I. The Existence of Artificial Keys of God.
The foreshadowing for this was planted a long time ago.
I laid the groundwork for it three times before their appearance:
Hugh's death and Tefnut's appearance. In the first volume, it was mentioned that Mobius had conducted a "prototype pseudo-core" experiment, which was ultimately abandoned for various reasons. This was also the very first prototype of an artificial Herrscher Core.
Tefnut successfully created an artificial Herrscher Core. Ra, as a high-ranking member, was able to obtain some of Mei's experimental results. The artificial Herrscher Core and the Blank Key were part of Mei's very early plans, but their development was also shelved for other reasons.
In recent chapters, it was said that these are the prototypes for the 1,000 Keys of Domination.
This is my fault. The foreshadowing was subtle and laid a long time ago.
II. The Issue of the Flame-Chasers' Combat Strength.
To answer readers who haven't played Honkai Impact 3rd:
The Flame-Chasers really are this strong; I didn't give them any plot armor. With a few exceptions like Kevin, the other Flame-Chasers only experience a period of a few years or even just a few months between their fusion and the present. They become strong immediately after their fusion; there's no process of getting stronger and no difference between their early and late stages (excluding the post-era period and external factors like Artificial Honkai Eruption and the Keys of God). The Emperor had an easy time last time because Sakura was caught off guard and put at a disadvantage, Su was sabotaged, and the rest weren't truly dedicated fighters.
But this confrontation is different. Among the six, there are no researchers; aside from Griseo, they are all top-tier Fusion Warriors. That's why the Emperor, not being in his complete state, seemed to be struggling.
Of all the "power-ups," only Yudu Chen was created on the spot.
Finally.
I'd like to apologize about the update schedule... I really don't have a stockpile of chapters; I post them as soon as I finish writing them. For my previous two books, I could indeed write 20,000 characters a day, but that's because I was very familiar with Pokémon and Kamen Rider. Researching information was fast; it was mostly just checking to see if I remembered things correctly. For this book... when I played Honkai Impact 3rd, I never paid attention to the story at all. There's so much I have to research, so my writing speed is exceptionally slow. I can't do much about it, so I ask for everyone's understanding.
Going forward.
I know my mistake and will try to improve. For important chapters, I'll try to finish writing them all and release them together. Mm, that's the plan.
Thank you all for your support, good night~