Kevin immersed himself in the power of the Cocoon of Finality.
From the very beginning, the Previous Era had calculated precisely how to control the power of Finality.
The first prerequisite was, without a doubt, an absurdly high resistance to Honkai Energy.
Without this primary condition, everything else was meaningless. Next came a will of steel, an inner strength that would prevent one from being easily corroded and controlled by Honkai Energy.
The former involved the fusion of human genes and the Honkai factor; the latter involved the special power of the Stigma.
Kevin was the pinnacle of the Previous Era's technological achievements, but as the fruit of that labor, he could not be easily replicated or mass-produced.
As he stepped into the domain of the Cocoon of Finality, Kevin understood the root of everything here.
With just one more step, he could receive the authority granted by the Cocoon of Finality and thereby steal the supreme power of the Herrscher of Finality.
The Cocoon of Finality, without a doubt, no longer had any right to participate in the discussion of how to control humanity.
After Noldrei's revitalization of the Stigmas, turning them into a living system, they had completely usurped the Cocoon's hiding place.
The Stigma Space itself is intertwined with human dreams.
By controlling the power of the Stigmas, humanity had fundamentally seized control over the very source of dream consciousness, further allowing them to express their own will in the form of the Honkai.
Ever since Kevin had told Noldrei that Honkai Beasts think in the form of dreams, Noldrei had understood why Stigmas could control Honkai Energy.
Because Stigmas are intimately linked to human dreams and consciousness, thinking and acting within the Stigma Space is, in effect, a simulation of how a Honkai Beast thinks within a dream.
Thus, humans who possessed the power of the Stigma could control Honkai Energy.
Then, factoring in the Cocoon of Finality's characteristic of Imaginary Renormalization, Stigmas became directly linked to Imaginary Energy in reality.
Therefore, a Stigma's Will was, in fact, equivalent to a Herrscher's consciousness.
This led to a rather surprising phenomenon. If one could become highly proficient in using their Stigma power before obtaining a Herrscher Core, a separate Herrscher consciousness was less likely to be born.
The Cocoon of Finality itself was highly congruent with the functions of human beings in this world.
And the Will of the Honkai was itself highly congruent with human consciousness; the two were in a completely corresponding, complementary relationship.
"Su, we've come this far. I wonder if we can hold on. Compared to having all human dreams controlled by the Will of the Honkai... how is that any different from humans controlling the dreams of other humans?"
For a rare moment, Kevin pondered a question that perplexed him.
"The existence of Sa has shown us that over vast stretches of time, human consciousness 'degenerates.' It loses empathy for the group, loses sympathy for its own kind, and at the same time, loses true 'rationality.' Sa, having lost all of this, is like a cold, mechanical system. Like..."
Su fell silent for a long time, gazing at the purple, shimmering expanse of the Cocoon of Finality before him.
"Like the Cocoon of Finality," Kevin supplied the final answer.
"According to the research findings of Mobius, Tesla, and the others, the Cocoon of Finality is undoubtedly the creation of some form of life. If it existed as a lifeform from the very beginning, for it to have become what it is today, what could have possibly caused it to lose its original consciousness?"
"If it weren't for Prometheus, we might not even be able to perceive the current Will of the Honkai."
Reflected before Kevin was his own shadow.
Indeed, everything was just as Noldrei had said, just as Noldrei had researched.
In essence, it was no different from a Stigma's Will.
[Who are you?]
Noldrei's voice echoed in Kevin's mind. With that question, his memories returned to the days of the Previous Era.
Movement of the subject, the first step of dialectics. The illusion of the self.
He answered without hesitation:
"Kevin. Kevin Kaslana."
[Why have you come?]
The second question also could not escape the Stigma Ladder established by Noldrei.
Movement of the object, the second step of dialectics. The unconscious constitution.
By this point, Noldrei had completely seen through the upper limits of the Will of the Honkai's thought process.
Kevin felt as if he were taking an open-book test.
He pondered for a moment before giving Noldrei's standard answer, not his own thoughts.
After all, he was not the true successor to the Cocoon of Finality.
As a transitional figure, eliminating the Honkai crisis was, in itself, part of humanity's interests.
"For the interests of humanity."
[Why do you do this?]
The identity of subjective and objective movement. The unity of the real, the imaginary, and the symbolic.
Without interaction with the people and events around him, there would be no Kevin Kaslana today. Without Kevin's own choices and actions, there would be no history left behind.
If he had to be asked why he did this...
Kevin sighed, a rare gentleness gracing his deathly cold face.
The entire history of his past actions had condensed into the [Savior] hero of today.
"Because, this is..."
"Life."
"A person's life is defined by the scope of their actions."
"My life is as such, and so this is what I must do."
At this, Kevin had nothing more to answer.
The Will of the Honkai was utterly suppressed by Kevin's will.
The condensed, unified activity of a living consciousness had completely transcended the clash of material foundations.
In this confrontation, the Will of the Honkai, incapable of understanding human action, had no room left to defend itself.
Having lost its authority, the Will of the Honkai would naturally be replaced and controlled by a new living will.
Kevin closed his eyes, and the Will of the Honkai dissipated into a void-like curtain.
Su had never imagined that someone in the Current Era could truly accomplish this.
To see through and analyze the fundamental nature reflected by the Cocoon of Finality with such clarity.
Kevin changed the subject. "Humanity doesn't control the Honkai by controlling the Cocoon of Finality. Rather, it is by controlling the Honkai that they can control the Cocoon. Su, wouldn't you say... that's an interesting conclusion?"
Su narrowed his eyes, looking at the absurd scene.
The Stigma... it really was just like the Cocoon of Finality.
The will of man... it really was the same as the Will of the Honkai.
—The following excerpt is from Chapter 47 of this book—
[Therefore, those who worship an 'evil god' are not, in essence, worshiping the evil god itself, but rather the powerful 'Great Other' that humanity itself has created to control them.]
[The essence of an 'evil god' is merely something you cannot see or comprehend, something that gives you small benefits while also posing an immense threat, demanding you give your entire self to it. A great, indescribable 'Other' that exists in opposition to you.]
[You will imagine the other party as an all-encompassing goddess, a great mother figure.]
Su was not actually aware of the contents of Noldrei's past discussion about evil gods.
But he could clearly feel the power of living will within civilization, a power that, when layered and accumulated, had perfectly replicated the existence of the Cocoon of Finality.
Su said softly, "Kiana Kaslana... she is both a goddess and the 'Evil God' personally created by human civilization."
"And the name of this 'Evil God' is—Emperor."
Kevin gave a cold snort, his deadpan face remaining silent.
Having obtained the authority of Finality, he now clearly understood what Noldrei's greatest sin truly was.