"You mean Shenqi is Kiana Kaslana?"
Kevin's voice carried a faint, almost imperceptible tension.
The moment he learned that the Divine Emperor of the Empire was named Kiana Kaslana, he had wondered whether she was connected to the Kaslana family.
But among all the Kaslana bloodlines he knew, there had never been such a person.
"Of course," Melin tilted her head, a sly smile curling at the corner of her lips. "She's the destined Herrscher of Finality of our Honkai world—the protagonist favored by fate, someone who can decide in a single thought whether the world is saved or destroyed. It seems the one from your world hasn't been born yet."
"She's from the future Kaslana family?" Kevin pressed, his gaze sharp as an eagle's.
"Heh." Melin let out a soft laugh and avoided a direct answer. "Some things are better left unsaid. Different worlds, after all. Even if you knew, it wouldn't change anything."
That ambiguous reply was practically an admission of Kiana's connection to the Kaslana family.
"'The destined Herrscher of Finality'—what does that mean?" Su's eyes shifted slightly. Melin's words instantly sparked countless possibilities in his mind. "Are you saying the birth of a Herrscher isn't random, but part of a script that was arranged long ago?"
"That's exactly what it means." Melin turned her gaze toward Kevin, her smile tinged with amusement. "Even if you manage to steal the power of Finality, the true Herrscher of Finality will still be Kiana Kaslana. You are nothing more than a stepping stone on her path to godhood. That is the script of the Honkai world."
"The script of the Honkai world..." Su repeated softly, a trace of gravity flashing through his profound gaze.
Then who is the 'screenwriter' that wrote this script?
The true Will of Honkai?!
"Instead of worrying about the protagonist of another world, you should think about what to do right now." Melin abruptly shifted the topic, looking toward Saintess Kallen. "This universe is a complete mess—chaotic spacetime, timelines that can change at any moment."
Saintess Kallen frowned. "Why are you asking me about something like that?"
"Because your current identity represents the Empire's regime. You are the Regent." Melin's tone was matter-of-fact. "Naturally, the decision should be yours."
"But I'm not her!" Saintess Kallen's voice carried a hint of urgency. "I'm just an accident!"
"There has never been such a thing as an accident." Melin's expression turned serious. "They are gods. They can predict and control everything within the scope of an entire universe. In their eyes, probability and coincidence don't exist. Every event follows a predetermined trajectory. Your appearance here is absolutely not a coincidence."
"Control an entire universe? That's impossible," Hua said in disbelief. She could not imagine such immense power.
"There's nothing impossible about it." Melin shrugged, sounding relaxed. "A sufficiently powerful individual can casually twist reality, space, time, and dimensions. As far as I know, the Will of Ruler can reshape or reset the world countless times. And the Finality Empire has records of destroying an entire galaxy in an instant."
"The Will of Ruler?" Saintess Kallen immediately seized on the unfamiliar term, her eyes filled with confusion.
"Another trans-universal force, a coalition made up of many civilizations." Melin smiled as she explained. "Their leader is called the Great Will. Of course, she has another name—Kiana Kaslana."
Su, Kevin, and Hua fell silent at the same time.
"Wait..." Saintess Kallen's mind stalled for a moment. "Isn't she the Divine Emperor of the Finality Empire?"
"She is. That's her counterpart." Melin nodded. "In my world, the Will of Ruler appeared first."
"But according to my observations of the branch worlds on the Imaginary Tree..." Su began to refute her, only to be interrupted.
"I know what you're about to say, but our universe is an anomaly." A faint note of mockery entered Melin's voice. "Many of the things you consider common sense are wrong in other universes. Under the interference of the Cocoon of Finality, you don't even know what lies beyond the solar system, let alone the true infinite parallel worlds."
She paused, then quickened her speech, throwing out a string of astonishing terms.
"The divine wars of Aeons, the Abundance wars, the Swarm Disaster, the Emperor's First and Second Wars, the Antimatter Legion... and those Emanators capable of effortlessly destroying planets and planetary systems. Do you know any of that?"
"The Herrscher of Finality you understand might be powerful, but in the entire Honkai universe, she's only at the level of an 'Emanator'—the kind of combat power a single glance from an Aeon at a mortal could produce."
"In my opinion, you know nothing about the Honkai universe."
Kevin's brows knitted tightly. For some reason, that sentence felt strangely familiar.
"I've already said more than enough about the Honkai universe." Melin steered the conversation back on track and looked at Saintess Kallen again. "Back to the main point, Lady Kallen. We all know you're not her, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that she chose you."
"She chose me?" Saintess Kallen pointed at herself, utterly bewildered, completely failing to keep up.
"That's right." Melin nodded firmly. "You will take her place and become the new Regent."
Melin had long guessed Black Kallen's purpose: find a parallel-world version of herself to take over the job, and then she could run off with Yae Sakura to do who knew what.
From the current situation, Divine Emperor Kiana had already retreated behind the scenes. The Empire's authority was essentially held by two people: Regent Kallen, who handled governance, and Divine Mechanism Isla, who commanded the military. Now the former had found a substitute, and the latter rarely interfered in human affairs.
But... can this one really handle it?
Looking at the clear-eyed, even somewhat naive Saintess Kallen before her, Melin could not help but complain inwardly. She found managing a single planet's Human Contract Alliance exhausting, and the Finality Empire's territory spanned who knew how many universes.
Was this something a mortal Kallen could truly manage?
Despite her doubts, Melin knew this was her opportunity.
Those people within the Human Contract Alliance had already begun stirring restlessly once the new world stabilized. If they found out her fleet had been destroyed in this universe, they would definitely seize the chance to attack her.
But if this Kallen could take the Regent's position—even temporarily—then none of that would be a problem.
"What is your objective?" Kevin's voice broke the silence, laced with scrutiny. No one offers help without a reason. He understood that better than anyone.
"My objective? My fleet was annihilated in this universe. If I go back, I'll definitely be purged." Melin admitted calmly. "The only one who can save me now is this new Regent."
"How do you expect Kallen to save you?" Hua asked, her eyes probing.
"Just revive my fleet." Melin said it lightly. "Manipulating life, death, and spacetime isn't difficult for the Finality Empire."
"The same goes for your Previous Era," she added, her gaze sweeping over Kevin and Su. "Mobius, Eden, Elysia, Griseo... you still remember them, don't you? They're all Herrschers of the Will of Ruler now. Of course, not you two—there are only female Herrschers over there, no male Herrschers at all. Just like our Honkai world. It favors women and loves its girl-with-girl relationships."
Su and Kevin fell silent once more.