As the white light dissipated, Shun and Seele passed through the profoundly mysterious barrier and returned to the real world though calling it the real world wasn't entirely accurate, since this was an artificial bubble world created by Su using Cosmic Juggernaut: the Seed of Sumeru.
Shun stepped onto the mirror-smooth water surface and, miraculously, didn't sink. Though in this world, once one's strength reached a certain level, mastering the lightness skill to walk on water without falling was child's play, Shun could clearly feel that the water surface itself was supporting him upward.
This was a phenomenon that completely defied common sense. Was it really worthy of being called an artificially created bubble world? Here, the rules of physics could easily be blurred. Seeing this, Shun set Seele down from his arms.
Upon seeing the water below, Seele got scared like a kitten taking its first bath. She clung tightly to Shun and refused to come down, her little feet in loafers constantly tiptoeing in fear that one step onto the water would trap her forever. As someone who had lived in Siberia, being a total landlubber was perfectly normal for her.
Shun found Seele's reaction amusing and stopped teasing her. He spoke softly to Seele, "The water up here can support people standing on it. Look, I'm stepping on it and nothing's happening." As he spoke, Shun even stomped his foot a couple of times to prove he wasn't lying.
"R-Really?" Thanks to her trust in Shun, Seele cautiously stepped onto the water surface. Only after realizing she could stand there without any external force did she finally relax. Then she felt a wave of embarrassment her earlier reaction had been so embarrassing...
"Are you steady now? Su seems to be waiting for us on that island over there. Let's go meet him together otherwise, we won't figure out how to leave this place on our own." Shun extended his hand, pointing not far ahead to the island in the center of the lake. In the middle of the lake stood a small island, upon which grew an enormous Bodhi tree. This Bodhi tree towered into the clouds, its dense canopy spreading like an umbrella, shading the entire island as if it were a vast green canopy.
"Okay." Seele had never been the overly delicate type. Hearing Shun say they should go find the big brother who had sent them here, she nodded in agreement.
After walking for a short while, they stepped onto the solid ground of the island. Su was seated beneath the massive Bodhi tree, watching Shun and Seele approach.
"You've arrived," Su said slowly, gazing at Shun as if recalling something. However, no expression showed on his face, so neither Shun nor Seele noticed anything unusual.
Looking at these two people who were both familiar and unfamiliar, countless thoughts surged in Su's mind. Unlike Kevin and Mei, Su had been the first to leave their Senba Academy trio due to certain reasons. He left Senba Academy and went to Europe. Afterward, the Third Honkai Eruption severed their contact.
By the time he reconnected with Kevin, Kevin was no longer the sunny boy or the prince of Senba Academy. That was on the eve of the Eighth Honkai Kevin had already become the leader of the MANTIS s.
Meanwhile, Su was still a newcomer trying to join Fire Moth. Later, Kevin took him to see the graves of Shun and Seele but they were merely symbolic cenotaphs. Thus, Su's impression of these two friends remained stuck in those youthful student days.
As for the cause of their deaths, it had been classified as top-secret among top-secrets. The few involved refused to speak of it, and no matter how Su inquired, he got the same result. His only clue was learning that Fire Moth and the upper echelons of the United Nations had undergone a complete reshuffle.
Beyond that, Su uncovered nothing more. Now, after fifty thousand years, seeing Shun again, he truly didn't know what mood to face him with. Whatever since Kevin said he doesn't recognize us now, let's treat this as our first meeting.
"Yes, we're here. This should be our first meeting, right? Su of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers." To be honest, Shun hadn't expected things to develop this way suddenly meeting two Flame-Chasers. So, if he went to Taixu Mountain next to see Fu Hua, would that complete the full achievement set?
"You know me? But as far as I know, Kevin isn't the type to casually tell others so much without reason. And World Serpent's Gray Serpent wouldn't talk too much before cadres enter the Elysian Realm. So exactly how do you know about me and about the Thirteen Flame-Chasers?"
Su spoke unhurriedly, his aura calm and his attitude gentle, giving no sense of coercion at all. Yet Shun still felt cold sweat running down his back. If he had to describe the feeling, it was like being suffocated by a python.
Oh no! He'd been too arrogant earlier, acting like he knew everything even when facing Su, this sage, he hadn't restrained himself at all. Now karma had caught up. His intelligence was completely countered by the Celestial Wisdom Su.
Seeing Shun like this, Su found it somewhat amusing. He deliberately let Shun stew for a moment before speaking: "Relax. I'm not concerned with how you learned about the Previous Era's information."
"My mission is to protect the humanity of this era and help you overcome the threat known as Honkai that's all. So to me, whatever secrets you have don't matter."
For Su, Shun's secrets weren't his concern. It was normal for someone with an existence similar to Elysia's to have secrets. Elysia had hidden hers from everyone until the very end Shun hiding his wouldn't make much difference either. Still, Su had a rough guess about Shun's secret: causality and time.
For normal people, time was a straight line forward. But for Shun, it might be several line segments. The current him was in the present, but the future him might appear in the past.
Su's response dispelled Shun's tension. He still held great respect for Su. Since Su said he wouldn't dig into it, Shun unconditionally believed him.
He continued, "Since you have no intention of asking about my secrets, Su, is there anything else you want to say to me or to Seele?"
"Huh? Me?" Seele, who had been spectating from the sidelines, hadn't expected the fire to reach her. She pointed at herself, falling into confusion akin to "I beat Sukuna, but how?"
Su shook his head and said, "It has nothing to do with that Miss Seele. The one I'm looking for is you." Su pointed at Shun.
Shun didn't reply, letting Su continue to explain the reason.
"You may or may not have heard of Project VALUKA. But even if you haven't, it doesn't matter. In any case, that project has already failed. So I have something I decided to entrust to you hoping it can become a sharp weapon for this civilization against Honkai." As Su's words fell...
Suddenly, a strange ripple spread around the Bodhi tree, as if something was about to break through from within. Then, a mysterious light flashed, and a massive black-and-gold object slowly emerged from the Imaginary space. Upon closer look, it was an enormous locomotive! Its body was pitch black, exuding an aura of majesty and solemnity; the front shone with dazzling golden light, like a brilliant pearl. The entire locomotive had a unique design with smooth lines, full of futuristic and technological feel, giving off a powerful and mysterious impression. With its appearance came a surge of powerful energy fluctuations, making the surrounding air feel heavy.
"This this is the Second Divine Key: Cosmic Juggernaut..." Shun fell into shock.