"Leaving already? Hmm... But why hasn't Lynelle woken up yet?"
Watching Lynelle slump back down the moment Mobius departed, Kevin fell into deep thought.
"Though perhaps it's for the best. Maybe Mobius received fragments of Lynelle's memories and took it upon herself to knock her out..."
Kevin sighed softly, conjuring a bubble with gentle ambient energy to carefully cradle the girl within.
He'd already sensed it—the girl who inherited the Herrscher of Reason's core had broken through the blockade of Honkai Beasts.
She was speeding toward him on that little motorcycle of hers. If he didn't hurry, they'd cross paths for sure.
After briefly sensing Seele's location, Kevin vanished from the spot, taking the still-sleeping Lynelle with him.
--+--
"Bronya, keep going forward!"
Not far from the world bubble where Kevin had been, a blue motorcycle carried a petite girl with drill-like twin tails, racing swiftly across the Sea of Quanta.
"If my senses are correct, the Serpent hasn't left the Sea of Quanta yet. He's inside that world bubble just ahead... Though I don't know why he's lingered here so long, this is our only chance to save Lynelle and Seele."
Welt's voice resonated directly in Bronya's mind.
Though Bronya had now inherited the Herrscher of Reason's core, due to its distributed core structure, Welt—despite having no body and his core changing hands—could still preserve his consciousness within it.
In fact, if he fashioned himself a new body, he could still wield the Herrscher's authority even with the core inside Bronya...
One could say Welt had truly engraved the Herrscher of Reason's power into his very DNA.
"Wait, Bronya, look out!"
Warnings from both Welt and Project Bunny blared almost simultaneously.
Bronya reacted instantly, executing a sharp drift to brake while multiple drone cannons materialized behind her—no need for commands, the Herrscher core's instincts already directed these creations of Reason toward a single point.
There stood a seemingly ordinary white-haired man.
Behind him floated a transparent bubble, inside which lay a pink-haired girl curled in unconsciousness—the very Lynelle who'd been captured by the Serpent while saving Bronya.
And... following behind him was a girl Bronya knew all too well.
"Seele?!"
Bronya's eyes widened.
"Seele, get away from there! That man is dangerous!"
"Bronya-oneechan..." Seele's expression dimmed. "I'm sorry, Bronya-oneechan... but I can't leave with you."
"Seele, what are you saying? That man is—"
"We meet again, Herrscher of Reason... and his successor." Kevin sighed faintly.
If possible, he'd rather not confront these two. From Lynelle's accounts, Bronya shared a deep bond with her, and Seele was Bronya's "childhood friend."
If he encountered Bronya while keeping these two with him, conflict was inevitable.
"As for this child... rest assured, I've done nothing to her. Rather, sending her back with you now would truly harm her. The only reason she maintains human form instead of forcibly merging with the Herrscher of Death core is because I'm suppressing the Gem of Serenity."
"Resisting the Honkai is our shared mission. I have no intention of making enemies of you... Leave now, and we can avoid a meaningless conflict."
"Pretty words! If you truly cared about Seele's safety, then what about Lynelle-nee?"
All drone cannons behind Bronya finished charging, poised to unleash upon Kevin the same barrage that had shattered Tlaloc moments earlier.
"Her identity is far more complex than you realize. In a way, she is the most crucial existence within World Serpent... I'm taking her merely to bring her home."
"Home? How convenient. Bronya is also here to bring Lynelle-nee home."
With a light hum, Bronya's vast array of drone cannons ignited simultaneously, unleashing a sweeping laser barrage toward Kevin's position—a few shots deliberately veered off course, attempting to breach the bubble trapping Lynelle.
"We will never let you take them away from here!"
Facing the overwhelming assault and the girl's resolve, Kevin remained unmoved, merely nodding slightly in acknowledgment.
"Admirable will... but can you stop me?"
A tidal wave of black and white energy surged forth behind Kevin.
He completely ignored Bronya's attacks, instead using the Herrscher core's coordinates to directly open a passage between the Sea of Quanta and the fundamental world.
As for the onslaught? With a mere sweep of the single wing behind him, the attacks scattered like leaves in a hurricane, vanishing without a trace.
With the covering barrage instantly cleared—Bronya, who had used it as concealment to charge toward Kevin on her vehicle, was now fully exposed before him.
"What—"
Amid the girl's shocked cry, the man previously locked on by Project Bunny vanished from her sight.
Then, searing pain erupted as the core she had so recently fused with was cleanly extracted by Kevin through some unknown means.
"Bronya Zaychik. You crossed countless world bubbles, bearing immense burdens to come here... Your body can no longer keep up with your will."
"Don't you lay a hand on her!"
The core in Kevin's hand shimmered as a brown-haired man materialized before him, lunging directly at Kevin.
Yet, dealing with Welt took barely seconds longer than subduing Bronya.
The sudden assault from the Anti-Entropy commander only caused Kevin's words to pause briefly before continuing.
"Until your body fully recovers, it's best not to fuse with this core again. While a Herrscher of Reason's body can reconstruct indefinitely, doing sit-ups like your predecessor here isn't a good habit."
By now, the passage between the Sea of Quanta and the fundamental world had fully stabilized. Kevin glanced at the secure gateway, motioning for Seele to enter first, then sighed and looked back.
"Whether it's Seele, Lynelle, or all of you—you possess the potential to become... This world needs people like you. And if you still worry for Lynelle and Seele's safety, perhaps you could visit World Serpent for a few days. I believe neither [her] nor the others would refuse you."
"Are you joking? I would never agree to such methods!" Welt retorted sternly, shielding the unconscious Bronya.
"Ah..."
Kevin sighed deeply.
"One day, you will understand."
"You know nothing of the Honkai."
--+--
T/N: Originally i was planning on keeping chaps per day at 3 even when I was paying for it out of pocket, but college is starting back up so ima lower it to two.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 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.