Starting from the Collapse World, I became the behind-the-scenes boss

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Limits of the Sacred Mark

Jackal became so engrossed in researching the artifacts that he couldn't extricate himself, while Raven, along with Time Trace, lived a life of extravagance at the base, enjoying a complete package of food, drink, and entertainment.

Although the base is located in a remote area and there are not many luxury supplies, it is enough to supply a small number of upper-class people.

And it is clear that Raven, as an organizational cadre, belongs to this minority.

To reiterate, the privileges of high-ranking personnel in World Snake are openly acknowledged.

If you have enough power, you can have the power of life and death over lower-level personnel.

The law of the jungle and the survival of the fittest are vividly reflected in the World Snake organization.

The World Serpent has never pursued fairness and justice.

This is clearly not a friendly thing for the weak.

Fortunately, both Shihen and Raven are among the strongest.

While enjoying life at the base, the raven also passed on these rules to the boy, making him understand what kind of environment he was in.

But less than a week later, this quiet but eventful period was unexpectedly disrupted, and by the very owner of the base – the jackal.

"You really know how to order people around, Jackal."

In the lounge aboard the transport ship, the raven mocked the scientists.

"I'm just helping you stretch your muscles." Jackal retorted with a sneer as he stirred the coffee in his white porcelain cup with a teaspoon. "If you stay in the base any longer, you'll get as fat as a ball."

She knew perfectly well what Raven and her companion had been doing at the base these past few days, but she simply didn't care.

"Ha, my figure is much better than yours."

The raven looked confident.

She's a combatant, unlike some people who just stay in labs all day.

Moreover, even when she was playing around with Shihen, she still mixed in some training programs, such as destroying more than a dozen tactical mechs in the base.

Anyway, the organization will reimburse her expenses, so she doesn't need to pay anything.

"Really?"

The jackal puffed out its chest, and its immense evil trembled slightly.

Raven: “…”

She hates all guys who are taller and have longer legs than her.

Trembling between the two officers, Shihen flipped through the information about the mission and asked, "So, our target this time is the newly appeared Emperor-class Honkai Beast, Ganesha?"

What could awaken the jackal from his research on the relic was certainly no ordinary thing.

A high-ranking Honkai Beast of Emperor level is undoubtedly qualified. Not to mention that Ganesha is the first such beast to appear in this era.

In other words, the jackal wants to steal the first kill of the wild map boss.

In this era before even the Third Herrscher was born, Emperor-class Honkai Beasts were extremely rare, and one might not encounter one for several years at a time.

Of course, while rare, Emperor-class Honkai Beasts are also symbols of destruction.

Under normal circumstances, even an elite Valkyrie of rank A would have to risk her life to defeat a superior being; it would take several of them to die before she could take them down.

However, things become much simpler once the standard is raised to S level.

This is why the jackal carries the Time Mark.

As for Raven... although theoretically she is no less powerful than an S-rank Valkyrie, there are differences between S-ranks.

Once Rita gets promoted, Raven should be able to raise her rating.

After all, S-rank is just a job classification by destiny; it doesn't mean that once you reach a certain level of strength, the world's voice will call out to you.

Before a real battle, no one can say they can rival the S-rank Valkyrie of destiny.

When Durandal was the only S-rank Valkyrie, the powerhouses of this rank were enough to be called "Lu Bu among men, Red Hare among horses".

With Rita added to the S-rank, many characters' bravery will be comparable to that of S-rank Valkyries.

Upon hearing Shihen's question, the jackal temporarily snapped out of his confrontation with the raven, glanced at the boy, and said, "That's right."

"Once we capture Ganesha and thoroughly study the secrets of the Emperor-class Honkai Beasts, I can even make you a Fusion Warrior of the new era!"

Before the idea of ​​controlling the collapse could be realized, Jackal was already making empty promises.

Then, as if remembering something, Jackal added, "By the way, you probably don't know what a Fusion Warrior is, right? I can tell you with absolute certainty, a Fusion Warrior..."

"Stop talking nonsense. Hen has no interest in becoming a monster."

The raven interrupted directly.

As a fellow World Serpent executive who had also experienced the baptism of the Paradise of the Past, she knew very well what Fusion Warriors were all about.

In short, the fusion warriors can no longer be called human.

Although she always said that Shihen was as strong as a monster, she didn't want him to actually become a monster.

Shi Hen: “…”

Actually, he was quite interested in fusion warriors.

Of course, he was just curious and had no intention of becoming a fusion warrior, nor did he like having extra horns on his head.

Isn't it better to just be a decent human being?

Moreover, the system plugins are already sufficient for him.

"Fine, don't listen then. I'm too lazy to explain anyway."

The jackal curled its lip.

To receive a personal explanation from her, the world's leading scientist in snake science, is something many people would kill for, yet these two dared to complain.

"There's one more thing. When you fight the Honkai Beasts later, go easy on them. I want to capture them alive."

The jackal said casually, as if it were a trivial matter as simple as eating and drinking.

"Wait... capture alive? Jackal, are you crazy?!"

Upon hearing this, the raven's pupils widened slightly.

Does this guy even know what an Emperor-class Honkai Beast means?!

"What? Is there a problem? Shihen should be able to handle this easily, right?"

The jackal didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

In her calculations, S-rank Valkyrie = Herrscher, and Time Mark = Durandal = S-rank Valkyrie.

As is well known, Emperor-level Honkai Beasts are like servants in front of Herrschers and can be easily killed, so Shihen can naturally do the same thing.

In conclusion, isn't it perfectly reasonable for her to demand that the other party capture Ganesha alive?

Shi Hen: “…”

He insisted that he couldn't do it.

In his normal form, his strength is not much different from Raven's; he is the kind of Honkai Beast that would require a lot of effort to defeat.

Using his burst mode, he can gain the power to quickly defeat Honkai Beasts, but... it's exhausting.

It will take a long time to fully recover.

Therefore, even someone as tough as Durandal wouldn't unleash her inner power so easily.

"It is possible to do it, but at a great cost."

Shihen was implying that the other party should pay more.

He felt that he had grasped the essence of the Raven's teachings.

But to everyone's surprise, the jackal just frowned in confusion: "How come you're so weak!?"

The voice contained no personal praise or criticism, as if it were simply wondering why apples fly into the sky after they ripen, carrying an air of matter-of-fact questioning.

In Jackal's mind, Herrschers can easily kill Emperors, so why are you so weak in front of him?

"..."

It hardened; Shihen's fist hardened.

If you can't speak properly, you can choose to shut up.

“I’ve heard that there was once a Saint Mark Awakener in China who could kill a Herrscher with a single sword strike. You should be able to do that too.”

The jackal spoke with absolute certainty, as if he were simply stating an axiom like one plus one equals two.

According to the records she saw, that Stigmata Awakener could unleash power comparable to that of a Fusion Warrior in a short period of time.

As is widely known, Fusion Warriors are far stronger than Herrschers.

Therefore, it is clearly true that those who have awakened their Stigmata are superior to those who have mastered the Herrscher.

Of course, ordinary Stigmata Awakeners are not enough, but Shihen, who can already rival S-rank Valkyries, is no ordinary person.

Whether in terms of adaptability to Honkai energy or control over it, Shihen has demonstrated abilities far exceeding those of ordinary Stigmata Awakeners.

"I think you should see a neurologist."

Shihen offered his sincere advice.

He genuinely believed that Jackal was seriously mentally ill.

How much does this person misunderstand the strength of the Herrschers? Does he think they're just random cats and dogs on the street that he can easily knock out and take home?

As someone who has already developed their own Stigmata to the maximum level, Shihen can clearly tell the other party that the limit of Stigmata is that it can only briefly contend with Herrschers.

After all, the Herrscher is the true chosen one of the current version, while the Stigmata is merely a derivative of the fusion warrior technology.

Even he couldn't reverse the version by relying on something that was inherently flawed.

"Are you doubting my theory?"

The jackal frowned.

You can doubt my fighting ability, but you can't doubt my brain!

"Lady Jackal, do you have any Stigmata?"

Shihen asked.

"Of course not." Jackal answered confidently. "I know what you want to say, but I also have a deep understanding of zombies and Honkai Beasts. Do I have to become a zombie or Honkai Beast first?"

"Who understands Stigmata better, you or me?!"

Although, strictly speaking, the claim that Time Mark possesses natural sacred marks has not yet been scientifically verified.

But as the world's leading scientist on snakes, Jackal wouldn't be so oblivious as to miss something so small.

No one understands natural stigmata better than her!

Shi Hen: “…”

He felt that he was the one who understood the Stigmata better, because no one understood him better than himself.

"Ms. Jackal, do you know the limits of the Stigmata?"

Shihen said tactfully.

"Of course." Jackal nodded confidently. "Isn't the limit of the Sacred Mark the Fusion Warrior?"

"Indeed."

The raven also chimed in in agreement, reaching a rare consensus with the jackal.

Having experienced the Paradise of Past Lives and met Mebius, she knew that although the technical principles of Natural Stigmata and Fusion Warriors were different, Stigmata Awakeners could be considered Fusion Warriors in a sense.

Because those Stigmata genes that can be specially expressed in the human body actually come from Honkai Beasts.

"You don't need to know what a Fusion Warrior is. Just know that a Stigmata that has reached its limit can easily surpass a Herrscher."

The jackal was extremely confident.

There are quite a few Stigmata Awakeners on the World Serpent Records, but none of them can reach the level of Time Mark, and there isn't even one that is close to it.

If even the Time Mark cannot surpass the Herrscher, then it undoubtedly means that her research direction on Stigmata is fundamentally wrong.