The Ninth Honkai Eruption

"A good thing…?"

Kevin stared at Lee, surprised. He hadn't expected that answer.

He'd thought that Lee, who cared so deeply for this world, would be enraged to learn that countless human lives were lost because of another civilization's careless act of "friendship"… but she thought it was a good thing?

As if sensing his thoughts, Lee sighed, looking up at the overcast sky. "Kevin, how do we define victory against the Honkai?"

The unexpected question caught Kevin off guard. He thought for a moment. "Defeating all the Herrschers, surviving the Honkai, I suppose."

"Just like you said, Kevin—that's just surviving the Honkai."

Lee leaned against the railing, letting the wind ruffle her hair, her expression calm. "It's not truly winning, just barely escaping destruction."

"I used to wonder—what's the point of killing the Herrschers? They're just weapons wielded by the Honkai to destroy humanity. Even if we destroy them, more will appear… If we don't deal with the one wielding the weapons, this cycle will never end."

"But we don't even know what the Honkai's will is. It's invisible, intangible. We can only wait, powerless against it."

"But if the Honkai is the creation of another civilization, that makes things much simpler… If they chose to 'embrace' us, they must be prepared to be 'embraced' in return, right?"

Lee's expression didn't change, but the fleeting crimson in her eyes spoke volumes—killing intent.

Kevin had never seen Lee fight a Herrscher. He didn't know how she behaved in battle. But in his experience, Lee had never shown any aggression, let alone killing intent, towards anyone, even the morally questionable higher-ups.

But just now, she clearly felt killing intent towards this unknown civilization.

Kevin felt he understood Lee a little better—she loved humanity, and only humanity. Anything that threatened humanity was her enemy.

And Kevin found this ruthless side of Lee… even more captivating.

"Indeed. After defeating all the Herrschers, we'll return the favor." A rare smile appeared on Kevin's face. "Everyone should be held accountable for their actions, prepared to bear the consequences of their choices."

"…Indeed."

Lee simply smiled, looking back at the sky. "When that day comes, I know you can do it, Kevin."

You can do the fighting, I'll sit this one out. And that Final Herrscher is ridiculously overpowered. If you can't even defeat her, how will you get your revenge…?

It won't be my problem anyway~

And thinking about the Final Herrscher is getting ahead of ourselves. The next one is the Herrscher of Rock, right? If I remember correctly, she sank the entire continent of Mu. Let's focus on surviving that first.

But Mu… isn't that where we are now?

Should I move?

The arrival of a Herrscher was always sudden. To Lee's surprise, perhaps due to her regained strength, the mysterious Honkai consciousness didn't bother her with another recruitment pitch.

But her future sight proved invaluable. Though she didn't foresee the Herrscher's arrival far in advance, thanks to Su, the current Fire Moth leader who trusted Lee implicitly, the evacuation began immediately after she informed him of the Ninth Herrscher's imminent appearance on Mu, and the continent's subsequent sinking.

Mu was the center of this civilization's industry and technology, and the location of Fire Moth HQ, making it incredibly important. But facing an enemy capable of sinking an entire continent, evacuating the massive population and resources was impossible in such a short time.

Su, while suppressing the news, prioritized evacuating the scientists and deployed the most elite warriors to confront the Herrscher.

Such a large-scale mobilization couldn't be completely hidden. Rumors of Mu's impending doom spread, causing panic, but most remained calm, even optimistic—Come on, we have so many MANTIS now!

One MANTIS killed the Seventh Herrscher who burned half of Australia, another MANTIS defeated the Eighth Herrscher who hid in the internet and human minds… Now, with so many MANTIS at HQ preparing to fight the Ninth Herrscher, this should be easy, right?

Since global Honkai activity had increased significantly before the Herrscher of Rock's emergence, many MANTIS had been deployed from HQ, further spreading awareness of their power.

Most people feared these Honkai beast hybrids, but when in need of protection, they readily took pride in their strength.

Though powerful MANTIS like Kevin were on their way, those remaining at HQ were still enough to form a formidable force.

And leading them were Lee, the artificial Herrscher, and Ato.

"I thought you could stay at HQ for defense. Why join the assault team?"

As they boarded the aircraft, Lee frowned at the fully armed Ato. "Fighting a Herrscher is dangerous… You said you wanted to spend more time with Griseo and Bianka. You shouldn't have accepted this mission."

"I know." Ato grinned, scratching his cheek. "But what can I do? I'm just too strong! Besides you, I'm the strongest MANTIS at HQ. So, to ensure we defeat this Herrscher, I have to join the assault team. What if the mission fails? I can't entrust my wife and child's safety to others~"

"…If you die, Griseo and Bianka will be heartbroken."

"I know… but as long as they survive, I'm willing to do anything." Looking at the descending aircraft, Ato's expression turned serious. "Even if they hate me, as long as they live…"

Lee fell silent, no longer arguing, closing her eyes. "…Yes, you're right."

"As long as they live…"