I've already said this isn't a life simulator!

When the flames subsided, Xi Wang, whose arm had been charred black, could be seen gripping the blade of the [Heavenly Fire Judgment]. Apart from that arm, he seemed to have suffered no other injuries, with only some burn marks on his "hunter's suit." As the deep blue liquid flowed, his arm was rapidly healing.

"........."

Kevin looked closely and discovered that a layer of azure water flowed through Xi Wang's hand, which was holding the [Heavenly Fire Judgment], neutralizing the flames flowing on the [Heavenly Fire Judgment]... He "grabbed" the [Heavenly Fire Judgment] using this?!

Ignoring his surprise, Kevin controlled the ice and snow, freezing the water that Xi Wang was using to counterattack. Then, he instantly unleashed the power of [Heavenly Fire Judgment], forcibly forcing Xi Wang back.

“Mei, this won’t do. He’s gradually getting used to the damage from the flames, and the regular release of [Heavenly Judgment] can no longer pose a threat to him.”

Kevin said quickly.

"Even the regular pressure from [Star Harmony] can't do much to limit it anymore..."

"The spiritual realm is unexplorable... It contains too many [memories], I don't even know where these [memories] came from... There are too many, too many, all of them have become fragments mixed together."

"【Feather Crossing the Dust】has had very little effect... Dr. Mei, I can..."

"There's no need, Hua, and it might not even be useful."

Mei's words were weak, but she was still carefully analyzing the battlefield situation.

“You might be able to create an opportunity, but not now… The [Moon Throne] will be in place soon, and I will manipulate the [Fourth Divine Key] to dispel the rain and prevent its power from increasing further…”

“If that’s the case, Mei, you’d better hurry up.”

While maintaining pressure on Xiwang with his companions, Mebius spoke.

"The sea level... is starting to rise. After a while, he won't even need rainy days anymore."

"...Where's Vilvie? How's the situation on your end?"

"Don't worry, all the relevant data and personnel have been transferred, and [Paradise of the Past] is also being transferred... [Hibernation of All Things] has been completed, so we definitely have a backup plan. But Dr. Mei, are you sure you don't want to try a little harder? With the power he's shown so far, we're not without a chance of winning."

"He's not a Herrscher yet, don't forget that."

"...Sorry, I was just assuming things."

Velvi sincerely apologized. She herself hadn't expected that Xiwang could actually fight back and forth with eight Fusion Warriors while not in a Herrscher state.

"Then why is Aponia with me?"

"His fall is irreversible, and the final outcome is already set, but... he is still walking the path he should be on, a long and difficult path, but the end of everything will inevitably be him, the future that you and I expect... and all I can do is try my best to salvage and preserve some hope in this outcome."

Aponia's tired and dejected voice slowly rose.

"This is already part of fate... and if I hadn't come, he probably would have found this last hope and thrown it into the sea, turning it into sea foam."

“…Aponia, if he doesn’t do this, he will surely destroy everything, won’t he?”

Mei asked again.

"Yes, that was me, that was you, and that was what he didn't want to see... I... had to do it this way."

Aponia's voice was filled with determination.

"Meow... Help... Help me!!!!! Ugh gurgle—"

"Pado?!"

Padofelis's wails pulled everyone back from their discussion. They saw Padofelis being dragged around by the dark greatsword, flying back and forth in the air. The azure water currents propelled the woman and the sword in erratic motions. Raindrops from the sky turned into spikes, either grazing or piercing her body... But even so, she did not let go, trying her best to prevent the greatsword from returning to Xiwang's side.

Meanwhile, Xi Wang, enduring the attacks of the crowd, once again repelled the onslaught of Qian Jie. With one hand wielding a blade, she drew water blades in the air like waves, constantly neutralizing the attacks of others. With her other hand clenched into a fist, she attacked straight at Kosmo, who had already collapsed and transformed into a "monster." A killer whale quickly leaped out and forcefully knocked Kosmo away.

After doing all this, Xi Wang casually made a gesture, and the water in the sky, carrying the sword and the person, forcibly returned to Xi Wang's side.

"........."

Padofilis, who was dragged to Xiwang's side, trembled all over and gave a dry laugh as she looked at the indifferent Xiwang.

"Haha... Brother Wang... I... I was wrong, can we make up?"

Trembling, she stood up, ignoring how soaked she was. Padofelis carefully dragged the greatsword backward, but she soon could no longer move it.

"That...that...Brother Wang?"

Padofelis looked miserable, so scared that her body almost went limp... but she still didn't let go, and even deliberately pulled it towards her, as if she still wanted to take the greatsword away.

But soon, a huge, azure, translucent fish obscured her figure.

"I...I don't want to die yet..."

Her voice was like a sob, but with a gnawing sound, she could no longer make a sound.

It's time to start reducing staff; we've had enough fun.

Xi Wang subconsciously wiped his lips with his thumb. As for the "leaves" and "feathers" that had just appeared... they had no effect on him.

He quickly retreated half a step, turned around and swung his sword upwards. The tip of the sword sliced ​​through the water on the ground, creating a thin, crescent-shaped sword aura made of water, which cleaved Mebius, who was trying to move forward, in two.

However, this is not a problem for Mebius. Because of Dawn, the Honkai energy here is very abundant, and she will be able to revive soon.

But then, Xi Wang stomped heavily on the water, his figure quickly disappearing from the spot. While dodging Kevin's attack, he arrived in front of Eden almost instantly.

He raised his sword high, the water flowed out, and then... he swung it down! He sent the sword and the water crashing together towards the shining star.

Although she narrowly escaped, it doesn't matter...

With a wave of his hand, the falling rainwater instantly stopped in mid-air, and then... along with the water on the ground, it flowed upwards towards the sky, piercing through their bodies in the process.

Fortunately, this was not an insurmountable attack for Eden, who possessed the [Star Harmony], but it did force Mebius, who had just been resurrected, back into a "dead" state, requiring him to reabsorb Honkai energy to revive.

Then he swung his arm to the side, and countless huge azure tentacles emerged from the water, attacking Hua and Su, who were always getting in his way, hindering their movements and preventing them from supporting their teammates.

He released the sword from his hand, manipulated the water flow to block Kevin's attack, and then... he spread his five fingers and grabbed Qianjie's attack again. Countless white mists spread out, and the water was evaporated by the high temperature and then quickly condensed.

"Hahahaha!!!! Very good! You're done playing?! You're no longer pretending! Come on! Let's continue! Until one of us falls! Dies!"

His attacks remained ferocious, even after losing an arm; in fact, his aura became even stronger after losing his arm.

But... Xi Wang didn't care. He had gradually adapted to Qian Jie's attacks, and manipulating the flowing water was enough to defend against them.

He slowly clenched his fist and then gently placed it in front of Qianjie, who had never retreated even half a step.

A strange, shrimp-shaped, azure phantom quietly appeared.

"Thousand Calamities! Get out of the way!"

Hua Tong's pupils contracted upon noticing the somewhat familiar posture, and he immediately shouted, trying to disperse the attacking tentacles while simultaneously using [Feather Crossing Dust] to help Qian Jie.

But... Xi Wang seemed to have sensed her intentions in advance, glanced around, and then all the "water" around her began to riot and become active.

Yes, all "water," including... water that vaporizes and then condenses into white mist in the air, and even the water that is inhaled into the body unintentionally... that's included too.

"Pfft-"

The internal injury caused Hua to cough up blood. Even though she quickly adjusted and forced the abnormal "water" in her body to be coughed up along with the blood, the brief delay still interrupted her attack.

In that instant, Xi Wang was able to complete his attack.

The fist of Qianjie struck out in an instant, and the phantom behind him solidified in an instant, and then—bang!

With a dull thud, Qianjie's entire body shattered, turning into tiny pieces of flesh and blood that scattered in all directions. But they were quickly swept away by the flowing water and disappeared almost instantly, leaving no trace.

"........."

Xi Wang subconsciously licked her lips, frowned, and then waved her hand to block Kevin's attack. She returned her sword to her hand and slashed at him with her other hand, the water she created forcing him back.

"Cough...cough..."

On the other side, Eden coughed up blood, forcing out the abnormal "water" from his body. He then used [Star Harmony] to suppress Xiwang, and together with Kosmo who charged forward again, they attacked him... But at this moment, it seemed that nothing was of any use.

Xi Wang's sudden outburst instantly reduced their numbers by two, creating a sense of urgency among them... Logically, Xi Wang's previous display of power shouldn't have been this strong, unless...

"【seawater】?"

Everyone looked at the shallow stream of water spreading beneath them and simultaneously thought of the same possibility—Xi Wang relied on the water beneath him to expand and flow outwards, eventually reaching the [ocean], and then... gained power?

Does this even count?!

But what happened next forced them to believe it... because the water beneath them began to rise, quickly covering their ankles and rapidly ascending to knee depth... Even though they were near inland, the air smelled of seawater.

Eden had to spare some attention to get the others away from the water... Although Kevin could create a standing ice surface using his ice and snow abilities, it was still not safe enough. Xiwang would manipulate the water beneath the ice to break through it, and even directly give the water the "property" of being difficult to freeze, making Kevin spend more energy dealing with the surrounding water, thus reducing the number of times he could attack. This was not worth it.

As for Kosmo... he chose to stay below and fight Xiwang, relying on his own characteristics to continuously devour the surrounding Honkai energy to adapt to the humid environment and further gain the qualification to entangle with Xiwang.

But this won't last long...

"Kevin!!!"

Kosmo had no choice but to shout with all his might, using his nearly lost ability to speak.

Kevin understood, raised his sword, flames surged forth, and then...

[Heavenly Fire - Unsheathed!]

The same flames that had annihilated the Ninth Herrscher reappeared, burning away the rain clouds that had accumulated in the sky, evaporating the rising seawater, and dispelling all the dampness that permeated the surroundings.

The flames engulfed Xiwang and Kosmo.

But the expressions on the faces of the others did not relax.

Because it's still raining, and the area below is considered to be ocean... Xi Wang won't die so easily.

"........."

Sure enough, when the flames subsided, what was finally revealed was Xi Wang wiping the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand... Even though his whole body was severely burned, he quickly recovered as the deep blue liquid flowed through him.

Damn it...

"You can't kill me like this; you'll only become prey."

Xi Wang licked his fingers, gazing at the crowd floating in the sky. His once-dim golden pupils now shone faintly like starlight.

"Aren't you going to continue? Or... do you need me to take over?"

No one responded.

"So... then... the hunting continues?"

At that moment, the rain... stopped.

Almost instantly, Hua activated [Feather Crossing Dust], sacrificing his memories to put Xi Wang into a brief state of paralysis... This would be an opportunity!

Emerald green "leaves" emerged, and long emerald green tail feathers swayed gently. Su displayed her own [collapse], forcibly prolonging this brief moment.

Immediately, the [Starry Harmony] was released, and with Xi Wang herself as the center, the surrounding seawater was instantly cleared and pushed aside, leaving only Xi Wang stranded on the ground.

Then, the radiance of the [Moon Throne] shone brightly in the sky, descending and enveloping Xiwang.