Alicia is the True Golden Finger in Honkai!

However, as a price, Gwen also diverted a considerable amount of energy to guide the power continuously surging from the Gem of Conquest.

While it wasn't enough to affect Gwen's combat, it prevented him from timely responding to the Queen's spatial disintegration, thus falling into the imaginary space as the Queen had intended.

Floating in the imaginary space, which was incredibly mysterious to humans, Gwen held his spear with one hand, guarding himself, while the other hand crackled with lightning as he scanned his surroundings for that figure.

At this moment, Gwen's transformed body had also undergone significant changes compared to before—

Originally, when he was in Starfall Town, Gwen's transformed appearance was not much different from the Nexus in his memory.

However, after returning to the Honkai world and transforming using his own power, Gwen's appearance had changed again—

Although he hadn't directly reverted to the form of Nexter, still maintaining the posture of Nexus, his gray markings now carried a hint of the pink seen on Honkai Beasts.

Chapter 40: Purple Youth Form (Big Misconception)

While these slight pink markings were harmless and wouldn't lead to any strange associations, combined with the silver on his body, they involuntarily brought to mind Honkai Beasts, which commonly featured white and pink color schemes.

This was also one of the reasons Otto linked Gwen from the surveillance footage to the Fusion Warriors recorded in the previous civilization.

However, Gwen's current appearance was vastly different from before—

The light gray parts of his body were replaced by the purple of lightning, interspersed with some golden markings. Combined with the remaining silver parts, it gave him a less dangerous aura than Raiden Mei's menacing lightning, exuding a more majestic and grand presence.

Yet, Gwen had no energy to concern himself with the changes in his own body—

Despite all precautions, a moment of carelessness had led him to be pulled into the imaginary space by the Queen, entering her absolute home ground.

Fortunately, the good news was that Gwen was also different from his previous self—

As Gwen was one with Raiden Mei, helping her stabilize the Herrscherification process, he could be considered a Herrscher undergoing Herrscherification. Whatever power Raiden Mei could use, Gwen could also use unconditionally.

Even though the Herrscher of Thunder didn't possess the same degree of control over imaginary space as the Herrscher of the Void, the Honkai energy here wasn't entirely attributed to the Herrscher of the Void. Gwen and Raiden Mei could also absorb it—

In fact, upon entering the imaginary space, the rate at which Honkai energy surged in greatly increased, accelerating Raiden Mei's Herrscherification process.

However, the surge in Honkai energy also greatly consumed Gwen's attention. Even though his mental strength had made significant progress during his training in Ultra Telekinesis and psychic abilities, Gwen's energy was stretched thin at the moment.

Furthermore, although Gwen couldn't find the Queen, who was hiding somewhere, her attacks arrived without warning—

A terrifying gravitational force, originating from an unknown source, pulled Gwen's body towards the left. Just as Gwen was controlling his body to slow down, it abruptly changed direction, slamming him into a purple cube that had appeared out of nowhere, causing it to crack.

Almost simultaneously, several smaller cubes rose, attempting to completely trap Gwen within them—

"Are you ready to meet your death?"

The Queen's voice, filled with arrogance, echoed through the imaginary space, projecting an air of absolute victory.

In fact, within this imaginary space, the Queen, who possessed a certain ability to manipulate imaginary space, could achieve far more than she could in the outside world, giving her the confidence to kill her disobedient half and the scoundrel who had seduced her half.

However, just as the mysterious entity in the imaginary space was about to completely close, sealing Gwen within, purple lightning suddenly flared. Gwen, who had been hit hard, directly charged out, having no intention of meekly allowing himself to be locked away by the Queen.

Yet, as Gwen flew out, he was met with more imaginary constructs rapidly closing in—

At this moment, the imaginary cubes that had just attempted to seal Gwen had transformed into part of a larger blockade. Hundreds of imaginary cubes rolled forward, intending to completely seal Gwen within.

"Really..."

Muttering, Gwen felt the increasingly surging Honkai energy within his body and abandoned the idea of escape. Instead, he moved his hands rapidly, erecting two spiral galaxy-like barriers.

Just before the cubes the Queen used to seal Gwen completely merged, Gwen had already joined the two barriers together, protecting himself entirely like an eggshell—

After the recent probing, Gwen had discovered that the Queen's strength in the imaginary space was significantly higher than in the outside world. The barriers she had erected in Changkong City before might not have been enough to completely negate the Queen's attacks.

"Hmph!

Do your best and struggle!"

The Queen's ethereal voice echoed once more in the imaginary space, as if symbolizing divine will from the heavens.

However, while her harsh words continued, the Queen still hadn't revealed herself—

Despite her disdainful words towards Gwen, the Queen, having narrowly escaped death several times, acknowledged Gwen's strength and thus did not openly appear before him, choosing to remain completely hidden.

However, even while avoiding direct confrontation, the "divine punishment" that accompanied the "divine will" began ferociously as her words fell—

The infinitely extending Void Belt, like an unparalleled blade cutting through the vast expanse of the sky, fiercely sliced into the imaginary cubes sealing Gwen. With the amplification of the imaginary cubes, it unleashed its maximum destructive power.

However, to the Queen's dismay, who had concealed her presence, the blade, which seemed capable of cleaving this space, suddenly halted midway through its cut. When it emerged, it was already broken into two pieces.

"Hmph!"

With a cold snort, her face turning ashen, the Queen fiercely waved her hand. Void Lances materialized out of thin air, taking on various forms. Amplified by the imaginary cubes, they fiercely bombarded the barrier firmly sealed by the imaginary cubes, yet they failed to stir even a ripple in the slowly rotating barrier that resembled a galaxy.

Within that nebula, Gwen didn't do much else. Besides maintaining the barrier, he poured most of his energy into guiding the continuously surging Honkai energy—

Only by properly guiding this Honkai energy and resolving Raiden Mei's issues within his body could Gwen focus his attention on the battle—

As the initiator of the One-Body Fusion, Gwen found the experience quite peculiar for the first time using this skill.

However, at this moment, Gwen was focused on guiding and organizing the Honkai energy, leaving him no time to explore the peculiar sensation of this state.

As for Raiden Mei, she didn't have as many thoughts—

Raiden Mei, having never subjectively encountered Honkai energy, naturally had no experience. When she had made eye contact with the Queen earlier, the Honkai energy within her body had already far exceeded her control, and her body was unable to bear the burden.

Now, after accepting Gwen's "One-Body Fusion," Raiden Mei felt as if she were bathing in a hot spring, enveloped in warmth from head to toe, so comfortable that she almost moaned.

Of course, quickly realizing that she could still perceive the external situation, Raiden Mei broke free from that incredibly comfortable state, looking tensely at the unfolding events.

When Raiden Mei saw Gwen being dragged into this mysterious space, forced into a passive state of being beaten, she was quite nervous. She even ignored the slight pain brought by the Honkai energy surging within her body.

Chapter 41: Rita, come help me hold this up.

When she saw Gwen being seized by a power that came from nowhere, Raiden Mei's heart leaped into her throat.

After achieving One-Body Fusion, Raiden Mei could more directly feel the terrifying attacks Gwen was enduring.

It wasn't until she saw Gwen protect himself with a barrier that Raiden Mei breathed a sigh of relief. She also sensed the increasingly surging power within her own body and the pain that was subtly threatening to return.

However, before Raiden Mei could even worry about whether her condition would affect Gwen's battle, she heard Gwen's voice ring out again:

"Mei, don't be nervous, relax your body. Next, I will help you guide the Honkai energy flowing into your body. Feel the flow of energy within your body carefully.

Only by completing the Herrscher transformation process while maintaining your will can we survive and get out of here."

"Mhm, I believe in Gwen."

Nodding, Mei, with a tightening heart, secretly told herself that she absolutely could not drag Gwen down anymore. She replied obediently.

"Then... let's begin..."

With a soft whisper, Gwen stopped speaking, dedicating all his energy to guiding the Honkai energy continuously surging from the Gem of Conquest.

Regarding the Herrscher transformation process, Gwen was also completely in the dark. All he could do was guide and restrain the vast energy, ensuring it smoothly reached its target destination without being depleted along the way and harming Raiden Mei.

In Raiden Mei's perception, she was enveloped by a warmth that penetrated her soul. The increasingly obvious pain in her body quickly disappeared, and the negative emotions that had involuntarily grown with the pain also vanished. The pressure on her soul suddenly disappeared, and she felt so comfortable she could almost fly.

"Don't be so embarrassing!"

Just as Raiden Mei was almost lost in the sensation, a sudden voice instantly pulled her back from the clouds.

She then heard the other party continue:

"Or do you want to rely on your little lover to save you again the next time you're in danger?

Are you so useless that you can only be a weakling who needs saving?"

"No way!"

As the situation calmed down slightly, Raiden Mei heard the shamelessly spoken words and a wave of shyness instantly rose within her. She mentally retorted loudly and quickly focused her attention, feeling the energy surging within her body.

"Hoo..."

In Raiden Mei's mind, that voice let out a sigh of relief without her noticing, seeing that Raiden Mei had finally stopped embarrassing herself.

"I'm supposed to be the villain here, how did I end up like a doting mother?"

At this moment, Mei's Herrscher consciousness/Stigmata consciousness felt a moment of confusion.

However, even though she was concentrating on feeling the energy flow within her body, the words the other party had just spoken still flashed through Mei's mind from time to time. While it didn't completely break her concentration, it was difficult to completely forget them.

And amidst Raiden Mei's slight confusion, her Herrscher transformation process was rapidly advancing, driven by the surging Honkai energy.

At the same time, outside the barrier, the Queen's attacks never ceased, with various attacks continuously crashing down like a tide.

However, faced with these strengthened attacks, the Nebula Barrier showed no signs of wavering, continuing its slow rotation.

The Queen gritted her teeth in frustration, unable to do anything about it for the moment. She could only silently accumulate Honkai energy, both to stabilize her condition and suppress the troublesome idiot still messing around inside her body, and to launch even more powerful attacks.

However, as the Queen glared at the imaginary cube that was sealing Gwen, her pupils suddenly constricted.

In the Queen's eyes, golden radiance, distinct from her own Void Belt, seemed to appear around the imaginary cube.

The next moment, before the Queen could make any move, the imaginary cube that had firmly locked Gwen suddenly exploded. A golden nebula of lightning, accompanied by a magnificent voice, spread out.

"Galaxy Lightning Strike!"

Her body was instantly engulfed by golden lightning, and a flicker of fear and unease flashed in the Queen's golden eyes.

However, just as the Queen was about to do something, her slender neck was already grasped by a powerful hand. The lightning emanating from the Nexus armament on her wrist completely paralyzed her.

Without the Gem of Conquest, the Queen had no lightning resistance or paralysis immunity.

"It's over."

The three words reached her ears, signaling the end of the chaos.

However, when she met those gentle, glowing eyes, the Queen found that, surprisingly, there was no anger in her heart, only a faint sense of unwillingness and bitterness lingering within her.

Without waiting for the Queen to say anything further, Gwen raised his other hand, and a colorful radiance rushed towards the Queen's face, causing her to instinctively close her eyes.

However, the expected pain did not come. The Queen only felt a lightness in her soul, and a sudden drowsiness washed over her. With her hair fluttering, she lost consciousness.

"It's over..."

Looking at the imaginary space that had returned to silence after the lightning dissipated, Gwen shook his head slightly and whispered again. He then put away the Herrscher dress he was wearing, reverting to Kiana's original Senba Academy uniform, and extended his other hand, the Nexus armament on his wrist unfolding.

After sensing for a long time, Gwen, who had remained still for a long time, suddenly waved his hand. The Nexus armament, unfolded into a light blade, slashed across, and a portal opened.

On the other side of the portal was the city district that had been destroyed during the previous battle. Gwen could even hear the engine sounds of Schicksal transport ships.

"Hoo..."

With a light sigh, Gwen, having successfully opened a portal to the real world, stepped forward and emerged from the imaginary space.

After Gwen left, the portal connecting the real world and the imaginary space quietly closed. Appearing before Gwen was Rita, who had just left the transport ship and followed Gwen's terminal signal to this location.

Although Gwen's appearance had changed significantly since Rita last saw him in this form, Rita's excellent eyesight and Gwen's highly recognizable milky white eyes allowed her to immediately recognize him, albeit with a wary expression—

"Mr. Gwen?"

"Hm? Rita?"

Gwen had heard the Schicksal transport ship's engines earlier, but he hadn't expected Rita to be the one arriving.

Without asking any further questions, Gwen took two steps forward and handed Kiana, whose hair was down, to Rita.

"Rita, help me support her."

Chapter 42: Prototype Fourth Generation God-Slaying Armor

"Yes, please leave it to Rita."

Rita, still surprised by Gwen's current changes and the dense Honkai energy radiating from him, blinked. Her body, however, moved before she could even think, and she reached out to support the limp Kiana.

Rita, who was only an A-rank at the time, was already being trained for covert operations, but she hadn't yet been exposed to Otto's Sirin Project.

Therefore, Rita couldn't immediately recognize the white-haired girl Gwen was holding.

Then, supporting the unconscious Kiana, Rita stared intently at Gwen, wanting to see what he would do next—

Before jumping off the transport ship, Rita had already noticed that the fluctuations of both Herrscher-level entities in Changkong City had disappeared.

And now, the concentration of Honkai energy on the white-haired girl she was supporting was terrifyingly high, leading Rita to quickly form a guess.

Therefore, Rita was very curious about Gwen's next move—

Would he continue to fight the other entity with Herrscher-level Honkai energy fluctuations whose location was unknown, or... would he revert to his original form?

Although she felt a strong liking for Gwen in this form, even feeling like she had seen a god when she first encountered his majestic figure, this didn't stop Rita from being curious about how Gwen switched between these two forms.

Then, under Rita's gaze, Gwen stood still. A hazy halo of light appeared around him, causing even Rita to instinctively squint her eyes.

A moment later, the light faded, and two figures appeared in Rita's line of sight—