"Release the small probe craft linked to the satellite. Then return with the two councilors."
Having already decided what to do, Ming Yue rose from the command seat and left.
[At 46, just as expected, the eight Abyss Emperors had been nothing more than scouts sent by the Abyss Plane, just as they'd said before fleeing!]
[Not long after the astronauts returned, the Abyss Plane launched a full-scale war of invasion against the Douluo Continent!]
[In response, you formed a force called the "Star Sea Guardians" while recalling and bringing together everything you had learned in your life!]
[At 47, the war between the Abyss Plane and the Douluo Continent grew ever more brutal! Nearly every Titled Douluo on the continent joined the "Star Sea Guardians" to fight the Abyss!]
[That same year, after a whole year of self-study and organizing your knowledge, you finally worked out the key substance in Rick's "Portal Gun," the invention of the old man Rick from Rick and Morty!]
[You began trying to make a "Portal Gun"!]
[At 48, the Abyss began sending Abyss Emperors from the first eighteen levels into the war. You continued your attempts to build a "Portal Gun," while constantly teaching your students and working with them to forge the latest, ultimate version of the Valkyrie Battlesuit for the Guardians on the front lines!]
[The Portal Gun was a failure! And the war between the two sides had already reached its fiercest stage! Abyss Emperors and Titled Douluo alike began to die for real every day!]
[The Portal Gun was still a failure!]
[At 49, after calming down and pondering for a long while, you finally understood. The key substance for the Portal Gun couldn't be made from materials in this world at all!]
[And so, you thought of the Void Archives!]
In the Knowledge Space, after staring at Xiao Ya for a long time, Ming Yue asked, "When I started trying to make the 'Portal Gun,' you already knew I couldn't possibly succeed, didn't you?"
".Yes." Xiao Ya nodded without expression.
"Can I ask why?" Ming Yue nodded in understanding, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"I just... didn't want to see this world ravaged by Honkai, too!"
For the first time, Xiao Ya's voice held such unmistakable sadness. Ming Yue's eyes widened.
"This... world?"
Acting on instinct, Ming Yue grabbed Xiao Ya and pulled her close. His voice sounded agitated.
"Xiao Ya, you really do have memories of 'that sort of thing,' don't you?"
His pointed words made Xiao Ya raise her eyes. She didn't reply, only blinked.
"Hah... I knew it!" Ming Yue released Xiao Ya's hands and let out a long breath. "Sorry, Xiao Ya. I got a little carried away."
"You'd already guessed what I really wanted to make wasn't the Portal Gun itself. I only needed its ability to tear through the world's barrier!"
"The rules of this world are so twisted. We've been together for so long—surely you've long been dissatisfied with them, too?"
"So, we'll open the world's barrier and draw the gaze of the Imaginary Tree. With this world's level of development, letting Honkai invade will free those pitiful Soul Beasts on the brink of extinction!"
"And it'll completely shatter these twisted rules, returning everything to the purest survival of the fittest!"
The more he spoke, the more excited Ming Yue became. He gazed at Xiao Ya with burning eyes. "I know you were created to fight Honkai."
"But in this world, where everything has nearly become fixed in place, isn't Honkai perhaps the only thing that can bring new life?"
"So come on, Xiao Ya. Let's save this world together!"
As he finished, Ming Yue's gaze softened again. He lifted his hands toward her, opening his arms in invitation.
"..."
Xiao Ya lowered her eyes and didn't move.
For a while, only Ming Yue's steady breathing drifted through the Knowledge Space.
"...At the cost of using a Herrscher's power ten times, and with the addition of a branch from the Golden Ancient Tree outside your laboratory..."
"The moment this world's barrier opens, the Tree will sense it immediately."
Just as Ming Yue was beginning to lose hope, Xiao Ya's light frame settled gently against him. Her soft words sounded beside his ear.
[At 50, with Xiao Ya's help, you successfully opened this world's barrier, using ten applications of Herrscher power and a branch from the Golden Ancient Tree as the price!]
[The instant the world's barrier opened, the Herrschers' innate affinity with the Imaginary Tree allowed it to discover this brand-new world!]
[As its gaze and will began to enter this world, a steady stream of Honkai Energy and Imaginary Energy began to seep into it!]
The first place the Imaginary Tree's will struck was Douluo Planet, where the Herrscher aura was most pronounced!
And so, the once clear blue sky began to be slowly dyed with the dusky purple of spreading "paint."
The dazzling sunlight gradually dimmed. The most obvious change could be seen on the battlefield on Douluo Planet!
Purple mist suddenly appeared, slowly descending from the horizon. Humans and Demon Race warriors were locked in battle.
The moment anyone touched the mist, they cried out: "Aghhh! What is this!? This energy! This energy! Aaaagh!!!"
Horrific screams burst from their mouths as strange patterns appeared across their bodies and faces after the mist corrupted them!
And that was only how the Abyss Emperors and Titled Douluo were affected!
The Abyss Knights and those below the level of a Titled Douluo turned straight into Honkai Beasts, mostly white with purple crystals scattered across their bodies, as the purple mist corrupted them!
The battlefield instantly descended into chaos! And it wasn't just the battlefield!
Under the blanket of purple mist, the entire Douluo Planet began to undergo earth-shaking changes!
The moment they touched the purple mist, countless ordinary men died on the spot!
Women fared better. Quite a few turned into mindless Honkai zombies, but most women underwent little change when they came into contact with the purple mist!
The Alliance's population plummeted!
Meanwhile, under the influence of the purple mist, countless plants began to grow faster. They became more lush, and some even began to move on instinct!
And it wasn't just plants. Most male Soul Beasts that touched the mist were directly transformed into terrifying Honkai Beasts!
As for the females, they discovered that a mysterious, dusky purple energy had appeared inside their bodies?!
Standing with Xiao Ya before the Golden Ancient Tree outside the laboratory, Ming Yue watched the purple mist spread across the sky.
He couldn't help sighing. "So this is how Honkai Energy appears?"
"Judging from the recordings left behind by the Previous Era, Honkai descended after the Cocoon was touched. But when the Herrschers appeared, visible Honkai Energy also manifested just like this."
Xiao Ya gazed quietly at the sky, her voice complicated.
"Then, with all the technological reforms I've laid down over the years, the first Herrscher born in this world should be pretty powerful, right?"
I added a bit of personal mischief to the setting. Actually, Honkai originally targeted all humans, but the humans of Honkai Impact 3rd's Current Era were a little different from those of the Previous Era. Heh.
Before you continue