Finality, Return to Tomorrow's Blazing Sun

"Are you really not afraid that the Herrscher of Reason will find out?"

"So what if he finds out? I didn't actually kill anyone..."

Though Kiana said she wasn't afraid, her voice sounded a little guilty.

"So this world really did cross Finality, and there won't be another Finality, right?"

"Hmm... you can't exactly say it crossed it. This world took a bit of a shortcut, and with your help, there might be some unexpected difficulties in the future.

"But there won't be another Finality."

Kiana stopped there.

Sera knew she definitely had more to say.

"When did you start talking in riddles too?"

"Until fate reveals its true colors to you, I'd better not say anything."

Kiana shook her head.

"This is a difficulty you have to overcome. But apart from that, if you run into trouble with anything else, you can always ask us for help, okay?"

"Us?"

Sera thought for a moment and understood what she meant.

"Got it. I have a question. Will there still be a Welt Yang in my timeline?"

"Nope."

"Then... see you next time?"

"Mm, see you next time, the one who always watched over us... Captain?"

"...?!" Sera had just started to speak when he was kicked out.

Sera returned to reality.

"Oh, you're back."

Herta was the first to speak.

"Yeah, it's over."

Sera nodded, keeping his confusion and surprise to himself.

Combining what Kiana had said with what Stelle had told him... he had a few guesses, but he didn't share them.

"It's time to return to our original world."

Sera spoke, his gaze settling on Finality.

"Heh heh..."

Finality chuckled.

"What a pity... This play wasn't what I desired. But it doesn't matter. See you in Dual-Phase Paradise..."

Finality removed their hat and vanished.

Without a doubt, Finality had remained in Dual-Phase Paradise the entire time.

"Let's go."

Sera said nothing and silently took the others back to his timeline.

He had never hoped to deal with Finality there.

"So... do you two ladies have anything you'd like to ask me?"

Sera lay on the sofa and looked at Herta and Ruan Mei.

"Why do you think there won't be another Finality just because you crossed Finality?"

Herta asked what puzzled her. Nanook of The Destruction would still lead the galaxy to Finality; that was Their goal.

"Because even if we used a shortcut to bring about the Honkai and cross it, the galaxy would still come under the Cocoon's gaze, and Finality has already returned to Finality.

"Crossing Finality means transcending the fate of Finality."

"But you still haven't told us everything, have you?"

"Yeah. As expected, I really don't want to deal with smart people."

Sera felt a little tired.

"I saw a fact, one I have to overcome.

"That is the one and only Finality, the result I brought about, the karma I must bear.

"But even knowing that, I still have to do it, because the result has already come into being.

"I don't want to go offline for who knows how long while fixing cause and effect."

"Are you saying countless Finalities collapsed into a single point?"

Herta was somewhat taken aback.

Ruan Mei's eyes flickered as she spoke.

"How did you do it?"

"Essentially, what Nous did isolated the possibilities of parallel worlds; mortals simply couldn't observe them.

"You realized that when I took you to another timeline.

"And among worlds of countless possibilities, the greatest impossibility appeared-me.

"I, or rather, my future self, will do something.

"Make the endless Finalities converge into one."

"Get to the point. Cut the nonsense." Herta raised a hand to interrupt him.

"All right."

Sera was helpless.

"The Herrscher of the Void's authority. I analyzed it and used it to complete the device.

"I'd probably work myself to death alone, so... Herta, Ruan Mei, will you join me?"

Sera held out his hand.

"Of course I'll take part in such an interesting project." Herta didn't hesitate for a second and held out her hand.

"Of course." Ruan Mei held out her hand as well.

"I want to join too..." Cyrene pointed at herself.

"There's no need for you to, Cyrene. Leave specialized work to the specialists."

"Okay."

Sera trusted only his own will. Why should he have to wait for someone else to tell him before he could act, just because Stelle said so?

Sera was going to do it right away.

As for what Stelle had said, Sera didn't care.

Besides, hadn't she also told Sera to reach the ending through his own will? Right now, his will was to start researching immediately.

Sera glanced at the time. It was now the morning of the third day of Phantasmoon Games.

Their trip to the other timeline hadn't taken much time, though a lot had happened in that time.

"Let's go to my spaceship. There's a lab there."

As Sera spoke, he took out his phone and started sending messages.

[Feather of the Eclipsed Moon]: We're back. We're going to be busy in the lab now. Keep an eye on Himeko and the others, and stop Finality from causing trouble.

[Just a Passing Detective]: Got it.

[Feather of the Eclipsed Moon]: (Files)

[Feather of the Eclipsed Moon]: I don't have time to make it. The blueprint and design have already been simplified, and the materials are common. You can contact the company to make it for you.

[Just a Passing Detective]: ...Thanks.

[Feather of the Eclipsed Moon]: Just a transaction.

Busitu smiled at his phone, and Narrator spoke up beside him.

"Mr. Detective thought of the tsundere people talked about online and felt it matched his impression of Mr. Genius."

"Old Bai, you really shouldn't say that. I have a feeling we'll get beaten up!"

[Feather of the Eclipsed Moon]: 111

[Yaoguang's Supreme Fortune]: 222

[Feather of the Eclipsed Moon]: (Location)

[Feather of the Eclipsed Moon]: Come to the spaceship. I need you for something.

[Yaoguang's Supreme Fortune]: 111

[Feather of the Eclipsed Moon]: ...

[Feather of the Eclipsed Moon]: Whatever makes you happy.

[Yaoguang's Supreme Fortune]: Got it.

"..."

Sera felt somewhat helpless. Once Yaoguang learned what he was like, she stopped putting on an act. She was practically a little devil. As expected of a character from the path of Elation; it fit her personality and characterization.

He had called Yaoguang precisely because of her spacetime displacement. Yaoguang had once tried to defy fate and consequently developed the condition.

Sera had called her over only to test anchoring spacetime and cure her condition while he was at it.

Elsewhere, Yaoguang looked at her phone with a smile she clearly hadn't managed to suppress, then studied the results of her divination.

"The official ghost meets a clash, the star of worry is restrained. This signifies clouds parting to reveal the sun, and old matters coming to an end.

"Interesting... I was right about him after all."

The last divination Yaoguang had performed before setting out showed that a benefactor would help her.

"This benefactor's help is truly extraordinary."

Yaoguang chuckled softly.

"But..."

Yaoguang then frowned.

"The red phoenix star stirs, and a romantic bond is upon me... Interesting."

Yaoguang's tone turned playful.

"Good thing I was a few days late, or I might have had to undergo that lightning tribulation myself.

"As for the romantic bond... I'll put it aside for now and take things as they come."

Yaoguang lingered no longer and headed for the address in the location pin.