Chapter 46 Come, let’s start the hunt

(TL NOTE: So~ I'm switching the MC's name from Xiwang to Nozomi because I vibe more with Japanese names, and honestly, 'Nozomi' rolls off the tongue way easier than 'Xiwang'. They both mean 'HOPE,' so it's all good~ Hope you can roll with the change~ babu~)

_______________________________________________________________________

"Mei, that's enough. We don't have to do that."

Kevin adjusted his breathing while protecting his weak lover behind him.

"Stand behind me, and none of them...will be left."

Snap, snap, snap——

However, the first response to him was not Mei's voice, but the applause coming from the front.

"I never thought you could come back from there... Even if we arranged 200 of us, we couldn't stop you. Are you really the strongest? Kevin?"

"...Who are you?"

"Ah, sorry, you probably haven't seen me yet. After all, you didn't sit in on the transaction. But your lover... Dr. Mei should be very familiar with me."

He...it took a few steps forward, walked out of the shadows, and came in front of the two of them.

[Do you recognize me a little bit now, Captain Kevin?]

"......"

However, Kevin still looked confused and seemed to really not remember.

["......"]x3

The entire battlefield fell into a mysterious silence.

"It's a bit unexpected."

Finally, it was Mei who spoke up and took over the topic.

"The 'traitor' hiding in the upper echelons of the Fire Moth is actually you... Commander Al of the 'Poison Pupa'."

[Ah, no, no, no... Don't say that. Right now, I am just an insignificant one among "us"]

It shook its head in denial.

[Including my identity, and my name, after I became "us", those are no longer important]

[As the "individual" who hides the deepest and has the highest status among "us", I should expose myself at the most critical place... Of course, it's not something tasteless like assassination. The "knife" in my hand can do it. What I need is... something that can hit you harder.]

[For example... you, as an ally of the "Poison Pupa", are labeled as "colluding with the Herrscher", and are questioned and distrusted by everyone, and finally executed by humans themselves... something like that]

It spoke leisurely, explaining its original plan with great interest as if it had already grasped victory in its hands.

[It's just a pity… you proposed this plan to attack "us", and because it was an open conspiracy, "we" had to accept it and were willing to take it. But unfortunately, your estimation was a little wrong… wasn't it?]

It looked at the weak Mei, quietly admiring the sweat that continued to seep out of Mei due to the erosion of Honkai's energy.

[The effect of the "Blank Key" is very powerful, but as expected, the human body cannot grasp the power of "us"...]

"......"

It was telling the truth. The "Blank Key" did give Mei the ability to connect to the [Herrscher's Core] and master the power of the [Herrscher's], but the load was too heavy and she couldn't use it for a long time. The excessive Honkai energy also began to erode Mei, who was still a human.

It can be said that even without them, Mei's life has been put on countdown because of her own work... Their greatest purpose has been achieved, so it is here to chat leisurely with the two of them.

[As expected, even you, Dr. Mei... are no better than this~]

boom!

The red flame flashed by, but it dodged it nimbly...but one of its arms was still burned off.

[It was a close call. I almost died~]

It seemed not to care at all, just smiling, leisurely, and slightly sarcastic.

[But what if you kill me? After all, you will have to face...is not me]

Countless figures walked out from the shadows around them.

Without exception, they are all "individuals" of the Tenth Herrscher.

[But it's "us"! ]

They talked and laughed together.

[Want to try? Kevin? Kill all of us, relying on you now, relying on the "Divine Key" in your hand]

[Are you coming? Are you coming? ]

[It's so scary… so hot… so hot… I want to run away…]

[He can't beat us. We've consumed a lot of his strength outside. Now… he definitely can't completely destroy us!]

[We will take revenge when the time comes and kill everyone outside. Those ordinary people will not be able to resist "us"]

[Okay, okay! Kill him! Kill him!]

[Want to try? Kill "us", but we won't sit there and wait for death~ We will run away~ Just like the "Ninth Herrscher" did back then]

[We will run away and return the damage you brought to "us" a thousand times, ten thousand times to those ordinary people, and make your society a mess! Ah... sorry, I forgot that you are already a mess now]

[It's really "us"! ]

......

Their voices were noisy, mocking and annoying.

"Kevin, it's all right. Leave the [Judgment of Shamash] to me for now."

Perhaps having recovered from her previous weakness, Mei straightened up slightly and came to stand side by side with Kevin.

"No... The load on the [Divine Key] is too heavy, Mei. You must not continue to use it."

Swinging his sword once again to force back the "individual" that was approaching, Kevin retorted… He had wanted to kill that "individual", but other "individuals" around him saved it, which was too much trouble, and he had consumed too much energy.

[Actually, you should listen to Dr. Mei, Kevin]

It spoke again, with a smile on its lips, speaking easily.

[Let Dr. Mei use the "Divine Key" to connect to the "Seventh Herrscher Core" with the strongest destructive power. Maybe... no, it will definitely kill "us" all? I'm afraid even this building will be burned to ashes, so... why not give it a try?]

[You know, if we lose this chance to catch "us" all at once... I'm afraid we won't have it again~]

Its attitude was relaxed and arrogant as if it didn't care about their lives.

[Of course~ With Dr. Mei's current physical condition, if she connects again... well~ I'm afraid she will be even closer to death~]

[And this process will also be tortured by the Honkai. Maybe in the end, Professor Mei, the genius scholar that humans have high hopes for, will be accepted by the Honkai and become a "herrscher" like "us"? Or will she simply become a monster? I'm so looking forward to it~]

[She will be conquered by humans by then~ As the strongest human being, you, Kevin, will have to draw your sword against her! After all, she will be "broken" by then! It's so funny just to think about it! Hahahaha...]

"......"

Kevin unconsciously tightened his grip on the sword.

"Okay, Kevin," Mei said softly. "I agree with it on this point."

"Mei…"

"We can't miss this opportunity, and... it's all worth it."

Mei's voice was calm but firm. "Everything is done to eliminate Honkai."

[Puchi... Hahaha... Stop being funny, Dr. Mei. You're talking about 'eliminating Honkai.' Look at you guys! Look at the Fire Chaser Moth! Look at the so-called Fusion Warriors and the plans you made! Which one of them isn't using the power of Honkai itself?!]

[What do you mean by destroying Honkai? Look at yourself now, and look at your lover who you turned into an 'inhuman.' What's the difference between you and 'us'?!]

"You're nervous, Herrscher," Mei said calmly. "You are afraid of dying... Obviously, you think I won't continue to use the [Blank Key]. You think I will cherish my life for the future of mankind, and then take it into consideration so that you can use this opportunity to leave and escape, and at least a few [Individuals] can survive. As long as [Individuals] survive, you can still hide among the crowd and continue to destroy the entire society... Unfortunately, there is something wrong with this."

"I don't think my life is that precious. In order to eliminate Honkai, everyone must pay a price, and I am no exception."

"Besides, without the present, there would be no future..."

[It seems that the negotiation failed... What a pity.]

They seemed a little helpless.

[Then... please, try to understand 'us'...]

Tick-tock.

?!

It was the sound of water falling gently.

Hiss——

It was the sound of water evaporating due to high temperature.

For a moment, everyone present was a little stunned... because a drop of water fell onto the [Judgment of Shamash] and was then evaporated by its high temperature.

This was not something strange; the high temperature just evaporated water. What was really strange was... why was there water here?

[The Judgment of Shamash] was still here, still running, baking the entire space dry. At this time... how could there be water?

"Ahem... checking the radio~ Dr. Mei, I have some bad news to tell you."

"Vill-V?"

The engineer's voice came over Mei's communication.

"There is a unit emitting extremely strong Honkai energy that is rapidly approaching your location. According to the wavelength, it should be... ah, you will meet soon."

Snap——

A teeth-grinding sound came from the locked door, and a dark sword blade pierced in from the outside, opening a hole in the alloy door.

Then, a hand reached in from the small opening grabbed the twisted and cut alloy, and then bit by bit tore a gap in the door for people to pass through.

A damp smell instantly permeated the entire enclosed space. Water droplets began to appear on the ground at some point, and then quickly turned into a puddle of water, which soon covered the entire floor of the secret room. The accumulated water touched the insoles of the shoes and submerged the soles of the feet in the blink of an eye.

[Judgment of Shamash] emitted heat freely, and countless accumulated water was evaporated, and then condensed into white mist, but the white mist would soon disappear and return to the accumulated water on the ground.

Tiny ice fragments continued to condense around Kevin's body and fell onto the small ice surface below him.

Clatter—

A dark figure walked in from the door, dragging a strange dark sword. The hunter's suit was as dark as the deep sea, which was surprising. The white hair-like waves were eye-catching. The golden pupils were surrounded by a circle of conspicuous scarlet, which made people feel as if they were being stared at by a predator.

What's important is that the aura of destruction emanating from him cannot be faked, and what's more important is... his appearance.

"...oh?"

Not only Kevin but even Mei was stunned. Even Al though he had become the Tenth Herrscher, he was still surprised by Nozomi's arrival.

"Kevin... and Dr. Mei," Nozomi looked up at the two of them, and then his gaze stopped on it.

[It's been a while since we last met... The sharpest 'knife' among our poisonous pupa.]

It sighed softly.

[I'm glad to see you're still alive. Maybe we should have a reunion hug...]

Snap——

[hug...?]

Before it could finish its words, a long and thin stream of water suddenly emerged from the puddles on the ground that barely covered its feet and swept across its neck like a whip.

In the end, all it could see was its own headless body falling limply into the water, and then... little by little, it began to dissolve.

"Water" was gnawing at its body.

In the end, only a core belonging to the Tenth Herrscher was left on the water-covered ground, and its body completely disappeared like foam in the water.

"…Herrscher?"

Nozomi's pupils swept around, looking at the alert and frightened expressions on their faces, and spoke indifferently.

"Are we still in the subjugation war... Dr. Mei, are all the people here Herrschers?"

"...Yes, no one can be allowed to escape."

Mei quickly recovered and spoke calmly.

No matter what Nozomi's current situation is, at least he showed friendliness and acknowledged his identity, which is enough for the moment.

"So..."

Nozomi understood, retracted one hand slightly, clenched into a fist, and then swung towards an "individual" that was about to take action.

A killer whale made of water with a blue, translucent body jumped out from the water on the ground that was only foot-deep, opened its mouth, and bit the body of an "individual" into pieces with one bite. Blood spilled out, staining the surrounding water.

The azure killer whale fell back into the water on the ground and disappeared, leaving behind only scattered limbs and red that gradually spread in the water.

Soon, the remains dissolved in the water, and the red puddles quickly returned to their original state, leaving only a [Herrscher Core] belonging to it.

Nozomi's attack caused them to riot.

But even more violent than them was the shallow pool of water on the ground.

Huge azure tentacles stretched out from the water and fell heavily, crushing all the "individuals" that were unable to dodge, crushing their bones, and even beating them into meat paste.

But soon, all of them would be accepted by the water, and no matter how miserable their death was, the water would take care of everything for them.

Water... is tolerant. It will accept even blood or body parts.

He moved his feet lightly, moving his body to dodge the attacking "individual," then put his five fingers together, stabbed forward with his hand as if it were a knife, and a blue translucent swordfish suddenly jumped out of the water. With just a flick of his attention, the "individual" was knocked against the wall and then slid down weakly.

There was a huge penetrating wound on its abdomen, and blood kept flowing out, soaking the surroundings. In the end, its body slowly disappeared, turning into foam in the water and being swallowed by the "water." There was no trace left, leaving only the [core] in place.

Kevin wanted to step forward to join the fight, but just as he took a step, a waterblade came rushing towards him, passing in front of him, leaving a clear mark.

"Don't get in the way," Nozomi said indifferently and slowly withdrew his sword-wielding hand.

Then it quickly retreated half a step, dodging the "individual" that was attacking it, stopped, opened its mouth, and a blue translucent shark simultaneously jumped out of the accumulated water, also opening its bloody mouth and biting towards the "individual."

He closed his lips and teeth, and with the sound of blood spurting out, the bright red color stained Nozomi's face and body.

He wiped the blood off his face, and the trickle of water quietly flowed up, wiping his face and cleaning the blood on his clothes.

The remains of that "individual" also dissolved silently into the water.

"…It's not very tasty," Nozomi whispered to himself, but his words were particularly frightening.

"But... it's not bad."

"Then... let's start the [hunt]."

At this moment, they felt very clearly the fear of being targeted by a "predator."