Honkai: Fire Moth Herrschers-Chapter 280: Everything... Is Over

There were no more sounds in her ears. Whether the noise within her heart or the clamor from outside, all had been consumed by the fierce flames.

A searing heat rose behind her, as if something had broken free from her body, taking wing towards the vast, boundless sky.

As the sea surface rolled back in waves stretching for thousands of miles under the beat of wings forged from coalesced fire, a firebird soared upwards, quickly vanishing into the boundless sea of clouds overhead.

"What... is that?"

The girl, unable to remember her own name, looked up at the dark purple sky. She felt a part of herself had escaped into the air with that streak of crimson light, disappearing without a trace.

She stared blankly upwards. It seemed like a long time passed, yet perhaps time hadn't flowed at all. A tiny spark suddenly appeared in her vision—something was returning, she realized.

The small spark quickly became a flickering flame, plummeting rapidly downwards, like a hunting falcon diving towards its prey.

The moment that fire tore through the spiraling band of dark purple energy above her head, the massive firebird could finally no longer conceal its form.

It incinerated everything polluting the heavens, turning the entire sky crimson, making even itself resemble a vivid red cloud.

Its wings stretched wide to either side. The flow of fire peaked at the bird's head, splitting towards the wings, making it look less like a bird and more like a sharp sword descending from the sky.

But what was it?

The girl stared blankly at the sky. She realized this must be an attack, but who launched it, why, and who was the target? She had no idea.

She didn't even notice she was still holding onto a taller woman, who fortunately was also staring blankly at the sky.

In a dead, empty silence, the firebird passed soundlessly through the monster before the girl, cleaving it, the entire island, and the surrounding hundred kilometers of sea in two.

White steam instantly filled the world. The girl stood amidst the scalding vapor, still unable to recall any of her past.

Suddenly, raindrops began to fall from above, carrying a metallic, rust-like tang.

"Blood?"

The girl finally recognized something familiar. Yes, it wasn't rain falling from the sky, but the blood erupting from the Herrscher's exploded corpse.

But there were also gem-like objects mixed in with the rain, clattering as they rolled around the girl's feet.

"What... are these?"

She tilted her head, staring at the gems at her feet. It was unclear if it was their natural color or if they reflected the hue of blood, giving them a dim red glow.

But she looked at the longsword in her hand. There was a similar gem on the guard, also dark red.

She searched her empty memory, recalling no connection to this gem, yet why did her vision instantly blur the moment her gaze fell upon it?

Why did cold liquid slide from the corners of her eyes?

She searched her empty memory again, receiving only an abstract answer—

Tears. They are a symbol of sadness.

But what kind of emotion was sadness?

Before she could ponder further, she took a dazed step forward, suddenly stumbled, and knelt on one knee, leaning on her sword.

"Urgh! Ahhh!"

Her body was suddenly caught in a tug-of-war between extremes—an encroaching, silent drowsiness on one side, and a more seductive sound echoing in her ears on the other:

"Kill Honkai... Kill Honkai..."

[Honkai]? What was that?

She looked at the blood and gems on the ground—that was Honkai. She looked at the sword in her hand—that was Honkai. She looked at the woman leaning on her for support—that was not Honkai. She looked again at her own unfamiliar hands—this was Honkai.

"Urgh urgh ahh—Kill..."

Her howl cut off abruptly, like a bomb defused the instant before detonation. Her eye and hair color instantly reverted to normal, the marks climbing from her neck to her left cheek vanished. The one responsible for this, perhaps not quite "human," now faced the girl, one arm around her shoulder, the index finger of the other hand gently touching the center of her forehead.

"Michael?"

Before the girl's consciousness faded to black, she seemed to hear the woman beside her call out this name.

"My apologies, Captain. But strictly speaking, I'm not him, just a form manifested by a part of his consciousness through the Eighth Divine Key."

He placed the unconscious Hua into Himeko's arms, instructing softly:

"Alright, the last of the Eighth Divine Key's energy is depleted, and my mission is complete. From here on, please take care of Hua, Captain."

Sensing her worry, Michael added:

"Don't worry, the position and force of that last strike were perfectly controlled. Although it split the entire island in two, it didn't harm The Deep, nor Mei and Vill-V."

"But..."

Himeko still had questions, but perhaps, as Michael said, the Divine Key's energy was truly exhausted. The separated consciousness, along with the manifested physical form, vanished together.

Thus, she could only turn her gentle gaze back to the girl in her arms, stroking her cold cheek and whispering softly:

"Sleep well now. It's over."

...

"Clank— Clank— Clank— Clank—"

With every step Kevin took on the ice, the studded soles of his boots left crisp, heavy echoes.

But he continued walking without hesitation towards the group of ice sculptures before him, towards [him].

That's right, everything from the hundreds-meter-long Fire Moth No. 3 transport ship down to the single-seat combat craft he himself had flown, were now translucent ice sculptures upon the sea.

The howling sea wind, carrying ice crystals, scraped past his cheek. The temperature was so low that even he shivered.

If one were to pull back the view, looking from a satellite's perspective, they would see that the northern half of the North Pacific, extending east from the Far Eastern coastline, was now completely frozen solid.

This wasn't the power of the Parvati factors within Kevin, although... he might have been capable of it, and certainly would be in the future. But this current ice field was indeed more than just the power of Parvati factors.

It was—the Fifth Divine Key, the Key of Stagnation: Dormancy of All Things.

Dormancy of All Things... purely from the words, the name didn't sound harsh, even possessed a certain beauty of utter stillness.

But the naming of Divine Keys had always been arbitrary. A harmless name didn't preclude dangerous, difficult-to-counter abilities—the Abyss Flower was a prime example.

Thinking of the Abyss Flower, Kevin found it difficult not to think of his comrade.

When he saw what Michael had to face during the Sixth Honkai Eruption, he couldn't stop thinking—perhaps someday, I too will face such a choice.

This kind of unnervingly accurate intuition... it was truly hard not to despise it...

The Judgment of Shamash, missing half its core, flickered weakly, seeming as if it might be extinguished at any moment by the freezing tide stirred up by the Fifth Divine Key. But Kevin seemed unfazed. He shifted to a more comfortable stance, gently tapping the greatsword onto the ice surface. Accompanying the harsh "hiss," a long, straight scratch appeared on the ice.

The scratch stopped abruptly at a certain point. Kevin reversed the blade, resting the greatsword, still radiating residual heat, on the shoulder of the only other living being on the entire ice field besides himself.

"Kevin..."

The man was frozen solid from the neck down, but the ever-present red T-shirt was still faintly visible. He kept sucking in cold breaths, yet still mumbled Kevin's name.

The hostility in Kevin's eyes softened slightly. He knew, he knew perfectly well, that although the person before him wore the same goggles, the same red T-shirt, and called his name exactly as always...

He was ultimately not him, but an individual of the Herrscher, designation L10-004, an individual of the Tenth Herrscher.

And his current appearance was merely a last-ditch attempt to disturb Kevin's mind before death.

But knowing was one thing, being clear-headed another. Who could truly remain entirely unmoved?

Michael couldn't back then, and neither could he now.

Perhaps in the future, but right now, the greatsword rested on Aldemir's shoulder for a long time, ultimately taking no action.

Suddenly, Aldemir's voice began to change. He stopped murmuring Kevin's name. After a bout of suppressed, crazed laughter, his gaze bypassed Kevin's figure, looking towards the distance.

"Hahahahaha! Kevin, it's all over."

"Yes, it's all over," Kevin thought silently.

The Herrscher's grotesque demeanor completely severed the image of Aldemir in Kevin's mind. Only then could he grip the hilt of Shamash tightly. Now, just a slight exertion sideways would be enough to lop off his head.

The Herrscher didn't notice, or perhaps, no longer cared.

"What? Aren't you curious about what's happening on P-21 right now?"

Kevin didn't speak, merely looked at him with extreme pity.

"Oh! Oh!"

Frozen, even as a Herrscher individual, speaking was difficult for Aldemir, but this didn't stop him from talking non-stop.

"Perhaps my hint wasn't obvious enough—Kevin, haven't you realized yet that everything we did was actually your human tactic of 'luring the tiger away from the mountain'? Hahaha..."

Meeting Kevin's calm, yet pity-filled gaze, Aldemir finally realized something was wrong. His smile grew increasingly strained, until it stopped altogether.

"You said it yourself, this is our human tactic. Why would you think we humans understand it less than you Herrschers?"

Kevin hadn't finished speaking when the expression on Aldemir's face shifted instantly from doubt to terror, as if he had personally witnessed a grand plan collapsing at the final moment.

Seeing this, Kevin let out a soft snort.

He knew more about the inner workings of this operation than even Mei did, which was why he was more confident about the battle on P-21.

He had only one concern: whether Mei would don the Blank Key. Michael's revised plan had clearly eliminated his final worry.

A sound like rolling thunder echoed behind him. Then, wind and waves surged together. Even after crossing over a thousand kilometers, the aftershock still shattered the seemingly unbreakable ice field into pieces.

"Impossible! Impossible! Impossible!"

Mei and Vill-V had hypothesized that the Tenth Herrscher individuals communicated instantly via a special quantum entanglement phenomenon between their cores. Now, Aldemir continuously sent messages to his comrades via this entanglement, and unsurprisingly, received no response.

Meaning, he had become the last surviving individual of the Tenth Herrscher.

Kevin turned sideways, glancing in the direction of P-21.

"Mei..."

Thus, he hesitated no longer. With a slight flick of his wrist, the greatsword's blade turned, slicing through Aldemir's carotid artery.

Then, he reached out a cold hand, covering the other's eyes, gently closing the eyelids that refused to shut in death. The next moment, the body of this last Herrscher individual was easily shattered into pieces of varying sizes, leaving only the core intact.

"Heh..."

Kevin chuckled, half self-deprecatingly, half helplessly.

"It's over."

The ice field began to melt. Kevin plunged his hand into the bone-chilling seawater, as if trying to wash away the friend's blood that wasn't actually on his hand.

His eyes quickly reddened. He wished he could peel off his own skin, as if only that could remove the lingering stain of blood.

"It's over... But... it's not over yet."

...

On the barren plains called Bohemia, though devoid of any green, night should have been falling thick and fast due to the time difference.

But because of the golden light curtain, combined with the glow of the SELENEs, the area was as bright as day.

Michael kept his eyes tightly shut. Just moments ago, he had directed the five-hundredth bombardment from the SELENE cannon array. But he seemed uninterested in seeing the results, or perhaps, he didn't need to open his eyes to perceive the outcome.

Four full hours, launching an all-out attack less than every thirty seconds, with no chance to breathe. Combat of this intensity... just thinking about it made one's liver ache.

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The MANTISes behind him had rotated through countless shifts. Only Ely remained steadfastly by his side. Of course, 'standing' might be less accurate than 'wearily leaning on each other.'

After all, for combat this intense, drawing energy solely from the Imaginary Tree couldn't keep pace—

Although it seemed like a stalemate with the Eleventh Herrscher had been reached, the Binding barrier itself suppressed energy, just particularly Honkai Energy. Thus, the energy expended by the Eleventh Herrscher in each confrontation was actually far less than Michael's. The deficit had to be supplemented by the other MANTISes.

Besides, No. 17's original model only considered energy expenditure, not physical and mental fatigue. Looking at it now, holding out for 69 hours was impossible; even nine hours seemed questionable. But...

"Hoo..."

For the first time in four hours, Michael opened his eyes and let out a long breath.

Most others probably didn't notice. Of course, even if they did, they likely wouldn't understand the meaning behind it.

Only Elysia understood that the soft exhale signified the relief of a heavy burden lifted.

"It's over," Michael said, his voice audible only to Ely.

The word was indeed "over," but to Ely, it sounded more like the trumpet call for a final battle.

"Are you... really going to do that?"

Michael didn't speak, just nodded slightly.

"Then... you definitely won't..., right?"

"Mm."

And so, the engine roar of the SELENE, which had filled the air for hours, suddenly vanished. The sky dimmed slightly.

How could such a significant change escape everyone's notice?

Stunned, everyone looked at Michael's back. Before him, the light curtain, which had maintained a five-kilometer distance, began expanding rapidly again, freed from the pressure of the SELENE cannons. In just a few seconds, it seemed poised to cross the short distance and engulf everyone within the barrier.

Kosma's mind exploded. He had previously overheard Michael and Mei's conversation. Knowing Michael, although doubt lingered in his heart, he had stubbornly dismissed the idea of throwing all the MANTISes into the barrier as a joke.

But now Michael was... going to do it for real?

Yet before he could step forward to question, and before Dystopia could frantically pull him back, Michael suddenly reached out a hand towards Ely, presenting a blue gemstone to her.

"This is the second time."

"The situation wasn't so good last time."

"Mm, but this time, I just need you to hold onto it for a little while."

No one understood what they were talking about.

After all, records of the entire Seventh Honkai Eruption were taboo among taboos within Fire Moth. Of course, even those who experienced it firsthand likely didn't know Michael had once discarded, and been discarded by, his own core.

But this time was different.

This wasn't abandonment, just temporary safekeeping.

Michael didn't understand the exact principles of the Binding barrier, nor could he personally "experience" this power like he did fighting the Eighth Herrscher. All his information came from deductions based on memory.

What was certain was that this Authority caused extreme harm to Herrschers and MANTISes. Whether this damage was reversible? He couldn't say for sure.

But considering the importance of the Authority, especially the importance of his own unique Authority in a certain upcoming plan, Michael opted for the safer approach—temporarily separating his core. This meant he would lose his Herrscher powers for the following period, facing the Binding with his own self.

And his own self possessed such energy.

Ely didn't say much, just clenched the core tightly in her hand.

"You have to come back."

Without waiting for Michael's reply, she immediately commanded loudly:

"All personnel, fall back!"

Hearing the command, the vast majority of MANTISes ignored their weak legs and retreated using whatever means they could.

Those unwilling to retreat so ignominiously still obeyed the order implicitly.

Only Kosma stared blankly at Michael's back, until he was dragged away from the battlefield by Dystopia and Ely, each pulling one of his arms.

"Clang!"

Michael plunged the Abyss Flower deep into the ground before him. With his current power, he rarely needed to use Divine Keys in battle; even if he did, he could replicate them himself.

But the Abyss Flower was, after all, her keepsake. Mei had never asked Michael for it, and Michael had never considered handing it over.

But at this moment, it was indeed a necessity.

"Hmph..."

The golden light curtain was about to surge upon Michael. With a soft grunt, a slight sting and draining sensation came from the palm gripping the lance. Then, silently, as far as the eye could see, white flowers bloomed.

Furthermore, if one's gaze wasn't limited to the immediate vicinity, they would see that the sea of flowers wasn't confined to one side of the barrier, but encircled the entire two-hundred-kilometer-diameter barrier in a full ring!

Then, green vines burst from the earth, vibrant with life, instantly crawling across the entire light curtain.

But alas, it seemed useless.

Unleashing all the Honkai Energy within the Abyss Flower only bought Michael an instant.

However... many things can happen in the fleeting passage of a white steed glimpsed through a crack.

For instance, closing one's eyes, folding one's hands over the red Stigma mark on one's chest.

"Seele..."

He whispered the name softly. They had promised each other that even across the greatest distances, the call through the Stigma would inevitably connect them.

And so, an impatient voice crossed a distance perhaps vaster than the definition of time itself, echoing in Michael's mind:

"Tsk! So troublesome!"

"My apologies, Seele. This time, I'm afraid I truly need your full assistance."

"Hm? Are you serious? Fine, fine, whatever you want..."

"Seele?"

"Annoying! Just don't die!"

A blood-red light suddenly flared from the Stigma, then grew searing hot, as if trying to permanently brand the mark onto Michael's palm through his clothes.

"Thump-thump—Thump-thump—Thump-thump—"

Michael could clearly hear his own heartbeat. He could feel his own blood, red just like any human's, constantly circulating through this fist-sized organ.

"Thump-thump, Thump-thump, Thump-thump, Thump-thump—"

The heartbeat gradually quickened. Impurities seemed to mix into the red blood, like black mire, thick and cold, the complete opposite of blood. Like a spreading virus, they instantly flowed through every vein, finally enveloping the entire heart in blackness.

And so, it was no longer a heart a human could possess.

"Thumpthumpthumpthumpthump!"

The heartbeat blurred into a continuous roar, almost threatening to burst out of his chest.

Blue light erupted from Michael's body like flames. The fringe of hair on his forehead stirred. He suddenly opened his eyes. His originally silver-grey irises now glowed with an eerie blue light.

Of course, if one looked closely, they would notice his pupils were no longer humanly round, but vertical slits like a beast's—

Yes, the Stigma recorded all stories, including the entirety of the girl named Seele, and naturally, the entirety of the person named Michael. Thus, the climax of that story, the Artificial Cascade, was naturally included, even though Michael's new body previously contained no ICHOR factors whatsoever.

"MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO—"

Many retreating MANTISes heard the bellow and were forced to stop, covering their ears to prevent their eardrums from shattering.

And when they turned back, they saw the back of a monster over a thousand meters tall.

"Hmph! So ugly!"

From the monster's chest, countless blood-red chains shot out, fixing the shape of the entire Binding barrier.

Michael raised his hands, bracing against the light curtain. This single action whipped up a raging gale at low altitude, emitting a sky-tearing shriek.

Whether it was the Abyss Flower's vines, [Seele's] chains, or Michael's body, upon contact with the light curtain, black smog billowed, and power drained away.

Michael wasted no time. His neck stretched forward, and he bit down on the light curtain, then tore backwards.

"Crunch—Crunch—Crunch—"

Though it was an intangible light curtain, it still produced tangible chewing sounds, like gnawing on tough, overcooked intestines.

But no one would find this scene appetizing. Instead, many had already started gagging, clutching their throats.

Disgust was one aspect. Equally, in this dark night, on this land covered in white flowers, the chewing sounds of a thousand-meter-tall monster were exceptionally chilling.

And this chewing continued for a full hour. Under Vishnu's relentless devouring, the Eleventh Herrscher's barrier finally shattered.

The moment the light curtain broke, the light in Michael's eyes gradually faded. His head and hands drooped limply. Only his abdomen, distended from excessive consumption, was particularly conspicuous.

At the same time, a streak of pink light shot past his side, crossing over a hundred kilometers to precisely kill the Herrscher.

Lowering the Flowing Flowers, Ely ran unhesitatingly towards the non-human body. But before she could get close, guided by the Abyss Flower, green vines crawled all over Michael, then tightened forcefully.

Black blood spurted from the gaps in the vines. Under the effect of the Authority of Death, the massive body rapidly shrank like a punctured balloon, then quickly disintegrated, scattering as flying ash.

"No... way...?"

Only these three words remained in Ely's mind.

She instinctively clenched the core in her hand, only to find her palm empty.

"Hey, what are you spacing out for?"

Michael poked her cheek from the side.

Ely turned her head blankly. Her eyes were like glass fogged over on a cold winter day. She stared blankly at the brand-new Michael before her, then pressed her lips together.

"Idiot Michael, you scared me again!"

Although she knew Michael wouldn't die so carelessly, in a world like this, who could say when death might come?

She had truly panicked just now.

"Are you silly? How many times have I reconstructed my body? Still not used to it? Besides, who else can control the Abyss Flower but me?"

Michael explained with a smile, unprepared for Ely to throw herself directly into his arms and bite down hard on his shoulder through his clothes.

"Stupid Michael! Who thinks about all that..."

Michael's lips moved slightly, but ultimately, he didn't translate his feelings into pale words.

To have someone worry about him regardless of everything, without considering logic...

"Ely..."

...was truly wonderful.

Night fell once more upon the barren plain. Michael stood before everyone, holding Ely tightly, then placed a light kiss on the pointed tip of her ear.

And so, the temperature of that ear gradually rose. Even in the pitch black, it wasn't hard to imagine that flush of crimson.

"Elysia."

He rarely called her by her full name.

"Mm..."

"It's over."

"Hm?"

Her body gradually softened, finally burying her warm head into Michael's still cool chest.

"Everything is over... Everything is, very soon, going to be over."