"Take care." x2.
Kaino took a deep breath, activated his authority, crossed worlds once more, and stepped into the Quantum Sea, which could stand alongside the Imaginary Tree.
Kaino frowned.
He had been wondering what the Quantum Sea looked like, only to discover upon arriving that it was the very same dark space he had been in before entering Su's World Bubble.
This time, however, there was no intense dizziness. That was probably due to the defensive mechanism Su had mentioned.
With nowhere to stand, Kaino used the Herrscher of Wind's authority to propel himself through the void, searching for Kevin.
"Kevin? Kevin!"
After searching for a while without results, Kaino simply shouted.
Strangely enough, there was no light, yet sound could still travel. It was absurd.
"I was sent by Fu Hua and the others! Where are you? Say something!"
"Name. Token."
A faint voice came from somewhere near Kaino. He raised an eyebrow and moved toward it.
But just as Kaino began to move, the voice rang out again.
"Do not come closer, Herrscher. I do not know your purpose, but if you take another step, I will destroy myself and everything on me."
Kaino did not know whether it was an illusion, but the voice seemed even weaker than before.
Yet despite its weakness, it carried an unwavering resolve that could not be questioned.
"Answer my question."
It was not Kaino's imagination. That voice truly was growing weaker and weaker, now sounding like an old man on the verge of death.
"Kaino Kaslana. I have a Moth Chasing Fire Badge too. Stop talking. If you die, this world is finished."
Worried that the other man might truly do as he said, Kaino hurriedly stopped. At the same time, he drew Judgement of Shamash and shifted it into greatsword mode, illuminating the area so the other man could see the Badge in his hand.
But the moment the light came on, Kaino was startled.
Quite a few people had mistaken him for someone else before, so he had already prepared himself for Kevin looking very similar to him. But now that he saw him...
He could not see any resemblance at all.
Kaino had exercised often at the Orphanage, so he was healthy and even somewhat muscular.
But Kevin before him...
His entire body was practically skin and bones. His cheeks were deeply sunken, and the bones around his eye sockets stood out, making him look as though he had not eaten for days.
No, according to the Book of Cang Xuan and Fu Hua, he might not have eaten for fifty thousand years.
After all, in this chaotic and utterly empty Quantum Sea, he could probably only endure by relying on the Honkai energy within his body, not to mention maintaining the World Anchor's operation.
"The Badge is genuine."
Kevin weakly nodded and handed Kaino the lance-like object clutched tightly in his right hand.
But Kaino did not take it.
He held his hand close to Kevin's body. Waves of white mist rose from it and seeped into Kevin's body.
"Don't move. I'll treat you first."
Kaino frowned as he precisely controlled the growth of every cell in Kevin's body. Before long, Kevin's body had recovered from extreme emaciation to a healthy state.
The Herrscher of Death's authority was seriously powerful.
Once the treatment was complete, Kaino naturally accepted the lance from Kevin. The instant he took it, he felt the Honkai energy in his body continuously flowing into it. Fortunately, it was not draining faster than it could replenish.
"Thank you."
Kevin suddenly spoke.
"No need to thank me. It was nothing."
Kaino assumed Kevin meant the treatment and waved dismissively.
"No. I thank you for being willing to stand up and save this world."
Kevin shook his head.
"Having the ability and being willing to dedicate yourself are two different things. You deserve this gratitude."
As he spoke, Kevin looked at the lance in Kaino's hand.
"Prometheus, transfer authority."
The moment Kevin finished speaking, a childish yet slightly mechanical female voice sounded from the lance in Kaino's hand.
"Received. The newest highest-level authority holder has been established. The reversal procedure may begin at any time."
"Alright, alright, I'll send you back now. I'm going to reverse the world. If you don't go back now, you won't be able to return."
"Please wait a moment."
Kevin turned around, grasped a box that had been floating behind him, and nodded at Kaino.
Was that an urn?
"I'm ready."
Kaino sent Kevin back to the world, then looked at the lance in his hand.
"Prometheus?"
"I am here."
The childish female voice sounded again.
"Where is the target World Bubble?"
"It exists on a different dimensional plane, so you, as a human, cannot see it. But do not worry. Prometheus will assist you in completing all reversal work."
What a nanny-level AI.
"Then, begin the reversal."
Prometheus: "Received!"
The lance in his hand slowly vanished. At the same time, the Honkai energy within his body began circulating along a strange path before disappearing somewhere unknown. Kaino understood that the reversal had begun.
Kaino took a breath and gripped the Greatsword of Heavenly Fire. Nearly all his Honkai energy was being used for the reversal. Until the energy from what the Book of Cang Xuan called the World Bubble's feedback appeared, he would have to rely on this weapon to protect himself.
Still, he had been in the Quantum Sea for so long without seeing a single...
Honkai Beast?
Looking at the blue, Honkai Beast-like creature that had suddenly appeared in the distance, Kaino could only think, What the hell? It was an expression he had learned in Shenzhou for when one's feelings were too complicated for words.
But fortunately, it was only one Honkai Beast. With Judgement of Shamash, he had nothing to fear!
Kaino grabbed Judgement of Shamash and fired toward the direction away from the Honkai Beast. But after only a few steps, an intense heat suddenly surged from the Stigmata on his chest and spread through every limb and bone.
Then Kaino fainted.
"Other me, is something glowing over there?"
In the Quantum Sea, a blue-eyed, blue-clad girl of around fourteen stared blankly at the specks of red light in the distance.
During the year she had been submerged in the Quantum Sea, she had never seen anything glowing within it.
"It's just something that glows. What's so interesting about that?"
A girl almost identical to the blue-clad girl except for her red eyes suddenly appeared beside her, folding her arms as she looked at the blue-clad girl.
"Besides, didn't you read about it in a book? Some fish glow in the sea, using that light to lure in and eat weaker fish."
"But..."
Though she understood the reasoning behind the red-eyed girl's words, the blue-clad girl still hesitated.
Even if it could burn them, light held a fatal attraction for those who had long been drowned in darkness.
"Fine, fine. If you want to go, then go."
Unable to bear watching any longer, the red-eyed girl shrugged and vanished without a trace.
"Anyway, whatever that glowing thing is, it can't possibly be a fish stronger than me."
Twin Girls in the Quantum Sea
Ever since coming to this world, Kaino had often suffered nightmares.
The scene of him trying helplessly to escape with K423, clutching Kiana's arm, often appeared in his dreams.
Even though he possessed the authorities of six Herrschers, even though Fu Hua believed he was the only one capable of saving their world, in his dreams he was still only that little boy who could not even protect his own sister.
But this time, perhaps because saving his sister had eased the knot in his heart, Kaino did not have that kind of nightmare again.
Instead, he experienced another nightmare he had never lived through, a pure nightmare.
A dark shadow that brought destruction and death bent before him and wept, while the blade meant to judge that shadow rested in his hand against its neck.
With just a little force, he could kill the shadow completely and save the city and its people from destruction. Yet he did nothing. Emotion and reason clashed as he wrestled with himself.
Pink and white shadows circled endlessly around him. The demon urged him to pass judgment and save humanity, while the angel persuaded him to lay down the blade and follow his heart.
And in the end, the hand holding the blade swung high...
Kaino jolted awake, cold sweat soaking his clothes.
The dream did not gradually fade after he awoke. On the contrary, the dark shadow kneeling and crying had taken root in his mind.
Kaino patted his head and forced out a bitter smile.
Though it had left a deep impression, the dream was simply too chaotic and illogical, like the random thoughts of a muddled mind.
"Now that I know Kiana is safe, I'm starting to have weird dreams... And the logic in this dream was terrible."
He could not make out the dark shadow clearly, but the death and destruction it brought were real. Under those circumstances, would he really hesitate instead of acting?
How could that be possible?
It was not Kiana.
"Still, what was the ending? Even my dreams can't finish properly."
Kaino was still bothered by the dream's ending.
After he raised the blade in the dream, did he strike it down, kill himself, or slaughter the two shadows beside him that would not stop chattering?
No, the last possibility was probably impossible.
...Wait, hadn't a Honkai Beast been walking toward him before he fainted?
Startled, Kaino hurriedly raised his head and warily scanned his surroundings.
Then he froze.
The blue Honkai Beast stood motionless in the distance, looking as though it were dead.
A pair of twin sisters, one dressed in blue and the other in red, were gathered together, closely examining his Judgement of Shamash floating in the air. They seemed not to have noticed that he had awakened.
Had they dealt with that Honkai Beast for him?
Kaino frowned, then relaxed.
Since they had killed the Honkai Beast that threatened his safety and had done nothing to him, they probably did not mean him harm, right?
With little Honkai energy left in his body, Kaino was willing to trust the character of strangers.
So after a brief hesitation, Kaino decided to greet them.
"Hello?"
"Eek!"
The blue-clad girl startled at Kaino's voice. Her hand touched the Greatsword of Heavenly Fire, and she took a step back before falling to the ground.
"Hey, Seele, are you okay?"
The red-eyed girl, like an older sister worried about her younger sister, shot Kaino a fierce glare before circling around the blue-clad girl named Seele.
Before you continue