"I, Kevin Kaslana... will make it happen."
--------------------------
"You're here."
"Yes, as agreed, I brought what we need."
"Heh, just as I thought. Even someone as strong as you still has things you can't let go of." Otto, who looked almost human, smiled at Kevin.
That smile seemed to come from genuine joy, as if he were meeting one of his own kind.
Kevin didn't deny it. The stronger one becomes, the more easily one loses what's precious.
Whether they admit it or not, that's this world's ridiculous rule. After all, only by losing what's precious can people truly grow.
Looking at Kiana, who showed signs of becoming a Herrscher, Otto sighed.
"The Herrscher of the Void, according to the original plan, she should've been confined to that area."
K423. Such a familiar number.
Oh, but now she bears the name Kiana Kaslana.
A child recognized by the head of the Kaslana family.
What surprised him wasn't just meeting Kiana again, but also meeting Kevin.
Their first meeting had been because of him, but this time, it was because they shared the same goal.
As expected of Kaslana blood, they've always stood at the front in humanity's fight against the Honkai.
"Enough pointless chatter. I want to know your exact plan." Kevin looked straight into Otto's crazed emerald eyes and spoke in a low voice.
He didn't know the details of the plan.
But to him, knowing the general direction was enough to judge whether this path was viable. That was why he agreed to work with Otto.
"Of course, my friend. This is a very bold attempt, and your caution is necessary. It will make our cooperation quite enjoyable."
Otto smiled lightly and clapped his hands.
As the sound of his clapping faded, the doors opened.
A familiar figure appeared. It was another Otto.
The same body of soulium, golden hair, blue eyes, and that gentle smile shining like sunlight.
Another Otto Apocalypse.
Kevin wasn't swayed by the display. He released his senses, feeling the energy inside this Otto. After a moment, his expression shifted.
"Void Archives, so it's you."
The Divine Key, Void Archives.
Kevin knew it well. After all, it carried a mission identical to his own.
"Long time no see, humanity's strongest protector, Kevin Kaslana. I'm glad to see you still alive." Void Archives bowed slightly, spreading his arms as if to welcome him.
The logic engraved deep within him, to defeat Honkai and save humanity, made him genuinely happy about Kevin's return.
Kevin's title as humanity's strongest protector wasn't just talk. It was earned, through fists, through blades, through endless battle.
In Void Archives' plans, if Kevin joined the counterattack against Honkai, their chances of victory would rise to an inspiring level.
Kevin nodded slightly. The Void Archives' mission aligned with his own, it deserved his respect.
But then he turned to Otto, who was still smiling.
"You plan to activate Void Archives?" Otto raised a finger to his lips and shook his head gently.
"Of course not. When it comes to fighting the Will of Honkai, I must admit, Void Archives surpasses me."
"Then what do you mean?"
Facing Kevin's question, Otto lifted his head slightly. His gaze seemed to pierce through time and space, returning to the most beautiful day of his life.
"With the power of the Second Herrscher, it's not hard to shift a timeline."
Otto wasn't worried, he had prepared for everything.
"But to stabilize this era's timeline, a stable anchor is needed."
An anchor, a crucial existence for any great undertaking.
To Kevin, the concept wasn't unfamiliar. If not for losing the anchor to his original world, he wouldn't have been trapped in the Sea of Quanta for so long.
And yes, there was also Su, always watching over him.
When the Stigmata Project was activated, it brought immense destruction to humanity, so Su had no choice but to confine Kevin in the Sea of Quanta, while Su himself carried out Mei's plan through The Cosmic Juggernaut.
However, "Using yourself as the anchor, even you couldn't bear that pressure."
Kevin narrowed his eyes and spoke heavily.
Otto's willpower was no less than his own, which was exactly why Kevin knew Otto couldn't endure it.
Willpower could accomplish many things, but before absolute power, even will eventually collapses.
"Heh, that's why I need a suitable Archbishop to stabilize Schicksal, and the world's foundation." Otto smiled faintly, exchanging a look with Void Archives.
Clearly, they had already reached an agreement.
Kevin said nothing. He understood Otto's thoughts perfectly, and that was exactly why he was here.
If it meant defeating Honkai, he too would be willing to pay any price.
"Everything will go smoothly." Those countless words finally condensed into a single sentence that all three wanted to hear. "To the tomorrow we hope for."
…
Inside the consciousness space.
Kiana felt dizzy. Dazed, she lifted her head and looked around the familiar scene, confused.
"I was just by Coral Island… Where is this?"
A snowy field. Endless white snow.
It wasn't unfamiliar to Kiana. She had once trekked across this same snowy land, back when her stupid dad had snuck off without even saying where he was going. Hmph!
"No, this isn't right. I shouldn't be here. Where's Mei? Where's Theresa? Where's everyone?"
She struggled to her feet. Her legs worked fine, no injuries.
"Alright then, time to start looking around."
"Where am I? It feels… a bit different from what I remember." Kiana looked around curiously.
Now in an unfamiliar environment, possibly being captured by an enemy, her intelligence showed its true, unfiltered self.
This was the real Kiana, the one who had lived alone in the outside world for years.
Her memories were fuzzy, but she was sure, she had never been here before!
After walking for who knows how long, a structure appeared in her vision.
A huge… tower? "Looks like a lab."
Scratching her hair, Kiana cautiously took a few small steps forward.
Without her twin guns, the white-haired girl felt a heavy pressure in her heart.
"Why is there a place like this here? And this symbol... it's Schicksal, right? It has to be Schicksal?"
On the wall, a massive Schicksal emblem stood out clearly.
Although Kiana's academic grades were terrible, St. Freya Academy was, at least in name, a Schicksal institution, and her goal was still to become the strongest Valkyrie.
She recognized the symbol immediately. It was obvious that this was a Schicksal laboratory.
A laboratory hidden in snow and ice.
Something was off. As she walked, fragments of memory began to surface in Kiana's mind, why she was here, what had happened.
She remembered that she hadn't wanted to hold everyone back. Then, a voice told her to hand her body over to it to fight in her place. After that... she just fell asleep.
Judging from how things looked, did that voice lose the fight?
Just as that thought crossed her mind, a cold snort echoed through the empty hall.
"Hmph. How rude. Didn't your family ever teach you any manners?" The noble, proud, and unapproachable queen, Herrscher of the Void, appeared once again.
Her attitude was still as arrogant as ever.
Seeing the Herrscher of the Void, Kiana let out a long breath and finally smiled in relief.
She didn't really know what this being was, but that level of arrogance wasn't something just anyone could pull off. No doubt, it was her.
Realizing that, Kiana hurriedly asked,
"How are Mei and the others? Why am I here? And what's going on with you?" One question after another, she looked at the Herrscher expectantly.
"They're probably fine. Those people aren't that easy to kill. As for why you're here, hehe, this is the mental space shared between you and me. Where else would you show up? As for what's happening right now..."
Her expression darkened, clearly reluctant to answer that last part.
Seeing that, Kiana's quick little mind lit up.
"I know, you lost!"
Bang!
"You're the one who lost! I just let my guard down! And besides, with how weak your body is, it's no wonder we failed!"
She could be called arrogant, but never weak!
Lost? If it weren't for this fragile body of yours, how could I possibly lose? If I were the one in control, that cold-hearted person would be kneeling right now, swearing loyalty to me!
Rubbing her red cheek, Kiana got up from the floor and muttered under her breath,
"Geez, can't even admit when you lose. You're worse than Silver Wolf."
At least Silver Wolf would use cheats after losing a game. There was one thing the Herrscher hadn't told Kiana.
In their shared mental space, with no barriers between them, they could hear and see nearly everything the other did, especially since the Herrscher currently held most of the power.
And so...
"What did you just say!!"
"Ow ow ow! Don't hit the face!"
...
After a brief scuffle, Kiana carefully covered her cheek, checking if it still hurt. When she was sure it was fine, she asked quietly, "By the way, what exactly are you?"
"In your human terms, I'm the Second Herrscher, the being that brings destruction and ruin."
A faint smile curled at the Herrscher's lips as she spoke, clearly waiting to enjoy Kiana's reaction.
"Oh." Kiana nodded and stared straight into her eyes without a hint of surprise.
"...Aren't you even a little curious?!" Unable to take it anymore, the Herrscher's forehead twitched as she snapped through gritted teeth.
"Of course I am." Kiana straightened up, answering seriously.
"But right now, I don't exactly have time to figure out why you're inside my body. We need to understand what that person wants from us first."
Hearing that, the Herrscher's anger eased a little.
She shot Kiana a glance and let out a small huff. Not completely stupid, at least.
If she weren't trapped here, she wouldn't waste time talking to this girl.
But she couldn't help it. That cold figure, they were like an unmovable mountain standing before her.
She never thought there would come a day when she'd call a human a monster.
How ironic. And more than that, facing Godzilla twice had left a deep mark on her.
As much as she hated to admit it, even at her full strength, with Bella by her side, there was no way she could defeat that terrifying being called Godzilla.
Even in a space overflowing with imaginary energy, she couldn't win, so how could she possibly win in the real world?
The psychological pressure from those two encounters had finally forced the Herrscher to truly acknowledge her other self.
Only by pushing her power to the absolute limit would she have even a faint chance to fight back. Otherwise, she had no doubt she wouldn't last even one round against such a being.
Remembering that humiliating day, she clenched her teeth so hard she nearly cracked them.
Taking a deep breath, the Herrscher spoke in a low voice.
"The people who captured us don't seem to be after the Herrscher's power."
"In that case, could they be trying to use the Herrscher's power for something else?" Kiana reasoned.
If even the power of a Herrscher didn't tempt them, then the only reason Kevin would come after them had to be the Second Herrscher's authority.
Otherwise, Herrschers were everywhere, there was even a wild one on Coral Island.
If they really needed Herrscher power, that one would've been an easier target than Kiana, who had so many powerful allies.
"While you were still unconscious, I overheard part of their plan. They intend to use my authority to open some kind of space... to bring something, or someone, back."
"Trying to bring back someone they know, maybe?"
"I don't know. But if they already possess that kind of power and still need mine, then the space they want to open must be extremely difficult, maybe even dangerous to us."
The Herrscher's eyes narrowed slightly.
Even though she had started to reach out to Kiana, it was only because of necessity. Deep down, she still regarded humans as fragile and unreliable.