"Your Simulated Universe isn't ready yet, is it?"
Seeing Herta inviting Acheron to help test the Simulated Universe, Kiana's expression turned slightly strange.
Finding the Stellaron and pretending to Trailblaze inside the Simulated Universe was one thing, but now... what exactly was this about?
Trying out a first-person view of Nihility?
Or playing a simulated black hole game?
"The Simulated Universe shouldn't be fully constructed yet, right, Miss Herta?"
Kiana remembered what Ruan Mei had said before.
"It's only a matter of time."
"I refuse."
Acheron was completely disinterested, regardless of what this Simulated Universe was supposed to be.
"I can compensate you."
Acheron still shook her head, clearly unmoved.
"Tch, I almost forgot—you walk the Path of Nihility."
Herta clicked her tongue lightly, eyeing Acheron with increasing intrigue. "How about I run a quick diagnostic on you instead? You, a Self-Annihilator, walking this far along Nihility's Path and still looking perfectly normal—how peculiar."
"That has nothing to do with you."
No one liked that kind of gaze. Acheron didn't frown, but her impression of Herta had certainly worsened.
"Fine."
Rejected once again, Herta waved a hand lazily. "I won't insist. But my offer stands anytime."
She paused for a moment, then turned toward Kiana, her lips curling into an ambiguous smile. "The same goes for you. What I said last time still counts."
With that, Herta's puppet fell silent, finding a corner to stand still and motionless.
The same goes for Kiana?
Was she referring to that offer to let Herta study her?
Acheron was about to speak when she noticed Kiana frowning in confusion. "What last time? Did she say something to me before? I don't remember."
She doesn't remember?
Acheron withdrew her gaze, pausing briefly when she passed by Himeko.
"Hello, I'm Kiana, and this is my..."
Kiana glanced at Mei. "Friend, Raiden Mei."
A gentle smile crossed Himeko's face as she nodded to them. "I'm Himeko, navigator of the Astral Express."
A follower of Trailblaze.
Having successfully struck up a conversation with Himeko, Kiana—since Ruan Mei hadn't contacted her yet—naturally began chatting with her more comfortably.
Her talkative side made Acheron glance her way.
Though Kiana had never been the introverted type, she somehow seemed even more outgoing now than she had been back in Izumo.
After chatting for a while, the topic shifted to the Astral Express. Kiana asked curiously, "Can we visit the Astral Express?"
"Of course."
Himeko didn't refuse. Although Emanators were dangerous—especially those of Nihility—the Express never turned away passengers who wished to board.
"Coincidentally, I've just finished my business here. There are two other Nameless around your age on the train—you might get along."
March 7th and Dan Heng, right?
So they were both already aboard the Astral Express. The Simulated Universe project had progressed quite far too, which meant...
The story of this world was about to begin.
Thinking of the events that were about to unfold, Kiana suddenly felt a sense of urgency.
Together with Acheron, she followed Himeko back to the platform and boarded the Astral Express.
"So this is the Astral Express!"
Once aboard, the layout was almost identical to the one in the game—bonsai plants, sofas, and even the lighting felt familiar.
And then...
Hearing the sound of footsteps, Welt—sitting on the sofa—looked toward the door and saw Himeko returning with...
He froze.
He had seen this face before.
Not once, but twice.
Himeko aside—half a year ago, he had met another woman who looked nearly identical to the Second Herrscher.
And from her lips, he had heard the word "Honkai" once again.
Welt had been deeply intrigued by that encounter. But that woman—also named Sirin, and resembling the Second Herrscher almost perfectly—seemed to harbor some misunderstanding toward him.
Although communication was possible, she had been cold and distant.
He hadn't managed to learn anything useful.
Not because she was especially wary or clever—she simply couldn't be bothered to entertain him.
Leaving him with nowhere to apply his persistence.
Still, no matter how difficult, Welt hadn't given up. Because the Honkai meant too much to him.
He had to find out the truth behind it all.
Welt never imagined that before resolving things with Sirin, he would one day see Kiana and Raiden Mei aboard the Astral Express.
It couldn't possibly be the same ones he knew.
But there was at least a ninety percent chance that the white-haired girl was indeed Kiana, and the one beside her—who so closely resembled Raiden Mei—was Raiden Mei.
Himeko, Sirin, and now even Kiana and Raiden Mei had appeared.
Had he really left Earth and arrived in a world without the Honkai?
Welt fell deep into thought.
"Welt?"
Himeko had just been introducing the train and the conductor, but strangely, Welt hadn't said a single word.
After she finished her introduction, it was his turn to introduce himself to the guests in the carriage. Yet Welt remained unresponsive until Himeko called out to him.
"Hm? What is it?"
As though rebooted, Welt adjusted his glasses and looked at Kiana and the others, who were curiously inspecting the Express. His gaze carried a complex emotion.
For no reason at all, he thought of the Kiana he once knew.
Welt didn't quite catch what Himeko had said earlier, but that didn't stop him from asking, "Are these two planning to join the Express and travel as Trailblazers?"
He had seen a few similar faces before, but Kiana and Raiden Mei made him waver. They reminded him of the Finality and the Origin back on Earth.
He quickly steadied his thoughts.
Alternate selves might share certain similarities—like that Miss Sirin he had met before.
Seeing them had triggered memories of his time teaching at St. Freya High, where Kiana's bright and mischievous nature often kept things lively. That must be why he asked.
Perhaps, in the future, he would meet even more people.
Maybe even... another version of himself.
Welt chuckled inwardly at the thought. As long as Otto wasn't around, he supposed it wouldn't be unbearable.
After all, this universe was vast.
Himeko hadn't asked much about them, but judging from Kiana's earlier conversation with Herta, it was clear she had come here looking for someone.
And that someone was Ruan Mei.
Someone like Kiana would never abandon her companions to become a Nameless and travel with the Express.
"Mr. Welt, right?"
Kiana, having noticed his brief daze, smiled. "I've always admired the life of the Nameless, but I still have other matters to handle right now, so I can't join the Express."
Not what he expected at all.
Outwardly calm, Welt silently mused that this Kiana was indeed different from the one he had known at St. Freya.
"Ah, right—you probably didn't catch the introduction just now, Mr. Welt. Let me do it again: I'm Kiana, and this is Raiden Mei."
So it really was Kiana and Raiden Mei.
Even though Welt had already suspected as much, he still couldn't suppress a faint tremor of shock and disbelief.
Because in his original world, Kiana and Raiden Mei were none other than the Herrscher of Finality and the Herrscher of Origin.
So it seemed.
The universe truly was full of wonders.
Before this, Welt had never imagined that he would actually encounter Kiana and Raiden Mei at the Herta Space Station.
"Welt?"
Himeko gently reminded the slightly stunned Welt. She guessed his reaction was probably because these two girls resembled some people he used to know.
"Apologies. I lost my composure."
Welt couldn't help but adjust his glasses again, though his gaze lingered on the two of them.
Seeing that Welt seemed interested in talking, Himeko, ever considerate, spoke up. "Why don't you chat for a bit? I'll go make some coffee."
Welt, who had been thankful upon hearing the first half of her sentence, froze when he heard the second half.
Any thought of conversation could wait.
That coffee—he really couldn't drink it!
"No need to trouble yourself, Himeko. You go handle your work. I'll take care of entertaining them."
"Yes, Miss Himeko, there's no need to go to the trouble. We'll just sit for a bit and leave soon!"
Recalling that mysterious and terrifying coffee, Kiana immediately sided with Welt.
"I see. Well, alright then."
Himeko, slightly disappointed, left them.
Both Welt and Kiana let out a quiet sigh of relief. No one wanted to suffer without reason.
Once Himeko had walked away, Welt turned his attention back to the two girls in front of him.
More precisely, to Kiana.
The one beside her, Raiden Mei, didn't seem easy to approach—and there was something faintly intimidating about her presence.
"Welcome to the Astral Express," Welt greeted them politely. Then he got straight to the point. "I'm Welt Yang. You two... know Sirin, don't you?"
Yes—Sirin.
He remembered that during his previous encounter with her, Sirin had kept asking him all sorts of questions about Kiana.
At the time, he hadn't understood why.
But now that he was looking at this Kiana, Welt suddenly realized why that Sirin had asked him so persistently about the Kiana and Raiden Mei from his own world.
"Sirin?"
Acheron frowned slightly. Since when had Sirin become involved with the Nameless of the Astral Express?
Was it as an individual—or as part of Project Ark?
And this Nameless before them—how did he even know that she and Kiana knew Sirin?
"You're from the same world, aren't you?"
If his earlier guess had only been thirty percent certain, then after seeing Acheron's reaction, Welt was now sure.
Acheron looked at him, then glanced at the silent Kiana. After a moment's pause, she said calmly, "Yes, she and I come from the same world. But how did you determine that, Mr. Welt?"
It couldn't have been Sirin who told him.
Not only because of Sirin's usual attitude toward strangers—but also because this person looked and sounded exactly like Welt.
And knowing Sirin's deep-seated prejudice against the Welt she had known, there was no way she would've spoken kindly to someone who resembled him.
"I'm not certain—it's just a guess."
He wasn't sure, but there was no harm in asking.
If he was wrong, he could simply apologize.
And at least, he'd eliminate one possibility.
"That Miss Sirin told me that, in your world, there was once a disaster called the Honkai. Is that true?"
"...Sirin told you that?"
Acheron couldn't help frowning again.
It wasn't that the topic was off-limits.
It was just... Sirin, talking calmly to someone who resembled Welt, and even mentioning what had happened in Izumo?
Was that really possible?
Could it be that the Welt she'd known had died—and she had somehow let go of the grudge she'd always held against him?
That didn't sound like Sirin at all.
Even if she had moved on, there was no way she'd react so casually. That girl was far too proud for that.
"It was about half a year ago—we met briefly here, at the Herta Space Station," Welt explained.
"No, what I mean is—knowing her personality, it's just hard to imagine her talking to you so normally."
Sirin had her flaws, but when it came to Welt, her bias wasn't something subtle—it was the kind of prejudice that overflowed for all to see.
The truth of it all was hard even for her to explain.
"...She indeed doesn't like me much, but she did share some information with me."
Welt fell silent for a moment, confirming that his earlier suspicions had been correct. Even if this Sirin wasn't the Second Herrscher, it seemed that her relationship with his counterpart wasn't good either.
"Perhaps you don't know—my homeworld also experienced the Honkai."
Acheron, who had been wondering whether Sirin had really changed her nature, froze in surprise. She hadn't expected to hear the word "Honkai" from someone else's mouth.
His homeworld also experienced the Honkai?
She instinctively looked toward Kiana.
Kiana had occasionally traveled to other worlds where her counterparts existed, but those places had no Honkai—not even the concept of it.
"You must also know that aside from my homeworld, no other worlds I've visited have ever contained Honkai energy. After I accidentally arrived in this universe, I traveled with the Express to many planets—but the Honkai... it was something I never once encountered."
Acheron nodded. She agreed with Welt's assessment—other worlds truly did not possess the Honkai.
Even the Honkai in Izumo had only appeared because of Kiana. Before she made her fateful choice, Izumo had only Kami—not Honkai.
"You should understand the danger of the Honkai. On the path of fighting against it, humanity—"
"Please wait, Mr. Welt."
Acheron suddenly interrupted him. "Are you saying your world has always been fighting the Honkai?"
"Of course."
Welt's expression grew solemn. "From ancient times to the present, we have fought against the Honkai. To defeat it, humanity sacrificed everything. The previous era even perished because of it."
To be honest, if not for Kiana's final plan having failed, Acheron herself wouldn't have feared the Honkai that much.
To her and Kiana, their true enemies had always been the Kami and Nihility.
But this man before her was different.
His homeworld knew nothing of Nihility—what they fought against was purely the Honkai.
Acheron looked toward Kiana again.
A civilization that had been battling the Honkai for generations... could Kiana have some connection to them?
No, if that were the case, Mr. Welt would've recognized her immediately.
Having watched the entire exchange quietly, Kiana finally touched her chin and said, "Isn't it possible that the 'Honkai' we're talking about—though sharing the same name and similar powers—aren't actually the same thing in essence?"
Not the same thing?
Acheron suddenly understood.
Similar individuals, similar destinies, and even similar disasters—such coincidences weren't impossible.
The universe was simply filled with too many parallels.
"I don't think it's that coincidental."
Welt shook his head. He found that theory nearly impossible. They were both called "Honkai," and both produced beings known as Herrschers.
How could they not be the same thing?
Though he had yet to locate Earth's exact coordinates, there was no doubt in his mind—somehow, they were all connected within this same vast universe.