I am a hero of the former civilization.

"What a fast knife."

Ryan couldn't help but applaud softly. Sakura's sword was not only fast, but also extremely calm. Every kill laid the groundwork for what was to come, like a work of art.

As expected of someone ranked among the top warriors, even before becoming a fusion warrior, his strength is already considerable, and he wields this Soul Steel weapon with ease.

There are tens of thousands of fusion warriors, and those who survive to the end must have extraordinary abilities.

Dozens of monsters were slaughtered, their blood soaking the beach. Ryan, who hadn't even made a move, heard the rustling in the woods and went over to investigate.

"The second wave is coming soon, can we still fight?"

Sakura adjusted her breathing, her fingers gently brushing across the blade, feeling the texture brought about by the increased power.

The knife alone made her far stronger. Normally, even with the strength of the Honkai Emperor's body, alloy weapons would break, so how could she cut them open like tofu?

"of course can."

"Then I'll lend a hand too. Don't worry, I have a way to conserve my energy."

Ryan didn't choose to slack off. He gently drew his simple longsword, twisted his wrist, and flicked it towards the ground.

Swah——

The damp earth was ripped open, and a mutated, corrupted emperor was launched into the air. This thing was less than two meters long and lurked underground like an assassin.

How come I didn't notice?

Sakura's breath hitched, and she saw that Ryan beside her had disappeared. She could only faintly hear a whistling sound in the air. When she turned her head, she saw that the Honkai Emperor had been split into five even pieces in the air.

This is no longer a matter of speed, but rather that the Honkai Beast's trajectory is completely undetectable to the naked eye; it's more like it's disintegrating on its own.

Ding.

The longsword was sheathed, and Ryan was already standing in front of her, holding the crimson hilt.

"Let's go, let's settle in the abandoned town first. The monsters on this island should have been cleared out."

"You want to wait for them to mobilize manpower?" Sakura blurted out.

"If there are further attacks, it proves that Shesa must be here, then—"

Ryan gripped his sword and silently disappeared into the woods.

"It can't run away!"

Chapter 107 Thunderclap Opens the Heavens!

The tides lapped against the shore, the moon and stars were few and far between. On the edge of the equator, there was no chill of late autumn. In addition, the concentration of decay was too high, and all insects and birds had died. All was quiet.

If it weren't for the human skeletons washed away by the waves, this ruin covered in vines would have resembled a secluded paradise.

On the rooftop, a campfire was lit, and Sakura was kneeling on the ground, brewing tea, while Ryan stood on a high place, gazing at the island's surroundings.

Whether Honkai Beasts possess intelligence and are capable of employing tactics has always been a crucial question for the Firemoth series.

At least for now, relevant data is still scarce, but Ryan didn't take it to heart. He understood that Honkai was something that couldn't be traced at all, but one thing was certain in this pre-civilization:

He will use every means to destroy human civilization.

"Now that the unknown has increased, not to mention experience, even my precognitive abilities have become useless."

In fact, the future still has its uses. At least Ryan understands that the Herrschers are not a bunch of mindless monsters that destroy the world. Just like the Herrscher of Domination, their power and destructive force are not proportional at all. They even know how to assassinate May, just like they can distinguish who is the biggest threat.

Human resistance provides constant feedback, and the Honkai adjusts accordingly. It has intelligence and cunning; the Herrschers might even beg for mercy, it just depends on when to use it.

"The only thing that remains unchanged is the starting point. Even if Herrschers and Honkai Beasts develop emotions and personalities, they can never betray humanity and turn to the side of humans. Therefore, they cannot be called personalities and emotions."

Ryan took a deep breath. This thing was terrifying. As long as the starting point didn't change, having emotions and a personality would make the Honkai even more difficult to deal with.

Being able to think, to feel fear, to be curious, means being able to learn and adjust tactics, and never going back on their word. They are far superior to a bunch of beasts whose minds are full of destruction.

"Ryan, what are you thinking about?" Sakura handed over a few rice balls, which were warm and had obviously been scalded with boiling water.

“I’m thinking about the evolution of the Honkai. This thing isn’t just a simple monster; it just needs feedback and a trigger.” Ryan held his teacup, not using obscure terms like imaginary numbers.

Sakura, who didn't understand research, only analyzed it from a tactical perspective: "This is originally a war. The Fire Moth is constantly developing weapons, and the enemy will naturally respond in kind. It's just a matter of who can get ahead."

If it were that simple, I wouldn't be pondering the meaning of life.

Ryan had long realized that the original annihilation scenario only worked without him, let alone having a destiny that didn't exist in this world and personally seizing the Herrscher's authority.

Even if he allows someone who is destined to die to live, the feedback from the Honkai will change, only the reaction will be greater or less.

But Sakura is right too. A war can never be won by only the human side strengthening itself, otherwise the Honkai would lose face.

"Never mind, there's no turning back once you take that first step. I can only verify for myself how many of my dozen or so hypotheses can become reality."

More than a dozen hypotheses?

Sakura raised an eyebrow, thinking to herself that Ryan was indeed very shrewd, having secretly thought about so many things.

"You smart people are such a nuisance. Just wondering, what's your worst-case scenario?"

Looking out from her perspective, there was the sea in front of her and a dark jungle behind her, the damp sea breeze carrying the smell of blood.

The two of them had already killed all the Honkai Beasts on the island. Just like before, they were like a bunch of mindless monsters who would jump out and seek death whenever they saw humans.

“Worst?” Ryan repeated the word, a bitter smile on his lips, but he couldn’t explain it to Sakura.

The worst outcome would be the destruction of the previous civilization. The adjustments made by the Honkai were not the limit; it was simply because this human civilization was only worthy of doing those things, releasing the thirteen Herrschers, and declaring the game over.

As for the post-civilization era, it is completely irrelevant because Alicia and May have already laid the foundation for them, making the Honkai akin to the Blacksmith's brewery.

"The worst-case scenario is that there is no limit to the collapse; within this range, all struggles are futile, unless—"

Ryan took a sudden step forward, drew his straight sword, and slashed down at Sakura's shoulder.

Wow!

The two bolts of lightning collided and exploded, turning the house and campfire into dust. The girl turned her head in astonishment and saw the remaining arcs of electricity in the darkness, the origin of which was another small island across the sea.

"Someone can transcend the constraints of the world!"

Sakura didn't hear the second half of the sentence at all, because the blast wave had already swept her away. She barely managed to adjust her posture in mid-air and grab the tough vine.

The electric arc still lingered, and a white line cut across the sea and stretched into the distance. This 'surprise' made her breath catch in her throat.

Shesa was there and seized the opportunity to launch a shameless sneak attack. If Ryan hadn't remained vigilant, the two would have been either dead or crippled.

In other words, his guess was completely correct; that Judgment-class Honkai Beast had been there from the beginning, lying in wait for a fatal blow, just like...

"It's hunting!"

A strong wind blew in his face, but Ryan felt no excitement at discovering Shesa's whereabouts. Instead, his heart raced as if he were getting closer to the truth.

Why does it hunt? Does it know that the Fire Moths are going to use them to create fusion warriors, or is it simply targeting me? But how does it know that it is me?

The unknown lingered in his mind, and the battle had lost its purity, yet Ryan felt no fear whatsoever.

Go touch it, go explore it, go kill it!

With bold hypotheses and careful verification, Ryan simply yearned for answers, rising suddenly like a spring up from dry land.

Swah——

Another bolt of lightning swept across the sea, clearing away the reefs and sunken ships. With that, Ryan finally saw the enemy's true face.

It was a giant, winding snake that was over ten meters long. It had a flat head, four huge hands, and its body was covered with green patterns. Thick black mud gushed out from where it touched the ground, and a violent aura emanated from it.

"In terms of the amount of Honkai energy, it's no weaker than mine, and this feeling..." Ryan's eyes twitched, and he blurted out, "It's like they've been waiting for me for a long time?"

They neither fled nor confronted the Fire-Chasing Moths head-on, but instead remained hidden, waiting to be defeated. Before the fusion warriors succeeded, there were only two beings capable of defeating them alone.

interesting.

Ryan, who was rapidly ascending, suddenly stopped in mid-air, and then crashed down like a charged comet. Watching the lightning bolt flying towards him like a spear, Ryan gripped the hilt of his sword and swung it down in a wide arc.

Purple lightning and dragon roar!

Chixiao, carrying all the energy, transformed it into a roaring thunder dragon, which swallowed the spear whole, causing the 'comet' to fall.

Boom! !

Sakura, who had just climbed onto the roof, covered her face and saw that the distant island was as bright as day. The spreading arcs of electricity tore through the sea and annihilated the trees. Even though Shesa condensed two flashing lightning blades, her body was still firmly pressed to the ground.

Is this his full power?

Sakura didn't think too much about it, and just grabbed her sword and rushed over there. The silent island seemed to come alive, and countless Honkai Beasts were roaring.

She dared not join the battle, but knew that her mission was to hold off these grunts and prevent them from draining Ryan's energy.

The electric currents swirled around him, like the mournful cry of a thousand birds. Looking at Shesa beneath him, Ryan basically grasped the situation:

They possess power on par with mine, but are no match for me.

Even though the Honkai energy intensity was similar, Ryan's authority was a level higher than Shesa's ability. A few seconds later, the lightning blade was directly pierced by the straight sword, and the giant snake began to spin rapidly.

A sword mark was melted into the hard shell, and as soon as Ryan landed, the huge tail lashed out in front of him.

boom!

The air was compressed and then expanded, and Ryan slid out, crashing through trees and boulders in the road, his straight sword piercing the ground and stopping right by the sea.

"Yes, your physical strength is indeed superior to mine."

His figure flashed and he appeared ten meters away. He saw the lightning blades merge and slash at the spot where he had just stood, parting the sea surface and evaporating a cloud of white smoke.

It's very resilient and has a strong output.

Ryan crouched down and saw the giant blade skimming the surface of the sea as it approached, so he charged ahead of time.

Using the technique of magnetic levitation, it only takes a blink of an eye to go from still to high speed. The huge body of the Honkai Beast cannot compete with its agility. Once it gets close, it will be Ryan's home ground.

Shesa clearly understood this principle, and immediately raised his remaining two hands, holding the ball lightning in his palms, and pressed it under his feet without saying a word.

boom--

An arc of electricity, carrying dust, surged towards them. Ryan squinted and raised his straight sword.

Thunder breaks at dawn.

The intense lightning bolt, like the first rays of dawn, paused for a moment as the energy canceled out during the collision, causing the net of lightning to bulge high.

Soon, the concentrated energy tore a large hole in the roaring thunder and dust, crashing heavily into the center of the island and creating a huge crater.

"Faster and more cunning than I imagined."