"Are we not going in?"
After leaving the village, Bia looked up at Chen Ran, puzzled, "That was the best place calculated to set up the Staff of the Underworld, from the farthest distance to the nearest distance; isn't that the experiment you are conducting?"
"That's true."
Chen Ran sighed and said, "I'm just worried that I might not have enough time to conduct the experiment."
If his guess was correct, this village was very likely the one that bound Kalpas.
Recalling Kalpas's performance in battle in the plot, Chen Ran suddenly felt that this experiment might not go as smoothly as he hoped.
"Why wouldn't there be enough time?"
Bia blinked her eyes, "There should still be time until the fifth Honkai Manifest."
Chen Ran shook his head, "That's not what I meant."
If Kalpas was here, then with his personality, would Chen Ran still have time for the experiment?
A hint of contemplation appeared in his eyes.
At that moment, Chen Ran received a communication from Vill-V.
"Hey, long time no see, did you miss me?"
The video displayed on the communicator showed Vill-V yawning widely.
Chen Ran: "Why do you sound so much like Elysia?"
"Uh-huh, you don't like it? Then I'll change it next time." Vill-V paused and said, "I've been cooped up in the engineering department for a while, it's driving me crazy. By the way, where are you now?"
"I'm conducting an experiment, what's up?"
Chen Ran briefly informed Vill-V about the impending fifth Honkai and the experiment he and MEI were about to undertake.
Although he didn't want the higher-ups of Fire Moth to know, Vill-V was considered one of his own.
Chen Ran had great faith in Vill-V's character, and of course, the most important reason was that the two had done almost everything together except for the final step.
"Hmm, the Herrscher, huh."
"Then I guess you'll be needing it."
Vill-V paused and said, "Tell me the coordinates; that thing is complete."
"Divine Key?"
"Correct."
Vill-V had been very busy during this time.
After the wealthy Eden's funding was secured, she began her research on combining materials with the Herrscher Core to create powerful weapons.
The so-called Divine Key, to put it in slightly more complex terms, is a weapon that allows a human body to wield divine authority.
The most crucial element is the Herrscher Core, followed by the materials that are linked to the Herrscher Core, which mitigate Honkai Energy corruption.
Its primary function is not to combat enemies but to use the Herrscher's authority through a human body.
However, correspondingly, if one is not a Herrscher recognized by Honkai, forcibly using powers akin to a Herrscher comes at a steep price.
"By the way, you should also conduct data testing on this weapon."
Chen Ran eagerly informed Vill-V of his location.
Through the quantum channel network constructed within Fire Moth, Chen Ran quickly encountered the Divine Key before him.
Brown in color, it resembled a massive locomotive emerging from the quantum passage, shaking the entire space.
Seeing Chen Ran's astonished expression, Vill-V couldn't help but laugh heartily: "So, how is it? The latest creation of the great magician Vill-V, isn't it breathtaking?"
Chen Ran: "…"
"It's certainly shocking, but how am I supposed to use it?"
"Press your hand against the front of the locomotive, then feel it with your mind."
Following her instructions, Chen Ran did as told.
Then, he sensed a consciousness touching him.
Vill-V said, "After obtaining the Herrscher Core, I used various methods to analyze its essence and made a discovery."
"The material that constitutes the Herrscher Core is not the genes recognized by humanity but a manifestation of rules."
"To be precise, the Herrscher is likely a consciousness born from physical rules; more accurately, the birth of the Herrscher signifies that the physical rules of this world have been altered by Honkai, thus acquiring thought."
Chen Ran was slightly taken aback.
He instinctively recalled the words of the Fourth Herrscher as she lay in his arms.
The agent of the divine is merely a slave.
"So, the consciousness of the altered rules possesses the power to manipulate those rules, and the Divine Key I'm designing is meant to overlay human consciousness over the consciousness of the altered rules."
"Cosmic Juggernaut, it will have two forms. The first is the train form you see; this is the manifestation of the Herrscher of the Void's rules. This form of Cosmic Juggernaut has the ability to traverse short distances while ignoring space."
"And the second form is the weapon form."
As Vill-V spoke, the massive locomotive Chen Ran was touching transformed into a Greatsword.
He gripped it tightly, feeling its surprising lightness.
"It has only one function: to cut through the space of this world using the Herrscher Core, which is precisely what you want, to harness the power from beyond the world."
Satisfaction gleamed in Chen Ran's eyes.
The reason he had Vill-V design the Cosmic Juggernaut was to obtain a passage from beyond the world.
The Herrscher of Wind's authority is to control the Herrscher, not to create; however, within the world, there are no ideal fluids, and one can only rely on the power from beyond the world to plunder.
In other words, only by mastering the Cosmic Juggernaut could he fully unleash the maximum power of his authority.
"Thank you."
"Hmm, but you need to show some sincerity when thanking me. How will you repay me?" Vill-V raised an eyebrow.
Chen Ran sighed: "I owe you a huge favor; whatever you ask of me in the future, I won't refuse."
Although his favor wasn't worth much, it was the best promise he could make.
Vill-V was quite satisfied.
"Alright then, I wish you success." She paused and said, "By the way, through the Cosmic Juggernaut, I also made a little gadget that's just right for you."
Under Chen Ran's astonished gaze, two pistols landed in his hands.
To catch them, he had to place Durandal on the ground.
"What is this…"
"Byproducts obtained from studying the Herrscher of the Void Core, capable of issuing commands to space by mimicking the will of the Herrscher of the Void, thus condensing bullets that traverse space."
"I didn't name it; you can call it whatever you like."
Chen Ran instinctively said, "Then let's call it Keys of the Void."
The weapon before him was almost identical to the Keys of the Void he had seen in the game.
"Thank you; with this, I feel more confident."
Although Chen Ran had already possessed powers akin to a Herrscher before, it was only now that he felt a sense of security.
"And there's no need to wait for the Herrscher to appear; I can test the weapon for you right away."
He looked towards the village he had left, a thought forming in his mind.
…
This village was a place that wouldn't even show up on satellite maps.
It had no name, only cold, hard coordinates to determine its location.
According to the records displayed by Fire Moth, the people of this village were quite ignorant. Although outsiders occasionally passed through, they had their own deities whom they believed in, with unwavering faith.
Because during the ravages of Honkai, the deity sent down a guardian for the village.
It was a man.
He was bound to a massive tree trunk, his hair disheveled, making it hard to see his true face.
When the enormous Honkai monster appeared, it was this man who descended from the heavens, scaring the Honkai monster away.
That feeling was akin to a beast encountering its natural enemy.
Long before, the village had already known of Honkai's existence, suffering greatly from the rampages of the Honkai Beasts.
To avoid the Honkai Beasts, they abandoned farming and could only hunt for survival.
As the Honkai Beasts grew increasingly rampant, the already small village struggled to survive.
Perhaps because the outsider bore a face similar to theirs, the men in the village grew bold.
Taking advantage of the man's unconsciousness, they bound him to the tree trunk and gradually collected his blood. Miraculously, the village no longer suffered attacks from the Honkai Beasts.
This unexpected discovery left them both shocked and delighted.
They bound the guardian sent by the deity with branches but respectfully offered him the best food.
Ignorant people always believe that as long as they offer the best to the gods, the gods will bestow mercy upon them.
And it seemed that this was indeed the case.
The village named the guardian: Kalpas.
They believed the guardian would protect the village through at least a thousand calamities.
"Eldest Brother Kalpas, have some water."
As the sun was about to set, a young man, taking advantage of the villagers' inattention, fed Kalpas water bit by bit.
"My grandfather is old-fashioned, so he brought you a dry and skinny chicken; you didn't finish it, so you must be thirsty."
The young man named Immer complained as he spoke: "Eldest Brother Kalpas, just hang in there a little longer."
"Once I gain the power to defeat Honkai, I'll rescue you."
He fed the man before him, who resembled a beast, half in comfort and half in admiration.
After Kalpas woke up, he was worshipped by the entire village.
Immer's grandfather even revered him as a deity, ensuring that the best food in the village was prioritized for Kalpas.
But he could not move freely; the food he consumed was fed to him in turns by the villagers.
Though named a guardian, in reality, he was merely a slightly more advanced livestock.
But Kalpas didn't mind.
He had already lost his home.
The cold water flowed down his throat and into his body, and Kalpas felt the heat within him slightly subside.
He didn't feel that being bound here was a humiliating thing; he didn't care about that.
Since those people said this was his home,
Then he would treat it as his home.
The eyes beneath Kalpas's dry hair revealed an unintentional spark of battle, causing the young man named Immer to tremble instinctively.
He couldn't help but question whether the branches binding the man truly had the power to restrain him.
At that moment, a sudden tremor echoed around the village.
Immer couldn't help but look up, only to see the sun being obscured by a massive object, and that enormous monster let out a series of roars.
"Durandal, simulate the roar of an Emperor-class Honkai Beast; today, we're going to test the weapon."
Inside the Cosmic Juggernaut, Chen Ran's eyes fell upon the bound Kalpas.
He didn't want his plan to be interrupted, but in the plot, when the Fifth Herrscher appeared, Kalpas was torn apart by him.
So, he could only subdue Kalpas first.
Chen Ran was not a warmonger, but this was a necessary part of the plan.
…
"Ah, what is that?"
"What a huge monster; could it be the punishment sent down by the gods?"
"The guardian sent by the gods can't drive away the monster; quick, hide, hurry!"
The massive Cosmic Juggernaut obscured the sun in the sky, resembling a flying monster.
And Durandal's simulation of the Honkai Beast's roar filled the villagers with despair.
In the history of the village suffering from Honkai Beast attacks, never had such a colossal monster appeared.
The villagers began to flee in panic, while Immer shouted to Kalpas: "Eldest Brother Kalpas, wait for me; I'll go get a knife to free you from the branches."
Kalpas did not respond.
He dropped to the ground on all fours, and someone urged Immer to escape quickly, but the young man ran straight to his house to grab a knife.
The enormous 'monster' was getting closer to the village.
People couldn't see its true form, but something that blocked the sun was usually not friendly.
No one wanted to stay; everyone was scrambling to escape.
Immer returned with the knife, only to be grabbed by his grandfather: "Fool, what are you doing?"
"Eldest Brother Kalpas, he's still there."
"He is the guardian sent by the gods, nothing will happen to him. If you go, it will only be a pointless death!"
The old man held Immer's wrist tightly: "Follow me."
"Grandpa, even if he is a guardian sent by the gods, he cannot fight with his hands and feet bound." Immer said seriously, "Moreover, he has protected the village for so long; at the very least, we shouldn't let him feel disheartened this time."
"If we let down the guardian of the gods, will the gods still protect the village?"
The old man, referred to as Grandpa, was momentarily taken aback, and then Immer broke free from his grasp.
However, when he returned to that altar-like place, he saw that the branches above had already turned into segments.
Kalpas, who was regarded as the guardian by the village but had been bound for so long, had the ability to break free from these branches long ago.
"Eldest Brother Kalpas?"
He instinctively froze upon seeing the man on the altar.
"This is coming for me; you should leave."
Immer was slightly taken aback, then revealed a hint of determination: "Eldest Brother Kalpas, don't underestimate me; I'm strong too!"
The young man pointed to his bicep in a showy manner. He was an outstanding hunter in the village, always aiming to protect it.
And indeed, he had considerable talent; at least Kalpas had seen him lift stones weighing over three hundred pounds.
"Kid, you're still too weak."
Kalpas's eyes narrowed slightly, the dry tips of his hair hiding eyes that seemed to devour like a beast.
Immer's heart trembled involuntarily.
At this moment, the Cosmic Juggernaut was getting closer.
"Get lost."
"Then Eldest Brother Kalpas, you must be careful."
Without hesitation, Immer left.
At the same time, on the Cosmic Juggernaut, Chen Ran saw that all the villagers had evacuated and said to Bia: "Bia, activate the combat module and data recording. You're responsible for testing the data in the upcoming battle."
"Okay." Bia blinked and asked, "Leave it to me; I'll definitely arrange it well."
"And, you can use the combat form of the Cosmic Juggernaut directly; I have weapons now."
He wasn't skilled with the Greatsword, so it was better to give it directly to Bia.
If he needed to borrow fluid from outside the world, then letting Bia provide him with weapons would suffice.
Chen Ran said, "Your body also has combat coding, so just be my puppet assistant."
Durandal blinked and said, "Alright!"
She had wanted to try fighting for a long time.
However, while they were chatting, they saw Kalpas on the ground, like a beast unable to sink, suddenly leap high into the air.
"I don't care what you are; get the hell out of my way!"
He was actually going to smash this Divine Key with his fists.
…
…
This is a madman.
When Chen Ran saw the man's pupils, even though he was mentally prepared, he couldn't help but be shocked.
He knew Kalpas was powerful, but the Kalpas before him had combat abilities that were even above that of an Emperor-class Honkai Beast.
However, Kalpas did not feel surprised by the appearance of a person in the Cosmic Juggernaut.
Or rather, his instinct for battle made him crave the fight even more; who the person was didn't matter at all.
Chen Ran did not hold onto the Cosmic Juggernaut but instead gripped the Keys of the Void.
That's right, he directly named the weapon Keys of the Void.
The bullets fired from the dual guns in their special form were essentially not bullets but rather the Herrscher of the Void's 'commands' to space.
Although the 'Keys of the Void' were not the companion weapon of the Second Herrscher, they essentially still required the Second Herrscher to be used most appropriately.
However, even if he couldn't directly quiet the space like the Herrscher of the Void, as an ordinary weapon, it was still quite terrifying.
These bullets, when hitting an ordinary person, would be enough to cause a collapse.
But not Kalpas.
Because he is Kalpas.
Even though the man before him had not undergone any modifications related to the MANTIS operation, his beast-like keen instincts and developed physique allowed him to dodge the Keys of the Void's attacks, which were much faster than regular bullets.
The man was faster than the bullets.
He quickly approached Chen Ran, weaponless, using only his hands, as if he wanted to tear Chen Ran apart.
Chen Ran's eyes turned cold, the earth whipped up a violent whirlwind, and then a massive dust storm enveloped the two.
Kalpas instinctively squinted, only to see Chen Ran shooting at his hands and feet.
He inevitably got shot.
Chen Ran then began to hold back, saying lightly, "Bia, it's your turn."
"Watch me, long live the beautiful girl!"
Durandal, symbolizing the Immortal Blades, now also had a weapon similar to the 'Immortal Blades.'
In fact, after understanding the meaning of her name from human knowledge, Bia had fantasized about what it would be like to participate in battle.
However, she imagined herself becoming the 'Immortal Blades' from mythology, wielded by Chen Ran in battle. Her Soulium body could support her in doing so, and she had succeeded before.
But Chen Ran had refused.
After all, Chen Ran did not know how to use cold weapons.
The knowledge the system provided him included gunfighting techniques, biology, computer science, quantum science, and fluid mechanics.
It did not include using the Greatsword.
And Chen Ran's talent was evaluated by his instructor as 'surviving is victory'—a normal combat talent.
The current Fire Moth combat personnel always felt that although Chen Ran could fight, he was more like an experimental product launched by the First Research Institute and the Engineering Department.
Just like the modifications in Cyberpunk 2077.
In this situation, it was basically impossible to have Chen Ran wield Bia in battle.
He was not Durandal.
Bia had been frustrated about this for a while, but Chen Ran had distracted her with some awkward material.
But now.
She felt that compared to the awkward material, fighting could also bring her joy.
Since she was named after the Immortal Blades, she naturally could not hide her brilliance!
When the dust settled, Kalpas was astonished to find that the one fighting him was actually a puppet that didn't even reach his feet.
He felt both ashamed and angry: "Hah, using a little one to humiliate me? Just wait to be torn apart by me!"
The place where Kalpas was shot by Chen Ran was still bleeding, yet he seemed oblivious, starting to fight with Durandal.
Although this was Bia's first battle, her relentless learning made her combat skills incredibly proficient.
The puppet's body was small, but its strength was not small at all.
Not to mention, Bia was holding the Cosmic Juggernaut.
This was an existence that could directly slice through space.
Chen Ran did not rush to intervene but watched as Bia had enough strength to deal with Kalpas.
Kalpas's combat ability was beyond doubt; after all, he was capable of tearing apart a Herrscher.
However, the Herrscher he had torn apart was essentially a new life that did not know how to use its power.
In the face of Bia, who had various combat techniques and precise data calculations, Kalpas felt like a tiger encountering a mouse, unable to catch it at all.
Moreover, his wounds had not healed due to the intense combat.
He was losing blood.
This was the plan Chen Ran had prepared from the beginning.
During the Honkai Manifest, Kalpas would definitely fight the Herrscher. He did not have confidence in establishing a good relationship with Kalpas during this time. But the experiment prepared with MEI was about to commence.
So, he could only use this method, letting Bia slowly drain Kalpas's blood, thereby weakening him.
The man would not easily die; he was just made to be weak for a while.
As for Chen Ran clashing head-on with Kalpas, there was no need.
Because if he borrowed the ideal fluid from outside the world, Kalpas would most likely lose his life.
This was not a difference in power but a difference in the rules of four-dimensional space.
In this world, power could not break the rules.
And Chen Ran wanted to test his combat abilities; he had plenty of opportunities.
He said lightly, "Alright, Bia, use some strength."
"The beast before you is about to fall."
Upon hearing this, Kalpas became even more frantic, instinctively lunging at Chen Ran.
However, the authority that Chen Ran held was enough to create a gap between the two.
He was bleeding more and more.
Large patches of blood stained his clothes.
Kalpas seemed oblivious, continuing to lunge at Chen Ran, but just as he exerted force, his brain suddenly spun.
With two hearts, he had extraordinary strength and metabolic capabilities.
But this also meant that his blood circulation was always faster than others, and the rate of blood loss was the same.
Kalpas fell.
"Tsk, always feeling like I'm looking for trouble for myself."
He looked at the chaotic scene and sighed, "But, the last Yellow Springs Staff has been successfully arranged."
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