The dust and smoke gradually dispersed. Looking at the scene before him, Ming Yu couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
With the explosion of Honkai Energy from the elemental energy sphere, everything within range had been annihilated. The gaping hole, dozens of meters wide, in the building was incredibly conspicuous. Only at the very edges could one see the remnants of lightning, fire, and frost.
As for the likes of Welt II, they had already vanished completely from this world.
*Clatter...*
Falling pieces of the building made soft, crumbling sounds. Dr. Magi finally snapped back to his senses from the shock, his gaze involuntarily shifting to Ming Yu.
In his eyes, the man who called himself Welt was already monstrously powerful; even elite Valkyries were slaughtered like chickens before him. But such a figure hadn't even survived a single move from Ming Yu!
Without a doubt, this Ming Yu was an even more dangerous character than Welt! Recalling what he had said to him earlier, Dr. Magi instantly felt his future was bleak. The only thing to lament was that the Gem of Serenity had ultimately fallen into the hands of these ambitious men.
After carefully sensing his surroundings and confirming that Welt II had been utterly eliminated, Ming Yu let out a long breath, deactivating his Lunar Abyss armor and exiting his Sword Heart state at the same time.
Although the battle had been brief, he had given it his all. It was far from as effortless as it had appeared.
Welt II might have been just a clone, but he had inherited a portion of the First Herrscher's power and could not be taken lightly. Even Fu Hua, without using Moonwheel or Fenghuang Down, would have been helpless against Welt II.
Moreover, the injuries he had sustained at Raven's hands hadn't fully healed, making him ill-suited for a prolonged fight. A short battle was one thing, but a long one would be extremely disadvantageous for him.
Recalling the battle, a self-satisfied arc formed on Ming Yu's lips.
Although his engagement with Welt II had an element of risk, the result was undoubtedly satisfactory and had confirmed some of his theories.
These clones were less like replicas of the First Herrscher and more like degraded, humanoid versions of the Star of Eden. Replicating the power of a Herrscher was far from simple.
Besides the cells that composed their bodies, a Herrscher's power was primarily stored within the Herrscher Core. This was especially true for the First Herrscher, who controlled the truth of construction; the Herrscher Core could be said to be the entirety of the Herrscher of Reason.
During his battle with Welt I at St. Freya High School, Ming Yu had noticed the equipment inside his opponent's body. It was precisely with the help of these small gadgets that the clones didn't need to construct the Star of Eden and could directly use the power of the Divine Key.
Perhaps this was also a method for Cocolia to control the clones.
After all, with the real Welt not present, Anti-Entropy truly had no one else who could fight. If the clones were to rebel, Ming Yu suspected that a large part of Anti-Entropy would be dismantled.
During his battle with Welt I, Ming Yu had relied on Jizo Mitama to record the frequency of that equipment. That was why, when fighting Welt II, he was able to seal his opponent's abilities with a single sword strike, ultimately finishing him off with the blast from the elemental energy sphere.
If Anti-Entropy's subsequent clones showed no improvement, Ming Yu might have already become the "Welt Clone Killer."
Thinking of this strange title, a chill ran down Ming Yu's spine, and he quickly pulled his scattering thoughts back together.
A 3D projection of a building suddenly appeared on his terminal, not only displaying his and Fu Hua's positions but also clearly showing Anti-Entropy's troop deployment.
In the face of the Key of Corruption, there were few firewalls in this world that could be called secure.
Staring at the two descending green dots representing Fu Hua and Kiana, Ming Yu fell silent.
A hint of struggle flickered across his face. He let out a long sigh, a bitter smile touching his lips. He had clearly made his decision long ago, yet when the moment came, he still hesitated.
His finger hovered over the terminal. A trace of reluctance and resolve flashed in his eyes, and he finally pressed the send button.
The next moment, the dots representing Fu Hua and Kiana flickered, and Anti-Entropy's red dots responded swiftly, swarming madly toward that location.
"What are you doing!?"
Watching Ming Yu's actions, Dr. Magi couldn't help but shout.
Even though he knew full well that Ming Yu was from Schicksal, even though he himself had defected from Schicksal, he couldn't comprehend Ming Yu's actions.
If he wasn't mistaken, Ming Yu was broadcasting his comrades' position to the entire Anti-Entropy army!
Even if it was for the sake of claiming credit, there was no need to go to such lengths, was there?!
What's more, Ming Yu's act of disarming himself clearly indicated that he had no intention of immediately participating in the subsequent battle.
"It's nothing."
Watching the two green dots, now completely surrounded, Ming Yu silently put away his terminal and said with a blank expression. He had no need to explain his actions to Magi.
Though Anti-Entropy's forces were numerous, even including a considerable number of mechs, Ming Yu believed that Fu Hua and the others could handle it. At most, it would just take some time.
And what he needed was precisely that bit of time!
His gaze fell upon Dr. Magi. Ming Yu took a step forward, a cruel smile playing on his lips.
"Next, let's have a nice little 'chat'."
Ignoring the terror on Dr. Magi's face, Ming Yu roughly grabbed the collar of his clothes and said with a cold laugh.
And in his eyes, which had turned crimson, a black feather—of which only half remained—was slowly burning away its last vestiges.
...
"Damn it, why are there more and more of them!?"
Kiana knocked out a bodyguard who got too close with the butt of her gun, unable to stop herself from complaining.
According to the plan, Ming Yu was supposed to be responsible for the frontal assault, while she and Fu Hua were supposed to be infiltrating covertly. But she felt like their team was the one doing the frontal assault.
Although she had no complaints about direct combat, the memory of Ming Yu and Fu Hua's non-negotiable attitude when making the plan still fostered a bit of resentment towards Ming Yu in her heart.
Hearing Kiana's complaint, Fu Hua didn't reply, only increasing the speed at which she dispatched enemies.
Though the expression on her face remained as calm as ever, her quickening movements betrayed the Valkyrie's inner anxiety.
Fu Hua knew, of course, that Ming Yu in his Lunar Abyss armor was qualified to challenge an S-rank Valkyrie, but that person who was likely the First Herrscher was clearly no pushover either. The outcome of the battle was still an unknown.
But ever since that loud explosion, Ming Yu's communication signal had been cut off. Instead, Anti-Entropy's encirclement had rapidly intensified.
Both Ming Yu's disappearance and the Anti-Entropy encirclement made even the habitually calm Fu Hua feel a touch of anxiety.
And what unsettled her the most was the Gem of Serenity experiment, the progress of which was unknown.
If the Honkai Energy contained within the Gem of Serenity were to fully erupt, she would be powerless to prevent the advent of the Fourth Honkai Eruption.
Thinking of the millions of innocent lives in Singapore, and looking at the approaching Anti-Entropy mechs, Fu Hua's heart jolted, and a flash of determination appeared in her eyes.
Thrusting a deep blue box into Kiana's arms, Fu Hua abruptly stopped and turned to face the Anti-Entropy forces behind them, shouting in a low voice, "Kiana, I'll hold them off! You go to the basement level immediately and retrieve the gem!"
"Class Monitor?"
Feeling the weight of the box in her hands and seeing Fu Hua's domineering back, Kiana was momentarily stunned.
"Go now! We're out of time. No matter what, we must prevent the Fourth Honkai Eruption from descending upon Singapore!"
Seeing Kiana's hesitation, Fu Hua shouted again, her tone now stern.
"I understand." Gripping the box tightly, Kiana's eyes shimmered with unshed tears. "But, Class Monitor, you have to stay alive and wait for me to come back!"
Filled with a noble sense of mission, Kiana no longer paid attention to the pursuers behind her. She raised her guns, took down a few bodyguards in front of her, and dashed forward.
Hearing Kiana's final words, Fu Hua was speechless.
She felt like the other girl had misunderstood something, but now was not the time to worry about it.
Glancing at Kiana's departing back out of the corner of her eye, Fu Hua let out a breath, her entire demeanor instantly becoming sharper.
It was time to let these Anti-Entropy thugs know what an A-rank Valkyrie was capable of.
Looking directly at the Anti-Entropy forces that had her surrounded, a cold glint flashed in Fu Hua's eyes.
With Kiana gone, she could now partially lift her self-imposed restrictions. Even without using Fenghuang Down or Shadow Knight, the martial skills she had honed over a millennium were still enough to astonish the world.
The next moment, Fu Hua charged into the crowd like the wind, and one after another, cries of pain rang out.
...
I'm finally here!
Seeing the alloy door before her, Kiana couldn't help but smile.
With Fu Hua holding off the bulk of Anti-Entropy's forces, she hadn't had to expend much effort to shake off the encirclement and arrive here smoothly.
As long as she retrieved the gem inside, she could prevent the Fourth Honkai Eruption from descending upon Singapore.
In the end, isn't saving Singapore still up to me, Kiana Kaslana!?
She touched the tip of her nose, quickly reigning in her pride. She was still on a mission. It wouldn't be too late to show off to Ming Yu and the others after she got back.
Arriving in front of the door, Kiana suddenly froze.
Staring at the keypad lock next to the door, Kiana suddenly remembered that she didn't know the password!
If only Bronya were here. With her hacking skills, she could definitely crack this door.
It was only now that Kiana realized the power of the internet-addicted girl, Bronya, and how valuable that kind of ability was.
She kicked the alloy door fiercely, but her usually astonishing strength could only leave a shallow dent on it.
Fu Hua had placed her hopes in her. Was she going to fail because of a single door?
Looking at the faint footprint on the door, a deep sense of unwillingness surged from the bottom of Kiana's heart.
"Kiana, have you retrieved the gem?"
Suddenly, a voice that had been silent for a long time came through her Bluetooth earpiece.
Wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, Kiana had never found that voice so welcome. Most of her worries instantly dissipated.
"I've reached the vault where the gem is stored, but I don't know the password. I can't open the door."
After briefly explaining the situation, Kiana couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Perhaps from hearing Theresa and the others praise Ming Yu so often, the boy who was once flustered by just a few Honkai Beasts had, at some point, become a very reliable person in her mind as well.
"...8088... That's the password for the door."
Through the earpiece, Ming Yu was silent for a moment before slowly giving the answer.
Her heart leaped with joy, and Kiana quickly entered the password. As the words "Verification Successful" flashed, the sealed door finally began to open slowly.
"The door's open! When we get back to St. Freya High School, I'll treat you to something good~"
After saying this hastily, Kiana didn't care if Ming Yu had heard her clearly and quickly darted into the vault.
Just as Fu Hua had said, they didn't have much time left. Even through a tiny crack, she could feel the surging, immense Honkai Energy behind the door.
If this Honkai Energy were allowed to erupt completely, then no one would be able to stop the coming of the Honkai!
As soon as she stepped into the vault, Kiana felt the thick, oppressive fluctuation of Honkai Energy, and her gaze was irresistibly drawn to the teardrop-shaped gem displayed in the very center.
The translucent blue gem floated silently in the air, surrounded by Honkai Energy so dense it had solidified into crystals. Waves of Honkai Energy, each stronger than the last, radiated from it.
Looking at this blue gem that emitted a faint fluorescent glow, Kiana's eyes grew hazy.
It was as if a voice in her heart was telling her that it belonged to her, that it was her treasure and hers alone.
Dazedly, she took a few steps forward. The alloy box Fu Hua had given her fell to the ground, but Kiana paid it no mind, simply reaching her hand out toward the gem before her.