"Are we really so short-staffed that we can't even maintain order? Are Eden's fans all just rabid dogs? Can't they stay in their seats for one damn concert?"
In the command center, Himeko was overseeing the operation when she received a frantic report from her subordinates.
The sheer volume of people at Eden's concert had reached a breaking point; the security detail pre-assigned to the venue was buckling under the pressure.
Hearing that it was Eden's fanbase causing the headache only fanned the flames of Himeko's irritation. She couldn't help but vent her frustration with the wealthy diva onto her fans.
After all, who could blame her? That world-class superstar, Eden, was always using her bottomless pockets as an excuse to relentlessly pester Himeko's precious little Seele day and night.
And to make matters worse, Himeko had to play the part of the oblivious bystander, keeping one eye shut as if she hadn't noticed a thing.
"Um... Captain Himeko? Does that mean... you want us to just leave it be?"
Hua, Himeko's successor and a woman with a head as dense as an old elm tree, watched her captain's face darken with displeasure at the mention of the superstar.
Hua, ever the literalist, completely missed the fact that her captain was just blowing off steam.
With a straight face and terrifying sincerity, she asked if they should simply ignore the distress signals coming from the field.
After all, Hua was a veteran of the front lines. She had crossed blades with Honkai beasts in life-or-death struggles more times than she could count.
Compared to a battlefield where death lurked in every shadow, a concert in a designated safe zone felt, to her, like a place where nothing truly catastrophic could happen.
"Hua... I'm just annoyed at those brain-dead fans under the stage. I never said we should just let the situation spiral out of control! As decision-makers, you have to understand in your heart what must be done and what must be avoided. You have to get this!"
Looking at the protege she had been mentoring for years—who still remained as stubborn and inflexible as ever—Himeko felt a wave of melancholy. She looked at Hua and worried.
Once she retired and handed the Australia Branch over to this girl—who was even more rigid than she was—would things really be okay?
"Understood, Captain! I will keep your teachings etched in my mind!"
Hua's tone was solemn, her promise seemingly sincere.
But seeing Himeko's helpless expression, it was clear this wasn't the first time Hua had made such a vow, only to fall into the same trap the very next time.
She was the textbook definition of "admit the mistake, but do it again anyway."
The girl was a genius when it came to combat techniques, possessing a memory that bordered on the supernatural. So why, Himeko wondered, was she so utterly hopeless at navigating the nuances of ordinary life?
"Tsk! What a pain."
It was hard to tell if Himeko was annoyed with the situation or Hua's density, but her voice carried a distinct edge of uncharacteristic aggression.
Ever since she had "sold" Seele's daytime hours to that wealthy socialite Eden for the sake of the Australia Branch's future, Himeko had felt her emotions becoming increasingly volatile.
Fire Moth's official propaganda often painted her as a demon—a cold-blooded killer who would end a life over a minor disagreement. Himeko knew she had a bit of a temper, sure. But usually, she only felt that murderous urge when staring down the ugly, bloated faces of the corporate elite.
But now? A simple staffing shortage was enough to make her blood boil.
She felt a savage, instinctive urge to physically "eliminate" anyone who irritated her.
This sudden, dangerous shift in her psyche was starting to scare her. She began to wonder if her mental state was finally fracturing.
In moments like these, she desperately needed her cute little Seele to "cool down" her racing heart.
Deciding to head to Seele's small lab for a quick "Seele-energy" recharge, Himeko pulled up the girl's tracking device to check her location.
To her surprise, her little darling was currently right in the middle of the concert venue—specifically, the area where the most severe overcrowding had been reported.
"Hua! It looks like you and I are going to the field to maintain order after all!"
The moment she confirmed the location, the restlessness in Himeko's chest surged.
She stood up abruptly, determined to head to the site personally. Whether it was the desperate need to see Seele or the practical need to relieve the pressure on the ground, she felt she had to be there.
"Understood! Captain Himeko!"
As the resident "old elm tree" and loyal subordinate, Hua saw nothing wrong with the decision. She accepted the order with a sharp, disciplined nod.
The two quickly changed into lightweight combat gear and set out for the venue.
If Lunelle had seen the specific design of the combat suit Himeko had chosen, she would have realized something terrifying on the spot.
Because that outfit... was the exact same one Himeko wore in the records during her transformation into a Herrscher.
Meanwhile, Lunelle, having been invited by Eden as a special performer, had a much easier time.
Upon reaching the perimeter, she used a pre-arranged signal and location share.
Wrapped tightly in a disguise, her identity was quickly verified by staff, and she was ushered through a private passage, bypassing the suffocating sea of people.
But while Lunelle had the benefit of "special connections," Himeko and Hua—the actual commander of the Australia Branch and her "heir apparent"—found their path blocked.
They had managed to push through the outer layers, but upon reaching the mid-field area, they were stopped dead by an impenetrable wall of humanity.
It wasn't that the locals were intentionally being rude to Himeko, or that there was a conspiracy against her. It was simply that the Australia Branch was so short-handed that the order in the mid and inner sections was being handled by Eden's private security.
Eden hadn't expected the Branch Commander to show up unannounced on a whim.
Furthermore, the vast majority of the fans had traveled from all corners of the globe; they had no idea who the highest-ranking official of the Australian Fire Moth branch even was.
If they reacted to her at all, it was because of her stunning figure.
Some of the more emboldened creeps in the crowd, thinking they were safe in the anonymity of the mob, dared to try and "cop a feel" with stray hands.
Unable to reach her beloved Seele and subjected to the disgusting advances of these low-lifes, Himeko's already frayed nerves snapped.
Her thoughts turned dark and radical as her irritation peaked into a dangerous, uncontrollable rage.
She stopped being polite. Whenever a "stray hand" reached toward her, Himeko didn't just push it away—she treated the offender to a "shattered bone" special on the spot.
Himeko didn't even notice that her physical strength, which should have been gradually declining with age, was showing signs of a bizarre, supernatural resurgence.
At first, she was content with just crushing the bones of those who touched her. But as time went on, a dark impulse began to whisper in the back of her mind.
If she hadn't been fighting to keep some semblance of control, she would have simply twisted those "stray hands" clean off their owners' bodies.
Hua, guarding Himeko's side, felt a chill run down her spine. She saw the cold, murderous glint in her captain's eyes and the terrifying ease with which she was snapping limbs like dry twigs.
"Captain? You... what's happening?"
Even as dense as Hua was, she knew something was deeply wrong.
She tried to speak up, to check on Himeko's state, but her voice was swallowed by the deafening roar of the crowd. She could barely hear herself.
'Damn it! I can't keep this down anymore! These insects... these dogs... are they all really going to stand in my way? Do they really want to keep me from my Seele?'
As her physical power swelled, a strange, flickering heat began to glow within Himeko's fiery red eyes.
Memories she had buried—the darkest, greyest moments of her life—began to flood her mind, fueled by her deteriorating mental state.
These shadows of the past ignited a horrific urge: to simply stop caring.
To start a massacre right here, right now.
To burn away everything and everyone that stood between her and her precious Seele.
However, as a warrior who had survived countless battles against the Honkai, her sheer force of will held the line. She suppressed the monstrous urge to kill.
Breaking a few perverts' hands was one thing; even if there was an inquiry, she was the Branch Commander, and they were the ones at fault. She wasn't about to let herself be groped.
But killing? That was a line she couldn't uncross.
The vultures back at Fire Moth headquarters were just waiting for her to slip up so they could strip her of her rank and bury her.
No matter how many medals she had won, they wouldn't serve as a "get out of jail free" card if she painted the stadium red.
Just as Himeko stood on the precipice of a total breakdown—deprived of the "cooling" presence of Seele—a piece of news arrived via her communicator that would shatter her world.
It was a cold, brief message, but Himeko understood its weight instantly.
"Those bastards... HOW DARE THEY!!!!"
As the content of the message sank in, her pupils contracted. The last flickering spark of light in her eyes died out in an instant.
Then, a tidal wave of fury exploded from the depths of her soul. The darkness in her eyes was replaced by a terrifying, incandescent glow—a light as hot and hungry as a forest fire.
If there had been any Honkai Energy detectors at the concert, they would have shown a reading that defied logic. In mere seconds, the ambient energy spiked from "safe" to "Herrscher-level catastrophe."
From a satellite view of Australia, one could see the massive reserves of Honkai Energy scattered across the continent suddenly churning, rushing toward Himeko's location at an impossible speed.
Deep within her, a Herrscher Core, pulsing with searing heat, snapped into its final form.
BOOM!!!
In the blink of an eye, a crimson lotus of pure flame erupted from the center of the crowd without warning.
The chattering, teeming masses were instantly swallowed by a violent firestorm. Within a heartbeat, the middle section of the concert—once packed with thousands—was physically erased from existence.
And in that moment, the world finally went silent.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon!
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.