You wanted healing, but you wrote Honkai Impact 3rd?

[Seed Project] [Ark Project] [Constant Sand Project] and so on.

And... the [Stigmata Project] executed by Kevin himself.

The [Stigmata Project] was a plan formulated by the Moth of the Fire and executed by the World Serpent, designed to reconstruct civilization under the Honkai and ensure its survival in that environment.

But this plan was rather extreme.

It wasn't exactly identical to the Human Complementation Project, but it was close enough.

It really couldn't be considered an excellent plan. Even Kevin, the executor, wasn't keen on carrying it out this way.

The Stigmata Project undoubtedly negated everything Elysia had sacrificed for.

The Stigmata Project could only be regarded as humanity's final trump card.

If a vivid metaphor were needed, the Stigmata Project was like sentencing humanity to life imprisonment, while the arrival of the Herrscher of the End was like execution or death by a thousand cuts.

The Stigmata Project was a thoroughly rotten plan. But relatively speaking, compared to the End's arrival offering no path to survival, perhaps the Stigmata Project was slightly better.

Countless people of the Previous Civilization opposed the Stigmata Project, yet no one proposed a better alternative.

It wasn't that Kevin insisted on executing the Stigmata Project; it was that he had only the Stigmata Project as his choice.

Even when Su realized something was wrong, he only asked Kevin to postpone the Stigmata Project, not abandon it.

Only when there was truly no other option could this plan be implemented.

And the Stigmata Project—it drew inspiration from the dreams created by the Eighth Herrscher, trapping humanity within a dream.

But precisely because the method was extreme, Kevin—this hero inherited from a bygone era, this Icarus who guided later generations, the greatest safety net for the current civilization's humanity—

became a charismatic "villain" in a civilization brimming with hope, friendship, and love.

The Stigmata Project was the Moth of the Fire's final plan, and it would only ever be the worst plan. Humanity would pay a tremendous price for it, but as the last safeguard to help civilization escape its destined fate, it had to exist.

If this plan were implemented and succeeded, Kevin, having overcome the Honkai as a human, would also, as a sinner, bear the ideal of "saving the world" one last time.

Su Nian thought of those plot points, and her spirits lifted.

No, why was she getting more excited the more she thought about the plot?

Su Nian's eating speed increased, returning to the pace she hadn't had since high school.

She had to write down this plot immediately.

This plot shouldn't really be brought up here, after all, its execution would be in the next civilization.

But Su Nian would write it down now, just as a memo.

Su Nian opened another separate section, setting aside the character cards of the Flame-Chasers for now.

[Setting: Stigmata Project]

[The Eighth Herrscher could use its authority to drag everyone into a dreamscape, which also gave the Moth of the Fire inspiration.]

[The Stigmata was thus born. In essence, it was a database recording vast amounts of genetic information, but the Stigmata could roughly be considered an "organ."]

[Its manifestation was special markings appearing on the body.]

[Those who possessed a Stigmata gained the power to control Honkai and resist it.]

[In the initial experiments, genetic modification was used to allow humans of this era to possess Stigmata, but only a very few had the chance to awaken them. Those who couldn't control the power would turn into zombies. It sacrificed the lives of countless ordinary people to screen for individuals capable of adapting to Honkai Energy.]

[The manifested Stigmata would replace humanity, and humans would dissolve into dreams, merging with the Stigmata space of the past.]

[Abandoning humanity cursed by the Herrschers, redefining civilization in another way. Through transcription, humans would vanish from reality, sinking into dreams, while the original ideal form of the Stigmata would become a new species to pioneer civilization in their place.]

[The Stigmata Project would use [Dream Capture] as its method. Those unable to awaken Stigmata would be connected to the Imaginary Space, where human dreams would merge into one, ultimately becoming a colossal creation that surpassed [The End], yet unable to think or reproduce—Adanruani (the Spiritual Adam).]

[Meanwhile, the physical bodies of humans in reality would transform into Stigmata, achieving coexistence with Honkai Energy, immortal and indestructible.]

[At the cost of abandoning humanity's form of existence, ensuring the integrity and continuation of civilization.]

This plan negated the meaning of humanity while granting meaning to civilization.

This plan, born of necessity and appearing somewhat cold-blooded, always had its first and only goal: to preserve civilization.

This obsessive plan had few supporters.

If one were to speak of "correctness," then borrowing a phrase, it should be: give civilization to time, not time to civilization.

What should be emphasized is the content of civilization, not how long civilization can survive.

Compared to grand propositions like the survival of civilization or the continuation of humanity, what should be considered more is the liberation of human nature and the realization of human free will.

Human civilization and the liberation of human nature brought forth glorious years. What humanity seeks to continue is the glorious years they created themselves, not silent, oppressive years. Yet now, to extend the lifespan of human civilization, they would discard that glory...

"No matter the cost, humanity will definitely overcome the Honkai." This statement indeed expressed the determination to resist the Honkai.

But it was also truly obsessive.

Su Nian finished inserting the Stigmata Project's setting here for now.

It was a bit abrupt, but necessary for the later plot, and also the core of the conflict between Kevin and the current civilization.

Book recommendation.

As a Master who had crossed over, Ian wasn't all that familiar with Chaldea.

But that didn't matter—he had a special ability other Masters lacked: the simulator.

This allowed him to leave his own footprints in history.

—Though it wasn't exactly normal.

[You became the husband of the Demon Consort, yet simultaneously cheated on her with the Holy Knight King, who was disguised as a man. Britain was thrown into chaos because of you.]

[You subdued Tamamo no Mae and, as her master, made Minamoto no Raikō witness what it meant to physically subdue demons. The monsters of the Heian Period all gave you a wide berth.]

[You left Medusa utterly lovestruck. All of Greece echoed with her declaration that she would remove her blindfold the moment she reunited with you.]

[You were Joan of Arc's soulmate. Only you knew how to make this normally reserved Saint achieve liberation and relaxation in every sense of the word.]

Ian had to admit, this simulator that understood people's hearts was perfectly suited for him.

It solved all problems in his favorite way.

Everything was fine.

Until the day they came to him as Servants.

That was when Ian realized he had racked up quite a few romantic debts.

Chapter 21, The Ship Ghoul's Smile

This sudden new setting left the audience completely baffled again.

One second Su Nian was eating, the next she was dashing to the computer and typing out this passage.

Was eating really how Su Nian replenished her inspiration?

Was the gap between a genius's behavior and a normal person's really that big?

That was great!

[We've discovered a typing machine with extremely high energy conversion efficiency. Hand it over to the nation!]

[This setting has me completely dizzy, but which villain came up with this plan? Earlier they mentioned the corruption among the Candle Moth's higher-ups. Is a fight about to break out?]

[Is the pit-digging king finally going to cash in on the foreshadowing he buried?]

[Even the production team's donkey has been laid off by you. Did the show's crew put caffeine in your rice?]

[No, I think he's digging another pit.]

Although the judging panel wasn't present, there were some experienced veteran readers and industry insiders among the audience. Their analysis wasn't professional, but they could vaguely pick up on some clues.

Clearly, a plan that looked this villainous in the audience's eyes couldn't have been proposed by anyone good.

Mei had arrived at this plan through absolute rational thinking.

There wasn't a trace of humanity in it.

Seeing this speculation, everyone perked up. They all knew that human nature was prone to infighting.

Eliminating the rot within the Moth of the Fire—at least that way, Savior Kevin wouldn't end up being cast aside once he was no longer useful, and he probably wouldn't become the dragon slayer who turned into a dragon.

In some fantasy settings, the story after the hero killed the demon lord had been adapted into various versions.

It was just a pity they still didn't know how many pits Su Nian had dug.

Mei had already anticipated this. That was why, after being assassinated by Sakura, she began to consciously organize her people and increase her influence within the Moth of the Fire.

From the pit Su Nian had dug earlier, Mei and Sakura had reached a cooperation, but it was actually a one-sided hostage situation—using the sister to control the siscon.

Sakura's sister, Ling, was the only person she cared about. After that incident, Sakura rebuilt the Poisoned Cocoon unit to eliminate people within the Moth of the Fire for Mei.

Now, it couldn't be said that the Moth of the Fire was dominated by a single faction.

It was more like, with Mei around, Kevin had no worries at all.

So they felt that the traditional saying about "the hounds being killed once the hares are caught" was incorrect—at least, it couldn't happen with Kevin.

[Mei invited Su to join the research on the Stigmata Project.]

The Stigmata Project only had this one line of screentime in this civilization.

Another unexpected point emerged.

Both names had indeed appeared before, so why did they suddenly seem so unfamiliar now?

[Who? Who did you say?]

[The researchers of this plan are Kevin's girlfriend and his best friend???]

[Where's the villain? Oh, the villain is the protagonist's close associate?]

The researchers of the plan—this was something no one had anticipated.

It was like Garen building Last Whisper: silent and armor-shredding.

This move caught everyone off guard and left them deeply confused.

Wasn't the plot direction a bit off?

Was it really reasonable for this kind of plot to involve the people closest to the savior?

["I knew the female lead was definitely going to get the knife—here come the conflicts now."]

["I know you're anxious, but hold your horses. This is just a plan."]

["Ah, if you look at it purely rationally, it's not a bad way out, is it?"]

["Humanity has its limits, so I'm done being human, Kevin!"]

Su Nian calmly continued writing. Aside from the Stigmata Project, other things had clearly happened as well.

Elysia persuaded Chijie to join the Moth of the Fire, and Einstein developed the Armed Dolls.

These two events weren't directly related to Kevin.

What followed was the Ninth Honkai.

The devastation brought by this Honkai was even harder to accept.

It destroyed the Mu Continent and its continental framework, sealing humanity's defeat.

The Moth of the Fire paid a heavy price to kill it.

By design, the Herrscher of Flames had the strongest destructive power, but the feat of burning Australia in a week paled slightly in comparison to the Ninth Herrscher, who upon birth used a pseudo-black hole to swallow and destroy the Mu Continent.

It was still a loss from being born too early.

If the order of appearance had been swapped, the price paid might have been more than just Australia.

This might also be one of the reasons the Previous Civilization wanted to control the order in which the next civilization's Herrschers were born.

The Ninth Honkai also caused one more thing—something concerning Kevin and Cosmo.

Mark died in that battle, and Cosmo went out of control due to Over-mutation and left.

Mark's death became a thorn between the two, and Cosmo never returned to Kevin's command.