Thanks for the invitation! I am in Honkai, still connected

As one of the most important weapons of the Previous Era civilization, the Second Divine Key naturally had a guardian.

Kevin Kaslana had left behind his Armed Puppet to guard the Second Divine Key.

As Kevin's corresponding Armed Puppet, its strength was terrifying, possessing combat power equivalent to the Silly Goose, and could even command the Second Divine Key to a certain extent.

Li Zihan's raw power was a notch weaker than Rita's. Against that puppet, which was on the same combat level as the Silly Goose and could basically pin down and beat up the Pufferfish, he would absolutely meet a nasty end.

However, fortunately, the Armed Puppet was essentially a Soulium robot.

And all high-tech creations were nothing more than laughable toys before the Key of Erosion.

A faint black mist seeped into the distorted space, eroding the Soulium robot within.

Soon, ripples appeared in a certain area above the River Thames.

An Armed Puppet, only about knee-high to a normal person and clutching a miniature version of something resembling the Might of An-Utu, floated out.

Its eyes, which should have been blue like Kevin's, had turned a shocking crimson.

Although the Key of Erosion could theoretically erode biological and electronic entities indiscriminately, it was clearly more potent when it came to corroding high-tech anisms compared to biological ones.

"Looks like I have another card in my hand."

The young man, having effortlessly turned Kevin's leftover Armed Puppet into his own possession, spoke cheerfully.

"Boss, what is this?"

Miss Banya, who had joined Li Zihan for an English breakfast during lunchtime, gazed at the puppet. Though pitifully small, it exuded an intense pressure, her expression grave.

"One of the strongest Armed Puppets from the Previous Era. Used well, dealing with uncultured Herrschers is a piece of cake."

"At the same time, it's also one of the holders of the usage rights for the Second Divine Key."

The young man, having very easily obtained ownership of the Armed Puppet, spoke to the puppet now controlled by the Key of Erosion, issuing a command.

"Alright, my dear Mr. Puppet, it's time to demonstrate your control over the Second Divine Key and let me meet your master's best friend."

As this command was given, the space above the River Thames began to twist, generating spatial fluctuations far exceeding those when Sirin was enraged.

The sky darkened, the airflow in the space became chaotic, and the water of the River Thames, though still fluid, took on a bizarre, ice-like texture.

Such a scene was truly somewhat terrifying, challenging the cognition of a normal person.

An unknown power was altering everything around, transforming it into its landing site.

Fortunately, however, any unrelated civilians present had long been dispersed by a Suggestion Field. Those who remained were Li Zihan, accustomed to all sorts of mystical phenomena, and Banya, who held the protagonist template and could face a collapsing Mount Tai without a change in expression.

Within their line of sight, a colossal locomotive burst forth from the spatial ripples, like a gigantic, rampaging beast.

Subsequently, a massive, deep purple hole formed in the sky, resembling a small patch of night sky.

Countless stars twinkled within it, each star symbolizing a leaf on the Imaginary Tree.

And then—

The light of countless stars dimmed, leaving only one shining with a dazzling brilliance.

Like the moon in the night sky.

That was the world bubble created by the Forerunner, named Sumeru in a Mustard Seed.

There, Su, an ancestor of the Apocalypse family, was observing countless world bubbles, searching for a possibility to defeat the Honkai.

"Alright, Bronya, it's still too dangerous for you here. You should wait for me here for a bit."

The young man, holding the Key of Erosion, picked up the puppet that possessed the power of one Goose, and spoke to the girl beside him.

======== Divider Line ========

Within the world bubble named Sumeru in a Mustard Seed, directly connected to the Second Divine Key.

A man with long, greyish-blue hair, dressed in simple clothes, sat beneath a Bodhi tree. He reached out and caught a falling leaf.

As the Previous Era neared its destruction, Dr. MEI had entrusted each Forerunner with a plan to combat the Honkai.

Among them was the Ark Project, which involved carrying humanity's gene pool, leaving Earth, and establishing a second home.

There was also the Ember Project, which entrusted Forerunners with passing on knowledge and civilization to the next generation of humanity.

Su, as a member of the Forerunners, besides being assigned the plan to "monitor Kevin," was also entrusted with Project Ganges Sands: observing other "worlds" to find a possibility of defeating the Honkai.

He squinted, gazing at the leaf that had already half-withered and thus fallen, and sighed.

Sumeru in a Mustard Seed was a world bubble he created using the power of the Second Divine Key, specifically for observing the Imaginary Tree.

The lush Bodhi tree behind him was the fruit of his observations of the Imaginary Tree.

Each leaf on the tree corresponded to a world, represented a civilization, and also represented a possibility of defeating the Honkai.

Leaves not destroyed by the Honkai would remain on the branches. Worlds destroyed by the Honkai could only fall like leaves... quietly vanishing, turning into illusions.

"Sigh... this world has failed too."

The squinting man's expression was devoid of joy or sorrow as he casually tossed the withered leaf in his palm onto the ground.

Just as Otto had conducted countless experiments to revive Kallen over five hundred years, experiencing innumerable failures until he had forgotten the feeling of disappointment itself.

Su, an ancestor of the Apocalypse family, had already self-imprisoned himself for fifteen hundred years, to the point where he had almost forgotten what failure even was.

Or rather, apart from news concerning his betrayed best friend Kevin or an "unwithering leaf," nothing could stir his heart anymore.

On the ground where he sat, withered leaves had long since merged into a vast expanse, piling up like mountains.

The withered leaves he had seen were as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Yet, if one looked up at the trunk, they would find the Bodhi tree still verdant and flourishing with branches and leaves.

Leaves fall, and new buds will sprout.

"How can our 'leaf' remain on the tree forever?"

The Forerunner, who had already found most of the crucial pieces, waited quietly, waiting for the remaining parts of the puzzle to appear.

He stood up, took a step towards the river in front of him, and then stopped just as he was about to reach it.

That was the symbolic representation of the world bubble imprisoning Kevin. Through it, one could see the reflection of the strongest warrior, Kevin.

"Sigh—"

The only man capable of tricking Kevin into a world bubble sighed. He still, as expected, lacked the courage to speak to Kevin through this.

He turned back, heading towards the Bodhi tree, preparing to continue observing other worlds.

And then—

He abruptly opened his eyes, his dark red pupils tinged with a hint of astonishment.

He sensed that the Second Divine Key had been activated.

And the one who activated it was someone he had never met before.