Starting as the Behind-the-Scenes Boss in the Honkai World

"As long as you can survive, I'll be content."

Meeting Shi Hen, this boy like a flower, in the final moments of her life, she had no regrets.

"Sister Natasha, do you still remember the limits of Stigmata we discussed?"

Shi Hen asked with a smile.

"At a time like this, you still remember that..."

Raven said with some helplessness.

Even a Stigmata awakened individual couldn't withstand the power of three nuclear bombs, let alone protect so many people.

"Actually, you were all wrong." Shi Hen calmly shook his head, his eyes regaining their white light. "The limit of Stigmata isn't Fusion Warriors, nor anything else, but... me!

The current me is the limit of Stigmata!"

"What do you mean?"

Looking up at the boy, Raven's eyes filled with a glimmer of confusion and hope.

"Since the limit of Stigmata cannot counter nuclear bombs, then I will break this limit." Shi Hen said faintly, a strange spatial fluctuation emanating from him. "You all stay put here, let me go and upgrade first."

As his voice fell, the boy's figure instantly vanished, leaving only a fleeting wormhole in its place, within which a vast, dark expanse resembling a starry sky could be faintly seen.

At this moment, only thirty seconds remained until the three nuclear bombs arrived.

Schicksal Headquarters, Floating Island, Central Intelligence Room.

Looking at the massive Earth projection in the center, Otto, seated in a swivel chair, gently swirled his wine glass, his handsome face filled with leisurely contentment. "Amber, do you think that Welt can survive the impact of four nuclear bombs?"

"Based on current intelligence analysis, no."

Like a robot, Amber replied with a low, respectful bow.

"Yes, theoretically, he can only withstand one at most." Otto took a small sip of his wine. "However, theory is just theory after all."

In this world, there are too many unreasonable existences. Who can guarantee that theoretical matters will always happen as predicted?

Hearing Otto's sigh, Amber lowered his head without replying.

But the Bishop of Schicksal didn't need anyone's agreement, so Otto simply smiled slightly and raised his glass towards the east, "Then, let us wait and see, if you too can create a miracle like the other Welt."

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Path of Tian Yuan

What exactly is the limit of Stigmata?

Walking in this void of nothingness, Shi Hen pondered the answer to this question in his mind.

To answer this question, one must first clarify the essence of Stigmata.

From a scientific perspective, the essence of Stigmata is actually genes.

Due to the legacy of the previous civilization, humans in this era will more or less contain a certain amount of Stigmata genes within their bodies.

However, in most cases, these genes remain dormant and do not express themselves.

As far as Shi Hen knows, there is currently only one method that can effectively promote the expression of Stigmata genes—the Elysian Realm.

When the number of dominant Stigmata genes reaches a certain level and forms a system, Stigmata patterns will be outwardly manifested on the host's body.

In layman's terms, perhaps it could be called a set?

Of course, Stigmata patterns are not the only means to evaluate the degree of Stigmata awakening.

For example, people like Raven, although they don't have Stigmata patterns on their bodies, their Stigmata awakening degree is definitely not low; it's just that those genes cannot form a system.

And the future Raiden Mei, even though she already possesses a complete Stigmata system, can still bear the power of imprints and activate other Stigmata genes.

For the people of this world, the manifestation of Stigmata patterns is merely a stage in the development of Stigmata, far from the endpoint of Stigmata power. In fact, whether Stigmata patterns can manifest is not even important.

But for Shi Hen, the manifestation of Stigmata patterns is the endpoint.

Theoretically, there should be no unactivated Stigmata genes in his body. This is because his Stigmata were directly granted by the system, not inherited from the previous civilization.

Before today, Shi Hen believed he had reached the limit of Stigmata, as he had utilized the Honkai Energy adaptability and control granted by Stigmata to their utmost, even finding ways to enter an overload state of burst.

If even this cannot be called a limit, then what would be the limit?

If only considering Stigmata and the physical body itself, then this path has indeed reached its end and cannot be further advanced.

However, the Honkai World does possess the attribute of Will.

Through the cultivation method of Divine Tone, Fu Hua's lineage can even manipulate the vast energy of a Herrscher-class being with an ordinary human body, reaching a level comparable to gods with mortal flesh.

This is the effect achieved by tempering the Will to its extreme.

Unfortunately, Shi Hen cannot obtain the Divine Tone inheritance in a short period, nor does he desire such shackles with imprinted thoughts.

Therefore, he must find a new path himself, a path distinct from his physical body and distinct from Stigmata genes.

However, having said that, Shi Hen ultimately has to return to Stigmata itself.

In this world, even the evaluation of Stigmata actually has two different standards.

One is led by Schicksal and Anti-Entropy, emphasizing the Honkai Energy adaptability and control granted by Stigmata.

In simple terms, a Stigmata that can fight is a good Stigmata.

And the other one, without a doubt, is World Serpent. They don't pursue how strong the Stigmata itself is, but rather value another characteristic of the Stigmata—allowing humanity to maintain its self even amidst the torrent of imaginary numbers.

Only when they reach this level is it a Stigmata truly recognized by World Serpent.

Just like... Shi Hen at this moment.

Even while in the imaginary space, his mind remained clear, and his body suffered no corruption.

Theoretically, he could even use this to directly touch the Imaginary Tree and obtain divine authority.

However, theory is still just theory.

If he really did that, it would be a one-thousand-percent certain end with his soul scattered, bringing the story to an early GG.

"So, can you show yourself now, Stigmata Will?"

Stopping abruptly, Shi Hen spoke to the void before him.

Swish!

In an instant, this world, originally as empty as a starry cosmos, changed.

Centered on Shi Hen, endless pure white spread outwards madly, covering the boy's field of vision in the blink of an eye, leaving him seeing nothing but white.

If this were in real space, such whiteness would be enough to cause terror.

But this was imaginary space, where everything was given meaning by Shi Hen, so he only felt it was normal.

"I thought you would think about it a bit longer."

A pure white figure appeared before Shi Hen, quickly transforming to look exactly like him.

"It feels like looking into a mirror."

Without answering the Stigmata Will's question, Shi Hen marveled at the figure before him.

"You can understand it that way too, because I am you."

The Stigmata Will said with a smile.

"You are merely my shadow."

Shi Hen shook his head.

"Light and shadow are one."

The Stigmata Will continued to smile.

Looking at the face identical to his own, Shi Hen raised a finger and shook it. "You seem to have misunderstood something.

You are merely my shadow, and I... am your only source."

A shadow is just a footprint left at a certain moment.

As long as Shi Hen didn't stop moving forward, he would always leave new footprints.

But no matter how many footprints there were, there was always only one source.

"Heh, such big talk."

Sarcasm was added to the Stigmata Will's smile.

"I'm just stating a fact," Shi Hen shrugged. "On the contrary, if you can't even accept the truth of the facts, then you, Stigmata Will, are quite a failure."

"Heh heh, are you trying to provoke me!?"

The Stigmata Will laughed in anger.

"Provoke you? You think too highly of yourself," Shi Hen couldn't help but smile. "I'm just curious about your existence, so I'm chatting with you a bit."

After all, this was imaginary space, where all physical laws didn't exist, not even time.

In other words, he had endless time here.

Even if he stayed there for a hundred years, returning to reality would only be an instant.

Only when a connection was made with the real world did everything within the imaginary space hold meaning.

This was the sole law of imaginary space.

"Haha, you've really angered me!"

The anger on the Stigmata Will's face could no longer be concealed.

Seeing this, Shi Hen couldn't help but shake his head slightly. "As expected, a shadow is just a shadow; you're no match for me at all."

Moreover, perhaps because it was born too recently, this Stigmata Will was far inferior to the one from the Kaslana family.

There was no self-control at all, shouting and yelling over any little thing, which made Shi Hen feel embarrassed.

This was his shadow, after all.

"You... die!"

As if unable to bear it any longer, the Stigmata Will's eyes surged with white light, and an incredibly powerful aura erupted.

The pure white bat appeared in his hand, and the Stigmata Will struck at Shi Hen like lightning.

Bang!

A baseball bat materialized in his hand as well, and Shi Hen easily blocked the attack.

"Are you angry because you're embarrassed?" Shi Hen's expression remained calm as he looked at the oppressive white eyes of the Stigmata Will. "But that's fine, in the end, we have to settle this with strength."

"I am you, and you are me. Our strength is identical. How can you possibly defeat me!?"

The Stigmata Will laughed, swinging its bat left and right, unleashing a storm-like offensive.

Shi Hen chose to meet the attack in the same manner, and the two bats immediately clashed, dancing and creating countless white afterimages.

In just a few breaths, the two bats had struck each other hundreds of times, the clanging sounds merging into one.

Fortunately, this was the Imaginary Space, not the real world. Otherwise, the mere shockwaves from their fight would have been enough to destroy an entire city block.

Clang!

The two bats collided once more, and the next second, both snapped into two pieces. Shi Hen and the Stigmata Will used the opportunity to separate.

"Identical strength? I think you have a misunderstanding about me." Shi Hen flicked his right hand, restoring his bat, and said word by word, "I can actively leave the real world and come here, but you can only hide here like a rat. On what grounds do you think your strength is the same as mine?"

"On the grounds of... this!"

Shouting in anger, the Stigmata Will leaped up, its body soaring high into the air. The bat in its hand, also restored to its original state, swung down heavily, its force as weighty as Mount Tai.

But facing this powerful blow, Shi Hen merely took a small step back, spun his body to gather momentum, and met it directly with his bat.

Clink!

To the Stigmata Will's surprise, Shi Hen's bat cut through its own without any obstruction. The momentum of the bat, undiminished, even struck its face, sending it flying back dozens of meters.

"How... how is this possible!?" The Stigmata Will, clutching its cheek and struggling to stand, looked completely bewildered. "Our strength should be equal!"

"Yes, our strength is indeed identical," Shi Hen said, slowly walking towards the Stigmata Will and nodding. "But besides strength, willpower is the key factor that determines the outcome of a battle."

Especially in this Stigmata Space that belonged to him.