It took us well over an hour to emerge from the pile of children, but neither of us complained; instead, we laughed at their antics, enjoying ourselves in such a peaceful environment. After that, Ana quickly sent a request for short leave, which was quickly approved, not only because there were no urgent matters, but also because she was spending time with me, one of the heroes of Manila. So I took her on an impromptu date.
As we had visited those fancy places many times already, this time I took her to a clear beach far away from other humans, a world for just two of us. Ana accepted my arrangement, and after changing into a charming swimsuit, we started our outing.
At first, Ana was still somewhat shy, but after a while, she got used to my gaze and even started to show off her beauty. We played in the water for a while before deciding to just rest on the shore, lie on the clear sand, and enjoy the sun. We also started talking about everything that had happened to us lately, as despite often exchanging messages and calls, some things could be said only directly.
-"Eno. I'm happy to have met you."-She said suddenly.
-"To be honest, I always thought that you would resent me."-I looked at her.-"Had it not been for me, the family wouldn't force you into such a relationship."
-"At first, I indeed felt quite bitter about it; after all, who would be happy to be pushed into an arranged marriage with a person in a relationship? But after meeting you and spending some time together, I felt quite blessed instead."-She smiled.
-"It is I who should feel blessed."
-"In fact, I sometimes feel unworthy of you."-She admitted.-"You, the great S-Rank warrior and hero to many, and I, the barely A-Rank Valkyrie who can't even properly lead her squad."
-"The value of a person never lies in their utility."-I hugged her.-"If it were so, the Anti-Entropy mechs would be beloved by all. The value of a person lies in the bonds they make; the memories they create. While I'm a little ashamed to admit that we don't have many of those yet, I promise to create many joint memories in the future."
-"Hmm. Don't make me wait too long."
We flirted and played for the rest of the day, both of us having a great time. But time was something I felt I was lacking, so the next day, I bid farewell to Ana and dived into the depths of the Mariana Trench.
Technically, infiltrating an Anti-Entropy secret base was a hard job, but when you have enough power, some doors can be opened simply by appearing before them. And that is what happened here; rather than playing with all that stealth, I just appeared before the entrance, waiting for someone to invite me in. And they did, not risking a big fight at the gates of their secret research facility, especially as a lone S-Rank Warrior visiting privately piqued their interest.
-"Need a towel?"-A man with short white hair asked when I jumped from the water.
-"No need."-I shook my head, and with a quick wave of my hand, all the water evaporated from my clothes.-"I believe you are here to lead the way."
-"I'm here to make sure you behave, but yes, I can do that."-The man nodded and started walking.-"How's Kiana?"
-"Good, but a little too lively."
-"Sigh. I hope she can mature."
-"Aren't fathers the type of people who would rather their daughters never mature and leave?"
-"Don't compare me to that daughter slave Ryoma!"-He acted offended.
-"Right! His daughter is nowhere near as cute as my Mei!"-A familiar face appeared in the corridor.
-"Long time no see."-I greeted him.
-"It's been a while. Thank you, Eno."-He greeted me and then bowed.-"Hadn't it been for you and my Mei might have met with real disaster."
-"I just did what I should."-I shook my head.-"Mei entrusted her future to me, so I can't let her down."
-"While I'm happy about you taking care of her, I still won't accept your relationship!"
-"Tell that to Mei; just make sure you can survive her thunder."
-"Ugh."-He grabbed his chest as if struck by my jab.
-"Gentlemen, let's not make Professors wait."-A woman with long white hair appeared near us, someone I could recognize due to her fame.
-"You are Cecilia Schariac?"-I asked to confirm.
-"It's a pleasure, Young Head."-She curtsied in greeting.-"Sadly, I believe you don't remember me."
-"No."-I shook my head.-"My recollections don't include what should be my previous life."
-"Oh? It seems that you are already aware of it. That makes your visit even more interesting."-Yet another voice sounded from nearby, and while I didn't recognize it, I recognized the appearance of the person speaking.
-"It's a pleasure, Professor Einstein."
-"What do you want?"-A similarly recognizable figure by Einstein's side spoke up.
-"Don't worry, Professor Tesla, my actions here are purely private, not connected to any Schicksal mission. Rather than an S-Rank Warrior, please consider me here in the identity of inheritor of Yìxué."
-"So, why are you here?"-She rolled her eyes, but I saw her becoming more relaxed.
-"I'm here to borrow, or rather, use something: the Eye of the Deep."
-"What?!"-My words shocked everyone who understood anything about said object or Sea of Quanta.
-"Do you wish to die?"-Tesla asked directly.
-"No, but I still have to go."
-"May I know the reason?"-Einstein asked me with furrowed brows.
-"To understand the truth of my situation."
-"I see. We can help you, but I hope to gain something from your dive."
-"Understandable, but the matters concerning my personal privacy are not something I'm willing to share."
-"Fair. We will prepare everything and give you probes and monitoring equipment to bring with you. You can leave them there when you want, but I hope you can take them around."
-"We have an agreement."
The preparations took them about twelve hours, during which I talked with Ryoma, Cecilia, and Siegfried, learning about some past matters and reasons they were here. Ryoma had an obvious reason; he was an Anti-Entropy Executive, but Cecilia and Siegfried were not. Siegfried was here due to his 'illness', trying to cure or at least stabilize it, while Cecilia was hiding; she was disappointed with Schicksal, and she didn't want to put her old friends in a difficult situation, so she stayed hidden from the world and was presumed dead.
I also learned more about my previous life; I was part of Master's team and took part in the fight against the 2nd Herrscher. I died shielding everyone from Honkai fission missiles, using my last strength to seal the 2nd Herrscher Core. Learning about Sirin and Otto's experiments, I didn't feel much; I was numb to yet another tragedy.
When it was time to depart, I asked everyone to keep my whereabouts hidden from others, then jumped in, entering the unknown depths of the Sea of Quanta.
Unbeknownst to me at the time, it would be over a year before I saw the earth again, and while I was drifting in the Sea of Quanta, the world had met with tragedy after tragedy. It was almost as if Otto was behaving well while I was there, and now that I couldn't see his actions, all limits were off.
First was the mess with the 4th Herrscher, and directly after that, the origin of Kiana came to light, directly making Otto an enemy of the Far East Branch and both the Kaslana and Schariac families, causing them to step back from supporting him. Cecilia's return unified all those dissatisfied with Otto, creating a schism in Schicksal.
But before that conflict could fully start, a third party known as World Serpent suddenly appeared, causing a stir no smaller than Otto's with their human experiments and cruelty. To add more trouble, some Anti-Entropy executives tried to mess around, resulting in the whole organization being drown into the quagmire. And the final spark that lit everything up happened to be the birth of another Herrscher: the 5th Herrscher, Ana Schariac.
Luckily, Ana managed to remain herself with help from Master and Bianka, becoming a member of Immortal Blades to shield her from forces trying to harm her. At the same time, Mei left St. Freya, following a trail she found in her memories to enter World Serpent, uncovering secrets about herself, me, and the past era. Bronya also found herself chosen as the next Herrscher of Reason, formally establishing a four-way balance of power.
Schicksal, Far East Branch, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent: each with a Herrscher and a joint ideal of saving the world, yet unable to see eye to eye. It was truly disappointing that this was the state of the world, but it wouldn't be long before everything changed again.
-"Mr. Eno, are you all right?"-A sweet voice filled with concern asked me.
-"Been better."-I admitted and stood up with her help.-"Thank you, Seele."
-"Please take care of yourself."
-"I'd love to, but that thing won't let me."-I sighed.-"Sorry for involving you in this mess."
-"No, It's I who should thank Mr. Eno for taking me toward home. After being lost here for so long, I almost lost all hope."-She smiled, thinking about finally going back.
-"That's good. Let's find a place to rest. I don't know how long this Bubble will be able to stop her."
-"Mhmm."-Seele nodded, but what I didn't see was a red glint passing through her eyes.
At the same time, a conversation happened in her mind.
-"Idiot."
-"Other me, can you tell me more about Mr. Eno?"-Seele asked, curious, as it was the first time the other her showed so many emotions.
-"That Bastard? Let's say that he is someone I owe my life to, like your dear Bronya; he was the light in my life. But the him now is different, and I don't know why."
-"Then don't you want to follow him?"
-"With your strength? We'll only drag him down."
-"Hmm. The other me really cares about Mr. Eno."-Seele smiled, enjoying being the one who teased her other self.
-"Shut it!"
The World Bubble we ended up in was a small wasteland; there was nothing living inside, only dust, sand, and ash. After finding a spot shielded from the wind, two of us sat down to rest, sleeping in turns. When it was my turn to stand guard, I sat watching the empty sky, thinking about all that had happened since I entered the Sea of Quanta.
At first, it was ok, hopping from one World Bubble to another, but then, she appeared. A self-proclaimed god called Sa. But her strength was indeed god-like; before I could even understand what I was facing, she had already collapsed the Bubble I was in, sending me into the chaotic Sea. Had it not been for the girl sleeping a few meters from here, I would have had slim chances of survival.
Since then, we would run from place to place, attempting to lose our pursuer. And while I don't know how much time had already passed, I know that it wasn't a short amount. I don't know the reason why she was so persistent about catching me, but from the traces I found along the way, I assumed it wouldn't be anything good.
Luckily, after wandering aimlessly for so long, I had found a trace of our home, so I decided to take Seele back and retreat, making better preparations for the next dive. But Sa already proved that she won't make that job easy. But it's not like I had a different choice.
Soon we rested and decided to continue on our way. For about a week, we managed to avoid Sa's eyes, arriving at the Bubble bordering our world without any issues. We still decided to rest and be careful, and while it was a good call, it came too late.
-"Mr. Eno?"-Seele grabbed my sleeve after seeing me space out.
-"I'm afraid we are surrounded."-I perceived slight movements due to the formation I set up around us.
-"Eh?"-Seele blinked a few times, looking adorable, but I didn't have time to admire it.
-"Prepare to fight and run."
-"Yes!"-She woke up and responded.
And as expected, we were surrounded by hordes of so-called Sky People; monsters born from Sa and her control over the Sea of Quanta, appearing like machines but being more similar to Honkai beasts, with the major difference of utilizing Quantum Energy instead of Honkai. With my power originating from Imaginary energy, I had a great advantage over them, but at the same time, they were also much more deadly to me due to how the mutual opposition of the two forces worked.
The fight quickly started, and soon it became apparent that it wasn't that we managed to avoid Sa this past week; it was her waiting for us here. The sheer number of the Sky People was overwhelming, forcing us to retreat as we fought, but this only put us in a worse and worse situation. If this continued as it was going now, we would be doomed sooner or later, so I needed to change the approach.
-"Seele, prepare to break through the enemies; we are rushing into our world."
As I spoke, I used all my strength to quickly construct a grand formation, shaking the entire Bubble in the process. Countless swords appeared around me and in the skies, hundreds of thousands of blades, each pointing in the same direction. Without any delay, Seele and I rushed forward, running for our lives, swords clearing our path. Soon, we were at the edge of the Bubble, just a step away from home, and then everything disappeared.
I found myself floating in an empty space, a trap prepared for where we were most desperate. But there was no worry on my face, only a slight smile. This place was where the Sa was, meaning she was within reach. With this thought, I reached into that melancholic power, unleashing it without a care. Seele had already returned; with only Sa and me here, there was nothing to worry about.
Instantly, when that power appeared, the space was replaced by an endless black sea, with me standing on the water's surface. But now, I could see a giant black hole on the horizon, swallowing all the light around it.
-"What have you done!"-Sa franticly tired to escape.
-"Leveled the playing field."-I tried to smile, but my face was frozen still; no emotion could appear on it.
Not wasting time on words, I created a red sword in my left hand, rushing at the god in front of me.