The surface of the Moon was utterly silent.
"You've come. The Herrscher of Finality is about to arrive. What do you plan to do, stop me?"
Kevin sat upright upon his throne. His figure, half-shrouded in shadow, appeared solitary and cold.
Beside him, Judgment of Shamash was embedded diagonally in the ground, its blade exhaling scorching crimson light.
He lifted his gaze toward the three figures approaching at a measured pace. His voice was as hard as steel quenched in ice, leaving no room for compromise.
Fu Shi took the lead, clenching her fists as she snorted coldly, "Hmph, Kevin, you already know the future, so why are you still carrying out that damn Stigma Project?!"
"Hey, Fu Shi, don't rush it~ Kevin must have his reasons for doing this." Elysia twirled her fingers lightly, a calm smile rippling across her lips. She tilted her head toward Fu Lin beside her, her eyes curved with complete trust. "But, Fu Lin, do you want to say something?"
Kevin also turned his gaze to Fu Lin, as if waiting for his explanation.
Meeting Kevin's heavy stare, Fu Lin stepped forward. Multicolored specks of light flickered faintly around him, slowly gathering toward his body.
"Kevin, I've waited a long time for this moment. I will obtain the Authority of the Finality, take control of it, and then, by human will, bring a full stop to this long struggle against Honkai."
".....The Authority of Finality is not some toy that can be handled at will."
Kevin finally broke the stagnant silence. He rose slowly from the throne, his silhouette pulled taut between the Moon's silver glow and deep shadow.
Judgment of Shamash seemed to sense its master's emotions. The crimson light on the blade flared violently, its searing brilliance nearly piercing the dead vacuum.
His gaze settled on Fu Lin. There was no mockery in his eyes, only an extreme, crushing gravity.
"How am I supposed to trust you?"
"I don't need you to trust me, because I trust myself." Fu Lin's reply was still concise. In his calm eyes, a faint ripple finally passed, his own unwavering resolve. "I won't let myself lose control. And I won't let myself become the one who pushes humanity toward destruction."
Elysia stepped forward at just the right moment and gently linked her arm with Fu Lin's. Kevin looked at the two before him, at the trust in Elysia's eyes, and the determination in Fu Lin's.
After a long silence, his tightly clenched fists slowly loosened, and the biting chill surrounding him gradually dissipated.
At last, he turned around and gazed toward that distant blue planet, his voice low and hoarse as he slowly pulled Judgment of Shamash free, "Words alone prove nothing. Let me see for myself whether you truly have the qualifications to bear this fate."
Before Kevin's words had fully fallen, the great sword was already firmly in his grasp. The blazing crimson light surged skyward, tearing a dazzling gash through the Moon's silver surface.
"Regardless of choice, regardless of survival, At this moment, the ideals of all converge into a single grand wish, Step forward. This is the inscription of, 'Salvation'!"
His sword tip pointed straight at Fu Lin. There was not the slightest killing intent, only the purest trial.
....
Elysia smiled radiantly, gave Fu Lin's back a gentle push, and said, "Go, Fu Lin. Prove to Kevin that your resolve is second to none!"
The dome of the Origin Land held neither sun nor moon. Only a flowing river of light spread into an endless firmament, streaking overhead like meteors.
In the next instant, torrents of light erupted across the sky, The Authorities of all Herrschers in the world transformed into interwoven rainbow radiance, diving down from the dome of space like countless meteors, hurtling toward Fu Lin.
The transition of scenery was instantaneous, replaced in a blink by a vast, chaotic space.
There was no distinction between sky and land, no boundary between light and shadow, like a tunnel leading into the unknown.
At that moment, a gentle pink glow suddenly appeared. Elysia's figure emerged gracefully behind him.
The calm smile at her brows and eyes had not faded in the slightest, yet a faint solemnity quietly spread within it.
"Fu Lin, you've never been walking alone."
Immediately after, a red flash of light streaked past, and Fu Shi's figure appeared on Fu Lin's other side.
"Hey, how could a moment like this be missing me?!"
Before her words had finished, the countless multicolored Authorities of the Herrschers, each carrying its own will, surged entirely into Fu Lin's body.
Then, a formless shadow slowly emerged from behind him, it constantly shifted into the shapes of all living beings in the world, before finally fixing itself into a faceless silhouette identical in form to Fu Lin.
The shadow stood silently for a moment, then slowly bowed, gently lifting Fu Lin's body with invisible hands and sending him toward the end that carried destiny.
Here, there was no wind in the air, yet one could sense a will, like a gaze spanning epochs, falling upon Fu Lin as he stepped into this domain.
Fu Lin raised his eyes and saw a massive, eye-like sphere, swaying gently as if embedded in the void.
"Cocoon of Finality, I've brought you destruction!"
Cocoon of Finality, "....."
The Cocoon's silence was not due to a lack of response, but because that consciousness, existing across countless epochs, was scrutinizing this tiny "human" in an indescribable manner.
At the same time, on the Moon's surface.
Kevin raised his head and looked toward Earth. There, a force capable of shaking the entire solar system was awakening.
Elysia stood beside him. The calm smile remained on her face, but her eyes now held traces of anticipation and tension.
"Elysia, will he succeed?" Kevin's voice was still cold and hard.
Elysia nodded lightly. "Listen. Finality is being born."
At that moment, the starry sky was suddenly torn apart by a streak of purple light.
A figure stepped out from within that radiance.
He hovered in the void, the feathered wings on his back slowly beating. The galaxy-like light flowing between the feathers caused ripples to spread through the surrounding space.
He cradled the blue planet in both hands. In his indifferent golden eyes, the symbol of the Authority of Finality, a purple four-pointed star, was clearly visible. From an absolute vantage above all, he gazed down upon the countless lives of Earth in his hands.
A familiar scene replayed itself before Kevin's eyes. He lowered his gaze, his fingers unconsciously tightening around the hilt of Judgment of Shamash. His low murmur scattered across the dead lunar soil, "So in the end..... it still failed?"
Meanwhile, Kiana☆, who had returned to her own universe due to Little Star, immediately sensed the birth of another Finality. She couldn't help but cheer for Fu Lin's success.
"Ah, looks like Fu Lin has also gained the Cocoon of Finality's recognition!" But soon, a faint trace of regret flashed through her eyes.
"Though, from now on, if I want to lock Fu Lin up, I'd better think it through, very carefully."
She lowered her head to look at Fu Xing in her arms, whose blinking eyes resembled Fu Lin's.
Strands of white hair fell softly, brushing against the child's cheeks and drawing out a burst of giggles.
"Ma..... Mama."
Fu Xing's soft, sticky voice rang out, his little hand curiously tugging at the white hair on Kiana☆'s chest.
And at that moment, Fu Lin, standing within the void, seemed to sense something. Fu Xing's laughter echoed by his ears. His golden eyes stirred slightly, and the consciousness belonging to "humanity" gradually awakened.