Ein was sent to a place that looked to be the cosmos. He immediately tried to make a portal to go back, but the space inside was locked. As he frowned with a grave expression, noticing what looked like a massive tree not far away, with its roots extending through the space. He quickly went to it as he thought that this place was connected to it and it might be his way out. (pic here)
He arrived at the base of the tree as he looked at it. His mind can't comprehend the amount of branches and leaves it had. "What in the world is this? Yggdrasil?" He then heard clapping from his back, as an entity that was pure white appeared and looked exactly like him, except it just copied his facial structure. It wasn't defined like a silhouette.
"Einheri... A human that suddenly appeared in this world, bearing unusual powers." Ein got into a stance and narrowed his eyes at the creature. He assumed that it might be a sort of will that governs the universe. "Who are you? Some sort of god?"
The entity stared at him as it sat down on a chair that appeared suddenly. "The gestalt will of the honkai human." Ein then tensed up. 'So this thing is the cause of everything.' "What do you want? Surely there's a reason on why I am here?" He wanted more information 1st, as he thought that maybe assimilating honkai beasts and tapping into the imaginary space were the trigger for it to involve itself in worldly matters.
"Hmmm, a good question." It stood up and went to the tree, touching the trunk as the leaves transformed to what looked like bubble universes. 'Yggdrasil only has 9 realms, this one probably has infinite amounts of it.' He tried counting the universes contained on the tree, but he doesn't even know where to start.
"This... Is where everything began, the tree of beginnings withstood unimaginable amounts of time, grew branches and leaves that symbolizes new worlds, drinking from the endless sea of unfathomable depths and boundaries... Then, a branch grew a bud, what you humans call a civilization appeared." Ein pieced things together. 'It's a cycle... Where the bad leaves drop to the sea of quanta, as 2 concepts continue the process of creation and recycling.'
"Time flows in the trunk of the Imaginary Tree and branches out into an infinity of worlds. Every branch is a form of civilization, while every bud is their past and present etched onto the dimension of time. Each twig is a world line and each leaf represents a universe. And this is where you come into play." It looked and pointed at him.
"What is the problem? I haven't done anything to damage the tree or the sea of quanta." The gestalt will shaked its head. "You are an anomaly, when you appeared. A branch appeared, that in itself isn't a big deal. But as you grew stronger and started to meddle. Your every breath, every step, every decision, made innumerable amounts of possibilities. And it reflects in the imaginary tree." The being showed him a part of the tree that was overflowing with new branches and leaves that were vibrant. Unlike the others that have wilted and fell to the sea of quanta.
Ein frowned. "I see, Aponia was right on the money. And this disrupts your so called balance?" He rolled his eyes at the entity. "You have no idea human. Every universe is sustained by the tree, and I was created to prune it. For the worthy to be kept, and the ever growing sea swallows the wilted shadows of those who have failed." It then clicked in his head, if infinite realities with him is to be sustained by the tree. Then the deadlock with the sea would be broken.
"Let me show you." He felt a headache that felt like his skull would get cracked in two. As he saw realities in which they prospered for millions, even billions of years. But the sea got exhausted. As the branches of the tree started to die out, until nothing is left. A domino effect that would leave nothing behind, except him. As he floated around in dead space, completely alone as reality ceases to exist, while his endless journey in the void continues.
"Th-that is what would happen?" He then thought it wasn't possible. There must be another way, he started to make a plan. He remembered Genesis' words that he will ascend to his own level one day. And a true god has to be capable of at least one thing, creating their own realities. It might take a long time, but that won't discourage him. As the will continued its story.
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Kevin and the others were starting to get exhuasted. And an hour has just passed, the surroundings were apocalyptic. As orbital bombardments pelted the location of the herrscher. With it just losing momentum and energy as soon as the attacks reached her location.
"This is bad, we have to make a decisive strike. Nothing can get through her." Kevin looked around, there were only 11 of them left. As Griseo and Phyllis stayed behind, being strictly non combatants, as the cavalry just arrived.
The other MANTISes came for support, with Mobius quickly flying to them when she lost contact with Klein and hearing that Ein disappeared suddenly. She started to survey the surroundings, looking for something.
Her eyes zeroed in on Klein, and she was damaged. But still repairable at a glance, she entered her honkai reactive form as she started to enter the fray. Uncomfortably close to the herrscher.
"Mobius! Don't!" Kevin was about to freeze her in her tracks. But she dodged and went to Klein's location without a care in the world. "Damn it! Let's go! The herrscher might get distracted! We'll try to end this now! Su, Aponia, Hua. Give everything you've got to try and disable her." Everyone got in place as they saw Mobius starting to lose her honkai form, carrying the little ELF with her and tried to retreat.
"We'll get out of this Klein. And we'll find him together." Her body was heavy, and carrying Klein with her didn't do her any favors. As the herrscher's chain stabbed through her chest.
"Mobius! Eden, propel Kosma to the herrscher now! He's physically stronger and won't succumb to her powers quickly." Elysia said to Eden as she started to run to Mobius' location, while spending tons of energy to repel the chains of the herrscher.
Kosma nodded as Eden propelled him with a burst of wind on his feet. Making him crash onto the herrscher, as Elysia retrieved Mobius. Kalpas then roared. "HERRSCHER! I WILL DESTROY EVERY ONE OF YOU!" He ran like a bullet to her location with overwhelming strength. Cracking the ground and making tremors with his every step. As he managed to throw a punch while Kosma distracted her. Though it was weaker than expected, but the herrscher's brain still rattled for a bit. Giving the mental MANTIS the chance, as Kalpas started to shut down, his body cannot handle being stripped off of its electrical impulses, disrupting his basic body functions.
Aponia transformed as 4 golden arms were added to her torso. And yellow gold butterfly wings sprouted from her back as she floated. (pic here).
Hua and Su cooperated with Aponia to show the herrscher an illusion that let her win. As she stood still. "Kevin! We can't hold this for much longer!" Su shouted as they strained to keep the herrscher in check.
Kevin ran as he brandished Shamash. He also transformed to his partial honkai form. Swinging the blade with all his might, he roared out. "This is the end! Burn to cinders!" The sword bursted to flames, as it vaporized everything it touched. After confirming that the herrscher perished, he immediately froze the sword and the surroundings. Burying the land in thick ice, as he panted and looked around.
Corpses of soldiers were strewn about, as he frowned heavily and kneeled. He then remembered that Kalpas was still beneath all the ice. "Everyone, help me unearth Kalpas. He might still be alive under here." As they started to dig.
Other soldiers started to enter the battlefield. As they took their casualties and helped with finding Kalpas. He was found after 30 minutes, as Su checked if he was still alive. "He's alive! But his pulse is weak. Get him to Moth Stat!"
Everyone then looked at the damages with crestfallen faces. "All of the soldiers who came with us fell. And Ein is nowhere to be seen..." Eden sat on the floor as Elysia went up to her and hugged her. "He promised remember? He will be back, I'm sure of it. We have to stay strong and hold the fort." She smiled as Aponia also spoke. "Ein-sama is out there. But I trust that he will be able to make it back."
Moth celebrated a bitter victory, as they return to their base and would decide on what's the next course of action.
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"How long would you keep me here?" Ein was getting impatient as he remembered his group of friends back home. "Do not rush human, a couple of years for you will be but a blink of an eye. You'll be back at a specially contained branch of the tree." Ein frowned as he confirmed that he will be trapped here until after humanity fought the 14th herrscher. 'I have to do something, or I won't see them ever again.'
He looked at the imaginary tree as it was starting to sprout a new branch. He knew it was a prison, and they'll isolate him from the other branches. He then tracked the roots of the tree, where it feeds on the sea of quanta. As he thought of a gamble, disappear in the depths and be swallowed. Or break out and navigate his way back to his home world. Both had high chances of failure, but it's all or nothing. He then started to converge tiny amounts of his energy, acting to be just tense.
"Accept your fate, it would be easier to forget about them. The world would be in jeopardy if you are to return." The will calmly said as if he would just accept it.
"You clearly know nothing of the potential of mankind... In just a few hundred years, we have achieved feats that would be deemed impossible in the past. Just a mere speck on the amount of time the universe has existed. Just decades since the honkai plagued the lands, and we've already begun to use it extensively. What makes you think that we can't start to manipulate reality in a small amount of time?" Ein quickly dived into the abyss as the entity tried to bind him, but he has already disappeared in a quick burst of speed. Swallowed up by the sea of quanta to its deepest parts.
"Curses!" The entity looked at the tree as the new branch that was forming retracted. And it cannot interfere again, as it already overstepped the boundaries of directly meddling with humans. It could only make changes through honkai energy or manipulating humans to make certain decisions, not expecting him to enter the sea of quanta.
Ein floated inside a space where contemporary rules were not applicable. As his memories started to influence the surroundings, making bubble universes that was clearly his past life. And time seems to be distorted in the place, as he explored. Time suddenly loops, bringing him back to where he landed. And when he moves, sometimes the sea transports him to entirely new places.
"Damn, the sea is much more unstable than I thought. I have to get out of here as quickly as possible." He still has the coordinates of his stem cells within the others. But due to the sea interfering, he is forcefully transported to other dimensions and universes.
He tried to materialize himself to his home universe, but he appeared at a wasteland that only contained ruins. He did this for a couple of times to no avail. "Damnit all! There must be a way!?" He was deep inside the abyss. The deeper you are, the more chaotic it is. He tried to calm down as much as possible and thought of the properties of the sea.
He concluded that the sea is a pool of data that was disposed of by the imaginary tree. But the data is all jumbled up, and he has to recreate a stable space that he could use as a vessel in order to materialize himself back to his home universe. "I will have to make my own bubble universe." He started to take pieces of information from the sea to make his very own universe. Piece by piece, the most intricate puzzle to break through the depths. Or he will have to try and materialize randomly, and he doesn't have the time to do that as it might take multiple years to thousands.
He started the arduous task. Fueled by the thought of his home being destroyed. While unraveling the mysteries of the sea of quanta for his most difficult plan yet, transcending the laws of the world.
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Thanks for reading, and his stem cells are not just a little boost. They serve a function that will 1st be seen at the incident of the 12th herrscher.