"One's life will always face countless losses, but some people don't realize the loss, while others... only see loss."
This sentence was the girl's epitaph. The last words she left for the man were written on the bedside table of her hospital bed.
The man didn't know whether she intended to warn him one last time or express some sentiment, but he planned to engrave this sentence on her gravestone.
Similarly, there was nothing beneath that grave. Her remains were at the Falling Star Headquarters, kept in a container to prevent Honkai energy leakage.
Even now, standing before her remains, which looked alive and unchanged from when she was living, he still felt mentally distraught.
The experiences of the past decade felt like a dream, and now, the dream was nearing its end, and the people in the dream were dissolving like foam.
There were four major Honkai Eruptions remaining until the end of the Honkai.
Perhaps humanity could endure until the dawn, but... this night before the dawn was simply too long, so long that countless people were lost, so long that everyone failed to realize that they were no longer who they once were.
"Dr. Lin."
"I know, I'm coming."
Without waiting for the person who called him to say the next sentence, the man turned and left.
He was not a person who dwelt on the past. Even looking at the remains would only waste more of humanity's time.
He needed to go now to protect the world and humanity the girl had loved, and to become humanity's miracle.
...
"Boom!"
Lin extended the battle line. He spun around, throwing three grenades, and launched himself out on the backwash of the explosion. His entire body, as if dancing in the air, utilized various weapons with dazzling skill.
Emperor-class Honkai Beasts. These High-Tier Honkai Beasts typically manifested during major Honkai Eruptions as companion beasts to the Herrscher, often possessing abilities similar to the companion Herrscher, but sometimes with many differences, and their strange abilities were no less potent than a Herrscher's Authority.
However, this didn't mean that High-Tier Honkai Beasts couldn't emerge outside of a major Eruption. In fact, even the Judgment-class Honkai Beast, besides Shesha from the Third Honkai Eruption, had appeared twice outside of major Eruptions, causing damage comparable to a Herrscher's arrival.
However, the Emperor-class Honkai Beasts they faced in today's mission were particularly unusual...
Lin slashed open an incoming claw in the air. The auxiliary jets adjusted his posture so he could perfectly slip through the resulting gap. He then drew his gun and repeatedly fired at the Honkai Beast's massive core.
On the other side, Sakura dodged the continuous attacks like a ghost, then seized the opportunity to stab the Honkai Beast's weak joints with ice blades and her standard-issue sword, instantly paralyzing its mobility.
Today, two highly similar Emperor-class Honkai Beasts had emerged. This was the new mission Lin received after dealing with the mutated lesser Honkai Beast.
Generally, an Emperor-class Honkai Beast, let alone two, would require at least three small squads working together to defeat. Such a high-risk mission would usually not fall to Lin and Sakura Cocoon Squad. However, these two Honkai Beasts were quite unique.
Their Honkai energy reaction barely met the minimum standard for High-Tier Honkai Beasts, lower than some mutated lesser Honkai Beasts. Based on speculation, the Honkai energy content at their birthplace wasn't very high, and the simultaneous birth of two bodies led to the dispersion of the Honkai energy. Therefore, in terms of sheer strength, they were not as powerful as typical Emperor-class Honkai Beasts.
After careful consideration, the 19th Branch decided that Lin and Sakura would be assigned to fight these two Honkai Beasts. They were also no ordinary squad. Lin had defeated more Honkai Beasts than most people combined, and his experience was sufficient to handle these two.
This time, their appearance was in a remote wilderness, sparing them the trouble of evacuating civilians.
After the initial engagement, it was indeed the case that their strength was even weaker than the previous mutated lesser Honkai Beast. Lin and Sakura each took one, intending to end the fight quickly.
Kicking the Honkai Beast's core, and using the counter-force, Lin performed a backflip to evade a giant arm's attack. The eyes inside his helmet rotated dozens of times within a second; his visual capture speed was even faster than the helmet's information gathering speed.
But Lin still felt something strange. Although the Honkai was illogical, it was obvious that its intensity was constantly increasing. Herrschers were getting stronger and more cunning each time, and the variety of Honkai Beasts was continuously expanding. Logically, these two meaningless Emperor-class Honkai Beasts shouldn't have appeared.
However, this confusion didn't last long. It was best to deal with them first.
Lin didn't even look at the giant claw smashing down above his head. He gracefully sidestepped it, then leaped up without any wind-up. His sharp long sword sliced upward, splitting the Honkai Beast's skull. Then, he threw a collapse bomb to destroy parts of the Honkai Beast's outer shell and pulled the trigger, aiming at the pulsating core.
"Bang!"
The behemoth fell to the ground with a thud. At the same time, Sakura had frozen the Honkai Beast's arms, easily slicing off the massive limb, and then pierced the Honkai Beast's core through the cross-section.
"Boom!"
"Phew…"
Sakura stared at the motionless Honkai Beast, confirmed that Lin had also finished his fight, and sighed in relief.
Counting the previous cleanup mission, they had engaged in two high-intensity battles in less than a single day. She felt a slight fatigue.
Lin, however, didn't seem to show any signs of exhaustion, perhaps because of the helmet?
"...What should we do next?" Sakura asked Lin. Although the Cocoon Squad had no captain, Lin extensive experience meant Sakura often asked him for guidance.
"Specialized personnel will recover the Honkai Beast corpses, but before that, we need to ensure the corpses are not taken away by other Honkai Beasts."
"Other Honkai Beasts?"
"Yes, Honkai Beasts are creatures that can evolve. Some individuals cannibalize their own kind. After absorbing the cores and Honkai energy from other Honkai Beasts, they mutate or even evolve," Lin slowly explained the habits of these uncommon Honkai Beasts. "However, they are all Lesser Honkai Beasts, and even after absorption, they will only be mutated Lesser Honkai Beasts."
"...I see."
As he said this, Lin suddenly had a very odd feeling.
Emperor-class Honkai Beasts were generally unique individuals. Even if similar Emperor-class Honkai Beasts appeared, there would be many differences in their abilities.
But why were these two Honkai Beasts almost identical?
"Roar!"
Just then, a hideous howl erupted from the mouth of the Honkai Beast's corpse right next to them.
Here is the complete and accurate translation of the text, maintaining the narrative flow and style of the original.