Far East, Nagazora. Chiba Academy.
Buzz—
With a flash of white light, a white-haired girl wearing her "White Comet" outfit—with an extra orange-and-white jacket layered over the top—abruptly materialized in mid-air.
Then... she began to fall.
"!!!"
The white-haired girl... K-423, snapped back to her senses.
She quickly adjusted her posture and landed steadily.
This was the rooftop of a building at Chiba Academy.
It looked... well, a bit like the place where she'd been beaten up by Raiden Mei back then.
However, without a doubt, this wasn't the Chiba Academy she was familiar with.
Instead...
"Is this... the Previous Era, over fifty thousand years ago?"
The white-haired girl walked to the edge of the rooftop and looked down.
On the playground, many young boys and girls were engaging in various free activities permitted during their PE class.
Some were playing badminton, others... simply strolling, chatting, and occasionally laughing out loud together.
The daily life here was incredibly warm.
So warm that even the white-haired girl, who didn't belong to this era, couldn't help but subconsciously curl the corners of her mouth into a smile.
But, precisely because she saw this, she became even more convinced that this was not the Chiba Academy she knew.
It was so warm that even the white-haired girl, who didn't belong to this era, subconsciously curled her lips into a smile.
But it was precisely because she saw this that she was even more certain that this was not the Chiba Academy she knew.
Because the latter was an all-girls school.
There were no male students.
Suddenly...
"Are you getting sentimental?"
"!!!"
The white-haired girl spun around.
Just now, she hadn't even noticed that someone had silently approached behind her.
Now, when she instantly locked onto the source of the sound, the face that appeared in her vision was one she remembered all too well.
"Ling ke!"
"Yes, it's me."
The black-haired young man stood with his hands in his pockets, his posture casual. "Long time no see... uh, maybe for you, it hasn't been that long."
After responding, he walked over to the white-haired girl.
He completely ignored her incredibly alert gaze, which never left him.
And... her ready stance, as if she might draw her dual pistols at any moment.
"No need to be so tense, K-423."
Ling ke glanced sideways at the white haired girl beside him. "Forget it, I'll just call you Kiana."
"It's simply easier to say."
"..."
The white haired girl... Kiana didn't respond.
Before crossing over to this era, she had naturally seen that "Non-existent Memory."
She knew that if Mei had made a different choice back then, the black haired young man in front of her would have stood by her side, and they would have walked a completely different, all too beautiful path.
In that future, she had even received the recognition of Durandal... the true Kiana Kaslana, and inherited this name.
The other woman had personally said that she preferred the life of "Bianka Ataegina."
She became her older sister.
Her old man... and Cecilia, her mother, were both there.
Even Sirin, who had reunited with her biological mother, would drop by from time to time.
Although she never gave her a friendly look.
But no matter what...
Those scenes were truly something to long for.
And something she couldn't bear to let go of.
But now, it's too late...
"Rest assured."
Ling Ke spoke suddenly, "Kiana, to get to the root of it, there is fundamentally no grudge between us."
"On the contrary, you were one of the billions of people I forcibly dragged into this..."
"From that perspective alone, you aren't special."
He shrugged, his tone suddenly becoming a bit teasing. "It's just that, you once asked me: after settling a grudge, what could I possibly gain... See? I've gained quite a lot."
"For example: the absolute power to do whatever I want on this planet, and even beyond, without anyone daring... or being able to defy me."
"With it, I have shaped everything as it is now."
"Just for my own amusement, for a single (god) to enjoy in solitude."
Ling Ke paused there.
Then...
"So, do you know why I went out of my way to keep you alive?"
After hearing him say that...
"..."
Kiana still didn't offer any response.
In her eyes, he had wiped out an entire era with a wave of his hand, leaving only a handful of survivors, all for the sake of revenge.
And she... had only survived because of Mei, and because of that "malice."
"You want to use me to make Mei suffer more pain, don't you?"
Finally, Kiana spoke for the first time, her voice low as she asked this question.
Upon hearing this...
"No, no, no."
Ling Ke shook his head. "Though I have already explained this many times... well, I've explained it to each of you individually."
"In short, my revenge is over. Now, I'm just a somewhat mean-spirited 'player' and 'spectator.'"
He turned his head and looked directly at Kiana. "So you can rest assured, I won't act against you, because I'm not interested."
"On the contrary, the reason I'm here today is to give you... a small hint."
"I have arranged a 'game,' a 'play,' and now... I'm going to... the crucial Kiana, explain the main rules to you."
"And that... is what I'm interested in."
"As for Raiden Mei... she's still alive for now, though her condition might not be very good."
As he spoke, Ling Ke raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.
Snap!
A casual small table and two chairs facing each other materialized behind them.
"Sit!"
Ling Ke sat down in one of the chairs and gestured toward the other one.
At that moment, even though his tone was relatively flat, Kiana felt an unquestionable pressure.
After a short while, she decided to do as she was told.
Because she knew very well that she was insignificant before him, a person who could reverse time and space.
Seeing Kiana sit down cooperatively...
"Let me tell you about the current situation first."
Ling Ke raised his right hand and held up his index finger. "Today was supposed to be the time when the Third Honkai Eruption broke out in the current era."
"However, the Time-Reverse Descendants who arrived before you... and I myself, have already triggered a large enough butterfly effect."
"So, things here are much more chaotic than they were in the original timeline."
"And on top of that..."
He shifted his raised finger to point at the white-haired girl sitting opposite him. "You, Kiana... I have chosen you to become the Endbringer of this era after the Twelfth Honkai Eruption ends."
"Furthermore, you will retain your consciousness, rather than becoming a killing machine sent by the Cocoon of Finality to wipe out entire civilizations through mindless destruction."
"Of course... everything comes with a price."
"The authority of Finality isn't that easy to obtain."
Ling Ke retracted his right hand and raised a second finger. "First, from this moment on until the appointed final hour, you must compete against the other consciousness within you. Only the winner among you will become the ultimate God of Earth."
"And before that..."
He spread his arms. "The people who know this information and distrust you... and the other consciousness within you aspiring to ascend... will relentlessly hunt you down."
"You must survive until the end, until I declare the Twelfth Honkai Eruption over. Only then will you have passed the test."
"In return, once you ascend to godhood, you can do whatever you want."
"As long as you can achieve it, I will not interfere."
"Because that is the reward you deserve."
"Well then..."
Ling Ke's lips curved slightly. "That's the end of the rule explanation. Is there anything else you want to ask?"
Across from him, Kiana... and the other consciousness inside her... were both struggling to process the information they had just received.
After a short while...
"I have a question about the one who truly ascends to godhood."
Kiana... No, judging by that cold tone, it must be the other consciousness within her.
Right now, Ling Ke stared directly into her pale gold eyes and pondered a small question in his mind:
What should I call her?
Call her the Queen of the Void?
No, that's not appropriate.
Right now, neither Kiana nor she had the power of the Herrscher of the Void anymore.
So, I might as well just call her Sirin!
"Strictly speaking, both of them are essentially consciousnesses born from Sirin, though."
Ling Ke had made up his mind.
Then, he spoke, "Go ahead. What do you want to know?"
At that moment...
"I am very interested in the authority of the God of Earth."
"But, more importantly..."
The golden-eyed girl's eyes flashed with murderous intent, "Raiden Mei, may I kill her with my own hands?"
Ling Ke: ???
Kiana: !!!
At this moment, in Ling Ke's vision, the girl's golden eyes flickered, clearly indicating that Kiana's consciousness was fighting for control of the body.
But Ling Ke became curious.
He waved his hand...
"Whoosh~"
The golden-eyed girl's state was instantly forced to stabilize.
Then, Ling Ke asked curiously, "Tell me the reason first."
"It's simple."
The golden-eyed Sirin's expression was cold and severe, "If not for her, I would have regained my peace under your divine light."
"She took that chance away from me, so..."
Sirin lowered her head, looking at her trembling hands, "Now that you have personally erased that disgusting Old Days (Current Era), this endless hatred needs another outlet."
"Therefore... I will never let her go."
"It was her self-righteousness that took away the... last hope I was supposed to have!"
By the end of her words, Sirin's face had twisted horribly.
It was a terrifying trembling born from the depths of her soul.
It seemed that after Sirin had seen those "Non-existent Memories"... the impact on her was even greater than on Kiana... or even the other "Time-Reverse Descendants."
So much so that...
Even Ling Ke was stunned.
Then he couldn't help but lean back a bit.
Maybe... that makes sense?
"Right."
He nodded inwardly, thinking, "If I had chosen to become the 'Great Player of Deliverance', Sirin could have reunited with her biological mother and also gained the gentle Cecilia as her adoptive mother... She would have received two portions of maternal love."
"But now..."
Ling Ke looked at the golden-eyed Sirin again, and after a moment...
"Heh~"
He couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"This really is... a masterpiece."
Once again, he felt lucky to have limited the power of Omniscience to avoid spoilers.
Without the ability to predict the future, surprises that were both unexpected and logical would still happen from time to time.
Because of that...
"Sirin, I'll call you that for now."
Ling Ke flicked his wrist and smiled. "To answer your question: in this era, you can do whatever you want."
"I've said it before, my revenge is over."
"And now..."
He narrowed his eyes slightly. "I'm starting to look forward to your revenge."
"But..."
He added a reminder, "Right now, you're not Raiden Mei's only enemy."
Obviously, he was thinking of that little girl deep in the ocean... who had also given him quite a few surprises.
Compared to her...
"Having lost the power of the Herrscher of the Void... can you still keep up?"
Hearing this question...
"Rest assured."
A cold smile appeared on Sirin's face... Of course, this smile wasn't directed at Ling Ke.
Instead...
"With your promise, I will now ruthlessly eliminate anyone who dares to obstruct my revenge."
"Even if... I must suffer eternal damnation for it."
"I have nothing left."
As soon as she spoke...
Buzz~
Suddenly, a violent surge of energy erupted from her body.
In that moment, right before Ling Ke's eyes...
Sirin embarked on a Path.
It wasn't the highly specialized and limited Path of The Hunt.
But rather the pure power of absolute annihilation.
Its name was: Destruction.