"Gray Serpent—"
Having returned to the Heliopolis Life Sciences Industrial Zone, Imhotep summoned the standby Gray Serpent.
The man who answered the call sized up Raiden Mei, standing behind the Young Sovereign, with his cold red cybernetic eye. This caused the purple-haired Valkyrie to feel a distinct sense of discomfort.
"When it comes to the sword of conviction and will that can sever the unseverable, one must look to that Hua..."
"Unfortunately, she is not here... However, it matters not... After all, that place is also a good destination for you..."
"A person who wields a blade in confusion, not knowing why... Since you cannot find the answer yourself, then go and witness the will of the Heroes of the Previous Era."
"Perhaps you can even imitate some of them, or perhaps even earn their recognition..."
"Hmph—Even the clumsiest imitation is still far better than a blank slate of confusion..."
"Gray Serpent, take her to the Elysian Realm..."
"And one more thing, Raiden Mei—"
"A thousand rights also come with a thousand responsibilities... The same is true for power—"
"I hope that after you have grown stronger and more mature there, you will truly understand this principle."
"The Elysian Realm...? This name sounds quite unique."
"You may call it Valhalla as well... After all, in the end, it is merely a cenotaph storing the legacies of the last thirteen Heroes from a certain dim era..."
"It sounds like I will be dealing with a bunch of dead people and ghosts..."
Raiden Mei frowned.
"Heh, that's pretty much it—if you think so, then so be it."
"However... be careful of a certain person named Mobius, Miss Raiden Mei."
"And, it's best not to seek out the secrets of that Paradise..."
"Curiosity, sometimes, does not just kill the cat..."
"Well, thanks for the warning then."
Raiden Mei frowned in dissatisfaction, but ultimately chose to depart with the black-robed man...
Imhotep revealed a meaningful smile, watching the purple-haired Herrscher follow Gray Serpent toward a transport plane in the distance.
"Hmm... Speaking of which, Little Sirin seems to have rushed off to play there early..."
As if suddenly remembering something, Imhotep frowned, then promptly relaxed again...
"Anyway, with Kevin, Su, and Himeko keeping an eye on things, nothing will happen to Raiden Mei..."
"Tch, speaking of which, I haven't even entered the Elysian Realm myself... I should find a chance to check it out later..."
The white-haired girl shook her head, momentarily setting aside these unimportant matters. She still had a truly, incredibly important task to attend to: having a heart-to-heart talk with a certain blockhead named Jackal.
-
"You failed—Jackal."
Still in that same hall, Imhotep leaned against her throne, her tone indifferent, as if speaking of some trivial matter.
The brown-haired woman she named bowed her head in some trepidation...
"My Lord, I think I can explain..."
The various excuses she had prepared beforehand seemed to lose their original color the moment she entered the hall and faced Imhotep, the white-haired girl, in person.
"There is no need... This failure brings the Stigmata Project to a pause..."
"My Lord!?"
Sensing the hidden meaning behind the girl's words, Jackal became somewhat panicked.
"Are you terminating the Stigmata Project...?!"
"Terminate...? No, no, no—Jackal, this is just part of an even greater plan."
"And you... along with the Honkai Energy Vaccine you developed and modified... will be an indispensable link in a certain grand cause."
"An even greater plan?! You mean, the Stigmata Project is only a part of this plan—!?"
Jackal's expression revealed a certain desperation and anticipation, as well as an unmaskable, fanatical curiosity.
"That is an acceptable way to put it..."
"This will be an ascension of civilization and race... Not the survival of the fittest through the cold and ruthless evolutionary theory of the Stigmata Project... But rather, from this point forward, the path to ascension for all humans, who will soar like dragons."
Imhotep held a vial of pale gold potion in her hand, which seemed to be a modified version of the Honkai Energy Vaccine. The faint, incredibly thin golden light appeared to originate from the legendary Imaginary Tree.
"What a beautiful creation..."
Jackal was deeply captivated by the potion in the girl's hand. She had a definite premonition:
If the grand plan the white-haired girl spoke of succeeded, humanity would be bound to thoroughly conquer the Honkai.
"My Lord, what do you need me to do...?"
"Mass-produce this potion. You can do it, can't you?"
Tossing the medication she held in her hand to Jackal, Imhotep posed her question as the latter's face lit up with pleasant surprise.
"This time, My Lord, this time I will not disappoint you! Your subordinate will go prepare for the research right away!"
Cradling this strange potion like a retrieved treasure, Jackal returned to her own laboratory in high spirits.
"Hey, human. Is there anything different about this vaccine from the previous ones?"
The Sirin Doll, who had been watching the scene unfold from the sidelines, suddenly appeared. She wore a curious expression as she watched Imhotep, who, with just a few words, had someone else eagerly running off to handle her tasks.
"The difference? In truth, there's not much difference at all. If the original vaccine was an important factor in activating the Stigmata Project, then this golden vaccine is the factor that directly connects the entirety of humanity to the Imaginary Tree."
"It contains a diluted portion of the Blood of God, or rather, energy directly from the Imaginary Tree; of course, the amount is extremely sparse."
"With this, they will become a part of the Golden Tree itself, no longer plagued by the Honkai Calamity."
"Can a single person..."
The Sirin Doll gave a strange look.
"With such a small amount, a single person certainly cannot... But what if it were everyone?"
"The concept of humanity will ascend... becoming a being akin to a god."
"The Golden Tree, the leaves, and civilization... When a race, a civilization, has the power to skip over and survive the crossing of the leaves—which means the world itself in its normal sense."
"They can then claim that their race and civilization have truly passed the trial of the Honkai..."
"Ah, though it does feel like I'm helping you cheat a bit... but if you can skip class openly, why not?"
Leaning on her throne, Imhotep gave the Sirin Doll a teasing smile.
"Wow... You lot who exploit loopholes and skip class really have dirty hearts!"
"Haha, as they say, nothing is forbidden when it comes to this. Since the plan is feasible and worth a try, there's nothing to worry about."
"Besides... this doesn't even count as cheating..."
"You can just consider it a reward for beating the final boss..."