"Lord, the Stigmata Project has entered its final stage..."
In the dim hall, Jackal bowed to the white-haired girl on the throne, reporting the project's progress.
"Doctor Cleo..."
"Lord?"
Called by her name by Imhotep, Jackal lowered her head even further.
"You said this vial of serum... it can increase the human body's resistance to Honkai energy... right?"
The girl on the Divine Seat toyed with a small vaccine vial, the clear, colorless liquid swirling inside, holding some infinite mystery.
"That's correct, Lord. Activating Stigmata requires a massive amount of Honkai energy to mature them. The average human body lacks sufficient natural Honkai energy resistance and can only be enhanced by this serum as an external force."
"But even so... the probability of awakening Stigmata only improves from one in tens of millions to one in millions..."
Jackal fell silent for a rare moment when mentioning the success rate...
"Which means... in this city of tens of millions, the final lucky ones... can be counted on one hand—"
-
"Is it worth it...?"
After a long silence, the figure on the throne let out a sigh. Jackal didn't dare look up at the God of Honor seated there, silently trying to guess the expression on the figure's face.
"Lord..."
The woman finally seemed to muster her courage. She looked up at the figure on the throne... In the dim room, only a single sliver of light from the ceiling fell upon Imhotep's face, making her expression impossible to discern—
"Hm?"
"Existence... As long as humanity still exists in the end... it will be worth it."
Jackal spoke her thoughts, the most primal and savage of human desires—
To continue on, at all costs.
"...To live? Ha, indeed—"
Imhotep looked up at Jackal before her. Her face was unmasked now, and the expression it revealed was one of genuine sincerity.
Imhotep was certain this was truly the scientist's most genuine thought...
"To live... yes, just living is indeed enough... Then go, do what you must..."
The white-haired girl raised her hand and waved, signaling for Jackal to withdraw.
"I will take my leave now, My Lady."
Having received permission, Cleo quickly left the hall, leaving the girl alone on the throne, lost in thought...
"To live... to live... Heh... to live..."
"Humans have never been a species that exists merely for survival... How is that any different from beasts?"
"Only war, solely through war..."
"We fight not for the right to survive... but for the noble right to 'struggle' itself..."
"This is what makes us human, what defines humanity... The gods who sit enthroned in the Highest Heaven will never understand."
-
"Come in, Gray Serpent. Do you have any news to report?"
Finished with her muttering, Imhotep looked toward the hall entrance, where a man in black had been waiting for some time...
"A verbal message from The Sire, Your Excellency Imhotep."
"Old Ancestor Kevin? What does he want me to do now?"
Hearing that the message was from her own Old Ancestor, Imhotep's interest was piqued.
"The Revered Master has fully delegated command of World Serpent's offensive and negotiation plans against Schicksal in North Africa to Your Excellency. He also hopes Your Excellency Imhotep can recover the Third Divine Key, which was seized by Schicksal during World Serpent's operation in London, England, in 2015..."
"Regarding the fate of the Second Divine Key, the Revered Master made no mention... However, he did bring up one other person."
"Who?"
Imhotep asked irritably, her expression already screaming, That damn ancestor of mine is screwing me over again.
"Bianca Ataegina, Schicksal S-rank Valkyrie, Durandal... the other inheritor of the Kaslana family bloodline in this generation."
"...That clueless oaf, our Kaslana family's ghost-like Old Man Kevin, who specializes in screwing over his descendants... what does he want now?"
Ignoring Imhotep's resentful muttering about The Sire, Gray Serpent paused to reorganize his thoughts.
"The Master hopes you will truly awaken the Kaslana Stigmata within Miss Durandal, allowing her to recover her lost memories..."
"That... I would have done it even without him telling me. After all, watching Krishna get utterly crushed is a must-see spectacle for the Kaslana family. How could I miss it?"
Imhotep nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"But I'll remember this debt of Kevin screwing me over again! He just wait! If I don't make his life miserable, I'll write my name backward!"
"...Your Excellency Imhotep, I must repeat myself: please do not let your personal grievances affect World Serpent as a whole..."
"Hmph, this time I definitely won't..."
A malicious smile spread across Imhotep's face as an idea struck her, sending a chill down the spine of the heavily cybernetically enhanced Gray Serpent...
"Gray Serpent... what do you think..."
"Between 'Kevin' and 'Kevin'... what's the difference?"
Imhotep glanced at Gray Serpent, who was trying to slip away, desperate to avoid getting dragged into the family drama between grandparent and grandchild...
"I have no opinion on the matter. I reiterate my stance: as long as the dispute between you two Masters doesn't affect World Serpent as a whole, you can do whatever you please."
Gray Serpent, on the verge of a mental breakdown, rapidly issued his disclaimer and declaration of neutrality.
"Good. Then go get me a pair of blue contact lenses... Yes, the standard Kaslana family eye color."
"And one more thing: when the time comes, go find Grandpa Kevin and borrow Shamash for me."
"And another thing: from now on, don't call me Imhotep... Call me Kevin Kaslana."
As Gray Serpent stared in utter confusion, Imhotep typed "kai'wen (凯文/凯雯)" into his communication terminal using a Chinese input method, demonstrating to him the profound depth of Shenzhou culture...
"This..."
The man's voice wavered with a rare hesitation...
"Lady Imhotep... wouldn't this be... rather damaging to The Sire's reputation?"
"A scumbag ancestor who vanished for millennia, lives only in family legends, and now spends all his time plotting against his descendants? What's the point of protecting his reputation?"
"Should I post a picture of him in the conference room, feet on the table, slurping noodles like a slob, on the World Serpent internal forum for all of you to admire?"
"...No, Masters. As long as you're happy."
Beneath his mask, Gray Serpent's expression twisted as he left the hall...