Honkai: Fire Moth Herrschers

"Elysia, Sakura, ignore the Emperor-class Honkai beast for now. Compress the lower-level Honkai beast horde's movement from both sides, driving them back towards the Fuller District in the north. Buy time for the civilians in other areas to reach the shelters."

Ato had mentioned earlier—when requesting the fire blockade—that "civilian evacuation in the affected area is complete."

But those were just empty words.

There wasn't enough time for most people to reach the underground shelters. Mei hadn't confirmed anything either. It felt as if that sentence had been spoken only to ease the guilt of those making the decisions.

Rationally, they should have initiated the fire blockade on the Fuller District immediately. But doing so meant that tens of thousands of civilians in the "contact zone" would also be consumed by the flames.

Sacrifices were inevitable.

On the reports, tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands were just a single zero apart.

Fortunately, there was still room to change things.

Elysia quickly dismissed those thoughts. Even she set aside her usual playfulness. There was no time for hesitation.

Together with Sakura, she responded in unison:

"Understood!"

Soon, two pink figures—one on the left and one on the right—launched their attacks, flanking the firewall created by missiles and rockets.

One side erupted in rampant blue frost, freezing everything in its path. The other rained down crystal arrows, piercing through the chaos. Under their relentless assault, the lower-level Honkai beasts panicked, scattering in all directions.

But their escape routes had already been decided.

Michael had planned everything.

Ahead of them stood Elysia and Sakura, mercilessly cutting them down. On their outer flanks burned the roaring firewall, its intensity unwavering. Behind them lurked the Emperor-class Honkai beast, devouring everything in sight.

Where could they possibly run?

Survival instincts took over. The Honkai beasts had no choice but to huddle near the base of the firewall, instinctively retreating—to the place they had come from.

The Fuller District.

Like many new human settlements, New Mallorca City was mostly flat, except for the Fuller District in the north—bordered by mountains on three sides, its terrain slightly lower. But now, the city's southern area had changed.

The Emperor-class Honkai beast's relentless devouring had carved out the land itself. Foundations and roadbeds had vanished, sinking the urban area nearly three meters, leaving behind a sheer drop—a jagged step leading into the abyss.

The Honkai beasts tumbled over the edge.

Round bodies rolled, crashed, and piled up in the Fuller District. The horde behind them surged forward, forcing more and more into the pit. It wasn't until they were climbing over the corpses of their own kind that Elysia chuckled and drew her bow.

A giant arrow shot skyward.

A flawless dome descended, sealing the Honkai beast horde in the pit. Crystalline threads of pink and white wove through the barrier, their brilliance drowning out even the beasts' desperate wails.

Mei glanced at the battlefield but paid it no further attention.

It wasn't indifference—just absolute confidence.

"The First Battalion will arrive at the battlefield in two hundred seconds. Requesting permission for a concentrated missile attack on the Emperor-class Honkai beast."

"Approved."

While waiting for the missiles to reach their target, Ato issued a series of preparatory commands—

Check the main cannons' charge status.

Check the landing ports' availability.

Check, double-check, triple-check.

The final procedure before battle.

It was much like a student's last review before handing in an exam paper.

But for Ato and his battalion, this kind of "exam" wasn't unprecedented. Everything proceeded in an orderly manner—at least, for now.

A few dozen seconds later, three small black dots appeared on the horizon.

Missiles.

Each one half the size of a building—

[Anti-Honkai Armor-Piercing Missiles, Specialized for Honkai Beasts Over 30 Meters].

They had traveled across an ocean, locking onto their target at the end of their journey. As they descended, they streaked past the flawless dome, heading straight for the Honkai beast's unprotected back.

Then—impact.

"Gurgle!"

The six eyes on either side of the Honkai beast's face twitched. Though it couldn't see behind itself, it suddenly reacted.

At the last moment, it turned.

It stood up—almost like a human.

A slender left arm, disproportionate to its massive torso, swung around. With a swift motion, it caught the first missile.

The warhead crushed instantly under its grip.

The missile's metal casing twisted and bloomed like a flower, screeching louder than the sound of shattering crystals.

Before the fuse could fully detonate, blue tentacles shot from the beast's abdomen, enveloping the warped missile.

The other two missiles closed in—

But they never made it.

The blue tentacles coiled around them, pulling them out of the air.

Just like that, three devastating weapons were stopped in their tracks.

"What is it doing?"

The next moment, the delayed armor-piercing fuse of the first missile finally triggered.

The viscous, rubbery blue tentacles wrapped around it instantly expanded, swelling into a grotesque "fruit"—hundreds of times larger than the Honkai beast itself.

"Whoa—"

A mixture of astonishment and fear rippled through the war room.

Michael stared, wide-eyed.

The massive blue sphere continued to expand. Its outer wall stretched thin, turning almost transparent. Inside, the explosion churned—smoke and debris twisting violently within its confines.

Two completely opposite expectations formed in his mind.

"Wait, it's…"

Kevin's voice cut through the tension.

Before he could finish, the blue outer wall suddenly contracted.

Everything inside—the explosion, the fire, even the expanding gas—was dragged downward, sinking into the creature's bottomless abyss.

It was devoured.

This outcome was beyond everyone's expectations—except Michael's.

After all, this beast could easily devour anything humanity understood. And with each devouring, its Honkai energy readings, along with its size, increased at a terrifying rate.

The last time they encountered a beast with such absurd abilities, it was the Mahāmāyūrī…

Looking at the number on the screen—900 HW—Michael's hope vanished.

That was right. This was definitely—

"Dr. Mei, the Naming Committee has submitted a proposal, suggesting naming this Honkai beast [Vishnu], and also recommending changing its classification to [Judgement-class]."

Just as he expected. Michael remained unfazed.

Meanwhile, after a moment of hesitation, Mei made up her mind.

"Ato, the Honkai beast's classification has been raised from Emperor-class to Judgement-class. Don't approach it any further. Maintain your current distance and prepare to provide long-range support."

"But, Doctor, I think we can still try..."

"Follow protocol!"

Mei's tone left no room for argument.

Even Ato could only obey the orders.

Mei then turned to Michael, her expression showing a hint of apology.

She had previously refused his request to join the battle. While her reasoning was based on available intelligence and there was nothing wrong with the procedure, the results spoke differently. It felt like a misjudgment.

She hummed softly, her eyes gesturing to Michael, but he didn't respond at first.

Mei followed his gaze.

His focus was fixed on Vishnu's abdomen, where blue fluorescence glowed ominously.

"Elysia, Sakura, are the lower-level Honkai beasts taken care of? It's time for the big guy. Judgement-class – Vishnu."

His voice was calm and steady. But after giving the order, he suddenly turned to Kevin, as if struck by a thought.

"Kevin, do you… feel a strange sense of familiarity with Vishnu?"