"Power's coming back—slowly, but enough."
Kevin nodded in satisfaction after absorbing the last of Chiyou's energy. At this point, forcefully breaking out of the Sea of Quanta was no longer a real challenge.
But without coordinates for the real world, such a gamble would be unwise. Who knows what kind of weird place he'd end up in?
"Hm? You're done absorbing it? Then come slurp noodles already—if you wait any longer, it's gonna turn into mush."
"I'm coming."
Even though his strength had returned, the white-haired boy in front of him still acted like none of it mattered. Elias casually handed over a steaming bowl of instant noodles.
Kevin felt conflicted. Elias reminded him of someone—someone vibrant like a burst of flying petals.
Someone who, no matter how long it had been, still found ways to make him helpless.
If you asked Kevin whether he was happy or annoyed about Elias' presence, the answer was clearly the former.
After all, he'd been imprisoned in the Sea of Quanta for so long. While solitude couldn't break his will, who wouldn't welcome a visitor bearing information, energy, and instant noodles?
Still, this whole "friend" thing—Kevin felt Elias should probably take that back. Nothing personal, he just… wasn't good for his friends.
Pretty much every one of them had met a tragic end.
"Anything you want to ask me? If it's something I can say, I'll tell you. No cryptic riddles, promise."
"You'll tell the truth?"
"Of course. I hate lies. If I don't have to lie, I won't. That's called honesty and authenticity~"
"..."
A certain pink-haired trickster's image flashed through Kevin's mind. He shook his head, eyes still full of doubt.
Lying was practically a human instinct.
"Last time, you said this era's Herrschers retained their humanity. Is that really true? Any concrete proof?"
That was the question Kevin voiced—but there was another one he held back: whether Elysia was still alive.
He didn't dare ask.
Because if Elias were to lie, it would be there—and Kevin wasn't sure he could take that.
He wanted, with all his heart, to believe his comrade was still alive.
But he couldn't bring himself to confirm it.
So instead, he asked about something else he cared deeply about: whether Herrschers in this era still possessed human hearts.
"Oh? You still don't believe me? Well, that's perfect. If you'd asked something else, I might've had trouble proving it—but this? I'm the best possible evidence."
Elias flashed a bright smile, patting his chest with pride.
Kevin blinked, not quite understanding.
"You're the evidence? Why?"
"Because I am a Herrscher of this era~"
"!!!"
Kevin's eyes widened in shock.
"You're a Herrscher? But… you don't have a core."
"Hey now~ Who brings the jail key when visiting an inmate? I left my Herrscher Cores with my girlfriend."
Elias shrugged.
He knew Herrscher Cores carried real-world coordinates and connected to the Imaginary Space—a constant source of high-density Honkai energy.
In the original timeline, Welt got beat half to death by Kevin for bringing a core into the Sea of Quanta. If not for his passive skill—Resurrect by Sit-Up—he would've died for sure.
Showing up in front of Kevin with a core was just asking to die. Elias wasn't about to make that kind of rookie mistake.
"Don't doubt it—I may not have the cores on me, but I've still got some Herrscher powers lingering inside. Look~"
Elias snapped his fingers.
In the next instant, flames from the Herrscher of Fire, green wind from the Herrscher of Wind, spatial gates from the Herrscher of the Void, black mist from the Herrscher of Death, and purple lightning from the Herrscher of Thunder all manifested around him.
Kevin sucked in a sharp breath.
This frigid block of ice, whose expression hadn't changed in millennia, was once again stunned into a reaction by Elias.
When Elias first claimed he was a Herrscher, Kevin didn't believe it. A Herrscher with such humanity? The only one he'd ever known like that was a certain pink-haired fairy.
There could never be a second Elysia.
Even Seele had once said that within the vast Sea of Quanta, there was no record of someone like Elias. But the same was true of Elysia.
Even in a sea of infinite possibilities, the likes of Elias and Elysia did not reoccur.
They were miracles among miracles.
Daughters of stars and moonlight. Travelers from other worlds.
And now, Elias was demonstrating five different Herrscher abilities before Kevin's eyes.
"You… You mean to say…"
"Mhm~ Exactly what you're thinking. I used to be a five-core Herrscher. Back when the Honkai energy sealed on the moon—the one containing your era's Herrscher of Finality—was released, I absorbed it. That was how I first encountered the Will of the Honkai. And… I tricked it into giving me four extra cores! Cool, right?"
Elias proudly put his hands on his hips.
Honestly, if it hadn't been for a certain dog-tier schemer ruining everything, the current era might have cleared five Herrscher-level crises in a row.
No massive eruptions. No catastrophes.
The old civilization had paid dearly—whole continents and multiple major cities wiped out. Tens of millions dead—before the Herrscher of Fire even appeared.
Compared to that, Elias' present era had gotten ridiculously lucky.
Kevin couldn't hide the envy on his face.
If something like this had happened in the Previous Era, MOTH would've thrown a month-long party.
"Alright. This time, I believe you."
"Ehh~ That's all the reaction I get? Kevin, you're no fun."
"…Someone else said that to me before."
Despite his usual expressionless demeanor, Kevin was clearly pleased. Elias had just given undeniable proof—and yes, he was the best possible evidence.
A Herrscher so rich in human emotion—it was hard to even imagine for someone from the Previous Era.
And having this young Herrscher stand with humanity? It boded extremely well for the new civilization.
But still…
Kevin wasn't going to give up on the Stigmata Plan.
It wasn't about being stubborn or clinging to the past. The Stigmata Plan was a surefire way to defeat the Honkai. A last-resort guarantee.
It was a safety net that hopefully would never need to be used—but one that must exist all the same.
Until they crossed the threshold of the Herrscher of Finality, no matter how well the fight seemed to be going, nothing was certain. And the Stigmata Plan was the one backup that couldn't be allowed to fail.
...
Slurp~ slurp~ slurp~
Ssssssssss~ BURP! (???)
The two quickly fell into noodle-slurping bliss. By the time Elias hit bowl three, Kevin was already on his seventh.
Elias could only raise a thumb in defeat.
Elias: "I admit it—for now, you're still the superior noodle slurper, Kevin."
Kevin: (Heh. I've had tens of thousands of years of practice.)
Once done, Elias used his Herrscher of Rebirth power to dissolve the empty containers into nothingness.
After all, littering isn't a good habit. Elias nodded in satisfaction, thinking he'd just discovered another creative way to use his Herrscher powers—no more taking out the trash.
The two of them chatted a while longer. Kevin asked questions about the current civilization, while Elias inquired about the previous one. Both found the exchange enlightening.
"By the way, since you've got nothing better to do down here, I've got something for you."
"Elias, what are you planning."
Kevin's guard went up. He admitted their current rapport was decent, but he knew the white-haired boy in front of him was absolutely not someone to blindly trust.
There was probably a trap hidden in the very next sentence.
Elias pulled a hurt expression. Seriously, this ice cube was impossible to warm up to. He brought him noodles, fed him Chiyou, kept him company—and Kevin still suspected him?
Well, okay, maybe locking him in the Sea of Quanta had something to do with that. But hey—that's what happens when you try to implement the Stigmata Plan.
"Relax. All I'm saying is—I found you a punching bag. Something to spar with while you're down here."
"Dare I ask… What is this 'punching bag'?"
"Sa."
"Slurp?"
"Venus."
"Ah. Got it."
"You sound disappointed."
"...That's your imagination."
Kevin crossed his arms, face blank. This was exactly why he kept a poker face—because it made awkward moments the other guy's problem.
Elias rolled his eyes and dropped it.
"Anyway, Sa is like a parasite that's been siphoning energy from the Sea of Quanta for ages. She's growing by absorbing all that power, and her ultimate goal is to replace the Cocoon of Finality."
"Huh?!"
Kevin's brows furrowed. Okay, that sounded serious.
"She's not as dangerous as the Cocoon right now, but if we leave her alone, she'll eventually pose a serious threat to Earth. And since you're just hanging around here, might as well use her for target practice."
Elias waved it off casually. Sure, that 'eventually' might be very far off—but preemptive measures never hurt.
Kevin pondered for a moment, then responded flatly:
"I refuse."
"Why?"
"Based on your description, I think I've already encountered Sa before. She was weak. Pathetic. The moment she sensed me, she bolted. Probably fled far from Earth's sector of the Sea of Quanta by now."
Kevin shook his head. Even with his powers not fully restored, Sa had been terrified of him.
Sure, she might be a potential threat someday—but certainly not in the next few centuries.
And with Kevin stationed in Earth's local server of the Sea of Quanta, Sa would never dare come close.
"She hasn't provoked me, and I have no reason to waste time hunting her down. She's cowardly and fast. I'm not squandering my energy."
Kevin's tone was as cold as ever.
Besides, even if the odds were slim, there was always a chance.
A chance that the World Serpent might finally figure out how to bring him back.
If that happened while he was away in some distant pocket of the Sea of Quanta, what then?
No way. He wasn't budging.
"Griseo."
"Hm?"
"Griseo got caught by Sa."
"!!!"
It took Kevin exactly one second to go from calm to completely unhinged. The usually stoic face of the strongest warrior of the Previous Era now radiated murderous intent.
Elias stared back at him and said coldly:
"If I remember correctly, before Su sent you down here, Griseo—the one assigned to the Ark Project—had already lost contact, right? Well, let me confirm it for you: Sa captured her."
"You're serious?"
"I swear it... on my face."
Elias raised three fingers solemnly.
Kevin took a deep breath, closed his eyes, then opened them again.
"Sa, huh... then she's courting death."
"Agreed. That creature's really asking for it."
Of all targets, Sa just had to pick Griseo.
She was the treasure of the Flame-Chasers, adored and protected by even the most volatile like Kalpas or the most twisted like Mobius. No one dared let a single scratch touch her.
Griseo, bearer of the Signet of Star, was the reverse scale of all the Chasers—a pure, untouchable little cinnamon roll. Even more adorable than Kiana!
Kevin would never forget the way she used to call him "Uncle Kevin." She was the child of his comrade.
And someone dared harm her?
Well then, Sa—you just signed your own death sentence.
"Can she be saved? Earlier you said 'captured'—so that means..."
"Exactly. Griseo's alive. But for now, she's too far away to rescue."
"Understood."
Kevin let out a heavy breath.
After the Ark Ship lost contact, the Chasers had feared the worst, with no way to confirm Griseo's fate. Elias had finally provided an answer, and that brought Kevin a measure of relief.
Though he was still confused how Elias knew so much, like Welt before him, he didn't pry further.
Everyone had their secrets. And this boy was clearly on humanity's side—that was all that mattered.
"So you've made up your mind?"
"Yes. I'll hunt Sa to the ends of the Sea of Quanta."
Kevin's voice was serious, resolute.
Sa had already rooted herself too deep into the Sea of Quanta. Even if she'd run far, Kevin would eventually find some trace—some tendril—to follow.
She might be cowardly, she might run fast…
But if she dared touch Griseo, then she could forget about escaping.
If Kosma were still around, he'd probably be rampaging already, screaming about devouring Sa whole.
(Well, the Gray Serpent crew probably won't rescue me anyway. Might as well eliminate a future major threat to Earth while I'm stuck down here.)
Kevin Kaslana: shameless double standard, now online.
"Seems like I don't need to say anything else. In that case, I'll handle the Finality in the physical world—you handle Sa in the Sea. Oh, and by the way… there's someone you might run into. Don't get fooled by appearances."
Elias suddenly remembered and added a warning.
Kevin looked at him, curious.
"Who? One of Sa's subordinates? Someone stronger than her?"
"No. She and one of her underlings look... very similar to your old friend, Su."
"A female version of Su?"
"Kevin, your eyes just lit up."
Elias jabbed him in the ribs, smirking.
"Got something bold in mind, huh?"
"Ahem! I do not."
"You better not. I'm warning you now—she's bad news. You can't handle her. If you hesitate, she'll trick you. Just go in swinging."
Sure, Kevin was strong—but he was still a Kaslana. Elias had zero faith in his EQ.
Hopefully he wouldn't let his feelings interfere just because the enemy looked like his bro.
"And remember to check back from time to time. If things change in our war with Honkai, I might need to bring you back to the physical world."
"Understood."
Kevin nodded seriously.
He knew Elias was partially using him. But if it meant helping his comrades and fighting Honkai, he didn't mind being used.
Elias smiled. Kevin's favorability score just went up another notch. At this rate, he might unlock the Previous Era dungeon soon.
"Only one thing left."
"What is it, Elias?"
"Give me the Cosmic Juggernaut's beacon."
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