I am, Flame-Chaser of Previous Era-Chapter 86: Kalpas?

"Do you think 'Owl' will come?"

The desert was a landscape of barren red rock, occasionally punctuated by a few strange rock formations. Ryan and Sakura, carrying supplies, navigated the rocky hills.

A truly desolate place, devoid of any sign of civilization.

Sakura's black bodysuit was coated in dust, failing to fully conceal her striking figure. She pondered for a moment.

"He probably will. He's the leader of Cocoon; Are you wary of him?"

"Not exactly. Let's just say we've been familiar with each other for a long time." Ryan licked his lips. He'd certainly been wary before, but now, he was no longer 'human'.

Owl, however powerful, was still human; otherwise, he wouldn't need to follow orders. Wouldn't it be better to be the boss himself?

Sakura remained silent. In terms of combat prowess and achievements, Owl far surpassed her. Yet, Ryan's voice held a hint of pity, perhaps recalling the 'Railgun' incident. She fell silent, then uttered a few words:

"Blood Demon and Owl are legends, at least in our world. The goal and standard for countless assassins."

"Haha, want to know why I've retired from the assassination business?"

"Because you want to focus on fighting Honkai?"

"No. Because the assassin world is too... cheesy. I can't stand it."

Ryan chuckled, picking up the pace. Memories of the past flashed through his mind.

Organizations, rankings, blood oaths. Even with advanced technology, they used typewriters and rotary phones, showcasing the elegance and rules of the underworld.

They operated in the shadows, killing each other, vying for territory. Cocoon, clinging to Fire Moth's influence, was subtly pushing towards unifying that world.

Without Honkai, he would have happily played an assassin game, creating an urban warlord legend. Unfortunately, Honkai destroyed those rules.

Sakura was taken aback, following with some frustration. She disliked that world, and even more so, Ryan's dismissal of his past.

The fourth-ranked assassin of [Goushinnso Memento], yet the third-ranked [Black Mask] was crushed by this man without a fight.

However, he seemed a little anxious after entering the desert?

They climbed a hill. Ryan stood on a large rock, surveying the area, his expression impassive.

Sakura guessed correctly; Ryan was anxious, but not about Cocoon. The limited clues made him uneasy.

Could a Herrscher be born here? Impossible. Fire Moth isn't blind. If a Herrscher appeared secretly, it wouldn't be easy to detect.

He'd altered the timeline too much. Each step forward was uncertain. Even Sakura shouldn't have become his prisoner, let alone the entire Cocoon pursuing him.

The Herrscher sequence and even their powers could change; past experiences were of limited use. It was truly...

Exhilarating!

Ryan grinned, revealing his white teeth. Since Chiba Academy, he'd felt increasingly joyful, as if something profound was responding to him.

"Tribal village ruins. It seems to have been destroyed by Honkai Beasts, but the post-Honkai beast was torn to shreds?"

He looked at the village ruins in the distant valley, his eyes twitching slightly. He pointed a finger. "Sakura, let's go check it out."

There? What was so interesting about a village destroyed by Honkai Beasts?

Sakura didn't quite understand, but she sensed Ryan's motives weren't entirely pure; he seemed unconcerned about Cocoon, yet she followed nonetheless.

The village nestled in a valley, almost invisible unless viewed from a height. Upon closer inspection, the tribespeople were far from primitive.

Several deep wells were present, with iron buckets swaying in the breeze. The thatched roofs were sturdy, constructed with professional techniques. The houses formed a circle around the valley, with a wooden platform in the center.

What was this place?

Ryan approached, his footsteps creaking on the wooden planks. Even though one side of the platform was collapsed, it was evident the construction was highly advanced, far more sophisticated than the surrounding houses.

A cross-shaped pillar stood in the center, with several ceramic jars in front, now empty. Ryan picked one up and sniffed, his brow furrowing.

The scent of blood. Was this an altar?

He was slightly perplexed, though it wasn't unusual for tribes to perform human sacrifices. Just then, Sakura returned, having searched the area.

"I found something strange."

"What?"

"There are only torn Honkai Beast remains in the village, no human bodies."

Huh?

Ryan turned, raising an eyebrow. This implied survivors, and the most peculiar aspect was the Honkai Beast corpses.

He jumped down from the platform, carefully examining the bodies, becoming increasingly puzzled.

Knight-Class, Chariot-Class, and even Honkai Emperor...

Even without complete bodies, Ryan, based on his experience, estimated there were twenty or thirty Honkai Beasts. This number indicated a mid-sized Honkai event. He crouched, picking up a broken spear.

The wood was high-quality; the obsidian spearhead was shattered.

"With this kind of weapon, even a Seraph-Class could become a demon king. This is pathetic." Ryan scratched his head. Fire Moth used alloy-plated blades, powered exosuits, and electromagnetic rifles against Honkai Beasts. Compared to those, these weapons were primitive.

Unless this was a village of reclusive superhumans, each an anomaly like Kevin. Moreover, based on the wounds, they didn't seem to be inflicted by weapons.

Ryan picked up a Honkai Emperor's arm. The surface was as hard as rock; the fractured edges weren't clean.

"Looks like it was pulled apart?" Sakura crouched beside him, her hair falling onto Ryan's shoulder.

"Brutal combat skills, crushing everything with brute force." Ryan narrowed his eyes, suddenly noticing a pattern in the corpses.

They extended deeper into the valley, blasted, torn, and pulled apart.

"Maybe we should leave. I don't have a good feeling about this." Sakura suggested suddenly. The valley ahead was shrouded in darkness, as if some demon resided there, sending chills down her spine.

Logically, they should retreat; Cocoon was still hunting them. But Ryan couldn't suppress his curiosity, his theories demanding answers.

"Let's go take a look. Cocoon won't find us this quickly anyway."

Ryan brushed the dust off his pants, silently walking towards the valley. Sakura hesitated, then gritted her teeth and followed.

Whooooosh—

The wind howled through the valley, sounding like ghostly wails. As twilight approached, the Honkai Beast corpses became more numerous, their wounds consistent with brutal tearing.

Not far ahead, the narrow valley widened into a clearing, filled with numerous graves of varying sizes. Ryan and Sakura finally understood where the villagers' remains were.

"Someone collected the bodies and buried them hastily." Sakura said, gripping her blade, scanning her surroundings.

The valley was about a hundred meters high, with numerous caves carved into the cliffs, but no sign of human life.

"This proves the Honkai Beasts weren't killed by the villagers; they were killed by someone." Ryan inhaled sharply, already guessing the culprit.

The altar, the blood, the brutal attacks—all pointed to a single, violent individual.

Kalpas. Why is he here?

Ryan's muscles tensed. He didn't want to think about it; no one knew where Kalpas had ended up. His brain raced, piecing together memories.

He seemed to live in a village until the Honkai Beasts destroyed it. Yes, there weren't many such free, isolated, primitive tribes. He'd initially assumed Kalpas was in Southeast Asia or Australia, not densely populated areas like Europe or Shenzhou.

That wasn't important. What mattered was his power—

The world's deadliest single combat Herrscher of Ice. Severely wounded, he was rescued by a nun and eventually discovered by Sakura, leading him to become a Flame-Chaser.

Sakura? Fate was indeed that peculiar?

He looked at the girl beside him, who remained puzzled, even sensing a trace of resentment.

What does this have to do with me?

The whirring of rotors approached from the sky. They looked up, seeing a helicopter approaching from the distance. Honkai energy interference rendered thermal imaging and other detection methods useless; visual confirmation was their only option.

"He'll find us within a minute. What do we do?" Sakura's voice was urgent. She realized, due to unforeseen circumstances, her choice hadn't been the best.

"Change of plans. We have an unexpected guest." Ryan exhaled, looking up at the caves on the cliff face.

A tall figure stood at the cave entrance, watching them. Unkempt white hair stirred in the wind. A mask obscured the face, revealing only light brown eyes—eyes full of intense displeasure at being disturbed, and murderous intent.

That person...

Sakura's pupils contracted. Her assassin's instinct tensed her muscles. Like Ryan, their encounter held a fateful quality, a fundamental difference from anything before.

Sakura hadn't undergone the warrior fusion surgery yet. Kalpas, in his prime, and in a foul mood after losing his 'home', was not someone to trifle with.

Ryan decisively stepped in front of Sakura, shielding her from his gaze.

"I'll handle this. Protect yourself; the easy part is over."

Sakura's mind raced; she realized this person was unrelated to Cocoon, but that was immaterial. The hostility was directed at Ryan, not Cocoon.

Blood Demon would focus on him, leaving her to face Cocoon's forces.

"Be careful."

"Don't worry. I want to test my current abilities. You just need to hold back their forces." Ryan levitated slightly, his untested power juxtaposed against his supreme intellect.

Cocoon and Kalpas are not allies; with my manipulation—

They will become each other's enemies!