After fully deciphering the Herrscher of the Void's powers and the dimensional knowledge that came with them, Nagami's control over space and time had ascended to an entirely new level.
In Honkai Impact 3rd, even the fusion warrior Su could use the Second Divine Key to freely observe and connect the Imaginary Tree and the Quantum Sea.
So what could stop Nagami, who had completely mastered the Void's authority?
For him now, traversing ordinary parallel worlds was child's play.
In fact, he could do even more outrageous things—like creating entire world bubbles within the Quantum Sea at will.
Worlds filled only with beautiful girls who all adored him? He could make those too.
But really, where was the fun in that? At best, that would just be the "realistic version" of an ultra-immersive dating sim.
A very expensive one, at that.
If this were the usual Nagami and Lumine—those two degenerates with no sense of restraint.
They'd probably be secretly launching the Honkai × Genshin Paradise Project in the middle of the night.
"Let's go," Nagami said with a calm smile that no biologist or psychologist could find fault with. "Time for a little trip through parallel worlds."
Lumine wasn't shocked for long.
The flood of dimensional knowledge that had brushed past her mind had already given her some mental preparation—and besides, she and Aether naturally possessed the power to cross between stars.
"Parallel worlds!? Nagami, are you saying that beyond this door… there's another world!?" Paimon gasped, flailing her tiny hands as her petite body leaned forward in excitement.
At this moment, the little mascot might as well have been the incarnation of a thousand curious questions.
"That's right," Nagami replied smoothly. "On the other side lies my world."
A pure violet hexagram shimmered, casting a soft glow over Paimon.
Nagami's tone didn't waver in the slightest, even as he faced the real Paimon for the first time.
His expression remained composed, his words steady as he answered her endless stream of questions.
"Come on, Lumine! Let's go already! I can't wait to see what Nagami's world looks like!" Paimon fluttered excitedly, waving her tiny arms and stamping her feet.
"Mm~" The golden-haired traveler followed with light, eager steps, a soft hum escaping her lips.
————————————————————————
The metallic chamber they entered was made entirely of soulium, exuding a chillingly advanced aura.
In the center of the great hall, a massive serpent emblem coiled in a circle—an ancient, ominous symbol.
A white-haired man sat upon a throne, his expression unreadable, calm to the point of emptiness.
Rows of followers lined both sides of the hall, gazing up at him with reverence, admiration… and a mix of other emotions.
Only Raven looked slightly awkward.
After all, she had witnessed Kevin, just moments after returning from the Quantum Sea, accepting a bowl of ramen from Gray Serpent with the solemnity of a divine ritual.
With no Judgment-class Honkai beasts to absorb for energy, even this version of Chiyou's strength would easily surpass a weakened Kevin.
Without his usual energy reserves—the "giant one-time battery," so to speak—Kevin had no choice but to take two full months to recover a fraction of his former power.
Now that he'd regained enough strength, he summoned every high-ranking member of World Serpent for an audience.
After all, it had been fifteen hundred years since their "master" had last walked the earth.
To many, he was no longer a man, but a legend—a totem.
Naturally, he had to demonstrate power befitting the master of World Serpent.
"Lord Kevin!" came a sharp voice. "My research is almost complete. Just one final verification, and the Stigmata Project will have no further obstacles. Why stop now!?"
The scientist Jackal's voice was stiff, her frustration barely contained.
She had been tirelessly pushing the project forward, dreaming of the day her lord would lead humanity onto a new path.
And now—he had just called it off.
It was like working day and night on a design project after your boss gives you the theme, only for him to say at the last moment, "Good job, but we're scrapping this idea."
Any normal person would want to slap the design documents on that boss's desk and yell, "I swear, I'm your father!"
So the fact that Jackal was only complaining a little showed just how loyal she truly was.
Kevin raised his head, his icy blue eyes locking onto his followers. He wasn't angry.
"This is a deal I made with someone," he said calmly. "World Serpent's ultimate goal is to defeat Honkai. As long as we reach that end, the process doesn't matter."
His trust in Nagami wasn't without reason.
During his time in the Quantum Sea, Kevin had observed the outside world through quantum entanglement.
He didn't fully understand how this strange 'Herrscher of Reason' named Nagami had become such a wild card—but watching him turn every Herrscher into an ally?
That was something even MEI hadn't accomplished.
If he could rally every Herrscher to stand against the End itself, the odds of victory would far exceed those of the Stigmata Project.
"A deal?" Jackal frowned, glancing at Kevin's impassive face.
The other World Serpent executives exchanged wary looks.
"Could it really be stronger than the Stigmata Project—"
Before she could finish, Kevin's emotionless eyes suddenly narrowed.
He stood, turning his gaze toward the air above.
The icy blue of his irises flashed like frozen lightning.
Everyone followed his line of sight—just in time to see three figures slowly manifest in midair.
A black-haired young man, a golden-haired girl, and…
What in the world was that thing?
Some kind of… armed puppet?
———————————————————————
Daily Uploads!
Unlock bonus chapters by reaching specific milestones with [Power Stone] votes!
Go to p-atreon.com/InsomniaTL to access more than 50 advanced chapters.