sorry for the delay, i know i have no excuses given that i have given amount of time in my retinue of schedule but here is the chapter! XD:
Kevin would never forget the figure standing before him.
In the original course of history, she had personally pressed the button that brought the Previous Era to an end.
"Why are you here?"
Of everyone present, Kevin knew the Herrscher of Finality best. Fu Hua had also fought on the Moon in the War of Finality, but she no longer had those memories. Xiao Shi possessed a complete backup from over fifty thousand years ago, though that hardly made her an eyewitness.
Eyewitness or not, Xiao Shi was scared shitless.
Kevin, at least, could still bring himself to speak. Last time, there hadn't even been a chance to exchange words. One look from her, and several of his comrades were already dead.
"God has granted me freedom and self-awareness."
The Herrscher of Finality's golden eyes narrowed slightly.
"I may go wherever I wish, provided God has not forbidden it."
Ling Ke's intervention had given the Cocoon of Finality a self-aware persona. This was the being now standing before them, and she, too, had become a believer in "God."
She had come to the lunar base on a whim. The killing machine Kevin remembered now had a mind of her own, newly awakened and a little curious about the people who had once drawn God's attention.
They had sounded far more impressive before she met them.
"'Losers' really are just 'Losers.' There is nothing remarkable about you."
The woman with white hair and golden eyes regarded them coldly.
"You neither understand your limits nor know your place. Granting you my Authority was a waste."
A hum sounded. An invisible ripple of energy spread outward.
MEI felt it at once.
She always kept the Key of Blankness on her, but the Herrscher Authorities she had been able to switch between were gone. All that remained was an ordinary suit of armor.
She could no longer materialize objects at will, teleport through space, or create and decay all things. Even the electromagnetism and gravity she had only recently mastered were beyond her reach.
Three days.
In three days, the Solar System would be destroyed.
MEI's expression darkened.
The same panic seized Kevin, both Elysias, Fu Hua, Sakura, and every other senior combatant whose strength depended, directly or indirectly, on a Herrscher's Authority. Flame-Chasers and seasoned elites, all of them. Their composure should have been the last thing to break.
But for Fu Hua and Sakura, the Divine Keys held more than power. People precious to them depended on those keys for their very existence.
Xiao Shi had survived the loss of Fenghuang Down. Only her power was gone.
Sakura had lost Rin.
She had gotten her sister back, only to lose her again. Finality had erased Rin as though she had never been real.
"You..."
Without Jizo Mitama, Sakura still had the strength her Yaksha Genes afforded her, enough to stand among the Flame-Chasers. She still had her sword, the Spirit Blade: Frozen Hell Sky.
She glared at Finality, murder in her eyes.
Not even a farewell. They had been torn apart forever, and she hadn't been allowed even that.
For that instant, revenge was all that mattered.
"Stop, Sakura."
Kevin stepped into her path. He, too, had lost Judgment of Shamash, yet here he was, standing between Sakura and her target once more.
Just as he had over fifty thousand years ago.
Behind him, Finality stood with her arms folded. She seemed in no hurry to act. Instead, she watched the humans with interest, a trace of anticipation in her gaze.
A low hum sounded.
Sakura activated Blink without hesitation.
That, too, had happened before.
The fastest of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers slipped past Kevin in an instant. She appeared before Finality, her ice blade sweeping straight for the Herrscher's neck.
Finality didn't even raise her arm. She merely snapped her fingers.
Time stopped.
The Global Time Fracture simulated by a Valkyrie battlesuit was an inferior imitation. This was Absolute Time Fracture, an Authority that truly brought time to a halt.
Only those who wielded the Power of Finality could move freely within it. Sakura had no such power. All her speed meant nothing here.
"Overconfident ants."
Ling Ke had given the Cocoon a mind of her own, but little warmth had come with it. She did not regard these people as her equals.
The old Cocoon had treated the Solar System's civilizations as petri dishes, following its routines with mechanical indifference. In that respect, her new outlook was much the same.
With Absolute Time Fracture still in effect, she prepared to erase Sakura completely.
"Do not carelessly destroy what I personally sent out."
Finality's expression changed.
The voice had sounded inside her mind. She knew it, and she knew the displeasure in it.
"My deepest apologies, Exalted God."
"I... I thought..."
She broke off, coughing blood.
Absolute Time Fracture shattered.
When Sakura could move again, the Herrscher of Finality was already on the ground, coughing up blood.
So she could bleed after all.
But Sakura hadn't done that.
She took a few steps back, her composure returning.
"A small punishment to teach you a lesson. Don't let it happen again."
No one had seen him arrive. As their senses caught up, they found a young man with black hair standing near the fallen Herrscher.
A chill ran down their spines.
The being who could have wiped out all human civilization on Earth without effort was writhing in agony. Even so, she struggled onto one knee before him, her head bowed in utter reverence.
Kevin had met Ling Ke several times before. Perhaps only now did he fully grasp whom he had been standing before.
Even the Herrscher of Finality could only prostrate herself at this man's feet.
A true God.
And he seemed to be in a foul mood.
Finality, so imperious a moment ago, was still begging for forgiveness.
"Stop wasting my time. Remember what I just said."
"Do not let me hear another 'I thought' from you. And do not... do anything else that is unnecessary."
Ling Ke's eyes narrowed slightly. He spoke slowly.
"Also, see that you carry out the task I gave you properly."
"Yes! Your Divine Will shall be obeyed."
Finality's answer was reverent.
Ling Ke turned to Sakura, standing beside him. He offered no apology.
While the members of the Newborn World Serpent stood in a cold sweat, he flicked a finger as though attending to some trivial matter.
A soft hum accompanied a ripple of energy.
Jizo Mitama had been damaged by the loss of its Authority of Corruption. Now, time ran backward for the Divine Key, returning it to a state in which Rin still existed.
Ling Ke did not wait for Sakura to thank him. Nor did he restore anyone else's Authority.
The Jizo Mitama he had once personally sent away now wielded the Authority of Corruption independently. Even without the Cocoon of Finality, this Key of Corruption would continue to function.
"My business here is done."
He glanced at the others nearby.
"You all... never mind."
"Just try to survive until three days from now."
"Otherwise, all this is just empty talk."