I am a hero of the former civilization.

“Even when I tried everything to get them out of Twilight Street, they still encountered accidents like tsunamis.” Aponia raised her head, a sad smile on her beautiful face. “Fate is so stubborn, but I still have hope that if I struggle hard, there will be a chance for survival.”

This is the biggest difference between Aponia now and the paradise of the past; she has not given up and still wants to struggle.

Ryan finally understood. It wasn't just Aponia who was struggling; all the Thirteen Heroes, the Firemoths, and even all of humanity were fighting desperately, but the outcome would not change—it would still be the end.

"Your idea coincides with mine."

"You also want to defy fate?"

“It’s not resistance; it’s that I’ve already altered my destiny, but I’m not satisfied yet.” Ryan smiled, but his smile was full of confidence.

Kevin, Mebius, Hua... the fates of many people have changed, but he is not arrogant. He uses "modification" rather than "alteration," just like Aponia's repeated struggles. No matter how much the process is changed, the end is still unknown.

He figured that if it really had to be described as changing one's fate, then at the very least, Alicia had to live.

Under the autumn sun, the man's confident smile was infectious, causing Aponia to hold her breath slightly before slowly lowering her eyes.

"I am looking forward."

"Ha, I thought you were going to laugh at my naivety."

“No one knows how it will end if we don’t try.” Aponia also stood up, placed her hands on her lower abdomen, and looked directly at the other person: “Qianjie is coming back. If you want to stay for lunch, I won’t object.”

"Aren't you going to ask about the specifics of the cooperation?"

“There’s no need for that. There’s little I can do but watch your performance as an observer, while the threads of fate will bind us together.” Aponia curtsied, swaying her slender waist as she left the garden, only turning back as she stepped onto the stairs.

"I forgot to mention something: I'm also very satisfied with today's meeting."

Ryan remained standing until Aponia's figure disappeared from sight, then brushed the fallen leaves from his head and gave a self-deprecating laugh.

He really does have the air of a charlatan, but with Qianjie and me here, we can still sense a future of destruction...

Ryan took a deep breath. Even though Aponia's abilities were still vague, the things it represented left him wanting more.

......

In the valley, the sunlight is blocked by the trees, casting only dappled shadows. It looks lush and green, but when you touch its surface, you feel a cool sensation.

The trees are dead. Not only the plants, but there is no living thing in this valley. All the animals and insects have disappeared. Occasionally, a few pale blue crystal flowers can be seen on the ground.

The silence was unsettling, at least for the visitor, as a person shrouded in black robes trudged through the valley.

He didn't show a single inch of skin, and wore a heavy steel hood over his head, completely blocking his eyes. This thing could isolate his vision and Honkai energy reactions, so he was moving forward entirely by instinct.

I could see nothing, hear nothing, and numbly took steps, not knowing how long I walked.

Anyway, the forest was over, the ground became flat, and then it seemed like I was climbing stairs, until a voice came to my mind.

Arrived.

After silently counting to 50,000 seconds, I finally stopped walking, then wiped my eyes, and my vision was finally restored.

He saw two twisted steel doors, as if violently broken open, some instruments covered in dust, and beautiful blue crystals in the corners. He knew this was a supernatural phenomenon that could only occur when high concentrations of Honkai energy condensed.

As the head was raised, more and more discarded instruments came into view, until finally a petite figure appeared.

It was a girl sitting on a glass jar, swinging her two fair legs back and forth, humming some unknown tune, which seemed extremely out of place in this deathly silence.

The visitor paused for only a moment, then bowed gracefully despite wearing a heavy hood.

"Good evening, Herrscher of Death."

The man's tone was not contemptuous because of his appearance, and he didn't even glance at the other person.

The girl stopped swinging her legs. Her innocent face could not possibly show any dignity. She simply jumped off the glass jar and gently patted her dusty hands.

"You humans really make things complicated. It's just a message, but you have to come all the way here in person, just like you have to give us a title."

“All means of communication are not very reliable now, but this intelligence is very important, so I had to come.”

"You're just using 'it doesn't matter' as an excuse; you're just asking for something, aren't you?" The girl saw through her immediately and waved her hand dismissively. "Take off your hood."

"Yes." The man obeyed the order and removed his hood, revealing his face.

The Herald scrutinized her closely, his brow furrowing slightly before revealing an extremely wicked smile.

"So it was you. Now I understand why they went to such great lengths to send you to see me."

"Because I trust what I see with my own eyes more. I only place a bet if I see a possibility of achieving my goal." The man's tone remained elegant and calm as he pulled a thick document from his pocket.

"Here is all the intelligence, along with my analysis. You can review it and then give me a chance to ask questions."

He was good at talking; at least he kept a humble attitude, so no one would refuse his kindness.

The Herrscher took it, glanced at it, and showed no surprise. He simply raised his head slowly and asked, "What do you want to ask?"

"The Herrscher's authority transcends science, resembling magic or miracles." The man paused, licked his lips, and looked at the Herrscher who was still smiling at him. "Then my question is—"

"With your authority, can you bring the dead back to life?"

"Oh, so you're the one behind that research institute. I knew it. What's the point of creating so many empty shells?" The Herrscher of Death put away the documents, her eyes seemingly cunning.

Has the Herrscher evolved to this extent?

This feeling made the man's eyes widen slightly, making him realize his ignorance once again, which was actually beneficial to him.

"Yes, something is always missing, so I want to know if authority can do it."

Regarding this question—

The blue-haired little girl vanished from sight in an instant. The man quickly looked down at the empty hole in his chest, where a still-beating heart was in his palm.

My vision began to blur, and my mind raced as I pondered why she had done what she did.

The Herrscher, still smiling, squeezed hard and crushed the heart completely.

"Try it yourself and you'll see."

Chapter 231 Humans Are Always Good at Self-Destruction

Click.

The sound of unlocking rang out, and the heavy automatic doors opened to both sides, revealing a pair of clean, bare feet on the floor.

This is a dimly lit hall, where flickering lights illuminate figures of varying sizes, some resembling small mountains, others just ordinary humans. Thick layers of lead alloy enclose the terrifying Honkai energy within.

The Herrscher of Death raised her hand, dodging the outstretched burning bone wings, her face still bearing a smile.

"Don't rush, Garuda, you can't let this thing be burned."

Orange flames ignited, and a monster with two horns on its head, resembling the skull of a bird or beast, emerged from the corner, instantly illuminating the hall as if it were daytime.

It illuminated the other monsters, the two figures in the corner, and the gentleman on the back of the giant ice-blue beetle. If Ryan or May had seen it, they would have been terrified.

The reality was worse than they had estimated. The changes that began with the Herrscher of Wind had already taken shape, and that organization was expanding rapidly, absorbing everything that could be used, like a man-made confrontation.

This change even surpasses the 'evolution' of the Herrschers themselves, because no matter how they learn, their core and goal will never deviate.

The Herrscher of Death became much more vivid; she even threw the documents in her hand away with a smile.

“I admit you’re right, humans are indeed better at self-destruction, and all we need to do is give them a push.”

The gentleman sat upright on the beetle's back, even crafting a glittering chair from his authority. He reached out and took it, studying it as he asked:

"How did you respond to that human's request? Don't underestimate them; we are no more intelligent than them."

"It should be said that the original Herrschers didn't even have the concept of 'intelligence'; they were just humanoid Honkai Beasts. But now I can actually feel 'interest,' and even want to explore what exists above us." The Herrscher of Death sat down in the corner, reaching out her slender hand to stroke the soft face of a gray-haired girl.

She was very gentle, as if she were caressing a precious gem.

"Don't worry, I just killed him and then brought him back to life. Human greed won't be able to find anything wrong with that. But human curiosity is very interesting. I'm going to give them a 'treasure' so they can study it carefully."

"What treasure?"

"They'll definitely make something interesting out of a piece of flesh containing my authority," the Herrscher of Death chuckled, like a little girl seeing a doll.

"You learn very quickly, even faster than me." The Herrscher of Ice glanced at the two girls embracing and said calmly, "No matter how much we learn, our essence will never change."

"Of course, we won't get bogged down in pointless questions like 'Who am I?' All destinies point to an end."

Ultimately, we are completely different from humans.

This answer is a consensus, because Herrschers have no 'fate' and can never be called human, precisely because of this—

"What's the deal with this pseudo-hero?"

Ice Law raised his head, revealing a human-like look of confusion. He was indeed confused, because the intelligence report made it very clear:

The first pseudo-Herrscher did not die; he apparently joined the human side and went to a place called 'Twilight Street,' and all indications suggest that he formed some kind of alliance with Ryan.

This is impossible. Even a pseudo-Herrscher doesn't have the option of 'betrayal' because without emotions, there is no betrayal.

"It's incredible, isn't it? I even learned something new from it."

The incredible itself is a form of learning. The two Herrschers stared at each other in silence, not knowing where to begin. It didn't make sense, yet reality was so certain.

Appearances can be imitated, and authority can be simulated, but the biggest difference between the Herrschers and the Flame Chasers is that they know a terrifying piece of information without even needing to look at the analysis report.

"is it him?"

"That's possible, but according to their intelligence, he's still on the peninsula."

The intelligence was indeed useful; we could know what was happening outside just by staying in this valley, thus avoiding the possibility of being captured.

The Herrscher of Death raised her head slightly, revealing a mocking smile: "Don't forget, he is cunning and also has the authority of the Herrscher of Wind, so moving across tens of thousands of miles is not difficult for him."

"That's right. Those humans are too naive to know how terrible he is."

“They don’t need to know, otherwise they’ll start having strange thoughts.” Death Law silently shook his head. This secret was too terrifying and might even shake their already wavering beliefs.

Silence again. There is no definite answer to this question, and either outcome would be troublesome.

If the pseudo-Herrscher still has the possibility of returning to the human side, then the entire plan will have to be scrapped and started all over again; if this is Ryan, then this person must be plotting some kind of conspiracy, because according to the report, there is also a powerful non-fusion warrior in Twilight Street.

“The conditions for the Seventh Herrscher to descend have been met. It would be troublesome if something unexpected happened at this time.” The Ice Herrscher seemed more mature and prudent, and he preferred that each of them fight their own battles.

Whatever schemes Ryan may have, all he needs to do is use those humans as cover, hide well, and wait for his kind to arrive.

The end is just a concept. If he can gather five or six Herrschers and bring dozens of high-ranking Honkai Beasts, pseudo-Herrschers, and human traitors to start a war, then the day the war begins will be the end.

“But if it’s the first outcome, then we’ve gone in the wrong direction.” The Death Herald shook his head again, glancing at the man and woman in the hall: “The pseudo-Herrschers are ultimately creations of humanity. If there’s a possibility of betrayal, we will lose.”

Judging from the current situation, the Honkai side is weaker, possessing only the advantages of 'unity' and 'concentration'. Therefore, Adam's appearance is very dangerous, and even the two true Herrschers cannot understand the reason.

"Then let's keep it simple and let those humans do whatever it takes to find out the truth. If it really is that pseudo-Herrscher, then find a way to bring him back and find out why he stood on the side of humanity."