"Riots caused by nearly fifty Tenth Herrschers..."
Upon receiving this news, both Kosma and Dystopia couldn't help but feel a heavy weight on their hearts. Even now, they couldn't see the end of how many individuals the Tenth Herrscher actually had. All squads and MANTIS, including them, were already doing their utmost to subjugate the Tenth Herrscher, yet they were stretched thin.
"Twenty-seven Herrschers were subjugated; the rest are still being pursued."
Dystopia asked, "What's the casualty count?"
"...Thirty-nine MANTIS dead, seven hundred and sixty-one soldiers killed or wounded, and five thousand six hundred civilians killed or wounded."
The heavy numbers weighed on them both.
The individual combat strength of a Tenth Herrscher was not high. Some individuals were even far weaker than an ordinary MANTIS and were roughly on par with a Fire Moth soldier equipped with gear. However, the destructive power they wielded when cooperating could rival that of a High-Rank Honkai Beast.
Their organization and planning gave Fire Moth—which was used to dealing with single Herrschers—a massive headache, forcing them to constantly dispatch members. The degree of loss was intensifying.
Kosma and Dystopia were reinforcements. Their first priority was to assist and protect other members during the site investigation, and then join the mission to pursue the fleeing Herrschers.
This was their seventh mission this month. Their wounds from the last time hadn't even fully healed. The sudden increase in pressure made them feel as if they couldn't catch their breath.
Upon arriving at the mission site, specialized members quickly began searching for traces. As a mental-perception type MANTIS, Dystopia was responsible for guarding the perimeter. Kosma followed the search team to ensure they wouldn't be harmed by "things" left behind at the scene.
L10-87—the 87th Tenth Herrscher discovered—possessed a very small portion of the Herrscher of Death's abilities. Upon being subjugated, she left behind a black liquid of unknown composition. A member had accidentally touched it and was eroded, dying as their entire body liquefied.
This was the kind of thing Kosma needed to prevent.
"Eh?"
Hearing the puzzled sound from the lead investigator, Kosma asked promptly, "What is it?"
"No... it seems a bit strange."
"Are there any suspicious residues? Don't move, let me handle it."
Kosma stepped forward, but the investigator shook his head: "No, it's just that I feel the traces left behind this time are quite strange."
Strange?
Kosma couldn't see what was so strange. It was all the usual wreckage and mess resulting from various abilities exploding. Bloodstains, severed limbs, debris... if anything, the scale of this encounter was larger than any previous one.
Though it was indeed strange. The Tenth Herrschers usually acted quietly and inconspicuously. Even when they cooperated, their numbers didn't reach a staggering fifty or so. Did they want to cause an even greater degree of chaos this time?
"First, this location is thirty kilometers away from a Fire Moth facility. It's not far, but it's different from their usual pattern of attacking Fire Moth facilities directly." The investigator looked at one of the broken support pillars and murmured, "And then, it seems they were... in combat."
"In combat? You mean the battle with the Fire Moth units that arrived later?"
He shook his head in denial, a thoughtful expression on his face: "I can tell which traces were left from fighting Fire Moth. What I want to ask is, before the units arrived to subjugate them, were they in a civil war?"
This sentence made Kosma's brows furrow deeply. A civil war? How was that possible? Herrschers weren't humans with conflicting interests; they could commit suicide without hesitation before being caught. How could they attack each other?
Besides, the situation at the time couldn't be confirmed. Ordinary people couldn't possibly know the specifics; the civilians who were close had already become unmoving corpses, and the remaining Fire Moth members who arrived hadn't reported any so-called "civil war."
"Then it's very strange. Were they hunting down one person?"
"Hunting?"
The investigator walked step by step to a prominent scorched mark. He explained solemnly: "Simple destruction couldn't possibly leave a trace like this. Look at this large open space—why would they attack it?"
"..."
"We've seen from previous investigations that the Tenth Herrschers aren't stupid. They destroy and dismantle facilities with the utmost speed; they don't attack useless parts. But this time, the traces left behind are concentrated on the edges of the building, rather than the core."
Like a detective, he pondered the possible scene from that moment.
"Kosma, if it were you being attacked by multiple Tenth Herrschers and you were right here, how would you dodge?"
Kosma crossed his arms and observed the surroundings. His combat experience was now quite seasoned. He imagined ten or more Tenth Herrschers attacking him from behind and what kind of reaction he would make.
...As expected, I couldn't counterattack directly. The risk would be too great.
I would need to evade.
Kosma immediately looked toward an obstacle that bore a clear scorch mark.
The investigator didn't hesitate; he stepped forward, attempting to hide behind it to evade an attack, and then moved step by step to change positions based on his deductions.
To their astonishment, every position Kosma deemed suitable for evasion bore traces of destruction.
Even Kosma realized now that someone had been evading the Tenth Herrschers' attacks at the time.
So, the largest gathering of Tenth Herrschers to date was actually fighting against a single person?
"Were there any MANTIS fighting the Tenth Herrschers at the time?" Kosma double-checked the mission intel, but it clearly stated that the Tenth Herrschers had attacked the area, with no mention of any MANTIS being engaged with them.
Just then, Dystopia's voice rang in Kosma's mind.
"Kosma, six o'clock direction. A suspected Herrscher reaction is approaching."
"Copy."
Kosma immediately rushed toward the direction Dystopia indicated at his top speed. He grabbed the ruins of a wall and leaped upward, landing on a high point.
He didn't see the shadow of a Herrscher. Dystopia alerted him again. Kosma concentrated, noticing a dark silhouette hiding in the shadows.
The other members were evacuating amidst the sirens. Like a sprinting cheetah, Kosma lunged in front of the dark shadow in the blink of an eye, watching the figure warily.
This "person" with a Herrscher reaction was entirely shrouded in a black robe that made it impossible to tell their build or gender. "He" showed no surprise or wariness at Kosma's arrival.
Generally, the Tenth Herrscher would attack immediately upon being discovered. But this person was extremely calm, indifferent to Kosma's presence.
"..."
Just as Kosma was wondering why the Tenth Herrscher hadn't attacked yet, the dark shadow suddenly raised a hand, pointing it toward Dystopia not far away.
"—"
Without time for surprise or thought, Kosma stepped forward and threw a punch at the shadow's face!
Bang!