You've Been Buffed-Get In There!

"This is the only chance, and before it appeared, the World Serpent had done everything it could to minimize the losses of the Stigmata Project."

"But as far as I know, it was just changing the death penalty to life imprisonment."

Theresa clenched her fists.

"How you compare is your prerogative, but for me, it is the only way to defeat the Honkai."

Kevin paused, then looked at Theresa again.

Your eyes are filled with anger, yet you don't know where that anger will be directed...

"Very well, then let me test your quality."

The Jie Mie instantly appeared in Kevin's hand.

"Huh? Is a fight about to start?"

Beside her, Anna, completely bewildered by what had happened and paying homage to some legendary, clueless race, conjured black ice crystals on her hand with a bewildered expression.

Although Kevin, who is opposite her, has a close relationship with her, or rather with Raven, as Kaslana, protecting the world is far more important to her than defeating the Honkai.

"This is Kaslana's Stigmata Space, where the power of every Kaslana is equal."

"Come on, tell me your thoughts through battle."

He wasn't lying; his strength is indeed on par with ours...

After the attack, Theresa assessed the situation by looking at the scorching marks on the cross that looked as if they had melted.

After all, she had fought Kevin once before in Changkong City, and Kevin here was even weaker than before.

In other words, the power brought by the Kaslana Stigmata is indeed equivalent here.

But... none of the three people present were the innocent Kaslana.

"This cross probably won't hold up... Anna!"

"Knew!"

During a lull in the battle, the chestnut-haired girl gently touched Theresa's cross as their figures intertwined.

A layer of ice crystals immediately began to spread across the cross as she touched it.

"Hiss—it's so cold, but this portion..."

Theresa tightened her grip on the cross and closed her eyes.

Then, under Anna's almost popped-out gaze, Theresa's height slowly increased.

"Unfortunately, I do have the blood of the Kaslana family, but... I am more than just Kaslana!"

Having received a terrifying boost from the collapse, Theresa appeared swiftly above Kevin at an almost indistinct speed, and the cross, encased in ice crystals, fell heavily from above his head.

"When the Finality Meteorite fell in the Cretaceous, only the free bird could escape its predetermined demise."

However, such an increase seemed useless to Kevin. Accompanied by a terrifying bombardment, the two were simultaneously forced back by the fire wave stirred up by the Jie Mie.

"Good willpower, but unfortunately, equally stubborn mind."

Kevin sighed softly, as if he was regretting something.

"If that's all there is to it, I'm afraid you'll have to spend the whole day with me."

Theresa, whose collapse had already begun, said coldly.

"Then there's no need." As Kevin spoke, his aura suddenly underwent a terrifying change.

"Continuing with a stubborn person will only be a waste of time."

As Kevin said, in the Stigmata Space, the power of every Kaslana is equal, but the terrifying aura emanating from Kevin at this moment has no connection with Kaslana.

"I'm just Kevin, Kaslana means nothing to me anymore."

"Theresa Apocalypse, prepare to receive this blow imbued with the power of Finality."

"Oh no..."

The same thought flashed through their minds at the same time.

Vishnu's power had been pushed to its limit. Theresa held the specially made cross of Schicksal in front of her, while Anna did her best to create walls of pitch-black ice in front of them.

However, these resistances were futile in the face of the power of the Finality.

But...

Such a blow, however, did not ultimately fall upon them.

"I am the will of the Kaslana Stigmata, Kevin. You have left me with no other choice."

The Stigmata Will, which had just been expelled from this space due to Kevin's arrival, has returned to the battlefield once again.

"Stigmata Will, your actions have disappointed me greatly."

The power of the Chimera was gathering in Kevin's body. Theresa could clearly feel that the power was very similar to her own collapse, but also different.

"You ultimately know nothing about the Honkai."

"But you, too, remain completely ignorant of your own descendants!"

An identical weapon, the Blade of Jie Mie, appeared in the hand of the Stigmata Will. The power of the Divine Key briefly blocked Kevin's Chimera power. Taking this opportunity, the Stigmata Will retreated and used the momentum to assume a fighting stance once again.

"Kevin ...your descendants are not anyone's pawns, not lives that are dispensable—"

"You have no reason to kill any of them!"

"I've said it before, Kaslana means nothing to me anymore." Kevin shook his head slightly. "You can't help them."

"Perhaps the Stigmata Will is insufficient, but what about me?"

A familiar ripple spread from Theresa's lower abdomen.

A core appeared out of thin air, accompanied by a mysterious power, and Xia Ling's figure slowly condensed from the void.

"Long time no see, Kevin."

Chapter 8 You've been enhanced, hurry up!

"Xia Ling..."

Kevin sighed softly.

Kevin's attitude towards Xia Ling has always been somewhat complicated.

On the one hand, he knew clearly that there would never be another Elysia, and Xia Ling was ultimately just the Origin's Legacy. On the other hand, the "familiarity" she exuded always made Kevin feel as if he were seeing the past.

But in the end, he didn't say anything more.

Because he is Kevin.

"... Be prepared, you are about to face the demon of karma."

"Wow, they won't even give us time to catch up?"

After quickly creating a simplified Simulated Black Hole, Xia Ling grabbed Theresa with one hand and Anna with the other, and quickly retreated.

Taking advantage of the brief moment Kevin was affected by gravity, Xia Ling's lips moved, and a barely audible sound reached Theresa and Anna's ears.

"You're going to stay behind and hold Kevin off alone?"

Although she didn't say it aloud, Theresa's eyes clearly conveyed that meaning.

"There won't be many opportunities to send you out of the Stigmata Space. Seize the opportunity and don't worry about me."

Xia Ling didn't say much, but asked Little E in her heart.

"Little E, how long will it take to connect this place to the main network of the Stigmata Project?"

That's right, Xia Ling wasn't there specifically to rescue people at the last minute. The reason she hadn't appeared for so long was because she had first figured out a way to escape from the Stigmata Space.

Although leaving from here would only lead them astray into the main network of the Stigmata Project and get them lost, it doesn't matter. According to the original story, Ai-chan, also known as Ai - Hyperion, will help them leave the main network.

Indeed, through Highmore's observation, Xia Ling has learned that, although there are some differences from the original work, the life form born in the pseudo-time crystal, a girl who calls herself Ai - Hyperion, has appeared on the Hyperion not long ago.

"At most one minute. Entering the main network undetected is not difficult for two copies of the Corruption Power, but since it involves the entire Earth, the 'amount' of this main network is a bit too large."

Little E's voice rang out from the depths of Xia Ling's heart. Simply put, the problem she was currently facing was somewhat similar to the problem Xia Ling had encountered when she used the Corruption Power at the Schicksal Headquarters. The opponent could not win in terms of quality, so he chose to use quantity to delay the time.

"It's only a minute, I have no problem with it."

Xia Ling gently exhaled a breath of stale air. Strictly speaking, she couldn't be considered her original body right now; she was merely transferring most of her power to this clone through the power of control.

For this reason, Xia Ling is unable to use things like the Seven Thunders of Retribution and the Origin Power at this time.

However... for a sluggish rat, this is not a problem.

Xia Ling casually created a barrier to block Kevin's way, and immediately started searching through the system.

"The Power of Restraint... a very strong authority, but..."

The Honkai Energy converged on the Jie Mie, instantly pushing Xia Ling's restraint barrier to its limit.

"As someone familiar with the history of the Previous Civilization, you should know that your remaining Authority of Binding are simply insufficient to contain my Honkai Energy level."

"It's okay, it's just a delaying tactic anyway."

A sly smile appeared on Xia Ling's face.

Then, she gently touched the Stigmata Will beside her.

"You've been enhanced, get going!"

"?"

The Stigmata Will remained silent, but a deep sense of doubt was evident in its eyes.

But... he soon stopped being confused.

Several wondrous powers were instantly bestowed upon him, and the source of these powers was something even the ancient Stigmata Will had never heard of.

[Glory Ribbon], [Brilliant Weep], [Emergency Activator], [Blade of the Old Guard]... Xia Ling added several one-time-use collectibles with different enhancement directions to the Stigmata Will.

As for why she didn't enhance herself... it's still the same problem. Her body, based on a single Core of a Thousand Laws, is far too weak. It's already nearing its limit just to support her own power. If she were to be strengthened several times over by the artifacts...

Then there's no need to wait for the Key of Blankness; she'll probably be able to give Theresa a human-shaped firework display right there.

With the support of the collection, the Stigmata Will gained the means to fight Kevin for a short period of time. Kevin seemed unconcerned about Theresa and the others taking the opportunity to leave, and instead allowed them to head towards the main network of the Stigmata Space under the guidance of the erosion.

Ultimately, Kevin didn't want to cause too much trouble for these warriors of the current civilization. In order to complete the Stigmata Project, he was indeed determined to kill anyone who stood in his way.

But... this doesn't mean he'll kill everyone he sees. On the contrary, if it's someone like Theresa whose strength is somewhat different from Kevin's, Kevin is quite willing to go easy on her.

After all, the new world after the Stigmata Project needs someone to manage it, and he has to bear the pain of the Finality all the time. The Gray Serpent alone can't manage the earth well.

"Your power is gradually weakening. It seems that borrowed power has its limits."

The power of the Chimera converged with the Jie Mie, and the clash between the two no longer required any martial arts skills. At this level, a simple clash of energy could easily determine the winner.

As the enhancement period of the Stigmata Will ended, Kevin's powerful and heavy strike instantly sent the Stigmata Will flying backward.

Kevin glanced at the fading Stigmata Will, but instead of dealing with it, he looked at Xia Ling beside him.

Although the girl had shot him many times during the battle, he still tried his best to "ignore" Xia Ling.

"If you simply wanted to save Theresa and Anna, you wouldn't have shown up in person. You know I won't kill them."

"Quite perceptive, Kevin."

Xia Ling showed no embarrassment at having her plan exposed; instead, she directly stated her purpose.

"Kevin, strictly speaking, you should have already completed the theft of the Finality Authority, right?"

Kevin nodded slightly but did not answer.

"Then why didn't you use the power of Finality to end the battle just now?"

"No need."

Kevin said calmly.

"For you, the Karma Demon Form is already an invincible enemy. As for the power of Finality... if none of you can obtain the Finality Authority, then I have no need to use it."

At this point, Kevin suddenly realized the girl's purpose in appearing.

"It seems you don't want to help your companions try to seize the power of Finality in a step-by-step manner." Kevin's voice changed slightly.

"You have your own plans and don't want them to know?"