"..."
"What's wrong, Kevin?"
Watching Vita depart the bubble world, Lynelle turned with a puzzled look to Kevin beside her.
"Nothing. Just seeing you two interact made me a little thoughtful."
He recalled how Vita had been trembling and wary when first brought here.
Yet, after just a short time alone with Lynelle, she'd already reached the point of bantering and joking with the girl without any reservations.
Combined with that unusual flush on Vita's face, Kevin felt like he'd just watched another episode of Elysia befriending the Flame-Chasers.
Back then, she'd also been adept at closing the distance with people.
He never expected that, even if the overall vibe and methods were different, her daughter would inherit that trait so perfectly.
"Really? I feel like you're thinking something very rude, you know..." Lynelle clasped her hands behind her back, leaning forward slightly.
"Don't go thinking any strange thoughts, okay? I'm just… good at handling girls like that, that's all."
"Not at all. But now that you mention it, there's something I should probably remind you about."
"What?"
"About your companion." Kevin's voice paused momentarily. "The one with the twin spiral drills."
"Near where you entered the Sea of Quanta earlier, I sensed an intense fluctuation from a Herrscher core. That child... she's probably about to complete the fusion with the core very soon."
"So fast..." Lynelle was taken aback. "It feels like we haven't accomplished much on our end."
"Do you need me to intercept her?" Kevin asked. "Mainly because I just discovered we seem to have a bit of a problem here ourselves."
"If necessary, I can prompt some Honkai Beasts to slow her down a bit. It would also serve as good practice for her abilities."
"That's fine, I suppose..." Hearing this, Lynelle knew Seele was likely about to reenact the game's "Cyberangel: ZERO Exception" iconic scene.
Still, she asked with some confusion, "But... what exactly is this trouble on our end?"
"Did Sa show up right after Vita left? But my Laurel Crown of Planar Shifts hasn't been triggered..."
"Ahem... It's nothing to do with Sa." A trace of embarrassment flickered across Kevin's face.
"Lynelle, try extending your spiritual sense a little and feel the state of this bubble world."
"Hmm..."
Lynelle closed her eyes. A moment later, she looked at Kevin, troubled.
"This... this isn't the normal operational mode for a bubble world, is it? This fragmented reenactment of history, the chaotic timeline... the internal structure of your bubble world, is it modeled after the Elysian Realm?"
"Mm, you're very observant. It is indeed." Kevin nodded.
"Having stayed here for so long, this bubble world has gradually been dyed by the shape of my memories. The fragments of the Previous Era you see are mostly automatically generated based on my memories."
"So, how does this relate to the trouble we're facing?"
"Have you forgotten? The girl I brought back, the one with the Herrscher of Death stigma and quantum adaptation talent. I placed her inside this bubble world."
Kevin reminded her. "Originally, I planned to talk with you briefly and then release her, so we could take her back to the main world together. But, after learning about Griseo and Sa from you, and then the subsequent series of events..."
"Uh..."
Lynelle made a face.
"Kevin, you... don't tell me you forgot about her?"
Kevin silently averted his gaze.
"What about now? What's Seele's situation?"
Don't tell me Seele has already experienced a full run of the Previous Era dungeon inside the bubble world?
If Seele came out and her first words were, "Beneath that cherry blossom tree, I promised her, I promised everyone—humanity will surely overcome the Honkai!"
Lynelle felt she'd genuinely see black spots and pass out.
If they turned the soft, adorable Seele into that, even if Lynelle kowtowed from head to toe in apology to 'Duck Duck', it wouldn't be enough!
"It's not as severe as you think." Seeing Lynelle's expression, which clearly read 'Fainted from anger caused by a Kaslana idiot,' Kevin quickly explained.
"While you were chatting with Vita alone earlier, I already noticed the problem and checked on her condition."
"Fortunately, she only experienced a few fragments of the Previous Era."
"'A few' meaning...?"
"Probably... the battles against the last few Herrschers." Kevin sighed. "If she had merely watched those memories, it wouldn't be a big deal."
"But the real problem is, as I told you before, the stigma on that child's chest is intricately linked to the Previous Era's Herrscher of Death."
"And when I paused the bubble world's operation, the child had just followed the phantom of my past self and... completely experienced the process of subduing the Herrscher of Death."
Lynelle sucked in a sharp breath.
"'Completely'... you mean, including the part where you were confused by the Herrscher of Death, hesitated for a moment, which led to the Herrscher of Death killing many people?"
Kevin nodded silently.
"How is she now?"
"Probably not well." Kevin answered truthfully. "The stigma personality within her seems to have awakened some memories because of this."
"Ever since I pulled her out of that memory, the child hasn't woken up. Her main personality is likely trying to find a way to help the stigma personality."
"The more critical issue is that the Herrscher of Death's core... seems to have sensed the presence of a suitable vessel, and is now becoming agitated."
"?!"
"Then, where is the core now?" Lynelle asked urgently.
"The moment I realized something was wrong, I temporarily fused the core into my body, forcibly suppressing it."
Kevin extended his arm, showing Lynelle his left hand. It was stuck in a cycle of being corroded by withering black mist—and then being regenerated by his Chimera healing ability.
"But... you should know this method only treats the symptoms, not the root cause."
"If she truly undergoes Herrscher awakening here, even if the Gen of Serenity is forcibly suppressed within my body, it will instantly decompose the moment she awakens, forming a new core within her."
"So..."
Kevin turned his gaze to Lynelle.
"Now it's your turn to act."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.