Chat group, if you have anything to say to my Holy Sword,

"Kiana...Kiana..."

In her hazy state, Kiana seemed to hear a voice she knew so well, a voice so familiar it was deep within her soul, whispering in her ear.

But how could that be? She...she clearly already...

However, the sound didn't stop; instead, it grew clearer. At the same time, she felt a warm hand gently pinching her cheek. This touch jolted her awake, and she was instantly confronted with a face she would never forget.

"Hime..." Kiana's throat was dry, and she was almost choking, "...Himeko!"

Himeko Murata frowned. "Call me Teacher Himeko at school!" She released her grip, put her hands on her hips, and looked down at Kiana. "And you! Stop sleeping in class every time! What were you doing last night?"

The slight pain and the familiar movements had a tremendous impact. It all... felt so real! It couldn't possibly be a dream!

"Stop sleeping! Come to my office after class and explain!" Himeko turned around, walked back to the podium, picked up the chalk, and continued lecturing.

Kiana sat frozen, her heart pounding, her mind a jumble. Himeko-sensei…is back? Where are Xiling and the others? Why am I all alone here?

Just then, another familiar voice gently sounded beside me:

"Kiana...?" Raiden Mei leaned closer, her eyes filled with concern. "Are you alright? Are you feeling unwell?" Her hand hesitantly touched Kiana's arm.

That care and warm touch felt like a heavy hammer blow, and Kiana stiffly turned her head away.

She finally met that gentle face—Mei.

"...Mei."

-

The soft sofa sank in as Remy sat quietly, her gaze slowly sweeping over the noisy scene before her.

Ribbons, balloons, cheerful music, and her smiling companions surrounding her.

"What's wrong, Remien? It's your birthday today, cheer up." Mostima gently placed a birthday crown on Remien's head.

"Yes, it's your birthday today, sister! We're celebrating you getting another year older!" Exusiai, as energetic as ever, leaned close to her, her tone full of sincere congratulations.

“I think you don’t need to bring this up, Xiao Le,” Fiameta said irritably.

Gazing at the birthday party everyone had meticulously prepared for her, feeling the familiar liveliness and warmth, a genuine smile slowly crept onto Remien's lips. "Thank you all, I'm very happy," she said, her voice soft and gentle.

Just then, a calm and gentle voice came: "The cake is here."

Remien turned her head to look in the direction from which the sound came.

Andorn.

He stood there, a gentle, all-encompassing smile on his face. He carefully held a huge birthday cake in both hands.

He placed the cake in front of Remian and said softly and clearly, "Happy birthday."

"Happy birthday!" Her companions greeted her in unison, laughter and applause filling the air and enveloping her in warmth.

-

"...What kind of unofficial historical records are these?" Seated on the throne of Elden, the faded one's face remained calm, but inwardly, turmoil was brewing.

He opened his eyes and found himself sitting there for no apparent reason, while below him, countless figures bowed their heads respectfully, as if welcoming the arrival of a new king.

He's no king! If you want to worship a king, go find that guy Xiling! He's just a mere magician.

“World bubbles…tsk, troublesome.” He quickly made a judgment in his mind, “Someone must have forcibly dragged us into different world bubbles when we entered.”

Just as he was pondering to himself, Montgomery respectfully held a crown in both hands and walked solemnly toward him step by step.

The coronation ceremony has begun.

-

Within the barrier separating the Sea of ​​Quanta from the real world, a figure resembling a young boy was panting heavily. His body flickered with light and shadow, like a candle in the wind, as if he might vanish completely at any moment.

He is a fragment of will left behind by Walter Young—Joachim.

His mission is to guard this barrier, prevent lost souls from straying into the dangerous Sea of ​​Quanta, and test those who attempt to cross it to inherit the "Core of Reason."

But today he encountered something terrifying: the snake that had been blocked by the barrier appeared right in front of him!

In desperation, he forcibly activated his power, throwing the snake and its companions into a randomly generated world bubble.

These world bubbles are like intricately crafted cages, reflecting the deepest desires or regrets of intruders, weaving incredibly realistic illusions, with only one purpose: to trap them and buy time.

But one of the figures was intercepted, and the one who was intercepted was the snake he believed to be.

"Who exactly is it?" Joachim asked, puzzled. In this place, only the snake and himself could do such a thing.

"If that was a snake, then who was that person who looked exactly like a snake just now...?"

-

The pungent smell of blood rushed into Kevin's nose. Kevin had never smelled such a strong stench of blood before, but his steps did not falter, and his expression did not waver. He walked on the road paved with blood, heading towards the figure at the end.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the unchanging scene of purgatory finally changed. The pool of blood beneath their feet began to reflect the outlines of mountains of corpses.

At the same time, a voice that seemed to originate from the world itself suddenly resounded: "This is the first battle fought between humanity and the Honkai. Humanity has defeated the Herrscher of Reason."

Kevin continued forward. With each step, a new image was forcibly imprinted into his mind.

The Second Herald is victorious.

The Third Herald wins.

The Fourth Herrscher was defeated after causing casualties in several cities.

The Fifth Herald is victorious.

The Sixth Herrscher... defeated.

Kevin's mind was filled with the image of the white-haired warrior whose hesitation had caused countless casualties.

Kevin's progress did not stop because of this.

The Seventh Herrscher—plunged Australia into a sea of ​​fire, burning countless lives to death, and triumphed.

The Eighth Herrscher – caused numerous deaths, and was defeated.

The Ninth Herrscher—devoured the entire Mu Continent, causing its social structure to collapse, human society to disintegrate, and ultimately triumphed.

The Tenth Herrscher – Victory.

The Eleventh Lawgiver – A Pyrrhic Victory.

The Twelfth Herald—predestined humanity's defeat.

The Thirteenth Herrscher - Return.

The final battle – everything was burned out, and 10 hours were gained.

When that man dragged his weary soul back to the familiar yet strange Earth... he was greeted only by the cold body of his lover.

The previous civilization was declared over.

The end of the world.

This is the legacy of that man, the man named Kevin, that was directly imprinted on him—the most real and cruel legacy of the pre-civilization era.

[Kevin] stared at the young face, a face almost identical to his own when he was young. There was no surprise in his eyes, only a hint of indescribable complexity.

He didn't know how the other person got there, but he knew that the other person was his former self.

He had countless times indulged in reminiscing about the past, missing what had been, missing her... Therefore, he was absolutely certain that the young figure before him was his former self.

"What's your name?" Kevin asked, staring into that resolute gaze.

“Kevin Kaslana,” Kevin said to the man, uttering the name he had used to introduce himself to countless people.

“...Kaslana, you shouldn’t have this surname.”

“Is that so?” Kevin took a step forward, ripples spreading from the pool of blood beneath his feet. He looked directly at the other man and asked, “So, what’s your name?”

“...My name is Kevin.”

Upon hearing the name, Kevin's lips curled up. "Yes, your name is Kevin. Kaslana means nothing to you anymore, so..." Kevin's expression suddenly changed, and his blue eyes turned into a blazing sun.

"I will bear it! I will fulfill this responsibility! I will protect those I must protect!"

[Kevin] silently gazed at the soul before him, who possessed his past face but burned with a completely different flame. In those young eyes, there was only a burning persistence, a kind of almost insane courage and belief that would carry out the path he had chosen to the end, even if it meant going against the whole world.

He gazed at himself, yet it was as if he were gazing at a completely unfamiliar being. [Kevin] slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the last faint ripple in the depths of his eyes had vanished completely, leaving only indifference.

“Even if I laid bare all of this… all of humanity’s struggles, failures, pain, and despair before you…” his voice carried a judgmental pressure, “do you still believe you can bear all of this?”

“It’s not what I think!” Kevin suddenly raised his hand and pointed to the sky. “It’s that I have to bear it all!”

“…Very good.” [Kevin] knew that any words were superfluous at this moment. A terrifying sense of oppression emanated from him, and his cold and serious voice rang out as he faced the figure watching him.

"Then leap over my body and fly to a sky higher than mine. If you can't even do that, everything you cherish will turn into a dream. Come, Kevin [Kaslana]."

-

Kiana stood silently at the door of the teachers' office, her fingertips hovering over the cold doorknob, but she hesitated to push it open.

Just then, the door was suddenly pulled open from the inside.

Himeko Murata looked at the girl in the doorway with a helpless expression. "Kiana," she sighed, "it's not like it's your first time reporting to the office. What are you standing there for, spacing out? Come in already."

Kiana lowered her head and silently walked into the all-too-familiar office. She stood in front of the desk, listening to Himeko-sensei's equally familiar admonition.

"...So did you even listen to me..." Himeko's sharp voice abruptly stopped. Her gaze fixed on Kiana's lowered face—a single tear was uncontrollably sliding down the girl's cheek.

"Kiana?" Himeko's voice instantly filled with worry. "What's wrong?"

As if startled awake, Kiana hurriedly raised her hand to wipe away her tears, but the more she wiped, the more tears flowed. Panic, unease, and deep-seated sorrow surged forth.

“I…I’m sorry, Himeko-sensei…” Her voice choked and broke, leaving only futile repetitions of “I’m sorry…I’m sorry…” Each “I’m sorry” carried fear and sorrow.

The next second, a familiar and warm embrace held her tightly.

"It's alright, it's alright," Himeko's voice became incredibly gentle. "What exactly happened? Tell me."

However, this warm embrace and gentle comfort acted as if opening a floodgate, causing Kiana's suppressed pain to completely burst forth.

"I'm so sorry! Himeko-sensei!" she cried out in despair, clutching Himeko's clothes tightly. "It's all my fault! If it weren't for me... if I weren't so useless... you wouldn't have died! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!..."

She poured out her pent-up guilt and longing incoherently, knowing full well that the person in front of her was not her, yet she could not stop talking.

Just as she was sobbing uncontrollably, a sigh sounded, followed by a hand gently stroking her head, and then a voice clearly rang in her ear: "Kiana, I have never regretted saving you."

Kiana's crying stopped abruptly, and her body froze.

The voice continued, carrying a comforting power: "There's no need to feel guilty about my choice. It was the path I chose, and although there are some regrets, I'm satisfied. Because I saved you—my student."

Gazing at Kiana's astonished and incredulous face, a slight smile played on her lips: "My journey ends here. But your journey, Kiana, has a long road ahead." Her fingertips gently brushed away the tears on Kiana's face, each word like a brand: "Keep moving forward. Transform this imperfect story into the form you desire."

Finally, Himeko's gaze seemed to drift slightly into the distance. "Alright, stop crying. Your friends are here to pick you up."

-

As the joyous birthday party drew to a close and the noise subsided, Remy sat quietly on the soft sofa, the wine in her glass swirling gently. Looking at the familiar smiling faces before her, feeling the warmth in the air, she murmured softly, as if speaking to herself: "It really...is something to miss."

-

The crown was carelessly tossed on the ground.

All those who bowed their heads suddenly looked up, countless gazes shooting towards the throne like sharp arrows, filled with shock and bewilderment.

Faded One, facing the astonished faces of those people, spread his hands and shouted.

"Even if I wanted to be king, I would not be a false king in this false world."

The instant his words fell—a beam of light!

A sword light, without warning, tore through the spatial barrier between the Sea of ​​Quanta and the Barrier Node! This all-pervasive sword light precisely and perfectly pierced through the core of the World Bubble where Kiana, Remian, and the Faded One were located!

A straight slash simultaneously appeared on the barriers of the three world bubbles that were originally operating independently and without interfering with each other!

Where the sword's mark passed, the structure of the world bubble crumbled instantly, like a shattered mirror. The heartwarming birthday scene, the magnificent and solemn throne room, the familiar campus office… all the fabricated images began to vanish like snowflakes!

"How is it possible to be so fast!" Joachim exclaimed incredulously.

The World Bubble was supposed to weave a unique illusion for each intruder to lure them into its trap. Even if there were occasional strange actions that responded reasonably, it would never be possible for all four of them to break free from the illusion at the same time!

However, his shock came far too soon.

The sword light that severed the world bubble still possessed considerable power, and in the next instant, it precisely struck the barrier that separated the quantum sea from the real world! In Joachim's perception, that barrier, like fragile glass, was... cleaved in two by that sword light!

The barrier... disappeared.