I am a former Flame Chasers

Ryan feels incredibly lucky lately, as if a pillow were being offered to him just when he's about to fall asleep.

Initially, he had planned to give up certain things. His main goal was to control the Fire Moth. To defeat the end, he had even prepared himself for the near-total extinction of humanity. Ryan is very intelligent; he knows it's impossible to control every force of mankind. However, uniting more people is still a good thing. The challenge, though, lies in who gets to control them.

By coincidence, Aponia is perfect for controlling this power. Ryan isn't naive. He has traveled many roads and seen countless things. He fully understands the diversity of human beings. Only unity can provide a way out, and he also values religious beliefs. For example, this terrifying human experiment has people volunteering to participate. Whether it's a scam or not, the fact remains—it has great value.

Ryan yearns for his companion to be Thirteen Flame-Chasers, but not just Thirteen Flame-Chasers. In terms of soothing people, Aponia is better than Eden.

So Ryan decided to take action. He would have Aponia appear for several days to observe the enemy's reaction. However, the pope, who went to the Mu continent, pretended to be dead and did not launch any counterattack. This is to be expected. If the pope were not suffering from Alzheimer's, he would have surely sought out the Herrscher of Death. It's not difficult to guess who is messing with him. Any counterattack would have been futile; it would only lead to defeat. Instead, he hides in the shadows, accumulating strength with gritted teeth.

But the Fire Moth's attitude is quite ambiguous. Joshua's investigation report and punishment invitation were submitted but then disappeared, as if Southern Europe had been forgotten entirely.

"Then Kevin's application to return to the headquarters was rejected, and I couldn't contact Mei."

Ryan stood on top of the bell tower, gazing at the small square below, where a beautiful nun was preaching.

Aponia's voice was serene, like a clear stream, her eyes full of compassion for the suffering in the world, and a willingness to do good at any cost.

Setting aside her "commandments," Aponia is an exceptional nun. After all, if she can calm someone as volatile as Kalpas, what could she do with ordinary people?

Watching Aponia in the spotlight, Ryan tapped his fingers on the railing. Over the past few days, things that once seemed confusing had become clearer.

Now that the Fire Council hasn't recovered, the general leader, Carius, is the most powerful person. He can finally shift from being a judge to a chess player. The pieces he's moved have also helped Ryan understand his plans.

This person is ambitious. It's true that he fights against the Honkai, but he wants to become the true king of humanity, leading them into a new era, much like a flag bearer. To achieve this, he must eradicate the Fire Council or at least take control of most of its power.

"Using a borrowed knife? Let both sides suffer, use the power at hand to negotiate with me, and then strike a deal with the lives of the believers. If I lose, I will seize power from the parliament and purge the believers under the guise of cleaning them up." Ryan scoffed. The plan is far from simple. The hardest part will be maintaining balance. But Ryan didn't spend much time thinking from Carius' perspective. This powerful figure who played the game of power so well underestimated the believers, thinking they could be eliminated at any time. They were merely pawns in his hands. Regardless of who wins, he won't lose, but he's underestimated me too much.

Ryan admitted that Carius was indeed powerful when it came to power tactics and balancing the forces of all parties, but for Ryan, the less "power tactics" are involved in the future, the better. "I only see destruction ahead. I don't have time for your games. In these troubled times, severe punishment is needed. If we're taking action, we must leave no loose ends."

After Ryan's actions in the Holy City, everyone had no choice but to act. The Faith Party couldn't just sit by as Ryan stirred up trouble everywhere, and the General Manager felt the time had come. They conspired to summon other councilors who were unaware of the situation.

Coincidentally, Ryan wasn't interested in wasting time with them. For him, this was the only chance, a chance to clear all obstacles in one go.

He watched Aponia finish her sermon and slowly descend the bell tower. Outside, Pardofeliss and Kalpas were waiting in an alley.

Pardo carried the luggage, her eyes filled with reluctance. After checking out of the apartment today, she knew Ryan was finally ready to take action. If she had it her way, she would have wished this pleasant day never ended.

Kalpas leaned against the wall, impatiently shaking her legs. Upon seeing Ryan, her eyes lit up with excitement.

"Finally leaving?"

"Yeah, what's up, Brother Kalpas? You seem awfully happy."

"Don't make me laugh. I've wasted so much time here with you. Hurry up and finish the work so you can keep your promise. And who's your Brother Kalpas?"

"Why, are you not happy with your life lately?"

"A little bit, but whatever, it's none of your business."

"Hey, hey, don't look at the sky. You're clearly enjoying this. You'll be doing the cooking and cleaning soon enough."

Ryan secretly smiled, a little regretful that Kalpas couldn't be teased. She was the type to get angry easily, the complete opposite of Mobius, who Ryan enjoyed seeing lose her composure.

Ryan suddenly realized something important before he could finish thinking it over. Aponia had entered the alley.

"I've said goodbye to Father Joshua."

"What did he say?" Ryan asked, turning his head. Even though he had never met Joshua, they both knew each other's existence.

"He told me to act boldly. Evil must be punished, and justice must be upheld."

Ryan already understood. He had investigated Joshua's background recently and found an interesting detail: Before joining the Fire Moth, Joshua had been a priest who adopted many orphans. One day, after returning from preaching, all the children had disappeared. When they were found, they had tragically died in human experiments.

It was still unclear who was behind these experiments, as the Fire Moth wasn't the only one researching the Honkai energy.

From the perspective of a normal person, Joshua would definitely hate human experiments, and his stance was clear.

"This is a gift from Father Joshua. He said we must use it." Aponia handed Ryan an ID card, which could grant them access to the Fire Moth military base.

Ryan took it and nodded silently. "I'll remember this favor. Let's go find a plane first."

Before he could put the ID card in his pocket, a large hand pressed down on it.

"I'll ride it. I can't wait to ride it."

"You?"

Ryan looked at Kalpas with suspicion, quickly remembering that she wasn't just some barbarian. She was an alien with advanced aerospace technology. According to the information she had shared, humans would soon reach the era of space travel.

"Is that not possible?"

"Okay, okay, why so fierce?" Ryan relented, reluctantly letting go of the card and watching Kalpas' eager expression. He had a feeling that he had made a wrong decision.

...

In Melbourne, Australia, the night wind blew across the roof of the Sand Rabbit Biological Headquarters. The massive building, with its 100 floors, seemed to touch the clouds, its dark red lights flashing to guide passing aircraft.

On the roof, there was a helicopter landing pad. Mobius stood nearby, one hand placed on her chest while the other held her long hair, glaring coldly at something in the distance.

About five or six meters away, a pink-haired fox-eared girl leaned on a knife with one hand, eyeing Mobius warily.

Sakura had arrived earlier in the afternoon, unsure of how to approach Ryan, but Mobius had already taken care of that.

The building's sprinkler system sprayed out white smoke, and hundreds of people, including several fusion warriors, were immobilized. They sat like puppets, mechanically going through their tasks, oblivious to the scene in front of them.

It was terrifying. If Mobius wanted to kill them, she could do so in an instant.

"Don't be so nervous, I won't harm my companions." The snake-like girl played with her hair, silently adding, At least not until I've tested the potion for the upper fusion warriors.

"I was on guard, not nervous." Sakura shook her head, her curiosity piqued. "What kind of potion is that? How did you make the higher-ups trust you?"

"Haha, a bunch of idiots. Do you really think a few of them can keep an eye on me?" Mobius waved her hand dismissively. "It's a mental soothing poison, combined with physical hypnosis. It's as if surveillance no longer exists when leaving New York."

"What about the upper fusion warrior stationed in Melbourne? Will he be affected?"

"You mean that transvestite? When we had dinner last night, I added some ingredients to his black tea. I'm sure he's having a great time now. How could he care about me?"

It was terrifying. He had planned everything before arriving. Fortunately, Sakura hadn't brought Rin along.

Sakura sighed with relief. She didn't want to deal with Mobius' smugness any longer. Instead, she looked up at the dark sky, lost in thought.

She never expected things to come to this point. When she first joined the Fire Moth, she thought she could become a savior under Ryan's leadership. But later, she realized things were not that simple. Too many people held her back, and too many people despised Fusion Warriors, just as much as they hated her ears.

Humanity couldn't unite to face the challenge of the Honkai. The Honkai hadn't even fully shown its strength yet.

She felt a surge of resentment. As an assassin, Sakura didn't fully understand Dr. Mei's principles, but she preferred Ryan's methods—use violence to clear everything away.

As his sword, I'm ready to be spurned.

Sakura looked indifferent, but with resolve. Looking back at Mobius, she couldn't help but ask, "I didn't expect you to join in so willingly."

"Huh? Why couldn't I join?" Mobius asked, confused.

"Because no matter the result, it won't affect you. You don't care about humanity's survival. Even in terms of goals, a desperate Ryan is more beneficial to you."

Sakura cold, purple eyes didn't hide her feelings.

Mobius' eyes shifted, and she folded her arms, clearly caught off guard. "You're right. So do you think I'm scheming?"

"No. You're just like me, willing to help him with all your strength." Sakura took a deep breath before speaking seriously:

"So, Dr. Mobius, you really like Ryan, don't you?"