I am, Flame-Chaser of Previous Era

The path of expansion knows only forward progress, never retreat.

Pathstriders are ultimately shaped by their ideals, branching off due to the differences in those ideals. Tonight's unexpected events were exhilarating for Ryan. The calm before the storm was nearing its end; he needed a deeper understanding of Honkai.

Even if it meant taking risks.

Ryan walked steadily forward, through the night, towards the flickering shadows, his eyes slightly narrowed.

Medium to large-scale Honkai disasters. A three-story-tall Chariot-Class, three Catapult-Class, and even a Templar-Class Honkai Beast.

Ryan's gaze fell upon a Honkai Beast over three meters tall; its shell gleamed with a silvery metallic sheen. It wielded a large shield and a giant sword. If he remembered correctly, the A-rank Valkyrie exam in the next era involved a one-on-one fight against a large Templar-Class.

Of course, there were variations in size and strength within the same rank; generally, size and power were directly correlated.

Thud.

His footsteps halted. Ryan watched as the hulking Honkai Beasts gathered into a massive stone ball. Knowing these mindless monsters wouldn't hesitate, he braced himself, spiderweb-like cracks appearing in the concrete beneath his feet.

"For me, the path of expansion is—"

Whoosh!!

With a tearing sound, the stone ball launched like a cannonball, darkness engulfing Ryan. Simultaneously, the unmoving warrior exploded into motion.

"The most rational plan, then taking that next step without hesitation!"

BOOM!

The stone ball pulverized the ground. The shockwave hit his back, sending his white coat billowing. He cut through the darkness, observing the ten shadowy figures below, bracing himself, spinning in mid-air.

Energy gathered, forming a visible ladder. He inverted his body, powerfully kicking off it.

Whoosh— Boom!

The sounds of rolling stones and heavy footsteps followed in quick succession. Ryan, who should have been directly hit, became a falling star, streaking across the sky.

Falling Star.

The spear slammed down, flattening a Knight-Class Honkai Beast. Then, the air compressed, expanded, and exploded.

Boom!!

The shockwave sent a dozen Zombies flying; debris, like bullets, scattered everywhere, striking the Honkai Beasts, creating showers of sparks. Smaller 'mosquitoes' were knocked to the ground.

The Honkai Beasts knew only instinct, not fear. Three newly formed stone balls hurtled towards him, and the three-story-tall Chariot-Class pressed into the dust cloud.

It moved slowly, raising a massive fist. One blow could level a small building.

Thud thud thud.

Several dull thuds echoed. The stone balls, having just entered the dust cloud, rebounded, striking its chest, sending its body reeling backward. Its fist slammed into a nearby classroom building.

The shattering of glass echoed; the five-story building collapsed inwards, the resulting wind scattering the dust.

Ryan stood before it, enveloped in shadow, yet showed no fear. While large Chariot-Class Honkai Beasts were rare before the Herrscher of the Void, he'd killed dozens over the past ten years.

Their movements were slow, and their footing unsteady.

He twisted his wrist; Honkai energy surged through the special alloy spear, controlled and concentrated, extending the spearhead into a meter-long, flame-like point.

A crimson vortex.

Ryan raised his spear, the spinning motion creating a continuous, swirling blade.

It sliced through the Honkai Beast's legs, passing through the crowded enemies behind it. The circular cut extended a hundred meters, leaving a bright trail before the spear shuddered.

Rumble.

The body disintegrated; the clean cut was almost seamless. In an instant, the enormous Honkai Beast collapsed, its dying companions crushing it.

Ryan felt his heartbeat accelerating, a twisted excitement coursing through him as he saw the approaching shadows.

"Ten years, abandoning a comfortable life to hunt relentlessly. Wasn't it for moments like this?"

Slaughtering Honkai Beasts, challenging Herrschers, pushing strength and intellect to their limits, ultimately striving towards an unimaginable future.

Clang!!

A dull, heavy sword struck the center of the spear. The force bent Ryan's knee. The taller Templar-Class was confused; no human could withstand its strike.

But its reaction was swift; its left shield slammed out like a door.

The wind pressure slammed into him. Ryan retracted his force and leaped back, watching as the flying rocks were pulverized by the shield. The steel-like Honkai Beast, momentarily stunned, rolled to the side without hesitation.

Sudden Advance— Decisive Strike!

A simple attack, yet the heavy sword's impact created a powerful gust of wind, slicing through the white coat's edge, bisecting the fallen Chariot-Class, which then crashed into a classroom building with a resounding boom.

"Terrifying power. No wonder they use saturation bombardment."

Ryan narrowed his eyes. Only by experiencing such power firsthand could one understand that 'cannon fodder' was a mere jest. They might be cannon fodder to a Herrscher, but to him, they were easy targets.

A few years ago, on my path, I wouldn't have been a match. But Honkai's mistake was slowly fattening me up.

His hand slammed into the ground; Ryan rebounded, spear in hand, sweeping low to the ground, passing directly under the shield.

Bang!

A slight tingling sensation in his palm, a metallic screech as if striking a steel plate. The Templar-Class, having raised its sword, lost its balance; the charged greatsword arced downwards.

It couldn't strike Ryan, who, during his sweep, had closed the distance, the sound of Honkai energy exploding behind him audible.

In terms of raw kinetic energy, Ryan wasn't overwhelmingly superior to this Templar-Class. But the greatest difference between man and beast was the mind: the ability to learn, to summarize experiences, and to employ unparalleled skill.

Spear and greatsword clashed, causing no damage to each other. Unlike the instinctively retreating Honkai Beast, Ryan pressed forward, stepping between the beast's legs. Twisting his body, he unleashed a whip-like elbow strike.

Ryōgi Peak.

Thud!!

The Templar-Class's iron-hard abdomen caved in, cracking. The massive body launched like a cannonball, its legs gouging deep furrows in the concrete. Sensing the approaching enemy, it quickly raised its shield.

This shield could withstand tank main gun penetrators, but in an instant, its left arm felt no impact, only a high-speed air current below its waist.

Behind it?

Its massive body was surprisingly agile, but as it turned halfway, a black shadow filled its vision. Its final sight was the gleaming spearhead.

Reverse Spear Thrust!

Thwack.

The spear pierced its head, instantly halting the killing machine. Ryan lowered his eyes, seeing the greatsword resting at his hip. A moment more, and he would have been bisected.

"Too bad, you lack a brain." Ryan smirked. He wasn't interested in killing for its own sake, but the results quickened his pulse.

There it was, another small step on the invisible path.

Previous assumptions had become reality. These years hadn't been wasted. Years of honing his skills and understanding Honkai energy were merely support; the key was the amount of power he could wield, and that power grew from others.

Expansion is power. With limited time, he was willing to risk it all for the pursuit of truth. Without a trump card, how would he face High-Rank Honkai Beasts, let alone the legendary Herrschers?

"After all these years, you finally decided to throw me a grand party."

Ryan looked towards the fifth-floor classroom building, his intuition telling him it was the epicenter of this Honkai event. He glanced up and met the gaze of a strange creature on the roof.

It was slightly larger than a Templar-Class, limbless, hovering in the air. A rhomboid structure on its head resembled raised ears; four similar scale-like appendages floated around it.

Honkai Beasts were bizarre, difficult to describe accurately. But Ryan was more interested in the energy it emitted—far exceeding that of a Templar-Class.

"The peak of Low-Rank Honkai Beasts, the Honkai Emperor. Seems I have a challenge for myself today." Ryan slowly raised his spear, gripping it firmly, sensing the impending battle.

This rare level of Fire Moth cooperation demanded he seize the opportunity.

His first encounter with a Honkai Emperor intrigued Ryan. After a moment, his pupils constricted slightly.

Huh???

Without warning, the three-meter-tall creature vanished from sight. Ryan, without hesitation, instinctively leaped backward.

Whizz—

A red beam of light grazed his face. High-concentration Honkai energy, like a laser, seared a gleaming mark on the concrete.

"Instantaneous movement through Imaginary Space, long-range Honkai energy manipulation, creating lasers?!" Ryan hadn't been idle these past years. He performed a series of Z-shaped jumps, watching the crimson beam sear past, finally landing lightly on the rubble of a classroom building.

A sliver of moonlight pierced the dark clouds, illuminating the Honkai Beast's silvery shell with a faint glow—powerful, mysterious, and unknowable.

"Interesting." Ryan removed his cracked glasses, crushing them with a 'snap,' revealing a serene smile.

"Let me tear apart your body, and delve deeper into your origins!"