Shimmering waves, magnificent and wondrous.
Outside Deep City stretched the endless ocean, and within, the city was adorned with corals of every kind.
A warmth was quietly rising.
"Sister Bronya, you've been working so hard all these years~." Seele lowered her head slightly, gazing with heartache at Bronya's legs.
"As long as I can find Seele, everything is okay." Bronya smiled faintly.
A sense of fulfillment welled up from within her, spreading outward.
As they strolled, a group of beautiful jellyfish drifted over from the ocean.
"How is everyone doing?" Bronya asked. Seele had returned to Anti-Entropy earlier than her, so she knew more about how things were there.
"Everyone was really surprised to see me. Dr. Tesla has been teaching us, though she often gets driven crazy by Rosalia."
Thinking of that scene, Bronya's lips curved upward.
As the most lively troublemaker of the orphanage, Rosalia's grades had always securely occupied the very bottom.
Cocolia had long been troubled by it. Thinking of Cocolia, Bronya's expression dimmed slightly.
Though she still felt regret, for someone who had committed so many grave mistakes, even Bronya would not plead for her.
Besides, the fact that Anti-Entropy gave such a relatively lenient judgment for her countless misdeeds was already merciful.
"Careful where you step." Bronya reached down a hand in warning.
"Mhm." Nodding, Seele stepped on a coral reef with one foot, grabbed Bronya's hand with her right, and gave a light push.
Heave-ho.
The gorgeous reef stood tall, and reefs like this could be seen everywhere in Deep City.
Looking into the distance at the vibrant, miraculous underwater world, their eyes glowed with the colors of life.
"Seele."
"Sister Bronya."
At the same time, both softly spoke.
Meeting each other's gaze, they smiled.
Their hands held tightly.
"We will never be separated."
...
"Rosalia, you're heavy."
"I am not! I even had an extra meal last night!"
"???" "You'd better explain that properly."
Remembering the cookies that had been a level lower each morning for the past few days, Lilia, who had been squashed under Rosalia, stared at her darkly.
"Wait, Lilia, I can explain!"
"Heave-ho!"
Thud! Blue and pink, both of them toppled to the ground under Bronya and Seele's gaze.
Rosalia stood back up with a casual face, one hand on her hip, the other flashing a peace sign, and smiled.
"The world's cutest idol duo, the one and only!"
"has arrived," Lilia said weakly as she stood, reciting the catchphrase.
Determined to become the perfect idol, Rosalia had her own standards: an idol must always be cheerful and cute, no matter what!
"Seele, you're too sly, going to see Bronya by yourself."
Rosalia puffed her cheeks and jogged toward the two, swinging her arms freely.
"And Bronya, too, keeping it a secret." Lilia raised a small flag and ran after Rosalia.
"Rosalia, Lilia, what are you two doing here?" Bronya's eyes revealed her joy.
"Of course, the great Rosalia foresaw Bronya's return, so we came to welcome you!"
"Actually, Rosalia just couldn't stand Professor Einstein's homework, so she, um, slipped out."
"Hey! Lilia, you agreed too!"
"Because my homework is almost finished."
"Lilia, you traitor! We agreed to face it together!"
"That was just you talking to yourself."
The Vodka Girls were, as usual, endlessly bickering.
...
St. Freya Academy.
"Let me see… yes, this one goes here."
Fu Hua, standing on a stool, bit down on a ribbon lightly, her eyes reflecting a vivid red.
Pop. A chubby balloon gently brushed the ceiling.
Fu Hua smiled faintly.
"Done."
"Miss Fu Hua, could you hand me that?"
"Alright." In the kitchen, Mei was sharing cooking experience with Yae Sakura.
The final conclusion: the Kaslana family members must never be allowed in a kitchen.
"Isn't this rice ball a bit too big?" Mei tilted her head at the one Yae Sakura had made, larger than two fists.
"Eh? Really? Kallen quite likes them this way."
"Ah, I see… then it makes sense."
Hearing it was Kallen, Mei nodded in understanding.
The Kaslana family's appetites were as formidable as ever.
"Kiana~~." Mei's eyes narrowed as she slowly turned her head, staring at the girl who was sneakily eyeing the simmering pot.
"You can't eat yet."
Kiana blinked innocently, then chuckled sheepishly.
'Hmph, foolish human.' In her consciousness, the Herrscher of the Void turned her head in disdain.
In the living room. Two Himekos sat side by side.
"At times like this, drinking is the best." She downed a gulp of refreshing cold beer, smiling in satisfaction.
"Coffee isn't bad either, keeps you awake and clearheaded." The other Himeko laughed lightly, sipping her coffee.
"It's true, not bad at all." Staring at the ominous-looking liquid in that cup, Himeko decided drinking was, in fact, healthier.
Who said alcohol can't be good for you? This beer was positively life-giving.
...
...
The twins ran around the school courtyard.
Well, to be precise, only Rosalia was running wildly.
"So this is St. Freya Academy, where Bronya often stayed? It's so pretty!"
Seele's eyes sparkled, the academy perfectly matched her vision of a beautiful school.
She never thought she'd have a chance to enter such a place, let alone visit as an outsider.
"If you want to join St. Freya, you can say so anytime. We'd love to welcome you."
She truly hoped Seele would join the academy.
A natural Stigma bearer was rare indeed.
And according to Bronya, Seele had entered the Sea of Quanta before, someone who could withstand that environment, with training, could surely become an excellent Valkyrie.
"Really?!" Seele's eyes shone with expectation.
"I want to too! I want to!"
"Save it, Rosalia. You should worry more about what happens if you fail the next exam again."
"Lilia, you're always like this! You're the reason my motivation gets ruined!"
"Hehe." Durandal smiled at the sight.
Moments later, the sun sank completely, plunging the land into dusk.
Bright moonlight bathed every corner of the garden; the freshly watered plants glistened brilliantly.
Not far away, Benares folded its wings, lazily lying on the ground.
Kiana's left eye turned to a brilliant golden hue as she sat beside Benares, leaning against it.
Nearby, Stelle carried off even the potted plants.
March 7th happily snapped photos of the desserts made with Rita.
Peaceful days.
"Hold on, Stelle, put that bat down! And over there, Kiana, don't eat it yet!"
"Okay, okay, everyone hold still."
"Three, two, one, "
"Cheese!!!"
The colorful moment painted their lives, the world freezing in that instant.
...
Schicksal.
Void Archives naturally processed the documents sent from every base of Schicksal.
Carrying Otto's full knowledge and experience, handling these affairs was hardly difficult.
"Lord Overseer, here is the data you requested."
The door opened, and Amber walked in, her expression calm as she carried a stack of documents.
"Good. Put them there." With a slight nod, Void Archives smiled at this unique test subject.
In the quiet room, only the rustling of a pen against paper could be heard. The fragrance of ink lingered constantly in the air, intoxicating to the senses.
Behind her blindfold, Amber quietly watched Void Archives processing the files with ease without a single protest.
...
World Serpent.
"Lord, according to your orders, I have monitored the global Honkai energy reactions. Almost simultaneously, the Honkai energy across the world weakened to an undetectable level, as if something had changed."
Gray Serpent slightly bowed, his voice carrying faint excitement, like a pilgrim about to reach their sacred destination.
Gray Serpent himself didn't really care how Honkai was defeated. So long as there was Kevin, he was the sharpest blade in his hand.
"Herrscher of the End..." Kevin's gaze grew distant.
The name Herrscher of the End, he had heard it far too many times, spoken it far too few.
If he could choose, he would rather never hear it in his entire life.
But that was in the past, when the future seemed utterly hopeless.
In this era..."Herrscher of the End" was no longer unspeakable.
...
Jackal's laboratory.
"You really sent him just in time." Jackal crossed one arm before her chest, tapping with the other hand, letting out a soft laugh.
"A little later and he would've died?" Raven raised a brow.
"No, a little later and his backup energy core would have triggered."
"Hmm?"
"Literally. Before the modification, I implanted an energy device in him. If he can't be manually awakened during emergencies, the device would activate automatically."
"Judging by the state he was in, he was nearly frozen into an ice sculpture. Unless the device itself was frozen, it was about to trigger."
"And if it triggered? He'd survive?"
"No, his entire consciousness would have been transmitted far away before death."
Jackal chuckled, words so unsettling that even Owl, lying in the nutrient pod, twitched involuntarily.
"..." Truly a mad scientist.
Shaking her head speechlessly, Raven swore that unless she was on the brink of death, she would never let this woman touch her.
Who knew what kind of monstrosity she'd turn her into? Maybe even turn her into her codename for real.
And Raven had no interest in actually becoming a bird.
"Look, he's awake." Noticing movement in the pod, Jackal jerked her chin.
Inside the pod, filled with strange liquid, Chen Tianwu suddenly opened his tightly shut eyes, then just as quickly shut them again.
...
Watching him rub his eyes, Raven couldn't help shaking her head.
Good thing she never had the habit of opening her eyes underwater.And never would.
"You've snatched back a life... but don't expect another chance."
Looking at Chen Tianwu, silent on the sickbed, Jackal arched a brow.
...
"You're not planning to throw yourself into something dangerous again, are you?"
"...Can I ask... what became of the Herrscher of Ice?"
"The Herrscher of Ice? I don't know exactly. But I did see that short little S-rank Valkyrie from Schicksal carrying a blue-clad figure onto a ship."
"If I'm not mistaken, that should've been the Herrscher of Ice. Beyond that, I've no idea."
Raven spread her hands.
"So... she's fine."
From Raven's perspective, Night Owl, freshly awakened, was mumbling incoherently. Hard not to wonder if his brain was still frozen.
"Can I entrust you with something?" Suddenly, Chen Tianwu raised his head, looking straight at Raven.
"I am a seasoned mercenary." Raven, skilled and fluent, extended a hand.
...
Honkai Star Rail.
The galaxy shimmered, the cosmos lay silent.
"Preliminary confirmation: Judge Xueyi of the Ten Lords Commission aboard the Luofu, has recovered normal physiology."
Several high-ranking officials of the Alliance gathered together, their eyes glinting strangely.
"Incredible... truly incredible! A dead person has actually returned to life, this is... exhilarating!"
Excitement filled the people present. This was undoubtedly a monumental discovery.
It meant that the curse of the Mara, which plagued the Xianzhou for millennia, might finally be broken.
And if it spread uncontrollably... it could eventually mean the Xianzhou would fully resolve their greatest affliction.
...
Everyone present was shrewd enough to know what this implied.
For countless years, their race had endured endless torment from Mara.
They had squandered the precious blessings gifted by the Abundance.
Yes, in their eyes, the blessings of the Abundance were treasures straight from the skies.
And they weren't alone. Many scholars across the universe believed the same.
The Abundance's blessing promised fulfillment of any desire, regardless of race or origin.
But mortal bodies could not bear the burden. The side effects that followed made many resent, even hunt, the Abundance.
To those faithful to the Abundance, such people simply failed to comprehend the benevolence of the Master of Immortality.
Of course, the few present here held no such lofty ideals.
To them, if this solved Mara's affliction and gave them a way out of their long oppression, then everything was worth it.
And if they could monopolize this secret...
"Heh, I wouldn't dare think too far ahead. Do you not see? Even the mighty Arbiter-General was reduced to dust before Godzilla's might. Recklessness would only lead to self-destruction."
A Xianzhou man, appearing in youthful guise, waved his hands repeatedly. Yet his tone sharpened as he went on: "Have you forgotten how it carved its great reputation across the stars? To be safe, we must call upon the Seven Arbiter-Generals, with all divisions supporting, or else, failure is certain."
He looked around at the others, shaking his head helplessly. With so few of them here... how many Cloud Knights did they really have?
At his words, the atmosphere immediately grew heavy, as no one wished to be the first to sacrifice their forces.
After a moment of silence, a middle-aged official finally spoke.
"Gentlemen, we are gathered here to discuss a matter of great importance. We must not quibble over short-term gains or losses. Even a lion hunts a rabbit with full force. And what we face is no simple beast."
In truth, he too did not want to be the first.
But everyone else here were cunning foxes.
He had dealt with them long enough to know: they never act unless certain of their prey.
Yet while they could afford to wait, his people could not.
The decline of the Vidyadhara was accelerating.
If no solution was found soon, their clan would vanish alongside Long The Permanence.
Seeing someone take initiative, the earlier speaker quickly smiled.
"The Preceptor is right. If we sit in the same chamber, then naturally we must work together. Besides..."
"We don't need to fight to the death, do we?"
Hearing this, the Vidyadhara elder's expression eased slightly.
"The Vidyadhara cannot send many men. But in terms of supplies, we can assist."
"Of course."
Best not to push further.
The Vidyadhara were already declining. If something went wrong in this process, the consequences would be disastrous.
Clearing his throat, the man concluded:
"Gentlemen, I repeat: no need to throw ourselves recklessly. Each of us only needs to fulfill our assigned duty. Once the results are in, we may withdraw. All consequences... I alone shall bear."
No matter how high one's station, bringing a great enemy upon the Xianzhou was unforgivable.
The Xianzhou were always cautious in such matters. Once judgment was passed, there was no appeal, no matter who rose to power afterward.
Clearly, in confronting Mara, this man had already steeled himself for death.