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As the Barrier of Order materialized, every member of Anti-Entropy couldn't help but feel a sense of despair wash over them.
At the church entrance, Durandal was nowhere to be seen; only the Abyss Flower remained. Meanwhile, Otto stood inside the church, separated by the barrier's confines.
They were aware, through alternative sources, of the tragic events associated with the Binding Barrier during the previous civilization era. Although this current barrier wasn't as vast as the one recorded historically—it encompassed just the city's church—its essence remained unchanged, being cast by a Herrscher.
"For the next twelve hours, I shall assume God's Authorities one by one.
"And afterward, we will journey together back to those times, five centuries past."
These were Otto's exact words.
If they failed to break through the Barrier of Order within these twelve hours, catastrophe would inevitably follow. Regardless of whether returning to the past was even possible, a global Major Honkai Eruption seemed certain.
"At this point, we must rely on the Moonlight Throne aboard the SSS Hyperion. Kiana, Bronya, and Seele, stay here; Raiden Mei and Theresa, escort us back to the ship."
Einstein and Tesla swiftly made their decision, immediately sprinting towards the SSS Hyperion.
Although the Moonlight Throne was a human-made creation, it could briefly emit high-frequency converted Honkai energy at power levels surpassing even those of Herrschers.
They were uncertain if the Moonlight Throne would be effective, but attempting it was better than doing nothing.
However, Einstein and her team noticed that during their return journey, Honkai Beasts had already begun appearing.
The only good news was that these weren't ancient Honkai Beasts from five hundred years ago. If they were, all their efforts would have been nearly futile.
"I'll take care of them." Raiden Mei raised her blade, effortlessly slicing through the Honkai Beasts. Meanwhile, Einstein and Tesla escaped under Theresa's cover.
On the other side, Xia Chen's plan to capture insects also met with failure.
Wendy had just contacted Alvitr, who reported encountering Honkai Beasts right outside, currently battling alongside the rest of the Immortal Blades squad.
With Durandal's whereabouts unknown and Rita not leading them, it was fortunate that the Immortal Blades were skilled warriors. Despite being only A-rank Valkyries, as long as no Imperial Honkai Beasts emerged, they could largely avoid injuries.
In this scenario, Xia Chen's armor proved invaluable, with its multi-caliber ammunition serving as a devastating force against the masses.
He didn't obstruct Einstein, Tesla, and others, causing suspicion to flash across Einstein's face as she passed by him.
"Perhaps we can still win over Xia Chen," she thought.
Tesla chimed in sarcastically, "Mophead, let's move quickly. We don't have much time."
Einstein reluctantly dismissed those thoughts.
As accomplished researchers, neither had focused on physical training, yet sheer determination propelled them to reach the SSS Hyperion.
Gasping for breath, Tesla asked, "Mophead, will the Moonlight Throne work without its core?"
"The launch shouldn't be an issue; the Moonlight Throne has built-in Honkai Energy storage that can temporarily replace the Herrscher Core," Einstein responded calmly. "However, now we must calculate the firing power precisely. If the Moonlight Throne fails, we need to determine the equivalent energy required to destroy the Barrier of Order."
With renewed vigor, they swiftly sprang into action.
Meanwhile, Wendy and Xia Chen were engaged in clearing Honkai Beasts from Klostern as part of this operation's Trial by Fire. Ensuring the city's safety and tranquility was paramount before the ceremony began.
They rushed towards the Immortal Blades' temporary garrison, knowing that any sacrifice at this moment would be unjustified.
"Susannah, I'm almost out of energy."
At the Immortal Blades' encampment, Alvitr complained to Susannah while wielding her gun, "Since joining Schicksal, I've never experienced such intense combat."
Despite being classified as an A-rank Valkyrie, she belonged to a specialized category rather than frontline combat personnel.
However, with the overwhelming number of Honkai Beasts, she had no choice but to engage in battle.
Susannah remained unfazed. "Don't worry, I'll protect you."
"Susannah?"
"Hmm?"
"You're truly amazing," Alvitr expressed with deep admiration.
Susannah casually replied, "Oh, it's not much; everyone says so."
The tide of Honkai Beasts continued to swell, threatening to engulf the entire city in chaos.
Suddenly, everyone felt the sun being eclipsed overhead. Even the Valkyries couldn't resist looking up, only to spot a massive battleship traversing above Klostern.
"Don't get distracted, Susannah. Keep fighting," Alvitr admonished her friend.
"Oh, right."
Rita had already instructed them to focus solely on combating Honkai Beasts and disregard everything else.
Meanwhile, aboard the Hyperion, no one was concerned with what the Valkyries below might think. Einstein had targeted the Binding Barrier with the Moonlight Throne.
"Dr. Tesla, initiate calculations."
"Understood."
The Moonlight Throne fired.
A breach swiftly opened in the Binding Barrier, but despairingly, it closed just as quickly.
"One shot isn't enough." Tesla rapidly calculated the required energy equivalence to break through: "Conservatively estimating, we need six simultaneous activations of the Moonlight Throne Array to open the Binding Barrier."
"Where will we find six Moonlight Thrones?" Tesla sounded despondent.
Constructing even one Moonlight Throne had consumed most of Anti-Entropy's resources, making this battleship once hailed as humanity's hope against Honkai.
"There is another way—fill the Moonlight Throne with Cores."
"But for four Herrscher Cores..."
Currently, Kiana's body housed two Herrscher Cores, the Gem of Conquest resided within Raiden Mei, and the Gem of Grief was at Schicksal Headquarters.
Even if they could extract these cores, there wouldn't be enough time.
"There is another way."
Bronya, who had maintained contact with the Hyperion throughout, spoke up, "I can attempt to construct six Moonlight Thrones using the Herrscher of Reason's core."
"Bronya, Honkai still adheres to the law of energy conservation." At this point, Einstein wasn't particularly familiar with Bronya, as she spent most of her time away from the Salt Lake Base. Thus, her tone carried a hint of formality. She continued, "Theoretically, the Herrscher of Reason has the ability to create anything, but your body might not withstand it."
"That's fine," Bronya paused before adding, "the limits of a Herrscher's power mirror the boundaries of human civilization. Each Herrscher's Authority reaches the edge of humanity's application of physical laws. Bronya believes she can accomplish this."
Her determination stemmed not from any lofty ideals, but simply because she did not wish to destroy the world just to return to five hundred years ago.
"Moonlight Thrones, hexagonal array—activate!"