46. Tribulation! Discipline! The Maiden's Destiny!
"When in doubt, quantum mechanics."
Though Gao Qi disliked charlatans who used quantum mechanics to appear mysterious, in the world of Honkai, the Sea of Quanta truly existed.
Moreover, as a "force" opposing the Imaginary Tree, the Sea of Quanta held a higher position in the hierarchy, even surpassing the "scavenger" known as the Honkai.
If the Imaginary Tree represented the boundless and infinite universe—the framework for thriving civilizations—then the Sea of Quanta was the resting place for fallen civilizations, the dark side of the cosmos.
Civilizations that possessed both future and past, having either withstood the trials of Honkai or not yet faced them, would become a branch or a leaf on the Imaginary Tree.
But if they perished or fell in the struggle against the Honkai, that branch or leaf would wither and decay, falling into the Sea of Quanta like deadwood.
In the Sea of Quanta, worlds transformed into "world bubbles"—illusions of worlds. These were neither complete worlds nor intact civilizations, but rather fragments of bygone eras, like old photographs.
The Sea of Quanta was like a hospice ward, offering defeated civilizations a final semblance of dignity.
But at least one thing was certain: the Sea of Quanta was a real, tangible space.
During his battle against the Herrscher of the Void, Gao Qi had briefly sensed the aura of Imaginary Space—a realm of pure distortion and chaos where all common sense was challenged.
Yet, when Gao Qi channeled his MANTIS powers and passed through the vortex-like "void" into this otherworldly realm of light and shadow, the first thing his feet touched was solid ground.
"Really, the Will of Honkai—no, not just the Will of Honkai, but the entire world, along with the Imaginary Tree and the Sea of Quanta—rejects my existence. I truly am unwelcome."
Under normal circumstances, the gate to the Sea of Quanta could only be opened in the depths of the Mariana Trench, at a relic of the Previous Era civilization known as the Eye of the Deep.
But now, on the coast of Siberia, a routine experiment on Honkai energy by Anti-Entropy researchers accidentally opened a gate to the Sea of Quanta due to a series of erroneous constants.
The probability of this happening was almost as absurd as teaching elementary students an acid-base neutralization experiment only for them to suddenly achieve controlled nuclear fusion!
Passing through the distorted gate, Gao Qi saw a pitch-black sky and earth, along with countless enormous rocks floating in the air.
Of course, this place was not silent. Countless dark-toned Honkai beasts were marching toward the outside of the distorted space.
There were "Baradiel" resembling ordinary Chargers, "Meduzoa" akin to octopuses, and "Frost Knight" similar to Knight-class Honkai beasts...
They were Honkai beasts, yet not entirely the same. Beneath their dark blue exteriors, Gao Qi could sense that their origin differed from that of typical Honkai beasts. They lacked the destructive power to annihilate everything, instead embodying a strange order.
But as the balance was disrupted, these once-dormant creatures began to awaken one by one. Some charged toward the spatial gate, while others rushed toward Gao Qi.
"The observer effect... right?"
Gao Qi understood that his presence, along with the gazes and mental fluctuations of the countless children outside, had disturbed the tranquility of the Sea of Quanta.
"But... whatever the reason, don't you dare lay a single finger on our children!"
Watching the swarm of Quantum Honkai beasts, Gao Qi took a deep breath. The long-dormant power of the MANTIS began to awaken within him.
Bang!!!
"Break!"
With a furious punch from the White Tiger's Wind-Sensing Strike, Gao Qi aimed at the core of a Quantum Honkai beast and struck with full force.
Under normal circumstances, this blow would have instantly killed the Honkai beast. But now, the Quantum Honkai beast was merely knocked back dozens of meters without sustaining serious damage.
Even worse, in a flash of blue-black light, the Honkai beast teleported back in front of Gao Qi and continued its attack.
"Hmm... Quantum superposition, huh? Really, don't force me to use quantum-type characters. But then again, what type am I? Bio? Psychic?"
The moment he struck the Quantum Honkai beast, Gao Qi felt a "barrier" that greatly slowed the transmission of his power. It was as if this world was protecting these quantum creatures.
Gao Qi knew that only characters who mastered quantum power and had a deep understanding of this world could collapse a Quantum Honkai beast from its superposition state to a collapsed state and deliver a finishing blow. Unfortunately, Gao Qi was no scholar—he didn't understand quantum mechanics.
More and more Quantum Honkai beasts began to swarm. Gao Qi stood guard at the gate to the real world, doing everything he could to prevent their escape.
Though Gao Qi couldn't harm them, their attacks couldn't break his defenses either. All Gao Qi had to do was hold out until the children evacuated, and then—permanently seal this gradually expanding gate!
As for the method to close it—leave it to the all-powerful Honkai energy!
Thinking this, Gao Qi gently placed his hand on his face. The power of "Brahma" and the Authority of Death erupted instantly, as the forces of life and death began to circulate within him.
Gao Qi, this half-baked MANTIS and unlicensed Herrscher, once again began to burn his life force, allowing Honkai energy to saturate his body.
Of course, without the support of the Serenity Gem, the compatibility of the Blank Key and the Black Nucleus White Flower, no matter how much he overloaded himself, Gao Qi could never reach his former power.
Still, it was enough to deal with these Honkai beasts—
"Break!"
With a casual punch, rampant Honkai energy poured out violently.. This power cared nothing about superposition states, instantly piercing through the Quantum Honkai beast's defenses.
"And then, I can complete the overload and directly 'detonate' the spatial distortion... This is the end."
In this place where the children couldn't see him, Gao Qi planned to end his life. He knew that the longer he stayed, the more he would hurt them. The "changes" he had made were enough.
Perhaps it was more fitting for the mercenary named "Zero" to disappear than for Seele to vanish into the Sea of Quanta.
"Besides, maybe... I'll have a chance to come back."
Thinking this, Gao Qi took a deep breath and began to amplify his Honkai energy output—
Then, he suddenly noticed that directly ahead of him, the tide of Honkai beasts was being annihilated by an overwhelmingly powerful force.
It was a—flame!
Then, Gao Qi heard a roar—a loud, thunderous roar filled with immeasurable fury, as if harboring a pure, unadulterated rage toward the world, toward all things, toward everything!
"Apostle of the Serpent, you deserve to die!!!"
Amidst a blurred, staticky roar, a flame—a bright, blazing flame—appeared before Gao Qi.
That was—a fist!
*Boom——————*
The punch was too strong, too fast. It held no flashy moves, no unique techniques, and it wasn't a sneak attack. It was an honest, straightforward, and unadorned punch, yet in Gao Qi's eyes, it was completely unavoidable, striking him squarely in the face.
*Thud—*
Scorching and ferocious, the overwhelming violent force instantly smashed into Gao Qi's head, nearly twisting and shattering it, sending his entire body flying backward toward the ground.
"Traitor! Rebel! Fiend! I know your power doesn't end here. Come at me again! I will show you, you deceiver, my wrath!"
The roar echoed through the sky, and boundless anger began to incinerate any Quantum Collapse Beasts daring to approach the two. The puncher charged toward Gao Qi once more, intent on finishing him off.
Gao Qi was dazed. The sudden assault left him feeling disoriented and dizzy, as if the world were spinning.
He was embedded directly into a floating rock within the Quantum Sea, his entire body aching terribly, yet he appeared—completely unharmed?
But the next moment, a surge of emerald-green light began to swirl from within him, forcibly jolting him awake.
[Engraving Activated: Indestructible [M]
The 'gift' left by Mobius is enough to withstand a full-power strike from a Hero and repair any damage sustained, restoring you to peak condition. Afterward, the engraving will enter a charging cycle, with the charging time depending on the host's power.
Remember, you are Mobius's ultimate answer and eternal companion. This ruthless explorer ultimately chose to believe in "love."]
"Thanks, my Serpent. Your love, I've received it."
Feeling the power of Mobius's engraving, Gao Qi began to twist his body, causing his bones to emit a series of cracking sounds—the strength granted by Mobius was equivalent to a perfect immortal shield and a resurrection armor.
Boom!
The surrounding massive rocks shattered entirely. Gao Qi abruptly flipped over, his body accelerating suddenly as he dodged an attack rushing toward him.
"Wow, may I ask who you are—tsk, truly terrifying."
Even a clay figure has a temper. Being suddenly struck with a death blow, even Gao Qi, who was accustomed to death, felt a surge of anger boiling within him. He remained fully alert, looking toward the figure emerging from the dust—likely a person?
It was... a shadow, a human-shaped shadow enveloped in what seemed like mist, obscuring its features. Only in what appeared to be the left eye was there a faint flicker of red light.
"Shut up! You deceiver—serpent's—I will kill you—deception—retribution! Eternal war—come, let me see if the current you is worth killing!"
The figure continued to roar, but its words seemed encrypted or blocked. Every time it uttered a certain term, static noise would engulf it, making it impossible to hear a single clear word.
Upon closer inspection, however, Gao Qi realized that the "black mist" enveloping this person seemed to be some kind of solidified energy, resembling massive black serpents coiling around and entangling the figure.
And behind it, the black mist continued to extend, seemingly anchoring and locking the figure in place within the space.
But Gao Qi had no mood to dwell on these details. He only wanted—to properly beat the hell out of this thing!
"Goddamn it, you bastard, spouting nonsense no one understands. If you want a fight, then I'll fight you!"
Gao Qi was certain this thing was his enemy. The Quantum Sea held many locked-up horrors, and Gao Qi absolutely could not let this one escape.
Hearing Gao Qi's words, the figure suddenly threw its head back and laughed loudly.
"Hahahahaha, good! Then enough talk. You and I shall fight to the death, nothing more—come!"
Blazing flames erupted from the shadow, rushing explosively toward Gao Qi. Gao Qi, in turn, unleashed all the Honkai energy within his body.
But just as the two were about to collide, suddenly, a set of golden chains materialized out of thin air behind the shadow, binding it tightly.
Click—
Its hands and feet were abruptly shackled by the golden chains, bringing its charge to an abrupt halt.
Though Gao Qi didn't understand why this happened, he didn't hesitate. He immediately landed a solid Mountain Shattering Inch Strike directly on the figure's face, sending it staggering.
"Ah—&&%¥¥()*@&!!!"
The shadow seemed even angrier now, its voice completely turning into chaotic, garbled noise, as if cursing furiously.
It began to struggle, straining against the golden chains, almost shattering them.
Just as Gao Qi was considering whether to seize the opportunity while it was vulnerable and land a few more heavy blows, suddenly, several similar yet distinct blue butterflies began to flutter around both Gao Qi and the shadow.
"Calamity... don't..."
A gentle, soothing female voice whispered in Gao Qi's ear. Though he couldn't make out the words clearly, he felt a sense of comfort wash over him.
"Dad/Father! We're here to save you!"
The next moment, two small figures materialized beside Gao Qi in a shimmer of quantum fluctuations.
Seele and Bronya, two young girls, driven by their concern for Gao Qi, arrived at the place of their destined encounter.
Note: I'm new to translating so please be kind and tell me any mistakes you all find, I will try to release a chapter a day but don't expect much
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Raw: 崩坏模拟器,你找的人是我么?