Chapter 363: Introductions
Breakfast was served soon after—classic Shenzhou-style fare: warm soy milk, crispy fried dough sticks, soft steamed buns. Simple, familiar, yet impossibly fragrant.
Su picked up a piece of youtiao with his chopsticks. The moment he bit into it, the crisp, rich aroma filled his mouth.
Beside him, Kevin ate quietly, expression unchanged as always.
It was nothing special—just an ordinary breakfast. But with so many people gathered around, chatting and laughing together, the moment felt anything but ordinary.
Su's gentle eyes swept across the lively group of girls before finally resting on Kevin, who was silently eating without looking up. In that stillness, Su could feel something… peaceful.
So he understood—Kevin liked this kind of atmosphere too. He just wasn't the type to show it.
Kevin must have noticed Su's gaze, because he paused mid-bite and said flatly,
"…What are you looking at?"
"Nothing," Su replied with a soft smile. "Eat while it's hot. They were thoughtful enough to prepare utensils that can handle your body's low temperature—not something most people would notice the first time they meet you."
Kevin's hand froze for a second. He didn't respond, but resumed eating in silence.
Just then, after taking a bite of his own youtiao, Sigurd set down his chopsticks and turned toward the two men. His gaze swept across the table of girls as he began to introduce them.
"This is Kevin Kaslana—a fusion warrior of the Previous Era, the origin of the Kaslana bloodline, and the first wielder of Judgment of Shamash. A few years ago, he almost returned from the Sea Of Quanta, but I stopped him. To be honest…" Sigurd chuckled faintly, "I was afraid of him back then—I didn't have the confidence to restrain his overwhelming strength and iron will. But now, he's a friend."
"Good morning, Mister Kevin!"
"K–Kaslana!? You mean— Kiana onee-chan's ancestor!?"
"Even Sigurd was scared of him? That's amazing!"
The girls erupted into cheerful chatter, their eyes bright with curiosity and awe. Then, one by one, they greeted Kevin politely—even the mischievous Vodka Twins, who usually couldn't sit still, managed perfect manners.
Kevin's hand paused midair, holding his chopsticks. His expression didn't change, but after a few seconds of awkward silence, he gave a small, almost reluctant nod.
"…Hmm."
Su and Fu Hua exchanged a glance—and shared a quiet smile.
They both saw it—that faint, almost imperceptible confusion flickering in Kevin's eyes.
Then, Sigurd gestured toward Su.
Su blinked in surprise.
"This is Su," Sigurd continued. "Also a fusion warrior from the Previous Era, and the wielder of the God Key Cosmic Juggernaut."
"He spent thousands of years alone in the Sea Of Quanta, risking his life to search along the Imaginary Tree's branches for even the faintest hope of salvation for humanity."
"If one day he met someone dying from an incurable illness on the street—and if draining every drop of his own blood could save them—he'd do it without hesitation."
"He and Welt belong to the same kind of people."
"Good morning, Mister Su!"
"Hello, Su-nii!"
"Idiot sister, you're supposed to call him Mister Su!"
"Nice to meet you, Mister Su!"
The table filled with cheerful voices once again.
Su's gentle smile was like sunlight through clear water—warm, calm, and quietly reassuring. He returned each greeting with an easy grace:
"Hello, everyone. It's a pleasure to meet you all. You can call me whatever you like—whatever makes you happiest."
Some of them already knew about Su and Kevin from their previous communications across the Sea Of Quanta. But hearing Sigurd formally introduce them in person struck a different chord—it made everything feel real.
Sigurd's expression turned serious.
"Like Fu Hua, both of them have lived through ages of hardship… and endured the most brutal defeats imaginable. After countless eons, they've returned—to fight for this era, and to face once again the same despair that once tore their hearts apart."
"When the time comes to confront the End, anyone might falter or flee… but these two will never back down. They'll fight with everything they have—tear a hole in fate itself if they must."
"I want all of you to respect them. Trust them. They've earned it."
Normally, Sigurd's personality leaned toward the sarcastic and unrestrained. But when the situation called for it, he never withheld his respect.
And this time was no exception. Because, as he'd said—these two truly deserved it.
Deep down, Sigurd also hoped they could fully embrace the present era—not just fight for revenge or the ghosts of their past, but to truly belong here. Only then could they become the kind of comrades worth entrusting the future to.
"Ahaha… it's really not as grand as he's making it sound," Su said with a bashful scratch of his cheek.
Even his serene, almost enlightened composure cracked slightly under the weight of such praise.
Kevin, meanwhile, remained as stoic as ever. His face didn't move, not a twitch—maintaining the same unshakable "iceberg" look that had lasted fifty thousand years.
Sigurd gave the two men a small nod, then turned toward the next person in line—his hand gesturing toward a certain someone at the table.
"This one here is the Herrscher of Sentience—Hua's Herrscher persona. She possesses all of Fu Hua's memories and emotions, so in a way, she's another Fu Hua."
"Since Hua's temperament is mild—and since she has the ability to contain her—this one's allowed to wander around freely most of the time. You can just call her 'Senti' for short; it's easier that way."
"As for her personality—let's just say she's not exactly… pleasant. Impulsive, hyperactive, loves to stir up trouble—in short, a total troublemaker. If she causes you any problems, you can come to me… or to Little Xuan."
"Hey!!"
The little Herrscher, who had been standing proudly with her hands on her hips, slammed her palms on the table in outrage.
But before she could even raise her voice, the tiny Book of Fuxi Book perched on Fu Hua's head shifted slightly, its cold gaze sweeping toward her.
"…Hmm?"
"I—I am Fu Hua! Yeah!"
Senti puffed out her chest proudly. "And about that little trick you all pulled on me before—I've decided to forgive you. I understand, there were reasons."
"Anyway, if you run into trouble, come to me! The great immortal can solve anything!
"And don't listen to that bas—ahem, I mean, don't listen to Sigurd's nonsense! I've got a great temper—just like the Old Timer over there!"
After carefully editing her words mid-sentence, Senti managed to finish her "dignified" speech. She didn't dare slam the table this time, and only when she saw Book of Fuxi's gaze shift away did she let out a quiet breath of relief, patting her chest like she'd just survived a life-or-death encounter.
The girls exchanged looks—some quietly nodding, others clearly unsure what to make of her—but still, each of them offered their greetings. Senti responded one by one, chin tilted high in tsundere pride, and before long the room was filled with cheerful laughter again.
Then, Sigurd's eyes moved to another pair seated nearby—Yae Sakura and the small pink creature perched on her shoulder, finally calm after much coaxing.
"These two—Yae Sakura and Higokumaru. You can think of them as the sword spirits of Jizo Mitama."
He paused briefly. "To put it less elegantly, it's a bit like the relationship between the Xuanyuan Sword and Ji Xuanyuan over there."
"They've both got stories of their own. If you're curious, you'll have to pry those out of them yourselves. But honestly, among the people you know, there are plenty whose lives were even more tragic and twisted than theirs."
"In any case, they're my subordinates—capable ones. So get along with them."
"Yes, sir!" a chorus of young voices replied at once.
Everyone exchanged greetings politely, and for a moment, everything seemed peaceful again.
Until Kevin set his chopsticks down. His icy blue eyes—sharp and frigid—fixed on the tiny creature resting on Sakura's shoulder.
"I remember you," he said. "Once… your name was Rin, wasn't it?"
At those words, silence fell like a blade.
The steamed bun in Higokumaru's hands dissolved under invisible corrosion. Her crimson eyes flared with a sinister light.
"I remember you too. The Thirteen Heroes!" she hissed. "What now? Do you want to finish that war?"
The Jizo Mitama at Sakura's side began to hum violently, releasing a wave of Honkai energy so sharp it made the air itself tremble.
Kevin didn't move—but frost began to bloom in the air around him, delicate crystals drifting downward like snow. The warmth in the room vanished in an instant, replaced by a cutting chill that bit to the bone.
"Take it outside if you're going to fight," Sigurd said flatly, maintaining the breakfast table's warmth with a flicker of will. "And don't damage Jizo Mitama."
Kevin lowered his gaze. The cold dispersed, the frost melting into nothing.
Higokumaru, meanwhile, went limp under Sakura's gentle hand, her corrosive aura fading away. She sat obediently in Sakura's palm, head lowered in silence.
Kevin finally spoke again, his tone even and distant:
"Right or wrong, vengeance or guilt—it's all long past. As long as you're helping humanity, that's enough."
"I'm only cooperating because of Big Sis," Higokumaru snapped back coldly. "Don't get me wrong—I couldn't care less about humanity."
"That's fine," Kevin replied. "I'll judge you by your actions."
"Hmph! Acting all high and mighty—who do you think you are?"
Higokumaru scoffed, grabbed another steaming bun from the plate, and began chewing it with exaggerated defiance.
Beside Kevin, Su quietly placed a hand on his shoulder, his expression filled with concern.
Kevin only shook his head. "I'm fine."
Su opened his mouth to say something—but in the end, only sighed.
Of course Kevin wasn't fine. After ten thousand years of friendship, Su could read the truth behind the mask.
The collapse of the Herrscher of Corruption—Rin's rampage—had begun with humanity's own failure. They'd slaughtered her before she had ever turned hostile, and it was that act of betrayal that unleashed the Herrscher's fury.
The result was catastrophic: the destruction of humanity's last three cities, countless deaths, and even Sakura's fall as one of the Thirteen Heroes. The event had nearly buried what remained of civilization.
And perhaps worst of all, that same disaster had briefly corrupted Dr. Mei with the power of erosion—leaving behind an injury that would eventually claim her life.
So when Kevin said, "I'm fine," it sounded more like a cruel joke than anything else.
But that was the nature of their fight against the Honkai—tragedy, helplessness, and grief, all bound together with duty.
Breakfast continued in that uneasy quiet, the air heavy with memories no one dared to name.
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