Even the most optimistic optimist did not expect that their greatest opponent would disappear on its own.
Sirin had vanished.
Whether it was Schicksal's satellites probing or everyone conducting a carpet search, no one could find Sirin's whereabouts.
On the moon, whether it was Welt Yang, Siegfried, or Otto and Fu Hua, everyone looked at each other in confusion.
"We've searched the entire moon; aside from a lunar relic, there's no sign of any Herrscher."
"And this lunar relic can be confirmed as a giant relic used by the pre-civilization era to seal the overflow of Honkai Energy from Finality."
Otto, combining the information sent by Amber, addressed everyone: "Herrscher Sirin may be within it, but she may also not be. To be honest, the most optimistic outcome this time is that the battle yielded nothing."
At that moment, they were standing in front of a massive lunar structure: "But we don't have the ability to open this place. Old friend, do you have any clues?"
This was the last place on the moon that had not been found, and the current civilization simply did not have the capability to construct such a grand building on the moon.
So, there was only one answer.
This building came from the pre-civilization era.
Otto looked at Fu Hua.
Fu Hua's eyes flickered.
She said lightly, "This is a place used by the pre-civilization era to house the Stigmata terminal."
"Stigmata terminal?" Otto pondered.
Isn't this the content of his deal with Chen Ran?
Fu Hua explained to everyone: "Stigmata is a special information gene initially discovered by Chen Ran and Dr. MEI, which can generate memories to counter Honkai within a person's body. After this special gene was modified by Mobius, it became a gene database, known as Stigmata."
She did not recount her own origins but simply explained that era.
"In that era, Honkai was viewed as a force identical to consciousness, and consciousness was seen as the alienated Honkai, or Honkai was regarded as alienated consciousness. Therefore, those who possessed Stigmata theoretically had abilities similar to Herrschers. And the facts proved that this was indeed the case."
She looked at the bewildered crowd and continued, "The Stigmata terminal was established based on the civilization reboot plan proposed by Chen Ran, but this plan was kept strictly confidential. Before Finality arrived, only three people knew about this plan. And I learned about the entire process purely by coincidence."
What Fu Hua did not mention was that fourteen years ago in Shenzhou, Elysia had sought her out.
At that time, she was astonished to see an acquaintance from fifty thousand years ago, and it was then that Elysia had the opportunity to explain everything to Fu Hua.
It was also at that time that she regained some of her burned memories and learned about the traces Chen Ran might have left in this era.
"Its greatest function is to project special Stigmata life forms into the future and, over a long period, seek practical ways for humanity to overcome Honkai. But I don't know how far the specific calculations have gone."
Otto wanted to ask for more details, but he saw Siegfried say, "Then let's not wait for life; let's go in."
This S-rank Valkyrie eagerly approached the entrance of the relic: "If we don't go in and take a look, how will we know if Sirin is here?"
Siegfried didn't care about the origins of the Stigmata terminal; his only goal was to bring Sirin out.
However, when he arrived in front of the massive relic, he was stunned by the scene before him.
The mythological moon palace-like structure was now in his sight, with complex inscriptions recording the history from fifty thousand years ago.
And in the center was a broken humanoid statue.
It was hard to imagine how the pre-civilization era could have constructed such a building during the 72 hours of Finality's downtime without being destroyed by Finality.
Siegfried instinctively looked at the statue's eyes but instinctively avoided it.
For some reason, he always felt that this statue was as if it had come to life.
The others, worried about Siegfried, hurried to catch up, but fortunately, nothing unexpected happened.
Otto breathed a sigh of relief and then sighed, "I can't imagine what level of technology that era had to build such a massive structure on the moon; it completely doesn't seem like something humans could do."
"Indeed, it's not something humans could do."
Fu Hua said, "The soil on the moon cannot support such a giant building's structure, so it must have used Honkai-alienated technology."
"Honkai-alienated?"
"It's the technology that transforms inorganic materials into giant Major Honkai Eruption beasts." She looked at MSR-7, the Father, and then at this building, which was even larger than the Father, and said, "This is a technology that was already taboo in that era, but I didn't expect to see it here."
Controlling Arahato and carrying the Father, Welt Yang said lightly, "This is indeed a giant Honkai life form, and it's already very weak."
Otto sighed, "An unimaginable miracle."
Welt Yang said, "There's a lower space over there; should we go over?"
"Let's go; we can't do anything here." Fu Hua suggested.
As they continued to delve deeper, they discovered that the interior of this giant building was a different world.
"This is…"
Welt Yang, walking in the front, had a flicker of unusual light in his eyes.
What fell into their view was a massive structure resembling an armory.
Under the illumination of the built-in lights, countless instruments were silently working.
The edges of the instruments were connected to lines leading into the moon's interior, relying on the energy overflow from Finality to operate.
And all these instruments were connected to a terminal that resembled a giant cocoon; it had no screens and no visible mechanical structure.
Accompanied by the sound of the instruments working silently, it was also rhythmically pulsing.
It was as if a person's heart was beating.
"What on earth is this?" Siegfried couldn't help but ask.
"It should be the Stigmata terminal."
Fu Hua had never seen it in person but had heard Elysia mention it.
"Relying on the power overflow from Finality, it has been working for fifty thousand years, seeking all methods to counter Honkai; that is the purpose of the terminal's existence."
She couldn't help but walk forward when suddenly the entire factory emitted a 'ziz' alarm sound.
[Warning, warning.]
[Unknown life form detected approaching the Stigmata terminal; activating defense mode.]
The fire control system surrounding the armory activated, and Siegfried and the others saw countless gun ports aiming at them.
This was just a warning.
Otto's eyes held a hint of disappointment: "It seems Sirin is not here, but I am very interested in the terminal's operational work."
Just after he finished speaking, a bullet was shot directly at him.
Otto frowned, and Theresa intercepted the shell with Judah.
[No outsiders are welcome here until the work is completed.]
"Can you receive our communication? Since you can converse, that makes things easier."
Otto looked at the terminal itself and said, "We came for a Herrscher; she possesses multiple Herrscher Cores."
[I have seen her; she found me before you. I provided her with a way to enter the virtual space.]
Upon hearing this response, everyone exchanged glances.
Clearly, even after becoming a Herrscher, Sirin had not given up on searching for Cecilia.
Otto continued to ask, "Do you have a way to deal with that Herrscher?"
[No.]
"Do you have a way to deal with Honkai?"
[No.]
"Why don't we cooperate?" Otto paused and said, "Currently, Schicksal has many resource advantages on Earth; I think it's more likely to find a way to defeat Honkai than cold, hard calculations."
[Pure calculations cannot find a way to defeat Honkai; that belongs to the realm of consciousness dimensions, which I have long known. I am only simulating how to calculate the data of consciousness dimensions.]
[Please leave; the resources on Earth are of no use to me.]
Otto's eyes narrowed slightly.
At that moment, Siegfried stepped forward: "Tell me the way to enter the virtual space."
[Please retreat to a safe distance.]
The cannon was aimed at Siegfried.
Siegfried quickly stopped in his tracks.
"Tell me, how do I enter the imaginary space?"
[You do not have the ability to enter.]
"Why?"
[You will die.]
The cold electronic information echoed in everyone's minds, and Siegfried paused for a moment, then clenched his fists.
"None of your business. If you don't tell me, I'll dismantle your broken machine."
[You can try.]
Like the last straw that broke the camel's back, Siegfried drew the Cleaver of Shamash and swung it fiercely at the cannon.
Countless rounds of fire suddenly erupted, and special bullets struck his body directly.
"Foolish Siegfried, you can't act recklessly."
Theresa, holding Judah, blocked all the bullets.
Welt Yang glanced at Otto, who signaled everyone to refrain from action.
He was eager to see what the terminal could do.
"Thanks, Theresa. I'll treat you to dinner when we get back."
Siegfried, gripping the Cleaver of Shamash, was determined to destroy the equipment.
However, when Heaven's Fire came down, the equipment remained intact.
Suddenly, he heard a loud roar, and the once stable ground began to shake.
Theresa's expression changed: "It's the building; this building has come to life."
"Get out of here!"
Everyone quickly retreated, only to see the massive structure begin to move slowly. It had no hands, no feet, no eyes, and no heart.
Yet, just standing there made it hard to breathe.
Welt Yang quickly spoke up: "Einstein, Tesla."
"Received."
The two doctors at the Yellowstone base, using Welt's vision, began to control the massive Father machine.
They saw a Father comparable to a Judgment-class Honkai Beast raise its fist and start smashing at this unknown Honkai lifeform.
However, as its fist came crashing down, a special barrier appeared, causing the Father to kneel on one knee instead.
"What's going on?" Siegfried and Theresa exchanged glances, completely unaware of what was happening.
Suddenly, everyone felt a wave of weakness.
Fu Hua's face turned pale: "It's the anti-energy domain."
"This is a special magnetic field created by Dr. MEI using the corpse of the Herrscher of Binding, combined with some content from the Dead Sea Scrolls. This field can extinguish all Honkai."
"We should be grateful we're not inside this monster; otherwise…"
"What we feel is more than just weakness."
Siegfried tightened his grip on the Cleaver of Shamash: "Damn it, is there really no way?"
"Enough, Siegfried!"
Theresa shouted through the shared communicator: "We are not here to deal with this terminal; stop causing trouble!"
Theresa's voice carried a hint of indifference: "No more meaningless sacrifices; this is the best outcome."
Herrscher Sirin was not on the moon, and humanity did not have to face a Herrscher like a deity.
There were no injuries, not even the most optimistic optimist could have anticipated this outcome.
But that was the reality; aside from being thwarted by the giant Honkai structure before them, everyone could return safely.
Otto gazed deeply at the lunar structure.
In his memory, there was no Stigmata terminal on the moon.
"The world has changed the outcome for you, Chen Ran," he thought.
"Message Amber; she must be waiting anxiously. We're leaving."
Otto led everyone to retreat.
Welt Yang, piloting Arahato, said to Siegfried: "Einstein and Dr. Tesla are already trying to find effective means of communication with the terminal; you don't need to worry."
"We will come back to the moon."
…
…
"To reach the other side of the imaginary space, you might as well look for Otto instead of asking me."
In the Far East, Chen Ran said to Kiana with a faint tone: "I don't know how Cecilia's experiment is going; all I know is that I can't guarantee your safety."
"Stop rambling."
Kiana looked at Chen Ran and said flatly: "I've found a suitable oxygen tank, and I can arrange for my family to send a spacesuit. Once I have that, I can follow you to the moon."
"No need to go through all that trouble; the moon's environment is harsh, but it won't affect you."
He looked at her: "You are already a part of Honkai; after all, your ancestors were."
Kiana asked: "So, can I go to the imaginary space?"
"Don't think about it; at most, I can let you go to the moon. To reach the imaginary space means you can walk through time."
He didn't tell Kiana about 'Durandal.'
When Kiana found him wanting to open the imaginary space, Chen Ran didn't refuse; he just said that the best way to open the door to the imaginary space was to reach the moon.
Kiana agreed.
She hadn't experienced the moon's environment, but she was surprised to hear that oxygen wasn't needed.
Chen Ran simply told Kiana the origin of the Kaslana bloodline, and she understood.
"Then I'll return the oxygen tank. When do we set off?"
"Are you really going?"
"Do you think Miss is joking with you?" Kiana grinned.
If it weren't for her needing something from him, she would have punched him by now.
"What about Shigure Kira? How will you explain it?"
"I've cut off all communications; I'll explain when we get back, if there's a chance." Kiana said blankly.
Chen Ran sighed: "I was thinking of getting a shell plane to at least cover our tracks. But since Otto isn't here, it's unnecessary."
If he wanted to open the door to the imaginary space, then the moon was a necessary destination.
The reason was simple; there was the holy sword named Durandal that he had left behind on the moon.
In the story, Durandal was a holy sword capable of supporting a world bubble. Of course, Chen Ran wasn't sure if it still had that capability.
However, relying on Durandal's help was essential for Chen Ran.
After all, he wasn't an omnipotent, omniscient being, but Bia was.
"Then come on up."
He pointed to his back, and Kiana hesitated for a moment before wrapping her arms around his neck, her legs hooking around his waist.
Chen Ran began to use the power of Stigmata to control the fluid authority to lift himself into the air.
The best use of fluid authority was here; with fluid knowledge, gaining the ability to fly was too easy.
Although he couldn't reach supersonic speeds like Wendy, breaking free from the first cosmic velocity was no problem.
From this perspective, Honkai Energy truly was omnipotent.
As Kiana lay on Chen Ran's back, she quickly adapted to the high-altitude low oxygen.
She didn't know what the Kaslana family blood meant, but due to the low oxygen environment, the super mutation factor in her body was activated, allowing her to quickly adapt to various harsh environments like a MANTIS.
Unfazed by low oxygen and low temperatures, this girl was no different from a Honkai Beast.
As they headed to the moon, they happened to brush past the retreating Schicksal forces.
However, the Schicksal forces did not notice them.
Kiana didn't know how much time had passed until the scenery in her view changed from clouds to starry skies, and then to the increasingly close moon.
There was no sound in her ears; she felt as if she had entered a silent world.
Suddenly, she realized that the surface of her skin had cracked due to the alternating cold and heat, and her body was rapidly losing moisture.
At that moment, she felt a warm force.
It was Chen Ran using a part of the simulated plant Herrscher's authority to heal her.
"The super mutation factor in your body hasn't activated enough yet, so you haven't adapted, but it will be fine soon."
Seeing Kiana's puzzled expression, Chen Ran tossed her a headset, signaling her to put it on.
Only after she put on the headset could they communicate normally.
"I modified the intercom that can be used on the moon in one night," Chen Ran smiled and said, "It cost sixty; isn't it amazing?"
Kiana gave a thumbs up.
With basic communication capabilities established, everything that followed became easier.
"Next, I will take you to find items from the previous era, but I can't guarantee she will take you into the imaginary space."
"So don't have too high expectations; let's go."
He extended his hand to Kiana: "I'll pull you; it'll be faster."
Kiana reached out without hesitation.
Then, before she could react, Chen Ran took off again.
Soon, a massive structure came into view for the two.
The land of Honkai seals, the center of the lunar ruins.
Chen Ran released Kiana's wrist and walked inside.
Before long, they arrived at the center of the ruins.
A gigantic humanoid statue stood at the center, and Kiana instinctively looked over but instinctively averted her gaze.
She actually felt a sense of fear in making eye contact.
As if refusing to back down, Kiana looked again.
Then, she saw a surprising scene.
The humanoid structure began to move, and a long sword emerged from a special device underground, the giant sword embedding itself into a stone pedestal, prompting Kiana to instinctively walk over.
For some reason, this sword was incredibly alluring to her.
When she realized what was happening, she found her hand already gripping the sword's hilt.
She turned to Chen Ran: "Should I pull it out?"
"Follow your instinctive choice."
Kiana took a deep breath and gripped it in her hand.
It was as if a special resonance occurred, and the power of the sword embedded in the stone began to loosen.
Then, she pulled the sword from the stone, and the massive structure suddenly began to collapse.
The enormous stones started to crack, and the Stigmata terminal system that had operated for fifty thousand years could no longer hold on here.
Kiana pulled out the control center of this massive artificial Honkai structure, which is also the core of the Stigmata terminal: Durandal.
The moment the sword was pulled from the stone, it signified the end for both the terminal and the artificial Honkai structure.
They had completed their mission.
A huge rock was about to fall on Kiana, and she instinctively dodged. Another boulder came crashing down, and she swiftly met it with her sword.
As the long sword barely touched the stone, the entire rock suddenly shattered into pieces.
"That's amazing."
"Of course."
A voice entered her ears.
She saw the long sword in her hand suddenly transform into a small figure with a big head.
Under Kiana's astonished gaze, the little figure bounced towards Chen Ran.
"Chen Ran, you finally came to get me!"
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