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"What a dire situation! Zeke's power goes without saying—he was already the strongest being on this planet, making him even harder to confront now. But what we didn't anticipate was that his rationality remains intact. As he claimed, he merely embraced the destructive impulses bestowed by Honkai rather than developing a deranged personality—this also implies that technological strength is no longer our advantage but his."
Hera watched as the remote surveillance feed turned into static, rubbing her temples with a headache.
Einstein and Bronya each pondered silently, contemplating their next course of action.
Behind the trio at the command core, the elite combat force stood quietly, like docile chickens. While they were formidable fighters, when it came to analysis and strategizing—one must specialize where they excel, as one might say.
After a moment, Hera snapped her fingers, drawing everyone's attention to herself. She declared,
"There's no time to consider every detail. First, our battle with Zeke could potentially impact the entire globe. Second, given this planet's advanced military technology and Zeke's superior authority and control capabilities, we cannot risk engaging here. Therefore... the battlefield must be set on the moon!"
The combatants mentally nodded, finding Hera's reasoning sound.
Only Bronya, Einstein, and Mobius observed her thoughtfully.
Hera continued, "With the battlefield decided, how do we coax Zeke to willingly go to the moon, where he is at a disadvantage? The answer lies in what he entrusted to me earlier..."
A black crystal appeared in Hera's hand—the Herrscher Core of Corruption from this era. Despite his disdain for interacting directly with information entities, Zeke would never relinquish this source of power.
"We don't know Zeke's intentions, but considering his abilities, the longer we delay, the greater the danger. So let's act now—our fight will take place on the moon. Any objections?"
Apart from Einstein, Mobius, and Bronya, everyone else nodded, agreeing with Hera's assessment.
Soon, the group stepped into the space tunnel opened by Kiana.
Hera noticed Mobius lingering behind and asked, "Dr. Mobius, what are you waiting for?"
"I'm just a researcher; this next part isn't my responsibility anymore. Good luck to all of you!" Smiling warmly, Mobius waved farewell and encouragement to Hera.
'Zeke's advantage lies in military technology on Earth, but surely Lunar Base's military tech would be no less formidable? There's no way he could miss such an obvious flaw, so something must be up. I'm not going to willingly walk into trouble!'
Mobius picked up his steaming coffee, leaning casually against metallic tentacles, exuding an air of leisure.
Hera stroked her chin thoughtfully before pausing and saying, "Considering it involves both the Thirteenth Herrscher and Zeke himself, every additional effort in handling this crisis will yield substantial merit points."
"Upon reflection, studying new abilities is indeed fascinating. Alright, count me in!" Mobius straightened up and gracefully floated towards the space tunnel.
Now only three command cores remained in the control room. Bronya turned to ask, "What have you discovered?"
"I don't care about anything else. All I know is that Zeke will definitely come for the Herrscher of Corruption's Core, and we'll have to confront him head-on. And most importantly... no matter what happens, with Kiana and my old friend by my side, we'll be well-insured!"
"Good luck then. For now, you can try handling Zeke yourself. As for the other consequences of this Major Honkai Eruption and any subsequent reinforcements or contingencies, leave them to us. Agreed?"
"Works for me." Hera nodded cheerfully, turned around, cradling the Herrscher Core, and calmly stepped into the space tunnel.
Bronya exchanged glances with Einstein before both busied themselves at their command interfaces.
"Kiana, prepare to open a space tunnel connected to Zeke's coordinates... Wait, not the ones over the ocean; you'll need to change your destination."
On the barren surface of the moon, just as Hera was about to instruct Kiana to activate her spatial abilities—though only half-functional, they were still quite potent—she let out a long sigh.
Deep within the planet, on the Australian continent.
A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, seemingly about to vanish into the distance, only to be drawn back by an inexplicable force, slowing its speed and reversing course.
"Wendy! Ana!"
Raiden Mei resisted the immense gravitational pull, shouting defiantly towards the heavens.
In response, a sweeping slash accompanied by a torrent of ice surged from afar, directly targeting Zeke, who had raised his hand to control Raiden Mei.
"Boom!!"
The deep trench carved through the earth halted at the feet of the tall, shadowy figure, unable to make him flinch despite spreading miles with frozen breath.
Zeke simply maintained his grip, drawing Raiden Mei closer until he seized her by the neck, completely disregarding the Ideal Fluid strike and chilling icy assault.
"It's time to return the Key of Judgment."
"My apologies, but Mei must decline—it was your command before!"
With a swift twist of her lithe waist, Raiden Mei wrapped her shapely legs around Zeke's waist as lightning surged upwards.
"Zzzzt!!!"
Following the dazzling flash and deafening thunder, Zeke remained expressionless, holding the now unconscious Raiden Mei, eyes rolled back, with one hand while extending the other to reclaim the Key of Judgment ring.
"Zeke! Brace yourself!"
"Sir Zeke, please forgive Ana's impudence!"
Two loud cries echoed from ahead as Wendy and Ana rushed to support him. One wielded a sphere of Ideal Fluid, while the other held a riding lance crafted by ice powers, aiming to repel Zeke and rescue Raiden Mei.
Confronted with these two elemental abilities, Zeke gently lifted his ring-adorned hand. Lightning crackled fiercely within his palm, transforming into a colossal bolt soaring hundreds of meters high.
With a swift motion, Zeke thrust his palm forward towards the incoming duo.
"Zzzt!"
"Boom!!"
After the devastating lightning strike, the ground before Zeke lay ravaged, and the Herrschers of Wind and Ice, driven back forcefully, disappeared without a trace.
Just then, a space tunnel slowly opened before Zeke, emanating the aura of corrosive power.
"A trap for me? Though your confidence is foolishly misplaced, acquiring the Herrscher of Corruption's Core is indeed essential."
Zeke casually tossed Raiden Mei onto the ground, levitated himself, and gradually flew into the space tunnel.
"He's coming! Get ready! Kevin, Elysia, and Durandal, maintain frontal pressure; Mobius, provide support from the side; Fu Hua, Kiana, Li Sushang, prepare the Void Sword Divinity; I'll coordinate—everyone, take your positions. This is no game; one misstep could cost lives!" Standing about a hundred meters away from the space tunnel, Hera issued final instructions to the warriors surrounding her.
Then, the familiar yet enigmatic black-clad youth slowly emerged, his presence instantly enveloping the entire area with immense pressure as soon as he touched down.
"Boom!"
An abnormal surge of gravity visibly compressed the lunar sand within sight by several inches, transforming it into solid, leveled stone terrain.
Zeke spoke, his cold voice carrying across the thin lunar atmosphere to reach everyone's ears: "Hand over the Corrosion Core, kneel, and spare yourselves."
"Woah! Even after changing eye colors... doesn't seem much different, huh?" Hera's eyes initially lit up before she dryly quipped.
Others nodded in agreement, with Kiana boldly murmuring, "Still as arrogant and pompous as ever, acting like we owe him millions of merit points."
"My decisions may change, but not my character... But Kia, who emboldens you to show such disrespect towards me?"
Hera's teasing had no effect on Zeke, but during Kiana's whisper, a hint of displeasure flickered through his cold golden eyes.
A bolt of lightning suddenly struck towards Kiana, only to be repelled by her equally brilliant flames.
The intense clash between fire and lightning signaled the start of this war.
Kevin took the initiative as the most resilient MANTIS fusion warrior, unhesitatingly assuming the role of direct assault. His fist, infused with chilling frost and astonishing energy, aimed straight at Zeke's face.
Elysia and Durandal followed closely behind, one wielding a rapier, the other gripping Abyss Flower, coordinating seamlessly with Kevin to form an unstoppable frontal attack.
Facing this onslaught, Zeke decisively spread out both hands: one emitting bursts of lightning, the other channeling the Might of An-Utu from his back into towering inferno flames. He unleashed these forces upon the trio before him.
Boom!
Although sound could not effectively propagate on the lunar surface, the thunderous shockwaves of energy reverberating across the terrain left an indelible impact.
Following a brief moment of blinding light, they saw Elysia and Durandal lying prone on opposite sides, their once radiant appearances now marred. Meanwhile, Kevin knelt on one knee several dozen steps away from Zeke, his upper clothing torn, revealing a muscular body covered in wounds.
"The power disparity is too great; avoid engaging him directly. Also, assist me in reclaiming Might of An-Utu whenever possible."
Kevin rose to his feet, wounds on his face and body slowly healing as he impassively advised the group. Then, he began walking toward Zeke.
They couldn't defeat him; Kevin acknowledged this truth but still resolved to resist until their last breath, just as they had charged towards Finality all those years ago.
Mobius swiftly extended her tentacles to Elysia and Durandal, injecting them with a serum—only she knew its exact composition, but it temporarily boosted their strength significantly, quickly restoring their combat capabilities.
"Hey, can you two still move?" Mobius asked.
"I'm fine, just need a moment to adjust!" replied Durandal resolutely.
"It hurts so much! How could anyone be so cruel to adorable Ellie? I declare myself officially upset!" exclaimed Elysia dramatically.
"Oh, indeed. Good luck, ladies! As a researcher, my support will have to remain silent for now!" Mobius responded, uncharacteristically choosing to step back. Neither the straightforward Durandal nor the sulking Elysia, preoccupied by the damage to her immaculate appearance, noticed this slight anomaly.
Exchanging glances, both fearlessly followed after Kevin.