"Horkos."
"Have you found what you're looking for?"
While Jorah was communicating with the Titans to rendezvous, March 7th tore her gaze away from the starry landscape and turned to Horkos, whose expression was somewhat grave.
"No."
On Horkos's left wrist, a silver, wreath-like ornament was emitting a faint glow.
"The interference is too severe."
"The intensity of this [Destruction Stellaron] surpasses any I have seen before. Although I can confirm the 'item' is on this planet..."
No matter how Horkos tried to infuse Imaginary energy into the wreath, the light it emitted remained unchanged.
"The detection range of the [Thorn-Seeker] has been limited to less than ten thousand meters. We must first deal with the trouble caused by the Stellaron."
"Miss Eden."
"It's about the same on my end."
Eden, as if startled awake by the question, gave a slight shudder before immediately picking up where Horkos left off.
"Entering via external spatial manipulation wasn't a problem."
"But if we want to leave, warp jumps are basically out of the question."
Eden sensed the increasingly chaotic spatial fluctuations around them. The bad news wasn't limited to being unable to warp.
"The planet's expanding gravitational field won't give us much time."
"If the operation exceeds forty-five minutes, we likely won't be able to leave Planet V's vicinity normally."
"Then let's head to the Stellaron's location."
Jorah, having finished assembling the Titan forces, walked back over.
He stomped his right foot down, causing the beautiful glass-like ground to crack with a loud snap, sending out a web of fine fissures.
"We have no other choice, do we?"
The Titan forces were the most renowned individual combat units of the M81 Interstellar Federation.
Their Imaginary energy engines were made from dilithium crystals, complemented by polarized hard-light deflection armor, asymmetrical force field buffer shields, and the latest melee weapons, the [Type-II Supergravity Hammer] and [Type-III Solar War Axe], as well as the ranged [Incineration Cannon].
They could adapt to the vast majority of interstellar battlefields.
Whether it was orbital landings or ship-to-ship boarding actions, they were first-rate operators.
"..."
"Let's go!"
---o---
There was no need to determine direction.
The entire team just needed to advance downward.
The Stellaron would only exist at the planet's core. By following the direction of the gravitational field straight down, they could proceed without obstruction...
Well, not exactly without obstruction.
The glass-like ground could be forcibly bored through with little effort, but this was merely the outermost edge of the Stellaron's radiation zone. After advancing more than 2,000 kilometers, nearly a third of the way, the surrounding glass terrain instantly vanished.
"A massive cavern."
"Prepare for combat!"
Jorah issued a warning command immediately.
In the few short days from the discovery of the Stellaron's traces to the beginning of the planetary transfer, the Stellaron had already devoured most of Planet V's mass. The appearance of this massive cavern meant they had reached the edge of the "initial Fragmentum."
A Stellaron in this state, and the "Fragmentum" it produced, was not yet capable of printing complete warped organisms. However, the genetic information of the original "species" living on the planet had already been scrambled and rewritten by the Stellaron's power.
In other words, they were very likely to encounter "fused mutants" in this cavern, with variations depending on the affected planet.
"Detecting a large number of Imaginary energy signatures!"
"They are closing in to encircle us!"
The moment Jorah's voice fell, the Iron Warlords' alarms followed!
A white light spreading from the planet's core enveloped the entire area. Within it, undulating purple waves of Imaginary energy converged into lines, sketching out monsters on a two-dimensional plane and then projecting them into three-dimensional space as solid entities.
These crudely made monsters did not appear as they were "sketched." Instead, as a tsunami of energy surged from the void and poured into them, they rapidly transformed into creatures with either smooth curves or sharp angles...
"Honkai Beasts?"
This was the first time Eden's voice carried a tone of surprise.
Although the white and purple monsters differed in appearance from the "standard format" Eden knew, they were, in essence, undoubtedly Honkai Beasts.
Honkai Beasts that could manipulate Imaginary energy, yet were unawakened!
---o---
Her earlier speculation was confirmed.
The Fragmentum was a product of a Stellaron eruption.
The M81 Galaxy had never experienced a Honkai phenomenon; it was located in the middle or upper regions, far from the boundary of the Sea and the Tree.
Eden could clearly discern that all the Honkai Beasts appearing in the cavern were newborns.
There were essentially three possibilities:
Either the Stellaron created by Nanook itself possessed the power of the [Dominion of Order]; or the relic of the deceased Idrila contained a part related to the [Path of Order]; or a trace of the Astral God of Order had been left on this crumbling planet, "Keya V."
Or...
All three were true.
The latter two scenarios were relatively normal, but the first one required deeper investigation.
The Astral God of Order possessed the [Dominion of Destruction].
If one were to trace the origin of this power, the most likely source was some kind of deal with Nanook. Even if the two Astral Gods had exchanged powers through a violent "friendly negotiation," that could still be grudgingly accepted. But if...
BOOM!!!
The sound of a Titan exploding interrupted Eden's thoughts.
A crimson beam pierced through the bodies of an entire row of Honkai Beasts.
As their Imaginary energy shells dissipated into particles of light, the charging Honkai Beasts quickened their pace. Regardless of their form or function, these [Fragmentum Honkai Beasts] all possessed a highly consistent energy level: Honkai Emperor.
That's right.
The Fragmentum Honkai Beasts, which had instantly filled the surrounding cavern, numbered over ten thousand and were still multiplying madly, all possessed the strength of a peak-level lower-class Honkai Beast.
Individually, they weren't strong.
But their numbers were simply terrifying.
A Titan's shield was more than enough to block an attack from one, but when hundreds or thousands of beams struck simultaneously... shield overload and armor melting happened at the same time.
Swoosh—BOOM!!!
There were fewer than 200 Titans in total.
In the very first exchange, a fifth of them were instantly annihilated.
At this rate, forget completing the mission; the elite forces from the "Cosmic Island" would be wiped out before they even reached the "Fragmentum" proper.
Eden glanced at Dan Heng, who was standing not far from March 7th.
After a brief exchange of looks, the two reached an agreement. Jorah's original plan was to use the Titans as cannon fodder, but the current situation clearly made that impossible.
For whatever reason—be it protecting the Titan forces or annihilating the enemy—they had to act now.
The team had already exchanged general information before setting out.
Dan Heng was the one who "claimed" to have the strongest defense among them. This defense wasn't simply "resisting attacks," but the ability to "minimize external influences."
Therefore...
He needed to start this.
"Cloud-Piercer."
The cold blade of his long spear swept through the air. A crescent-shaped edge of light cleaved the charging Fragmentum Honkai Beasts in two.
The next moment—
Swoosh.
At the center point connecting the shaft and the tip of the spear, two yin-yang fish, one maple-red and one snow-white, began to shift from stillness to motion. In the center of Dan Heng's eyes, unnoticed by anyone, an identical pattern emerged from nothingness.
"Aegis!!!"
Ding!
A spherical bubble enveloped everyone, including the Titans.
The light beams shooting towards them bent like streams in a curving river, tracing an arc across the bubble's surface before continuing on their original path. The Fragmentum Honkai Beasts charging with various weapons were frozen in place the moment they struck the bubble, as if time had stopped, piling up against the continuous wave of beasts from behind.
"Make your move."
This was Dan Heng's ability.
This technique, belonging to an unknown [Path], possessed a powerful defensive capability that touched upon the level of fundamental rules. Not only were the Fragmentum Honkai Beasts' attacks blocked, but even the Fragmentum environment that hindered Eden's spatial abilities was suppressed by over ninety percent the moment the bubble formed.
"Leave it to me."
Her wine-red hair flowed without any wind.
A black device, flashing with a deep red light, assembled into a domed mechanical body filled with a sense of sci-fi and an ominous aura, appearing directly above Eden.
[Star of Eden]
Eden's exclusive armament, a supreme technological creation of the Empire on par with Vill-V's [Anti-Kevin Armament Model 799].
Eden didn't have a so-called "ultimate move."
All her insights into space and the skills derived from them came from her Geo Authority, [Stellar Harmony]. The weapon [Star of Eden], which originally shared its name with the ability, could enhance her Authority into the unique [Authority of the Star].
Dan Heng's move had consumed a great deal of energy, so it was natural for Eden to make a showing as well.
Wielding the [Authority of the Star], Eden could unleash a gravitational field equivalent to 69,200 times that of the Empire's mother planet, forcibly breaking through various spatial blockades through sheer brute force... while also grinding all matter in her warp path into a particle state.
It was very strong.
But this move had two weaknesses: first, its style didn't match Eden, or even the name of her Authority; second, it required a certain amount of preparation time.
Just as Eden was deploying the [Star of Eden]—
The ever-expanding horde of Fragmentum Honkai Beasts ceased their pointless attacks. After a brief pause, they began to converge madly toward a single point in the cavern!
"It didn't break through?"
March 7th lowered her longbow.
Normally, a single light arrow from her could carve a gap in the army of Fragmentum Honkai Beasts that stretched beyond the horizon.
But now, the light arrows she shot were being forcibly detonated by Fragmentum Honkai Beasts that actively self-destructed upon contact.
"They're restructuring."
Jorah retracted his lightsaber. Dan Heng's bubble was very peculiar; aside from March 7th, who as a fellow [Nameless] had special "access rights," no one else's attacks could penetrate it.
"Horkos."
"I never asked before... what is the relic you're looking for?"
March 7th asked Horkos beside her.
"I can feel it."
"Once this thing finishes fusing, I'm afraid its power will reach the star-destroying level... The 'Fragmentum' hasn't even fully formed yet, and it's already reached the energy level of a complete, ordinary Stellaron."
Relics of Astral Gods were important.
But to be fully effective, they had to be in the hands of their corresponding retainers. Other [Pathstriders] couldn't unleash the full power of an Astral God's relic and might even be harmed or killed due to the specific nature of their Paths.
The power displayed by this thing on Planet V had already surpassed any Stellaron in all the intelligence March 7th knew of.
"My apologies."
"The [Thorn-Seeker] can only determine direction and intensity."
Horkos extended the arm wearing the wreath to March 7th.
"As for what it is specifically, I cannot say."
The group's exchange was not slow, but the fusion speed of the Fragmentum Honkai Beasts was even faster.
In the blink of an eye, the sky-blotting horde of Honkai Beasts had vanished, and in their place stood a colossal, "humanoid monster" with only an upper torso.
Wails that seemed to scorch the very soul echoed from within purple flames, where Imaginary energy condensed into a deathly white skeleton. At its head, beneath a crown of bone shards, were four skulls, each frozen with a different expression. In its "slender" hands, it held a two-handed weapon that was part scythe, part axe, and part rake.
[Fragmentum Lord Marrowgar]
"Star-destroying class."
Dan Heng stated its rank, his expression unchanging.
"Seven more seconds needed."
Eden immediately followed up, specifying the remaining time needed for the [Star of Eden] to fully activate—time they had to buy. Facing an opponent of the same level, Dan Heng's [Maple, Flower, Snow, Leaf] (the bubble) might not be able to hold.
After all... this was the enemy's home turf.
The Fragmentum Lord raised its weapon.
A suddenly expanding field of ultra-low temperature slowed even the speed of light. The clashing energy fields kicked up violent shockwaves in the surroundings.
"Can you get us directly to the Stellaron?"
"Not difficult."
"I will hold it off."
After receiving an affirmative reply from Eden, Horkos voluntarily stepped out of the [Maple, Flower, Snow, Leaf]'s domain. His action (rather than his choice) caused Dan Heng to raise an eyebrow imperceptibly. The [Maple, Flower, Snow, Leaf] domain could obstruct the penetration of most known matter and energy from both inside and out. Dan Heng had never seen anyone of the same level perform such a feat so effortlessly.
Clink.
At the same time, in the final moment before leaving the domain, Horkos tossed the [Thorn-Seeker] from his hand directly to March 7th.
"Miss March 7th, I'll leave this in your care for now."
"We'll meet again soon."
A thorny rose vine emerged from the void, coalescing with drifting petals into the shape of a rapier—
[Noble Inlay]
The weapon of the deceased leader of the [Knights of Beauty], the "Grand Monarch of Flowers," Simidis.
Wielding the rapier, Horkos charged directly toward the descending axe-scythe of the Fragmentum Lord!
CLANG!!!
Amidst the blossoming radiance of a thousand brilliant lights, the figures of the group vanished into the dark shadows.
Swoosh.