"What am I doing here?"
Michael repeated Himeko's question, word by word, the smile silently vanishing from his face.
In the next instant, Michael's reflection in Himeko's eyes suddenly enlarged. She only had time to take half a step back before a sharp pain shot through her right wrist. By the time she realized what had happened, Michael had already snatched the vial of serum from her hand.
"Himeko, you still haven't answered my question. Who are you saving this for? Kiana?"
As he spoke, he gently popped the cap off the tube with his thumb.
Himeko's pupils trembled. She couldn't retreat, couldn't escape. Her only choice was to reach out and snatch back the serum—to snatch back the hope that belonged to her student.
But she quickly realized what Michael intended to do. She only had time to cry out "Don't!" before the needle pierced her arm and the entire contents of the vial were injected directly into her.
"Ugh... Ah!"
The first sensation Himeko felt as the serum entered her body was not relief, but an indescribable, searing pain.
Instead of receding, the purple veins on her wrist spread rapidly upward, reaching her chest in the blink of an eye.
Himeko staggered, nearly collapsing to her knees. But in truth, she knew that in this moment, she probably didn't even have the strength to support herself on her hands.
Fortunately, Michael didn't leave after doing the deed. As if he had expected it, he caught Himeko's shoulders, leaned her against the nearby bulkhead, and gently let her slide down until she was sitting on the floor.
"Why..."
Himeko's voice was ethereal, so faint she almost wondered if she'd made a sound at all.
She quickly pressed her lips together. Just speaking that single word had taken nearly all of her strength. The moment she'd opened her mouth, beads of sweat had rolled down her face, and even after she closed it, the salty taste seeped between her lips and quickly filled her mouth.
But she couldn't keep her mouth closed for long. She soon began gasping for air, her heart pounding rapidly and powerfully, like someone was beating a drum right next to her ear.
"Ah! Hiss—"
The veins on her chest finally expanded to their limit, then began to contract even more violently. This was hardly a pleasant process for Himeko. She felt as if insects and ants were crawling over and gnawing at every inch of her skin. The sensation, a maddening mix of pain and itching, nearly drove her insane. She couldn't help but squeeze out a sliver of energy to start clawing at her exposed skin.
But in her current state, even scratching herself became an act she couldn't control. Wherever her fingernails touched, her skin was torn open, leaving long, bloody scratches. This did nothing to alleviate the strange feeling; instead, the "non-existent" insects began to swarm toward the wounds.
She wanted to keep scratching, but the moment she lifted her hand, Michael seized it. Not only that, he pried the Gem of Haste from the Key of Blankness, but instead of holding it, he casually tossed it down the corridor. Without the Gem of Haste, the fiery red of her battlesuit faded away.
This time, Himeko truly couldn't muster the strength to struggle or resist. She couldn't even twist her body. All she could do was gasp for air, letting out an occasional muffled groan, her only movement the twitching of her muscles as they spasmed.
At the same time, a purple mist began to seep from the bloody scratches. At first, the mist was so faint it was nearly invisible, but its color deepened with incredible speed until finally it resembled black smoke from a fire.
The entire process lasted for about five minutes. Michael did nothing but sit quietly beside Himeko, watching as the Honkai energy in her body faded away, bit by bit, until she was, for all intents and purposes, an ordinary person.
"Why..."
Himeko repeated the question. Her voice was a little clearer this time, but she was still incredibly weak. A moment ago, her weakness was from the sudden exhaustion and pain; now, it was because she had completely lost her power as a Valkyrie. Without a doubt, this was her weakest moment in a decade. The power she had once joyfully obtained, the power she thought could change things, was now irrevocably gone.
She couldn't tell if she felt more dejected or disappointed. She just stared blankly and asked the question.
Michael seemed to swallow softly. His tone wasn't exactly flat, but Himeko couldn't decipher the emotion within it.
He didn't answer her question directly at first, instead rambling about unrelated things:
"Otto's improved serum is much more effective than the original, but the cost of production is far higher. In other words, getting your hands on this stuff again will be next to impossible. So, you need to be careful. The serum only clears out the Honkai energy currently in your body."
"Even though your natural resistance is higher than a normal person's, you could still have a relapse of Honkai sickness if you're frequently exposed to high concentrations of Honkai energy again."
"Needless to say, you must stay away from artificial stigmata and Herrscher Cores. So after I leave, don't go near the Gem of Haste. Tell Theresa to handle it, understand?"
"Mm," Himeko replied dazedly.
"You don't need to worry about Kiana. Her physical constitution as a Herrscher is much stronger than yours, so we can use some... special methods. Remember the SELENE's engine?"
Himeko nodded, not understanding, but Michael continued without waiting for her.
"That's a replica of the Previous Era's 'SELENE' that Anti-Entropy built from blueprints. That's right, just like the Key of Blankness you're wearing, it's a relic from the last era. The SELENE... Heh. Captain Himiko, do you remember? Neither the engine nor the main cannon was its true purpose. Its essence is a high-efficiency Honkai energy conversion device."
"They say Honkai is a manifestation of entropy increase, while human civilization can only achieve negentropy, unable to reverse it. The SELENE, in theory, is something that might be able to truly achieve anti-entropy... And it's quite a coincidence that the blueprints for it were found and restored by the Anti-Entropy of this era."
"Though, limited by your era's technology, this SELENE's output is probably less than a tenth of the original. But the enemy you're facing isn't the same either... Against the Second Herrscher, it will be enough."
Himeko listened in a haze. Michael didn't seem to want to hurt her, and in her current state, she couldn't possibly attack him. Besides... Theresa had been vague about what Michael had actually done, but for some reason, after nearly three years of knowing him, Himeko always felt he wasn't a bad person. Or rather, he shouldn't be.
Still, what Michael was saying was far too advanced for a Valkyrie who only knew how to fight. It was all a blur to her, until she belatedly registered the name he had used...
Captain Himiko...
Although the pronunciation was extremely similar, Himeko had never been his captain.
She suddenly snapped her head around, staring at Michael's profile.
His head was bowed, and the harsh hallway lights plunged his features into shadow, but the light still faithfully outlined the contours of his face.
She saw his nose twitch involuntarily, saw his eyelashes tremble.
She felt she probably shouldn't interrupt him, but she couldn't stop herself from asking:
"Michael, did you... just call me by the wrong name?"
Michael's expression didn't change, nor did he reply. He just maintained a silence so heavy it was almost suffocating.
And so, Himeko knew. He had said the wrong name on purpose.
Those words were meant for her ears. He was telling her that this serum was for her, that she didn't need to worry, that there was another way for Kiana.
Using the SELENE to convert the Second Herrscher's Honkai energy. Although a Herrscher could draw near-infinite Honkai energy from the Sea of Quanta through their Core, the Core itself had a limit to how much it could hold, and drawing that energy took time.
They just needed to convert the energy in the Core—or even just most of it—and the Herrscher's consciousness would weaken, allowing Kiana's own to regain control.
As for what to do after that, with Mei as a "prior case," the Hyperion wasn't completely helpless against Kiana's situation.
Those words were undoubtedly meant for her. But for Michael, perhaps he wished the person listening here was someone else. Someone named "Captain Himiko."
Perhaps that was it.
Himeko closed her eyes, took a slow, deep breath until her lungs were full, then exhaled just as slowly.
"But the Second Herrscher has control over space... I don't know much about the SELENE, but a weapon like that should be a one-shot-win type, right? With the Second Herrscher's powers, it'll be hard to guarantee a direct hit. And given the Hyperion's charging speed and the Second Herrscher's strength, we probably won't get a second chance."
Despite her exhaustion and weakness, Himeko pushed herself upright, tilted her head slightly, and looked at Michael with a burning gaze.
Michael's eyelashes fluttered violently, and a muscle in his cheek twitched.
He answered flatly, "You'll get your chance to hit her."
"..."
Michael gently closed his eyes. He shut them so defenselessly that Himeko swallowed hard, hesitated for a moment, then quickly abandoned any thought of acting.
Michael sat beside Himeko with his eyes closed for a full minute before he slowly got up, seemingly preparing to leave.
Himeko bit her lower lip and raised a hand toward his retreating figure, but she was too weak. She couldn't grab his hand before he took his first step.
But Michael seemed to sense her movement and stopped on his own.
Himeko's lower lip pushed out slightly, her nose twitched, and in a choked voice, she asked the question for the third time:
"Why?"
It was such a concise question. Taken out of context, it could apply to almost any situation in the world that required an inquiry.
But as the person being asked, Michael naturally knew what she was asking.
"Because..."
Michael lifted his head high and said in the coldest tone he could muster, "Because in my plan, this is not the place where you die. You're supposed to... heh..."
In the end, he couldn't finish the lie.
As Hua had seen, aside from his occasional, almost convulsive bursts of excitement, the him of this era... no, to be precise, he had always been a very silent person.
Silence is not what the silent wish for.
Just as in the previous era, he was silent because he carried the burden of a world doomed to extinction, a fate he could not confide in anyone. He didn't want to bring despair to those who still had hope. Or rather, he didn't want to spread that despair to others. Not even to Elysia. He didn't dare. He was afraid she would ask about her own end.
And it was the same in this era.
But just like in the previous era, he eventually couldn't bear it, first telling Aponia a part of her fate, then telling Mei everything. And in this era, he ultimately couldn't bear it either, especially not in front of one, specific person.
Humans are just that fragile. So fragile they cannot endure the loneliness of a heart full of secrets with no one to tell. This was Elysia's gift, but... without the strength she had left him, if he had walked this path alone, would he still, in the depths of his heart, recognize himself as human?
"In the previous era, I knew someone who was a lot like you."
"That... Captain Himiko?"
"Yes... But... back then, I couldn't save her."
So...
Honestly, what did a similar face matter? What did a similar voice and name matter?
The world's time had been rewound fifty thousand years to the Finality. Humanity had started its evolution anew. This similarity was just a result of coincidental symmetry. Seele was not Seele, Mei was not Mei, and Himeko was not Himiko.
He and Himeko were on good terms, but she wasn't Himiko, so why would he go to such great lengths to do something that wasn't part of his plan? Besides, Himiko wasn't dead, she was just in the Elysian Realm due to her physical condition. And if he had stuck to his plan, even if Himeko died here...
Perhaps it was because he had done so many bad things that he wanted to do something good on a whim.
Or perhaps it stemmed from a momentary, sentimental human impulse. Hadn't Mei once said that both he and Kevin seemed silent and steady on the outside, but were actually driven entirely by their emotions on the inside?
Michael told himself this in his heart.
Whatever the reason, what's done is done.
In the past, he hadn't been in time to save Himiko. So, at least this time, he had made it. He had saved Himeko.
"Is that the reason?"
"Yes."
Michael nodded firmly.
Suddenly, he seemed to remember something—a scene just like this, with that fiery red figure sitting against the wall behind him, while he stood in front of her, his head held high. It seemed to have really happened once.
He turned his head slightly, his peripheral vision catching a glimpse of the stunned Himiko... no, Himeko. For no reason, the oath he had sworn back then came to mind.
Perhaps... perhaps that was the real reason he wanted to do this:
"Captain... That's right. I'm a Herrscher. A Herrscher who fights for humanity. Just like all of you, I'm a moth chasing the flame!"
Perhaps he just wanted to prove to himself that he was still that flame-chasing Herrscher. It was just that... he could no longer face the person to whom he had sworn that oath. Even though she was right there in the Elysian Realm, even though seeing her would be so simple, how could he let her see him as he was now?
Even that one time, if Elysia hadn't appeared on her own, he never would have gone to see her.
"Himeko."
"Hm?"
"There's something I'm about to say that you might not believe."
"Well, you have to say it first..." Himeko smiled, a helpless and weak expression on her face.
"I'm... Forget it. If I were a Herrscher, Himeko, do you think I would be fighting for the Honkai, or for humanity?"
Michael waited for a full minute, but he received no answer from Himeko.
Some questions are best left unanswered.
The space in front of him tore open without a sound. Michael gritted his teeth and waited another second, but still, no sound came from behind him.
But, just as one of his feet stepped into the spatial rift, Himeko's voice finally arrived, fashionably late:
"What does it matter what I think? You know in your heart what you should do and what you want to do. Why do you need to ask my opinion? Ugh... lecturing an old relic like you feels pretty strange."
"..."
"But... Michael, I know this isn't the answer you want, but you did ask what 'I' think! If the question were changed to what 'I hope'... I hope you're a Herrscher who fights for humanity. Is that enough?"
This time, it was Michael who didn't respond.
He lifted his head even higher, the fluorescent light above stinging his eyes until he felt a slight burning sensation.
He raised his hand, as if to chase that sliver of light, but at the exact same moment, his figure vanished from before Himiko's eyes.