Honkai: Fire Moth Herrschers

Chapter 93: I'm Finally Free of You Two



 "Home?"

The simulacrum searched its fragmented memories for the meaning of this word, but found nothing.

It wasn't that it couldn't find the word. The shattered memories contained four different ways to write "home," but they were just cold, meaningless symbols. It tried to grasp the concept behind the word, but all it saw was a dense fog.

A fog that seemed to contain infinite meanings, yet also nothing at all.

The Herrscher shook its head, abandoning the search.

It stood up and walked to the touch-screen control panel, trying to decipher the words based on its fragmented memories.

But geography was beyond its comprehension. It randomly selected a few locations, then pressed the "Launch" button.

Nothing happened, except the screen turned red.

"Please verify authorization – Facial/Fingerprint Recognition?"

A prompt appeared.

"!"

The Herrscher felt a flicker of frustration.

Why were human designs so complicated?

Well, duh! If launching silver bullets didn't require multiple authorizations, the world would have ended long ago!

But the Herrscher didn't care. It simply found it annoying.

As it pondered its next move (mostly just staring blankly), the roar of engines echoed through the thick glass of the control room.

"Descend! Don't be afraid! What are you afraid of?!"

Phamas pounded on the cockpit's metal plating, shouting at the pilot.

He was furious and anxious. Honkai beasts, as if deliberately, had formed a defensive line around the silver bullet control room. Ato and his soldiers couldn't break through in time.

They had to stop the launch immediately! The touch-screen required multiple authorizations, but humans were contradictory creatures—they had also installed a manual override, just in case the authorized personnel were unavailable, or if the system malfunctioned!

According to Ato's report, a cowardly strategist had defected. Although his access had been revoked, Phamas couldn't be sure he wouldn't use the manual override.

How could they stop him?

Phamas counted on his fingers. He was the only one left!

And they were in a good position to descend directly into the silo and attack the control room.

His face hardened—he was the last bullet in the chamber!

And he fired that last bullet decisively, without hesitation.

The pilot's hands trembled on the controls. The silo was narrow, the air currents unpredictable. And most importantly—if the silver bullets launched, they would be vaporized!

But despite this, urged on by Phamas, he flew the helicopter into the silo, hovering in front of the control room.

A figure stood before the control panel!

Before Phamas could give the order, the helicopter's 30mm nose cannon roared to life, the control room's bulletproof glass spiderwebbing with cracks.

The last shell shattered the glass, revealing an empty control room.

The pilot immediately turned the helicopter, aligning its belly with the control room window, then ascended slightly—a standard maneuver he could perform even with his eyes closed.

But then he remembered he wasn't carrying ordinary soldiers, but Fire Moth's highest-ranking officer!

But it didn't seem to matter. Inside the cabin, as the helicopter ascended, Phamas's two guards fired grappling hooks, securing themselves to the helicopter. One of them, rifle at the ready, slid into the control room, just as they'd practiced countless times.

"Report, Commander. Control room clear… Wait, Commander! This is…!"

"What is it?" Phamas asked.

"It's Squad Leader Mikael… no vital signs!"

Phamas's heart sank, but he knew he couldn't hesitate. Relying on muscle memory, before the other guard could react, he slid into the control room.

The guard followed.

Phamas finally saw Mikael. His silver-gray hair, a gaping hole in his waist, as if he'd been cut in half. The exposed insides weren't human organs, but a purplish, Honkai-like mass.

He checked the body. It was cold, no pulse or breath.

"I don't know what happened, but it seems the danger is over."

He rubbed his aching knees, standing up with the help of his guards.

Only then did the fear and uncertainty hit him like a wave.

"Amazing, Commander! Just like you did twenty years ago in Khabarovsk!"

"Uh…"

Indeed… Phamas remembered leading a helicopter assault in a narrow valley during the Khabarovsk incident…

That was when his entire squad had been wiped out, except for him and…

Bang!

Phamas was tackled to the ground. Gunfire echoed through the control room, a sharp ringing in his ears making him feel disoriented.

Another gunshot, the explosion of the helicopter outside, the other guard's head exploding like a watermelon, warm blood splattering his face—these sensations jolted him back to awareness.

The guard who had tackled him was barely breathing, a 7.62mm round having pierced his chest and ricocheted into Phamas's abdomen.

"Hiss…"

His lungs burned, blood filling his throat. He tried to reach for the pistol strapped to his thigh, but the guard's body pinned him down.

"Mikael," holding the pistol, stood up, leaning on the console. Phamas looked into its empty eyes and understood—it wasn't Mikael, just a puppet.

How foolish! He should have known! If its internal structure was like a Honkai beast's, how could he judge its life or death by body temperature, pulse, or breathing?

But regret was useless now. The simulacrum approached, aiming the pistol at Phamas's chest, and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The simulacrum stumbled, nearly collapsing against the console.

But… it didn't matter anymore…

"These… should be… useful…"

It sliced off Sozer's, the two guards', and Phamas's right hands, placing them one by one on the fingerprint scanner.

"Authorization revoked. Access denied!"

"Insufficient privileges. Access denied!"

"Insufficient privileges. Access denied!"

"Protecting the world's best Phamas. Access granted! Please proceed."

The simulacrum pressed the launch button. Smoke and dust billowed from the silos as three silver bullets soared into the sky, towards their pre-designated targets.

It stood before the console, waiting for the Herrscher to retrieve the gem using the 2nd Herrscher's core.

Bang!

A single gunshot. The simulacrum didn't wait for the Herrscher. Its head exploded—just like the guard's.

Its body slumped to the ground. It had already been severely injured. This time, it was truly dead.

Phamas, his left hand clutching the smoking pistol, looked at the body.

"Remember this next time. Aim for the head. Not everyone's heart is on the left."

He didn't know if it was shock or sheer willpower, but then the pain in his chest and arm overwhelmed him, and he lost consciousness.

When he awoke, the smell of gunpowder filled the air, the pistol still warm in his hand.

He realized he must have only been unconscious for a moment, jolted awake by the pain.

"*Aaaaaargh!*"

He screamed, but it only aggravated his injuries, and he began to cough violently.

His consciousness faded, his vision dimming, as if he wouldn't wake up again.

He remembered something he had to do.

"Silver bullets… silver bullets…"

The silver bullets had been launched. He had to stop them… he still had a chance—as long as they hadn't detonated, the operator could disable the fuses!

He slowly pushed the guard's body off him, inch by agonizing inch, until he could roll over. He didn't know how long it took, but then he passed out again—blood loss.

When he woke up again, his mind was hazy. He heard a voice:

"The earliest form of life was a single-celled organism, reproducing through cell division… later, cells joined together, forming fish, which then ventured onto land, becoming amphibians…"

"This is…?"

Phamas recognized the words. Weren't these from elementary school science class?

"We know humans evolved from apes. But what did apes evolve from? Dinosaurs? And what did dinosaurs evolve from? The evolution of life is full of surprises, a combination of countless uncertainties leading to a final certainty. If one day, someone discovered that humans evolved from worms, I wouldn't be surprised."

"Ah… worms…"

Phamas chuckled weakly, coughing. He was like a worm, slowly inching forward, though he couldn't quite remember what he was trying to do.

"So, I don't think 'human' is just a biological concept, Phamas. Think about it, if dinosaurs could think, 'Who am I?' 'Where do I come from?' 'Where am I going?' then we wouldn't call ourselves humans, but dinosaurs. Whether something is human should be determined by its philosophical consciousness, whether it recognizes itself as human. That's all…"

"Heh, Mobius, you lunatic…"

Phamas inched forward, Mobius's words echoing in his mind.

Then, an explosion within his mind interrupted him.

Bang!

He looked around, confused. The explosion hadn't been external, but internal.

Memories flooded back. Khabarovsk, twenty years ago…

"They're dead! All dead! Phamas! Because you trusted Katja! Because you wanted to save her! Pierre, Hierro, Muller, Alvin, Hong, Zhen, Sakhya, all dead! Killed by her!"

Ah… Vashak's furious roar… What had happened…?

A new recruit, Katja, had been corrupted by Honkai energy. Phamas had refused to abandon her during the retreat. Then she'd turned into a zombie, slaughtering almost his entire squad…

That was the source of the conflict between him and Vashak…

But damn Vashak, even in that explosion, he'd pushed Phamas out of the way, saving his life. Phamas, the one responsible, had survived unscathed, while Vashak, the true hero, had been scarred, physically and mentally…

His body crawled forward unconsciously, the blood lubricating the metal floor, until his head hit the base of the console.

If he could go back, would he abandon Katja?

The question popped into his mind.

Probably…

After all these years of struggle, he'd ended up trusting a Herrscher, trusting Mobius…

How pathetic…

His life was fading, his eyes barely open…

Let it end…

He murmured…

But then, the two voices he hated the most, Vashak and Mobius, echoed in his ears, saying the exact same words:

"Phamas, get up! Get up!"

"You haven't finished your mission!"

"FUCK FUCK FUCK!" Phamas thought. "I'm over fifty, and I haven't even enjoyed life yet… my villas… my women… and you still want me to complete a mission…?"

"Phamas, snap out of it! The silver bullets! The silver bullets!"

Phamas's eyes snapped open. "The silver bullets! Stop the silver bullets!"

He tried to get up, but his injuries and missing hand made it impossible.

He grabbed the edge of the console, but he couldn't pull himself up…

"Fuck you, Phamas, get the FUCK up!"

Suddenly, it was as if Vashak was right beside him, pulling him up by his collar, just like twenty years ago.

Thump!

His head hit the blue touch-screen control panel.

He placed his left thumb on the fingerprint scanner:

"Protecting the world's best Phamas. Access granted! Please proceed."

After fumbling with the controls, a sudden surge of strength coursed through him. He raised his fist and slammed it down on the "Disable Fuses" button.

The force of the blow cracked the screen.

Bang!

Then, darkness consumed him…

Vashak, Mobius, I'm finally free of you two…

...

The silver bullets streaked across the sky, like shooting stars.

The first landed in the outskirts of Moscow, severing a section of the ring road, ruining countless weekend getaways.

The second struck Mount Everest, adding a few meters to its height.

The third, its fuse still active, detonated 1500 meters above Vostok City.

It was the optimal detonation altitude. A perfectly formed mushroom cloud billowed upwards, shockwaves and thermal radiation spreading outwards—

Vostok City, along with over a hundred surrounding towns, was instantly obliterated.

As the survivors emerged from the rubble, a black rain began to fall, like the sins of humanity—just as a certain Herrscher had dreamt.


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