Fusion Warriors, Kevin Kaslana

Kevin stepped into the room. Looking at Mei's expression and Su Qing'an's eyes, which were gradually turning red, he smiled faintly and said softly:

"Teacher, Mei, let's begin the experiment."

In a silent response, the Soul Steel plates beneath their feet sank to the depths of the underground on their own.

The stark white lights came on, and the vast laboratory that came into view had, thanks to Prometheus's preparations, completed all the preliminary work.

The Emperor-class genes extracted from Parvati's body underwent dozens of screening and cooling processes a week ago, and were finally placed in a three-person-high cultivation chamber, awaiting the official start of today's experiment.

Dangerous Emperor-class genes, tinged with a pale azure, mingled with the clear water. As Honkai Energy pulsed unconsciously, ice marks were born, flowing rampantly through the corners of the cultivation chamber, constantly appearing and disappearing...

Dozens of crimson feathers drifted down, but these were merely illusions Udu-dust not only served as an extension of the [Stigmata], but also did not affect the progress of the experiment.

This illusion, far removed from the material world, is best suited as a medium for the use of [Stigmata]. Furthermore, due to the special abilities of [Stigmata], the power of [Creation] can be directly released through Udu-dust, allowing it to play a role at crucial moments with almost zero intervals.

Under their watchful eyes, Kevin Kaslana was reduced to a solid ice floe in the cultivation chamber filled with drifting ice. The process was so gradual and desperate that, had it not been for the power of [Creation] as a guarantee, the initial preparation process alone would have been a life-or-death situation.

The initial thawing process took a full ten minutes. This stage was designed as a transplantation method specifically for the characteristics of the Parvati gene, but due to the current immaturity of the technology, it still appeared crude and of poor quality.

The subjects must endure the brutal erosion of their genes during the experiment, yet they must survive this stage; otherwise, the transplant will directly fail.

This is the real reason why sufficient Honkai Energy literacy is required to participate in the Fusion Warrior experiments. As the technology matures, these requirements may be lowered, but the threshold for Honkai Energy literacy will remain at a level that will deter most humans.

Kevin's limbs and bones almost truly fell into a state of functional paralysis and death as the temperature gradually changed. His extremely strong Honkai Energy allowed him to survive, but the pain that was like being scraped by a knife, raging through every part of his flesh and even penetrating into every cell, was an unparalleled torment.

Mei adjusted her glasses, which eased her tension.

"The experiment went smoothly. Kevin's Honkai Energy proficiency is currently at the level where accidents are least likely to occur."

Su Qing'an could clearly sense the extent to which the genes, in the form of Honkai Energy, had seeped into his body through those feathers. He sighed:

"Apart from him, even Hua's qualifications don't have a high probability of passing the initial screening."

Mei, watching Kevin's vital signs stabilize, said softly:

"This is also related to gene compatibility. Fu Hua's compatibility with the current Emperor-class genes in the gene pool is not high, and they all have a 50% risk of gene collapse."

"Are you planning to make her a Fusion Warrior?"

Su Qing'an found it difficult to answer this question. Becoming Fusion Warrior meant that, regardless of victory or defeat, she would bear a curse that was almost eternal. Suppose that in the previous timeline, she had no choice but to take that path.

But having his own world, he hopes that these things will allow him to have the right to autonomy.

The boy wouldn't personally interfere with Fu Hua's personal choices, but the Honkai Consciousness's repeated actions gradually made him realize... if Fu Hua also became Herrscher, he still wouldn't be able to change the tragedy of her soul being crushed by the Honkai Consciousness.

According to the original timeline, this is a future that does not exist, but the Previous Civilization that exists is not lacking in the elements and external factors that can influence future changes.

Satou Yunona became Herrscher.

Seele Fulei became Herrscher.

Su Qing'an didn't know if this was the original timeline, but he understood that after half of the Herrscher of Death's power was thus carried by his soul, he would inevitably attract the true attention of the Honkai Consciousness.

The reason is simple: He couldn't take it back, which is completely different from the normal death of Herrscher, and also completely different from the Divine Key using the core itself to control power.

The plundering of power means that a certain rule of this world or some important substance has been taken over by the boy.

There are too many other timelines to discuss here, but at least even if the current Previous Civilization is destroyed, if Su Qing'an is still alive when the next civilization is born, then the Herrscher of Death in the next civilization will only have half of the power.

This is both ridiculous and terrifying.

Therefore, Su Qing'an concluded that even if the Honkai Consciousness originally didn't care about its own existence, it would now inevitably make killing itself its top priority, second only to destroying civilization.

In this situation, being unable to engage in normal combat is undeniably a terrible predicament.

But more than his own ordeal and danger, he was concerned that the Honkai Consciousness would continue to focus its attention on those around him.

Instead of praying for the other person's choices and mercy, it's better to find ways to avoid it at its root.

This allows us to use past timelines as a reference point, as there seems to be no precedent in historical documents for Fusion Warrior becoming Herrscher.

The most elite Fusion Warrior are all individuals with exceptional Honkai Energy abilities.

Based on the current information, these undoubtedly meet the criteria for the Honkai Consciousness to select Herrscher entities. From the perspective of destroying civilization and even conducting the selection process, making them Herrscher, causing internal divisions and conflicts, and reducing combat power is indeed a very good choice.

But He didn't do that. Was it out of mercy? Was it because He didn't want to? Was it out of kindness? Was it because He couldn't think of that method?

Su Qing'an thought that perhaps it could be viewed as a purely game worldview, and even if that was the case, it wouldn't matter.

But we live in a world that is all too real, and to make such a judgment in such an arbitrary way is irresponsible to those we cherish.

Therefore, he believed that the Honkai Consciousness did not lack the will to do so, but rather that the strongest Fusion Warrior must possess a key element that prevented it from doing so.

That's why teenagers today have these kinds of dilemmas.

Ultimately, it's quite clear whether Fu Hua's own wishes or the risk of repeating the tragedy and dying is more important.

Even if it's an imposed good intention, a selfish act, or a false concern, Su Qing'an still intends to put it into practice. The right Honkai Beast genes, as well as the initial experimental data and results, are all key factors influencing this decision.

"Perhaps, but we'll have to wait for the results of this experiment."

The experiment progressed slowly, and the fusion and erosion of genes formed a long tug-of-war without anyone noticing. Kevin's consciousness, which had originally entered a coma, was also forced to recover at this stage. The chemical reaction that occurred between the extremely strong Honkai Energy and the genes of the Emperor-class Honkai Beast under the coordination of the predetermined formula led to an unknown path.

This caused violent fluctuations in Honkai Energy in the outside world. The amount of Soul Steel obtained was almost insufficient to withstand the large amount of Honkai Energy transmitted in the form of extreme cold. The surface of the incubation chamber became full of cracks after three minutes, and it barely maintained its original shape only by relying on the adhesive properties of the ice layer.

Cold, eerie frost climbed like vines in the nearby corners, growing slowly toward the outside world at a visible rate, like a frenzied swarm of snakes hissing at the outside.

Mei had her reasons for not taking adequate protective measures. The crimson feathers, under the boy's control, drifted and fell, continuously absorbing all the phenomena caused by the Honkai Energy.

Su Qing'an continued to observe the incubation chamber that was generating these fluctuations, while Mei focused intently on observing Kevin's changing physical data.

For Kevin himself, it was as if everything that belonged to him was buried in the permafrost, and the passage of time seemed too long in the torment of his consciousness, with each passing second feeling like a long night.

In a world utterly silent, the ever-burning daylight occasionally lets in the aurora borealis, and the rage and frenzy that ravage the senses and soul find a brief respite in the deathly cold.

Between the ice layers inside the incubation chamber, Kevin's limbs gradually formed a keratinous shell, and the veins on his exposed skin became bulging, turning from a pale blue to a chilling pale blue.

His cold, handsome face, even his jaw and neck, began to take on a terrifying, demonic shape. Part of his flesh and blood began to spread and transform into silicon-based life, which meant that the experiment of Fusion Gene was slowly unfolding.

However, the consequences of forced fusion that violates the laws of human genes are extremely serious. While some flesh and blood successfully transform, other flesh and blood explode as a result, unable to adapt.

The solid ice's seal and adherence meant that, visually, this depiction was limited to the gaps in the ice being stained a glaring crimson, while copious amounts of blood flowed down the melting ice into the bottom of the cultivation chamber and the nearby ground, slowly meandering into the artwork...

Kevin regained full consciousness and opened his eyes in a daze. The whites of his eyes were covered and swallowed by darkness, with only his irises retaining their original azure color.

The man's expression began to twist uncontrollably due to the abnormality of his genes and soul. He swallowed the groans that should have been there, as if he were chewing and crushing something. But then his spine suddenly ripped open his flesh and body tissue from the inside, tearing open his skin. The unnatural growth caused his thoughts to freeze in an instant.

Kevin's hand, now transformed into an alien object, easily pierced through the solid ice layer and the outer surface of the incubation chamber. However, before the crimson feathers could react, his unwavering will brought his reason back, causing him to withdraw his hand.

The humanoid monsters inside the breeding chamber silently suppressed all their bestial instincts, swallowing all their frenzy into a vortex of will.

He slowly and forcefully clutched his head, burying his inhuman hands in his wet, white hair. He then forced himself to curl up, kneeling on the ground in the now-broken incubation chamber, enduring the pain alone.

Kevin Kaslana, no matter what... refused to admit defeat.

Su Qing'an frowned slightly. He sensed the other person's physical condition through the feathers and couldn't help but say:

Do I need to intervene?

Mei whispered:

"This is the process of integration, Mr. Su."

"Unless the data fluctuations reach their limit, your soul abilities and powers cannot interfere; otherwise, it will only make the fusion process take longer and cause the gene chain to collapse completely."

As she watched the data constantly changing on the screen, her heart pounded in rhythm. Everything was still within the expected range. Apart from the problems she had anticipated, the experiment had not encountered any major implementation errors or unexpected events, which in itself was the best possible outcome.

With Kevin's Honkai Energy proficiency, coupled with [Stigmata] and [Creation], the probability of death has been reduced to the lowest possible level, while the possibility of success has been greatly increased to the limit.

Initially, Mei never expected that the experiment would have such generous insurance coverage.

The initial experiments of the Fusion Warrior Project, no matter how many times they were calculated, were a gamble where the benefits did not outweigh the risks until a real success story emerged.

In reality, apart from Kevin, the other candidates were essentially playing a game of probability.

A seemingly high success rate of 30% doesn't guarantee that 30 out of 100 players will survive in this fun game.

Su Qing'an glanced at the data slowly dropping to the zero point and asked:

"Is it true that simply choosing the cells that created Kevin's original cells can affect the success of the experiment?"

Mei suppressed her inner tension, gazing at the other person's ghostly appearance with sorrow in her eyes.

She nodded in response:

"Well, all this power can do is give Kevin and Parvati more time to gel, but he still has to get through it on his own; no outsiders can offer any further assistance."

The girl took a deep breath and whispered:

"But that's enough. I'll have to trouble you with the rest, Mr. Su."

Su Qing'an could not only sense the intense Honkai Energy that had permeated almost every cell of Kevin, but he could also understand that a more fundamental change was emerging from it. He responded earnestly:

"I will."

As the ice was shattered, the feathers that fell into the pool of blood floated and swayed onto the white-haired warrior's skin. A large amount of excess and unnecessary Honkai Energy was thus absorbed, and at the same time, the boy truly began to leverage power.

Butterflies rise and fall on both sides of the scale, while Abyss Flower grow serenely within the Soul Hall.

The mechanism rooted in the soul leverages [creation], and the greater the power delivered through this fulcrum, the more magnificent the strength and precision of the authority become.

If we assume that the mechanism by which Herrscher wield their powers is essentially the same, then we can understand why the limits exhibited by powers that are clearly sufficient to instantly annihilate the surface have always remained so.

Even with the Herrscher Core as a medium, the Herrscher's own soul would likely feel immense pressure while wielding power.

As a result, Su Qing'an actually had some insights of his own regarding the other elements of the Herrscher's body that the Honkai Consciousness used to filter.

While it's still unclear whether the specific ecosystem of Herrscher and powers is truly like this, it's certainly an interesting perspective as a possible conjecture.

If this is true, the connection between the Herrscher and their powers is roughly that of a borrower and lender, gratuitous and without time limit, with everything essentially paid for by the Herrscher Core.

Su Qing'an's use of soul-containing power is at a higher level in terms of the essence of the link, which is also what the Honkai Consciousness is concerned about. However, due to the lack of the Herrscher Core, it cannot use it at will, and the direct containment of power has even led to the current phenomenon of a sharp reduction in the Soul Essence.

The Honkai Energy contained within the [Stigmata] and Udu-dust was output in large quantities, which in turn caused Kevin's injuries to be continuously repaired and restored. Parvati's genes also returned to their original activity under the same power, and this tug-of-war that should have ended returned to its original starting point.

Su Qing'an sensed the Honkai Energy that had mostly dissipated within the [Stigmata], glanced at the values displayed on the panel, and silently stared at the incubation chamber, saying nothing.

[Soul Essence: 61.14 (83.71)]

[Honkai Energy Resistance: Immunity]

Seele Fulei's death not only brought her Honkai Energy immunity and half of her powers, but also raised the level of her Soul Essence due to the pain and distortion caused by this. Perhaps the data from this upgrade can show just how profound this blow was.

An hour later, the boy murmured:

"He is constantly exhibiting bodily structures and mutations that Parvati himself does not possess. Is this a sign of genetic collapse, or does it represent an acceleration in the fusion process?"

In this situation, Mei actually needed someone to talk to to ease her inner emotions, she explained:

"Both exist, and at this stage, Fusion Warrior can only gradually move towards success by grappling with these two aspects."

"In my vision, a truly perfect product requires compressing the processes of adapting to suitable Honkai Beast genes, activation, fusion, etc., into an extremely short period of time, rapidly perfecting, modifying, and sublimating it."

"This will not only greatly improve efficiency and safety, but also significantly alleviate the mental stress on soldiers."

Su Qing'an sensed Kevin beginning to stabilize, gradually restoring the abnormal state back to normal human form, and breathed a sigh of relief. He continued:

"For your idea to come to fruition, a large number of gene sequences need to be injected at once; otherwise, the efficiency and screening capabilities will not be up to par. Given the current expression of the Parvati, it will likely take some time before we reach that stage."

Mei watched nervously as the figure transformed from monster back into human form amidst the swaying, cold mist within the incubation chamber, and whispered:

"It won't be long."

Su Qing'an handed her a feather, gazing at the silent figure inside the cultivation chamber whose surface had frozen into ice, and said:

"Before that, give him a hug; he's already worked so hard."

The girl pursed her lips, her eyes lowered, and without hesitation or shyness, she accepted the feather, thanking him softly as she walked towards the person.

Su Qing'an glanced at the two embracing, then focused her attention back on the ever-blooming Abyss Flower, staring blankly, speechless...