"Boom!"

Beneath the unfathomably deep seabed.

A depth charge of exaggerated power, along with the Honkai Energy Rift, was annihilated — together with all human-made objects and Honkai Beast legions within a radius of several dozen nautical miles.

After suffering enormous losses, humanity had finally, successfully eliminated the base of this Honkai Beast legion.

And on the Pacific Ocean, over a hundred nautical miles away from the blast point.

"Emperor."

Numerous aquatic Honkai Beasts floated silently on the sea surface; the large Honkai Beast at their head, a [Variant Cruise-class], was conveying its thoughts to Lu Xing.

These wild Honkai Beasts were all part of the force Lu Xing had assembled when he "obeyed" the Herrscher of Sentience's command and went to the Eastern Pacific rift.

Their original leader was a conch-type Emperor-class Honkai Beast named "Matu'a." Although this fellow had a sturdy shell, it was essentially a brute. After receiving the Herrscher's "decree," it directly led a large number of Honkai Beasts to attack the west coast of North America.

And then…

The giant conch was turned into roadside barbecue by Kevin.

This current [Variant Cruise-class] was the strongest among the entire aquatic Honkai Beast contingent after the giant conch's demise. It was unknown whether it was exceptionally gifted or if the Emperor-class had died too decisively, shocking it, but after "Matu'a" was killed, the great whale resolutely opted for a strategy of laying low whenever possible.

The Herrscher's command could not be defied, and the Cruise-class didn't dare to act on its own — roasting the conch shell hadn't even taken half a minute; rendering whale oil would probably be a matter of the second hand ticking a few times — so it decisively chose to send those newly born Honkai Beasts, which looked numerous but were actually fragile, to fight desperately.

(Cold knowledge: Whale fat can be rendered into oil for butter; Japan, Norway, and Iceland are the only three countries in the world still conducting commercial whaling.)

This was also why Kevin felt the Honkai Beast offensive was becoming increasingly feeble.

By the time Lu Xing arrived… he showed the Cruise-class what it truly meant to lay low to the extreme: home, was something that could be abandoned.

The Herrscher of Sentience had ordered him to pin down human forces.

That was simple.

Lu Xing simply exposed the existence of the deep-sea rift to humans.

The underwater environment posed no problem for Honkai Beasts, especially aquatic ones, but for humans, fighting there meant enormous risks.

However, as long as the Honkai Energy Rift was destroyed, the protracted battle could be declared over ahead of schedule.

No matter the cost, the human side had to try.

Therefore.

Lu Xing left a small portion of Honkai Beasts as bait and a blocking force, while all the rest evacuated the rift area in advance.

After a standoff and fierce fighting for nearly two hours, the objectives of both humanity and Lu Xing… were simultaneously achieved.

"From this moment on."

The lance lightly traced a line on the great whale's head, and the mark of the legion was deeply engraved into the Cruise-class's aura.

"You are a member of the legion."

"Lead this force, bypass the Mu Continent, and head south."

"Even lacking Honkai energy replenishment, as long as you don't actively provoke humans, the vastness of the South Pacific is enough for your survival."

"There…"

"Await my command."

"Woooo! (Understood!)"

A column of water spouted from its rounded head.

The vast procession of aquatic Honkai Beasts, under the leadership of the Cruise-class, began to move towards the southern seas.

Why was the Cruise-class so obedient, you ask?

Between choosing submission and being turned into not-at-all-tasty whale meat skewers, the Cruise-class had no choice — defying the Herrscher might lead to death, but disobeying the one before it… that meant immediate demise!

The procession was departing majestically.

Lu Xing's plan was half complete. Next, he prepared to teleport to the location of the deep-sea rift in the Atlantic Ocean.

There, another force of a slightly smaller scale could be utilized by him.

But before that—

"Ding."

In the mental world.

An extremely peculiar point of light, tinged with a color Lu Xing had never seen before, quietly manifested.

Upon a brief sensing.

A familiar feeling of civilization and Honkai power intertwined arose spontaneously.

Lu Xing couldn't exert any influence on it yet, but with the right opportunity…

"Fusion."

"It seems to have succeeded."

"Su."

"Teacher."

Inside the Flame-Chasers' base.

Su's fusion surgery was a great success. Mobius personally handled the operation, squeezing out every last bit of Moyuli's remaining value.

Simultaneously, and completely unbeknownst to anyone, Lu Xing's will had infiltrated and hidden itself within Su's body.

"You look… somewhat different."

Su's voice was exceptionally calm.

Although the disciple standing before him had merely greeted him, he gave Spaxi a "mysterious and unfathomable" feeling. Most psychic-perception type Fusion Soldiers would exhibit similar "enigmatic" symptoms after surgery, the only difference being the degree.

And the feeling Su gave Spaxi… was particularly severe.

"I am still me."

Regarding his mentor's remark, Su simply brushed it aside.

"Teacher, where is Kevin?"

After fusing with Moyuli's factors, Su's already formidable will had completely transformed into powerful mental strength. All intelligence within the Flame-Chasers' base, except for a very small amount of classified information, appeared in his perception as if undefended.

"Kevin hasn't returned yet."

"Dr. Mobius performed the surgery personally, and it was much faster than imagined, but for us… I'm afraid it's still too late."

Kevin had not yet returned from the Deepest Place.

During Su's surgery, a total of over 70% of the Flame-Chasers' members had succumbed to the [Nightmare]'s encroachment and died.

That the current situation could still be maintained.

Aside from the [Consciousness Shackle], it was mainly due to the other psychic-perception type Fusion Soldiers gathered here. After taking the drug, these Fusion Soldiers had all entered the Observation Hubs used for "dream infiltration."

This technology, jointly developed by Dr. Mei and Spaxi, was originally a device used to observe Honkai energy from different dimensions.

Who could have imagined.

It had now become crucial for resisting the [Nightmare].

"No."

"We don't need to wait for Kevin to return."

Su, who always used to follow slightly behind Spaxi, for the first time, acting on his own will, strode ahead of his mentor.

And the direction he was heading was precisely where the Observation Hubs were located.

Su had witnessed all sorts of battles.

Although he wasn't a Fusion Soldier back then, his understanding and comprehension of this power were definitely not inferior to the users themselves.

Now.

Su, having completed the fusion surgery, had an absolutely clear understanding of his own power.

In reality, he was definitely not Kevin's match; but on the mental plane… Kevin's position and his would likely be reversed.

"To deal with the Herrscher of Sentience."

"With the help of so many comrades… it's enough."

Su didn't make a grand declaration like "I alone am sufficient," but his slightly more euphemistic statement still displayed an unprecedented assertiveness—

Spaxi stared at his disciple.

These words…

They didn't sound like something Su would say at all.