Necromancer, but pre-collapse civilization

　Although there is no proverb like "a rabbit doesn't eat the grass near its burrow" in North America, the underlying principle is the same.

　As for the outsiders who would occasionally disappear, the townspeople could only pray for God's protection in their hearts.

　After all, if I said it, there wouldn't be any eggs and butter next week.

　The nearby towns did not take the frequent disappearances in the area seriously.

　Given the abundance of talented people in North America, this is not actually hard to understand.

　Perhaps they simply believed that the missing persons might have encountered an unknown serial killer or had an unexpected encounter with some wild beast.

　Without conclusive evidence and a body, these cases are often shelved and become dusty documents in the police station's archives, with few officers willing to invest significant effort in uncovering the truth behind them.

　Even when a few officers decide to conduct a thorough investigation, they often face enormous resistance and danger.

　Ultimately, these police officers either succumbed to the lure of money and fell victim to the onslaught of US dollars reeking of ink, or became cruel sacrifices for the cultists.

　In North America, the casualty rate among police officers is not low, and the occasional disappearance of an officer is merely a minor incident in this complex region.

　Against this backdrop, a fair-skinned girl with shoulder-length black hair tinged with blue, drives into the town with her fearless companions.

　Like those reckless youths in horror movies who ignore warnings, they also ignored the unusually high rate of missing persons in the area.

　They even harbor a strong interest in cult members and yearn to witness those legendary shadows firsthand.

　The girl and her companions firmly believed that, in the face of the power of 9mm Parabellum bullets, cultists were no different from ordinary people.

　Unfortunately, fate played a cruel joke on them.

　In a local hotel, a seemingly harmless drink hides a deadly drug, rendering their pistols useless at this crucial moment.

　When the girl and her companions awoke from their coma, they were horrified to find themselves kidnapped by cultists and caught in a wicked sacrificial ritual.

　In this cruel ritual setting, the girl witnessed the most gruesome scene—her two male companions were mercilessly disemboweled by the cultists, their blood and organs mingling together, staining the cold altar a glaring red.

　What made her even more desperate was that the brown-uniformed sheriff, who should have been the embodiment of justice, was now chatting and laughing with the high priest of a cult.

　Clearly, they've known each other for quite some time.

　In this abyss of despair, for survival and for revenge, the girl resolutely chose to embrace the Herrscher personality deep within her heart.

Chapter 273 The Herrscher of Death and the Moth Chasing Flames' Decision

　When the Great Collapse occurred, the Honkai energy raged like a raging torrent, completely destroying the sacrificial rituals and leaving only death and chaos.

　Those once fanatical cultists were either turned to ashes or corrupted into mindless zombies by the Honkai energy frenzy.

　"God has given me a brocade robe, wine to relieve the dead, sweet dreams, and the tranquility of the king."

　The Sixth Herrscher softly chanted a hymn to the Honkai God.

　The Herrscher of Death's cold gaze swept across the scene, finally settling on the only surviving girl.

　The girl who was brought to this town with her and was also regarded as a sacrifice is now bound to the ritual pillar by cold chains and cannot move.

　Her eyes were filled with fear and despair, a stark contrast to the Herrscher of Death's cold gaze.

　Perhaps a trace of humanity remained, for the Herrscher of Death lingered on the girl for a moment, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.

　After a brief hesitation, the apostle of God ultimately chose to ignore it.

　"never mind……"

　The Herrscher of Death sighed softly and turned to walk towards the town surrounded by zombie assassins and Honkai beasts.

　"Galina! You..."

　The girl, firmly bound to the ritual pillar, watched helplessly as the Herrscher of Death gracefully passed through the encirclement of zombie assassins, a nameless unease welling up within her.

　She shouted with all her might, trying to break through the deathly silence of the darkness, but the moment the Herrscher of Death turned away resolutely, the zombie warriors pounced on her like beasts that had smelled blood.

　Their eyes gleamed with a greedy and fanatical desire for flesh and blood, filling the girl with an unprecedented fear.

　However, the chains binding her were so merciless, fixing her firmly to the ritual pillar, giving her no chance to struggle.

　She could only shout in vain, trying to stop the approaching zombies with her voice, or to call back her departed companions.

　"Wait, don't come any closer! Don't come any closer!!!"

　The girl's voice gradually became hoarse and desperate, but in the dark night, her cries seemed so powerless.

　The fact that the Herrscher of Death chose not to end her life herself was the last shred of mercy that her remaining humanity could offer.

　As for saving her, that was far beyond the scope of this apostle of God's consideration.

　Ignoring the shrill screams and the sounds of zombies devouring flesh behind her, the Herrscher of Death raised her hand and began to unleash her power—[Creation and Decay].

　As the Herrscher of Death moved, an ominous black mist spread rapidly like a plague, silently engulfing the entire town.

　It greedily devours all living things, but strangely, it does nothing to damage buildings.

　Under the cover of this black fog, the stray cats and dogs that had been barking wildly in the street corners and alleys suddenly became unusually quiet.

　Their bodies gradually stiffened in the deathly black mist, eventually turning into a viscous liquid that silently merged into the ground and was completely swallowed up by the endless black mist.

　The residents of this quiet town, whether they were the prominent mayor or ordinary citizens, all became victims of the black fog.

　Their lives vanished instantly under the corrosive influence of the black mist, their bodies becoming withered and fragile, as if all their life force had been drained, no different from those of animals.

　In just over ten minutes, this once bustling town, home to tens of thousands of people, was completely reduced to a desolate wasteland by the power of the Herrscher of Death.

　Standing on the main street of the town, the Herrscher of Death wore a satisfied smile, her eyes sparkling with an indescribable excitement.

　"Heh, hehe, hehehe..."

　The laughter grew louder as this apostle of God reveled in the silence and despair she herself had woven.

　"This is power!"

　She murmured to herself, her voice filled with pride and ecstasy.

　After a burst of hearty laughter, the Herrscher of Death turned around gracefully and summoned a Chariot-class Honkai Beast with a wave of her hand.

　She leaped onto the shoulder of the purplish-white behemoth, her feet, adorned with delicate brown leather shoes, lightly touching the ground as if she were riding an obedient warhorse.

　"Roar!"

　With a low growl, the chariot-class Honkai Beast, temporarily upgraded to a Herrscher mount, turned and headed towards the nearest town.

　Thanks to the isolation of the small town where the Herrscher of Death descended, the Herrscher of Death's arrival was not immediately noticed by the Fire Moth.

　However, having already endured six major collapses, the human society on this planet can still understand the terrifying implications behind the abnormal increase in Honkai energy worldwide.

　When this divine apostle, born alongside the Sixth Great Collapse, used its powerful authority of [Creation and Decay] to shroud a large town in black mist symbolizing death, the Fire-Chasing Moth finally pinpointed the exact location of this Sixth Herrscher.

　Then, under an emergency order from the Firemoth Council, several special operations teams were dispatched to the next town on the Herrscher of Death's path.

　They will pay with their lives to reveal the true nature of the power of the divine apostle who descended with the Sixth Great Collapse.

　After several clashes with the Herrschers, the members of the Firemoth Council have come to realize that the primary task in defeating the Herrschers is to thoroughly understand the powers they possess.

　To achieve this goal, they must pay the price of blood to obtain the answer.

　Unlike the necromancer who could rival the entire human society, the [Fusion Warrior Project] was...

　Now that they sealed it away, the Fire Moth simply doesn't have the ability to ignore the Herrscher's powers and directly suppress or even destroy them.

　Therefore, they can only rely on the brave sacrifice of the special operations team to obtain information about the Sixth Herrscher's powers.

　Of course, this is mainly based on a harsh reality—the mission was carried out by special operations team soldiers who knew nothing about the real situation, rather than by lawmakers who were far away at headquarters, living comfortably.

　Otherwise, the members of parliament might have made a completely different decision.

　Although the Fifth Herrscher, the Herrscher of Ice, had long been defeated by an unknown entity, the members of the Firemoth Council would not forget that painful lesson.

　During that mission, apart from Hen and Kosmo, all the other soldiers who were sent to test the powers of the Ice Herrscher chose to back down in the face of death.

　Therefore, having learned from the previous lesson, this time, the Firemoth Council did not tell the abandoned special operations teams what kind of existence they would be facing.

　In the mission briefing sent to the special operations team, the Firemoth Council only mentioned in passing that a wave of Honkai beasts was about to invade the city.

　Even more cautiously, to avoid the special operations team discovering anything amiss, the warning sent by the Fire Moth to the city located on the path of the Herrscher of Death was written according to the standards of the Honkai Beast Tide, without mentioning the existence of the Herrscher.

Chapter 274 The Clash Between the Herrscher of Death and the Moth Chasing Flames

　On a wide, flat intercity highway paved with high-grade cement, a convoy of vehicles painted in black sped by.

　The burning moth pattern on the vehicle clearly indicates the affiliation of this convoy—moths chasing fire.

　This elite convoy of 15 vehicles of various models, all powered by Honkai energy, showcases the technology and power of the Fire Moth.

　On the highly mobile multi-purpose wheeled vehicle, the 12mm caliber electric gun turret gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

　On the infantry fighting vehicles, the 30mm autocannons exude a chilling aura, showcasing the unparalleled combat power of this convoy.

　Inside the enclosed compartments of several infantry fighting vehicles, the Moth Warriors, clad in their newly developed combat uniforms, were feigning sleep, making the most of this brief moment to rest and recuperate.

　These battle-hardened warriors knew that once they engaged the Honkai Beast horde, they would have no time to rest.

　Honkai Beasts, these corrupted minions, are a completely different concept from ordinary wild beasts.

　They are tireless and fearless; as long as they can still move, they will mercilessly tear apart any human that enters their sight.

　It is precisely for this reason that the warriors of the Fire Moth never let go of their Honkai energy weapons, even during brief moments of rest.

　It is worth mentioning that, despite the absence of Velvet's participation, thanks to the joint efforts of scientists from various countries, the Fire Moth and several powerful nations on this planet have still successfully popularized the second-generation individual Honkai energy weapon.

　These weapons are powerful and well-designed; if they were in a game, they would undoubtedly be rated as three-star weapons.

　Unfortunately, even with such advanced weaponry, the tension and pressure in the soldiers' hearts were still difficult to alleviate.

　This is also normal.

　Who can remain absolutely calm and composed when facing death?

　"This is car number one, we are about to arrive at our destination."

　Suddenly, the lead vehicle's command came through the vehicle's radio.

　Upon hearing this news, the soldiers inside the infantry fighting vehicle all opened their eyes in unison.

　They gripped their Honkai-enhanced assault rifles tightly, focusing their attention and awaiting the next instructions from the convoy commander.

　They weren't kept waiting long; just a few minutes later, a new command came through the vehicle's radio.

　"Get out of the vehicle and set up defensive positions. We must stop the Honkai Beast Legion's advance!"

　As the commander relayed the order, the warriors of the Firemoth leaped out of their vehicles and began their operations swiftly and systematically.

　Using the sturdy buildings on the city's outskirts, they began to set up defenses in preparation for the "Honkai Beast Legion" mentioned in the intelligence.

　Meanwhile, under the organization of local officials, the city's residents are being evacuated to nearby shelters in an orderly manner.

　Because of faith in the power of the moths that chase fire and the quality of the shelters, although small-scale, US-style events like free purchases occasionally occurred, the overall order during the sheltering process was actually acceptable.

　Unfortunately, this seemingly meticulous preparation was so laughable in the eyes of the Lawyer.

　No matter how sturdy a refuge may be, it is no match for the power of the apostles of God.

　The members of the Firemoth Council were well aware of the devastating consequences of their warnings to the city about the Honkai Beast Legion's attack.

　However, in the eyes of those high-ranking councilors, as long as they could obtain information about the Sixth Herrscher's powers, even the death of all the hundreds of thousands of residents in the city would be a necessary sacrifice.

　Just counting

　As a convoy belonging to the Firemoth drove into the city and began to build up its defenses, the Herrscher of Death stood on the broad shoulder of a tank-class Honkai Beast, a cold smile curving her lips.

　Is this what they call a moth drawn to a flame? The struggle of an ant!

　Through the assault-class Honkai Beasts scattered around the main force of the Honkai Beast Legion, this Apostle of God had discerned the reaction of the Fire Moth.

　The Herrscher of Death was naturally aware of the Moth Chaser, an organization that claimed to fight the Honkai to the bitter end.

　Now, the Honkai Trial has reached the sixth Great Honkai, and the Fire Moth has long since stepped out from behind the scenes.

　Even if this apostle of God was just an ordinary high school student in the past, she would not be unaware of the news that once dominated the headlines about "a certain herrscher being annihilated".

　Therefore, despite her disdain for the defensive line set up by the Moth Chaser Special Operations Team, the Herrscher of Death decided to play it safe.

　She used her power of creation and decay to unleash the all-consuming black mist of death once more.

　This time, in order to ensure the safe burial of the Fire Moth's forces, the black mist released by the Herrscher of Death was no longer a weakened version that only targeted biological flesh and blood, as it had been used in that small town before.

　This time, the black mist that gradually rose from the periphery of the Honkai Beast Legion and slowly spread toward the distant city was the true Honkai black mist that could embody the withering of all things.

　Whether it's lush greenery and trees or incredibly sturdy steel and concrete buildings, everything appears so fragile under the cover of this black fog.

　All life and non-life are eroded into ashes by it, scattered by the wind, leaving only a desolate and barren landscape.