---
In the Recording studio.
"That ceremony's huge— more grand than mine," the Herrscher of Sentience muttered, frowning, instinctively unwilling to admit defeat.
No matter the field, she was the type who hated losing.
Thirteen heroes appearing together for her coronation— even if they were only lingering imprints—looked far better than her own debut as a Herrscher. How frustrating, to lose again.
First to appear, only to be outshone later—that was always the risk.
"According to the records, after becoming the Herrscher of Thunder, both of Mei's forms had horns. But when combined with the Authority of Origin, the horns were gone."
"So, the question is—who here is interested in her horns?"
Luo Mo excitedly tossed the question out. Kiana froze, then her expression turned mournful.
'Give me back my Mei!'
Ugh…
Kiana felt like she'd lost again. She really didn't like pink things after all.
"Boss, stop twisting the question away from the point. And seriously, what does your question even have to do with your earlier commentary?" Bronya asked suspiciously.
Was there any logical connection between the two? Probably not— but the bait-and-switch was strong enough, so that was fine.
Elysia would never actually steal Mei's horns, right? After all, Mei's horns weren't just some kind of decoration.
Mei, on the other side, also cast him a probing glance, carrying just the faintest pressure in her gaze.
"The answer, of course, is no."
Luo Mo spoke with absolute certainty, then gave a straight-to-the-point explanation:
"The horns are probably just a result of Mei not being able to perfectly control the manifestation of the Herrscher of Thunder's energy. They have nothing to do with the Authority of Origin."
"..."
Kiana's restless thoughts paused for a moment, though her feelings still remained complicated.
Sigh… why did she have to see things like this?
It's not like she wanted to restrict Mei from being close with people of the same gender. But… if she had known earlier about the other party's strange intentions during their alliance, she would have felt at least a tinge of disgust in her heart.
Mei had clearly met a good teacher, and Kiana herself had gained a brand-new path to growth — two happy things stacked together. So why… why did that happiness in her heart feel cut in half?
----
Inside the Game.
At the same time, somewhere else entirely.
Unlike the serious focus on striking down every step of the Stigma Project and rescuing heroes from Earth…
In reality, on the pale grey-and-white moon under a pitch-black sky, the throne forged from the age of sacrifice stood high above this barren land. Yet now, it no longer held the meaning of commanding all armies.
Seated high upon that lunar throne, bearing the power of Finality, was Kevin — waiting for his visitors.
The first to arrive were Prometheus and Hare.
Prometheus told Kevin about the story of that parallel world — about the wish of the Dr. Mei in that worldline. In that branch, Dr. Mei brought the end of the world forward by forty days, all for the sake of standing on the moon at the final moment and looking far into the resting place of the Finality … fulfilling the agreement she had made with Kevin in that reality.
She spoke at length, yet throughout it all, Kevin did not say a single word.
He only listened quietly to Prometheus's voice.
"..."
"I understand."
His reply was silence — or rather, a kind of silence that could not be expressed in words. A coldness that seeped into the heart.
Prometheus fell silent for a moment. She had thought he would have more of a reaction — perhaps show a hint of longing or reluctance. But there was nothing.
He simply sat there, still as stone, his gaze fixed on the ink-black horizon, as if he had become one with the throne beneath him.
Hare's visit was nothing more than a statement of fact — but in doing so, she had suddenly realized Kevin's true purpose.
—The Stigma Project could never truly be completed. Kevin had no way to destroy the Honkai. He could only imprison it, stealing the power of Finality and, in the endless years that followed, bear all the solitude and sin alone.
It had to be carried forever — only then could failure be kept at bay.
She looked at the man on the throne and let out a sigh full of sympathy.
Through fifty thousand years of journeying, he had fulfilled every single one of his promises.
With the body of a human, he had defeated the Honkai. And with the status of a sinner, he had once more shouldered the hope of saving the world.
A man like that…
She suddenly asked, now understanding what lay in his heart:
"Do you… also wish only for death?"
Even with his godlike strength, with no one able to defy him…
Even such an existence was the same as that man in the past — simply longing for death. Death, as the only mercy left.
Kevin admitted frankly: indeed, rather than destroying the Honkai, what he had truly done was to lock it in a cage.
But he would bind that cage's lifespan to that of the planet itself.
That was how he would fulfill his final promise.
Misteln smiled helplessly. This man was waiting for someone to defeat him — or for the final darkness without end. Whichever came, he would accept it.
The irony was that those who were not human still had freedom… while the one who was human had locked himself in a cage.
She chose to leave with Prometheus. She was not the one meant to defeat Kevin — she no longer had the strength for it, nor the right.
Prometheus was briefly silent, still processing those heavy concepts. But suddenly, under Misteln's startled gaze, she stepped forward again, returning to stand beside the man.
"At the very least, you should shed one tear for her."
She reached out a hand and, with the pitiful strength she had, slapped this godlike figure across the face.
She didn't even know where the courage had come from — breaking through the core logic of a machine girl, feeling for the first time that she had to do this.
"This is the anger of my friend."
Then, with a wordless back turned to him, she once again expressed her disappointment.
Even if that disappointment would change nothing… even if it would earn no reply — everything about this man's sorrow had already been worn down by time until it could no longer be shown in any ordinary way.
---
[Peak Prometheus — The First to Resist Finality]
[Kevin: Who could've guessed? She walked right up and slapped me.]
[He is not a king, not a god… but Kevin. So to their words, he simply let them leave.]
----
In Cecilia's Villa.
"This time Prometheus was really brave, huh? To step forward like that in front of such a supreme existence~"
Misteln's words of praise toward the quietly listening machine girl didn't lack in admiration — even if, in front of Prometheus earlier, she hadn't bothered to hide her look of disdain.
But so what?
It's not like she could control herself anyway. And besides… watching the other speak with such seriousness was rather entertaining.
"I think you should understand this — when someone is extremely angry, they can do things they would never normally do, things that break past the brain's limits of reason. So, I think my actions are explainable. There's no need for such strange praise from you."
Prometheus tried to answer in a calm tone.
"I know~"
Misteln smiled mischievously.
"When you're extremely angry… you might even say something like, 'I can't do anything, so I'll just log into a new account and gain brand-new power.'"
"... You're talking nonsense again. The system is scanning… I really hope you have the courage to repeat that in front of MEI."
(ᗜ ˰ ᗜ)
Prometheus had somehow picked up Bronya's expression on her own.
"Haha ~ So you're giving up, huh? Though I have to say, doing that would make things a lot more… interesting."
Misteln smiled and added with encouragement,
"But having emotions is truly one of humanity's most important qualities. Especially for an AI like you—this is an excellent breakthrough.
You've done well to live up to Dr. Mei's expectations."
"... You're not just talking about giving that Deliverance hero a thumbs-up, are you?"
Prometheus lowered her head and looked at her own pale hands—inside them were a complex weave of machinery and circuits. Even though her strength was undeniably great, she only needed to run the simplest calculations to know she was absolutely no match for Kevin.
If fulfilling Dr. Mei's expectations required her to prove herself in such a way… she felt she might need to reconsider.
"... Hey, you're not actually planning to do that, right? Hare, don't go tricking Prometheus."
Theresa couldn't bear to keep watching. Seeing Prometheus' clueless, reckless look actually made her feel a little scared. If you're going to go looking for death, at least don't pick that way to die!
No one in their right mind would willingly provoke that terrifying man.
"What she means is—are you willing to take the initiative to do something that brings you no personal benefit? Those seemingly unimportant things are actually one of the biggest differences between humans and others. Because of love, because of anger, because of sorrow… there can be countless reasons, but they all mean one thing: that you've truly placed that person in your heart."
Cecilia said softly, her voice gentle, speaking neither too fast nor too slow, making her words easy to absorb and quietly comforting.
Beside her, Shigure Kira looked at her with eyes full of admiration.
This—this was exactly the kind of lady she revered: Lady Cecilia.
"Hmph~"
Misteln didn't argue, her face showing a calm expression.
Only at moments like this did she and Cecilia truly reach the same level.
"..."
Prometheus seemed to be listening intently to those words.
Yet Theresa faintly noticed a flash of regret on Prometheus' face. When Prometheus withdrew her gaze from her right hand, Theresa even rubbed her eyes, thinking it was just her imagination.
Deep down, Prometheus genuinely wanted to do something for Dr. Mei, even though she wasn't sure whether the method shown in the video was right or wrong.
Expressing these feelings… might be enough to stir that man's frozen heart, even if just a little.
"To think someone so strong could… long for death this much…"
Shigure Kira couldn't help but feel surprised. As someone who'd only joined in the latter half, her understanding of the man before her was limited.
Still, his overwhelming aura had marked him in her mind as her greatest enemy. But this enemy was not quite as she had imagined—he seemed like he was trying, and yet not trying at all, without any real obsession over whether he ultimately won or lost.
"Because he's never let go of his feelings. He's a man who still lives in the past…"
Misteln's expression showed faint sorrow.
Unlike those who embraced the fleeting splendor of a new civilization, Kevin could only etch the memory of the one that had passed. He neither could, nor wanted to, integrate into the present civilization.
He would… use his life to place the final period on that glorious civilization.
And this was something… he accepted without hesitation.
----
In the Game
Kevin's second visitor was Raven.
After stepping into the moon's structures, she moved with careful, deliberate steps. Every time she stood before the Lord, she instinctively tightened her guard and composure.
This time, it felt almost like prey willingly delivering itself to a great predator—a situation she found hard to get used to.
But as she walked up to Kevin, she accidentally stepped on a tiny ice crystal on the floor. No one knew what it was, but it looked as if it had only just fallen there not long ago.
Raven's mission this time on the moon, as assigned, was to keep the children company until the day they could return to Earth—no matter what the outcome of their path might be.
Kevin agreed to her request, even knowing she was betting on both sides.
What surprised him was that something about her convictions had changed. Based on her past records, she was not the type of person who would act this way before knowing the outcome.
Raven explained her actions—she wanted to set an example for the children.
"Birds fly because they want to fly. This is how they create their own destiny."
"At the very least… they should see someone teaching them this, and also doing the same themselves."
Raven gave a bitter smile. She had never thought she believed in anything—otherwise she wouldn't have ended up where she was now. And yet… she felt the children needed to believe in something.
Something like dreams, like flying… not just harsh reality.
They would learn reality soon enough. But before that, as their teacher, she should not only teach them those cold truths.
"I hope so too."
Kevin spoke faintly, glancing at her.
"—— That's what I told you back then, wasn't it?"
He was referring to their very first debate about flying. Raven hadn't expected the busy Lord to remember that conversation word for word.
"... Yes."
"You can take them wherever you think they should go. No one will stop you."
Kevin's voice was steady and convincing—his words were, in themselves, a decision. He stood calmly, his gaze lingering on Raven for a moment.
"But… Raven, of the two possibilities we discussed, neither has a true ending."
There was a distant look in his eyes, as if he was preparing to leave.
Raven's eyes widened in fear as realization struck her mind blank.
Now she understood why the Lord chose to remain seated here.
Why he had chosen to leave a habitable planet behind.
Behind Kevin, a shadow seemed to take tangible form, writhing and twisting, warping the space around it. Even light could not fully illuminate its shape.
"Finality " — for most beings, it was far too abstract to even comprehend. Even if it manifested in some form before others, it would still remain something impossible to truly understand.
To see but not to comprehend—this, for humans, was the purest form of fear.
"Raven. When we speak of flight, it's easy to forget something—"
Kevin's calm voice reached her, but Raven still could not move, frozen by fear.
That darkness behind him was something no human should ever touch—something she now knew no one could truly approach. And yet Kevin… bore it upon himself.
For the first time, Raven fully understood what kind of burden the Deliverance carried on his back.
"Icarus once flew high into the skies."
Kevin's voice still came as he began to walk away, his tone carrying a chill. The ice crystals on the ground slowly vanished without a trace.
He looked up at the moon's starry sky. That crimson star burned eternally, and he raised his hand slightly. The blue in his eyes reflected the blazing light.
"At that time, all he had to do was reach out his hand—and he could have touched the Sun."
But because Icarus flew too close, the wax of his wings melted, and he fell into the sea and drowned.
This was the harshest lesson and failure in resisting fate.
It was history—
And it could become the future.
Where this civilization would ultimately go… was still unknown.
----
In the recording room.
"This is so strange, my head feels like it's stretching... I was just saying something casually, so why did the two of you suddenly jump into a philosophy discussion?"
Kiana noticed everyone giving her the same dumbfounded stare, and she still couldn't quite accept it.
She had only been testing their reactions, but it ended up being rather disappointing.
Haven't they heard the saying, 'Don't underestimate someone you haven't seen in three days'?
Is there not a possibility that she actually understood the conversation between those two?
"Philosophy itself is about life, about questioning the world. In a discussion about what methods one should choose to save the world, its appearance is hardly surprising… For example, the question of why birds fly — scholars, believers, philosophers, all have their own sets of theories."
"Realism and romance, truth and fantasy — all of these have been considered possible answers to such a question. But ultimately, the choice of answer comes down to what people are willing to believe in."
Luo Mo began his riddle-like musings.
Of course, philosophical questions are always full of riddles, so he couldn't really be blamed.
But Kiana was still annoyed. She didn't want a lecture; she only wanted to change people's perception of her as an airhead.
I mean, come on, she is a candidate for 'Savior of the World', isn't she? Kevin isn't seen as some idiot visitor… or is he? Hmm… maybe?
Suddenly, an uneasy thought thumped in her chest.
"Those tiny ice crystals…"
Mei didn't care about the whole 'why birds fly' topic. She instinctively felt that Vill-V might actually like that kind of discussion more — after all, Vill-V had certain… experiences.
What Mei was more concerned about were the small details being revealed here.
In the Harmonious Chapter, Elysia had once asked whether Kevin's tears would freeze. She had, of course, gotten an answer during the final banquet.
And this time… it seemed that answer had been confirmed again.
"Tears," Fu Hua said with a sigh. "He's always fought in front of us, always taking the greatest danger upon himself… But Kevin is not a god. No matter how godlike someone's power may seem, they are still human."
The only time she had ever seen Kevin show weakness was after that incident with Sakura's younger sister.
"…That huge block of ice, I thought he was truly indifferent," murmured the Herrscher of Sentience.
It somewhat changed her image of Kevin as cold and heartless — but she still couldn't resist complaining: "Yet he doesn't fight against fate. He just passes the opportunity to those who come after. There will always be someone willing to play that so-called 'Icarus'."
"…"
Fu Hua stayed silent, but she knew Kevin's answer was far from that.
As MEI had said when she entrusted Kevin with the Stigma Project, Kevin wasn't the best candidate — but he was the best possible choice available at the time.
In the game's story, Kevin never truly wanted to carry out that plan. What he sought was perhaps a deeper meaning in that old myth.
She was still lost in thought when Kiana interrupted.
"Not bad, that's actually a good point. Even if Icarus couldn't reach the Sun, he still set a goal for those who came after. Taking that first step ensures that someone else will try to touch the Sun. Why should we stop just because he failed?"
Kiana said this playfully, keeping her tone light as always, encouraging those around her to keep up their fighting spirit.
That, after all, was her special charm.
"Exactly, exactly — little Kiana is right!"
The Herrscher of Sentience, unwilling to be outdone even in addressing Kiana, responded — even though their relationship was relatively peaceful.
Kiana gave her a strange look, as if to say, way to kill the mood.