The Fourth Herrscher…
Seeing Wendy suddenly appear, Kevin's brows tightened.
If the Fourth Herrscher interfered now, he knew—
there was no chance of taking Kiana away.
But that wasn't what frustrated him.
What truly seized his attention was the ability Kiana had shown moments earlier—
that strange, impossible power that suppressed Honkai energy simply by touching Mei.
For fifty thousand years, Kevin had held only one wish:
To eradicate Honkai. No price is too great.
And now, he had seen something impossible.
Something new.
Something that could change the fate of the world.
If he could bring Kiana back to World Serpent and fully understand that ability…
He might take a new step on the path to ending Honkai forever.
But—
The Fourth Herrscher was here.
…Fine.
There would be other opportunities.
Kevin silently adjusted his conclusion.
Kiana and her companions fought against Honkai.
That alone meant cooperation remained possible.
As long as Mei was with World Serpent, he did not worry—
sooner or later, Kiana would step onto the same battlefield they walked.
"Hey, human.
Why are you staring at me like that?
Want another fight?"
Wendy tilted her head, expression utterly casual.
"No," Kevin replied flatly.
Then he asked, "But the Raiden girl—do you intend to stop her if she leaves with me?"
He needed to confirm it.
If Wendy blocked him from taking Mei, he wouldn't push this further.
Especially after what he'd just learned.
For the first time in ages, Kevin felt the faintest… hesitation.
His battle with Wendy had shown him something terrifying—
even his trump card might not be enough against her.
And Wendy herself…
held a bizarrely human view toward Honkai.
He could not risk everything here.
"Her?"
Wendy snorted. "Do as you want. That's your human business. I don't care."
Mei was irrelevant to her.
But Kiana—
Kiana was different.
Kiana was the one Wendy had brought across worlds,
the piece she had prepared specifically to deal with this world's Herrscher of the End.
The only variable was Otto—
the so-called "false god."
He was linked to the Imaginary Tree…
so which version of "Kiana" Wendy would end up using—
that remained undecided.
Tch. Later, Wendy decided internally.
"Raiden Mei."
Kevin turned toward her.
Mei straightened her posture.
Her newly awakened Herrscher aura flickered faintly like violet lightning.
"I will still join World Serpent."
Even after seeing Kiana collapse from overexertion,
Mei's conviction had not wavered.
She believed—
only by standing with the World Serpent, hunting Honkai, sealing Herrscher authorities, and cutting off the Void's power from its source…
could she save Kiana from the endless cycle of awakening and self-destruction.
She refused to watch Kiana die for her again.
"The Fourth Herrscher," Kevin said calmly,
"If you ever wish to oppose the Honkai Will…
or if you simply want to eat ice cream—
World Serpent will always welcome you.
We have the world's best ice cream craftsmen."
"…"
Mei blinked.
Kevin.
Saying something like that.
The sense of wrongness hit her like a physical blow.
It was as bizarre as…
Kiana is suddenly studying seriously every day.
Or Teresa waking up one morning tall and elegant like an office lady.
Just—wrong.
Also—
World Serpent has… ice cream artisans?
Since when?!
What was happening??
She peeked sideways at Kevin's expressionless face,
as if searching for clues.
Nothing.
Still a block of ice.
What on earth…
"Oh? Really?"
Wendy's eyes sparkled.
"I'll drop by sometime then.
And I heard you have fun things over there too.
Don't disappoint me~"
Kevin: "…"
Of course.
That had to be Hua's doing.
No one else would tell Wendy things like that.
But…
Just what had happened to Hua?
"In that case, there's no need for me to specify a location."
Kevin turned away.
"She'll tell you.
World Serpent welcomes you all—anytime."
His final sentence was not limited to Wendy—
it was addressed to everyone present.
He had no interest in fighting now.
He had preparations to make:
for the next Herrscher,
for Wendy's eventual visit,
and for the shifting tides of humanity's war against Honkai.
"Let's go."
A rumble of thunder answered.
Lightning burst across the sky—
and Kevin and Mei vanished.
"Damn it…
But what happened to Kiana just now?"
As soon as the black crystalline ice beneath her feet melted, Teresa sprinted toward Wendy, who was holding Kiana in her arms.
Wendy looked extremely unimpressed.
"Ever since I boarded your human ship,
My workload has increased.
Next time, deal with your own problems.
Don't call me."
With that, she handed Kiana to Teresa and floated back toward the Hyperion.
She still had a stack of movies waiting.
"Kiana…"
Checking that Kiana was only unconscious, Teresa let out a breath of relief.
They had all been pushed to the edge these past days.
But finally—
finally—a moment of calm.
All the crises that had been spiraling around them were temporarily resolved.
It was time for them all to rest.
Next… back to Anti-Entropy.
Definitely can't return to Schicksal.
Carrying Kiana up the ramp, Teresa stepped aboard the Hyperion.
And Himeko…
I wonder what she'll choose.
Stay with Schicksal…
or come with us?
With this thought, she disappeared into the ship.
Schicksal Headquarters
"Bishop,
we have brought the ice cream artisans you requested."
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/pikachu614