At Cecilia's Villa.
"See? He's quite the respectable elder, our dear Headmistress Theresa~"
Shigure Kira teasingly winked at Theresa.
Just based on those words earlier and the thoughtful guidance, that Otto guy seemed to care a lot about Theresa. Looks like… there's really no problem at all.
"If only… he really were a respectable elder," Theresa said with a troubled expression.
The corners of her mouth pouted high as she casually grabbed a pillow to vent her frustration.
"But in the game, he's the final boss villain, isn't he?" she muttered, visibly exasperated.
"Ah, so that's what that line of his meant,"
Shigure Kira raised an eyebrow, growing even more curious about this person.
In the short time she'd been away, so many new things had happened.
A real parallel world inside a game, a completely different version of Schicksal's Overseer embroiled in debate…
Honkai had now been fully exposed to the public eye. There were even people online rallying behind someone called Elysia as the next Overseer of Schicksal, and all kinds of names she'd never even heard of before.
It was like the whole world had changed.
The people were still the same,
but they were... somehow strange.
"But this whole World Serpent's Stigmata Plan thing… Seeing how they used to revere me, I didn't realize it at first... But in the end, if it caused that much loss to everyone…
Isn't that basically a cult?"
She finally voiced her biggest doubt aloud.
She could understand Schicksal stepping out from the shadows of Honkai into the spotlight.
She could even accept that people she knew were now fanatically invested in a game's storyline.
After all, many Herrscher victories had been reenacted... and the intel matched the truth.
But a terrifying and twisted plan like this?
Shouldn't they be trying to fix it immediately?
"Uh... probably... not really. They're heroes from the previous era. Calling it a cult sounds a bit harsh. That guy—Luo Mo—is the one always spouting weird dogma about 'Love' and stuff.
Honestly, that sounds more like a cult to me..."
Theresa's voice got smaller and smaller as she spoke, until it became a mumble.
Shigure Kira couldn't even catch the last part.
Because of her connection with Cecilia, outside of her squadmates, Theresa was the one Valkyrie Shigure Kira had the best relationship with.
She respected Cecilia as a captain, with awe and formality.
But Theresa, who clearly held a similar position, never received that same treatment from her.
Maybe... it was because she wasn't as tall?
Facing Shigure Kira's suspicious stare, Theresa's face turned red and she shouted, "I-I didn't say anything just now! Stop asking!"
Like all kids, Shigure Kira had a knack for teasing people with mischief in her eyes.
She acted like she totally understood.
"But I heard something about 'love'... Was it about the power of love and justice? Like a magical girl thing?"
"Maybe. Or maybe… just a way to express her affection for someone," Cecilia chuckled softly, her hands unconsciously wrapping around Bella,
gently stroking her hard horns.
The feeling of polishing them gave her a strange sense of emotional satisfaction.
Bella could only lower her head in grievance, casting a silent, sideways glance at her unmoving queen.
Sirin looked a little conflicted too.
Golden eyes flickered — was this proof that her mom's relationship with Bella had changed?
If so… why didn't she hug her?
The queen's heart felt a little sour.
She even felt like Bella was... in the way.
"That Elysia woman? She's super famous, right?
Could she be... my idol's future rival on the stage?" Kira asked with a troubled expression.
"Well… you'd probably have to defeat her best friend Eden first. She's said to be the ultimate idol of the previous civilization."
"With singing?"
"With singing."
Cecilia nodded with a smile, and Shigure Kira's eyes instantly filled with an "I can die happy now" kind of light.
She collapsed onto the sofa like a puddle, letting her body melt into the cushions.
"Whoever started all this better hope I don't catch them," she growled between gritted teeth.
-----
Meanwhile, in the game — the shy girl within the dream.
In her dream, high above the sky,
a white-haired man leapt up with his claws, gripping a blazing greatsword.
With skeletal wings—Dragon Wings—spreading wide, he dove straight into battle against a bizarre creature born from data and illusion.
The greatsword slashed down.
In just a blink, violent flames erupted in the sky.
An explosive boom shattered everything.
It was as if the very space itself had been torn apart by that single, devastating blow.
The only thing she remembered was that cold glance he gave at the end—those steadfast blue eyes, as deep and cold as the bottom of the sea.
Suddenly, Seele woke up.
Her pupils trembled like crashing waves.
She clutched her chest as her breath became shallow, still shaken by the vivid dream.
"Was that just... a dream? But why did it feel so real...?"
"That man was…"
Seele tried to calm the turmoil left in her heart,
but the question still lingered—
Was that really just a dream?
If so…
Why did she dream of the World Serpent's leader?
And in that form:
The horn on his head.
The razor-sharp claws.
The skeletal wing.
The way icy light gleamed from every metal joint…
It was hard to tell if he was human, or a Honkai beast.
All she felt was a sense of overwhelming danger—like a helpless prey being stared down by a ferocious predator.
"Ugh... ngh... What is going on?"
She looked up—
only to find she was no longer in her own room.
The mysterious mechanical chamber around her was completely empty, like some kind of cold, metallic tin can.
She looked up and was shocked to find that her surroundings were no longer her own room. Instead, it was a mysterious, mechanical-looking small chamber aboard a ship—completely empty, resembling a reversed tin can.
In front of her was nothing but cold silence.
Yet she clearly remembered saying goodbye to Rosalia and Lilia last night, and then returning to her dorm. No matter how she looked at it, this place was completely different from the Salt Lake base…
The girl grew uneasy, the unfamiliar surroundings causing a deep sense of discomfort. Her "other self" in her mind had no response either. With no other choice, she slowly pushed the door open.
What she saw outside completely shattered her expectations.
It was a dreamlike scene, filled with colors from imagination and futuristic technology unfit for the current era. This grayish base was made entirely of rock and metal hues.
She saw a child… and a figure holding an umbrella—Grey Serpent.
—She wasn't even on Earth anymore.
Space stretched out in a deep indigo expanse, dotted with twinkling stars. And on the far side of the moon, the blue planet that once birthed countless lives now resembled a tiny, drifting boat.
There were no humans left—at least not in the form of "ordinary" people.
The glorious civilization built over millennia had vanished in an instant.
Seele later learned from Sora, a resident that this moon base was called New Atlas, and that two other girls had arrived here before her—one with black hair and one with blonde.
After briefly searching the base, Seele and the others quickly realized who Sora was referring to: Li Sushang and Durandal. The two were also investigating their surroundings.
...
In a conversation inside a space ring with Genius and Dr. Schrödinger, they learned more about the truths hidden behind the massive changes.
The Stigmata Project had evolved beyond what the original World Serpent had intended—it now involved people falling into dreams and awakening as Stigmata wielders, spreading this transformation across the planet.
They split into two teams: Seele and Sushang explored the edge of the Quantum Sea outside the space ring, while Durandal guarded the central control zone.
-----
Meanwhile– in MiHoyo voice recording room:
"A dream? Wait—Kevin gave Seele a dream?!"
Kiana swore under her breath. That intense three-hundred-round battle against a monster… turned out to be just a dream of Seele's?
It felt like something powerful had been reduced to a mere cutscene.
"New Atlas… a moon base…" Seele blushed slightly and murmured. "It feels so magical. Have human footprints already spread across the moon?"
"The data Bronya has from her memories suggests that, in this era, humanity hasn't achieved that yet," Bronya replied in her usual calm tone. "Some Herrschers did reach the moon, but building a vast base like this is clearly another level."
"It was probably built by the previous civilization as a defense station," Luo Mo shrugged, giving them a quick explanation. But then, something occurred to him, and he narrowed his eyes.
"Think about it: why are those three girls together on the moon? What's the connection between them?"
"Uh…" Kiana was stumped.
She stared at the three of them on the screen, trying to recall what she knew of their backgrounds.
If it were just two of them, they wouldn't have much in common—other than being strong Valkyries. Seele aside, the other two were both S-rank Valkyries from Schicksal…
"Because they're not the main cast, so they got exiled to the moon?" Kiana guessed wildly.
Bronya gave her a side-eye. That was not it.
"And what about Rita?" she countered. "She's not there."
"Maybe… because of the Stigmata? They're all Stigmata Awakened?" Mei furrowed her brows, eyes glinting with violet uncertainty. She recalled a line from earlier: Stigmata Awakened.
Durandal obviously fit that. Seele had awakened in the Quantum Sea too—Kevin even tried to bring her back.
That left Li Sushang, the girl from 500 years ago. She probably had some special traits too, most likely related to the Stigmata.
And considering the earlier chapter's mention of the Stigmata Project, this explanation made perfect sense.
That also explained why others like Rita didn't appear—Rita had not awakened to a Stigmata, and that's why she remained at the bottom of the S-rank list. Theresa had already been trapped by Kevin in earlier story content.
"...Makes sense," Fu Hua said, nodding. "After all, the whole point of the Stigmata Project is to select those who awaken. So naturally, it wouldn't affect these three."
She reached up to push her glasses—a reflex—but missed. She had forgotten that Senti had banned her usual outfit, forcing her to wear what she chose daily.
Still, neither of them seemed to mind the new aesthetic.
"It's true," Luo Mo admitted, scanning the group of girls with a grin. "Nice deduction, Mei."
"Of course~" Kiana puffed her chest proudly.
"…We were talking about Mei, not you," Bronya said flatly.
"Well, you didn't know either!" Kiana shot back. "You little— Ugh, you're not allowed to use costume perks to cheat!"
Kiana was about to use her usual insult, but Bronya had already prepared a countermeasure. The two of them began bickering and wrestling with each other as usual.
----
In-game
Near the Sea of Quanta on the moon, Seele encountered a scene that seemed to have also undergone a certain kind of mutation caused by the Stigmata Project.
She saw many projections from who-knows-how-many years ago, reflected within this chaotic and overlapping quantum space through some unknown method.
She also saw the three eccentric scientists mentioned by Tesla—Dr Mei, Vill·V, and Prometheus—talking with each other. Their conversation centered on the Flame-Chaser Project, the concept of "sanctuary," and the Herrscher of Finality.
MEI didn't intend to craft a fully fleshed-out Flame-Chaser plan; rather, she could only lay the foundation of a framework that might allow humanity to create a future. As for the sanctuary… she merely tried her best to prepare tools for the next era. Whether they would be used or not depended on them alone.
Soon, Seele and the others arrived at the next spot where talking silhouettes appeared—representing a World Bubble. To her, this place was still very frightening.
"Number Seventeen, we've arrived on the moon," said a woman wearing a Magician's hat playfully.
Even in the face of impending apocalypse, there was no fear on her face. On the contrary, she seemed quite interested in observing the expressions of others. Unfortunately, the person in front of her was clearly never going to give her the miraculous response she might've expected.
Number Seventeen answered with a blank expression:
"Yes... According to the fixed plan, we'll confront the Herrscher of Finality here. But—honestly speaking, I don't think we have the upper hand this time."
"Exactly. I don't think so either. No one... really believes we do," Vill·V sighed.
"Huh?" Number Seventeen looked at her, puzzled.
"We just want to finish something... that must be done," Vill·V said, her gaze darkening as if helplessly trying to explain something more.
At that moment, a figure with cat ears, a tail, and brown hair cut into straight bangs dashed past in front of them, not forgetting to greet Vill·V on the way.
"That's Pardofelis, isn't it... She's still just as carefree as ever," Number Seventeen remarked.
She didn't seem to calculate or overthink things like others might. Not coldly rational, nor pessimistic about the future—just moving forward. That... was admirable.
"Maybe. But today, she has to shoulder... a duty that will almost certainly require her to sacrifice herself," Vill·V said, eyes narrowing slightly as she watched Pardofelis run off.
"Sacrifice herself?" Number Seventeen questioned.
"That's right. The plan is for her to gamble everything—in the split second the Herrscher of Finality is activated—to force open that gate."
"The one... that allows you to enter the Core."
Vill·V spoke with a quiet melancholy. As brilliant as she was, even she felt bound and imprisoned by the times. All she could do was watch helplessly as those who should not have died… perished anyway. She was powerless to stop it.
"Yes, you saw it. And still... Pardofelis, she never hesitated for even a moment."
"I don't think it's because she's not afraid of death."
"She's like the rest of us—carrying a destiny that only she can fulfill."
Vill·V's words carried a kind of philosophical weight. Everyone knew where their path was headed—whether it was Pardofelis, Number Seventeen, Vill·V herself, or even Elysia.
Seele, who had been observing all of this, perhaps didn't fully grasp the deeper meaning—but she could definitely feel their unwavering resolve to fight the Honkai, even in the face of certain death.
"Flame-Chasers… looks like this was their battle record against the Herrscher of Finality," she murmured, biting her lower lip.
Unconsciously, she gripped the small metal orb in her palm—a tool created by Genius to detect bubble universes.
At that moment, a green-colored figure appeared. Her appearance resembled the Hyperion battleship's Ai-Chan, with a hairstyle coiled into a bun like a crystal of time.
Seemingly simulated from residual time-data, the projection suddenly manifested—delivering a message that might help Seele.
Just before she disappeared, she handed Seele a string of special coordinates to a World Bubble, which transferred directly into the Genius device Seele held.