A breeze swept by, bringing with it a strong smell of blood. On the ground, which was covered in large pits, a huge figure was lying in a pit, its head having rolled a long way away.
Swoosh.
The long knife lightly vibrated, and a few drops of blood were carried away by the wind. Only then did Ryan look at the Herrscher's corpse.
A difficult opponent, but in the right place, at the right time, death could be so casual, just like the humans they had harvested.
Ryan had never liked to summarize after a battle. He looked at the two gems in his palm and clenched his fist.
They're dead, I'm alive, and that's enough.
After a series of battles, the terrain had been completely messed up, and the spiral in the sky also began to shrink. After all, a black hole couldn't absorb that much energy from the Sea of Quanta.
'It wasn't in vain that I planned for these past few months. Although there were some coincidental factors, it was still perfect.'
A strong sense of feedback surged, making him so excited that every cell in his body was trembling. Ryan felt that he was closer to Honkai, and when he blinked, he felt as if he could see that golden starry sky.
The world's loophole, the surging imaginary energy, and—
"The Cocoon."
Ryan looked up like that, and a term came out of his mouth subconsciously. He took a step forward, and then was suddenly startled.
Something's wrong. This thing is affecting me.
His gray eyes trembled. The sense of excitement faded away as if a basin of cold water had been poured over him. Reason climbed back into his mind and started to operate like a computer.
'Question Honkai, understand Honkai, become Honkai?'
As his path of Trailblazersing extended, Ryan felt that his state was also changing, because he was not simply devouring. His power came from understanding, and understanding focused on contact.
If this wasn't in the Sea of Quanta, his mind would probably have already directly touched the Cocoon of Finality.
"It's very possible. I have seven authorities now, and my Honkai energy is over seven thousand. I'm even closer to the Cocoon of Finality than the current Herrschers."
But precisely because he wasn't devouring violently, there was something else on top of that contact. Coupled with the obstruction of the Sea of Quanta, Ryan was only in a daze for a few seconds.
'My path is giving me feedback, and my path is also protecting me. In terms of power level, the Aeon is obviously above the Cocoon.'
His muscles relaxed in an instant. Only then did he raise his head and see Mobius not far away.
"I'm fine now."
Mobius was holding Hua. She didn't dare to come over when she found out that something was wrong. Hearing his words, she raised her eyebrows a little confused.
"It's just as Mei said, you've been affected by Honkai. And how do you prove it?"
'That woman Mei actually anticipated this and took precautions?'
Ryan was stunned. He thought that this kind of precaution was normal. After all, the things he had shown were far more terrifying than Elysia. If he had a problem, he should be locked in the Sea of Quanta forever.
'No wonder Mei agreed to my combat plan so readily. She actually guessed one less layer. How cunning.'
He only guessed the 'Fire Seed Plan'. He really didn't guess the second layer of meaning. However, Mobius's questioning eyes made him a little angry.
"I said I'm fine. You don't believe me?"
"I do, but you have to show me proof. Otherwise, what should I do if I bring a demon back?" Mobius hadn't finished speaking, when the man in her eyes disappeared. Then she heard a 'slap' and quickly covered her butt.
Ryan was standing behind her, rubbing his fingers: "Very elastic. Is that enough?"
"I'll kill you!" Mobius's face flushed. Unfortunately, she was holding Hua, so it was not easy for her to fight back. She had to lean her back against the rock wall, biting her lips, her snake eyes burning.
'It's really him. Only that bastard would dare to do this!'
Having gotten his revenge, Ryan showed a hint of a pleased expression. When he saw Hua, he immediately sobered up.
"How is she?"
"You just hit me, why should I tell you!" Mobius gritted her teeth, but when she saw Ryan spread his palm, she had no choice but to listen to the call in her heart and not suffer a loss. "With the Fifth Divine Key, plus my emergency treatment, she won't die. She should wake up soon."
Ryan breathed a sigh of relief. The reason why he insisted on Hua using the Key of Blankness was that this thing could freeze life at a critical moment to save her.
"That's good. Get ready to send the signal. I was wondering why there was no reaction." Ryan turned around and paused, "By the way, you came for this."
"Hmph, so that some people won't say I can't separate my personal life from my work. But if you're really what Mei said you are, I won't go back either."
Ryan was a little surprised and turned around, but he couldn't see Mobius's face. Only her green hair was fluttering, revealing a hint of red.
"By the way, be careful with that Vita."
This platypus has changed her ways.
He silently curled his mouth, and then his expression changed instantly, becoming serious, because the fourth survivor had walked in from the other side of the shattered valley.
Vita didn't seem to be injured. Her cloak was only stained with some dust. Her expression was the same as always, a little timid and a little kind.
Only a few shadowy monsters drilled out of the cracks in the ground, surrounding her like pets. She didn't scream in fear, but gently stroked them.
"I thought you weren't coming. Thank you for your help." Ryan stood with his hand on his knife. There wasn't much tension. It was as if he had met a friend.
Vita also stopped. She looked at the man ten meters away and tilted her head slightly: "When did you figure it out?"
"From the beginning."
"Is my acting so bad?"
"It's not bad. It's just that I'm a suspicious person. When you're result-oriented, it's easy to see problems."
The girl blinked. There was no need for a person like him to lie to her. And her attitude, although not kind, was not very hostile either.
"So that's how it is. What a shame. But I haven't met such a terrifying person in a long time. Even I was part of your calculation. And you are also very strange. I actually can't figure out your plan."
Her words were very subtle, but Ryan heard the underlying meaning. After a moment of thought, he understood.
This Vita should have the ability to read minds or know the future, but like Aponia, she couldn't predict him or the people around him. Sure enough, this power is very similar to the Cocoon of Finality.
No wonder she was so easy to talk to. It turned out that she didn't know what to do either.
"What would have happened if you had been able to fool me?"
"I'd investigate your secrets, act in a light comedy with you to complete my work, and then turn into a bad woman in the end?" Vita rubbed her chin, her tone a little uncertain. Then she shook her head: "But you didn't even give me a chance to perform. It's a bit of a shame when I think about it."
"Hahahahaha, I'm sorry. After all, with the Herrschers around, I don't have the ability to execute two complex plans at the same time." Ryan laughed out loud. If this world bubble only had them, he might have been interested in playing with her.
Vita's smile was a little awkward. Using arrogant words to manipulate others was only useful when facing weaker and more stupid people. Playing against this person, wouldn't she be a clown?
Look at how he calculated the Herrschers. He had already made all the plans in the dark. But a strong person like him was also good. At least she didn't have to put in so much effort.
"There's no other way. After all, in our world, we can't make a single mistake." Ryan remained calm, knowing that her gentle attitude stemmed from her strength. If he were just a Herrscher-level being, it would be a different story.
"By the way, since it's a 'job', has the one behind you been affected?"
"A little. That's why I'm even more interested. I don't know how your Honkai is being handled, but with you around, I think you'll be able to get through it successfully."
The girl looked up at the black hole in the sky, and the light in her eyes made her seem exceptionally real. Ryan's eyebrows moved, and then he was at ease.
It was unexpected, but also within his imagination. But Vita didn't seem to be deliberately hiding it, otherwise, she wouldn't have said the word 'Honkai'.
"What do you want me to do?"
"I'm sorry, I can't say." Vita shook her head. The look of memory on her face was stronger, "But I can tell you a story, consider it pre-payment."
The main part has arrived.
There was no need for acting, and no need for too much communication. Even if the details were unknown, Ryan had already guessed what the other party wanted to do.
Assisting him, forcing out the Herrschers. It was a test, a challenge, but it wasn't a favor. After all, Ryan did it himself. But now it was time for her to give him a favor.
"I'm all ears."
"Actually, I'm in the same world as you, but many, many years before you." Vita took a step and walked in a circle around Ryan. Her clothes began to dissipate into particles, and were replaced with another kind of clothing inch by inch.
This had a unique sense of beauty. However, Ryan was already in a thought storm and didn't notice it at all: "You're a person from the previous civilization?"
"Well, you're right and wrong. It is the Pre-Civilization, but I have nothing to do with Earth. Oh, in your words, my hometown should be called 'Venus'."
Venus!? There's also a Venus thing later??
Even though he was used to the 'prophet's' memory loss, Ryan's expression still changed slightly, because this was different from the butterfly effect. This was completely unknown.
'So she's a Venusian. Does that mean Martians will also come out later? Is this Cocoon of Finality messing with people everywhere?'
The black hole in the sky was collapsing, and time was limited. Vita could only focus her narration on the key information, and she obviously knew what Ryan was most concerned about.
"We also suffered from Honkai, but the form was a little different from yours, but the result was many times worse than yours."
"Your civilization was destroyed? And you hid in the Sea of Quanta?"
"It was destroyed, but I didn't hide in it. Although it was different from what we had expected, we did get through the end."
'She actually succeeded?'
"No, you and Honkai fought to a mutual destruction?" Ryan reacted instantly and looked at Vita, who had already circled him a few times.
"It's something like that. Anyway, Honkai is gone, and so is the civilization. As for the way we got through the end, it's very simple—" Vita's smile became bitter. She thought to herself that this person was indeed smart. She paused and saw Ryan holding his breath, and she no longer kept him in suspense.
"We created a tsunami!"
A tsunami? The Sea of Quanta?
Ryan was suddenly interested. This unknown information captured his heart, and he calmed down to listen.
Vita's narration was concise and to the point, and the logic was watertight.
'If this is a story, the imagination is too great. It's a million times better than me, a struggling writer.'
Ryan didn't interrupt. He carefully considered every word and compared it with his own knowledge. He couldn't find a single flaw in this story.
It turned out that Venus had also fallen into the disaster of Honkai, but it was called 'Abyss' there. The form was also a little different. The main force that destroyed the world was not Herrschers, but Honkai beasts, a kind of powerful Honkai beast that was far beyond the Final-class.
This wasn't important. Besides the visual beauty, they were essentially tools for destroying the world. The most important thing was that the Venusians succeeded halfway.
Unlike Earth, which focused on imaginary space and hoped to learn from the enemy to defeat them, their main research direction was the Sea of Quanta. They were a super-enlarged version of the Third Institute. Any random researcher they had might have studied it more deeply than Dr. Vidic.
"So, you created a tsunami, and used the Sea of Quanta to flood your intrinsic world, eliminating Honkai, but also completely destroying your civilization?"
"That's about it. So I agree with your view of mutual destruction." Vita nodded gently.
'Oh this...'
Ryan was silent for a long time and could only shake his head helplessly: "I'm very sorry to hear that."
This was indeed frustrating. The direction was correct. After all, the tree and the sea were opposed. Using real numbers to defeat imaginary numbers was the right path, but they overdid it. It was not easy to use the power of the sea for a world on the tree.
However, this was indeed a path.
Ryan looked at the girl who had almost completely changed her clothes. Her gray hair, Scarlet eyes, peacock-like hair accessories, and her black clothes.
Her right leg was in pants, while her left leg was in gray stockings. There was also a 'curtain' on her chest.
I have to say, the Venusians' aesthetics were really good. They were all about asymmetrical beauty, weren't they?
Vita was the Mei of Venus, the chief scientist. The difference was that she became a survivor of her civilization and then obtained a strange power.
"So you sank into the sea, gave up your human form, and became an existence similar to the Cocoon of Finality. Then you harvested the power of world bubbles to strengthen yourself?"
"That's it. Are you disappointed?" The girl raised her hand, and several peacock feather-like things floated on her back.
Ryan shook his head. The other party didn't say it explicitly, but he would be an idiot if he couldn't see it.
Since she had given up her human form, she would have to rely on a clone to walk from behind the scenes to the front. And a simple clone didn't need to tell him a story. The answer was very simple.
'After a long time, the clone developed a self-awareness and wanted to get rid of the control of the main body? I'm so lucky to have run into her.'
Ryan himself had the Authority of Domination. If he wanted to, he could also do this. He could split off a part of his energy and authority to let it act on its own, but he didn't do it.
Autonomous actions would definitely produce self-awareness. It was safer to have a puppet with no thoughts.
"This story is very heavy, but it's very important to me, no, to Earth's civilization. You paid such a heavy price. You must have made a summary in the countless years since."
"It's of no use, but we had to do it emotionally." Vita gently spread her hands. In terms of memory, she was no different from the main body, so she could be considered the person herself.
"That's right. Regret is also one of our instincts. So, I'm very interested in what you've summarized. After all, Earth doesn't have time to start from scratch." Ryan didn't beat around the bush. He was determined to get this information.
This was one of the most important pieces of the puzzle to get through the end, and this was the only chance.
"Heh, Mr. Ryan, you don't even bother to hide it."
"I can't help it. As the one who carries the flag of civilization, it's my responsibility. Even if it can increase the success rate by one percent, I have to fight for it with my life. In a way, we're similar."
Vita's eyes flickered. The distant memory made her a little nostalgic, and she had a sense of joy that she had finally won the bet.
She was Vita, and yet she wasn't. Her instinctive desire for freedom and her honor as a former flag-bearer made her gently applaud this human who suddenly appeared.
"Well said. Not many people dare to bear this responsibility, but if you fail, it will be heartbreaking. But you are luckier than I am. I didn't have the chance to stand on the shoulders of my predecessors to see the scenery in the distance."
Before Ryan could answer, a powerful force emanated from her body, making the space distort.
"Then you'll have to get that answer yourself."
Ryan didn't agree that it was luck. Every path was one he had opened himself. The opportunity was right in front of him, and he had no reason to refuse.
Even though he could run now, he would take this bait!
"By the way, what did you change your name to later?"
The ground was disintegrating, and the mountain peaks turned into powder. The end of this world bubble had arrived. The huge energy that had been absorbed for countless years was concentrating on Vita, finally distorting the world.
To achieve her goal, she did not hesitate to harvest this world bubble. In a way, she was indeed a bad woman, but she was also very happy that the opponent she met was not a moralist.
'You have a need, I have a request. We're not enemies or friends. Let's cooperate.'
"After a long time, its name is 'Sa'."
Sa?
'Tens of thousands of years later, this main body will definitely be Final-class. I don't need to think about whether I can defeat her or not. At the very least, there's no need for a decisive battle. But her clone has gained self-awareness, and this has indirectly helped me a lot.'
Ryan took a deep breath and also released that terrifying energy completely.
"Then I'll have to thank her properly!"
The world disappeared in his eyes. Everything cracked like broken glass. When Ryan came back to his senses, he found that his body was being pulled downwards.
There was no sense of gravity. It was like a piece of iron that couldn't float on the surface of the sea. It was a little interesting.
The deep passage was almost endless. Because the light was distorted towards the inside, it looked a bit like an illusion. After a few seconds, he finally had a sense of reality. When he looked down, he was standing on a pitch-black rock.
There was no life, only the most desperate barrenness. And there was no sky around him, only large areas of 'walls' like broken glass. The boundary was close at hand, but when Ryan moved towards it, he found that the distance didn't get any closer.
Ryan stopped wasting energy. He leaned on his knife and raised his head.
"Space transfer. You crush energy into a world bubble. All the rules of this world are set by you?"
"Correct. Your knowledge is indeed extraordinary."
With a cheerful voice, a red eye appeared on the broken glass-like wall, occupying one of the pieces. The eye was very large, like a star, and was blinking agilely.
"Mr. Ryan, how about we play a game as an appetizer?"
"You want to continuously increase the intensity to get more energy?"
"You don't have to say if you're too smart. First, you have to find me, and then we can talk about the rest."
Crack.
Before she finished speaking, the ground began to crack. Ryan tried it and found that it was very difficult to fly.
'A rule that restricts flying?'
He probably understood. This rule was similar to the Herrscher of Binding's. It might not be able to restrain him, but since he needed her, Ryan decided to cooperate.
The ground cracked, and he fell into a bottomless abyss. At this moment, Ryan moved. He stepped on the falling rocks and jumped up, returning to the cracked ground where he started. Then he understood why it was called a game.
'She's driving me forward. How evil.'
Ryan ran along the cracked rock layers. Light balls began to fall from the 'sky', and the scarlet eyes on the broken walls looked quite terrifying.
Dong, dong, dong!
The ground was smashed to pieces. Ryan moved left and right, cleverly avoiding them. The power of these things was not bad, but their speed was too slow. He then slightly raised his head.
"Are you up there?"
He lunged forward. He squatted on the ground, his legs contracting like springs. Then with a 'boom', the man soared into the sky, flying towards the boundless sky.
He was flying faster than the speed of sound, and he didn't need to use his authority to fly. But he soon saw a monster like a steel dragon roaring down, and it slammed its sharp claws towards him.
'So there's this trick too?'
Authority, Unfold.
Ryan, who was still flying upwards, suddenly stopped. He reached out and grabbed the greatsword on his back. The flames burned, illuminating the dim space.
"Please, don't be so impatient."
Vita's voice came from all directions. Ryan was stunned for a moment, and then he smiled helplessly.
'Fine, you're the one in charge. You call the shots.'
He guessed that Vita was probably preparing something and didn't want him to clear the stage too quickly. So he let go of the sword he was holding and only clenched his fist, and slammed it towards the giant dragon that was pouncing on him.
Boom!!!
The scattered flames formed a halo. Ryan was sent flying back into the rock wall, leaving one deep footprint after another. He then saw the dragon fold its wings and fall like a spinning top.
Dong—
Ryan looked tiny in front of this ten-meter-long monster, but the giant claw stopped in front of him, suppressed by the gravity barrier. He even had time to take a good look at the other party.
It looked like a Honkai beast, but it was much stronger than the ones on Earth. It had almost reached the Herrscher level.
'I see. You rebuilt it based on the Abyss beasts from your hometown, and the energy that makes it up is mixed with the aura of the Sea of Quanta?'
Ryan was overjoyed. He was just complaining that the monsters outside were too weak. He lightly jumped up, dodged the steel tail that swept across the ground, turned into a lightning bolt, and slammed into the monster's chest. His right hand had already pierced through the body, and the red energy was constantly pouring in.
Authority of Blood. Devour and Absorb.
A strange energy began to drill into his body. Unlike the Herrscher of Blood, Ryan only needed the concept of 'devouring', not the imaginary side creature itself.
"I'm not picky. I'll take the stuff first and slowly understand it later."
The contact only lasted for an instant. The giant claw that was clapping sent Ryan flying. His whole body was embedded in the rock wall, and his red eyes still had a trace of excitement.
His luck was good, and Vita was also good. If she needed a threat level to apply for more energy, Ryan was definitely a high-quality partner.
Precisely because of this authority and path, Ryan was also reverse-exploring the 'Sa'.
This threat was much greater than destroying a farm. He was a must-kill target. And she just happened to have this Vita as an agent.
A larger amount of energy poured in from the void, making this space even more strange. Clouds appeared around Ryan, as well as giant pillars that reached the sky, and a gigantic purplish-red eyeball hanging overhead.
Ryan looked at the light beams and the giant beast and smiled. He gently pulled out Judgement of Shamash.
"Did killing intent trigger evolution?"
"Yes. More and more energy is descending here, Mr. Ryan. Aren't you afraid that I'm deceiving you?" The eyeball was speaking. With the sound, a countless number of Scarlet lasers shot out.
The clouds were cut open, the giant pillars were cut, and they fell into the bottomless sea. Each attack was similar to a Honkai energy array cannon, enough to turn steel into dust.
Thousands of giant pillars were cleanly cut, which made Ryan, who was floating in the sky, stand out. The light beams were distorted around him. The giant dragon that flew at him hit an ice wall, and then a palm made of flames sent it flying.
His authority was being integrated. An invisible thread brought back a single arm that remained of the giant dragon, and it disintegrated in Ryan's hand like mud.
"Don't worry. Too many people want to kill me. I'm already too in debt to worry."