K424 of the Collapse World

"Ciris, this is still not the exit, right? I just looked at the map of Helheim Laboratory, and going in this direction should be..."

"I know, the Saint 1504 Institute."

She answered without hesitation, glancing at Charlotte beside her without further explanation.

To be precise, as long as they continue to move forward along this road, although they will pass the Saint 1504 Research Institute, they will eventually come to a location close to the edge of the Destiny Headquarters. Although they are still inside the floating island at the moment, a mere layer of the floating island's external building materials cannot stop the Herrscher's footsteps.

To put it bluntly, Shilis's plan was nothing more than to make a hole on the edge of the floating island of the Destiny Headquarters. Shilis, who had made a hole in a battleship before, said that she was a little accustomed to doing this kind of thing.

(If my memory is still correct, I should be able to meet an old friend at that place during this time period... Well, as an additional condition for later, it wouldn't be too much to ask me to dig a little corner, right?)

She destroyed a lowered isolation wall, and now that she was completely exposed, she no longer had to worry about the next level 2 alarm. In this narrow underground passage, in terms of mobility, she might not be much better than the armored Valkyries, but the Valkyries would not try to break the wall to take a shortcut to intercept...

"We will soon leave the zone of Helheim Laboratory. Be prepared for battle. I'm afraid there are patrols stationed at the junction between here and Saint 1504 Research Institute."

As Shirley spoke, she raised her left fist again and made the opening move of the Inch Heart Fist, preparing to blast through the wall blocking her way. However, at this moment, something strange happened! The metal wall on Shirley's right suddenly burst open, and a silver thick-bladed giant sword pierced through the wall with a loud noise, easily tearing apart the solid metal wall, and a sharp diagonal slash directly hit Shirley's shoulder!

"careful......!"

——Swish!!

Before Claire spoke, the girl had already lowered her body calmly, letting the giant sword pass through her hair. Along with the arc of electricity brought by the giant sword, the smoke and dust produced by the explosion around her were swept away. The next moment, a huge black shadow crashed through the broken metal wall and blocked the way ahead, and the true appearance of the attacker was revealed in front of the girls.

“Is this…the divine machine of destiny?!”

Charlotte opened her eyes wide as she looked at the huge black shadow blocking her way. What came into view was a large white mecha. However, unlike the slender and flexible features of ordinary destiny mechas, this special mecha with blue and white interweaving looked bloated and bulky. However, its energy response and the sense of oppression it brought were not comparable to ordinary mechas...

"Well, I roughly recognize this thing. It's the guardian of the Helheim Laboratory... Although the manufacturing concept is a bit strange, this is indeed one of the top special divine machines of Destiny."

Looking at the huge mecha that completely blocked the way, Shilis narrowed her eyes slightly.

I actually ran into Heimdall...

"It's an unexpected trouble, but as a test target for the Destiny Mecha technology, it's considered qualified..."

541 Subsequent Decision

Although the cathedral at the headquarters of the Destiny used the energy metal of the Soul Steel structure as its building material, it was not ultimately used as a battlefield.

The originally bright and smooth floor was now full of potholes, with traces of blood from an unknown Valkyrie remaining on it; the walls with relief carvings were covered with cracks, and the carvings on the surface had become blurred; in one corner of the hall, the tall stone pillars that served as decoration had completely turned into sand and wasteland, mixed with the debris and ashes from the explosion, making it completely impossible to repair them.

Looking at the devastated cathedral after the war, Otto closed his eyes tiredly. Now, Otto himself felt a little incredible, why did he make such a dangerous plan in such a hurry and implement it without hesitation?

I have been waiting for more than five hundred years, but I can't wait any longer...

Gently pressing his forehead, the man fell into a brief state of unconsciousness. Even though the long five hundred years could almost dilute everything, his goal did not waver in the slightest. Over the centuries, he selectively forgot many things, but the woman's voice, appearance and smile had long been engraved into the depths of Otto's soul forever.

As long as he can see that person again, he would give up everything in this world. Even if he had to do what he just did, collude with the Honkai and turn the knife against his own allies...

However, this complete failure also made Otto instantly realize the misconception in his thinking.

I have seen hope in the Herrscher of Death, but I have suffered failures since then. These blows may be the trigger for my reckless behavior...

(How ironic... Even now, I am still controlled by impulse?)

The long-lost setback also reminded Otto of his own identity. He, Otto Apocalis, as the bishop of destiny, although he had already stood

He has reached the pinnacle of world power, but before becoming the Bishop of Heaven's Destiny, he was just a useless mortal...

But Shilis was different. Although she was not even a human before, but just an artificially created replica, now that she had stolen the power of God, she had far surpassed the scope of humans.

(Even though they have the same power from the source, each Herrscher’s complete form has completely different abilities! I actually forgot such an important thing…)

Such an arrangement might be able to temporarily trap the Herrscher of the Void, which had already been basically analyzed, but facing the Herrscher of Constraints, about which there was still little intelligence, failure was already a foregone conclusion.

(Humph, I am really obsessed. I would easily attack an unknown enemy... If the dispute continues to the end, the overall loss of the Destiny Organization will probably reach 20% or even higher...)

Just thinking back to the exchange with the girl not long ago, his expression darkened slightly.

He didn't care about the compensation clauses. What really surprised Otto was that even though Shirley had been attacked by the Destiny and even saw through his plan, she still didn't intend to completely break off relations with the Destiny organization. In Otto's original understanding of Shirley, the emotional and impulsive girl would never let this matter go so easily.

Moreover, every time he saw her in the past, her personality seemed to have some subtle changes. The only explanation Otto could think of for these anomalies was that the collapse had affected the girl's personality...

Even if one can overcome the erosion of Honkai and preserve one's own personality, is it still impossible to avoid being affected by it, or even gradually assimilated?

Thinking of this, he completely gave up his previous idea.

If simply coming into contact with Honkai is enough to affect human sanity, then would resurrecting Kallen with the power of Honkai have any irreversible impact on the girl?

Memories and emotions from one's lifetime are essential parts of building a personality during resurrection. The resurrection that Hill's power of creation can achieve will cause these two points to be lost, so Otto refused this form of resurrection. He didn't want Kallen to lose her former color after rebirth, nor did he want her personality to be changed into another person...

However, apart from using the method of Honkai, is there any other way to fulfill the taboo of resurrecting the dead?

With a deep sigh, Otto stood up from the only intact chair and walked down the steps of the altar.

The nature of the collapse... Although according to the known information, it seems to be an "attack" from an advanced civilization. However, there is still no reliable information to indicate its specific form.

As a concept, it has countless forms of expression; as a substance, it also has countless forms of existence. It can be a general term for disasters, a kind of energy, a visible and tangible entity, or even a life form with its own will... According to these characteristics, it seems to be everywhere. So, what happened here not long ago, and even my thoughts at this moment, will they also be understood by the will of collapse...

(That guy called K424 an "abnormal existence" that needs to be eliminated as soon as possible. This means that even for Honkai, her existence is an unpredictable threat... Humph, it seems that she is being used as a weapon. Even Honkai, which has completed countless world resets, regards her as a threat. How could Shilis Kaslana be easily defeated by the Destiny Organization?)

541 Subsequent Decisions >>

Otto laughed at himself, looked at the badly damaged cathedral, and finally shook his head, turned and walked towards the exit on the side.

The struggle between humans and Honkai is destined to be a struggle that will eventually lead to despair. It is precisely because of this mentality that he acts so casually, putting his own selfish desires above the survival of human civilization.

But now, as all these theoretically feasible plans have been overturned, Otto suddenly felt a little confused. If Kallen could never be resurrected in the form she wanted, then how should this hopeless future be arranged?

It seems that it doesn’t matter whether the world without Kallen exists or is destroyed?

No... You can't think like that! Even without the help of Honkai, with the scientific power of mankind itself, one day we will be able to explore the essence of the soul and realize its observation and interference...

Therefore, if this era were to be destroyed, it would be completely over.

"Your Majesty Bishop."

As the familiar voice sounded behind him, Otto stopped and looked back at the Valkyrie who was his adjutant. His gloomy expression had relaxed, completely hiding his previous emotions.

"What is it, Claudia?"

"Intruders have been discovered at the Helheim Laboratory, and the original prototype of the Artificial Law Maker Project has been taken away. According to the latest intelligence, they have already invaded the vicinity of the Saint 1504 Research Institute."

"..."

"Your Excellency, the troops responsible for the security of the institute request that the alarm level be raised by two levels, and that the headquarters be put on full alert."

"There's no need for that. Just keep it like this. They're just a few sneaky guys. There's no need to make a fuss about it."

Otto answered expressionlessly, then turned around and ignored Claudia who was hesitant to speak.

"...I understand, Your Excellency the Bishop. I will send orders to all departments to try to avoid the escape route of the invaders."

"..."

Hearing Claudia's unchanged tone, Otto paused, but only for a moment, then he walked forward again without looking back, as if he agreed with Claudia's guess.

Even if the lieutenant had realized that he intended to let Cialis go, Otto knew that Claudia would not comment on it, nor would she tell anyone about it...

Next, according to the verbal agreement made earlier, it is time to find a time to continue the unfinished conversation with the girls. Of course, the next conversation will only be on their home turf.

(Forget it. As long as this storm can be calmed down temporarily, let her go. Now, at least we can be sure that she is on the side of human civilization...)

--boom! !

The heavy sword fell to the ground, and the electric current burst out, creating spider-web-like cracks on the ground. However, the target of the slash avoided the place where the huge sword fell and flashed to the other side of the mecha just before it hit.

"The force of the slash is roughly equivalent to the weight of a tank-class Honkai beast's leap..."

Silis muttered to herself, dodging the sword that was slashing down on her head again, ignoring the twisting and fluctuating arcs of electricity that fell on her body, and dealing with the divine machine Heimdall with a nimble posture. Claire, who was originally held in her arms, was handed over to Charlotte.

She chose to personally confront Tianming's top-level divine machine, not so much for collecting data as to satisfy her personal curiosity.

She dodged as the giant sword swung, and she quickly figured out the tactical principles of this large mecha.

The seemingly thick and blunt greatsword can be used as a blunt weapon under overwhelming force. However, with the assistance of the decomposition current wrapped around the greatsword, Heimdall's attack range and destructive power have made a qualitative leap.

However, it is meaningless for Shiris to expand the attack range by using the dissipated electric waves.

"If I'm right..."

Seeing the decomposition current that automatically dissipated before reaching her body, the girl's eyes focused, and she suddenly took a half step forward, clenching her right fist and blasting forward with all her might...

"Cunjin·Yanpo!"

——Dang

The Cunxin Fist, which has the smallest forward force, missed the heavy sword and landed head-on on the shield of the mecha. The advanced energy shield attached to the divine machine was directly shattered by this blow!

The next moment, the blazing light of flames wrapped around the giant sword, and the mecha was dyed crimson by the energy. The blade of light that gathered flames exploded in the scattered air waves...

542 Old Fate

Like many boss templates in games, Heimdall also has a second stage. According to the original setting, after being attacked with a high frequency in a short period of time, or suffering a certain degree of damage, he will enter this burst state, greatly increasing his combat ability limit.

And now, I just punched it once. Although I felt that some kind of shield was shattered one after another, if that was all, theoretically it should not be enough to activate its critical system...

The actual situation was obviously different from the setting in the game. Shirley's punch was enough to break through the four layers of the divine machine's barrier, which was probably enough to trigger the alarm emergency device built into the machine. Heimdall's intelligent system must have determined that the danger of the girl in front of it was an abnormal situation, which caused it to directly enter the explosion state.

The girl stood still, letting the blast of wind roar out with the divine machine as the center. After using electromagnetic energy to strengthen the attraction between her feet and the ground, her light body would not be blown away easily. The strong wind blew her long hair up, and it was torn by the strong wind and fluttered rapidly in the air, but the girl was not moved at all, just silently watching Heimdall, who turned into a red horn with three times the speed, confirming the data she had just obtained.

Although it is not enough to fight against the Herrscher, these rich and diverse abilities can indeed handle most emergencies. Its power is unquestionable, but its energy does not seem to be able to support a long-term battle, so it is used as a guard of the Helheim Laboratory instead of being used as a main weapon to suppress the front battlefield...

“But that’s the extent of it.”

With the ground shaking violently, the seemingly heavy and tall divine machine soared into the air, and quickly enlarged in the girl's field of vision! After the whole body was overloaded with energy, its mobility was indeed enhanced by more than three times. The flaming energy sword was swung out, and the scattered arcs remained in the air, which would trigger a violent energy explosion in the next moment.

.....

The physical sword is extremely hot, and coupled with the operation of the decomposition current and its own huge mechanical force, this sword is enough to tear open the shells of most Honkai creatures and cut deeply into their silicon-based bodies. Afterwards, the delayed burst of electromagnetic energy will completely destroy them from the inside!

Against medium or small Honkai creatures, Heimdall is almost invincible. Even the most advanced mechas of Anti-Entropy may not be able to match its combat capability. However, no matter how powerful the energy is, the output rate of the machine is ultimately limited. If the opponent is replaced by a large Honkai beast like Benares, or a powerful being of the Outer level, Heimdall in his explosive state will eventually be powerless.

Just like the current situation.

(The overloaded energy dissipates to the outside of the mecha, turning into a force field shield with stronger deflection force, and is also immune to the same type of electromagnetic attacks... The mobility enhanced to the limit can automatically avoid powerful and slow heavy attacks. If you only use your physical strength to fight the enemy, it may be a little tricky...)

If Charlotte were to face this mecha alone, this wolf-eared girl with a relatively simple attack method would probably be in danger. However, Shiris is naturally different from ordinary Honkai creatures. Although her own strength is enough to defeat this powerful divine machine head-on, she has a simpler method when facing a pure mechanical body like Heimdall.

Faced with the dazzling sword that was getting closer and closer to her forehead, Shirley no longer made any evasive efforts. She just stood still and blinked without leaving a trace.

When the girl closed her eyes and opened them again, her blue pupils had instantly turned golden, and a cross-shaped mark appeared in her pupils. This was a unique mark in the pupils of every Herrscher, and its appearance meant the release of the strongest power of the Herrscher...

Within a few milliseconds of the girl's blink, a golden arc of light spread out from in front of Shirley, swept across Heimdall who was right in front of her, and covered the space in front of her in a fan shape, without affecting Charlotte and the other person standing behind her.

whoosh-

Instantly, the lighting system of the passage ahead went out, and the giant sword wrapped in lightning and flames also quietly disappeared, and the entire passage instantly fell into darkness. Under the restraint field, the divine machine, which had lost its power but still maintained its momentum, quickly rushed past Shirley's side and crashed into the metal wall behind it with a heavy bang, directly smashing the alloy layer into a dent, and the whole body was half embedded in the ductile metal wall.

"Humph, anything that relies on energy will end up like this."

Gently stroking the silver hair that fell on her shoulders, the girl muttered to herself in a deep voice. After her eyes returned to the pure blue color, the pale golden light curtain in front of her disappeared. She did not look back at the machine that crashed into the wall. The power supply was suddenly cut off. Even if it was out of the restraint area, a highly intelligent machine like Heimdall could not be restarted in a short time.

"Hey, Shilis... since you can knock it down in an instant, why do you take so long and waste time?"

"I'm just collecting information. I've always been curious about the special divine machine secretly developed by the Destiny Organization. What is the difference in combat power compared to Anti-Entropy?"

Hearing Charlotte's question, Shirley turned around and looked at the girl with a meaningful smile in her eyes.

"If time wasn't a concern, I might have let you fight Heimdall. Your strength is close to that of an S-rank Valkyrie, so you're just the right opponent for the Divine Machine. Also, as a bystander, you should be able to gather more useful information..."

"Please spare me... I am good at hunting small Honkai beasts and humanoid creatures. Those big guys who are tough, strong and thick-skinned are the type of opponents I hate the most!"

542 Old Fate>>

Charlotte shook her head like a rattle, and after confirming that the restraining field around the silver-haired girl had disappeared, she walked forward cautiously and stood beside Shirley. She had experienced the feeling of energy being suppressed before, and she didn't want to set foot in that deadly field again.

Looking at the girl who defeated the secret weapon of destiny with almost no effort, Claire curled up in Charlotte's arms without saying a word, and her mood began to become complicated.

(If the experiment hadn't ended, maybe I could have done it...)

However, although she now possessed some different powers, she was forcibly taken back and would never have the chance to step into the world of the strong again. Putting other things aside, Lillian would never agree to such a dangerous attempt.

(In the end, will I still be the same as before, a useless person who holds them back and watches them fight from behind...)

"--babble?!"

While she was thinking, she suddenly felt a furry touch on her face, which startled Claire and she couldn't help but scream. After she recovered from the shock, she saw clearly that what had just touched her cheek was a big furry tail, which was exactly what the wolf-eared girl who was holding her had...

"Little girl, stop envying these things. Not everyone can become a Herrscher.

Because, even if one wants to become a similar existence, the price to pay is unimaginable."

"No, that... I'm just a little unwilling. Anyway, I didn't have the chance to ask you just now, may I ask you exactly...?"

"My name is Charlotte Selene, and I was originally one of the anti-entropy executors, but now, as you can see, I am Lady Shilis's partner and protector..."

"No, this stupid wolf can only be considered a pet."