"Roaaar!"
After emerging from the depths for about five minutes, the colossal beast Chiyou finally stirred. With a deafening roar that shattered clouds, towering waves surged outward in all directions.
"It's coming!" Welt's expression hardened as a blue sphere appeared in his hand.
"Star of Eden—Tenfold Gravity!"
Due to both the immense scale of the waves and the energy required to maintain the vast platform, Welt could only activate tenfold gravity. Nonetheless, it proved highly effective in restraining the surging tide.
Moreover, Chiyou's massive size meant it bore an extraordinary weight under this effect. As the towering waves visibly subsided, Chiyou's gigantic head also dipped downward. However, countless black specks began falling from its body, resembling an abyssal cliff.
No, those weren't mere specks; they only seemed small compared to Chiyou's gargantuan proportions. In reality, each represented enormous Honkai Beasts, comparable in size to skyscrapers.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
One by one, Honkai Beasts plummeted into the sea, and even worse, they didn't resurface.
Welt observed this scene, slightly taken aback.
Hera asked with a smile, "Oh right, I almost forgot to mention: Honkai Beasts don't need to breathe; they can effortlessly traverse the seafloor. If the Honkai Beasts stay submerged, how will our combat platform effectively intercept and annihilate them, Alliance Leader? Do you have any ingenious plans?"
The corner of Welt's mouth twitched.
This cunning fellow hadn't forgotten; he was waiting for a spectacle—does Otto truly believe they can still intercept those swarms without the platform?
Unaware of Otto's intentions, Welt merely shook his head and said, "I trust Zeke has considered this. Let's wait for his instructions."
Just as he finished speaking, part of the countless worker bees in the sky reconfigured themselves, forming peculiar floating devices on the ocean surface.
Instantly, unique low-frequency sound waves reverberated across the water.
"Hmm?" Hera paused, momentarily surprised.
In the next second, countless massive Honkai Beasts burst out from the sea, heading towards the floating devices above.
Underneath each signal device, thousands upon thousands of Honkai Beasts gathered. As their numbers reached a critical point, light emerged.
For a fleeting moment, silence seemed to descend between sea and sky.
But it was merely an illusion.
"BOOM!!!"
A massive explosion sent vast plumes of water vapor soaring high into the air. Expanding rings of white light, akin to multiple new suns rising from the ocean, illuminated the entire expanse while obliterating everything within their radiant reach.
As the glow subsided, those slightly closer, recovering from the deafening roar and blinding flash, noticed countless dead fish floating on the surface, along with scattered remnants of Honkai Beasts. No other living creatures remained.
"Aha!" Hera clapped her hands, a smile of admiration spreading across her face.
"Jackal's technology," she added, fully comprehending the situation.
The value of Gray Serpent lay in its unique consciousness network technology and the vast trove of knowledge spanning over 1500 years stored within that network.
On the other hand, Jackal's worth resided in his research on quantum fields, as well as his expertise in studying and modifying Honkai Beasts.
The special audio signal attracting Honkai Beasts was likely a result of Jackal's research—a truly innovative and disruptive technology, invaluable in combating these beasts.
Zeke employed this technology to confine Honkai Beasts' movements primarily near the ocean surface, making it quite fitting for their purpose.
Subsequently, more Honkai Beasts continuously dropped from Chiyou's head.
The worker bees began assembling additional signal devices, forming arrays that nearly covered the entire sea surface, extending all the way to the Fortress region.
Zeke had likely incorporated a design feature allowing Honkai Beasts not only to swim along the surface but also to radiate outward, rather than simply chasing after the airborne signal devices.
As the Honkai Beasts dispersed, EINS fighter squadrons and additional worker bees launched attacks from the sky.
"Zzzt! Zzzt! Zzzt!"
A dense barrage of laser weapons and missiles mercilessly swept through the beast swarm, swiftly reaping Honkai Beast lives like a scythe harvesting crops.
This spectacle, combining brutal realism with science-fiction aesthetics, was truly awe-inspiring.
After appreciating the scene briefly, Hera opened a virtual screen to observe the underwater activity.
As expected, some Honkai Beasts either possessed unique perception abilities or simply evaded the range of the special sound waves, remaining unaffected as they stealthily navigated the seafloor.
Suddenly, Hera observed countless black dots rising from the depths, intertwining like a jet-black ocean current.
"Are these... also swarms?" Hera was visibly surprised.
In the next moment, she saw that massive black surge split into numerous tributaries, engulfing one Honkai Beast after another on the seabed.
Wherever this torrent flowed, Honkai Beasts ceased their movement, disintegrating into scattered chunks of flesh that slowly sank into the dark abyss below.
"Not lasers, but physical attacks?" Hera took a deep breath, feeling a slight unease creeping in.
Zeke's Hive System had surpassed her expectations—it could deliver long-range laser strikes, nuclear detonations, and even launch devastating physical assaults akin to insects devouring prey. It was becoming increasingly sophisticated and harder to counter.
Hera shook her head and retracted the observation screen.
"It seems Zeke made thorough preparations; these Honkai Beasts won't break through anytime soon. We still have ample time to organize our external defenses. However, I wonder if this behemoth is willing to stay quiet for a bit longer."
As if Hera's jinx had taken effect, Chiyou, which had been momentarily calm, suddenly surged upwards again.
This time, not just its head but its entire body, limbs, and tail—the indescribable colossal creature emerged swiftly from the sea within a brief moment.
"Whoosh!"
Chiyou stood towering over the ocean, vast amounts of seawater cascading down from its form like countless massive waterfalls descending from the clouds.
When Chiyou rose, even the deep East Shenzhou Sea could only cover its feet. As it emerged completely, the sea level across the entire region dramatically decreased—this event would foreseeably cause complete chaos in the planet's ocean currents, potentially leading to slight alterations in the planet's gravity as well.
Now it wasn't just the Valkyries on the Fortress; people along the entire East Shenzhou Sea coast witnessed this indescribably massive creature.
Chiyou embodied humanity's innate fear of colossal entities perfectly.
In fact, it transcended mere fear—people felt suffocated, their minds blank, unable to process anything.
"Roar—" Chiyou let out a thunderous bellow, stirring gales as powerful as typhoons that swept across vast distances.
Glass shattered from coastal skyscrapers, and countless buildings crumbled under the fierce winds.
On the Fortress, some Valkyries collapsed to their knees, overwhelmed.
"No... This can't be..."
"How is such a thing possible?"
"I'd rather face a Herrscher... I wish it were just a Herrscher..."
On the deck of the Hyperion, the raging wind billowed Welt's trench coat, his expression somber.
"Oh no, their morale—it's vanished."
It wasn't due to any fragility of the Valkyries but because Chiyou before them was beyond human comprehension.
Even at a hundred miles' distance, its immense form could not be fully comprehended, resembling something from another dimension entirely.
No matter how formidable, Herrschers still took humanoid forms, allowing fearless warriors to charge head-on with courage.
But facing Chiyou wasn't merely akin to ants confronting an elephant—it was more like cells versus humans—a disparity too vast to overcome. How could one possibly charge against a continent? The loss of fighting spirit was inevitable.
"What's troubling you, Welt?" Hera asked with a serene smile.
Welt frowned deeply. "This can't continue; they're unable to fight anymore."
"Don't worry! Their disarray stems from feeling overwhelmed by Chiyou, but we never expected them to confront it directly. Their mission is solely to deal with Honkai Beasts escaping the crossfire between swarms and fighter fleets. As for Chiyou, there will be others equipped to handle it."
"...You're right, but how do we make our fighters understand this?"
"It's quite simple. Look, isn't someone already taking action?" Hera pointed upwards.
Welt swiftly raised his gaze and saw, high above Chiyou, almost reaching space itself, a rapidly expanding fiery red glow.
Beyond the atmosphere, amidst the cosmos and outer space,
Zeke held his sword with both hands, flames streaming outward.
'The Taixuan Sword Qi encompasses five aggregates: Heart, Intent, Form, Soul, and Divine Essence. The Heart and Intent represent internal power, while Form and Soul signify techniques. The Divine Essence unifies all five aggregates, embodying their true essence.'
'I still can't fully grasp this concept of "realm," so I cannot master the entire Divine Essence yet. However, just utilizing the internal power and techniques is sufficient for my needs.'
"Taixuan Sword Qi—Red Lotus!"
Sound cannot travel through vacuum, but the surging sea of fire, expanding relentlessly, echoed Zeke's words.
The Taixuan Sword Qi channels not stored Honkai Energy, but rather harnesses vast quantities from the environment through one's body as a conduit. In theory, with infinite external Honkai Energy, its output potential becomes limitless.
Currently, Zeke draws upon the Gem of Desire and Key of Thunder as sources of Honkai Energy, supplemented by his own Herrscher-level reserves, to infuse the Cleaver of Shamash with Taixuan Sword Qi.
The Cleaver has transformed; now it should be called 'Tianhuo: Jiemi'.
Zeke, wielding "Might of An-Utu," was enveloped in raging flames, his silvery-white hair flickering like burning embers.
With Taixuan Sword Qi guiding four Herrscher-level Honkai Energies, they fused together, unleashing an even more formidable force that transcended boundaries.
Externally, this manifested as an endless sea of fire covering approximately one-tenth of the atmosphere's surface area.
Then, Zeke plunged into the planet, accompanied by towering infernos trailing behind him.
"The sky... Why has the sky turned red?"
"Quick, look over there! Something is descending!"
"My God, is that Heaven's Fire? Or...a sword?"
People gazed at the sky, some awestruck, others numb.
Chiyou's emergence had already shattered many people's worldviews, including those of Valkyries. Witnessing another spectacle like "the conflagration falling from the vault of heaven" seemed almost unsurprising.
However, reality far exceeded their imagination.
The rapidly descending red dot transformed into an increasingly colossal flaming sword shape until it surpassed Chiyou's massive scale!
Sensing something ominous, Chiyou slowly lifted its colossal head, larger than that of a mid-sized nation. Its massive eyes mirrored the approaching and ever-expanding tip of the flaming sword.
"Roar!!!"
Perceiving the threat, Chiyou opened its cavernous maw, unleashing an immense black shockwave upwards to collide with the descending giant flame sword.
"Boom!!!"
The planet seemed to tremble under this cataclysmic clash.
Even Welt and Hera were momentarily stunned by the apocalyptic spectacle, leaving one to imagine the sheer terror and helplessness felt by others nearby.
The outcome of the collision was clear: perhaps for the first time in its existence, Chiyou unleashed a shockwave, yet it proved utterly ineffective against the Heavenly Sword. The celestial blade continued its descent unabated, ultimately striking Chiyou's body.
"Crash!!!"
It was a raging inferno consuming the sky, a heavenly sword piercing through the ocean depths. Heaven and Earth lost their colors as even the sun, revealed after burning away the clouds, dimmed amidst the fiery blaze.
With a single strike, Chiyou fell to its knees, sinking into the shallow East Shenzhou Sea, its upper torso mostly incinerated by the relentless Heavenly Fire.
The Hyperion was forced to retreat over sixty miles away but still felt the intense vibrations and scorching heat.
Despite being on the periphery of the Heavenly Sword's destruction, the Ring Fortress required Welt's full effort to shield its combatants from the aftermath.
Long minutes passed before the seawater rushed back in, and the sky regained its blue hue. The colossal beast, now reduced to only four limbs and half its torso, remained motionless as it knelt amidst the rising East Shenzhou Sea tide.
******
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