Chapter 1283 Dilemma
Inside the massive metal cube constructed by Walter in City B, the deafening roar of artillery fire had ceased. Smoke and dust slowly settled, revealing wreckage scattered across the ground and large amounts of dark green, evaporating, viscous liquid. The air was thick with a pungent stench and the burnt smell of energy overload.
However, Walter's face showed no sign of relief.
“Confirmed, all activity has disappeared.” Einstein looked at the monitoring screen, his brow furrowed slightly. “But according to the analysis of residual energy, the total number of individuals we eliminated is far lower than the initial estimate of ‘a thousand’. At least 30 to 40 percent of the cloaked individuals seemed to have received a unified command before our gravity field was deployed and our firepower was applied, and in some way that we cannot fully understand… ‘dissipated’ or ‘transferred’.”
Walter retrieved Eden's Star and said in a deep voice, "They weren't destroyed, but 'recalled.' Just as we warned before, the fusion process over there has begun."
Just then, the air around the two rippled, and another amethyst energy clone appeared—this clone looked more solid than the one that went to Fu Hua's side, as if it carried more of the original's power or information.
“Mr. Welt, Dr. Einstein,” the clone spoke quickly, “to make a long story short, the Herrschers of City A and City Z have begun forced fusion, affecting several cities, and the situation is critical. We have devised a plan to strike deep into the core of consciousness, but we need a stable ‘anchor’ and external support. In order to resolve the threat as soon as possible, I request that Anti-Entropy join this joint operation, providing your expertise in area suppression and… ‘surprises’.”
Walter barely hesitated. His trust in Amethyst stemmed from long-term observation, and even more so from his understanding that this man before him was one of the key figures who had truly changed that terrible Otto and brought new possibilities to this world. He nodded: "Anti-Entropy is our duty. What do you need us to do?"
The amethyst clone quickly shared some tactical ideas and real-time battlefield data, while also providing an encrypted frequency band: "This is Velvet's dedicated communication line. She's currently... well, making some 'targeted' gadgets, which she says are incredibly effective against any potential 'mind storm' or 'spread of mental pollution' later on. She promised to share this technology with you once it's complete."
Einstein agreed: "Okay. We will stay in touch and begin deploying the remote fire support nodes and wide-area mind jammers immediately."
Just as multiple forces were urgently coordinating their efforts, in the center of the eerie blue sea of fire that was spreading and attempting to converge above several cities, a massive, blurry, distorted, and constantly shifting aggregate of consciousness was struggling to take shape. It was forcibly fused together from countless subtle wails, fragmented thoughts, and Herrscher powers, like a deformed tumor born on the spiritual level.
However, just as it greedily absorbed the scattered power, attempting to completely merge the depth of "consciousness" with the breadth of "a thousand people," at the crucial moment of transforming into an even more terrifying existence—
"Om-!"
An indescribable, excruciating pain, as if it had been "severed" at the conceptual level, suddenly surged from a certain "part" of its chaotic consciousness!
It glared (if it had eyes) toward the source of the pain. There, it sensed several presences that instinctively instilled fear and even dread in it.
Several humans are touching the core of its integration process in a way that it cannot yet fully understand, but which clearly poses a deadly threat to it!
Can't afford it!
Before it had fully integrated and was in an extremely unstable state, it immediately made its most instinctive choice—to flee! It interrupted its absorption of that area, and the massive, still-unformed main consciousness, along with the remaining ghostly blue flames, fled like a startled giant jellyfish, heading away from those dangerous humans, towards a human city further away that still had plenty of "food" and seemed to have weak defenses!
Wherever it passed, the Honkai energy in the air, which was originally in balance, surged dramatically, becoming violent and corrosive, like a pond thrown with a boulder! The ground cracked, and countless Honkai beasts were catalyzed and mutated, crawling out with roars; some ordinary humans who failed to evacuate in time and whose mental defenses were weak under the impact of the extremely high concentration of Honkai energy and residual consciousness pollution, underwent horrific physical distortions, their eyes lost their luster, and they turned into howling death warriors.
Flames erupted in the city, buildings collapsed amidst the rampage of Honkai Beasts and the turbulent flow of energy, cries and explosions mingled... In a short time, several cities that were originally only on the edge of the crisis were quickly plunged into chaos and ruin as if the Honkai had descended!
The Herrscher of Fusion frantically shifted its focus, feeling that as long as it distanced itself from those few terrifying humans and devoured more scattered consciousnesses to complete the final fusion, it could gain enough power to fight back or even counterattack.
However, just as it was rushing toward its chosen, densely populated next city, a scorching, domineering, and terrifying aura that seemed capable of burning everything appeared as an invisible wall blocking its way!
At the city's entrance, a white-haired, blue-eyed man stood silently. He held a greatsword engulfed in undying flames, its tip pointing diagonally at the ground. He didn't look at the invisible consciousness in the sky, but the Herrscher of Fusion was absolutely certain that this human had "seen" it! Beneath that calm gaze lay an immense destructive power capable of completely evaporating its still-unstable core of consciousness!
Kevin Kaslana.
The Herrscher of Fusion abruptly halted, its azure sea of fire churning violently. Without the slightest hesitation, it immediately changed direction and sped off to the other side.
This time, it didn't get very far. On the edge of a high-rise building that hadn't completely collapsed, it "saw" a pink figure sitting there, swinging its legs.
Alicia, resting her chin on her hand, smiled sweetly like the summer sun, gently waving at the empty sky as if in greeting. However, the Herrscher of Fusion felt an "attraction" and "inclusiveness" more unsettling than Kevin's flames, as if simply approaching would completely purify and dissolve its chaotic and tainted consciousness with that pure "beauty"!
Turn again! This time to the northwest!
A cold, still, cherry blossom-scented killing intent locked onto them. The pink-haired, fox-eared girl stood atop the ruins, sword in hand. The space around her seemed frozen, and any intruder would face an instantaneous, absolute slash.
In the northeast, a gray-haired boy with devil horns exudes a devastating sense of threat.
In the southwest, a giant scythe cut through the dust, and although the long-haired girl was not as terrifying as the others, it still made it feel a little wary.
From the east, south, north... more and more powerful auras appeared one after another, some near, some far, some bright, some dark, like insurmountable road signs, sealing off all its seemingly feasible escape routes!
The Herrscher of Fusion's chaotic consciousness was racing. It suddenly realized that its escape route seemed to have been guided and predicted from the very beginning! These powerful humans did not appear by chance; they seemed to have some kind of tacit understanding, driving it towards a specific, pre-prepared area!
It suddenly looked up, "towards" the direction it had been unknowingly led to—not a bustling human city, but a relatively empty, yet strangely chaotic, desolate mountainous region. And in the heart of that mountainous region, it sensed several familiar yet unsettling forces converging and weaving something.
trap!
This is a deadly trap, prepared long ago and constructed by the most elite forces in humanity!
The azure sea of fire churned and contracted uneasily in the air, plunging the Herrscher of Fusion into a desperate situation, surrounded on all sides and unable to advance or retreat.
