Facing Seele's question, Li Sushang thought for a moment and said: "That is something perhaps only Kevin himself knows."
"…That being said, it would be best if we could avoid confronting him."
"The Rakshasa once said that once that man recovers his full strength, even the Taixuan Sect at its peak would not be his match."
At this moment, the Herrscher of Sentience spoke up: "What's this? Weren't you always acting so mighty before?"
"You're this scared just by Kevin?"
As she spoke, the figure that had been hiding her presence from the start quietly emerged, her face full of displeasure.
She originally hadn't intended to join this temporary yet lively team-building session, but ultimately changed her mind on a whim.
When Li Sushang saw the Herrscher of Sentience appear before her, she subconsciously said: "Tai, Tai…"
"No, that's not right. Although the appearance is very similar, you… are not her."
"So… you are the Herrscher of Sentience?"
The Herrscher of Sentience said in an unfriendly tone: "Got a problem? Want to have a go right here?"
Li Sushang: "…"
Faced with the Herrscher of Sentience's somewhat aggressive attitude, even someone with a lively personality like her found it hard to respond.
Kiana couldn't help but think to herself: "It feels like Senti is especially targeting Sushang."
"Oh, could it be because of what happened back in Kolosten…"
Before her muttered words could finish, a hand covered her mouth.
Mei stretched out a finger to her lips, while Bronya whispered:
"At a time like this, don't bring up what shouldn't be brought up, idiot."
Fortunately, the Herrscher of Sentience did not continue to dwell on it. She simply shrugged to show her magnanimity.
Looking at the group of girls before her, the Herrscher of Sentience placed one hand on her waist and said:
"What about you all, huh? There's no need to look so unconfident just because you might have to face Kevin, right?"
"…I alone can fight Kevin to a fifty-fifty draw. What are so many of you afraid of?"
No one present believed these words, and neither did the audience outside the TV.
Mei even said: "—Fifty-fifty draw?"
The Herrscher of Sentience defended herself: "…Even though he didn't use his full strength, I also held back some moves at the time."
"Cough cough. In short, if a real battle is coming, you shouldn't boost the enemy's morale and diminish your own. What kind of behavior is that?"
Durandal said: "…Herrscher of Sentience, precisely because we do not fear Kevin, we are discussing the gap between us realistically."
The Herrscher of Sentience curled her lips: "Tch… so serious."
"Think about it carefully. Isn't being overly cautious the same thing? What's the difference?"
"Hah, if that's the case, I actually have a solution…"
"As long as we remove the source that creates fear, wouldn't that solve everything once and for all?"
"Don't worry, the process is very simple. I just need to quietly sneak behind him…"
At this point, the Herrscher of Sentience showed a wicked smile, as if she had already begun fantasizing.
Durandal said helplessly: "Herrscher of Sentience, precisely because you have fought that man head-on, you should understand even better."
"—Such wishful thinking tactics simply won't succeed."
The Herrscher of Sentience waved her hand: "Tsk, why are you being so serious?"
"Wasn't I just vividly teaching you all that as warriors, you should fear neither heaven nor earth, overcome basic fear and…"
"…Fear?"
Perhaps the Herrscher of Sentience had only been speaking half-jokingly and suddenly couldn't think of a suitable word.
But immediately after, something that happened in another location truly caught her off guard.
The Herrscher of Sentience's movements suddenly froze, as if she had seen something unbelievable.
Her eyes widened subconsciously.
Then, a low curse came from the Herrscher of Sentience: "…Bastard, always causing trouble for people!"
Durandal and the others were full of question marks, having no idea what had happened to the Herrscher of Sentience.
Li Sushang directly asked: "Hey, you… who exactly is causing trouble right now?"
The Herrscher of Sentience unusually did not reply. Just like her sudden appearances and disappearances, her body suddenly emitted white light, and her figure grew fainter within it.
Bronya asked: "Herrscher of Sentience, what are you doing?"
The Herrscher of Sentience turned around: "I'm leaving. I'm very busy and don't have time to give each of you psychological counseling."
Kiana asked: "But… where are you going?"
The Herrscher of Sentience said impatiently: "Don't ask. Anyway, you can't keep up."
During the back-and-forth, the Herrscher of Sentience's figure had completely disappeared from everyone's sight.
In the silence, Li Sushang spoke up proactively: "This Herrscher of Sentience's personality is really… unconventional."
Durandal, however, said: "…No!"
Kiana seemed to have thought of something: "Yeah, could she be saying…"
Before she could finish, even across a great distance, a thunderous boom still reached them.
Durandal sighed: "…As expected."
In that instant just now, she could feel that powerful force erupting like a hurricane from between the lunar facilities without any concealment.
It was as if silently telling them, or rather declaring its own invincibility.
In fact, whether it was Durandal, Mei, or even Bronya.
They were all familiar with this power.
Mei proactively said: "Kevin. He is deep within this passage."
"And…"
Kiana blurted out: "The Class President!"
Besides them, who else could have gone to Kevin first and started fighting?
Even with the simplest process of elimination, it was easy to deduce.
...
All impermanent things are nothing but metaphors for a moment; things that go against one's wishes are often eight or nine out of ten, yet today one's wishes are fulfilled.
Despair is a wonderful emotion. When facing an unbeatable strong enemy, people did not despair.
When all past glory was completely destroyed, people did not despair.
The moment of true despair was instead when a world-shaking achievement was accomplished.
Fu Hua thought: "So that's why you are now so…"
Fragile, desolate, and… in despair.
The scene changed, continuing from the previous part.
At that time, Fu Hua was still asking: "…Kevin, you are looking for your own burial ground, aren't you?"
The ice-cold man said nothing, but Fu Hua did not press further.
She was waiting for this heavy silence to confirm her guess.
Thereby confirming that her arrival here had its original value.
After the silence, Kevin said calmly: "I will not deny it."
"—Even a victory born of despair is still a victory."
"…"
In the silence, Fu Hua secretly sighed in her heart.
In fact, the nationwide audience outside the TV also found it somewhat hard to accept.
This was the first time they had seen such a final boss.
Clearly invincible in strength with overwhelming pressure, even after the protagonist group had grown.
They still could not see any hope of victory.
Yet Kevin himself still acted like an extreme pessimist.
On the TV, Fu Hua asked: "Then, since you have imprisoned all the Herrschers in some way."
"Why did you make an exception only for me?"
"You should know… the Core of the Herrscher of Sentience is still inside my body."
Kevin said: "There is no reason. After all… you are you."
Although it was the expected answer, Fu Hua still couldn't help feeling surprised.
Kevin, perhaps he had been alone for too long, so much so that people had forgotten…
—That he too needed friends.
Fu Hua calmed her emotions: "Indeed, I am me."
"For example… the reason I came here to find you is to give you recognition as Hua."
"You have fulfilled Fire Moth's great wish. You are about to lead humanity to defeat Honkai."
"This point, as Hua, I must acknowledge."
Kevin said: "…As Hua. I see."
Fu Hua smiled: "If I were merely Hua, things would probably be much simpler."
Kevin said: "That is not your fault."
Between them now lay a full fifty thousand years.
Fu Hua said sincerely: "Kevin, you were once my comrade-in-arms. On the battlefield… you were the leader I admired the most."
"I must admit that even if our ideals are not entirely the same, I do not have the courage to stand against you."
"In the past, I once misunderstood something Su said."
"He said… not being able to die when Finality descends is Kevin's greatest regret."
"At that time, I thought it simply referred to Dr. MEI's matter — but today I finally fully understood what else this regret includes."
"In the moment you become the victor… you will also personally kill the self that was inscribed with 'savior'."
Kevin was silent for a moment: "…You know."
"We must win."
At this very moment, the terror of Finality rose together with the man.
"Hua, MEI once entrusted the Seed Project to you."
"Later… Nuwa and Fuxi sacrificed themselves, and in our eyes the Seed had already become synonymous with failure."
"The Ark that set off again also unexpectedly lost contact thousands of years later."
"So I decided to seize the first execution window of the Stigmata Plan."
"At a time when new Herrschers had not yet been born, while the new humanity had already exceeded hundreds of millions, to complete our mission with the relatively smallest cost."
Fu Hua: "…"
Kevin continued without concern: "As you know, Su stopped me."
"Compared to letting hundreds of millions die at that time, he preferred to make a gamble."
"To bet that the Constant Sand Plan could find a perfect answer before the destined Finality."
"…I hope he has succeeded."
"Hua, this is the second, and also the last window of the Stigmata Plan."
"The twelve Herrschers we designated have all descended. We can use the relatively greatest cost to leave behind the largest number of survivors."
"But if… Su has already found his answer."
"—Then your Seed has never actually been extinguished."
"On the contrary, it will begin to burn fiercely from this moment, washing away all the sins history has borne."
"So, Fu Hua…"
Unexpectedly, Kevin suddenly began to address his former comrade using her present-era name.
"…Friend or enemy, choose."
His calm eyes were like bottomless abyssal ice that had not melted for ten thousand years. Kevin spoke those words.
The ancestor's famous line as renowned as "Why can birds fly?"
...
The scene changed, back to that familiar Moon World Bubble.
MEI, who did not seem like a person about to die at all, said: "There is nothing to regret… my old friend."
Following a path she was already familiar with, Prometheus met Dr. MEI for the last time.
Prometheus: "…"
Although extremely brief, after hearing MEI's answer, the mechanical girl indeed fell into a state where she could not respond.
Even after gathering a large amount of knowledge to try to interpret it, she still found it difficult to accurately understand the current situation.
"No regrets…?"
Prometheus said: "Even though we can no longer communicate with the outside at this moment, and even though your plan has completely fallen through?"
MEI smiled helplessly: "Plan…"
"Clearly like the original me, knowing everything and controlling everything, yet in the end can only perish like her after paving the way for others."
"Do you think I should feel unwilling?"
Prometheus said: "At least for humans, that is indeed a painful experience."
"But Doctor, you know I mean something else."
MEI asked: "Are you referring to the accusation you made against me last time?"
"Using those children as the price for betraying the world?"
Prometheus answered: "If it refers to the reason I spoke harshly at that time — then yes."
"Fusion is indeed an irreversible process, but according to my calculations, it originally should not have truly begun until at least forty days later."
"That is to say, through your own wisdom, you pushed your world toward destruction forty days early."
"Although it can be considered a World Bubble that only has you and me left."
MEI said: "For humanity itself, this was also a necessary action."
Prometheus asked: "Does this so-called necessary action also include today's intention?"
"Even though the Herrschers have sufficient reasons to stop the Stigmata Plan, there was no need for them to urgently return to the Prime World today."
"According to my calculations… letting them quietly accumulate energy here and fully restore their combat state."
"This is also a very good strategy — the so-called 'sharpening the knife does not delay the chopping of wood' method."
"But Doctor, from the very beginning you used hints of time urgency to guide them. I originally thought there was a deeper consideration behind this."
"But… Doctor, are you also acting on emotion?"
MEI raised an eyebrow: "…Oh?"
Prometheus continued on her own: "In the past, when we could still move freely."
"Every year on this day, no matter how important the matters were, you would abandon them all and come here alone, yet do nothing."
"Since this matter has the highest priority… I can perhaps infer."
"That being in this moment at the time of fusion is something of utmost importance to you."
"But from the current trend, due to unavoidable errors, you and I will completely disappear before the fusion is truly completed."
"The so-called salvation is even more of a fantasy."