Planck's clothes shifted again, reverting to her simple attire. This one-click outfit-changing ability was indeed extremely convenient. The kind of elaborate magical-girl costume she had just displayed would take at least an hour to put on properly if done by hand.
"Alright. Seeing little Vill-V's face full of confusion, let Teacher Planck properly explain the situation of this world to you~"
"This world is independent of 'Honkai.' You may call it a data island. It does not exist in the Sea of Quanta. Rather, it lies within the intrinsic world itself... You can understand it as—the gap in time."
A thick tome with a brown leather cover appeared in Planck's palm. The book floated in midair, its pages flipping automatically with a soft rustle.
Planck's beautiful face flickered behind the turning pages like something out of an old animation. "You see, time has never truly been continuous. It is like these pages—between them exist countless gaps."
She pressed her hand firmly down on the pages, forcing them still. "No matter how tightly you compress time, gaps will still remain. And since there are gaps, new pages can be inserted."
Rip.
She tore off a corner of a page and slid it into one of the gaps.
"And this fragment within the gap is the world we currently inhabit."
Vill-V stared at Planck's fair hand thoughtfully. "Then... who tore that page off and inserted it?"
Planck shook her head. "That, I don't know. I thought you might."
She looked at Vill-V, but she also understood that Vill-V's circumstances were likely similar to her own—arriving in this world inexplicably. So she did not press further and instead continued.
"However, since this page exists within the gap of time, it cannot be firmly fixed within the book. It may fall out at any moment... or simply cease to exist."
Planck held the book upright. The fragment of paper slipped from between the pages, then ignited without flame, turning into ash. It spiraled once in the air before vanishing.
The fate of this world would likely be no different from that scrap of paper—perishing within the gap of time.
A data island cannot survive in the universe for long, just like a bubble world will gradually dissipate with time.
And within the gap of time, its manifestation of destruction is being obliterated by Honkai.
Honkai... it truly is everywhere.
No wonder the Cosmic Juggernaut can still use Honkai authority. My sincere thanks for that.
Even fleeing into the gap of time cannot escape Honkai's destruction.
Vill-V silently crossed one more viable escape plan off her list.
She pressed her lips together, her expression turning serious. "Then when will this world be destroyed?"
"Mm. Based on my judgment, in two years. So what I am doing now, with all my strength, is anchoring this world firmly in place."
In other words, the golden chains binding that fragment of world-time were the anchors Planck had forged.
But something still felt strange. If what she had just seen was Planck's memory of drifting within the gap of time, why were the chains already binding the fragment of world-time?
Even so, Vill-V remained puzzled. "If it is anchoring, then you must need a point of anchor, right?"
To anchor a world, that anchor could not possibly be simple. At the very least, it had to be something on the scale of a world.
"Correct." Planck gently placed her hand over her chest. "I am that anchor."
Vill-V understood immediately. Anchoring the entire world onto herself—no wonder Planck's Honkai energy was so severely depleted.
As a Herrscher possessing a pure Imaginary Singularity, Planck indeed had the qualification to do so.
In a sense, worlds themselves were born from Imaginary Singularities.
"Tsk, tsk. Even while using your authority to stabilize an entire world, you still easily defeated this world's Herrscher of Reason. The Herrscher of Reason here must be rather weak."
Planck laughed as she rolled up her sleeves. "Yes. I pinned him down with one hand. That guy Welt is really too inexperienced."
Welt—pitiful, weak, and helpless.
Of course, neither of them truly meant to mock Welt. They were genuinely glad he did not have to bear the destructive will of a Herrscher.
Being weak was nothing. Being controlled by Honkai and forced to destroy what one cherished—that was true despair.
Vill-V could see it clearly. Planck had essentially reenacted what Dr. Schrödinger had once done regarding Welt—and this time, she had gone even further. Truly worthy of being Dr. Schrödinger's teacher.
Like teacher, like student.
As the Herrscher of Reason from the Previous Era, Planck understood the nature of Herrschers well. It was not something humanity could simply overcome through intelligence alone. She herself was an exception.
Thus, like Dr. Schrödinger, she had tested Welt—the newly born proxy Herrscher of Reason—to measure his character.
After all, Tesla and Einstein were so close to him. If this Mr. Welt had harbored ulterior motives, Planck would not have spared him lightly.
"However, I truly did not expect Einstein to suddenly jump out and block a bullet for him. In the past, even dissecting a live rabbit in front of her would not have moved her in the slightest."
"Fortunately, I withdrew in time. Honestly, she doesn't even consider her own physical condition."
Thankfully, the flames of the Judgment of Shamash had been nothing more than quantum phantoms Planck fabricated. Her attack on Edison had also been staged.
Only Katerina's attack on her had been real. That was why Katerina's injuries were the most severe.
Vill-V tapped her finger lightly against the table. "So killing those Schicksal Valkyries was also to protect him... and them?"
"Those Valkyries are not dead, of course. You understand the power of the Herrscher of Reason. Once everything settles, I will release them."
"And attacking Tesla and the others was to remove their ability to interfere in the battle. Why didn't you simply tell them the truth?" Conductor asked, though she already knew the answer.
Planck's face twisted in discomfort, her expression complicated. "Mm... well... after injuring Einstein, how could I show my face and say, 'I was just acting'? So I had no choice but to continue the performance along with the atmosphere."
"Sigh. Professor Planck, I think you should take some time to comfort Dr. Tesla. She completely lost control of her emotions earlier."
"Mm... perhaps after some time. We'll just go with the script of 'friendship triumphs over Honkai's control.'"
Planck tucked the old Zurich maple leaf bookmark into the book, then waved her hand and dispelled the floating tome.
It seemed that Planck had her own plans. She did not intend to immediately reconcile with Tesla and the others. Instead, she appeared to be deliberately distancing herself from them.