Was the new world Noldrei created good?
Honestly, it was incredible. The current standard of living completely surpassed that of the industrial age.
That was why, for the people of this era, giving up their reproductive rights was a completely acceptable trade. The benefits were far greater than simply relying on children to support them through sickness and old age.
Never mind Kevin, not even Su could possibly imagine what the next era would have to look like to overthrow the current one.
And they had no idea what methods Noldrei would use to deal with this new civilization.
The Will of the Honkai had truthfully informed Kevin of Noldrei's future actions.
As a result, Kevin now had no choice but to stand against Noldrei to protect the interests of the current civilization.
Kiana, however, had no such thoughts.
She was naive—and on some matters, her naivete was almost frightening.
Kiana's thinking was simple: Noldrei wouldn't go to all this trouble just to hurt her, right?
So, she trusted in Noldrei's plan.
---||---
"I thought there'd be a more intense battle, or that the Cocoon of Finality would at least put up some kind of resistance."
Tesla looked at the silent, unresponsive Cocoon of Finality, a bad feeling lingering in her heart.
"I know, but why?"
Einstein found it hard to understand as well. She felt the Cocoon of Finality shouldn't have appeared so easily, only to meet such a quiet end.
"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? Normally, during a Herrscher's 'hatching,' their own will replaces the will of the Honkai, like a Stigma's Will updating in the Stigma Space, or like reinstalling a computer's operating system."
"But for something this huge, shouldn't the Cocoon of Finality at least have gone through a 'reboot'? Even if not a full reboot, a hot patch should have caused some kind of change. This handover was so smooth... it almost makes me think the Cocoon of Finality was on humanity's side all along."
Tesla had never gone through a 'hatching' process herself; she had directly replaced the will with her own, completely borrowing Noldrei's methods to transform herself.
Of course, neither of them believed for a second that the Cocoon of Finality meant well for humanity.
"Strange. What's the reason?"
Einstein still hadn't received any news from the Cocoon. The group from the Previous Era was handling communications in that direction.
As for the Previous Era's World Serpent organization, it had long since vanished, and who knew if Gray Serpent had been reassigned to other duties.
"I have no idea. I can't figure it out at all..."
Einstein scratched her head in frustration. Everyone was waiting to see if the back door left by the Previous Era would work. If it didn't, what would be their plan for dealing with the Cocoon?
All of this required feedback from Kevin's side.
But there was no feedback at all. They didn't even know if the person they'd be getting feedback from was still Kevin.
'Dead or alive, just give us a straight answer, damn it!'
Tesla was about to die from anxiety. Why did they get stuck right at the final step?
She would never have guessed that the Will of the Honkai had truthfully informed Kevin of the course of action Noldrei would inevitably take next.
Nor could she know that Kevin, having learned the truth about Earth's current civilization, had already been forced to part ways with Noldrei.
Kevin's current state had already deviated from the civilizational path Noldrei had planned.
Once someone became the Honkai Emperor, an extremely fierce internal struggle over the future path was bound to occur.
---||---
Not only had Tesla not received any news, but neither had the observers from the Previous Era's Elysian Realm.
Misteln and Prometheus, for example, were also pondering why Kevin hadn't informed them of the result immediately after obtaining the power of Finality. Even Su hadn't come out to tell them what was going on.
Misteln, however, wasn't anxious. She was merely curious and asked Prometheus, "What would you call a situation like this? Can inheriting the power of Finality actually change a person's mind?"
Prometheus replied factually, "The system data contains no similar simulated scenarios, nor has there been an opportunity to confirm the changes a MANTIS undergoes after acquiring the power of Finality. Moreover, Kevin is the most unique existence among the MANTISes. There are no experiments for comparison."
"Kevin's been in there for so long without a single word. Prometheus, don't you have the back door to the Cocoon of Finality? Can't you see what's happening inside?"
The question was a bit cruel, like asking a court eunuch if he could watch the emperor and his concubine.
And you know what?
Prometheus actually could see. But she could only confirm that the Will of the Honkai had lost to Kevin; she had no idea what Kevin was thinking afterward.
"I only know that the Will of the Honkai has lost. I do not know what Kevin and Su discussed inside."
Prometheus had been about to put her work aside, but the current situation gave her no chance to escape her duties.
Just as the two were still trying to figure out what had happened inside, Su emerged from the chamber of Finality.
When Misteln and Prometheus saw the look on his face, it was exceptionally grave.
"Something's happened," Su said, immediately telling them what was likely to occur next. "We have obtained the authority of Finality. But the war has not stopped. In fact... it may accelerate."
"But hasn't humanity already acquired the authority of Finality? Why would there still be war after Kevin obtained its power?" Misteln voiced her confusion.
Su shook his head. "It's not Kevin. Someone else will inevitably launch an attack. That is the greatest, unavoidable problem."
Now it was Misteln's turn to be bewildered. "Su, what are you talking about? Besides Finality, who would actively start a fight?"
Su sighed and explained, "The power of Finality was never the end goal for humanity. After it is obtained, someone will come to negotiate with Kevin. If negotiations fail, fighting is all that's left. Noldrei... will not allow humanity to stagnate in its current state."
Prometheus understood the problem Su was outlining. "Are you saying that Noldrei will now start to deal with this group that has gained Herrscher powers, perhaps even forcing them to sacrifice their own interests? Like how he treated Schicksal?"
Misteln's expression shifted slightly. "That sounds like killing the hounds once the hunt is over. But that's something only the Herrscher of Finality should be able to do. Noldrei has been active for so long, yet I've never seen him take the initiative to become a Herrscher or possess that authority."
Prometheus asked, "But there's no reason for it. If he really wanted to centralize the Herrscher authorities, he could just tell everyone. With the trust he's earned in human civilization, handing all the Herrscher Cores over to him would not be a problem."
Su's face was complex as he explained, "It's not that simple. He wants more than just the Herrscher Cores."