Infinite's Insignia

Ascension Scene.

Raiden Mei already knew that [[Ashes]] possessed the qualifications to rival beings from another dimension, but her imagination, still confined to common sense, failed to immediately connect it to the level Kevin mentioned.

She murmured:

"All the [[Ashes]] of parallel worlds have disappeared?"

What does this mean?

Seemingly eager to end the conversation quickly, the man was more cooperative than usual, responding directly:

"Literal meaning."

"Based on the traits exhibited by Fuxi afterward, SU concluded that his teacher at that time had entered some indescribable path, and all the other versions of him in parallel worlds were traced back to non-existence. Thus, he broke free from the constraints and records of the unseen world and became the unique and irreplaceable individual between the tree and the sea."

"However, given the circumstances at the time, even without seeing the images reflected in the Thousand Chariots Realm, it's understandable that those were no longer normal lives."

Kevin recalled the absurd scenes within the [Divine Kingdom] at that time, and fell into a frozen silence.

Or perhaps, it never was before that.

Upon hearing this, Raiden Mei couldn't help but think of that person's final fate.

The stakes placed on the scales of [[Ashes]], besides one's own personality and future, also include the path to dimensional ascension that Mobius had always dreamed of.

On that day, the Karma and root [Ashes] of countless parallel worlds were gathered together, seemingly becoming one, but this only resulted in more burning chips.

In the end, that person killed not only themselves as an individual, but also the records and traces on the Karma and timeline.

How grand, and how tragic.

A long time.

She broke the silence and said softly:

Even so, he still lost.

Kevin casually repeated what the other person had said before:

"Power never needs any explanation."

"Fuxi exists between the Imaginary Tree and the Sea of Quantum. He had the opportunity to complete both paths of dimensional ascension at once, but if he had chosen to remain dormant at that time, the spark of civilization would have been extinguished."

"We respect [[Ashes]'s ] choice."

"But if... we could let the teacher finish that journey, perhaps the ending and the future would be different."

Raiden Mei was speechless.

Kevin rarely shows such a nostalgic side; he is a man who has frozen everything within his body, extracting only a ember for martyrdom, and thus, holding a detached yet burning obsession, he has moved forward alone to this day, carrying everything on his shoulders.

But only when [[Ashes]] are mentioned does the shell of all the accumulated impressions suddenly crack, revealing a natural looseness and a sense of remembrance, like a White Tower turning into quicksand and flowing into a clear ocean, making the original views and impressions turbid.

She could tell that the other person hadn't become less resolute or wavered because of this.

Feeling uneasy?

Given Raiden Mei's limited experience, it's indeed difficult for her to understand Kevin's thoughts and ideas.

But the girl had no time to dwell on such details; she simply set aside her anxieties and asked directly:

"You mean, before [[Ashes]] had fully completed the experiment, Fuxi had already awakened and arrived in the main city of Australia, and joined the battle between you and the Herrscher of Binding?"

Kevin responded:

"That's why he would put Fuxi to sleep in that way."

"Otherwise, the outcome wouldn't have been so tragic."

Raiden Mei digested the information she had gleaned from the other party. Since having a heart-to-heart talk with the Flame-Chasers was extremely difficult, she gradually realized that some things could actually be gleaned from the first two Flame-Chasers, but they had not been mentioned.

And now, perhaps it is true that he only gained his own perspective on [[Ashes]] from the other party, pulled out the origin clues that led to that person's connection with Mobius, and some details of that battle.

Ultimately, however, the mysteries and veils surrounding [[Ashes]] have not been completely unveiled.

Before joining the Moth to Fire, Eden was a singer; Kevin, SU, and Hua were all ordinary students at the academy; and before joining the Moth to Fire, Sakura was an assassin who walked the line of the underworld.

Before the Honkai, Mobius was a renowned doctor on the Mu Continent; the past of Chrono-Chaos and other Flame-Chasers gleaned fragmented information from their conversations.

But only [[Ashes]].

Aside from his connection with Hua and the incident that erupted in Canghai City, this person's past seems to be a blank slate.

In a sense, among the Sea of Quanta, only Elysia might be able to rival her in terms of mystery.

But Elysia also clearly showed extreme curiosity and gossip about [[Ashes]], which can only mean that even this woman knew nothing about it.

Raiden Mei has a premonition that this is her only chance to learn about [[Ashes]]'s past.

Based on past information, [[Ashes]]'s contact with Mobius was close to his death. At that time, the two probably didn't have the leisure to exchange past information. Considering their personalities, the information he could get from Mobius might be useful, but it would be difficult to delve into the other's past.

After considering her words, she asked:

"Kevin, as far as I know, [[Ashes]] is a man without a past."

"For those in power and those in charge of various factions, it is difficult to choose to trust someone of unknown origin who possesses extremely strong power."

"This is the core reason why the Moth to Fire made that decision back then, and why Dr. Mei even controlled the subsequent handover of the other party."

Kevin said calmly:

"Besides Mei and Hua, no one knows the teacher's true background."

"But he is indeed not a person of our era, and he himself does not shy away from this fact. You can regard him as coming from an almost parallel other world, or you can regard him as a wanderer in the Sea of Quantum."

"Based on what the teacher revealed and the information he provided, it wouldn't be surprising if he came from the past or the future."

Raiden Mei absorbed the information in those few words, she suddenly understood why Kevin had said those things that didn't seem like something he would say.

He had something important taken from him by the people of this world, and suffered greatly because of it.

Despite having saved countless lives, he still suffers from malicious manipulation and pointless suspicion.

For [[Ashes]], this world, which never truly belonged to him, was clearly not worthy of redemption.

Yet that person continued to fight for that civilization, even sacrificing their remaining lifespan at the cost of burning away the Artificial Stigmata, and finally... choosing to preserve the Sparks of Civilization in that way.

But both Kevin and Raiden Mei now understand that the [[Ashes]] who possessed his own independent timeline and could gather all Karma into a single entity was fully capable of taking the people he cared about away from this Leaf World.

That person could have left without any worries.

From then on, even if they encountered Honkai in other worlds, they would be invincible and free from worry.

But [[Ashes]] are not there.

Therefore, for those who survived that battle, his sacrifice will always be more unforgettable, like a tombstone that stands eternally in their hearts.

The young woman composed herself, looked at the man who had already picked up his bowl and chopsticks, and said softly:

"Although the answers were vague and ambiguous, I could definitely sense your cooperation this time."

Thank you.

Kevin remained silent upon hearing this, simply continuing to eat his noodles with a blank expression, clearly indicating that he had lost interest in further conversation and was signaling that Kevin was to leave.

The girl, who had been suppressing her fatigue and drowsiness, finally relaxed. She had already extracted most of the valuable information she could from the conversation, so for the sake of both parties' wishes and compatibility, this dialogue should end here.

She glanced at the lounge, having no interest in remaining in the same room with this ice-cold person, and chose to walk out the door to another area where she could rest.

Raiden Mei wasn't worried about not having a place to rest alone, as private rest rooms were not uncommon in this area due to the unique personalities of the Flame-Chasers.

She entered a simple room with a large bed and no personal belongings, and let her body lie down on it, allowing her battle-hardened consciousness to slowly sink into Lightless sea, falling into a long slumber.

Kiana...

Perhaps due to extreme fatigue, the scenery in my dream was bizarre and fragmented.

A white-haired girl dances silently in front of a Nordic church.

Her figure was supple and her movements elegant. The process of her dance, from beginning to end, was pleasing to the eye and captivating. Her slender waist was even more dazzling. The hem of her deep red dress swayed in the wind. Her clear eyes held the blue sky and white clouds. Her slightly upturned lips held a gentle smile. A flock of white doves landed on the painting with her.

Withered yellow leaves, stained glass.

Flowers, the sun, and a gradually drizzling rain.

But as the view gradually blurred, the black ink dripped down, staining the pure painting. A dark emotion spread from the bottom of my heart, kneading my heart in the center of a deep-sea whirlpool, like a tightly wound spring, stirring something extremely surging, pushing it to its peak.

Raiden Mei could only sense a tremor in her core located in her chest cavity. Honkai Energy particles, like electric currents, burst forth from every cell of her body. Her slender body remained motionless as if she were used to it, continuing to maintain normal physiological functions.

Her will was thus revived, and her eyes opened naturally. The overlapping rings of color within them deepened, revealing a dangerous glint. The horns on her forehead, resembling those of a demon from Japanese Fusang, grew increasingly blood-red, and her gentle and beautiful face was shrouded in gloom.

... Again, a dream about that person.

The girl glanced at the virtual sunlight outside the window, then focused her gaze on the mechanical watch whose time had been stopped. Relying on her consciousness, which was stimulated periodically by her powers, she judged that approximately six hours had passed.

During this period, which felt like more than half a year, she would have similar dreams almost every time she returned to the Golden Courtyard to sleep, exhausted.

It started out beautifully, but later it all fell apart.

It seemed as if an ominous future was foreshadowed.

Raiden Mei was able to rationally judge that this was a fear hidden in her heart. She was willing to become Herrscher and part ways with him, join World Serpent, and even enter the Sea of Quanta before, all in order to take on more of the weight of this world in place of that person.

But now, the path and future that I so deeply yearn for have suddenly become separated by a dividing line of time.

She seemed to have been abandoned in the past along with these Flame-Chasers who mostly existed only in the past, and thus sealed away in this former Elysian Realm, no longer qualified to help them overcome the difficulties ahead.

Anxiety, unease, loneliness, anger...

The girl had to suppress her extremely complex emotions and maintain a calm demeanor as she searched for a way out. She was well aware of Kevin's question: even if she found the [[Ashes]], she might not be able to escape this Sea of Quanta.

No matter how mysterious and powerful the other party is, what exists here is a memory that no longer moves forward, left in the past and history. Whether it can help me leave this place is a very slim unknown.

Even though Elysia brought up the other person's existence, her purpose... was probably to see that she was in a dangerous state where her mental state was about to break down, so she brought up an existence that seemed to be able to break the current rules, to give her some distraction, and to delay the possibility of mental instability and loss of control.

Because of her clear understanding of this matter, Raiden Mei's attitude towards Elysia has softened considerably compared to the past.

Well, at this rate, who knows, in a few months some of that white fluffy thing might turn into Mobius's hair color.

The girl glanced at the Pink Fairy Lady leaning against the doorway, and seeing her radiant smile, her expression slowly returned to calm. She asked:

"What's up?"

Elysia remained indifferent and unconcerned about this person, merely blinking and whispering:

"You're awake? Mei, you seem to have had a good rest; you look much more energetic."

"Hmm~ It's important to balance work and rest. We can't let worries ruin our beautiful smiles during the prime of our youth."

"Of course, Mei, you look great like this, but you'd look even better if you smiled more."

Raiden Mei said quietly:

"Kevin didn't tell me much, neither about [[Ashes]] nor about himself."

After she finished speaking, she prepared to routinely walk through the Golden Courtyard to confirm that Flame-Chasers was not present before entering the corridor of memories to search endlessly for the last target to ask.

Elysia quickly moved closer and said:

"Hey, hey, Mei, don't go yet!"

"If you tell me more about how Kevin eats noodles, I'll secretly give you an [infinite] imprint. That way you can sneak into her residence, which is much faster than searching in the Memory Corridor, right?"

Raiden Mei had to admit that it was a great temptation.

Her body had indeed previously endured the power contained within the [Infinite] imprint, but what happened afterward resulted in the complete severing of the connection, even though the power remained.

This prevented Mobius from simply applying the consciousness transfer technique to herself, but it also prevented her from directly entering the other person's residence.

The key issue is that Mobius is different from the other Flame-Chasers he knows.

Whether it's Sakura or Eden, as long as Raiden Mei approaches the other's residence, she will be naturally accepted into it due to the other's goodwill. However, once Mobius realizes that he has lost a good opportunity to seize the body, he may instead lose interest and ignore his own existence.

If that's really the case...

Then there is indeed a possibility that she will be doing useless work and wasting her time.

Therefore, the item Elysia is trading is indeed quite valuable.

The girl sighed helplessly:

"So, Elysia, why do you have the mark of Mobius on your body?"

Upon hearing this, Elysia's gaze drifted slightly. She could tell that this person wasn't good at lying about trivial matters, and that adorable guilty conscience only made her more likable and approachable.

But then, she said in a serious tone:

"Because we have a good relationship."

Recalling past instances where the two seemed to be subtly sarcastic and confrontational in their conversations, Raiden Mei asked quietly:

"You and Mobius are on good terms?"

Elysia said matter-of-factly:

"Yes, look how cute Mobius, all small and adorable! And I happen to get along really well with cute girls."

"Don't let her harsh words fool you, she actually cares about me a lot."

"Hmm~ To put it simply, she's a tsundere who's not straightforward, so it's understandable that you, Mei, would misunderstand her."

Raiden Mei remained silent for a while, feeling that the other person was talking nonsense.

But delving into this issue at this point is not very meaningful.

So, for the sake of efficiency and the low price of the item in the transaction, she agreed. Immediately, she objectively described the content and scene of the exchange in a short sentence of less than a hundred words, and thus easily obtained the [Infinity] imprint, which seemed to have been deliberately given away for free.

Good woman, bad woman, scumbag woman.

In a sense, she really couldn't tell which category Elysia belonged to.

... Or perhaps it's all of those?

Putting all that aside for now, the important thing is to find Mobius as soon as possible using the pass we have.

This engraving is similar to the [[Floating Life]] he received. Unlike the engraving personally bestowed by Flame-Chasers, which truly carries some combat experience and skills, and even other meanings, it can be considered a second-rate product.

In a game, this would be the difference between a unique item and a rare item.

But that's enough time to leap into the other person's memory corridor, saving most of the time. As for how to get the information I want from them...

Raiden Mei did find this more difficult and troublesome than communicating with Kevin, but it was something she was destined to face.

With this thought in mind, she firmly grasped the [Infinity] imprint and stepped alone into the gate that was churning with waves.