139. The Arrival of Lemuen and the Tarnisheds
"Why are there so many of them?" Durandal stood in front of Xiling, warily looking at the shattered sky.
Based on their previous exchange, these things were incredibly powerful, stronger than any Honkai Beast she had ever seen. Even if she could handle them, she certainly couldn't protect the person behind her.
"My friend, stop."
Just then, Otto's serious voice came through the device. He should have been anxious for the experiment to continue, but instead, he told Xiling to stop, because he had observed a continuous stream of imaginary creations approaching.
And their target, without a doubt, was Xiling, who was currently manipulating the Second Divine Key, distorting the boundary between imaginary numbers and the world.
The Hero's will transcends the world; it uses will to distort all things. The imaginary gate, which should not have been opened, was forcibly opened. The Hero's will roamed in that imaginary space, peering into everything in the world. That domineering and powerful will triggered the Imaginary Tree's defensive mechanism.
At this moment, countless imaginary creations within the imaginary space will transform into knights to vanquish those who threaten the Imaginary Tree.
Could Xiling stop in the face of Otto's words? The answer is no.
Xiling's existence has already disturbed the Imaginary Tree. That tree, which should be indifferent to everything, has for the first time given a clear command—to eliminate that dangerous alien species.
Now, regardless of whether Xiling stopped the experiment and closed the space crack or not, it doesn't matter; this siege against him will never cease.
Hearing Otto's words, Xiling not only didn't stop what he was doing, but intensified his efforts, shouting inwardly!
"Charge!"
The Second Divine Key accelerated once more.
Otto watched the continuous flow of data into their data storage. After a moment of silence, a smile appeared on his lips. Otto waved his hand, issuing an order to the staff.
"No one is allowed to leave their posts. Our friends have expressed their determination to us, and we, Schicksal, cannot lag behind them."
Leaving these words, Otto turned and walked out of the laboratory.
"Something's off with those things, Otto. What are you planning?" Void Archives's voice echoed in Otto's ears.
"As I said before, my friend has expressed his resolve to me, and I can't remain silent. Let's go, Void Archives." Otto's steps didn't falter.
"We should stretch our bodies a bit."
A golden spear was hurled, piercing through the Imaginary Tree's remnants. However, the next second, as if time had reversed, the pierced Imaginary Tree's remnants were restored to their original state. But Durandal couldn't care less about that now.
Her body didn't stop for a moment. One Imaginary Tree remnant after another tried to approach Xiling, but she repelled them all.
But Durandal knew this wasn't a long-term solution.
"The number of these creations is still increasing. If this continues, I might… really not be able to hold on." Durandal glanced back at Xiling. The other party still had his eyes closed, even when a greatsword had almost struck him earlier. He hadn't opened his eyes, as if he had completely entrusted his life to Durandal.
This weighty trust solidified Durandal's gaze.
"I told you, I would do everything in my power to ensure your safety."
Durandal turned, the Black Abyss White Lotus clutched in her hand, her gaze fixed on the enemies above the sky.
Several Imaginary Tree Remnants launched another attack. Just as Durandal concentrated on fending them off, golden chain shards shot out from behind her, binding one of the Imaginary Tree Remnants.
At the same time, a voice Durandal knew all too well rang out.
"Go, Durandal, let these guys know the power of our Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie." Otto stepped into the sandstorm, carrying a golden cross, and approached Xiling.
"As for our friends, leave them to me."
Durandal nodded solemnly.
"Then I'll leave this to you, Bishop."
Otto smiled and said, "Don't worry, although I'm not a combatant and don't have your strength, I can still protect someone."
"Then I'll go!" Almost as soon as Durandal uttered those words, she transformed into a golden meteor and pierced through an Imaginary Tree's Remnant.
Durandal looked up, gazing at the Imaginary Creature emerging from the Imaginary Gate.
The light emanating from her grew even brighter.
Once, to save the World Bubble from disintegration, a girl named Bianka, with the help of the Holy Sword Durandal, inverted the entire Aetheric Point, along with the World Bubble itself and Honkai energy, into her body. In other words, Durandal possessed a World Bubble—a world—within her body.
Now, she unleashed this power completely.
Durandal, needing neither protection nor combat, destroyed the emerging Imaginary Creature almost instantly.
Despite having destroyed these Imaginary Creatures, both Durandal and Otto's faces darkened. The sky above them continued to expand, with countless black Imaginary Creatures emerging like a flood.
"Friend, what exactly did you do? They seem quite interested in you." Even Otto's expression was now grave.
"You didn't think approaching the Imaginary Tree would be easy, did you?" Xiling replied calmly to Otto.
"I never thought it would be easy, but I certainly didn't expect it to turn out like this. I think you deserve some credit for this." Otto's seriousness returned to a smile.
"What, you want to blame me?"
"No, I sincerely thank you for everything you've done."
"Alright, enough with the banter, the big one is coming." As Xiling's words fell, the entire sky crawled open.
More Imaginary Creatures emerged from the crack in the sky. Otto took a deep breath.
"The situation is dire, my friend."
Xiling closed his eyes, his tone calm.
"Even if it's dire, we have to hold on. We don't have a second chance, and... we're very close."
Xiling could sense that the Second Divine Key was incredibly close to their target.
Otto should have been happy to hear this news, but looking at the countless Imaginary Creatures, he couldn't feel any joy. He wasn't afraid of death; the Imaginary Creatures before him couldn't kill him. He could easily transfer to another body. But what he feared was that these imaginary constructs would interfere with Xiling's actions.
Even with Durandal present and having notified Schicksal's combat forces, there was no guarantee they could stop the army of Imaginary Creatures from reaching Xiling.
"Are we going to fail?"
Just as Otto was thinking this, a sudden female voice rang out.
"What are you doing?"
Otto turned around and saw a pink-haired woman and a man with slightly graying hair appear beside Xiling.
Facing the questioning gazes of Lemuen and the Tarnished, Xiling's lips curled into a smile.
"I'm looking for worlds in need of help."