The Judgment-class Honkai beast, Śeṣa, was—at least in theory—the very first of its kind. Before its appearance, the most powerful Honkai beasts to show up had only reached Emperor-class, such as Indra.
What made Śeṣa a Judgment-class threat was not only its Honkai energy level but also its unique abilities.
Mobius once referred to it as "Śeṣa, Devourer of Worlds." It could blur the very concept of "boundaries," transforming into a ghostly green shadow that could slip through any terrain. That massive, liquid-like shadow was also one of Śeṣa's forms, allowing it to strike at humans or consume anything it desired.
This ability would later also manifest in Mobius herself.
Śeṣa's other ability was immortality—it could not be destroyed by conventional means. Even in the end, its juvenile form had to be forcibly fused into Mobius, while the rest of its body parts were sealed by Flame-Chasers in a container, strictly off-limits, until they eventually perished on their own from a lack of Honkai energy supply.
From this alone, it was clear how troublesome Śeṣa was.
And from this, it was also clear just how disgraceful the Third Herrscher had been.
To be fair, it wasn't entirely her fault. After studying the corpses of the First and Second Herrschers, MOTH had developed a special anti-Herrscher bullet. To put it simply, it was somewhat like the Philosopher's Stone from that novel Dragon Raja Silas had read before his transmigration—crafted specifically to kill dragons.
Unfortunately, this weapon only saw use three times: once against the Third Herrscher, then against the Fourth, and the Sixth. And of those, only the Third was instantly killed by it.
The Seventh Herrscher used her powers to destroy the bullet before it could reach her. The Eighth had no physical body to begin with. The Ninth controlled gravity itself. The Tenth was too numerous. The Eleventh was too far away and generated no usable Honkai energy. The Twelfth, as a virus, had no reason to fear such a thing.
Again—clear proof of how utterly pitiful the Third Herrscher had been.
By the time Silas and the other two arrived on the scene, the squad that had first encountered Śeṣa had already lost most of its members due to a complete lack of intel on their foe.
Śeṣa was currently in its Devourer state, a flowing mass of shadows that dominated the entire area. Conventional attacks from MOTH soldiers proved utterly ineffective against it.
Reinforcements from other squads soon arrived, but they too found themselves powerless against Śeṣa.
Only warriors wielding Honkai-powered weapons—like Silas—or those who could manipulate Honkai energy themselves—like Elysia—could deal any real damage.
"In your last life… how did you guys take down—no, seriously injure—Śeṣa again?" Silas asked, fending off a wave of shadowy tendrils with the special weapon Vil-V had made for him.
Elysia loosed an arrow, knocking back another tendril that had just emerged. "If it's you, Silas, I think you can already guess what's going to happen next."
"Use some people as bait to hold Śeṣa in place, then… fire missiles to obliterate the whole area," Silas said. "After all, unlike the Third Herrscher, Śeṣa can't counter something like large-scale missile bombardment."
"That's right. Just as you thought," Elysia replied, her voice low. If she could, she wouldn't have let anyone die. But this was war—there could be no victory without loss and sacrifice.
Compared to the casualties in later Honkai Eruptions, the losses here could be considered minimal.
And even then, it still wasn't enough to completely destroy Śeṣa.
Before long, orders came down from high command. Volunteers were chosen to hold Śeṣa in place—knowing full well it would mean their deaths.
Back then… people still had faith in defeating the Honkai. They dared to lay down their lives because they believed their sacrifice mattered. They believed humanity would ultimately prevail.
Before the operation began, every one of those volunteers came to bid farewell to Elysia. Silas stood nearby, watching them thank her and give their blessings. He turned to Sakura and said, "These warriors… they're the true soldiers, in every sense. The ones who came after… were all crushed under the weight of despair."
Sakura nodded in quiet agreement.
"But… they probably never imagined that this was the second time Elysia had to watch them march toward their deaths," Silas continued, "Even if time rewound, all she could do was watch again…" The heaviness in Elysia's heart was self-evident.
For some reason, seeing the serene smiles on their faces, hearing them speak of the small kindnesses Elysia had shown them in daily life, Silas felt an inexplicable stirring in his heart.
In his past life, he had never paid attention to such things. His entire focus had been on changing the fate of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, on defeating the Honkai. Never had he stopped to notice the everyday lives of these soldiers, or of ordinary people.
When everyone had finished saying their farewells, Elysia walked over to where Silas stood. Watching the warriors' departing backs, she said softly, "Silas, did you know? They… they're all people who've lost loved ones to the Honkai. If even we forget them, the world will never remember them."
Silas wanted to say he didn't even know their names—but in the end, he didn't. Watching their silhouettes fade into the distance, he replied, "I don't know them. I don't even know their names. So… the only thing I can do is remember this moment."
Humanity has never lacked the courage to sacrifice itself. Even during the Eleventh Herrscher incident, the MANTIS warriors, knowing full well they faced certain death, still stepped forward without hesitation. Or in the Twelfth Herrscher incident, when researchers threw themselves at the impossible task of eradicating the Herrscher's multiplying virus.
"So, Silas… tell me—this time, will you still make the same choice as them?" Elysia looked into his eyes as she asked.
Because in everyone's eyes, Silas too was someone who had lost all his loved ones to the Honkai. No—his case was even more extreme. He had lost everyone who had ever known him.
Silas had said it himself: his family and friends were all in another world.
He didn't answer Elysia. He didn't know how to.
The order for the other squads to retreat soon came. They withdrew beyond the original encirclement, waiting for the missiles to strike the target area before going in to confirm Serpent Śeṣa's death.
Outside the perimeter, Silas saw Kevin talking with Mei—Kevin's face lit by a relaxed smile Silas hadn't seen in a long time.
"After all, deep down you're still that same fool, untouched by the despair built up over fifty thousand years," Silas murmured with a smile.
Compared to the previous life, one change in this life was that Kevin had joined the Fire Moth of his own accord—though officially, the reason was still that he'd chased after his little girlfriend.
"Hm? What did you just say?" Elysia caught him talking to himself.
"Nothing… just something like, 'It's a pity those two didn't end up together,'" Silas replied.
"Yeah… but they must've been together in the end, right?" Elysia asked.
Silas tilted his head skyward. "Sorry, I died too early to know for sure... But they saw each other at least one last time."
Sakura released a quiet sigh. "After the Final Battle, Dr. Mei's body... The prolonged Honkai radiation and overwork had already destroyed her. Had it not been for Dr. Mobius's medications, she wouldn't have lasted until Kevin's return."
Elysia was a little surprised. She looked at Kevin and Mei, still talking together, and let out a soft sigh of her own.
Silas just stared at the sky. He didn't know what kind of expression he should wear—after all, he had long known this was how it would end. He had even tried persuading Mei once… but it had backfired.
Back then, Mei had told him:
"If I were to retreat or rest simply because of this, then what about you? You, the Flame-Chaser who bears all sins—compared to the burdens you carry, what I've done is nothing."
That conversation had occurred after the Binding Tragedy. In Mei's eyes, he'd seen the guilt she carried—she had never been able to let go of the guilt over that tragedy.
What he didn't know was that a similar exchange had transpired between Mei and Kevin.
"I was the first to stand up and oppose Vill-V's plan. If that plan could have worked… if Lilith were still here… maybe he would still have a smile on his face."
Kevin had asked, "Then… why did you oppose it?"
Mei had given a bitter smile. "Because all the other high-ranking members didn't want to be the ones to carry it out. They knew very well that afterward they would be the scapegoats sent to the gallows. Silas was the only one willing to see it through—but he couldn't. The Fallen Angels squad he led, just like you, were a symbol of hope and spirit for the last surviving humans. Life was already suffocating enough for them. If Vill-V's plan went ahead, what would those abandoned by their saviors think? What about the survivors? The result would still have been civilization's collapse."
Meanwhile, far away in Canghai City, Hua finished watching a news report about a massive natural disaster in Changkong City. She silently turned off the TV and looked out the window at the sky.
She didn't know why she had been reborn—or why it had to be her. Even now, she still hadn't decided what she should do. She… still couldn't see the path ahead.
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