In the Recording room.
"Once again, power from beyond this world decided the course of the battle. It's a little cliché, sure… but for something like that to happen in this world — that's truly wonderful," Bronya commented at the right moment, affirming the ending.
A perfect happy ending might not leave an especially deep impression, but it wouldn't be like a roller coaster abruptly plunging down, catching everyone off guard. A smooth landing was the best answer for this journey.
She also sincerely hoped reality could have such a fate. Whether it's crude or not, as long as you can win in the end, that's enough.
This wasn't a game — it was reality, a future.
Don't be fooled by how she enjoyed high-difficulty challenges in games — in reality, when it came to each vibrant life, she preferred things to be as easy as possible. Ideally… on Kiana's difficulty setting.
"Ah, what a pity… The rules from beyond the world only let three people take the field. Otherwise, I feel like I could have fought again alongside the Old Timer," Little Senti said, slightly regretful.
Unfortunately, the three-person battle limit came from the game's own rules; in reality, those restrictions didn't exist.
She would definitely win back the glory that belonged to her.
"She has that kind of ability~?" Kongming raised an eyebrow, a little surprised.
She knew that strange female Ai crystal-like time effect at the very end had to play a pretty important role in the final chapter, but she hadn't expected it to actually connect with everyone in the universe to receive their blessings.
Even the blessings from Captains outside the game.
"This looks like a bug, a total bug. In reality, Kevin wouldn't have an abnormal shield count like that, right?" Kiana complained, her eyes glancing hesitantly toward Luo Mo. Shields like that shouldn't exist in reality.
"Mm… you never know. After all, it's Flame-Chasers' tech — are reliable enough," Luo Mo teased with a smile.
"Flame-Chasers' tech hasn't developed into something so unreasonable," Mei said, rubbing her forehead. She'd only passively learned bits of history from the previous civilization.
When a civilization wasn't restrained and faced near-extinction, the explosive speed of technological development was indeed shocking — but that didn't mean anything was possible. Even someone like Little Senti, who could supposedly do anything, would be smashed to bits by Kevin in reality.
— She wouldn't admit it, but the truth was still there.
---
In the Golden Courtyard
"So the story ends like this~ Not bad ♪~"
Elysia's lips curved into a smile, her eyes lingering on the screen's many blessings.
"'To fight for all the beauty in the world'" appeared the most often — perfectly summarizing their journey, inherited from the spirit of the Valkyrie Goddess.
"'Elysia's dog'" was one of the blessing names that really stood out — it made her blush and complain a little, yet it felt way too real. Because in reality, there really were people like that. Such a weird nickname… Even in a game, she thought it was odd.
And also… thank you so very much.
Because of a moving story, because of beauty passed on, because there were people who changed themselves after seeing their journey — at the very end, they gave their sincere blessings.
Those thanks were not illusions. They became the power that allowed their world to overcome the final trial.
"How romantic~" she murmured. Stories like this were her favorite.
---
In the game
Kiana once again returned to that strange sea of stars. Not far away, Finality stood within her massive cocoon, her indifferent pupils fixed here, radiating an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Her outfit had also changed into something Kiana could barely recall — not the violet dreamlike garb of the authority of tranquility, nor the warrior's ever-burning ember flame.
She had returned to her original self — the way she looked while traveling across the world. Two white braids hung down her back, clad in a white knight's uniform with a black cape. Her lower half was covered by brown riding boots, practical for all terrains — city, rainforest, snowy plains…
It had been a long adventure back then, lonelier than the ones that came after. She missed it, but no longer yearned for it.
Still, she was more than happy to share the fun and knowledge from that time with her friends.
She heard soft footsteps behind her and turned to look.
"…Kevin?"
"You've won," came a calm male voice.
From not far away, Kevin slowly approached, holding the wound on his left shoulder. There was a rare trace of relief between his brows, like someone finally setting down a burden they had carried for an unimaginably long time.
When you use "50,000 years" to describe a person—someone who has crossed two entire civilizations—only in this moment could they truly relax.
He, too, was wearing his original outfit. The orange collar still carried a hint of youthful immaturity from his student days. It wasn't the functional white short-sleeved combat uniform that restrained his icy, razor-sharp aura—it made one recall that he was once just an ordinary boy who loved basketball.
—If the Honkai had never happened, his life would have been far more peaceful, and perhaps a little easier.
"The remaining pieces of the Stigma Project will also be under your control... You will truly become the god of Earth."
He felt no regret—in fact, there was a faint sense of joy. This civilization had indeed surpassed him and was flying toward the position of the sun.
"I'm not interested in that," Kiana replied with a slight nod.
She had never thought of "control" as something good. The only reason she had chosen to take the Cocoon of Finality was to return the right of choice to every single human being.
For their story should not end here, nor should the future be predetermined.
"Still, this is the first step humanity has taken beyond the primordial stage," Kevin said, neither agreeing nor denying.
He looked at the Cocoon of Finality in the distance, his gaze unfocused. Countless memories returned to his mind—so many who had fallen before the dawn because of it.
The so-called gods… in the end, they were nothing more than this.
It was laughable… and unbearably sad.
"Alright, let's drop the god talk. On the flip side, how about we have a match—just between humans?"
Kiana lifted her hand, and a familiar baseball bat with star patterns appeared. It was not even a real weapon when she first used it, yet it had accompanied her across a long journey.
"Ah… that could be fun," Kevin didn't refuse. At this point, everything had already reached its destined conclusion—the ending he had most wanted to see.
Since that was the case, ending it with a fight in their original forms… wasn't bad.
Maybe he could even give some pointers to a junior in baseball.
—Not that he was particularly skilled at the sport; it was just that, during the evacuation from Nagazora, he had gained some practice against Honkai Beasts.
With a wave of his hand, a black baseball bat appeared, patterned with blue ice.
He looked toward his opponent—Kiana's lips curled into a smile.
And just like her, he smiled too.
Two Kaslanas had chosen the same weapon—perhaps fate had arranged this little coincidence. If they had lived in the same era, maybe they could have been close friends.
Bang, Bang—
The heavy sounds echoed through the stillness of the sea of stars as the two bats clashed again and again. Sparks flared violently with each strike, like two friends in conversation.
In that moment, they were friends—yet also enemies.
With one final, full-powered swing, Kiana slammed down onto Kevin's guard. Their gazes met, and in unspoken agreement, they both smiled.
And then, as Kevin's figure faded, this plain, unadorned yet deeply human battle came to an end.
"...Is it over?" Kiana's voice sounded, but Kevin's vision was already empty.
"Mm… Under the Cocoon's witness, you have taken and preserved the complete power of Finality."
The blank whiteness that replaced his sight symbolized both the return of the defeated and the end of sensation. His consciousness drifted freely in the chaotic tides.
Was this the place where souls gathered after being guided?
If such a place truly existed…
"...This is good enough."
"I'm leaving."
"Going to where They are"
"Don't feel regret. This was my wish."
Kevin's voice grew tired, yet he kept talking without stopping. He felt no sorrow—only a longing for death.
He was going to meet the ones he had missed for so long. They weren't here—in this world, or even at the far end of this civilization.
They were far away, long gone.
"Now, I can finally face them with pride and say…"
"Everyone, sorry to keep you waiting."
...
In a new scene. Soft green grass spread like a gentle carpet, dotted with small blooming flowers. He lay there, listening to the heartbeat nature had given him.
From beside him came the chatter of old friends, just as in dreams:
Su, Griseo, Elyisa, Vill-V… and MEI.
They talked about what treats they'd brought this time, how the Pardo's cat Can gain weight, and who had stolen the most grilled meat.
Those ordinary words from daily life had become treasures he had guarded for fifty thousand years.
Some said he lived in the past, unwilling to embrace the future—he never denied it.
Because the past must be remembered, just as the dead deserve a gravestone, so the living can still honor them.
He was the final gravestone of the previous civilization, meant to commemorate a glory that once was.
He would never embrace the future, because he could never let go of that past.
He chose to stubbornly believe that forgetting would be a betrayal to his companions—even if no one blamed him, even if no one answered him back.
Now, a sweet breeze brushed his ears, tickling slightly. Not far away, under the sunlight, his friends were enjoying a spring outing. The colors were no longer the cold black of fifty thousand years of solitude, and their laughter swept away the chill in his heart.
MEI lay down beside him on the soft grass, taking his hand. Her eyes, always so rational, now carried a touch of tender apology.
"Don't worry. This time, I'll stay with you. We all will."
"You'll never be left alone again."
"..." He replied softly, his body completely relaxed. Slowly, he closed his eyes, savoring it all.
"...Haha, what a beautiful day."
Just like before it all began—the white clouds stretching high, the blue sky without end, and old friends beside him.
Everything had returned to the starting point.
---
In the Golden Courtyard.
"Boss Kevin…" Pardo's tone was complicated.
While the others were still surprised at Kevin's defeat, she slowly and firmly lifted Can, feeling the soft, furry weight inside.
"Meow—"
The short mewl was slightly ruffled.
Pardo's face twisted in complaint as she spoke with mock tragedy:
"Can… why are you so heavy? If I hadn't checked, I would've forgotten to keep an eye on you…"
"Meow—"
The short mewl cat came with a slight fluffing of fur. The cat girl looked a little displeased and said mournfully, "Can, why are you so heavy? If you hadn't reminded me, I would have forgotten to keep an eye on you..."
"Uh... it's really not that big a deal. If that's the focus, then so be it, Pardo."
"Right now is the perfect time for us to comfort Kevin, you know."
Elysia, dissatisfied, poked the Pardo's head, and then couldn't help but rub her companion's ears. Unlike her own cold, icy self, they were soft and warm like Vill-V.
"...I don't really need comforting." Kevin sighed. He didn't share the others' tendency toward sentimentality.
For him, the death of another "self" was merely the release from a burden long carried, a calm and peaceful end. He even felt a bit envious.
"But still... still, if Can really turns into a bridge, how will she act with me in the future?" Pardo was nearly in tears. Would she really lose such a good partner? And then, when it came to carrying the pot, they'd be one short!
"Baseball, huh? In the end, the battle turns into something so plain? The one fighting..." Mobius looked on thoughtfully, voicing her inner thoughts.
"Mm... maybe it's because he's also a Kaslana. Kevin... Rather than saying he likes using a baseball bat, it's more like he feels that, at that time, his ordinary self was better."
Su understood his best friend's mind very well. Compared to the giant sword of extinction or long spears and short blades, a weapon that could represent an ordinary person was the baseball bat.
"This is nice... Heroes are really just people yearning for an ordinary life. Kevin... you did well. Good job, you~ ♪"
Elysia smiled sincerely.
"These fifty thousand years have been hard. From now on... you don't need to be so tired~"
She knew he needed that kind of answer. Unfortunately, it was difficult to truly convey it to Kevin's side.
"...Thank you. That's probably something he would want to hear as well." Kevin sighed.
"Doctor Mobius, what are you sneaking around with?" Vill-V's sharp eyes caught Mobius furtively doing something.
"A recording. Just now, I recorded Elysia and played it in the 'Heroic Family Love and Care' group." Mobius calmly waved her phone, then looked at Elysia and Kevin and said leisurely, "Didn't you just say you wanted Kevin to hear it? Well, I helped you out."
"Eh—?" Elysia stood up in slight shock, but not because of the secret recording—
Rather, it was because—
"When did you secretly make a group chat? And what's more, it doesn't even have me in it? Wait a second, you could even make it without me? That's unbelievable!"
"Of course we could."
"You're not exactly essential. Everyone knows, you can't have a Herrscher in the Flame-Chasers group, so it's perfectly reasonable."
Mobius hid her phone and spoke calmly.
Nearby, other Flame-Chasers couldn't help but show strange expressions. Kalpas was about to speak, but Vill-V stopped him. In a corner Elysia couldn't see, the number of members in the group showed only five words: "Without Elysia."
Indeed, she hadn't been invited.
"Ahh, why is it like this..."
But at the same time, there was a hint of surprise mixed with a trace of loss. Elysia's complicated feelings were openly displayed without a care for the many people present. She stood there in astonishment.
Had they... really managed to unite in the end? Was it really that miraculous?
---
"...Ah, thank you."
From somewhere farther away came another voice, light and soft, carrying loneliness and cold.
---
In the game.
The world is always full of tangled love and hate, with good and evil coexisting. Where sunlight cannot reach, there will be shadows; where justice cannot extend, there will be evil.
People are never stingy in using their worst suspicions to judge others.
But even in such a world... there exists an Icarus and his Sun.
"This world— I leave it to you, Kiana."
This was the final, slightly wordy farewell of the Deliverance. He had fulfilled his promise and his oath, upheld everything to the end, and then calmly entrusted it to the next person he believed in.
She felt there was so much more she wanted to say to him, but also felt that what she had just said was already enough.
What she needed to do was completely different from him; yet, their wishes—strangely—were no different at all.
They each walked their own path, yet ran toward the same finishing point:
One part was the hope for humanity's victory.
One part was the anticipation of defeating the Honkai.
Thinking this, she looked toward that distant Cocoon of Finality.
It was calm, filled with majesty, looking on with detached interest. The rich Houkai energy around it made one instinctively want to retreat, yet its anticipation was like a newborn child yearning for an embrace... Every angle seemed to reveal a different emotion.
It was like a mirror, reflecting the truest self of whoever stood before it.
Now, Kiana was the only Herrscher of Finality, the god of this world, and also... the only one who could embrace it as an equal.
[The way you embrace humanity is the way the Cocoon embraces humanity.]
That was the silent, certain answer from the Cocoon.
Through this dialogue, Kiana learned that Earth, still recovering from the Stigma Project, had yet to heal from its wounds. The Cocoon suggested she not return to Earth for the time being.
Kiana had sensed this even before her battle with Kevin, so it didn't surprise her.
"But... maybe I can do this instead."
She felt a strange energy stirring in her body.
A peculiar idea arose, and the Cocoon immediately affirmed it. She smiled, and tried to use the light-projecting method in this space to see the people she wanted to see.
And so, they appeared here—
Theresa, Siegfried, Durandal, the Herrscher of Sentience, Fu Hua, Bronya, and Mei...
Burnt toast pizza, sweet curry with no spice, three-way shared parfaits, fluttering feathers, the gates of St. Freya, and her final class...
Theresa smiled, saying this was faster than a phone call. She still called her a blockheaded niece, but now her eyes held more joy and praise—and she no longer leapt up to smack her head.
Siegfried and Durandal—though not related by blood in this world—were her father and her sister figure. They immediately expressed concern for her situation, as did—
The uninvited Herrscher of Sentience, who came in with a glare, though her hostility was no longer so heavy, nor her defiance so strong.
Fu Hua explained that the "little Senti " wanted to travel to Shenzhou and needed the most familiar companion from there—
Undoubtedly, that was her.
And finally, of course, Bronya and Mei.
They had met, understood, and accompanied each other through the longest journey. The three had laughed and bickered, but never let go of one another, even trusting that they would reunite one day despite walking different roads.
On this long, long journey, she had met and bonded with so many companions.
Mei looked at her, eyes showing both reluctance and longing. Her lips moved, and at last she couldn't hold it in:
"What I really wanted to say was..."
"You'd better come home soon, Kiana."
Even if, to a Herrscher, the Moon wasn't far at all—
It was still nothing like the word "home."
Here, unfamiliar rather than familiar, in the loneliness where the only company is oneself, she found it hard to imagine how someone as fond of lively crowds as Kiana could stay here for five to ten long years.
They chatted about many things — the past and the future, beginnings and endings, blooming flowers and seeds. Mei spoke of her aspiration — to become a teacher, while Bronya could finally begin the Arahato project she had always dreamed of: making games.
Once again, they strolled upon the platform that symbolized the End. In the distance, the sound of a train horn rang out; it slowly drove into this stop, where no vehicle had ever parked before... as if calling out to someone meant to board it.
She walked a few steps forward, boarded the train, and turned back for one last look at Mei, who was there to see her off. In the silence, they exchanged smiles.
Just like the past.
Just like the future.
At this moment, beauty took form upon their smiling faces.
---
In the recording room.
"...It feels a bit unreal. But the ending wasn't bad at all."
Kiana's voice was somewhere between reality and illusion.
Her mind still seemed to linger in the emotions of the game. That gentle final scene, bidding farewell to each companion, left her feeling both relieved and a little melancholy.
But still — hadn't they clearly defeated the Honkai? And with such a small price... there was nothing unacceptable about it.
"Come on, you're going to become the goddess of Earth in the future. Spending three to five years in seclusion is totally worth it. Like me — I've been away from that old tuner for half a year and I'm getting along just fine," the Herrscher of Sentience tried to comfort her — though her words were rather sly.
"...But you went and found yourself a new class monitor right away," Kiana said with mild resentment. She hadn't felt any sense of crisis before, but somehow, after that "comforting," she suddenly did.
"Ahem, that's not the point. The point is, you have to protect your world — your real world." The Herrscher of Sentience coughed and tried to steer back.
Fu Hua's mouth twitched. Why did this feel so strange? This wasn't like her at all.
"Don't worry Kiana. This world hasn't used the Stigma Project, and Earth won't take as long to heal... plus, regaining control over those powers should be faster this time."
"—If things follow the same path as the game's storyline," Luo Mo analyzed. What he said was indeed reasonable — based on his constant mental revisions of the script's ending.
"Ah— I'm not worried about that. Like little Senti said, spending five to ten years alone on the moon isn't a problem at all. Perfect time to secretly play those games Mei always stops me from playing, and get a lot of things done," Kiana said, hands on her hips, smiling brightly without a trace of gloom.
"It's just... without any sacrifices in the ending, it feels a little unreal. Can things really be that good?" she asked skeptically. After all, the earlier parts of the game had so much tragedy — such a sweet ending felt hard to adjust to.
"Of course, Kiana," the Herrscher of Sentience said, patting her chest, then winking at Lac Mạc. "Who would hand out a knife at the ending? How could that be a proper game? Right, right, Luo Mo?"
"..." Luo Mo narrowed his eyes, stroked his chin, and stayed silent.
"...You're not saying anything? That's making me nervous."
"Alright, let's not overthink it. This really does have to end here. All that's left is for Kiana to finally 'graduate'." Luo Mo reluctantly freed himself from the Herrscher of Sentience shaking him, a bit irritated at the disruption.
Truthfully, he hadn't wanted to answer directly — the topic of "knife endings" was too sharp. If they caught him later, what would he do?
After all, the second phase of Honkai, nicknamed Honkai Academy 2, sounded harmless enough. Just dig the hole first; let the management figure out later how to bury it.
"Graduate, huh..."
"Am I even considered a student? Just a perfectly ordinary student who somehow saved the world." Kiana couldn't help smiling.
"Speaking of which, Mei, I never knew you wanted to be a teacher in the future?"
"Yes, I really did think about it. But now I feel making games is also fun. It can also educate more people. I'm even thinking about joining Bronya's studio."
"Really? Mei-sis, Bronya would absolutely welcome you!"
"Ah— she's not that reliable, Mei. Bronya only wants to make giant mechs."
"Hmph — Fool. I wouldn't dare underestimate mechs. They're way too cool! A Valkyrie goddess should pilot a mech!"
---
In Cecilia's mansion.
"Hmph — What a foolish little niece, but she really does make one proud. As expected from your daughter, Cecilia," Theresa said. She suddenly felt a pang of age — the world had been saved by these young people, and they themselves were already the "old guard." It was a sad thought.
"Alexandra's daughter isn't bad either." Misteln said.
"You don't need to turn this into some weird competition!" Theresa snapped, looking at Misteln in exasperation. She didn't know why, but even though Misteln had Cecilia's face, her behavior was much more unpredictable. It definitely wasn't just because she saw Cecilia through rose-colored glasses.
"Heh~" Misteln smiled faintly, utterly unfazed. The daughters of friends had futures she could no longer foresee — human life truly was a miraculous legacy.
"Hmm... Looks like we should push Theresa to develop Schicksal further, especially in aerospace fields," Cecilia muttered with a nod. As a mother, this was all she could do.
"..."
"Do you even want to know what you're saying?!" Theresa backed away a few meters in shock. Why couldn't you do the work? Who forces their own family to work overtime? And it had to be the person she respected and admired most?
She suddenly missed Luo Mo dearly — at least he never made her work overtime. He only dragged her along to slack off. Just think — waking up early, half-asleep, ready for work, only to have your roommate pull you into slacking off together, then waking up refreshed for a nap.
"I'm proud of Kiana. Of course, Siegfried, Durandal, and the others also did very, very well. A truly good ending. Mei's words are also mine," Cecilia said softly.
Her eyes held the love of a mother reluctant to part with her child.
"Come home soon, Kiana," she whispered, as if speaking to a Kiana from another world.