Autumn, 2015
“Report to Headquarters: Three hours ago, the Yunpeng squad overseeing the corpse of the Judgment-class Honkai Beast [Chi You] lost contact. Furthermore, the body of Chi You, originally dormant in the depths of the East China Sea, has vanished without a trace alongside the squad’s disappearance.”
“I will report to the Overseer immediately. Please continue your investigation.”
At Schicksal Headquarters, with Otto, Durandal, and Rita all in London, faced with such a bizarre situation, Amber pondered for a moment and then dialed Cheng Lixue’s communication line.
Mariana Trench, The Deep.
“Apologies, but I still hold reservations regarding conducting direct experiments on the [Eye of the Deep].”
Inside the laboratory, Einstein looked at the grim-faced Welt Yang, making one last effort.
“We’ve debated this many times and made numerous preparations. Why is it that when it’s time for the experiment, you’re suddenly afraid, Einstein?”
“Lord Guardian, I’m not questioning the probability of success. I fear that dimension which Otto calls the [Sea of Quanta]. Aside from knowing that the Eye of the Deep leads there, we know nothing about its bizarre properties.”
Welt Yang sighed, his tone growing even more resolute:
“Precisely because we don’t know, we need to experiment even more. Hesitation and timidity are not virtues befitting a scientist.”
Einstein’s voice rose slightly:
“But neither is rash advancement. Skipping further surveys and proceeding directly to the experiment—forgive my bluntness, Lord Guardian—you are too impatient.”
A flicker of melancholy passed over Welt Yang’s face:
“Impatient? Yes. From the catastrophe in 2000 until now, we have been searching for a way to permanently end the Honkai. Anyone who lived through that calamity has reason to fear the future.”
“The Second Eruption destroyed Siberia. The Third Eruption destroyed India and Northern Europe. Perhaps at any moment, a newly born Herrscher could inflict irreparable damage upon the remaining human civilizations elsewhere.”
“But fortunately, we discovered this city. The Eye of the Deep offers another possibility for our plan… to end the Honkai. Isn’t that the dream you and he have held for so long?”
After a brief silence, Einstein nodded.
“Let’s begin… Log ID: ABS-63320. Experiment content: Activate the Selene β, perform energy projection onto the center of the Eye of the Deep, test spatial feedback. Deploy Honkai Beast test subject. Prepare to activate engine for conversion.”
“…Test subject suppression complete. Initiating conversion countdown: 5, 4, 3…” Wait! Spacetime curvature readings show anomalies!”
A low whisper seemed to brush past everyone’s ears, like a shadow passing overhead.
“Something… is coming out of the Eye of the Deep! Einstein, stop the energy projection!”
“The engine is shut down. The spatial distortion is almost visible to the naked eye. All units, do not approach the Eye of the Deep!”
Seeing the spatial disturbance grow increasingly severe, Welt Yang decisively leapt towards the Eye of the Deep. By manipulating gravity, he ultimately neutralized the spatial distortion. However, Welt Yang himself and Einstein were sucked into a temporal rift within the Sea of Quanta.
An unknown amount of time passed. Welt Yang looked around; numerous massive stone slabs floated in the air.
Just as he was pondering how to return to The Deep, a shadow crawled out from the sea. A serpentine monster appeared before him.
To his surprise, however, the serpentine creature did not attack. Instead, it spoke in human language, discussing the World Serpent’s plan with him.
“…So this is your plan. You want to end the Honkai this way… bring permanent liberation to humanity? No. I cannot agree. I could never approve of such a plan. This isn’t salvation at all!”
“But, Mr. Welt, how can you guarantee that your plan will succeed?”
Just as tensions between the two sides escalated, a portal opened beside them. Enoxia and Sirin stepped through.
“Precise teleportation within the lawless Sea of Quanta… well done, Sirin. Thank you.”
Enoxia reached out, wiping the sweat from Sirin’s forehead, then turned her gaze to the [monster].
“Alright, Kevin. No one here is going to be frightened by the avatar of a Finality-class Honkai Beast like Kukulkan. Let’s talk properly using a human form.”
Under Welt Yang’s astonished gaze, the serpentine monster rapidly shrank. Finally standing before him was an icy-faced man with white hair.
Seeing Enoxia’s appearance, Kevin, whose heart had long been like frozen ice, felt a slight tremor.
“Kevin, seeing my appearance now, I imagine you’ve already guessed. Allow me to introduce myself first. I am Enoxia, the Herrscher of Corruption of this era. She is Sirin, the Herrscher of the Void of this era. And the one you were just arguing with is Welt Yang, the Herrscher of Reason of this era.”
“The fact that the three of us can stand here and speak with you in this manner should tell you that Elysia… succeeded.”
Kevin remained silent, but the range of expressions that crossed his face in these few minutes likely surpassed the total of the previous 1,500 years combined.
“Kevin, let me be clear. I am not opposed to the Stigma Project. On the contrary, as someone who can freely switch between physical and data form at will, I have the least reason to oppose it. The Stigma Space is essentially a data space. Moving between a data space and the real world is as easy as breathing for me.”
Enoxia then turned to look at Welt Yang, whose expression had grown unpleasant.
“Mr. Welt, I admire your courage and determination. But I must point out a fundamental fact: If this man named Kevin is truly determined to leave the Sea of Quanta, the three of us combined could not stop him.”
“Do you remember the Herrscher of the Icefall that we killed together 15 years ago? Before it died, I read its memories. Four thousand years ago, when it met Kevin, it couldn’t even withstand a single move. Its incredible regenerative ability was meaningless except for turning a fatal execution into a slow, agonizing death.”
“Of course, I know this doesn’t change your resolve. If you feared powerful enemies, Anti-Entropy would never have come this far.”
“However, since neither side can convince the other, and neither Anti-Entropy nor World Serpent can mobilize any of the other’s resources, why not just do their own thing instead of wasting time here?”
“But… his plan, once implemented…”
“Then, Mr. Welt, can you be certain that Anti-Entropy’s plan will succeed with one hundred percent certainty? Obviously not. Even now, with nine Herrschers having appeared, Anti-Entropy is still in a trial-and-error phase, unable to even finalize the ultimate plan! The Stigma Project, on the other hand—what needs to be done, its ultimate goal—was confirmed 50,000 years ago.”
“I understand. You don’t want the fate of all humanity placed in the hands of the World Serpent. But the prerequisite for having the qualifications to deny the Stigma Project is your ability to soar higher.”
