Honkai, why do you only throw me into high-level battles?

While the rest of the world moved on, a small, unresolved conflict simmered within Anti-Entropy, unnoticed and ignored by Schicksal and World Serpent.

Lin Wei was preoccupied with his own problems.

Otto, having captured Welt, was content to wait and see what Anti-Entropy would do, a predatory gleam in his eyes.

Gray Serpent, having secured his prize, had retreated into the shadows, a serpent waiting for its next opportunity. He had no interest in the Eye of the Deep.

His objective had been achieved the moment the facility was activated, the barrier between the real world and the Sea of Quanta breached.

In the original timeline, he'd only returned after the Great Eruption to investigate a… minor inconvenience – someone had resealed the rift, blocking the Sovereign's return.

That was unacceptable.

Aside from that, neither he nor any other World Serpent member had shown any interest in the ruins.

Only Anti-Entropy still clung to its potential…

And because of this, the unusual activity within Anti-Entropy, the mysterious disappearances within the quantum network, the fragmented intelligence reports – all these warning signs had been ignored, dismissed as internal squabbles.

Without Welt, Anti-Entropy simply wasn't a major player in this game.

...

Earlier, in the abyssal depths.

After the sudden surge of quantum energy, the ensuing chaos, and Kevin's intervention, the ruins had fallen silent. Einstein, aided by her AI companion, was the first to regain consciousness.

Ein, its camera-like eye blinking, extended a slender arm, its tip connecting to Einstein's skin, then delivered a jolt of electricity.

"Tzzz…"

"Ow!" Einstein jolted awake.

"Ein? So, I'm still alive. Lucky me…" She rubbed the stinging spot on her skin, quickly assessing the situation. "How long was I out? What happened? Where are the enemies?"

Ein's indicator light blinked, and the cockpit display lit up, replaying the recorded footage – the swarm of quantum shadows vanishing, a massive figure briefly appearing in the distance, then disappearing.

Einstein frowned, replaying the footage, puzzled. There's more to these ruins than we thought… she mused, then her expression turned serious. That creature could reappear at any moment. There was no time to waste.

She activated her Titan, pushing aside the deactivated mechs surrounding her, heading towards Tesla's escape pod. She had to check on her partner.

"Clang, clang…" Her heavy footsteps echoed through the ruins. She reached the escape pod, its hatch welded shut. She effortlessly pried it open, revealing the unconscious Tesla inside.

Seeing Tesla frown at the noise, she relaxed slightly, then opened her own cockpit, releasing Ein, instructing it to administer a similar… treatment to Tesla.

"Tzzz…"

It was effective.

"Mophead, you're trying to kill me!" Tesla yelled, startled by the small robot hovering near her face.

"We don't have time for gentler methods," Einstein replied calmly. "For safety, you should join me in my Titan. We can make space if we remove the refrigerator and… relocate Ein."

Tesla, looking at her useless escape pod, reluctantly agreed. "Relocate Ein where?" she asked, unbuckling her harness.

"It has… other tasks," Einstein replied cryptically.

"The Arahato's communication and tracking systems are valuable assets. Ein will modify them to transmit our coordinates, allowing our reinforcements to teleport directly into the ruins. That will give us leverage in our… negotiations with Cocolia."

"Transmit a signal? From this depth? Impossible!" Tesla scoffed. "The pressure would crush any conventional transmitter before it reached the surface."

"I know. That's why I'll be transmitting the signal," Einstein said calmly.

"Are you still delirious, Mophead?" Tesla stared at her incredulously. "Do you know how much energy it takes to transmit a signal through thousands of meters of water?"

"Of course, Tesla. This activated ruin is a massive power source. We just need to reroute the energy flow. That's Ein's next task."

"What?"

"Cocolia gave me the complete blueprints. It's not a technical problem," Einstein explained, uploading instructions to Ein and sending it off, then pulling Tesla into her Titan. "We just need the access codes. It will take some time to crack them." She wanted her own forces here before confronting Cocolia. It would be safer.

"I have a question, Mophead," Tesla said, looking at the closing hatch. "Why bother with all this? Why not just… grab Cocolia while she's still unconscious?" It seemed like the simpler solution.

Einstein paused, realizing Tesla was right. Why didn't I think of that?

"By the way, what happened?" Tesla asked, now safely inside. "One minute it's the end of the world, the next it's… quiet. What gives?" The sudden shift from despair to tranquility was unsettling.

Einstein showed her the recorded footage while searching for Cocolia.

Tesla was right. Capturing Cocolia now was the easiest solution.

But Cocolia had deliberately positioned them far from the main force, both to keep them out of the way and to protect them from the quantum mechs.

Reaching her would take time. What if she woke up and discovered their plan?

Einstein, always cautious, hesitated. This would be a point of no return.

"What was that… thing?" Tesla asked, pointing at the massive figure in the footage.

"I don't know. The most likely scenario is that this ruin has become its… lair," Einstein replied calmly. "But it doesn't seem to be an ordinary Honkai beast. It's likely a quantum entity, like the others. And its size suggests it can't fully enter our world."

"So, as long as we don't reactivate the device, it won't be a problem?" Tesla asked.

"Most likely," Einstein agreed. "It hasn't reappeared, which suggests its movements are restricted."

"That's good news, at least. It gives us time to analyze it, to prepare. I hope it's not too powerful…" Tesla sighed, then her expression turned fierce. "But first, we have to deal with Cocolia!" She hadn't forgotten her humiliating imprisonment.

Ein had already retrieved the communication and tracking devices from the Arahato's cockpit, delivering the communicator to Einstein, then heading towards the Honkai energy furnace with the tracker.

The furnace was the interface between Anti-Entropy's systems and the ruins' systems, Einstein's chance to gain access to Cocolia's network.

She handed control of the Titan to Tesla, focusing on guiding Ein.

"Mophead, you need to lose some weight!" Tesla grumbled, maneuvering the Titan towards Cocolia's location. "Next time, I'm designing a two-person cockpit!"

"Perhaps you should detach your prosthetic arm, Tesla. It would create more space," Einstein suggested dryly.

"No way!" Tesla retorted.

"Hum…" The deactivated mechs around them were stirring.

The scientists exchanged glances. Tesla understood Einstein's earlier hesitation.

She reluctantly abandoned her plan for a quick capture, prioritizing the alternative. These mechs were Cocolia's forces, not theirs. Without a guaranteed victory, it was better to wait for reinforcements.

If that bitch dies fighting that monster, that would be… ideal, she thought, a malicious glint in her eyes.

But then, Cocolia contacted them.

"Einstein…? Are you two… sharing a cockpit? How… cozy…" Cocolia paused, then continued, her voice calm, "Since you're both awake, perhaps you can tell me what just happened?" She, like the others, was puzzled by the sudden turn of events. She acted as if the earlier betrayal had never happened.

"You…!" Tesla started to say something, but Einstein nudged her, giving her a warning look. Tesla reluctantly held her tongue, sending the recorded footage to Cocolia. "See for yourself!"

Einstein's message was clear: don't provoke her.

"What… is that?" Cocolia, after reviewing the footage several times, her face pale, asked, "Is that a new Judgment-class Honkai beast?" That would complicate things considerably. She was starting to regret this whole endeavor. She'd never encountered such a troublesome ruin.

"Sorry to disappoint you, partner, but we're just as clueless as you are," Tesla replied, pointing to the location where the creature had appeared. "That thing came from down there. I suggest you… don't poke the bear." She didn't want Cocolia to do anything reckless.

Cocolia, usually so assertive, was strangely silent.

Before Tesla could say anything else, Einstein spoke up, her voice calm, her gaze fixed on Cocolia's image on the screen. "Ms. Cocolia, do you still intend to reactivate that device?"

Cocolia's expression remained unchanged. "Why not?" she replied simply.