Kill All the Fire Moth?

Lee sat alone in her room, not resting as she'd told the others, but huddled in a corner, her face pale, the cheerful facade gone.

"Why… this isn't how it's supposed to be…" she murmured, pulling at her hair as if to distract herself from the despair. "I'm stronger now, so why—?!"

But it was useless. Pain and despair wouldn't give her strength. Even tearing out clumps of hair wouldn't change reality.

"If this continues, everyone will…"

Lee stared blankly at the ceiling, whispering, "I have to find a way… I have to…"

[Whoa, is Lee about to go Herrscher?!]

[If she was going to, she would have already. Don't underestimate the resilience of the Previous Era's Queen of Resilience!]

[She's already an artificial Herrscher. What more can happen? At most, she'll be corrupted and become the Herrscher of Sentience again.]

[Did everyone forget Lee has future sight? It's been offline since the blood extractions, but now that she's stronger, it might be back online.]

[Judging by Lee's expression, the next Herrscher won't be easy.]

[You're right, but that's why we have [DAWN].]

[Here we go again with the [DAWN] hype.]

[I second that. Give me [DAWN] or give me death!]

Seriously, guys, I just want to discuss the story, why are we talking about power levels again?

Lee sighed, reading the forum discussions.

After deciding on Plan B, the forums, previously filled with complaints about the Elysian Realm's difficulty, suddenly exploded with activity, as if catching up to the current timeline.

Apparently, someone discovered a hidden [DAWN] trigger on the Elysian Realm main page.

And after defeating all Elysian Realm bosses, a new story mode unlocked—the Previous Era story, from Lee's perspective.

Players could now fight the Previous Era Herrschers as Lee.

And the first three battles were a complete joke.

The players, witnessing Lee's ridiculous power, instantly thought—Isn't this just Lihua?

The player base split into three factions: those who mocked Otto, those who mocked Kallen, and those who mocked Eleanor. The forums were filled with memes and jokes.

But subsequent posts complained about Lee's overpowered state. Compared to Lihua, who self-destructed with Judgment of Shamash, Lee was ridiculously strong.

Instantly killing the Herrschers of Reason and the Void, soloing the Herrschers of Thunder and Wind, defeating nearly half the Herrschers single-handedly… The current main trio in Honkai Impact 3rd were only at regular Herrscher level. Against Lee, they wouldn't last a single round.

They'd thought Kevin was invincible in the Previous Era, but someone was even stronger.

But just when players thought the Elysian Realm's Previous Era chapter would be a power fantasy, the story took a sharp turn from the Sixth Herrscher onwards.

First, Lee was defeated by Kevin, then, saving others, she became… something else, nearly dying. In a single chapter, she went from being an unstoppable force to being the ultimate underdog.

From the Sixth to the Eighth Herrschers, Lee endured two years of hardship, earning the title "Queen of Resilience" from the players.

They eagerly awaited Lee regaining her strength, declaring they would use her to wipe out the entire Fire Moth!

And now, their story progress was synced with Lee's—her long-offline "cheat" had finally activated.

Wipe out the Fire Moth? Oh, it's happening.

When my plan succeeds, I'll give you lovely players a surprise you'll never forget~

But for now, enjoy the show…

The Eighth Herrscher's attack crippled Fire Moth HQ, but the casualties were lower than expected, thanks to Aponia.

As a psychic-type MANTIS , she was far more efficient than Elysia at waking people from the dream, and could do so on a large scale.

She saved most people before they succumbed to the Herrscher's influence.

And after this incident, the higher-ups who had opposed Aponia's recruitment finally relented.

Su, another key figure in this incident, was a special case.

His Honkai beast transformation while killing the Eighth Herrscher was termed "Meta-Morph Overdrive" (artificial cascade) by Mobius—MANTIS could cross the boundary between human and Honkai beast, sacrificing their humanity for greater power. It was dangerous, requiring immense willpower, but Mei and Mobius considered it a promising research direction.

As for Su… though he attacked his teammates after killing the Herrscher… well, those who were attacked understood. It would have been strange if he hadn't lost control. No one reported the incident.

So, Su became the hero who defeated the Eighth Herrscher, showered with honors and accolades. And he used this newfound influence to—climb the ranks.

"I never knew you were interested in these things." Mei looked at Su in her office. "What are you planning?"

"You're too naive, Mei." Su's eyes were narrowed, his thoughts hidden. "Political games aren't for you. Instead of wasting your time with these foolish power struggles, go back to your lab and do your research."

"…I don't disagree."

Su's hostility was undisguised, his words sharp. But Mei wasn't angry. She even seemed relieved. "This… position has indeed been a burden. But killing all the other higher-ups is too extreme…"

"Extreme?" Su scoffed. "Let's talk about 'extreme' after humanity survives the Honkai. To fight external threats, we must first quell internal strife. With these parasites in charge, humanity has no chance."

"You control Poison Cocoon, yet you haven't disbanded it. And when you used it to attack the higher-ups, you only eliminated those who worshipped the Honkai. Soft when you should be firm, hesitant when you should be decisive… Mei, you're not fit for this position."

"…I understand. You'll have what you want." After a moment of thought, Mei nodded, agreeing to Su's proposal.

Su would become a high-ranking member, reforming the corrupt Fire Moth. Starting from scratch was an option, but taking over Mei's faction was more efficient.

Mei disliked politics and knew she wasn't suited for it. She'd only accepted the position out of necessity. Now, with Su willing to take on this responsibility, she wouldn't object. But…

"Are you going to kill all the higher-ups?"

"Mei, I'm not a murderer. How could I do such a thing?" Su's narrowed eyes gleamed with cunning. "Of course, I'll spare them—if any of them are innocent."