Chapter 329

The girl instinctively turned her head and was met with a pair of gentle eyes.

"We're here, Kiana," Raiden Yae Sakura said softly. "Perhaps one person's strength is indeed insufficient, but as long as we all work together, there is no difficulty that cannot be overcome."

At that moment, another hand was placed on her shoulder. Kiana turned her head, only to have a finger poke her cheek.

"Silly Kiana, look." Bronya, who had just teased her a little, stepped back and stood with the others. "We're all here, so be bold."

Kiana looked at everyone who was traveling with her, then closed her eyes.

Yes, she has always gotten to where she is today with the help of many people. In the beginning, it was her silly father, then Yae Sakura and Bronya, and later, everyone at St. Freya, the doctors from Anti-Entropy, and her sisters...

Even without the teacher's help, she was someone who had once saved the world; now she was simply retracing her steps. With everyone's support, how could I possibly lose?

Thinking about this, Kiana suddenly realized something.

Perhaps this was also Teacher Ai Yue's intention? Although he took meticulous care of everyone along the way, this last and most important part of the journey should still be completed by ourselves.

"I'm ready."

Kiana, having reopened her eyes, once again displayed her usual confident smile. She raised her greatsword, pointing it at Otto before her. "Now, we can begin!"

"Sigh, let's do it then." Compared to the energetic Kiana, Otto seemed lifeless, completely lacking the aura of a final boss, because he knew very well that he was about to get beaten up again. "Go easy on me, senior sister."

However, although he said that, his actions were anything but hesitant. With Otto's control, the surrounding environment underwent another dramatic change.

Even if I'm destined to be defeated, I can't just lie on the ground like a salted fish and let someone run me over, can I?

Is this really okay?

It was still the Cocoon of Finality, and still just the two onlookers. Faced with this collective dream sweeping the globe, Elysia still seemed somewhat worried. "I always feel that it would be more reliable if you were there."

"Don't worry. Although they may look young, they have already saved the world," Ai Yue said with more confidence than Elysia. "Even without a path, they have the opportunity to forge their own future. Besides, the difficulty level has been lowered by more than one level, so there is no reason for them to fail."

"So, what are you planning to do now?" Elysia refocused her gaze on Ai Yue. "To be honest, you're the one who worries the most among us. If you didn't have anything else to do, you definitely wouldn't hand over this kind of plan to someone else, would you?"

Elysia's meaning was clear: she suspected that Ai Yue didn't want to let go, but rather had other things to do, so he had to.

"What you're saying," Ai Yue wanted to argue, but looking at Elysia's fixed gaze, he could only manage an awkward smile. "You have a good eye for people."

Elysia remained silent, simply waiting for Ai Yue's explanation.

"Simply put, the process of merging the Perfect Timeline with 'reality' cannot be accomplished solely through the Stigmata Project in the real world," Ai Yue thought for a moment, then said, "I need to perform synchronous control and operation within the underlying rules to smoothly complete this transition."

Elysia carefully observed Ai Yue's expression, and only after confirming that he wasn't speaking carelessly did she ask, "Is it troublesome? Or is there some price to pay?"

"The cost won't be that high, but the trouble is definitely a bit much." Ai Yue shrugged. "Fortunately, I've done my homework, so theoretically there shouldn't be any problems."

"Then hurry back!" Elysia smiled. "Once we've finished things here, we can finally go back..."

Ai Yue raised his hand and covered Elysia's mouth. "Sister, you can't say things like that!"

Elysia looked at him with a puzzled expression, seemingly not understanding why Ai Yue was so nervous about such a question.

Ai Yue couldn't explain to her what "setting a flag" meant, after all, he was a god and still so superstitious. It sounded rather ridiculous.

Fortunately, Elysia didn't pay attention to such details and just gestured to Ai Yue with her eyes to get to work.

Ai Yue then released his grip, took a step back, and his figure began to dissipate into specks of light. "Then, I'll be right back."

Elysia stared at the spot where Ai Yue had disappeared for a long while before whispering, "So even this time, you don't need my help?"

Ai Yue was naturally unaware of the complex emotions Elysia was experiencing at that moment, because with the unfolding of the "Stigmata Project," his actions had to be synchronized as well, and there was no time for him to think about anything else.

Therefore, the moment he entered the underlying rules, Ai Yue began his preparations.

In Kiana's and the others' minds, as long as they survived the "Stigmata Project" and regained Kiana's power of the Finality, this massive plan to reshape the timeline, which had lasted for thousands of years, would have achieved its goal.

But in fact, only Ai Yue knew that as a "man-made product," the Perfect Timeline could not be directly integrated with "reality"—in other words, it was not a matter of course, but a tedious task that required human intervention.

After all, the rewriting of the fate of one or two people may still be within the timeline's ability to self-correct. But if the number reaches tens of millions or even hundreds of millions, then the fates of countless people will form a huge force that will completely shatter the timeline's own corrective inertia.

Therefore, Ai Yue not only has to be responsible for connecting with human lives, but also for manually adjusting reality.

It's considered tedious because it's not like manually docking a spaceship in space, where you simply plug the interfaces of the "Perfect Timeline" and "reality" together. Instead, it requires meticulously mapping each person's life in the "Perfect Timeline" to their life trajectory in "reality."

For those who didn't make it into reality in the original timeline, Ai Yue still needs to carve out a place for them.

Not to mention, the Earth in the Perfect Timeline is not the same as the "reality".

It can be said that what Ai Yue is doing now is simultaneously controlling billions of pairs of spacecraft docking in space.

Any simple task becomes incredibly difficult when such an exaggerated number of steps are added on top of it, let alone something as absurd as connecting with life. This kind of thing has clearly gone beyond being tedious and has reached the point of being ridiculous.

No human being could possibly accomplish such a task—but fortunately, Ai Yue is not human.

For a god, especially one who was prepared in advance, this matter was merely a matter of "trouble."

From the moment he grasped the laws of this world, Ai Yue had foreseen this day, so he had been preparing for it throughout the process of reshaping the timeline.

Now, it's time for it to "bear fruit".

Within the Sea of Laws, Ai Yue "opened" his eyes.

In an instant, his perception covered the entire nascent universe—its current scale was more than ten times larger than it had been initially, but that was clearly not Ai Yue's current focus.

He focused his attention on the Earth, and soon, a peculiar melody entered his mind.

That was the illusion of the entire civilization, the reflection of the Stigmata Project projected into the underlying rules.

But if you listen carefully, you can discern more thoughts from those complex melodies—the voices of every individual who makes up civilization in their dreams.

Billions of beings with different experiences released their thoughts at this moment, intertwining intimately to compose a melody of civilization.

"If Eden could hear this, it might provide her with an inexhaustible source of inspiration?"

The thought flashed through Ai Yue's mind, but he put it aside and began his work.

Under his control, the Sea of Laws surged, gradually manifesting a peculiar, birdcage-like object.

It does not truly exist, but rather is a special power created by Ai Yue through "reprogramming" the Sea of Laws.

Through this power, Ai Yue can dissect the independent will of each individual within the melody of civilization and rewrite it into "reality," thus achieving Perfect Timeline and reality.

This special power was called "the loom of fate" by Ai Yue, because it is like a spinning machine that weaves everyone's past into a brand new future.

In this way, everything can get back on track.

Feeling a brand new future being born in his hands, Ai Yue couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, within the vast dreamscape constructed by the Stigmata Project, Kiana once again swung her sword, cutting Otto to the ground.

"Is it not over yet?" Kiana's eyes widened as she watched Otto stand up again. "You're really persistent, aren't you? You still won't admit defeat?"

"Admitting defeat isn't something I can control," Otto, though he looked disheveled, a smile still lingering on his face. "After all, it's not over yet, so I can't afford to give up."

Compared to Kiana, Otto clearly knew more. He was well aware that the Stigmata Project was merely a medium, and the people truly responsible for completing the fusion were not those present.

Therefore, the dream constructed by the Stigmata Project cannot collapse until the true integration is completed.

That is why, even though Otto had been defeated countless times, he still had to get back up.

But just as Kiana raised her weapon again, preparing for yet another battle, Otto revealed a joyful smile, then unceremoniously plopped down on the ground.

He could feel that the force that had been supporting his constant struggle was quietly receding, which meant that Ai Yue's work was finished.

"It's over, it's over, I surrender!" Otto, relieved, quickly raised his hands, afraid that Kiana's greatsword would continue to fall on his head. But just as he raised his head, he couldn't help but blink. "Huh, where did she go?"

Before him now, all that remained was a dream gradually crumbling and disintegrating; where could he find Kiana's figure?

Little did Kiana know that she had the same question, because before she could hear Otto's surrender, the surrounding environment had already changed completely.

The only thing that reassured her was that Raiden Yae Sakura and Bronya were also there.

She was just about to say something to her companion when she was suddenly interrupted by another voice.

"Welcome to the Cocoon of Finality." Elysia appeared before the three in her Herrscher form, a bright smile on her face. "It's good to meet you all."

Chapter Forty-One: All is Well

"And then? What happened next?"

The battle between the hero and the demon king had reached its most crucial point, but the storyteller abruptly stopped. The children, who had been listening attentively, looked at the short-haired woman before them and finally couldn't help but urge her on, wanting to know how the story ended.

"And then..." The storyteller snapped out of his reverie, and facing the children's expectant eyes, could only manage a helpless smile. "Sorry, I don't know the rest of the story either."

"Huh? What happened?!"

Looking at the noisy children, Ragna couldn't help but scratch his head.

Making up a story to soothe the children's emotions wasn't difficult for her, but since the story originated from the recently concluded "Stigmata Project," she wanted to make it as realistic as possible.

Not to mention...

Before he could finish thinking, there was a knock at the door. After receiving Ragna's permission, a tall figure entered. "Lord Ragna, you..."

When the children recognized each other, they couldn't help but burst into cheers. "It's Sister Rita!"

With her exquisite features and short hair covering one eye, the newcomer was none other than Rita Losweiser, one of the S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal.

Like Ragna, she apparently came to look after the children often, and was therefore very popular among them.

"That's right, it's your sister Rita!" Ragna pulled the still somewhat confused Rita to his side. "Besides, didn't you want to know the ending of that story? Sister Rita happens to know. If you don't understand anything, just ask her!"

"Wait, Lord Ragna?"

Rita was about to speak when Ragna had already run to the door, made a "it's yours" gesture, and ran off.

She was left alone to face so many doll heads eager to hear the rest of the story.

Fortunately, Rita was quite good at coaxing children, and she quickly pieced together the prototype of the story from the children's chattering descriptions, and also understood why Ragna had dumped this task on her.

So she gathered her thoughts a little and then gave her usual smile, "Okay, everyone, please be quiet now, or you won't be able to hear the story."

Once the children had all obediently returned to their seats, Rita began to write the ending of the story based on her own experience, "The heroes stormed into the Demon King's castle, only to find themselves trapped in a vast illusion. The Demon King used cunning means to separate the heroes and their companions, attempting to kill them in this way..."

Meanwhile, Ragna, who had stepped outside, was not entirely free—because Rita was not the only one who had come looking for her.

"Hey, isn't this our strongest Valkyrie Durandal!"

Seeing the blonde girl waiting outside the door, Ragna paused for a moment before smiling and greeting her, "I thought only Rita would come today."

"Rita is here to do social service, just like you," Durandal smiled. "But I'm here to see you."

"I see," Ragna nodded, looking at her casual attire, and then continued, "So, in what capacity did you come to see me?"

Durandal paused for a moment, then understood Ragna's meaning. "I have come to you as the Valkyrie of Schicksal."

"That's business," Ragna pondered for a moment, vaguely guessing the other party's purpose. "In that case, I won't offer you coffee. Let's find a quiet place to talk."

Led by Ragna, the two quickly arrived at an empty room, and Durandal eagerly said, "Teacher Ragna, I've come to ask you to return to Schicksal and become a teacher at the St. Freya Academy."

"Oh?" Ragna leaned back in his chair, looking at Durandal with interest. "Is this considered a rehiring after retirement?"

After the Stigmata Project came to a smooth conclusion, Ragna resigned from his position as captain of the Stormtroopers and retired.

But just a few days later, Schicksal found her again.

"The specifics will require you to discuss them with His Holiness the Bishop in person," Durandal said, looking somewhat confused. Clearly, she didn't know much either; she had only accepted the task today because she was accompanying Rita. "But so, it seems you've agreed?"

"After all, I suddenly realized that I'm not the kind of person who can sit idle." Ragna smiled, then became serious again. "But I still want to ask, theoretically, Schicksal shouldn't continue to maintain this scale of combat personnel after this, but now it seems that the new bishop actually plans to increase the training efforts?"

The threat of Honkai has been completely over. This is a fact that Kiana, who ascended to godhood, told everyone in that dream.

But now, the Schicksal of Heaven shows no signs of reducing its size; on the contrary, it intends to increase its efforts. This makes Ragna feel a little worried about the new archbishop's intentions.

With no enemy present, who are all these warriors planning to fight?

"Things aren't as you think. Neither the Archbishop nor Schicksal has any intention of enslaving humanity by force," Durandal quickly explained, understanding Ragna's concerns. "It's just that the Honkai is merely one of the disasters that human civilization must face."

"Another disaster?" Upon hearing this, Ragna immediately became serious. "What's going on?"

"It's hard for me to explain in detail, but this world is not peaceful." Durandal shook her head. "If we stay on this planet, we may be able to live a peaceful life, but if we want to go out, we must be prepared to face hardships and dangers."

"In that case, let's not waste any more time here." Ragna stood up decisively. "Can we set off now?"

"Of course," Durandal quickly replied, "Miss Murata would surely be delighted to work with you again."

"Himeko..." Hearing the familiar name, Ragna couldn't help but recall that head of fiery red hair. "I wonder how she is now?"

"Himeko, you're getting more and more casual these days!"

In the bishop's office at the Schicksal Headquarters, Theresa, engrossed in her documents, looked up helplessly at the tall woman before her. "It's working hours now. Drinking is one thing, but coming here to drink is a blatant provocation!"

"Well, there's nothing I can do. Our dear bishop just won't approve my application," Murata Himeko, plopping down on the table with a bottle of sake in one hand and shoving the paper in front of Theresa. "Sign it, and I'll leave right away. I won't get in your way anymore, okay?"

"How dare you say that? The funding you requested is ten times that of last year!" Theresa glared at Himeko angrily. "How am I supposed to approve it?!"

"So there's nothing to talk about?" Murata Himeko raised an eyebrow, giving off a roguish air. "In that case, let's catch up today, Headmistress?"