Shortly after everyone had safely evacuated, the entire concert venue was engulfed in an inextinguishable inferno.
Amid the flames, Chang Yuan and Skadi were locked in a fierce battle with Himeko.
Every punch Himeko threw radiated heat comparable to the surface of the sun.
Explosions erupted around them constantly.
Unbeknownst to Chang Yuan, the intense heat was already affecting the entire city, with no signs of abating.
After ensuring everyone's safety, Elysia rushed back into the battlefield.
Even though her former friend had become a Herrscher, Elysia wouldn't allow her to harm Chang Yuan.
In the midst of the flames, Chang Yuan suffered burns of varying severity, some so severe that they hindered his genetic healing abilities.
If not for Skadi's authority assisting him, Chang Yuan would have been reduced to charcoal.
"Elysia, why did you come back? Can you really bring yourself to fight Himeko?"
Chang Yuan had initially sent Elysia away to prevent her from hesitating and getting hurt.
But seeing her return, he could only ask.
"Don't worry, Chang Yuan. I can do it."
Elysia gave him a reassuring smile and drew the Second Divine Key.
Seeing her overcome this hurdle, Chang Yuan felt a slight relief.
"Don't kill her. Just target her limbs and body. Once she's exhausted, Skadi will freeze her. She can be saved."
Hearing that Himeko could still be saved, Elysia's hand trembled slightly.
But she quickly steadied herself and fired an arrow, piercing Himeko's right arm.
In pain, Himeko's flames grew even hotter. Unbeknownst to them, the outside world was already in chaos.
The fire had spread across half the state.
Fortunately, the flames, though inextinguishable, were slow-moving, allowing many to be rescued.
As time dragged on, the fire consumed not just the state but the entire continent. The devastation was even worse than in the original timeline.
Chang Yuan hadn't expected Himeko to be far stronger than in the original timeline.
In the original timeline, it had taken a long time for Himeko to set the entire state ablaze.
But now, less than an hour into the battle, half the continent was already engulfed in flames.
Finally, after an hour and a half, Himeko's injuries became too severe to heal naturally. Skadi seized the opportunity and used her authority to completely freeze her.
Once frozen, Chang Yuan hoisted the ice block onto his shoulder and placed Skadi on top to keep it cold.
Without delay, Chang Yuan quickly made his way out. The flames outside couldn't harm him.
Spotting a fighter jet still patrolling the skies, Chang Yuan leaped onto it effortlessly. As for Elysia, she stayed behind to deal with the Honkai beasts.
After all, Garuda and Asura were likely to emerge here, both of high threat levels.
Knocking on the jet's cockpit, Chang Yuan instructed the pilot to head straight to MOTH headquarters.
Upon returning to the base, Chang Yuan rushed to Vill-V's laboratory.
"Vill-V, perform the surgery to extract the Herrscher core."
After this brief instruction, Chang Yuan went to retrieve the Black Abyss and White Flower.
By the time he returned, the 'Expert' Vill-V had already gathered the other two doctors to begin the surgery.
The surgery was a success. The Seventh Herrscher core was extracted, and Himeko, the former Herrscher, survived.
However, due to the severe injuries she had sustained earlier, her mind remained in a deep sleep, even though her physical wounds had healed.
"Sigh, I think Elysia will be happy to see this. She's been so down lately, not as cheerful as before. I hope this will lift her spirits."
After finishing everything, Chang Yuan sat down in a chair.
But soon, the 'Expert' Vill-V brought him grim news.
"During the hour and a half you were fighting the Seventh Herrscher, the flames spread across the entire continent. Thanks to our preparations, casualties were minimized.
But even so, we lost at least 500,000 lives. MOTH also suffered heavy losses, with nearly 1% of our MANTISes dead. The number of regular soldiers lost is still being calculated."
The death toll, compared to the original timeline where the fire burned for seven days and nights, was incomparable.
But even so, the loss was deeply felt.
Despite their preparations, so many lives had still been lost.
"The Herrschers have grown stronger."
Chang Yuan recalled an old, discarded setting from the original timeline: the stronger the civilization, the stronger the Honkai.
Although this setting had been abandoned since the Cocoon of Finality had locked the upper limit it was clear that even with the limit in place, it was far beyond their reach.
"Is it because of the Cocoon of Finality? It must have intervened because of your presence."
The 'Expert' Vill-V easily deduced the reason.
Without Chang Yuan, the global population would have been reduced to a fifth of its original size.
But thanks to Chang Yuan, even with the Seventh Herrscher's continent-wide inferno, global casualties since the Honkai's emergence remained below 1%.
It was likely that the Cocoon of Finality had stepped in, as this outcome didn't align with its goals.
"So, for future Herrschers, unless they're someone we know, we'll stick to killing them. I'm selfish I don't care about people unrelated to me."
"...That's the most reasonable approach. After all, we don't know how much stronger the Herrschers have become. If their influence expands during the battle,
it would be a greater loss. So, I support your decision."
The 'Expert' Vill-V agreed, and the other two doctors did as well.
This time, Chang Yuan had acted to lift Elysia's spirits, which had been unusually heavy lately.
But for future Herrschers? Sorry, everyone has their selfish side. Even without selfishness, from a rational standpoint, killing them was the most practical choice for humanity.
"Ugh, what... what happened to me?"
As the group chatted, Himeko woke up on the operating table, clutching her head.
She frowned, looking around in confusion.
The last thing she remembered was watching the concert, then everything went black.