"Is it really alright for Kevin to fight the Sixth Herrscher alone?"
To Vil-V's question, Mei, standing in front of the screen, replied indifferently: "Kevin's physical and reaction capabilities are almost the same as Lin's. Lin subjugated a Herrscher. There's no reason he should necessarily lose."
"…You know that Lin didn't win relying on his physical abilities."
"The Fifth Branch cannot be destroyed. Headquarters is receiving too little information to give real-time command. If the central brain is destroyed, it will lead to more casualties."
"So you're sending Kevin and four Titans to delay the Sixth Herrscher, just like Lin before?"
"No. You can assume that I…" Mei adjusted her glasses, "trust Kevin."
…
"Hua, behind you."
Immer slashed his blade across the neck of a Honkai Beast, but his wounds hadn't fully healed, and his condition was poor. The blow failed to penetrate, leaving his palm numb from the impact.
The Honkai Beast was about to attack Hua, who was focused on dealing with the zombies. Hearing his warning, Hua spun around and delivered a direct punch. Empowered by the battlesuit, she pierced the Honkai Beast's skull, then turned with a side-kick to send a zombie flying.
"How much time until the next batch of Honkai Beasts arrives!" Kosma, looking like he'd been pulled out of a pool of blood, tore off a zombie's arm and asked Erwin.
"Three minutes! Three more minutes… Ah! Watch out!"
Erwin did not fight with the same wide, sweeping movements as Kosma. He cautiously observed which direction the zombies and Honkai Beasts might break through the defense. He caught a glimpse of a soldier, who, after swinging his blade in exhaustion, failed to retreat in time and was grabbed by the wrist by a zombie.
"Aahhhhh!!"
Blood splattered instantly. The soldier only managed a single scream before being torn to pieces by countless pale limbs and tusks. Intestines and severed limbs, along with sticky blood, dropped at Erwin's feet. His outstretched hand hadn't even reached the man…
"Don't space out!"
Kosma grabbed the back of his neck, pulling him backward. The zombie's foul-smelling mouth grazed his shoulder. Kosma shot the zombie in the head, then threw Erwin behind him.
"Bang!"
In a momentary lapse of attention, another soldier was smashed by a Chariot-class Honkai Beast. The sight, like a watermelon hitting the ground, left Erwin's throat dry. He wanted to scream but couldn't.
A Titan grabbed the Honkai Beast, its gun barrel piercing its core, but as soon as one was killed, more Honkai Beasts charged forward. They blocked the gun barrels with their bodies. Even with the Titan's efficiency, it was impossible to kill these Honkai Beasts quickly.
Bullets and energy would run out eventually, but these Honkai Beasts and zombies were like an endless nightmare, emerging from every conceivable place.
Could they truly win?
Could he, a deserter, really fight these monsters?
"Erwin! Your name is Erwin, right!"
The clear shout brought Kosma's dimmed eyes back to focus. A figure, half a head shorter than him but incredibly steadfast, stood before him.
Kosma panted heavily, his eyes bloodshot, blocking the zombies: "Pull yourself together! They are heroes! They didn't flee the battle! It wasn't because of anyone's command; it was purely their own will, offering their lives to protect humanity!"
"You aren't running away this time, are you? No matter how afraid you are, you are still standing here! You didn't run away again!"
"So you are a hero too! Stand tall!"
Yes, this time, he had no retreat.
Erwin thought of the "meteor" who charged toward the Fifth Herrscher without hesitation. He banished the weakness from his eyes, gritted his teeth, picked up his weapon, and plunged himself into the battle.
"Emperor-class Honkai Beast approaching! Deploy the Titan unit! Everyone, contract the defense line!"
Himeko, the field commander, concealed the deep exhaustion in her eyes and shouted.
…
"Target acquired. Commence attack."
Ato, in the cockpit, saw the colossal tree in the distance. Rooted in the city, it continuously absorbed the vitality of the land, looking like a demonic plant from a myth.
The moment they reached striking distance, Ato communicated with Prometheus II in the cockpit, issuing the attack command.
Missiles and light beams poured forth, instantly leaving a scorched wound on the giant tree and significantly slowing its expansion.
Seeing the attack was effective, Ato intensified the firepower, but before the second wave of attack could begin, a black shadow descended from the sky, wrapping around one of the Titans.
The giant tree had come alive. Its branches, whose hardness surpassed metal in an incomprehensible way, tightly squeezed the Titan. The Titan looked like a toy compared to its size. As the branches tightened further, countless electrical sparks erupted from the Titan, and it was instantly crushed to pieces.
"This power? No… is this Honkai Energy erosion?"
Ato initially thought this was the tree's physical strength, but the Titan's material should not have been pulverized by external force alone. Seeing the varying depth of the lines on the Titan, he confirmed that the giant tree had eroded the Titan's alloy with Honkai Energy, thereby reducing its inherent hardness.
The Honkai Energy contained within this tree even exceeded that of the Herrscher. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a plant-type Judgment-class Honkai Beast. Its Honkai Energy concentration alone was enough to erode most substances, and the Titans were no exception.
Without leaving Ato any room to breathe, more branches shot out from the tree crown. Ato himself was not piloting the Titan, only able to have Prometheus II control the Titan to dodge. Only after retreating out of the attack range did the branches' speed of extension slow down.
The parts that had been attacked and turned black healed completely in the blink of an eye, radiating a life force that made the heart tremble.
They had to cut down this tree in one go.
As Ato contemplated a countermeasure, he noticed that something was suddenly growing among the tree's leaves. He zoomed in on the image using the Titan's monitor and saw an unexpected sight.
"Flower buds?"
Yes, flower buds. The new growth among the branches and leaves were giant, goose-yellow flower buds. They were beautiful and enchanting in their nascent state, yet filled with a sense of the bizarre.
Just then, the base of the giant tree's roots reached the first shelter.
After withstanding the defense measures for a minute and a half, the sharp roots drilled into the crowd of terrified civilians inside, amidst their screams of horror at not knowing what was happening.
Then… it ruthlessly pierced one of the people, pinning them to the shelter wall. Their flesh and blood visibly disappeared beneath their skin, leaving only a desiccated husk.
A flower bud, enchantingly blooming, gave off a heady, intoxicating fragrance…