In the spacious, private training ground, Ming Yu, who was sitting cross-legged, slowly opened his eyes, a glint of sword light flashing through them.
Picking up Jizo Mitama that rested on his knees, Ming Yu sighed and nodded towards Hiyokumaru not far away.
Hiyokumaru glanced worriedly in Theresa's direction a little further away, opened her mouth as if to say something, but ultimately remained silent.
Noticing Hiyokumaru's action, Ming Yu naturally understood her concerns.
After all, the ability the two were about to use was no simple matter. If it were to arouse Theresa's suspicion, the consequences would not be good. Not to say she'd make things difficult for Ming Yu, but at the very least, it would be much harder for him to gain Theresa's trust in his future actions.
The Principal needed a blade, a blade strong enough. However, this blade could not be too strong; it had to be kept under control.
Ming Yu was well aware of this key point. But if he wanted to use this method to wield Abyss Flower, he couldn't possibly avoid Theresa's surveillance. And revealing a portion of the Divine Key's abilities would at least mentally prepare the Principal.
He had spent a great deal of effort explaining the connection between the little fox and the Divine Key to Theresa, repeatedly promising there would be no possibility of secrets being leaked, just to bring Hiyokumaru in. Only then did he barely gain the Principal's approval.
And upon hearing that Ming Yu had a way to use Abyss Flower, Theresa naturally wouldn't miss the opportunity to observe.
For her, both the Jizo Mitama that Ming Yu possessed and the Abyss Flower that Rita brought were things she had to be concerned about. How could she possibly miss such a chance to observe its abilities up close?
Taking one last look at the black longsword in his hand, Ming Yu spoke solemnly to the girl before him, "What we're about to do is very dangerous. Are you sure you've decided?"
Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Hiyokumaru didn't answer, but asked in return, "If I were facing something like this, would Big Bro Yu run away?"
Looking at the girl's determined eyes, Ming Yu couldn't help but laugh. His reminder was clearly unnecessary.
Since Hiyokumaru had already made her decision, he shouldn't waver. Cooperating with all his strength was the best acknowledgment of her resolve.
Last night, he had told Hiyokumaru the whole story behind headquarters sending Abyss Flower and confessed his analysis of the incident. Of course, he omitted Fu Hua's involvement.
After some thought, Hiyokumaru proposed the current plan.
Indeed, as the original user of the 12th Divine Key, Ming Yu couldn't unleash its power. But wasn't there still a 12th Herrscher from the Previous Era around?
Although it was the Herrscher personality that used the authority of the Herrscher of Corruption, which had little to do with Hiyokumaru's original personality, and that Herrscher personality had already been annihilated and turned into the Divine Key along with the Herrscher Core, Hiyokumaru's understanding and insight into the Herrscher of Corruption's abilities still far surpassed Ming Yu's.
It could be said that if Hiyokumaru were to use Jizo Mitama, the effect would be far superior to that of Ming Yu, the legitimate user.
However, Hiyokumaru's body had perished fifty thousand years ago. Currently, she could only exist by relying on the power of Jizo Mitama and was completely incapable of fighting, let alone using a Divine Key.
If a Divine Key were compared to a bicycle, the current Hiyokumaru was merely a training wheel on the back. The difficulty of her wanting to use the Divine Key was imaginable.
Even with Ming Yu's assistance to handle the activation and energy release of the Divine Key, accurately manipulating this stream of energy to achieve the intended goal was still an incredibly dangerous task. The slightest mistake, if the energy spiraled out of control, would not only affect Hiyokumaru's own existence but even Ming Yu would not be spared.
This method was by no means easy, but if he didn't rely on Fu Hua, it was his only option.
In a way, his massive consumption of the Divine Key's energy in the Stigmata Space was not necessarily a bad thing. Although it objectively led to a decrease in the Divine Key's power, it also reduced the difficulty of controlling it.
Having made up his mind, Ming Yu shouted towards Theresa, "Principal, I'm starting over here!"
Theresa looked at the young man in the field, her expression somewhat complicated as she nodded. At the same time, she raised the golden cross in her hand, signaling that she was also ready.
She didn't know to what extent Ming Yu had mastered these two Divine Keys, but seeing the young man's cautious demeanor, she understood that what was about to happen would not be simple.
Even though she had already set up protective measures throughout the entire training ground, Theresa still couldn't completely rest assured, to the point that she even took out Judah and personally stood guard.
Right now, the only thing she was thankful for was that Rita was not currently at St. Freya High School.
After all, Rita was inspecting the Far East Branch, not St. Freya High School. Although the center of her secret mission was at St. Freya, her official inspection mission was still focused on the Far East Branch.
Regardless of St. Freya's claims, it was still administratively just a Valkyrie training base under Schicksal and shouldn't be the center of an inspection.
Otherwise, the energy fluctuations of two, or even three, Divine Keys, even with the training ground's insulation, would still be incredibly conspicuous in the eyes of an interested party.
Receiving Theresa's signal, Ming Yu took a deep breath, trying his best to calm his somewhat flustered heart.
To increase the success rate, he had already spent the better part of the day preparing and adjusting, even bringing his physical condition to its peak beforehand. But when it came to the critical moment, he was still a little agitated.
There was only one chance!
As his mind gradually became serene, a ray of sword light suddenly shot out from Ming Yu's eyes, and at the same time, he shouted in his mind, "Sword Heart: Still Water!"
In an instant, Ming Yu once again entered the profound state of Sword Heart. His perception was greatly enhanced, and his control over Honkai Energy reached another level.
Without any hesitation, Ming Yu immediately activated Jizo Mitama in his hands. Although the duration of Sword Heart was a full three minutes, enough to sustain a small battle, it was not ample for wielding a Divine Key. Especially since it was Ming Yu's first time using this power, he had no idea how long it would take.
Ming Yu straightened his expression and continuously channeled his own Honkai Energy through the hilt into the Divine Key, striving to resonate with the Herrscher Core within.
Triggered by the external energy, the violent and massive amount of Honkai Energy hidden in the Herrscher Core also began to stir, as if it too wanted to break through the Divine Key's constraints and display its destructive power.
A cryptic and dangerous fluctuation emanated from Jizo Mitama, and it quickly became stronger and clearer. The red metal block on the sword's body suddenly transformed into a magnificent red gem, emitting a strange red light that tinged the ink-black blade with a red halo.
Seeing Ming Yu's expression grow increasingly grave, Hiyokumaru's heart was also in her throat, and she subconsciously wanted to help. But she quickly controlled herself and composed her mind.
She knew this was a necessary step to use Jizo Mitama. And, if things went smoothly, she had an even more important task.
Feeling the increasingly violent energy fluctuations in the field, Theresa also put aside her thoughts and focused her attention on the 12th Divine Key.
Behind the Principal, the giant golden cross had already unfurled. Lances extended under the pull of chains, aimed at Ming Yu's direction from afar. If Jizo Mitama's energy went out of control, these lances would suppress the rampant Honkai Energy in the first instance.
When the light on the black longsword reached its peak, a thought crossed Ming Yu's mind, and he shouted, "Jizo Mitama, release!"
The next second, the longsword erupted in purplish-black flames.