Kosma Joins the Death Space / Socially Humiliated on the Spot

Beat him up!

"Can you stop me?!"

As Kevin's voice fell, a black tide erupted from the rift, obscuring his figure. It spread and writhed through the air like an invisible monster.

In contrast, the energy within the space continuously gathered, flowing toward Kevin's palm and forming an emerald-green gem.

"Is that... the Gem of Desire?" Bronya's eyes widened in disbelief at what had just happened.

Kevin continued as if speaking to himself, "For these fifteen hundred years, Honkai has ravaged the world without end, while I could only immerse myself in memories of the past, powerless to do anything. But now, the time for the serpent's return has come."

"Whether you accept it or not, I will fulfill the duty that should have been mine!"

Immense energy erupted from Kevin, shattering the space around him and making even the Herrscher of Reason's Core tremble.

"Bronya will never let you succeed!"

Bronya gritted her teeth.

She summoned countless Keys of Truth. Azure cannon fire bombarded the surrounding space, tearing the surging Shadows of Quantum to pieces.

Riding her vehicle, Bronya leaped across the tide of darkness and charged straight toward Kevin.

However, reality was cruel.

In almost an instant, before Bronya understood what had happened, the Herrscher of Reason's Core severed its connection with her.

Having lost the Herrscher Core, Bronya fell to the ground. She had not even lasted a single exchange.

"Bronya Zaychik."

Kevin stood before her and said, "You crossed countless World Bubbles and came here bearing an enormous burden. Your body has long since been unable to keep up with your will."

"Don't lay a hand on her!"

While Kevin was speaking to himself, a bespectacled man wearing a scarf appeared behind him.

It was Welt, whom everyone had seen before.

With Welt's appearance, the footage also came to an end.

Elysia: "So that's what having your driver's license revoked means. What a vivid demonstration. Bronya, make sure you drive safely next time."

Pardofelis: "It's my first time seeing someone fierce enough to charge Kevin head-on... uh, Brother Jie excluded."

Even back in Fire Moth, she had never seen anyone so reckless.

That was Kevin, after all—the first of the Flame-Chasers. None of the achievements he left behind in the Previous Era had been exaggerated in the slightest.

Kiana: "I'm more curious about what happened next. Did Welt actually defeat Kevin and save Bronya?"

Hua: "Um, Kiana, I think that guess is a little too bold. From what I know of Kevin, the First Herrscher, Welt, should not be his opponent."

Pardofelis: "Kevin is strong! Kevin is invincible!"

Elysia: "Honestly, how could Kevin be so rough with a girl? And he took her down in one move. He really doesn't know how to leave others any dignity."

Eden: "But Kevin probably would not truly fight Bronya. They are both fighting Honkai. His goal is only to leave the Sea of Quanta."

Kiana: "So Bronya got her driver's license revoked before they even really fought?"

Bronya: "Bronya suspects you are taking a jab at Bronya, but Bronya has no evidence."

Damn it, did they think bullying Bronya was fun?

Especially Kevin—what exactly had happened?

They said the person involved was confused while onlookers saw clearly, but why, now that she was watching her own battle with Kevin from a third-person perspective, could Bronya still not understand how he had defeated her in one strike?

The Herrscher Core had gone offline immediately, and the Herrscher of Reason's powers had been rendered useless. It had not given Bronya any room to perform at all.

The Keys of Truth had bombarded him wildly, yet they had not even scratched his skin.

Theresa: "Ahem, Bronya, don't take it too hard. Your opponent was Kevin, after all. He was a Flame-Chaser from the Previous Era. It's perfectly normal that you couldn't defeat him."

Pardofelis: "That's right. Kevin does not make a move unless necessary, but once he does, he is bound to make a splash."

Bronya: "Bronya understands. Bronya is just unwilling to accept it. Once Bronya becomes stronger, Bronya will definitely reclaim her honor."

Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river. Do not look down on poor Bronya!

Once she painstakingly studied and fully understood the Herrscher of Reason's power, reaching the level of the previous Herrscher of Reason, she would definitely have another chance to exchange a few moves with Kevin.

She refused to believe she could keep losing forever.

Cosmo Joins Death Space

Theresa: "Then work hard, Bronya. When the time comes, we'll cheer for you from the sidelines."

Kiana: "I'll handle the recording and preserve Bronya's glorious moment."

Elysia: "I'll be the mediator. If Kevin really starts fighting and beats Bronya within an inch of her life, I can reason with him and appeal to his emotions to stop him."

Bronya: "Can't you give Bronya a little more confidence?"

Kiana: "Can't beat him, not getting involved, none of my business."

Theresa: "Can't beat him. Judah says it can't beat him."

What a joke.

After Kevin had instantly defeated a Herrscher like that, no one at St. Freya Academy besides Hua could even understand what had happened.

If they really fought, would that not just be like brothers rushing in one after another to save their grandfather?

Judging by that, even ganging up on him might not be enough.

Hua had also been part of Fire Moth. She definitely would not fight Kevin over helping Bronya reclaim her honor.

When the time came, aside from Judah, they would not have any combat power above an S-rank Valkyrie.

How were they supposed to fight? With their heads?

Raiden Mei: "Wait! I have a question. Although Kevin does not seem very likable, isn't he supposed to help us fight Honkai? Why would Bronya and Welt stop him?"

Theresa: "That's right. Hua, do you know?"

Hua: "My memories are still recovering, and I do not have any useful clues in my mind for now. But as long as the Herrscher of Reason is still fighting for humanity, the two of them should not be in conflict."

Pardofelis: "I don't know either. Sister Elysia, you're omnipotent, so you must know something, right?"

Elysia: "Let me think. The most likely reason for a situation like this would be the Stigmata Project."

Hua: "Wait, are you saying Kevin wanted to activate that Stigmata Project that harms the enemy by a thousand while harming itself by eight hundred?"

This was bad!

Hua slapped her forehead. She should have thought of this sooner.

If Kevin truly intended to carry out the Stigmata Project, then not only Welt—even she would be the first to rush over. Even if she had to burn Fenghuang Down, she would give Kevin a Sword Deity strike to knock some sense into him.

Himeko Murata: "So what exactly is the Stigmata Project?"

Elysia: "It infects everyone with Honkai—or rather, distributes all Honkai Energy equally across humanity. This prevents the birth of Herrschers, while also giving humanity the ability to fight Honkai Beasts."

Kiana: "That sounds good. Why is the class monitor so scared?"

Himeko Murata: "Kiana, don't you understand? The essence of this Stigmata Project."

Hua: "Kiana, you are thinking too optimistically. Unlike Schicksal's Artificial Stigmata, the essence of the Stigmata Project is abandoning the majority in order to ensure civilization's continuation. Fewer than one in ten thousand people could survive—perhaps even fewer."

Kiana: "What?! Who came up with such a sinister plan?"

After Hua explained it, Kiana finally understood the cruelty of the so-called Stigmata Project.

It was completely treating humanity as disposable resources.

Especially with a success rate nearly equal to zero, the cost of carrying out the Stigmata Project for humanity was unimaginably cruel.

Elysia: "It is precisely because it is so cruel that it cannot be used unless there is absolutely no other choice."

Eden: "But if Kevin is preparing to carry out the Stigmata Project, then that means..."

Pardofelis: "Sister Eden, don't scare me! If all the other plans failed, then wouldn't Amo and Sister Nia...?"

The Chat Group is expanding... Congratulations, Cosmo has joined Death Space.

Hua: "Pardo, has your mouth been blessed or something?"

Pardofelis: "I'm innocent! I was only saying it casually. Who knew the system would pull something like this?"

Within Dead Space, the vast area that had originally held only three people now gained another visitor.

The ninth Flame-Chaser, Cosmo.

Having just arrived and not yet understanding what was happening, Cosmo saw his former comrades. After thinking for a while, he looked at them, then returned to silence.

Silence... continued silence.

Cosmo: "...The ninth Flame-Chaser, Insignia of Dawn, Cosmo."

Theresa: "Wait, that's it? Couldn't your introduction be a little longer? Like your past achievements, how many King-class Honkai Beasts you killed, and so on."

Raiden Mei: "It seems this newly arrived Flame-Chaser has a rather peculiar personality."

Pardofelis: "No, don't judge Amo by this. He is actually very warmhearted. He is just a little bad at expressing himself. You'll understand once you spend more time with him."

Himeko Murata: "I understand that. He is like the troubled students I used to teach—quiet on the outside, but with plenty going on in their heads."

Cosmo: "..."

Kiana: "There it is again. Can't someone translate for us?"

Riddle-speakers were the hardest to deal with, especially someone they had only just met. They could not guess what he was thinking at all.

Honestly, even what Canned Food wanted to say was easier to guess than Cosmo's thoughts.

Canned Food: "Meow~"

Elysia: "Understanding what Cosmo is saying is easy. Pardo, go!"

Pardofelis: "Got it, Sister Elysia, just watch me! Ahem... What is going on? Elysia, Pardo, Eden... wasn't I already dead?... And there are strange strangers too."

Theresa: "His inner drama is that rich?"

Kiana: "What a strange person. He has so much to say inside, but in the end he only gave an introduction?"

Raiden Mei: "It sounds a little like a psychological issue. I have heard of similar cases before. If needed, I can help arrange an appointment with a doctor."

Elysia: "It is not a psychological issue. Cosmo is simply not good at expressing his inner thoughts, which is why he gives people a sense of distance... Uh, that does sound like a psychological issue, doesn't it?"

But it was not a big problem.

These days, even Kevin, one of the few serious people, had gone off the rails. If you did not have some psychological issues, you would be embarrassed to call yourself one of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers.

Cosmo: "..."

Pardofelis: "A group of strange people, and a strange Chat Group too... Forget it. I'll take things one step at a time... For now, I'll observe quietly."

Raiden Mei: "Pardo, I've been curious since earlier. Why can you understand so much when Cosmo clearly has not said anything?"

Kiana: "Could this be the tacit understanding between Flame-Chasers?"

Hua: "No, I do not think the thirteen of us have such good tacit understanding—unless we are preparing to fight."

Pardofelis: "Haha, you could call it a talent. Plus, Sister Elysia gave me a professional skill book. I understood it after one read."

Raiden Mei: "Elysia, you have a book like that?"

Elysia: "My, my, Mei is such a curious girl? This is a girl's little secret, something to prepare for emergencies."

The emergency Elysia referred to might have meant communication with emergency food.

After all, if Elysia ever lost the ability to speak, she might need emergency food that could fly and understand her meaning to serve as both translator and speaker.

Public Humiliation on the Spot

Elysia: "Cosmo, stop being so silent over there. Everyone here is a friend. You should at least come out and say hello."

Cosmo: "..."

Pardofelis: "Say hello? They are clearly all people of unknown origin... Forget it. I'll continue observing quietly."

Raiden Mei: "Such an unsurprising response. I am Raiden Mei, the Herrscher of Thunder from Fifty Thousand Years later."