"Su, Silas, you're back."
Kevin leaned against the windowsill, greeting the returning Silas and Su.
On the bed, Kosma sat with his knees drawn up, still shaken ever since Dystopia's angry outburst. Seeing the two return, he hesitated, then finally spoke:
"Silas… have I… really changed?"
Silas narrowed his eyes at him. What now? Dystopia shuts herself off and you're shutting down too?
"I… I've always wanted to be a hero," Kosma muttered, staring at the clock on the wall. "But… did I ever become one? During the Fourth Herrscher incident, I strapped explosives to my back, ready to throw myself into a storm she created just to drag her down with me. During the Eighth, I couldn't even protect Dystopia. I promised her I'd practice the harmonica and play for her one day… Then came the Ninth. I couldn't save Ato… guilt and rage drove me into madness. If not for meeting the Fallen Angels you led, I don't even know what I would've done… And the Eleventh—"
"That's enough. No need to bring that up again." Kevin cut him off. You can reminisce all you want, but the one most crushed by the Eleventh incident was Silas, not you.
Kosma paused, then pressed on:
"Then came the Twelfth Herrscher. Until then, I never understood you, Silas. I always thought you were cold-blooded. But that time… you risked everything to protect Rin, never once fought back, even as Mobius scolded us for our uselessness. Only then did I realize what you'd been carrying all this time…"
He buried his face in his arms.
"…I turned down Vill-V's proposal. I let Griseo take my place on the Ark Project… I was obsessed with fighting the Finality, but in the end, I couldn't even help. Not at all…"
Su's eyes slid toward Silas, who had remained silent all this time. The Twelfth Herrscher incident—it was still a thorn in all their hearts.
No matter the past misunderstandings or grudges, what lingered afterward was only fury at their own helplessness, and guilt and sorrow for the one who had borne everything alone.
Silas waited quietly for Kosma to continue.
Kosma took a deep breath and raised his head again, locking eyes with him.
"I believe you and Kevin are both heroes—without question. So I've been wondering: what do I have to do to become a hero like you?"
"I'm not worth learning from," Silas said flatly.
Kosma glanced away, gaze fixed once more on the clock.
"I tried to think from your perspective, to judge as you and Kevin would. Looking at my past, I thought I made the same choices. I always wanted to be a hero… then why… why would Dystopia say I've changed?"
"It's just because you've seen more than she has," Silas said. "You've never changed, Kosma. In your heart, you've always had the answer. If you were ever given the chance to sacrifice yourself to overturn a no-win choice, you'd do it without hesitation, wouldn't you?"
Kosma's eyes sharpened.
"Silas… aren't you the same?"
Silas shook his head.
"Listen carefully, Kosma. What I'm about to tell you may overturn everything you think you know about me. First, let me answer your question clearly: I will not throw my life away so easily. If I am to sacrifice myself, it must have real value."
Kosma fell silent.
Silas went on.
"What do you see when you look at me? A cold-blooded man? Fair enough. Only a few know the truth behind the Rebel Purge. If you knew what really happened, you'd realize even 'cold-blooded' isn't enough to describe me."
"The Rebel Purge…?" Su's eyes opened at last. As Kevin's closest friend—and with Kevin being Mei' partner—he knew the story. Though the truth was hard to swallow, Kevin had dismissed it easily enough. If Mei said it was the best solution, then it was the best solution.
As for Su—through Cosmic Juggernaut, he had seen it. In other worlds where the rebels were accepted after their surrender, famine struck not long after. Settlements collapsed into chaos, order nearly dissolved.
But here, because Silas had made a ruthless, decisive choice that almost no one else in any world dared to make, humanity was spared famine-driven uprisings until the very end.
He had no choice but to admit—Silas had been right.
"Silas… about that…" Kevin spoke at last. He wanted to stop Silas from revealing the truth, because with Kosma's personality, it was almost certain to end in conflict.
After all… nearly a hundred million lives in Africa had been wiped out in that purge.
"It's fine. I think it should be said." Silas fixed his gaze on Kosma. "The Rebel Purge. I first unleashed Black Abyss White Flower's zero-rated power, directly obliterating the resistance command center. That single strike created the Sahara Desert and annihilated eighty percent of the resistance forces."
Kosma's pupils shrank sharply. He quickly turned toward Kevin, but Kevin closed his eyes—a clear sign he already knew. Then Kosma looked at Su, who only sighed, saying nothing.
Silas continued calmly, "After that, the remaining resistance surrendered. I accepted their surrender, confiscated their supplies. Then I had Beelzebub and Asmodeus make sure the matter was buried permanently."
"They… they had already surrendered, hadn't they?!" Kosma jumped down from the bed, rushing in front of Silas. Because of his shorter height, he could only grab Silas's hands and demand an answer.
"Between two evils." That was Silas's only reply.
Kosma wanted to press further, but Kevin spoke instead: "Fire Moth never had a protocol for handling the resistance. From the very beginning, they never intended to let Silas leave a single one alive."
Kosma froze. That incident—he had only ever heard fragments from others. Back then, he was still in Mobius's lab, undergoing treatments to repair his body after Active Honkai Reaction.
He had never imagined the truth would be like this. He had never imagined Silas would be capable of such a thing.
Even if the higher-ups had given no orders, Silas shouldn't have…
"If the resistance had been integrated, humanity would have faced shortages that led to countless problems." Su finally spoke, his voice heavy. "From the perspective of the bigger picture, Silas's decision was without question the best possible choice."
Kosma staggered back a few steps, staring at the three men in disbelief. Kevin and Silas were expressionless. Su's eyes carried helplessness… and sorrow.
Two evils, weighed against each other. No path but resignation.
"That's why I don't want you to become someone like me," Silas said.
Kosma stared at him, countless thoughts churning in his mind.
(Silas really did that… but why? No—Kevin and Su knew as well. If it were Kevin, would he have done the same? Even if he was willing, would others have agreed? No… only Silas, with the Thirteen Fallen Angels under him, could have carried it out. And Su—he carried out the VALUKA Project. If he said this was the best option, then it couldn't be wrong… but still…)
"Kosma, if you think this is the kind of hero you want to become, then let me tell you—such heroes are not so easily made." Silas's voice was calm.
Kosma closed his eyes, thought for a long moment, then opened them again, staring firmly at Silas. "I understand."
All three looked at him.
"I still cannot be sure whether I would ever make the same choice as you," Kosma said steadily, "but I will do everything in my power to prevent such a moment from ever arriving. Even if it costs me my life. Before the day comes when we must weigh between two evils, I will strive within my power to find another way—to have both."
"Then I'll be watching with interest," Silas said, spreading his hands.
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