Paradise World.
"Kallen, are you alright?"
"Hm? Ah, I'm fine. Just a little tired."
"If you're tired, then rest for a while!"
Yae Sakura sat on the soft sofa with a gentle smile, pulling Kallen into her arms.
Kallen's thoughts were in chaos. Everything she had experienced recently made it impossible for her to tell whether this place was heaven or hell.
Or perhaps… this was her dream.
Another version of herself. A forceful Sakura. A strange world.
Black Kallen, who had been observing from the shadows, turned to look at Kiana Kaslana. "Your daughter—aren't you going to rein her in a little?"
Kiana Kaslana shrugged. "There's nothing wrong with it, is there?"
"Nothing wrong? You really don't see a problem?"
Black Kallen rolled her eyes.
The entire Paradise World was called a paradise, but in truth it resembled a religious domain. Every nun had been carefully selected and held fanatical faith in the Divine Emperor and the Divine Mechanism.
The Divine Emperor was Kiana Kaslana. The Divine Mechanism was naturally Isla.
"Fine. She has been a bit too indulgent," Kiana Kaslana admitted. Even she felt that Isla had grown somewhat crooked.
"Kallen, what are you planning to do?"
"I'll explain everything to her clearly."
Black Kallen did not want Kallen to become too deeply involved in their affairs. If she could simply live in this world together with Yae Sakura, there would be far fewer complications.
But from the current situation, that was no longer possible.
The Kaslana instinct had made Kallen sense that something was wrong.
After some time passed, Kallen began to question this world. She started asking the people around her.
But questioning the nuns here was useless.
In the end, it was Black Kallen who told her about everything that had happened in the Honkai world over the past five hundred years, as well as Otto's actions.
"I'm going back," Kallen said firmly.
"And what can you do if you go back? Defeat the Will of Ruler? Who do you think you are?"
"Or are you planning to live in a dream alongside human civilization?"
Black Kallen was not the slightest bit surprised by Kallen's reaction or decision.
Setting aside the fact that this was herself from a parallel world, with the Kaslana family's almost linear way of thinking, it was obvious what she would think and what decision she would make.
Anyone familiar with her for even a short time could see it at a glance.
"We Kaslanas are the shield of the people. No matter how powerful the enemy is, I will not retreat." Kallen looked at Black Kallen and demanded, "You're Kallen too. Don't you have even a shred of the Kaslana family's honor?"
"The Kaslana family's honor? I threw that away a long time ago," Black Kallen replied calmly. "Honor, protection, dreams—they're nothing more than an empty promise. A hollow illusion used by those in power to make you obey more willingly. Ideological shackles placed on your mind."
After serving as regent for so long, she understood this far too well.
"Are you really me?"
Kallen found it hard to believe she could ever say such things.
Abandon the honor of the Kaslanas?
Was that something a member of the Kaslana family could say?
"Do you know why no one in the Kaslana family has ever lived for themselves?"
Black Kallen extended a finger and tapped Kallen lightly on the forehead.
Memories of the Previous Era flooded into Kallen's mind.
"Dr. Mei of the Previous Era hated the Honkai. She edited the Kaslana genes. The Kaslana bloodline originated from her hands."
"I don't deny that the Kaslanas are the shield of the people. But before you act, I hope you consider yourself first. Even the lowest insect knows to flee desperately when faced with an unbeatable enemy."
"In your eyes, are the Kaslanas people—or just tools?"
Black Kallen did not want to say more. In her world, humanity had already perished. In Kallen's world, humanity still existed.
She had it far better.
"If you want to go back, I'll send you back. Sakura will stay with me."
"No."
Kallen, who had been wavering just moments before, rejected it without hesitation the instant she heard that Sakura would be left behind.
"Why not? Do you want Sakura to follow you back and die?"
"I…"
Kallen fell silent.
"Enough. Stop talking. You're going back."
With a casual wave of her hand, Black Kallen sent Kallen back to the Honkai world.
"Is this really alright?"
After Kallen was sent away, Yae Sakura stepped out from the side and asked worriedly.
"She won't be able to do anything anyway," Black Kallen said flatly.
She was deeply displeased with this Kallen.
Instead of enjoying a peaceful life, she insisted on dwelling on unnecessary matters.
If she loved being a shield so much, Black Kallen almost wanted to send her to that cesspool of a universe.
Let her experience the penitence mecha of the Imperium of Man over there.
...
Honkai World.
"My Sakura! Give my Sakura back to me!"
Kallen appeared at Schicksal Headquarters and shouted into the sky.
Otto, seeing Kallen suddenly appear, was startled at first. Then joy spread across his face.
"Kallen, you're finally back."
Kallen looked at Otto, her heart filled with fury. She recalled everything Black Kallen had told her about his deeds.
She punched him straight in the face. Otto staggered back several steps, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
"Otto, look at what you've done!" Kallen shouted angrily.
Otto touched his bruised cheek. It hurt—but being struck by Kallen made him strangely happy. "Kallen, listen to my explanation."
"What's left to explain?" Kallen clenched her fists, glaring at him.
Otto adjusted his collar, a trace of helplessness in his eyes. "Kallen, everything is my fault. You may punish me however you wish."
Clearly, the Will of Ruler had already told her everything.
Since that was the case, he might as well admit it honestly.
"No. This is my fault," Kallen snorted coldly. "I regret not slapping you to death back then."
At this point, nothing he said would matter.
Damn it. That other me sent her back just to monopolize Sakura.
Despicable.
My Sakura!
Otto cautiously asked, "Kallen, how did you come back?"
Judging from her anger, it was not just about him. There had to be something else.
"The other me expelled me from that world. Sakura is still there. Otto, do you have any way to reach that world?"
Kallen had no choice. The only person she could rely on now was Otto.
"Can you tell me about that world?"
"What are you planning to do?"
"Confirm something."
After thinking for a moment, Kallen told Otto everything about the Paradise World, including what she had learned from the nuns there.
Another Kiana Kaslana, revered as the Divine Emperor?
So the one who saved Kallen was not the Will of Ruler Kiana Kaslana—but the Divine Emperor Kiana Kaslana?
Otto fell into brief contemplation before speaking frankly. "Kallen, I do not have the ability to send you back to that world. While I lack the power to traverse worlds, I know who does…"
"Don't tell me you're talking about the Will of Ruler."
"Yes." Otto smiled and nodded.
"Isn't the Will of Ruler humanity's enemy?" Kallen frowned.
"To be precise, the Will of Ruler does not regard us as enemies. She may dislike humanity and look down on humanity, but she has never treated us as true adversaries."
Otto was extremely confident about this.
Of course, while they were not considered true enemies, if they actively provoked her, there was a very high probability that the entire solar system would be instantly erased.
Humans might ignore ants on the ground—but if an ant bit a human, it would still be crushed.
"Recently, I've been discussing with Anti-Entropy and World Serpent how to remove the threat the Will of Ruler poses to our world. We attempted to open a dialogue with her."
"Did you succeed?"
"We failed. The Will of Ruler ignored us. So we're preparing to go to her instead—through the passage in Nagazora."
Nagazora.
Personnel from Anti-Entropy, Schicksal, and World Serpent gathered together.
Kallen followed Otto to Nagazora.
Everyone was astonished at her arrival.
Someone who had died centuries ago had truly been resurrected.
"Resurrection from the dead?"
Su sensed her with his mind. There was nothing wrong with Kallen's body. She was no clone, and her consciousness was original.
Her body had not been taken over by anything.
Otto said, "Apologies for keeping you waiting, everyone."
Su replied, "Prepare yourselves. Kevin will also assist us from the Moon using the power of Finality."
A Divine Key shaped like a locomotive appeared in the open space.
The Second Divine Key—Cosmic Juggernaut—was a weapon forged from the core of the Second Herrscher of the Previous Era, the Herrscher of the Void. It possessed the ability to manipulate space.
On the Moon, Kevin raised his hand toward the blue planet and Nagazora.
The power of Finality caused the hidden cross-universal passage to reveal itself and open.
Everyone immediately used Cosmic Juggernaut to manipulate space.
Making the passage appear was not difficult. The challenge lay in unlocking it and passing through.
The passage required Honkai energy authentication from the other world—like a DNA verification lock. Only after passing authentication could one cross over.
Under the combined effect of the power of Finality and Cosmic Juggernaut, the interior of the passage shimmered with scenery as resplendent as a nebula, yet deep and unknown.
"Decryption successful. You have five minutes," Prometheus announced.
Everyone boarded the Hyperion and rapidly flew into the vortex.
They felt the world spin violently, as though their souls were being dragged through endless darkness and clusters of light.
When consciousness returned, they found themselves in an unfamiliar place. Below them stood silver-white buildings emitting a soft glow.
Su opened his eyes and looked up at the starry sky, at megastructures the size of planets.
Behind the Hyperion, a tractor beam immediately captured the ship. In the next instant, everyone was teleported into a space composed of white cubes.
Bronya looked at them coldly. "Humans. Leave now and no one will be hurt. Otherwise, you will all die."
Misteln stared blankly at the cool and aloof Bronya with her full figure. Her daughter had grown this much.
Otto stepped forward. "Miss Bronya, we would like to speak with you."
Bronya said nothing. The floating cannons beside her fired directly at Otto.
"Grandpa, be careful!"
Theresa shoved Otto aside and summoned Oath of Judah. Golden chains shot out from the golden cross toward Bronya.
Theresa was extremely confident in Oath of Judah's defensive power.
However, to her shock, Oath of Judah failed to fully block Bronya's attack.
A red beam pierced through the heavy golden cross and struck Theresa's body.
Theresa collapsed, gravely wounded. A flash of anger passed through Otto's eyes. "Bronya, we mean no harm."
Bronya remained unmoved and continued attacking.
Kallen lifted Theresa into her arms as everyone dodged the red beams shooting from all directions.
The forces from Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent were rapidly reduced.
Einstein, Jackal, and Tesla—who lacked combat ability—were shot dead.
Su attempted to use his psychic power to force Bronya to stop.
The instant their minds made contact—
Su's consciousness was heavily damaged. His face turned pale.
Feathers of Fenghuang Down drifted down from the air.
Bronya ignored Fenghuang Down.
Enraged, Welt Yang wielded a pseudo-black hole while Siegfried, holding Shamash, attacked Bronya together.
At a distance of ten meters, a crystalline wall formed—the Klein field—blocking their attacks.
Prometheus, Misteln, Gray Serpent, Li Sushang, Fu Hua, Otto, and the others launched attacks at the crystal barrier to no effect.
"Theresa…"
Kallen looked at the weakening life force in Theresa's body, her heart aching.
She picked up Oath of Judah and charged toward the crystal wall, swinging the golden cross down with all her strength.
Bronya's Klein field was a collective composed of hundreds of galactic-scale quantum computer arrays, providing calculation power.
With only 0.0000000001 of its computational capacity, it could easily withstand a supernova.
Naturally, it was not something they could break.
Even when Fu Hua and Su activated their artificial Honkai transformations—
Bronya still crushed them with absolute superiority, eliminating the members from the Honkai world one by one.
One by one—because she wanted to do it one by one.
Especially when she killed Kallen and saw Otto kneeling on the ground with that expression.
Bronya found it deeply satisfying.
Better record it.
In the end, only Misteln was left.
Everyone else was revived and thrown back into the Honkai world.
Honkai World.
Nagazora.
The members of Anti-Entropy, World Serpent, and Schicksal reassembled on the spot.
Thank goodness…
Seeing that Kallen was unharmed, Otto relaxed completely and sat down on the ground without caring about his image as the Overseer of Schicksal.
Su glanced around and noticed someone missing. "Where is Misteln?"
Gray Serpent replied, "She was kept behind. She'll be fine."
He knew about Misteln's relationship with Bronya's mother.
Bronya likely knew as well.
"…"
Prometheus felt very uncomfortable, as though one of her own had been taken away.
Tesla rubbed her chest, recalling the pain of being pierced by the beam. "That girl really went for the kill. It hurt like hell."
Einstein looked at Otto. "Otto, this is what you meant by talking?"
Otto smiled awkwardly. "Well… we're not dead, are we?"
Li Sushang muttered, "I feel like I already died once."
"True. The sensation of being shot through and torn apart wasn't fake," Raven agreed with a nod.
Nearby, Fu Hua held her forehead. After being revived, memories from the past continuously resurfaced in her mind.
Su asked, "Hua, are you alright?"
Fu Hua shook her head. "I'm fine. It's just that the memories I burned away with Fenghuang Down are returning."
Tesla blinked. "Wait… so being killed and revived also clears negative status effects? It's like a game."
Prometheus said, "This is a game. Bronya is the stage boss, and we are the players trying to clear it."
"According to analysis, if she truly wanted to kill us, she wouldn't need to go through so much trouble."