"Zeke, spare them!" Su's voice resonated through the void, directly reaching Zeke's mind, devoid of its usual calm warmth.
Although Su knew Zeke would likely hold back, witnessing his destructive power capable of annihilating heaven and earth still filled him with concern for the two girls.
Then, the colossal warship descended from the sky, its pointed tip directly aimed at Zeke like a divine spear piercing the earth—the Divine Key Cosmic Juggernaut unleashed its accumulated force within a different dimension, crushing downward.
"Hm?"
Zeke looked up, maintaining the energy bombardment while freeing one hand to meet the massive descending vessel.
"Boom!!"
The violent shockwaves surged outward in all directions as Zeke single-handedly halted the mountain-like warship mid-air. Amidst this stark contrast between an ant and a mountain, he felt momentarily speechless.
"..."
For the first time, he experienced the frustration some past adversaries, such as Sirin, had endured—despite having absolute strength advantage, being outnumbered was genuinely irritating!
"Time and again, you truly... And that's not how the Second Divine Key is meant to be used. But since it's been delivered to me, I won't hesitate."
With a firm grip on the ship's apex, golden cracks radiating immense energy began spreading rapidly from Zeke's hand, engulfing the entire length of the warship in mere seconds.
"What is this? Not good!"
Within the inner world of the Cosmic Juggernaut, Su distinctly felt an immense energy invading the entire colossal void ship—let's not forget that Zeke had already gained control over the Cosmic Juggernaut, making him another master of this Divine Key!
Su opened his eyes, placing both hands in mid-air, attempting to wrest dominance from Zeke. However, with significantly inferior technological prowess and energy strength compared to Zeke, he sensed his imminent failure almost instantly.
"This won't work; I'll be trapped if it continues like this!"
Realizing his inability to resist, Su didn't force the issue. While still maintaining some control over the Cosmic Juggernaut, he decisively detached himself from it.
The moment Su escaped, he glanced back just in time to see his faithful companion of millennia being engulfed by an infinitely dazzling golden light, seemingly swallowed into Zeke's palm.
Gritting his teeth, Su flew towards the severely wounded Kiana and Fu Hua, disregarding the fate of the Cosmic Juggernaut as he swiftly carried them away.
Zeke watched this unfold with a soft sigh.
"Suddenly, being an emperor seems quite appealing. That way, my only annoyance would be limited to my enemies."
Kiana and Fu Hua's injuries were severe but not insurmountable. If allowed to leave unimpeded, they might soon recover and return to confront him again.
However, at that moment, the spatial abilities of Cosmic Juggernaut seemed even more crucial. After all, with mastery over space itself, isolating and dealing with individuals would become remarkably effortless.
"Ah well..." Zeke raised his hand, continuously shrinking Cosmic Juggernaut amidst the golden radiance illuminating the lunar surface, shaking his head with a soft sigh.
The dazzling glow subsided swiftly as Zeke brought his palms together before his chest, revealing between them a tiny vessel on the verge of disintegration.
Cosmic Juggernaut, being a Space Key, could expand to fill the heavens or contract to insignificance; manipulating spatial dimensions was its fundamental capability.
"In this nutshell, I am still king of infinite realms," murmured Zeke softly. He closed his hands, causing the miniature Cosmic Juggernaut to vanish instantly. Simultaneously, the elusive concept of space became vividly clear within his eyes.
Zeke stared straight ahead, his golden irises unflinching, and said calmly, "Having just fled hastily, what brings you back now? Surely not to surrender, Otto?"
"Cough...cough... Well, you might not believe me, but honestly, I never anticipated you'd fuse Cosmic Juggernaut into your body. So please don't blame me!"
Hera, adorned in her elegant red dress, materialized in mid-air with an awkward smile, letting out a forced laugh.
Zeke's eyebrows twitched slightly.
"What do you mean... huh?!?"
"BOOM!!!"
A colossal surge of energy erupted not from the surroundings but within Zeke's body itself. This unique form of energy relentlessly consumed his Honkai Energy, uncontrollable and rapidly amplifying its explosive power—a clear indication of a chain reaction.
"Honkai energy annihilating warhead..."
Zeke shook his head as golden cracks appeared on his body, followed by another blindingly bright sun rising over the lunar surface.
'Boom!!!'
Hera raised a hand to shield against the intense glare, enduring the powerful energy waves heading towards her, and observed a massive golden clock face emerging in the sky.
'Tick!'
The hands reversed, and all radiance dissipated, leaving Zeke once again unscathed, standing calmly in the air, his gaze unwavering as he looked at Hera.
"My apologies, I just thought you should spend some time grappling with the Cosmic Juggernaut, so I added a few strategic weapons from my inventory. Truly, I didn't expect you to fuse it into your body. Please forgive me; it wasn't intentional."
Hera lowered her hand, brushing off dust from her skirt. Her innocent blue eyes seemed to convey harmlessness—of course, it was all an act. She had anticipated Zeke would decisively take control of the Cosmic Juggernaut, even guessing he might integrate it within himself. Moreover, she hadn't merely released "a bit" of strategic weapons; she had emptied several large launch centers' inventories.
Zeke remained unresponsive, watching her expressionlessly.
Hera suppressed her smile and continued, "I've noticed that your hour hand first moved from twelve to eleven. There should have been another shift from eleven to ten in between, and now it's transitioning from ten to nine..."
"What are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying, while Herrscher abilities are undoubtedly powerful, they aren't entirely limitless. After all, they're only calibrated against our terrestrial civilization. No matter how exceptional the ability, there must be boundaries. You've been stacking power from different points in time onto yourself, achieving this extraordinary energy intensity, while simultaneously utilizing the ability to reverse your own timeline... Surely, there can't be absolutely no restrictions, right?"
Smiling, Hera appeared as if she had discerned Zeke's weakness. Confidently, she even took out a lady's folding fan, gracefully fanning herself despite its irrelevance on the lunar surface.
Zeke paused momentarily before nodding.
"Very logical, as expected of you. The authority over time is indeed quite useful. However, both energy accumulation and damage reversal have their limits. Even for me, it's impossible to sustain indefinitely."
Hera had now fully engaged her serious mode, having discerned everything she needed to observe. With no valid counterargument available, Zeke decided not to force a response.
Both of them understood that merely recognizing these limitations held little significance.
How much longer could Zeke maintain this near-divine state? And how many more times could he utilize time reversal?
Without answers to these questions, the situation remained unresolved.
Zeke's golden eyes were cold and impassive, while Hera's blue gaze appeared contemplative. As they stared at each other, it was Hera who first broke the silence, revealing a cunning smile as if her plan had succeeded.
"You must be feeling quite uneasy now, aren't you?"
Zeke remained silent.
"There's no need to pretend. You've subdued the Doomsday Stone before, but controlling the exposed Herrscher Core from the previous era is far from easy!"
Time reversal cannot affect the Cosmic Juggernaut, as it would conflict with the Divine Key's core abilities. Moreover, reversing time would restore the detonated Demolisher Grenades, causing them to explode again, rendering the action pointless.
Thus, within Zeke's body now lay not the complete and stable Divine Key, the Cosmic Juggernaut, but rather the true Herrscher Core of the Void from the previous era, stripped of its outer structure by the Demolisher Grenades.
Amidst Zeke's silence, a hint of nostalgia flashed in Hera's bright eyes as she recalled numerous instances where Zeke had outsmarted her long ago. She remarked:
"From the start, you were brimming with confidence, never concealing your intentions. Upon encountering Cosmic Juggernaut, instead of questioning how someone of my intellect could willingly hand such power to an enemy, you accepted it without any caution. Now, despite knowing that the Herrscher Core within you is merely a burden, there's no hint of rejection... Zeke, arrogance is a formidable foe—a lesson you repeatedly reminded me of during our past encounters!"
"The situation hasn't changed; even if I must expend energy to suppress it, I remain invincible against all. Conversely, once I tame this core, none of you will stand a chance."
"To triumph over greater odds, one must continually accumulate advantages! Zeke, be prepared—I won't grant you time to recuperate or tame the core. What follows is... well, either from me personally, or more accurately, this era's counterattack against you!"
With a sweep of her hand, Hera directed her feathered fan, summoning countless phantoms of Moonlight Throne cannons to weave across the sky.
[Otto, ready to begin?]
'Yes... It's truly remarkable, isn't it? Who would've thought we'd ever collaborate like this, Welt?'
"For this beautiful world and everyone's smiles, unleash your full potential without restraint. As for any backlash from the Herrscher Core, I'll handle it all."
"Hmph, nothing is more reassuring than Welt's promise! In that case, let's not hold back!"
Zeke gazed at the countless cannons obscuring the sky, raising his hand as lightning and flames surged once again.
Countering Selene with power fueled by Honkai Energy was incredibly foolish; even if successful, it would require at least ten times more energy. However, Zeke seemed to have no better choice since Hera's Selene could not be controlled by worker bees.
"You actually teamed up with Welt?"
"Surprising? Even I find it astonishing—how can pure, immaculate light blend with filthy darkness?" Despite her mixed emotions, Hera maintained her charming, composed smile.
She too had yearned for a similarly pristine beam of light, dedicating her life to it obsessively, only to end up drenched in unwashable bloodshed.
Yet, being someone who relentlessly chased after the light, perhaps amidst all the darkness traversed, there remained corners of her heart still longing to be good, right?
"Zeke, I don't know what your plan entails, but it seems like the kind that could potentially destroy the world, doesn't it?"
"Just a part of it."
"Is it sacrificing just a part or leaving only a part? Well, no matter! You be the villain, and I'll be the hero—what a novel experience!"
Suppressing her fleeting thoughts, Hera waved her hand, unleashing the torrential barrage from the Gigantic Moonlight Cannon upon the earth.
In response, Zeke raised his own hand, releasing an immeasurable force akin to the vastness of the ocean—but not targeting the overhead Moonlight Throne cannon, instead directing it towards Hera herself.
Hera was too cunning, and Welt too tenacious, with both their reputations and influence being extraordinary. Zeke reasoned that, at worst, he could simply reverse time once more. If he could take down the duo of Hera and Welt, it would save him a great deal of trouble subsequently.
After a dazzling moment of brilliance, on the lunar surface transformed yet again—unbeknownst how many times now—Zeke casually lowered his hands. Behind him, the predetermined golden dial reappeared, reversing once more as the Honkai Energy shattered by Selene's bombardment majestically ascended anew.
"How frightful~"
"But..."
"I've turned back the hour hand once more!"
"How many chances do you have left?"
"Regardless, my reserve of clones..."
"...is quite abundant!" Hera's voice echoed from all directions into Zeke's mind.
Elegant duplicates of her, each with smiling golden eyes, materialized in the void around him.
Zeke observed them, seemingly unconcerned. "Such tedious lies," he said mildly. "You've already sacrificed numerous clones before. Creating specialized combat bodies like these, even for your improved self, has its limits."
However, that wasn't the main issue. The crux was that while Hera had many clones, Welt possessed only one source of power. After their recent exchange, the Herrscher of Reason could no longer participate in battle; likely, his Core remained dormant somewhere, hidden away.
Without Welt's enhancement, the mere presence of Hera's clones—essentially a group of dolls individually weaker than any Herrscher—could not breach Zeke's defenses. To him, it was merely a matter of time to overcome them.
Zeke, coldly pondering, raised his palm once more.