'Is this a gift MEI left for me?'
Kevin raised the greatsword in his hands.
It had been a long time since he held it so calmly, reminding Kevin of how he felt when he first obtained the Might of An-Utu.
Noldrei had given him a choice that was impossible to refuse.
Ripples stirred once more in the heart that had been unshakable for tens of thousands of years. It made Kevin hesitate, wondering if he should really just give up his life so easily, to so easily relinquish the power of Finality.
The Honkai crisis was over, and Noldrei had promised him the option to resurrect MEI.
But...
"What am I hesitating for?"
Kevin looked up at the empty room around him.
How he wished MEI could walk up to him one more time and tell him, just as she always had, 'You don't need to think so much. Leave the rest to me!'
Back then, Kevin really could just focus on fighting on the front lines without a worry in the world.
He was like the Might of An-Utu in his hands, needing only to unleash his power to its fullest potential.
But reality was cruel. MEI shouldered the burden of almost every crucial decision, and the Previous Era came to an end with their defeat in the battle against Finality.
'What should I do?'
Kevin wrestled with himself, knowing that with his current power, he could definitely return to a point in the past and see MEI alive and well.
Not only that, he could even hold her close.
His body no longer had its former defect; there was no reason for him to be separated from MEI anymore.
The message Noldrei had Elysia relay had shaken him to the core.
Feeling restless for the first time in many years, Kevin paced back and forth, unsure if he should really go through with it.
He had the ability, the opportunity, and even a past example of success.
He didn't even need to worry about his responsibilities, because the people of the Current Era were capable enough to bear them—they might even do a better job than him.
'That's right, why am I hesitating?'
'Why don't I just do it?'
'I can clearly do it!'
Kevin's resolve was wavering. All he had to do was bring the process of this world's victory over the Cocoon of Finality back with him. Then, he'd have MEI follow that path, and he would just need to support her from the shadows, suppressing any dissenters with force.
'I can do this!'
'I can absolutely do this!'
'Can someone please tell me what I should do next?'
At this point, Kevin even considered asking Su for his opinion.
When it came to executing a plan, Kevin could advance without hesitation, but making such a momentous decision himself was difficult.
Perhaps he should ask Noldrei what his purpose was in doing this.
And yet, Kevin knew that asking him in person would yield no results. He wasn't sure if he should truly trust Noldrei. Even if Noldrei told him the honest truth, Kevin wouldn't dare to simply believe the words coming from his mouth.
The problem was, Otto had actually succeeded.
After all was said and done, there was a real-life example of it being accomplished. It wasn't a matter of whether Kevin believed it or not.
His chaotic thoughts made it difficult for Kevin to remain calm, and he didn't know what kind of choice he should make.
His companions in the Elysian Realm all knew Kevin was struggling.
Su was also worried about Kevin's mental state.
He was especially worried about the consequences of Noldrei placing Kevin at the center of such a conflict.
Everyone knew Noldrei was extremely ambitious; what he wanted was far more than what anyone could see. Who could have foreseen that this guy would even want the power to replicate the Cocoon of Finality?
Just look at Shigure Kira, right? Such a nice girl, yet after she came back, Noldrei "educated" her until she went mad. Now she's become an ambassador to aliens, "enjoying the glory of the Current Era" with them every day.
Sometimes, it seemed like that little girl realized something.
Perhaps the more she thought about it, the angrier she got. After bottling it up for too long, she would go pick a fight with Noldrei.
And it would be a real fight, one that ended with her beaten until her clothes were in tatters, with barely a scrap of fabric left intact. In the end, she'd be carried away by the floating island's medical staff.
Maybe it was because her dream of becoming an idol was shattered, and on top of that, she was forced to act as the bridge between the Sugar civilization and the Current Era. The poor girl had probably never done such an unwilling job in her life. Every time her rage meter maxxed, she'd go looking for a death wish, like she had some kind of weird masochistic kink.
With such a precedent, the companions in the Elysian Realm were naturally very worried about Kevin's mental state.
Su asked subconsciously, "Aponia, have you seen the future? What ends up happening to Kevin?"
Aponia kept her eyes closed, unwilling to answer Su's question.
She found it ridiculous that everyone was asking her this. Elysia, the one who shattered fate, was right here. What could a mere fortune-teller like her possibly do to solve a problem of this magnitude?
They were talking about a power capable of traversing the Imaginary Space to create a new world.
How could a combat weakling like her dare to comment?
Even if she had seen something, Aponia couldn't stop Kevin's actions.
Aponia said calmly, "Perhaps you should be asking Griseo, shouldn't you?"
"Eh? Us?" a pair of voices chirped in unison.
The two Griseos, one big and one small, pointed at themselves. They were just here to fill a seat at the meeting; hadn't anyone noticed them painting quietly off to the side? Their identical faces were smudged with specks of color.
Eden couldn't see how the two Griseos could possibly offer a solution. She said, puzzled, "Isn't that the same as not asking anyone at all?"
"Yes, that's exactly what I mean. Asking me is the same as asking Griseo."
Aponia was actually being sarcastic. Who on earth taught her that?
Elysia suspected Mobius had been a bad influence on Aponia behind the scenes, but she had no proof.
She urged them, "Hurry up and think of something! I don't really believe that Noldrei is really thinking what Mobius claims he is. But what if he is? Aren't you guys worried?"
Kalpas was already growing impatient. "It's just resurrecting one person, what's the big deal?" he grumbled. "If we sims can be given real bodies and live again, why can't Kevin bring that MEI back?! I think you're all being ridiculous. Let Kevin do whatever he wants!"
The Kevin sim stroked his chin. He figured that he, the sim, probably didn't need to do anything.
It wasn't like he, the sim, was expected to create a world with MEI in it, was it?
As a simulation of Kevin, it had taken him a long time to accept the fact that MEI had nothing to do with him.
The Kevin sim glanced at the Hua sim. They seemed to share the same affliction, their thoughts unexpectedly aligning.
Hua leaned back nervously. "Why are you looking at me? How about we go get some noodles! Among us, Elysia has the deepest ties to the people of the Current Era. Didn't they say she sacrificed her body for both sides?"
Vill-V cut off Hua's rambling. "I don't think you're right, Hua. Our bodies were all newly created. Theoretically speaking, Noldrei possessed Elysia's body from the very beginning, so it doesn't really count as a sacrifice."
Elysia's eyes went wide as she stared at Vill-V. She shouted indignantly:
"You guys! Don't you go too far! I, Elysia, have my dignity, you know!"