Herta looked at Zygarde with immense interest. As for the Yveltal clone, her analysis made its nature perfectly clear: it was just a phantom formed from a fragment of Phantylia's heliobus energy, given shape by latching onto the immense power of Elation inside Xuan Qiu. It wasn't a new biological life-form at all.
"If you don't act soon, that Xuan Qiu fellow is going to run away," Stephen reminded her. Down on the platform, he could see Xuan Qiu already checking in with Asta and the Express crew, preparing to gather everyone together—a clear sign that they were getting ready to make a quick exit.
Herta shook her head with a small sigh of regret, clearly wishing she could have watched the giant mecha-dragon fight a little longer. With a light lift of her hand, four pristine, glowing mirrors materialized in the air behind her.
"Since you've broken into my house, you might as well stay!"
She waved her arm, and massive energy chains violently erupted from the glass surfaces, screaming across the void toward Yveltal.
Inside the station, Himeko was still hurriedly speaking with Xuan Qiu about a tactical retreat. "Mr. Xuan Qiu, if the situation turns critical, would it be possible to teleport the Astral Express along with us? I believe having the train with us will give us a massive advantage wherever we land."
Before he could answer, a sharp, deafening shriek echoed from the void outside. This time, it didn't sound like a roaring challenge—it was a painful, defensive wail.
Everyone turned their eyes to the viewport. The massive energy chains had completely locked down Yveltal's wings, neck, and tail, pinning it against the stars. The crimson beast thrashed violently, unleashing a massive surge of dark, destructive energy that corrupted the chains, shattering them into floating shards. But the moment the metal broke, fresh, untainted links materialized from the mirrors and re-entwined its limbs, repeating the loop over and over until the monster was completely paralyzed.
"It looks like we can cancel the retreat," Xuan Qiu smiled. Through Zygarde's eyes, he could see Herta standing proudly alongside Stephen out in space. Now that the master of the house had returned, he no longer had to burn his own strength to keep the structure standing.
Zygarde slowly dissolved into green light. Xuan Qiu shifted Xerneas's protective barrier away from the space station bulkheads, reshaping the light field into a tight, golden cage around Yveltal to ensure not a single drop of its rotting aura could leak into the surroundings.
Normally, if a legendary entity like Yveltal charged up a maximum-power attack, such a narrow, compressed barrier would be smashed to pieces instantly. But right now, the clone had to direct almost all of its remaining energy into fighting off Herta's binding chains, leaving it with zero time to deal with the cage.
Herta's mirrors didn't just restrict physical movement; they carried a heavy energy-suppressing effect. Every time the beast thrashed and broke a link, Xuan Qiu could feel its internal power levels plummeting dangerously. Maintaining a fight under those conditions was exhausting.
Furthermore, despite carrying the status of an Emanator, the entity Phantylia had deployed here was merely a detached projection, unable to channel the true, limitless output of a Lord Ravager. Had the real general stepped onto the field, Xuan Qiu wouldn't have been able to maintain a stalemate for five minutes, let alone hold the line for an entire boss fight.
Within a few moments, trapped under the dual pressure of the golden cage and the suppressing chains, Yveltal's energy finally ran dry. The massive wings folded inward, and the grand crimson beast fell completely silent, turning back into a dormant, pitch-black cocoon.
"I truly underestimated you," Phantylia's voice echoed through the comms, cold and smooth. "I never anticipated that your personal strength would grow to such an extent in such a brief window of time... I shall look forward to our next encounter."
Everyone knew these words were directed straight at Xuan Qiu. Her tone carried a clear hint of professional regret—a bitter realization that she should have spent her resources to delete his profile much sooner. But there are no do-overs in the cosmos.
The moment she finished speaking, the black cocoon dissolved into a faint wisp of heliobus flame, which instantly evaporated into the void under the pressure of the surrounding space currents.
The second the proxy general vanished, a powerful, near-limitless wave of Imaginary energy violently flowed straight into Xuan Qiu's chest. His eyes widened in absolute shock.
Wait, this power is actually registering to my account?
He had initially assumed that the destructive current was just a temporary buff Nanook had granted to Phantylia, and her drawing that power out of his mind earlier seemed to validate the theory. But what did it mean for the energy to return to his reservoir after her defeat?
Xuan Qiu stood confused. He could perfectly understand why Aha the Elation granted him favors; his games brought pure, unbridled joy to millions of players across the galaxy. But how on earth could his actions so far be categorized as bringing destruction to the universe? Not possessing a deep academic understanding of the mysterious laws governing the Paths, he pushed the puzzle aside, resolving to ask a seasoned expert about it later.
"I've only been away from my desk for a short while, yet you've managed to bring a Lord Ravager straight to my front door. What a grand surprise," an arrogant, clear voice chimed.
The moment the dark energy cleared, Herta's main puppet projection materialized right behind the group.
Dan Heng and March 7th, who had never interacted with her in this specific form, stood frozen for a second before realizing this was the authentic consciousness of the master genius herself.
Xuan Qiu scratched his cheek, feeling a bit awkward. She was definitely throwing a little jab at him, wasn't she? He peeked over her shoulder at Stephen, but seeing the boy genius looking completely relaxed, he realized Herta wasn't genuinely angry about the mess. If he were in actual trouble, Stephen would have given him a sympathetic 'good luck' look.
"This must be the legendary Madame Herta," Xuan Qiu said, offering a smooth, charming smile. "To witness someone who possesses such a flawless combination of beauty and intellect is a true honor."
No one in the universe dislikes a well-timed compliment, and Herta was no exception. Xuan Qiu's words hit her pride perfectly, instantly softening the annoyance she felt from being pulled back to the station on such short notice.
"Oh, you certainly have excellent taste and know how to use your words," she murmured, a satisfied glint in her eyes.
Of course, the only reason she even bothered to entertain his flattery was because his unique abilities had captured her scientific interest—and because he was a close friend of Stephen. If a random researcher tried using those exact same lines on her, she would have ignored them entirely. The space station hosted an official Herta Fan Club packed with scholars who wrote massive essays praising her brilliance, but she had never granted a single one of them a second glance.
"Considering you spent your own energy to shield the bulkheads, I won't hold you legally accountable for bringing a Lord Ravager to my docks," Herta stated, her voice full of pride. "In fact, you did an excellent job upholding my reputation. Once we clear the platform, you may tell me whatever it is your heart desires. Consider it your official reward from Herta."
Her tone carried a distinct vibe of "be grateful for my bounty," but since her personality had always been like that, Xuan Qiu wasn't surprised at all. Instead, he was thrilled that she had offered a reward before he even had to ask. He figured Stephen's presence beside her had definitely helped tip the scales in his favor.
To speak honestly, Herta didn't particularly care about the physical space station. Even if the entire facility blew up along with her Simulated Universe servers, she could easily have the Interstellar Peace Corporation sign a check to build her a brand-new one by next week. But if the station were flattened on her watch, it would mean the Antimatter Legion had successfully slapped her face in public. For an Emanator of Erudition to have her home turned to rubble by a general of Destruction—if that news leaked to the rest of the Genius Society, old colleagues like Screwllum or Ruan Mei would never let her live it down.
Xuan Qiu had understood this piece of social data perfectly, which was why he had fought so hard to keep the walls intact. Herta's pride was tied to the station, even if she claimed she didn't care about the metal itself. Now, it looked like his hard work had paid off beautifully.
With the battle officially over, the group returned to the main control bridge.
When it came to managing her staff, Herta showed zero mercy to the researchers who had lost their minds during the riot. She immediately ordered Asta to run a comprehensive audit on their recent behavioral metrics, firing those who failed the checks entirely and slashing the bonuses of anyone who managed to pass. In her eyes, a true scholar's mind should be pure, sharp, and entirely focused on logic. The fact that so many of her employees had let fear turn them into a frenzied mob was something she refused to tolerate.
Had Asta not stepped in to say a few kind words, and if the sudden arrival of Xuan Qiu and Stelle hadn't provided her with two fascinating new research subjects, Herta would have likely purged the entire department from her payroll by afternoon.
Himeko stepped forward to introduce Stelle to the master genius, explaining the unique situation regarding the Stellaron resting inside the girl's chest. After a brief discussion, Stelle agreed to let Herta run a few harmless diagnostics on her body before officially boarding the train to join the Express crew.
Once the trailblazers settled their business, Herta turned her porcelain face directly toward Xuan Qiu, her eyes sharp and curious.
"Alright, developer. Tell me plainly: what is it you want to take from my collection?"
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