Chiyou was a colossal Judgment-class Honkai Beast known for its ability to endlessly grow by consuming landmasses. It didn't possess any extraordinary powers—just immense size and resilience, along with constantly spawning countless smaller Honkai Beasts within its body, much like how continents give birth to life.
However, when sheer size becomes the most distinctive feature of a Judgment-class Honkai Beast, it signifies that this magnitude has reached an insurmountable level.
As witnessed now, even just emerging from the seafloor with its head, the massive black silhouette pierced through the storm clouds at the horizon, its peak completely invisible.
The sight before them far surpassed what is considered Earth's highest summit, akin to an entirely new continent rising from the ocean.
"Five thousand years ago, it may not have been as large as it is now, possibly due to accelerated growth fueled by vast amounts of Honkai Energy," Hera commented coldly. "Regardless, humanity's victory against it back then was indeed nothing short of miraculous."
She then glanced sidelong at Welt, whose expression grew heavy.
"It seems your Fortress does require significant adjustments after all. To contain such a monstrous creature, a radius of two hundred kilometers might be woefully inadequate. And if left unchecked, the sinking of Asia would only take moments."
If you don't intervene, the continent will sink.
Yes, this could be seen as a form of moral coercion, but it was always effective against individuals like Welt.
As expected, amidst his silence, Welt increased the Honkai Energy output further. The already immense and sprawling Ring Fortress expanded outward once more, not just encompassing the entire East Shenzhou Sea but reaching deep into distant oceans beyond.
Welt's face visibly paled, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
Hera's lips curved slightly, a hint of malice flashing in her eyes.
'Should I attempt to extract the Herrscher Core now... No, dealing with that thing below is indeed tricky. Besides, I'm not eager to turn against Zeke so abruptly.'
Hera shifted her gaze, somewhat regretful.
"Saint Freya forces, charge!"
Behind them, fully equipped Theresa, carrying "Judah" over her shoulder and hands crossed over her chest, issued orders to the relatively small group of students before her.
This was humanity's calamity; there should be no hesitation, nor any exemption from involvement. For Valkyries especially, only relentless combat lay ahead.
Clang!
On the expanding ring-shaped battlefield, many Valkyries had already taken their positions, seemingly unfazed by the moving platform beneath them.
No matter how far they retreated, the colossal beast remained unmistakably visible—its sheer size was overwhelming.
"Is that our mission objective?" one Valkyrie gulped.
"Honkai Energy truly knows no bounds; it can even create something like this... But why fear now? The day we decided to become Valkyries, weren't we resolved to face any enemy with unwavering courage? Besides, we're not fighting alone this time."
The surrounding Valkyries glanced around at their surroundings.
The imposing and well-disciplined Titan Legion stood nearby, silent giants embodying humanity's technological prowess without uttering a word. Their presence instilled a sense of security.
As enemies, these towering figures were intimidating enough to make anyone's scalp tingle, but as allies, they brought comfort and reassurance.
As for lingering animosity towards Anti-Entropy...
As soon as this colossal beast emerged from beyond the clouds, seemingly breaking through from another dimension, voices proclaiming "Anti-Entropy can't be trusted" and "we don't need those damn rats" vanished entirely.
No matter how adversarial Anti-Entropy and Schicksal might have been, facing such an unprecedented Honkai calamity, cooperation was their only option.
"Hera, please prepare the Honkai Fission Bomb," Welt requested as he continued expanding the battlefield.
"Given its size, even a fission bomb won't easily take it down. Launching now would only provoke the creature prematurely, and our battle lines aren't fully set yet."
"That's why I said 'prepare' for launch."
"Understood. The satellite will be in position in eleven minutes," Hera replied calmly.
From nearby electronic equipment, Einstein's cool voice chimed in:
"The Silver Bullet is ready for pre-launch."
"As expected of Dr. Ein, but make sure your satellite doesn't collide with mine!"
"My satellite orbits far above yours."
"A boast? Or perhaps a challenge?" Hera queried, her interest piqued.
Einstein remained silent, focused solely on her preparations without acknowledging Hera, who seemed to have nothing better to do.
Yet another Major Honkai Eruption, and once again, Welt stood unwavering at the front lines without hesitation—his mood was grim.
Sometimes, Einstein envied the Valkyries. Despite their short lifespans and constant dangers, they possessed immense power, allowing them to rush onto the battlefield alongside those they wished to fight shoulder-to-shoulder with.
Einstein could not achieve that.
She was merely a fragile scientist; no matter how much support technology she provided, the one standing beside Welt was never her. When danger befell Welt, she couldn't immediately come to his aid; instead, she found herself helplessly waiting from afar for news—as if just an outsider.
It was true then, and it remained so now.
Einstein's fingers paused mid-command entry, and she let out a soft sigh.
She didn't like this feeling—not one bit.
"Otto, if you dare cause any trouble, I'll rain every single Silver Bullet from our stockpile on your headquarters."
"A threat?"
"You can take it that way."
"I don't recall you being such a radical person, Doctor."
"At what point did you develop the illusion that you understand me?"
"Huh?" Hera narrowed her eyes.
But Einstein continued coldly: "No one is irreplaceable anymore. You could die, and so could I. This world already has new guardians—should anything happen to Welt, I will hold you personally responsible. Otto, when it comes to intellect or aptitude for destruction, I wouldn't say you surpass me. Watch yourself."
Einstein cut off the communication link.
Hera squinted, turning to look at Welt.
Welt gave an awkward smile. "Don't mind her; Eins can be like this sometimes. She may seem intimidating, but it's not as bad as it looks... I'll have a proper talk with her once we're back."
Hera shrugged, appearing entirely unfazed.
At Anti-Entropy Headquarters, within the Core's remote command room...
Tesla weighed the mechanical component in her hand and raised an eyebrow.
"Hey, mophead, you were quite impressive back there. I'm almost impressed."
"Just emulating Dr. Tesla's fearless spirit of cursing anyone out at any time. Compared to you, though, I still have much to learn."
"Hmph! That sounds about right. You should definitely keep learning from me... Wait, why do I feel like something's off here? Are you mocking my rudeness and reckless courage?"
"Not at all."
No, not "not at all," just "not yet."
Tesla pondered it for a moment but couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. However, with numerous tasks at hand, she had no time to dwell on it further. After gathering some items from the room, she swiftly departed.
Naturally, before leaving, Tesla turned around, exuding confidence as she declared menacingly:
"I'll remember this; we'll settle accounts later!"
"Of course. Take care, Dr. Tesla."
Watching the ever-vibrant and fiery red figure depart, Einstein rubbed her face, a hint of warmth appearing in her eyes.
This world felt dull and incompatible with her—from a young age, Einstein could sense this. If not for encountering some genuinely interesting individuals later on, perhaps she would have become a mad scientist akin to Otto by now?
But after all these years—sixty or seventy of them—Einstein discovered she was still the same person.
She never truly cared about moral principles or global safety; otherwise, Raiden Mei's incident wouldn't have occurred, and Anti-Entropy would not have split into the Radicals faction—all under her watchful eye, tacitly allowed by her indifference.
Upon honest self-reflection, Einstein admitted that currently, there were only two people she genuinely cared for: Dr. Tesla, who had been by her side for many years, and Yang, raised solely by her, embodying Joyce's spirit.
For their sake, Einstein willingly stood to protect the world, continuing her relentless efforts. However, if forced to choose between the world and these two individuals, her answer was unequivocally clear.
Otto believed she shared the fervent kindness of those like-minded souls, but he was mistaken.
Dr. Tesla, Joyce, Yang, and others indeed possessed genuine warmth and benevolence. But Einstein merely emulated their virtues; what she learned could not alter her inherent nature.
"Sip—"
Einstein leisurely took another sip of tea.
Then, she switched to a screen displaying the magnificent image of Schicksal Headquarters.
Einstein's index finger gently caressed a red button, her icy blue eyes shimmering with a chilling aura.
"Never mind; let's focus on business first."
She closed the video window and opened another filled with cluttered data, continuing to adjust various combat parameters.