The battle between powerful beings who could be called gods in the Earth-Moon system shook everyone's nerves, making them all feel the imminent threat of annihilation.
Trouble-free ordinary people slept soundly in their dreams as part of the 'Spiritual Adam'; the brave heroes dedicated to saving the world pressed on with difficulty, even knowing the path ahead was fraught with danger.
And on the floating island of Schicksal, which was battered by the tides of the Imaginary yet still stood tall, a girl with gray hair and green eyes looked up at the sky, sensing the god-like power and the resolute will to die within it.
"Elysia, aren't you going to see Kevin one last time?"
Kevin, that man would no longer exist in this world from tomorrow onwards.
His name would become a taboo in human history, vilified by a fearful humanity.
Because he was the destined loser, the destined loser in this conflict of ideologies.
And history... is often written by the victors.
Today was the last chance for old friends like them to see Kevin one last time.
Elysia also looked up, gazing at the sky with Fu Hua.
Her eyes held sadness, yet also anticipation for the future and affirmation for Kevin.
"Hua, have you heard of Icarus?"
"I know. He and his father were trapped on an island. They made themselves a pair of wings with feathers and wax, but because he chased the sun, his wings melted, and he ended up drowning in the sea."
"Then, Hua... do you think Icarus knew that his wings would be melted by Apollo's scorching sun?" Elysia's expression was gentle, her gaze as if it had crossed an infinite distance to see the man who was transforming into 『Deliverance』.
"He knew, but he would still do it."
"Yes, Kevin is just like Icarus. Even knowing that the borrowed wings on his back would be melted by Apollo's scorching sun, he would still fly towards the sky without hesitation."
"Because this is the mission and responsibility he bears. Right now, this is what he lives for."
"He is willing to burn everything he has, to let his falling body become a ladder for those who come after to walk towards the future."
"He chose to exchange his own death for the future of human civilization, so that this world can have a more beautiful tomorrow."
A smile appeared on Elysia's face, yet crystal tears flowed from her eyes.
She was mourning Kevin's destined death, but also happy for the morrow of human civilization and the fulfillment of Kevin's wish.
The beautiful girl bravely looked straight ahead, just as she had fifty thousand years ago when she watched her comrades march onto the battlefield, knowing they would die.
"Bless him, Hua."
"We should be happy for a better tomorrow, and happy that Kevin can finally find peace."
...
The flaming sword of tribulation blazed, like the fire of divine punishment about to be unleashed from the hands of a god, yet also like the light of hope that ushers in a new beginning.
Although this point of light was so small against the backdrop of the deep universe, it captured the attention of everyone on Earth, as if drawing all their gazes.
Kevin Kaslana raised his sword and pointed it from afar, declaring on this final stage that the moment that would decide the fate of humanity and civilization had arrived.
"Regardless of the result, regardless of what tomorrow will be like, we must determine a winner."
This god-like man waved his weapon, drawing a cross in the air and tearing space apart.
A mysterious space, as deep as an abyss and as vast as a sea, appeared before him. Karma Demon Kevin threw himself into it without hesitation, displaying everything he shouldered.
"Come, all that I bear."
The mysterious, abyss-like world swallowed Karma Demon Kevin, only to have something even more terrifying and powerful ravage this world in the next moment.
A Honkai Beast...
No, it was the Chimera that bore the power of the End, the obsession for the continuation of civilization—Deliverance.
The humanoid Honkai Beast was incredibly tall. The winged figure was like a god who ruled the world, trampling the entire world under its feet. The authority of thermodynamics became its scepter of absolute rule, making half of this world bow at its feet.
Brahma's Hundred Beasts are bestowed upon this body, the 'Karma Demon' enters the abyss, 'Deliverance' draws its sword.
This is the Chimera of humanity, the endpoint of the Stigma, the 'Sword of Civilization' that surpasses 'Finality'!
It is the very first... 'Inscription of Deliverance'!!!
"Step forward! Miracles of this era."
"The ideals of the masses are woven here into a single great wish. Our duel will decide the future fate of this planet."
"If you cannot defeat me, you will have no way to carry the dream known as the 『Project Ember』."
"Come! Load our lives into the chamber, let us bet everything we have, and let human civilization overcome its childhood!!!"
The low male voice boomed, yet it was not as swift as the god's judging blow.
In the vacuum of outer space, sound can only be transmitted through Honkai energy. But before the sound could reach Kevin's opponents, the attack from 『Deliverance』 had already arrived, descending like divine punishment.
*BOOM—!!!*
The stage for battle was forged with the power of the Chimera; even a Herrscher would find it extremely difficult to damage a corner of it.
But under this terrifying blow, the entire world instantly shattered into pieces, bombarded into the most primitive particles, expanding the stage into the infinitely vast, dark universe.
However...
Even such a terrifying attack, powerful enough to kill any Herrscher in an instant, did not harm Kevin's opponents in the slightest.
The primordial Imaginary authority was activated. The blazing stream of fire that was about to scorch the false god was corrected in an instant.
The purple cross-shaped stars in Kiana's eyes shone brightly. The terrifying attack surging towards her was banished towards the sun in the next instant.
"Kevin, behold our power!" The snow-haired Herrscher of the End urged her power, commanding the scattered Honkai energy in the void to gather into an army.
She was the Herrscher, she was the Honkai, she was the undisputed god of Earth!
The authority of the Herrscher of Reason was activated. The Power of I-reckon was omnipotent.
An attack almost identical to Kevin's previous one dominated the world, nearly overwhelming this grand stage.
Deliverance Kevin's sturdy armor was also scarred by this blow, but this equality only brought the man endless joy.
"Walk over my corpse! Towards a new era!!!"
Space-time was pierced through. The wounds on the man shouldering the 『Inscription of 'Deliverance'』 had not yet healed, yet he had already crossed the constraints of time and space in an instant, cleaving at his two opponents with a single sword strike.
No fear, no dread, no apprehension...
He only sought a battle to his heart's content, only wished for the people before him to be able to step over his corpse and lead human civilization towards a future without the Honkai.
*Boom—!*
The jet-black substance perfectly parried the blow. So-called techniques lost all meaning at this moment.
The strong sharpen their claws, the weak train their minds.
When one becomes powerful enough, all battles return to their most primitive form, a collision of raw power.
It was just that Kevin's power came from the Chimera and the power of the End that he had stolen, while the false god Brian's power came from the infinite Imaginary Space.
Both were a matter of taking what you wanted, but the upper limit of power the latter could obtain would undoubtedly surpass the former.
"Kevin, your era is over!"
A golden light bloomed. The evolutionary ability of the ultimate lifeform led its host to continuously evolve during battle.
The massive Honkai energy collapsed into a material form under the will of the End. The Cocoon of Finality provided the Herrscher girl with powerful computing power and usable knowledge, and the Power of I-reckon allowed her concepts to take shape. An attack almost indistinguishable from a two-dimensional plane unhesitatingly carved a long wound on the man's body.
One against two. Even if his combat experience had reached an unimaginably high peak over his long life, simultaneously facing two enemies of the same level was undoubtedly a considerable challenge for him.
But it didn't matter.
He was going to die anyway.
Deliverance Kevin was Icarus chasing the sun. Even if the borrowed wings would one day be melted by the blazing light and heat, he had already seen the dawn of this hundred-million-year-long night, seen the hope of a beautiful future.
Even if he fell into the deep ocean to become one of the corpses buried by history, he would do so gladly.
Death was what he sought. Eternal peace was his release.
To step over his body was the future of civilization; to move past his shadow was the hope of the world.
*Bang—!*
The defense constructed by the combined power of Chimera and Finality was shattered. The power of the Stigma's endpoint was fragile and broke at the first touch.
Death followed like a shadow, yet Deliverance Kevin only felt the future and hope drawing near.
"Excellent! Excellent!!!"
The majestic giant was in a sorry state during the battle, all his defenses broken one by one.
He fought to the death with the true future god of Earth, letting blood and pain leave marks of glory on each other's bodies.
Deliverance Kevin continuously lost parts of his body, letting his corpse be forged into a ladder towards the future.
Even if the battle was long and drawn out, no matter how long the slaughter, there would eventually be a moment when the curtain fell, putting a period on everything.
*DONG—!!!*
The white, inorganic armor crumbled. The god-like body ultimately could not withstand the combined devastation of the Herrscher of the End and the false god, and it disintegrated in the depths of space.
The battle... was over.
The white-haired man, with only a breath of life remaining, was content. He felt that the arrival of death finally gave his nerves, which had been tormented for fifty-five thousand years, a chance to relax.
At this moment, this man with the will to save the world was like an ordinary, sunny young man.
"You've won. From now on, you are the gods of Earth."
"The remnants of the Stigma Project will also be under your control. This world will revolve around your will."
Death was approaching.
Deliverance Kevin was no longer the god who could dominate this world, but just an ordinary person who could finally fulfill his wish.
Brian, who wielded the authority of the Imaginary, approached the man without any defense, the unhealed wounds on his body proving the man's respectability and power.
He was a hero, a powerful opponent worthy of being remembered.
"Kevin, thank you..."
The voice gradually faded away.
The aura of peace finally gave Kevin the tranquility he had longed for.
In a daze, he heard someone say to him, "Kevin, it's been hard on you all these years."
In the distance...
The call of 'Boss Kevin' was full of intimacy. The cake the pink-haired beauty had specially prepared for today was full of warmth.
Was it real? Or an illusion?
Kevin didn't know.
But there was one thing he was very clear about...
'I can finally rest a little...'
...
"As expected, the Sovereign has failed." The brim of her black hat was pulled down. The mercenary lady in 18cm stilettos seemed to be able to see the result in the starry sky, her gaze crossing the boundless deep space.
The battle that shook the entire Earth-Moon system was over. The shameful Herrscher of the End and the false god had ganged up on their great Sovereign two-on-one, leading him to defeat.
The world was freed from the stasis created by the Stigma Project. The masses, immersed in their dreams, would reawaken, allowing this world to continue spiraling through contradictions towards a new future.
But!
"Time to run, Hare?" Raven asked the person beside her.
That man had become even stronger, strong enough to contend with their Sovereign.
Although Kevin's defeat was what he sought, it still couldn't deny that man's power.
In the face of such immense power...
"..." Raven could even feel the heat transmitted to her by the Honeysuckle Crest. She even felt her internal organs unconsciously contracting.
It was a woman's nature to be drawn to strength. The thought of such a powerful man having designs on her made her feel a little wet.
But her dream was just to own an unsinkable island and adopt a few cute children.
Having one of her own... she'd rather not.
Run, must run!
Being wanted as a remnant of World Serpent was a small matter. If she were caught by that man, she would truly be in for it.
The snow-haired woman also withdrew her gaze from the starry sky. "This is not escaping. It's just cleaning up the mess for our past comrades."
Misteln's smile was as gentle as ever, making Raven almost think she was really seeing the Schicksal Saintess who had saved her life.
Too similar, too identical. No wonder that guy had ideas about this one too.
"Now that the Stigma Project has failed, the thoughts of all living beings will combine with the power of the Stigma, creating shadows that are full of lingering attachment to this world."
"The shadows on Earth will be dealt with by those lovely Valkyries. We'll go and retrieve the shadows that have fallen into the Sea of Quanta."
The reason was very good and powerful, and also very high-sounding.
The World Bubbles in the Sea of Quanta are created and destroyed in an instant. In the blink of an eye, who knows how many are born and annihilated.
Even if they ignored the things that fell into the Sea of Quanta, they would be destroyed in the tide of collapsing World Bubbles and couldn't exist for long.
But as an excuse to leave Earth and avoid the heat for a while... it was perfect!
"We'll do as you say."
As partners in crime, and soon to be wanted by Schicksal, Raven naturally trusted Hare very much.
Suddenly, a sense of alert appeared in the mercenary's magnificent crimson vertical pupils.
"Who's there!? Come out!" Her sense of crisis detected a powerful presence approaching. It must be a Herrscher from Schicksal.
"Alright, alright." A girl with gray hair and red eyes materialized from nothing, appearing before Hare and Raven.
It was the Herrscher of Sentience.
"I say, you two subordinates of Kevin, are you just going to run away into the Sea of Quanta with your tails between your legs?"
Raven's muscles tensed, not letting her guard down just because the Herrscher of Sentience had come without hostile intent.
The snow-haired woman beside her smiled gently, full of the same tenderness for all things as her prototype. "We can't help it. Our Sovereign has already obtained the future he wanted. We poor losers can only find our own way out."
"So you're planning to run into the Sea of Quanta to escape my master-assaulting rebellious disciple?"
The term 'master-assaulting rebellious disciple' made the two World Serpent executives share a tacit understanding. They saw an opportunity for peaceful coexistence with this Herrscher.
"It seems our great Lady Herrscher of Sentience is also troubled by her disciple."
When her sore spot was touched, the Herrscher of Sentience couldn't help but show a pained expression. "Although I'd like to take you back to enrich my good disciple's harem, when I think about that disrespectful Old-timer and my rebellious disciple having ideas about me, I can't help but want to clean house."
Ah, this...
"..." Raven and Hare exchanged knowing smiles.
Didn't an opportunity for cooperation just present itself?