Chapter 297

The moment Ai Yue touched the Imaginary Tree, a dazzling white light completely illuminated the space.

A terrifying energy surge swept across the heavens and earth like a howling storm. Pure white energy transformed into colossal pillars supporting the sky, rising from the ground. In a daze, Kiana seemed to see new branches sprouting from the lush Imaginary Tree—

Then, she completely fainted and only recently regained consciousness.

So, did it succeed? It should have been a success, right?

"Teacher Ai Yue?"

Kiana called out Ai Yue's name in her heart, but received no response. She barely opened her eyes and then saw a purple light.

She recognized the color—it was the color of the power of the Herrscher of the End.

Sure enough, Kiana slightly twisted her stiff neck and saw the familiar spherical object not far away.

Is this the space where the Cocoon of Finality is located? Then how come I...?

Kiana finally realized something was wrong. Her emptiness wasn't simply due to overexertion; more importantly, she had lost her source of power—her connection with the Cocoon of Finality had been severed once again.

No, this is not the same as the previous timeline reversal, because although I also lost my power that time, my connection with the Cocoon of Finality was not completely severed. As long as my will is strong enough, I can still call on it and regain the authority of the Finality.

But this time, she couldn't even sense the Cocoon of Finality right in front of her, as if she had turned back into an ordinary person in an instant.

So what happened? Did it fail?

The thought had barely crossed Kiana's mind when it was dispelled by a voice as warm as a spring breeze.

"Little Kiana, are you awake?"

Along with the sound came a familiar power—though not the power of the Herrscher of the End, it was still a power belonging to the Herrscher.

It was the power I first mastered, called the power of space.

This is really...

Feeling this familiar power, Kiana's expression was somewhat complicated—in a sense, she was, well, returning to her roots?

Supported by her powers, Kiana finally regained some strength. However, when she got up from the ground, she did not see Elysia, nor could she find any trace of Ai Yue.

"Don't look for me, I'm in here."

Seemingly noticing Kiana's reaction, the Cocoon of Finality, not far away, suddenly trembled, and then a circle of bright energy spread out from it, gently sweeping over Kiana's feet, as if it were greeting her.

"Miss Elysia?"

Kiana was stunned for a moment before she realized, "You... have become one with the Cocoon of Finality?"

"It's only temporary, after all, Ai Yue said... uh, what was it again?"

Elysia paused for a moment, then said casually, "The gist of it is that I need to temporarily act as the 'Will of Honkai' here to help everyone in the Post-Civilization get through the disaster."

Is that so?

Kiana immediately realized what was going on, because she had heard about this from Anti-Entropy, but then she frowned. "But shouldn't I be in charge of this? How could I trouble you..."

"Oh, no trouble at all,"

Elysia didn't let Kiana continue, "Besides, Ai Yue has a more important task that only you can complete, and I have to entrust it to you."

"Is that so?"

Kiana breathed a slight sigh of relief. "But where is Teacher Ai Yue now?"

As soon as the girl finished speaking, a white light condensed in front of her, forming a rough human figure. From within it came Ai Yue's voice. "We resolved Seele and the others' problem at the Imaginary Tree. Everything is fine now."

"That's great."

Kiana had just breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed that the figure in front of her hadn't materialized into a concrete human form, but instead remained in a ghost-like state. "Teacher Ai Yue, are you alright?"

"It's nothing serious, my body is just being used in other ways."

Ai Yue said casually, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I was just a little weak just now, but I've recovered now."

Kiana answered honestly, then cautiously asked, "Um, we should have succeeded, right?"

Although all the clues suggest that the plan has succeeded, Kiana cannot feel at ease until she hears a positive answer from Ai Yue.

Kiana didn't know how much Ai Yue had sacrificed for this, but she knew very well that the success of such a ridiculous plan probably had little to do with her.

After all, it seems that she only participated in one battle from beginning to end.

The less one contributes, the more Ai Yue contributes, even to an unimaginable and incomprehensible degree.

"Um."

Ai Yue nodded (though it was impossible to tell), and said in a somewhat complicated tone, "Although the process was a bit tortuous, the result was still good—the most crucial part of the plan has been completed."

Upon hearing this, Kiana realized that she had been unconsciously holding her breath in nervousness. She let out a long breath and smiled with joy.

Kiana then felt her legs go weak.

Ai Yue didn't notice Kiana's slight abnormality because he was still immersed in reviewing the actions just now.

Although he could casually utter the word "success," only he knew just how insane this plan truly was.

Carrying the timeline of an entire civilization, rushing to the Imaginary Tree, and using this massive energy source and magical underlying rule system to recreate a blank Solar System "where only the Post-Civilization exists"—any one of these four sentences could be considered a fantasy, but Ai Yue made it all a reality in one go.

Looking back now, Ai Yue feels he was incredibly audacious.

When he first took on the entire Post-Civilization timeline, he was almost crushed by this civilization that spanned thousands of years. The terrifying amount of information, like a raging tsunami, assaulted his consciousness with an overwhelming force, almost knocking the unsuspecting Ai Yue unconscious.

Fortunately, he had made some mental preparations, so he managed to withstand the pressure and successfully reach the Imaginary Tree. Even so, the complex amount of information continued to reverberate in his mind, almost suppressing Ai Yue's mind to the point of being unable to function.

That's why he had that bizarre, mosaic-like appearance. It was a manifestation of the information within him interfering with Ai Yue's will. If you look closely, you can tell that those mottled patches are actually a patchwork of various images.

This burden made Ai Yue's "Tree-Climbing Operation" even more difficult. The monsters that surrounded him were not substantial entities, but rather manifestations of a certain mechanism of the Imaginary Tree. Rather than being obstructed, they were more like a test.

Only a truly strong will can overcome such a test, and only a sufficiently strong will can drive that enormous energy source to fulfill one's desires.

That's why those monsters were able to easily break through Ai Yue's defenses and leave scars on him. The monsters were just a facade; the real cause of the scars was Ai Yue himself.

Fortunately, after getting through this hurdle, the rest became much easier. Ironically, using the Imaginary Tree to achieve one's goals was actually the easiest part of the whole plan.

Because the Imaginary Tree is the origin of the entire world, it represents the laws governing the operation of all things in the world. In other words, it is like a truly omnipotent wish-granting machine. As long as you have the ability to stand in front of it, it can grant your wish according to your strongest will.

Therefore, Ai Yue didn't need to do anything. The moment he came into contact with the Imaginary Tree, it naturally fulfilled his wish—to create a blank Solar System, different from any known world, based on the timeline carried within him.

The reason it is the Solar System, rather than the universe, is that the Imaginary Tree Ai Yue can access is limited to the Solar System. Therefore, the maximum range allowed by the law is only the Solar System.

However, this level was enough to satisfy Ai Yue. Moreover, if the scope of this branch world were too large, it would be detrimental to his subsequent plans.

"Teacher Ai Yue,"

As Kiana gradually calmed down, she noticed that Ai Yue hadn't spoken yet, so she took the initiative to ask, "What do we do next? Where did the class monitor and the others go?"

"They went ahead to explore the real world to investigate."

Ai Yue snapped out of his daze and explained, "If you're sure there are no problems, then you can go and see this new world that belongs to you."

Our new world.

Kiana silently repeated it to herself, then nodded vigorously. "I'm going!"

"Very good."

As he spoke, Ai Yue transformed into a stream of light and entered Kiana's heart. "Then, let's go!"

The next second, Kiana found herself in a brand new world amidst a slight dizziness.

Her feet landed on a barren, dry land, where there were only rocks and gravel, and not a trace of life.

Kiana wasn't surprised at all, because she immediately recognized that the land she was standing on was actually the moon. So the girl couldn't wait to look up, and a vibrant blue planet appeared in her field of vision.

That was Earth—a planet where no civilization had yet been born, yet it held infinite possibilities.

"Teacher Ai Yue..."

Kiana subconsciously looked around, trying to find Ai Yue, but froze on the spot the moment she turned around.

Not far behind her, in the familiar huge pit where the remains of the Herrscher of the End had once been placed, a strange stone statue appeared.

Judging from its appearance, this should be Ai Yue's Titan form.

Teacher Ai Yue... has turned into a stone statue?

The second chapter will feature a magical girl.

"Oh my god, Teacher Ai Yue?!"

Seeing this scene she had never imagined, Kiana was greatly shocked. She rubbed her eyes, trying to confirm the reality of the scene, but no matter how hard she tried, the scene in front of her did not change in the slightest.

Ai Yue has indeed turned into a stone statue—then who was that white shadow who spoke to her just now?

"Calm down, don't get so agitated,"

Just then, Ai Yue's voice entered Kiana's mind, "It's just using this method to store and anchor the timeline, it's not like you're dead."

"Anchor, anchoring the timeline?"

Kiana calmed down a bit. "Is that really all there is to it?"

"Pretty much, you wouldn't understand if I explained it in too much detail."

Ai Yue for a moment, but ultimately gave up on explaining. "In short, you can understand it as me temporarily separating my mind and body. My body remains on the moon as a special device to ensure the smooth operation of the timeline."

"So that's how it is..."

Kiana nodded as if she understood, then realized something and began to look around. "So, where does your spirit reside now?"

Although there are many things she doesn't understand, she at least understands one thing: the spirit needs to be anchored in the material world in order to exist stably.

I don't know if this rule applies to gods, but it should be similar, right?

"Look down at your chest."

Kiana looked down upon hearing this and saw a dazzling, jewel-like ornament that had appeared on her chest at some point.

The piece of jewelry looks like a round sapphire from the front. If you look closely, you can see sparkling light inside, as if a starry sea is hidden within it. The gem is surrounded by an unknown metal, and there is no other decoration. It has a strange sense of simplicity.

Is Teacher Ai Yue's consciousness hidden inside?

Kiana subconsciously fiddled with it for a moment, then realized it was disrespectful to Ai Yue, so she quickly let go.

"There's no need to be so formal,"

Ai Yue was naturally able to sense Kiana's actions and couldn't help but smile. "This is just... a port, not my own consciousness residing in it. Besides, it's yours now."

"Is this a gift for me?"

Kiana immediately felt relieved and took off the gem to admire it closely. "Ai Yue, Teacher Ai Yue!"

It was only then that Kiana realized that the metal was not just surrounding the gem, but rather like a ring setting, supporting the gem. It was also at this moment that she sensed a powerful energy hidden within, seemingly resonating with her, as if she could summon it with a single thought.

This is... the kind of power that belongs to Teacher Ai Yue.

Kiana then understood Ai Yue's true intention in giving her the gem, and immediately became even more cautious. "Teacher Ai Yue, may I try it?"

"Certainly,"

Ai Yue agreed, a subtle emotion barely perceptible in his tone, "This was originally intended to help you complete the subsequent tasks, so it won't hurt to familiarize yourself with it beforehand."

Upon hearing this, Kiana nodded, closed her eyes with an expectant smile, and began to communicate with the power within the gem.

The next second, a dazzling white light emerged from the gem, enveloping her entire body. The light gradually expanded, taking on a concrete outline, then faded, revealing its true color. In just a moment, it transformed into a completely new outfit on Kiana's body.

When Kiana reopened her eyes and looked at her body, she couldn't help but gasp, "What... what is this?!"

What appeared before her was not the powerful and mysterious combat armor the girl had imagined, but a light and fluffy white dress that was as cute as a cream cake!

What she held in her hand was not a sharp weapon, but an adorable staff, even decorated with small wings at both ends. It didn't look like it possessed great power at all, but rather like she was playing a character from an animated film.

Hahahaha!

Ai Yue's pent-up emotions finally erupted in Kiana's mind. Only then did the girl realize that it was a kind of joy called "successful prank." "Isn't this great? This is how magical girls should be!"

"Teacher Ai Yue!"

Kiana clutched the hem of her tutu with both hands, an embarrassed expression on her face. "How could you tease me like that!"

"Oh dear, how can you call it teasing?"

Ai Yue calmed down a little, but still couldn't suppress the joy in his words, "You actually like it quite a bit, right?"

Kiana opened her mouth, but in the end, she could only show a helpless expression.