I am a former Flame Chasers

"Yes, I'm with Eden right now. I'm not planning to return to the hotel. That would not only complicate matters but also disrupt the entire plan if exposed."

"Tell Sakura not to come over either. Spend more time at school these days. I can handle it." Ryan paced, holding his phone, choosing to contact Mei directly. He was afraid of hidden agents if the call was routed through Central Command.

The Herrscher of Domination was difficult to deal with. His only advantage now was intelligence.

Assuming Their existence, all plans revolved around that, while They still acted like clowns. Even if this Herrscher perhaps didn't exist at all, Ryan and Mei were treating Them as if They did.

So the Fire Moth was now following completely standard procedures. That afternoon, the flesh and blood of those MANTIS had been quickly sent to Mobius lab, and she was currently analyzing them.

"The correct choice. I can't help too much this time, but Kevin has already gone. He will make the judgment." Kevin, huh? Ryan thought for a moment.

Mei must have instructed him not to contact headquarters. Similarly, she had complete trust in Kevin; after all, he was the savior, and his intelligence was online.

"Is everything okay at home?" "Everything as usual. They can't find any problems. I've also covered for Kevin." Mei remained flawless, silent for a moment, then added: "Your bait this time is quite large. Be careful not to catch something too extraordinary." Eden was too headstrong, almost like she was fighting back.

"No one is better than her at psychological warfare, but there's one thing I'm very concerned about: with today's attack intensity, aren't they afraid of tipping me off and me just taking Eden back to headquarters directly?" Very suspicious, but as some of humanity's strongest minds, Ryan and Mei both had an answer.

"Either They are very familiar with Eden personality and predicted her choice in advance, or They aren't afraid of me taking Eden back."

 "It's possible it's both."

 "It seems this Herrscher is more troublesome than imagined, and has infiltrated deeper." Mei sighed, wrapping a strand of long hair around her ear.

"I agree with your plan. Letting Them infiltrate further is too dangerous. We must find a way to inflict heavy damage."

"Hmm, that's my responsibility." Ryan readily agreed.

Dealing with various difficult problems was precisely the job of him, the 'divine doctor.' "Then you should be as much of a gentleman as possible. Miss Eden is very important; her reputation is irreplaceable." Mei saw a tired-looking Mobius enter, and quickly hung up the phone.

 Beep beep beep.

 How annoying. I've always been a decent gentleman.

 It's like I have bad intentions or something. Ryan put his phone back in his pocket, kicked a stone, and turned his head to see that Eden hadn't been eavesdropping after all.

She was sitting on a rusty swing, swaying back and forth.

The white paint had almost completely peeled off, and the iron chains creaked. At this moment, Eden seemed to have shed much of her celebrity aura, suddenly becoming ordinary.

 "This building has a connection with me. If I have the chance, I'll buy it and renovate it well, to keep as a memento." Alright, the rich woman aura hasn't faded yet. Her first words are about buying a building.

 Ryan walked over, looked at the moon in the sky, and gently shrugged:

 "Nervous?"

 "A little bit, as if I'm back to when I first went on stage. I haven't had a similar feeling in a long time." Eden swayed back and forth with small movements, her long dress gently swaying, revealing her fair calves.

 "After tomorrow, I will enter a new phase. I'm afraid everything I want to do in the future will require an extra layer of consideration." That's natural.

 Ryan couldn't accompany her all the time.

"Do you feel regretful?"

 "I do feel some regret, but more than that, it's anticipation. Elysia told me that she built a warm home with many reliable companions. When she told me this, the happiness on her face was unforgettable." Eden spoke slowly, her amber eyes reflecting the pale moonlight, somewhat lost, and somewhat yearning.

Ryan remained silent.

 With Elysia there, he never worried about anyone becoming withdrawn.

Even he himself smiled when he heard those words.

That was indeed a warm home, with family members of different personalities who were nevertheless united.

 Even Kalpas had a place to belong. Now that he thought about it, this 'home' seemed even more important than the entire Fire Moth.

"We're just waiting for you."

"Huh? Did you leave a spot for me already?" Eden looked surprised, completely taking it as a joke.

However, Ryan wasn't joking.

After Su had been taken to headquarters, Eden was the last Flame-Chaser still wandering outside.

Thinking of this, Ryan felt he had achieved a great accomplishment.

He had gathered all Thirteen Flame-Chasers years ahead of time, not just the Flame-Chasers, but also people who died prematurely like Himeko and Dystopia. This was indeed a great achievement.

He even felt that as long as these people were there, even if human civilization truly perished, those Valkyries of later generations wouldn't be needed at all.

 Almost all were high-ranking MANTIS, each with their own specialty, enough to handle the preparations for an entire field.

"The spot has always been there, and once you're there, you can still be valuable." Ryan certainly wouldn't hide such an important morale booster.

He slowly got up and quickly walked a couple of circles. "By the way, all conditions were met as soon as you arrived. I didn't even notice it; I've actually reached a crossroads myself." Eden didn't quite understand, but this implied...

 "You were really waiting for me?"

"Of course it's true. You're the final piece of the puzzle. After tomorrow, I won't have much left to prepare for, only one thing left."

"What thing?" The man under the moon turned his head, his gray eyes deep, and raised an index finger.

 "A fight to the death with Honkai." Hadn't the war already begun? Eden was even more confused, only vaguely understanding that this man seemed to have fulfilled a wish, just like in a movie she had once acted in, where a superhero team had fully formed.

Facing Ryan invitation, she subtly curled her lips. "Then I'd be honored."

No one on this world line knew about the Flame-Chasers, nor did they understand why Ryan deliberately gathered everyone. In the eyes of the Herrscher, the Fire Moth was a unified entity.

With Ryan at its center and a few key figures as its framework, a troublesome obstacle formed, even showing a faint tendency to suppress Honkai.

Fortunately, Honkai feels no distress, nor does it possess hope. It carries out its work like a machine, adjusting when it fails, sending new apostles when a Herrscher dies, determined to achieve its goal even if it takes ten thousand tries.

With such terrifying execution, the Herrscher naturally felt no hesitation.

"The news is here. That human hasn't left. She's going to continue."

The ship swayed in the waves. At the bow, the red-haired Herrscher leaned on her sword with both hands, watching the ship be tossed onto the crest of a wave, then plunge violently into the sea.

She remained still, the seawater evaporating before it touched her body. Hearing the report from her kindred, she remained expressionless.

"This is what they call courage. She used your plan, and as a result, humanity has become even more united."

The Herrscher of Flamescion had read many books recently. She couldn't understand it, yet she acknowledged a reality:

Most humans were timid and vulgar, but as long as someone led the way, they would erupt with astonishing energy. Such people were what the books called heroes.

"This was part of the plan all along." The glamorous blonde woman gripped the railing, her body already drenched by seawater. "The higher that singer's reputation, the greater the harvest, the more she should come to our side."

Her explanation was unconventional, but on second thought, it made perfect sense. Controlling Eden was more useful than controlling a thousand directors or presidents. The more she was worshipped now, the deeper the wound when she betrayed them.

"No wonder you asked me to act. No wonder you sent her to Australia." The Herrscher of Flamescion paused, having to admit that this conspiracy-specialized kindred thought more than she did. She turned around, her back to the sea, her face filled with seriousness.

"Don't underestimate humans. The value you can find, they can also find. You can't even confirm the identity of that MANTIS one hundred percent."

"Confirmation is 98%. The remaining 2% is due to 'his' movements being unverifiable, but that's precisely why I asked you to act."

The conversation between the two Herrschers showed little emotional fluctuation, let alone arguments, as if two machines were discussing the operation of a program.

"But my intelligence network can confirm some things."

The blonde woman lowered her head. At the same time, in every corner of the world, Fire Moth staff, logistics workers, frontline soldiers, chefs, and even cleaners paused for a moment.

Elysia was taking Griseo to elementary school, carrying a bag to buy fruit.

Mei, holding a large stack of research materials, entered the control room, lecturing a group of people, reminding them of precautions during the experiment.

Before her, Kosma, Himeko, and others had strained faces, looking utterly devoid of life. Hua was showing her father around the underground city, occasionally blushing and muttering something, while the rugged man laughed heartily.

Countless streams of information intertwined, like seamlessly connected surveillance cameras. Daily life continued as usual, humans living on, completely oblivious.

"All thirteen key targets captured. The possibility of false information is extremely low. Thirty-five secondary targets can also be deduced; less than 10% have questionable whereabouts."

Terrifying intelligence suppression. Not even Mei could place spies near a Herrscher. Even if there were secret agents among the traitors, transmitting a single piece of information would be incredibly difficult.

But for the Herrscher, it was different. In an instant, everything was laid bare. In the face of such terrifying authority, things like 'assassination is just a cover' or 'the Herrscher of Death's feint' became insignificant.

"Two percent uncertainty?"

The Herrscher of Flamescion was silent for a moment. She still held a huge advantage. This infiltration was silent, and with the cover of Kallis and others, even artificial intelligence would at most be suspicious. It would take a lot of time to uncover the truth.

No, even a prophet cannot see the Herrscher destiny. It makes no sense, and there's no time to respond in advance.

The waves surged. The Fire Moth' deployments across the entire Asia-Pacific region were fully understood. Several branches had indeed heightened their alert, which was normal.

"Good. Then the remaining two percent will be Burnd by my own hands."