It was as if the background of a photograph was being swapped using Photoshop; after the white light flashed, the entire world twisted.
The moon in the sky illuminated the world, a chilling wind blew from the surroundings, and everything around them was no longer that small room, but a vast expanse of countryside.
Raiden Mei turned her head, looking around. Apart from a highway stretching from the distance not far away, she couldn't see any product of human society.
One moment she was in the motel, and now she was in the wilderness. Raiden Mei stared at her surroundings, speechless for a long time.
The girl with the quantum machine named "Armored Bunny 19C" behind her also wore a dazed expression, as if her worldview had just been refreshed.
"This is... spatial teleportation?" Raiden Mei, possessing a sufficient store of knowledge, murmured in a daze.
According to M-theory proposed in the 1990s—a synthesis of various superstring theories—the universe is 11-dimensional, composed of vibrating planes. Modern physics also posits that there are seven spatial dimensions in this world that we cannot perceive but do indeed exist. The implementation of spatial teleportation requires finding corresponding coordinates in 11-dimensional space to effect movement.
In other words, the deeper concept of spatial teleportation is wormhole traversal, essentially interstellar travel as depicted in science fiction.
Technology that should only appear in an interstellar age had suddenly manifested in reality, delivering a shock to Raiden Mei and Bronya, who both possessed excellent knowledge reserves, no less than witnessing the Tunguska Event.
"A miracle," Bronya said, having originally come only to capture a test subject and deal with a kidnapper, yet witnessing a scene tantamount to wormhole traversal.
"It's merely magecraft achievable through technology, not a 'Miracle' that science can never achieve," the young man, who had accomplished a feat achievable only in an interstellar age using the powers of mysticism, said with a shrug. "Compared to the Pufferfish of the Void, my control over spatial abilities is still far lacking."
Pufferfish of the Void? What's that?
Raiden Mei, Bronya, and even Cocolia and the researchers watching through the equipment on Bronya, all frowned.
"Alright, that's enough idle talk. Next should be combat time." The young man, who would be able to contact Cocolia and achieve his objective regardless of whether he won or lost next, extended his hand towards his own shadow.
Brilliantly colored gemstones emerged from it one by one, rotating and floating around the magus like planets orbiting a star.
Gemstones steeped in history had always been sought-after tools in the world of magi. They inherently possessed potent magical energy, and with a little utilization, could activate thaumaturgical formulae that would otherwise require repeated incantations.
Without any warning, an expensive gemstone shattered, and the mystery contained within it was unleashed.
Then, the magus surrounded by gemstones vanished.
It was as if he had never appeared in this stretch of countryside at all.
Subsequently, an extremely faint sound of something cutting through the air was heard behind her, and Bronya's pupils contracted rapidly.
That was killing intent from another dimension.
"Armored Bunny, Lance Mode."
Following Bronya's calm and level voice, Armored Bunny raised its left hand, transforming it into the shape of a sharp spear. Under Bronya's computer-like, precise trajectory calculation, it accurately struck the short sword coming from behind.
A massive sonic boom erupted in the surroundings. Amidst the collision of absolute power, the air was violently pushed outwards, forming a visible shockwave that shattered everything around.
As equipment capable of withstanding the power of a Herrscher core, Armored Bunny was practically the Jotaro of quantum weapons.
The power of such a weapon was clearly not something an ordinary magus could resist. The sharp spear tip was enough to easily shatter his weapon and pierce his chest; the air currents generated by the rapid speed would completely tear his limbs apart, reducing him to a pool of bloody mire.
Once hit, there would absolutely be no miracle of resurrection.
Another sound of a gemstone shattering.
The gemstone, filled with magical energy, released its power under its master's will, activating a magecraft called Spatial Transfer.
The sensation of striking a real object vanished, causing Bronya's heart to leap into her throat.
Very quickly, the young man, merely holding a short sword, appeared a hundred meters in front of her.
It was hard to imagine that someone capable of using spatial transfer abilities would use such a clumsy weapon as a short sword. After all, the glory of cold weapons had long been buried in the river of time.
"Exorcist Attire: Kiritsugu."
As if sensing Bronya's confusion, the magus flatly stated the origin and effect of this short sword.
"I exchanged a promise for a certain fellow's rib, ground it into powder, and combined it with an alloy to forge this short sword. It can sever the magic circuits of whomever it pierces, and then reconnect them at will."
"Of course, if the enemy doesn't have magic circuits, this thing's target will become the pierced person's blood vessels."
Bronya's expression changed instantly.
She didn't know what magic circuits were, but how could she not understand the latter half?
To sever a person's blood vessels and then randomly reconnect them—what kind of grotesque armament was this?!
"Armored Bunny, attack."
Without any hesitation, Bronya issued a command to her weapon.
The fellow before her was definitely one of this world's premier assassins. Standing with him, one could die violently at any moment.
Fortunately, he didn't seem to be able to remain hidden in the void indefinitely. Now that he had stepped into reality was the best time to counterattack.
Armored Bunny, wielding its lance, suddenly attacked, its momentum like the torrential waters of the Yangtze River, powerful for a thousand li.
A massive sonic boom resounded in the surroundings. Amidst the collision of absolute power, the air was violently pushed outwards, forming a visible shockwave that blew away rubble and shattered the distant highway. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✦𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✦𝕟𝕖𝕥
The targeted enemy, as expected, shattered like a broken mirror.
A chill rose in Bronya's heart.
Without a doubt, that was a fake.
"Little Bunny, is this all you've got?" A fairly clear voice echoed around her.
Bronya scanned her surroundings but didn't see the fellow's figure, nor could she even determine the source of the voice.
She wanted to use Armored Bunny to monitor the surrounding Honkai energy intensity to lock onto the enemy, only to find that apart from her own location, there was no high-intensity Honkai energy anywhere nearby.
A chill rose in Bronya's heart.
She couldn't lock onto the enemy at all, yet the enemy could launch an attack from the shadows at any time.
This scene involuntarily reminded her of Siberia during the winter hunting season.
Hunters, whose physical constitution couldn't compare to wild animals, would lie in ambush in areas unknown to their prey, quietly setting up their rifles.
A hunter who had taken aim only needed to pull the trigger to take the prey's life.
Whether the prey was a rabbit, a wild deer, or even a bear, the outcome was the same.
And now, the role she was playing was that of prey targeted by a hunter.