Chapter 37: Shut up, old man, and wait for me to save you

[The Ninth Herrscher appeared in the center of the Fire Moth, the most important continent in the world, Mu, and triggered the "Ninth Great Honkai" in this center of human industry and scientific research, causing extremely serious damage to Mu itself.]

[The mountains on the Mu Continent were split and dismembered, turning into countless stones, and then controlled by the "Ninth Herrscher", falling from the sky like meteorites towards the cities where people lived. The earth was shaking, and cracks began to appear on the flat roads. Finally, it was as easy as breaking a piece of bread, and a huge crack appeared in the middle. People who failed to escape in time fell into it. The screams would only echo in the cracks for a while, and then disappear.]

[The Fire Moth sent a team to stop the "Herrscher" from trying to manipulate the entire continent, but with little success.]

[It floated in the air, stretched out its hand leisurely, and gently pressed down a finger towards the Fire Moth soldiers. An inexplicable pressure enveloped all the soldiers on the ground, forcibly pressing them down and forcing them to kneel on the ground.]

[It was useless to resist, and it was impossible to hold on. It would only press its fingers down little by little, increasing the pressure little by little, like a hydraulic press, slowly and unstoppably, forcing the soldiers to go from standing to kneeling, then to lying prone, and finally, little by little, crushing their bodies, cracking and crushing their bones. After reaching a certain critical point, the soldiers' bodies would explode and turn into a pool of blurry "sauce."]

[Sometimes it would get interested and deliberately suppress the soldiers of the Fire Moth on the spot, and then casually summon the surrounding Honkai creatures, such as Honkai beasts, or people who were eroded by Honkai, and then leisurely watch the soldiers who were controlled and unable to move or resist being killed by the Honkai creatures.]

[Ordinary people simply cannot survive on this kind of battlefield. If they are discovered, they will be killed. What's worse is that many fusion warriors can't do anything about this "Herrscher" because it will run away.]

[That's right. As a "Herrscher," when it faces a powerful fusion warrior, it will quickly flee after a few exchanges, relying on its own "power" - gravity, to contain and even bind the fusion warrior in place, while it quickly moves away and continues to promote the Honkai.]

[Even if it occasionally stops to fight with the fusion warriors, it will kill the ordinary soldiers accompanying them after a few rounds and then flee.]

[Although this behavior can be explained by the biological instinct of "seeking benefits and avoiding harm," this extremely rational behavior still makes the Fire Moth feel terrified.]

[Time passed little by little, and the entire Mu Continent was in ruins. Almost every city was destroyed by it. Even if there were still cities that were safe, the security capabilities left in them were not enough to keep them intact. As long as it came, the city would inevitably be destroyed...]

[If this continues, the world's scientific research and industrial capabilities will be reduced by 80%. The Fire Moth will never accept this.]

[More importantly, the "Eye of the Abyss" is in Mu Continent. If it is destroyed, then the plan that the Fire Moth has worked so hard to obtain, which may solve the Honkai, will collapse.]

[Therefore, they had no choice but to take a risk and bring up the "Divine Key" plan again. As for the "Hibernation of All Things" that had already been made... they still refused to use it.]

[Fortunately, Mei had anticipated this scene. After all, with the Honkai becoming more and more frequent and the destruction brought by the Herrscher becoming more and more serious, humans need a more powerful force that can make the final decision. Therefore, Mei did not completely interrupt the development of the "Divine Key" as ordered by the Fire Moth, but instead secretly promoted it with Vill-V.]

[Now, since the Fire Moth still refuses to use "Hibernation of All Things", then we can just make a "new Divine Key"... Anyway, the design has been prepared long ago, as long as the people of the Fire Moth nod and allow the use of the "Herrscher Core."]

[So, with the purpose of "destruction" and "killing the Herrscher," the "Divine Key" with the "Seventh Herrscher" as its core - the Judgment of Shamash was created in a very short time.]

[The next question is how to catch the "Ninth Herrscher."]

——————————

"Hen."

Before the battle began, Xi Wang called out to Hen.

"Oh, what's wrong, Wang? It's rare for you to take the initiative to talk to me."

Hen patted Xiwang's shoulder in surprise and asked curiously.

"Or are you worried about the combat? Don't worry, we just need to contain the Herrscher, force it to move to a designated location, and then confine it to a certain range. It's not a difficult task. With everyone's skills, it's easy~"

"…I didn't mention the mission, mainly because I was worried that you would come again."

"Ah? What are you talking about?"

"Do you want me to remind you? It's about the time with the Fifth Herrscher. If you still can't remember it, I'll go get Kosma. I think he should have a deep impression of it."

"Hey, don't, don't, I remember."

Although Xi Wang's tone was calm, Hen knew he was serious and quickly grabbed him.

"That time was a special case. It won't happen this time. Don't you believe me?"

"I don't believe it."

"Don't be like this, I'm serious."

"I'm not kidding you either."

Xi Wang rolled his eyes and spoke calmly.

"You said you wouldn't do it again this time."

"...Ahahaha, how could I?"

Hen laughed dryly, shifted his gaze to the side, and touched the back of his head awkwardly.

"......"

"Ahahaha…"

Feeling that Xiwang's gaze had not left him, Hen could only laugh dryly... It was obvious that Xiwang did not believe what he said.

"…Take this with you."

In the end, Xi Wang made a concession and handed a reagent containing dark blue liquid to Hen.

Xiwang knew that he could not change Hen in this matter, and Xiwang could not make the Fire Moth change its order. Xiwang could only try his best to ensure that the people he was familiar with survived... Griseo's mother had died because of the collapse, and she could not let her father leave because of it.

"This is... Why did Dr. Mobius give you this?"

After taking the reagent, Hen asked with some surprise.

Hen knew about this thing, and Mobius also told him the specific effects of this dark blue liquid, but Mobius generally would not give it to other people. After all, no one knew when he could get this liquid from Xiwang again, and Mobius wanted to keep the rest for research.

Of course, what is more important is that the Fire Moths do not allow this liquid to be taken away by others. They cannot tolerate the emergence of another dangerous existence like Griseo.

"This was originally taken from my body. Is there anything wrong with me taking some back?"

Xi Wang responded casually as he fed himself a candy, raising his hand to dodge a sneak attack from Hen to prevent him from getting his candy box.

"If you really encounter a dangerous situation... just use this. Just ingest it, inject it, or drink it. At least it can increase your chances of survival."

"Don't make it sound like I'm going to face a life-or-death crisis, okay?"

"...(stare)"

"...Hey, okay, okay, I promise, don't look at me like that, it's creepy."

Hen put the reagent into his combat uniform, then patted it and signaled to Xiwang that he had kept it.

"Finally, no matter what happens... hold on, I will come to save you."

"Why do I feel like you're worried that I might die... I'm not someone who can't judge the situation."

"Because I can't stop you in this battle, nor can I act with you."

"You're like this... I already said that last time was a special case."

Why does it seem that Xiwang is so stubborn about this matter?

"...snort."

Xi Wang did not comment on this but did not continue to argue with Hen about the matter. He turned around and returned to find the team he would lead.

This operation requires the concerted efforts of several teams to drive the escaping [Ninth Herrscher] to the designated location, confine it in place as much as possible, and finally kill it with [Divine Key: Judgment of Shamash].

This operation is divided into three parts. First, the [Ninth Herrscher] and its companion Honkai Beast need to be separated to prevent the two from staying together and causing obstacles to the operation. Then, Elysia and Sakura will lead the team to drive the companion Honkai Beast away from the [Herrscher] and kill it, and assist in defending the base that is still intact to ensure that the scientific research results of Mu Continent and the industrial capabilities of mankind are preserved.

The second task is to drive away the [Herrscher], which is led by Xiwang, Kosma, Dysdopia, and Hen. They should compress the [Herrscher]'s activity space as much as possible and not leave any gaps for it to escape. According to the previous battle with the [Ninth Herrscher], Hen is responsible for the task of restraining the [Herrscher].

After all, Hen is a rare fusion warrior that the Herrscher will not flee from directly when encountering one, and among the fusion warriors that the Herrscher chooses to fight, he is the one who can hold them back the longest... However, the Herrscher will still flee after fighting for a while (mainly slaughtering ordinary soldiers).

As for the last and most critical task of [Killing the Herrscher], it naturally fell on Kevin, the holder of [Divine Key: Judgment of Shamash].

As for Su, he will be on standby as backup to prevent any accidents during the operation... After all, the sequelae left by Dysdopia from the [Eighth Herrscher] make it difficult for her to fight for a long time, and Su needs to take over her mission in an emergency.

All in all, this plan seems ideal. I just hope there won't be any accidents during the process.

......…

.........

Unfortunately, things often don't develop in the [ideal] direction.

"Hen?! Why did you?!"

"Oh, Kosma, you know, for a mission like this, other ordinary people would just die. They would use their lives to delay the Herrscher's time... This is not a good thing for them."

Listening to Kosma's shouts mixed with anger and confusion in the communication, Hen responded helplessly while dodging the attacks of the Herrscher.

"But they shouldn't just..."

"it's okay, Kosma, it's natural to fear death... What's more, they are Herrschers. Even we, as fusion warriors, find it difficult to deal with them, let alone them. After all, they are not like us who have the ability to fight back... Or do you think it's a good idea to leave the mission of certain death to them?"

"......"

Kosma pursed his lips, not knowing how to respond for a moment.

In his opinion, a warrior should fight bravely. If he escapes from the battlefield... is he still a Fire Moth warrior?

But what Hen said was right. Letting those ordinary soldiers fight against the [Herrscher] would be a death sentence, so it was understandable that they ran away... but Kosma couldn't accept it.

Moreover, the people in the upper echelons clearly knew that ordinary soldiers could not fight against the Herrscher, even if they had perfect equipment. It was impossible for everyone to be as powerful as Kevin and Elysia, but they still sent ordinary soldiers here... This was simply sending them to their deaths! They wanted to delay the Herrscher by sacrificing the lives of ordinary soldiers!

Can such a Fire Moth really protect humans?

For the first time, Kosma began to doubt the Fire Moth.

"Haha, but thank you for your concern, and I'm very strong, at least stronger than you, kid."

"Just blow it."

Xi Wang's voice also sounded faintly from the communication.

"Don't keep ruining my show, Wang. I'll get angry."

"Who cares about you?"

Xiwang's voice sounded very cold.

"Hen, what's the situation?"

Kevin interrupted the conversation just in time.

"I will arrive at the target point in about five minutes. I will then activate the [Divine Key: Judgment of Shamash]. Do you... have time to evacuate?"

"To be honest, not very good."

Hen's voice also became steady, without any more joking in it.

"It's smarter than we thought, and it's always thinking about leaving... I'm even doubting whether it's still the Herrscher we know. But luckily, I can still restrict it, and it should have time to leave within the specified time."

"Good."

"But Kevin."

"Yes."

Kevin was always willing to listen to Hen's instructions. After all, he had received a lot of care from Hen in his early years.

"Even if I don't evacuate, you have to activate the [Divine Key] as planned."

"......"

"You don't mean to?!"

"We can't accept it continuing to destroy us. The Eye of the Sea is our hope for resolving the Honkai at this stage. If we let it escape again... its revenge will be too much for us to bear."

"… Yeah, I understand."

Kevin was silent for a while and finally agreed with Hen's point of view.

"Hen!!!"

"Stop howling, Kosma."

Xi Wang's calm and slightly disdainful voice came.

"That old man Hen has already made up his mind, and you can't change him now."

"...What did you just say about me?"

"Old man."

Xi Wang repeated it in a clear and calm tone.

"......"

Hen was a little stunned for a moment, and even wondered if he had heard it wrong... Fortunately, he came to his senses immediately and avoided the attack of the Herrscher again. He even wanted to try to fight back under the pressure, but failed.

Not to mention Hen himself, everyone else on the line was silent as well, wondering if they had just heard it all.

"...Captain Wang?"

Dysdopia's voice sounded cautiously in the communication... for some reason, she felt that Xi Wang seemed a little angry.

"Hen, did you use that?"

Without paying attention to other people, Xi Wang just asked this, and his tone seemed calm.

"Of course I used it, why not?"

It would be a waste if he didn't use a good thing that could increase his chances of survival. He has to face the Herrscher alone!

"Very good."

Xi Wang turned the topic to other people.

"Dysdopia, can you still hold on?"

"Yes... Yes! My fighting power is not that high, so I can still hold on for a long time!"

Dysdopia could vaguely guess what Xi Wang was going to do, so she responded firmly and quickly.

"Kevin, if we want to postpone the attack, how long can we do it at most?"

"I can give you a minute."

Kevin responded.

"And if a special situation arises, I will activate the [Divine Key: Judgment of Shamash] according to the original plan. After all..."

"No need to explain, that's it, we all know the reason."

Xi Wang interrupted Kevin mercilessly.

"You don't have to be like this, Wang. Besides, how can you get here in such a short time..."

"Shut up, Old man."

"Why was it demoted again?"

Hen didn't know whether to laugh or cry for a moment. He could sense that Xi Wang was a little angry.

"You don't have to risk saving me... and maybe I can evacuate normally? Don't make it seem like I'm doomed..."

"The attitude you used before doesn't support the point you're making now."

Xi Wang coldly exposed Hen's lie.

"…And I agreed before that I would come to rescue you…at least verbally."

"…I was just joking at the time."

When Xi Wang reminded him of this, Hen remembered the agreement that Xi Wang had made with him before and felt helpless.

"Then I'm serious."

"You're making me feel really embarrassed, you know that?"

Hen smiled bitterly.

"I'm ready to ask you and Kosma to take care of Griseo for me..."

"Look, you are ready to sacrifice yourself."

"…Are you trying to trick me?"

"Shut up, Old man."

Xi Wang repeated the name again, causing Hen's breathing to stagnate... mainly because he could sense the anger in Xi Wang's words.

He was a little angry.

"Su, come and take my place."

"...sigh."

Su sighed during the communication... He should have realized this earlier. After all, Xi Wang's mental condition was very wrong, and now Hen had undoubtedly touched something in his heart.

"You will be held accountable by the Fire Moth if you do this... Wang, you should know how the Fire Moth's top management thinks of you, right?"

"It doesn't matter. The bigger problem is that you don't come to take over."

"... Never mind. Go ahead. I'll be right there."

Su shook his head and prepared to leave... He was not going to stop Xi Wang, nor did he want to stop him. On the contrary, he wished Xi Wang could do it.

"You guys are really embarrassing me..."

"Shut up, Old man."

Xi Wang interrupted Hen again.

"Live well, or I will speak ill of you in front of Griseo."