I am, Flame-Chaser of Previous Era-Chapter 123: Destroy!

Rumble—

Ryan leaned out of the cabin door. The icy wind and swirling snow slapped against his face—sharp, biting—but it cleared his mind.

If the Herrscher were really that stupid, she would’ve headed straight for Hawaii instead of circling around.

Unless it’s a feint. A misdirection to target Mei?

No. That didn’t track.

He had seen the Herrscher of the Wind firsthand. She had intelligence—yes—but it was still immature. She wasn’t capable of commanding anyone. And Mei wasn’t a fool; she’d have evacuated everything already. If the Herrscher showed up now, all she’d find was an empty city.

Everyone on Ryan’s side was among the brightest minds of the era—even Vill-V’s problems stemmed more from instability than a lack of intelligence.

"She’s trying to break the encirclement," Ryan muttered. "Escape Fire Moth’s net entirely."

That was the most likely scenario.

And what she did afterward? Irrelevant. Let her evolve. When the time came, conflict would be inevitable.

In terms of momentum, Ryan’s side had the advantage.

They held too many cards. Even if Sakura succeeded in becoming a Fusion Warrior, she’d still only be capable of handling lower-tier enemies like the Fourth Herrscher. Kevin was a different story. But ideally, they’d bring Sakura in slowly, integrating her power step by step—less fallout that way.

"If that’s how it goes, then everyone wins."

Ryan exhaled, the cold vapor vanishing into the wind. Being under constant observation left him feeling restrained. He couldn’t fight freely.

He’d already discussed this with Mobius. The solution? Simple: stage a fusion procedure.

They would implant a High-Rank Honkai Beast factor into his body. During the so-called "procedure," it would mutate, and Ryan would "learn" to harness Lightning.

What was the nature of this lightning? Why had it mutated?Would any of the higher-ups dare to question Mobius?

Ryan—final arbiter of truth and fiction—smirked.

Then came the inevitable interruption.

"Ryan, could you close the door already? It’s freezing."

Elysia was curled up in her seat, still wearing a dress of all things. The pilots in front didn’t even flinch—they were under mental suggestion, minds dulled, their only thought to keep flying.

"You ate half the cabin’s food. How are you still cold—"

He didn’t get to finish. Elysia poked him repeatedly in the face until he shut up.

"I’ve told you so many times. I’m not fat." She pouted, shooting a glance at the unblinking pilots. "And don’t be so mean to them, Ryan. They didn’t do anything wrong."

Ryan gave a soft chuckle. "I’m not exactly known for my kindness. Be grateful I didn’t toss those two intelligence officers overboard."

He glanced at the mission report again, this time with a hint of disdain.

"They want us to stay here. There are still people desperate to uncover the truth about Śeṣa. If the Herrscher of the Wind shows up, it’ll confirm their theory—that I’m involved."

"You think she’ll really come?" Elysia tilted her head. "I’d like to talk to her."

"She won’t come. Not with the two of us here." Ryan’s voice grew flat. "And I’d advise against that idea. Herrschers might possess awareness, but they don’t have personality. There’s no remorse in them."

The Psychological Warfare Department had been oddly optimistic lately—convinced Herrschers could be terrified, then captured, and eventually rehabilitated.

Elysia scoffed. "Do I look that naïve to you?"

She pulled her knees to her chest, her expression softening.

"I just wanted to talk. Just a little."

"Talk about what?"

"I don’t know... like, why she wants to snuff out so many blooming lives. Why destroy a civilization this beautiful?"

Ah. So that’s what it was.

Ryan’s smile faded slightly.Even now, why the Honkai wanted to obliterate humanity remained a mystery.

And not even he knew the answer.

All paths led to destruction.

This era had consumed the efforts of two entire civilizations merely to survive—and the linchpin of it all was the girl standing before him.

Without Elysia, there would be no Herrscher of Human. Even with Mei’s intricate designs, victory would come at a Pyrrhic cost. Humanity might endure—but Elysia would not.

"What is it, Ryan? Your eyes look a little sad all of a sudden. Did the wind earlier leave you with a chill?"

Elysia cupped his face, leaning in closer.

Their foreheads touched. She searched his expression carefully.Ryan didn’t flinch—only stared at the beautiful face before him.

The warmth of her breath.

Soft pink lips.

Violet eyes tinged with quiet confusion.

"Hmm... You’re not sick."

"Of course I wouldn’t get sick." Ryan pulled back slightly, feeling the warmth of her skin still lingering on his own. His face returned to blank calm.

"Elysia, do you know the meaning of your existence—your mission?"

"Oh? That’s sudden." She beamed. "But I get it now! You’ve found your direction, haven’t you? And now you’re testing me ♪"

"My direction has always been clear." Ryan lifted a clenched fist to his chest.

"To survive. To keep moving forward. No matter how the Honkai changes—none of it matters."

Whether or not he was being targeted... what difference did it make?

He was already part of what humanity meant now.

Negotiation was no longer on the table.

"You really are a determined man." Elysia rested her chin in one palm, smiling gently.

"As for me... I’m still searching for those two things you mentioned. I haven’t found them yet, but I believe I’ll contribute something meaningful to this beautiful world someday ♪"

More than just contribute.

She would become the Honkai’s final mercy.

Ryan gave a bitter smile, eyes sharpening. "What if the cost... is your life?"

"Then I’d want to make my exit in the middle of the most beautiful dance—like petals caught in the wind, scattering at their most radiant moment."

She clapped her hands, eyes bright with longing. "Ryan, you have to come watch~"

The sight stole his words.

He could feel it—her passion. That fearlessness. That serene anticipation of the end.

"You... really have a perspective I could never match."

"Oh dear, girls as beautiful and passionate as me are rare treasures, aren’t they?" she said with a wink. "Besides, if it’s fate, then I’ll face it with grace."

"No." Ryan’s voice hardened. "If it were me, I’d find a way out. A win-win. Fate is nothing but chains."

His fists clenched tight enough to spark faint static. His low voice growled with cold determination.

"It must be torn out by the root."

That response genuinely startled Elysia. The ferocity in his defiance—It didn’t sound like he was just talking about her.

He was talking about himself.

Her gaze softened. Reaching out, she gently patted his head, voice light and soothing:

"Okay, okay. I admit you’re very handsome—but you don’t have to carry the weight of the world on those shoulders."

Ryan felt the touch on his head. He didn’t quite understand why his emotions were so unsettled. But after a moment of thought, the answer came simply:

He didn’t want Elysia to die.

It was something so obvious—and yet, so impossible to change.

There was nothing he could do about it. So he pushed the thought aside, made no plans. Rising to his feet, he reached for the data terminal in the dazed pilot’s hands and took it calmly.

Focus on the present.

The screen showed a moving Honkai source roughly 500 kilometers to the south, marked as [Varuna]. The Fire Moth fleet was tailing it but hadn’t yet initiated combat.

"They’re holding position—waiting for the Fourth Herrscher."

"Will she come?" Elysia tilted her head slightly. She wasn’t the type to think in terms of battlefield strategy.

"Probability’s low. But the unmanned submersible has already passed through. We’ll know soon enough."

Ryan assumed a waiting stance, calm but focused. He didn’t believe the Herrscher would make such a foolish move.

If she’d really intended to fight, she would have faced him earlier in the Western Pacific—

Not withdrawn.

"Let’s wait and see."

The terminal kept updating in real-time. The unmanned submersible had already passed through the Honkai source—

But no visual data had returned.

A decoy? A fake Honkai source?

Ryan blinked. Just like many tacticians at that moment, he immediately realized: This wasn’t a Herrscher’s power.

Then what was it? Some kind of Honkai Beast with a mimicry ability? Why deploy such a large contingent?

What was its objective?

Elysia silently watched his face, trying to read the flood of thoughts flashing through his eyes. Then Ryan blurted out:

"A feint. The Fourth Herrscher slipped away—she’s headed for the periphery."

Almost on cue, the data terminal pinged with a fresh alert. A new Honkai source had appeared—far more intense—off the coast of the Mu continent, just outside San Diego.

"There she is! Maximum speed! Move!!"

The pilot no longer needed any psychic suggestion—he slammed the controls forward instinctively. Ryan grabbed Elysia’s hand.

"Don’t rush in. You won’t catch up like this."

"Then what’s the Herrscher after?"

Ryan’s eyes swept over the clusters of allied markers around the San Diego naval base. His voice was quiet, expression flat:

"She’s going to declare war on humanity."

This wasn’t like the previous incident with the Third Herrscher.

Back in Shanghai, humanity had barely known what a Herrscher even was. The official Fire Moth narrative painted it as a coward’s ambush, a sneak attack on an unprepared world.

But this—this was something else.

The Fourth Herrscher’s return shook the entire Pacific. Fleets mobilized, fighter squadrons fanned out in a net of patrols. The sheer fuel cost was staggering.

The world was desperate. They needed Fire Moth to win this opening engagement—to turn death into morale, to restore order in blood.

As the Third Fleet departed from the base, a sudden shift in the sky made every head turn upward.

A tear opened in the clouds above the snowstorm. A swirling vortex of wind and cloud began to rotate—vast, majestic, and terrifying. Its presence alone made even seasoned officers grip the railing tighter.

What... is that?

Inside the ships, sirens wailed—a sharp, grating sound that pierced through steel bulkheads.

The tactical map blared with warning.

"High-energy signature detected!"

"Intensity exceeds 2000HW! Confirmed Herrscher-level threat!"

The radar operator’s voice cracked as he reported. And above them, the cloud vortex spun faster—sucking up entire tons of seawater into the sky.

What emerged could only be described as a colossal waterspout, tens of thousands of meters in diameter. The ocean roared and churned, tossing even battleships like leaves in a hurricane.

At the center of it all, deep within the ascending column of water, glowed a pale blue light—

The sight made the fleet commander jump from his chair, panic flooding his chest.

"All ships, scatter! Fall back! Now!!"

Across the water, the massive vessels broke formation in chaos, scattering like celestial debris.

Even as missiles and anti-ship shells rained toward the sky, the Herrscher of the Wind remained untouched.

She raised both hands gently—calm, serene.

And with a single push, she sent the indescribable "Giant Dragon" of sea and sky hurtling toward the fleet.

This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶