"Welcome to this vast and boundless cosmos, to the genesis and culmination of human fantasy."
Xin Yu opened his arms, watching Raiden Mei, who wore a tender, childlike smile. At this moment, the two stood in the cosmic void, surrounded by the boundless expanse of space, dotted with the faint starlight emitted by distant stars.
Raiden Mei looked at the boy before her, at the joyful smile on his face, and a faint smile also graced her own.
She felt no fear or bewilderment at finding herself in the cosmic void. Her unwavering belief was that the young man before her would not let her come to harm. At the very least, he would protect her until he himself fell.
And indeed, it was so. Even in this cosmic void, Raiden Mei could still feel the air around her, still feel a faint gravitational pull, keeping her from drifting away.
"Xin Yu, I feel a vague sensation… It's as if a powerful connection is about to form between us, but it's still very hazy, and I can't quite grasp it."
Xin Yu pondered for a moment after hearing Raiden Mei's words, then recalled the person he had blessed before, and the scene he had once thought was a dream.
He seemed to understand something. Looking at Raiden Mei, he said with a smile, "It seems we're in the right place. You'll soon gain new power, Mei. Now, I'll show you another side of myself."
Xin Yu lifted the restrictions on his body, and his previously unremarkable, unnoticeable aura vanished in an instant. In its place was a presence that drew people in irresistibly, like moths drawn to a flame – a burning, even if dangerous, light they would relentlessly pursue.
This presence transcended the normal appearance of humans. It wasn't exactly an "appearance," but rather a special aura or field.
Anyone who caught even a glimpse of it would be profoundly captivated, immediately regarding the source as the sole light of their life, their eternal hope, and their salvation, praying, confessing, and craving their deliverance.
People would transform into fervent devotees, worshipping this divine being. As long as the divine being cast a glance, even if it meant sacrificing everything, they would willingly do so.
If the divine being commanded them to do good, they would expend everything to help others. If the divine being commanded evil, they would not hesitate to kill their own wives, children, and elders.
This demonic charm now fully emanated from Xin Yu, enveloping Raiden Mei. Not only that, Xin Yu's height in Raiden Mei's eyes had now reached over two meters, his physique and appearance had matured significantly, and illusory yet solid arms of children and elders extended from behind him.
A faint, almost imperceptible halo hovered above his head, somewhat blurry. You could even feel a gaze from the center of that halo, a gaze that penetrated your exterior, pierced your inner self, and thoroughly dissected every hidden fact within your heart. With just that one look, you would know that you couldn't conceal anything from the being before you.
Raiden Mei stared blankly at Xin Yu, then saw him, with his faint smile, extend three superimposed right hands towards her.
Raiden Mei stiffly placed her right hand into his. In that instant, she felt a connection form between them, one that, though non-existent, felt distinctly substantial.
Then, within this previously empty cosmic void, Raiden Mei distinctly felt the presence of an energy form. In a flash, she seemed to comprehend a vast amount of knowledge, understanding that this energy was Imaginary Energy.
At this moment, the Herrscher Core within her body produced a massive裂纹, and then began to quietly shatter within her, forming a vortex that wildly absorbed the vast Imaginary Energy from the surroundings.
Raiden Mei's lightning began to transform. From subtle arcs, it gradually became thick and robust. What was previously just lightning discharged around her body now directly formed a lightning field, covering tens of kilometers of the surrounding cosmic void.
Raiden Mei's body was rapidly undergoing a metamorphosis. She closed her eyes, her consciousness constantly sinking, as if she were floating alone in the vast, boundless cosmos, yet at an infinitely high point, something was watching her.
In the gap between consciousness and reality, Raiden Mei finally discovered the existence that had been constantly watching her. It was a miracle, it was salvation, it was light, it was hope, it was…
"Xin Yu."
Raiden Mei reopened her eyes, looking at Xin Yu, who had returned to his normal, unnoticeable appearance.
"I'm here. Is something wrong?"
Xin Yu looked at Raiden Mei, a little nervous. This was his first time bestowing a blessing upon someone face-to-face. However, "blessing" seemed an inaccurate word; more precisely, he seemed to have instilled something special into another person's body, something closer to his own essence. In other words, he thought "conferring a ritual" would be a more fitting description.
"I feel like I had a very bizarre dream. I feel as if I was trapped on a piece of paper, and then someone from outside the paper saw me… It's very strange, an indescribable feeling."
"But I do feel my power has increased significantly. I feel a sense of fullness, as if I could easily shatter a planet."
"That's just your fantasy from your increased power. Your current energy level isn't enough to shatter a planet, but you should be able to shatter a continent."
"You should have already become a Pathfinder. I just didn't expect my own peculiarities to be able to mimic an Aeon's conferment. Others might think I'm an Aeon, haha!" Xin Yu chuckled, finding his own words amusing. After all, he was still far from those beings.
So, he completely attributed this conferment to his own transmigration and all the messy things he had cultivated.
Raiden Mei silently felt the energy within her body. This energy was clearly different from the Honkai Energy she was familiar with, and it wasn't like the Imaginary Energy present in the surrounding cosmic void.
It was more like Honkai Energy, but it felt much more potent and refined than the Honkai Energy she had previously known.
Raiden Mei waved her hand, and a purple lightning bolt mixed with silver-white appeared. Then, the space in front of her was directly torn open, though it quickly healed. But truly, Raiden Mei could feel that she was now capable of using lightning to interfere with the properties of space.
"Xin Yu, now I should also be worthy of standing by your side and doing things for you, right?"
Raiden Mei wasn't immersed in the excitement of her power increase. More than that, she wanted to use this ability to help the person she was supposed to help.
"You've always been worthy of doing things for me."
"That's not the same. I want to use the blade in my hand to cut down the obstacles in your path."
"Mmm, that will be very difficult, Mei."
"But I'm your lover, and isn't changing the past equally difficult?"
"That's a truly unfair response. Oh, by the way, I have some friends in this galaxy, and some of them are people you know!"
"Really? You mean someone I know will set foot in this galaxy in the future?"
"That's right, that's right. I'll just lock onto the temporal and spatial coordinates now, then we'll give our mutual friend a surprise!"
Xin Yu said with a mischievous smile, his eyes piercing through time.