A Temple-class?
No! It was merely an avatar, shaped like a Temple-class.
The Loli Demon God watched with a wary expression as the black Temple-class slowly approached. Even if it was just an avatar, her [Appraisal] still failed to work: the feedback from the black Temple-class remained nothing but question marks.
Moreover…
This "Judgement-class Honkai Beast" of unknown true form…
The sheer pressure emanating from this avatar alone already surpassed that of an ordinary Emperor-class Honkai Beast.
One had to understand.
This was merely pieced together from fragments detached from its main body. And of such material… there were at least dozens, if not hundreds, of times more of it on the Great Rift.
An existence of this caliber.
It could obliterate a continental-scale civilization with brute force alone. Did it truly need her to "volunteer her services" as some kind of strategist?
Just as the Loli Demon God's thoughts began to wander, a voice, slightly teasing yet tinged with a hint of familiarity, echoed in her mental world like a great bell:
"Loli Demon God."
"?"
Before she could even process what kind of "racial" designation this was—
"Let's hear you call me 'Big Brother'."
"??"
"N-No… It can't be!?"
The Loli Demon God's face contorted in shock.
That address, that address just now! She had only ever called out like that once, to a tiny, lowest-ranking "Assault-class" beast when she had just awakened!
But!
That was merely a jest!
As a Variant Deadman born as a [Summoning Demon God], she knew from the very beginning of her awakening just how immense her potential was. An Assault-class… even a rare Big Universe, would at best be kept as a pet.
That Assault-class which had to struggle with all sorts of tactics just to fight ordinary mechs…
The Loli Demon God's gaze unconsciously drifted towards the distant, dark gold crystals enveloping the entire Great Rift—
What on earth had it experienced to become such a terrifying monster!?
————
Looking at the Loli Demon God before him.
Encountering a "familiar face" in the truest sense was quite an interesting event in Lu Xing's somewhat monotonous daily routine. Otherwise, he wouldn't have made such a joke, so out of character for his Honkai persona.
The 64 crystals forming the Space-Time Ring were divided into two groups by Lu Xing.
While one group recharged at the Great Rift, the other undertook air defense duties for Australia's coastal waters. The two groups alternated, ensuring the legion wouldn't be caught off guard by ultra-long-range surprise attacks (like nuclear warheads).
Nuclear weapons were a broad concept.
If it were a low-yield, ordinary type, let alone Lu Xing, many of the advanced special races within his legion could likely ignore an attack of that level.
But if the yield was significantly higher, or if some special technology was mixed in, Lu Xing would have to play the role of a "Cautious Hero." The 32 crystals were only the first line of defense. The "Gravity (No-Fly) Zone," centered on the Great Rift and covering a radius of several hundred kilometers, was the second defensive net Lu Xing had prepared. As for the third, it was a special barrier using spatial power to isolate the Great Rift.
With these measures in place, he couldn't claim it was foolproof, but it could at least maximize the legion's safety while he focused on absorbing and transferring the Great Rift's energy.
During a patrol and reconnaissance mission by one pair of these crystals (Lu Xing had imbued them with a small amount of consciousness, enabling them to automatically identify and engage threats), they happened to encounter the scene of the Loli Demon God battling the VF-0s, leading to the earlier aerial encounter.
"You don't recognize me?"
The voice, condensed from mental energy, once again echoed in her mind. The shell of the black Temple-class began to decompose and transform anew.
"And here I was, quite happy that you fulfilled our promise…"
"Crack!"
The [Big Universe] appeared before the Loli Demon God.
"...and came to find me."
The Deadmen beside the Loli Demon God stared at their "Captain" with utter disbelief. The conversation just now hadn't been encrypted; all the Deadmen had heard the voice of this entity whose power surpassed their wildest imagination.
And judging by the meaning behind its words…
Their Captain had actually interacted with this being before!?
————
"As old friends."
The [Big Universe]'s wings gave a light flap in the air.
A circular spatial gate materialized out of thin air, and two crystals swiftly flew out from it, then slowly came to a halt beside Lu Xing.
"Regarding your group joining the legion—whether you seek asylum or wish to contribute your 'wisdom,' I welcome you all."
He gave the Deadmen no chance to object.
The moment his voice fell, a powerful mental force swept through the minds of the seven Deadmen, including the Loli Demon God, deeply engraving the legion's mark within them.
These were trivial matters.
Lu Xing's attention was drawn to an aura clinging to the crystals—
"But I'm more interested in hearing,"
"What exactly was that 'secret' you saw?"
The Space-Time Ring was a part of Lu Xing's body.
He was extremely sensitive to any aura clinging to it. This residual energy, though faint, was completely opposite in nature to Honkai energy, and its energy level was several, even ten or more, times higher than ordinary Honkai energy.
Lu Xing had never encountered it before.
But this didn't prevent him from deducing the source of this power: the Quantum Sea.
The pilots of the two VF-0s Lu Xing had shot down were Armed Dolls, and the Mu Continent possessed the [Eye of the Sea Abyss] which connected to the Quantum Sea… Even without witnessing the [Spear of Longinus], Lu Xing could still make the correct judgment based on the available clues.
"This is truly…"
Lu Xing really didn't know how to express his current feelings.
The sudden appearance of over a dozen medium-sized Honkai energy rifts, and the rift he had transferred to Australia continuously expanding until it reached the scale of a Great Rift…
The reason for the accelerated Honkai process had been found.
The Imaginary Tree, as the "Creator God," and the Quantum Sea were a competing duality.
Civilizations were born on the branches of the Imaginary Tree, and the Honkai, subordinate to the Imaginary Tree, served as the examiner for the existence and development of civilizations.
As for "civilizations," the children of the Imaginary Tree, well… although their mother's examinations were somewhat strict, she would never leave them with no path to survival. However, when these children forsook their mother's embrace and instead "acknowledged a thief as their father"… The Honkai, as an extension of the Imaginary Tree's will, would absolutely not permit such a thing to happen.
Thus—
"The Mu Continent, having discovered 'Quantum Weapons,' probably doesn't understand any of this."
"In their eyes, they've found the best way to solve the Honkai problem."
"However…"
Lu Xing didn't care if humanity was accelerating its own demise.
But the existence of "Quantum Weapons" was an absolute and immense threat to his legion. The Honkai could accelerate its pace, but it couldn't violate the fundamental rules of the world itself.
The act of annihilating civilizations itself still had to be carried out by Honkai Beasts or Herrschers.
The Mu Continent must be destroyed! And it must be utterly annihilated before "Quantum Weapons" could be industrialized!
To achieve this goal, Lu Xing had actually prepared a plan long ago… regardless of whether these quantum weapons had appeared or not.
Now.
It was time to formally implement it.