"Killing a God who won't hold back at all... You're really making things difficult for me, Snow."
"That Otto... Even though he never said it, I could tell he used his own personality to control the Authority and gave an ocean's worth of leeway."
"Your divine persona probably wouldn't give that much leeway. No, she'd likely go all out, wouldn't she...?"
Kiana sighed helplessly, looking up at the girl seated on the throne before her. She grumbled about the impossible task Snow had assigned her.
"You're not alone, Kiana. The backup I've prepared for you goes far beyond just you..."
"Sister? Or Mei...? No! Maybe Sister could handle it, but Mei...!"
Snow cut off the Knight's protests.
"It's Welt Yang..."
"Teacher Yang...? But his body has long since..."
"Long since worn out? Don't listen to that old geezer's lies."
Snow rolled her eyes dramatically.
"That old geezer will be running around everywhere in the future, even hopping into parallel worlds for fun!"
"Uh..." Kiana scratched her head awkwardly, feeling slightly embarrassed.
"I commissioned Welt Yang to build a special warship... its name is the Brilliant Covenant."
"Mounted atop the Brilliant Covenant is a highly unique main cannon—her core isn't a traditional focusing crystal or an energy containment field..."
"It's an Imaginary Branch imbued with the power of the Sea of Quanta. When the main cannon is fired at full power through this branch..."
"—As a symbol of binary opposition, it can briefly seal or suppress the Authority of an Imaginary God. All you need to do is kill the other me in that moment."
The blonde girl gazed earnestly at Kiana, awaiting her response.
"...If we succeed, the Honkai will disappear, right?" Kiana asked, looking at her golden-haired companion, waiting for her answer.
"No. Moreover, losing Honkai energy isn't necessarily a good thing, Kiana. It would render obsolete vast amounts of advanced technology currently used by Schicksal and Anti-Entropy."
"And humanity isn't the only civilization in this world. There are other civilizations that have also passed the trials and harness Honkai energy... and they aren't always our friends."
"Every star in the heavens above humanity could become our enemy—"
"The only benefit of this plan's success is that there will be no more Great Honkai Eruptions or Herrscher births. Having defeated the 'God,' you have, in the symbolic sense of the Imaginary Tree, passed the final trial, allowing civilization to develop sustainably."
"This is the true future, the only genuinely viable path forward."
"Sealing Honkai energy... is ultimately just escapism."
Snow shook her head, revealing the true significance of the plan to the Knight.
"The future, huh? I understand now... Then, I choose to join this plan!"
The White-Haired Knight extended her hand toward the golden-haired girl seated on the Throne—
"Welcome to the Divine Authority Squad... or rather, the Divine Authority Project, Miss Kiana."
Their hands clasped, sealing the covenant.
-
"Come to think of it, could we use this Main Cannon to blast your Dad in his False God form?" the White-Haired Knight Lady suddenly wondered, turning to Snow.
"I won't allow that ending you saw to come to pass," Snow declared. "He's my father. I won't let him abandon me and Mother alone."
"I refuse to accept it, now and forever."
The unyielding words flowed from the golden-haired girl's lips.
"The 'love' of the Apocalypse family is truly twisted in its own way," Kiana muttered, shrinking back from Snow's sudden intensity.
"...But if that's the case, how will Sister Kallen ever return?" Kiana asked, shrinking back from Snow's sudden intensity.
"...That's precisely why I've given you this quest, and why I've dragged so many others into it," Snow replied.
"I want to create new possibilities in the timeline—a history where Kallen Kaslana survives, where your mother Cecilia Schariac lives, and where a certain kind old gentleman gets to live on."
"Then, we'll replace or overwrite the old history... The price for this is that you must gather your forces and defeat that 'me'."
"Even though the ending seems like a happy one, and it sounds great, Snow, you're really playing with fire... Does Kyuusyou even know about this?"
Kiana stared at Snow, her curiosity piqued as she awaited her reply.
"No idea."
A bluntly honest and utterly irresponsible reply.
"Uh, are you sure she won't beat you up or pin you against the wall for a kiss or something?"
"Is that all?"
The golden-haired girl's tone dripped with confidence and disdain, the aura of someone who had never known defeat.
"What if she gives you the silent treatment? ...And, speaking of which, how is Otto going to explain himself to Sister Kallen?"
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Snow froze for a moment, caught off guard by Kiana's next question. She braced herself against the back of the Throne, kicked her legs up, and sprawled out, going into full "lazy mode."
"Is this how everyone in the Apocalypse family handles problems they can't solve???"
"Exactly. Especially emotional issues. Worst-case scenario? We'll take a beating. If they can kill us, go ahead."
Snow delivered this utterly reckless answer with a perfectly serious expression.
"Don't suddenly start slacking off now!"
"Is there anything else? If not, I'm leaving," Kiana asked, glancing at the blonde girl still slumped on the throne.
"Yes, there is. Even though you're just acting out the script, remember to mask your true state when you return. With that look in your eyes and your hair dyed blonde, Headquarters would mistake you for Durandal herself. Try to act a bit more clueless."
"Especially on the Schicksal Floating Island. When it's time to relinquish control of your body to that poor kid, do it without hesitation. Don't give anything away. Once Auntie Himeko gets pulled into that child's imaginary space, you know what to do."
"The Gem of Haste is embedded in her armor. Hurry and transform."
"Oh, and remember to inject that serum into Auntie Himeko. It's for saving her life. After that, leave everything to Kyuusyou. She'll secretly take Himeko to a safe place to recover."
"One more thing... that troublesome child who will emerge from Fu Hua's body. Just keep placating her. A one-year-old is easy to fool, so don't be a blockhead and start brawling with her again."
"Ugh... how am I supposed to trick her? That girl's stubbornly convinced she's Fu Hua!"
Kiana scratched her head in frustration.
"If Welt, the First Herrscher, can have two versions, why can't Fu Hua have two? Just tell her that! How hard is it to fool that little idiot?"
"Doesn't your conscience hurt when you trick someone so naive?"
"Nope, I actually enjoy it."