"If it's something I can answer."
------------------------------
What Kevin asked was nothing else but precisely what Ruan Mei had said before.
Death is not the end.
Su remained silent, death, a word distant yet close.
As a fusion warrior, he still had a long way to go before reaching his own death.
Barring any accidents, he would never be able to witness the end of his own life with his own eyes.
"Kevin, this question... I can barely answer." After a moment of silence, Su spoke his answer.
Death may be the end for most people, but it will never be the end for everyone.
Well-read as he was, Su had many answers to such a question, yet without exception, none of those answers could resolve the atmosphere now surrounding Kevin's question.
Kevin's question was meant in the truest, most literal sense.
Hearing Su's reply, Kevin smiled faintly.
"That's enough." Death is not the end, it is never the end!
...
A new swordsmanship instructor joined St. Freya Academy.
Though she looked cool and aloof, she had a cute personality that liked to wear fox-ear accessories.
This sharp contrast instantly won the unanimous approval of all the students at St. Freya!
After a day of teaching, Yae Sakura without breaking a sweat, sheathed her treasured blade.
Only after the last student reluctantly left the classroom, her gaze lingering on Sakura's ears.
Only after the student left did Sakura let out a long sigh of relief.
"Getting used to it?" Beside her, Himeko chuckled softly.
Experiencing the difference between the modern age and her own era, Yae Sakura gave a helpless smile.
"Everyone's very enthusiastic. At first, I thought my teaching wouldn't be accepted."
"Haha, aren't you doing great? I'd say these troublemakers just don't know how good they have it. If you run into any teaching problems, don't worry, just hit them directly. They can take it," Himeko laughed.
Unlike the current teaching methods, Yae Sakura's training to become a shrine maiden who protected her village had been extremely harsh.
Not like now, even when the lessons were strict, the atmosphere was still gentle. As for Himeko... her teaching style was usually gentle too.
But when it came to matters of Valkyries on the battlefield, she became the "great demon" in the eyes of the students, a great sword that could send all students flying.
Except for Fu Hua and Mei. And not including Yuna.
"Yuna relies too much on her power. It's fine normally, but once someone gets close, she's easily caught off guard," Himeko commented objectively.
As a proper student of Chiba Academy, Yuna's coursework had always been focused on academics.
She never imagined she'd one day have to pick up a sword, but such is life's unpredictability.
So, to strengthen her body and better control her power, the physical training she received was quite intense.
The result was... The Herrscher of Poison got beaten up by an A-rank Valkyrie.
Feeling the quiet moment around her, Yae Sakura felt a sense of dislocation, as if she had lived another lifetime.
How long had it been since she last basked in such peaceful sunlight? Neither of them spoke, as the sunlight drifted gently across the path.
After a long silence, Yae Sakura suddenly spoke.
"Is the academy really comfortable with me being here?" Himeko blinked, then smiled lightly.
"It's just a pseudo-Herrscher. The academy already has two full Herrschers, remember?"
As she spoke, Himeko's expression wavered briefly.
Shaking her head to drive away the strange thoughts, she continued,
"Come on, Mei and the others should almost have dinner ready. Let's go have a drink, I brought some sake."
Yae Sakura's eyes flickered slightly as she smiled.
"Miss Himeko's invitation, how could I refuse?" The two returned to the villa. As they opened the door,
"Cheating is a disgraceful act! It's the shame of the gaming world! Such behavior is despised by all gamers! Bronya absolutely does not approve!"
"Who cheated? Who cheated?! Is there even anyone cheating in this room?"
"Hmph, Bronya doesn't play with cheaters."
"If you can't handle losing, don't play! Gaming is life, entertainment comes first! If you can't even understand that, how can you grasp the true essence of gaming?!"
The two Bronyas argued back and forth.
A storm of conflict.
In one corner of the sofa, a little white-haired bundle had built a fortress of pillows around herself, leaving only one braid sticking out.
"What's wrong with Bronya?" Turning the corner, Himeko whispered to Theresa.
"Bronya lost the game and said Silver Wolf cheated. I don't really know the details," Theresa whispered back.
The battle was so fierce that even the dignified headmistress dared not take another step closer.
Himeko's eye twitched slightly.
She now understood how it all started.
Everyone knew, Bronya was the best gamer in the house, the undisputed master among them.
A true gaming expert.
For such a player, cheating was the ultimate insult.
However...
"If she really cheated, wouldn't Bronya have found out?" Himeko murmured.
"No idea. Silver Wolf said Bronya couldn't find any evidence of cheating, so they're stuck in a stalemate," Theresa replied.
As it turned out, though their faces looked alike, Silver Wolf's hacking skills were several eras beyond Bronya's.
It wasn't about losing, it was a case of pure dimensional suppression.
Kiana cautiously wriggled her way off the sofa and slipped into the kitchen.
"Uuu, Mei and the others are so scary..."
"Ah! Kiana, move out of the way, I'm chopping vegetables!"
"Theresa~~ I just noticed there are more weird things on the academy's procurement list again. Do you have any explanation?"
"Eh? What? I don't know, the logistics team gave me the list and I just signed it. I thought it was your salary!"
"Wendy, these are the books you have to finish this week. Good luck!"
"You might as well kill me now!"
A warm, lively atmosphere filled the air, leaving Yae Sakura momentarily dazed and unsure of how to react.
After a moment, a gentle smile bloomed on her face.
"Mei, let me help you."
...
That night, all was silent.
Lying on the soft bed, her mind still awake, Yae Sakura recalled everything that had happened today.
Most importantly, she had obtained information related to Kallen.
Theresa Apocalypse.
Though the headmistress bore the Apocalypse name, the aura of Kallen around her was unmistakable.
She didn't know if Theresa was Kallen's reincarnation, but as long as she had even the slightest connection to Kallen, that was enough.
"Fate..." Murmuring softly, Yae Sakura slowly closed her eyes, her breathing calming as she drifted into sleep.
...
In a dream as crimson as blood,
"You came."
"I came."
"You shouldn't have come."
"...Then I'll leave."
"Wait! Don't, don't, don't, we're on the same side! Mutual help is key!"
Seeing the Herrscher of the Void about to walk away, the imprisoned Higokumaru; the Herrscher of Corruption from the Previous Era, quickly used her original body to stop her.
Not that it would help much.
"We're natural allies, we should help each other." Power dictated reality; facing a complete Herrscher, Higokumaru dared not act arrogantly.
After all, her very existence in this world depended on it.
"Allies? I have no such weak allies." The Herrscher of the Void cast a disdainful glance at the enormous Higokumaru.
To be a Herrscher and yet remain sealed for five hundred years, unable to resist, and even now, unable to destroy her vessel, such weakness was contemptible!
And to think she had been sealed five hundred years ago! Five hundred years, ha. Humans back then could barely even walk upright.
Their weapons were feeble, their bodies frail, under such conditions, the Herrscher of the Void could have easily conquered that world.
Unlike now, upon her own rebirth, what she had to face was a human society that had already developed for hundreds of years, one that had matured hundreds of times over.
Those weapons were nothing; what truly broke the Herrscher of the Void's defenses were those humans, the S-rank Valkyries and the knights of Schicksal.
If not for them, she would have completed the mission given to her by God!!
Every time she thought of this, her emotions surged with suppressed rage.
She would never admit defeat! How could someone as noble as her be defeated by such lowly humans?
No matter, now she was already familiar with human combat methods. She knew all of their trump cards, including the one who had gravely wounded her before. For mere humans to use that level of attack was no different from courting death.
Now that she was free, she wanted to see who could possibly resist her!
Feeling the deep resentment emanating from the Herrscher of the Void, Higokumaru subconsciously took two steps back.
Was this thing really the Herrscher of the Void? Or was the Herrscher's power actually related to malice itself?
Higokumaru didn't know she was deeply shaken.
"All right, what do you plan to do?"
After venting a wave of inner resentment, the Herrscher of the Void sat high upon her throne and said coldly.
Seeing that the Herrscher was willing to communicate, Higokumaru hurriedly spoke:
"You felt it too, didn't you? The call of God, the guidance of God. As long as we follow that guidance, no matter who stands in our way, we need not fear. All we have to do is escape this place, and we'll be able to accomplish it all."
The Herrscher of the Void narrowed her eyes slightly and said calmly: "So? How do you plan to get out? Or do you think you can take on all those people outside by yourself?"
The Herrscher looked at Higokumaru with disdain.
Who did this guy think she was? Herself? A mere weakling daring to boast before her.
The only one capable of defeating those humans outside, was her!
"Isn't that what you're here for?" Higokumaru said resentfully, anger burning inside.
If she could beat her, would she still be speaking so politely now? And she even dared to mock her, wasn't she also a loser, defeated and imprisoned by humans herself?!
Of course, Higokumaru didn't dare say that out loud.
Otherwise, before she could even escape and take revenge, she'd already be dead.
"Escaping isn't impossible," the Herrscher suddenly said.
Seeing Higokumaru's widened eyes, she sneered.
"To escape, you'll need a massive amount of Honkai energy. Not too much, just enough to give birth to a new Herrscher. When the time comes, I'll send you out, and together we'll cleanse this filthy world, create a pure world for God."
Higokumaru's face lit up with joy.
"Honkai energy, that'll take some time, but as long as you're willing to act, that's enough."
·······
As soon as she finished speaking, Higokumaru's figure vanished from the space.
She didn't belong here in the first place; the only reason she could appear here in spiritual form was due to a little help from the Honkai.
The Herrscher of the Void understood this perfectly. As for who had helped her, there was no doubt.
Her gaze pierced through space, landing in Kiana's room.
Kiana, fast asleep, clutched her blanket tightly, a drop of crystal-clear drool hanging at the corner of her mouth.
The Herrscher of the Void stared at this silly other self.
Long ago, she could have influenced Kiana.
But she hadn't.
She knew that the self from that time was too weak to confront that shadow.
It was infuriating, but that was the truth.
The Herrscher believed that one day she would defeat him, but not now.
God's decree was the same, to defeat him. To fulfill God's will, she would sacrifice everything.
But before that, she had to make sure he wasn't nearby, otherwise, escaping could lead to a direct confrontation.
The Herrscher had to admit that her former self had been too impulsive.
She had charged in with no preparation and been toyed with by someone who knew her abilities too well.
Thinking back on that battle, the Herrscher wished she could travel back in time just to punch her past self.
What a disgrace. As for why the Herrscher had changed so much, well, that could be attributed to a good education.
Awe, it's instinctual to all living things.
When the newly awakened Herrscher first opened her eyes, she faced a terrifying existence that seemed capable of swallowing the world.
It nearly made her shrink back into Kiana's body, frozen in fear.
Showing that to a child, way too scary!
...
Originally, the Herrscher was still debating whether to go out.
But since someone had come to trigger the trap for her, of course she welcomed it.
...
Reality.
Jarilo-VI.
A Xianzhou-style spacecraft slowly docked, drawing little attention.
Now, Jarilo had become a residential planet of civilization in the universe. Its developed regions were sought after by all, while undeveloped zones had been inflated to sky-high prices.
As time went on, those lands' value would reach unimaginable heights.
After all, Jarilo was only so big.
And the forests belonged to those Godzilla-like creatures, anyone wanting to forcibly develop them had to negotiate with them.
As for Godzilla, the whole of Jarilo was his territory. No one dared act recklessly.
But beyond that, the biggest reason people came here was safety. Besides Godzilla, the Swarm star beyond Jarilo also drew visitors.
After all, with the planet's enhanced power, zero danger, and even creatures that would proactively protect its peace, what kind of place could compare to that?
"Jarilo-VI, huh. Guess our luck's pretty good." A Xianzhou man from Yuque muttered resentfully.
"Well, Godzilla first appeared here and claimed it as his territory. Can't be helped, some things are just unexpected."
Another young man smiled helplessly, though desire flickered in his eyes.
"All right, enough chatter. Don't forget why we're here. Focus!"
...
Xianzhou Luofu , Divination Commission.
Before the Matrix of Prescience, Fu Xuan frowned slightly.
"Recently, a number of people from other Xianzhou ships have been flooding in. Their goals are clear, they're desperate to uncover what happened that day. If this keeps up, they'll eventually trace it to Xueyi and Hanya. General, you'd better think of something."
"Hm? Me?" Jing Yuan coughed lightly, then said seriously: "Well then, my advice is simple, go home early, rest well, and wait for the right time."
"General, I'm the diviner here."
"Cough, cough, just a joke, just a joke." Seeing Fu Xuan's glare, Jing Yuan quickly raised his hands.
"Actually, this isn't all bad."
"How could it not be bad? If they discover the truth,"
Jing Yuan shook his head slowly.
"Master Fu, do you still remember what I told you before?"
"What?" Fu Xuan blinked, not quite following.
"There are too many parasites within the Alliance, chaos among the upper ranks, and some who have abandoned the path of the Hunt."
Jing Yuan's gaze sharpened, like a blade cutting through everything.
"General, do you mean…?" Fu Xuan's pupils trembled slightly, looking at him in disbelief.
Jing Yuan nodded firmly, his expression resolute.
"Yes , I intend to cleanse the corruption, to sweep away those who drag the Alliance down. I can't promise to purge them all, but at least enough so that, like the Preceptors, they'll never rise again."
Fu Xuan was stunned. She never expected the usually lazy general to possess such resolve.
"But… moving against the high command won't be easy."
Before she could finish, Jing Yuan smiled mysteriously.
"Master Fu, have you forgotten? I, Jing Yuan of the Luofu, have friends everywhere, my ties with the other Xianzhou ships are quite good."
"General, don't tell me you mean..."