I am a former Flame Chasers

The small, slender business jet soared through the sky, its wings casting a shadow over the vast, ink-black Pacific Ocean below. The sun shimmered on the surface, with ripples occasionally breaking the stillness as the waves surged.

A massive tentacle shot out of the water, its length more than ten meters, covered in suction cups. It resembled a giant whale emerging from the ocean.

"The war has been delayed for too long, and now the Honkai beasts are starting to mutate," Ryan said, glancing out the window. Leaning back in his seat, he squinted at the horizon.

It hasn't been too long, but rather this state of constant standoff that has led to all of this. In the original timeline, no matter which Herrscher appeared, it was always a significant test for humanity—one that required desperate efforts to overcome. Any small mistake could have led to the downfall of civilization, but that's not the case now. The Herrscher hasn't even started the test yet, and most of humanity is still unaware of it. But now, someone is cheating the system.

It's as though she tore up the test paper, beat up the invigilator, and then rallied the entire class to corner the examiner, beating anyone who dared to hand out the test papers.

Just thinking about it makes Ryan feel frustrated.

He put himself in her shoes for a moment, then smiled. He opened his eyes, took the tea handed to him, and looked at Sakura again.

She looked as professional as ever. Since transitioning from an assassin to the commander-in-chief's adjutant, her attire had changed as well. Now wearing a Fire Moth uniform—a black suit with gold trim, a knee-length skirt, and a pink ponytail tied up with a boat cap perched between her fox-like ears—she looked capable and striking. Two long swords rested at her waist, her gray stockings and black short-heeled leather shoes completing her authoritative look.

"This is the latest information from Dr. Mei, this is Major Coleman's investigation report, and these are the findings from the Supervisory Department's 'Prism Project.'" Sakura handed him a stack of papers and an information terminal, summarizing everything neatly. Though Sakura had never been an office worker, she had spent significant time learning the ropes.

"Thank you," Ryan said, taking the documents. "It will take a while to reach Shenzhou. You should take a break."

Sakura seemed not to hear him. She pointed toward the sea, which had turned a strange color. "There are more and more Honkai beasts in this ocean. Problems could arise in the sky at any moment."

The world was growing increasingly fragmented, turning into isolated islands. Now, planes were the only safe form of transportation.

Ryan glanced out of the window. It wasn't unexpected, so he turned back to the documents in his hands. "The sea is difficult to control, and there are too few fusion warriors who can use it as their domain. But don't worry, Mei has already made preparations."

"Contract defense?"

"Yes. The seven branches have been reduced to four, and the remaining branches cut down to twenty. The focus is on defending the Europe-Shenzhou-Mu Continent axis. With Australia in the center, we can just about maintain the route."

He opened an electronic map. The remaining areas were the heart of civilization, home to the most production capacity and population. The abandoned areas were desolate wastelands, mainly in Africa, South America, and the Middle East.

Only someone as rational as Mei could make the decision to give up so much land. Her strategy was the only way to quiet the Fire Chaser Council's interests. For instance, some Middle Eastern leaders, despite being surrounded by collapse, still sought various exchanges to make Fire Moth invest resources. To Mei, all of it was criminal waste.

Ryan didn't need to concern himself with these things. He knew that each abandonment order came with the blood and tears of countless people, but what else could be done?

"Hmm?" He paused, flipping through the documents and narrowing his eyes. "Dr. Yodel, the medical researcher, was assassinated. Was it his personal secretary who did it?"

He had communicated with Dr. Yodel when he was on the research committee, but he hadn't expected him to be killed. A valuable mind, Dr. Yodel's research focused on the Honkai disease...

Ryan quickly scrolled through the report. This had happened two days ago. The secretary was a student and mistress, and the two had always been on good terms. Speculation arose that their relationship had changed somehow. Despite a two-day search, no suspects had been found. This was strange. The Far East Branch was small, so unless someone had fled to an occupied area...

Occupied area?

"Sakura, help me retrieve all recent criminal cases involving Fire Moth. Focus on the last week, and include scholars, experts, commanders, and sponsors."

"Okay. Give me ten minutes," Sakura replied without hesitation, going straight to work.

Her fingers moved rapidly over the keyboard, and soon more information began to appear on the terminal. Ryan's frown deepened as he reviewed it. The more he looked, the more serious his expression became.

Two filters had narrowed down dozens of cases, revealing a series of black-and-white avatars. Many had died, but in this world where death was commonplace, no one took notice of it. These deaths were merely incidents, not enough to change the course of the world, yet striking when searched for.

"Murder, car accidents, loss of important documents—everything seems like a coincidence, but I don't believe it's random."

"It reminds me of the incident at headquarters," Sakura said, tapping her chin. "They're all personal actions with no direct connection, but they've caused significant damage."

More than significant. If it weren't for Prometheus, it would have been a major problem. A Trojan program ambushing the central database was like stripping everything bare for the enemy to see.

Due to the changes in the world line, even if issues arose, they could be blamed on the traitors led by Carius. Moreover, the Herrscher's identity remained a mystery. Even Mei couldn't pinpoint the problem, but Ryan suspected there was a Herrscher with similar powers.

Could the order of the Herrscher's advent have changed? This wasn't something the Herrscher of Sentience could do. Was it the Herrscher of Domination stirring up trouble? Was humanity's unity being disrupted by infiltration?

Ryan recalled the power of this Herrscher: millions of clones, each one a perfect replica. A master of destruction and infiltration. It could be said that this type of Herrscher would have a far greater impact than the Seventh Herrscher.

The Herrscher of Flame promoted the birth of fusion warriors, but the Herrscher of Thousands sowed distrust, making internal struggles within Fire Moth even more intense, and crippling their ability to recover.

'And this Herrscher holds me back. I can defeat Him in battle, but it's better He doesn't come out.'

Ryan rubbed his forehead. The Honkai couldn't be solved with brute strength. If this thing wasn't handled well enough, it would be crushed by sheer power. If not crushed, it would continue playing games, like some twisted mastermind, making everyone answer tough questions.

Sakura saw that Ryan was deep in thought and chose not to disturb him, silently adding more tea. She knew Ryan hadn't made it this far with strength alone. Mei trusted him not just because of his strength, but because his intellect stood at the top of humanity.

The plane's engine hummed as the coastline of Shenzhou appeared on the horizon. Ryan, who had been silent the entire time, finally lifted his teacup.

"Any thoughts?"

"Yes, I suspect this is a Herrscher. Doesn't it seem unexpected?"

"A Herrscher? Aren't they known for spreading destruction and terror?"

"Don't focus too much on the form. Previous Herrschers were known for their destructive power, killing people in droves and flattening cities." Ryan took a sip of his tea and said calmly, "But this Herrscher's power is more subtle. The invisible sword is far more terrifying. Imagine if Ling were possessed by this Herrscher, and you still couldn't see it. How would you feel?"

Sakura instinctively tensed. Ryan's words weren't just terrifying; they were numbing. She wasn't afraid of fighting or sacrifice. With her swords, she could take down countless enemies. But if they couldn't be seen, where would she aim?

"Then how do we deal with it?"

She asked urgently, feeling that there was no solution. According to Ryan, the Herrscher's greatest strength was secrecy. Solving the issue of their power alone would take time.

"I don't know for now," Ryan replied, his gaze as cold as winter. "He's too insidious. Right now, we have two options."

"First, by analyzing the goal, this Herrscher's purpose seems to be causing chaos and subtly dividing humanity. Right now, He's targeting people who seem insignificant but are actually critical."

For example, Dr. Yodel. He wasn't a fusion warrior, nor did he touch Ryan's circle of friends, but his research project affected tens of millions. Then there's the executive director of 'Rhine Science,' the son of a congressman, who was also assassinated by a Fire Moth agent. Mei had a headache over this one. If this continues, what will the interest groups think?

"What will they think?" Sakura asked, her lips tightening. "They'll think Fire Moth is greedy and trying to take everything, even a mere scrap. People backed into a corner can make any choice. Worst case, they could turn to Carius and his traitor group."

"Assassinations, framing... the next step could be having someone prominent step forward and openly oppose us." Sakura pursed her lips, feeling the pressure. "What do we do? If we wait like this, we're too passive. We won't know what the Herrscher's next move will be."

She had already assumed it was a Herrscher. As Ryan said, it was truly terrifying. "Since we're working backward from the target, let's fight back. In my opinion, the number of Herrschers is limited. If they can't infinitely divide themselves, then we just possess all remaining humans."

Ryan leaned back, his eyes glinting coldly. "Let Him assassinate and frame. He'll soon find it's not effective. It will burn out quickly. Even if the situation escalates, I'll have a way to handle it."

Knowing that a Herrscher of Domination was coming, Ryan had already made preparations. With Prometheus handling public opinion online and Aponia for offline issues, the Fire Moth could handle any doubts. As for human rights and morality? He smiled at the thought. They were naive.