The collapse started when Kiana came to the door

the other side.

After being stunned for half a minute, Kiana [Hersher of the End]'s face turned red from her neck to her ears in less than a millisecond.

"You, you, you - what are you talking about! Please stop slandering me! How could I kiss the captain's ear!" Kiana [Hersher of the End] tried her best to defend herself, "-- I just licked him!"

As a result, just after she finished speaking, Kiana [Hersher of the End] herself felt something was wrong.

“Licking… isn’t this behavior even more excessive?!” Kiana hugged her head and shouted in self-abandonment, “You are still me and Kiana after all, please have a little sense of shame!!! No matter what – no matter what, don’t secretly flirt… flirt… flirt in public…”

"Cough cough cough cough--" Hearing Kiana righteously blaming her other self [Hersherser of the End], Raiden Mei suddenly let out a rapid cough, immediately interrupting Kiana's hesitant voice.

She recalled the scenes when Kiana pestered her at St. Freya's College, with a subtle expression, and thought to herself, it turns out that Kiana would also lock her mouth because of shame.

However, Kiana who became a couple with that boy... Raiden Mei touched her chin and imagined the scene of Kiana finding a boyfriend. A trace of melancholy flashed in her eyes, and she seemed a little relieved.

"Isn't that good?" Raiden Mei said subconsciously, "Although her appearance and age seem to be a little dangerous to Kiana... However, for us Herrschers, age should be the least important factor. If Kiana can find a lover, it should be something that everyone should be happy about."

The two Kiana simultaneously turned their shaking pupils towards Raiden Mei's direction, one in ecstasy, the other in confusion and incomprehension.

"That's right!" Kiana [Hersher of the End] spoke first. Mei Raiden's heartfelt words were exactly what she wanted. She clapped her hands and smiled brightly, "As expected of Mei! No matter which world it is, you understand me so well! If you like something, you should take the initiative to pursue it. There is no need to be ashamed of this!"

“Shut up!” Kiana almost shouted, interrupting the words of her other self [Herserer of the End], “And Mei, why are you too——?”

"What's wrong with me?" Raiden Mei showed a gentle and kind smile, "You, it's really time to find someone to take good care of you."

“…I…I don’t want anyone else to control me!” Kiana shook her head frantically, then raised her arm and pointed in the direction of her other self [Hersher of the End]. “Anyway…Anyway, I’m not going to interfere with your feelings, but…but but but, don’t do that kind of thing to that boy in the future!”

"Huh? For what?" Kiana [Hersher of the End] instantly had a sullen face, put her hands on her hips, and looked very unconvinced.

"I said no and it means no!" Kiana stared at the other party, and then suddenly realized that this condition seemed a bit unreasonable, so she added, "At least... don't do it in front of me!"

"I don't want to!" Kiana [Hersher of the End] shook her head, stiffened her neck, and said angrily, "If you don't want to watch it, just don't watch it! What does it have to do with you if I want to have a romantic relationship with the captain?"

"What do you mean what does it have to do with me?" Kiana was stunned. "You are Kiana! I am also Kiana, okay!"

"So what if you are Kiana? Am I not Kiana?" Kiana [Hersher of the End] said confidently, snorting with disdain, "I am not the only Kiana on the Hyperion. Everyone likes the captain very much! In comparison, it's weird that you don't like the captain!"

"????"

Kiana, Raiden Mei and Bronya's expressions suddenly became horrified.

"You...explain to me clearly what you mean by there is more than one Kiana on the Hyperion!" Kiana opened her mouth and felt an inexplicable dryness in her mouth.

"Of course it's literal." Kiana [Hersher of the End] put her hands on her hips and twitched her nose. "The captain likes Kiana the most! And he can jump between different times and world lines. When traveling in different worlds, is it strange that he invites various 'me's' - that is, Kiana - to the Hyperion?"

"Ah, but the captain only let us join after asking for our wishes. Moreover, even if we want to join the Hyperion, we must get the captain's consent." Kiana [Hersher of the End] raised a white finger and gently shook it in front of Kiana's dull eyes, with an expression as serious as a responsible teacher, "Don't take this lightly."

"...I." Kiana hesitated to speak.

Why does this guy act so cocky and confident?

What's the good of joining that boy's Hyperion? Isn't it just a little... well, maybe a very outstanding special ability?

I won’t—

"Well, if we want to join your Hyperion, what conditions must we meet, or...what responsibilities do we have to bear?"

Sudden.

A gentle and steady voice interrupted Kiana's train of thought without warning.

“????” Kiana raised her head and looked at the serious-looking Raiden Mei with disbelief on her face, “Mei…Mei? What are you…?”

"indeed."

At this time.

Another voice that seemed a little indifferent and relatively rational continued Raiden Mei's words.

The person who spoke was Bronya. She had completely removed her armor without anyone noticing, and looked in the direction of Kiana [Hersher of the End] with a questioning look.

Kiana was dumbfounded: "Bronya?? Why are you also——?"

"I didn't say you have to join. I was just asking. It shouldn't be a big deal." Raiden Mei turned her head and looked at Kiana with some confusion.

That questioning look made Kiana feel particularly irritated.

"Mei is right." Bronya said calmly, "For our world, this is the first time we have the opportunity to interact with people from other parallel worlds. At the same time, it is also the first time we have encountered this technology that allows us to travel freely between different worlds. If the other party can put forward reasonable conditions, then establishing a certain degree of cooperation with them will undoubtedly be a very important opportunity for our world."

"..." Kiana was silent for a moment, scratched her head, and suddenly realized that what Bronya and Raiden Mei said... there was really nothing to refute.

Mei Raiden only asked about the conditions for joining the other party and did not indicate that she would definitely join Hyperion, while Bronya took an objective perspective and rationally analyzed the pros and cons of the choices for the world they lived in.

Compared to them who see things clearly, it is me who has been entangled in things like "another self" and seems to be the short-sighted one.

"And..." At this moment, Mei Raiden's low voice suddenly came, "I'm also very curious, what method did that boy... use to bring Alicia back? If he really plans to go back 50,000 years with Kevin to save the destroyed civilization..."

"...I also want to contribute my own strength to them."

Unlike Bronya and Kiana, after experiencing, understanding, and completely inheriting everything that belonged to the Thirteen Heroes in the paradise of the past, Mei Raiden can deeply understand that the reason why they can overcome the difficulties of "collapse" relatively smoothly in this era of civilization is absolutely due to the efforts made by those people 50,000 years ago.

Since they were able to overcome difficulties by standing on the shoulders of their predecessors, then if they get a chance to give back to their predecessors after they have overcome the difficulties, Raiden Mei feels that it is reasonable and logical that she, who has inherited the legacy, should shoulder the corresponding responsibilities.

After hearing Raiden Mei's whisper, Kiana couldn't help but fall into deep silence.

The silence lasted for a long time, and she finally sighed softly as if she had figured something out.

Indeed, compared to what Mei Raiden said, the relationship between men and women... and free love at that, is not an important matter at all.

Of course, this doesn't mean that Kiana is really ready to do the same as Mei Raiden and Bronya, and ask her other self [Hersher of the End] about how to join the Hyperion.

Suddenly, a low roar sounded from the sky.

Along with the huge crack that broke open, the long aerospace warship was like a sharp sword rushing straight into the sky, piercing through the sky of this imaginary space.

With mixed emotions, Kiana subconsciously raised her head.

If Mei and Bronya want to join the Hyperion, Kiana will respect their choice, but for her, the world that has just gotten rid of the Stigmata Project still needs her, so she can't ask her other self [Hersher of the End] like Bronya and Raiden Mei...

……Um?

Who is that figure standing on the bridge... and next to that boy...?

For a moment, Kiana, who thought she was hallucinating, couldn't help but raise her hand and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. She looked up into the air again, her pupils shrank a little, but her eyes gradually widened after she saw the figure in front of her.

"Oh! The captain is back!" Kiana [Hersher of the End]'s eyes flashed with obvious joy. She raised her hand and tried to wave to Li Shubai who was standing on the bridge, "Captain! Here——!"

As a result, before she could swing her arms a few times, Kiana [Hersher of the End] suddenly found her hand being grasped by another person.

Kiana suddenly appeared in front of her other self [Hersher of the End] and grabbed his hands. She said with a serious expression and a sincere tone:

"Excuse me, how can I join you?"

Chapter 4: Witness the flaw from the outside, exploit it from the inside (k)

——Hyperion, conference room.

Standing at the innermost side of the conference table was a young boy, with Valkyries sitting neatly in conference chairs on both sides of the boy. Apart from the boy, the only two men present - Kevin and Su - stood behind the boy like door gods.

All the Valkyries sitting in the conference chairs raised their eyes slightly and stared at him with their eyes of different expressions.

"Before the meeting begins, I have a question."

The boy's right eyebrow twitched slightly as his facial muscles twitched. He cast his gaze to one side of the conference table. Kiana, Raiden Mei, and Bronya from this world had calmly joined Hyperion's team.

"Can you explain to me why the three of you are here?"

Kiana's eyes wandered, and she laughed awkwardly: "Uh... no?"

"What do you think?" Li Shubai rolled his eyes in annoyance, "You are not a member of the Hyperion! Why did you come here when we were having a meeting?"

"I'm just a little curious about how you plan to deal with the matter of the Cocoon of the End..." Kiana was a little embarrassed, "And... didn't I say that if you want to join Hyperion, you just need to get the captain's approval?"

"Why are you joining the Hyperion when you're already the End?"

"Even if I'm dead..." Kiana quietly shifted her gaze in a certain direction, "...there's no way I can meet Teacher Himeko anywhere else."

"..." When her name was called, Himeko [True Crimson Knight·Eclipse] couldn't help but reveal a somewhat subtle expression.

Although she did not regret what she had done in the imaginary space created by Xilin, every time she saw Kiana in different worlds becoming emo because of her own affairs, she could not help but feel a sigh.

Although becoming the driving force for students to move forward is the most romantic destination for a teacher, for Kiana as a student, if possible, she would rather not have this power and want to change her teacher back.

"...After the meeting, quickly tell us everything you want to say." After saying this, Li Shubai was silent for a moment, and added, "Let's make it clear in advance that we are not planning to stay in this world forever."

"Oh..." Kiana nodded weakly. For some reason, she looked a little aggrieved.

"..." Li Shubai sighed, "Ai Yi, help me project the meeting materials."

A bright blue light rose from the center of the conference table. In the concentrated beam of light, a slender woman with twin ponytails appeared with a smile on her face.

Aiyi Hyperion Λ is an artificial intelligence life form with the highest control authority and the strongest computing power among all Aiyi individuals.

The administrator lady bowed slightly, her mature and elegant face looking gentle and intellectual.

"Okay, everyone, please take a look."

A melodious voice came from the Hyperion broadcasting system, and several powerful beams of light were projected from the center of the conference table. In the blink of an eye, Ai Yi's translucent virtual image was replaced by a lush tree that reached straight to the ceiling.

Everyone simultaneously turned their gaze towards the giant translucent tree that was emitting a faint fluorescent light. Li Shubai swept his eyes across both sides of the conference table and raised one arm towards the air:

"As you can see, this is the cosmic structure we currently call the [Imaginary Number Tree]. Of course, as a cosmic structure that exists in a higher dimension, we are not yet able to give it an accurate definition using today's concept of space. The greater significance of this virtual projection is that it allows us to more intuitively understand the general nature of the Imaginary Number Tree and what we need to do in the future."

"First of all, everyone present here should understand that in the vast universe, there are many parallel worlds that are similar to our own world, but differ in many subtle aspects, right?"

Li Shubai made a gesture, and the picture displayed by the virtual projection suddenly zoomed in. The picture that originally showed a whole tree was expanded to irregular tree trunks. Although all the branches were closely connected to the original trunk, after growing out from the original trunk, the branches showed a huge number of forks.

The dense branches split into layer after layer, but at some point they stop growing.

At the top of the branches, different scenes flashed by quickly. Li Shubai looked at the rapidly flashing scenes and turned his gaze to Su who was standing behind him: "These scenes were captured by this pioneer from the pre-civilization era when he was executing the 'Eternal Sand Project'. They belong to different worlds and come from different time and space. The only thing in common is that they are all in this cosmic structure called the [Tree of Imaginary Numbers]."

Su closed her eyes tightly, and a gentle smile appeared on her soft and beautiful face: "Yes, these records from different parallel worlds are the images I observed in the Second God Key."

Li Shubai nodded, raised his wrist and snapped his fingers.

With a crisp sound of snapping fingers, a Bodhi leaf appeared out of thin air on the top of the branch. At the same time, the scene shown in a certain picture suddenly turned into a blurry snow screen.

The Bodhi leaf slowly slid down and gradually disappeared from the huge three-dimensional projection like a phantom.

Seeing this scene, the pupils of all the Valkyries present shrank slightly.

"As you guessed, this is the world destroyed by the End." Li Shubai placed his palm flat on the edge of the table and scanned every Valkyrie present with an extremely serious look, "Did you find anything?"

"?"

Except for a few highly educated people like Mebius, Velvi, Su, and Guanxing, everyone else looked at each other blankly and shook their heads slightly.

Bronya frowned slightly, and suddenly an idea came to her.

"Although the leaves disappeared, the trunk itself did not wither!"

"Smart." Li Shubai smiled and gestured to the air again.

The virtual projection disintegrated instantly, and then quickly converged into a bird's-eye view of a European city in the late Middle Ages. Li Shubai stretched out his hand and the image of the bird's-eye view rapidly enlarged, and finally froze on a scene where a silver-haired woman stood up to a huge Honkai beast in order to protect ordinary people who were attacked.

The flying blood, the white sharp object piercing through the chest and abdomen, the terrified expression of the girl behind him, and the woman's pupils that quickly lost their vitality, the tragedy that happened five hundred years ago, with the blessing of Hyperion super artificial intelligence, was reproduced in another way before everyone's eyes.

"Do you know what happened next?" Li Shubai asked.

"In order to protect the local residents from the tide of Honkai beasts, the Valkyrie who was about to be executed...Karen Kaslana died heroically at the hands of Honkai beasts." Kiana answered subconsciously.

Although her history grades were not very good until now, if she were to return to St. Freya's Academy to take another exam, she would probably only get scores that were not much different from those when she was a student. However, Kallen had always been influencing her life in another way, although that method of influence was not very good. But to this day, no matter whether the tragedy in the past had affected her for good or bad, Kiana still deeply engraved what happened between Otto and Kallen in her memory.

However, when Li Shubai got Kiana's answer, he did not immediately confirm or deny it, but chuckled: "Oh, really."

"Then let you see what happens next."

Li Shubai snapped his fingers, and the frozen picture began to flow. Kiana couldn't help but be stunned. It was clear that at the moment the picture froze, Kallen's death had become an irreversible outcome. However, in just a moment, the sharp claws of the Honkai Beast dissipated like melting snowflakes, and the wounds on Kallen's chest and abdomen became intact as if they had never appeared from the beginning.

It was as if an invisible giant hand ignored all the laws of physics and the rules of the world and erased the facts that should have happened in a completely unreasonable way.

Then, a raging fire fell from the sky, easily burning the Honkai beast in front of Kallen that was about to release a second attack.

After a brief moment of shock, Kiana immediately reacted: "Is this what Otto did at that time...?"

"Yes." Li Shubai smiled slightly, "Forcibly modifying the time and destiny of an individual - in the past, Otto originally tried to take the power of the Herrscher of the Void into his hands in order to do this."

"However, this is all he can do simply by relying on the power of the Herrscher of the Void."

"Although the form of what we are going to do is somewhat similar to what Otto did once before, in terms of both scale and essence... it is completely different from what he did once before you."

The virtual projection image changed again, and suddenly transformed from the tragedy rewritten by Otto back to the huge tree of imaginary numbers.