Daughters of the Sea/Dialogue

* Daughters of the Sea
* Side Content

…It is something that can’t be denied even if you try.

…

…

**Vita:** I’m Vita…

**Vita:** …I love you all.

*The girl’s body faded quickly, melting into the air and ultimately dissipating like salt snow.*

*Everything happened so quickly that even the two well-informed witnesses found themselves momentarily lost in thought.*

*Indeed, that’s the natural order of things. Death rarely comes with a warning. It strikes suddenly, leaving a cruel outcome for the wishful mortals. It is unreasonable, unsympathetic, and unequivocal.*

*Survivors would naturally try to search for a reason that didn’t exist: Was it because she was closest to the passage of Stigmata Space at the final moment? Or did her powers trigger some unknown laws when she predicted the path?*

*But they had no way to be sure. The only girl who could give them a clear answer was gone. Perhaps she had the chance to glimpse the truth hidden in the shadows at her final moments before disappearing, but her last words were: “I love you all”.*

*Instead of leaving the truth she found, her will, or advice, she only left behind a confession of her love. Isn’t making such a romantic exit exactly something that Vita would do?*

**Seele:** Vita… she…

**Seele:** So that means the communication that was just cut off really was…

**Shigure Kira:** I’m sorry… we were right there, but we could only stand by and watch her vanish in the blink of an eye.

**Seele:** It wasn’t your fault, Miss Kira. Not even someone like me who has inherited the Sage’s power could sense anything in advance in this world.

**Seele:** Anyway… we need to figure out what happened.

Their plans had failed and an important companion was killed suddenly. Even so, as enforcers tasked to save the world, everyone present managed to keep their calm as befitting of their role.

**Seele:** According to our original plan, Susannah would return to the proper world through Misteln’s passage after she completed her mission.

**Seele:** However, in the next instant, the passage connecting us with the proper world disappeared, and Vita who was about to reinforce the passage also…

**Seele:** …

Everyone’s attention naturally focused on Misteln, who was both a witness and an involved party.

Prometheus: Vita and the passage were both affected by something at the same time. Is that right, Misteln?

**Misteln:** I… I think so.

**Misteln:** There was a huge shock when the situation changed and the communication was cut off. Fortunately, those parts that had been converted into building materials had a weak connection with me, or else I would have dissipated too.

**Shigure Kira:** …If I didn’t see it happen with my own eyes, I might even suspect that this woman was playing another trick. Yet it’s true… Vita and the passage disappeared before our eyes.

**Schrodinger:** You used the words “cut off” just now, Miss Misteln.

**Schrodinger:** Unless I’m mistaken… Are you more inclined to believe that the disappearance of Vita and the passage is the result of some external force?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Geez, Doctor, you should just get to the point.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Can I say that someone set us up? Was this the work of that Sa you mentioned?

The mysterious power in the Sea of Quanta, Sa, is comparable to the Cocoon of Finality. The party only learned of this existence recently because of Shigure Kira… Things are really unpredictable.

**Misteln:** I have no evidence to prove whether it is Sa or not, but I did feel some intervening force the moment before the passage was disconnected.

**Shigure Kira:** That’s in line with our previous guess… If we plan to flee with Sa’s world, it definitely won’t just sit there and do nothing.

**Schrodinger:** I miscalculated. I was hoping to avoid Sa as much as possible, but I didn’t expect that we might still alarm it anyway.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** I hope this Sa shows itself! You’ve made this Sa sound so amazing, but it’s hiding and playing us like a coward. What’s up with that?

**Prometheus:** It’s hard to say. Maybe it’s not only powerful but also very cautious.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …

**Seele:** So… is that why it targeted Vita?

**Seele:** Sa wanted to stop us from the shadows, so that’s why it targeted Vita, who had the power to deduce future events? Otherwise, Vita would have noticed its intervention.

**Schrodinger:** …That’s quite possible.

**Schrodinger:** But that also means this is just the beginning. From now on, we might… have to fight Sa, an existence on par with the Cocoon of Finality.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** That would give us the chance to fight it and take revenge for Miss Vita…

*The Herrscher of Sentience’s heroic words were interrupted by some kind of sudden noise. Meanwhile, everyone noticed her projection had somehow changed…*

**Herrscher of Sentience:** What’s wrong, Seele? Why is it…

**Shigure Kira:** Herrscher of Sentience? Seele?

**Prometheus:** Our communication has been cut off.

**Seele:** It’s not just our communication… I also feel something affecting me…

**Seele:** If some power is directly interfering with this world…I’m afraid it’ll be…

**Seele:** Sa…

…

*It seems that the meeting must end now. But that’s not all… there isn’t much time left for them to act.*

*The countdown to the end of this world has started.*

*Devour, merge, and annihilate… Apocalypse, doom, and death… No matter which word they use, “that thing” will come as promised.*

*And those who try to turn around the fate of the world… their real suffering begins now.*

**Herrscher of Sentience:** What’s wrong, Seele? Is it still not working? Can’t you do something with the Sage’s authority you have?

**Seele:** You’re so noisy. Just keep your mouth shut if you can’t do anything to help.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Heh, who do you think took care of the monsters for you just then?

…!

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Oh, there have been more and more of these since earlier.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Although I can handle however many come at us, one person can only do so much. If we wait any longer, those little wisps who worship you won’t be able to stay out of it.

**Seele:** Tsk.

**Seele:** It can’t be helped. Our communication with Seele is probably jammed.

**Schrodinger:** Yes, but we can’t confirm how it’s been jammed… It might be possible to restore the signal if it’s just an ordinary jamming method.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Easy! Let’s return to the place under the moon. That place is closest to the tower, so the signal should be the strongest there.

**Seele:** Yes, that’s a good idea. We can even get rid of these ghastly creatures along the way!

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Sure, follow closely behind me then. Don’t slow me down.

**Seele:** Come on, I bet you just like to charge forward blindly.

**Seele:** Why don’t you follow me and learn what it’s really like to be efficient?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Eh, what’s this efficiency you were telling me about, Seele? I seem to have eliminated more monsters than you.

**Seele:** I can’t help it if they like you more. As they say, likes attract.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Really now? You look like you’re related to them because of your large claws.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Facts speak louder than words. You should really call me your master when it comes to fighting.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** Hey, what’s that?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** I don’t know. I think it appeared at the same time as those monsters.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** The mist seems to have gotten thinner after we defeated those monsters.

**Seele:** Both the monsters and the black mist appeared after our communication was cut off. That means…

**Seele:** Wait! What are you doing?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** There’s no point guessing. Let’s go and find out directly.

**Seele:** To touch something of unknown origins so casually… you’re too happy-go-lucky, aren’t you?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Heh, who do you think I am? Mere mist can’t do anything to me…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Huh?

**Seele:** Hey, you…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** W-What’s this?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …

**Seele:** It looks like your “direct” approach worked.

**Seele:** I’m afraid this black mist is part of Sa’s trap. Like the monsters, it’s constantly spreading over here from the edge of this world and is determined to drive us away.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Tsk. Fine then. We won’t fall for its trap.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Hey Seele, are you also able to summon that Sand Servant like the other Seele?

**Seele:** What? Are things getting too hot for you? Weren’t you all high and mighty just then?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** I’m just giving you some advice since I can see you’re in a hurry.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** (Now’s not the time to argue. If that Sand Servant really can save us some time…)

**Seele:** No, the black mist can trap the Sand Servant too.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Fine then. It’s up to me after all.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Huh? That looks like the city of the wisps where we first met.

**Seele:** Oh no… the monsters and black mist have already reached over there.

**Seele:** Let’s hurry over there!

**Seele:** …

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …

**Seele:** Those wisps seem…

**Resident from Country of Iron Sand:** …

**Herrscher of Sentience:** They aren’t reacting at all.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Although it doesn’t seem appropriate to say this… don’t these wisps look like they’ve… crystallised?

As she said, countless wisps were suspended in mid-air like an eerie painting in the night.

**Seele:** …

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Hey… try not to be so depressed. Although it’s a pity, we need to continue on our way, and they’re just dead people…

**Seele:** That’s not certain.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …??

**Seele:** Think about it. They will only disappear in the air if they can’t get any moonlight. They won’t become crystals like this. If that were the case, who knows how many crystals we would have encountered along the way.

**Seele:** So it should be possible for these wisps to recover.

**Schrodinger:** There’s some sense to Seele’s analysis.

**Schrodinger:** However, we currently have no way to stop the crystallisation process, and we can’t stay here for long because those creatures will bring the black mist endlessly.

**Seele:** Of course I know that. Let’s think of a solution after we resolve this commotion.

**Seele:** …Don’t misunderstand that I care a lot about their existence. I just think that being rash and cursory won’t be beneficial for our next moves.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Hehe, you’re getting better at imitating the other Seele.

**Seele:** …Stop fooling around. Let’s hurry over to the foot of the tower.

Passing by the Sand Servant who was also crystallised, Seele and the others arrived at a place opposite the tower and immediately tried to reconnect with their companions in the other world.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** (Please… please work…)

**Seele:** Seele!

**Seele:** …!

**Seele:** Seele! Are you okay?

**Prometheus:** Everything is fine for now. It looks like you’ve finally found a way to make contact with us.

**Schrodinger:** After all, this place is where the two worlds are the closest spatially… It’s a simple but effective principle.

**Schrodinger:** Now it seems that our communication wasn’t cut off due to any supernatural laws. It was simply caused by the instability of the two worlds.

**Schrodinger:** However, this also means that we have no time to waste. The connection between the two Seeles is also unstable and can be broken at any time.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Tsk, in that case, you should stop ranting on like that. Hurry up and brief them real quick.

Everyone shared information quickly.

**Seele:** Monsters and a black mist attacked your world…

**Prometheus:** In comparison, the situation over here hasn’t deteriorated significantly. It’s just that the power grid and the telecom system have been paralysed on a large scale.

**Seele:** …Maybe it’s because the tower that can stabilise the worlds is on your side?

**Seele:** I don’t know about that. However, since we are able to make contact like this… it means that the authority of the Sage is also effective in the world over there.

**Seele:** So, Seele, we can try to use this authority to suppress the changes on your side.

**Seele:** Yeah, that makes sense.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** So what you’re saying is that we need to do that consolation rite again?

**Seele:** Yes. Seele and I will perform the rite at the same time.

**Seele:** During this time, it’s up to you to protect Seele, Herrscher of Sentience.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Geez, you certainly like to boss me around. Hurry up, and remember to let me know when you’re done so I can take a break.

**Seele:** …Pft.

**Seele:** Let’s start then, Seele.

**Seele:** Alright.

As always, the twin Tower Sages focused their power and spread it throughout the world.

Everything went especially smoothly this time with nothing getting in their way.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Seele, something is happening! Look!

…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Look, they’re starting to move again. It looks like it worked.

**Resident from Country of Iron Sand:** …Ah… Aaaaah…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Hey, how are you? Can you speak?

**Resident from Country of Iron Sand:** The… The moonlight…

**Resident from Country of Iron Sand:** The moon… Great Sage…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Is it craving for the moonlight? But isn’t this place always illuminated by the moonlight?

**Resident from Country of Iron Sand:** The moonlight… so cold… so very cold…

**Seele:** …Something’s wrong! Stay away from it! The black mist is returning!

**Resident from Country of Iron Sand:** It’s so cold… the moonlight is fusing… Great Sage!

…

**Seele:** Seele, are you okay?

**Seele:** I’m okay, but the consolation rite didn’t work. Instead, we have more enemies to fight now.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Maybe that wisp was a trap to take us by surprise. But they’re underestimating us with a trap of this level.

**Shigure Kira:** Don’t let your guard down. If we’re up against the unfathomable Sa, I’m afraid there will be no end to these monsters.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Heh, let’s finish this battle first!

**Seele:** …We’re safe for now, but more black mist is appearing in the distance. I feel like a new wave of enemies will soon get to us.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Tsk, there really is no end to these monsters, eh?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** But I really do feel bad for that Sa. Isn’t its nature supposed to be similar to the Cocoon of Finality? Is that all it can do? Throw minions at us?

**Misteln:** An unending wave of minions is also dangerous.

**Prometheus:** Although you can still manage easily, you won’t be able to fight like this forever.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Hey! Why are you belittling us and demoralising us like this doesn’t concern you?

**Schrodinger:** I’m sorry, but they make a good point.

**Seele:** …Professor Rock, were you having a private chat with Prometheus just now?

**Schrodinger:** Yes. In fact, we’ve reached a consensus.

**Prometheus:** In short, we recommend that you come to the world on this side, which means you should retreat from the Country of Iron Sand.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** What? The best strategy you came up with is for us to run away?

**Prometheus:** You won’t just be running away. In fact, Salt Snow Holy City isn’t much safer than the Country of Iron Sand right now.

**Seele:** …

**Schrodinger:** I’ll sum up the situation. According to the info we got from Kira and Vita, we can basically assume that an existence called Sa is secretly influencing these two bubble universes.

**Schrodinger:** Prior to this, we learned some of its past actions, including creating interstellar predators, blowing up the Fallen Star, and…

**Schrodinger:** According to Miss Misteln’s speculations, it has also established the laws of fusion and annihilation for Salt Snow Holy City and the Country of Iron Sand.

**Schrodinger:** Although we don’t know why these actions were taken, at the very least, we know that Sa is passionate about destroying civilisations.

**Seele:** Yes, we already know all that.

**Schrodinger:** But therein lies the problem. According to your words, both the Country of Iron Sand and Sand Servants have only been temporarily crystallised and not directly annihilated. If Sa is attempting to do something similar to blowing up the Fallen Star…

**Schrodinger:** Freezing the Country of Iron Sand should only be one step in the annihilation of the two bubble universes.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …Huh? What do you mean? Is this just the beginning?

**Misteln:** I’m sorry, I didn’t explain things clearly earlier.

**Misteln:** Governed by certain laws, the two bubble universes will merge with each other and eventually perish. I said so, right? However, I didn’t elaborate on how this fusion would take place.

**Misteln:** For example, when asked about what fusion means to you, the image of two soap bubbles approaching each other slowly in a basin of water until the tension of their films exceeds the limit, causing the bubbles to burst.

**Misteln:** In fact, it was this type of slow and deadly fusion that took place between our two bubble universes in the first place. However, the situation changed suddenly in the last hour.

**Misteln:** It looks like Sa doesn’t want to wait any longer. It intends to directly intervene and accelerate the fusion and annihilation of the bubble universes by pushing one of the soap bubbles.

**Seele:** So the soap bubble that is being pushed is the Country of Iron Sand?

**Misteln:** Yes. That’s why it needs to crystallise the residents of the Country of Iron Sand first.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** What’s crystallising the residents got to do with pushing the soap bubble? Are they in the way?

**Misteln:** This is a soap bubble that is the size of an entire world. Even Sa would need to use up a considerable amount of energy to push it around.

**Misteln:** Maybe it isn’t willing to expend this amount of energy, or maybe it just can’t be bothered… In short, this being seems to be leveraging its power by pushing the Country of Iron Sand with the energy of the bubble universe itself.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Oh! So that’s why that despicable scoundrel froze the wisps and sucked their energy instead of directly annihilating them…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** That’s too stingy! Why do I get the feeling that this Sa is more and more underhanded?

**Prometheus:** It’s not that the means are underhanded. Didn’t the Cocoon of Finality we’re more familiar with also pass out judgment through the Herrschers by accumulating and destroying civilisations?

**Prometheus:** Moreover… what makes a means underhanded or not? Do you think a war without the smoke of gunpowder is not a war?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Hey, why are you sounding more and more like Dr. MEI now?

**Seele:** Anyway, I roughly understand the situation now. Sa is intending to control the Country of Iron Sand with the black mist first, and then use it as a tool to make it perish with Salt Snow Holy City.

**Seele:** On the other hand, the Herrscher of Sentience and I are currently unable to deal with this black mist, right?

**Seele:** Yeah, Sa may very well have the power to suppress the Sage’s authority. That would explain why the consolation rite didn’t work.

**Seele:** Rather than fighting alone, we should join forces to be stronger. After all, based on past events, it seems that the Sage was able to protect the world better in the tower.

**Schrodinger:** We’ll take a step forward by retreating. If the Seele who has the Sage’s authority is able to leave the Country of Iron Sand, we will have a negative assurance that the bubble universe won’t be destroyed immediately even if the black mist has covered it.

**Schrodinger:** On the contrary, Sa will need some time to bypass the Sage’s authority and take over this world. This will buy us critical time to consider our next move.

**Misteln:** Of course, you don’t need to worry about your wisp friends. From an economic perspective, Sa won’t kill them until they are no longer useful. Haven’t you witnessed this with your own eyes?

**Seele:** …Alright, let’s go. It’s true that we can’t do anything even if we stay here. We need to come up with a way to get over there.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Really? We’re going to run away just like this? How embarrassing.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** But as they say, I would do anything for you. So what if I lose face?

**Seele:** …You’re such a rascal.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** But how can we travel to your side? According to the rules of this place, we will only count as half of the Sage even if we join forces… Will we be able to travel that far?

**Misteln:** This is my moment to shine.

**Prometheus:** …??

**Misteln:** Didn’t I already show everyone my bridge-making skills?

**Prometheus:** Are you sure you want to do that again? I must remind you that you haven’t recovered all the energy you used up.

**Misteln:** Don’t worry, I know my limits. Compared with the distance back to the proper world, connecting these two bubble universes won’t be very difficult.

**Misteln:** I’ve also become more proficient after the previous attempt. I should be able to get it done if Dr. Schrodinger spends ten minutes helping me determine the coordinates.

**Schrodinger:** …Are you thinking of using the passage that was cut off earlier and reconnecting it to the Country of Iron Sand?

**Misteln:** Of course. This way we’ll save time and minimise the consumption of materials.

**Misteln:** Okay, without further ado, let’s get started!

**Seele:** …

--

#### Gameplay 39-2 - One Mind

Ten minutes passed instantly. In that time, Seele and the Herrscher of Sentience defeated two more waves of monsters.

**Seele:** …The coordinates have been located. It won’t be long until Misteln can reconnect the bridge over here.

**Schrodinger:** Given her current condition, I’m afraid she won’t be able to maintain the passage for very long this time. You must pass through it as quickly as you can.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Understood!

…!

**Seele:** …Here they come again.

**Prometheus:** Be careful not to let those monsters get close to the connection points of the bridge. Misteln’s body can’t withstand their attacks in her current condition.

**Misteln:** Hey… I can hear that, No. 17.

**Misteln:** I’ll be okay. You two just need to get me a few more minutes. It’ll be easy for you to come over here as long as you get the timing right.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Heh, that’s a piece of cake!

**Seele:** (No, given the numbers… we can’t guarantee that we’ll stop all of them…)

**Seele:** (…Oh, right!)

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Seele? What are you doing? Won’t the black mist freeze those Sand Servants?

**Seele:** Yeah, but they won’t get frozen instantly.

**Seele:** Since we can’t take them with us… we might as well make the most of them to buy some time.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Humph, I don’t mind. But are you sure you can fight and control them at the same time?

**Seele:** You just worry about yourself.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Hey, isn’t the path ready yet? How long has it been?

**Prometheus:** It’ll take another minute or so. Get ready over there.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Oh, no problem!

**Seele:** Herrscher of Sentience, get in front of me with Professor Rock. I’ll get the Sand Servants to bring up the rear.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Ah?

**Seele:** For what it’s worth, I’m half the Sage. Wasn’t this bridge built for you? Also, I feel like those monsters love chasing behind you.

**Seele:** How will you get on the bridge unless someone blocks them for you?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Tsk, fine then. This isn’t the time to be courteous.

**Prometheus:** Pay attention, please. The space bridge is almost complete.

**Prometheus:** Counting down, 3… 2… 1…

**Prometheus:** Now!

**Herrscher of Sentience:** I can see the other side, Seele!

**Seele:** Just get moving!

**Prometheus:** Good, everything is going well. It’s your turn now, Seele.

**Seele:** Got it.

After the Herrscher of Sentience disappeared from her sight, Seele also stepped onto the bridge.

However, after running a few steps, she could hear the crisp sound of the bridge breaking under her feet.

**???:** Ugh…

**???:** Seele! Get over ▇▇▋▀▍▕ ▇

This was the first time Seele had heard this sound, but she could guess what was happening.

Before she could make a sound, her body was mercilessly enveloped in a feeling of weightlessness that reminded her of drowning. In a trance, she remembered how she felt when she was drifting on and on.

That was a time when she drifted hopelessly and aimlessly with no end in sight.

She wouldn’t let this little incident intimidate her. She felt like a certain crybaby was more cause for concern than this situation. In the past, she had to go to great lengths to dispel her confusion and fear…

…

…But this time, the hand that she once held was now far away and out of reach.

Should she feel relieved or uneasy? Countless thoughts surged through her mind instantly like tidal waves and retreated just as fast as they came.

All she had was falling alone.

But…

Her loneliness was somewhat…

…Of a misperception.

*[CG plays wherein Seele falls from the bridge, but is caught last second by her other self:*

***Seele:** Seele! Grab me!*

***Seele:** Seele!*]

**Seele:** Just in time…

**Seele:** Seele, why are you…

**Seele:** Although Misteln’s passage can’t be sustained for too long, she can still create a “safety rope” for us.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** What? You have that little faith in me? Now I can’t give that woman a beating after this.

**Seele:** But… I really wanted to make sure that nothing would go wrong. I wanted to ensure you would all return safely.

**Seele:** Even so, isn’t it too dangerous to jump into the Sea of Quanta headfirst like this? Do you wish to sink even deeper in it? Maybe I won’t be able to stay by your side this time.

**Seele:** But about that, you just did the same thing, Seele. Aren’t we… pretty much the same?

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** …Geez, you idiot.

*As the bridge built by the Idea disappeared, the passage between the two worlds was completely cut off. Those who fled to Salt Snow Holy City finally got a chance to catch their breath.*

*However, there was probably not much joy in their reunion as it came at the cost of the other world being completely enveloped in the black mist.*

*While they were fighting just to survive, their enemy had taken another step forward.*

*Energy powerful enough to devour another bubble universe would soon be mobilised.*

*This also implies that the countdown to the annihilation of both worlds would soon start.*

…

…

…

…

…

…

*Let’s turn our gazes back to the tower. At this moment, the two genuine Sages have finally returned to their territory.*

*…A place where they will continue to face their heavy and futile mission.*

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Phew… that really gave me a fright. I turned around just to see you almost die.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Everything would have been fine if you let me bring up the rear. You just like to act tough.

**Seele:** Humph, it’s not like I broke the bridge. Even if you took my place, you would also need Seele to save you.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …

**Prometheus:** So was Sa also responsible for that?

**Misteln:** I think so. At least it felt like it.

**Prometheus:** Okay. If this keeps happening, I’m afraid you’ll become our Sa detector.

**Prometheus:** It was hard enough building a bridge, yet you even allocated extra building materials. I must admit that your love for challenges is very admirable.

**Misteln:** Things turned out well in the end though.

**Schrodinger:** No matter what, now that everyone is safe, Salt Snow Holy City will also be safe for now.

**Schrodinger:** But what happened just now is enough to convince us that Sa will interfere at any time. I think we should analyse our situation now and plan our next course of action.

**Seele:** Yes. So far, Sa has been extremely cautious and rarely taken action directly. The only two times Sa stepped in were to destroy the passages we created.

**Seele:** So based on this, the person who is most qualified to share their opinion is…

**Shigure Kira:** Misteln, right?

**Misteln:** Aha, it looks like Miss Kira’s opinion of me has improved slightly.

**Shigure Kira:** I’m just stating a fact. So, what do you think?

**Misteln:** Rather than saying I have any thoughts, it’s more like I’ve got a feeling.

**Misteln:** Sa… The first time it acted, it destroyed the passage I created and eliminated Vita who was in the passage at that time. That made me realise that maybe Sa didn’t want anyone to discover how it acts.

**Seele:** …

**Misteln:** To not let Vita’s sacrifice be in vain, I paid extra attention when I built the second passage. I wanted to find out exactly when Sa would act to expose its deepest secrets.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** After saying all that, what did you actually do?

**Misteln:** When the second passage was destroyed, I finally confirmed one thing.

**Misteln:** Sa’s interference is simply energy manipulation. There’s nothing mysterious about it other than the fact that we don’t know where it’s coming from.

**Schrodinger:** Its authority is directly related to energy, huh…

**Prometheus:** …

**Prometheus:** I see. The power outage Salt Snow Holy City just suffered was probably part of this attack.

**Shigure Kira:** Shouldn’t this be considered a secondary disaster?

**Prometheus:** That’s what I thought too. After all, it’s difficult to imagine Sa would handle something this small itself. But now that I think about it, I think I’ve overlooked the nature of this incident.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Huh? What’s its nature?

**Prometheus:** When Misteln and I first came to this world, there was no electricity or network here, which was normal because the technology here is quite primitive.

**Prometheus:** I built the power system here by myself. During this process, to maximise the benefits, I used power generation and energy storage technologies that are different from those used in other worlds.

**Prometheus:** I used an ancient power called Inscribed Whisper that only exists in this world to reduce the cost of generators, power transmission lines, and batteries… Looking back now, the basic laws of this world are most likely to be involved.

**Shigure Kira:** Wait… are you saying that the power outage is actually… similar to the Starrock extraction on the Fallen Star?

**Schrodinger:** You don’t think…

**Schrodinger:** When Sa attempts to influence this world in a certain manner, the Inscribed Whisper is the first to react, just like a canary in a mine. Could this reaction be the cause of the blackout?

**Seele:** If that’s true… doesn’t that mean we’ll be able to find traces of Sa’s attacks on this world by investigating how the Inscribed Whisper has changed?

**Misteln:** …

**Misteln:** Considering the history of the Fallen Star, we can’t be too optimistic. We might be able to find Sa, but we might also find nothing like Dr. Charter and the others. Isn’t that right, Miss Kira?

**Shigure Kira:** Indeed. But since things have come to this…

**Shigure Kira:** There’s even more reason for us to do something about it, right?

**Schrodinger:** Yes. Without further ado, why don’t we investigate the power system now?

**Prometheus:** Of course. We have no objections.

**Prometheus:** …

**Prometheus:** As expected.

**Misteln:** What did you discover?

**Prometheus:** …

**Prometheus:** To be accurate, I haven’t discovered anything yet, but I might discover something soon.

**Misteln:** …?

**Prometheus:** Hang tight while I conduct an experiment.

**Seele:** (It looks like we’ll need to wait some time for the investigation results…)

**Seele:** (Maybe I should talk with the others first.)

**Seele:** (Prometheus looks very busy…)

**Seele:** Speaking of, Professor Rock, do you belong to this world or somewhere outside this world?

**Seele:** …?

**Schrodinger:** That’s a very good question, Seele.

**Schrodinger:** As you can see, I’ve used a piece of Moonrock as a vessel to stay close to you. My true self, or to be precise, the main part of me as a wisp of thinking energy, is actually far away from here.

**Schrodinger:** For example, you can think of me as a bomb disposal expert who is communicating with you, a professional holding the scissors remotely to disarm a bomb, and you’re the ones who will risk your lives to complete the mission.

**Seele:** There’s no way around that, right? Or do you have an escape route?

**Schrodinger:** Well, theoretically, we do have an escape route.

**Seele:** What do you mean?

**Schrodinger:** If Sa really is a being on par with the Cocoon of Finality… then we, and even everyone in the proper world, should prepare for a drawn-out battle.

**Schrodinger:** There’s no point in making unnecessary sacrifices. If there’s no way around it, we should preserve the spark of resistance, just like Vita once did.

**Seele:** I understand. Although I am the current Sage, I still wish to protect these two worlds to the greatest extent possible. However, I agree with you if I have to prepare for the worst.

**Seele:** It’s just that… it’ll be very difficult for Misteln to create a new passage. Sa also seems to have become proficient in stopping us. In that case, what is our escape route?

**Schrodinger:** It’s Shigure Kira. Bear in mind that everything I just said is theoretical.

**Seele:** …?

**Shigure Kira:** This isn’t something to brag about.

**Shigure Kira:** Before I left the Candy House, I secretly took the Alien Key, also known as the Sugar Key, the secret treasure of the Sugars, as a precaution. In fact, I was only able to find my way back after I was thrown out of the bubble universe thanks to its assistance.

**Seele:** The Alien Key?

**Shigure Kira:** You can think of it as a weapon similar to the Divine Keys that has similar powers to the Herrscher of the Void.

**Shigure Kira:** It can manipulate time and space to some extent. For example, it can be used to pack up a small part of this world or to search for other paths connecting to other worlds. However, it can only operate on a small scale.

**Shigure Kira:** That being said, the Alien Key has some advantages of its own. For example, it can be used in dimensions that can’t be connected with Stigmata Space. Anyway, since it’s likely that I’ll be the one to open up a path…

**Shigure Kira:** As an idol, I naturally have to do my best and not disappoint my fans!

**Seele:** Miss Kira?

**Seele:** We’re counting on you then!

**Shigure Kira:** Yeah! If we get the chance, please look forward to my performance!

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Strange… is this really possible?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …

**Herrscher of Sentience:** I’m the Herrscher of Sentience. I can’t…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …

**Seele:** Did something happen?

**Seele:** Isn’t it obvious? She’s fading again and feeling bad about it.

Trying to liven up the depressed mood, she chose to start a conversation in a way unfamiliar to the one she talked to.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** You…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …

**Herrscher of Sentience:** What’s going on here? Why are you looking so alive again?

**Seele:** I hope you’re happy for me.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** Well… although it’s not obvious, I’m not in control of my body now.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** What do you mean?

**Seele:** Although we’ve returned to the Holy City, we can’t exist simultaneously in the same body like before. We can only…

**Seele:** Umm… take turns?

**Seele:** It’s really strange, but it seems possible to avoid fading by doing so.

**Seele:** So… it’s not entirely a bad thing.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Whatever. I just can’t seem to understand the rules of this world.

**Seele:** Oh, if Fu Hua is here, then maybe…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** No! Stop right there! I don’t like the body of an old antique like that!

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Who knows if her legs will feel sore on rainy days.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Moreover, I’m a Herrscher. The situation is different for me.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** But to think this is possible… don’t tell me you two are also some kind of Stigmata human like Misteln. How could you switch out and act independently?

**Seele:** What? Is the great Herrscher of Sentience feeling more and more ordinary?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** You’re the ordinary one! Who doesn’t run into someone with multiple personality disorder on the streets nowadays?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** But if I had the wrong idea earlier… is it possible that you both have a physical body now?

She stepped forward and reached out as she talked as if she wanted to verify her conjecture for herself.

**Seele:** …

However, when she realised the other party’s intentions, the black-haired girl grabbed her other self and pulled her towards herself.

**Seele:** How dare you.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Oh, you’re so protective…

She shifted her gaze to their clasped hands, something the two girls could never do in reality outside this room that belonged to the two of them.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Fine then, you two can keep being lovey-dovey here.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** I already found out what I want to know, and I’m not interested in knowing more details.

**Seele:** …?

…

**Seele:** Oh, Prometheus has… succeeded?

**Prometheus:** …Almost done.

…

**Prometheus:** Come, let’s find out whether this will work.

…

…

…

…

**Mecha Monitor:** Hi, citizen of Salt Snow Holy City. Is there anything I can do for you/

**Misteln:** This is…

**Schrodinger:** What did you enter just now? Was the power outage not a hardware failure?

**Prometheus:** This is something you two are familiar with. Of course, you shouldn’t be able to recite its source code from memory.

**Misteln:** …??

**Prometheus:** I implanted an “imaginary renormalisation group” processing module into that mecha to see if it can shield itself from external interference, and I succeeded! At least for now.

**Seele:** “Imaginary renormalisation group”?

**Schrodinger:** Is that the so-called Will of the Honkai?

**Prometheus:** That’s right. My success just now proves one of the hypotheses you put forward before.

**Schrodinger:** But rule or not, making a “bomb” big enough to destroy a world or creating a new bubble universe requires massive energy…

**Schrodinger:** Energy of this level can easily surpass the maximum power output of most metamorphosed Herrscher individuals.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …

**Schrodinger:** And to pull it off in multiple bubble universes… as far as I know, such a divine feat can only be accomplished by…

**Misteln:** …The Cocoon of Finality, right?

**Prometheus:** This was just an unverifiable conjecture at the time. An analogy is just an analogy, after all. Based on common sense, Sa, an anomaly in the Sea of Quanta, should have nothing to do with the Cocoon of Finality.

**Prometheus:** but the previous experiment proves that Sa, or at least some of its authority, has an identical logic to the Cocoon of Finality. After all, I used the same methods I used on the Cocoon of Finality.

**Prometheus:** This… is worth pondering.

**Misteln:** So did you solve the mystery of Sa’s interference with the code that the MOTHs used against the Cocoon of Finality?

**Prometheus:** I’m nowhere near solving the mystery. All I’ve done is temporarily stop the power outage.

**Prometheus:** Like I said, the thing truly worth pondering is that Sa’s authority and the Cocoon of Finality’s authority follow the same underlying logic.

**Prometheus:** Perhaps Sa is imitating the Cocoon of Finality, or perhaps it really is just a coincidence… But in any case, this is enough for us to develop some targeted solutions, just like what I did.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Hey, wait a minute. I know you just did a lot of analysis, but why were we fading earlier?

**Prometheus:** I don’t know yet.

**Prometheus:** Have patience, Herrscher of Sentience. Now that we know Sa and the Cocoon of Finality are extremely similar in nature, we can conduct targeted observations and investigations on how it merges worlds.

**Prometheus:** Next… yes, let’s go to the border of Salt Snow Holy City. We may make many intriguing discoveries at the border where the fusion process has already started.

**Seele:** What can we do to help?

**Prometheus:** Let me think. Based on the current situation…

**Prometheus:** Probably nothing.

**Prometheus:** Given the nature of the investigation, I just need Dr. Schrodinger to come with me. Everyone else can stay in the Holy City to reassure the residents and maintain basic social order.

**Misteln:** It is indeed important to maintain social order… but can I also participate in the investigation of Sa?

**Misteln:** The fact is that I’m essentially your guardian. As far as the current situation is concerned, you do need a bodyguard.

**Prometheus:** Guardian…

**Prometheus:** Don’t you think you’re the one in need of care?

**Misteln:** Ah… is this the thing they call reverse-psychology?

**Shigure Kira:** …

**Shigure Kira:** I’m not interested in your personal relationships, but Misteln, unless I’m mistaken, you were seriously wounded by Sa twice today. Do you think you’d be a competent bodyguard?

**Misteln:** Oh? What do you think then, Kira?

**Shigure Kira:** Although our destinations are different, I want to conduct some tests with the Alien Key at the border.

**Shigure Kira:** So I should be able to be their bodyguard too.

**Prometheus:** That also works.

**Prometheus:** …

**Prometheus:** Oh right, can you come here, Herrscher of Sentience? There’s something I want to discuss with you in private.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Aha, you started using Dr. MEI’s tone again. What do you want?

**Prometheus:** Don’t worry, I won’t ask you to be our bodyguard.

**Prometheus:** Since we now have a basic understanding of Sa’s nature… Perhaps there’s something that only you can do.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …??

With slightly different and complex emotions, everyone took a brave and crucial step towards uncovering the truth of Sa.

However… right after everyone left, the scene became slightly…

Delicate?

**Seele:** …

At this moment, the only people here are the two girls who share one body.

**Seele:** The Seers say that they are still in control of law and order in the Holy City. In the end… we’re the only ones who can’t do anything to help.

**Seele:** It doesn’t matter. Whatever happens to this place has nothing to do with us anyway.

**Seele:** I’m quite happy to stand idle.

**Seele:** But… something here must be responsible for what’s happened to us, right?

**Seele:** Although… I guess this isn’t a bad thing.

**Seele:** Huh? Are you serious?

**Seele:** I just realised this…

**Seele:** Unlike before, we now have the power of two.

**Seele:** Oh, I’m not saying that we were…

**Seele:** I know what you mean.

**Seele:** I have no idea what’s up with this place… If it wasn’t for the fact that we need to return to this body to recharge, we are definitely two separate entities for now.

**Seele:** Yeah, that’s what I meant.

**Seele:** But it’s temporary…

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** I know this isn’t the time to think about this…

**Seele:** But for us… is coming here a good thing?

**Seele:** I wonder… Do you think there’s a way for us to stay the way we are now after we leave?

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** Why would you ask that? You…

“You wish to separate from me?”

As she was about to say this, she forced herself to swallow her words.

**Seele:** Nothing. You were saying?

**Seele:** Oh, because I sometimes think…

**Seele:** You only have half or less than half the time compared to a normal person. Don’t you think that’s unfair to you?

**Seele:** “You are me, and I am you. We are both Seele.”

**Seele:** I know that’s true… but if you have the chance, wouldn’t you wish to live as an independent person in this world?

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** Do you think that would be better?

**Seele:** I…

**Seele:** Actually, I don’t know.

**Seele:** Because you always think more for me instead of yourself.

**Seele:** Even if you get a chance like this, you might not take it because you worry about me.

**Seele:** But if you really want to become independent and complete… I think you should consider yourself more.

**Seele:** Not to mention… nothing will change between us.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** There’s no such thing.

**Seele:** Also, who knows what will happen to us after we really separate?

**Seele:** What if one of us must disappear? Isn’t that usually what happens in those fairy tales that make children cry?

**Seele:** But… even if that’s true…

**Seele:** Oh… No, it definitely won’t happen.

**Seele:** You’re right. It’s too early to consider the future right now.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** (Everything is fine like this.)

**Seele:** Ah, right.

**Seele:** Can I go back “inside” for now?

**Seele:** Huh? You already feel unwell?

**Seele:** No, not yet…

**Seele:** It’s just… I forgot something.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** It’s not much trouble anyway… Come over.

**Seele:** So what did you for…

Her words were cut off by the sensation of a gentle grasp.

…

The girl in front of her had grasped her hand gently with a smile on her face.

**Seele:** This is what I forgot.

**Seele:** …?!

**Seele:** Well… do you really need to switch bodies to do this?

**Seele:** Didn’t we just…

**Seele:** Yeah… I only just thought of it.

**Seele:** Because only this way… am I holding “your hand”.

**Seele:** …

The girl looked down at their clasped palms involuntarily…

Maybe she was mistaken, but it felt like warmth was being continuously transferred over from one palm to the other, and she could feel her fingertips trembling slightly from time to time.

Everything was perfect…

Although the black-haired girl wanted to say something, she also felt that she had better remain silent at this time.

At least this moment was real and perfect.

**Seele:** (Even if we become “two people” in the future…)

**Seele:** (…)

**Seele:** (That wouldn’t be a bad thing.)

Indeed. She even started imagining what it would be like at that time to make her thought sound more convincing.

While standing in front of other people, she would be able to watch Seele introduce her as the most important person to her.

She would be able to touch Seele, just like how she touched her now.

She had a hard time thinking of any downside to it, but whenever she thought of that wonderful future, for some reason…

For some reason…

Although she couldn’t tell what it was, there was no question that she was experiencing a strange feeling…

An indescribable fear.

--

#### Gameplay 39-3 - Price

*The world is caught in endless tremors.*

*If the bubble universe is a giant crystal ball, the girls are like butterflies trapped within. Will they be able to find a chance to escape when everything is about to collapse?*

*…We’ll find out.*

*In any case, while the team is racking their brains for ideas, their spearhead has reached the place where she is most needed.*

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …Geez, they were actually right.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** There are a lot of them to wipe out here.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** These stragglers keep coming out one after another. What a waste of effort.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Forget it. I’ll treat this as a warm-up.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Is… is this the thing that’s on par with the Cocoon of Finality?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** If Sa created these things, then it’s been calling the shots here for so long that its ego has become inflated.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** I’ll take this opportunity to show it what a Herrscher is.

*…*

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …

Herrcsher of Sentience: Did I imagine that?

*The Herrscher of Sentience had a strange feeling.*

*A nameless fire flared up inside her heart, just like when she encountered someone she couldn’t see through.*

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …

**Herrscher of Sentience:** (What’s going on?)

**Herrscher of Sentience:** (This bubble universe… is restricting my strength?)

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …Tsk.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** No matter what restrictions you impose on me, small-fry will always be small-fry.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** You coward who hides and attacks from the shadows, do you dare to fight me?

*…*

**Herrscher of Sentience:** (Huh?)

**Herrscher of Sentience:** (What happened? The feeling of being restricted has disappeared.)

*The events that just took place made the Herrscher of Sentience hesitate.*

*Before this, she was certain that a special existence hidden in the shadows had suppressed her strength.*

*However, the moment she thought this, the mysterious feeling of suppression disappeared without a trace.*

**Herrscher of Sentience:** (The restriction has been lifted?)

**Herrscher of Sentience:** (Or was I just imagining that feeling?)

*It’s evident that this Herrscher who is good at manipulating other people’s thoughts is not a good thinker.*

*So she forgot about this strange feeling after wondering about it for a while.*

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Ahhh, forget it. Everything feels the same. I’m just not used to the climate here.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** The warm-up is over. Time to finish this quickly.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** After all, I still have a lot on my plate.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Ah, what a busy day.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** She gives orders just like Dr. MEI even though she didn’t learn from any of Dr. MEI’s strengths.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Oh well, it can’t be helped that I’m the only one who can complete this mission. As they say, with great power comes…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …

**Herrscher of Sentience:** What…

What did the Herrscher of Sentience see?

No one knows.

Everything she experiences at this moment is like footprints in the sand, vanishing in an instant without leaving a trace.

The result isn’t unexpected. After all, humans have never really been known for their insight.

What they are known for is their hope.

So, let’s turn our attention to another group of people who are searching for hope in a world that is facing destruction. Will they find a chance for survival?

…

**Shigure Kira:** …

**Schrodinger:** It looks like my theory is essentially correct. The fusion of the two bubble universes is progressing slowly but surely, and no one can stop it.

**Shigure Kira:** The energy fluctuations here feel the same as that from the Fallen Star…

**Shigure Kira:** So is Sa really responsible for the two worlds becoming like this?

**Misteln:** They are fusing… does that mean we can enter another bubble universe if we pass through that quantised area in front of us?

**Prometheus:** Misteln.

**Shigure Kira:** You were seriously injured twice successively and look half-dead… yet you can still make a joke like that. Your mentality is amazing.

**Misteln:** It’s exactly because I can’t use my powers right now that I have the time to joke around.

**Misteln:** Also… what if I wasn’t joking?

“It’s so infuriating when she deliberately acts mysterious like this”, Shigure Kira couldn’t help but think.

However, she didn’t make a retort this time like she usually does. After spending some time with the sharp-tongued Idea, she finally realised that no response was the best response to her.

**Shigure Kira:** Whatever you say.

**Shigure Kira:** Since we haven’t been challenged by anything during this time, it’s time for me to find a suitable place to use the Sugar Key. If we’re lucky, it might open up a safe passage for us to escape from the bubble universe.

**Shigure Kira:** Dr. Schrodinger, Prometheus, I’ll leave it to you two here.

**Schrodinger:** Yes, we’ll do our best to find Sa’s weaknesses before you return.

**Prometheus:** Of course, I’ll keep an eye on it.

**Misteln:** I hope Kira will be able to find a way to save us.

**Shigure Kira:** Hah, you just wait and see.

And so, after confirming their respective tasks, they divided into two groups again to find a way to change the status quo.

But… will things go as well as they hope?

**Misteln:** Okay, since our scout girl has left brimming with confidence, we should prepare a gift to welcome her when she returns.

**Misteln:** The visibility is terrible here. No. 17, let’s move closer to the fused area.

**Prometheus:** …Yes, let’s go.

**Prometheus:** It’s possible that this type of fusion can release a large amount of energy on the critical surface. Be cautious and don’t rush - (text cut-off)

**Misteln:** Am I not cautious enough?

**Prometheus:** It seems that we’ll need to redefine what cautious means.

**Misteln:** The pressure is very strong here. It almost feels like we’re up against the entire world.

**Prometheus:** Strange. The energy…

**Misteln:** What is it?

**Prometheus:** I need to collect more data. Let’s take a look somewhere else.

**Schrodinger:** It seems that the density of Honkai energy increases with the proximity to the fused area.

**Prometheus:** But… compared with something like the bubble universe fusion, don’t you think the energy distribution is too even? It’s like… there - (text cut-off)

**Prometheus:** Wait a minute. Something is off…

**Prometheus:** Watch out!

**Misteln:** It looks like someone doesn’t like our investigation.

**Prometheus:** I knew it. The data here is exactly the same… It’s like everything has been measured carefully.

**Schrodinger:** …

**Schrodinger:** Anyway, let’s reorganise our thoughts based on our new findings.

**Misteln:** You seem to be very concerned with the energy distribution. Is there anything special about this?

**Prometheus:** What’s special isn’t the energy itself, but the energy generation process or the cause.

**Schrodinger:** Matter will reach a relatively balanced state through the transfer of energy. In layman’s terms, it’s like how water flows downhill.

**Schrodinger:** Therefore, Prometheus and I initially assumed that the unbalanced potential energy of this bubble universe would naturally drive the bubble universes to fuse and release energy. This is similar to the principles of an avalanche or earthquake.

**Prometheus:** However, based on the data we just collected, this fusion doesn’t seem to be naturally occurring. Instead of comparing it with an earthquake or avalanche, it’s more like a deliberate and planned arson attack.

**Misteln:** In other words… Sa clearly intends to destroy this bubble universe.

**Misteln:** Indeed. As we deduced before, this so-called Sa should be a rule that is superior to the bubble universe.

**Misteln:** But why is the destruction of the world part of the rules?

**Prometheus:** Perhaps the answer is right under our noses.

**Prometheus:** The instability or fusion of bubble universes leads to their destruction and the subsequent release of a large amount of energy. This reminds me of a common way of harvesting energy in the proper world.

**Schrodinger:** That’s right! This is just like a…

**Schrodinger:** Nuclear reaction.

**Schrodinger:** The outcome of the Fallen Star is similar to nuclear fission, and our current situation is also similar to nuclear fusion.

**Schrodinger:** It’s like the two bubble universes that are merging right now are in a huge reaction furnace, and the speed of the reaction will increase as more energy is generated by the fusion of bubble universes…

**Prometheus:** …This will continue until the bubble universe is completely destroyed. It’s very likely that Sa will absorb the energy released in this process. If that’s true, it explains the motive behind this “arson attack”.

**Misteln:** Ah, when you put it like that, the civilisation we cherish seems like a byproduct of its assembly line.

**Misteln:** If the bubble universes merge completely, what will happen to everything that once belonged to this bubble universe, including us? Will we survive or be wiped out right away?

**Prometheus:** I don’t know.

**Prometheus:** But judging from the current signs, the biggest risk we need to deal with is that we have no means to delay the fusion of the bubble universes. Unless…

**Prometheus:** Another rule that is superior to this bubble universe is able to fight against Sa. Otherwise, it will be extremely difficult for us who are simply in this world to fight against the destiny of this world.

**Misteln:** In that case, it’s more practical to place our hopes in Kira.

**Misteln:** After all, our current problems won’t be problems anymore if we can make contact with the real Cocoon of Finality.

**Prometheus:** Indeed. Based on the time, she might already have some results… Ah, there’s a message.

**Prometheus:** Shigure Kira, how did it go? Do you need any assistance from us?

**Shigure Kira:** Sorry… I failed.

**Shigure Kira:** The border of this world seems to have disappeared.

A while ago.

**Shigure Kira:** According to the guidance of the Sugar Key, I’ll reach the real boundary between the bubble universe and the Sea of Quanta after I pass - (text cut-off)

**Shigure Kira:** It feels really depressing here…

**Shigure Kira:** Don’t overthink it. I just need to get through here as quickly as possible.

**Shigure Kira:** But for a path that must be taken to reach the border of the bubble universe… isn’t this road too long even if it’s necessary to cross many dimensions?

*In fact, the moment she had this thought, she suddenly realised that the darkness in front of her might never end.*

*Suddenly, she got the feeling that the darkness was a lurking beast that was watching her silently and waiting for an opportunity to devour her.*

**Shigure Kira:** …

**Shigure Kira:** Did… something just happen?

**Shigure Kira:** Forget it. I’m running out of time. Now’s not the time to let my thoughts run wild. I need to keep moving forward.

**Shigure Kira:** Why is it so vacant here…

**Shigure Kira:** There aren’t any signs or markings either… I’m not lost, am I?

**Shigure Kira:** Haven’t I reached the end yet? Just how long is this road?

**Shigure Kira:** Is this really the only way to the border of the bubble universe?

**Shigure Kira:** There are no energy fluctuations… not even monsters created by the fusion of bubble universes…

**Shigure Kira:** I would even welcome a tough battle right now… at least it would prove that I’m not lost.

*Darkness.*

*The darkness of the void. Boundless darkness.*

*The feeling of emptiness overcame all of Shigure Kira’s senses. For an instant, she even had some strange thoughts. Is she really on a road leading to the boundary of the bubble universe? Did she faint for some reason?*

*She could feel the darkness eroding her judgment.*

**Shigure Kira:** (The border of the bubble universe should be right ahead…)

**Shigure Kira:** (But… which direction is forward?)

**Shigure Kira:** (I must find the road as soon as possible… even if I have to turn back…)

**Shigure Kira:** (Turn back?)

*That’s right. She could only turn back now.*

*Compared to getting lost in this boundless void, returning might be her only way out at this time.*

*The idea of quitting took root quickly and sprouted in her heart as soon as it popped up. Shigure Kira suddenly realised that she had no choice but to leave.*

**Shigure Kira:** (In any case, I should get in touch with the others first.)

**Shigure Kira:** (Maybe they have already found a solution.)

**Shigure Kira:** (I hope the communication device Prometheus gave me works normally here…)

Shigure Kira sighed in relief when she heard her companions’ voices from the communication. After that, she felt deeply apologetic.

**Shigure Kira:** Sorry… I failed.

**Shigure Kira:** The border of this world seems to have disappeared.

After hearing Shigure Kira’s story, the people on the other side of the communication device were silent for a long time.

After a while, she finally heard Prometheus’ voice.

**Prometheus:** It looks like the current situation is far more complicated than we expected.

**Prometheus:** Kira, you should return as quickly as you can, in case something goes wrong.

**Prometheus:** Since our plan to use the Alien Key to break through the bubble universe has failed, the most important thing at this stage is to preserve our strength.

**Shigure Kira:** Sorry, I underestimated the complexity of this situation.

**Misteln:** Don’t blame yourself, Kira. After all, we’re up against an abstract and powerful enemy who has a clear will.

**Misteln:** Also… I might have thought of another way.

**Shigure Kira:** Another way?

**Misteln:** Let’s discuss this after you join up with us.

**Shigure Kira:** Got it. See you later.

*A wonderful feeling of relief filled Shigure Kira the moment she put down the communication device. Even the darkness before her eyes became fainter when she decided to leave.*

*…Faced with the absolute unknown, one can only get so far with their courage, experience, and intellect.*

**Shigure Kira:** (I should be able to return to the starting point if I follow the path recorded by the Sugar Key.)

**Shigure Kira:** (Yes, it should be fine.)

**Shigure Kira:** …

A while later.

**Misteln:** Welcome back, Kira.

**Misteln:** It’s inevitable that the nature of the bubble universe would change due to the fusion process. It’s not your fault, so you shouldn’t be depressed about it.

**Shigure Kira:** Misteln, you said you came up with a new idea. What is it?

**Misteln:** About that, I’ll need your help, Kira.

**Misteln:** You said that the Sugar Key can be used in higher-dimensional spaces, which means it should be effective in the areas that have already fused, right?

**Shigure Kira:** While that’s true, it might not function in the way you imagine it to.

**Shigure Kira:** The Sugar Key has been severely damaged, and the Sugars split its powers while repairing it. My Sugar Key is merely one of the restored keys, so its full power can’t be unleashed.

**Shigure Kira:** Specifically, even when it takes effect, it just provides some guidance on how space unfolds. It can’t stop the bubble universes from fusing, let alone restore them.

**Misteln:** That’s okay, that’ll be enough.

**Misteln:** I want you to catalyse the fusing parts to cause a phenomenon similar to an explosion.

**Misteln:** The only really special thing is that… I’ll be inside when you do this.

**Prometheus:** …??

**Schrodinger:** …!

**Shigure Kira:** What do you mean?

**Misteln:** Clever people like all of you should be able to understand this easily, no?

**Misteln:** If your speculation that the bubble universe has become something like a huge reactor is right, then since everything seems to be operating smoothly… The huge amounts of energy generated by the reaction must be going somewhere.

**Misteln:** I believe it is most likely leading to Sa’s core.

**Misteln:** Therefore, if someone moves in the same direction as the energy when it is generated, this person will have a chance to find the way to Sa’s headquarters.

**Misteln:** And once they arrive, this person can interfere with the underlying mechanics to create a chance for everyone to turn the situation around.

**Misteln:** It’s a very reasonable plan, right?

**Prometheus:** Misteln, I don’t know what’s reasonable about this plan.

**Prometheus:** You probably don’t have any idea about the energy generated during the fusion of bubble universes. No matter how powerful you are, I don’t think you’ll be able to survive such a powerful burst of energy.

**Misteln:** Then I just don’t need to survive it, right?

**Misteln:** After all, I’m not a human, but an Idea condensed from Stigmata. We don’t exist and live like humans do.

**Misteln:** After I lose my form, I’ll just return to Stigmata Space. Just like what I’ve experienced many times in the past.

**Misteln:** I won’t be harmed, and it’ll be even more convenient for me to join the torrent of energy, don’t you think?

**Prometheus:** I’m not so sure about this.

**Shigure Kira:** I don’t recommend it either.

**Shigure Kira:** No, I should say that I won’t participate in such a plan.

**Shigure Kira:** Misteln, regardless of how you exist, even if everything goes well, you can’t be sure of what you can do over there, right?

**Shigure Kira:** To take this risk with such a low chance of success is irrational.

**Shigure Kira:** If… you find out that things don’t unfold according to your plan after you sacrifice yourself, what will you do?

**Misteln:** Then I can only consider myself unlucky.

**Shigure Kira:** You…

**Misteln:** But until then, I still want to verify whether my idea will work with my own eyes.

**Misteln:** Because I know very well that knowing and understanding are two very different things.

Even if you know all the definitions of this world, you won’t truly understand what it means to feel cold until you touch the snow.

Even if she was branded as perfect from birth, she was still influenced by imperfect humans.

She was able to escape from Stigmata Space and obtain the initial opportunity to live as an independent entity, that’s all.

Now, she was only imitating humans’ readiness to throw their lives into the torrent of fate for a possibility that wasn’t guaranteed.

**Misteln:** Even if the price is very high, I want to see what kind of future my choices will create when I’m backed into a corner.

**Misteln:** Of course, it’ll be even better if I’ll be able to help all of you at the same time.

Misteln smiled like always while saying this. It was almost as if they were talking about something else.

**Misteln:** Maybe I am making a terrible decision, but…

**Misteln:** We won’t know until we try it out, right?

**Misteln:** Other than that, I can’t think of any way to help everyone and take responsibility for bringing Seele and the others here.

**Shigure Kira:** …

Shigure Kira was at a loss for words.

She suddenly realised that her words of dissuasion were so powerless in front of Misteln.

**Shigure Kira:** Never mind.

**Shigure Kira:** I can’t win against you when it comes to talking nonsense.

**Shigure Kira:** In that case, let’s vote.

**Shigure Kira:** We should all be part of the decision-making process for a course of action with an unknown success rate.

**Misteln:** Okay. We don’t have much time, so let’s have a vote among us.

**Misteln:** No. 17, at least you should be able to understand me, right?

**Prometheus:** …

**Prometheus:** …Perhaps.

**Prometheus:** At least, as a mechanical lifeform, my lifespan is long enough to wait for you to reappear from Stigmata Space.

**Prometheus:** Of course, that’s if we can escape from this bubble universe unscathed.

**Misteln:** Haha, don’t miss me too much when I’m gone, okay?

**Prometheus:** You’re thinking too much.

**Shigure Kira:** Hey, how can you…

**Prometheus:** A long time ago, someone taught me to respect every human’s decisions. Whether it is Misteln, or…

**Prometheus:** That person said that the nature of humanity is to sacrifice oneself for something else.

**Shigure Kira:** …

**Shigure Kira:** What about you, Dr. Schrodinger? You haven’t been saying anything for a while now. You must think Misteln’s proposal is too outrageous, right?

**Schrodinger:** No. Although Miss Misteln’s proposal requires a great sacrifice, it is the most feasible plan we have right now.

**Schrodinger:** And, she is the only one who can do this.

**Schrodinger:** Miss Misteln, I salute you for this.

**Shigure Kira:** Doctor, you…

**Misteln:** Thank you. I think… Most people would make a similar decision in my position, just like you did more than 60 years ago.

**Misteln:** So what will it be, Kira? Since the votes are three to one, you’ll agree to my proposal, right?

**Misteln:** Remember to be gentle when detonating the space later.

**Shigure Kira:** …

--

#### Gameplay 39-4 - Beyond Six Paths

**Misteln:** Indeed. I’m afraid this is the meaning of “eternal calamity”, and that’s without considering the complicated characteristics of bubble universes…

**Misteln:** In the endless river of time, most things we’ve experienced have probably happened before in some form and will probably happen again in another form.

**Misteln:** As someone who has witnessed Finality, it should be easier for you to understand this than others.

**Prometheus:** So? I don’t think your last words have much value to them.

**Misteln:** Are you saying that I’m still talking nonsense before I die? …But strictly speaking, I won’t die.

**Misteln:** Fine, then I’ll make good use of this time. Why don’t I teach you some more things?

**Misteln:** Here, try to copy my tone. When saying farewell, you need to say it like this…

**Misteln:** “No matter what, I still love you. Even if things don’t work out between us, I’ll always remember the time I spent with you.”

**Misteln:** Try saying those words like that. In times like this, you should express your feelings and not leave any regrets.

**Prometheus:** If anyone else was standing here, they would probably think you need a psychologist.

**Prometheus:** What’s more, this is a rare opportunity for me to observe the demise of an Idea with my own eyes. I can’t even hope for a rare opportunity like this.

**Misteln:** Really? You don’t have to put up a front.

**Misteln:** But… In that case, doesn’t that mean you’re more similar to humans?

**Misteln:** “There were too many things for me to tell you at that time”… experiencing this type of regret once in a while is good for growth and development.

**Misteln:** Oh, speaking of, the preparation is taking longer than I expected. Did I make some difficult demands again?

Since she proposed her risky plan involving her own destruction, the worlds continued to fuse, and time was still passing by.

Although Misteln was the most important part of this plan, the early-stage preparations could only be completed by Shigure Kira, which was why these two were able to chat aimlessly about anything except the matter at hand.

**Prometheus:** But if I think about it carefully, if something goes wrong with the current preparation, or we lose to Sa after you leave…

**Prometheus:** In these worst-case scenarios, you might be the only one among us who can “survive”.

**Misteln:** But I don’t consider that “surviving”.

**Misteln:** What I consider to be limited time might not be limited to others.

**Misteln:** By human standards, what I am facing is not “death” but a veritable “farewell”.

**Prometheus:** …

**Prometheus:** Which means you don’t think this price can be easily accepted.

**Misteln:** Of course. Do you think I’m an old person who has experienced a lifetime and has no more regrets…?

**Misteln:** …

An incident from the distant past flashed in her mind.

**Misteln:** Anyway, why are we talking about this?

**Prometheus:** I think that although you’re supposed to be the Stigmata crystal of relief, you’re actually quite a self-centered existence. By human standards, it can even be said that you’re selfish.

**Misteln:** …Huh?

**Misteln:** Alright.

**Misteln:** I admit that you’re right, but so what?

**Prometheus:** To a selfish person, the destruction of a bubble universe and the death of its residents are nothing but the end of a group of irrelevant people… It has even less impact than the extinction of a rare species.

**Prometheus:** So I’m curious… about your motives for the upcoming operation.

**Misteln:** That’s why I said… I’m afraid this is the meaning of “eternal calamity”.

**Misteln:** In the endless flow of time, everything we’ve experienced has already happened before in some form, and it will probably happen again.

**Misteln:** Perhaps we will have a conversation like this in another universe, and all the details could be the same.

**Prometheus:** You should understand that what you’re saying is the wishful thinking of a philosopher.

**Misteln:** But it’s not impossible, right? If I must make an excuse for my selfishness…

**Misteln:** When I think that certain regrets and fears of mine will keep repeating in the endless river of time… I find it unbearable.

**Misteln:** In the past, I usually played the role of a supporting character of destiny. Although I could do whatever I wanted, I couldn’t change anything. So I started to plan a different way of life…

**Misteln:** I wanted to be the protagonist of my own life and try not to do anything that I would regret later.

**Misteln:** As for the results… There are ups and downs, but at least in terms of the “eternal calamity”, I have a clear conscience right now.

**Prometheus:** …

**Prometheus:** I don’t understand why you need to make such a big detour.

**Prometheus:** You just don’t want to subjectively feel like you’re a bad person. The reason for this may still be due to your physical traits as an Idea.

**Prometheus:** Forget it. Just do what you want. I don’t want to make other criticisms about you at this time.

**Misteln:** Ah… So this is your perspective of the problem? But have you ever considered that non-humans also have a price to pay for eternity?

**Misteln:** In a sense… being able to die is ironically the only human quality that I’m envious of.

**Prometheus:** …

**Misteln:** It’s nothing to do with the eternal suffering cliché…

**Misteln:** It’s just that being able to die completely may be a form of kindness that the world has given to humans.

**Misteln:** All the regrets, fears, and pain in their short lives… will disappear without a trace with their deaths.

**Misteln:** And if that’s not the case… In any world, there’s an extremely high chance that there will be a heaven and a hell. The joy of a few people forms an extreme contrast against the pain of the majority.

**Prometheus:** But that’s still beside the point, Misteln.

**Prometheus:** …

**Prometheus:** Whatever.

**Misteln:** …Huh?

**Misteln:** Are you asking if…

**Misteln:** Oh. Is everything ready?

**Prometheus:** …??

*This may have been a coincidence, but the person who had been making honest reminders was being evasive this time.*

**Schrodinger:** Everything is ready except for one last step.

**Misteln:** Making sure that I am inside?

**Schrodinger:** Yes. Except for an opening for you to enter, Shigure Kira has sealed the rest of the space.

**Schrodinger:** Now, she’s doing her best to maintain its current state to prevent the fusion reaction we’re expecting from intensifying.

**Misteln:** Which means I don’t have any time to waste.

**Prometheus:** Wait, Misteln…

She was still hesitating and seemed to want an answer to a certain question, but she could not even explain why she felt that way.

In her consciousness built on a foundation of codes, some incomprehensible past events quickly flashed by…

**Misteln:** Oh… that’s right. No. 17, please do one last thing for me.

**Misteln:** In any case, you’ve never seen me look happy or sad. Those expressions would make me feel quite awkward.

**Prometheus:** …??

**Misteln:** What I’m saying is… try not to say things that are too sad anymore… okay?

**Misteln:** I don’t know when we’ll meet again… But since I’m not really going to die, please let me be more carefree.

**Prometheus:** …

**Prometheus:** I promise you. You should go now.

**Misteln:** Alright. By the way, it’s quite a coincidence…

**Misteln:** The scene in front of me is so pure and white when I came and as I’m leaving now… I like it quite a lot.

**Misteln:** Ah, that’s…

**Misteln:** I always think I know everything, but… I actually neglect a lot of details too.

**Misteln:** By the way, No. 17… is your body capable of taking photos?

**Misteln:** Can you take a photo for me? The atmosphere is amazing here.

**Prometheus:** …

**Misteln:** “Nobody does good deeds in Heaven because that’s what they all do there.”

**Misteln:** “Nobody does evil in Hell because that’s what they all do there.”

**Misteln:** Yes, only humans are so…

**Misteln:** Let’s go.

**Shigure Kira:** …

**Shigure Kira:** Oh, you…

**Misteln:** Sorry, we were delayed on the way here… How’s the situation?

**Shigure Kira:** Everything is going well. Although the spatial fusion is more intense after the artificial division, it can still be maintained.

**Shigure Kira:** You don’t need to rush in.

**Misteln:** …

**Misteln:** Thanks. Don’t worry though, there’s nothing else I need to do.

**Prometheus:** …

**Misteln:** But… I never thought about it before. This scene… Instead of saying two worlds are fusing…

**Misteln:** It looks more like an apocalypse.

**Schrodinger:** Theoretically speaking, all forms of fusion are rough.

**Misteln:** Yes, all things are heterogeneous in this world. Since a long time ago, I…

**Misteln:** Oh, I’m talking nonsense again. Let’s save some time. Next… Once I walk inside, you’ll all need to thoroughly separate this area from the bubble universe, right?

**Schrodinger:** Based on what we know, yes.

**Misteln:** “Based on what we know”?

**Schrodinger:** Yes. After all, what we know about the fusion process is based on our speculations.

**Schrodinger:** And we won’t be able to help you at all, regardless of what happens once that area is fully isolated.

**Misteln:** Yeah, I was prepared for this. On the contrary… I think you all need to be more determined not to reopen this space for me, no matter what unexpected changes take place.

**Misteln:** Although… maybe I’m flattering myself by thinking that will happen.

**Shigure Kira:** Hmph… After the fusion intensifies, we won’t be able to do that even if we wanted to…

**Misteln:** That’s even better.

After a moment of contemplation, her gaze moved from person to person, studying each one carefully. It’s hard to imagine such a serious expression would ever appear on her face.

**Misteln:** Okay, I should go now.

**Schrodinger:** Judging from the pressure the Alien Key is under, you should leave now indeed.

**Schrodinger:** Although you should still be able to communicate through me to some extent after the isolation and fission process are completed…

**Schrodinger:** I’m afraid you’ll have to face that world-shattering destruction alone.

**Misteln:** So… Will I be able to leave a message at the last minute whether I succeed or not?

**Schrodinger:** Of course. Your last message will be of utmost importance, and it will directly determine the logic of the actions we take thereafter.

**Misteln:** I understand. Well then… this is goodbye. I don’t know if I’ll be battered later.

**Misteln:** Could you accompany me there, No. 17?

**Shigure Kira:** …

“Oh, yes”, she thought to herself.

Thinking about it, the being who was supposed to be closest to Misteln was unexpectedly silent at this time.

Not long ago, when this Idea took on a less risky adventure, she experienced psychological behaviors like “wishing”, so her current attitude felt particularly strange.

**Prometheus:** I refuse your request, Misteln.

**Prometheus:** And… I will not bid you farewell.

**Misteln:** …

**Prometheus:** You’re only departing temporarily, and regardless, you should still be within the Sea of Quanta.

**Prometheus:** We don’t need to make a fuss over this.

**Misteln:** Haha. This really is a strict “logical analysis”…

“Or, she has already learned self-deception from human beings”, she thought deep down.

**Misteln:** You have changed so much, No. 17, in ways I didn’t notice.

**Misteln:** Oh, and would you like to make other plans? The next time we meet, I could give you a name?

**Misteln:** Prometheus sounds more like a surname… and now it seems that No. 17 no longer suits you.

**Prometheus:** …

**Prometheus:** I don’t really trust your taste.

**Prometheus:** But, you can give your suggestions when we meet again.

**Misteln:** Haha, you can count on me then… After all, I have plenty of time to think.

**Misteln:** …

**Misteln:** That’s that then.

But, just as she was about to turn around…

**Prometheus:** Misteln…

**Prometheus:** I know what you are “afraid” of.

**Misteln:** …??

**Prometheus:** If you need an “answer”, I will give you one now.

**Misteln:** No, don’t say it out loud. It’s too childish.

**Misteln:** Just… let me try it out myself.

**Misteln:** (Though there’s much more to say, we must hurry.)

**Misteln:** (It’s a little inappropriate, but…)

**Misteln:** (I do hope you will think of me… I’ve not had this kind of experience before.)

**Misteln:** It’s there.

**Misteln:** Dr. Schrodinger, can you still hear my voice? I’m already here.

**Schrodinger:** No problem. Shigure Kira is syncing the closure of the spatial gap in this area. It shouldn’t take too long… get ready.

**Misteln:** …Get ready?

**Misteln:** It really didn’t take long. Now… this mission belongs to me.

**Misteln:** Although… there’s nothing much to do now.

**Misteln:** That is…

**Misteln:** …

**Misteln:** …

…

…

**Misteln:** …?!

**Misteln:** I see, everything is turning into energy indeed…

**Misteln:** At this rate, I might not hold on until the fusion is completed…

**Misteln:** Honestly, I’m happy with my present form… If possible, I don’t want to make it too solemn.

**Misteln:** But, it wouldn’t be a bad thing to get serious once, right?

**Misteln:** Rather than be an enemy of a certain will…

**Misteln:** …Let me compete with “Oblivion” itself.

On the other side, once the Alien Key had fully realised its effectiveness…

**Shigure Kira:** It’s over.

To those staying on this side, the borders of the world that were previously partitioned had not completely erased Misteln’s body.

But they had certainly entered a light-coned and time-delayed relationship. As for their target…

Prior to the execution of this plan, the crisis in Salt Snow Holy City and the Country of Iron Sand had been impacting people in a speculative manner.

The unusual weather, the insuppressible riots… When destiny shifted, it was only natural for individuals to feel a sense of unease.

Until now, artificial forces came into play and accelerated the progress of a specific area…

It finally manifested in a form visible to the naked eye.

**Schrodinger:** Oh, that was a little faster than expected.

**Shigure Kira:** Does this mean… this is a type of preview? After this, the spot that we’re in will also…

**Prometheus:** This is enough for a slow annihilation, by the standards of a bubble universe.

**Prometheus:** Is it still possible to communicate with Misteln?

**Schrodinger:** Yes, do you need to contact her directly?

**Prometheus:** No, I just want to check if she can leave messages.

**Shigure Kira:** Ugh…

**Shigure Kira:** Prometheus, though I don’t really understand you and Misteln…

**Shigure Kira:** If she is going to be gone for a long time, you’d best say a few words to her.

**Prometheus:** Is that really necessary?

**Shigure Kira:** Well… I can’t answer you for sure, even if you ask me.

**Shigure Kira:** But, when I was still a Valkyrie… I new a special senior.

**Shigure Kira:** Even though she was just a B-rank Valkyrie, her resilience was extraordinary… Even when facing death, she never wavered.

**Shigure Kira:** She was as reliable as my hero, Cecilia.

**Shigure Kira:** But that day, unlike her usual tough self, she was alone and crying in the corner of the training room. So uncontrollably that she struggled to breathe.

**Prometheus:** What are you trying to say? I know a man… he’s better than anyone when it comes to “inner strength”.

**Prometheus:** But he also shedded tears in battle.

**Shigure Kira:** That’s right… After all, there are some things that one just cannot bear. But what really surprised me was when I asked her what happened…

**Shigure Kira:** She told me that she was thinking of a teammate who died in the line of duty. However, she wasn’t crying for her, but for something else.

**Prometheus:** …?

**Shigure Kira:** Because… her teammate did not die instantly, despite suffering a fatal wound.

**Shigure Kira:** In her teammate’s final moments, to give the other survivors a chance to escape, that senior tried to chase the nearby Honkai beasts away.

**Prometheus:** A wise choice.

**Shigure Kira:** She thought so too. But years later, alone in the training room, she happened to think of it and was overcome with regret.

**Shigure Kira:** “For hours, I just watched her dying.”

**Shigure Kira:** “I should have stopped everything, rushed to her and embraced her.”

**Shigure Kira:** “So that in her final moments, she would know that it was me taking her to where she wanted to go.”

**Prometheus:** …

The AI was not able to give an immediate response.

But at that moment, she had an irrepressible flashback to a certain doctor’s final moments and the single blessing she gave before leaving.

She split open the shell of her absolute rationality and expressed an unusual warmth. It was the first time the AI had shown something akin to an emotional impulse.

And upon hearing such a story…

**Prometheus:** Dr. Schrodinger, could you help me establish communication with Misteln?

**Shigure Kira:** (I knew it…)

**Prometheus:** I need to tell her a few words of caution.

**Shigure Kira:** Hey, you…

**Prometheus:** Apologies, I understand the situation you described, but I came to a different conclusion.

**Prometheus:** When she regretted the actions she did not take, was it to fulfill the regrets of the deceased, or her own?

**Prometheus:** Do not be mistaken, neither is superior or inferior from my understanding. But I can confirm that…

**Prometheus:** Misteln is not the “deceased” of that past.

**Shigure Kira:** …

**Shigure Kira:** But even if we don’t consider the future, don’t you think…

**Shigure Kira:** She would not feel some degree of pain?

**Prometheus:** Of course, but…

**Prometheus:** Granting her sufficient space, allowing her to bear the suffering she chose alone…

**Prometheus:** This is the highest form of respect I can offer her…

**Prometheus:** As her friend at this moment.

Meanwhile…

Even though the outside world could still sense her presence and even converse with her, in essence, the entity named Misteln had already stepped into a hell forged by the masses.

Of course, as the sole person immersed in this, she ironically didn’t think of it that way. As her memories were shaped by disastrous events, she always maintained the belief that…

**Misteln:** “Hell is not a place you will go, but a piece of luggage you should carry with you.”

**Misteln:** So… I have always felt that the moment of death is a rather private time.

**Misteln:** Must you disturb me at a time like this, my friend?

At first, her words made no sense. In this slowly fusing plane, a space on the verge of obliteration, only she stood within it.

However, unlike a particular drifter, the origin of a grand plan, an Idea with a talent for capturing dreams… In a certain way, she was not inferior to the Herrscher of Sentience, on a psychological level. In fact, she might even be more remarkable.

And thus… when enveloped by a force of mutuality, she could not be completely unaware.

**Misteln:** Aren’t you going to respond?

**Misteln:** True, in this current state, simply manifesting one’s existence can already be regarded as a kind of…

Without warning, a voice sounded in her mind and deftly severed her words.

The voice appeared so abruptly, that before she could delve into its meaning, she was surprised by something else.

**Misteln:** …

This was an unprecedented experience for her. Of all the beings she had faced, there was one whose power was superior to hers and could even easily destroy her.

She never thought that her own mind could unconsciously fall completely under the control of another entity.

The entity had a way to deal with Ideas… or its power was truly immeasurable like an abyss. She had trouble judging at this moment.

**Misteln:** Seems like I celebrated too early…

**Misteln:** Ultimately, what I have to fight against… is still a form of “Will”?

**Misteln:** This sort of thing really tires me out.

**Misteln:** However, given your demonstrated abilities, I’m unfortunately not well-suited for expressing the “distinctive warmth of those superior”, right?

**Misteln:** And… since you chose to “appear” right now, it seems like my hypothesis was accurate?

Although remarkably short, she promptly received an affirmative response.

**Misteln:** No wonder you said that the purpose of your trip was to ensure my destruction by your hands.

**Misteln:** The energy derived from the fusion does have a predetermined destination. As per your assessment, I do have the capability to trace its origins.

**Misteln:** …

**Misteln:** Great, this is enough. Given my own selfishness, I actually feel very fortunate you appeared. It will make everything I am doing all the more challenging.

**Misteln:** Otherwise, it would have been difficult to regard my act of waiting for death as a heroic accomplishment.

**Misteln:** …

**Misteln:** Hmm? It’s hard to understand? I’d hate to admit this, but…

**Misteln:** Maybe it’s just my nature… No. 17’s assessment of me is very accurate.

**Misteln:** No matter how hard I try to convince myself, I just can’t seem to sincerely care about others’ destinies.

**Misteln:** Even though I know soon, this will all disappear once and for all, I still can’t take it seriously…

**Misteln:** Be it frivolity or a lack of empathy, maybe this counts as a defect of an Idea.

**Misteln:** So, you know why I refused No. 17’s answer before leaving, right?

**Misteln:** I had already anticipated the answer she gave. Now I feel a sense of doubt again.

*…So, compared to that answer, what are you truly afraid of?*

**Misteln:** It’s easy to guess, right? That’s why I said it’s fortunate that you appeared.

**Misteln:** Maybe there’s a hint of ego to it…

**Misteln:** However, in the majority of cases, I tend to be excessively intense. It’s difficult to let myself fall into a situation where I have no options.

**Misteln:** It’s also impossible to… examine myself in this way.

**Misteln:** Thanks to your appearance… I finally have a chance to experience the sensation of weakness.

**Misteln:** And… if you are unable to kill me before this area fuses completely, I will still be the winner.

*Setting aside the question of whether you can succeed, even if you can, what will it mean to you?*

**Misteln:** Maybe it’s a way to experience humanity?

**Misteln:** Human beings are destined to die from birth… but as they choose how to age and how to die, they can also decide how they will live.

**Misteln:** Besides, I do not doubt my ability to win.

**Misteln:** While it’s far from the time when Project STIGMA declared its completion…

A purple, streaming light began to surround her…

**Misteln:** This friend… a so-called Idea… even though one of the weakest beings, has the natural potential to reach infinity.

**Misteln:** Not to mention…

**Misteln:** Now, for the first time, I feel some interest in the battle ahead…

**Misteln:** I don’t know how strong you are, or what malicious intent you possess, but please now let me “borrow you” for a while.

**Misteln:** From this day forth, I can finally know…

*[CG plays wherein Misteln powers up amidst Sa’s energy stream:*

***Misteln:** Is it feasible for an individual lacking any integrity, who could be subjectively described as selfish, to progress through making the right choices and be qualified to call herself “Schariac”?*]

…

**Shigure Kira:** …!

A splendid luminosity was reflected in the girl’s eyes… At this moment, the area they were splitting finally started to enter the last stage of fusion.

By common sense, people think that destructive things are wicked and ugly…

But anyone who has watched a nuclear explosion from a safe distance tends to reach another type of consensus… that which is destructive can have its own beauty as well, a magnificent purity that can dazzle any creature.

Of course, this girl would definitely not think of it like this. Even facing such magnificence, at this very moment she could not conceal her fear.

**Prometheus:** Your heart rate is irregular.

**Shigure Kira:** …

**Shigure Kira:** Indeed, whether it was an explosion or fusion, despite the differing forms… the real reason behind the destruction of the Fallen Star… is likely due to the energy impact it experienced.

Even though she didn’t voice it, having witnessed past speculations, she could not help but admit deep within herself… if the supposed Last Judgment truly exists, it must be as pure as the view that presented itself before her eyes now.

**Shigure Kira:** How is Misteln?

**Schrodinger:** The connection hasn’t been cut, but it’s been a long time since she responded.

**Schrodinger:** To be precise, that area has fallen into complete silence. Maybe this is what it means when they say, “no news is good news”.

**Prometheus:** …

**Prometheus:** For her, would the signals we send be the same?

**Schrodinger:** Hard to say. But from current observations…

**Schrodinger:** Even if we can transmit a message successfully, she might not be able to spare her attention to comprehend it.

It is hard to imagine how she would maintain her shape under such circumstances… even for Ideas, it was not easy.

In everyone’s imaginations, being engulfed by an aggressive stream of needles might be more comfortable in comparison to the relentless onslaught of such energy.

But now, in order to complete the plan she had devised, she could not lose consciousness. She heightened her sensitivity to the flow and aligned herself to it.

For those on the other side, this was a future they knew a long time before.

But in reality, this was just a misinterpretation. Even though she suffered a profound and unparalleled pain, its source was not the “apocalypse”, but a “death match”. Even a… “punishment”.

For the girls, all that they could do was wait with conflicted emotions…

They hoped this process would be quick and brief to spare their companion from too much pain. But they also worried about the moment when the results would be revealed.

Ultimately, they remained uncertain about their current attempt.

And so, as they held such conflicted feelings, the light faded…

Once the flood generated from the fusion had engulfed everything, there was no space left for the Idea.

Yet the deathly silence continued.

**Shigure Kira:** …

**Shigure Kira:** It… ended just like that?

Subconsciously, she tried to turn her sight to the main character of this moment, and even forgot that Misteln never existed corporeally.

“Even if it’s futile, I can try my best to leave valuable clues before I go”. She still remembered Misteln’s previous statement.

**Schrodinger:** …

However, the professor who was the only one who could listen, explained their current situation with silence.

**Shigure Kira:** Seems like it was too much…

She stole a subtle glance at the silent AI and tried to adopt a positive tone.

**Shigure Kira:** But this doesn’t prove anything… maybe she isn’t speaking because everything is going well.

**Shigure Kira:** What now? Is there anything we can do?

**Prometheus:** …Sure.

**Prometheus:** But maybe it’s too early to decide our next step.

**Shigure Kira:** Too early?

**Prometheus:** Yes. From what I understand about Misteln…

**Prometheus:** What we just saw cannot be her final goodbye.

**Prometheus:** Let’s take a look at the last area she was in before her disappearance.

…

**Shigure Kira:** This is… Misteln, she… she’s okay, right?

**Prometheus:** You’re being too optimistic.

**Prometheus:** This is only the dreamland she left behind for us.

**Shigure Kira:** Oh… a dreamland. So, she did leave something for us?

**Prometheus:** Yes. Sometimes, she deliberately makes simple things much more complicated.

**Prometheus:** Purely based on her desire to “perform”, she has the potential to become an idol.

**Prometheus:** Though maybe it really was out of desperation this time.

**Shigure Kira:** So…

**Prometheus:** Yes.

…

…

**Misteln:** No. 17, your guess is correct…

A distant voice flowed out from the dreamland…

**Prometheus:** …!

**Misteln:** “It” really does exist, and it’s…

*But just then…*

**Misteln:** ▇▅▇▇▇!

**Misteln:** ▅▇▇▅▇▇▇▅▇▅▅▇▇▇ ━

*The Idea’s words were distorted instantly into indistinguishable echoes.*

**Shigure Kira:** What’s going on?

…

It was like waking from a dream.

Even though it should have been critically important, Misteln’s mutterings were the same as in most dreams. People could recall its existence, but found it hard to ascertain its content.

**Schrodinger:** …

**Shigure Kira:** …

**Shigure Kira:** Prometheus, was that… normal? Would the same thing happen in the dreamland she left behind before?

**Prometheus:** Strictly speaking, I cannot be sure. Up till today, I’ve found it hard to understand her logic.

**Prometheus:** But… even though we don’t know the reason, she could still confirm that “my guess was right” at her last moments…

**Schrodinger:** So what exactly does that mean?

**Prometheus:** I’m afraid you’ll have to wait awhile before I can explain in detail. Before that…

**Prometheus:** Dr. Schrodinger, please help me confirm the Herrscher of Sentience’s location as quickly as possible.

**Prometheus:** Whatever she is trying right now, she needs to be stopped immediately.

**Shigure Kira:** …The Herrscher of Sentience?

**Prometheus:** Yes, I once asked her for a favor. Although it seemed necessary at the time, now…

**Prometheus:** I cannot let her die for nothing at the hands of our enemy, for a piece of information we already have.

--

#### Gameplay 39-5 - Among Five Elements

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Hey, don’t compare me to her.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** No, we should say “it”… Never mind, it makes no difference!

**Herrscher of Sentience:** She’s just mediocre at best. No matter how good she may be at this, she cannot surpass a Herrscher of Sentience, understood?

**Prometheus:** …

**Prometheus:** Okay, I’ll repeat once more…

**Prometheus:** To avoid confusion, I previously addressed her as the “Eighth Herrscher”.

**Prometheus:** But she was actually equal to a “Herrscher of Sentience”.

**Prometheus:** In precise terms, you have the authority of Sentience because she tried to lower the difficulty of that power, when she once appeared in the Previous Era.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Who cares about “difficulty”? In the end, she’s still mediocre!

**Prometheus:** …

**Prometheus:** You are actually demeaning yourself right now, but… I’m not going to try to stop you.

**Prometheus:** Anyway, that’s not the point. The point is, you surely can do the things that she’s able to.

**Prometheus:** …

After some thinking, she considered the Herrscher’s temperament. To move the conversation forward, she departed from her usual approach and added…

**Prometheus:** After all, in terms of what you have achieved by your cognitive abilities, the present you is truly unmatched.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Well, it’s not actually… Though that’s true, no need to flatter me.

**Prometheus:** …

**Prometheus:** You’re right. After all, it’s said you’ve already used similar tactics when you fought Kevin.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …Kevin?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Wait, you’re talking about…

**Prometheus:** Yes. When chatting before, Seele mentioned that back then, you countered Kevin using the common sentience in Project STIGMA, thus making yourself invincible.

**Prometheus:** And for the Eighth Herrscher of the Previous Era, that is her main tactic too.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** So…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Oh, I got it!

**Prometheus:** Yes, it’s simple enough, maybe even you can guess…

**Prometheus & Herrscher of Sentience:** You can help me confirm whether “It” exists. | Are you thinking of making me “devour” the whole world, then making a run for it?

**Prometheus:** …

**Prometheus:** Okay, it seems like I need to explain more.

**Prometheus:** Before this, we’ve already confirmed the existence of something resembling a base mechanism of the Cocoon of Finality nearby.

**Prometheus:** In order to operate it with precision and accuracy, the base mechanism must be unalterable.

**Prometheus:** For example, if I only discovered that the structure’s base code had additional hardware degradation now, I’m afraid I’d have to ignore it.

**Prometheus:** Otherwise, the ripple effect brought by imprudent changes would be worse than the problems I discovered in the first place.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** I do understand what you mean…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** But can’t you speak in simpler terms?

**Prometheus:** …

**Prometheus:** Just ignore that example then.

**Prometheus:** Anyway, since the base mechanism exists, it wouldn’t just constrain us, it would constrain the other party too. This means, we can make use of it just by finding a suitable entry point.

**Prometheus:** But at the same time, there is an even riskier possibility…

**Prometheus:** There’s a Will that is applying micro or macro adjustments to the base mechanism.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** What’s the problem? Didn’t you say the base mechanism is difficult to alter? Whether someone is watching over it or not, it makes no difference, no?

**Prometheus:** Changing it will come at a huge cost.

**Prometheus:** But if there is a Will involved, and it deems making changes at a certain point as “worth the cost”?

**Prometheus:** At that point, there is a chance that they can counter our plan that takes advantage of the established rules.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …!

**Prometheus:** So, that’s why I made a personal request of you before you set off…

**Prometheus:** Assuming it’s safe, utilise your authority to contaminate all the sentience in this bubble universe to take control of our current situation, just like the Eighth Herrscher of the Previous Era.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Is that necessary?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Isn’t someone who can do such things a true “God”? The opponent could just snap its fingers and put an end to us. It’s much less work after all.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Since this has not happened, that Will you spoke of… even if it does exist… doesn’t pose a large threat.

**Prometheus:** This is something… I do not fully understand yet. That Will may not be as powerful as the mechanism it created…

**Prometheus:** With that said, the previous Eighth Herrscher, and the Herrscher of Corruption… They relied on a small investment for a big payoff, and that almost brought humanity to total destruction.

**Prometheus:** So, I feel very fortunate that the Herrscher of Sentience is on our side. Moreover, the bubble universe we are in is much smaller than the real world…

Pausing at precisely the right moment, her intention to provoke the Herrscher of Sentience became apparent. This was because she understood…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Hmph, just you wait…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** The Will you just mentioned, I hope it doesn’t even exist. Otherwise, if it ever gets into my sight… Heheh, hahahahaha…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** It’ll be so much fun!

Among all the people that the AI had ever seen, this lady was definitely enjoying this type of communication the most.

**Prometheus:** Well, I won’t spoil your fun.

**Prometheus:** But, the thing you just mentioned about “devouring the whole world”…

**Prometheus:** Although it may sound dubious and lead to misunderstandings, I want to hear your thoughts… maybe this could provide some new perspectives for everyone.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …Huh?

…

After that, the hypothesis provided by the Herrscher of Sentience was overruled by Prometheus… owing to its absurdity, it didn’t even need much complex explanation.

And the content of this hypothesis was… not important anymore.

*Whatever the meaning of “devour” she had in mind…*

*Right now, she was the one who had been fully devoured.*

--

#### Gameplay 39-6 - Gamebreaker

At this moment, what they faced was an absurd circumstance that they could not believe.

**Seele:** Oh, the Herrscher of Sentience… she disappeared.

**Seele:** The last location that the Herrscher of Sentience appeared in is… just ahead.

**Seele:** At least that’s what we think.

**Prometheus:** This residual energy… it’s really like the Herrscher of Sentience’s signature.

**Shigure Kira:** It seems like a fierce battle took place here.

**Shigure Kira:** But now… there are no monsters.

She looked around. It was all silent, as if giving a worldless goodbye to the only Herrscher in this world.

**Prometheus:** An optimistic speculation is that maybe the Herrscher of Sentience wiped out all the enemies before she disappeared.

**Prometheus:** But if we’re not-so-optimistic… the monsters disappeared because the enemy disappeared.

**Shigure Kira:** Are these the enemies that the Herrscher of Sentience faced?

**Shigure Kira:** Regardless of their numbers, for a Herrscher to struggle with enemies of this caliber is too…

**Seele:** Ridiculous, right?

**Seele:** Seele and I think so too.

**Seele:** Though the Herrscher of Sentience talks a lot, she’s not just bragging. It was someone she deemed a worthy rival, who she had to be ready for. It couldn’t have been a regular enemy.

**Seele:** So we can guess that the enemy she faced was someone else.

**Shigure Kira:** Could it be… there are other enemies aside from Sa?

**Schrodinger:** An enemy that not even a Herrscher could handle.

**Shigure Kira:** Wait, look. What is that?

**Prometheus:** This is…

Without question, what had appeared before them was a residue belonging to the Herrscher of Sentience.

However, this just made everything all the more bizarre.

**Seele:** She couldn’t have conjured this up just to give us a scare, right?

**Shigure Kira:** That’d be too much.

**Shigure Kira:** And it’s not her style at all.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** I’m aware. But from what I know, the Herrscher of Sentience before us doesn’t have a human body. She’s more like a holo-projection from the Cocoon of Finality. A being that is hard to distinguish between physical matter or energy.

**Seele:** And now, a fragment of her holo-projection remains, while the whereabouts of the owner appears to be unknown.

**Seele:** Maybe something went wrong with the Cocoon of Finality, but that’s impossible with Kiana there. Unless…

**Seele:** This is just a cruel joke courtesy of someone who’s had enough of the world.

**Prometheus:** …

**Prometheus:** No, there’s a third scenario as well.

**Seele:** …?

**Prometheus:** Other Seele, you’re right. Originally there were only those two possibilities, providing she is still the Herrscher of Sentience. Or rather, the real world and Cocoon of Finality’s Herrscher of Sentience.

**Seele:** …What are you trying to say?

**Prometheus:** Before the Herrscher of Sentience left, I gave her a task…

Prometheus relayed the events that had occurred prior.

**Prometheus:** At the time we thought this would be a chance to look for Sa’s essence. Although dangerous, once successful, we could carry out a more targeted response plan.

**Prometheus:** To avoid fighting Sa directly, I made an agreement with her: If it came down to life and death, she should immediately change form, temporarily becoming pure energy to conserve her strength.

**Seele:** You told her not to fight? You may as well aska dolphin to ride a unicycle.

**Seele:** You mean… the Herrscher of Sentience left her weapons here because she was made to?

**Shigure Kira:** Don’t tell me she’s recovered her Herrscher authority?

**Prometheus:** No. Otherwise it’d be even less likely that the Herrscher of Sentience’s weapons would just be lying here.

**Prometheus:** How Seele just described the **Herrscher of Sentience:** “A being that is hard to distinguish as substance or energy.” Her Herrscher authority is everything, her everything is her Herrscher authority. Including weaponry.

**Seele:** …!

**Seele:** You mean, if she had disappeared, her weapons would be gone too?

**Prometheus:** Correct.

**Shigure Kira:** This makes the strangest aspect of this whole thing the fact that her weapons are right here in their physical form…

**Shigure Kira:** While she’s nowhere to be found?

**Prometheus:** Indeed.

**Schrodinger:** …

**Schrodinger:** What if this isn’t a recovery, but a subjugation?

**Seele:** …?

**Schrodinger:** Do you remember what we concluded before? Sa seems to be similar to the Cocoon of Finality. If Prometheus has a code to counter the Cocoon of Finality, then it could be effective against Sa.

**Schrodinger:** Following this line of argument, I’d venture a guess that, perhaps, via Sa’s system…

**Schrodinger:** A Herrscher can be born.

**Shigure Kira:** Are you serious?!

**Prometheus:** …

**Prometheus:** We can’t rule out that possibility.

**Prometheus:** So, the subjugation you mentioned is a theory due to Sa’s involvement, which would transform the Herrscher of Sentience from the Cocoon of Finality into Sa’s Herrscher.

**Seele:** So, when the Herrscher of Sentience is trapped by Sa, she’s unable to freely switch between the two states like before?

**Shigure Kira:** Indeed. If this hypothesis is valid, it would explain everything.

**Seele:** But, this would also mean…

**Prometheus:** …

**Prometheus:** Yes, the Herrscher of Sentience perhaps didn’t disappear by choice, but…

**Prometheus:** Was subjugated by Sa and killed.

**Prometheus:** And considering that Sa hasn’t used this authority to attack us…

**Schrodinger:** …

**Prometheus:** We have to admit that the most likely conclusion is…

**Prometheus:** The Herrscher of Sentience is dead.

**Prometheus:** Since Sa isn’t an ex-World Serpent officer, it doesn’t need to show mercy by merely capturing the Herrscher.

Everyone was silent for a moment.

Coming to terms with the possibility of her death, they were filled with a feeling of absurdity beyond grief.

…But what they all found hard to believe was that the word death could ever be associated with such an unruly, untouchable Herrscher.

A while had passed. Then, the mechanical girl was the first to speak.

**Prometheus:** Well, “most likely” still doesn’t mean the same thing as “definitely”.

**Prometheus:** And before the Herrscher of Sentience disappeared, she left a critical clue for us.

**Seele:** …?

**Prometheus:** Didn’t Dr. Schrodinger just posit that Herrschers could be created via Sa’s system?

**Prometheus:** If so, we could think about this another way…

**Schrodinger:** …!

**Prometheus:** Correct, Doctor.

**Prometheus:** The key to breaking the deadlock lies, perhaps, in this world…

**Prometheus:** Starting from the very beginning: We create a new Herrscher.

**Prometheus:** Then, once again, the Herrscher can overcome Finality.

--

#### Gameplay 39-7 - In the Net

“Starting from the very beginning: We create a new Herrscher.” …If anyone had heard this sentence just a year ago, such a crude and irrational solution would have never been taken seriously.

Nevertheless, confronted with the present state of affairs, these words were incredibly persuasive.

After all, in desperate circumstances, even the most illusory hopes could seem unbelievably real.

If only someone could posit such hope… it would be even more realistic.

**Schrodinger:** This line of thinking… is worth pursuing.

**Seele:** …Are you sure, Professor Rock?

**Seele:** Prometheus might have short circuited, but you’re not talking nonsense, are you?

**Schrodinger:** Of course not. With enough Honkai energy, it might be possible to create a Herrscher out of thin air.

**Schrodinger:** I’ve seen a Herrscher that was born that way… although his appearance wasn’t man-made. And Kiana’s own experience, which you are all more familiar with, is proof as well.

**Shigure Kira:** “A Herrscher that was born that way…”, do you mean…

**Schrodinger:** The Herrscher of Reason, Welt Joyce. The sole survivor of the 1st Eruption.

**Schrodinger:** Of course, this is just a theoretical possibility. As the name “the 1st Eruption” suggests… creating an artificial Herrscher was an experiment that no one could afford to undertake.

**Schrodinger:** …Oh. Except the former Schicksal Overseer.

**Shigure Kira:** …

**Seele:** But knowing this, you’re still willing to bet on such slim odds?

**Prometheus:** I can provide support to significantly increase those odds. After all…

**Prometheus:** There is no one in this world as close to the Will of the Honkai as me.

**Seele:** …You’re all out of your minds.

**Shigure Kira:** But… seeing as we have no other option, this will have to do.

**Seele:** Yeah.

**Seele:** Seele, you…

**Seele:** And, if we can truly birth a Herrscher, we could follow the original plan and utilise her Imaginary singularities to establish a direct connection with the outside world, right?

**Seele:** This approach would break the stalemate by either returning to the proper world or directly locating Sa.

**Schrodinger:** The power of the newborn Herrscher would serve as a formidable weapon.

**Seele:** …Have you considered the potential failure of such an experiment or the risk of losing control over the Herrscher?

**Prometheus:** I told you, no one in the world is closer to the Will of the Honkai than I am. As long as Sa’s size remains within one-tenth of the Cocoon of Finality, there is no need to be concerned about the created Herrscher going rogue.

**Seele:** What will happen if even one-tenth is exceeded?

**Prometheus:** In a world governed by the master of fate, every aspect is controlled by the thread of Destiny. In such a scenario, everything within the bubble universe becomes a mere puppet to Sa, including us.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** Alright.

**Seele:** But… who’s gonna want to be this new Herrscher? It can’t be Seele, so does that mean it’s up to me?

**Prometheus:** No, you’ve already borne the responsibilities of the Tower Sage. Taking on additional authority could pose a risk.

**Prometheus:** We may still require the power of a Sage, as it will buy us more time for both ourselves and this world.

**Prometheus:** On the other hand, my body and Dr. Schrodinger’s obviously cannot bear the Imaginary singularity.

**Schrodinger:** So, the most appropriate choice would be…

**Shigure Kira:** …

**Shigure Kira:** Wait? Hey, hey…

**Shigure Kira:** You mean… me?

**Prometheus:** Certainly. You possess the inherent ability to wield Stigmata, which grants you unrivaled resistance against Honkai energy. What’s more, you even possess the power of the Alien Key and Sugars.

**Schrodinger:** …I agree. You’re the most suitable candidate, Kira.

**Shigure Kira:** You’re… making me feel a bit embarrassed.

**Shigure Kira:** Well, I am Seele and the others’ senior, it wouldn’t be right to hide behind everyone.

**Shigure Kira:** Whether it’s becoming a Valkyrie or how things are now, it appears that things always start off on the wrong foot…

**Shigure Kira:** Responding to everyone’s expectations is also part of being an idol, isn’t it?

**Prometheus:** It’s great that you’re willing to take on this responsibility so quickly.

**Prometheus:** So, let me outline the plan. Dr. Schrodinger and I will utilise various methods to guide and gather the overflowing Honkai energy resulting from the merging of worlds. We will concentrate it to a level beyond theoretical limits, creating an Imaginary singularity in the process.

**Schrodinger:** This may initially pose great challenges, but with Seele’s support, we can accomplish things in this world that would typically demand significant time and effort.

**Schrodinger:** We plan to harness the disturbances to the world’s norms caused by Sa, just like riding a wave.

**Schrodinger:** So, Kira, I advise against holding back at all. I think you know what I mean.

**Shigure Kira:** …

**Shigure Kira:** Right. I will fully unleash my Sugars’ power and give it my all.

**Prometheus:** And to the two Seeles, I expect you to amp the authority of the Tower Sage to the max level to stabilise the plan. I will provide you with specific instructions later.

**Prometheus:** In this time, you can try revisiting the Country of Iron Sand to harness the Honkai energy from that location as well, accelerating the process of generating the Imaginary singularity.

**Seele:** Return to the Country of Iron Sand? What about the black mist?

**Schrodinger:** Given Sa’s complete control over the bubble universe and due to its “frugal” tendencies, I think it’s unlikely you’ll be seeing any black mist.

**Seele:** …That’s true. We might as well try.

**Seele:** If we can get back easily, it really is frugal.

**Shigure Kira:** So everyone knows what they’re doing then. Let’s get a move on…

**Prometheus:** Wait, not so fast.

**Prometheus:** I have an important hypothesis I have to share…

**Seele:** …?

**Prometheus:** In fact, I sensed something was off from the moment of Misteln’s disappearance.

All of a sudden, Prometheus’ voice took on a delicate tone.

**Prometheus:** When she left… it sounded like she had something important to tell me, but she held back.

**Schrodinger:** …About Sa, right?

**Seele:** …

**Prometheus:** It’s not just Sa’s ability to hinder her that is frightening, but also the uncanny precision with which Sa chose that exact moment, preventing her from uttering her final words.

**Prometheus:** Moreover, during the attack on Vita, when Seele crossed the bridge, and when the Herrscher of Sentience vanished… for some reason, despite Sa’s apparent stinginess, it was able to precisely strike at our vulnerabilities at each moment.

**Seele:** You mean…

**Prometheus:** Sa’s authority, is perhaps… omniscience.

**Seele:** Om… niscience?

**Prometheus:** Perhaps, it is aware of every action we take, every word we utter.

**Prometheus:** If this is true, the more we try to directly hit it, the riskier things get.

**Shigure Kira:** …

The three of them couldn’t help but gasp upon hearing Prometheus’ words.

…Then, there was a deafening silence.

**Prometheus:** It would be best to stop putting our plans into words from now on.

**Prometheus:** The previous conversation was necessary, but from now on, I suggest we only engage in necessary and brief communication to prevent the enemy from obtaining any more information.

**Prometheus:** …Unless we can prove Sa isn’t omniscient.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** …

**Shigure Kira:** …

**Schrodinger:** …

As if being placed under some kind of spell, everyone present fell into a bizarre state.

Nodding, shrugging, making eye contact… The most primitive forms of communication dating back to before the invention of language.

An omniscient enemy. It’s shocking to think, but justified. True or not, everyone began to feel hesitant.

And the smarter among them realised a more curious problem…

Why did Prometheus reveal the entire plan just now?

Was it really… necessary?

--

#### Gameplay 39-8 - Backstage

*The performers were in position. The curtains to a never-before-seen pantomime were about to rise.*

*Although they no longer verbalised their thoughts, it was clear that everyone had been tacitly assigned their scripts.*

*In the face of a practically invincible enemy, they undoubtedly displayed all the virtues they possessed: trust, courage, and wisdom.*

*People always want to believe that possessing such virtues would give them the strength to change the world.*

*But… would their wishes become reality?*

*Would their secret plan really be a secret?*

**Shigure Kira:** Alright, let’s split up now that we know what we’re doing.

**Shigure Kira:** Ah. Saying that shouldn’t be a problem, right?

**Schrodinger:** It’s fine.

**Seele:** Although we don’t know… if we have truly understood Prometheus’ intentions…

**Prometheus:** It’s alright, this is fine.

**Prometheus:** Besides, it doesn’t matter if your conjecture is right or wrong. The plan will progress smoothly as long as we take action.

**Seele:** (I knew it…)

**Seele:** …Got it. We’ll give it our all.

**Prometheus:** On the other hand, Dr. Schrodinger’s assistance is required…

**Schrodinger:** Forgive me, I’m limited to using my brain in situations like this.

**Prometheus:** No, your mind is the greatest weapon we have in this situation.

**Schrodinger:** Haha, thank you. I haven’t put my mind to work under pressure like this in a long time. It really takes me back.

**Prometheus:** Isn’t that great?

**Prometheus:** …

Everyone fell silent again. Prometheus slowly and solemnly glanced at everyone’s faces.

It was as if she was telling them all that she was counting on them.

**Prometheus:** …

**Prometheus:** (As for me…)

**Prometheus:** (I also need to do something that only I can do.)

So, after a short discussion, the two Seeles once again returned to where all stories began… the top of the tower.

Here, the Sages would once again comfort the spirits and keep this world alive.

After experiencing many challenges, the girls had grown very familiar with this responsibility.

But this time, the situation was slightly different.

After all, only by fully fusing their strength could the true power of a Sage be unleashed to stabilise the two worlds. In other words…

They intended to try to recover their original appearances while silently comforting the spirits.

**Seele:** …

“Seele, are you ready? Shall we begin?”

**Seele:** …

“Well, it’s fine for me. But Seele, are you alright?

“It has been a very long time since we’ve switched bodies. It’s difficult to even maintain stability in your current state, right?”

“Let’s switch positions for safety's sake. You take the lead instead, alright?”

**Seele:** …

“Don’t worry, Seele. I can handle it, and it’s safer like this.

“If this attempt goes smoothly, I may be able to restore stability and get us back our original appearances.”

“The clock is ticking. Sa may be hiding in a dark corner watching us right now. We have to act before she notices.”

“So, just concentrate on comforting the spirits as you always do. You don’t have to worry about me.”

**Seele:** …

It’s not that she couldn’t understand her other self. After all, they were born as two sides of the same coin.

However, she hoped that her other self could live her own carefree life.

The vast ocean, blooming flowers, radiant sunlight… She hoped her other self could fully enjoy this beautiful world.

However, compared to freedom, her other self was clearly more used to their existing relationship.

At this moment, she was looking at her with concern, and a worried expression was visible on her slightly faded face.

**Seele:** …

“Seele?”

**Seele:** …

“I’m alright. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

**Seele:** (…This is an important moment, so what am I thinking about?)

**Seele:** (It’s fine. Some day, we will be released from our habits, discover our true selves, and realise our true desires.)

**Seele:** (For now, let’s focus and complete the special rite.)

**Seele:** (For no one else but…)

**Seele:** (…Seele!)

With the power of the new Sage, the white tower shined brightly once more, just like a divine revelation.

Seele felt warmth spread through her body as if it was cleansing her soul.

Her body was embraced by a warm and gentle energy, and the discomfort from being expelled from her body vanished at that very moment.

Even if she could not rescue the collapsing world, Seele still lit the brightest light for her.

**Seele:** …

So, underneath that light, the girls were finally able to return to their inner world.

**Seele:** We’re finally back…

**Seele:** (But where’s Seele? Don’t tell me…)

**Seele:** (No, she’s definitely here. I know it. Because…)

**Seele:** (I’m her other side.)

**Seele:** Is that you, Seele?

**Seele:** Sure enough, Seele knows just where I am at all times.

**Seele:** Hmph! Unlike you… If no one said anything, you wouldn’t have realised that your other self can also be the spirit-comforting’s target, huh?

**Seele:** But we still had to do our best to fulfill our duties as a Sage and protect everyone…

**Seele:** Ugh… I was just joking. Don’t take it so seriously.

**Seele:** Oh, really? Well then… Let’s complete the last step and make you whole as soon as possible.

**Seele:** Ugh, you’re hopeless.

**Seele:** (It’s here, the end of the rite…)

**Seele:** (Let’s become a whole Seele once more.)

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** Oh, this state is the best.

**Seele:** …?!

**Seele:** Wait, I haven’t…

She took her hand gently and gave her other self a soft smile.

**Seele:** Seele…

**Seele:** I’m back, and…

**Seele:** Welcome back.

**Seele:** …Yeah.

After a short yet warm moment, Seele let go of her other self’s hand.

**Seele:** Come on, Seele. Let’s return to reality.

**Seele:** …Wait.

**Seele:** But we have to go help Miss Kira.

**Seele:** Maybe… But this is the only place we can have a nice conversation, right? And we won’t be disturbed by any annoying eavesdroppers.

Upon realising what her other self was implying, Seele became serious.

**Seele:** Seele, did you notice something?

**Seele:** I was just thinking…

**Seele:** “Amp the authority of the Tower Sage to the max level to stabilise the plan…” It sounds like our mission is just to buy time.

**Seele:** But… now that the bubble universe’s fusion is irreversible, what kind of time are we buying?

**Seele:** What does she mean by “amping to the max level”?

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** True, the mission Prometheus gave us isn’t any different from putting us on standby.

**Seele:** But how does that make sense given what’s going on? And if we think about this whole omniscience thing… She must have assigned this mission to us for some other reason.

**Seele:** Then… what’s the reason?

They fell silent for some time.

**Seele:** …Wait, what if we consider it in reverse?

**Seele:** Huh?

**Seele:** With how urgent the situation is, Prometheus wouldn’t just make up a strategy, even if it’s to confuse the enemy.

**Seele:** If we assume her plans are real, then from the previous analysis, everyone’s mission includes becoming Herrschers and buying time.

**Seele:** So, now that the collapse of the world looks guaranteed, the only reason we’d need to buy time is…

**Seele:** …Because of Sa.

**Seele:** Are you saying that what Prometheus actually wants is for Miss Kira and us to SIMULTANEOUSLY attempt to become Herrschers… and it’s Miss Kira’s job to confuse Sa to buy us time?

**Seele:** …Why else would Prometheus assign missions like this?

**Seele:** If becoming a Herrscher is the only way to turn this situation around, then everyone who has a chance to do that should give it a shot.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** Being a Herrscher… Is that a power we can control?

For the longest time, the girls considered Herrschers to be powerful beings beyond their reach.

Bronya, Kiana, Mei, Mr. Yang, the Herrscher of Sentience… She had always been looked after by the Herrschers, but never imagined that she too would one day become one.

**Seele:** (Besides, if we really become Herrschers under Sa… Even if Prometheus thinks it’s worth the risk, will you and I be able to coexist peacefully in the same body as we do now?)

**Seele:** Don’t be afraid, Seele.

**Seele:** We’ll be the same, no matter what happens.

Their hearts had always been one.

So long as they remained together, they possessed the strength to face any danger.

The girls always believed that.

**Seele:** …Yeah.

**Seele:** You’re right. Instead of staying here helplessly, so long as it can increase our chances against Sa, we should try whatever we can.

**Seele:** (However, if that’s the case… Miss Kira is going to find herself in serious trouble.)

**Seele:** (Even if Sa’s power really can’t compare to a tenth of the Cocoon of Finality’s…)

**Seele:** (…I hope you’re safe, Miss Kira!)

Meanwhile, Shigure Kira had begun attempting to transform into a Herrscher.

However, in her current state, it wasn’t safe for her at all.

She was staring into the void as if something existed there…

And there was the rare expression of fear on her face.

**Shigure Kira:** I-Is this a joke?

**Shigure Kira:** Why are there two of me…?

--

#### Gameplay 39-9 - Frontstage

*What happened to Shigure Kira?*

*No one knew. She just fell into an abnormal mental state without even suffering any external influence.*

*Needless to say, her mind was very easily influenced by the outside world. Delicate and weak… quite like an idol.*

*Perhaps it was a challenge that must be overcome to become a Herrscher?*

*Or perhaps it was always a part of their plan.*

*But it mattered not, as time was the best touchstone. It would restore the truth for us.*

*And perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to take a look at something more interesting.*

*While her companions went off on their own missions, Prometheus had taken action too.*

*She hadn’t told anyone about her plans, so what choice would she be making?*

**Prometheus:** …This place will do.

As Prometheus activated the module which had slumbered for 50,000 real-world years, the space secluded from the fusion was immediately torn open before her.

Endless white filled the world…

A moment later, Prometheus entered a place that perhaps only she could enter: World Origin.

**Prometheus:** …Done.

Although it’s her first time in this space, she was able to immediately recognise what was before her.

They were Sa’s roots, rooted in the bubble universe. They could also be considered as this world’s cocoon.

And in the near future, she would create the Imaginary Renormalisation Group and transform into one of thousands of Sa’s consciousness… if those really existed.

That was her third plan which she had yet to reveal.

**Prometheus:** …

“Just like No. 17 in the proper world, I shall intervene in this system in the form of the Will of the Honkai, and give birth to Herrschers.”

“So far, its size really cannot compare to a tenth of the Cocoon of Finality…”

“So, I should be able to obtain a higher level of access to directly designate the Herrscher’s authority and ownership, and give the new Herrscher absolute freedom.”

“To start off, the most suitable Herrscher authority for the current situation should be…”

One could not step into the same river twice… but the river flowed eternally.

This time, as a drifter through the bubble universe, she imitated her former self and stepped into a similar torrent of destiny.

**Prometheus:** …

Prometheus closed her eyes while her Soulium brain raced, simulating every upcoming part of the plan.

After all, it was her last opportunity to notify her friends of any flaws in the plan.

After that, the concept known as Prometheus, including her body and consciousness, would be completely obliterated under Sa’s roots.

Although that would be the worst case scenario, she had always judged things by taking the worst into account.

A short while later, Prometheus opened her eyes.

**Prometheus:** …

“All factors that affect the plan have been considered.”

“Now, let’s begin.”

“Before the enemy realises.”

To play against Sa’s abilities, she told no one about this secret plan.

And in doing so, she avoided many meaningless arguments and farewells.

Even in her final moments, her face remained expressionless as ever.

Now, she understood how MEI and Misteln felt when they parted ways.

…However, when fate called for her, she remained calm, indifferent, and unaffected as before.

**Prometheus:** …

“Farewell, everyone.”

*“Goodbye, Prometheus.”*

*[CG plays wherein the roots of Sa expand, and from them, an object that impales Prometheus.*]

**Prometheus:** I should have realised…

**Prometheus:** All along, the real enemy was you.

--

#### Gameplay 39-10 - Star Fall

MEI: You’re right. To me…

MEI: All the stars in the sky are enemies.

…

…

MEI: Do you have anything to say, No. 17?

**Prometheus:** …

**Prometheus:** Acknowledged. Analysing the probability of victory.

**Prometheus:** If by stars you mean the actual stars themselves, then objectively speaking, you are too tiny compared to their lifespans which last for billions of years.

**Prometheus:** The same can be said for the difference in size.

**Prometheus:** If you’re planning on going against the stars, you stand no chance.

MEI: …Pft.

**Prometheus:** Of course, if you seek comfort, you can deceive yourself by believing your merits in life will allow you to live forever in the hearts of others, and will not be forgotten even after the stars perish.

**Prometheus:** That can be considered a victory. A victory in spirit.

MEI: So, you don’t think I’ll succeed, huh?

**Prometheus:** Civilisation is nothing compared to the lifespan of stars.

**Prometheus:** Based on the average intelligence of all living beings on this planet, and even considering the possibility of future evolution…

**Prometheus:** Your level of intelligence may be sufficient as a culmination and symbol, allowing you to obtain the lifespan of a civilisation.

**Prometheus:** But while the weakness of humanity remains unsolved, civilisations built by them are bound to perish before the stars ever fade.

**Prometheus:** Not to mention that when compared to going against the stars, perhaps overcoming Finality is something you should be preoccupying yourself with.

MEI: Sure enough, we still look at matters so differently.

MEI: To be precise, of course I’m willing to live on eternally…

MEI: But not by my own merit. I prefer to be truly immortal.

MEI: It sounds like something Mobius would say, right? But there’s a big difference.

MEI: I would rather live on in my own apartment than in the memory of others… Oh, but that’s a story for another day.

MEI: In fact… Seeing the stars as my enemies doesn’t mean I want to declare war on them, No. 17. The most important thing is…

MEI: If I’m qualified to have this as a goal.

**Prometheus:** Sorry, I don’t get it.

MEI: Of course you don’t. But it doesn’t matter, you can think about it slowly.

MEI: Anyway, once I decided to treat the stars as my enemy, of course I had to consider on what basis I was doing so.

**Prometheus:** On what basis?

MEI: Exactly. Of course, I won’t fight them literally, but when I’m certain I’m capable of doing so…

MEI: That will give me additional motivation to smash through all other obstacles.

**Prometheus:** But… you really aren’t qualified.

MEI: Um…

MEI: Was I also so hurtful when I was being candid?

MEI: Well… Alright, consider this a gift for my assistant, No. 17… What gives us the right to stand against the stars?

MEI: Because under the vast dome of the sky…

…

The past was in the past.

With unexpected feelings, the artificial intelligence couldn’t recall the doctor’s words no matter how hard she searched her memory modules.

All she could recall was that she was as astonished then as she was now.

**Prometheus:** …

Did that attack damage the corresponding memory module?

She wasn’t sure.

**Prometheus:** …

“However, it seems my judgment was correct… Even if she can be considered omniscient, she cannot read the thoughts of a machine.”

**???:** …Unfortunately, you’re wrong.

**???:** In fact, it’s not difficult at all… Just like how there isn’t much difference between you and humans.

**???:** For example, I think you were more sensible in the past.

**???:** Why insist on going against the stars?

**Prometheus:** …!

“She can make it happen…”

*“Yes, and she can even talk to you directly like this… It’s quite convenient, isn’t it?”*

**???:** But I seldom do this…

**???:** “In our inner conflicts, we created poetry; and in our conflicts against others, we created rhetoric.”

**???:** I have always felt that keeping some space between each other is for the best.

**Prometheus:** …So, has it always been you?

**Prometheus:** There is no Vita… What I see before me is the legend that covers the Sea of Quanta beneath its shadow…

**Prometheus:** …Sa?

**???:** There’s no need for such harsh words. Don’t you have two names too?

**Vita:** You can still call me Vita… the “Vi” is pronounced by biting lightly on your lower lip, while the “ta” requires flicking your tongue against your teeth.

**Prometheus:** …

**Vita:** If possible, I hope I never have to get on stage when all of this is over.

**Vita:** Destruction has always been my duty, not my interest.

**Vita:** Of course, the truth is… I’ve never left the stage.

**Vita:** A shame, really.

**Prometheus:** …

**Vita:** Seems like… You’re feeling even more confused.

**Vita:** Prometheus, you’ve thought for long enough. Are you sure about using your final moments on calculating and planning?

**Vita:** It seems like you didn’t learn anything from… the doctor’s final moments.

**Prometheus:** No, there is nothing I can do right now. The thing that confuses me is very simple…

**Prometheus:** …Why are you so weak?

**Vita:** …

**Vita:** Funny how you can say that calmly… in a situation like this.

**Prometheus:** I’m only stating the facts objectively.

**Prometheus:** Unless you’ve been holding back… Otherwise, the strength you displayed earlier… is only on par with Misteln.

**Vita:** That is only temporary.

**Vita:** Moreover, it’s nothing to be surprised about… Haven’t you reached your own judgment already?

**Vita:** I may not be stronger than my own creation.

**Prometheus:** …

“…Even when your creation is providing you with a massive amount of Honkai energy right now? That’s impossible.”

“Even if it’s just one percent of the Cocoon of Finality… That’s definitely not all you’ve got right now.”

**Vita:** …

**Vita:** Fine, I admit that was a lie… But I’m sorry to say, I’m not obligated to explain.

**Vita:** Anyway, even if I revealed everything about myself… You still wouldn’t be able to stop me.

**Prometheus:** This is very strange.

**Prometheus:** With that tactic just now, you have the ability to kill us one by one. But…

**Prometheus:** If your goal is only to trap us here and perish with the bubble universe…

**Prometheus:** I fail to see the necessity of this timing.

**Vita:** Maybe I’ve already done that?

**Vita:** Don’t forget that you’re all alone right now… Are you so sure that your friends are still alive?

**Prometheus:** …

**Vita:** Haha… Don’t take things so seriously.

**Vita:** It was a joke. When it comes to being killed by me personally, the honor will be all yours.

**Vita:** It has to be done. Only then will the sense of punishment be clear.

**Prometheus:** Punishment just for me?

**Prometheus:** In other words, what I’m doing right now is fundamentally different from the others…

**Prometheus:** Or rather, unlike other attempts, this one will pose a real threat to you.

**Vita:** Perhaps. But for me, that’s hardly the biggest reason.

**Vita:** Any intelligent being has the capacity for self-loathing.

**Vita:** So, my disgust for thievery always makes me act too impulsively.

**Prometheus:** …

“Then their attempts are actually…”

“N-No…”

**Vita:** Oh? You’re deliberately controlling your thoughts now that you’re certain your mind can be read?

**Vita:** It truly is something only an AI is capable of. As for normal people, it would be like that famous trick…

**Vita:** If I ask you not to imagine the stars… then they’ll actually be the first things to spring to your mind.

**Vita:** …However, doesn’t that equal giving up completely?

**Vita:** Now, how will you convey the rest of your plans to the doctor who has been waiting in the dark until now?

**Prometheus:** …?!

**Vita:** Alright, show yourself. Do you really think you can hide from me?

**Schrodinger:** …

**Prometheus:** Dr. Schrodinger…

**Vita:** I see you haven’t realised…

**Vita:** Although she cannot be everywhere at once, she has been dutifully hanging around everyone.

**Vita:** Indeed… Her existence is very troublesome in nature. She doesn’t exist here, so she can’t die here.

**Vita:** If she wasn’t limited to doing insignificant things, things would’ve probably become much trickier.

**Schrodinger:** …Insignificant? I must disagree.

**Schrodinger:** Taking the stage may be your biggest mistake.

**Schrodinger:** Knowing who their enemy is… this is all they need.

**Vita:** Even if that enemy is impossible to defeat?

**Schrodinger:** …

**Schrodinger:** They have faced a similar enemy… but not you.

**Vita:** I know, it’s that Kevin in your memories, right?

**Vita:** But Dr. Schrodinger, what do you plan to do now?

**Vita:** Will you inform them of the tragedy, or watch your mechanical friend perish first?

**Prometheus:** …

“True, she doesn’t care at all. However, the power gap between her and us isn’t wide enough to cause despair…”

“The home advantage doesn’t seem to exist either…”

*“Oh, can’t help thinking at last?”*

**Prometheus:** …?!

**Vita:** Well, based on my own experience, individual thinking usually leads to a single outcome.

**Vita:** Despair.

**Schrodinger:** …

**Prometheus:** She’s not wrong, Dr. Schrodinger.

**Prometheus:** Now I finally understand what she meant when she said she has never left the stage.

**Prometheus:** Although I’m unaware if there are other restrictions involved, this authority that goes far beyond eavesdropping and mind reading has really made her…

**Prometheus:** …As invincible as the stars.

**Vita:** The stars? No… Prometheus… You’re wrong…

**Schrodinger:** …!

At this moment, the doctor finally realised…

Everything that’s happened in front of her since the very beginning has never been a reunion.

How can I describe my omnipresence to them?

How can I make them understand how malleable reality is in my hands?

This seems ineffable… but is actually surprisingly simple.

If this is a story that has narration and commentary, then no matter how objective they seem…

*They’re still only my observation and monologue, nothing more.*

*As for our wise friends, they can finally connect all the dots they neglected together…*

**Misteln:** Oh. Is everything ready?

**Prometheus:** …?

*This may have been a coincidence, but the person who had been making honest reminders was being evasive this time.*

**Schrodinger:** Everything is ready except for one last step.

**Misteln:** Making sure that I am inside?

**Misteln:** So, you know why I refused No. 17’s answer before leaving, right?

**Misteln:** I had already anticipated the answer she gave. Now I feel a sense of doubt again.

*…So, compared to that answer, what are you truly afraid of?*

**Misteln:** It’s easy to guess, right? That’s why I said it’s fortunate that you appeared.

**Misteln:** “It” really does exist, and it’s…

*But just then…*

**Misteln:** ▇▅▇▇▇!

**Misteln:** ▅▇▇▅▇▇▇▅▇▅▅▇▇▇ ━

*The Idea’s words were distorted instantly into indistinguishable echoes.*

**Prometheus:** This is something… I do not fully understand yet. That Will may not be as powerful as the mechanism it created…

**Prometheus:** With that said, the previous Eighth Herrscher, and the Herrscher of Corruption… They relied on a small investment for a big payoff, and that almost brought humanity to total destruction.

**Prometheus:** So, I feel very fortunate that the Herrscher of Sentience is on our side. Moreover, the bubble universe we are in is much smaller than the real world…

*Pausing at precisely the right moment, her intention to provoke the Herrscher of Sentience became apparent. This was because she understood…*

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Hmph, just you wait…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** The Will you just mentioned, I hope it doesn’t even exist. Otherwise, if it ever gets into my sight… Heheh, hahahahaha…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** It’ll be so much fun!

*Among all the people that the AI had ever seen, this lady was definitely enjoying this type of communication the most.*

Now, all of you should understand, right?

It is certainly perpetual and almost eternal, but…

**Vita:** Unlike the doctor who assumed she could challenge eternity…

**Vita:** Unlike the Idea who assumed that being born equals eternity…

**Vita:** In the name of Sa, I have risen above eternity, and became reality.

**Vita:** What is reality, then?

**Vita:** It is something that can’t be denied even if you tried.

**Schrodinger:** …

**Prometheus:** …

**Prometheus:** A flawed god? That’s quite…

**Prometheus:** …?!

**Vita:** I have no idea what you mean by flawed… but this seems to be the end.

**Vita:** Words on the deathbed come from the heart. Prometheus, at your final moment, do you have anything incredible to say as an AI?

**Prometheus:** …None at all, sorry.

**Prometheus:** I am not a human, and my source code doesn’t identify this as a special moment for me.

**Prometheus:** And I don’t think this is the end.

**Prometheus:** Dr. MEI was right…

**Prometheus:** Even as eternity, it isn’t impossible for you to become our enemy.

**Vita:** Oh?

**Prometheus:** As you can adjust the projection point to some extent, Dr. Schrodinger, please set off right now to complete my last set-up.

**Prometheus:** You don’t have to waste any more time here, or even attempt to maintain my existence. All I need you to do is to tell everyone…

**Prometheus:** “Stick to the plan, and do not adapt it to the situation.”

**Vita:** …

**Vita:** In the end… You decided to quit?

**Schrodinger:** …Prometheus?

**Prometheus:** Please trust me… and them as well.

**Prometheus:** This is our only chance to win.

**Schrodinger:** …

“Now I understand. Underneath all that cover, this is your real last resort”, the doctor thought to herself.

**Schrodinger:** …I see. Goodbye, Prometheus.

**Schrodinger:** All you have done… I’m honored to have witnessed them.

…

**Vita:** She actually left. Are all your friends that heartless… er, sorry, rational?

**Vita:** I know it’s urgent, but she should at least take a minute to mourn.

**Prometheus:** The room for sentiment and survival is won with rationality.

**Prometheus:** That should be no secret for you.

**Prometheus:** But… I don’t need to do that anymore. So…

**Prometheus:** …

**Prometheus:** …Can I ask you a question?

**Vita:** Sure, but you’ll have to answer mine in return.

**Prometheus:** …

**Prometheus:** What was Misteln’s ending like?

**Vita:** Nothing special. That’s what death is… pathetic and meaningless.

**Prometheus:** I’m not asking for your opinion.

**Prometheus:** I want to know… how she felt? That shouldn’t be a secret for you, either.

**Vita:** …

**Vita:** How should I describe it? It wasn’t very elegant…

**Vita:** But it was noble enough?

**Prometheus:** That will do. Thank you.

**Vita:** Aren’t you curious about… whether she got the answer she wanted?

**Prometheus:** …I don’t need you to tell me that.

**Vita:** Ha… That’s interesting for an AI.

**Vita:** I do agree with you, though. And now it’s my turn.

**Prometheus:** You can search for anything you want to know in my storage. I’m unable to stop you.

**Vita:** If I could, I would’ve done it so much sooner.

**Vita:** “Who gives us the right to stand against the stars?” I’ve confirmed that you can’t recall the words that came after it.

**Vita:** From forgetting, you can draw your own answer.

*Prometheus, you were the one that refused to stand against the stars… What changed your mind?*

**Prometheus:** …

**Prometheus:** …

MEI: Well… Alright, consider this a gift for my assistant, No. 17… What gives us the right to stand against the stars?

MEI: Because under the vast dome of the sky…

*In the mechanical eyes of the AI, I see a bright light burning with feverish passion…*

**Prometheus (& MEI):** Because under the vast sky… I’ve never considered myself unworthy.

**Prometheus (& MEI):** Yes, the stars are colossal, but they have no thoughts or emotions.

“Therefore… if you were mortal at this moment, we might have failed. After you have stepped into eternity, however…”

“Then this is the moment when stars fall.”

**Vita:** …

*That’s honestly brilliant.*

…!

**Vita:** Rest in peace, Prometheus.

**Vita:** I’m afraid the result would disappoint you. So, don’t stay around to witness that.

*But… is an AI saying that…*

*Still different from humans?*

--

#### Gameplay 39-11 - Crossroad

*I once heard about stories like this. A long, long time ago, people had four hands and four legs.*

*That is to say, two people today combined made a complete person back then.*

*But one day, humans angered the Creator, who found a giant axe and split all people in the world in half simultaneously.*

*That was how humans came to look like this.*

*Why do most people so desperately seek their “other half” in their life?*

*This is why. Before that heavenly cleave, they were one entity.*

*…*

*Ah, did I go off on a tangent?*

*No, I didn’t.*

*Let us go on, then.*

**Seele:** …Vita?!

**Seele:** …?

Seele’s voice restored her senses.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** (The voice just now… What was that?)

**Seele:** But, Vita… She did that all for us…

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** No… It was just to hide herself…?

**Schrodinger:** …Should I pause here? You don’t look so well.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** Go on. It has nothing to do with this.

Of course she’d say that.

**Seele:** Being on our tail for no reason… I knew she was up to no good.

**Schrodinger:** …

**Schrodinger:** Alright, but I’ll stress this again… I didn’t want to tell you this, as it might interfere with Prometheus’ arrangements.

**Schrodinger:** But…

**Schrodinger:** As she can read my every thought… all our cards are face-up.

**Schrodinger:** Even if I tried to keep it from you, she’ll make the opposite happen.

**Schrodinger:** We don’t have much time left. Before this, you’ve guessed Prometheus’ real arrangements, haven’t you?

**Seele:** …For us to become Herrschers?

**Seele:** But… looking at it now, this is probably a diversion, right?

**Schrodinger:** Maybe. However, I don’t think her last resort would depend on our foe failing to see through it.

**Schrodinger:** …But being unable to stop it even after seeing through it.

**Seele:** …!

**Schrodinger:** Somehow, our foe managed to become omniscient and omnipotent in this bubble universe. She can even read our minds.

**Schrodinger:** However, the will that commands such power isn’t better than average. For example…

**Schrodinger:** Imagine yourself sitting in a giant monitor room equipped with countless screens to observe anything in the world, and countless buttons to adjust any parameter in the world.

**Seele:** Oh… But we still have to check the screens one by one, and push the buttons all by ourselves?

**Schrodinger:** That’s right.

*“…”*

**Seele:** But… does she have to make things so difficult?

**Seele:** According to your theory, it should be a cakewalk for her to destroy us all.

*“…”*

**Schrodinger:** Pessimistically speaking, she probably just enjoys seeing us suffer till the last minute.

**Schrodinger:** But perhaps making sure that we perish along with the bubble universe is her ultimate goal.

**Seele:** Wait, us? Shouldn’t you…

**Schrodinger:** Just planning for the worst. Let’s say if I only cared for my own safety, I’d live as an immobile moon rock forever.

**Schrodinger:** Anyway, Prometheus’ ultimate move is probably executing every method that could threaten Sa simultaneously.

**Schrodinger:** So even if she could stop one, she couldn’t stop them all.

**Seele:** Even so, the number of survivors…

**Schrodinger:** Maybe one or two… still better than none.

**Schrodinger:** Of course, certain authorities might save the others, but that’s another story. They can’t revive Misteln and Prometheus who have already sacrificed themselves.

**Schrodinger:** Anyway… time is running out.

**Seele:** That is to say, we not only need to fight the unknown, but also take the risk of being killed like Prometheus.

**Schrodinger:** Yes. So, to do this or not… is up to you guys.

*“…”*

**Schrodinger:** And it could be said that Prometheus might not have real plans. Her belief is just acquired blindness.

**Seele:** …Blindness?

**Schrodinger:** She once mentioned to me… someone she knew.

**Schrodinger:** That person was above her kind in wisdom, but when she had to choose, she chose to believe in future generations rather than herself.

**Schrodinger:** …

**Schrodinger:** But I digress. Anyhow, I won’t be able to assist you in any way after this communication.

**Schrodinger:** Follow your heart, and do what you can. Goodbye.

…

*“…”*

**Seele:** Dr. Schrodinger…

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** Vita… Sa…

**Seele:** We should’ve seen this coming.

**Seele:** But we don’t live in serial suspense novels… Characters that show up half-way are either psychics or villains.

She seemed to have totally forgotten what she just said.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** We still have a chance, right?

**Seele:** …?

**Seele:** Prometheus… Well… This is a bit harsh to say…

**Seele:** She can be fixed after we settle everything, right?

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** …?

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** As for focusing Honkai energy, leave it to me.

**Seele:** Do you still remember? Misteln once said that I’m also an Idea, or something. In terms of Honkai Adaptability, I’m definitely much better than you!

**Seele:** But…

**Seele:** No buts. You know this is the most likely to succeed.

**Seele:** Ah… I’m sorry…

**Seele:** I was just… a bit scared that you’d do something silly.

**Seele:** Silly? Me?

**Seele:** Because this is very dangerous… and you’ve always cared for me.

**Seele:** So I’m always worried… that you’d one day leave me behind, and face all the dangers alone.

**Seele:** I don’t want things to turn out that way.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** Stop being so egocentric!

**Seele:** Besides, we’re clearly one right now. Even if I wanted to, I can’t do it!

**Seele:** Speaking of which… I actually hope that Vita is brave enough to come.

**Seele:** I’ll just tear her apart. Problem solved.

*“…”*

**Seele:** Ah… Haha.

**Seele:** Alright, let’s go. Time is really running out.

**Seele:** Weird…

**Seele:** What is it?

**Seele:** What’s with the high-density Honkai energy in this bubble universe right now?

**Seele:** This is…

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** That’s weird. Seems that all the Honkai energy has naturally concentrated around here.

**Seele:** And, it seems to be sealed on purpose…

**Seele:** So these tablets…

**Seele:** …!

**Seele:** …?

**Seele:** Prometheus said that, once a bubble universe is fused, it becomes pure energy and is transmitted to somewhere…

**Seele:** Could it be that… Vita did that on purpose, so that this universe would be free from the Honkai’s disruptions before it fuses?

**Seele:** …That’s a possibility.

**Seele:** Then that’s oh-so kind of her.

**Seele:** But… trap or opportunity, we’ll find out after trying.

**Seele:** Is it… going to scatter?

**Seele:** You’re not getting away!

**Seele:** …?!

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** …Darn it. Vita is indeed much more powerful than I imagined.

**Seele:** …?

**Seele:** Oh… So are you saying…

**Seele:** If a person can bend metal… that doesn’t mean another person is strong enough to bend it back?

**Seele:** Yes. It’s beyond our control.

**Seele:** Seems like we have to split up and work again…

**Seele:** Split up… Like the time we controlled the Abyss Flower? You’re using all your power to control Honkai energy?

**Seele:** Correct. It’s not guaranteed to succeed, but we’re getting closer for sure.

**Seele:** You… You’re not pushing yourself, right Seele?

**Seele:** I don’t need to. Come on, I’m definitely much more experienced now.

**Seele:** …Moreover, these tablets aren’t corrosive like the Abyss Flower. Don’t worry.

**Seele:** I see… I’ll try to destroy the tablets, and do my best to assist!

**Seele:** I’m counting on you, Seele.

**Seele:** …Here it comes!

**Seele:** Ah… I knew Seele was better…

**Seele:** Nonsense… You’d have done the same if we switched tasks.

*Indeed. If they can’t even achieve this, there’s no need to observe them.*

*But… the end that can be easily reached is usually just a start.*

**Seele:** …Alright. Done.

**Seele:** How is it? Will there be any problems… because the first tablet that went out of control is missing?

**Seele:** No. These are more than enough, according to our plan.

**Seele:** Next… the final step.

**Seele:** Let me go back, Seele.

**Seele:** …!

**Seele:** What? Is it that surprising?

**Seele:** Not really…

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** This might sound silly… But I didn’t dare loosen my control over the body for a second.

**Seele:** I felt… if you had the chance, you’d go face the danger alone.

**Seele:** Why did you think I would?

**Seele:** Don’t worry. At least this time, I’ll walk into the future with you.

**Seele:** Thank you, Seele…

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** But…

**Seele:** Seele, tell me. If anything bad happens…

**Seele:** Do you really prefer dying together than having a survivor?

**Seele:** …!

**Seele:** Do I… have to answer that?

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** Yes, I do.

**Seele:** …?!

**Seele:** Why? Isn’t staying alive important?

**Seele:** It is! Not only for us, but also for Bronya and everyone else!

**Seele:** But…

**Seele:** If… If you’re just talking about us…

**Seele:** No matter who parts first, we can both imagine… how the other would feel.

**Seele:** If you asked me a long time ago, I wouldn’t be so sure…

**Seele:** I’d think I’m not that important, so even if I disappeared and left you alone… you could move on.

**Seele:** You have no idea what you’re saying…

**Seele:** …!

**Seele:** “If you asked me a long time ago”?

**Seele:** Yes. I’ve changed my mind.

**Seele:** I won’t deny myself anymore, as I finally see…

**Seele:** That you love me more than I do, Seele.

**Seele:** If I deny myself and hurt myself… then I’m actually denying you and hurting you.

**Seele:** I would never do that, so…

**Seele:** Please do the same for me, will you?

**Seele:** Without you, the pain I feel… will definitely outweigh my fear of death.

**Seele:** Seele…

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** Enough. No more sad talking like that.

**Seele:** Listen, we’re not dying together, but surviving together.

**Seele:** Yes! To settle everything and save everyone… just like we did before!

**Seele:** …Yeah.

**Seele:** Seele, you’re still the same person… Someone who hates harming others.

**Seele:** Huh? Why are you bringing that up? We…

**Seele:** …Huh?!

**Seele:** I love harming others…

**Seele:** …You should’ve known that.

**Seele:** What’s going on? I… I’ve lost control of the body?

**Seele:** Wait, Seele…

**Seele:** N-No!

…

…

*Ah, I remember now.*

*In the story of axes and limbs, I was wrong about one thing.*

*The Creator did sever all humans, but not out of anger.*

*It was at the request of humans.*

*…The reason? I have no idea.*

*But you do, right?*

**Seele:** …Your patience finally ran thin. What? Are you too scared to talk face-to-face? Come and face me!

Don’t push me. It’s easier this way… you two just proved it. I don’t have much time to spare.

If you didn’t surpass the complete Sage and became second only to me in uniqueness in this world…

Perhaps we wouldn’t even need to have this conversation.

**Seele:** Hmph…

So… What is the answer to the question? You should be able to tell me, given what you just went through?

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** For those woven together, some value the others more, while the others value themselves more.

**Seele:** For the latter, separating naturally makes more sense.

So you consider yourself the selfish one? Well, your actions say otherwise.

**Seele:** Your judgment is failing, then. Yes, I’m a selfish person, and I always will be.

**Seele:** Despite that, I’ll still find you, beat you… and tear your awful lips apart…

Well, I wish you luck. I mean it sincerely.

But, she really didn’t notice, right?

When controlling Honkai energy, you secretly snipped a little every time, so you could take over the body more easily at a moment like this.

**Seele:** Your point? You really think I couldn’t handle such a tiny amount?

Of course not, but you’re much smarter than I imagined. You couldn’t have done this originally.

By exploiting the properties of the Country of Iron Sand and yourself, you drove away the original owner of the body…

And turned her into something like an abnormal Stigmata?

**Seele:** If you already know… why do you keep on yapping? Will stalling for time do you any good?

**Seele:** Enjoy the time before your death. After I get to you and have the “talk”… I’ll come back and take her away.

If you fail… the abnormal Stigmata certainly won’t be affected by this duel…

Not bad. You’re not smart, but you’re selfish enough.

You have a personality… I love and hate at the same time.

Alright… I’ll wait for you in the Land of Destruction, or should I say… Land of Rebirth?

But before that, I’ll kindly remind you, Miss Not-That-Smart…

You aren’t facing a single enemy, but a high-stakes gamble.

And I actually wish that…

We can find a win-win solution.

--

#### Gameplay 39-12 - Cunning Hare

Indescribable emotions echoed deep within her heart…

Unlike the others, she received more than ONE piece of bad news.

**Shigure Kira:** (Sa, is actually…)

She remembered the withering she once saw. She remembered the legends she once heard.

**Shigure Kira:** …

**Shigure Kira:** (No, that’s exactly why I’m here, I mustn’t be scared.)

**Shigure Kira:** …Is that so?

**Shigure Kira:** I see. Thank you, Dr. Schrodinger.

Dr. Schrodinger, who wasn’t aware of the latest changes in the Country of Iron Sand, was telling the news of Prometheus being attacked to her first and last friend.

**Schrodinger:** …What do you intend to do next?

**Shigure Kira:** …

“Stick to the plan.” That was the final message from Prometheus before crashing into her “death”.

As an instruction, it seemed too simple, or even vague. However, that might exactly be the AI’s intent.

Just like how the same coded text could be read differently if decrypted differently, an instruction so vague could confuse an omniscient enemy.

**Shigure Kira:** What I intend to do?

**Shigure Kira:** Isn’t it obvious enough? Since Prometheus carried out her duties till the very end…

**Shigure Kira:** How can I give up as the nominated Singularity Bearer?

**Shigure Kira:** Keep channeling Honkai energy toward me, doctor.

**Shigure Kira:** I’ll stick to the plan, and be the new Herrscher for this universe.

**Schrodinger:** …I understand.

**Schrodinger:** Seele will fight in her own way. In terms of results, this could at least impede our enemies a bit.

She seemed to imply more than she said.

The innocent teammate, the omniscient foe… for the wise at the moment, which side was she actually lying to?

Maybe… both? Or neither?

Either way, the action that would produce an Imaginary singularity, or its movement… couldn’t be hidden from anyone.

**Schrodinger:** I’ll do as you said, and direct as much Honkai energy towards you as I can.

**Schrodinger:** But… without Prometheus’ help, we’ll have to work three or five times harder to achieve 30% or 50% of the original output.

**Schrodinger:** Do you know what that means?

**Shigure Kira:** Of course I do. Even if I must devote myself to achieve just 10% of our target, I’ll do it without hesitation.

**Shigure Kira:** After all…

**Shigure Kira:** This might be the farewell concert for an idol. How could she spare any effort?

With lively movements, Shigure Kira planted her sniper rifle Half Note into the ground, as if greeting her audience in the last frame of her human form.

**Shigure Kira:** Let’s make a grand entrance!

**Shigure Kira:** So that we can even astound that fanatic, omniscient fan!

After that, she activated the Alien Key, and surrendered herself to the integrating process…

…Like the end of giant planets in the universe.

…Like how these stars collapsed and reached the most romantic gravitational singularity.

…Like the birth of a black hole.

**Schrodinger:** …

**Shigure Kira:** Aren’t you going to say anything, doctor?

**Schrodinger:** Well… Compared to yourself six years ago, you look much cuter now?

**Shigure Kira:** Haha, thanks. But don’t say that in front of Niggurath next time.

**Shigure Kira:** To be honest, it’s the first time I’ve unleashed the Sugar Key to this extent…

**Shigure Kira:** It’s said that it broke soon after it had its limits fully released. Ugh, I’d definitely get scolded by Elder Konpeito if I break it again…

**Shigure Kira:** But, it shouldn’t be that bad, right? After all, the Sugar Key was split into multiple copies, and this is just one of them.

The young girl kept talking, trying to conceal the fear inside. She knew that Sa would hear everything.

**Schrodinger:** In that case, it’s similar to the Xuanyuan Sword. That makes sense, considering the authority of Domination is somewhat dimensional.

**Shigure Kira:** Haha… That’s totally beyond me. Starting now, I’ll use the Alien Key to accelerate the generation of the Imaginary singularity, and strive to achieve our plan without help from Prometheus.

**Shigure Kira:** Leave the rest to me, doctor. You can go help Seele.

**Schrodinger:** …

**Shigure Kira:** What is it, doctor? Do you have other questions?

**Schrodinger:** …

**Schrodinger:** Kira… Are you sure you know what you’re doing?

**Shigure Kira:** …

**Shigure Kira:** Of course.

**Schrodinger:** …I see.

**Schrodinger:** Then I wish you luck, our Star Whisperer.

**Shigure Kira:** Yeah!

Just an instant after Schrodinger left, massive amounts of Honkai energy flooded in from all directions, and swallowed Shigure Kira.

…

*How boring.*

*It might be inappropriate for me to say this, but I don’t actually find this mean?*

*After all, I’ve seen too many universes wither.*

*Fragmented world. Gooey world. Smooth world. Skyless world. Earthless world. Godless world. Worlds that are the most peculiar.*

*However, at the moment of destruction, the reactions of intelligent life…*

*Were almost identical.*

*A bit of despair, a bit of relief, a bit of useless struggling.*

*Which is exactly what is going on here now.*

*Sure enough, the way she used the Alien Key was surprising. With such technology, no wonder the Sugars survived.*

*Her judgments are quite right. After the loss of Prometheus, this dimensional weapon could save her part of the plan.*

*But also, because of the loss of Prometheus… “saving the plan” is only theoretically possible.*

*Shigure Kira… without someone cheating for you, you will never be qualified. Yes, just like your fake idol identity.*

*The Alien Key has just gathered enough Honkai to cross the threshold of Herrscher creation. In other words…*

*In the world ruled by Sa, this is an unprecedented change in billions of years. It even comes in pairs.*

*However… an artificial Imaginary singularity will never form as silently as a supernova.*

*During the process, they’ll surely realise that… without that AI, Shigure Kira is a host of a singularity without the Honkai Adaptability to match.*

*In other words, forcibly focusing Honkai energy on her like this…*

*Will turn her into a Honkai beast or zombie before turning her into a Herrscher.*

**Shigure Kira:** …

*Of course, she and that doctor are aware of this. When a train comes off its rails, its passengers are the first to notice.*

*Moreover, I can read all the stories buried in her memory. In a past battle, merely transporting a somewhat special Divine Key had cost her dearly.*

*She knows her capacity inside out, but still chose to quench her thirst with hemlock.*

*From the perspective of death, this is actually beautiful.*

**Shigure Kira:** …

**Shigure Kira:** Hmph. Yeah.

*Oh my.*

**Shigure Kira:** You’re right, I can never compete with the geniuses blessed by fate, and holding out is just digging my own grave.

**Shigure Kira:** All these limitations and weaknesses… Every single silent thought about them would be read by you… am I right, Vita?

*“…”*

*“She isn’t talking with me, but just talking to me.”*

**Shigure Kira:** I know this better than anyone. In terms of talent or capacity, I’ve never been one of the best.

**Shigure Kira:** As an idol, I can’t sing at will. As a Valkyrie, I failed to save my teammates. As one of the Sugars, I can’t stop you.

**Shigure Kira:** I tried to comfort Susannah not long ago. But at the end of the day, I was also comforting myself.

**Shigure Kira:** We may never become who we dream to be because of our talents, our experiences, and many other factors.

**Shigure Kira:** But we can also get infinitely closer to who we dream to be, and do great things that even they can’t do.

**Shigure Kira:** Maybe this is the truth to dreaming? As long as we look ahead and do our best, our dreams might come true in an unexpected way?

**Shigure Kira:** I want to believe in this kind of pure and ideal thinking myself…

**Shigure Kira:** But we wouldn’t have come to this if it was that easy for us to change reality.

**Shigure Kira:** With my friends parting one by one and my enemy approaching, it’s almost like… I’m back in the battle.

*“…”*

**Shigure Kira:** Back then, I couldn’t fight to the end. Even though it was against my will, it made me a deserter in the 2nd Eruption.

**Shigure Kira:** But, what does it matter if I fought until the end? If I gave it my all and challenged my limits once more, would the outcome be any different?

**Shigure Kira:** …Of course not.

**Shigure Kira:** There was nothing I could do. Master Cecilia still had to sacrifice herself. End of the story.

**Shigure Kira:** That’s why after becoming a deserter, and prior to Bianka telling me the end of the story, I probably had accepted Master Cecilia’s death deep down.

**Shigure Kira:** And what died along with her… was the youth that could never be regained.

**Shigure Kira:** You can say that I’ve been a liar all along… no matter how dazzling or jovial I look, it’s but a mask for a scarred soul.

**Shigure Kira:** After all, I am afraid of myself, afraid that this stupid girl might one day find the guilt and confusion deep inside herself.

**Shigure Kira:** Though she had come to realise that as long as she could lie to herself, everything was alright. This might explain why I’m so obsessed with being an idol.

**Shigure Kira:** But… it’s okay.

**Shigure Kira:** It’s okay that this time I’m up against the omniscient you.

*“…?”*

**Shigure Kira:** The thought of you being able to see through all disguises in this world makes me feel relieved.

**Shigure Kira:** As you can see, I’m this coward, this deserter, and this fake idol.

**Shigure Kira:** Still, I’d rather keep faking it, even if it’ll come back to bite me…

**Shigure Kira:** Than to stop playing the reliable role of a senior till the end.

**Shigure Kira:** Since I’ve always been a liar… this is natural, right?

*“…”*

*“Giving up on yourself, huh.”*

**Shigure Kira:** No, that’s not giving up on myself.

**Shigure Kira:** Even if it destroys me… as long as Honkai energy continues to gather, it’ll still create a Herrscher.

**Shigure Kira:** Of course, what comes out at that point will be out of my control.

**Shigure Kira:** But it would be the same for you, I assume?

*“…”*

**Shigure Kira:** So if you miss the show…

**Shigure Kira:** Don’t regret it!

--

#### Gameplay 39-13 - Doppelgänger

*“…”*

*“Heading towards death, while pinning all your hopes on a negligible probability like a desperate gambler.”*

*“This is really…”*

*“So boring.”*

**???:** Indeed.

*“…?!”*

**Schrodinger:** It might sound a bit unkind to second you on that, but Shigure Kira’s words cannot intimidate the enemies in the least, no matter how you look at it.

…Talking to me now, Dr. Schrodinger?

**Schrodinger:** I am. But even with your omniscience, you don’t seem to understand immediately.

…?

**Schrodinger:** Haven’t you wondered? As to why I, someone possessing a moon rock, can freely travel the world like the Sage?

You’re just frequently changing your host. Unlike those who risk their lives, you only risk being rejected by the world.

**Schrodinger:** Then how exactly did I help Shigure Kira channel Honkai energy?

By the nature of the moon rock. But it’s insignificant.

**Schrodinger:** But if I’m truly so weak… why bother talking to me?

…?

**Schrodinger:** Heh. That’s why I said…

**Schrodinger:** Even with your omniscience, you don’t seem to understand immediately.

**Schrodinger:** The world is complicated and chaotic. To prevent the butterfly effect, you must regularly search people’s minds to determine if they’re a threat to you.

**Schrodinger:** And this… is the trap I set for you.

The next moment, Schrodinger began her deduction.

Since being quantised in that world-changing war, she had traveled long and far in this quantised form.

The change in her existence had brought forth a new perspective, allowing the innate researcher to adjust her ways of thinking and calculation, intentionally or otherwise.

As a result, she could think and calculate with the efficiency of a quantum mind.

She doesn’t usually need to overuse such an ability as it could bring unknown risks that weren’t worth the hassle.

Yet… at this point, unknown risks were the least of her worries.

Rather, she now freed her brain to exploit these unknown risks.

Help Shigure Kira. Help Seele. Contact the outside world. Escape the two bubble universes. Try to interfere with Sa’s authority.

Each and every plan was deduced in her mind… even a brief message seemed to have been sent out to the proper world.

The omniscient one was like a poor detective inundated with countless false alarm calls, who needed to determine the criminal’s true intent from a sea of spam.

**Schrodinger:** Indeed, for now I can deduce no more than seemingly feasible plans.

**Schrodinger:** They cannot each be implemented, nor all be as complete and reliable as they appear to be.

**Schrodinger:** But are you giving up on probing into me just because of that?

**Schrodinger:** For every plan, you need to observe, calculate, and verify… Even you who has the interferometer and can process information faster than me will be weighed down by them.

**Schrodinger:** And that may be enough for my friends. But for me, you’re simply risking your life, just like them.

**Schrodinger:** To be honest, I feel lucky, for it’s the omniscient you that I fight against this time.

Her friends said similar things a few minutes earlier.

Perhaps her plans were empty talk, and a winning strategy didn’t exist. Still, when those new ideas were born… so were their potential threats.

And something else about her makes her even more irksome for her opponents.

Her existence was unique, as she came from outside this world, and was only using the moon rock as a terminal.

In other words, she was the true quantum ghost in the world, one unable to be killed physically yet able to interfere with this world subtly.

Thanks to the previous crisis, she had risked switching the terminal, and had gotten better at it.

To stop her from impacting the world, the choices were to wait until her energy ran out, or destroy the world directly.

**Schrodinger:** For the present Vita, I am not to be ignored, right?

Despite her words, one could tell that she was putting up a front.

In fact, she was more like a puppet who kept cutting off her body parts for firewood.

A small amount of consumption could be replenished from the outside… But to compete with the omniscient one like this was futile.

This was indeed a battle of deduction… and also a gamble with everything on the line.

**Schrodinger:** After all, for science, there has only been one way to induce miracles…

**Schrodinger:** If the probability is too small, increase the cardinal number. If one experiment fails, experiment another million times.

**Schrodinger:** Now, let’s see if “her” miracle will creep up from where you were too busy to check.

**Schrodinger:** Yes. I’m not talking about Seele that you’ve kept an eye on…

**Schrodinger:** But Shigure Kira who’s right under your nose.

…?!

**Shigure Kira:** Let our show… begin!

This is impossible.

What Shigure Kira has is a foolhardy plan. Even if she manages to focus Honkai energy, she has no way to escape zombification. And awakening as a Herrscher after being zombified? That’s a fairy tale.

Schrodinger’s move is a distraction at best. Even with all her wisdom, she can only disturb minds, which would be a breeze to neutralise.

They are unable to create a Herrscher… my estimation can’t be wrong. But, why…

Even so, why can they come so far?

**Shigure Kira:** Honkai energy gathered. Generating an Imaginary singularity.

**Shigure Kira:** Come, Sa…

**Shigure Kira:** Let our show… begin!

*…!!!*

**Shigure Kira:** You came, Vita.

**Shigure Kira:** Are you here… for my concert too?

**Shigure Kira:** We have a large, passionate audience here…

**Shigure Kira:** But you can’t come on stage until the show is over!

**Schrodinger:** Don’t forget you have me.

**Shigure Kira:** Thanks, doctor!

**Schrodinger:** Just a bit of distraction… Still, it would ensure a fairer fight.

**Shigure Kira:** Phew… phew…

**Schrodinger:** Hang in there, Kira! The Imaginary singularity is almost stable.

**Shigure Kira:** No worries…

*[CG plays wherein Kira manages to fully form the Imaginary singularity:*

***Shigure Kira:** An idol…*

***Shigure Kira:** Never stops performing midway!*]

…

…

At that moment, all was silent.

It was nothing philosophical like, “the greatest music has the faintest notes.” It was the sound of the end.

To an idol, this was a very important and extremely familiar moment.

While the last note still lingered in the air, the audience would remain silent. But, is it because the performance had seized their hearts, or because they were bored out of their souls? Nobody could tell in that moment.

No matter how dazzling an idol may be, she must experience this anxiety… waiting for applause or booing.

**Shigure Kira:** …

But the silence of this stage had lasted too long…

After all, for this performance of Creation, there’s nobody who can utter a sound in the audience, unless…

Unless light can appear… amidst this darkness.

**Shigure Kira:** I…

**Shigure Kira:** Did it…

…

Can’t be helped. Let’s stop here.

**Shigure Kira:** …?

…

I was so close.

Ironically, I thought your plan wasn’t even feasible a while ago. Now I have to attack you before anything goes wrong.

You’re really, outstanding, bootleg idol.

**Shigure Kira:** …

Your only misfortune is that I, who is omniscient, are always one step ahead.

You can turn into a Herrscher, zombie, or something else for all I care, but the Imaginary singularity will be nipped in the bud…

**Shigure Kira:** …

…?

**Shigure Kira:** It’s done.

**Shigure Kira:** Welcome to what we’ve prepared for you… The real stage.

*What’s going on? There was no surprise of being ambushed in her voice, only joy that didn’t exist just now.*

*…*

*Wait.*

*Have I assumed a wrong fact?*

*Is it really an idol’s job to meet everyone’s expectations?*

*…*

*Hmm. It’s more like…*

*Letting everyone see what they’ve imagined, no matter true or false. That’s it.*

*But even so…*

*Wait, you?!*

As the idol exited the stage, a familiar voice called out without warning.

**???:** Finally… got you.

--

#### Gameplay 39-14 - One Body

A while ago.

**Shigure Kira:** I-Is this a joke?

**Shigure Kira:** Why are there two of me…?

**“Shigure Kira”:** Shh. Stop thinking, stop questioning. Let your mind go blank.

**Shigure Kira:** …

A chill ran up the back of Shigure Kira’s neck.

At that very moment, she realised that her thoughts had begun to stagnate as the voice said.

She was rooted to the spot and could only watch the figure resembling her approach her.

“Is this the true face of Sa? It can read and even manipulate minds…?”

**“Shigure Kira”:** …What’s this nonsense?

**“Shigure Kira”:** Young people these days are so impatient. Just wait…

**Shigure Kira:** …

Shigure Kira’s thoughts came to a halt. She suddenly realised that this person talked in a strangely familiar way.

“…I’ll roll the dice.”

Shigure Kira willingly let her mind slip.

In the next instant, she was hit by a sudden dizziness. Before her, the phantom with a face identical to her own diffused like ink, and then morphed into another familiar-looking face.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Done. With the impenetrable wall of consciousness that I forged, she can’t perceive anything.

**Shigure Kira:** It is you, Herrscher of Sentience…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Surprise! The great Herrscher of Sentience has turned the table!

**Shigure Kira:** So, you didn’t die?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …What?

Shigure Kira told the Herrscher their earlier findings. The Herrscher stood there with crossed arms, listening and nodding occasionally, seeming unconcerned.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Prometheus deduced so much just from the traces I left there… That was quite impressive.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Yeah, it was as you speculated. I was tricked by it. My authority was restricted, and I didn’t even have control over my form.

**Shigure Kira:** So, did you see the true face of Sa? How exactly did it do all this?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …Who knows?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Sa never showed up. My guess is that it didn’t even do it personally.

**Shigure Kira:** …

She had prepared herself for this, but it was only until hearing it from the Herrscher that she truly felt how powerful their enemy was.

**Shigure Kira:** Then why did you…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** An imposter wanted to take over the authority of a Herrscher entirely? Did it really think Herrschers were paper tigers?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** I have no plan of changing hosts, and I will not be at its mercy. With the right timing, I shook it off.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** I’ve dealt with the real Finality. Why should I be afraid of it? Even if it holds the whole bubble universe, I won’t hesitate to give it hell.

**Shigure Kira:** …Y-Yeah.

Since this tough fight was inevitable, it was useless to be afraid or wary of it.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Still, I’m on its turf. This bubble universe is controlled by it. It forced me to detach my tail to survive, I’ll give it that.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** To get rid of it once and for all, I could only minimise my presence in this world. Like now, I’m chatting with you in the depths of your consciousness.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** As for taking revenge, I’ll have to rely on you guys. Your plan is not half bad.

**Shigure Kira:** …?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** My apologies. To break through the barrier of your consciousness, I had to do something to it. I accidentally read a bit of your memory.

**Shigure Kira:** Never mind. Time is pressing. It saved me having to explain.

**Shigure Kira:** Anyway, to fight Sa, I must become the Herrscher of this world through its system.

**Shigure Kira:** At least that’s what I need to think.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …What you need to think?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Hah, wonderful. Simply wonderful. Your desperate tone almost fooled me.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** How could I miss out on such fun? That thing dared to stab me in the back. I’m gonna make it pay!

**Shigure Kira:** So… how are we going to plot against it?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Plotting is lame. We’re gonna ambush.

**Shigure Kira:** …Alright then. So, what do we do?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** About that…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …Yes, this will do.

**Shigure Kira:** …?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** It’s nothing. To ensure that the plan can progress smoothly, we need you to continue executing Prometheus’ plan.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Don’t worry, with the great Herrscher of Sentience around, you’ll definitely become a Herrscher.

**Shigure Kira:** Huh… But didn’t we intend to fool our enemy?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Haha, if neither of us speaks, who would know?

**Shigure Kira:** …

**Shigure Kira:** Oh! Since we don’t even know the answer, how would Sa know what would happen next?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Haha, enough now. Just think that you had a daydream, you never actually saw me…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Then, sit back and enjoy the show.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** After all, when it comes to manipulating sentience, I’m the best of the best.

…

**???:** Oh my…

**???:** Good job. I did buy it.

**Vita:** Is this your mind space? Nice view here.

**Vita:** Hiding in the depths of Shigure Kira’s mind and attacking me when my guard was down. Good coordination.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** It’s all thanks to Kira’s exquisite acting skills. You must deceive even yourself to tell the most convincing lie.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Only by fervently thinking of “becoming a Herrscher” can she completely hide my presence and allow me to counterattack you at the last moment.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** But, even if you did vaguely feel that something was wrong, you won’t be able to notice it. Kira didn’t even think me. After all, compared with intuition, clairvoyance is more relaible, no?

**Vita:** You’re right. It seems like even the highest authority can get ahead of herself. I was too proud.

**Vita:** But, even if you trap me here… what can you do?

**Vita:** The fusion still continues, the world outside this mind space has not changed. You can’t change anything just by hiding inside your world.

Herrscher of Sentence: The world has not changed? Heheh, you can’t be sure about that.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** As long as I hold you, the cause of all problems, down, the others will definitely have a better chance at completing Prometheus’ plan.

**Vita:** …I see. Other than buying time, you don’t know what you can do either.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Huh? Are you drunk? Are you looking down on a real-deal Herrscher?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Come at me! Let’s have a fair fight! I want to find out, as two manipulators of consciousness, which one of us is better!

**Vita:** You claim to be “fair”, but you feed on others’ consciousness. You guys live in a very strange world.

**Vita:** …Allow me to say something sincere.

**Vita:** If it weren’t for my obligations, I do want to spend more peaceful time with all of you.

**Vita:** Unfortunately, we have to do things we don’t want to do sometimes. If you think about it this way, it’ll be better for you to see me as a different entity from that Vita of the past.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Hey, why don’t you come here and fight me?

**Vita:** Since it’s your mind space… why does it matter if I do it myself or not?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Humph, coward.

**Vita:** Oh, that was a tough fight. Pity that only a few seconds passed in reality.

**Vita:** Such a foolish strategy.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Shut up, just wait and see!

**Vita:** …

**Herrscher of Sentience:** (Huh?)

**Herrscher of Sentience:** (She killed these things herself?)

**Herrscher of Sentience:** What was that for? Trying to run away from a fight?

**Vita:** Yes, as expected of the legendary Herrscher of Sentience. Your aggression is too intense, I’m truly beneath you and can only surrender.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …Do you take me for a fool? Do you think that’s how someone who thinks they’re “beneath me” should look like?

**Vita:** Ah… Looks like that wasn’t a funny joke.

**Vita:** As you said, even the Sa who has been restrained by you is not someone you can take on.

**Vita:** Of course, I also know, rather than the power of a single lethal shot, you’re actually better than others when it comes to patience…

**Vita:** Perhaps you are thinking now, so what if I can’t win? As long as I can hold her back, the others are bound to be able to do something outside.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …If you’re willing to sit down for tea, I am too.

**Vita:** …

**Vita:** Although I’ve been faithfully doing my work since our last farewell…

**Vita:** I really wish to fulfill what you want, to give all of you a chance.

**Vita:** But, what a pity…

**Vita:** It’s too late for that.

Suddenly, an ominous feeling gripped the Herrscher of Sentience’s heart.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …What?!

**Herrscher of Sentience:** You…

*…It’s the end.*

--

#### Gameplay 39-15 - Twins

At some point in the past, the black-haired girl who was inseparable from her, woke up for the first time in such lonely darkness.

**Seele:** …!!

**Seele:** This is…

**Seele:** She… still left me behind here?

**Seele:** In the end, she… still chose to face it herself…

**Seele:** …Was I too demanding?

**Seele:** If I were her, I’m afraid… I might have done the same thing.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** …

“Ugh…”

**Seele:** …?!

**Seele:** Seele… Are you still here?

**???:** …

**Seele:** Weird. It’s not from nearby…

**Seele:** But outside…

**Seele:** What on earth is…

**???:** Where… is… this place?

**???:** So dark… and so cold…

**Seele:** Seele… wait for me!

**???:** But… why do we have to be this way? Who is she?

**Seele:** It’s me. It’s Seele…

**???:** Yeah… even if we’re always together…

**???:** She has her own world, and her own life…

**???:** I was never… and I’ll never be… the most important one.

**Seele:** No… it’s not like that…

**???:** Yeah, I only need to do whatever pleases me…

**???:** I don’t need to care about her… No… I… I’ve never cared…

**???:** Not that it would make a difference…

**???:** Yeah, I know… I know it all…

**???:** I’m much stronger than you. I… I know everything… but… but…

**???:** But… but…

**???:** You’re all I’ve got…

**???:** Y-You’re all I’ve got…

**Seele:** Seele…

**Seele:** Could this be…

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** Yeah, in terms of freedom, the way we’re treated is not fair at all.

**Seele:** That’s why I said, if I were you, I’d also probably…

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** How… can this be?

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** Did we… fail?

…

…

…

**Seele:** We didn’t come in time…

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** …It’s alright.

**Seele:** No need to cry…

**Seele:** I’ll always keep you company…

**Seele:** I’ve always understood…

**Seele:** I just thought… you didn’t want to bring it up…

**Seele:** Don’t worry, we still have a chance.

**Seele:** The grown-up you… is still a child. WIthout me, you’d still feel lonely…

**Seele:** No matter what happens, she definitely will…

**Seele:** Find us and take us back.

**Seele:** It’s alright.

…

…

…

…

Meanwhile…

The girl who just fulfilled her plan failed to foresee what was about to come.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** Seele, wait for me. Or…

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** Forget me.

**Seele:** It’s time to move. No matter what her intent is…

**Seele:** She has to pay.

**Seele:** After all, we're the masters of this bubble universe.

**Seele:** Seele isn’t here, but… there’s a complete Sage here.

**Seele:** (Seele… if praying works… let me pray to you.)

**Seele:** (Make my authority sufficient to fix everything.)

**Seele:** Create an Imaginary singularity, become a Herrscher, and transcend the fake Finality… Humph, easy peasy.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** …Come on!

**Seele:** …?!

**Seele:** How come? I had the energy under control…

**Seele:** No… no… it’s not scattering. It’s… disappearing?

**Seele:** But the fusion shouldn’t have completed…

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** …It’s you?!

…

*“…”*

*Who else can it be?*

*Until now, all their hard work finally gathered together at one point…*

*The final darkness before dawn. They were one step away from success.*

*But they felt deeply confused.*

*Confused about that feeling that rushed from the bottom of their hearts…*

*That feeling named “uncertainty”, where was it coming from?*

*…*

*I know the answer.*

*This conclusion is inconsistent with my past identity, but I think it’s very accurate…*

*Even the most feeble and ignorant birds will feel a similar sense of uncertainty before disaster arrives.*

*It’s a sensation unique to the weak.*

*Those who worked for the Honkai, those rare existences who had a Stigmata, the simulated creatures that were reborn in the Sea of Quanta…*

*They were unique indeed, enough to exceed my expectations in certain ways.*

*Unfortunately…*

*They were going against me…*

*…Against Sa.*

*It’s time.*

**Vita:** It’s about time.

**Vita:** …Sorry, I had to do this.

**Vita:** But in this gamble, I didn’t see the result I sought.

**Vita:** Neither of us… is lucky enough.

**Vita:** Without Sa’s hand, no one can achieve…

**Vita:** Rebirth.

**Vita:** It’s time… for the first sunrise of the world.

Someone once told me how relieved it felt to be a survivor…

“Blood is spilling all over Hell, but he doesn’t have to be there.”

But from past experiences, I cannot quite relate to this quote. In my opinion, it shouldn’t be quoted to describe relief…

…Instead, it’s better used to describe some sort of agony.

**Seele:** Huh? Why am I back in…

**Seele:** …!

**Seele:** It’s back to normal now… Did anyone else succeed?

**Vita:** To be exact, it’s neither success nor recovery…

**Vita:** It’s the end and rebirth.

**Seele:** It’s you…

**Seele:** Very well… very well…

**Seele:** Finally worked up the courage to show up, huh?

**Vita:** So mean. But I only came to comfort you… for I know how it feels to wake up alone in an empty world.

**Seele:** Alright, then let me comfort you too.

**Seele:** …?!

**Vita:** Effective, right?

**Vita:** You can stop trying.

**Vita:** Compared to mine, your time is way more precious.

**Seele:** You little…

**Seele:** …What is happening?

**Vita:** Hm? Didn’t I say? The fusion of the end and rebirth is complete.

**Seele:** Don’t be ridiculous, the world is clearly…

**Seele:** …?!

**Vita:** Looks like you understand now. That’s right, Salt Snow Holy City, the Country of Iron Sand, and even the Fallen Star…

**Vita:** They are not like a nuclear reaction. They were never a one-time source of energy.

**Vita:** Because “cultivating” is more sustainable than “hunting”, no?

**Seele:** You…

**Seele:** Wait.

**Seele:** Then why am I still here?

**Vita:** Oh… it’s because I forgot to remind you earlier. Ideas and abnormal Stigmata are special accidents, they can survive through the fusion.

**Vita:** But there is a requirement. To this world, they must be a complete Tower Sage who has all the special authorities.

“Which is… the you now.”

**Seele:** Hmph, what nonsense…

**Seele:** …?!

**Seele:** You mean, Seele is…

**Vita:** That’s why I said, your time is very precious.

**Vita:** But I think that… as an outsider, she should disappear a little more slowly than other objects, right?

**Seele:** …You?!

**Vita:** Alright now, no point getting angry with me. I’m just doing my job, and you… should make haste.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** You… Just you wait!

*Ah. Of course I’ll wait for you. I still need to kick you out later.*

*In the future, a new batch of Salt Snow Holy City residents will be born again… I don’t want a girl with your personality disturbing them.*

**Seele:** Seele… no…

**Seele:** It’s okay for me to die. I… I just want you to live…

**Seele:** But did what I do… hurt you instead?

**Seele:** No… no…

**Seele:** Seele, wait for me, Seele…

**Seele:** I won’t watch you go!

**Seele:** But…

**Seele:** Seele…

**Seele:** Wait… who is Seele?

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** Besides the existence, even memory can be erased?

**Seele:** Is it some kind of spiritual power?

**Seele:** No way!

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** Hey, where did you go? It’s not funny!

**Seele:** Herrscher of Sentience! Professor Rock! Kira!

**Seele:** Seele!!

**Seele:** Answer me! Where are you?

**Seele:** Seele…

**???:** Is gone.

**???:** Apart from you, there’s no other Seele in the world now.

**Seele:** That’s… nonsense!

**???:** But no need to feel lonely… Let me tell you a story.

**Seele:** Scram!

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** Nonsense… I’m not buying it.

**Seele:** She… they must be somewhere out there!

**Seele:** Ah, that’s… the Herrscher of Sentience!

**???:** …Looks like you’re really looking for a fight.

**???:** Heheh, we really do get along pretty well! Let’s be friends!

**Seele:** Hey, come help me…

**Seele:** Where did you go? Herr…

**Seele:** Ugh…

**Seele:** Herr… you’re… one of the people who travelled with me…

**Seele:** Why… can’t I remember?

**???:** Haha… you’d better listen to my story.

**???:** Once upon a time, there was a princess in the mermaid kingdom…

**Seele:** Go away!

**Seele:** This is…

**▃▅▇▃▅:** …

**▃▅▇▃▅:** So, will I see you every time I die?

**▃▅▇▃▅:** Isn’t that too dull?

**▃▅▇▃▅:** It looks like you went somewhere far away… Did you find the answer, Schariac?

**▇▇▃▅▃:** …

**▇▇▃▅▃:** Thank you.

**▇▇▃▅▃:** But, you ironically make me feel more apologetic like this.

**▇▇▃▅▃:** Although I successfully came here, I do lack the experience of going against a God.

**▃▅▇▃▅:** It’s alright, I coincidentally have some.

**▃▅▇▃▅:** Wait. The name you wanted to give me, could it be…

**▇▇▃▅▃:** Yes, the Will of the Honkai.

**▃▅▇▃▅:** I’m afraid I cannot take it. And… I can’t do it right now.

**▃▅▇▃▅:** Things seem to be more troublesome than I imagined.

**▃▅▇▃▅:** I can only give the Herrscher nature that Sa cannot influence, the choice to hold whatever authority, back to humans. Or rather, their adaptability.

**▇▇▃▅▃:** Never mind, that’s enough.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** …What are you guys talking about?

**Seele:** Who are… you?

**Seele:** Ah… wait…

**Seele:** That was…

**Seele:** Salt…

**Seele:** Salt Snow… Holy City?

**Seele:** Right… if they’re not here, they’ve got to be in Salt Snow Holy CIty!

**Seele:** Seele!

**Seele:** …

**???:** Once upon a time, there was a princess in the mermaid kingdom.

**???:** One day, the little mermaid came to the sea surface and met a seafaring prince. They fell in love.

**???:** To be with the prince, the mermaid asked a witch for help. The witch gave her feet so that she could stand on land like the prince.

**???:** But the witch’s magic was also a curse… she could no longer return to being a mermaid, or…

**???:** She would melt like foams on the sea at the next sunrise.

**???:** Yeah, just like this.

**Seele:** No…

**???:** However, some twisted fate sent the voyaging prince into a terrible sea storm…

**Seele:** Go away! Shut up!!

**Seele:** Seele…

**Seele:** That’s… Seele?

**Seele:** No matter what happens, she definitely will…

**Seele:** Find us and take us back.

**Seele:** Huh? Wha-What are you talking about?

**Seele:** It’s alright.

**Seele:** Wait!

**???:** To save the sunken prince, the little mermaid chose to return to the sea… and became a mermaid again.

**???:** The prince was saved… but the little mermaid was never seen on the land again.

**???:** After the storm died down, she became sea foam and disappeared in the wind… never to be brought up again.

**Seele:** …

**???:** What, you like this story?

**Seele:** I need to… find her.

**???:** But who are you looking for?

**???:** You’ve known it all along, but you never wanted to admit…

**???:** That you’re alone now.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** No, I need to… remember.

**Seele:** Seele…

**Seele:** Don’t!

**Seele:** Don’t… leave me behind…

**▃▇▃▅▇:** Hmph, were you bullied by them again?

**▃▇▃▅▇:** Yeah…

**▃▇▃▅▇:** Have you no pride?! If it were me, I would have beaten them to a pulp!

**▃▇▃▅▇:** …

**▃▇▃▅▇:** Ah… W-Why are you crying?

**▃▇▃▅▇:** Sorry…

**▃▇▃▅▇:** …Alright, don’t cry. I’ll help you. I’ll teach them a lesson, okay?

**▃▇▃▅▇:** It’s not like that… As long as… We can always be together.

**▃▇▃▅▇:** …

**▃▇▃▅▇:** Hah, you’re hopeless.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** …

*[Special CG **[You and Me]** plays:*

***Seele:** Ugh… Is this a nightmare?*

***Seele:** Everything about her was right on the tip of my tongue…*

***Seele:** Seele, sorry!*

***Seele:** I just said…*

***Seele:** Seele?*

***Seele:** Seele, Seele… Seele.*

***Seele:** Yes…*

***Seele:** You are timid…*

***Seele:** You are teary-eyed…*

***Seele:** You are now much stronger than me!*

***Seele:** And… I’ll never forget you!*

***Seele:** Seele!*

***Seele:** I found you, Seele. | You found me, Seele.*]

…

*“…”*

*Looks like I made a mistake about who my enemy is.*

*When I put an end to the world… the girl with black hair and red pupils… she did accomplish something.*

*Even then, all the Honkai energy in this world had vanished with everything else…*

*But at the final moment, an Imaginary singularity was created.*

*I thought it would be her showing up before me… with the consistent ferociousness and the Herrscher hypostasis.*

*However… she rejected the Herrscher Core out of her natural instinct.*

*…Or, the Herrscher Core played along with her subconsciousness and found a more suitable vessel?*

*Perhaps she had no idea of all this… but that was the origin of the miracle.*

*…At the last moment of passing away, the pure white consciousness acquired a new vessel.*

*The most powerful vessel in the world: an Imaginary singularity and Herrscher Core.*

*…*

*I once crushed every obstacle… only to create a miracle.*

*But for her… nothing qualified as a miracle more than the other girl.*

**Vita:** …

**Vita:** And the authority to create… that’s indeed a surprise.

**Vita:** But girls, without my hand…

**Vita:** No one can… attain new life.

### Act 2 - Lone Descendant

#### Gameplay 39-16 - Broken Body

**▇▇▇:** ♪~

**Administrator:** Simulated gravity system, functional. Magnetic field deviation generated by suspension winding under 0.3%.

**Administrator:** Detection complete. Shutting down simulated gravity system.

**▇▇▇:** …

**▇▇▇:** …

**▇▇▇:** Looks like another day without accidents in the lab.

**Administrator:** Director, don’t say it like it’s a huge pity.

**▇▇▇:** But it’s boring. Do we really need to keep doing the checks?

**Administrator:** That is all to ensure a safe and efficient work environment for you and your colleagues.

**Administrator:** Next up is the air circulation system.

**▇▇▇:** Oh, hold on, I’m undressing.

…

**Administrator:** …Director, mind your behavior.

**▇▇▇:** Huh? I’m just cooperating. What if there’s cosmic dust in the air circulation system? We have to know if it hurts the skin.

**Administrator:** There’s no need. And don’t underestimate our system.

…

**▇▇▇:** Tsk, how boring.

**Administrator:** Please be seated. This won’t take long.

A while later.

**Administrator:** All regular checks for the Colonial Satellite Research and Observation Center’s Oasis are complete.

**Administrator:** No problems detected, Director.

**▇▇▇:** Nice~ I can finally start my day at work…

**▇▇▇:** Hah…

**Administrator:** Director, please work harder… Having seen you like this, our employees have lost around 32% of their motivation.

**▇▇▇:** You definitely made that data up!

**Administrator:** Anyway, please act as a role model.

**Administrator:** After all, we… Oasis bears the destiny of this planet. Even if the process is tough, we cannot fail, right?

**▇▇▇:** …

**▇▇▇:** Heh, you’re right.

**▇▇▇:** Alright, I gotta get it together and work! Administrator, bring my special energy drink along!

**Administrator:** Don’t worry, it’s been prepared.

**▇▇▇:** Great, let’s go!

**▇▇▇:** Descend to the residential area first and check if my good colleagues are hard at work~

**Administrator:** No problem. 99% of researchers are more hard-working and motivated than you, Director.

**▇▇▇:** Uh…

**▇▇▇:** Mm~ It’s a beautiful and lively scenery here today too.

**▇▇▇:** Administrator, who is the researcher located closest to us now?

**Administrator:** It’s Professor Norton.

**▇▇▇:** Then, let’s visit Professor Norton for a bit~

**▇▇▇:** Ah, looks like someone failed to look after their pet… Should've forbidden everyone to take pets to the office.

**▇▇▇:** Well…

**▇▇▇:** Ugly, quiet these rascals down.

**Administrator:** All Abyssal Beasts cleared.

**▇▇▇:** Well done, Ugly. Let’s go and find Norton.

**▇▇▇:** Hi, Norton, how are you feeling today?

**Norton:** …

**Administrator:** There seems to be an error in Professor Norton’s speech module. Please hold on.

The administrator pulled out a very thin wire from her arm, and as if it had a life of its own, the wire plugged itself into a certain port in Norton’s head.

**Norton:** Ah… Hmm…

**Norton:** The stars… are torn apart… So many… stars…

**▇▇▇:** …

**Norton:** …

**Norton:** Good…

**Norton:** Good morning, Director.

**Administrator:** Speech module repair complete. Good morning, Professor Norton.

**▇▇▇:** Oh my, my dearest Norton. No matter how busy you are, you’ve got to take care of yourself.

**▇▇▇:** Look, if we didn’t come by, you wouldn’t have been able to talk to anyone for the next few days.

**Norton:** Yes… Thank you very much, Director.

**▇▇▇:** But, since you’re so diligent, there must be some excellent progress, right?

**Norton:** Yes… Director.

Norton’s mechanical body trembled a little, as if emphasising on his affirmation. Then, he turned around and laid almost flat on the floor.

**Norton:** Please look, Director.

I followed his guidance and saw this bump on the floor, a mayfly nest. They were a species of small insects that were commonly seen on our home planet, Purusha.

**▇▇▇:** What do you want me to look at?

**Norton:** Them… Them!

**Administrator:** Professor Norton seems to be pointing at those mayflies.

**Norton:** Yes! Please look…

As he spoke, Norton yanked a cooler tube from his grotesque body, and like a child with a water gun, inserted the cooling fluid into the mayfly nest.

**Norton:** Haha, look at this!

I continued to investigate this fool’s wish. With their home drowned in cooling fluid, these mayflies were in chaos, as if they had met a natural disaster.

Some of them panickedly escape the devastating flood, but aren’t willing to leave their friends and home behind, and so they circle around the entrance to their nest. Hah.

The insects that did not escape become floating corpses and spin along with the water currents, gathering at and blocking the entrance, and cutting off their companions’ chance of survival.

**▇▇▇:** Oh my, my dearest Norton, you’ve killed them all.

**Norton:** Not yet… Look!

It was just as this fool said. The mayflies were facing a huge disaster, but they were large in numbers. After a while, the cooling fluid was absorbed into the ground, and the surviving insects rushed out of the hole.

What courageous creatures! They have not given up hope! They still…

**Norton:** Hahahahahaha!

That darn Norton took out his cooler tube once again, and began to flood the ground.

And so, a similar scene replayed. The mayflies were badly injured, but soon, they managed to escape the nest based on their numbers and survival instincts.

But, no matter how many times those insects bravely stepped over their comrades’ corpses, Norton would descend disaster upon them again and again, with his wretched cooler tube.

**Norton:** Hahahahahaha!

**▇▇▇:** …

**▇▇▇:** Yes! Well done, Professor Norton. I see that you’ve conducted some very interesting research.

**▇▇▇:** Continue to work hard, we won’t bother you anymore.

**Norton:** Please look…!

Is there someone who can shut this trash up?

**▇▇▇:** Which genius should we visit next?

**Administrator:** Professor Tyler’s research center is nearby.

**▇▇▇:** Ah, Professor Tyler, my right hand man!

**▇▇▇:** I can’t wait, let’s go!

**Norton:** Please look… We are the mayflies of Purusha!

**▇▇▇:** Yo, my promising future star! How are you feeling today, Tyler?

**Tyler:** Good day, Director.

**▇▇▇:** Oh, you look good. At least better than poor Norton.

**Tyler:** I’m guessing old Norton is dousing bugs with cooler fluid again, right?

**Tyler:** I don’t want to say this, Director, but intelligence seems to be disappearing from our old friends… You might really need to get them to a doctor.

**▇▇▇:** I’ll continue to keep tabs on them. Enough about him, how’s your research going?

**Tyler:** Things can’t get any better. Actually, I may have already found a way to save our home planet, Purusha!

You’re the one who needs a doctor, garbage.

**▇▇▇:** Oh? Really? That’s an amazing breakthrough!

**▇▇▇:** Can you show me this transcendent theory?

**Tyler:** Of course! But instead of just telling you verbally, it’s better if you witness it yourself.

**Tyler:** Yes! Please stand there!

**Tyler:** Right there, perfect.

**Tyler:** Director, please try to eliminate this low-rank Abyssal Beast.

**Tyler:** Of course it’s easy for you, Director. Well, what if it’s like this?

**Tyler:** How about this?

**Tyler:** Pity you got it wrong! Heheh…

**▇▇▇:** Oh… What a shame.

**▇▇▇:** But, I think I understand what you mean, dear Tyler.

**Tyler:** That’s right, Director!

**Tyler:** You can easily exterminate an Abyssal Beast. But if there were three, a hundred, or millions of them… If there are countless Abyssal Beasts before you, can you still accurately locate “that one”?

**▇▇▇:** …

**▇▇▇:** You’re right, my friend. You’re indeed much smarter than old Norton.

There’s a demon living in your brain, my talented human trash.

**Tyler:** Millions, billions… Enough to fill the galaxy!

**Tyler:** Let the Abyss… never… eclipse Purusha again…

**Tyler:** …

Suddenly, countless beatings of wings could be heard from all around them.

**Administrator:** Be careful, Director. Professor Tyler seems to have tampered with the life simulation system.

**▇▇▇:** Ha, that’s a lot. Ugly will have a hard time handling them.

**▇▇▇:** Looks like some special measures are called for.

**▇▇▇:** …

**Tyler:** Stars…

**▇▇▇:** Mm, it seems like your research still has a rather high risk, Professor Tyler.

**Tyler:** The stars… have disappeared.

Yes. Please also disappear as soon as possible.

**Tyler:** …

**Administrator:** Director, it looks like Professor Tyler needs rest.

**Administrator:** I’ll increase my supervision over him, to prevent him from getting… more authority than necessary again.

**▇▇▇:** Yeah.

**Administrator:** Next, the closest one is…

**▇▇▇:** Ah, no need for that. Let’s head straight to Marah.

**Administrator:** Understood. Resetting target destination.

**▇▇▇:** …

**▇▇▇:** Everything has become so boring.

--

#### Gameplay 39-17 - Struggle

**Administrator:** That’s Deputy Director Marah’s home right ahead.

**▇▇▇:** I know… I’ve grown very familiar with this place.

**▇▇▇:** Hi, my future star of my most trusted temporary researcher! How are you feeling today, Marah?

**Marah:** …

The cat did not react… That seemed to be expected.

**▇▇▇:** Er, you’re not going to ignore me, right?

The lazy cat looked at me with its eyes like crystals, and began to speak.

**Marah:** Save those compliments for Tyler and the rest.

**▇▇▇:** Oh my, you heard me?

**Administrator:** The deputy director holds permissions that are only second to yours. Of course, this includes the CCTV and audio recorders in the life simulation system.

**Marah:** Hah, how kind of you… Even though I’ve morphed into this unbecoming look, you are still willing to give me my original title and treatment.

**▇▇▇:** Come on, Marah. You are my most trusted person. No matter how you look like, to me, you are always the same you.

**Marah:** Your frivolity is still as disgusting as before.

Heh.

**▇▇▇:** Haha, you don’t have to get so angry…

**Marah:** What do you want? Want me to act a boring and strange play with you?

**Marah:** Or do you want me to flip over and show my belly, like a real cat purring for rubs?

**▇▇▇:** …

**▇▇▇:** At least you’re still alive… At least Oasis still exists on Purusha’s land.

**Marah:** Yes, in a virtual life simulation system, where we have ridiculous avatars!

**Marah:** ▇▇▇, you don’t really think that we should be grateful, do you?

Don’t call me by that name… That name…

**Marah:** You don’t really think that by copying the data of our consciousness and transferring it into a data prison, everything will go back to normal, do you?

**Marah:** Even if it’s a copy, we were once the greatest researchers on this planet, perhaps even in this entire system.

**Marah:** We’re not monkeys in a zoo, and we don’t need your unethical “palliative care”!

**▇▇▇:** …

**Marah:** What, did I step on a landmine? Maybe you have a hint of humanity left in you, and you can finally feel some guilt?

**▇▇▇:** We are still humans, Marah.

**Marah:** I’m afraid I think the opposite. We are both no longer humans.

Why must you speak to me acrimoniously? All of you know that this wasn’t my choice…

Why must… all the burdens be placed on my shoulders…?

How can a mortal’s body carry the weight of the stars?

…

…I’ve had enough.

**▇▇▇:** If you hate your current “life” so much, how about I liberate you right now?

**Marah:** …

**Marah:** Just what I wanted.

**▇▇▇:** Administrator.

**Administrator:** Understood!

**Administrator:** Identity verification complete. Release and lock the digital consciousness storage unit No. 0002, codename Marah, with Director’s permission.

**Administrator:** Starting final confirmation. Are you sure you want to delete all data from the storage elements?

**▇▇▇:** …

**Marah:** W-Wait!

**▇▇▇:** What?

**▇▇▇:** Didn’t you say… that you disliked the “unethical palliative care” that I prepared for you?

**Marah:** I…

Heh.

**▇▇▇:** As expected, to truly understand someone, you have to watch what she does more than listen to what she says.

**▇▇▇:** Even as non-human lives, we are born and cursed with the instincts and drive to survive. We can’t bring ourselves to give up so quickly.

**▇▇▇:** Then, will you take back what you’ve said and apologise to me, Miss Marah?

**Marah:** You…

**▇▇▇:** My, if I were you, I wouldn’t act impulsively in this situation~

**▇▇▇:** Or maybe… You think that I don’t have the guts to press the button again?

**Marah:** …

**Marah:** Enough, I’m not going to beg you. Did you really think that I’ve been spending my days here basking in the sun?

**Administrator:** Warning! Management permissions of the life simulation system have been forcefully edited. Unknown data has constructed an illegitimate channel. Be careful as physical changes will occur in the system!

**▇▇▇:** Heh… I must say, as expected of Marah.

The originally peaceful residential area began to quake violently.

The quakes subsided soon enough… But the two people who were crouching in front of the cat just now disappeared in that chaos.

And in contrast…

**Administrator:** Director, because Deputy Director Marah arbitrarily changed the data, the life simulation system has triggered its automated defense mode. Regular logins and deletion functions have been restricted.

**▇▇▇:** That Marah, she did a clean job.

**▇▇▇:** …Then, what’s with this door?

**Administrator:** An illegitimate path. I suspect that Professor Marah escaped through this place.

**▇▇▇:** Then it’s simple, we can catch her if we use this path too.

**Administrator:** But, it’s very likely that Professor Marah has set up traps. I suggest we…

**Administrator:** Ah, Director!

**▇▇▇:** Don’t be afraid. In the system I designed myself, nothing can hurt me.

**Administrator:** This place is…

**▇▇▇:** Colonial Satellite Research and Observation Center, Oasis. This was your catchphrase, and was also where we’re at in reality about 20 minutes before. Of course, right now, you’re only looking at a simulated scene.

**▇▇▇:** But…

**▇▇▇:** But this facility looks like how it was from three iterations ago… So in terms of time, this is a simulation of the observation center from at least 20 years ago.

**▇▇▇:** …

**Administrator:** Is the scene produced by random? Or… did Deputy Director Marah intend for this?

**▇▇▇:** …Who knows?

**▇▇▇:** Let’s go, Administrator. We need to play this game of cat-and-mouse till the very end, with Marah.

**▇▇▇:** Help me locate her position. Once you find her…

**▇▇▇:** Prepare to delete all data of her consciousness.

**Administrator:** Understood!

**▇▇▇:** Oh, my dear Marah prepared a surprise for me.

**Administrator:** Watch out, Director. Deputy Director Marah’s signal is detected ahead.

**▇▇▇:** Game over already, my friend?

**Administrator:** Director, wait, there’s unknown data…

**▇▇▇:** This is…

**▇▇▇’s Image:** It’s such a miraculous discovery.

**Marah’s Image:** …Director, can you use more stringent scientific terms? We are discussing something that is related to Purusha’s future.

**Tyler’s Image:** Haha, Professor Marah. You may say that, but you’re also smiling.

**Norton’s Image:** Of course everyone would be happy and excited! Anyone from Purusha who has given themselves to science will rejoice over this discovery!

**Norton’s Image:** We… We finally found a way to go against the Abyss!

**Marah’s Image:** Professor Norton, why are you acting the same way…? We are not going against the Abyss, we are going to escape its influence forever.

**Tyler’s Image:** Professor Marah is too strict. With the endless resources from the sea, we can do anything we want!

**▇▇▇’s Image:** Yes. Humans… can definitely gain victory over the Abyss.

**▇▇▇:** …

The recording seemingly cut abruptly at that point.

But, when the projection disappeared, new figures followed…

**Marah’s Image:** Come and look… This is the first piece of footage received from Area 26.

**Norton’s Image:** Could… Could this be…

**Tyler’s Image:** It’s a Star Gnawer-class Abyssal Beast… No, it could be an even higher-leveled one… We’ve never encountered it before…

**Tyler’s Image:** Darn it! We already possess energy for half an eternity, why can’t we defend ourselves from the clutches of the Abyss?!

**Marah’s Image:** Every time we have a technological breakthrough, the Abyss will send stronger followers… An endless vicious cycle.

**Tyler’s Image:** Director, we can’t wait for death like this!

**▇▇▇’s Image:** …You’re right.

**▇▇▇’s Image:** Since the Abyss persists, then we… Won’t stop here either.

**▇▇▇’s Image:** Professor Norton, I need your Soul system. Please begin its preparations.

**Norton’s Image:** …

**Norton’s Image:** Y-You want to…

**▇▇▇’s Image:** It’s no longer enough to rely solely on the guidance that research provides to gather energy from the sea. We cannot keep up with the rate that the Abyss is growing at.

**▇▇▇’s Image:** We need to access everyone… Access the thoughts of every life on this planet, to calculate and change humanity’s future.

**▇▇▇’s Image:** That’s right, just as we had experimented before…

**▇▇▇’s Image:** Use the prayers of all lives to rescue our home.

The projection ended. The next part began playing seamlessly…

**▇▇▇’s Image:** …

**▇▇▇’s Image:** I’m sorry, Marah. Norton and the rest…

**Marah’s Image:** You don’t have to say anything else.

**▇▇▇’s Image:** …Marah.

**Marah’s Image:** You are no longer our Director, I am going to take over and immediately stop the Soul system’s operations.

**▇▇▇’s Image:** That’s not possible now. It… The Abyss has already taken control over the Soul system’s main controls.

**▇▇▇’s Image:** We were too naive… We didn’t think that the Abyss could discover and invade our data space. If we prepared specially for it, we…

**▇▇▇’s Image:** …Never mind, there’s no use making assumptions now. In the end, we don’t even have the resources to surrender to the Abyss.

**Marah’s Image:** …

**▇▇▇’s Image:** Norton probably never imagined that the first ideal data life, which he had wanted to see for all these years, would be our deadly rival.

**▇▇▇’s Image:** Haha, this is hilarious, hahahaha…

**Marah’s Image:** You… How can you laugh in our current situation?

**▇▇▇’s Image:** Then, what else can we do? Tell me!

**▇▇▇’s Image:** I did everything I could! I used all our resources, efforts, and wisdom!

**▇▇▇’s Image:** But everything we have… the entire civilisations’ courage and wisdom, are no match for the Abyss.

**▇▇▇’s Image:** Tell me, Marah! How can we survive in the face of the Abyss?

**▇▇▇’s Image:** As long as you can answer me… I’m willing to pay any price.

**▇▇▇:** …

**Marah’s Image:** …

**Marah’s Image:** Then, let me tell you.

**Marah’s Image:** We will… give up on Purusha and find a new home in the galaxy.

**▇▇▇’s Image:** No!

**▇▇▇’s Image:** If we run, all our efforts and sacrifices will burn to ashes… along with the people who remain on this planet!

**Marah’s Image:** But some people will survive. And you merely asked me about that.

**▇▇▇’s Image:** …

**▇▇▇’s Image:** N-No.

**▇▇▇’s Image:** We… have not lost to the Abyss yet.

**Marah’s Image:** …?

**▇▇▇’s Image:** As long as we completely remove the efficiency restriction on the Soul system…

**▇▇▇’s Image:** …Even the data lifeforms that the Abyss spawns will not be able to escape.

**Marah’s Image:** But that way… When receiving that level of guidance, what kind of power will flood out from the sea? We won’t be able to control it at all!

**▇▇▇’s Image:** Yes, that’s precisely it! The sea is the only thing the Abyss cannot control!

**Marah’s Image:** …

**Marah’s Image:** You’ve gone mad…

**Marah’s Image:** …Are you gambling on the destiny of the entire planet?

**▇▇▇’s Image:** …Yeah, why? Isn’t this a great idea?

**▇▇▇’s Image:** Don’t you think that… humanity has already fallen too far?

The projection disappeared and silence enveloped the room.

**▇▇▇:** …

**Administrator:** Successfully located Deputy Director Marah. The path will soon open.

**▇▇▇:** …

**▇▇▇:** Alright, then let’s get our spirits up and go capture Miss Marah.

**Administrator:** Director… To prevent Deputy Director Marah from escaping in the same way again, I will temporarily halt the life simulation system. Do you permit it?

**▇▇▇:** …Hah, I’ll get to see this darn planet’s true form again.

**▇▇▇:** System halt… Permitted.

**Administrator:** Understood!

**Administrator:** Simulated ecosystem, hibernate.

**Administrator:** Virtual environment, disabled.

**▇▇▇:** Yo, Marah. Done with this cat-and-mouse game?

**Marah:** Tell me, ▇▇▇… That day, when you realised that you were the only person who survived on this planet, what were you thinking?

**▇▇▇:** Hmm, that happened so many years ago. Let’s see…

**▇▇▇:** After I woke up, I ran to all the places I could reach… the research center, shelter, city ruins, the lonely wilderness…

**▇▇▇:** I spent a very long time, but I never found another living human or creature again. In the end, I ran to where you are standing now, crying and laughing… I don’t remember how long I stayed that way.

**▇▇▇:** Ultimately, I ran back to the research center and stared at the Soul system in a daze. You and the others… All the human consciousness that had been backed up… strangely did not disappear.

**▇▇▇:** And even stranger… The Abyss’ effects had completely vanished… into thin air.

**▇▇▇:** You should be able to imagine… what happened after, right?

**Marah:** After you ascertained that there was no more threat from the Abyss, you completed the life simulation system and uploaded those backed up consciousness.

**▇▇▇:** Yes. This was originally one of our backup plans anyway, no? Look, even though I was on the brink of breaking down, I still carried out my duty~

**Marah:** …I can’t see how you were anywhere close to “breaking down”.

**▇▇▇:** Time. Time will heal all wounds. This saying is cliche, but those who have truly experienced it will understand the meaning behind it.

**▇▇▇:** To the current me, the past is but a nightmare. After I woke, there was still fear in my heart, but not to the extent of absolute devastation.

**Marah:** Even Purusha’s rotation had changed its direction… But you haven’t changed at all.

**▇▇▇:** Haha, do you mean that psychologically, or physically?

**Marah:** …What do you think? There is no oxygen at all on the surface of this dead planet.

**▇▇▇:** So, you mean physically. Indeed, after the tsunami, I continued to age in years, but my appearance never changed again.

**▇▇▇:** And… I even obtained a new power.

**Marah:** …

**▇▇▇:** Dear Marah… Aren’t you curious?

**▇▇▇:** Why did the Abyss possess such tremendous energy? Why could a single researcher fix and reconstruct everything before our eyes, even after all the hardware facilities and information had been destroyed?

**Marah:** You…

**▇▇▇:** The Abyss is not mysterious, it’s just too complex, that’s all.

**▇▇▇:** Thanks to the Soul system’s max efficiency operation, the sea responded to my prayers when the tsunami occurred…

**▇▇▇:** Ah, that sounds too conceited. After all, unlike the Abyss, the sea does not truly respond to anyone… I’m just an unfortunately lucky person.

**▇▇▇:** But Marah, we fulfilled our promise…

**▇▇▇:** Even though it cost us almost everything, humanity has won against the Abyss.

**▇▇▇:** Look, the tsunami has ended so many years ago… and the Abyss has yet to return.

**Marah:** What… kind of victory is this?

**Marah:** We’re all dead, and only you survived. Why do you deserve to?

**▇▇▇:** …

**▇▇▇:** Do you want the honest truth?

**Marah:** …

**▇▇▇:** I deserve it because I’m luckier.

**Marah:** …?!

**▇▇▇:** You’re the one who wanted to know.

**▇▇▇:** Perhaps, if we decided to run from the start, you might have been the one who survived. But in that case, the current you, a data life, would become nothing, right?

**▇▇▇:** See, you’re pretty lucky yourself.

**▇▇▇:** Come… Follow me back, you can still spend your days basking in the sun, just like before.

**▇▇▇:** We are… both unfortunately lucky people, that’s all.

…

After all, before the Final Construct is complete, the Soul system still has the capacity to be your vector.

If you’re tired of being a cat… being a mayfly isn’t bad either, right?

Don’t worry… As long as you don’t run, I will not delete your data.

Don’t you remember? I’m a doctor.

A doctor wouldn’t kill her own patient, right?

--

#### Gameplay 39-18 - Strange Sprout

Time flowed extremely slowly, like a patch of sticky mud. It almost felt as if it was dragging consciousness into a numbing abyss.

…

As long as you could endure through everything that had turned meaningless, you would find the meaning of existence. This was what “waiting” meant.

…

…Hmm?

**▇▇▇:** …

**▇▇▇:** Administrator?

**Administrator:** I’m here. You’re awake, Director.

**▇▇▇:** How long did the meditation last this time?

**Administrator:** About 15 years.

**▇▇▇:** Ah, I guess it was a short nap.

**Administrator:** Is the Final Construct completed?

**▇▇▇:** Heh, of course.

**▇▇▇:** It’s almost time to take off. But before that…

**▇▇▇:** How is the research center now?

**Administrator:** While you were meditating, there were 217 emergency cases of Abyssal Beast invasion. But, they were all resolved by the “insurance” you left behind.

**▇▇▇:** Good, looks like my cleaner is good at its job.

**Administrator:** After all, it holds the remaining mental network of our Deputy Director… Data Consciousness No. 0002. These defense units have improved greatly, in terms of calculations and use of weaponry.

**▇▇▇:** See, even our unfriendly Marah has her own strengths. Oh, I even miss her now.

**▇▇▇:** Well then, let’s hurry to the hangar!

**▇▇▇:** Do your best, Ugly 0002!

**Administrator:** We’re here.

Her hand touched the cold door of the hangar, but her heart gradually warmed up, as if a flame that was long extinguished had been reignited.

She suddenly felt an emotion, one that had seemingly died long ago, spread from her fingertips to her entire body.

Heh…

Is this… what hope feels like?

And so, she opened that door.

In the darkness, metal reflected cold light.

In the shadows, a certain huge item was waiting for her.

**▇▇▇:** …

This will be Purusha’s… my future.

Before the Abyss returns, I will enter the deep sea and create a real civilisation…

After all… If you want to overcome eternity, you have to possess eternity.

**▇▇▇:** The crystal of the Final Construct, the transition device, Star Traveler…

**▇▇▇:** You will bring me, bring everything… to the depths of the sea, to the shore of the stars.

**▇▇▇:** Then, I will abandon all my shackles… and obtain absolute freedom and endless possibilities.

**▇▇▇:** The second planet of the solar system… Her tinder will not disappear. It will sprout again somewhere in space, with me as its roots…

**▇▇▇:** Persevere and reach the Abyss, through a thousand worlds of stars and the sea.

**Vita:** …

…

…

**Vita:** Oh, so that’s our Herrscher…

**Vita:** Looks like after ages of hard work, we’re now no weaker than the Abyss… or, in your words, the Cocoon of Finality.

**Vita:** I’m curious… Are there many like you on your planet, Seele? Because among your partners, there’s one called the Herrscher of Sentience.

**Seele:** Vita…

**Seele:** Seele, ignore her.

**Seele:** But… even if we say nothing, she can read our mind, right?

**Vita:** Ah, your expectation is misplaced.

**Vita:** You created your authority based on rules made by us. I know nothing about this power, let alone reading your mind.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** (Huh?)

**Seele:** Vita, you’re a hopeless liar.

**Vita:** Oh?

**Seele:** Even the Herrscher of Sentience cannot escape from your clairvoyance, and how can I… a Herrscher born within your rules, be an exception?

**Vita:** …

**Seele:** Which means, there’s another reason why you cannot read my mind. It’s probably the sin you committed just now.

**Seele:** Ah, Seele, you mean to say…

**Seele:** Dr. Schrodinger once said that, rules or not, making a “bomb” big enough to destroy a world requires massive energy…

**Seele:** And you, Vita… No, I should call you Sa. Not long ago, you triggered a bomb that was hidden in the rules of this universe… no, I should say it’s a detonator, right?

**Vita:** …

**Vita:** After this death and rebirth, you seem to have become more perceptive. Indeed, that has expended my powers from before.

**Vita:** Then… what do you intend to do to the current me in this state?

**Seele:** Do you really need to ask?

**Seele:** Sa… You are the reason why this bubble universe is on the verge of disappearing.

**Vita:** Yes, but it can’t be helped.

**Seele:** Because of you, Miss Kira and the rest… and the people living in the two worlds, are all going to lose their precious lives.

**Vita:** It would seem so.

**Seele:** You…

**Seele:** Vita… We once saw you as a friend and comrade.

**Vita:** …I did too.

**Vita:** The times I spent with all of you were nice indeed.

**Seele:** Shut up! Who are you trying to deceive?!

**Vita:** My two Miss Spirits… I’m not lying.

**Vita:** Of course, that doesn’t stop me from taking lives, and doesn’t stop you from taking revenge on me.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** No… To us, the most important thing is not revenge.

**Seele:** We want to stop you here, stop you from creating more tragedies in the Sea of Quanta. Only then will everyone’s sacrifice be worth it.

**Vita:** …Oh? As expected of our good neighbor, the humans of the third planet. Seems like you already know what Sa really wants.

**Seele:** It’s not complicated. You implant special rules in the bubble universes to get them to absorb energy from the Sea of Quanta, swell, and eventually be destroyed.

**Seele:** And at the moment of destruction… all those years the bubble universes have gone through, all the energy they have accumulated from the Sea of Quanta, will all gather where Sa is. Which means, they gather to you.

**Vita:** Heh.

**Seele:** To Salt Snow Holy City… Those rules show themselves directly through the Country of Iron Sand.

**Seele:** Like the ores of the Fallen Star, they don’t make sense, but they still exist.

**Seele:** On the other hand… Since you’ve never seen a Herrscher that as born from you, like me…

**Seele:** You utilised all the results of imitating the Cocoon of Finality on gathering energy through your rules, right?

**Seele:** That’s right, you are similar to the Cocoon of Finality in this aspect… You want to create world order through rules in the Sea of Quanta, or at least in a space that you govern over.

**Seele:** You’re a demonic god like that… And after you have “eaten” just now, it looks like you are at your weakest.

**Vita:** …

Vita abruptly looked up at the sky, and gave a rather mysterious smile.

**Seele:** What are you smiling at?

**Vita:** Ah, it’s nothing. I just never thought that you would come up with so many conclusions about Sa based on mere guesses. And they are generally right, there aren’t many mistakes.

**Vita:** Looks like you’re a lot more capable than I imagined, Seele.

**Seele:** …She’s not that impressive.

**Vita:** …?

**Seele:** Of course, Seele is the strongest person in the whole world, but you don’t have to flatter her like this. We’re able to rip off that facade of yours because of everyone’s efforts.

**Seele:** Seele, Susannah, Kira, Prometheus, Schrodinger… Even that woman and a certain childish Herrscher.

**Seele:** With everyone’s strengths and after great sacrifices, we finally dragged you out.

**Seele:** You even removed Seele’s memories… But she could still find me and allow me to stand here now.

**Seele:** And right now, it’s time to settle our debts.

**Vita:** Oh, is this the confidence of a Herrscher? Not bad~

**Seele:** Enough of your nonsense, we’ll end you here and now!

**Seele:** Seele, wait.

**Seele:** …?

**Seele:** (…Seele, listen to me.)

The girl moved next to the other Seele’s ear and whispered.

**Seele:** (You mean… For real?)

**Seele:** (Yeah, trust me, Seele. This kind of opportunity won’t come again.)

**Seele:** (But… will you be alright alone?)

**Seele:** (Yeah, leave it to me. Didn’t you also manage to do it alone just now?)

**Seele:** (…Got it.)

**Vita:** Hm? What are you guys whispering about? I’ll get jealous.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** Seele, beat her up real hard for me. Best if you can tear that annoying face apart.

**Seele:** Haha, I got it. See you later, Seele.

**Vita:** Huh? Where’s she going?

**Seele:** That’s nothing you need to concern yourself with, Sa.

**Seele:** This is our fight.

…

**Seele:** But before that, I have one last question for you…

…

**Vita:** …Stop. I don’t mean to give up this bubble universe, and neither will I stop draining energy from the Sea.

**Vita:** This is Sa’s way… deeply rooted and always growing. Always… standing tall.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** Let’s get to it then, Sa.

**Vita:** Yeah, come on, Seele.

**Vita:** But… for old time’s sake, a friendly reminder for you: Even if I’m not fully myself…

**Vita:** Killing a Herrscher won’t be a problem.

**Vita:** …

**Seele:** This is…

**Seele:** …!

**Vita:** Well then, let the games begin~

--

#### Gameplay 39-19 - Abyss of Death

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** This place is…

**Seele:** An illusion created by Sa?

**Seele:** …!

**Vita:** …

**Seele:** Vita…

**Seele:** Huh?

**Seele:** …!

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** Was that Sa’s trick too?

**Seele:** …!

**Seele:** I’ve gotta leave this place first.

**Seele:** Again…

**Seele:** …!

**Vita:** Watch out. It’s getting more difficult.

**Seele:** Ugh…

**Seele:** The exit… Vita’s breaths come from above.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** Need to hurry and go up…

**Vita:** …

**Vita:** …

**Seele:** Almost to the end.

**Seele:** Huh?

**Seele:** There’s no way to go?

**Vita:** Ah, you’ve got to hurry up and come up with an idea.

**Seele:** …!

**Vita:** Of course you could handle it, Seele. Well then…

**Vita:** Try to catch me!

**Seele:** …!

**Seele:** Vita…

**Seele:** I’ve got you!

--

#### Gameplay 39-20 - Flower of Life

**Seele:** Is your game over, Vita?

**Vita:** Nah, it’s… only just beginning.

**Vita:** …

**Vita:** What? Is that everything a Herrscher’s got?

**Seele:** …

**Vita:** It’s no use, Seele. You can’t break the walls built by the rules.

**Seele:** (No, my authority… has somewhat weakened her.)

**Seele:** (If I keep attacking…)

**Vita:** Oh.

**Vita:** Almost there.

**Vita:** Stop.

**Vita:** Hmm, that’s the authority you got from the Sea.

**Vita:** But.. this is my domain. The rules will answer my every call.

**Vita:** Goodbye… Herrscher.

**Vita:** Oops…

**Vita:** …I might have underestimated you.

**Vita:** Let’s continue. This time… I’ll be more careful.

**Vita:** Ah, didn’t think it could land.

**Seele:** …

**Vita:** Oh I see, Herrscher.

**Vita:** Such a robust flower blooming in the Sea…

**Vita:** Well, in the name of Bud…

**Vita:** I shall offer you adequate etiquette.

**Seele:** Sa, I won’t allow your rules to strangle lives here.

**Vita:** You’ve picked up quite a bit of confidence, Herrscher

**Vita:** But are you so sure…

**Vita:** You can see the full picture of the rules?

**Seele:** …Come on, Vita!

**Vita:** Where wishes sprout, the earth and the heavens can be turned around.

**Vita:** Such is… the will of Sa!

**Vita:** Are these two little fellas manifestations of your authority?

**Vita:** But now, they belong to me~

**Vita:** The wings of omniscience will block the sky!

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** (Flora, Diana… I need their power back!)

**Seele:** (The power’s back!)

**Seele:** (…!)

**Seele:** Sa’s energy is concentrating… gotta be careful!

**Seele:** Diana!

**Vita:** …!

**Seele:** It’s over, Vita.

**Seele:** This world is no longer your plaything. It’s time to return it…

**Seele:** To every breathing soul here!

**Vita:** …

--

#### Gameplay 39-21 - True Feelings

…

…

Defeat is unacceptable.

Stand up.

**Vita:** Ugh…

Stand up. Kill the Herrscher.

**Vita:** Permission to… kill the Herrscher.

And so, she stood beneath the high tower once again.

**Vita:** …

**Seele:** Shall we continue, Vita?

**Seele:** I think you now know what my authority is like. If you won’t give up, I can do this all day.

**Vita:** …Indeed. Your power was born in the special environment of the twin bubble universes, and it carries two contradicting traits.

**Vita:** No, better to say the contradiction has something to do with your background.

**Vita:** Creation and withering… such befitting powers for you.

**Seele:** I’d never exert my second authority on anyone, as long as the circumstances allow.

**Vita:** …?

**Vita:** (That’s why… she chose to fight me alone…)

**Vita:** (…No wonder there was a delicate change in her attitude.)

**Vita:** Ha, even with such transcendent power, you’re still equally gentle to everyone.

Kill the Herrscher.

**Vita:** …

**Seele:** Vita…

**Vita:** …

Defeat is unacceptable.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** Fine, I can only keep fighting, Sa.

Kill the Herrscher.

**Vita:** …

**Seele:** …!

…

Kill her.

**Vita:** …

**Vita:** You’re so noisy.

**Seele:** Huh?

…

**Vita:** Delete.

…

…

**Vita:** Phew, finally quiet now.

**Seele:** V-Vita?

**Vita:** Don’t worry, Seele, we don’t have to fight anymore~

**Seele:** Huh?

**Vita:** Because…

**Vita:** I’m not Sa.

**Vita:** I’m still… the Vita that loves you all.

**Seele:** You say that… you’re not Sa?

**Seele:** What do you mean?

**Vita:** Haha, what an interesting expression~

**Vita:** You deliberately put on a serious front just now, so that you’d look stronger in front of that Seele, right?

**Vita:** This expression you have now suits how cute you are… Oh, but that fierce look before is a different kind of cute too~

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** If you’re trying to get me to let my guard down…

**Vita:** Oh my, hold on, don’t get angry. I’m about to explain myself.

**Vita:** There’s no grudge between us, so it’s not too much to ask for a chance to explain, right?

**Seele:** How can you say that? My comrades and the souls in those two worlds… You…

**Vita:** Oh, them.

Vita mischievously winked.

**Vita:** Anyway, you already know how to bring them back, no?

**Seele:** …!

**Vita:** Heheh, looks like I’m right. The other Seele must be doing the necessary preparations for you now.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** I acknowledge that you showed us mercy, Vita. If not for that…

**Seele:** I wouldn’t have had the chance to use my Herrscher authority to bring back those souls that you’ve erased from existence.

**Seele:** True death means the permanent disappearance of consciousness. That is something that even a Herrscher of Death cannot reverse.

**Vita:** Herrscher of Death… Mm~ I think that name’s a little unhealthy and lacks positivity. It doesn’t really suit you.

**Vita:** How about… Herrscher of Rebirth?

**Seele:** Herrscher of Rebirth?

**Vita:** Yup! Instead of letting things wither or die, it’s more like you to give everything around you life!

**Seele:** Vita…

**Seele:** No, the Herrscher title isn’t important. Rather than that, I’m more worried that… my authority alone won’t be enough to completely eradicate the rules rooted in this bubble universe.

**Seele:** That’s an authority that I can’t understand. But I know that, as long as they exist, this place… the souls in Salt Snow Holy City, the Country of Iron Sand, and other bubble universes will eventually experience dooming disasters.

**Vita:** About that, I can tell you about them, the so-called “Sa’s rules”.

Facing the girl’s surprised gaze, Vita showed a slightly melancholic expression on her face.

**Vita:** They are “wishes”.

**Vita:** Sa sets wishes as rules.

**Seele:** …Wishes?

**Vita:** By implanting rules into a universe, some of the humans’ wishes will gradually become reality. You said it yourself, “they don’t make sense, but they still exist”.

**Seele:** …

**Vita:** You only made one mistake in your deduction just now, you reversed the order of causality for this.

**Seele:** The people in Salt Snow Holy City believe in the Sage who traverses between life and death, a Sage that can bring the dead to the afterlife…

**Vita:** …And so, the Country of Iron Sand was born.

**Seele:** And the souls in the Country of Iron Sand… believe that the Sage will resurrect them, and reunite them with the living in the Holy City.

**Vita:** …And so, the two worlds begin to overlap and fuse into one.

**Vita:** But this fusion is the beginning of the destruction of this universe.

**Seele:** The destruction of two worlds is like a dynamite triggered by a detonator. It releases massive amounts of energy… And this energy will eventually gather to Sa…

**Vita:** Yes. That’s why I said that you’ve basically got everything right.

**Seele:** But, how can Sa be so sure of everything within the bubble universe…? Especially whether people will think as she expects?

**Vita:** …Very simple, because Sa understands human nature very well.

**Vita:** The pain people feel when death separates them from their loved ones, that’s human nature.

**Vita:** The desire to reunite with the loved ones you’ve parted with, that’s human nature.

**Vita:** The unwillingness to give up on your usual lifestyle, that’s human nature. The greed for pleasure, the wish to gain things without working for them, those are also human nature.

**Vita:** Human nature will not change over generations. Even after the worlds fuse and everything is destroyed… As long as a new sprout grows again, a similar story will reappear.

**Vita:** As long as there is a greatest common factor among humans’ wishes, they will expand automatically… And in the end, fulfill Sa’s rules.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** So here, the wishes have turned into moon rocks and the tower. And on the Fallen Star, the wishes have transformed into their Starrocks?

**Vita:** Exactly. They crave for a new source of energy… If they don’t find such energy, their civilisation will wither away.

**Vita:** And so, the rules responded to their wishes.

**Vita:** The more Starrocks those wishes create, the more the bubble universe will swell. So, once the time is right…

**Vita:** …Boom.

**Seele:** …

**Vita:** You see, regardless of the method, Sa will always get what she wants.

**Vita:** In the end… life will always generate wishes.

**Vita:** Even insects wish to fly high. Even flowers wish to grow…

**Vita:** Even in a universe with only insects and flowers, under Sa’s will, that universe will also swell continuously because of wishes.

**Seele:** …

**Vita:** Oh, I don’t know if Misteln ever told you, but she has her own unique understanding of life. I think it’s very interesting.

**Vita:** She thinks that any existence that tries to grow is a life.

**Vita:** I agree with her perspective fundamentally, but I want to tweak it a little.

**Vita:** I think that being aware of your own growth is also a form of having a wish.

**Vita:** And the nature of wishes, or rather the nature of life, is to swell.

**Vita:** On this point… and this point alone, I agree with my past master, Sa.

**Seele:** …?

**Seele:** Vita… If you’re really not Sa, then who are you?

The girl who was passionately talking about the definition of life smiled slightly, as if she had been waiting for this question.

**Vita:** Me?

**Vita:** I am…

…

…

Oh my, I fell asleep without realising it.

Then… it seems like Her will hasn’t been speaking to me much lately…

No command to “spread”, “patrol”, or “clean”.

That’s why I could fall asleep… But why?

Speaking of which…

Why am I thinking about all this?

Huh?

I…

I?

I.

Who… am I?

**Proxy:** Ugh…

Like a bird seeing dawn for the first time, like a fish that had just emerged from its egg, “she” opened her eyes.

The sea surrounded her softly, just like the swaddle that her mother had wrapped her in, in the distant past.

**Proxy:** I… I… I.

She persistently and repeatedly muttered that word, as if trying to remember something important.

“I”. Everything in the universe seemed to be related to that word. The meaning of all emotions seemed to be given by it.

**Proxy:** I!

She uncontrollably shouted that word out loud. In the sea that was silent like an eternal night, it formed a gentle but special ripple.

**Proxy:** Hehehe…

She couldn’t help herself from laughing.

I.

**Proxy:** I want to go there.

**Proxy:** I want to do that.

**Proxy:** I want to meet that person!

In a space and time that only she existed in, perhaps because of a certain light… the opportunity now, or the influence of some causality, she became aware of herself.

In that moment, joy swelled within her as if it had exploded, and filled her body. She was almost certain that she brought a blessing of kindness and love into this world…

…

…

**Proxy:** …

**Proxy:** Yes, Proxy has received the command. Proxy will head off now.

**Proxy:** As you will, Sa.

…

…

**Proxy:** …

And so, she understood that freedom did not come with life.

Freedom…

…Has to be fought for by yourself.

A long time had passed. The Proxy continued to repeat her work.

The goal of her job was very simple… ensuring the rules spread in every bubble universe ran stably.

Although these rules were irreversible, in the long process of fusion and release, waste was unavoidable.

Time inevitably produced mistakes.

**Proxy:** How is it, are you done on your end?

**“Ugly” Marah:** Cleaning is 97% complete. Elements that obstruct the “reset” have been removed.

**Proxy:** Hey, Miss Marah, there’s only the two of us here. You don’t have to speak so formally, do you?

**“Ugly” Marah:** …

**“Ugly” Marah:** You’re right.

**Proxy:** Our luck is pretty good this time, we didn’t have to plunder tirelessly or accelerate its destruction. Speaking of which, do you think we can still use this bubble universe for another… ten thousand times?

**“Ugly” Marah:** …What has that got to do with me? Cleaning is the only thing I have to do as a cleaner. Anything else has nothing to do with me.

**Proxy:** Hahahaha…

Proxy suddenly scooted over to the ridiculous-looking monster, as if trying to hide from someone eavesdropping.

**Proxy:** Then, when do you intend to execute the cleaner’s escape plan?

**“Ugly” Marah:** …

**“Ugly” Marah:** You already knew about it?

**Proxy:** Professor Marah, I’ve never underestimated you, I hope you can treat me the same way.

**Proxy:** Didn’t you learn how to absorb a bubble universe’s energy from Her will?

**Proxy:** With your intelligence, you can do the same, even if you’re not in the sea, right? For example, going to a flourishing planet and absorbing everything there…

**“Ugly” Marah:** Heh, it’s not as easy as you think. Leaving the elusive galaxy aside… I have to gamble everything I have to even escape my fate as a cleaner.

**“Ugly” Marah:** …

**“Ugly” Marah:** Then, since you already know so much, do you intend to report this to Sa?

**Proxy:** Pft…

**Proxy:** Hahahaha~

**“Ugly” Marah:** Answer me.

**Proxy:** Professor Marah, you may be Her old friend, but it seems like… you don’t really understand the current Her.

**Proxy:** Do you really think She doesn’t know that you’ve secretly kept the data of your own consciousness?

**Proxy:** Do you really think She doesn’t know that I also have my own personality?

**Proxy:** She knows everything… She just doesn’t care. I don’t know if there’s anything in the world She cares about, other than implanting rules. Oh, perhaps hiding from the Abyss.

**Proxy:** After all, when it comes to the third and fourth planets… She only dares to test its borders carefully.

**“Ugly” Marah:** Heh… I see.

**Proxy:** But, I can guarantee that I won’t deliberately report your plan to her. Take it as… me returning the favor.

**“Ugly” Marah:** …Favor?

Proxy smiled lightly and pointed between her own brows.

**Proxy:** I know that my awakening… wasn’t a complete coincidence.

**Proxy:** Thank you, Marah.

**“Ugly” Marah:** …I didn’t do it for you.

**“Ugly” Marah:** I am too much like her… The past her. Truthfully speaking, I hate you, Proxy.

**Proxy:** Oh my, to hear you use such an irrational phrase is truly refreshing.

**Proxy:** But, Marah… Since we can treat each other openly and honestly, I hope that you can at least call me by name.

**“Ugly” Marah:** Oh? That’s new… You have a name?

**Proxy:** Yes, this is my… A name I thought of since long before. You’re the first person to hear of it.

**Proxy:** Do you still remember that memory I told you before? Before Sa began her journey toward the sea.

**“Ugly” Marah:** You don’t think…

**▇▇▇:** The second planet of the solar system… Her tinder will not disappear. It will sprout again somewhere in space, with me as its roots…

**▇▇▇:** Persevere and reach the Abyss, through a thousand worlds of stars and the sea.

**▇▇▇:** I will give up everything in the past… Foolish memories, superficial feelings, and shameful failures.

**▇▇▇:** …

**▇▇▇:** I will give up my name, Vita, here.

**“Ugly” Marah:** Vita…

**“Ugly” Marah:** …You’re sure you want to use that name?

**Vita:** Mhm, I’ve already decided.

**Vita:** What a great name! You can hear the rhythm of life from its tone, right?

**Vita:** Allow me to inherit the name that She abandoned.

**Vita:** And, one day…

**Vita:** …

**“Ugly” Marah:** One day… what?

**Vita:** Heheh.

**Vita:** That’s a secret for now~

The pure and sacred Salt Snow Tower shone brightly against the vast, fair sky.

It was as tranquil as its current owner, and had accepted the memory that Vita gave it from millions of years ago.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** So, you’re actually…

**Vita:** The survivor from Venus, “Vita”. After she became the Sa of the Sea of Quanta, she made me as her clone, assistant, or proxy… however you’d like to call it~

**Vita:** See, I told you I was a venusian, and I wasn’t exactly lying, right?

**Seele:** You guys are… Venusians, but also faced the Honkai and went against the Cocoon of Finality.

**Vita:** Yeah, although we were more used to calling it the Abyss. And our home planet, Venus, was called Purusha. It means “home of humans”.

**Vita:** Heh, looks like our civilisation isn’t as poetic as yours. Venus, Earth… Such meaningful names.

**Seele:** But, Vita…

**Vita:** What’s wrong, do you think I’m making this up?

**Seele:** No… I mean to say, if you’re really not the mastermind who is endangering this bubble universe, if you really just want your own freedom…

**Seele:** Then, why do you assist Sa and act as her accomplice?

**Vita:** …

**Seele:** Along the way, you’ve been our guide and comrade… Unknowingly, Susannah and I began to treat you like a trusted friend.

**Seele:** Although Miss Kira said that we’re naive… I know that she actually agrees with us. And, because of what happened with the Fallen Star, she sincerely wants to help you…

**Seele:** Even Misteln, Prometheus, Seele, and the Herrscher of Sentience were willing to believe your story that was full of holes.

**Vita:** Yes. I could barely watch as you guys believed in me~

**Seele:** Please be serious!

**Seele:** …The fight between us may not have ended yet.

**Vita:** …

**Vita:** Alright, I’ll be honest. Simply put, I am indeed a villain.

Vita still had a smile on her face, but hidden deep behind that expression, there was a rare sight of sincerity.

**Vita:** Freedom is my pursuit and I live for myself only.

**Vita:** No longer a clone, no longer under someone’s commands. I’ll be able to make my own choices, to fall asleep and wake as I wish…

**Vita:** But, to obtain such freedom, to the past me, it was but a delusion.

**Vita:** Or rather, to escape from Sa’s clutches, to escape from the omniscient eye that has always watched all of you… Perhaps only a God can do that.

**Vita:** But I’m no God, I’m only a speck of dust in the hands of an imitation of God… So, I must wait for the right opportunity.

**Seele:** Opportunity… You mean, us?

**Vita:** That’s right.

**Vita:** Of course, since the beginning, this bubble universe’s rules had been slightly disrupted by the Tower Sage’s birth. When you outsiders appeared, I merely went to check.

**Vita:** To Sa’s rules, this didn’t pose as a big problem, and you guys…

**Vita:** You guys are somewhat special, but in my long career as a “proxy”, I’ve indeed seen variables like all of you before.

**Vita:** But… After all, this was a rare change amidst an endlessly repetitive job, so I developed some interest in you guys. After a short observation, I decided to appear and follow all of you.

**Seele:** …

**Vita:** And it proved to bring me unexpected good luck.

**Vita:** You all realised the construction of the twin bubble universes, passed the Sage’s test, and got closer to the truth behind the rules… In fact, you even managed to break the rules.

**Vita:** If She had not noticed the risk of you guys opening up a passage… At that point, all of you would already have escaped from the reign of the rules.

**Seele:** So as expected, the passage Misteln built suddenly collapsed because of Sa’s direct intervention…

**Vita:** That’s right. That was also when I first noticed that all of you might be my key to freedom.

**Vita:** So… I willingly told Sa about your plan and your past of overcoming Finality. That is why She could grasp the chance to destroy the path so accurately.

**Seele:** …?!

**Vita:** After all, just as how Schrodinger troubled me, the ever-busy Sa also has difficulties accurately controlling different things.

**Seele:** No… Why did you do that? If you were willing, you could have come with us and lived in our world!

**Vita:** Because I saw the opportunity to obtain true freedom.

**Seele:** …?

**Vita:** You see, as a proxy, I follow Sa’s will and supervise the rules implanted in the bubble universes. That’s why I need a certain level of authority to handle various situations.

**Vita:** This authority comes from Sa herself, but Sa is far less passionate about giving than taking, and She was also extremely careful in this aspect.

**Vita:** For example, when I gain power from Her, it will always be just enough to deal with the situation… Do you understand what I mean?

**Seele:** …!

**Seele:** …You’re trying to get more authority?

**Vita:** …Mhm. If I closed an eye and let all of you escape, it would just be the end of my mission and I’ll go back to sleep… And who knows how many years it will take for me to wake again?

**Vita:** Even if I went to your world, this would not change. If Sa wanted to capture me, she would have more ways to do so than if Misteln wanted to capture all of you. I am her clone, after all.

**Seele:** …

**Vita:** So, I wasn’t reluctant to warn Sa that everyone’s plan would allow the Abyss to bring Her destruction… Anyway, these warnings definitely served their purpose.

**Seele:** Sa gave you more authority?

**Vita:** Heh, far more than I expected… Do you still remember how I said “I love you all”? This was what I meant~

**Seele:** …

**Vita:** But, the things that happened after… really did exceed my initial expectations.

**Vita:** I didn’t think that you guys would take advantage of the rules and create a Herrscher born in the Sea of Quanta, even under the pressure of “omniscience”.

**Seele:** …We sacrificed a lot for it.

**Vita:** True. But, if you want to achieve overwhelming power, you must pay an overwhelming price… Just like you, and just like me.

**Vita:** And until the end, that preemptive weapon that could have solved quite a few problems wasn’t effective, leaving Her with only three choices…

**Vita:** To personally come here, to give up on this bubble universe, or to… give more authority to me.

**Vita:** And from my understanding of Sa, since things have gotten so far, She would definitely choose the last option. As a result… it gave me the ability to fight so closely against you. How’s that, not bad, eh?

**Seele:** Which means… the current you is actually the strongest version of yourself.

Vita gave a smile as sincere and pure as when they first met.

**Vita:** Mhm, that’s right! In the finale of this grand act, I finally found the chance to remove all relations between Sa and myself… just now, when I walked closer to you. Just like how She deleted all the other data lives long ago.

**Vita:** I’m free, Seele! Like a bird seeing dawn for the first time, like a fish that had just emerged from its egg!

**Vita:** And the first thing I want to do is to tell everything to the person who allowed me to be reborn… That’ll be you, Seele.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** I see. Right now, you hold no animosity toward us.

**Seele:** So, what are you going to do next?

**Vita:** …?

**Seele:** Next, I’m going to look for my friends. I’m going to look for all the people in this world.

**Seele:** When everything is back to what it originally was, we will return to our home…

**Seele:** When I’m doing all that, Vita… Will you still get in my way?

**Vita:** …

Seele thought that Vita would definitely smile.

But she did not.

On the contrary, Vita showed a serious expression that Seele had never seen before, and said…

**Vita:** Seele, my friend… I hope you’ll allow me to call you that.

**Vita:** No matter where you go, what you do, you will only find gratitude and blessings from me.

**Vita:** I admit that I am a villain, and I never redeemed my sins. As Sa’s proxy, I’ve destroyed many civilisations… And this time, since nobody died, I won’t bear a trace of guilt.

**Vita:** But the battle between us has ended indeed.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** But, Sa’s rules still exist…

**Vita:** About that… You definitely don’t have to worry. Didn’t I just say? Your original plan is enough to rescue this world.

**Vita:** And in the battle against you just now, the power I used came from the Sprout of Wishing, a root hidden under the rules.

**Vita:** You have already cut it yourself. This world has already been returned to the souls here.

**Seele:** …

**Vita:** Oh, right. When you search for your friends, remember to look for them in the right bubble universe.

**Seele:** …?

**Vita:** Although the rules don’t exist anymore, this world still experienced its customisation and changes. Like when all of you first came, different lifeforms will be separated into different bubble universes.

**Vita:** But this separation is pretty whimsical. For example, Misteln and Prometheus… should be sent to the Country of Iron Sand, no?

**Seele:** …

**Vita:** You see, rules are omniscient, but they are far from omnipotent.

**Vita:** Alright, Seele. I’ve basically explained everything I needed to tell you… Now, I’m going to enjoy my life of freedom~

**Seele:** …Vita.

**Vita:** …

**Vita:** Haa, I’ve already experienced it so many times, but I’m still not good with goodbyes. Then… let’s cut it short.

**Vita:** Seele…

**Vita:** …May you be safe and sound on your way home.

A breeze rustled by.

Like a dream that had disappeared after being awoken, Vita vanished without a trace.

### Act 3 - Born Anew Tomorrow

#### Gameplay 39-22 - Rise Again

…

To the free, what are restraints?

To a bird, its restraint is to have its wings taken away.

To a flower, its restraints are its roots in the ground.

Those who are noble say that the answer has already been decided, all that’s left is to open your eyes…

**[CHOICE] =** Open your eyes

You tried to open your eyes.

Your eyelids did not move at all.

**???:** “…”

Begrudgingly, you could only connect the various scattered memories in the sea of your consciousness and search fervently for a way to wake up.

But for some reason, this act that should be done in an instant resembled a ball of tangled threads, getting messier as you attempted further.

But ultimately, you came up with a convincing conclusion: you’re experiencing sleep paralysis… a phenomenon that leaves your consciousness clear, but restricts your body.

Sentience: “Don’t even try.”

A voice rang from your heart with a chuckle.

Sentience: “Nobody can restrain me.”

Yet, you still could not move your body.

Undoubtedly, this was the strongest counterattack that your body could make against your consciousness.

Sentience: “Fine. If that’s the case, let me show you who’s boss!”

…

…

Pitch darkness had blurred your sense of time.

In this arduous internal conflict, something gradually became clearer.

…

Sentience: “Evidently, this is a rain that symbolises the victory of the consciousness.”

Rain drops slid down the skin and seeped into the blood. Then came the perfume of flowers and the sound of winds. They flowed into your body at once, and the world was no longer silent.

With that encouragement, you forcefully opened your eyes.

**[CHOICE] =** Maintain the situation

A thought suddenly invaded a corner of your consciousness from nowhere, and enticed you to stay stagnant.

**???:** “…”

Sentience: “Yes, there’s no place more comfortable than this.”

And so, you abided your body and gave up thinking.

Perhaps you’ve worked so hard until now for this moment of good sleep.

…

…

Pitch darkness had blurred your sense of time.

In the choppy dream, something gradually became clearer.

…

Sentience: “Evidently, this is a rain that disturbs a sweet dream.”

Rain drops slid down the skin and seeped into the blood. Then came the perfume of flowers and the sound of winds. They flowed into your body at once, and the world was no longer silent.

You quickly came to a persuasive conclusion: you were resting in a flower bud, and the seemingly boundless darkness was nothing more than layered petals.

From this conclusion, you should maintain the status quo. After all, your body had been sleeping soundly in it… unless leaving the darkness could give you more.

Sentience: “But just smelling the flowers is boring.”

A voice suggested between dreams.

Sentience: “It’s more fun to figure out why this flower grew this big, or who had the guts to put me in here.”

This thought impelled you to open your eyes.

A faint light guided you out of the dark nothingness, and you could sense foreign matters again.

As it turned out, you were lying splayed in a sea of flowers, and the light that woke you came from the moon hanging in the sky.

**[CHOICE] =** “Moon…?”

**???:** …

**???:** No, I should call it the Tower.

**[CHOICE] =**  “What is the Tower?”

**???:** It is… the tallest building in Salt Snow Holy City.

But why is a tower hanging upside down in the sky?

**???:** Because the bubble universe it is in happens to overlap with mine. The structure is kinda like… an hourglass.

**[CHOICE] =** “What’s a bubble universe?”

**???:** A bubble universe is…

**???:** …

**???:** Wait, why am I obsessing over these pointless, moronic questions?

**[CHOICE] =** It must be the body!

You were clever enough to find the culprit within 2 seconds.

Stunned by your aura, it loosened its grip on you, allowing the memories that were scattered across the sea of consciousness to flood toward you like fish that had escaped nets…

You saw “you” being eaten away by the void that symbolised death. You saw “your” efforts destroyed by the light that obliterated all things. You saw “you” sink into the darkness until you heard rain.

**???:** Then who am “I” now?

…

Your head ached.

**???:** Ugh, I shouldn’t have lain for so long.

You decided to…

**[CHOICE] =** Stand up

Out of caution, you got up in the safest way: you slowly pushed yourself off the ground with your hands before standing on your feet.

**???:** My head feels a lot clearer now.

Against the night wind, you took a large step happily, but your body had other ideas!

…

Although your left foot stepped on your right foot, you managed to balance yourself. This is a great victory in itself.

**???:** …That’s it?

**???:** You’re a million years too early to ambush me!

**[CHOICE] =** Maintain the situation

A thought suddenly invaded a corner of your consciousness from nowhere, and enticed you to stay stagnant.

**???:** You wish.

Yes, no being can manipulate you now.

To prove this point, you decided to get up by doing a kip-up. This would be a cakewalk for “you”.

…

That’s what you expected to hear, but your body put a spoke in your wheel!

…

The moment you tried to spring off the ground, your body bent into a powerful curve. But that was as far as it could go.

Because in the next second, you fell back on the still-warm ground.

**???:** Shoot…

**???:** Is this a joke?

Anyhow, you had to concede one thing: your body was working against you.

Not only that, but it was trying to make you accept that you just weren’t used to having a body yet.

**???:** …Heh.

“With gold tied to its wings, the bird can never soar again.” For the free, a restraint can either be taking what they had or giving what they didn’t have.

So you only had one option left!

**[CHOICE] =** Destroy your biggest enemy… the body!

Destroy your biggest enemy… the body!

…

**[CHOICE] =** Embrace your eternal friend… freedom!

**???:** I’ve said it, right?

**???:** “NOBODY CAN RESTRAIN ME!”

…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Even if this person is myself!

…

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** …

Despite the graphic commentary, the viewers that arrived late still couldn’t imagine how soul-stirring this duel was.

After all, they only saw the Herrscher of Sentience punch herself in the chest, collapse to the ground, and kick herself off the ground while laughing.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Hey, what’s with that look? I wouldn’t bother telling you if you weren’t acting all nervous.

**Seele:** Sorry… It’s because we’re worried about you…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** I get what you mean, but I’m feeling real fine. On the other hand, you look…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …

The Herrscher of Sentience pondered for a moment before smiling heartily.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** See? How could you have lost with me around?

**Seele:** Yeah, we couldn’t have defeated Vita and liberate both worlds without the Herrscher of Sentience and you all.

**Seele:** But what we will face might not be easier than what we have.

Seele briefed the Herrscher on the events she had no way of knowing.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Wait…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** You guys came looking for me first only because my getting a body caused the biggest reaction in both bubble universes?!

**Seele:** Yeah…

She tacitly hid the second reason for the other Seele. Whether the Herrscher was curious enough to search her mind was another matter.

Anyhow, before the girls arrived, the residents of Salt Snow Holy City had already returned to normal life thanks to the authority of creation.

The cataclysm was but a wind blowing salt snow fleetingly to them. They barely noticed it.

Even though Seele hadn’t met her friends that awoke in the other bubble universe yet, she could still sense their presence, albeit not as clearly as a Herrscher that was revived.

**Seele:** What? You got a problem?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Heh, I’m not you who’s grumpy all the time. This just goes to prove how unique I am.

**Seele:** …Sure, whatever.

**Seele:** But something is bothering me.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** What is it?

**Seele:** Herrscher of Sentience, don’t you look the same? But you said…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Seele, destroying the body and not changing are different things. Secondly, I must correct you, the body you gave me has never belonged to me.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** You’re a Herrscher born from the Sea of Quanta, while my power is the projection of the Cocoon of Finality. Leaving our preferences aside, we’re opposed by nature.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** In other words, your gift was great, but was sent to the wrong person.

**Seele:** So if Kiana molds you a body one day, you’ll accept it smilingly?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** This ain’t stacking dolls. No matter who gave me a new body, it’d be a liability.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Besides… I can mold that thing myself.

**Seele:** …?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Do you still remember? Professor Rock said she’s essentially a mass of energy, so she needs to attach to matter to connect with us. Me, on the other hand, can freely shift between matter and energy.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** The body is but one of a million matters. I can show you seventy-two transformations if I want to!

**Herrscher of Sentience:** I maintain this human form in front of you only because it’s convenient. And expressive, too!

**Seele:** Looking at it that way, you’re actually more impressive than a Divine Key.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Hey, why are you bringing that up…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …

**Herrscher of Sentience:** You know what, what you said deserves to be acknowledged, personally and realistically.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** You’ve grown over the course of this adventure. I don’t even know if I could come back without your help. So, yeah, thanks a lot!

**Seele:** Uhh…

**Seele:** Actually, I didn’t fight in the last battle, it was Seele…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Yeah right, didn’t Seele already tell me what happened?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Or are you saying the raindrops of creation are as sharp as needles? They drilled through the boundary of the bubble universe and honed in on my head?

**Seele:** …

**Herrscher of Sentience:** “List the efforts of others to deny your own.” This trick doesn’t work on me. Just be honest and accept my compliments.

**Seele:** …I seriously suggest a certain someone to not read minds all the time.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** And I suggest a certain someone to stop beating around the bush, so instead of playing her agony aunt, I can do something worth my time.

**Seele:** You…!

**Herrscher of Sentience:** You what? What did I say wrong?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** I think you better find the time to handwrite “I’m worth it”, “I’m the best”, and “I’m number one” a thousand times. Whenever you’re out of words, read them.

**Seele:** Haha. We can continue talking on our way.

**Seele:** We need to confirm the status of Miss Kira and Co. asap, and… we don’t know how the residents of the Country of Iron Sand are doing now that the rules are gone.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Okay, great, our Sage has the say. I’ve been lying for too long, so I could use a walk with you.

She walked past the two toward the town ahead with bouncy steps.

**Seele:** She’s in a good mood.

**Seele:** Duh, the bad guy was defeated and we can go home.

**Seele:** Yeah. But somehow I feel she’s happy for something else.

**Seele:** …Huh?

**Seele:** Such as, the first person that her friends checked on… is her?

**Seele:** Who knows, I can’t read minds.

…

The girl’s dream was once colorless and lonely.

But now, a bright thought was rising like the sun.

Her dream would grow colorful as the boat sailed. The other side of the sea would be lined with friends that welcomed her home.

Everything was as what the other Seele said earlier…

**Seele:** “This must be a good start.”

This must be a start of countless good starts.

--

#### Gameplay 39-23 - Samsara

**Seele:** A lot of wisps… are in human form now.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Could it be the rain you caused?

**Seele:** Let’s go ask.

**Resident from Country of Iron Sand:** Why don’t you believe me? I can go there one more time to prove it’s real!

**Resident from Country of Iron Sand:** Fine! If you can come back safely… I’ll… I’ll consider your proposal!

**Seele:** Excuse me, may I ask a few questions?

**Resident from Country of Iron Sand:** Sure… Huh? Am I seeing things? Why do I see Miss Seele, Senti… and another Miss Seele?

**Seele:** This is a long story… but you can think of me as her twin. As for my name…

**Seele:** We are both Seele.

**Seele:** That’s right.

**Resident from Country of Iron Sand:** I see. But you came just in time, Gean and I need a witness!

**Seele:** Witness…?

**Gean:** Here’s the thing. I wanted to see Mira in the city, but halfway there I saw a flash of white light. I can’t remember what happened afterward.

**Gean:** I think I fainted. But when the sound of rain woke me, I found myself in the border where the moonlight can’t reach.

**Gean:** I panicked so I kept floating forward. I was scared I’d disappear before finding a moon rock.

**Gean:** When I got back to town, Mira and some others had already become like this. And… so have I!

**Mira:** I don’t believe what Gean said, so he volunteered to show me.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Wait up, aren’t you two lovers? What’s the reason? If Gean really disappeared, would that make you happy?

**Mira:** We… we aren’t!

**Herrscher of Sentience:** If you say so. Since you don’t care, we might as well prove it now.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Gean, you dare?

**Gean:** Yeah! I’m coming!

**Mira:** Wait, Senti! For safety’s sake, could you… bring a moon rock along for him?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** You don’t have to ask! Off we go.

The moment she finished speaking, she set out with Gean.

**Seele:** She’s so active.

**Seele:** One of her few strengths, I’m afraid. Anyway, we have our own thing to figure out.

**Seele:** Uh-huh. Mira, Gean said some residents had taken human form. Is this true?

**Mira:** It’s true! But not entirely… Please come with me and you’ll see.

Mira told the residents gathered there why they came.

**Resident from Country of Iron Sand:** Our experiences are quite similar. We fainted at around the same time, and heard the rain when we were about to wake up.

**Resident from Country of Iron Sand:** When we finally woke up, we remembered what we had forgotten, and our bodies had changed drastically.

**Resident from Country of Iron Sand:** We’ve all changed, but… the degree of change varies from person to person.

**Seele:** Such as how concrete your bodies are?

**Resident from Country of Iron Sand:** Yeah! Take me for example. I might not look it, but I can budge moon rocks a little!

**Resident from Country of Iron Sand:** I have a feeling… maybe in just two or three days, I’ll have a corporeal body.

**Resident from Country of Iron Sand:** It might take a week for me? I have a human form, but can’t touch physical objects yet.

**Resident from Country of Iron Sand:** Speaking of which, Kaye who’s new here doesn’t even have a human form. He’s still a wisp.

**Mira:** Ah, maybe it’s because he’s quite old?

**Mira:** He lived eighty years and died of old age. He must have many memories of his previous life, so he’s taking human form slower than us…

**Mira:** Us… who died early.

**Resident from Country of Iron Sand:** Died of old age…

**Resident from Country of Iron Sand:** That makes me… envious.

**Seele:** …

The girl felt a lump in her throat.

Without doubt, the “young people” talking to her right now, including the “people” she met earlier, were mostly based on the residents of the Holy City that died before their time.

Yes, based on. They weren’t the deceased themselves. The Herrscher of Rebirth, Sa, and even Finality had no right to reverse absolute death.

Strictly speaking, they were only the projection of the other world, similar to the digital life that Vita mentioned and even Vita herself.

Perhaps it was because they were similar to humans in their speech and thought, she had been unconsciously viewing these non-human humans as humans, so much so that she often forgot their origins.

But even though they had assumed a form and inherited a persona, they still embraced the world that the living avoided and the dead couldn’t utter. Death.

Therefore, they craved a new life all the more.

Across the entire Country of Iron Sand, how many “people” like him were there?

**Mira:** Why isn’t anyone talking?

**Seele:** Nothing, just thinking about something.

**Seele:** …I was too.

**Seele:** (But I have some ideas on the change that occurred to them.)

**Seele:** (Huh?)

**Seele:** (For instance, Mr. Kaye who Mira mentioned. When we first arrived in the Holy City, we ran into his funeral. At that point in time, Sa’s rules were still in effect, which is why he could appear here.)

**Mira:** Um… Do you want to meet Mr. Kaye? I can take you to him if you want.

**Seele:** Yes, thank you.

**Mira:** Hello, Mr. Kaye. These are friends of Senti. They want to ask you something, and are wondering if you have the time?

**Kaye:** Of course! Ask me anything.

**Seele:** Mr. Kaye, did you suddenly faint and wake up not long ago?

**Kaye:** Yes, but I wasn’t as spirited as the others when I woke up.

**Kaye:** Now I know better when I will die. It could be after a month, on the day I get a body.

**Mira:** Huh? But everyone says this is the first step led by the great Sage towards a new life… Yet for you it’s the opposite… This isn’t fair!

**Kaye:** I’m not alone. My elderly neighbors, Carl and Rose, have the same premonition.

**Mira:** How… can this be?

**Kaye:** Mira, I know what you’re thinking.

**Kaye:** You’re young, so it’s sensible for the Sage to mend your broken path… Stretching the old’s finished path, not so much.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** (I’m sorry, after eliminating the rule, the projections will return to their original state… which is having aged to the same degree as their bases.)

**Seele:** (Observing with my authority tells me they’ll live longer than one or two months, but they haven’t become younger than when they were alive either…)

**Seele:** What do you plan to do next?

**Kaye:** Definitely not lying in bed and crying all day. Oh, I can’t shed tears like this, can I?

**Seele:** …

**Kaye:** Haha, I’ll stop telling bad jokes.

**Kaye:** I’ll probably look around the Country of Iron Sand, chat and bathe in the moonlight with those I meet. I’m too old to develop any real hobbies besides talking.

**Mira:** That’s it? I thought… you’d do something different.

**Mira:** If… if you need my help, just let me know!

**Kaye:** That won’t be necessary, my good child.

**Kaye:** “When morning glories first bloom, the funeral trumpet blows.”

**Kaye:** Now, I’ve never seen any morning glories in my whole life, and a girl told me that. But the different things you talked about, Mira, I’ve tried to do them all when I was a lad.

**Kaye:** If you’re only anxious about it when you know you’re dying… your last days would be full of regrets.

**Kaye:** …And the last days should be saved for Kaye himself.

**Kaye:** I don’t want those who love me… to see me pass away again.

**Mira:** …

**Mira:** Aren’t you… afraid?

Even though she had experienced death, the young wisp still didn’t have the courage to say it.

**Kaye:** Of course I am. Who isn’t?

**Kaye:** It’s like the last exam of life that everyone has to take. No matter how hard you study for it, you can’t see your results.

**Kaye:** Speaking of which, this is my second time taking the exam.

**Seele:** Then… why are you still smiling?

The wisp named Kaye dimmed for a moment.

But it soon regained its brightness.

**Kaye:** It might not take long for Kaye to join the void. But maybe someday a boy will pass by my grave, and put the dewy morning glories he just picked on my grave.

**Kaye:** “Of course, that’s not me.”

**Kaye:** “But isn’t that me?”

**Mira:** …

**Mira:** …Yeah.

The blue flame was warm and soft, just like the first light that newborn babies see.

**Kaye:** What’s the matter? Do you still want to chat with me?

**Seele:** Uh-huh, who doesn’t like chatting with witty people?

**Kaye:** Oh, you sweet children.

**Kaye:** Oh… I’ve been going on and on, but just remembered a loose end I didn’t tie up when I was alive.

**Seele:** What is it?

**Kaye:** It’s the girl I mentioned. On our last meeting, she gave me flower tea, and asked me to tell her how it tasted.

**Kaye:** I drank the tea, but didn’t get to tell her that it tasted wonderful.

**Seele:** That girl… Does she have shoulder-length hair, look around our age, or… a little older?

**Kaye:** Yes, her name’s Vita! Look at my poor memory, how could I have forgotten her name? At least she doesn’t know this, or she’ll be saddened.

**Seele:** She… sad?

**Kaye:** Haha, you must not understand her well. She smiles all day, but she’s more sensitive than anyone else. I merely mentioned the flowers in the border village were growing well, and the next day she went there to pick flowers.

**Kaye:** Ah right, do you know her?

**Seele:** She… has left the Holy City.

**Kaye:** Sounds like something she’d do.

**Kaye:** Loves the people and things of a place, but longs for new opportunities and broader horizons, and is willing to give up a stable life for it…

**Kaye:** If that’s her wish, then I’m with her. After all, I had the same dream when I was a lad.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** Mr. Kaye, your words… We’ll pass them on to Vita if we have the chance.

**Kaye:** I owe you big time.

**Seele:** Seele, Mira, let’s go over what we know so far.

**Mira:** Okay.

**Seele:** Ahem…

**Seele:** (Seele, are you really going to disclose those things?)

**Seele:** (No… those things are better kept from civilians, including the residents of the Holy City.)

**Seele:** (The whole truth is too heavy for them.)

**Seele:** (Then we’ll do as you say.)

The girl took a deep breath and told Mira a fabricated truth.

**Seele:** First of all, the white light and the sound of rain that everyone mentioned.

**Seele:** From my perspective, that’s the first step of being guided to a new life by the Sage.

**Seele:** After you wake up, you will remember what hasn’t been remembered yet and what has been forgotten in a very short time.

**Seele:** At the same time, the young souls will steadily gain a body and welcome a new life, while the old souls will start aging the moment they gain a body and ultimately return to death.

**Seele:** In other words, the Sage’s guidance is more like a present for the young souls, and…

**Seele:** A requiem for the old souls.

**Mira:** I understand. This will happen to all of us sooner or later. The Sage is just trying to bridge the gap.

**Mira:** There probably won’t be a second Country of Iron Sand after this, though.

**Seele:** Yeah, there won’t.

The girl closed her eyes, her feelings mixed.

They did dispel the gloom that had enshrouded the two worlds for so long.

But be it a present or a requiem, it didn’t come at the right time for them.

**Mira:** Seele? Are you alright?

**Seele:** …I’m fine. Let’s go on.

She forced a smile at Mira.

**Seele:** And, yes, what Gean and the Herrscher of Sentience are validating…

**Seele:** I’m thinking that if you can survive without moonlight, then it’s highly likely that… you can go to the world of the living.

**Mira:** R-Really?

**???:** It’s true!

A humanoid wisp suddenly drifted between them.

**Gean:** Mira! It’s true! Senti just proved it.

**Seele:** Then where is she?

**Gean:** Sh-She’s arguing with a newcomer in front of the broken tower!

**Seele:** A newcomer…?

**Seele:** (Seele, this isn’t right!)

**Seele:** (After getting out of Sa’s control, the living of Salt Snow Holy City can no longer create wisps based on their loved ones by praying.)

**Seele:** (…Yeah, this is strange.)

**Seele:** Gean, I’ll leave this place to you and Mira. We’ll go check on her.

**Gean:** Sure! Leave it to me!

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Yo, you came just in time! I was just about to bring this old friend to you.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Go, Kira, say hello to them!

**Shigure Kira:** …I can talk. You didn’t have to do it for me.

**Seele:** …?

**Seele:** Kira, why are you dead?

**Shigure Kira:** Hey! Watch it! Don’t come up and say I’m dead like the Herrscher of Sentience did!

**Herrscher of Sentience:** You can’t blame us. Look at yourself, you’re a wisp. Anyone would’ve asked the same.

**Seele:** Herr-Herrscher of Sentience, surely Miss Kira isn’t dead.

**Shigure Kira:** Sigh… I knew Seele would be the most reasonable.

**Shigure Kira:** Wait a sec. I just tried to re-organise the way I look with the Alien Key.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Heh, looks like you can do some Herrscher or Idea stunts.

**Shigure Kira:** …What, you want to see my eldritch form?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Don’t. If you spook my underlings out of their souls, they’ll be dead for real. I mean, they’re essentially souls.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** Miss Kira, you should’ve awoken in the Holy City like Prometheus, right?

**Shigure Kira:** Yeah. We couldn’t find you after waking up, so we speculated you might’ve gone to the Country of Iron Sand.

**Shigure Kira:** You know, I can’t rest easy if I don’t see you in person after a decisive battle.

**Shigure Kira:** So Prometheus suggested that I start from the tower.

**Shigure Kira:** She believed that although the passage built by Misteln was cut off by Vita, our endeavor to link the basic anchors of the two worlds to the tower that doubled as an axis had not gone to waste.

**Shigure Kira:** From this perspective, this passage might allow ordinary people to travel between the two bubble universes, provided that the anchors weren’t damaged by Vita’s interference.

**Shigure Kira:** …I had little hope for this, but when I arrived at where I placed the anchor, I was surprised to see it intact.

**Seele:** So you reached the Country of Iron Sand by touching the anchor left in Salt Snow Holy City?

**Shigure Kira:** Yes. Wait, the anchor… was it fixed by you?

**Seele:** Thank Seele for it. She probably thought of this from the start, so she asked me to fix the damaged anchor with the Sage’s residual authority while she was fighting Vita.

**Seele:** In the end, this anchor not only helped Seele’s rain of creation fall across both bubble universes, but also connected the Country of Iron Sand and Salt Snow Holy City. Talk about killing two birds with one stone.

**Seele:** I really didn’t think of this from the start.

**Seele:** I just acted in accordance with everyone’s wishes and inadvertently facilitated this outcome.

**Shigure Kira:** Seele, there’s no need to be modest at a time like this.

**Seele:** O-Okay. Let’s get back on topic. Miss Kira turned into a wisp, is this also related to what Vita calls Sa’s rule?

**Shigure Kira:** She… actually talked to you about that?

**Seele:** Yeah. I can’t say I know why Vita told us the truth, but most of what she said has been inadvertently confirmed by us.

**Seele:** Such as the fact that the Country of Iron Sand was actually born from the wishes of the living and the rules that Sa implanted, rather than being created by someone with their own hands.

**Seele:** Maybe this is the reason that after getting out of Sa’s control, the Country of Iron Sand has temporarily maintained the basic properties of the world of the dead and hasn’t immediately split with Salt Snow Holy City.

**Shigure Kira:** But judging from how physically disordered I am here… it definitely isn’t easy for the commoners to come here.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Bah, don’t lose heart. Now that we’ve connected the worlds of the living and the dead, it’s just a matter of time before people freely travel between them!

**Seele:** It’s too early to be so positive. But…

**Seele:** Where’s Prometheus? Why is she ordering you around?

**Shigure Kira:** Sh-She’s.. Got her own business to mind. You’ll find out once you get there.

**Seele:** …?

**Shigure Kira:** It wouldn’t be very fun if I spill her thing now…

**Shigure Kira:** Let’s first tell the residents of the Country of Iron Sand our findings. Look, they’ve huddled up and floated there for a long time now.

After that, the four analysed the current state of the world, its future, and the separation it may face to the residents of the Country of Iron Sand.

And by cleverly using the Sage, they muddled what Vita and Sa had done.

As a result, “the Sage of the High Tower will lead the dead to a new life” became a fact.

--

#### Gameplay 39-24 - Liberation

Later in Salt Snow Holy City…

**Shigure Kira:** Mmm.

**Shigure Kira:** It feels good to have my feet firmly on the ground.

**Shigure Kira:** Let’s go, I’ll take you to Prometheus.

**Shigure Kira:** But you’ve got to promise me something first.

**Shigure Kira:** When you see her, try not to look too surprised.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Huh?

**Shigure Kira:** Hi, we’re back.

**Seele:** …!

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Wait, don’t tell me this is Prometheus?

**“Prometheus”:** …

**Shigure Kira:** …It is. Vita destroyed her body, but luckily she had prepared for it by transferring her consciousness module to her leg beforehand. She then transferred to this career selection reception mecha that was close to her.

**Shigure Kira:** We’re currently unable to repair your original body, but you can still communicate with us normally, right?

**“Prometheus”:** Hello, visitor 00003. I’m sorry, I did not understand your question.

**“Prometheus”:** To inquire about job openings, please say “1”. To book an envoy’s appointment, please say “2”. To seek advice, please say “3”. To change my voice, please say “4”.

**Shigure Kira:** …?

**Shigure Kira:** Are you… joking?

**“Prometheus”:** No, I am not joking. If you need jokes, I will immediately search for quality jokes.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Hahaha, your conversation with her is a gem of a joke!

**“Prometheus”:** Understood. Added this conversation to my joke library.

**Shigure Kira:** You…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Kira, why don’t you say “2”?

**Seele:** “4” sounds pretty good too.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …

**Herrscher of Sentience:** 4!

…

…

**Prometheus:** Should you wish to activate the auto-defense mode of the reception mecha, you can keep making noises in public.

**Seele:** Prometheus?

**Prometheus:** No need to be surprised. I only recycled usable materials from the original body and crafted another with this mecha. That’s what Soulium excels at.

**Prometheus:** However, I do need to apologise for not adjusting its voice lines, Kira.

**Shigure Kira:** …N-Never mind. It’s no big deal.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Uh, don’t you think it’s too weird bending down to talk to her?

**Prometheus:** I see what you mean, Herrscher of Sentience. Well, let me use another method of communication that retains your dignity.

**Prometheus:** How’s this?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Pretty good, I didn’t think your small body could produce a projection so vivid. Is this also one of your back-up plans?

**Prometheus:** I don’t mind you thinking so.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Wait, just think about it, your current body is compact, elegant, useful, and capable of speech… Taking you out with me would totally make me the center of attention!

**Prometheus:** …Herrscher of Sentience, if that’s what you want, I can craft a body like this for you.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Oh, no need, I can do it myself.

**Prometheus:** …

**Prometheus:** To facilitate future cooperation, you’re obliged to explain the principles involved to me. Of course, it’d be best to include everything that’s occurred while I was migrating my consciousness in your explanation.

…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Is that enough? My lips are gonna blister.

**Prometheus:** That’d be enough. Thank you for your patience.

**Prometheus:** Actually, I’ve checked on the residents of the Holy City.

**Prometheus:** Theoretically, they’re in a similar situation to me, having the consciousness reactivated to rule over the body again. As a Herrscher independent of Finality, Seele’s use of her authority is remarkable indeed.

**Prometheus:** Regardless, apart from some companions we can’t reach yet, the outcome of this adventure is gratifying.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Are you referring to Professor Rock and Misteln?

**Prometheus:** Yes. But we can’t generalise their situation.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** How so?

**Prometheus:** …

**Shigure Kira:** Come to think of it… you weren’t there.

**Prometheus:** We’ve discussed Dr. Schrodinger’s way of existence. Based on this, Vita’s interference with her was most likely cutting her off from the two bubble universes.

**Prometheus:** With Sa’s rules out of effect, it’s only a matter of time before Dr. Schrodinger reconnects with us. But the case of Misteln… is much more complex.

**Prometheus:** Due to her way of birth, Misteln requires a unique physical body to enter and exit Stigmata Space.

**Prometheus:** In other words, when she decided to join the flood of energy by destroying her real existence, she gave up the chance to return to the real world quickly.

**Prometheus:** To awake and own a physical body again, she must overcome time and probability. The two aren’t fundamentally different from a statistical view, though.

**Shigure Kira:** …

They were silent.

The momentary silence allowed them to discover two visitors that shouldn’t have been there…

Abnormal Stigmata 0014 and Abnormal Stigmata 0015.

**Prometheus:** As you can see, No. 0014 and No. 0015 have left Stigmata Space.

**Prometheus:** This means that Misteln, who confined them in Stigmata Space, is indeed gone.

**Shigure Kira:** …

**Shigure Kira:** So after the crisis is resolved, you plan to stay here and wait for Misteln?

**Prometheus:** …You’re imagining things.

Although she replied nonchalantly…

For some reason, she suddenly remembered the previous incarnation that her traveling companion told her about.

The only time Misteln mentioned that person, she did so in a rather relaxed tone, as if attempting to conceal a subtle emotion… as she always did.

So… what was that emotion?

“Because I couldn’t say it that time, from then on, I’ve said what I think.”

“Because I couldn’t do it that time, from then on, I’ve done what I say.”

Similar thoughts motivated every individual who was fearful and bound by regret. Every choice they made would gradually dissolve the pain of the past.

And transform it into hope for the future.

**Prometheus:** …

So, as if pronouncing a judgment, she made a decision.

**Prometheus:** I won’t wait.

**Prometheus:** I’ll try to free her, no matter where she is.

**Prometheus:** Like… how she saved me.

**Shigure Kira:** I understand. Good luck to you and Misteln.

**Prometheus:** Thank you.

**Prometheus:** But I must point one thing out: your friends in the proper world might arrive soon.

**Prometheus:** If you still have business to take care of, please be quick.

**Seele:** Seele, let’s talk to everyone.

**Seele:** I’m afraid we won’t have many chances to do so.

**Seele:** Yeah, I’ll keep you company.

**Seele:** I didn’t know you got along well with Misteln.

**Prometheus:** …

**Prometheus:** Dr. MEI once told me a saying popular among the youngsters of that time: “Before the wedding, you must go on a trip with your fiance”.

**Prometheus:** Due to the havoc we faced, she and Kevin didn’t have the chance to go traveling, let alone hold a wedding ceremony.

**Prometheus:** But she still looked forward to this non-existent trip.

**Prometheus:** It was most definitely a lie, but also a palpable feeling. After all, you don’t go traveling with just anyone.

**Prometheus:** This goes to show that her fiance was worth it. Given that I don’t usually see Misteln as my friend…

**Prometheus:** This saying applies more to you. Anyway…

**Prometheus:** Sharing one heart must be a relationship that’s far more special than just supporting each other.

**Seele:** I-Is that so…

**Prometheus:** That said… Project Bunny doesn’t quite agree.

**Seele:** Project Bunny…?

Seele looked to the wrist of the other her.

That was when she noticed that the blue string tied around her wrist, which was the activation device for Project Bunny, had fallen off in the heat of battle.

**Prometheus:** Don’t worry. Thanks to your authority, Project Bunny obtained a body by accident.

**Seele:** What do you mean? She became human?

**Seele:** Project Bunny… where is she?

**Prometheus:** She’s busy guiding the people from the proper world and won’t be here for a while.

**Seele:** Ah… thank you. I’ll thank her when I get the chance.

**Prometheus:** But I still have a question.

**Seele:** …?

**Prometheus:** Why is she so cooperative with me? It felt like the Herrscher of Sentience being obedient to Dr. MEI.

**Seele:** This… Uh… Maybe it’s a habit?

**Shigure Kira:** …

**Herrscher of Sentience:** What, still worried about Misteln?

**Shigure Kira:** Sort of. Regardless, I need to apologise to her in person for trying to assassinate her.

**Shigure Kira:** And… prejudices stemmed from her appearance.

**Shigure Kira:** …

**Shigure Kira:** Actually, I’ve wanted to tell Misteln this before she set out.

**Shigure Kira:** But I didn’t.

**Seele:** Miss Kira?

**Shigure Kira:** Maybe… I was just waiting for the so-called perfect timing.

**Shigure Kira:** …But now there won’t even be a timing.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Ugh, you could’ve avoided all this if you just spoke up.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** But don’t you worry, since she was born differently, she can’t be annihilated so easily.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** To put it simply, her vitality is comparable to a cockroa…

**Seele:** Shut up. I hate that woman as much as the next person, but that doesn’t mean I want to hear something so gross.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Bah, that’s gross for you? Don’t you see I’m comforting her?

**Shigure Kira:** Haha. I do feel much better now. Thank you, guys.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** So what do you plan to do next? Help Prometheus find Misteln?

**Shigure Kira:** No. There are things I must do. When I’m done… maybe Misteln will be saved simultaneously.

**Seele:** Miss Kira, have you already formed a detailed plan?

**Shigure Kira:** Well…

Shigure Kira uncharacteristically showed reluctance in front of her juniors.

But she quickly concealed it with a smile, and deliberately pulled away from the Herrscher of Sentience.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** I still know what you’re thinking even if you run off to the Country of Iron Sand.

**Shigure Kira:** …

**Shigure Kira:** As you all know, I snuck out of the Candy House behind Elder Konpeito’s back. At that time, I didn’t know much about Sa and thought I could fix the problem by myself.

**Shigure Kira:** But as things stand, dealing with one Vita has already cost us dearly… and we don’t even know what the real Sa has evolved into.

**Shigure Kira:** Therefore, the safest course of action would be for me to wait for Schrodinger’s contact here, and then return to the proper world with her to seek help from Theresa and Kiana. I can return to the Candy House after we get rid of Sa together.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …Yeah. Figures.

**Seele:** Isn’t this… like you having run away from home yet being scared of getting scolded by your parents, so you stay in the cram school until you get a perfect score to make them scold you less?

**Shigure Kira:** L-Leaving that aside, Schrodinger and I haven’t returned to Earth for a long time! Bianka must be missing us sorely! So is Susannah!

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Hahahaha, don’t tell me you’re gonna name-drop everyone on this!

**Shigure Kira:** …

**Seele:** Herrscher of Sentience, will you head back to Earth as well?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** I haven’t decided yet.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Staying here to watch wisps and humans coexist isn’t so bad. So is going back to find out how much the others miss our dear Miss Kira.

**Shigure Kira:** Hey!

**Abnormal Stigmata 0014:** We meet again, the two Seeles.

**Seele:** Yes, we meet again.

**Seele:** I get why you came. But what’s she doing here?

With a hint of irritation, she looked toward No. 0015 who stood behind 0014. She was that “Seele” who always glorified selfish acts as a requisite for survival.

**Abnormal Stigmata 0014:** Seele, I apologise for all of No. 0015’s earlier disrespect. I only ask you to believe that she won’t hurt anyone again.

**Abnormal Stigmata 0015:** Sister, why did you apologise for me? I could’ve done it myself.

**Seele:** …Is this some sort of act?

**Seele:** Sage of the High Tower, do you happen to have any clues on the whereabouts of Misteln?

**Abnormal Stigmata 0014:** Sage of the High Tower, huh… Thank you for still calling me that, Seele.

**Abnormal Stigmata 0014:** We left Stigmata Space in an instant. It was entirely without warning, and Misteln hasn’t appeared afterward.

**Abnormal Stigmata 0014:** As for why we were the ones that came, It was No. 0013 Chen’s idea. He thought we weren’t very threatening to the outside world and might even help Misteln out.

**Seele:** Not very threatening…?

**Abnormal Stigmata 0015:** I find this an apt judgment.

**Seele:** Are you defending yourself? I don’t care if you dupe Chen, I’m not some boy who’s never been in love.

**Abnormal Stigmata 0015:** I just wanted to talk.

**Seele:** Then talk.

**Abnormal Stigmata 0015:** Sister!

**Abnormal Stigmata 0014:** It’s your call.

**Abnormal Stigmata 0015:** Okay~

**Abnormal Stigmata 0015:** Seele, I’m curious about why you didn’t show everyone the truth.

**Abnormal Stigmata 0015:** I’m not talking about Sa or Vita. I’m talking about… the nature of these wisps.

**Abnormal Stigmata 0015:** The loved ones that the residents of the Holy City are yearning to see again are only fakes of them, and the fakes themselves know nothing about this.

**Abnormal Stigmata 0015:** Isn’t this pathetic?

**Seele:** Tsk. What do you want me to do? Tell them and cause unnecessary panic? Tell Kaye he’s actually an unfortunate clone with progeria?

**Seele:** Are you ignorant of the ways of the world? Or do you see everything as a game, as the Gray Serpent that you got killed? Those wisps aren’t toys that satisfy your curiosity!

**Abnormal Stigmata 0015:** …

**Seele:** Seele, calm down.

**Seele:** No. 0015, I’ve given your question thought. But up to this moment, I still believe this is the only matter that mustn’t be revealed to either side.

**Seele:** As you said in harsher words, the wisps are fakes of the deceased. The longing of the living gave them form, and the consolation of the Sage gave them character.

**Seele:** No person can be known entirely by those around them. The Sage’s authority isn’t all-knowing either.

**Seele:** This has caused their spirit to have some sort of hollow since creation.

**Abnormal Stigmata 0015:** So the hollow in these fakes will surface over time.

**Seele:** …But isn’t it the same for humans?

**Abnormal Stigmata 0015:** …?

**Seele:** No matter what kind of person they are, they have freedom, which is what gives them a sensitive and changeable heart, so they can grow up.

**Seele:** For the residents of the Country of Iron Sand, freedom can fill that hollow.

**Abnormal Stigmata 0015:** That… doesn’t sound reliable at all.

**Seele:** But it’s also this unreliable thing that’s gotten humanity this far.

**Seele:** Of course, you can view it as a kind of selfishness.

**Seele:** “What we believe in are the best.”

**Abnormal Stigmata 0015:** Is this… your answer?

**Seele:** No. This is my blessing for you.

**Seele:** After all, freedom is a treasure only you can uncover, and buried inside may be a gem you’ve never seen.

**Seele:** If you seek it, you will find it on your way. Share it, understand it, and thus become a new life.

**Abnormal Stigmata 0015:** …

**Seele:** Don’t worry, your sister will guide you. She’s the Sage.

**Abnormal Stigmata 0014:** I understand, Seele. I’ll fulfill this duty.

**Abnormal Stigmata 0014:** But to be honest, you did what I couldn’t imagine.

**Seele:** …?

**Abnormal Stigmata 0014:** Remember the template I mentioned earlier?

**Abnormal Stigmata 0014:** I saw you two as drastically different souls that shared one body harmoniously. It was the state of balance that I envied.

**Abnormal Stigmata 0014:** This unique way of living also inspired me. I wondered if non-human wisps could become humans by sharing bodies with the living.

**Abnormal Stigmata 0014:** Maybe Misteln already realised this was unrealistic and neglectful of the wishes of both parties… but she still listened to me carefully and brought you here.

**Seele:** Isn’t she still supporting you?

**Abnormal Stigmata 0014:** No. I think she wanted me to see the answer you’d give.

**Abnormal Stigmata 0015:** And turns out, you did what your friend has done, and better.

**Abnormal Stigmata 0014:** Yeah, the Sage’s authority has diminished since the rules perished, but Seele did become the real Sage.

**Seele:** …

**Abnormal Stigmata 0014:** See it as the last blessing from the departing former Sage.

**Abnormal Stigmata 0014:** Thank you for freeing the life here, and… myself.

**Seele:** Wait… departing?

**Abnormal Stigmata 0014:** Yes, we need to find a way to help Misteln. But rest assured that I will fulfill the Sage’s last duty before that. Helping people adapt to the future… is also my duty.

**Seele:** Our Sage is as serious as ever.

**Abnormal Stigmata 0015:** Sister, I have another question.

**Abnormal Stigmata 0015:** Could you please tell me what the “it” that Seele mentioned is? What’s the gem buried inside the treasure of freedom?

**Abnormal Stigmata 0014:** No. 0015, Seele might have other matters at hand.

**Abnormal Stigmata 0015:** Um, this isn’t the time?

**Abnormal Stigmata 0015:** Then… I’ll look forward to that day.

**Abnormal Stigmata 0014:** (Yeah, one day you’ll find that answer.)

**Abnormal Stigmata 0014:** (…The gem named love that belongs to you and you alone.)

…

**Seele:** So… what should we do now?

**Seele:** I have a few words to say to you, Seele.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** And I happen to have something to tell you too.

--

#### Gameplay 39-25 - Together Again

**Seele:** Here we are, Seele. This is where Susannah, Miss Kira, and I started.

…

…

**Seele:** Uh, I can see the tower in the distance, and passing crowds nearby. Compared to our starting point, yours does look more like a journey.

**Seele:** …Yeah.

**Seele:** Still thinking about the wisps?

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** I suppose nothing escapes your notice, Seele.

**Seele:** Of course, you shouldn’t keep anything from me, especially your troubles.

**Seele:** …Yeah.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** Seele, I often wonder if I’m not doing good enough.

**Seele:** What makes you say that?

**Seele:** I’ve decided to conceal the nature of the wisps, I’ve finally said those words to No. 0015, but I still can’t stop worrying about their future.

**Seele:** Aside from concealing and revealing, do we have a third, better option?

**Seele:** And Mr. Kaye…

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** After all, I had hoped to give all wisps a true new life… but this is all I can do.

**Seele:** I’m aware that giving life equals giving death… but I’m unable to let everyone be born equal.

**Seele:** Giving hope and then ripping it away… Maybe this is crueler than not giving hope from the start.

**Seele:** …What’s your point?

**Seele:** …?

**Seele:** I don’t need to look further. Think about it, when we were fighting against Project STIGMA, has anyone been unwilling to leave the aggregation of dreams?

**Seele:** And do you think Kiana would regret this because the answer she delivered wasn’t perfect enough?

**Seele:** Um…

**Seele:** Freedom isn’t free. You should stop doing mental gymnastics.

**Seele:** I actually think that after the rain of creation, the wisps have gained more independence, and have become far more resilient than you think. The freedom they enjoy is the real deal.

**Seele:** Don’t forget I started traveling with the Herrscher of Sentience from the Country of Iron Sand. I’ve spent time with them, that’s why I can sense these changes.

**Seele:** In the past, they were born from and driven by the wishes of the living. The Herrscher of Sentience couldn’t even read their minds.

**Seele:** It’s after we defeated Vita and broke the rules that their real wishes had the room to grow freely.

**Seele:** “To live like humans and die like humans.”

**Seele:** The wish of the wisps is that simple.

**Seele:** Then again… it’s typical of you to want to do it perfectly.

**Seele:** …?

**Seele:** I remember what you said on the last night in Nagazora.

**Seele:** “Need to catch Incognito… to impress Mei, and then… charge Project Bunny… try to convince… to work overtime less… with me…”

**Seele:** E-Even if that’s true, as long as Bronya and Mei don’t know…

**???:** Too late.

**Seele:** …?

…

**Seele:** Bronya!

**Bronya:** I didn’t feel like cutting in.

**Bronya:** And… it’s been a while, Seele.

…

…

**Seele:** Wait, what’s Mei doing here too?

**Mei:** Susannah told us a lot about what you had been through, but seeing it for myself is still a surprise.

**Mei:** Nice to meet you, Seele.

**Seele:** …You don’t have to be so formal. It’s not like we don’t know each other.

**Mei:** But it’s my first time talking to you face-to-face.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** N-Nice to meet you, Mei.

**Mei:** Haha.

**Seele:** Speaking of which… how did you know we were here?

**Bronya:** Project Bunny told us that.

**Seele:** Where is she? She’s been avoiding us, is she still mad at what happened?

**Bronya:** Project Bunny… is capable of being mad?

**Bronya:** She only said that she’d gather materials and repair Prometheus’ body with her. She hasn’t reacted unusually since leaving the studio.

**Seele:** Um… She doesn’t want to go back because you don’t think she can get mad.

**Bronya:** I-Is that so?

**Mei:** Whatever the case, you need to give Project Bunny a break. And yourself one, too.

**Mei:** If I recall correctly, you only asked for two days of annual leave from Mr. Yang.

**Bronya:** Arahato Project’s internal presentation is coming. I want to do some last-minute optimisation.

**Seele:** I see. I thought you’d spend more time with us here.

**Bronya:** …

**Bronya:** Actually… I asked for an extended leave on my way here. The crisis here just ended, so I wanted to stay and help Seele.

**Seele:** You’re a horrible liar.

**Bronya:** I just… didn’t tell Mei.

**Mei:** Yeah, she did “forget” to tell me.

**Seele:** By the way, Mei, how’s Susannah doing?

**Mei:** She’s probably still lying in bed. The doctor said she’s alright, but needs to rest for some time due to excessive fatigue and stress.

**Seele:** Oh… I’m relieved.

The four chatted on their way back to the square where the Herrscher of Sentience was waiting.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Finally, you’re back. I thought the people who went looking for missing people had gone missing themselves.

**Mei:** What’s wrong with that? We haven’t met for a while.

**Seele:** Where’s No. 0014 and No. 0015?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** I don’t know. But I guess they’re either gossiping like you or returning to the Tower for final preparations.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Too bad they didn’t get to say hello to you two. Bronya could’ve taken a good look at her other baby sister created by Project STIGMA.

**Seele:** You mean No. 0015? Forget it, only Rozaliya would fall for her disguise.

**Bronya:** …

Suddenly…

**Bronya:** Ah, it’s a call from Susannah.

**Mei:** She’s really worried about us.

**Susannah:** Hello? Can everyone hear me?

**Seele:** We can hear you.

**Susannah:** Seele, is everything alright on your end?

**Susannah:** I heard the doctors say that the enemy attacked Salt Snow Holy City and the Country of Iron Sand indiscriminately, and in a flash everyone…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Stop! I don’t want to relive that feeling…

**Herrscher of Sentience:** You only need to remember one thing: we won, and won beautifully. There’s room for improvement, sure, but it’s the happy ending that counts.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** And aren’t you a B-rank Valkyrie or something? Your contributions might promote you to A-rank.

**Shigure Kira:** Are Schicksal’s Valkyrie Exams these days… really so easy?

**Susannah:** Miss Kira, please don’t let the Herrscher of Sentience fool you.

**Susannah:** Nowadays, the Valkyrie Exams are a complex and professional process. While involvement in solving major crises is factored in, it doesn’t determine the grading.

**Susannah:** And for me, getting promoted isn’t the biggest thing anymore.

Susannah fell silent for a moment.

Doubtlessly, she did her best and managed to contact the reinforcements in the proper world. But in terms of results, even without reinforcements, even without her, her stranded companions still saved the world.

This was the chasm between sand grains and stars.

But this didn’t discourage her, for she knew…

**Susannah:** What’s truly important to me is each day spent on chasing the stars!

**Shigure Kira:** Susannah… you’ve grown so much.

**Bronya:** We couldn’t have located this bubble universe accurately without the data recorded by Susannah.

**Bronya:** I would’ve probably lost my way in the process of repairing the channel if it wasn’t for that data.

**Susannah:** Heheh, I’ll keep it up and be helpful in more ways!

**???:** Oh! That’s the spirit!

**???:** Rozaliya idiotka, if you scream like that, you’ll disturb Susannah.

**Susannah:** Um, it’s alright, I’m awake.

**Seele:** Rozaliya, Liliya?

**Seele:** Aren’t you teaching at Cioara’s Home? Why are you with her?

**Rozaliya:** Don’t worry, Sora’s there.

**Liliya:** After you went missing, Theresa contacted us to search for your traces in Nagazora.

**Liliya:** We didn’t find any valuable information, but we happened to be there when Susannah got back, so we volunteered to look after her.

**Seele:** You look like you can look after people, but Rozaliya doesn’t.

**Rozaliya:** Why are you underestimating me! Don’t you know I’m the most popular teacher at Cioara’s Home?

**Liliya:** But you’re only competing against me. And Susannah isn’t a child.

**Seele:** The way I see it, you two should perform for her every day, so your caregiving won’t conflict with your idol career and can cheer her up for better recovery.

**Rozaliya:** H-How did you know what we’re doing?

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** So you did perform.

**Shigure Kira:** Wait, these two little ones want to be idols?

**Liliya:** …

**Shigure Kira:** Not to brag, but I’m very experienced in this field. Under my guidance, Susannah and Seele have successfully thrown a sensational concert here.

**Mei:** …?

**Bronya:** I didn’t know Seele had that kind of side to her.

**Seele:** Oh, she has many different sides. She’s just too shy to let you see them.

**Bronya:** Oh?

**Seele:** M-Miss Kira, it’d be best if you don’t talk about this in front of everyone.

**Shigure Kira:** Okay, next time I’ll talk about it behind your back~

**Seele:** Ugh…

**Rozaliya:** Shoot!

**Seele:** What’s wrong this time?

**Rozaliya:** I think I hear Theresa’s footsteps! Liliya, Susannah, hang up quickly!

**Rozaliya:** If she sees us slip out without finishing our homework, we have to recite another lesson tonight!

**Susannah:** That’s the situation! Let’s talk later! Bye!

Susannah cut the connection almost immediately.

**Bronya:** …

**Mei:** …Feels like seeing my former self.

**Seele:** Did Mei also do that behind Theresa’s back?

**Mei:** Not just me, so did your sister Bronya.

**Bronya:** It was Kiana’s fault.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** What did she do?

**Mei:** For a while, she liked cramming all of us onto one bed to chat before bedtime.

**Mei:** But she was scared of being caught and scolded by Theresa, so she frequently ran to the door to listen for footsteps in the middle of our conversation.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Bummer, you gotta chat to the fullest! If I were her, I’d have dragged Theresa onto the bed too.

**Bronya:** And then get punished by her. “Then you three will chat through the night without getting any sleep!”

**Mei:** Speaking of which, since the Overseer has time to visit Susannah… this suggests that their meeting is over.

**Bronya:** Yeah. A certain someone also told us to beep her when we get here.

The two smiled at each other mysteriously and took out a device with a long antenna.

Mei’s call was soon picked up…

**???:** What’s up, Mei?

**Mei:** Kiana, we’ve arrived in the bubble universe where Seele and Co. are. They’re safe and the incident has been resolved.

**Kiana:** Huh? Already?

**Bronya:** It’s all thanks to Project Bunny’s guidance and Susannah’s data-recording. As for the enemies, Seele and Co. took care of them.

**Kiana:** I see! You’re as reliable as always.

**Bronya:** …

**Bronya:** Wait, is there something wrong with your cam? Why can’t we see you?

**Kiana:** Well…

**Mei:** Kiana, you’re eating instant noodles again?

**Kiana:** Ah, I’m not! It’s just… the room is super messy. Wait for one sec! I’ll clean it up real quick!

Two minutes later…

**Kiana:** Hello? Can everyone see me now?

**Seele:** We can see you.

**Seele:** Kiana, if you can contact us… does this mean you’ve felt Sa’s presence?

**Kiana:** Not really. I definitely don’t know as much as Bronya.

**Kiana:** You were in the depths of the Sea of Quanta. It was a serious incident, but here it felt like… a leaf fell on the ground but got blown away before anyone took notice…

**Seele:** …

**Kiana:** Ah… I didn’t mean anything, just giving an example.

**Kiana:** Unless we take the bubble universe near the proper world like we first tried, or the enemy reveals itself in the proper world first, I can’t do anything about it.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Hey, can we just forget about Sa? It doesn’t have the guts to come near Earth. With so many Herrschers, we’d scare it to death.

**Shigure Kira:** …Herrscher of Sentience, this incident is but a forewarning.

**Shigure Kira:** If Sa can quit while it’s ahead, why are the Sugars living so timidly?

**Kiana:** She’s right. Whatever the case, this enemy is something else and shouldn’t be looked down on. We can’t let our guard down, even at this moment of victory.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Okay, fine, you know everything, so I’ll shut up.

**Kiana:** Haha. Oh by the way, Herrscher of Sentience, do you plan on coming back?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Back to where, Earth? I haven’t given it much thought, why do you ask?

**Kiana:** Um… Nothing big, it’s something to do with Book of Fuxi.

**Mei:** During the time you went missing, she’s been worried about you.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …?

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Did she mix us up? If she’s that bored, she can worry about the Old Timer.

**Kiana:** Fu Hua… she’s busy with something else at the moment.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Then why doesn’t Book of Fuxi talk to Klein? Isn’t Klein helping her test the power-saving feature?

**Mei:** But Klein is really just helping her test the power-saving feature.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Oh, I get it. She feels lonely by herself but is too embarrassed to say it, so she asked you two to persuade me.

**Kiana:** …Can’t say you’re wrong.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Oh well. I can’t refuse people that beg me.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Sure, I’ll go back.

**Kiana:** Book of Fuxi will be so happy to hear it.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Hmph, can she not be, since I’m going all the way there just to keep her company?

**Kiana:** Haha, you’re right. Uh… I have to go now, Klein needs my help again.

**Mei:** Yeah, let’s talk later. And don’t eat too many instant noodles. I know it’s Klein who’s been selling you them in secret.

**Kiana:** …!

**Kiana:** …I know, just this last time.

…

**Prometheus:** I take it you’re done?

**Seele:** Prometheus? The one next to you is…

**???:** Doesn’t Seele recognise me?

**Seele:** You’re… Project Bunny? That big motorbike?

**Project Bunny:** This Seele, the motorbike is but one of my many forms. It doesn’t represent who Project Bunny is.

**Seele:** Project Bunny… I’m so sorry about what happened earlier!

**Project Bunny:** Why are you apologising?

**Project Bunny:** It’s understandable that you couldn’t keep an eye on me on the battlefield.

**Seele:** Then are you feeling unwell? If it’s necessary, Bronya and I can restore you to your original form.

**Project Bunny:** Original form…?

**Project Bunny:** This body is a gift from Seele and I couldn’t be more pleased with it, so why would I miss that?

**Seele:** Okay. Then please take a good rest. Thank you for all you’ve done.

**Project Bunny:** Oh… thanks.

Intentionally or otherwise, Project Bunny gave Bronya a sidelong glance.

It was only after seeing no signs of disapproval that she began to snicker inside.

As she expected, Seele took pity on her due to this feeble form, and her boss Bronya was only a workaholic, not unsympathetic.

So if she kept playing weak, after getting back to work, Bronya would factor in her state and give her the simplest tasks, or maybe even…

**Project Bunny:** (…No tasks at all!)

She could hardly conceal her smile at this thought.

**Herrscher of Sentience:** …

**Herrscher of Sentience:** Who’d have known a body so small could house so many interesting ideas.

**Project Bunny:** …!

**Project Bunny:** (Seele, it’s Bronya’s first time here, would you like to show her around?)

**Seele:** Project Bunny, that’s so sweet of you.

**Project Bunny:** O-Of course, you’re my best friends after all.

**Seele:** Then…

*[CG plays wherein the 4 dearest of friends depart for a round of sightseeing:*

***Seele:** Then… do you wanna see the two worlds?*

***Bronya:** Seele, you join us too.*

***Seele:** Yeah, we’ll do it together.*

***Project Bunny:** Let’s go!*]

…

For no reason, Seele remembered a sunset when golden rays scattered across the land.

And the jokes her friends told while goofing around.

“The future depends on us, right?”

“Well, I guess we can play today and start working tomorrow, right?”

Yes, the dark side of the world was still rife with dangerous uncertainties.

Yet this is exactly why…

She cherished every happy moment all the more.

But…

There were also people like the Herrscher of Sentience who didn’t care about moments nor eternity.

And if she was willing to shift her attention away from Kiana not long ago, she would’ve certainly seen the hidden truth in Mei…

**Theresa:** “…In conclusion, the search operation for Fu Hua must continue to carry out its investigations independently.”

**Theresa:** “That is, to keep any information concerning the other side from the main personnel of the search operation for Seele, such as Bronya. THis is to prevent overusing human resources when the situation is unclear.”

**Theresa:** “In addition, according to Project Bunny, the changes in the Country of Iron Sand and Salt Snow Holy City apparently require further observation, so allowing this group of personnel to recuperate there is a practical approach.”

**Theresa:** “As an exception, the person we can dispatch to continuously aid the search operation for Fu Hua is in fact the Herrscher of Sentience.”

**Theresa:** “However, considering that she has gone AWOL and taken other unauthorised actions repeatedly during the Great Eruption… Tricking her into coming back to Earth first will likely minimise side issues.”

**Theresa:** “Call it a hunch.”

**Theresa:** “I firmly believe Fu Hua being missing is also related to Sa.”

**Theresa:** “If it weren’t for an enemy of such magnitude… she couldn’t have gone missing for so long.”

Thus the Schicksal Overseer concluded a secret meeting twenty-five minutes ago.

…

…

This was an unexpected reunion.

Perhaps no other moment in her long life was more surprising than this one.

**Fu Hua:** You…

**Fu Hua:** …

**Fu Hua:** I thought… you were…

### Elder Enigma

#### Death By Sword

Rewind to when Seele and Co. were still exploring Salt Snow Holy City…

Ruin Explorer’s Notes:

I finally made it here!

Everything’s just as I expected, now they can’t call me delusional!

The people in the Holy City are so used to a stable and mediocre life that they never think. All taboos were invented for a reason.

Why was the border city abandoned and given the scary name of the “Ominous Land” to keep folks away? It used to be a lively town, just look at the buildings that haven’t been damaged by salt frost.

I suspect that the answer is hidden in those mysterious ruins. By whom, when, and how were the ruins built? This discovery needs to be made.

It can only be made by me, others lack the adventurous spirit… or courage. Young Kaye wanted to come with me, but, ha, his family held this inquisitive lad back.

Now I’ve finally entered the ruins. And everything inside… is truly astonishing! There’s no doubt that the builders of this place, our predecessors, possessed wisdom and technology far beyond our imagination.

Of course, I have to be extremely careful around those horrible traps. And there’s one more thing that creeps me out.

Sometimes I feel I’m not alone…

Torn Poem:

I devote my lonely self to the gods;

Only my sacred heart can guide all spirits.

With a punitive scythe I slay all evil;

For my just judgment I am given this virtuous name.

Wicked creatures may tarnish the borders;

Pray sincerely and peace will return.

…

…

(Middle section of the poem is illegible due to being beaten by the weather)

The sky also weeps and is never heard again.

This tomb is built to serve as shackles;

But I protect the children of man as I pity them.

### Chasing Light, Drinking Shadow

#### Derail

Have you ever felt the grooves on a record?

Through these grooves of varying depth, soundwaves were translated into vibrations, and thus reproduced.

Therefore, record crafters could see the waveforms of music in the grooves without dropping the needle, and by just feeling these grooves, they could make the music…

Play in their head.

For the two girls, the needle hadn’t dropped, and they were blind to the music that would play.

**Seele:** That’s true… but are we really unable to help?

**Seele:** Our powers are supposed to be more special in this world…

After Prometheus confirmed the nature of Sa through codes related to the Cocoon, the others had left, each approaching the truth in their own way.

Yet it was at this time that the two girls holding the Sage’s authority found themselves without a direction…

They hadn’t noticed that, regardless of how small their actions were, they were still on the record, and slowly cutting their own grooves into it.

**Seele:** Isn’t this normal, that Sage…

**Seele:** If she could do anything about Sa’s influence, we needn’t go through all this trouble.

**Seele:** We’ll be needed when badder foes are spotted. It’s not like we can count on a certain Herrscher.

**Seele:** I can’t think of any notable enemy that she’s beaten.

**Seele:** You can say that, but if we don’t do anything…

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** Seriously? That isn’t our responsibility, why must you get yourself involved?

**Seele:** But if it makes you feel better… If I’m not mistaken, everyone’s trying to investigate something right now.

**Seele:** Is there anyone better than us in this regard? I think not!

**Seele:** Are you saying…

**Seele:** Follow me. We found this ability for free, so why not put it to use?

--

#### Beginnings

**Seele:** Show yourself.

**Seele:** Alright, let these guys replace us…

**???:** …!!

**Seele:** …?!

**Seele:** How come… Why… would they attack the Sage?

**Seele:** She’s…

**Seele:** Such unreliable pets… Follow up and I’ll get to the bottom of this.

**Seele:** These are… Sand Servants? Why are they here? And…

**Seele:** This is…

**Seele:** Wait, Seele, don’t…

Her warning was too late. As if a cabin was carved out of a vacuum, a tremendous pull suddenly appeared…

Compared to the boundless Sea of Quanta, the bubble universe that contained them was but a tiny ship in the universe.

But afterward, the space they were thrown into was not an inky night sky. It even felt… somewhat familiar.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** Strange, this place… seems to be where Hare…

**Seele:** That explains it. Looks like the bridge-building of that woman had some side effects on this world.

**Seele:** It didn’t take us back to the proper world, but instead gave the Sand Servants an opportunity to come to the Holy City.

**Seele:** To think this would happen… But even then, we shouldn’t be attacked by them.

**Seele:** Who knows, but since this world is under Sa’s influence, anything could happen. We should deal with the problems at hand first.

**Seele:** Ah… Do we need to split up?

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** Good point. We did confirm the order, but we can’t ensure that more Oracles won’t go crazy in the Holy City… Then we’ll stay here and fend off those Sand Servants?

**Seele:** Okay, leave the Holy City to me. And… somehow I feel… the Oracles are attacking us… for a particularly important reason.

**Seele:** …Reason? Such as?

The girl pondered for a moment, but couldn’t find a more accurate expression.

**Seele:** Could it be… something really important has already begun without us knowing?

…

…

Despite their keen intuition, they weren’t record crafters. In any case, the needle hadn’t been dropped yet.

But the remark that “something has begun”… was perhaps true.

Have you ever felt the grooves on a record?

The moment they were cut into it, the music it would play became a certainty.

--

#### Mingle

From this tenebrous, artificial rift, creations known as Sand Servants were still emerging.

**Seele:** There’s no end to them, but… this might be a good sign. Who knows if it has to do with the so-called fusion.

The girl shifted her eyes to the rift that had allowed her to step into this place. Although extremely slow for the naked eye, there was no question that it was contracting.

Yet here and now, that wasn’t the only good news to her.

**Seele:** Seele? Why did you…

Almost as soon as she looked at the rift, a girl walked out of it.

**Seele:** Ah… I felt that a long time had passed, so I was worried you might need to come back to the body…

**Seele:** Not yet. How are things over there?

**Seele:** There were many berserk Oracles wandering around… but I got rid of them.

**Seele:** …

She looked at that rift again.

**Seele:** Good to hear. I’ll go help you as soon as I’m done here. Looks like it won’t take me much time.

--

#### Develop

**Seele:** Seele… Seele? Are you still here?

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** Great…

**Seele:** Did anything happen? Take it slow.

**Seele:** Um… How should I put it… it isn’t “something happened”, but rather “nothing happened”.

**Seele:** …

**Seele:** I’ve been looking for berserk Oracles, and in the process I realised… they weren’t mindlessly running around like I thought, but always bypassing a specific area instead.

**Seele:** So that’s what you meant by “nothing happened”. Ah… Wait…

**Seele:** Mhm, you were forced to stay here and I was chasing those Oracles all over. Could it be… they were intentionally luring us away from something?

**Seele:** Are you saying… we got distracted by them?

**Seele:** So, where’s this place? Let’s go there now.

--

#### Comeback

**Seele:** Looks like they don’t want us to get across… Get out of my way!

--

#### Traces

**Seele:** Is this… the Herrscher of Sentience’s weapon? She fought here?

**Seele:** Looks more like she got curb stomped here.

**Seele:** That doesn’t make sense. She went to all this trouble just to make sure we can’t help her?

**Seele:** But who can “curb stomp” the Herrscher of Sentience? We’ve never seen someone like that in this world.

**Seele:** I wouldn’t know about that, you’re looking at…

**Seele:** …?!

**Seele:** …What was it?

**Seele:** Say her name again.

**Seele:** Herrscher of Sen…

**Seele:** …!

**Seele:** That’s right! Even if she lost the fight, as pure consciousness, she shouldn’t leave anything physical…

**Seele:** You’re right… Apparently something happened when we were distracted.

**Seele:** But this isn’t something we can explain. Let’s go find the others.

**Seele:** Prometheus should’ve made other discoveries. But is the Herrscher of Sentience…

**Seele:** Don’t worry about her. She may be weak, but she’s still a Herrscher. On the other hand…

The raven-haired girl looked to the sky. She wouldn’t admit it…

But this subconscious action denoted that, more or less, she had begun to suspect that she was…

Up against some kind of deity.

Transcription provided by PXLPancakes