The arrival of Welt Yang temporarily eased the tense standoff that had nearly erupted into violence.
With a click of her tongue, "Seele" reluctantly lowered her scythe, frustration clear on her face as she gave up the fight.
"Ugh, what a shame. We're too late! Great, Seele—now we're stuck here again!"
"What exactly… is going on? I'm a bit lost,"
Himeko asked, frowning. "Welt… aren't you the leader of Anti-Entropy? Why are you in the Sea of Quanta?
And what's with this barrier separating it from the real world? Who is Seele really? And what the hell is the 'World Serpent'?"
"I'm glad you've chosen to talk with me this time, "Seele", rather than launching straight into an attack like before," Welt said, adjusting his glasses as he glanced at the three women standing before him.
"The situation in the Sea of Quanta is… complicated, but I'll try to explain as simply as I can."
As he spoke, Welt raised his hand, projecting a holographic image from his palm—an advanced display showing fragments of his memories.
To Kagura, this Welt Yang wasn't an unfamiliar figure.
In her previous life, she had read about his deeds.
This bespectacled man, who bore a faint resemblance to Sōsuke Aizen, was actually one of the most powerful manifestations of the Honkai—the Herrschers.
Like the Herrscher of the Void who had caused a global disaster not long ago, Welt was also a Herrscher.
However, unlike others, Welt Yang—the Herrscher of Reason—wasn't controlled by the Will of the Honkai. Like his predecessor, he chose to stand with humanity.
In short, the man now standing before Kagura, Himeko, and Seele was a "benevolent Herrscher."
Welt's powers as the Herrscher of Reason were quite similar to Kagura's own "Reality Overwrite."
Put simply, he possessed the ability to create anything, so long as he understood the principles behind it.
By manipulating Honkai energy, he could bring any concept into physical reality.
That's why he could effortlessly conjure up a holographic display, helping the others understand the origins and nature of the Sea of Quanta.
"At first, I entered the Sea of Quanta during an energy projection experiment. Simply put, I tried to open a gateway to this place, but instead, I ended up trapped inside it."
Welt began recounting the events that had transpired here.
"While I was exploring this mysterious space, I discovered something in deep slumber—The Serpent. A being that, if allowed to enter the real world, would bring unimaginable catastrophe."
"To stop the Serpent from crossing over, I used nearly all of my power to create a barrier that seals off the Sea of Quanta from reality. I've remained here ever since, locked in an ongoing battle with it…"
"Hold on, Mr. Welt, please clarify," Himeko interrupted, narrowing her eyes. "What exactly is this 'Serpent'?"
Welt turned to her, then glanced at Seele beside her.
"The World Serpent is a remnant of an ancient civilization. It was once a manifestation of humanity's will to resist the Honkai—but that will has long since been corrupted, twisted beyond recognition. It's no longer something we can reason with."
At that moment, "Seele" added, "The Serpent is incredibly powerful. Even I can't lay a scratch on it."
"Besides," she continued, "it was the Serpent that freed us—both Seele and me—from the endless darkness of the quantum state.
It gave us form and voice, allowed us to stand here and speak to you. But of course… such gifts come with a price."
"Indeed," Welt nodded. "Seele was meant to remain in deep slumber, trapped in the cold, unconscious void of the Sea of Quanta.
The Serpent is the one who awakened her—but it came with a condition."
He paused before adding, "The Serpent demanded that Seele find a way to break the barrier between the Sea of Quanta and the real world. It wants to return."
"Seele" continued, her voice tinged with irritation, "But that barrier is incredibly strong.
I've fought Welt many times, but thanks to Seele's unwillingness to hurt anyone, we've never been able to break through… Tch, it's so frustrating."
"Seele is a good girl," Welt said softly. "She may be timid and shy, but her heart is kind and unwavering.
And you, Veliona—her other self—you've only ever acted to protect that will. You aren't evil. Your nature is just… different.
That's why I've never tried to harm either of you. I only intend to stop you."
"Don't call me that! you four-eyed nerd!" Veliona shot back, her crimson eyes glowing faintly with disdain.
"I'm not doing this out of kindness. I just don't want to see Seele cry. I don't want her to hate me. And as far as the Honkai goes—I hate it with a pure, burning malice. That's all."
"Mhm… I've got the general picture now."
Kagura, who had remained quietly listening until now, finally spoke.
"So the question is: is there a way for us to leave the Sea of Quanta and return to the real world—without breaking the seal on the Serpent?"
No matter what had transpired here, her top priority was clear: to get Himeko and Seele safely back to the real world—the world of Honkai—so they could reunite with their comrades.
And for herself, it was the only way to truly enter the Honkai universe.
After all, neither sightseeing nor collecting "souvenirs" was possible in this bizarre and unstable space.
"Miss Kagura, to be honest… that's going to be very difficult," Welt replied solemnly.
"My power has limits. I can't open a path back to the real world without alerting the Serpent. And I won't take that risk—not when the entire world's safety could be at stake."
"Tch. So in the end, it was all a waste of time!" Veliona scoffed, crossing her arms. "Boring! And it's all because of your hesitation, Seele. Thanks to that, we're still stuck in this damned place!"
"Ugh, what a letdown… I'm going back to sleep. You handle things from here."
As her words faded, the red glow in Seele's eyes dimmed, her irises fading back to their usual blue—signaling the return of her primary personality.
"Ugh… I'm sorry, everyone…" She collapsed onto the ground, sitting with a heavy thud.
"I'm so sorry… I've just made everything worse…"
"It's okay, Seele." Kagura knelt beside her and gently patted her head, her voice calm and warm.
"Thanks to you, I have a much better grasp of the situation here. So now, let's work together to solve this problem once and for all."
"Oh? Solve the problem completely?" Himeko raised an eyebrow.
"And how exactly do you plan to do that? Are you saying you're going to take on the World Serpent—something even the Herrscher of Reason couldn't defeat?"
"Aha! You really get me, Miss Himeko." Kagura gave her a big thumbs-up, grinning.
"That's right! I'm going to go pay this 'Serpent' a visit myself!"
"I really wouldn't recommend that, Miss Kagura," Welt said, frowning deeply.
"The Serpent is far more powerful than you can imagine. It possesses remnants of an ancient civilization's power—forces we barely understand.
A direct confrontation would be… unwise."
Hearing that, Kagura simply smiled.
"Mr. Welt, I know you're aware that I come from another world. But perhaps you don't know this…" The silver-haired, golden-eyed girl rose to her feet.
Her delicate, ethereal beauty was now tinged with bold determination.
"In my world…" she said, her voice calm but resolute, "I've slain gods. I've severed the threads of fate."
As those words echoed, the Infinity Stones shimmered with a surge of energy, unleashing a wave of rippling light that made her silver hair dance in the air like starlight.
"So," she declared, her eyes gleaming like forged gold, "let me help you. Let me be the one to crush this so-called 'Serpent'—and end its darkness once and for all!"