Purple Youth Form (No, Really) / Rita, Come Help Me Hold This...

However, as the price, Gwen had also devoted a considerable amount of attention to guiding the endlessly surging power from the Gem of Conquest.

Though it was not enough to affect Gwen's combat ability, it still prevented him from responding in time to the Queen's spatial collapse, causing him to fall into Imaginary Space just as she had intended.

Floating within the incomprehensibly mysterious Imaginary Space, Gwen held his spear before him with one hand while lightning crackled around the other. He scanned his surroundings, searching for that figure.

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

Originally, when he had been in Kozukuri Town, Gwen's transformed appearance had not differed greatly from the Nexus he remembered.

Yet after returning to the Honkai world and transforming through his own power, Gwen's appearance had changed once more—

Though he had not directly reverted to the form of The Next, and still retained the posture of Nexus, the gray markings on his body had gained traces of the pink found on Honkai Beasts.

Purple Youth Form (Heavy Fog)

Although those faint pink markings were harmless and did not inspire any strange associations, paired with the silver on his body, they inevitably brought to mind the common white-and-pink color scheme of Honkai Beasts.

This was also one of the reasons Otto had connected Gwen from the surveillance footage with the Fusion Warriors recorded in the Previous Civilization.

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

The light gray portions of his body had been replaced by the purple of lightning, interwoven with a few golden patterns. Combined with the retained silver portions, it made him seem less dangerous than the threatening lightning surrounding Raiden Mei, while giving him a more majestic and imposing air.

However, Gwen had no attention to spare for the changes to his body right now—

After taking every precaution, a single lapse had still allowed the Queen to drag him into Imaginary Space, her absolute home ground.

Fortunately, the good news was that Gwen was no longer the same as before—

Having undergone One-Body Fusion with Raiden Mei and helped her stabilize the process of becoming a Herrscher, Gwen could also be regarded as a Herrscher in the process of awakening. He could unconditionally use the same powers Raiden Mei could use.

Even though the Herrscher of Thunder did not have the same degree of control over Imaginary Space as the Herrscher of the Void, the Honkai Energy here did not completely belong to the Herrscher of the Void. Gwen and Raiden Mei could absorb it as well—

In fact, once they entered Imaginary Space, the influx of Honkai Energy greatly accelerated, speeding up Raiden Mei's Herrscher transformation.

However, the sudden surge of Honkai Energy also greatly divided Gwen's attention. Even though his mental power had improved greatly through his training in Ultra Telekinesis and supernatural abilities, Gwen's focus was stretched thin at the moment.

Moreover, while Gwen had not yet found the Queen, who was hiding somewhere unknown, her attack arrived without warning—

Terrifying gravity came from nowhere, dragging Gwen's body to the left. Just as he controlled himself to slow down, it abruptly shifted direction and smashed him viciously into a purple cube that had risen at some unknown point, cracking it all over.

Almost at the same time, several smaller cubes rose up, intending to completely trap Gwen inside—

"Are you ready to welcome your death?"

The Queen's haughty voice echoed through Imaginary Space, as though victory were already in her grasp.

In fact, within Imaginary Space, the Queen's ability to manipulate the space to a certain extent allowed her to do far more than she could outside. It also gave her the confidence to completely kill both her disobedient other half and the bastard who had bewitched her.

However, just as the mysterious existence within Imaginary Space was about to fully close and seal Gwen within, purple lightning suddenly flared. Gwen, who had taken quite a beating, charged straight out, with no intention of obediently allowing the Queen to lock him down.

Yet after Gwen flew out, even more Imaginary constructs rapidly compressed toward him—

The Imaginary cubes that had just attempted to seal Gwen had become part of an even larger blockade. More than a hundred Imaginary cubes came rolling in, intending to trap Gwen completely within them.

"Seriously..."

Muttering to himself and feeling the increasingly turbulent Honkai Energy within his body, Gwen gave up running. Instead, his hands rapidly moved as he raised two spiral-galaxy-shaped barriers.

A moment before the cubes the Queen had used to imprison Gwen fully came together, Gwen had already merged the two barriers into one, completely protecting himself like an eggshell—

After that brief exchange, Gwen had realized that the Queen's strength within Imaginary Space was far greater than it had been outside. A barrier like the one he had raised in Changkong City likely would not have been enough to fully withstand the Queen's attacks.

"Hmph!

Struggle with all your might, then!"

The Queen's ethereal voice echoed through Imaginary Space once more, as though it represented the will of some unseen god.

However, though her threats did not cease, the Queen still did not reveal herself—

Though she spoke of Gwen with utter contempt, the Queen, who had already escaped death several times, acknowledged his strength. Thus, she did not brazenly appear before him, instead hiding herself completely.

Yet although she refused to show herself, the "divine punishment" accompanying this "divine will" began brazenly the moment her words fell—

The infinitely extending Void Belt was like a peerless blade spanning the heavens as it viciously sliced into the Imaginary cubes imprisoning Gwen, displaying its greatest destructive power with the cubes' enhancement.

However, what made the hidden Queen's expression turn ugly was that the blade, which looked capable of cleaving apart this entire space, abruptly halted halfway through. When it emerged, it had already broken into two pieces.

"Hmph!"

With a grim expression, the Queen coldly snorted and fiercely waved her hand. Void Lances appeared out of thin air, taking on various forms as they bombarded the barrier tightly sealed within the Imaginary cubes. Yet they could not stir even the slightest ripple in that slowly rotating, galaxy-like barrier.

Within that nebula, Gwen did not do much else. Aside from maintaining the barrier, he devoted most of his attention to guiding the endlessly surging Honkai Energy—

Only by properly guiding that Honkai Energy and resolving Raiden Mei's condition within his body could Gwen devote his attention to battle—

As the one who had initiated One-Body Fusion, Gwen found the sensation of using this skill for the first time quite strange.

However, he was currently focused on guiding and sorting out the Honkai Energy, leaving him in no mood to explore the peculiar feeling of this state.

As for Raiden Mei, she had far fewer thoughts—

Having never consciously come into contact with Honkai Energy before, Raiden Mei naturally had no experience to speak of. When she had stared at the Queen earlier, the Honkai Energy within her body had already far exceeded her control, and her body had nearly been unable to bear the strain.

Now that she had accepted Gwen's One-Body Fusion, Raiden Mei felt as though she were soaking in a hot spring. Warmth enveloped her from head to toe, making her so comfortable that she nearly moaned.

Of course, she soon realized that she could still observe the outside world. Raiden Mei promptly pulled herself free from that incomparably comfortable state and nervously watched what was happening outside.

When she saw Gwen dragged into that mysterious space and forced to endure attacks passively, Raiden Mei became extremely nervous. She even ignored the faint pain caused by the surging Honkai Energy within her body.

Rita, Come Help Me Hold Her Up

When she saw Gwen being tossed around by some unknown force, Raiden Mei's heart leaped into her throat—

After One-Body Fusion, Raiden Mei could feel even more directly just how terrifying the attacks Gwen was enduring were.

Only after she saw Gwen protect himself with a barrier did Raiden Mei finally breathe a sigh of relief. She also noticed the increasingly turbulent power within her body, along with the faint pain that seemed on the verge of returning.

However, before Raiden Mei could worry whether her condition would affect Gwen's battle, Gwen's voice sounded by her ear once more:

"Mei, don't be nervous. Relax your body. Next, I'll help guide the Honkai Energy flowing into your body. Carefully feel how the energy moves through your body.

Only if you complete the Herrscher transformation while retaining your will can we make it out alive."

"Mm, I believe in you, Gwen."

Nodding, Mei's heart tightened as she silently told herself that she absolutely could not hold Gwen back again. She obediently replied.

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

Gwen murmured softly, then fell silent, devoting all his attention to guiding the Honkai Energy continuously pouring out from the Gem of Conquest—

Gwen was completely in the dark when it came to the process of becoming a Herrscher. All he could do was guide and restrain that enormous energy, allowing it to reach its destination smoothly rather than dissipating along the way and harming Raiden Mei.

From Raiden Mei's perspective, she was enveloped by a warmth that reached deep into her soul. The increasingly obvious pain in her body rapidly vanished, and the negative emotions that had unconsciously grown alongside the pain quickly dispersed as well. The pressure on her soul abruptly disappeared, leaving her so comfortable that she almost felt like she could float into the sky...

"Don't embarrass yourself like this!"

Just as Raiden Mei was nearly lost in it, a sudden voice instantly dragged her back down from the clouds.

The other continued:

"Or do you want to keep relying on your little lover to save you whenever danger comes again?

Are you incapable of doing anything yourself, only able to be a weakling waiting to be rescued?"

"Of course not!"

With the situation having calmed slightly, Raiden Mei felt a wave of embarrassment rise in her heart upon hearing those shameless words. She loudly retorted in her mind, then hurriedly concentrated on sensing the energy flowing through her body...

"Phew..."

Seeing that Raiden Mei had finally stopped embarrassing herself, the voice in her mind silently sighed in relief without Raiden Mei noticing—

I'm supposed to be playing the villain here, so why have I become her mother now?

At that moment, Mei's Herrscher consciousness/Stigmata consciousness could not help feeling confused.

However, although Mei had already focused on sensing the flow of energy within her body, the other's words still occasionally flashed through her mind. She was not distracted enough to lose focus completely, but neither could she entirely forget them...

And amid Raiden Mei's slight confusion, her Herrscher transformation rapidly progressed under the drive of the surging Honkai Energy.

Meanwhile, outside the barrier, the Queen's attacks had not stopped for a single moment. All kinds of attacks crashed down like a tide.

Yet in the face of these enhanced attacks, the nebula barrier showed no ripples at all and continued rotating slowly...

The Queen gritted her teeth at the sight, yet for the moment, she had no way to deal with it. She could only silently accumulate Honkai Energy—

Partly to stabilize her own condition and suppress that idiot within her body who was still causing trouble, and partly to launch an even more powerful attack.

However, just as the Queen glared fiercely at the Imaginary cubes imprisoning Gwen, her pupils suddenly contracted—

In the Queen's eyes, specks of golden radiance, different from her own Void Belts, seemed to have appeared around the Imaginary cubes.

The next moment, before the Queen could make any move, the Imaginary cubes that had tightly trapped Gwen exploded. A golden nebula formed of lightning spread out alongside a grand voice—

"Galaxy—Lightning Strike!"

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

However, just as the Queen prepared to do something, her slender neck had already been gripped by a powerful hand. The lightning spreading from the Nexus Armament on Gwen's wrist completely paralyzed her—

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

"It's over."

Those three words reached her ears, declaring the end of this chaos.

Yet when she met those eyes radiating gentle light, the Queen discovered that she unexpectedly felt no anger. Only faint unwillingness and bitterness echoed within her heart.

Before the Queen could say anything more, Gwen had already raised his other hand. Seven-colored radiance rushed toward her face, causing her to instinctively close her eyes.

Yet the anticipated pain never arrived. The Queen only felt her soul become light, and drowsiness suddenly swept over her. As her hair drifted, she lost consciousness.

"It's over..."

Looking at Imaginary Space, which had once again fallen into deathly silence after the lightning faded, Gwen lightly shook his head and murmured again. With one arm, he held Kiana, whose Herrscher dress had vanished and reverted to her original Senba Academy uniform. Then he extended his other hand, and the Nexus Armament on his wrist unfolded.

After sensing for a long time, Gwen, who had remained in one position without moving for quite some time, suddenly swung his hand. The Nexus Armament unfolded into a light blade and slashed through the air, opening a gate of light.

Beyond the gate lay the district damaged in the previous battle. Gwen could even hear the engines of Schicksal transport craft running.

"Phew..."

Letting out a soft breath, Gwen, having successfully opened a gateway to the real world, took a step forward and emerged from Imaginary Space.

After Gwen left, the gateway connecting the real world and Imaginary Space silently closed. Standing before Gwen was Rita, who had just left the transport craft and followed Gwen's terminal signal here.

Although Gwen's appearance had changed greatly from the last time Rita had seen him in this form, Rita's excellent eyesight and Gwen's highly recognizable milky-white eyes allowed the wary Rita to recognize him immediately—

"Mr. Gwen?"

"Hm? Rita?"

Though he had heard the engines of a Schicksal transport craft earlier, Gwen had not expected Rita to be the one who came.

However, Gwen did not ask any questions. He took two steps forward and handed the disheveled-haired Kiana over to Rita.

"Rita, come help me hold her up."

Prototype Fourth-Generation God-Slaying Armor

"Mm, please leave her to Rita."

Still surprised by Gwen's changes and the dense Honkai Energy surrounding him, Rita blinked. Yet her body had already moved ahead of her thoughts, and she reached out to support Kiana's limp body.

Although Rita was only A-rank at this time and was already being trained for dirty work, she had not yet come into contact with Otto's Sirin Project.

Therefore, Rita did not immediately recognize the identity of the white-haired girl Gwen had carried out.

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

Before jumping off the transport craft, Rita had already noticed that the two Herrscher-level energy signatures in Changkong City had both vanished.

And now, the concentration of Honkai Energy in the white-haired girl she was supporting was terrifyingly high, causing Rita to quickly form a guess.

Thus, Rita was very curious about Gwen's next action—

Would he continue fighting the other being with a Herrscher-level Honkai Energy signature, whose location remained unknown, or would he... return to his original form?

Though Rita also felt great affection for Gwen in this form, and had even briefly felt as though she were seeing a god when she first saw that majestic figure.

That did not stop her from being curious about exactly how Gwen switched between these two forms.

Then, under Rita's gaze, Gwen stopped where he was. A hazy glow lit up around his body, making even Rita instinctively narrow her eyes.

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