Kevin's fists clenched unconsciously.
The "savior" Mobius spoke of—who had reincarnated more than thirty million times—had gambled on a faint and illusory hope through endless sacrifice.
Was that another version of himself from another world?
"That person... did they succeed in the end?" Kevin's voice carried a barely perceptible tremor.
Mobius let out a soft laugh, her tone tinged with cruel amusement. "Succeed? Of course she succeeded. A savior from beyond the sky rescued that world and prevented the beginning of the Aeon War. If not for a variable, the original destiny line should have unfolded that way."
"You interfered with that world? So the future changed, correct?" Su asked with a frown.
"Indeed. But that was not the original destiny line," Mobius admitted calmly.
Elysia crossed one arm under her chest, her other hand resting against her chin as curiosity flickered through her pink eyes. "And what was the outcome of that interference? Hurry and tell us~"
"In heat death, the universe will reach its end: eternal termination."
"What?" Everyone was stunned.
"You do not understand? The end of the universe. The extinction of all civilizations."
"You..." Saintess Kallen's eyes widened. She could hardly believe it.
"Oh my, do not look at me like that. That universe was destined for destruction to begin with. One successful destiny line is accompanied by countless failed ones." Mobius spread her hands, speaking as though it were a trivial matter.
"That is not a justification for playing with lives at will!" Saintess Kallen's face flushed with anger. "What you have done is utterly unforgivable!"
"Tch. And you, who indirectly gave rise to someone like Otto—who caused the deaths of tens of millions—have the nerve to criticize me?" Mobius sneered. "As for us, even if a universe were destroyed, we would have ways to restore it. Besides, that universe has not even been destroyed yet."
"Unlike you, who indulged in near-suicidal self-sacrifice to move yourself, only to foster someone like Otto to wreak havoc on others."
"You..."
"What, are you going to tell me to respect the destiny of others? Fine. Trying to save the universe and alter fate is indeed troublesome."
Saintess Kallen was rendered speechless by Mobius' rebuttal. From Melin, she had already learned what Otto would do over the next five hundred years in order to revive her.
Although Mobius' actions involved interfering with other universes and steering them toward bad endings, those universes had no good ending to begin with—they were not forcibly twisted from a good ending into a bad one.
From that perspective, she was indeed attempting to save the universe.
"Why is this turning into another argument?" Elysia pressed a hand to her forehead helplessly, a trace of distress flashing through her pink eyes before she sighed. "How troublesome~"
"Dr. Mobius, why are you telling us all this?" Su asked with a slight frown. Countless failed destiny lines... Was their world one of them as well?
"With your intelligence, I assume you have already guessed something, correct?" Mobius raised a brow.
Su asked quietly, "How much time do we have left?"
"Different endings, different timelines. As for you, approximately six hundred years." Mobius shrugged. "The Paths of different Aeons push the universe toward different conclusions. Among them, 'Finality' is directly determined—because the Aeon of Finality exists."
So it truly is the Aeons... Melin pondered silently.
The Final Herrscher's decision not to fly into the depths of the universe but instead to travel to other universes must have been because she foresaw the Aeon War and fled in advance.
If Mobius said this medieval Honkai world had six hundred years left, then the Current Era world five hundred years later—where Melin came from—would only have just over a hundred years remaining.
A little over a hundred years. What could humanity accomplish in that time?
Kevin said, "You mean we only have around six hundred years left."
"Mm-hm~ More or less," Mobius hummed lightly.
"Why has no one told me about something this important~" Elysia puffed out her cheeks, looking aggrieved.
"What would telling you accomplish? Planning to sacrifice yourself so those Aeons can gain humanity?" Mobius replied dismissively.
"Could I?"
"What do you think!"
"Forget it. I will transfer the memories directly to you. That will save us the trouble of talking." Mobius implanted the intelligence and research regarding the "Four Ends" directly into their minds.
"Kevin, Su, Hua—would any of you like to participate in my experiment of returning to fifty thousand years ago to save the world?"
Kevin, Su, and Hua fell into silence. Return fifty thousand years to save their civilization? How would they even accomplish that?
Kevin said, "Explain your plan."
Mobius replied, "If you bring technologies like the Moonlight Throne and soulium back with you, would that not be enough?"
The Moonlight Throne? Su fell into thought before slowly shaking his head. "It is not enough."
The Moonlight Throne was indeed a technology capable of countering Honkai energy. If mass-produced at an earlier time, it would allow them to easily eliminate Herrschers during the early stages of the Honkai.
However, the Cocoon of Finality was not static.
Once humanity mass-produced the Moonlight Throne, the Cocoon of Finality would inevitably adapt in response.
The same applied to soulium and other technologies.
"Then what do you want?" Mobius asked.
"A variable beyond us. A savior capable of changing everything," Kevin said earnestly.
Mobius considered this before nodding slightly. "If you put it that way, I do have a candidate who could return fifty thousand years with you. I just do not know whether she would be willing."
"Who?" Hua asked curiously.
Mobius thought for a moment, then shook her head. "On second thought, forget it. She is too young. We will discuss it another time."
The Red Queen looked at Kevin, Su, and Hua. "Are you three planning to return fifty thousand years to save your civilization, or continue exploring and conquering new worlds with us?"
She only needed Saintess Kallen.
The other three were optional.
They could be sent back at any time.
Soon, the moment of parting arrived.
The engines of the Redemption Fleet had completed their preheating sequence, the low hum of energy resonating beyond the planet's atmosphere.
During this time, Mobius and the Red Queen conducted a transaction.
Once everything was concluded, Mobius' figure dissipated within Elysia's world.
Her reason for telling Kevin and the others about the Aeons was to see whether they might find another method of resolving the Aeons in other worlds.
If they could not, then they would have to attempt using godslaying weaponry to eliminate the targeted Aeon.
However, such a method would only treat the symptoms, not the root cause. Other Aeons would devour the Paths, and new Aeons would eventually emerge.
At best, it could only delay the universe's ultimate end.