"You can even copy something in a Quantum Decoherence state?! I'm filing a complaint—this is plagiarism!"
"The Cosmic Juggernaut was painstakingly developed by Expert. What right do you have to get one just by scanning it once? Expert is crying from envy."
Expert: I'm not crying. I just want to study the Herrscher Core of Reason right now.
With spatial rifts layered over quantum decoherence, Vill-V was, to the Herrscher of Reason, like someone residing in Avalon—the Land of the Ideal. Completely visible, yet untouchable.
If not for the special environment of the Sea of Quanta, the Herrscher of Reason might not even have been able to see her at all.
And yet, such a phantom-like existence had still been instantly analyzed and copied.
That was more absurd than trying to scoop the moon out of the sea.
The phantom Cosmic Juggernaut in the Herrscher of Reason's grasp rapidly expanded, enveloping her within it.
Unlike Vill-V's Cosmic Juggernaut, the Herrscher of Reason's phantom train remained twisted and blurred. Through its translucent projection, one could see the Herrscher of Reason inside—and even glimpse the piles of genius-level junk Vill-V had hoarded within, along with the various "lucky charms" she had swiped from Pardo.
That was right. Ever since the battle against the Fourth Herrscher, Vill-V had gained an entirely new understanding of that cat's "luck." From then on, wherever she went, she brought along Felis-brand "lucky talismans" for protection. Who knew—maybe one day one of them would block a fatal blow.
Vill-V had even specifically asked Pardo for strands of hair and similar items, using them to "commune" with the cat and ward off misfortune.
Pardo had nearly thought that, because of the Helixcraft incident, Vill-V intended to sacrifice her to some evil god. She had clung to Aponia's side for several days in terror.
The phantom train, carrying its illusory canned Cat Medium, began to move, chasing after Vill-V's Cosmic Juggernaut.
However, according to the data observed by the Cosmic Juggernaut, its mode of movement was different. It traveled through quantum tunneling.
It seemed that the copied phantom was, in the end, merely a counterfeit—not a true Cosmic Juggernaut, but only its shadow.
The shadow and the entity inevitably moved differently. Just like under sunlight, an object might remain still while its shadow shifted with the angle of the light.
That realization eased the tension in Vill-V's heart. She slumped over the control console and let out a breath.
A counterfeit could never surpass the original. The authentic Cosmic Juggernaut wielded spatial authority. The imitation did not even possess half of it. Otherwise, this battle would truly have been impossible to fight.
In that instant, Vill-V gained a faint understanding of the Herrscher of Reason's power. It was an almost abstract authority.
Even a phantom of the Cosmic Juggernaut—so long as its mode of existence could be comprehended—could be constructed.
Mystic Eyes of Death Perception...
Those eyes killed by understanding the concept of "death" inherent in things.
The Herrscher of Reason, on the other hand, constructed by understanding the concept of "existence."
That was how she created Divine Keys. She did not need to fully comprehend the Divine Keys or the Herrscher Core. So long as she understood their mode of existence, she could construct them.
As one of the world's top scientists, Planck naturally understood what state the Cosmic Juggernaut existed in. Thus, she utilized quantum-level data to analyze, deconstruct, and reconstruct it.
Vill-V needed to find a breakthrough against the Herrscher of Reason. If this dragged on, the Herrscher of Reason would only grow stronger. At some point, she might fully analyze the Cosmic Juggernaut.
While Vill-V was deep in thought, an urgent and noisy voice suddenly came through the beacon signal source:
"Hey, did it connect yet, Chicken-Nest Head? Dr. Mei didn't authorize us to use the beacon for this kind of thing."
Hearing the familiar voice, Vill-V relaxed slightly. It seemed Dr. Mei had successfully settled Dr. Einstein and Dr. Tesla.
"Dr. Mei has gone to deal with the Fifth Honkai Eruption. We need to hurry as well."
"If that two-colored pigtail brat really kills Planck... that old lady... I'll twist her neck off myself!"
So Tesla's idea of "hurrying" was to hurry up and help the Herrscher of Reason twist her own student's neck.
"Mentor Tesla, I heard that, you know. What a caring teacher you are," Vill-V teased.
Tesla showed not the slightest intention of retracting her earlier threat. Her voice remained brimming with energy. "Oh, good. I was worried we'd connected to some random record-selling hotline again.
How's it going over there with the Herrscher of Reason? Having fun playing with her?"
"Fun. She's gotten her hands on quite a few new toys. I don't have many ways to deal with her at the moment," Vill-V replied with a helpless shrug in her voice.
"Oh, then I'm relieved. I'm hanging up. Bye—hey, Chicken-Nest Head, what are you—"
The lively voice abruptly cut off, replaced by a mechanical tone.
"This is Einstein. Minister Vill-V, please disregard Dr. Tesla's idiotic remarks."
"Who's idiotic?!" Tesla's protest sounded faintly in the background.
Einstein ignored it and continued into the beacon. "We have received data from the Sea of Quanta and are currently analyzing it. At present, there should be a way to temporarily seal the Herrscher of Reason's movements. Please make good use of that opportunity."
Hearing that Einstein had a plan of her own, Vill-V frowned slightly and probed, "Seal the Herrscher of Reason? Are you planning to do something in the real world?"
Einstein replied in a calm, detached voice. "Yes. We intend to conduct a quantum collision at the Herrscher of Reason's location. While opening the quantum gate, we will activate a black hole device."
"Doing that... will inevitably force the Herrscher of Reason to return to the real world," Vill-V quickly grasped the consequences.
Returning to reality would inevitably cause damage to this world—perhaps even trigger another Honkai Eruption.
At a time when the entire world was already scrambling to deal with the Fifth Honkai Eruption caused by the Herrscher of Ice, that would undoubtedly add fuel to a nuclear fire—ice and flame colliding in catastrophic harmony.
Vill-V trusted that the sunny boy—Kalpas—would happily tear the Herrscher of Ice apart.
Even if Kalpas failed, there were still the contingency plans laid out by Dr. Mei, Mobius, and Vill-V herself.
But if another Herrscher of Reason were added to the mix... the outcome would be far harder to predict.
Should Master Kalpas try a one-versus-two while he's at it?
Einstein spoke frankly. "Yes. I am fully aware. But only through Return can the root problem be solved."
"...All right. I understand," Vill-V replied after a brief hesitation.
Clearly, Dr. Einstein's objective was to bring Planck back to the real world. Considering the deep bond Einstein and Mentor Tesla shared with Planck, Vill-V decided to go along with it.
Of course, Conductor had a deeper purpose in mind. Einstein's approach would conveniently assist her in completing a certain task.