Chapter 300: Time for a Substitution
Boom!
A thunderous clash of two immense forces sent shockwaves and a crushing pressure of Honkai energy rippling even into the residential zones on the far side of the world.
Book of Fuxi folded her hands together, her long sleeves and hair swaying in the turbulent wind. She couldn't help but sigh.
"Sigh… So, why didn't you stop him?"
"…Mostly because I couldn't."
Su hesitated for a moment, his expression shifting through a mix of emotions before he finally blurted it out. He turned to the Book of Fuxi with a troubled look.
Even though this was the inner world of the Cosmic Juggernaut, and Su was its master, the truth remained—thousands of years ago, in this very place, with the same people… Even then, Su, who had possessed another God Key in addition to the Cosmic Juggernaut, had still been soundly defeated by Kevin, who had fought barehanded.
Now, Kevin wielded the Judgementof Shamash. And Su wanted to stop him from going outside?
How?
The Book of Fuxi let out another sigh.
"Time to call reinforcements. We can't let them keep going like this."
Kevin was resolute and unyielding, never hesitating in the face of the Honkai.
As for "Fu Hua"—just a glance at the frenzied power radiating from her made it clear: there was no hope she'd come back to her senses on her own.
If they kept fighting, the best-case scenario would be mutual injuries. Worst case? One dead, one crippled. Not impossible at all.
Waiting for Fu Hua to appear and mediate was technically an option—but considering things had already escalated this far, that likely meant something had gone wrong with her. She probably couldn't get involved anymore.
Book of Fuxi didn't want to take that risk. She didn't want to see any of those three end up hurt.
Su nodded helplessly.
"Yeah… At this point, there's nothing either of us can do. That means there's only one person we can turn to…"
There was only one obvious choice. Book of Fuxi knew exactly who he meant.
"That boy Sigurd is busy working right now. He's not going to be happy if we interrupt him. But fine… We'll just throw in a certain blockhead as a thank-you gift later. He should be satisfied with that."
She said it like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Su turned his head sharply and stared at her in disbelief.
"Wait, wait, Sigurd already has a girl he likes!"
"He's going to be emperor. Isn't it normal for emperors to have a few concubines?"
"…Okay, stop joking around. I'll go call him."
With that, Su vanished from the spot without a trace.
Once she was alone, the calm expression in the Book of Fuxi slowly faded. She bit down on a tiny fingertip, brow furrowed tightly.
"Please… don't let anything go wrong. I'm begging you…"
. . . . . . . . . .
Su reappeared in a bright, spacious reception hall.
The open plaza was bustling with people—men and women of all sorts, dressed in all kinds of professional attire. They went up to the reception counters, then quickly left again, smiling from ear to ear.
"???"
This… highly technological building, and these people… Wait a minute. Didn't he originally give Sigurd a blank, formless space to develop?
"Sigurd? Sigurd, can you hear me!?"
Feeling lost and unsure what else to do, Su resorted to the simplest method he could think of: calling out at the top of his lungs.
Then the space around him shimmered and twisted, images flashing by like fleeting illusions. A second later, Su found himself in a private room, facing a cheerful receptionist seated with a polite smile.
"Hello, how may I assist you today?"
"Uh, I'd like to see Sigurd. The Herrscher of Sentience has gone berserk and is currently battling Kevin. Book of Fuxi and I don't want them to get hurt, so we hope Sigurd can lend a hand—hss! Wait, is this… subconscious manipulation? A lie-free zone?!"
Su blinked in surprise at the receptionist, then opened his eyes wide in realization.
He hadn't planned on lying anyway, but he noticed the strange sensation just after speaking. He could've resisted if he wanted to. Still, this really was a no-lies zone. Unless you were someone like him—an expert in mental domains—there was no way to lie here at all.
"Your request has been accepted. It will now be processed by the central platform. Please wait a moment."
"Your request has been approved. Please proceed to an audience with His Majesty, the Emperor."
Another spatial shift.
But instead of seeing Sigurd, Su found himself right back in the Cosmic Juggernaut.
"…Huh?"
He blinked in confusion.
"Where's Sigurd…?"
Book of Fuxi looked at Su's bewildered expression, then glanced left and right—but that ever-reliable, always-reassuring figure was nowhere to be seen.
Su scratched his cheek in confusion.
"I don't know. I didn't even get a chance to see him."
"Want to try going again?"
"Sure… Uh, never mind. Looks like we don't have to. He's here."
. . . . . . . . . .
From the very beginning, the battle between Kevin and "Fu Hua" had entered its most intense phase.
Kevin held the advantage in raw power and endurance. "Fu Hua," on the other hand, fought with a terrifying combination of relentless martial prowess and unpredictable mental assaults—even in her madness, her precision hadn't dulled.
Black feathers and crimson flames—the two dominant hues on the battlefield—clashed again and again, their violent impact sending tremors straight into the hearts of anyone watching.
The grassy plains had long since vanished, replaced by melted earth, cracked ground, a landscape twisted into something more like hell than nature.
"It seems... you're not planning on calming down."
Kevin cleaved through a wave of flying swords with a single slash, then calmly countered each of "Fu Hua's" deadly strikes. His voice was cold, emotionless.
He knew full well that his presence might provoke "Fu Hua."
But when it came to priorities, one had to make choices. Fu Hua and Su were more important emotionally. And from a broader perspective, Herrschers were never as trustworthy as old friends.
So if someone had to be sacrificed, it could be "Fu Hua."
But not Fu Hua.
Not Su.
The Herrscher of Sentience—as her title suggested—ruled the domain of consciousness and thought. That made her a nightmare opponent for Su, whose strength lay in the spiritual realm. As for Fu Hua, she was limited by personal feelings.
That, too, made her vulnerable.
In this moment and place, Kevin was the best—perhaps the only—person capable of suppressing, or even eradicating, the Herrscher of Sentience.
That was why he came. From the moment things started spiraling out of control, he'd been prepared to go all out.
If Fu Hua failed to reason with her: he'd act.
If "Fu Hua" lost control: he'd act.
And if things reached a point of no return… then Kevin would be the one to end it. Cleanly, decisively.
"You've got a few screws loose, don't you? Honestly, you just want to kill her to protect Fu Hua's consciousness."
A voice suddenly cut in—cold, with a hint of annoyed sarcasm.
Kevin turned, and saw a dark vortex open behind him. A silver-haired young man in a white coat stepped out, eyes sharp beneath tousled bangs.
"…I can handle this," Kevin said after a pause.
Sigurd gave him a glance, then turned his sky-blue eyes toward the incoming figure—"Fu Hua" wreathed in black mist, charging straight for them.
Boom!
One swift kick—and "Fu Hua" was sent flying back even faster than she'd approached. Blood sprayed out, staining Sigurd's grey trousers.
"That's Fu Hua's body!" Kevin growled.
"Yeah? And that's why I said you got a few screws loose," Sigurd snapped. "If you're going to kill her, then do it properly—break her down completely, and we can find a way to save Fu Hua's mind and erase the Herrscher."
"If you're not going to kill her, then you never should've shown up in the first place. You just made everything worse by triggering her."
"You say you want to protect Fu Hua, but you won't hurt her body. You don't want to kill, but you won't let her go. What do you think she is, huh? A random Herrscher you can just toy with after she's absorbed a thousand years of Fu Hua's martial mastery?"
Sigurd didn't stop talking. His words were biting, relentless.
As for how he knew all the background? Kevin wasn't surprised. Genius scientists with mysteriously omniscient knowledge—they weren't exactly rare in his life.
After a moment of silence, Kevin asked quietly:
"…What if it were Kiana?"
Sigurd's sharp tongue paused.
"…Bad example. But fine. I'll admit I'm in a foul mood, so I went a little overboard with the sarcasm. Anyway—just step aside. I'll handle it."
With a shake of his head, Sigurd walked past Kevin, heading toward "Fu Hua," who was slowly picking herself up in the distance.
Kevin didn't say a word. The flames on the Judgement of Shamash faded. He stepped back and withdrew from the battlefield.
Sigurd was right.
Kevin's state of mind was a mess—he didn't want to kill the Herrscher, but also didn't want to harm Fu Hua's body. Fighting like that would only lead to a dead end.
Instead of dragging things out and making everything worse, it was better to let someone calmer, colder, and more decisive take over.
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