The Herta squeezed a wisp of the Power of Existence from her fingertip and flicked it into the sea of emotions in the Warp beneath her feet.
Nothing happened.
The sea remained the same sea, still a hazy expanse of primordial chaos, exactly as it had been before.
The Herta was already preparing to flick another wisp into it when Herman suddenly spoke.
"Herta, has the fundamental nature of this Warp sea changed?"
The Herta lowered her gaze and immediately noticed the difference.
It really had changed.
Put simply, the Warp was nothing more than a mass of energy suspended within the interstitial layers of the greater universe. It was insubstantial and drifting. If any Aeon struck it with a palm, They could scatter it just like that.
But things were different now.
Beneath the sea of emotional energy in the Warp, an additional layer had appeared.
It was extremely thin and transparent, like a newly laid foundation of reality. That wisp of genuine Power of Existence had made the Warp real.
"It works."
The Herta's interest immediately surged, and she began tossing more Power of Existence into the sea one wisp after another.
One change followed another.
First came the boundaries.
Originally, the Warp had expanded by relying on one Herta Puppet after another as its feelers, slowly absorbing emotional energy from each world where a little Herta existed to strengthen itself. Its growth
had never been particularly fast.
But now, part of the Warp had already become active. It could independently extend dimensional tendrils into real worlds and absorb the emotional energy produced by living beings.
As a result, the boundaries of the Warp began expanding outward ring by ring, visibly becoming more spacious. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before the Warp dimension could encompass hundreds or even thousands of superclusters.
Thoom.
A muffled impact echoed from the deepest reaches of the Warp.
The Herta raised her head and looked toward the source of the sound. She immediately saw four objects floating there, all four of which she couldn't have been more familiar with.
A Mask of the Masked Fool, given to her by Aha back on Punklorde.
Blood of Abundance, obtained from the Stellaron Hunter Blade.
Gilded Blood of Extinction, personally bestowed upon her by Nanook after the great battle against the Lord Ravagers in the Yongmei Star System.
And the final item, the Blood of Genius used for healing, belonged to The Herta herself.
Now, under the influence of the genuine Power of Existence, all four objects had begun beating like hearts.
Thump.
The Mask of the Masked Fool smiled.
The slits of its eyes curved upward, and the sound of laughter spread throughout the entire Warp, causing vast quantities of emotional energy to tremble. At the same time, the mask seemed to begin absorbing energy from the Warp.
Thump!
The Blood of Abundance beside it also began trembling. It transformed into a seed and started extracting emotions associated with countless concepts of life from the Warp, turning them into nutrients for its own growth.
Thump!
The Gilded Blood of Extinction began spinning. With every revolution of the droplet, it absorbed even more negative emotions. It, too, was becoming active, as though it intended to nurture a naturally born Lord Ravager.
Thump!
The Blood of Genius also trembled. Eventually, amid its vibrations, it began absorbing emotional energy belonging to beings of wisdom.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
The four cores originally used to create the Warp continued trembling under the assistance of the Power of Existence, beating in a peculiar rhythm.
The entire sea of the Warp rose and fell along with that rhythm.
The Herta's gaze sharpened as she stared at the four objects and the Warp's origin, making her judgment.
Under the influence of the Power of Existence, the Warp was undergoing metamorphosis and growth. And as it grew, the four cores supporting the Warp were also beginning their own transformations!
The current Warp was no longer merely an illusory dimension.
It was now a cosmic embryo with the potential to become an entire spiritual universe.
Of course, reaching that stage would still require astronomical quantities of emotional energy as well as Power of Existence.
After reaching this conclusion, The Herta sensed the changes more carefully and discovered that, as the master of the Warp, she had also gained considerable benefits from the process.
For example, as the Warp grew, she, its master, could mobilize more of its power. Beyond that, special substances such as the Mask of the Masked Fool, Vitalized Blood of Abundance, Gilded Blood of Extinction, and Blood of Genius... were all existences governed by her as the master of the Warp.
Thus, as the four great origins transformed, she could also reap benefits from them.
For instance, at this very moment, through the activated Gilded Blood of Extinction, she sensed part of the mysteries of Destruction, allowing her to advance even farther along the Path of Destruction.
The same applied to Abundance, even more so to Elation, and Erudition was no exception.
She was still growing.
Improving, endlessly improving.
Only after a long while did The Herta open her eyes again and sigh inwardly.
As expected, the Power of Existence possesses limitless potential.
And since it can cause the Warp to undergo a transformation, could it also be used on my other projects?!
Once The Herta's thoughts reached this point, her eyes began to gleam.
At the same time, Herman used the Research System's Attribute Appraisal on the Warp, now infused with the Power of Existence. He quickly determined that its four great origins had already become active.
Perhaps before long, four gods really will be born within the Honkai: Star Rail universe.
Herman sighed inwardly.
Meanwhile, in higher dimensions, several Aeons also noticed the Warp's drastic transformation and realized that its four origins were showing signs of activation, almost as though they were coming alive.
"This is a good thing." Nanook of Destruction gazed at the Golden Blood of Destruction spinning and awakening within the Warp before murmuring, "I need more Lord Ravagers to bring even grander destruction to this universe."
"The mask is coming alive. A naturally born Emanator of Elation. Good, good, good... This is simply wonderful! If that mask truly comes alive, then perhaps I, Aha, can finally lay down this burden. I won't need to suffer beneath the curse of Voracity anymore. I can let the mask become the new..."
Far beyond the distant stars, Aha laughed loudly. They eagerly anticipated the future in which the mask would truly be born and They could finally cast off Their burden.
Elsewhere, Yaoshi of Abundance stopped spreading Their blessings and turned Their gaze toward the Warp. Looking at the seed that continuously absorbed emotional energy and flourished, They offered Their assessment.
"A naturally born Emanator of Abundance. Before even being born, they have already absorbed countless concepts of life. Once they are born, they ought to become my newest disciple."
As for Nous of Erudition, They were likewise watching the Warp, observing the ever-growing Blood of Genius.
"Blood that continuously absorbs the concept of genius and extracts the wisdom of geniuses from the emotions of all living beings. This blood is destined to be extraordinary."
"More importantly, this drop of blood came from Herta. It possesses the possibility of becoming a genius... perhaps even talent comparable to Herta herself, capable of transcending the calculations of fate."
"Once it is truly born, it will require close attention. It could even be invited to join the Genius Society and granted the blessing of Erudition."
Within Their main computer, Nous continuously performed calculations and formulated various plans.
And elsewhere, another Aeon was also watching the Warp. It was HooH of Equilibrium.
At this moment, HooH had already discerned that, after The Herta's artificial modifications, the Warp dimension had undergone a fundamental transformation and now possessed the potential to become an Imaginary Realm—a spiritual universe.
Perhaps, in the future, the Warp could become a second universe and survive the calamity of Finality.
However, for the Warp to reach such a future, it had to maintain balanced growth and receive the proper nourishment.
Having reached this conclusion, HooH of Equilibrium silently continued exerting Their power, regulating the mutually hostile positive and negative emotional energies within the Warp.
...
Meanwhile, The Herta had already shifted her attention to Honkai energy. She intended to inject the Power of Existence into it.
She raised the Herta Magic Wand in her hand. A mass of dark violet Honkai energy condensed at its tip, after which she tossed a wisp of the Power of Existence into it.
The Honkai energy immediately changed. Originally, it was energy transformed from Imaginary internal energy and therefore possessed a certain sense of unreality... but after being supplemented by the Power of Existence, its interior seemed to have been filled in, becoming extraordinarily solid and substantial.
Herman, residing within The Herta's body, examined it with the Research System's Attribute Appraisal before saying seriously, "The energy level of the Honkai energy has increased dramatically. If you use Honkai energy infused with the Power of Existence to create something now, you might genuinely be able to create a Planet-class Honkai Beast!"
The Herta carefully observed the evolved Honkai energy before offering her own serious assessment. "Indeed. Not merely Planet-class. It might even be possible to create a Star-class Honkai Beast. After being enhanced by the Power of Existence, the Honkai energy itself has already undergone some kind of special transformation."
The instant she finished speaking, The Herta noticed that the Honkai energy enhanced by the Power of Existence had automatically tilted toward a particular direction, like iron filings being drawn toward a magnet.
The Herta raised an eyebrow and drew upon the computational power of the Super Herta Astral Computer, calculating along that direction. Her calculations stretched farther and farther, passing beyond the end of the star rail opened by the Aeon of Trailblaze, and even beyond the boundaries of the known universe... yet in the end, she still couldn't determine what was attracting the Honkai energy.
It was as though something beyond the known universe, separated from them by countless trillions of light-years, was drawing the Honkai energy toward itself.
The Herta fell into deep thought.
At that moment, Herman recalled that before transmigrating, Honkai: Star Rail and Honkai had once had a crossover connection.
Now that the Honkai energy has been enhanced by the Power of Existence, strengthening its presence and causing it to tremble toward a particular direction... could the Solar System, Earth, the Cocoon of Finality, and the Herrscher of Finality—Kiana Kaslana—be somewhere in that direction?!
Countless thoughts flashed through Herman's mind. He then used Attribute Appraisal on the Honkai energy and quickly confirmed that his speculation was correct.
At this very moment, what resonated with the Honkai energy whose presence had been strengthened was none other than the Cocoon of Finality in the Solar System.
Herman therefore seriously relayed the information he had just identified to The Herta.
The Herta raised her head, a trace of interest flashing through her eyes.
"The Cocoon of Finality and the Herrscher of Finality—Kiana Kaslana?"
"To think someone like that actually exists beyond the boundaries of the cosmos."
"Interesting. This truly is fascinating."
After all, The Herta had initially assumed Honkai energy was a technology originating from outside this universe, just like the Plasma Spark Tower and Soul Gems, technological knowledge and theories she had obtained from other universes after activating World-Shaking Wisdom.
But now it seemed... her assumption had been wrong, or at least partially wrong. Honkai energy, for instance, did not originate outside the universe. Instead, it came from beyond the cosmic boundaries of the known universe.
If Honkai energy was like this, then could the Plasma Spark Tower and the Warp also be...
After thinking through the possibilities, The Herta spoke seriously to Herman through their mental connection. 'That place has a Solar System, Honkai energy, the Cocoon of Finality, and Herrschers... I'm extremely interested. Especially since you just said that the Honkai-aligned Herrschers created by the Cocoon in that world all possess authorities. I truly want to know what the fundamental nature of those Herrscher authorities actually is.'
Hearing this, Herman couldn't help giving a quiet laugh. "If you really want to go there, you'll have to wait for a while. After all, Akivili has already fallen in the current era, and the Astral Express has also been lost."
"Under these circumstances, the star rail can't possibly extend itself into worlds beyond the boundaries of the cosmos."
"So for now, you can continue waiting. Wait until the day the Astral Express sets out again and Akivili returns. When that happens, tell her about the scenery beyond the cosmos. She'll definitely become curious and set out to Trailblaze it!"
Herman paused before adding, "There's another method as well. Continue advancing along the path of scientific research. Develop a vehicle superior to the Astral Express and use it to explore beyond the universe yourself."
"Relying on others can never compare to relying on yourself." The Herta said seriously, "I'll continue down the path of scientific research. Sooner or later, I'll advance another step and create an unprecedented train, one capable of trailblazing beyond the universe."
As The Herta said this, her voice carried the same unwavering confidence as always.
After hearing her, a faint smile appeared on Herman's lips. "I believe in you. You'll definitely accomplish it."
"Of course. I'm Herta. Herta has no limits." After saying this, The Herta once again recalled her future self, who had become the Aeon of Spirituality. After losing Herman, that future self had also lost those limitless possibilities and was unable to survive Finality on her own.
Instead, she had to rely upon her past self—the current Herta—to devote herself to research and create new possibilities.
Thinking this, The Herta raised a hand and pressed it against her chest, silently adding another sentence in her heart.
Of course, I still need your help, Herman. Only with you can I possess limitless possibilities.
At that very moment.
At the other end of those coordinates, beyond the known universe, on the moon beside a blue planet, a white-haired girl with violet eyes was reading a book.
Suddenly, she stopped reading and raised her head toward the Cocoon of Finality.
She could sense that the Cocoon's rhythm had changed.
Something's wrong.
Very wrong.
Kiana Kaslana furrowed her brows slightly and closed her eyes, carefully sensing the disturbance. Before long, she detected something.
There's Honkai energy in the distant reaches of space!
And wherever that Honkai energy is, it's unbelievably far away. Not merely beyond the Milky Way, but somewhere across the vast expanse of the existence.
But how could Honkai energy exist somewhere so distant...? Could there be another Cocoon of Finality somewhere beyond the known universe?!
Naturally, "beyond the known universe" depended entirely on where one stood. The boundaries of the known universe were different for every civilization, determined by how far they had explored and how much of the cosmos they understood.
From The Herta's perspective, this distant world lay beyond her known universe. Yet to those living here, it was The Herta and the civilizations of Honkai: Star Rail that existed beyond theirs.
Kiana opened her eyes and gazed at the stars above. As she memorized the direction from which the distant Honkai energy had originated, she picked up her phone and began calling her external brains.
"Mei, Bronya, Auntie, this is bad! Something huge has happened..."