Just as the knock down Kevin Kaslana tried to get back on his feet, the tire of a speeding motorcycle ruthlessly smashed into his face, sending him flying through the air.
'VROOOOM—!'
As Kevin crashed to the ground once more, the sleek, futuristic blue-and-white motorcycle zipped over his body again, spinning in place as if performing donuts on top of him...
Moments later, the once-proud Kevin Kaslana lay sprawled on the ground, covered in tire tracks, smoke rising from his clothes—completely knocked out.
The engine growled to a halt, its rider twisting the throttle one last time before bringing the bike to an elegant stop.
The driver was a girl—dressed in a blue and white dress that mixed gothic charm with a cute silhouette.
Her ash-gray spiral curls cascaded down her back, adding a sense of maturity to her petite, doll-like figure.
She wore white stockings and high heels that accentuated her long, slender legs—an alluring contrast to her otherwise youthful appearance.
Though her modest chest bordered on flat, the off-shoulder gown framed it just enough to feel perfectly balanced.
This "reckless driver" who'd just steamrolled Kevin wasn't just anyone—she was Bronya Zaychik.
A former Valkyrie of "Schicksal" who once fought against the Honkai, Bronya was also the most important person in Seele's life—the sister Seele had longed for, night after night.
Transforming her motorcycle into its original form—the floating mech Heavy Bunny 19C—Bronya hovered gently above the ground and turned to face everyone.
At that very moment, Seele's scarlet eyes shimmered, shifting back into their usual shade of blue.
The moment Seele laid eyes on her beloved sister, her dominant personality rushed to the surface, overriding the combative alter ego without resistance.
Even the aggressive "inner Seele" couldn't hold on for a second longer.
Because while Seele might seem timid, her heart was anything but weak.
Even if her alter ego often hijacked control during battles, when Seele truly wanted something, no force in the world could stop her.
"Big sister...? Bronya... is that really you? Bronya!!"
Tears welled up in Seele's eyes as she rushed forward. Her voice cracked with emotion, "You finally found me...!"
"Yes, Seele. It's me."
Bronya smiled softly and embraced her tightly. "I've come to take you home."
"I'm so glad... So glad you found me at last!" Seele cried out, her emotions bursting free like a dam breaking. "I never want to be apart from you again!"
Bronya stroked her hair, her own eyes brimming with tears. "And we won't be. We'll go back to the real world—together."
"Mhm! We'll never be separated again, Bronya!"
"Aww~ What a heartwarming reunion."
Watching the emotional scene unfold, Kagura crossed her arms and sighed. "If only I had a sister like that..."
"What's this? Jealous, are we?" Himeko teased, wrapping her arm around Kagura and pressing her overly generous chest against her cheek. "If you don't mind, I could be your big sister instead~"
Apparently, Himeko was in an unusually good mood.
Despite all the relentless fighting—from the Herrscher of the Void to Kevin Kaslana himself—seeing Bronya and Seele reunited had wiped away the fatigue and darkness from her heart.
"By the way, Bronya," Himeko asked, "how did you get here? This is the Sea of Quanta. There should be a barrier between here and the real world, maintained by Mr. Welt."
Bronya nodded and placed a hand over her chest. "I passed Mr. Welt's trial and inherited the Core and Will of the Herrscher of Reason.
That's how I gained the power to come here."
Still holding Seele close, Bronya continued with a proud yet calm expression, "I came not only to retrieve Seele, but also to recover the Gem of Desire."
"The Gem of Desire?!" Himeko's eyes widened. "Wasn't that the core implanted in Wendy to create the Herrscher of Wind?"
Indeed, the Gem of Desire held the power of the Herrscher of Wind and had once been used to create an artificial Herrscher.
"That's right," Bronya said, retrieving the gem from her storage unit. "Cocolia, now the de facto leader of Anti-Entropy, threw it into the Sea of Quanta through the 'Eye of the Deep.' My mission was to recover it before it fell into [World Serpent]'s hands."
As she spoke, Bronya glanced at Kevin, still collapsed face-down on the ground, his body covered in tire tracks and lightly smoking.
"Looks like the 'Serpent' issue's been taken care of already. That should make things easier from here on out."
"Oh, right," she added, turning back to Himeko. "I'm so glad to see you safe, Miss Himeko. Everyone back on the Hyperion was so worried about you!"
"Haha, well, I owe it all to this girl here."
Himeko gave Kagura a tight hug. "If she hadn't been there, who knows where I'd be now!"
"Thank you, Miss Kagura," Bronya said sincerely. "Himeko is a dear friend of mine. I'm grateful you saved her."
"Oh, it was nothing~" Kagura waved off the praise with a smile. "You can all properly catch up when we're back in the real world!"
"True enough," Bronya said, looking back at Kevin. "Speaking of which... what do we do with him? Should we kill him—or bring him back?"
"Hmm... well..." Kagura rested her chin in her palm, deep in thought. "Honestly, I'd love to erase him completely, but I don't think that's my place.
I'm not from this world. It wouldn't be right for me to decide who lives or dies here."
Kagura possessed all six Infinity Stones.
If she truly wanted, she could snap her fingers and reduce Kevin to dust in an instant.
But this wasn't the Marvel universe, and as a traveler from another world, she didn't want to dictate the fate of people in this one.
That decision should be left to those who truly belonged here—like Himeko, Seele, or Bronya.
"You're right," said a familiar voice, glowing with soft light.
Welt Yang—who had supposedly perished after losing his Herrscher core—reappeared, his body reconstructed using the core now residing within Bronya.
Truly a master of "coffin resurrection."
"Thanks to Bronya's efforts, most of my strength has returned. The barrier between the real world and the Sea of Quanta is no longer necessary.
Rather than killing him outright, I think I can restrain Kevin and stay here to help him reflect on his actions."
"Are you sure about this, Mr. Welt? I don't want to argue whether Kevin deserves to die or not, but at the very least…"
Kagura looked at him and asked, "Aren't there still people in the real world who worry about you? People waiting for you to come back?"
"…Yes. I understand." Welt adjusted his glasses. "But it's alright. With your help, I believe the issue of Kevin Kaslana will soon be resolved."
"No matter what fate awaits Kevin, I'll make sure to give everyone here a proper explanation. And when the time comes, I'll use Bronya's power to return to the real world."
"In that case, I won't have to struggle with whether I need to kill someone or not."
Kagura smiled. "I'll leave teaching Kevin a lesson to you, Mr. Welt. But before that…"
Her smile vanished as she turned to Kevin and extended her right hand.
Red, blue, orange, yellow, green, and violet light shimmered one after another.
"Even if Mr. Welt wants to have a heart-to-heart with him, I really don't believe Kevin has any genuine remorse."
'Snap!'
With a gentle snap of her fingers—unlike the universe-halving snap of the Infinity Stones—Kagura carefully controlled their power.
In that moment, Kevin was stripped of his ability to command the power of the Honkai.
His special physique was removed entirely.
Kevin could no longer summon Honkai beasts, use the Divine Keys, resonate with Stigmata, or grow stronger through training.
He had truly become… just an ordinary human.
"This is both a safeguard and a punishment."
"If Kevin truly regrets what he's done, he can still find his place in your world. After all, living to atone is far more painful than a swift death."
Kagura withdrew the stones' glow and added, "But if he continues down his twisted, destructive path, the residual power of the Infinity Stones inside him will burn him to ashes."
Seeing this, Welt sighed. "Ah, such a strict young lady. Good thing I'm not your enemy."
Kagura smiled again. "Forgiveness and punishment are two very different things, Mr. Welt."
"Bronya, can we really go back to the real world now?" Seele clung tightly to Bronya like a baby bird, looking adorably relieved. "I'm so glad… we don't have to stay here anymore."
"Yes, it's time to go home, Seele." Bronya gently tapped her forehead. "All these years, I've missed you so much.
I kept seeing you in my dreams. But now… now I've finally found you. Let's never be apart again."
"Mhm! We'll always be together from now on, Bronya!"
"Now that everything's settled, it's probably time we returned to the real world as well,"
Himeko said, then turned to Bronya. "By the way, how's Kiana doing? Have you found her?"
Kiana (K-423) was the original host of the Herrscher of the Void.
After her awakening, every major faction—Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, St. Freya Academy, even World Serpent—engaged in a massive, chaotic struggle centered around her.
In the end, Himeko defeated the Herrscher of the Void, but she was lost to the Sea of Quanta.
Kiana disappeared at the same time. No one knew what had become of the girl behind the Herrscher.
"No, we haven't found her yet," Bronya replied. "We searched all over Sky Dome City for traces of Kiana, but came up empty-handed.
A lot happened during that time, so we had to prioritize retrieving the Gem of Desire."
"Now that the gem is secured, Seele and I plan to return to Abyss City. Theresa and Rosalia are still waiting for us. Himeko, would you like to come along?"
Himeko thought for a moment, then shook her head. "No need. Since things are settled here, please send my regards to Theresa and the others."
She turned to Welt. "Mr. Welt, is there a way to go straight to Sky DomeCity? I'm still deeply worried about Kiana."
"In theory, now that the barrier has been lifted, you can choose where you want to return,"
Welt explained. "But are you sure you want to go to Sky Dome City alone? I still think it's better to regroup with the others in Abyss City first."
"No. Every second I delay is another second Kiana might be in danger. I can't leave her alone."
Himeko's expression was resolute. "Besides, I've got Kagura with me, don't I? Right, Kagura?"
With that, Himeko rubbed her cheek affectionately against Kagura's.
"Ugh… my poor cute face is going to get squished out of shape, Miss Himeko!"
Kagura pouted. "But fine. Since I'm already involved, I'll help you just a little more. As long as the reward's right, a trip to Sky Dome City isn't out of the question!"
"Oho? And what exactly do you want as payment?" Himeko asked curiously. "Hopefully nothing we can't afford."
"Oh come now, do I look that unreasonable?" Kagura chuckled. "I'm a traveler between worlds. What I want are 'souvenirs' from your world!
Let me think… maybe some Honkai energy samples, Valkyrie technology, or a Divine Key or two?"
The truth was, Kagura's travels across dimensions were originally just to observe different quantum realities.
But if she could bring back some unique 'exports' from each world to aid Rhodes Island's research and development, that would be even better.
"I see." Himeko nodded. "That shouldn't be a problem. As captain of the Hyperion, I should be able to get you those things. So…"
She suddenly pulled Kagura into a tight embrace, rubbing her soft chest against Kagura's cheek.
Looks like she really liked Kagura a lot.
"Come on, Kagura, won't you go with your big sister?"
"Ugh…" Kagura sighed, squished against Himeko's softness. "Alright, alright. For the sake of my precious skincare products, I'll help you again, sister Himeko."
Besides…
If helping her meant saving more people in this world, then how could she say no?
After all, helping others… is never the wrong choice.
So then—
Next stop: Sky Dome City!