Necromancer, but pre-collapse civilization

　There is even a very high chance that it will receive an S-level rating again.

　However, the risks associated with such actions are self-evident.

　If he were only facing Sue and Kevin's puppets, or the Destiny Force, Moros would be 100% confident of achieving final victory.

　But if the two of them join forces to deal with him, even the necromancer will have a headache.

　After weighing the potential risks, Moros had to admit that taking any risky action was too risky, given the current inability to summon enough undead forces from the demiplane.

　After all, if the hero template promotion mission fails, then all the rewards he has accumulated will be meaningless.

　Therefore, Moros decided to adopt a more cautious strategy.

　He would rather give up pursuing an S-level mission rating in order to reduce some of the risks.

　Specifically, they allowed Durandal to access the Second Divine Key, thus diverting Sue's attention.

　When the time is right, he will seize the divine key that can manipulate space.

　Although such a choice might lower the mission rating, Moros believes that ensuring the smooth completion of the hero template promotion mission is more important than pursuing an S-level mission rating.

　To ensure everything was under control, once the car arrived at the quiet warehouse district outside London...

　Moros decisively used the [Puppet Master] ability, quietly bringing all living beings in the area under his control.

　This move would certainly consume a lot of his magic power, but compared to being caught by fate or the World Serpent and gaining clues, the cost of this magic power was worthwhile.

　Moros didn't want his process of creating the undead army to be interrupted, and he didn't want to face Schicksal's powerful airship fleet and Durandal, who was comparable to a legendary warrior.

　At the same time, Mistelin Shaniat, the executive of World Serpent who has surpassed the legendary level and entered the realm of high legend, is also a formidable enemy he must be wary of.

　Therefore, he would rather drink the Water Elemental Bottle multiple times to restore his magic power than save a single bit of effort in controlling this area.

　Moros knew that only by ensuring everything was under control could he smoothly advance his plan, thereby seizing the second Divine Key, the Thousand Realms One, floating above the Thames, and completing this Hero Template advancement mission.

　As it turned out, Moros's decision was not problematic.

　For half a month, this warehouse area did not attract the slightest attention from Destiny or World Serpent.

　This is quite normal.

　Beings controlled by the Puppet Master will unconditionally obey any command of the caster, but their intelligence is not affected in any way.

　In other words, without orders, they are no different from usual.

Chapter 166 Fate and the Necromancer's Preparations

　Just as Morros was busily building an elite undead army in the warehouse district outside London, Otto Apocalypse, the Archbishop of Fate who had ruled Fate for 500 years, granted Durandal a leave of absence.

　On one hand, Durandal has been fighting non-stop for thirty days, even engaging in a thrilling battle against a formidable opponent in Dubai, UAE, in West Asia.

　Both logically and emotionally, he could not refuse Durandal's request for leave.

　On the other hand, this Archbishop of Destiny, who wields the First Divine Key, the Key of Revelation, the Void Treasury, hopes that Durandal can be a strong supporter of Rita Losweiser in London as she searches for the Second Divine Key, the Key of Eternity, the Thousand Realms, ensuring the success and safety of the operation.

　In fact, this is the real reason why Otto approved Durandal's vacation.

　For this bishop of destiny, who has been relentlessly pursuing the resurrection of Saint Karen for centuries, Karen's resurrection is his deepest desire.

　He is willing to make every effort to achieve this goal.

　Contact with the Imaginary Tree is the key to reviving Kallen.

　Because only through contact with the Tree of Imaginary Numbers can one obtain the power and knowledge needed to revive Kallen.

　The second key to God is essential for contacting the Tree of Imaginary Numbers.

　Therefore, Otto had high expectations for this operation in London and made meticulous preparations.

　He not only dispatched Durandal, Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie, to London under the guise of a holiday, but also mobilized non-Valkyrie forces such as mech units and airships to reinforce and assist Rita in completing her mission.

　At the same time, Otto also engaged in in-depth communication with the local government to ensure that the mission would not be hindered in any way.

　The destiny that Otto holds is not the destiny that Theresa holds.

　Faced with the destiny of this era, even though the regime on the island of Britain was one of the five permanent members of the United Nations, it could not refuse Otto's demands.

　In addition, he himself will personally join the operation through his Soul Steel body to ensure that everything goes smoothly.

　Through his network of informants spanning London’s six airports, Morros learned of Durandal and Rita’s arrival the moment they stepped into the terminal.

　With Durandal and Rita's beauty and temperament, they would become the focus of attention wherever they were, so it was only natural that they would be discovered.

　In fact, even Durandal and Rita themselves had become accustomed to the stares of passersby.

　Otherwise, how could those informants controlled by the Puppet Master have tracked down these two S-rank Valkyries without disturbing them?

　Knowing that Durandal and Rita had arrived, Moros knew that he had very little time left to prepare.

　However, he did not panic.

　The reason is simple: in the past, the necromancers had already amassed a necromancer army capable of turning London, this international metropolis, upside down.

　Although this undead force can only be used as a disposable item due to the limited materials used in its production, and its lifespan is only 24 hours, this does not affect its powerful combat capabilities during its lifespan.

　Under the command of the legendary necromancer Moros, this undead army, formed from countless bones, metals, minerals, and other materials, possesses undeniable combat prowess.

　He created a total of 24 Ghost Dragons, the undead unit that stands at the top of the necropolis faction's unit tree.

　With the support of vengeful spirits, vampire counts, and other flying undead, Moros believed that...

　In the initial encounter, this undead force was already enough to help him successfully seize the second Divine Key.

　Of course, being confident is one thing, but being arrogant is another.

　After counting the cards in his hand, Moros released the vengeful spirits.

　Now that the operation to seize the second Divine Key has entered its final stage, all the things that needed to be avoided before can now be implemented.

　For example, he could have the vengeful spirits conduct a comprehensive surveillance of London, especially the area near the spatial distortion zone where the Second Divine Key is located, ensuring that nothing there escapes his notice.

　For example, sending vengeful spirits to search for and capture gangsters and homeless people, incorporating these beings into the expansion plan of the undead army.

　Unlike undead armies created using materials such as bones, metals, and minerals, Moros, who possesses the skills of an expert-level necromancer, can push the number of undead armies to their maximum in a short period of time simply by killing enough living beings.

　Moreover, Moros used the powerful figure he controlled to purchase large quantities of live animals such as cattle, sheep, pigs, and dogs.

　Although these creatures are of low intelligence and weak strength, their conversion efficiency is not satisfactory, and they are easily discovered by those with ulterior motives, at this critical moment, everything must give way to the final expansion of the undead army.

　Although the events in "Foggy Holiday" are complex and varied, in reality, from the moment Durandal and Rita arrive in London to the moment Schicksal finally obtains the second Divine Key, there is at most only one week.

　During this period, Destiny or World Serpent might have noticed the anomaly in the warehouse district, but in Moros's timeline, before these two organizations could truly mobilize, he would have already completed his mission and returned to his world with the Second Divine Key.

　As for Anti-Entropy, which mainly operates in North America, its operational efficiency has been greatly reduced since its leader, the First Herrscher of Reason Welt, went into hiding.

　At that time, even if Kevin of this world does return from the Sea of ​​Quanta, it will have nothing to do with necromancers.

　I wonder how things are going with Wilvie and the others. I hope nothing serious will happen there by the time I finish my mission...

　With this in mind, Moros threw himself into the final preparations.

　This wasn't the necromancer being overly pessimistic; rather, before embarking on the hero template advancement mission, he had already keenly sensed the continuous increase in the Honkai energy concentration on Earth in that world.

　Based on the growth rate measured at the time, the third Great Collapse was not far off.

　At that time, Moros was confident that he could complete the mission and return before the collapse, so he did not calculate the exact time of its arrival.

　However, at this crucial juncture in the hero template advancement mission, the necromancer couldn't help but start thinking about what kind of impact the Third Great Collapse would have on the forces he left on Earth if it were to actually occur before his return.

　Velvi has access to the demiplane, so she can return to it at any time; as for Mebius, an elder of the Firemoth, her safety is not a concern; as for Eden, Alicia will keep an eye on her; and Alicia's strength is sufficient...

　After careful consideration, Moros finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Chapter 167 Observation and Decision

　The Sherlock Holmes Museum, Big Ben, Borough Market...

　Under the close watch of spies controlled by the Puppet Master, Durandal and Rita explored the city's major attractions on their first morning in London.

　At lunchtime, the two S-rank Valkyries enjoyed a pleasant lunch at the open-air restaurant before going their separate ways.

　With Rita's meticulously prepared London travel guide in hand, Durandal continued to immerse herself in this rare holiday.

　Rita, on the other hand, shouldered the important task entrusted to her by Otto and went to the British Museum.

　There, she will have a secret meeting with the current curator, Catherine.

　Mauros's informants were powerless to stop the two women from acting inside the museum.

　The British Museum closed for a day specifically for this meeting, preventing informants from entering the museum to conduct surveillance.

　Even if they are controlled by the Puppet Master, they cannot infiltrate directly without being detected.

　After all, even if ordinary people living in the warehouse district are controlled by the [Puppet Master], they cannot act silently under the keen perception of an S-rank Valkyrie.

　As for the vengeful spirits scattered throughout London, Moros had no intention of easily challenging Rita's perception.

　As one of the S-rank Valkyries who specializes in carrying out covert missions, the necromancer has great faith in Rita's intuition.

　However, in Moros's eyes, this brief blind spot in surveillance was not enough to worry him.

　One of his informants has spotted the unconscious museum security guard who looks remarkably like the legendary David.

　This means that the cat-shaped artificial Honkai Beast Stan has infiltrated the British Museum.

　The development of events did not surprise Moros.

　Under the watchful eyes of spies lurking outside the museum, a sudden sound came from inside the British Museum.

　A violent explosion was heard.

　Thick black smoke billowed into the sky, and fire trucks and police cars rushed to the scene with sirens blaring.

　Clearly, Stan has already engaged in a brief confrontation with Rita, who is wearing the fourth-generation Godslayer armor [Azure Knight: Moon Soul] and wielding the Throne of Gods weapon [Skadi of Eternal Frost].

　Great, everything is going according to plan...

　Through the eyes of the Puppet Master, Moros, who witnessed all of this, nodded slightly, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

　He didn't have to wait long; soon, Rita and Durandal walked out of the British Museum side by side.

　After taking one last, deep look at the two Valkyries sitting side by side on the steps of the museum entrance in the setting sun, Moros withdrew his gaze from the British Museum.

　The next day.

　Through his informant at London Heathrow Airport, Morros witnessed the arrival of B-rank Valkyrie Susana.

　Soul Steel, it really is an amazing material...

　Moros knew, of course, that this girl, who looked no different from the B-rank Valkyrie Susana, was actually Otto's Soul Steel Body.

　However, if he were to observe from the perspective of the eyes controlled by the Puppet Master, he would not be able to detect any flaws in this Soul Steel body.

　Silently adding Soul Steel, a metal block composed of nanobots, to his "shopping list," Moros began to weigh whether he should intervene in the clash between Destiny and the World Serpent at Glastonbury Rock.

　Forget it, let's not cause any more trouble...

　After a long period of deliberation and consideration, Moros made a decision.

　Although he was very interested in the knowledge in the mind of World Serpent executive "Jackal" Cleo, Moros felt that this knowledge could be strategically abandoned, considering the potential chain reaction and unpredictable consequences that such an action might trigger.

　The true owner of the Second Divine Key—[Tianhui] Zhiming Su—possesses an armed puppet with one percent of Kevin's power, a mecha of destiny, a floating warship, and two S-rank Valkyries, Rita Losweiser and Bianca Durandal Atagina.

　This power alone is enough to make Moros go all out.

　If one acts recklessly out of greed for the knowledge in the jackal's mind, and this leads to the World Serpent's highest combat power at present—the World Serpent executive codenamed "Feather Rabbit," Mistelin Shaniat—the consequences will be unimaginable.

　Moros cannot afford such a risk at present.

　Ultimately, for Moros right now, the most important thing is to complete the hero template upgrade quest.

　Having made his decision, Moros began to deploy the vengeful spirit forces sent to the Glastonbury Rock area.

　Although the decision has been made not to intervene directly, it is still necessary to keep an eye on competitors.

　To avoid any unforeseen circumstances, the necromancer felt he had to ensure he had sufficient control over the movements of the World Serpent and Fate.

　Through a spiritual link with the vengeful spirits sent to the Glastonbury Rocks area, Morros is able to witness Otto's silly antics as Susana.

　This observation not only refreshed his understanding of Otto's superb acting skills, but also confirmed to the necromancer that this world line was still progressing in an orderly manner.

　With the "invincible" Durandal, the battle in the Glastonbury Rocks region ended in a victory for Destiny.

　The World Serpent not only paid the price of temporarily losing the power of its third divine key, the Judgment Key, the Seven Thunders of Purification, but its influence on the British Isles was also seized by Destiny.

　Given that the Lord of the World Serpent, Kevin, has not yet returned from the Sea of ​​Quanta, the current leader of the World Serpent, Gray Serpent, has made a wise decision.

　This means abandoning the World Serpent's influence in this region and allowing Destiny to completely control the British Isles.