"Your mission (Kill one Emperor-class Honkai Beast) has been completed."

"Your level has increased to Lv.58 (Forced)."

"Please select an ability to enhance."

"Your skill [Psychic Blast] has advanced to [Thought Interference]."

"New mission unlocked."

———

Mission: Kill one Herrscher.

Reward: All Stats +7, Level +1, Advanced Form [Honkai Emperor].

———

Race: Emperor · Variant · Imaginary Guard · Temple Legion Commander

Level: 58

Abilities: Spiritual Perception, Frostflame Charge, Frostflame Thrust, Dawnbreaker, Cutting, Hold Shield, Fission, Blazing Star, Echo, Traverse, Teleport, Infinity, Super Perception, Thought Interference, Space-Time Rend, Atomic Breath, Molecular Manipulation, Electromagnetic Mastery.

Equipment: Midnight's Black Light

Attack: 235 (Hyper)

Speed: 235 (Hyper)

Constitution: 235 (Hyper)

Evaluation: Trailblazer

———

Lu Xing was no longer bleeding profusely.

But if his current injuries persisted, all his Honkai energy would dissipate completely in less than 30 minutes—Trace's ultimate attack had shattered 40% of his body, and in the process, Lu Xing had consumed over 60% of his Honkai energy!

"Hey!"

"Aren't you going to heal yourself?"

Shesha poked its head out from under the shield. It still hadn't figured out what Lu Xing was trying to do—that great peacock was indeed extremely聒噪 (vociferous), but not to the extent of trading such severe injuries for its life.

Basking in the dissipating Honkai energy was indeed comfortable.

But if these wounds weren't sealed, soon it would…

"Heal?"

"No, these injuries aren't severe enough."

Lu Xing didn't enlighten Shesha, instead, he unconcernedly retrieved an aquamarine-gold, feather-shaped piece of metal from a space-time rift.

"This is!?"

"Correct, Moyuli's Honkai Core… the last piece."

Lu Xing had intentionally left this Honkai Core behind.

The pillar of light unleashed by [Dawnbreaker] had blasted the great peacock's body, along with two of its Honkai Cores, into dust.

Normally.

As long as a Honkai Core existed, a Honkai Beast couldn't be considered truly dead; even if only one core remained intact, with sufficient Honkai energy as replenishment, Moyuli would have a chance to revive.

Unfortunately.

Moyuli was not, after all, a true Judgement-class Honkai Beast.

The Honkai Cores it had split using its innate talent had a fatal flaw: to revive through a Honkai Core, its own spiritual will must be stored within it.

Moyuli had indeed stored it.

But after the cannon of light swept past, its final spiritual will had been completely obliterated.

The key to Lu Xing being able to kill Moyuli while preserving a Honkai Core was the mental-type skill [Psychic Blast], which Lu Xing had mastered after obtaining a portion of the Herrscher's authority through the "link" on the day the Herrscher of Sentience was born…

Of course, this skill had now advanced to [Thought Interference].

The effect of [Psychic Blast] was simple and brutal:

Fuse mental power and Honkai energy into one, forcibly shattering the target's will.

Moyuli's last remaining spiritual will had been directly annihilated by [Psychic Blast].

As for the purpose of this Honkai Core…

"Ding!"

———

Mission: Use a Honkai Core to enhance a weapon.

Reward: All Stats +1, Level +1, Current Progress 0%, Time Remaining 167:59:59.

———

Correct.

This Honkai Core, imbued with mental power, was precisely the item Lu Xing had prepared for his lance… no, for Cheche.

Lu Xing didn't know if this thing would be useful.

But regardless, if there was a chance, he had to try.

Evidently.

Unable to take a technological route, he could only rely on the system's help—along with another level increase, Lu Xing, having met the conditions, opened the long-unseen "Random" mission function.

This additional function.

Was entirely designed to provide Lu Xing with "weapons"—when he had no weapon, the system offered the [A Salted Fish] and [Knight Lance] options; after obtaining the lance, it had set him on a path of continuous advancement for polearms.

As for now.

The grade of [Midnight's Black Light] was already very difficult to improve further. Even if there was a way, it would likely require very special conditions and sacrifices.

In its place.

Was the newly appeared "Enhancement" option.

By having the weapon devour enough Honkai Cores, he could enhance [Midnight's Black Light], and incidentally, help Lu Xing level up as well.

"Kcha—"

Along the edged part of the lance, Lu Xing forcefully scraped the aquamarine-gold core in his hand!

"Tch!"

As Moyuli's core disintegrated and shattered, an extremely pure mental energy surged towards the core of [Midnight's Black Light].

The deep blue shaft of the lance flashed brilliantly for a very brief moment, and the surrounding misty aura seemed to become even more refined.

"Only 7%?"

Lu Xing glanced at the mission progress bar.

Using an Emperor-class Honkai Beast's core as food (albeit only 1/5th of it), it had only replenished a mere 7%.

Although Moyuli was a bit of a pushover, its level was a solid Lv.70. To fill this progress bar within a week…

"I wonder."

Lu Xing's single eye flickered slightly.

"A Honkai Core…"

"Can it be substituted with a Herrscher Core?"

———

Speak of the devil.

Lu Xing had just been thinking about the Herrscher of Sentience.

In the void beside him, countless wisps of cloud-like consciousness had already gathered silently—aided by the authority of the Herrscher of Sentience and his [Super Perception], Lu Xing could precisely capture this mental-plane existence.

Condensing, constructing, forming.

"Pfft!!"

Under Shesha's dumbfounded gaze.

Lu Xing forcefully burst open his own wounds. Splattering fragments of his shell and liquefied Honkai energy made the Black Knight look exceptionally miserable.

After all, the main character had arrived, so Lu Xing didn't need to continue going through the motions slowly—previously, he was afraid the Herrscher of Sentience's perception speed would be too slow. If she arrived only after he had bled out completely, it would truly be a waste of his splendid acting.

"…"

The Herrscher of Sentience had just manifested and immediately witnessed the utterly tragic scene before her.

"Lord Herr…scher."

Lu Xing preemptively addressed the newly appeared Herrscher of Sentience.

Accompanied by the act of vomiting blood (Honkai energy), the Black Knight's levitating body even trembled heavily…

The tremor was so large it nearly flung Shesha off his shoulder.

"I am deeply sorry."

Tears streamed down his face (metaphorically), looking utterly wretched.

To ensure the genuineness of his emotions, he even used his ice-attribute power to condense frost beneath his single eye, then used [Molecular Manipulation] to "slowly roast" it until tear tracks appeared.

"The Fusion Soldiers are too terrifying."

"Even the most ordinary among them probably possess the strength of a Judgement-class."

Lu Xing said, with "lingering fear."

"Lord Moyuli."

"To cover for me, who is merely Temple-class, Lord Moyuli faced the enemy's ultimate attack directly. Its magnificent body was blasted into scattered remains."

"And just now… the Honkai Core belonging to Lord Moyuli, which I managed to retrieve with great difficulty."

"Because it couldn't withstand the aftershock of the impact."

"It has scattered with the wind."