Every contingency that could be conceived by wisdom had been considered. Every plan that could be prepared by human effort had been set. Every essential foreshadowing had been completed to the best of their ability.
All has been done. No regrets.
The result of the meeting was a resounding agreement. The discussion ended with no one able to add anything new, because the appearance of the 'Cocoon' was still filled with the unknown. They could only feel the threat directly once She revealed her fangs.
So, Ryan took Vill-V, Mei, and Mobius to make the final preparations, while the others were left to monitor the Cocoon of End's movements. As the master of self-preservation, he didn't entirely trust Prometheus's calculation.
"But Ryan didn't say the second half of the phrase."
Elysia stood on the bridge, watching the ocean full of ice floes race by below. The Hyperion was at full speed, returning to the Pacific Ocean in thirty minutes.
"What was it?" Pardofelis asked curiously. She had wanted to go back to her room to tremble but was told to stay.
In fact, the meeting hadn't truly ended; Elysia had kept everyone there, but she hadn't gotten to the main point, leaving everyone bewildered.
"Uh, let me think." The girl, who had been in deep thought, paused. She gently scratched her cheek, feeling certain she had heard it somewhere.
Just then, Eden walked by, gave Elysia two seconds to think, and then smiled, adding, "All has been done; now we rely on the will of Heaven. Ryan didn't say the second half, which means he's not planning to rely on the will of Heaven."
"Ah, yes, yes, yes! That's what I was going to say."
Sister Ellie doesn't seem to have a higher education than me. Wait, I don't think she ever went to school?
Pardo muttered internally, then realized: "So, Teacher doesn't believe in luck? But last time, when dealing with the Herrscher of Constraint..."
He brought you along, and then you were too scared to sleep alone for many nights.
"We can only say Ryan is a pragmatist. He believes in his own ability more. It's like an exam: doing the preparation work as perfectly as possible before the test is always better than relying on luck to answer the questions," Eden offered an explanation.
Who says? I never study. I can still get all the multiple-choice questions right by throwing a pencil.
Pardo puffed out her chest proudly, only to hear Kalpas scoff.
"The kid's temperament suits me. What the hell is luck? Every drop of sweat accumulated in normal times is what waters the seed of victory!"
"It's not entirely true. Sometimes luck is quite important."
"Cowardly Cat, let's fight. We'll see who matters more, luck or strength. Dare you?!"
"I'm not stupid, heh heh. But I've participated in several battles and haven't gotten a scratch, while you, Brother Kalpas, are wounded every time."
Kalpas's eye twitched. He found he couldn't refute her. Take the Herrscher of Constraint, for example: besides Ryan and Elysia, Pardo was the closest to the enemy, yet she hadn't lost a single hair.
His gaze turned fierce. Pardo started to tremble violently, seeing the man walk over, place a hand on her shoulder, and apply irresistible force.
"There's still time. I'll give you special training right now."
"Brother Kalpas, no!"
With a series of desperate cat shrieks, Pardo was dragged away. The bridge immediately erupted in laughter. The previously solemn atmosphere instantly eased.
Not every remaining warrior could fight in the front line, but each had their role, even if it was just lightening the mood.
"Ludicyna, aren't you going with them?"
"I am not! Captain will be careful, and Pardo will just cling to my pant leg, potentially getting me dragged into it too." The white-haired girl firmly shook her head. She had clearly learned her lesson.
"It seems you know how to deal with Kalpas very well," Elysia smiled gossipy, her eyes showing she saw everything.
"I, I should probably go take a look." Ludicyna's face flushed. She buried her head, quickly turning and fleeing with tiny steps.
"Heh, that girl is playing coy."
"Coy my foot. It's practically an open secret."
"It's useless even if it's an open secret. That Kalpas is a brick wall. Waiting for him to open up is harder than me soloing End. Sigh, why does a good man like me have no love life?"
"Owl, speak up when you're talking trash. And you, you're a pervert!"
"Owl, don't be so fiery. Little brother Kosma, do you think I'm wrong?"
Kosma, who had been watching coldly, was suddenly called out. Seeing the attention of the crowd focused on him, he grew uncomfortable. He coldly turned to look at the ocean, which was now free of ice floes.
"Such topics are meaningless. Women only slow down my draw speed."
The bridge fell utterly silent. Everyone stared blankly at the figure, lonely as snow. With the countdown ticking, Kosma's short boots slightly lifted, seemingly gripping the floor with his toes.
Just as no one knew how to continue the conversation, Dystopia walked up, her face flushed. She covered one side of her face with a hand and tugged at Kosma's sleeve with the other.
"Stop talking! Hustle, let's go back to the room."
"I have no intention of debating, but the abyss is upon us. When the mind is clear as glass and the bones are hard as iron, then..."
Dystopia's hand was already squeezing his ear. Under such an undignified and embarrassing gesture, Kosma finally shut up.
Out of respect, everyone quickly looked away and started talking amongst themselves. Only after the door closed did they burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, Kosma is hilarious! His chuunibyou is worse than when I first met him," Elysia leaned on the back of a chair, laughing so hard she couldn't straighten up.
"Indeed. Who do you suppose is responsible for this?" Eden asked, her smile elegant, pronouncing each word carefully.
"It's because of Ryan, of course."
"Are you sure?"
Elysia instantly looked guilty and started whistling silently.
Seeing her resort to feigning ignorance again, Eden didn't press her advantage. Instead, she stepped back and looked at Hua, who was hunched over the table, her shoulders shaking.
The preoccupied girl couldn't help but laugh, too. Eden scanned the room again. Even the less familiar fighters like Joshua and Owl, though showing various expressions, had lost their heavy demeanor.
Her gaze returned to Elysia. The girl who had just been playing coy now rested her chin on her hand, a smile playing on her lips, her eyes scanning everyone.
It was as if she were engraving them into her memory, or perhaps admiring a masterpiece.
"I see. This was your real intention in keeping everyone here."
"Eden, I only said we were having a short meeting. I never specified the content," Elysia waggled her finger, smiling slyly. "Even if this is useless for combat strength, facing End with a relaxed mindset might increase our chance of success, don't you think?"
"Despair is infectious. Joy and hope are equally infectious. So, I agree with you."
"Right? When I heard Prometheus's voice earlier, my heart almost stopped."
"And now?"
Elysia looked at the blood-red countdown on the main screen, tilted her head, and smiled sweetly.
"I'm much better now."
Ryan was not good at psychological counseling, so he simply handed the task over to Elysia. When she asked everyone to stay, he had already guessed her intention.
As for her method, he didn't need to worry. Elysia never relied on meticulous plans, yet she often achieved miraculous results.
The screen showed the scene of the moon, the adjacent countdown had been removed. The fluctuating numbers were unnerving, but Prometheus would alert them when the time was right.
"Fifteen minutes until we reach Sea Abyss City. We have 20 hours to prepare."
"Preparation started long ago. We can deploy in two hours."
"You need to factor in the travel time."
"Mobius, do you think I'm that foolish?"
Soft exchanges came from the side. Ryan had no intention of interrupting. He couldn't handle such a massive preparation alone; everyone had to stick to their roles.
Big gifts, small presents. No matter how useful they were, everything human ingenuity could devise had to be utilized. More was always better.
'I prepared so much, but I forgot my own sleep pod. I've forgotten my original intention.' Ryan didn't laugh but felt a hint of self-mockery.
His biggest wish was once to become a Flame-Chaser, secure a spot in a sleep pod, and for that, he specifically approached Mei and Kevin—a typical opportunist.
During the final battle, he would be responsible for cheering them on, then when Kevin hacked the Herrscher of End into submission, he would hastily crawl into his sleep pod, thus coasting through fifty thousand years.
Then, in the Post-Civilization era, he could show off. He was Senior Brother to the Divine Pious One, Fu Hua, and was familiar with the plot. Otto would be his underling. He'd deliver cool lines like, "This punch contains fifty thousand years of cultivation. Can you withstand it?"
A Previous Era Super Soldier, maximum swagger, and extremely high survival rate. If Kiana won, his treatment wouldn't be worse than Fu Hua's. If Kevin won, their camaraderie would surely secure him a first-class seat.
It sounded like a comfortable and carefree life...
"Hey, what are you thinking about? Your smile is quite wicked."
A hand suddenly waved in front of his eyes, startling Ryan from his fantasy. He turned back somewhat blankly, seeing Mobius's confused face.
Right. If I were an opportunist, I'd only meet them in the Elysian Realm. After all, the highest state of self-preservation is to do nothing and coast. The more timelines you change, the more you become tangled in karma.
Ryan had known the answer long ago, but he couldn't control his imagination at this moment. He gently spread his hands: "I was deducing another path."
"Oh? What path?"
"The one where I do nothing, avoid problems, prevent the butterfly effect, and preserve myself with absolute self-interest, only helping to advance the Fire Moth Plan at most."
Mei and Vill-V, who were discussing details, stopped talking. They turned to look. They were first confused about why he would contemplate such meaningless things now, but as intelligent people, they quickly caught the keyword.
Butterfly effect? I knew it.
Everyone had long suspected Ryan's identity, as he hadn't truly hidden his clues.
Ryan smiled candidly. This was never much of a secret. Even if he claimed to be a clone of the Cocoon of End, a Herrscher above Herrschers, Mei and the others would believe him and then continue with their work.
Since there were only fifteen minutes left anyway, he didn't mind showing off. He put on a knowing smile.
"Do you want to know what the original destiny looked like?"
"Let me guess first. Human civilization would definitely be destroyed, and my Fire Moth Plan would be put to use, helping the Post-Civilization era survive End?" Mei spoke directly, then slowly shook her head, speaking slower:
"Mmm, it's not that simple. Prometheus would definitely be effective; that child is a necessary precondition. Of course, with my personality, I wouldn't place hope on the Post-Civilization era. Those who survive would each lead a project, with Kevin as the leader. I would certainly die, as that's the only way to remove his final shackles. Under his obsession, the probability of humanity surviving End exceeds eighty percent. The manner of survival depends on how excellent the Post-Civilization people are."
The smile on Ryan's face slowly froze. Puzzling with smart people truly wasn't fun. Mei had even guessed who would survive.
"Elysia would certainly die. Eden, even with a chance, wouldn't want to live. Kalpas definitely wouldn't want to live a cowardly life. Sakura, with her sister, has a low survival rate. Individuals like Vill-V, Mobius, and Aponia are hard to say. It seems I have an idea of who would execute the plan."
Did you read the script, for goodness sake? You'd be a platinum-level author if you wrote web novels.
Ryan felt the urge to hand her the pen to write it herself but knew that given Mei's intelligence, deducting the future wasn't difficult once his factor was removed.
"Hey! Why am I hard to say? In terms of survival rate, my abilities are the most suitable. And if you die, I'm the best successor in terms of knowledge and wisdom!" Mobius protested. I'm the most suitable person to leave behind the legacy of civilization, aren't I?
With my methods, the Post-Civilization era would be modified even in the primitive stage. I'd create a new species.
"Just a hunch. Why are you so worked up?"
"How can a scientist believe in hunches?"
"It's meaningless conjecture. Should I really waste time deducing it?" Mei scoffed, pointing at the man beside her. "Instead of clinging to me, ask Ryan if he regrets it. That path was the safest for him. He probably would have survived End without a scratch and found a few wives and had a bunch of children in the Post-Civilization era."
I think the last sentence was entirely unnecessary. This woman is truly malicious. I just wanted to show off, and she set a trap for me.
Ryan felt the gaze beside him sharpen. He smiled awkwardly: "Don't listen to Mei. No one can control things like this. If I relied on luck, I might have been the first to fall."
"That's not necessarily true. Before the MANTIS project succeeded, you were one of the strongest humans. Your death rate would be very low," Vill-V added, driving the point home.
"Exactly. Your strength is definitely top-tier. And with your mind, you made it to the last step while fighting the Honkai. Wouldn't it be easier to save your own life?" Mobius placed her hand on Ryan's shoulder, asking slowly: "No wonder you're lost in thought now. You haven't started to regret it, have you? Who were you planning to have a bunch of children with?"
Kiana? Raiden Mei? I'm open to suggestions.
"Hey! You really are thinking about it!" Mobius instantly noticed Ryan's hesitation.
Ryan couldn't explain. He simply spread his hands: "It's no use regretting now."
"Doesn't matter. You shouldn't even have that thought!"
She's being unreasonable. Didn't you just say you'd survive too? Wouldn't that be more to your liking? Oh, wait. If I were an opportunist, Mobius wouldn't have engaged with me this deeply.
Ryan was only casually thinking, like a web novel author deducing the plot. But since Mobius asked, he would ask himself this question before the end.
If time flowed back to before the Schicksal incident, what would I choose?
After a second of hesitation, he had his answer.
"No, even without the memories of this moment, returning to that time four years ago, I would still bravely take that step. Because the path of 'Trailblazing' can only move forward. I could never tolerate staying put."
"Just because of that 'Path' thing?" Mobius sounded slightly disappointed.
"The Path of Trailblazing made me take that step, and only by taking that step do I deserve to possess this Path. It's a 'chicken and the egg' paradox." Ryan's eyes brightened. It was just a casual chat, but he felt a sense of epiphany.
Right. If I were truly an opportunist, I wouldn't even need a Path. No matter how clever the calculations, the long passage of time would always leave countless pains. If I wanted happiness, I would have run the first time I encountered a Honkai Beast. Why bother practicing any martial arts?
My family background was a Fire Moth Councilor. Even if human civilization was destined to be destroyed, I would be among the last to die. I've had enough enjoyment over these decades.
He hadn't felt it while living it, but looking back now, Ryan realized he wasn't cut out to be an opportunist. Or rather, the opportunists had long since been annihilated in the Imaginary Space.
Was it luck that I encountered Akivili, or was 'He' drawn to me? Did the Path choose me, or did I answer the Path?
The answer was clear, and it made Mobius smile.
No need to ask further. Ryan's expression proved everything. It was a thirst for the unknown, a determination to break through all obstacles. This man would never choose the path of evasion.
'As expected of the person I value. With my pride, how could I allow my other half to be mediocre? Unlike the fox and the fatty, mere gentleness, handsomeness, or even power is useless.'
There had to be a heroic spirit. How could an ordinary person bear this kind of expectation?
"Alright, enough chatting. We need to start preparing."
The ship's exterior projection switched to the deep sea. Sea Abyss City had arrived. Ryan took the initiative to end the topic.
"Do you think it was meaningful?" Mei stopped him. Ryan turned halfway, revealing half of his face.
"Reflecting on the past allows one to face the future. These fifteen minutes were worth it."
Ryan smiled in response. At this juncture, he didn't need comfort or persuasion. He only needed to look back.
Self-questioning allowed him to clarify the past, leaving no room for further hesitation. Since that other path never existed from the beginning, he would continue on the path he had forged through struggle.
Walk on resolutely.
"Ryan, given your character, are you truly that obsessed with transcending End?" Mei suddenly asked softly, confusing Mobius beside her.
We've been working so hard for this very goal, haven't we? But upon closer thought, she felt there was an issue.
As Mei had just said, executing the Fire Moth Plan meant humanity had a high chance of surviving End, aside from the question of who and how they would cross it.
Seeing the multiple gazes fixed on him, Ryan paused, then spread his hands: "If possible, I hope to surpass End."
A single word difference, a world of meaning. Mei instantly grew more serious, while Mobius simply rolled her eyes.
"Pfft, I really want to record that so I can mock you later. Surpass End? Even getting through it is a low probability."
"Alas, how can a swallow know the ambition of a swan?"
"Get out, get out. You're addicted to showing off, aren't you?"
While the two bickered, Mei remained serious. She felt Ryan was sincere, but it was too outlandish, so she didn't interject.
As the mechanical arm secured the ship, the Hyperion gently rocked. The conference room door opened. Ryan, who had just infuriated Mobius, was the first to walk out. He saw the corridor packed with people.
Eleven detachments, 668 MANTIS, crowded the corridor. This was the force Ryan had painstakingly preserved, and it had proven immensely useful in the battle against the 'Beast.'
It was because of their fight that Ryan had seized the opportunity to fish for one last haul. This transaction was no longer a loss.
End. How many of them will survive?
Ryan didn't know the answer. Perhaps it would be better than the original timeline, or perhaps worse. He had cut off the retreat route himself; at least a few had survived in the original timeline.
At least a quick glance showed only tension. Some people still had smiles on their faces, as if they had just watched a comedy.
"It seems I don't need to give you psychological counseling."
"Do you think I'm as fragile as you imagine?" Ryan glanced at the girl who had suddenly appeared beside him.
"Yes. After all, Ryan is human. Pressure leads to tension, and tension leads to fear. In that, you're just like everyone else." Elysia's voice wasn't loud, but it resonated clearly in the corridor.
"But when everyone sees your back, they won't panic. And when you feel everyone following you, your heart will also steady. Leaning on each other like this, you won't be afraid of anything."
Her words pierced the heart like a sword. Everyone pondered for a moment and realized it was profoundly true.
Why did the Herrschers say Ryan was indistinguishable from humanity, repeatedly trying to kill him? Why could they also put him aside, focusing on annihilating human civilization first?
Shared interests, shared goals, shared value. This was the collective with Ryan as its core. It was hard to break apart. The only way was to eliminate them all with the greatest pressure.
"Ellie, you're truly suited for psychological counseling. Your perspective is genuinely novel."
"I am a clever, lovable, and beautiful girl, after all."
"Then do me a favor. Give me a push."
Elysia was confused at first, then smiled. She raised her pale right hand and gently pushed Ryan's half-turned back.
"Go."
The force was minimal. Even without resisting, it only pushed him a small step. But he felt a vast, boundless power slam into his heart.
Hope, affection, expectation, love... An indescribable surge of emotion erupted. His right foot lifted and landed firmly.
It was resolute and steady, as if he had shattered the last of the fog. His gray eyes pierced the deep sea and the sky, reaching the endless cosmos, settling upon the moon.
"Everyone, follow me. Let us march toward the terminus together."
No one answered. Elysia instantly followed, then Mobius, then Kalpas, Sakura, Hua, Kevin...
In the silence, only the sound of leather boots hitting the ground echoed, indistinguishable and uniform, like a single person.
One person, one organization, one civilization, marching toward End!