Necromancer, but pre-collapse civilization

　A man dressed in the standard combat uniform of the Fire Moth was leaning against a wall, panting heavily.

　A fist-sized hole was torn open in his chest, and blood kept gushing from a deep, bone-revealing wound on his forehead.

　The blood flowed down the man's cheeks and eventually slid into his eyes, staining everything in sight a glaring crimson.

　I'm sorry, Xiaolin... Daddy is afraid I can never come back to you...

　Feeling the pain in his body, a hint of apology flashed in the man's eyes.

　Just recently, a Honkai Emperor used its deadly [Tracking Blade]...

　It pierced through his chest, leaving a horrific wound.

　In the peaceful days of the past, such injuries would have been a severe test for him as a fusion warrior, and with proper treatment, there was still hope for rebirth.

　However, at this moment, he was in a battlefield engulfed in war, on the front line of humanity's fight against the Honkai.

　Here, time is consumed by the flames of war, every second is filled with the unknown and danger, and the chance for treatment and respite becomes an extreme luxury, almost out of reach.

　Clenching his teeth, the man endured the excruciating pain and struggled to lift his heavy head.

　His gaze pierced through the thick veil of smoke and flames, fixed firmly on the distant ruins.

　There, the aftershocks of the explosion were still raging, and the outlines of several enormous objects were faintly visible in the thick smoke.

　"Quick, quick, keep attacking! This guy is about to evolve into an Emperor-class Honkai Beast, we can't let him leave here!"

　The shouts from afar, like war drums, resonated in the man's ears.

　The man could tell that his fellow Fusion Warriors were engaged in a life-or-death struggle against several rampaging Honkai Emperors.

　Slowly leaning against the ruins, the man stood up, his arms trembling, and took the precious photograph pendant from his neck.

　Inside the pendant, three warm and familiar figures smile quietly. They represent the softest and strongest part of his heart, and are the only motivation for him to persevere in this increasingly crumbling world.

　Gazing at the photograph, scalding tears silently streamed down her face, dripping onto the cold ground and transforming into a blurry shadow.

　His lips moved slightly, as if a thousand words were stuck in his throat.

　But in the end, all the words they wanted to say came together as a silent vow.

　I can't die yet... I have to protect them... I... must fulfill my final duty...

　This strong belief burned like a flame in his heart, dispelling the coldness and fear of death.

　"what!!!"

　With all his might, the man let out a roar.

　He swiftly pulled the longsword stuck in the ground in front of him, leaped into the thick, chaotic smoke, and went to meet his final battle.

　At this moment, as the gaze pierced through the thick fog, the true forms of those enormous creatures were finally revealed.

　Two massive, menacing ordinary Honkai Emperors, and one particularly striking strange being.

　This unusual Honkai Emperor's white carapace has almost completely transformed into a deep black, and most of its original purple patterns have turned into a fiery orange-red.

　This anomaly undoubtedly indicates that it is gradually moving towards the evolutionary form of the Honkai Emperor—the Emperor-class Honkai Beast, [Molten Flame Emperor].

　Faced with such a powerful enemy, the man's gaze grew even more resolute, without the slightest wavering.

　Because he knew that the significance of this battle went far beyond protecting the Fire-Chasing Moth and safeguarding the flame of human civilization; it also lay in protecting the most precious thing he cared about most.

　He was willing to give everything for that feeling of attachment.

　Even if the price is his life, the man would not hesitate.

Chapter 521 Human Civilization After the Tenth Great Collapse

　The ordinary fusion warrior's desperate fight was not meaningless.

　It was this spirit of self-sacrifice that enabled him to severely damage an ordinary Honkai Emperor, giving his teammates a crucial turning point in their victory.

　As the first Honkai Emperor crashed to the ground, the pressure on the battlefield suddenly decreased. The two freed Fusion Warriors quickly joined forces with their comrades to annihilate another, much more threatening ordinary Honkai Emperor.

　Immediately afterwards, the four fusion warriors joined forces to launch a full-scale attack on the alien Honkai Emperor that was about to transform into the [Molten Flame Emperor].

　However, all of this no longer has much to do with him.

　In the fierce battle, the man was once again fatally struck by the Honkai Emperor [Lava Spikes].

　At this moment, he leaned weakly against a cracked wall, his eyes dim but still stubbornly watching the fierce battle in the distance that would determine their fate.

　All around him, flames blazed fiercely in the heat of the battle, illuminating his resolute yet weary face.

　Amidst the raging flames, the man could clearly feel the hourglass of his life rapidly slipping away.

　At that moment, the most primal instinct for survival quietly awakened in his heart, transforming into endless longing and affection for his family.

　He longed to see his beloved wife's gentle smile again, to be present for every moment of his daughter's growth, and to show filial piety and joy to his aging parents.

　But in the end, all this longing and reluctance converged into an almost inaudible murmur.

　"Xiaolin, you must protect your mother..."

　As life slipped away, the man's vision gradually blurred, and darkness surged in like a tide, enveloping him tightly.

　Just before the man's world plunged into complete darkness, he saw the familiar figure of a young, white-haired warrior.

　A young man hailed as a hero, carrying the weight of hope.

　Kevin...

　At the end of his life, the man heard a promise and solace from the "hero".

　"I'm sorry I'm late. Your daughter... will be so proud of you."

　The battle in Rio de Janeiro quickly came to an end thanks to the thunderous roar of the Seven Thunders of Purification and the icy chill controlled by Kevin.

　In the sky, thunder roared like a giant god, shaking every inch of space.

　On the earth, frost spread, freezing all the broken creatures in its cold embrace.

　On this land ravaged by the Honkai calamity, all Honkai creatures, whether the majestic and invincible Honkai Emperor or the swift and powerful Rush-class Honkai Beasts, were mercilessly torn apart and pulverized under the impact of these two terrifying forces, ultimately turning into dust and crystal-clear ice shards that dissipated into the air.

　However, as the smoke of battle gradually dissipated, Kevin stared at the devastated city before him, yet he felt no trace of victory.

　He knew all too well that this brief peace came at the cost of the lives of several comrades in the unit.

　Those familiar faces who once fought alongside him and faced life and death together have now become eternal memories.

　The fate of those war machines that once roared across the battlefield was forever frozen at that moment, never again able to share the joys of family life with their loved ones.

　Such devastating losses amounted to nothing more than the quelling of a large-scale, medium-sized collapse disaster.

　It should be noted that this level of collapse is not uncommon in the vast expanse of this blue planet.

　Before Kevin even stepped into the city ravaged by the Honkai, he had already traversed another battlefield.

　There, a similar catastrophe unfolded on a scale no less devastating than that of Rio de Janeiro.

　Can such a victory really be considered a victory?

　While pondering to himself, Kevin's face remained as calm and expressionless as if frozen.

　He simply announced his "victory" to the Fusion Warriors and Firemoth soldiers who had struggled out of despair with an almost indifferent detachment.

　In this era that is increasingly teetering on the brink of despair, people desperately need a glimmer of light, a ray of hope that can warm their hearts.

　Even though behind this brilliance lies endless sacrifice and bitterness.

　After the smoke cleared in Rio de Janeiro, Kevin, while submitting his battle report to Dr. May, also frankly revealed his inner confusion and doubts.

　"Mei, can we really defeat the Honkai?"

　Kevin never hid anything from Dr. May, who was both his lover and the current leader of the Firemoth.

　As Dr. May listened quietly to Kevin's question, a gentle glint, difficult for outsiders to detect, inadvertently appeared in her deep purple eyes.

　As a brave woman who dares to challenge the stars and fight against them with her mortal body, she will only have one answer to this question.

　"Of course, Kevin, we will definitely defeat the Honkai!"

　Dr. May's words were like a lighthouse in the darkness, illuminating the corner of Kevin's heart that had been dimmed by war and sacrifice.

　He straightened his back and regained his spirits.

　"You're right, Mei. Humanity will definitely defeat the Honkai!"

　After cutting off communication with Kevin, Dr. May slowly rose from her seat.

　Although in the previous communication she reassured Kevin with a firm tone, as if she held the key to turn the tide and lead humanity to overcome the rampant Honkai.

　But the truth is cruel.

　She doesn't have that power.

　It could even be said that she felt powerless even to maintain the faint but precious flame of human civilization.

　Admittedly, if the Fusion Warriors hadn't defeated the Herrschers, these divine apostles wielding different powers could have easily destroyed human civilization.

　But so what?

　The vast majority of people living on this blue planet will never have the opportunity to witness the true face of a Herrscher in their lifetime.

　Before the Herrschers unleashed their destruction, they were either killed by the Honkai energy surging from the imaginary space during the Great Collapse or transformed into undead warriors who lost their will.

　Therefore, when truly confronting the majesty of the Heralds, the choices of ordinary people become so pale—it seems there is no other way but to close their eyes and wait for the end of the world.

　A grain of sand in the era, falling on an individual's head, becomes a mountain.

　This statement is particularly apt at this moment.

　Now that the Honkai has completely changed human life, this is the reality faced by ordinary people—

　Vast farmlands were abandoned due to the collapse, factories struggled to survive due to a lack of raw materials, and in hospital wards, purple "Honkai disease" patterns, like the marks of death, covered every desperate patient.

　Walking on the once bustling streets, all the people I saw looked like they were struggling to survive.

　Their faces had lost their former color and warmth; they were less like vibrant lives and more like...

　It could be described as a machine driven by the will to survive.

　The term "law enforcer" may seem terrifying, but it was actually just the last straw that broke the camel's back for human civilization.

Chapter 522 People's joys and sorrows are not shared.

　With Dr. Mei's wisdom, she could certainly see that human civilization was heading further and further down the road to destruction.

　But there was no trace of retreat or despair in her eyes, only a fearless exploration of the unknown and a persistent pursuit of victory.

　In her view, the game of fate is unpredictable and far from over, and the flame of human civilization must not be extinguished.

　It's time to speed up my research!

　A strong sense of mission welled up within him, and Dr. Mei's thoughts turned to the secret project that carried the hope for humanity's future—the new type of super-mutant factor [META-MORPH].

　In her eyes, this project not only represents another pinnacle of her scientific research career, but is also the key to humanity's ability to turn the tide in the fight against Honkai.

　Dr. Mei believes that META-MORPH will be the key to unlocking the mass production capability of fusion warrior units.

　The Tenth Herrscher, the Herrscher of a Thousand, has indeed caused indelible wounds and shadows to human civilization, but this apostle of God has also given Dr. Mei profound enlightenment.

　The results of the thousand-person law enforcement team made her realize that, in certain situations, the advantage of quantity can make up for the lack of quality.

　If there were more Fusion Warriors, the future of human civilization wouldn't be so bleak.

　With this in mind, Dr. Mei resolutely threw herself into the more intense and arduous research work.

　She restructured the research approach, increased resource investment, and personally led an elite team of top scientists in the industry, working day and night to overcome the technical challenges.

　During this process, failures and setbacks were commonplace, but Dr. Mei never wavered in the slightest.

　Each failed experiment made her more aware of the problem, which made her more determined to adjust her direction.

　Every small step forward was like sweet dew nourishing her heart, giving her a glimmer of hope.

　Thanks to Dr. Mei's tireless efforts, the META-MORPH project has gradually achieved remarkable breakthroughs.

　Those goals that once seemed unattainable are gradually becoming a reality.

　Just as Dr. Mei was fully engaged in the research and development of the new super-mutant factor [META-MORPH], Moros also successfully constructed thousands of magnificent [territory-level soul collection arrays] around the world.

　Originally, the completion of this massive project meant that the necromancer could leisurely return to the demiplane, immersing himself in his personal magical explorations while waiting for the souls of intelligent beings to slowly gather in the magic circle until they filled the precious essence magic crystal.

　But fate always seems to throw unexpected changes when people are most at ease.

　An invitation from Eden completely overturned Morros's original plans for the future.