books44 Chapter 187 Kevin
Chapter 187 Kevin
"Captain, you're here!"
Seele subtly hinted with her eyes that some things were best left unsaid, but Sakura's use of the captain's title still alerted her.
"captain?"
"Well... before the Honkai began, I was a captain of a naval fleet. After experiencing a Honkai, I joined the Firemoth. Because of this experience, I prefer to be called captain rather than by that codename."
As he spoke, the captain pretended to be disappointed and lowered his head, saying, "After all, only in this way can I remember those happy days."
"I'm sorry." Sakura apologized while looking the captain up and down. "Although I'm sorry, judging from your appearance, were you really the captain of the naval fleet before the Honkai began?"
Upon hearing Sakura's question, the captain instantly broke out in a cold sweat, but he knew he couldn't show any panic at this moment, or he would be immediately exposed!
"Don't let my youthful appearance fool you, I'm actually not young anymore."
"Oh, I see."
Although Sakura still had some doubts, she chose to believe for the time being. After all, humanity had long since reached a consensus that anyone who disagreed had been assassinated, so there was no possibility of spies infiltrating.
As for other possibilities... Sakura dared not think too much about it. She was afraid that she might really be someone in a bubble, just as she suspected. If that were the case, she would probably collapse first.
"Alright, you guys come with me first."
As she spoke, Sakura began to walk towards the upper level. After all, she couldn't just drag a child into the adults' fight. Therefore, she had to send Seele out before the researchers made a move and then return with the captain.
The reason why the captain is not allowed to take people out is because humans nowadays implement a strict hierarchy system, and your authority determines the scope of your actions within this base.
Unless it's an emergency, a captain cannot bring people to this place alone with their authority. Once they encounter an authorization verification, they will be instantly identified as having abnormal behavior, which will be troublesome to explain later!
If he really was someone Kevin secretly sent to help him, would he really not have access to this place?
Sakura glanced at the captain without showing any emotion, but deep down she was beginning to doubt his true identity.
Meanwhile, above the base, Kevin was trying to comfort the angry Fu Hua, but it didn't seem to work very well, and the two ultimately failed to reach an agreement.
Just as Fu Hua was about to give up and carry out the orders sent by Mei, the alarm sounded in the base.
Upon hearing the alarm, Kevin and Fu Hua instantly realized that the bell deep inside the base had gone out of control!
Regardless of their previous disagreements, they have now reached a consensus: to stop the Herrscher's invasion!
Meanwhile, Sakura, who was leading the captain and Seele to the entrance of the middle level, also heard the alarm. After realizing what the alarm meant, Sakura turned around and rushed back the way she came to the deepest part. Just then, Kevin appeared from behind the door and bumped into the captain and Seele.
"!"
The captain's surprised expression made Seele realize that they might have found someone, but could the man in front of her really be the person the captain was looking for?
It's important to know that while the people inside the World Bubble aren't necessarily the original inhabitants of that World Bubble, there aren't many beings who can freely traverse the Quantum Sea, and most of them need to use tools to do so. In Seele's memory, besides herself, the only other person who can walk on the Quantum Sea purely by using their abilities is the Captain.
"who are you?"
"I…"
No matter how much time has passed, Kevin's oppressive eyes always frighten the captain when they face each other again.
Don't overthink it. You and he are partners now, not enemies like before!
The captain bit his tongue, and the intense pain brought him back to his senses. He took a deep breath and his expression gradually calmed down.
"We're here to see you, Kevin."
"Find me?"
“That’s right. I made a deal with World Serpent, in exchange for Kiana and me joining World Serpent, they canceled an experiment of the Stigmata Project. My mission is to bring you back to the original world.”
"you?"
"I originally planned to use another method to help you locate the Intrinsic World, but an accident occurred along the way, causing my coordinates to shift slightly when I arrived at the Sea of Quanta. I originally planned to return to the vicinity of the Intrinsic World first and then continue with the original plan, but I didn't expect to meet you first."
"I'm very interested in the original plan you mentioned, and what's the deal with this girl next to you, and who is Kiana?"
“Let’s take things one step at a time,” the captain said, taking a breath. “First of all, this lady next to me is Seele Voller, who, as you can see, is a Stigmata Awakener.”
"Because of an experimental accident, she fell into the Sea of Quanta and lost contact with the intrinsic world. My encounter with her was when I entered the Sea of Quanta and unexpectedly came to her side. It can be said that this child was the first person I met in the Sea of Quanta."
After listening, Kevin glanced at Seele beside him, his eyes showing neither joy nor sorrow. Seele, on the other hand, shrank back behind the captain in fear. However, in just a few seconds, Kevin was able to see the true nature of the Stigmata that Seele possessed.
"Her stigmata are very special; they are the most perfect and unique ones I have ever seen. No wonder you would wear them."
Hearing Kevin's words, Seele's eyes were filled with curiosity. She looked up at the captain, hoping to get some answers from him. However, there wasn't much time for the captain to explain right now. The captain simply patted Seele's head gently and said they would talk about it after they went outside.
"As for Kiana, her name is Kiana Kaslana, and she is your descendant. Of course, that's not entirely accurate. To be precise, she is a life form cloned by the current civilization's Schicksal Bishop Otto using the genes of the Second Herrscher and the real Kiana. She is also one of the few Herrschers in the world who possesses human consciousness."
Upon hearing this, Kevin's eyes flickered a few times. He understood the meaning behind the captain's words, but how did he know about this?
Seeing the curiosity in Kevin's eyes, the captain smiled wryly and continued, "If you're curious about why I know about that, the original plan will give you the answer."
After speaking, the captain took out the Judgment of Heavenly Fire, even transforming it into its Annihilation form. Kevin looked at the Judgment of Heavenly Fire in the captain's hand with surprise, then glanced uncertainly at the greatsword in his own hand and couldn't help but ask, "Are you perhaps the wielder of the Judgment of Heavenly Fire in this era?"
"Yes and no." The captain shook his head and said, "The Judgment of Heavenly Fire in my hand is indeed genuine, but it is not the Judgment of Heavenly Fire from your world."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know if you've ever heard of parallel worlds."
"I heard from Su that you mean you came here from a parallel world?"
“Yes.” The captain nodded affirmatively. “The world I live in has successfully crossed the end. The Judgment of Heavenly Fire in my hand was handed to me by you personally. The initial plan was to use your familiarity with the Judgment of Heavenly Fire so that you could use the core of the Second Divine Key to locate the original world.”
"But how do you prove you're from a parallel world? You know, even Su has never successfully traveled to a parallel world."
"That is indeed difficult to prove, but I know your current situation and everything that will happen afterward. Even if you don't believe me now, I might believe you after I go back and see the second Heavenly Fire Judgment?"
Kevin glanced at the Heavenly Judgment in his hand without saying a word, pondering how much of the captain's words could be believed.
After all, this world bubble was created by him based on his own memories, and the Heavenly Fire Judgment in his hand is a product of this world bubble, including the "Kevin" who now carries his consciousness.
He had been silently observing the development of this world bubble from outside. If he hadn't sensed two uninvited guests entering this world bubble, he wouldn't have projected his consciousness onto Kevin in this world bubble.
"If you still don't believe me, I can tell you that soon the Herrscher of Reason who has been preventing you from leaving will find his successor to continue preventing you from returning to the original world."
After speaking, the captain turned back to find Sakura and the others without lingering. No matter what, he wanted to witness the ending of Sakura's relationship in this world, even though he already knew that ending.
Seele, who remained where she was, first bowed to Kevin, then followed the captain and left. Kevin was left alone, standing there pondering the captain's words, until Fu Hua came to his side with an apologetic expression.
"I'm sorry, I didn't expect that the Twelfth Herrscher could corrupt not only living things, but also machines. By the time I discovered it, it was too late."
“It’s alright,” Kevin said coldly. “Let’s go and witness that final moment.”
After saying that, Kevin walked forward slowly. Fu Hua was stunned at first, but then she realized what was happening and followed Kevin's footsteps.
"Mei sent a message saying that the twelfth Herrscher has been officially named the Herrscher of Corruption," Kevin said. "The reason why the Herrscher went out of control has also been found."
"What is it?"
“It was those researchers.” Kevin lowered his head, hiding his eyes in shadow. “Due to their prejudice against Herrschers, and the increasing mental pressure caused by their long-term contact, they finally snapped because they couldn’t bear living with a Herrscher all the time. In their madness, they brutally murdered the Herrscher’s body.”
"!"
Fu Hua looked at Kevin in shock, her mouth agape but unable to utter a word.
"What they didn't expect was that this was exactly the result the Honkai wanted. The Twelfth Herrscher, the Herrscher of Corruption, is a Herrscher that begins with the death of the original body. Moreover, if Fu Hua hadn't used Feather of Dust to control the situation in time, we probably would have lost this base."
"But in the final moments, I saw the Herrscher..."
"Yes, the Herrscher hacked into the system and controlled all the nuclear missiles in the base, sending them to the three remaining human cities. Now, humanity only has a few underground bases, including this one, left to hold the flame of humanity."
Fu Hua fell silent, and the sound of her and Kevin's footsteps echoed in the quiet corridor. Finally, Kevin broke the silence.
"Fu Hua, humanity has lost. Mei has sent a message ordering us to execute the Vault Project."
"But what about the Twelfth Herrscher..."
"The Twelfth Herrscher has been defeated, that's an indisputable fact, otherwise the base wouldn't have lifted the alert."
"But how was the Twelfth Herald dealt with?"
"Want to know?" Kevin asked, turning around as he stood in front of a door. "If you want to know, go inside, and you'll find out."
After saying that, Kevin made way for her, and Fu Hua, filled with curiosity, opened the door after verifying her identity.
What came into view was a scene of ruins, with damaged machinery and electronic equipment all around. Fu Hua could even see a huge knife mark that went straight to the ground.
Deep within the ruins, where the central control console once stood, two people were now standing, and in front of them lay a very familiar figure.
"cherry!"
Fu Hua rushed to Sakura's side and helped her up, but Sakura had already stopped breathing. Feeling the cold body in her arms, Fu Hua turned her gaze to the Captain and Seele beside her.
"What the hell is going on!"
“It was Sakura who defeated the Herrscher.” Kevin said as he approached Fu Hua. “After realizing that the Herrscher could hack into electronic devices, Mei launched a war of attack and defense against the electronic devices. Although the Herrscher was forced to retreat with the help of Prometheus, Mei was unable to catch her until the Herrscher’s actions were suddenly hindered at a certain moment. It was this momentary opening that allowed Mei to successfully seal her. Afterwards, we reviewed the surveillance footage and found that it was Sakura who came here alone to stop Rin, who had transformed into the Herrscher.”
"However, she was also seriously injured as a result," the captain added. "By the time we arrived to provide support, everything had already been settled. She was on the verge of death, and there was nothing we could do for her. We could only watch helplessly as she stopped breathing in front of us."
Did she say anything to you?
"She said she wanted to see the cherry blossoms in her hometown one last time, and hoped we could take her body there for burial. Finally, she asked us if she had done what a sister should do."
"...How did you answer her?" Fu Hua asked, forcing back her grief.
“We said she has done everything an older sister could do, and without a doubt she is the best older sister.”
"Now I'm relieved. You can go now." Fu Hua said, holding Sakura's body in her arms as she stood up. "Take Kevin with you. I'll help fulfill Sakura's last wish."
"Ban... Fu Hua, you...!"
The captain looked at Fu Hua in surprise. He never expected that Fu Hua would see through his and Seele's identities as non-natives of this world so quickly, and even realize that Kevin was their target.
"I've known for a long time that I'm part of the World Bubble, but I just didn't dare to believe it. It wasn't until I met you all that I finally understood what was going on. Kevin, you created this World Bubble, right?"
"..."
"I already know without you saying it. Fine, can you tell me the final ending?"
"When I carried Sakura's body to her hometown, all I saw was devastation, and I could no longer see the cherry blossom petals that used to dance in the air from Sakura's mouth. On the burnt earth, I made a promise that no matter what price humanity had to pay, we must defeat the Honkai!"