Meanwhile, Hua was huddled under her covers. Usually, whenever she fell into a deep sleep, the image of Himeko's death would replay endlessly in her dreams.
Hua wrapped her arms around herself, her body trembling uncontrollably.
But this dream felt different.
In a daze, she found herself walking through a desolate mining area somewhere in fallen Australia. A scene of utter devastation unfolded before her.
Mangled flesh and rubble were strewn across the ground, forming an inverted, subterranean labyrinth. It was a chaotic mess of concrete, shattered glass, fractured walls, and collapsed machinery tilted at odd angles, blocking her path.
For some reason, she was moving quickly, leading the squad.
Choking dust and smoke filled the air, but thankfully, her protective armor filtered it out.
The mining area was quiet. Unnervingly so.
Hua knew this quiet wouldn't last. There had to be Honkai Beasts and zombies in the mine; otherwise, Fire Moth would never have issued a mission to reclaim it.
Before the mission, everyone had been injected with an ICHOR Factors serum. Fire Moth had told them it might awaken their latent abilities in a life-or-death situation.
Of course, that was only if they had any abilities to awaken in the first place.
Most people were ordinary, and she was no exception. After the ICHOR Factors injection, her body remained unchanged. No increase in speed, reflexes, strength, or abilities. No mastery over Honkai Energy.
Every member of the squad was equipped with a Key of Domination, all of which were in the form of a sword.
Yet, almost without exception, they all gripped their firearms—the most advanced guns available. It was as if the guns were their only truly reliable weapons.
After all, in the hands of an ordinary person, the Key of Domination was just a sturdy melee weapon.
Hua continued to lead the way. Suddenly, the ground began to shake. She gripped her weapon, ready to fight back.
But after a moment's hesitation, she lowered her head and let out a pained laugh. With the resolve to die, she charged alone into the area where the tremors were most intense.
After a desperate battle, Hua had killed twelve Chariot-class Honkai Beasts, one Templar-class Honkai Beast, and dozens of lesser Honkai Beasts.
Her body was drenched in a mixture of red and purple blood. Her legs trembled so violently she could barely stand, forcing her to use the Key of Domination as a cane as she staggered back toward her squad.
...
Heads crushed to a pulp, brains and blood mixing with dirt in the potholes. A torn-off torso had been flung against the wall beside Hua, blasting a huge hole in it.
A grotesque, beast-like monster was gnawing on and toying with the bodies of six dead squad members.
It was an Emperor-class Honkai Beast that no ordinary soldier could ever hope to fight—a Ganesha.
There was a massive hole in the wall, likely from where it had burst through.
Dead.
They were all dead.
Her six new teammates were gone. The entire fifty-person squadron had been wiped out in the mine. Their weapons lay scattered, and fifty Keys of Domination rested on the ground, lifeless and dull like deadwood.
And they hadn't left so much as a scratch on the Ganesha.
The Ganesha slowly turned, its blackish-purple eyes fixing on Hua, and opened its mouth.
As it did, a cascade of bones and flesh tumbled out.
The Ganesha lumbered toward Hua, each step shaking the mine.
Hua's pupils contracted to pinpricks. She had exhausted all her strength. She could only watch as the Ganesha raised its foot, a colossal shadow engulfing her.
In a haze of despair and terror, she was crushed into a bloody paste.
Her internal organs shattered like broken glass.
Her limbs were severed, her arms and legs torn to shreds by the Ganesha.
Her body was torn asunder, her scattered remains visible in every corner of the mine, slowly being covered by grit and dust.
"Ngh! Hah... haah... Ugh... Did I... have that nightmare again?"
Hua jolted awake from the nightmare, her back drenched in a cold sweat.
...
She recalled the nightmare. The bloody, brutal scenes were terrifyingly clear, including the ghastly image of her own gruesome death.
Hua clapped a hand over her mouth, fighting the urge to vomit as she threw off the covers and got out of bed.
Everyone else was still sound asleep.
A faint, grayish-white light was beginning to break in the eastern sky. Dawn was near.
Too shaken by the nightmare to go back to sleep, Hua uneasily began to clean her weapons—the firearm and the Key of Domination that Fire Moth had issued to every squad member.
The Key of Domination she received was in its most basic sword form, but this wasn't its ultimate shape.
According to the creator of the Divine Keys, only by activating the ICHOR Factors within her body and resonating with it could the Key of Domination transform into its ideal shape and unleash its true power.
But activating ICHOR Factors was incredibly difficult. Of the thousands who were injected, only a handful ever awakened.
Hua still hadn't activated her ICHOR Factors. Perhaps she was just one of the countless ordinary people—a "failure," as the researchers called them.
Soon, the sky had fully brightened. All the squads assembled their gear and were transported to the mission's target location: a desolate mining area on the outskirts of an Australian city.
---||---
Meanwhile, Li Mo was summoned to Mobius's lab.
Mobius: "He's awake. I've done what you asked. However... I'm not sure if the person who woke up is really him."
Li Mo: "What do you mean?"
Mobius: "Exactly what I said. I tried to use the residual authority of the Eighth Herrscher to awaken his dormant consciousness, but his brain showed no reaction whatsoever."
"So, I suspect that consciousness dissipates rapidly after death. He had been dead for many days before you dripped your blood into his mouth. His consciousness was long gone."
"All I could do was use the Eighth Herrscher's residual authority to reconstruct a vessel for his consciousness—one that could hold all his memories and habits. It would even inherit his personality and emotions."
"But I have no idea if someone awakened this way can still be considered the same person."
Li Mo: "Is that so... I know you did your best. Thank you."
Mobius: "No need for thanks. Consider it payment for being my test subject for a year."
"You only brought this person back to life so your childhood friend, that girl named Hua, wouldn't be sad, right?"
"You're such a philanderer. I can't even count the number of women around you on both hands. Only someone like Elysia would tolerate you."
Mobius pouted, turning her head away to avoid his gaze.
Li Mo turned away and replied nonchalantly, "She's the one who won't look me in the eye. I'm just treating her the same way."
"She's family, not a lover. And she never could be."
Mobius: "Hmph. As if I care what you two do. It has nothing to do with me. I don't care at all."
"By the way, Fire Moth has sent her to reclaim a mine in Australia this afternoon. But the resources there aren't the real objective. Fire Moth injected them all with ICHOR Factors, hoping a life-or-death battle will force them to unlock their potential and activate the dormant factor."
"The success rate is unbelievably low. Not everyone is like you and Elysia, who started transforming the moment the serum was injected."
"She'll most likely die in that mine."
Li Mo: "I know. I'll be watching from the shadows. She won't die."
Mobius: "You'd better not tell anyone about this. I don't want to give those backstabbing higher-ups any leverage against me."
"And you're not allowed to save anyone else. Fire Moth only wants MANTISes to return from this mission, not a bunch of green, ignorant recruits."
Mobius's expression was stern, a clear warning to Li Mo.
---||---
Six months after the defeat of the Tenth Herrscher, with the successful development of the mass-produced Divine Key, the Key of Domination, the MANTIS Project was put back on the agenda.
Hua, from the former Squad 5, and other survivors from different squads were formed into a new unit. They were sent to the mining area on the outskirts of an Australian city to test the Tenth Divine Key, and all were injected with the ICHOR Factors serum beforehand.
Inside that mine was an Emperor-class Honkai Beast, a Ganesha, which was not mentioned in their briefing.
They would either die in there or transform and survive.
ICHOR Factors has a strong rejection response in the human body, similar to an organ transplant. If the body doesn't assimilate the ICHOR Factors quickly, it will inevitably lead to serious problems.
In a near-death state, human instinct drives every cell to mobilize all available power, both native and foreign. This condition drastically reduces the body's rejection of ICHOR Factors, allowing for better assimilation of its transformative properties. This grants immense power, turning a person into a MANTIS capable of fighting high-level Honkai Beasts and even Herrschers.
That was the true plan.
---||---
Inside the mine, dry dust filled the air. The narrow tunnels felt suffocating.
The soldiers moved uneasily through the area, gripping their guns tightly and scanning their surroundings.
At the slightest sign of movement, they would immediately aim their weapons. Under the concentrated fire of dozens of soldiers, an ordinary Honkai Beast wouldn't survive the first volley.
Unless a high-level Honkai Beast appeared. But even if a Templar-class Honkai Beast showed up, their squad was more than equipped to handle it.
The mine was so quiet, it seemed there was no swarm of Honkai Beasts. If nothing unexpected happened, the mission shouldn't be too difficult.
"Why is the witch being so proactive and taking the lead today?"
"Who knows? Maybe she's finally realized she's a jinx?"
The faint whispers came from the back of the squad. Hua heard them but paid them no mind.
The scene before her was identical to her nightmare...
The rotting limbs, the collapsed machinery—their appearance, their position...
Everything was exactly the same.
Hua swallowed hard, her eyes fixed ahead.
The nightmare had shown her they would soon experience a violent tremor. In the dream, she had charged ahead and killed many Honkai Beasts, but when she returned, everyone else had been killed by an Emperor-class Honkai Beast. The beast had walked up to her, raised its foot, and effortlessly crushed her to death.
So far, reality and her dream were overlapping perfectly. Hua feared the nightmare was about to come true.
She had run away too many times. That day, powerless against the Honkai Beasts, she could only hide in an alley. Hua hated that version of herself.
This time, she didn't want to run. Perhaps fighting to the death was the most fitting end for her.
"I can't leave the squad."
Hua made her decision. She slowed her pace and moved back into the middle of the formation. That way, if the Emperor-class Honkai Beast appeared, she could fight back immediately.
Based on her nightmare, the Ganesha would burst through one of the surrounding walls.
However, her teammates didn't understand her action. They shied away, putting as much distance between her and them as possible while muttering disdainful comments.
It was a terrible feeling. When she was walking alone at the front, she didn't feel it as much. But once she was in the middle of the group, the feeling of being ostracized and shunned intensified.
No matter how much Hua tried to reassure herself that it didn't matter, that all she had to do was have a clear conscience, it was no use.
Because she was human. She had human emotions. She wasn't the emotionless, stone-faced witch they called her.
CRASH—!
A tremendous roar nearly pierced their eardrums. The tremor had begun.
This time, Hua hadn't left the squad. She stared nervously at the wall she remembered from her dream.
Suddenly, a colossal figure charged toward them at incredible speed.
"Get back!" Hua screamed.
But it was too late. The Ganesha crashed into them like a boulder rolling down a mountain, spinning and tumbling.
In an instant, blood splattered across Hua's face.
An eyeball popped out of a crushed skull and shot like a bullet straight into Hua's forehead, where it burst. The fluid inside trickled down her nose.
Before anyone could react, the Ganesha began to stomp. Its four legs moved wildly, shaking the ground so violently that the soldiers couldn't even keep their footing.
They lost their balance and fell, only to watch helplessly as the Ganesha raised a foot and stomped them to death.
They didn't even have a chance to fight back.
The soldiers who finally snapped out of their shock, even those who couldn't stand, grabbed their guns and started firing. The barrage of bullets rained down on its silicon-based hide but didn't leave a single mark. Instead, it only seemed to enrage the Ganesha, making its stomping faster and more frenzied.
"We can't win..."
Hua crouched helplessly behind a large boulder, curled into a ball.
This scene was all too familiar.
When Fire Moth executed Captain Himeko, she had been huddled in a corner just like this, unable to do anything.
When she tried to go to Sapphire (Canghai) City to save people, a Honkai Beast blocked her path, and she cowered in an alley, too afraid to do anything.
Even knowing the future, she was still powerless to change it. She couldn't save anyone.
The title of "witch" was like a brand seared into her soul. As long as she was alive, she would only ever bring disaster to those around her.
It seemed fate was giving the witch special treatment. As long as there were still other living people in the mine to stomp on, the Ganesha didn't even glance in Hua's direction.
Everyone else had become her scapegoat.
And then, misfortune finally came for Hua. Death, dragging its cold, black scythe, looked down mockingly at her, as small and fragile as a grain of sand.
The Ganesha slowly raised its foot, and the shadow from her nightmare fell over Hua once more.