I've already said this isn't a life simulator!

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[The brief exchange has ended, and you now know that the "Tenth Herrscher Incident" is over. The power you left behind was useful, which is wonderful, isn't it?]

[But what you don't know is that because of the "Tenth Herrscher incident," the situation on the ground is actually getting worse.]

[First, naturally, it's because of that "last individual" who caused so much destruction. As a "Herrscher," it turns out to be a high-ranking member of "Firemoth"! This immediately brought public trust in "Firemoth" to its lowest point, and even the lower ranks of "Firemoth" were severely shaken.]

[You know, they only believed you because of what the higher-ups said, and even concluded that you were the "Herrscher," which is why they became suspicious of you... Besides, what happened to you was indeed full of suspicious points, so it's understandable that they identified you as the "Herrscher."]

But now... a "Herrscher" has appeared among the original high-ranking members, so... could there be problems with the high-ranking members' initial statements? Could they... have wronged you?

No...no, you do have a problem, that's undeniable, so you will definitely be a "Herrscher," you will definitely become a "Herrscher," so they weren't wrong in the first place.

But... now... who should they believe?

Who can guarantee that another Herrscher won't emerge from the higher-ups of "Moth Chaser"?

[Besides, because of the "Tenth Herrscher incident," public trust in the "Fire Moths" has plummeted to rock bottom. People are worried that the "Fire Moths" will turn their weapons on ordinary people like them... Several cities have been destroyed because of this! Those weapons that were supposed to protect them are now destroying them instead. How can this not be worrying?]

Yes, the public knows this was done by the "Lawgiers," but putting that fact aside, don't you "moths chasing the flame" bear any fault at all?

[The "Fire-Chasing Moths" had already found the other 999 "Herrscher individuals," so why did they fail to find the last one? And why did it happen to be a high-ranking member of the "Fire-Chasing Moths"?]

[What? You "Moth Chaser" are so sure that the higher-ups won't become "Herrschers"? So sure that the higher-ups won't be affected by the Honkai? Hahaha... That's true, after all, the higher-ups of your "Moth Chaser" are all hiding in safe houses enjoying themselves, they can just issue orders through communications, they don't care about the lives of ordinary people.]

Although the primary target of this accusation and resentment was the top management of "Moth Chasing the Flame," as suspicion and vigilance deepened, everyone in "Moth Chasing the Flame" was immersed in public doubt and blame, unable to escape.

At this moment, they somewhat understood the situation Xi Wang had faced when surrounded by suspicion. Their hearts were filled with panic and sorrow, and despair was creeping in unnoticed... But this time, no one would sing to comfort them... "Hope" had been banished and abandoned by them.

However, as the saying goes, misfortunes never come singly. The "eleventh Herrscher," the most dangerous, troublesome, and difficult to deal with, that you mentioned... has appeared.

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"Mei...are you alright?"

"It's okay, I'm fine... Thank you, Kevin. If I had stayed any longer, I probably wouldn't have been able to hold on."

Mei was weak, but she still mustered her strength to speak slowly. With Kevin's help, she moved towards another base, trying to contact others through her terminal... Oh no, the terminal was broken.

"The instrument only stayed inside its [barrier] for a short while before it stopped working? This is really... so troublesome..."

Mei smiled bitterly.

The appearance of the Eleventh Herrscher was too sudden, and like the Ninth Herrscher before, it appeared very "close" to the Fire Moth when it appeared. So close that the barrier it initially deployed was enough to cover the Fire Moth's base.

Fortunately, Kevin was right next to Mei at the time. Upon noticing the abnormality, he immediately took Mei away from the [barrier] area, barely preventing Mei from weakening and dying directly... But even though Kevin acted so quickly, Mei's condition was not optimistic. Her breath was very weak, and her spirit was also very low. The fact that she could still speak was entirely due to Mei's strong will.

But Mei is already doing well; at least she has Kevin's help, while the others in that base...

Ha... the ending probably won't be good.

Kevin led her to another base, and after managing to contact the others, Mei began to contact Xiwang... As agreed, she had to be told about the appearance of the Eleventh Herrscher... Moreover, the Herrscher's abilities were too dangerous, and they needed help.

however……

What do you mean by "can't do it"?

“Dr. Mei… all the signal base stations are destroyed, we can’t send messages at all, and we don’t know if it’s because the [Herrscher] appeared too suddenly, causing the personnel monitoring the satellites… um… to suddenly die, and then their bodies must have touched some commands, causing the satellites to deviate from their original trajectory, and then… um… they collided with each other and shattered.”

"...Is this your discovery?"

"No, this is our conclusion."

"Alright... what about the backup satellite?"

"It's shattered too... Except for the [Fourth Divine Key], which wasn't controlled due to its unique nature, the other satellites are basically all... and the [Fourth Divine Key] was also severely damaged."

"...In other words, all our satellites are useless?"

"That's about it, Dr. May."

"...Damn it."

Mei rubbed her temples, feeling a bit of a headache... She felt something was off. How could a single misoperation cause all the satellites to be affected and rendered useless? Was it really that much of a coincidence?

But upon closer reflection, it doesn't seem impossible. After all, a satellite collision could cause debris to fly out and then penetrate other satellites... This possibility isn't nonexistent, but it's too much of a coincidence, so much so that it makes one suspect that someone is deliberately manipulating all of this to prevent them from contacting Xiwang.

...That's damn good.

"...Hello, Dr. Mei."

"Hmm? That voice is... Aponia?"

"It's me. I heard that the communication was broken, so I took the liberty of sending my message to your mind to connect you. I hope you don't mind."

"No, this is a huge help... Can you contact anyone else?"

"can."

"Then Xiwang... never mind, it's too far away, you probably can't reach it."

"...Indeed, that's true."

Aponia seemed to hesitate, or perhaps ponder for a moment, before responding softly.

"How are the others?"

"Most people are still safe and sound. Only a few of the Fusion Warriors have left us. Judging from their positions... they must have been too close to the Herrscher and were unable to leave the barrier. They died from their weakened bodies."

What about ordinary people?

"...This is very bad. Ordinary people can't survive two breaths inside the [barrier], and most will die within one breath... Fortunately, the painting of 'Utopia' can barely hold on for a while. We tried to save a few people, but we quickly evacuated after the situation inside 'Utopia' became unstable... Moreover, the vital signs of those inside are very weak; they can only barely survive inside 'Utopia.'"

"...It's a blessing in disguise; it's already good that we were able to save someone."

Mei rubbed her temples, took the hot drink Kevin handed her, and drank the nutritional supplement with the hot drink. After she had recovered somewhat, Mei continued to ask questions.

"What's the situation with the [Herrscher]?"

"The exact location is undetermined, and our power is difficult to deploy within the [barrier]... However, the [barrier] continues to slowly expand and move, and if we continue to let it go..."

"Even if it doesn't do anything, can it destroy us just by moving...? It's really a dangerous Herrscher... Aponia, maintain this contact, and then have the others gather at the base at this location (coordinates). We need to take care of the Herrscher as soon as possible."

“I understand, Dr. May.”

After saying that, Aponia's voice stopped, as if she had gone to contact other people.

"...Sigh, Kevin, let's go."

"Ah."

…………

………………

"...That's roughly the situation. We must deal with this [Herrscher] immediately."

Facing the crowd, Mei, whose face was somewhat pale, said this.

“Vilvie, the base has enough materials. You must build a satellite and launch it as quickly as possible. We need to restore communications immediately, and at the same time, we must also take care of the task of repairing the [Fourth Divine Key]. The personnel inside the base are at your disposal.”

"I will."

"Then comes the subjugation of the Eleventh Herrscher... We cannot ascertain the situation inside the barrier, so..."

"So we need to physically locate the Herrscher's exact position, right?"

"Yes."

"And then you have to fight it while enduring the [barrier], right?"

"Yes."

"...We'll most likely all die, right?"

"Yes."

Although Mei's voice was tired, she did not avoid the question. She simply looked at the soldier who asked the question and responded to him little by little.

"...Dr. Mei, everything is for humanity, isn't it?"

The soldier asked very seriously.

"……Yes."

Mei's voice was filled with exhaustion... It was that reason again... It was that excuse again.

"Then what's there to hesitate about? Dr. Mei, let's plan the operation."

But the soldier remained calm.

"Since we're already dead on the 'Fire Moth's' list, it's only natural to use our bodies to pave the way for victory at this time."

"........."

So that's how it is; he came from the "deepest place."

"Oh, right... hand it over, Dr. May."

"........."

"Don't you understand? I'm referring to his [Song], the [Song] that amplifies our power... After you labeled him a [Herrscher], you banned it, right? You were worried that his [Song] might have some hidden dangers... Shouldn't you bring it out now?"

The warrior glanced at the other fusion warriors belonging to "Firemoth" around him, a slightly mocking smile playing on his lips.

"If we take them out, our lives might be more useful, and we could hold out longer inside the [barrier]... Besides, in the current situation, do you really care about any potential dangers?"

"……Can."

Mei nodded. She had originally planned to reactivate Xiwang's [Song]... Just like the warrior said, they couldn't worry about that now; they had to complete the [Extermination] as soon as possible.

"I will arrange for you to form teams and enter the [Barrier] from different directions to explore the location of the [Herrscher]... Aponia, Desdovia, and Sue, the mental fusion warriors, will use their own abilities to maintain contact between you. Once you find the [Herrscher], inform each other immediately."

"Furthermore...Vilvie, how is Qianjie's condition?"

"He's very...lively, yes, lively."

"He seems to be doing well, so let him go too. Assign him to a separate direction. If he makes any moves along the way, let him know the current situation, and he will help... Never mind, I'll go find him later."

"Finally, Kevin... you need to lead the team as the vanguard, from this direction..."

"Alright, Dr. Mei, let's not send the strongest to their deaths."

The soldier interrupted Mei.

"We must [defeat] it as quickly as possible, right? Then let's not let the strongest person here waste their energy on exploration... Let him accumulate power, prepare for his strongest attack, and once we find the [Herrscher], we can take care of him directly, wouldn't that be better?"

"...This will kill a lot of people."