Herman had never expected Dr. Primitive to have actually fused with the remains of a Leviathan from the Dusk Wars.
But the surprise on Herman's face quickly faded, and his expression returned to calm.
Polka Kakamond, standing nearby in her gorgeous candy-colored dress, raised an eyebrow at the sight. "Even after seeing Dr. Primitive in that hideous form, you're still able to remain calm, Herta... Are you truly not afraid that he'll steal the Plasma Spark Tower?!"
"I'm not worried. After all, I created the Warp dimension itself. This is my home ground," Herman said calmly. "Trying to steal the Plasma Spark Tower right under my nose, on my own home ground, is nothing more than a fool's dream."
"Dr. Primitive can't do it alone... and even if you joined him, Polka Kakamond, the two of you still couldn't do it."
After speaking, Herman waved the magic wand in his hand. In an instant, the gates to the Warp opened, and the gateway was enormous enough to accommodate the Herta Xianzhou.
"Shipgirl Herta, launch."
At Herman's command, countless streams of highly concentrated particle exhaust erupted from the rear of the Herta Xianzhou, propelling the Herta Xianzhou toward the Warp.
"You really are confident, The Herta." Polka spoke calmly, though inwardly she had to admit that The Herta's words did make a certain amount of sense.
After all, this truly was The Herta's home ground. The Warp, the Herta Xianzhou, the Super Herta Astral Computer, the Dark Plane... every last one of them was a creation of The Herta alone.
Furthermore, The Herta was an Emanator of Erudition who had completed her own self-coronation. Under circumstances like these, The Herta might genuinely be capable of confronting two Emanators head-on.
However... Dr. Primitive was no ordinary existence either. The Knowable Domain had already revealed that he had fused with Qiongqi, an ancient Leviathan from the Dusk Wars.
According to the information provided by the Knowable Domain, before the ancient Leviathan Qiongqi was slain by Qlipoth, Aeon of Preservation, it had been capable of contending with Oroboros, Aeon of Voracity, before Their ascension to Aeonhood.
Dr. Primitive had fused with the primordial cells contained within the remains of such a Leviathan. His strength was bound to be extraordinary.
With that thought in mind, Polka Kakamond raised her head and watched the Herta Xianzhou rush into the Warp dimension. Within the Warp itself, she also saw Dr. Primitive in the distance, still dressed in his white laboratory coat, with a savage pair of fleshy wings already sprouting from his back.
The enormous blood-red fleshy wings spread wide. With a single beat, a hurricane instantly swept through the Warp as Dr. Primitive shot toward the distant black sun.
At the same time, Dr. Primitive's voice rang throughout the Warp. "I've fused with the primordial cells of Qiongqi, a mythical Leviathan from the Dusk Wars. My flight speed is unmatched. You'll never catch me. The Plasma Spark Tower is mine."
At that moment, Dr. Primitive's flight speed had already surged beyond the speed of light. Under such velocity, even the vast expanse of the Warp seemed incomparably small. Polka Kakamond was certain that if Dr. Primitive maintained this speed for only a few more seconds, he would reach the Plasma Spark Tower and seize it.
...
Flying at extreme speed, Dr. Primitive stared at the towering structure beneath the black sun, his eyes burning with fervor and anticipation.
The tower is about to fall into my hands. Then I can finally carry out my plan to transform the entire universe into giants of light.
Once the plan succeeds, the only beings left in the universe will be giants who yearn for the light. War, famine, plague, and death will cease to exist forever.
Universal harmony is about to be achieved!
That will be heaven—the age of Eden! Everyone will be able to attain happiness, possess extraordinarily long lives, and perhaps even live forever!
And in that era, I, Dr. Primitive, will be able to advance even further.
...
Aboard the Herta Xianzhou, Herman heard Dr. Primitive's declaration. Without the slightest hesitation, he connected directly to the Super Herta Astral Computer and activated the Eye of Insight.
At that instant, a peculiar sigil appeared within Herman's eyes. It was the culmination of numerous systems and ocular abilities, something that could be called clairvoyance.
In any case, at that moment, he clearly saw Dr. Primitive's flight trajectory. With only a slight thought, he calculated Dr. Primitive's current flight speed, which had reached an utterly absurd level.
Even the Herta Xianzhou would require some time and several stages of acceleration to catch up.
But there was no need to chase him in the first place!
Herman blinked and stared at Dr. Primitive's flight path as he thought silently:
The direction Dr. Primitive is flying in leads toward the core of the Warp. It is also where The Herta's soul projection, the black sun, resides!
All I need to do now is use The Herta's soul projection!
But since I'm going to use The Herta's soul projection, I'd better wake The Herta, who's currently inside the Simulated Laboratory.
With that thought, Herman closed his eyes.
Herman's behavior left Polka Kakamond completely dumbfounded.
Ever since she had arrived, Herta had remained calm throughout everything, so Polka Kakamond had assumed she possessed some extraordinary trump card.
But why had she suddenly closed her eyes now?
Could she really intend to simply stand by and watch Dr. Primitive steal the Plasma Spark Tower?!
Or does The Herta herself want to see the universe's future develop into an age of giants?
If that's really the case, then I'll have to intervene... After all, I don't want the Fourth Instant of the universe to be one in which a giant meme infects the entire cosmos and transforms every living creature into a giant. A world like that would simply be far too monotonous.
With that thought, Polka Kakamond raised her hand, and a cold surgical scalpel appeared in her palm.
She was already prepared to act.
...
Herman repeatedly called out within his mind, 'Herta, Herta...'
'What happened?' The Herta, who was currently immersed in researching the power of existence inside the Simulated Laboratory, revealed a puzzled expression when she heard Herman calling her.
'Here's what happened...' Herman's thoughts shifted as he transmitted everything that had just occurred directly to The Herta.
'The Plasma Spark Tower, a possibility of Finality... Dr. Primitive wants to steal the Plasma Spark Tower?' After learning everything, The Herta raised an eyebrow. 'He really does have a death wish. He actually wants to steal my creation. Does he not know that the Warp is my home ground?'
Herman asked, 'Herta, are you going to leave the Simulated Laboratory and control your soul projection, the black sun, yourself?'
'Why would I need to act personally? My research isn't finished yet. Just have Ultraman King deal with him.'
'You think Ultraman King can defeat Dr. Primitive?' Herman replied rapidly through their mental connection. 'The current Ultraman King is only in his newborn state. He isn't the Ultraman King of Finality described by Silver Wolf and Elio, who possesses combat power surpassing that of an Emanator.'
The Herta replied as though it were self-evident, 'Of course a newborn Ultraman King can't do it. But things will be different after receiving my enhancement!'
'I will now bestow my blessing upon Ultraman King, granting him the power to contend with Seat 64 of the Genius Society, Dr. Primitive—and even defeat him!!'
After hearing The Herta's words, Herman could not help saying, 'You do realize Dr. Primitive has fused with a Leviathan, right? Are you sure that merely bestowing a blessing will be enough to grant Ultraman King the power to defeat him?'
'Dr. Primitive has fused with part of the remains of Qiongqi, a Leviathan from the Dusk Wars, and even incorporated its primordial Leviathan cells.'
'I am Herta. If I say my blessing can make Ultraman King stronger than Dr. Primitive, then it absolutely can!'
The Herta's mental voice was as confident as ever.
As the creator of the Warp dimension and the Plasma Spark Tower, and a super-genius with 4,500 research points, The Herta understood better than anyone just how profound her accumulated foundations truly were.
When fighting on her home ground within the Warp dimension, there was absolutely no need for her to personally deal with a mere Dr. Primitive. One of her creations was more than enough to handle him.
At that instant, The Herta shifted her thoughts, briefly withdrew from the Simulated Laboratory, and took control of the black sun in the outside world—the soul projection of her genius self within the Warp.
Hummm...
At that moment, Ultraman King, who had been transformed from the Plasma Spark Tower, sensed a seemingly endless torrent of energy flooding into his body. Although he had not acquired a new form, he was certain that he had become incomparably powerful.
He also had a peculiar feeling that as long as he remained within the Warp, he would continuously receive this tremendous blessing.
Ultraman King felt that this was somewhat similar to the method by which Aeons bestowed blessings upon others and created Emanators.
Now his creator, The Herta, had developed a similar method and bestowed upon him a supreme blessing of power so that he could confront an external threat.
In that case, Ultraman King would enter battle!
Hummm.
As Dr. Primitive approached the Plasma Spark Tower, the tower began to resonate violently. Eventually, it transformed into an incomparably enormous giant and lunged straight toward Dr. Primitive.
?!
Dr. Primitive's eyes widened at the sight.
The Plasma Spark Tower can actually transform into a giant... More importantly, its body is surging with a practically limitless amount of energy, and that energy does not belong to any Path in the universe.
That means this is a form of energy developed by Herta herself, and Herta can continuously supply this giant with power... Interesting. Truly fascinating!
Dr. Primitive's body began to swell. The white laboratory coat covering him tore apart, his head transformed into that of a beast, tiger-like fur sprouted across it, and his hands became vicious claws!
His body expanded to several dozen meters in height, while his fully spread wings reached over a hundred meters across.
Qiongqi · Mythical Twilight Leviathan Form, full power!
At that moment, Dr. Primitive no longer resembled a human in the slightest. He had become an enormous beast—as though a Leviathan from the Dusk Wars had once again awakened.
"ROAR!"
Dr. Primitive unleashed a roar that seemed capable of tearing heaven and earth apart. The boundlessly vast regions of the Warp began to quake, while countless positive and negative emotions surged in response.
Then Dr. Primitive, in his mythical Qiongqi form, lunged toward Ultraman King.
When Ultraman King saw Dr. Primitive, who had originally been nothing more than a small human, transform into a gigantic monster, a powerful urge to fight surged within him.
"Hya!"
Ultraman King let out a battle cry and charged forward without hesitation, clashing with Dr. Primitive in his mythical Qiongqi form.
On one side stood the Chosen Champion selected after receiving the psychic blessing of the black sun, the Emperor and master of the Warp. He was the spirit of the Plasma Spark and one of the first three giants.
On the other side stood a genius who researched the evolutionary theory of the universe, extracted cells from Qiongqi, a Twilight Leviathan, from the ruins and relics of the Dusk Wars, fused them into his own body, and achieved the highest possible accomplishments in projects involving biological and civilizational transformation.
The two sides fought fiercely, fists colliding with claws, their energy levels almost perfectly matched.
This situation sent a shock through Dr. Primitive's heart.
The giant spirit transformed from the Plasma Spark Tower can actually rival me, a genius who underwent an ultra-dangerous biological modification using a mythical Leviathan, after receiving the blessing of The Herta's black sun.
In other words, The Herta just artificially created an Emanator.
She has accomplished yet another magnificent achievement—artificially creating Emanator-level combat power?!!
But even against an Emanator, I won't necessarily lose. Combat isn't decided by energy alone. Technique and intelligence matter as well.
Once Dr. Primitive reached that conclusion, he did not hesitate for even an instant. He released the Leviathan cells within his body beyond their normal limits, and at that moment, the primordial killing instincts of Qiongqi, a Leviathan from the Dusk Wars, awakened.
Those ancient biological killing instincts allowed Dr. Primitive, who was not naturally skilled in combat, to acquire the fighting techniques used by Leviathans when battling one another during the Dusk Wars.
He perfectly employed those combat techniques from a bygone age and gradually began suppressing Ultraman King.
After all, Ultraman King was still a newborn giant of light. No matter how one looked at it, he possessed practically no combat technique whatsoever.
Naturally, Ultraman King gradually fell into a disadvantage. Even so, he was not quickly defeated, and the battle between the two continued.
The commotion generated by their battle was simply too enormous, drawing the attention of countless spirits throughout the Warp.
"What am I looking at? In the Warp world after death, a giant is fighting a monster!"
"The light radiating from the giant is identical to the psychic energy we normally refine. That means the black sun hanging at the summit of the Warp is continuously supplying the giant with limitless energy!"
"There's no question about it. The giant is on Madam Herta's side, which means he's on the side of justice!"
"That monster looks bizarre and hideous... It must be on the side of evil!"
"Come on, giant! Defeat the monster!"
After observing the battlefield, the souls of the dead quickly reached their judgment and began cheering Ultraman King on without pause.
...
Watching all of this unfold, Herman could not help thinking.
I never expected that even in the Star Rail universe, I'd get to see a giant of light battling a monster!
Fortunately, the Warp is no longer in its newborn state. It has had time to grow into a super-dimension spanning dozens of galaxies. Otherwise, it might have been destroyed by the shockwaves from their battle.
And judging from the situation... the newborn Ultraman King, who has no combat experience, is going to lose.
With that thought, Herman said to The Herta through their mental connection, 'Looks like Dr. Primitive is going to win... Ultraman King is ultimately still a newborn Ultra. He doesn't have any real combat technique.'
'Heh.' The Herta let out a soft laugh. 'It's still too early to reach that conclusion.'
The instant her words fell, The Herta exercised her authority as master of the Warp and addressed the countless deceased beings within it.
"That hideous monster is an invader from outside the Warp!"
"All souls who wish to continue existing within the Warp, if you want to preserve your continued existence, then lend your strength to the giant—to Ultraman King!"
The authority of the Warp's master caused The Herta's voice to reverberate like solemn bells within the depths of countless souls.
Countless beings realized that the Warp had fallen into crisis, and that Herta was asking them to offer up their strength.
But what strength could they possibly offer as souls of the dead?!
They were already dead. Wealth, privileges, and everything else they had possessed while alive could not be brought into the world after death.
That meant the power Madam Herta was describing could only be the psychic energy they had become capable of condensing within the Warp after death.
And so, countless spirits raised their hands and cried out:
"Ultraman King, please accept the power we ordinary mortals have gathered after death, even if it isn't much."
"My psychic energy is yours!"
"Please protect the Warp for us!"
"We're counting on you!"
...
Endless streams of psychic light surged from every corner of the Warp dimension toward Ultraman King's energy core.
At that moment, Ultraman King's entire body began to shine as his energy level rose another step.
The one who had previously been suppressed now regained the power to fight back and began launching counterattacks.
The development sent a violent shock through Dr. Primitive's heart.
I've already unleashed the Leviathan's combat instincts and entered a state beyond my limits.
How could I possibly be the one getting suppressed now?!
It's Herta. What did Herta do... to grant the giant spirit of the Plasma Spark Tower an even more terrifying level of power?!