"As long as she's doing well."
Hare finally relaxed. That child was the one her best friend had sacrificed her life to give birth to—she didn't want anything bad to happen to her.
Eyes closed, Su spoke in his usual calm tone. "Hello. First time meeting. My name is Su."
"If you're not going to use those eyes, you might as well dig them out and give them to someone who needs them."
"..."
The corner of Su's mouth twitched slightly.
What a sharp tongue.
"What do you want to say?"
"Can I ask you a few questions?"
"And why should I answer your questions? What's in it for me?"
"Do I have anything that would interest you?" Su asked.
"I'm curious about your female counterpart. Do you know where I could find her?"
My female counterpart?
Su recalled seeing a girl who resembled him slightly while observing a world pool.
"You like the female version of me?"
"I like anyone who fits my aesthetic."
Kiana Kaslana glanced at Hare, then at Prometheus. "You two also fit my tastes. Why don't you leave that pyramid scheme called World Serpent and come work for me under the Honkai?"
"I don't like you," Prometheus said bluntly.
"Same here," Hare added.
"Whether you like me or not is your business. Whether I like you or not is mine."
"Feelings can be nurtured. And if they can't... well, there are always special methods."
"..."
Su instantly understood what Kiana Kaslana meant.
Unbelievable—so the Will of Honkai from another universe had this kind of personality.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Honkai loves beautiful girls—that's just common sense. Don't tell me you didn't know that? No way, no way—you really didn't? How pitiful~"
"Honkai loves beautiful girls?" Su looked dumbfounded. It was the first time he'd ever heard such a claim.
Kiana Kaslana laughed. "Of course. In this universe, heterosexual relationships are tragic. You can't even 'board the ship,' if you know what I mean."
"Ever think that maybe the god who created this universe just likes watching beautiful girls save the world together?"
Hare and Prometheus exchanged glances.
Su frowned. Her words sounded ridiculous—absurd even—but he could tell she was serious.
When combined with things she'd said in past broadcasts…
He turned his gaze toward Kevin.
So just because he was male, he'd lost the right to save the world?
Utterly absurd.
"Alright, I don't have time to sit around chatting. If it weren't for accompanying my daughter back here, I wouldn't have bothered with you lot. If you have something to say, say it quickly."
Kiana Kaslana sounded impatient.
Kevin spoke up. "I want to make a deal with you."
Kiana Kaslana replied without hesitation, "Not interested. I couldn't care less whether humanity in this world lives or dies."
Su asked softly, "Are you still holding resentment against humanity because of that girl?"
"Think whatever you want," Kiana shrugged.
With that, she turned and began walking away.
The civilizations of the Honkai world—both the Previous and Current Eras—were already set in motion.
Kiana Kaslana stopped mid-step and looked back. "Do whatever you want. Just don't bother me unless it's important."
"Of course, if you're willing to pay the price, I might help you."
As Kiana Kaslana's figure disappeared into the distance, Kevin and Su fell into deep thought.
If they wanted her help, what kind of price would they have to pay?
They already had an idea.
The Will of Ruler might once have been human—or more precisely, used to be human.
How did she become the Will of Ruler?
Wasn't this similar to Prometheus invading Honkai and becoming the Will of Honkai herself?
The Honkai of that other universe must have been the same.
Except, in that case, the one who invaded and became the Will wasn't a super artificial intelligence—but a human.
Su pondered the possibility that the Will of Ruler was actually another universe's Kiana Kaslana.
She came into contact with the Honkai—and became its Will.
Yes.
That was highly likely.
"Su, what do you think of her?" Kevin asked.
"Hard to say." Su shook his head. "She's arrogant, self-centered, and looks down on everyone—but I sense caution in her."
He wasn't sure whether that was genuine or just an act.
"What I can be certain of is that if our human civilization ever posed a threat to her, she would destroy it without hesitation."
As a psychic-type fusion warrior, Su's perception was sharper than most. He didn't know what kind of experiences the Kiana Kaslana from that other universe had gone through.
But it was clear—she had long since abandoned her humanity.
She was not the kind of Herrscher that Elysia had once hoped for, one who could protect humanity.
He sighed helplessly. That was bad news.
She was like a volatile bomb that could go off at any moment.
The Honkai of this world hadn't even ended yet.
And now, from another universe, came a sentient Honkai—one who viewed humanity as a potential threat and constantly watched over them.
His words served as a warning to Kevin.
This Will of Honkai was not the same as the one from their world.
If they provoked her, she would retaliate with everything she had—wiping out the entire solar system entirely.
After a brief silence, Kevin nodded. "I understand."
He looked toward Hare and Prometheus.
Though he said nothing, the two women immediately understood what he meant.
"I'll approach her and gather more intelligence," Prometheus said, turning and floating away. Hare followed right behind her.
"Lord Kevin, the Herrscher of the Void—Sirin—has appeared in Siberia. She's been resurrected and restored to her previous form," Gray Serpent reported.
The Herrscher of the Void, Sirin!
The Will of Ruler had crossed universes, triggering global Honkai events—all for her!
For some reason, Kevin had a gut feeling that the person capable of merging with the Cocoon of Finality no longer existed.
That person was likely K-423, Otto's experimental vessel created for Sirin's resurrection.
That was why he had started Project STIGMA early.
After a moment of thought, Kevin abandoned the idea of contacting Sirin.
The Will of Ruler valued Sirin deeply.
If a conflict broke out, humanity might be annihilated instantly.
He couldn't take that risk.
...
Siberia.
The air was bitterly cold, snow falling softly from the gray sky.
"Bella, Agata, Avrora, Galina… I'm back."
Sirin's chest swelled with complex emotions as old memories resurfaced.
She gazed at the ruins of the Babylon Labs, tears of condensed Honkai energy rolling down her cheeks.
Standing silently before the wreckage, snowflakes landed gently on her hair and shoulders—as though the sky itself shared her grief.
She recalled the moments she had spent with her family and friends—all of them now gone forever.
Just then, Sirin sensed a familiar presence approaching.
She looked up to see a black spatial rift forming in the sky, from which a white-haired figure emerged.
Kiana Kaslana descended beside her.
"Mom, let's go."
"You don't want to stay a bit longer?"
She had just come all the way from the moon, after all.
Sirin shook her head. "I don't like this place."
"Alright." Kiana Kaslana looked at her gently and sighed.
She understood Sirin's aversion—after all, this was the place of her deepest suffering.
Kiana reached out and took Sirin's hand. "Then let's leave."
Sirin nodded, casting one last glance at the ruins of Babylon Labs before stepping into the spatial rift with Kiana.
As they vanished, the snow continued to fall quietly over the ruins—whispering tales of the past long gone.
Leaving Siberia, Kiana Kaslana and Sirin wandered through this world devoid of humanity, where only forms and echoes remained.
"Do you still have business with us?"
On the road, they encountered Hare and Prometheus. Kiana stopped, glancing at the two women before her.
"We came to learn more about you," Prometheus said bluntly.
"Mom, can I get rid of them? They're trying to collect information about us."
With a mere thought from Sirin, violet magic circles unfolded around Hare and Prometheus. Chains of glowing mana shot forth from every direction, binding the two instantly.
Trying to obtain information about them was equivalent to harboring hostile intent. That made them enemies.
In most cases, the weak defeated the strong through intelligence—by analyzing their opponent's abilities and weaknesses, then preparing accordingly.
"Let them go for now."
"Oh."
At Kiana Kaslana's command, Sirin obediently dispelled the magical restraints.
"My apologies, but I don't talk much with strangers who might be enemies." Kiana flexed her wrist casually. "If you're here for a fight, I'm happy to oblige."
Hare shook her head. "I didn't come to fight—I'm just curious about you."
"Curious?" In a flash, Kiana Kaslana appeared right in front of Hare, her hand resting on the woman's shoulder. "I'm curious about your body, too."
Hare blinked, startled by the white-haired girl's sudden proximity.
"Curiosity killed the cat, you know?"
Her hand slid from Hare's shoulder up along her pale neck, fingers gently grasping her chin.
"What a disobedient child."
"I remember—you're the type who understands everything but has experienced nothing. How about having some fun with me?"
Kiana Kaslana's gaze softened as she studied the face so reminiscent of Cecilia's.
Despite her mature appearance, Hare was, in truth, still quite young.
"Let her go."
Prometheus stepped forward and grabbed Kiana Kaslana's wrist.
"Why so nervous? Don't tell me you like her." Kiana tilted her head. "I thought you were into Mei."
"That has nothing to do with you."
"How could it not? Humans have a saying—'A beauty belongs only to the strong.'"
With her free arm, Kiana pulled Prometheus close, then wrapped the other around Hare.
"You wanted to know more about me, didn't you?"
Seeing Hare's face, so strikingly similar to Cecilia's, stirred something in Sirin.
That woman wasn't Cecilia—but she looked so much like the gentle one who could have been her mother.
"Mom, stop playing around."
Sirin used magic to separate the three of them.
Kiana Kaslana was drawn back to Sirin's side.
"What… just happened?" Hare asked in confusion.
Prometheus analyzed the strange phenomenon immediately.
"We've been returned to our original positions."
It looked like time reversal—but since she still retained her previous memory data, it wasn't true time reversal. A real temporal rewind would have erased those moments entirely.
Further away, the surrounding area seemed unaffected.
It wasn't genuine time reversal—but still an incredibly powerful ability.
Had the Herrscher of the Void's powers evolved into this?
"Ladies, I have other things to do, so I won't be entertaining you any longer."
Kiana Kaslana waved casually.
Sirin activated teleportation magic, her violet sigils glowing brightly.
The two vanished within the radiance.
...
They reappeared in Nagazora City.
This was the gateway directly connected to the Honkai Universe.
Sirin's dimensional teleportation required anchor marks—and this gate served as one.
To travel to any specific world, a portal and a mark were necessary.
Nagazora was saturated with Honkai energy from the Honkai Universe. Kiana Kaslana had stationed countless Honkai beasts here as guards.
Though these creatures didn't possess Kevin's power of Finality, he had no intention of interfering.
For now, both sides maintained a delicate balance—neither interfering with the other.
Within Nagazora, Hua immediately sensed two powerful and unfamiliar presences suddenly appear. She tensed in alert.
Her duty here was to guard against a possible sudden invasion from the Will of Honkai of another universe.
Two figures appeared before her—a white-haired girl and a violet-haired one.
Hua recognized them instantly: the Will of Ruler and the Herrscher of the Void, Sirin.
Strange.
The spatial gateway above Nagazora had shown no disturbance at all.
How did they get here?
She frowned, puzzled.
Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent had all studied the interdimensional passage connected to Nagazora.
Every time someone entered or exited the portal, it caused immense Honkai energy fluctuations, distorting local spacetime.
But Hua had detected nothing.
Could they have opened a new passage elsewhere—one unknown to her?
"Hey, Hua—missed me?"
Kiana Kaslana floated down beside her, clearly aware of Hua's post guarding the entrance.
But she didn't seem to care.
"How did you get here?"
Schicksal's research on the Will of Ruler had identified one of her abilities: using Honkai energy to possess other beings or objects, turning them into extensions of her will.
But the two before her radiated power so deep and boundless that Hua could tell—they weren't mere extensions.
If anything, they were avatars of the real thing.
"You're not happy to see me? I'm heartbroken." Kiana feigned a wounded expression.
Beside her, Sirin crossed her arms and said coldly, "Old fossil, you're over fifty thousand years old and still guarding this place like a doorman. We're not paying you a salary, you know."