Chapter 509

Kiana's reminder alerted everyone, and Li Sushang reassured them, "Hey, don't be so nervous. What's done is done. We'll see what happens. There's always a way out. I don't believe that such a small elevator can really trap the six of us."

Chapter 362 My Heart

"Alas, people say that seeing is believing, but this so-called Imaginary Space is truly full of strange occurrences."

Looking at the changing scene before her, even Li Sushang, who had left home at a young age and ventured out on her own, couldn't help but sigh at the current situation. The suddenly rising black flames, the elevator that couldn't land, and this suddenly changed space... She never expected that Kevin would actually have so many abilities. No wonder they were so wary of him.

If the Grand Master cultivated for five thousand years, then Kevin probably didn't waste a single day in his fifty thousand years of life.

"I don't think this was Kevin's doing. At least during the World Serpent era, none of Kevin I've met or heard of have shown this ability that seems to surpass the Herrscher of the Void."

Mei shook her head. As the person who knew Kevin best among those present, she was qualified to say such a thing. After all, she had worked under Kevin before, and she really didn't know that Kevin had the ability to suddenly transfer others to another dimension.

"Mei, you're mistaken. In a detective novel I recently read, it said something like this... cough cough, after eliminating all the impossible, what remains, no matter how impossible, is the truth."

Li Sushang shook her finger and corrected herself, finally finding the perfect occasion to use this phrase. How about it? Doesn't it make her seem cultured? When Li Sushang first saw this phrase, she thought it was too hot, so she'd kept it in mind, and now she finally had the chance to use it.

"Sushang ... that statement doesn't apply when we haven't fully grasped the clues yet."

Durandal corrected her somewhat awkwardly. Li Sushang probably thought the line was cool, but it really didn't apply to the current situation. Durandal hoped she understood that. Li Sushang scratched her head, a little confused. Was that so? She really thought saying that line was pretty cool right now.

"Alright. The point isn't who trapped us here, but how we should break through this and move forward, right?"

It was quite rare; Kiana had actually become someone who could make everyone focus their attention on important matters. The investigation and analysis a few minutes earlier had basically confirmed one thing for everyone. As the elevator continued to descend but never reached the bottom, the space, just like what Kiana and Mei had experienced in their mental space, rapidly reconstructed itself in the darkness. When the light returned, what appeared before everyone was a corner of the so-called extra dimension, a labyrinth exuding an eerie atmosphere.

"Shen Gonglin, stick close to Bronya. Bronya will protect you."

After surveying the surroundings, the emotionless loli shielded Shen Gonglin behind her. The weightlessness from the elevator's descent had made Shen Gonglin, who was afraid of heights, very uncomfortable, as if she were sitting on a slowly descending drop tower. This gave Bronya an opportunity to shine; she would protect Shen Gonglin while Kiana and Mei stayed close by.

Shen Gonglin remained silent, shrinking into his Heavy-duty Rabbit to adjust his state. The reconstructed environment was no longer like the constantly descending elevator from before, and it was easy to recover.

"Since we're in a maze, finding the exit will solve everything. The most efficient way is undoubtedly to split up. Whoever finds the exit first signals the others to regroup..."

Seeing Bronya and Shen Gonglin's intimate interaction, Kiana's eyes lit up and she tried to suggest a solution. If they were to split up, she would definitely have to be with Shen Gonglin. She wondered if it was just her imagination, but ever since she and Mei returned from the mind space, Shen Gonglin seemed to be throwing a tantrum at her. Kiana wanted to find a suitable environment to have a proper talk with Shen Gonglin, but of course, not in front of so many people. She needed to be alone with him at least.

"No, if we really do that, we might be playing right into the enemy's hands."

Durandal directly rejected Kiana's suggestion. Kiana looked embarrassed. She knew that this choice was not rational, so she was just saying it. It seems that she will have to wait a while before she can adjust her relationship with Shen Gonglin.

"Although it's not good to split up, Kiana's summary makes sense. Regardless of whether Kevin was behind it or not, the purpose of these arrangements is undoubtedly to hinder us. And the fact that they've given us choices in various situations time and time again might be a way to mask their tactical intention of defeating us one by one."

Durandal, resting her chin on her hand, made this analysis. As expected of the strongest Valkyrie, her methodical analysis was widely accepted. It felt as if she was forcing them to make a choice, and of course, they couldn't follow her lead now.

"Yes. Unless absolutely necessary... our actions should remain unified."

Mei also seconded the idea, but although she rejected the decision to split up, it was still necessary to continue exploring. Since this was a maze, what they needed to do now was to find the exit.

"Well then... to ensure the absolute success of our combat power, the battle in this Imaginary Space should be handled by me, Rin Shen Gonglin, and Sushang, who are more suitable to serve as the vanguard. Raiden Mei, Bronya, and Kiana, the three of you have excellent teamwork. When facing truly powerful enemies, you will be able to unleash even greater combat power after conserving your energy."

Durandal made the battle arrangements straightforwardly. Among everyone, she was the only one with experience leading Valkyrie squad, so no one objected. Kiana only grumbled to herself, thinking that she and Shen Gonglin were the most compatible, so why was he, Durandal, and Li Sushang assigned to the vanguard group? Kiana was thinking of protecting him properly.

"Shen Gonglin, although you are the vanguard... please leave the actual combat to me and Sushang. You don't need to take action unless absolutely necessary."

Durandal noticed the slightly awkward atmosphere between Shen Gonglin and Kiana, so the understanding girl arranged for Shen Gonglin to be with her. The three of them walked ahead, and Durandal whispered something in Shen Gonglin's ear. Of course, she wanted to take care of Shen Gonglin, since he was arguably the strongest fighter among them.

Although their combat strength fluctuates.

"Oh, I see."

Shen Gonglin nodded obediently. Perfect timing. He was also quite interested in being in a group with Durandal and Li Sushang. This arrangement suited him perfectly.

Chapter 363

"This place... really reminds me of the Waka Tunnel that takes you through the Earth's core in the World Bubble. But... their principles probably aren't that similar, are they? Ah, Shen Gonglin, I was referring to my past experiences traveling through worlds. If I have the chance, I'll tell you all about it."

As the group explored forward, looking at the bizarre and wonderful sights around them, Durandal couldn't help but sigh. Noticing the curious gaze of Shen Gonglin beside her, Durandal realized that the person next to her wasn't the adjutant who had gone through the great adventure with her. Those memorable experiences could indeed be told to Shen Gonglin later.

"It seems quite interesting. Rita told me these things as bedtime stories before. We agreed that next time you would tell me the stories."

Knowing when Durandal was referring to, Shen Gonglin was quite interested in her and Rita's experiences. Li Sushang also chimed in, making small talk. Seeing the three chatting so enthusiastically, Kiana, feeling a strange sense of unease, also joined in.

"Let's focus on the present first. Although this is a maze, it's too quiet. There are no traps on the path, and no monsters will suddenly appear around the corner..."

The girl wanted to interrupt their chatter; feeling excluded was unpleasant. Then, as if on cue, a figure suddenly rushed out from around the corner before Kiana could finish speaking. A white uniform, a mask covering the head, and a long sword in hand... Shen Gonglin silently looked at Kiana. This girl must be the legendary jinx.

Kiana glared angrily at Shen Gonglin. This was an enemy that was bound to appear, and it had nothing to do with whether she was a jinx or not!

"It's alright. Kiana, it's a piece of cake."

Wanting to stretch her legs, Li Sushang immediately flew out on her sword. As a member of the vanguard group, Durandal followed closely behind. These enemies did not have a strong aura, so they should finish them off quickly.

Countless flying swords swirled around the arena. Li Sushang, who inherited the Taixu Sword School, was a formidable fighter. Before Fu Hua revealed her ultimate trump card, she was no match for Li Sushang. Therefore, resolving the battle before her was a piece of cake. Watching the enemy disappear in the sword light, Li Sushang tapped her head in confusion, feeling that something was amiss.

"It's really strange. These assassins seem to have human bodies, but after being defeated, they just vanish like mist. Bronya, do you know how this happens?"

After retrieving her flying sword, Li Sushang tilted her head and looked at Bronya. This girl knew a lot about these kinds of "theoretical" things; she was quite cultured. During her time at the Salt Lake Base, Li Sushang had asked her many questions.

"Hmm... In gaming terms, if this is a special level designed to trap us, then the people from earlier were probably non-player characters. Bronya means that they might be part of this space itself, rather than independent entities. However, if we want to draw any conclusions, we probably need more evidence."

Even without fighting, Bronya could provide her support. After her explanation, Li Sushang suddenly understood. So that's how it is. It's like an NPC in a video game, right? The girl swung her sword and scattered the enemies in front of her. How to put it? Although the opponents weren't very skilled, these assassins were really relentless.

"If Bronya's guess is true, then they are indeed an endless existence like Honkai Beast."

Such a battle does not put any pressure on Durandal. Although quantitative change can lead to qualitative change, the number of enemies is obviously not enough to meet this requirement. She can fight like this for a whole day.

"Uh... that sounds exhausting. Let's find the exit quickly."

Summoning a giant phantom of the Xuanyuan Sword to instantly clear away the enemies in front of her, Li Sushang continued walking forward with great enthusiasm. Fighting these meaningless enemies would not improve her martial arts skills in the slightest, so she should hurry up and find an exit. Staying here was of no use at all.

"Strange, it feels like we've been walking for a long time, but we haven't found a single clue to the exit. It's almost like... we were dragged into the Domination Theater by those puppets."

After wandering aimlessly for a while, Kiana frowned and said this. Their current situation reminded Kiana of her past experiences, and she did have that feeling.

"I later entered the Domination Theater under Otto's guidance. However, according to Gnius's statistics, this labyrinth is not as large as the Domination Theater. Compared to the Domination Theater... it felt more like an infinite corridor to me."

Durandal also shared her experience, but a term from the girl's mouth caught Kiana's attention: the Infinite Corridor... She had heard of that term before. Or rather, she had experienced it in that memory.

"Hmm... Einstein said that during the Second Honkai Impact 3rd, Sirin created a closed space called the Infinite Corridor and used it to trap Kiana's parents. The way to break the deadlock at that time was to concentrate all the energy and repeatedly attack a single point, using the quantum tunneling effect to allow the attack to penetrate to the outside of the space, forcing Sirin to separate the Infinite Corridor from her body."

Bronya provided a theoretical explanation. Regardless of whether the other girls understood it or not, Shen Gonglin certainly didn't. In any case, the difficult-to-explain parts could be solved with quantum mechanics. Simply put, it's about concentrating power at one point and then breaking through space, right? That makes it very simple.

They just love to complicate simple problems.

"Using brute force to break through a predicament... that reminds me of a Flame-Chasers from the Elysian Realm. He taught me that even if you're trapped in data space, you can still create a weakness by attacking the space itself with all your might. But... that being said, we still can't be sure which one this labyrinth is most similar to: the Domination Theater, the Infinite Corridor, or the Elysian Realm."

Mei learned a lot from her experiences in the Elysian Realm, such as the solution provided by a certain hot-tempered guy. However, Mei is now unable to discern which situation is most similar to her current one. Will using Chakravartin's brute-force solution really work?

Chapter 364

"That's right. At the same time, this maze may also have a completely different background than the three dilemmas mentioned above."

As if afraid that Shen Gonglin might understand, it seemed that only Shen Gonglin couldn't understand what they were saying. Durandal, resting her chin on her hand, analyzed the current situation, trembling with fear at the inexplicable knowledge. Shen Gonglin could only look for allies, and Li Sushang was a good choice. As expected, they were still the closest of uncle and niece. What were they talking about? Standing next to Li Sushang, Shen Gonglin felt a little more at ease.

It seems like I'm not the only one who's stupid.

"If we're just talking about the feeling... I don't think it's a completed structure, but rather a natural existence. For example, the space here seems to extend infinitely, and there's not much of a sense of enclosure."

Kiana expressed her feelings, and at the same time, she looked at Shen Gonglin to see his reaction. After all, both of them possessed the power of the Herrscher of the Void, and their perception of space was like an instinct. If she had this feeling, Shen Gonglin should have the same feeling.

"So... considering our previous experiences, as a space that leans towards nature and is open, it may also grow on its own. In other words, this maze may always accompany our steps, constantly generating new paths, just like the experience that the Class President and I had when we were Domination Theater."

As the team's strategist, Bronya integrated the information and came up with this explanation: the current situation was indeed somewhat similar to the situation she and the Class President had been trapped in the Domination Theater, but it still needed to be verified.

They're really amazing... Shen Gonglin had already expressed his complete admiration for them. He couldn't understand any of the theoretical knowledge, but they all seemed to have figured it out. So Shen Gonglin could only pretend that he understood as well, otherwise he wouldn't fit the group at all.

But according to them, is this environment similar to Minecraft or Minecraft? If that's the case, Shen Gonglin feels that she can understand it a little better. They keep rendering the visible environment, thus trapping them in the space?

"However, how exactly do we verify this hypothesis...? Do we need to repeatedly test and compare data at different locations?"

Durandal raised the question, but Bronya denied it. Their current role was not that of researchers, and studying the composition of this space was not among their top priorities. All they had to do was leave.

"No, we just need to find the vulnerability that is bound to exist."

Bronya raised her little finger and pointed to the farthest point in her vision, expressing her thoughts. Although her powers had not been restored, the power of the Herrscher of Reason was still shining brightly for Bronya.

"Since the road moves forward as we move forward, it naturally doesn't extend when we stand still. So, what would happen if we could travel from where we are now to a place farther than the end?"

Having proposed this idea, Li Sushang, who had been listening attentively, also raised her hand to ask a question. This reaction astonished Shen Gonglin. Why would she ask a question? Wouldn't asking a question mean that she had been listening to everything they said? Damn it, Li Sushang, you look so innocent and adorable, I never expected you to betray me like this. Doesn't this make me seem all alone?

"But Bronya, didn't you say that as long as we move forward, the maze will... Ah! I understand. It seems I'll have to Kiana and Junior Uncle from now on!"

Realizing what Bronya meant, Li Sushang slapped her hand, suddenly understanding. Now they couldn't rely solely on their legs to move forward like before. With Shen Gonglin and Kiana, both Herrscher of the Void, this method became feasible. As long as they moved quickly before the rendering was complete, they might be able to escape the maze.

"Hmm. When Domination Theater, the puppets trapped the Class President and me by robbing Peter to pay Paul. Only the space where the two of us were located was intact. The areas we couldn't see were under construction... Back then, we spent a lot of time, but this time, because Kiana is here, we might be able to get straight to the answer."

Simply put, it involves using the Herrscher of the Herrscher of the Void's teleportation to prevent the space from expanding in time, thus achieving the effect of breaking through this space.

"Alright, let me give it a try. Shen Gonglin, don't move yet. I'll handle this one."

Kiana, of course, was eager to help everyone out of their predicament with her own power. The girl stepped forward and patted her chest, indicating that she didn't need Shen Gonglin's help. After all, this guy was really bad at spatial perception. Without the real Herrscher of the Void as an assistant, it would be difficult for him to teleport accurately. Kiana was much better than Shen Gonglin in this regard.

For Kiana, who had regained her powers, this kind of instantaneous movement in a flat space was very easy. The girl snapped her fingers, and a black door connecting to the distance appeared in front of the group in an instant. This was the farthest teleportation portal that Kiana could open with the naked eye. Such long-distance teleportation might really be beyond the "rendering ability" of this space.

However, something unexpected happened again. After everyone entered the space tunnel and experienced a brief feeling of weightlessness, Li Sushang looked around and found that this place seemed to be exactly the same as the place where they had been teleported earlier, which meant...

"Have we gone back to where we started?"

Seeing the sword marks not far away, marks left during their previous battle, proved that it wasn't Li Sushang's imagination; they had indeed returned to the same spot.

"It might be my problem... Let me try again."

Kiana had clearly opened a spatial tunnel in the distance, so why did she return to the same spot? Could it be her fault? Blaming herself for this, Kiana prepared to try again, but Bronya reached out to stop Kiana. From this, it seemed that the problem might not be as simple as she had initially thought.

"Wait, Kiana. Instead of blindly repeating, let's analyze the reasons first. Since you can sense that the space is open, let's delve deeper and investigate the shape of the entire space more carefully."

Chapter 365 Not Illiterate

Having put forward her own ideas, Bronya realized that blindly repeating would only lead to the same result. She thought of what she should do now, even though the situation was different from that of the Infinite Corridor. Based on Bronya's years of gaming experience, the most confusing part of a maze is often its shape itself.

After sharing her thoughts with everyone, no one disagreed with Bronya's assessment. After all, she was the brains of their team. Upon hearing Bronya's analysis, Shen Gonglin nodded approvingly. As expected of her strategist, her mind worked incredibly fast.

"... That makes sense. Perhaps our previous cursory investigation overlooked something. Let me give it a try."

Kiana closed her eyes. For the Herrscher of the Void, perceiving space was an effortless act. The tower was like breathing, like a heartbeat; it was a constant process as long as one was alive. Therefore, senses like smell or touch only took hold of Kiana's conscious awareness when she focused her attention intently.

She seemed to see... the veil concealing the truth fluttering to the ground. Unlike the situation she faced when repairing the broken bridge, the more distant the space here, the more intricate and complex it became at higher latitudes, like many tightly meshed, constantly turning gears. To depict the entirety of this space or pinpoint the exact location of a single gear was not only difficult, but also required enduring the agonizing mental strain of being crushed by the senses. Thankfully, it wasn't Shen Gonglin who attempted it, otherwise, she would have been in immense pain... Kiana didn't give up; after all, her companions were still waiting for her aid.

With this belief in mind, Kiana opened the door once more. However, as if the world was deliberately mocking Kiana's efforts, on the other side of the door, there was no "end," only "the past."

In several rounds, even though she was fully focused each time and deliberately changed the positions of the door and the landing point, the result was never ideal. This situation...

"I... I'll try again..."

Rubbing her temples to relieve the throbbing in her head, Kiana was unwilling to give up and prepared to try again. Seeing the girl's difficulty, Shen Gonglin stepped forward and pressed her head down. In the past, the calculations for using the Herrscher of the Void's abilities were done by the real Herrscher residing in her body, but Shen Gonglin also knew the burden this would place on her head. Kiana had already tried her best.

"Kiana, take a rest first."

Mei was also comforting Kiana from the side. She wanted to continue to work hard, but the grown-up girl knew that she couldn't let her companions worry about her anymore, so after hesitating for a moment Kiana still replied sweetly.

"Good."

"Kiana, I'm sorry. Bronya was thinking the whole time you were trying. And the result of that thinking is... This isn't your problem, it's that Bronya's deduction was wrong. But, thanks to your efforts, Bronya was able to understand the possible truth in such a short time. The anomaly isn't in this labyrinth, but in ourselves. To be more precise, right now, above our heads, there might be a special force field that's constantly moving with us. It's because of the existence of this special force field that Kiana and Shen Gonglin's spatial abilities can't extend outside the labyrinth."

While Kiana was making her attempts, Bronya was also busy. After summarizing all the current information, Bronya analyzed and came to the conclusion that perhaps it was their own reasons that led to the current change in the situation. This line of thinking might work.

"Force field? What does that mean?"

This explanation was difficult to grasp at first glance. Bronya tilted her head, pondering again, wondering how to explain it...

"Hmm... Bronya's explanation wasn't very intuitive. To put it in a more understandable way... yes, it might be like an electromagnetic wave. Mei should know very well the principle that electromagnetic waves can penetrate a vacuum, right?"

Bronya tilted her head, thinking about how to explain things in a way that would be easier for people to understand. Judging from Shen Gonglin's expression, Bronya knew that she was in a state of clear-headed stupidity and really wanted Shen Gonglin to understand her. So she had to find some simple and easy-to-understand examples. Bronya knew the importance of communication and that she couldn't afford to have nothing in common with Shen Gonglin.

"Yes. A changing electric field will generate a changing magnetic field, and a changing magnetic field will generate a changing electric field... In this way, electromagnetic waves continue to propagate towards infinity."

Mei nodded and recited the knowledge from high school physics. Now Shen Gonglin understood. Apart from Li Sushang, who was a high school dropout, the worst person among them had a high school education. Even Kiana, who was slacking off in class, knew about this kind of thing.

"So, Bronya, you mean that the space beneath our feet is like an electromagnetic wave, capable of extending infinitely on its own? But if that's the case... it shouldn't just form a finite closed loop."

Having a similarly high level of education, Durandal could easily understand what Bronya was saying, but it didn't make sense. Or could this incomprehensible thing be attributed to quantum mechanics once again?

"Hmm. This is indeed a difficult phenomenon to explain. Forces that curl up spontaneously generally cannot form stable spaces... unless it's like the World Bubble in the Sea of Quantum, where forces of different properties interact..."

Bronya and Durandal were discussing modern science when Li Sushang, who had missed the boat, finally found a chance to interject. Although the girl had been expanding her knowledge through extensive reading since her awakening, such academic accumulation still required gradual instruction. She had been practicing swordsmanship since childhood and had no interest in studying such things. Even if she wanted to, the education system at the time could not have cultivated Li Sushang into a physics master. However, the sword fairy girl also had some unique insights of her own.

She couldn't let her junior uncle really think she was illiterate, could she? As a girl, Li Sushang valued her image in Shen Gonglin's heart very much.

"Do they interact like the Taijitu?"

Li Sushang raised her small hand and shared her understanding, immediately drawing everyone's attention. Taijitu? What does interaction have to do with the Taijitu? Fu Hua wasn't there, and among everyone present, Li Sushang truly didn't have a stronger understanding of Tai Chi.