Honkai: Fire Moth Herrschers-Chapter 249: Myriad Phenomena, Absolute Ignorance

"Pilot, follow instructions and complete one circuit of the field immediately!"

"Pilot synchronization rate dropped to 36.7%, maintain focus!"

At this point, Kiel no longer bothered with pretense. One verbal command after another spewed from Taro's mouth. The same voice split into two: one transmitted through the long data cable trailing behind Ajax's rear into the cockpit, the other echoing in the command center connected to the observation deck where Mei was located.

Watching the giant carefully walking under the sunlight, first a few daring researchers from the United Government's science department jumped up, then more and more people began to applaud and cheer, celebrating the success of the second-stage experiment for this weapon, into which they had poured their hearts and souls...

Although the circuit wasn't fully complete, and the grip strength and speed tests hadn't begun, the fact that it could move and maintain synchronization during movement meant the experiment was at least half successful.

Some of the scientists and engineers who jumped up first even deliberately walked behind Mei, whistling and circling around her. It was a good-natured display of showing off, naturally tinged with a sense of vindication after being suppressed for so long.

Everyone present was a long-established figure in their field, yet this young woman, with her MANTIS project and a commendable track record, had effectively lorded over them for six whole years!

The mere thought felt stifling.

Now that the tables had turned, it would be strange not to be excited!

Besides... who knew if this young woman had even grasped the true construction of this mecha?

"Doctor, should we..."

"Don't act rashly. Stay calm."

Mei turned to Kiel with a gentle smile. "Speaker, please continue your introduction. With my eyesight and imagination alone, I truly cannot fathom how Ajax manages to fuse flesh and blood with a mecha."

"Hehe, it's actually quite simple."

Under Taro's guidance, Ajax had walked quite far. The long data cable trailing behind it perfectly outlined its path—a long arc.

After a brief pause, Ajax turned its head and started walking back towards the starting point—

The subsequent tests for grip strength, speed, etc., needed to be conducted inside the base. Firstly, these tests relied on equipment. Secondly... Ajax wasn't a fully perfected weapon yet. The pilot falling twice earlier had genuinely frightened Taro. He wasn't willing to take any more risks...

Mainly, having finally gained some face in front of Mei, if subsequent experiments resulted in errors, he would lose all that face again.

Although according to Kiel's original plan, these grip and speed parameters were meant to be shown to Mei, he didn't argue much under Taro's insistence.

Because his objective... was never about those things...

The corners of his lips curled up almost to his earlobes. Hearing Mei's question, he explained without hesitation:

"As you said, at the same size, a mecha's advantage lies in stronger defense, while its disadvantage is overly mechanical movement, unable to surpass the limits of machinery itself. This is precisely where flesh and blood excel. Being able to better perceive and sense its surroundings, a body of flesh and blood is more sensitive and agile. Both its upper and lower limits are determined by the pilot's operation."

"You know that's not what I was asking."

"Ha, the specific principle..."

The sourc𝗲 of this content is frёeωebɳovel.com.

Ajax's body drew closer and loomed larger. Kiel gazed rapturously at the behemoth before him. For many, this thing represented a life's work, but for him, it was no longer just dedication, but...

"It's simple. We use the mecha's shell as skin, then use cloning technology to fill the space within with flesh and bone. Of course, the cells have undergone biological optimization, and the fat-to-muscle ratio is precisely calculated. In short, the issue you mentioned earlier, the lack of agility in large mecha, while not completely solved, still has room for improvement."

Mei's right eyelid twitched involuntarily twice. She wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but she felt Ajax's walking speed seemed to have subtly increased.

But she responded to Kiel's boasting with only a dismissive "Heh."

"Let me guess. This construction is likely a fusion of the Jaeger Michael once built and the form he displayed during the Seventh Honkai Eruption. To supply energy to such a behemoth, the heart area is probably driven by a Honkai Energy reactor. And the brain? You let the pilot temporarily become Ajax's brain, right? Not a bad idea."

Mei chuckled softly, giving a relatively neutral assessment.

The idea of fusion was clever, and it did give Mei a small surprise. But unfortunately, it was ultimately a Frankenstein's monster, not truly stunning.

Compared to Mei's perfunctory response, Kiel seemed quite enthusiastic. He apparently didn't notice her lack of genuine interest, smiling as he pressed:

"Dr. Mei, aren't you the least bit curious?"

"About what?"

Mei paused, reaching up to push her glasses back up her nose as they slid down due to the constant ground vibrations. Simultaneously, that intense sense of crisis skyrocketed, finally reaching an undeniable level.

"Since it's a body of flesh and blood, Ajax naturally uses a real heart. The Honkai Energy reactor merely serves as a 'pacemaker.' So, here's the question—what is the fluid that flows throughout Ajax's body, driven by this heart?"

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

Under the intense vibrations, the entire base began to shake slightly... No, actually, the shaking had never stopped; it was just less noticeable earlier because Ajax was farther away.

Mei ignored him because...

If her guess was correct, then probably, maybe, possibly, absolutely—Ajax had malfunctioned!

"Pilot! Pilot! You have deviated from the predetermined course by two point three degrees! Repeat! You have deviated by two point three degrees! Adjust immediately!"

Initially, when Ajax quickened its pace, Taro assumed the pilot was simply caught up in the joy of the successful experiment and didn't issue a reminder. After all, it just meant entering the hangar a few seconds earlier.

But now something was wrong. It had clearly deviated from the path to the hangar's armor doors. Though it was only a small angle of 2.3 degrees, if Ajax continued forward from its current position... it would crash into the command center above!

"Pilot! Pilot!"

"Bzzzt... Min... bzzzt..."

"Minister! Wired communication with the pilot is experiencing interference, cause unknown!"

"Then disable manual piloting! Have Ajax use auto-navigation to return to the hangar, quickly!"

"It's no good, Minister! The command was issued but rejected!"

"How is that possible!"

Considering the immaturity of new wired technology, the research department had opted for the most primitive solution for Ajax: wired transmission. That data cable plugged into its posterior was a data line, not a power cord! Ajax used a Honkai Energy reactor for power and didn't need external electricity!

"Zoom in on the feed!"

"Minister! Right here!"

The screen in front of Taro zoomed in, focusing on Ajax's crotch area. It wasn't noticeable from afar, but now they saw the data cable there was somehow severed halfway, like an arm chopped by a greatsword, bone broken but skin still connected, sparks flickering from the break.

"How could this happen! Weren't checks done beforehand? Is there any way to stop Ajax now?"

"There's nothing we can do, Minister! All our methods rely on the data cable connection! In this situation, Ajax can't receive any of our instructions! Wireless signals will be blocked by Ajax's armor plating!"

The conversation between Taro and the control personnel reached the command center verbatim. Everyone grew panicked—who could remain calm seeing a behemoth like Ajax walking towards them!

"Kiel, I'm out of options here! You're in Ajax's path! Order an evacuation immediately!"

Taro knew his old superior and friend could hear him. In such an urgent situation, he disregarded protocol and directly issued orders over Kiel's head, commanding everyone in the command center to evacuate.

Many were just waiting for this. Hearing Taro's words, they instantly jumped from their seats and ran towards the emergency escape tunnels. Of course, most were either too terrified, their legs turning to jelly, or still dazed and unsure what to do.

A few remained motionless, glancing towards the unmoving Kiel in the nearby observation area.

Kiel calmly took a miniature remote control from his pocket, held it dramatically above his head, and pressed a button—

At the emergency exit, the fastest person was already halfway out when an armor plate suddenly slammed down from above, slicing his body cleanly in half from top to bottom.

A large splatter of blood, mixed with gore and organs, stained the armor plate. Those who ran slower stumbled, their faces hitting the bloody patch. But they were lucky; at least they hadn't become the bloodstain.

Yet, even after turning around, they couldn't understand why this armor plate had fallen.

Equally perplexed were all the personnel inside the command center, because not only the escape exits were sealed, but also the normal exits, the huge observation windows of the viewing area, and even the ventilation shafts overhead were blocked.

"Kiel! What are you doing!"

Before Mei could question him, Taro's roar echoed throughout the command center, making Mei's heart sink—

Taro was in the hangar below and naturally couldn't see the situation in the command center. His anger could only mean one thing: not just the command center, but possibly the entire base, including the hangar, was sealed off. No one could escape!

And who else but Kiel could achieve this?

"You've been planning this since a month ago?" Mei asked coldly.

Kiel grinned, his eyes narrowing into slits. He didn't answer Mei's question, nor did he heed Taro's hysterical bellows. He simply smiled and asked back:

"Dr. Mei, you still haven't answered my previous question—what is the fluid flowing throughout Ajax's body?"

Mei clearly didn't want to answer this. She put her hand behind her back and made a gesture. Ato, unable to hold back any longer, strode forward, grabbed Kiel by the collar, and snatched the remote control from his hand.

But no matter how he pressed the buttons, the surrounding armor plates didn't react.

Kiel was pushed to the ground. He sat leaning against the armor plate, legs spread wide, brazenly aiming his crotch at everyone present:

"Mei, flowing within Ajax's body is—

"Blood! Hahahahaha! It's blood!"

"Aldemir, prepare explosive charges to clear a path!"

Ato ignored Kiel's riddle-like words. The situation was urgent. No one understood why Speaker Kiel, the highest authority in the United Government, effectively the supreme leader of humanity both nominally and actually, would do such a thing!

Had he gone mad?

His crazed, chilling laughter seemed to accompany the trembling ground, growing louder, faster—Ajax was getting closer.

"Brother Ato, there are no explosives! How can we blast through!" Aldemir had been prying at the escape tunnel's armor plate with a fire axe for a long time, but it was a futile effort.

Blanka and Evangeline instinctively tried to contact Vill-V and Michael via comms, but the command center, encased in special alloy armor plating, was like a giant elevator—even more thoroughly sealed. Electromagnetic waves simply couldn't get out!

BOOM!

An unprecedented vibration struck. Ato, as a MANTIS with superhuman hearing, immediately shouted: "It's here!"

Blanka had already swiftly pulled Mei aside. As Mei was dragged backward, she didn't forget to yell for everyone in the command center to dodge towards the sides.

Her voice was quickly drowned out by the vibrations and screams. Even with Evangeline relaying her words into everyone's minds, few could remain calm at this moment.

Moreover, Mei had no command authority over them. Most people's first reaction to her orders or suggestions wasn't obedience, but doubt.

But there was no time left for doubt. The thick armor plate overhead didn't even have time to dent before a large hole was ripped open directly.

There was an opening, but not much sunlight streamed in, because a gigantic foot blocked all the gaps.

"Ahhhhh!"

BOOM!

A damp mist instantly filled the command center. Mei realized her vision was blurring. She touched her glasses, took them off, and saw faint red stains of blood on her fingertip.

BOOM!

The tremors from the previous impact hadn't subsided when an even more violent shockwave hit, comparable to a high-magnitude earthquake.

Mei and Blanka huddled in a "survival triangle." Looking up slightly, they saw the command center floor couldn't bear Ajax's weight and had also fractured.

The entire base, situated in the boundless Gobi desert, was essentially a tiny hillock, or perhaps a small steamed bun. The hangar was semi-subterranean, with an uphill path leading from its entrance. Ajax stepping across the entire base was like a person stepping over a moderately sized mound.

But now it couldn't move. Its right foot had plunged into the hangar, suspended mid-air. To pull its leg out, it would have to shift its weight to the left leg, inevitably causing the armor plating under the left leg to fail as well.

Currently, it was wedged by the two layers of armor plating around its right thigh. Without intervention, the armor plates would eventually give way under its weight; collapsing completely was only a matter of time.

The real question was—what was the pilot doing?!

Initially, everyone's attention was drawn to the old man now being choked by Ato. Even Mei, in that critical situation, only had a fleeting thought pass through her mind: What happened to the pilot?

Logically, even if the data cable broke and command instructions couldn't be transmitted, the pilot should still be able to make their own judgment. It was just a slight course deviation. The pilot wasn't blind. How could such a major error occur, causing it to climb directly onto the base?

This was clearly illogical!

Mei glanced sideways at the heavily panting Kiel. She had to admit, Taro knew this guy better. He had sensed something was wrong from the beginning, but unfortunately, he hadn't expected his old friend to go this far.

But thinking this way, the earliest question resurfaced—why was Kiel doing this?

It made no sense. Mei didn't know the pilot well, but having dealt with Kiel and SEELE for so long, she had a measure of them. While their perspectives often differed—frankly, they were sometimes short-sighted—at the very least, they all identified as [Human].

She sometimes joked with Michael that these people shouldn't be entirely written off; with proper guidance, they might reform and contribute positively, like... another individual.

Precisely because she understood this, because she had entertained such thoughts, Mei found it even harder to comprehend why Kiel would do this.

"Ato! Check his consciousness! Has anyone tampered with it?"

It was the only explanation.

But just as Ato released his chokehold, Kiel scrambled upright. When Ato tried to grab him again, he saw Kiel crawl forward on his knees, prostrating himself towards Ajax's right leg with utmost reverence.

As he bowed, he laughed maniacally. The wig and hat, which had stayed firmly on his head even when Ato choked him, flew off with his prostrations, revealing his bald forehead beneath.

Ato hesitated, unsure what to do, because Kiel's laughter soon abruptly stopped.

His expression became even more devout. Hands clasped together at his chest, head raised, eyes closed, he mumbled something.

Through Ato's relay, Mei also heard the words...

"「One day, She fell from the heavens. People looked up, and thus they beheld the starry sky.」"

Was it a prayer? A song? Or a prophecy? Mei only remembered these words circulating throughout the world long ago, appearing everywhere from major religions to fables and songs. But spoken now by Kiel, what deeper meaning did it hold?

"Hahahahaha! Hahahahaha! I finally understand what this means! I finally understand!"

Mad laughter filled her ears. This time, without needing interpretation, Mei understood Kiel's meaning—the Honkai Energy in the air had become dense enough to appear almost black.

"A Herrscher!"

No wonder!

Compared to the Jaeger, Ajax's essence was closer to the giant formed after Michael's Honkai Eruption.

And the problem lay precisely there: this body, so massive and powerful, with excellent adaptability to Honkai Energy, was simply too suitable from the perspective of Honkai selecting a Herrscher.

In other words, this body was incredibly tempting to the Honkai.

Originally, it lacked something; it had no brain, just an empty shell.

But after the pilot served as Ajax's brain, completing this final piece...

As Kiel had said earlier, by Mobius's definition, Ajax could already be considered human.

But this was still just speculation. Perhaps the pilot themselves had been chosen as the Herrscher.

BOOM!

The ceiling overhead dented again. The newborn Herrscher's intention was clear. If before it was confused, wondering how to overcome the "obstacle" before it, now it wanted to destroy this place!

Sunlight poured down. Apart from Kiel, no one present felt happy, because the Herrscher had simply torn open the ceiling.

Losing the support of one layer of armor plating, the Herrscher's body quickly began to sink further. But it still noticed Kiel praying towards it first.

"Blanka! Can you interfere with its mind!"

This highlighted the shortcomings of newly transformed MANTISes. Both Blanka and Evangeline, facing this situation, initially positioned themselves as "warriors" or "bodyguards," not as key figures capable of turning the tide with psychic power.

Even Ato was the same. His first instinct was to control Kiel, though it was useless. Although he became a psychic MANTIS early on, he had virtually no combat experience and wasn't very familiar with using his psychic abilities.

So, by the time Mei shouted this, it was already too late.

Ajax looked at Kiel, who was continuously chanting towards it. Without a second thought, it swatted down with its hand. The shadow cast by the giant hand enveloped not only Kiel, but Mei, Blanka, and Ato had no chance to escape either.

But Mei wasn't panicked. After all that dawdling earlier, it was about time for her entrance.

Clang!

The frost-covered blade scraped against the scabbard mouth, sending snow-dust flying like white jade.

The sound of the tsuba guard hitting the scabbard mouth was, as always, clear and crisp, like flowing water freezing into ice.

The Herrscher's arm stopped mid-air. As a cold wind swept past, Mei's naked eye belatedly caught the glimpse of a sharp blade glint, like a white silk ribbon, completely freezing the space around it.

Before she could blink, the Herrscher's body from the wrist down, along with all the die-hard soldiers chasing Aldemir and Evangeline inside the command center, gradually stiffened, their surfaces even showing a hint of frost.

"Hmph!"

Cold air exhaled from the woman's nostrils. Simultaneously, everything mentioned above, like an ice surface meticulously cut countless times, erupted with innumerable straight cracks.

Sakura rested her hand on the hilt of her katana. Her voice was as crisp and sweet as ever, not turning cold and unapproachable due to battle—the tone wasn't changed by the occasion, but by whether or not she wore a mask.

Her long fox ears twitched back and forth as she looked down. Her smooth, long hair fell forward, casting shadows on her features, making them seem darker, but also accentuating her eyes, which shone with the bright color of cherry blossoms.

Crack—

BANG!

With a soft sound, countless ice shards slid apart along the straight lines, decomposed, and then, just before hitting the ground, exploded like fireworks, turning into a sky full of ice crystals.

Thus, she softly announced the name of this strike:

"Momentary Blade—Myriad Phenomena, Absolute Ignorance."