But it wasn't just them analyzing the situation. Durandal, too, was deep in thought...
-------------------------------
The result of spar was...
"Handled with ease."
Although it was just an ordinary spar, with Durandal's battle-hardened eyes, it was enough to see the general strength of the two.
However, Herrschers ultimately speak with their authority, so Durandal did not grow careless.
"This strike, to pierce through the stars!"
The lance rubbed against the air, bursting into dazzling sparks, and then,
Bang!
"My training room!!"
...
Durandal crossed her arms, looking embarrassed. Rita stood beside her, helpless.
"Sorry, I couldn't quite hold back. I'll cover the repair costs."
Mainly because she didn't expect that the two, who could have clearly taken the blow, dodged in unison, leaving her to smash a huge hole in the training room out of the blue.
That was also one of Rita's frustrations, Lady Durandal was excellent in everything, except being far too straightforward.
Sometimes even a little airheaded.
As for Durandal's thoughts, no one could what she thought about the spar.
"A brute full of strength, who's going to play head-on with you?"
Compared to ordinary Herrschers, the Herrscher of Thunder and Yuna had far more flexible limits.
They could block it, but why should they?
Hearing Durandal take full responsibility for the repair costs, Theresa finally calmed down, but within two seconds her eyes were already spinning mischievously.
"Miss Mei and Miss Yuna have tremendous potential, and they will surely grow quickly through actual combat." Durandal smiled lightly.
"Mm, thank you for your guidance, Lady Durandal." Mei replied with a smile.
"Alright, after such a match, you must be tired. Go take a bath and relax." Himeko patted the two on the shoulders gently, smiling.
...
Leaving the training room, Kiana was still buzzing with energy.
"I can definitely become that strong too! No, I'll be even stronger than her!"
Even a single-celled paramecium can feel a sense of crisis!
That overwhelming strike from Durandal had undoubtedly shaken the simple white-haired bun.
To think human strength could reach such heights, until now, she had always been the one overwhelming others with force. But judging from that, even Rita at full strength… well, who knows.
As expected of the strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal!
"Kiana, you'd better work hard then." Mei covered her mouth with a gentle laugh.
Just now, although it was the Herrscher of Thunder who fought, it was still her body, and she had observed the battle with the same careful awareness, it was no different than if she had gone in herself.
The strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal indeed. Truly formidable.
Thinking a moment, she added:
"This battle made us realize our shortcomings. That can be improved slowly, but also, I noticed we don't understand Herrscher powers very well. We need to keep training."
A Herrscher's authority is innate, but there is still a huge room for skillful application.
"Mei's right. In the battle just now, your use of Herrscher authority wasn't very proficient. On that point, I'll compile some materials later. There will be an exam in some time."
Fu Hua spoke calmly, but her words made Kiana's hair stand on end. Yuna too.
"Eh?" She blinked in a daze.
How did this suddenly get dragged onto me…?
...
Principal's office.
Theresa plopped into her chair with a grunt, looking at the two.
"So? Feeling reassured now?" Durandal gave a slight nod, smiling softly.
"St. Freya teaches well. With proper guidance, I believe we'll gain two more Herrschers who fight for humanity."
Durandal never doubted whether Herrschers could be brought to humanity's side.
Even the leader of Anti-Entropy, even the First Herrscher himself.
Though they often clashed with Schicksal, unable to see eye to eye, one couldn't deny their contributions to the fight against Honkai!
Anti-Entropy's mecha divisions were stationed all over the globe, sometimes, by the time Valkyries arrived, small-scale Honkai outbreaks had already been crushed by a nearby mecha unit.
What Durandal worried about was whether these unknown Herrschers might endanger the world.
From the looks of it now, they would not.
"Since this matter is settled, I'll be heading off to investigate the matter of that man linked to World Serpent."
Durandal's expression hardened as she spoke solemnly.
World Serpent, a hidden organization, lurking like a venomous snake watching from the shadows.
One careless step, and you'd be bitten!
...Not that Durandal was slandering them, their reputation really wasn't great.
Raven was no easy opponent. She did jobs for money, plain and simple. Who knows how many overconfident fools ended up lining Raven's pockets.
"With just your group, it may be difficult. If you need help, I can provide support." Theresa frowned slightly, clearly aware of World Serpent's threat.
And they still didn't know what had happened to Siegfried.
Durandal nodded without refusal.
She would never underestimate any strong foe. As she often said, if even Siegfried lost to them, his weapon stolen, then the enemy's strength was self-evident.
While each faction moved on its own course,
...
In the Sea of Quanta, within the Second God Key; the Key of Infinity's Projection.
"Why have the fluctuations been so intense lately?" Su cracked his eyelids open just a little, only a little.
His mind, full of doubts, quietly sensed the disturbances from the Sea of Quanta.
The Sea of Quanta had always been calm, and even when it stirred, never this violently.
Not that the turbulence was enormous, in comparison to the vast Sea of Quanta, this ripple was like a single wave in the ocean, dispersed before it fully spread.
But for something that had been silent so long to suddenly erupt with such disturbance made Su uneasy.
Could it be, the Sea of Quanta was about to give rise to yet another upheaval?
...
The true source of the fluctuations, was the Tree and the Sea locked in fierce clash.
... If expressed in human words, at this moment the Imaginary Tree and the Sea of Quanta were not only clashing endlessly, but also quarreling non-stop.
Attempting to shift the disaster had failed, and one side ended up suffering.
The other managed to avoid calamity, but was still annoyed, that damned thing dared to trouble it again.
Beings who had fought since time immemorial hardly cared about one more skirmish.
Yet their struggle rippled into many lives.
For example...
"The Sea of Quanta, there's very little research on it in this universe." Herta mused.
She hadn't gone back yet.
With such an interesting world, wouldn't it be a waste not to linger a while? Besides, there was nothing fun outside anyway.
Speaking of which, how far had Ruan Mei's research gone?
Back to the topic: across the cosmos, most research was tied to the Imaginary Energy. The concept of the Sea of Quanta was scarcely known.
Even Herta herself was utterly in the dark about this field.
To find, in this world, a Sea of Quanta capable of contending with the Imaginary Tree for endless eons, and that research here had even reached some depth, was enough to make her ecstatic.
"I may not know nothing at all about research, but I also don't understand this existence called the Sea of Quanta." Fu Xuan was equally curious.
In fact, although the Imaginary Tree theory had many voices across the universe, there were still some who didn't acknowledge it. Besides, Fu Xuan, as the Master Diviner of the Divination Commission, was extremely busy with official duties.
If she hadn't caught Qingque to act as her proxy, her daily workload would have been overwhelming.
Where would she find the time to pay attention to these novel studies?
"The first step in research is the hardest to take. Someone in this world has already taken it, so I must go see."
So said Herta.
Although Welt, who would later board the Astral Express, also knew of the Sea of Quanta, there were certainly many things he didn't know in concrete research.
After all, just by looking at him, he clearly wasn't a person specialized in scientific research.
What's more, the outside world didn't have such favorable conditions, perhaps she herself could even enter the Sea of Quanta.
Thinking of this, Herta could no longer suppress her urge, and with her advanced technical skills began searching for the Anti-Entropy base.
Fu Xuan didn't mind.
Xueyi was pulled off by Hanya to experience entertainment; if she went, it would ruin the mood, so it was better to follow Herta and see what new discoveries she had.
Besides, Xueyi's current body was merely one shaped through Godzilla's dreamscape. For a true physical form capable of fully functioning, Herta still needed to analyze and refine the energy within her current vessel.
...
At this moment, Anti-Entropy, The Deep.
Here lay the passage that connected to the Sea of Quanta.
The Eye of the Abyss.
"Cocolia really is generous, handing over all this research data." Tesla stared at the materials Cocolia had provided and couldn't help but marvel.
"Quite normal. According to Cocolia's information, a girl named Seele Vollerei once got lost in the Sea of Quanta. When it came to the children of the orphanage, I will, for now, acknowledge her efforts." Einstein said calmly.
They all had deep involvement in research regarding the Sea of Quanta.
Some of their friends, after entering, were never heard from again.
Although Seele's being lost in the Sea of Quanta was because of Cocolia.
Incidentally, Cocolia was now already imprisoned.
Welt had returned to take command of Anti-Entropy, and naturally, he couldn't allow this troublemaking reformist to roam freely anymore.
But what he hadn't expected was that most of Cocolia's mecha forces had already been destroyed in the battle in Nagazora.
Truly a bit...
Still, thinking of how those mechs had all been built with Anti-Entropy's money, Welt felt a sharp pain in his heart.
Money! Even as the Herrscher of Reason, he couldn't turn himself into a printing press!
"Tch, now here's the problem: we don't even know how to get in, how to maintain communication once inside, or how to come back out. So how do we find that big one?"
At these words, silence fell among the three.
Sometimes, Tesla's words were right on the mark.
Indeed, the greatest problem now was how to normalize operations and the issue of returning.
Even Welt couldn't guarantee he'd be able to find the way home after entering the Sea of Quanta.
The unknown had always been humanity's greatest fear.
"Yo, looks like I arrived just in time. What are you all chatting about? Count me in."
The sudden voice startled the three. Tesla quickly pulled Einstein behind Welt, not wanting to risk unnecessary accidents at such a crucial moment!
Welt activated the Herrscher of Reason's authority, summoning countless floating weapons into the air, all aiming at the source of the voice.
A small doll-like girl.
"It's you!!" Tesla exclaimed.
"A guest of Schicksal, you shouldn't belong here." Einstein's expression darkened, her tone wary.
"Call it whatever you like, but I'm not on the same team as that iron boy. We just had some exchanges, nothing to worry about."
Waving her hand dismissively, Herta began casually observing the underwater city without the slightest sense of distance.
"Not bad aesthetics, and this level of technology, clearly not from this era. Doing archaeology, are you?"
Turning her head and seeing the three still wary, Herta shook her head helplessly.
"Forget it, I'll just say it. I'm Herta, call me however you like. I just came to chat about the Sea of Quanta."
After a moment of silence, Einstein stepped forward to stand alongside Welt, speaking calmly.
"Why should we believe you? And how did you find this place?"
"You don't have to believe me. The price will be your research into entering the Sea of Quanta progressing much more slowly. As for how I found this place, just searched around a bit."
Arrogant, proud, confident.
From this so-called Herta, Einstein clearly felt that unique temperament of someone relying on some remote method.
To be honest, she wasn't unfamiliar with such emotions.
Coming from that bygone era, she had witnessed far too many dazzling geniuses.
People of all kinds, making her worldview exceptionally vast.
One more Herta wasn't surprising. But it had a benefit: such extreme pride often meant what she said was true.
Relaxing her guard only slightly, Einstein cautiously began conversing with this stranger named Herta.
····
The Sea of Quanta.
Its stagnant colors drained the heart with fatigue.
No matter how much time had passed, the Sea of Quanta remained the same. Even when change occurred, it was always worlds that couldn't withstand hardship collapsing, adding no trace of life to the dead void, only fueling despair.
A small girl curled helplessly within the ruins of a collapsed world.
Such ruins were innumerable in the Sea of Quanta. But a living being like this girl was exceedingly rare.
"Bronya... sister..."
The sleeping girl murmured, recalling forgotten memories.
Until... she awoke from the dream.
"Mm, still here." Disappointment. Though she knew the cruel reality, Seele still felt disappointed.
In this space, she had lost all sense of time and space. She couldn't tell if she was moving forward or backward, relying only on passing scenery to judge. Unfortunately, everything here was much the same.
"Again? Seriously, can't you be tougher? Drooling in your sleep, really?" At that moment, a voice laced with annoyance echoed in Seele's mind.
Though the words were harsh, Seele didn't mind, in fact, she liked hearing her speak.
As a natural Stigma bearer, Seele had always carried two personalities.
A soft and gentle outer personality, and a sharp inner one that would always use her fists over words.
If not for Inner Seele recording things in the notebook, perhaps Outer Seele wouldn't even know how she had endured so far.
"Eh! Isn't there movement over there?!" Suddenly, Seele cried out in surprise, staring joyfully in the direction of the fluctuation she sensed.
This time, Inner Seele didn't mock her for hallucinating.
She too extended her senses toward that area.
"There really is movement. But are you sure it's not dangerous? Forget it, doesn't matter. You want to go, right? Let's go take a look then."