I am a hero of the former civilization.

Thump—Boom!

The white ring in the sky had just bloomed when a mushroom cloud mixed with broken wood exploded on the ground, a clear hole appeared in the center of the snow forest, and then the dust in the sky was pierced through.

Second stage acceleration.

It was still so fast, giving no one a chance to breathe. Ryan pounced to the ground and saw the shadow in the center of the crater.

The shadowy figures were as thin and flickering as flames. The boy in the center was hunched over, his white hair stained with blood. He instinctively raised his right hand to concentrate his remaining energy.

Swah——

The thin, long, jet-black blade slashed down, then paused above the attacker's head.

Ryan raised his left hand, as if holding up an invisible shield, keeping the knife above his head. Leaning forward, he thrust his right hand, which resembled a knife, forward, plunging it deep into the boy's thin chest. The spurting blood stained his body red.

"Any last words?"

Everything froze, all sound ceased. Adam slowly lowered his head, gazing at the killing machine.

Decisive, efficient, and ruthless, he crushes all schemes with his strength, which is precisely the nemesis of his abilities.

His life force was rapidly dissipating. He opened his mouth, but the remaining humanity filled his heart, leaving him speechless. He could only follow his instincts and his burning hatred.

"Humanity... will inevitably be destroyed."

Ryan's expression didn't change, but he sensed the despair and intense hatred. His experiences had inevitably led him down this path; at least compared to those corpses, he still possessed the power of revenge.

"I understand you."

Ryan nodded almost imperceptibly, without any hint of sarcasm, and clenched his fist into the hand that had pierced his body.

As the mournful cries of a thousand birds echoed and lightning roared, his entire body was annihilated. Gazing at the gradually disappearing, lifeless head, Ryan uttered another sentence.

"I killed you because of my stance, but I will erase those sins for you and send them to their deaths soon."

Adam's face showed obvious shock and confusion; he couldn't understand why this guardian of humanity would help him.

He vanished in the lightning, his lips moved silently twice, and then he was completely annihilated.

There were no more pseudo-Herrschers in front of Ryan's eyes, only a messy forest. He stood there for a while, then let out a long sigh.

I never imagined that one day I would be thanked by the minions of the Honkai. This world—

That's really fucking ridiculous.

Chapter 172 The Lawgiver, the Beast, and the Human Heart

Unlike the Herrscher of Corruption, Adam did not need a physical form to hide within authority. When he was engulfed by lightning, he was truly dead, and even the remaining shadow disappeared into the air.

Klein didn't feel much of a sense of victory or joy; his trip to the snowfield was by no means pleasant. He could also sketch out the outline of this pseudo-Herrscher's life.

Ryan experienced the world's deepest darkness in a place called 'Paradise'. He didn't even think about what happened there because it was too disgusting. Then he was taken to this secret laboratory and suffered the torment of human experimentation.

Perhaps because a Herrscher had emerged from 'Paradise', or perhaps due to exceptional talent, he survived the experiments and became an aggregate of Honkai energy, a pseudo-Herrscher.

As we know from later generations, this was the best vessel for the Herrscher, essentially preparing materials for the Honkai. However, for some reason, he did not obtain the core to become a true Herrscher, and thus became a strange existence.

In a post-civilization era, there might still be a chance to save him, but in this pre-civilization era, his humanity will only continue to be lost, and one day it will be restored.

So I had no choice but to kill him.

Ryan looked around but couldn't find the Herrscher core, which confirmed his hypothesis. The faint sorrow and fatigue combined to make him feel very bad.

'This time, I guess I've ventured deep into the dark side of the world.'

The trip to the snowfield left Ryan somewhat exhausted, and he witnessed the evil of humanity once again. If one's will is not strong, one might even develop a sense of identification with it. Fortunately, he is past the age of being a chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur) and is not an innocent flower in a greenhouse.

Where there is good, there is evil; where there is order in Lundum, there is chaos in Snow Prison Town. But we must know that the world is not black and white, and we must distinguish certain people from humanity.

"Some things are beyond the control of power. Evil never ends. There is material to become a pseudo-Herrscher everywhere, and there is no shortage of bastards who will do anything to die. Compared with them, killing Honkai Beasts is more reassuring."

Ryan sighed. This kind of thing really made people feel powerless. A large part of the previous civilization's downfall was due to their own self-destruction.

The hesitation lasted only a moment before he became pure and resolute again. As long as he maintained his 'true self,' these things could actually provide him with strength.

"Similarly, there are some things I can do that are within my power."

Ryan turned around decisively and took out his phone.

"Mei, things are settled. Help me investigate something."

"Go ahead," May hesitated for a moment, finding Ryan's tone odd, as if he didn't seem to share the joy of victory.

"Finding out who built the 'paradise' and who participated in it should not be difficult to investigate, except for the founders."

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone. With Mei's intelligence, she had already guessed the reason. The pseudo-law user must be related to that. It was no coincidence that he was sent to Northern Europe, thousands of kilometers away.

"Do you want to follow the trail to the bottom, or do you want to be a partner of justice?"

"I want both."

Upon hearing this answer, Mei tensed up, then relaxed in an instant. 'Should the world be saved?' has always been a philosophical question. When people gaze into the darkness, they will sooner or later be swallowed by it.

"Ha, at least you're not on the other side, Ryan. The authority you've been displaying has always worried me, I'm afraid you've been provoked."

"There will be excitement, of course, but I'm not going to change my values. Don't treat me like a child."

"Ryan, you're only twenty years old."

"But I live more clearly than those who are on their deathbed."

After a third silence, Mei revealed a self-deprecating smile, even a hint of controlling intent, telling Ryan to stay put and stop wandering around. There were too many things in the world now that could shatter one's worldview.

But she didn't say it aloud, feeling that such thoughts were an insult to Ryan.

That man was a killing machine, seemingly indifferent, yet he had witnessed both good and bad, and was filled with the most complex aspects of human nature, yet he maintained his true self amidst the turbulent waves.

"Okay, I'll look it up for you. Do what you need to do right away, then come back for an important meeting."

"What meeting?"

"The results for the Divine Key have been determined."

Ryan paused as he walked back to Snow Prison Town, finally showing a hint of joy.

"Okay, that's it."

He hung up the phone and breathed a sigh of relief. Humanity had another trump card, and he would have the chance to see that amazing weapon for himself.

Go back quickly.

Ryan muttered something, kicked open the door, and returned to the satellite house. The people here had either become possessions of pseudo-Herrschers or had been frightened away by the aftermath of the battle, and there wasn't a single person to be seen in the entire town.

He went to the deepest secret room, which he had discovered during his last negotiation. Lightning tore through the blast door, and the room was filled with weapons, food, and gold.

But he didn't even bother to glance at it. He walked behind the large desk, rummaged around for a while, and found a list of dignitaries who had come to experience the unique tourism of Snow Prison Town.

Ryan flipped through the pages numbly, muttering to himself as he went.

"I have understood the abilities of the pseudo-Herrscher. As expected, it is a degraded product. It cannot fully master and learn to strengthen itself like a real Herrscher. It is similar to the previous Honkai Beasts."

Under the light, Ryan's shadow shifted like flowing water, transforming into a thin, long blade that sliced ​​the safe in two, cutting through the thick alloy without the slightest hesitation.

"Is this all that can be used? There's no way to keep decomposing, spreading, and eroding like he does, turning people into puppets, let alone completely replacing them or reading their memories."

He sighed, figuring that in battle, one could use variations and stealth to ambush opponents, thus achieving a balance between offense and defense.

The ability still has some use; at least it can serve as the last line of defense. Adam used this thing to withstand many full-force attacks.

"The biggest gain is that the Honkai energy has finally reached 2000 HW, completely surpassing the limits of the Herrscher."

Ryan paused in his book flipping, looked at the list of VIP clients, and revealed a cruel smile.

"Then let's do some Herrscher-like things."

He put away the roster, cut open the wall, and returned to the sunlight. The wind and snow had stopped sometime earlier, and the town was quiet.

Ryan had no intention of being a savior. He couldn't make everyone live happily with his power alone, nor could he restore countless similar towns to their former glory.

But he was neither arrogant nor indifferent.

While it cannot eradicate evil, it can make people pay the price, the price they deserve, within a tangible range.

Ryan took a step and vanished from the desolate town.

This is the authority that power bestows.

......

The brief battle changed the weather, but by evening, the wind and snow began to howl again, as if the laws of nature could be affected by people, but once the time passed, everyone went about their business as usual.

The terrain within a radius of dozens of miles was also altered by the battle. In particular, in the central area more than ten kilometers away from the town, an entire grove of cedar trees vanished without a trace, and the mountain range turned into a deep pit, leaving only some ruins.

Hey.

A man in a double-breasted trench coat lay amidst the ruins, holding a cane, strolling like a British gentleman through the purest destruction.

There was nothing there; the ground had collapsed, completely burying the underground research institute, and a strong sense of collapse still lingered in the air.

"It's him."

The Herrscher of Ice stopped and quickly made a judgment. His handsome face did not change. He showed neither relief nor anger at the death of his kind. He simply frowned deeply.

Two powers, a rapidly escalating threat, have increased humanity's chances of victory by several percentage points; however—

There's nothing we can do about him.

The collapse is intensifying, but it requires a gradual process. For some reason, bringing about the end directly would render everything meaningless.

Learning, thinking, planning, and even ganging up on him had no effect. That human was gradually expanding, and the Herrscher of Ice had no doubt that if she encountered him, she would be defeated.

Ironically, humanity now possesses an increasing number of fusion warriors, and in terms of sheer power, they have far surpassed others, even exceeding the strength of the Herrschers that can be deployed at this time.

A certain emergency mechanism was automatically activated, constantly adjusting based on feedback from the world, and the Herrscher of Ice on the snowfield had found the answer.

He looked at the ruins of the research institute and realized that everything in this world was a source of decay.

Those who follow the law are like beasts, like the human heart.

He gently lifted his chin, and a voice seemed to echo throughout the world:

"Humans, you're full of flaws."

Chapter 173 I've Caught That Little Pervert by the Foot!