'

He saw a monster, a human centipede made up of hundreds of people, piled together, covered in black shadows, with hundreds of hands and legs moving unconsciously, and then suddenly flying up and slashing down hard at Ryan who had run to the other end of the entrance.

Like a giant black blade, its destructive power is definitely hundreds of times greater than before, and Ryan actually showed a hint of joy.

Once you know enough, the unknown becomes known, and then you become useless.

Ryan glanced to the side; the shadows of the strange sculptures were shifting, creeping up behind him like flowing water.

Not only humans, not only living beings, but also killers who kill without ever appearing in the physical form?

Others really can't do anything to you, even Sakura. They either have to retreat or be worn down by you. But you're very unlucky to have run into me.

Detect you, understand you, lock onto you, and finally kill you!

Ryan grinned and gently raised his hands.

wow-

The water from the underground river surged up like a fountain, enveloping the giant shadow blade within it, and then the two palms clapped together.

The power is activated, shattering the torrent!

The liquid flowed rapidly, like a meat grinder, cutting through the dark shadows on the surface and shredding the 'human centipede' inside into scraps.

Ryan clearly saw a girl's head leave the group and turn into barely perceptible powder in the rapids.

"Rest in peace as a human being."

His expression remained unchanged, and purple lightning erupted from his body, forming a plasma ball.

Dividing at the atomic level, the steel corridor becomes another void, where all matter is annihilated in the raging purple lightning, including the shadows poised to strike.

Pretend to be a ghost.

Torrents and arcs of electricity covered the entire underground area. Ryan, floating in the air like a god, swept his gaze around. After the intense light, not a single enemy was left.

"I told you, you couldn't stop me."

Chapter 170 The Pseudo-Herrscher

This unknown Herrscher is indeed insidious, with the air of a true schemer, but as Copper Rust said, the best battlefield for this ability is infiltration and control.

The ability to silently dismantle resistance and even turn key enemy figures into one's own is undetectable. The reason Ryan could sense it was, in his estimation, the feeling of being a 'kindred spirit'.

That's right, no one needs to talk about science anymore; even something as mysterious as 'feeling' has been put on the table.

"But I'm grateful for this metaphysics, which allows us to break free from logic and make choices based on instinct!"

The violent snowflakes lashed at us, and the earth had been melted into a huge hole, which was filled with residual electricity and flowing water.

Ryan looked at the distant mountain peaks, the same abandoned research institute he had visited a few days ago. There were no clues, no hints, but Ryan just had a feeling.

It felt like I had written out a whole bunch of formulas, and the answer was about to be revealed.

Well then, here I come.

boom--

Lightning streaked across the gloomy sky, pierced through the heavy snow, and then the small hill exploded, sending snow-covered pines flying into the sky and forming a spectacular mushroom cloud.

But the spectacular sight of the frozen ground lasted only a moment, before a sudden gust of wind swept it all away.

The mountain peak was smashed into a large crater, revealing what was inside. It was a completely sealed chamber, without even a ventilation opening, with some twisted steel pieces scattered everywhere.

Not far away, a pitch-black sphere obscured the raging storm, leaving smooth, cutting marks on the ground.

Before it, amidst howling winds and thunderous lightning, the man kneeling on one knee straightened his body inch by inch.

"So this is you, you charlatan."

When Ryan saw the black sphere, all his calculations came to fruition; as he had predicted, the lair was right there.

It was really well hidden. It was less than a hundred meters away from me in a straight line that day, and I didn't even notice it. If I hadn't caught it step by step, I wouldn't have found it even if I had dug three feet into the ground.

The shadow parted like flowing water, revealing what was inside, which was reflected in Ryan's gray eyes, causing his eyebrows to furrow involuntarily.

There was a bed with many teddy bears on it, and a thin figure sat by the window, wearing a linen robe with a pair of pale, thin legs protruding from the hem of the robe, without shoes or socks.

With long white hair and crimson eyes, she looked to be only twelve or thirteen years old. Her face was pitiful, but her slender neck was covered with many scratches, making her look like a desecrated work of art.

Ryan frowned not because of her appearance, or rather, because he had seen too many Herrschers deceive people with their appearance, but because of the feeling this girl gave him.

It's like a Herrscher, but not entirely like a Herrscher; it's strange, but I also feel relieved.

How could humans possibly create a true Herrscher? It must be the product of some kind of experiment, or more precisely, a pseudo-Herrscher.

Individuals with high Honkai energy adaptability, when exposed to high concentrations of Honkai energy for a long time, will experience an aggregation effect, resulting in a certain mutation, but without producing a Herrscher core.

A humanoid Honkai Beast, a pseudo-Herrscher, with the accumulation of time, she has the opportunity to become a true Herrscher.

'I remember there was a pseudo-Herrscher in later generations who made Theresa suffer a lightning-fast defeat, but I forgot her name.'

Ryan's memories surged, and one thing was certain: this thing was definitely no longer human.

"You don't seem surprised at all?" The girl raised her head, her voice clear but weak, like a startled little rabbit.

“What’s so strange about it? Aren’t there plenty of strange things in the world?” Ryan wasn’t in a hurry to make a move, finding the girl in front of him rather intriguing: “You’re more human than those monsters, which is quite deceptive.”

"Can't I act like a human being?"

“No.” Ryan shook his head decisively. “You will slowly lose these things and eventually become a heartless monster.”

He had pretty much figured it out: the pseudo-law enforcers were more like contract workers, while the real law enforcers were like permanent employees, both of whom were being watched by the Honkai and had the opportunity to become permanent employees over time.

Ryan would never give her a permanent position!

This authority—no, this power—is far more dangerous than the genuine Herrscher of the Wind; it truly has the potential to dismantle human society.

"One last question: why did you get involved with them? You should have known your mission the moment you stopped being human."

The girl tilted her head, looking very distressed, and subconsciously replied, "Humans truly believe in me, so why not reciprocate?"

this......

Ryan was speechless. Was he naive? Or did those people bring this upon themselves?

"How did you become a pseudo-Herrscher? Theoretically, you shouldn't have been able to succeed."

The girl became even more troubled and asked in return, "Have you ever heard of 'Paradise'?"

paradise?

In an instant, Ryan understood completely. He remembered the photo May had shown him and saw the girl stand up and slowly lift her robe.

"You're right about one thing: I am indeed a monster, destined to destroy humanity and this utterly corrupt civilization. Want to know my name?"

Ryan's pupils contracted rapidly and violently as his skirt was pulled up.

This isn't a girl at all, but...

“My name is Adam. You may call me the one who suffers greatly.”

Ryan wasn't surprised. To be chosen by the Honkai, hatred for the world was one of the conditions. It was just that his human instincts brought up the word "sorry".

He didn't immediately become the Holy Mother; instead, he raised his right hand, and lightning crackled, forming a purple lightning spear in his palm.

"I'm sorry, but I'll grant you your release now!"

Why bother pondering philosophical questions? Regardless of Adam's tragic past, based on our stance, we must send him to his death.

From a distance of 100 meters, Ryan took a deep look at the boy, stepped forward, and threw his spear.

Annihilation Spear!

A shockwave unfolded before him, and the moment he released the lightning spear, it fell into the distance, and then the world froze for a moment.

Boom——Long——

The roaring collapse could cover everything within a hundred meters, just like a bolt of lightning striking the sky from the ground. The wooden bed and the doll vanished without a trace in an instant.

not dead.

Ryan confirmed the feedback, then squinted at the side and saw a giant scythe sweeping towards him like a pendulum.

Silently, yet it sliced ​​through the ground like cutting cheese, slashing straight toward Ryan, then stopping a few meters in front of his chest.

Ripples spread through the air as an invisible authority blocked it, and they stood in a stalemate for a moment before the scythe disintegrated in an instant, transforming into hundreds of black ribbons that wrapped around Ryan from all directions.

Swish swish.

The ground was cut, the rocks were shredded, and everything that came into contact with it was crushed, eventually forming a sphere.

'The ultimate Honkai energy is about 1000 HW, which is indeed far inferior to a genuine Herrscher, but slightly stronger than a Judgment-class Honkai Beast, although its abilities are closer to those of an Authority.'

So-called authority is the overthrow of a rule, and in addition, the human form is very small and extremely difficult to capture.

"Sorry, I'd also like to experience what it feels like to overcome ten techniques with one's own strength!"

Electric arcs appeared on the surface of the air sphere. The atomic-level connections gave the arcs a network structure, which then became brighter under the intense collapse energy.