Collapse, I am actually in the villain camp

"Okay." Rita nodded.

Li Wen sighed and said, "Start it. Let's find out what happened when the Snow Lotus team lost contact."

Just like the black box on an airplane, in order to prevent the "Destiny" Valkyrie from encountering an accident while performing a mission and not having time to report the specific situation.

Therefore, the communicators they are equipped with are also equipped with corresponding recording functions to facilitate the investigation of subsequent collapse accidents.

At this moment, the communicator in Rita's hand, which had not been completely destroyed, became the only clue for the three to understand the situation at that time.

Upon hearing this, Rita started to operate the communicator. With a rustling sound, the last voice data stored in the communicator was finally played out.

A voice tinged with joy rang out, "Captain, we've successfully contacted the Oceania branch. As soon as reinforcements arrive, we'll..."

However, what followed was a painful wail, "Ah... Ah...!"

"Captain! Captain! What's wrong with you?" The joy in the previous voice disappeared, leaving only anxious shouts.

Captain? It's Anna Shaniat...

After all, the only Valkyrie team here is the "Snow Lotus" team, and the captain of the "Snow Lotus" team is Anna Shaniat.

So, Anna Shaniat really became the Herrscher's body?

Li Wen continued to listen.

"Don't... come near... me! Go away!" Anna Shaniat said painfully, gritting her teeth.

"Captain, the Honkai energy in you is very strong... What on earth is this..."

"Go!" Anna shouted again.

Even though he didn't witness the situation at the time, Li Wen could imagine the pain the other person was feeling through his voice.

She can't hold on any longer... Li Wen made this judgment.

Sure enough, two miserable screams followed.

"……ah--!"

The scream only lasted for a moment before it froze in his throat.

Anna's voice rang out again, "No... no... it's not like that... ah——!"

This is where the recording ends.

A silent atmosphere enveloped the three of them.

Chapter 12: Mei's Choice

The Valkyrie, whose mission was to fight against the Honkai, unexpectedly became the body of the Herrscher and launched an attack on the land, people, and companions she once protected.

It's both ridiculous and sad.

Under the pressure of collapse, individual will seems so insignificant.

The persistence and promises of the past all collapsed in the face of the impending collapse.

"It seems that Anna Shaniat is the Herrscher born in this collapse." Li Wen concluded.

Yulandel also nodded slowly. "Although she tried her best to resist the erosion of Honkai, her team was still destroyed in the chaos."

"I didn't expect this result..." Rita also sighed and shook her head slightly.

The recording revealed enough information for them to fully understand the whole picture.

"Minister, do we need to convey this information to the World Snake?" Rita turned her gaze to Li Wen.

Although she and Raven have a very bad relationship, this matter involves the cooperation between "Destiny" and "World Serpent" after all, so she still needs to consider it from the perspective of "Destiny's" interests.

Li Wen hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Give it to them."

"Yes." After hearing Li Wen's words, Alvette's response came from the communication channel.

Although the Valkyrie's information is confidential among confidential, Li Wen is the head of the command center and her immediate superior after all.

In addition, the other party was Bishop Otto's younger brother, so no matter how much it violated the regulations, she could only carry out the order honestly.

Not long after, Alvette's voice was heard again on the communication channel, "Minister, all the information about Anna Shaniat has been passed on to the World Serpent."

"Very good." Li Wen nodded with satisfaction. "Now the World Serpent should understand the true identity of the newly born Fifth Herrscher."

"How is the advancement speed of the "Immortal Blade"?" he asked Alvette again.

Alvette quickly reported the current situation. "Currently, with the assistance of the Undying Blade, the advance Valkyrie troops have established a solid defense line within the city. Numerous Valkyries are actively rescuing the trapped civilians on Coral Island from this line."

"Very good." Li Wen nodded slightly, expressing his approval of their progress. He then continued, "The concentration of Honkai energy on Coral Island is still rising. Remember to strengthen the signal of the temporary base station to prevent communication problems."

"Yes." Alvette responded immediately.

Then, Li Wen turned his head and looked at the two Valkyries in front of him, "Yulandel, Rita, take their bodies back to the defense line first. After returning to the defense line, you can participate in the rescue normally."

After hearing Li Wen's order, Yulandel and Rita each held a body in their arms and prepared to leave.

However, Youlan Daier looked at Li Wen, who had no intention of leaving with them, and asked doubtfully, "Minister Li Wen, aren't you leaving with us?"

"Yes. I plan to continue tracking Anna Shaniat's whereabouts," Li Wen said bluntly. "After all, judging from the previous recordings, she still retains some consciousness. If possible, I would like to bring her back to Tianming for treatment."

"But didn't the Bishop say before that the Herrscher's affairs would be handled entirely by the World Serpent, and that we were not allowed to interfere in matters related to the Herrscher?" Yulandel was stunned.

"I have no intention of interfering in the affairs of the Herrschers. I'm simply trying to find a way to rescue the Valkyrie of Destiny. Our dear ally is now fully aware of the identity of the Fifth Herrscher, isn't he?" Li Wen asked with a smile.

"But..." Yulandel was still a little hesitant.

"Don't worry, I will discuss this with the World Serpent people and will not destroy the friendship between the two alliances. After all, I believe that our solid allies will understand our difficulties." Li Wen's mouth curled up slightly, but his smile was hidden deeper.

Rita looked at Li Wen deeply, then said softly to Youlandel beside her, "Lord Youlandel, the Minister must have his own considerations. Let's prioritize our own tasks."

"OK then."

Under Rita's persuasion, Yulandel finally agreed with Li Wen's words and left with the bodies of the "Snow Lotus" team members.

Watching the two people go away, Li Wen also began to follow the traces left by Raiden Mei and headed deeper into the coral island.

……

After separating from the people of "Destiny", Raven and Mei continued to head towards the inner area of the coral island.

While on the way, Mei thought of Li Wen's previous meaningful words, and began to consciously leave the mark unique to the Herrscher of Thunder.

This did not alert Raven. After all, when they were on the road earlier, Mei Raiden had been using the power of the Herrscher of Thunder.

Soon, the two found another "World Serpent" cadre, Night Owl, who had already infiltrated the coral island.

After the meeting, the two sides exchanged some information, and Raven handed the "Yellow Spring Staff" he was carrying to Night Owl.

After all, without the Jackal's explanation, even she didn't understand how to use this thing, so she could only leave it to a professional like Night Owl.

Night Owl was an expert in reconnaissance, and he had already entered the coral island, so the three of them quickly locked onto the general direction of the Fifth Herrscher.

In addition, Raven continued to use her ability to control low-level Honkai beasts to obtain more accurate information during her journey.

It didn't take long before they easily found the Fifth Herrscher's hiding place—a piece of ice crystal that was so huge that it was a bit exaggerated.

The raised prisms on the surface of the ice crystals sparkle dazzlingly in the sunlight, making people involuntarily look up.

Although the thick ice crystals had completely obscured the contents within, based on the concentration of Honkai energy and the surrounding conditions, they could conclude that the Fifth Herrscher must be hiding within the ice pillars.

So, the three of them quickly moved towards the ice crystal while clearing out the Honkai beasts.

Raven, who holds the Third God's Key, breaks the ice crystal's defense, revealing the Herrscher; then Mei Raiden, who is also a Herrscher, initiates the battle and entangles it; finally, Night Owl activates the "Yellow Spring Staff" to put the Fifth Herrscher into a stagnant state.

The plan was great, but problems arose during its implementation that the three people could not have anticipated.

boom--

With a clear sound, the hard ice crystals turned into broken ice flakes and fell to the ground.

Before Mei could make a move, accompanied by painful howls, a huge amount of frost swept across the entire battlefield in an instant, blocking everyone's vision.

Chapter 13 Preparation

"what--!"

Along with the frost came the piercing screams of the Herrscher.

Her voice was filled with painful wails, and the unclear words flowed in her throat, and finally came out as vague and strange syllables.

In order to launch the attack, Mei, who was closest to the Fifth Herrscher, was affected first.

Although she had already seen the existing environment, she judged that the opponent's power might be related to ice or temperature, and was prepared for defense.

But because the distance between them was too close, the sudden burst of cold air still caused her body to stiffen for a moment.

Due to the strong interference of the cold wave, the Night Owl and the Raven, who were supposed to provide her with follow-up assistance according to the original plan, were unable to carry out the action smoothly at this moment.

Because of the obstructed vision, Night Owl and Raven did not dare to act rashly, fearing that they would "strike hard on my teammates."

So, when the storm completely subsided, a huge ice wall appeared in front of them, and the Fifth Herrscher had already fled.

"What a shame." Night Owl's tone was as lazy as ever. "It seems that this mission is not as easy as we thought. I thought we could leave quickly."

Raven ignored his complaints and leaned down to sense the remaining Houkai energy in the ice crystals.

The Herrscher's aura has indeed left...

Mei quickly said, "Let's catch up quickly."

"Wait a moment." Night Owl stopped her from moving. "The Fifth Herrscher's ability is more troublesome than we imagined. If we rush after him, we may not be able to defeat him.

"If she continues to unleash that kind of cold wave, with my vision obscured, I won't be able to use the Yellow Springs Staff on her."

"What do you mean?" Mei frowned. Not being able to use the "Yellow Springs Staff" was indeed bad news for them.

After all, the Jackal had said before that what the World Serpent needed was a Herrscher who could "stagnate."

Without solving this problem, she would not be able to complete the mission even if she caught up.

"We need a more complete countermeasure." Night Owl took a deep breath, and the hot air he exhaled was hazy in the cold current.

Raven also agreed with his suggestion. Blindly moving forward bravely was not suitable for a mercenary like her. In combat, wisdom was also an indispensable part.

And now, they really need a method to capture the Fifth Herrscher stably.

Just as they found a rather secluded place, cleared out all the nearby Honkai beasts, and were preparing to discuss, the communicator that Raven carried with him suddenly rang.

"Hmm? This call is from... 'Destiny'?" She took out her communicator, looked at the caller ID displayed on it, and revealed a puzzled look on her face. Why would 'Destiny' suddenly contact them?

Although she didn't understand the reason, she still answered the call.

"Everyone of the World Serpent, I am Alvette, the Valkyrie of the Immortal Blade team. By order of the captain, I am here to share with you the current information regarding the Herrscher investigation conducted by Destiny."

"Li Wen's order?" Meiyi thought for a moment, then spoke directly, "Tell me, what information?"

"Let me transmit the information to you first." As Alvette finished speaking, a data file named "Anna Shaniat" was transmitted to Raven's communicator.

Raven clicked on the information and found that the so-called information was actually the personal information of a Valkyrie named Anna Shaniat.

"What is this...?" Night Owl's breathing became a little heavier.

"According to the investigation results, this Valkyrie named Anna is the Herrscher who was born during this destruction." Hearing Night Owl's question, Alvette explained.

"It's actually the Valkyrie of "Destiny"..." Raven was also a little shocked.

But after thinking about the fact that the second, third, and fourth Herrschers were all Valkyries of "Destiny", she felt that it was not surprising.

"We didn't expect this to happen," Alvette explained, then continued, "According to our investigation, although she tried her best to resist the erosion of the Honkai after the outbreak, she ultimately failed...

"However, according to the recordings at the scene, she still retained some consciousness when she left the scene, and her body was not completely taken over by the Herrscher."

"So... she froze herself." Night Owl lowered his head slightly as if he was thinking seriously, making it impossible for others to see his eyes.

"Also, at the site where the Herrscher was born, we discovered a large area of frozen ground containing high concentrations of Houkai energy. While the opponent's abilities are still unclear, the tentative codename for the fifth Herrscher is 'Herscher of Ice.'"