Bronya had assumed that Finality would make its grand entrance in a humanoid form, ready for a fight.
But the reality was the exact opposite. Most people had gotten it completely wrong.
The Cocoon of Finality wasn't humanoid at all; it was more akin to a gigantic, living celestial body.
"A celestial body?"
At this thought, Bronya couldn't help but shift her gaze to Noldrei.
'Could it be that the things we've been fighting on Earth are all living celestial bodies?'
Recalling the way Noldrei had delivered a beatdown to Venus, even Bronie couldn't help but wonder if they had just witnessed two "Cocoons of Finality" duking it out in the solar system.
"What are you all looking at me for? I'm not the Cocoon of Finality, and I can't detect its presence in the dreams of humanity. You all know this; my body has no need for dreams. Even when I enter someone else's dream, it's by sharing their senses through a process similar to the Stigma Space."
Noldrei certainly didn't see himself as the problem. He didn't need to sleep or dream, so why would he care where the Cocoon of Finality was hiding?
And right now, the Cocoon of Finality they were all observing truly did resemble a giant celestial body.
It seemed to exist in the seams between dimensions, its true physical form faintly visible. It was a strange lifeform that looked like a massive eyeball.
The reason it seemed more like a living thing was because it looked just like an eyeball that could move on its own.
Almost... like the moon.
"No wonder the Previous Era's Herrscher of Finality ended up lying on the moon. I never thought the Cocoon of Finality would actually look so much like it. Kiana, I remember your name has a connection to a moon goddess, right?"
Raiden Mei pointed at the colossal, moon-like celestial body that had shattered its way out of some unknown space. If that thing were to fall, it would be enough to wipe out all civilization on the surface.
Kiana's eyes went wide. "Is the moon really that ugly?"
She stared at the self-luminous Cocoon of Finality and suddenly thought that maybe it wasn't as ugly as she'd first imagined.
Bronya said in surprise, "You don't think the moon is ugly? It's covered in craters. What's there to like about it?"
Kiana suspected Bronie was taking a jab at her, but she had no proof.
"We're not here to argue about whether the moon is ugly or not! The real problem is... I have to go inside that thing?!"
Kiana pointed at the giant eyeball-thing in the sky and said, distressed, "Can we get someone else to do it? I quit! Is that okay? This isn't what we agreed on! Nobody told me the Cocoon of Finality was this ugly!"
Kiana had her pride. How could she possibly allow herself to use the back door to get into that thing?
Bronya replied, exasperated, "What's the point of saying that now? Who else can handle such a troublesome job besides you, with your ability to devour the Stigma Space and grasp Imaginary Renormalization?"
Kiana knew, of course, that she was the only one who could do it. But the thought of having to live inside a being like that stirred up some negative feelings.
She decided to stop caring about its looks. Once she was in charge, she could just change it however she wanted.
Getting back on topic, she asked, "Didn't you say we already have a back door into the Cocoon of Finality? Are Kevin and the others already up there?"
Bronya scrolled through her messages. "Miss Hare's group has already gone up. As the resident psychic, Miss Misteln is responsible for... uh, communicating with the back door. For some reason, they really don't want me to have direct contact with the entity controlling it."
Bronie sounded a little disgruntled. Why could everyone else meet this person, but not her?
"Are you sure you don't have any descendants? Just like how Kevin founded the Kaslana family, and MEI might be an ancestor of the Raiden family, and Sakura might have a few distant relatives? Prometheus, if you had descendants, or had a secret romance, we wouldn't judge."
It wasn't the first time Misteln had thought that Prometheus and Bronya looked alike. Even Kevin had a similar thought upon meeting Bronya.
Given the prevalence of genetic determinism in the Current Era, it wasn't out of the question that they shared the same genetic tree, was it?
"Correction. Prometheus utilizes a holographic projection or a Soulium body. The concept of descendants or blood relatives does not apply. If you are not concerned with the issue of the Honkai's will, may I take my leave?"
Prometheus, who had the same delicate face as Bronya, possessed a body with clearly visible mechanical joints.
Only her face was free of these mechanical features, and her expression was as blank as Bronya's had been before her body's "factory settings" were restored—not a flicker of emotion.
Misteln wasn't just making things up. Even the new version of Void Archives, who went by 'Kyon', was more lively and animated than Prometheus.
She asked curiously, "After tens of thousands of years, has your AI still not managed to comprehend human emotion? Because from what I've seen, Void Archives seems to understand it quite well."
Prometheus was utterly speechless.
After a long silence, she explained, "While we are both intelligent lifeforms created by Dr. MEI, Void Archives not only has its own Divine Key body but has also undergone extensive modifications by the leader of the Current Era. I, on the other hand, have been immersed in the collective consciousness of the Honkai for a long time, making it difficult for me to develop through external human interaction."
"Due to our different development paths, we are now completely different beings."
"Did you not come here to prepare for the seizure of Finality's authority? Why are you discussing so many irrelevant topics with me? Are you trying to determine if I am still the same Prometheus?"
Prometheus wasn't bothered by the suspicion. After all, the Cocoon of Finality had emerged from a higher dimension to make this one last gamble.
Her current situation was as if she were being held hostage by the will of the Honkai.
To win the authority of Finality, one must possess the strength to bear it.
"Well, I'm not that heartless. I'm just here to ensure the plan is executed perfectly. In the Previous Era, the plan was to have someone use the power of the Stigma to infiltrate the Cocoon of Finality, which is why they had to borrow my power."
Misteln's voice was always so light and detached, as if nothing in the world had anything to do with her.
"..."
Prometheus stared silently at Misteln before asking, "Have there been any uncontrollable changes to the plan?"
"No, but there has been a small unforeseen development. Someone has used the power of the Stigma to obtain an ability that delves even deeper than the Cocoon of Finality's method of controlling human dreams."
After saying this, Misteln looked at Prometheus with a hint of difficulty and explained, "The humans of the Current Era have created an existence even more terrifying than the Cocoon of Finality."
Prometheus understood perfectly. She didn't discuss the matter further with Misteln.
It was obvious. Misteln wanted Prometheus to remain in control of the back door to deal with the next being who would become Finality.