I am a former Flame Chasers

It's finally over.

Ryan looked at the silent conference hall. As he saw the expressionless faces, he finally felt a sense of relief. All the fighting, all the struggles, had been for this moment— to make most of the members listen to Aponia's requests, to completely turn the situation around. From now on, they no longer had to fight among themselves.

"Is that the end? Is it really that simple?" Mei glanced around the silent hall, where every "tombstone" indicated an agreement, passing Ryan's proposals with more than half of the resolutions.

In fact, this step wasn't difficult. If you put a knife to someone's neck, most people would comply. The real challenge was ensuring the members wouldn't make any moves afterward.

"Well, it's over. They'll be very obedient in the future."

"Just a few requests, as she said?"

"Yep, just those few requests."

Mei's mouth twitched. If it weren't for her trust in Ryan, and her scientific rigor, she would've doubted this was a joke.

"Hypnosis? Or a change in consciousness? Now, there are spiritual fusion warriors. Unlocking that ability isn't difficult."

"Don't worry. No one can unlock it. It's not hypnosis, it's commandments. No one but Aponia can oppose her requests," Ryan explained, and that was enough for Mei to understand.

Commandments? So that's why he had been waiting for this woman, but how could he be so sure she had the power to make commandments?

Mei paused, her mind racing, and finally covered her head.

"Please, don't be so suspicious, Miss Mei. My ability has been tested, and my position won't be an issue."

A soft voice interrupted, and Mei's pupils instantly contracted as her thoughts were forcibly reined in. It felt as though someone had controlled her mind.

She looked at the nun, her perfect figure, and her eyes grew more solemn and defensive.

"Ryan, do you know what she means?"

It wasn't an exaggeration to say this nun's power was stronger than the Herrscher's. A single word from her could change the future. Such a dangerous power should be locked away in the deepest chamber, only released on occasion.

"Of course, I know. Don't worry. I've made an agreement with Aponia. Without my permission, she won't use her commandment power. It's uncontrollable, and it could either become a weapon or a source of global destruction."

Ryan spoke seriously. He didn't use Aponia lightly—one word from her could really bring disaster.

Is she really this obedient? Mei thought, but she couldn't help but believe it, as Ryan had achieved the impossible comeback with her help.

All actions had been completed within the framework of the rules. Even without the Herrschers and Faithists to take the blame, Ryan was never a traitor. He had followed the parliament's orders, overcome all difficulties, and finally accepted the questioning. He had uncovered a huge conspiracy in the process. No matter how you looked at it, he had done no wrong. As for the killing and destruction caused, they could all be considered misunderstandings.

Everyone followed orders. If there was a mistake, it was the Fire Moth Parliament's fault for issuing inconsistent commands. What did the executor have to do with it?

And of course, the Fire Moth Parliament realized their mistake and unanimously voted to reform Fire Moth, passing a new appointment letter.

It was a strange result. There were various temptations afterwards, but with the "Precepts" in place, no one could deny the outcome. The parliamentarians had entrusted Ryan with massive responsibility and power as per the request.

"You really created a huge conspiracy. Everyone will doubt it, but no one can overturn the resolution, and you expected Kevin and the others wouldn't be able to deal with the Herrscher duo?"

"It's best if they can take them down, but it's not a loss if they don't. We have a common enemy. Even if there are doubts, we need to unite and hold our noses," Ryan answered slowly. The outcome was already decided; he just went with the flow.

"It's a shame those people ran too quickly. Perfection wasn't achieved."

"There's no such thing as perfection in this world. They're not stupid, but things have just become simpler," Mei took a breath and smiled, relieved. "The world will now be divided into two simple factions. No one can bet on both sides and hide behind the scenes."

"On one side are the Herrschers, the Honkai beasts, and human traitors. On the other side, the Fire Moths. Humans are more divided than before, but they're also more united."

Her words startled Sakura and Aponia. The latter had simply been following orders, not thinking too deeply, but upon hearing Mei's perspective, she realized the significance of her actions.

The world, once chaotic, had now become clearer. No matter how you looked at it, the benefits outweighed the risks. Now, everyone didn't have to worry about hidden threats and could focus on dealing with the Honkai.

Whether friends or foes, they couldn't say much more—at least, they could save a lot of mental energy.

Ryan's expression shifted, because her words sounded oddly familiar.

Dark Fusion Warriors, Herrschers, Human Traitors? The human race will unite under my leadership to fight against the Honkai?

He glanced at the ice-blue high-backed chair and suddenly felt unlucky. He quickly stood up.

"Why the sudden anxiety? Feeling the pressure? In a sense, you've become the flag and emperor of mankind." Mei threw in another knife with a sly smile.

Human emperor? Emperor? Ryan moved even further from the "throne" and frowned.

"I don't want to deal with that stuff. You can do it in the future. You'll handle it better than I could."

"Hey, you've just taken office and you're already giving up?" Mei raised an eyebrow.

"I'm just a name. I'm not good at these things. And you don't even like working much. Now there's endless work ahead of us. Doing research is a waste of your talent."

Ryan walked quickly. He was full, but the pot Carius handed him was still too heavy. Even without the power struggle, just the allocation of resources was enough to make anyone bald.

"Wait..."

"I'm waiting for you."

He wanted to ask Mei about the ability she had awakened, but when it came to sharing the blame, only a fool would stay.

"I have a lot to do. I need to focus on the battle. Sakura, Aponia, stay here. Mei, pass orders to each team. I'll try to catch the Herrscher."

He spoke quickly, and before anyone could react, he vanished from the silent hall.

Mei wasn't in a hurry to chase after him. She lowered her raised hand and glanced at Sakura, who was trying to hold back her laughter.

"Did I fall into his trap?"

"Dr. Mei, an organization isn't just about fighting. There's no one more suited to control the situation than you. And haven't you been preparing to take over the Fire Moth?" Ying whispered. She understood that Ryan wasn't just lazy—his ability to use people was one of the greatest qualities of a leader.

"Not being attached to power is very individual, but why not just let me be the general manager?" Mei snorted softly.

"Because he's the only one who can unite everyone. You're sometimes too rational," Sakura said thoughtfully.

Mei glanced at Aponia and nodded in agreement. If she had to make all the decisions, the first order would be to lock this nun away in the deepest chamber.

Pure rationality doesn't make mistakes, but it doesn't always lead to good outcomes either—because people have emotions and don't want to be treated like numbers.

"Did you notice?"

"Hmm?"

"Ryan is a combination of me and Elysia. He's not overly emotional, but he's not cruel either."

Sakura thought for a moment and nodded gently.

"Yes, pure emotions can be too soft-hearted, and pure rationality can become terrifying. That's why I follow him."

The sky and the ocean ignited, with evaporated seawater forming steam that rolled back into the sky, followed by a dense rainstorm.

The temperature was unbearable, but somewhere on the sea surface, a massive chunk of ice had condensed. The ice stretched across the surface of the sea, forming a wall, behind which Kevin crouched, breathing heavily.

The Herrscher of Fire was incredibly powerful, but no match for them. However, with the addition of the Herrscher of Death, the challenge had escalated exponentially. Kevin had been hit by a solid punch but recovered instantly, only to be struck again.

Woo—

A pale contrail flew over, and with a muffled bang, the white-haired masked man fell heavily to the ground. He raised his head slightly, locking eyes with Kevin, his fighting spirit still burning.

"How's it going?" Kevin had a headache as he saw this man. They had been fighting well, but now this new player had complicated everything.

"Humph, he ran away. He's really smart."

"Two Herrschers working together can't hurt their own forces. If they want to run, no one can stop them."

"Go away, you don't need to comfort me. If I didn't die in that guy's hands, I'd definitely fight you."

???

Kevin was puzzled, wondering how he had offended Kalpas. Just when he was unsure how to start the conversation, several trails fell from the sky.

Elysia, Hua, and Himeko were all here. Except for Elysia, who looked as composed as ever, the two from the Far East Branch were a mess, especially Hua, who had a blank expression and was muttering to herself.

"What happened to her?" Kevin asked quietly.

"She was chased too hard and hit by the Herrscher of Death's power. Thankfully, she escaped quickly, or she'd have been a senior citizen by now. Now, she's blaming herself." Elysia blinked, stretched, and smiled. "The Herrschers are so strong now. The five of us can't even handle two of them."

"Five? Three and a half, really," Kevin thought to himself, eyeing Kalpas, who kept blocking his shots. Himeko had only fused the Honkai Emperor factor, so he had to divide his focus to protect her.

Kevin sighed inwardly but said nothing. Thanks to the suspicious senior management, they had never fought together. It was a miracle they managed to hold it together. Meanwhile, the Herrschers worked so well together, they didn't even need to communicate.

Also, the Seventh Herrscher was too terrifying. Her power was so far beyond anything they had seen before. Perhaps even the first five Herrschers combined wouldn't stand a chance against her.

"If our numbers hadn't increased, they wouldn't have run off. The Herrscher of Fire hasn't even used his full strength yet," Kevin said, glancing at the boiling sea. "In this short time, even the sea level has dropped. The Seventh Herrscher is definitely a major problem."

"Then find a chance to deal with him," Elysia waved her hand, sounding relaxed.

"It's not that simple. The only one who can fight him is Ryan, or we could crush him with numbers, but we need at least five upper-level fusion warriors..."

"That's because you're too relaxed!" Kalpas suddenly interrupted, clenching his fists. "Strong enemies are exciting. If we have a chance, let's fight them a few more times, get stronger, then burn him, crush him!!"

Kevin opened his mouth, glanced at the man with a burning desire to fight, and took a quiet step back. Mei had told him not to get too close to a psychopath.

After a moment, he felt stressed again and whispered, "The Herrschers cooperate so well. The Herrscher of Death authority is a natural enemy to living beings, and we're just fighting alone."

"If there's no understanding, we'll build one. Winning is what matters, why think so much?" Kalpas continued.

"The higher-ups won't let us..." Kevin trailed off, then suddenly remembered why he was here.

"Hehe, no one will hold us back from now on," Elysia said, her eyes glinting as she watched a black dot approach rapidly, a smug smile on her face.

"It just so happens that I have a genius idea ready to be implemented. By the way, did we forget someone?"

Everyone exchanged glances, and then they realized: Mobius had joined in the middle of the battle.

"Where is she?"

"Maybe the Herrscher secretly went back after retreating. I didn't see her being attacked."

The group fell silent, all looking up at the approaching black dot.

Faintly, it seemed as if the roar of fate turning around could be heard.