Honkai: Fire Moth Herrschers

The headquarters base was designed to resemble a small hill, covered in earth and vegetation, blending seamlessly into the surrounding mountains.

At Ato's command, the earth split open, revealing hundreds of railguns and close-in weapons systems of various calibers. A barrage of projectiles, as dense as rain, erupted from the concealed emplacements.

But to the 3rd Herrscher, they were mere toys. With a light flap of her wings, she ascended gracefully, effortlessly dodging the initial attack. Then, tilting her head, she snapped her fingers with her remaining hand.

An invisible wave radiated outwards. The railguns, charging for a second volley, sputtered and died, their power extinguished.

Only the wired, conventionally powered close-in weapons systems continued to fire, their barrels spitting a continuous stream of projectiles. These gold-guzzling beasts, usually fired sparingly even during training exercises, now blazed away, attempting to halt the Herrscher.

What was money? Just numbers!

At least in Ato's view, money was just a number—he wasn't the one paying.

The 3rd Herrscher's lips twitched. She waved her hand, and within seconds, over a hundred thousand incoming projectiles coalesced into a giant metal sphere under the influence of electromagnetism, then fell harmlessly to the ground.

The close-in weapons systems fell silent, their barrels spinning idly, as if cooling down or admitting defeat.

The 3rd Herrscher slowly descended… no, not quite. She eyed the ground cautiously. Although there didn't seem to be any landmines, she decided to hover just in case.

Fire Moth seemed to be trying to restore power to the railguns. A brief silence fell upon the battlefield.

"Oh, I suppose I'll use this, then."

The Herrscher opened her hand, revealing a sky-blue gem.

The 1st Herrscher's core was, for her, a mixed blessing. Its power required an understanding of human civilization, something a Herrscher couldn't comprehend.

Fortunately, the core possessed a sort of "muscle memory." She could use it to construct simple objects that Mikael had frequently created.

As she spoke, one hundred railguns, identical to those deployed on the base, materialized behind her. She turned them towards the exposed emplacements, obliterating them in a fiery barrage.

"Captain Ato! External defenses compromised! Integrity down to seventeen percent!"

"Captain, all external defenses have been neutralized…"

Red warning lights illuminated the war room. Ato didn't need to be told that their initial defense plan had failed.

This was within his expectations. The only surprising thing was the 3rd Herrscher's proficiency with Mikael's powers. But the situation was still manageable, even proceeding according to their plan.

But… Mikael… Ato felt a sharp stab of sadness, thinking about the boy.

He'd seen so much death and loss over the years. He'd thought he was numb to it…

"The Fire Moth," Captain Ato mused, tapping his fingers on the console. "A powerful weapon, yes, but its deployment requires a skilled pilot, and time. Time we may not have." He took the folder from the strategist, flipping through the schematics of the Fire Moth and then the data on the "silver bullets"—evidently, some form of high-yield nuclear device.
He paused, his gaze hardening. "The contingency plan speaks of protecting half the personnel. That implies… casualties." He looked up at the strategist, a grim set to his jaw. "What are the projected losses with the silver bullet option?"

Ato exhaled heavily. He didn't want to deal with this strategist, Sozer, but he wasn't sure about the situation on the Fire Moth One, and he didn't want to antagonize Strategic Command. He chose his words carefully.

"Neither of those plans is suitable for the current situation. If the Fire Moth Two launches, the Herrscher will disable it with electromagnetic pulses. It'll crash the moment it takes off. As for the silver bullets… that's a last resort, a mutual destruction scenario. And you said only half the personnel inside the base would be protected from the radiation. What about our families in Moth Town? They're within the blast radius."

Sozer frowned. "So, you're not planning to implement either plan, Captain Ato?"

Ato took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. "Given the circumstances, I'm sticking to my own judgment."

Sozer nodded. "Understood. I will report your decision to Strategic Command."

His voice was calm, but loud enough for everyone in the war room to hear.

"Boo!"

The grizzled veteran led the chorus of boos that filled the room.

"What are you doing?!"

Ato reprimanded them half-heartedly. "The 3rd Herrscher is right outside! We're following our own plan. Get back to work!"

Sozer's face turned red, his lips and nose twitching in barely suppressed rage.

"Fine! Very well!"

He shouted, but no one paid him any attention.

He kicked over a chair, but still, no one reacted.

This indifference was more infuriating than open defiance. He stormed out of the war room.

Meanwhile, the 3rd Herrscher made her move.

She glided towards the base's main gate, its location, though concealed, not difficult to find—simply follow the road and tire tracks.

With a wave of her hand, she unleashed a barrage of railgun fire at the earth and vegetation concealing the gate.

The surveillance feed on the war room display vanished, either destroyed or simply disconnected.

The bombardment continued for three hours, the earth and debris revealing the metallic gate beneath.

The Herrscher struck the gate three times, but the reinforced alloy surface only bore three shallow dents.

She summoned more railguns, trying to blast it open, but the 270mm railguns, the largest Mikael had frequently constructed, were insufficient.

Larger railguns weren't simply scaled-up versions. They required stronger and longer rails, a more powerful energy supply, and so on. With the 3rd Herrscher's limited understanding and the core's muscle memory, 270mm was her limit.

"That gate is five meters thick, filled with composite materials. She can't possibly break through it, can she? Wouldn't that make all our preparations pointless?"

The grizzled veteran asked, but Ato frowned and shook his head.

"She hasn't used her full power yet."

"Full power?"

"When your son gets a new toy, doesn't he abandon his old ones? It's the same for the Herrscher. She just acquired Mikael's core, and she's fascinated by its unfamiliar power. Of course, she'll prefer to use it. But Mikael's power… a Herrscher without human consciousness can't fully utilize it."

"That kid, Mikael… I was going to invite him for a drink…"

"He doesn't drink… Look out! She's using her own power now!"

The 3rd Herrscher retreated several kilometers, then, with a thunderous roar, a streak of purple lightning shot across the sky. At its terminus, the 3rd Herrscher materialized, swinging her purple blade with the momentum of her movement.

Bang!

The gate was open.

A dark void lay beyond, the faint sounds of human gulps echoing from within.

Before entering, the Herrscher glanced towards the southeastern sky.

A small, seemingly insignificant dot—the Fire Moth One.

But unlike in Shanghai, she didn't prioritize destroying the warship. She walked straight into the base.

There was something here that interested her, something she had to acquire.