A godspeed strike.
Welt, who was already incredibly wary of the spatial rift, couldn't react in time before he collapsed under the opponent's fist.
For a Herrscher, this was simply too bizarre.
Due to his excessive vigilance, Welt had already activated the [Imaginary Barrier] he possessed as a Herrscher.
Relying on this barrier, he should have been able to defend against some high-intensity attacks.
Even if the opponent's attack was too strong, this barrier should have at least blocked the attack momentarily, giving Welt time to evade.
But Welt, now collapsed on the ground, only realized the enemy's existence at this moment.
*Too fast, and...*
*Too strong.*
*One strike shattered my barrier and completely incapacitated my body in the process.*
*And this was a hasty strike. If he were fighting seriously on the battlefield, he could have taken my life with a single blow.*
"Welt!"
Seeing the somewhat familiar white-haired man pick up the Star of Eden, Siegfried nervously slashed at the enemy before him.
"Siegfried..."
Hearing his friend's call, Welt spat out a word with incredible difficulty.
"Run... quickly..."
*This guy is not in the same league as us at all.*
*He is... far stronger than Sirin was in her prime...*
Then, spitting out fragments of his internal organs, Welt fainted completely on the ground.
On the other side, Siegfried's attack...
—Naturally, it couldn't possibly work on the man before him.
In the distance, Durandal and Theresa saw that the sword Siegfried swung was already ignited with terrifying flames.
Judgment of Shamash, the Divine Key bearing the name of [Destruction].
Among all Divine Keys, the Judgment of Shamash had the strongest output. And after switching from pistol mode to greatsword mode, this strike from the Greatsword of Shamash was something even Sirin during the Second Honkai Eruption wouldn't dare to take lightly.
But the man in front of them, holding the mimicked Star of Eden created by Welt in one hand, grabbed directly at Siegfried's Judgment of Shamash with the other.
In everyone's eyes, this was undoubtedly an act of courting death.
But just as the man made this move, some changes suddenly appeared on his body.
After Siegfried activated the Meta-Morph Factor, parts of his limbs would become like those of a Honkai Beast, and a half-mask resembling a Honkai Beast's carapace would appear on his face.
And the white-haired man before them now exhibited changes similar to Siegfried's.
Honkai Beast limbs and carapace appeared simultaneously on the young man's body.
The moment the transformation was complete, the man gripped the blade of the Greatsword of Shamash.
The scene of flames incinerating the enemy did not appear, after all...
—That terrifying cold air had instantly frozen the flames that should have ignited.
What made Siegfried feel even more terrified was that, facing the enemy directly, he could tell that the opponent's attention wasn't on him at all.
That man did turn his gaze after glancing at the mimicked Star of Eden, but his gaze didn't stay on Siegfried; instead, it lingered on the blade of the Greatsword of Shamash.
"Long time no see, old friend, and 'Eden'."
This indifferent remark contained a thick sense of nostalgia.
But for Siegfried, this sentence was enough to make him feel cold all over.
Using the Meta-Morph Factor, he should have at most felt his physical body becoming cold.
But realizing that the opponent had blocked his killing move with a casual wave of his hand, Siegfried felt more than just his body turning cold; he felt his heart go cold.
"Wait, you are...!"
*This guy is the Soldier Kevin?!*
"Ah, my descendant?"
Looking at Siegfried who had liberated the Meta-Morph Factor, Kevin spoke indifferently.
"You've already liberated the Meta-Morph Factor... but it looks like you can't control this power very well."
Snatching the Judgment of Shamash directly, Kevin tossed the mimicked Star of Eden into mid-air, letting the Divine Key float beside him, then looked toward Theresa and Durandal in the distance.
"Oh? You two also have the 'Kaslana' bloodline."
"Heh. To think I would encounter three of my 'descendants' after escaping the Sea of Quanta. Fate is truly indescribable."
"Descendant?"
Durandal, gazing at that man, couldn't understand Kevin's rhetoric at all.
"What... kind of nonsense are you talking about?"
"He's not talking nonsense."
Siegfried, having been robbed of his Divine Key, spoke coldly to his daughter behind him.
"Kiana, this guy is the warrior of the Previous Era, Kevin. At the same time, he is the original ancestor of our Kaslana clan."
"You and Theresa retreat first; I'll hold this guy back!"
In Siegfried's words, Durandal could feel that although her father's tone was incredibly cold, he was genuinely worried about her safety.
Combining that with how her father reacted right after Welt fell...
*No, that's not right, now isn't the time to think about these things!*
"Dad, I'm not a child anymore."
Taking out the Holy Sword Durandal, Durandal, wielding two weapons, immediately readied herself for battle.
"Without a Divine Key, your strength is inferior to mine. If we have to fight the enemy, I am the most suitable choice."
"Shut up! Don't be willful at a time like this, Kiana!"
"Theresa, take her and leave immediately! Immediately!"
*I failed to protect you back then, causing you to nearly die.*
*Now, how could I watch my daughter face danger in front of me again!*
"Siegfried... Kiana, let's go!"
Seeing the scene before her, Theresa immediately walked to Durandal's side and whispered.
"He has a way to escape. If we stay here, we'll likely just be a burden—go, go now!"
"But..."
"My descendants, why do you harbor such great hostility toward me?"
Watching the three performing this melodrama, Kevin spoke speechlessly.
"I didn't intend to engage in a life-or-death duel with you... No, I can't even find a reason to fight you."
?
??
???
Siegfried, who had already developed a death wish, was dumbfounded upon hearing this.
"Hah? You came up and robbed me and Welt of our Divine Keys, and now you tell me you have no hostility toward us? Are you kidding me???"
"No, the Judgment of Shamash was originally my possession. I merely retrieved my old friend. As for this mimicked Star of Eden..."
Kevin glanced at the still unconscious Welt and spoke indifferently.
"He is a Herrscher. Is there any problem with a member of the Kaslana clan attacking a Herrscher?"
Although to Durandal and Theresa, this sounded like twisted logic, for Siegfried, who had 'seen' Kevin before, Kevin's words...
*Make so much sense.*
*Absolutely no flaws.*
*The Judgment of Shamash is indeed his thing; he was the one who used this sword to beat the Herrscher of Finality into a crash.*
*And Welt... well, he is indeed a Herrscher.*
*Without knowing Welt's background, it's indeed not wrong for our Ancestor to beat up a Herrscher.*
*Wait, putting it that way, if we explain it clearly, we don't have to fight?*
*Although it sucks for Welt, this ending... wait, he is the top dog warrior of the Previous Era!*
*Divine Keys are powerful armaments forged by people of the Previous Era, so this Ancestor of mine definitely has a way to prove I wasn't hypnotized by the [Key of Consciousness]!*
*Haha, Otto, you bastard, no matter how much you calculate, you couldn't have imagined we'd meet a senior from fifty thousand years ago, right?*
*Hehehe, as long as the Ancestor can prove I wasn't hypnotized, then Kiana will naturally know what shitty things that bastard Otto did and what lies he told back then.*
*It's all over.*
*As long as my daughter returns to my side, I can reunite with my daughter and wife.*
*Then I'll introduce Kiana to Kiana... wait, why did I name them both the same name back then?*
*Ah, this is trouble.*
Watching his descendant who was already envisioning the future, Kevin sighed slightly.
Although he truly bore no hostility toward these descendants of his, this middle-aged man had completely lowered his guard just because of a few words and started fantasizing about things.
*Sigh, have a little vigilance.*
*If you're like this, you'll easily suffer losses when fighting the Honkai.*
The originally sword-rattling atmosphere suddenly softened a lot amidst Siegfried's silly grin and Kevin's helpless sigh.
However, Durandal and Theresa, who hadn't figured out the situation at all, exchanged glances—and still didn't relax their vigilance.
Although this white-haired man named Kevin indeed showed little hostility toward them right now, the invisible oppression he exuded couldn't lie.
This man named Kevin was truly strong.
Strong enough that even if they gave it their all, they would struggle to defeat him.
Faced with such a terrifying powerhouse, being careful was the right path.
If nothing else, Welt lying on the ground wasn't much weaker than the two of them.
After the two sides met, Welt was insta-killed with one punch before he could make a move. This combat power...
The one who didn't let his guard down was already down. If they didn't raise their vigilance to one hundred and twenty percent, would they be doing justice to the opponent's terrifying strength?!
"Um, how should we address you... Lord Ancestor?"
Looking at the grinning Siegfried, Kevin said plainly.
"Just call me Kevin."
"Okay, Brother Kevin—that unlucky guy at your feet is a Herrscher, but he is on the side of humanity."
"Back during the Second Honkai Eruption, didn't some idiot jump out and interrupt his attack? He would have finished off the Second Herrscher right then—he's one of us. How about you calm down and stop looking like you're ready to kill him anytime?"
"Is this true?"
Glancing at Welt at his feet and recalling the commotion before he came out, Kevin thought for a few seconds, then used the power of the Star of Eden to float Welt's body over to Siegfried.
*Wow, Ancestor Kevin is so easy to talk to.*
Confirming that Welt was only heavily injured, Siegfried let out a sigh of relief.
Although Welt could resurrect as long as he had his core, his strength would be weak after resurrection, and it would probably take another decade of squatting in a pit to recover to his prime.
If possible, Siegfried still didn't hope to see his old friend turn from a core back into a Herrscher, get beaten half to death, and then turn from a core back into a Herrscher every day.
Even if he wouldn't die, it was too torturous.
"Time is urgent, so I'll keep it short," Kevin said indifferently facing his three descendants.
"Humanity has very little time left. In a few more years, the Herrscher of Finality will descend upon this Earth once again."
"As a loser who fought the Herrscher of Finality and failed, I can tell you clearly that we humans have no chance of winning against the Herrscher of Finality."
"Don't look at me like that, you two."
Facing Durandal and Theresa's suspicious gazes, Kevin looked at Siegfried and continued.
"If you have liberated the [Kaslana Clan's Power of Salvation] like he has, you should also be able to see the images I left within that power."
"Siegfried, what exactly did you see back then?"
Hearing Kevin's statement, Theresa immediately asked.
"What he said..."
"It's all true. I saw it in that strange space. The Herrscher of Finality is indeed a powerful enemy that we humans cannot handle. But the problem is—only a few years?! Isn't that time too short???"
"Yes. In a few years, the Cocoon of Finality will hatch the Herrscher of Finality, and then everything will return to the cycle of nothingness."
"Therefore, I need people who can become my 'limbs' to assist me in completing that plan."
"The saving [Project Stigma]. As long as we can complete this plan... oh?"
Sensing a powerful force suddenly falling from the sky, Kevin suddenly closed his eyes slightly.
Then, Kevin opened his eyes again, a trace of an inexplicable smile appearing on his face.
"It seems today is destined to be a gathering of the 'Kaslana' clan."
Recalling the scene when the two met, Kevin turned his gaze to the armored figure falling from the sky.
"The fifth Kaslana has appeared. And if I'm not sensing it wrong, you and I have met once before."
"It's you, isn't it, Aaron."
............................