"Chiyou isn't dead yet."
Zeke's statement echoed Welt and Fu Hua's assessments, adding another matter-of-fact revelation without further elaboration.
Both Welt and Fu Hua were taken aback.
Fu Hua nodded thoughtfully, recalling her recent battle atop Chiyou's body and witnessing the relentless spawning of Honkai Beasts from it. Considering that, it wasn't entirely surprising to hear it was still alive.
Welt, however, trembled, nearly spilling his tea, and exclaimed incredulously:
"More than half its body is destroyed, yet it's not dead? How could this be?!"
"Its consciousness was sealed by Shenzhou's progenitor, Ji Lin, and submerged beneath the ocean for over five millennia. Upon exposure to high concentrations of Honkai Energy, it effortlessly rose again, intact. Losing half its body is merely a setback; repairing itself is just a matter of time—nothing truly astonishing," Hera remarked calmly while sipping her tea.
In a world plagued by Honkai, nothing is impossible.
Just as Fu Hua herself had once faced death only to now sit with them, enjoying tea as if nothing happened.
Just like...her cherished goal for five hundred years: resurrection!
Hera lifted her teacup, smiling radiantly.
Without the infinite possibilities brought about by Honkai, she might have already destroyed this world, long ago. A world without Kallen held no meaning for her existence.
Zeke glanced sidelong at her and sighed softly.
"I have one more piece of intel, which might be even worse."
"...Just tell us," Welt calmly responded.
Zeke scanned each person present before crossing his arms on the table and murmuring,
"What if I told you Chiyou is still in its infancy?"
The room fell silent. Even Hera froze with her teacup raised, watching as faint steam wafted before her eyes.
"Any evidence to support that claim?"
"With Jackal's research findings, I currently possess data from 4,048 Low-Level Honkai Beasts and 17 High-Level Honkai Beasts. Twenty-three minutes ago, using the Key of Thunder's higher-dimensional perspective ability, I analyzed Chiyou's cellular and genetic structure—cutting straight to the conclusion, my assessment indicates that Chiyou is indeed in its early stages, with significant potential for further growth. Currently, the only evidence available is my analysis and judgment. If you wish to verify it yourself, you can collect samples and perform your own examination."
Hera stroked her chin, pondered for a moment, and then slowly nodded.
"If it's your analysis, I can trust it..."
"Wait! Honkai Beasts have growth stages?"
Welt abruptly interrupted Hera, raising his question.
Subsequently, Zeke and Hera both turned their puzzled gazes towards Welt.
"???" x 2
"What... are those expressions for?"
Zeke placed his hand on his forehead, letting out a long sigh.
Hera shook her head.
"With this level of understanding, still claiming to be the Anti-Entropy Alliance Leader? How dare you profess intentions to defeat Honkai?"
If they haven't adequately researched even the Honkai Beasts, how could they hope to combat Honkai? Is it through sheer passion and dreams alone?
Hera pursed her lips, smiling faintly without further comment.
Their reactions left Welt feeling unexpectedly insecure: Could this actually be common knowledge?
Zeke glanced at him, clearly seeing the awkwardness on Welt's face. However, as his own Alliance Leader, Zeke felt compelled to explain:
"Anti-Entropy's technology primarily focuses on Honkai Energy conversion, robotic forces, and artificial intelligence, with a lack of expertise in biological fields. It's understandable that he wouldn't know this detail. Besides, he is just the Alliance Leader, not a researcher himself."
"Oh, alright, I wasn't saying anything." Hera spread her hands innocently, maintaining a smile.
Considering Welt's ignorance and Fu Hua—don't assume her silence while sipping tea meant she knew; she was likely feigning composure—Zeke felt compelled to explain:
"Honkai Beasts develop through Honkai Energy, significantly differing from carbon-based life forms. However, they do have growth cycles, albeit usually so brief as to be negligible—let's start with this concept. If you're interested, later I can provide detailed data and resources. Especially noteworthy are their unique peptide-like genetic sequences and enveloped shell-type skeletal cells—a marvelously engineered design with immense implications for improving mechanical structures. It's truly..."
As Zeke began getting absorbed in his explanation, both Welt and Fu Hua shook their heads simultaneously, firmly declining:
"No need."
"I trust you, Zeke."
In unison, Welt and Fu Hua exchanged glances, silently acknowledging each other's sentiment—I'm just an ordinary Herrscher/MANTIS; I don't even understand this stuff, let alone see anything significant.
With a blank expression, Zeke stared at them with lifeless eyes, causing one to raise their teacup as a shield while the other discreetly turned away.
"Great tea!"
"Huh? This lamp is quite unique."
"(?_?)..."
Zeke despised engaging with people lacking intellect; most of the time, it was nothing but a waste, yielding no meaningful discussion.
"Pff!" A stifled laugh came from Hera, her shoulders trembling slightly as she covered her mouth, her bright eyes curving like crescent moons.
Zeke clicked his tongue and continued, "In any case, without the birth of a Herrscher, Honkai Energy in the real world cannot be replenished by the Virtual World, making its vast reserves akin to water without a source. After awakening Chiyou and enabling its recent growth spurt, the East Shenzhou Sea's Honkai Energy has significantly diminished, rendering it incapable of regaining strength anytime soon. However, it remains alive, and considering its immense size during what appears to be its juvenile phase, it poses an unimaginable potential threat. We must develop a strategy to address this."
Hera shrugged, her eyes darting mischievously, and said:
"The concept of a planetary-level Honkai Beast... In the previous era, Dr. Mei proposed this hypothesis. The strength of Honkai is directly correlated with the power of a civilization itself. Theoretically, as civilizations continually advance and inevitably venture into the starlit skies to harness cosmic resources, it's reasonable to assume that the corresponding Honkai Beasts for such spacefaring civilizations wouldn't remain mere small entities confined within a single planet, right? Hence, the idea of a planetary-level Honkai Beast emerged. However, facing such challenges and threats is typically reserved for spacefaring civilizations. We, on the other hand, are far from reaching that stage, aren't we?"
Hera's calm explanation broadened Welt and Fu Hua's understanding once again. Although they had no prior examples, her reasoning was logical and well-founded.
A thoughtful expression appeared in Zeke's eyes—this indeed raised a meaningful question, worthy of A... Hera.
After pondering briefly, he responded:
"Given Chiyou's size, a fully grown planetary-level Honkai Beast might resemble its current form. Generally speaking, larger species have longer growth cycles, and I doubt Honkai Beasts would be an exception. Therefore, comprehending that a colossal Honkai Beast, rivaling the scale of a planet, could take thousands or even millions of years to develop and mature seems plausible, doesn't it? If I were representing the consciousness of Honkai, taking preemptive measures would also be quite normal."
As Zeke continued explaining, traces of exhaustion surfaced on his face.
The unparalleled might of Red Lotus's strike came with severe repercussions. Despite his current physique, even he could no longer maintain the facade of being unaffected.