Bang!
Boom!
Whoosh!
In the mountain forests outside Berlin, a fierce battle between superhuman forces erupted once again.
Lightning and flame clashed without end.
High above, Ling Ke had already moved to the scene. He looked down at everything below with cold indifference.
Earlier, for the sake of experiencing that so-called "fun," he had not fully activated his Omniscience. Because of that, he had not immediately seen through Fire MOTH's true intentions, much less the plans of the newly born World Serpent.
But now, even if he still stood apart from it all, the truth was already clear.
From beginning to end, this era's Seele, the Sixth Herrscher's prime body in the original timeline, had been nothing more than a pawn in a game of many schemes.
Without knowing anything, she had become a bargaining chip for other people's interests.
Fire MOTH's leaders sought "immortality" through her.
The leaders of the newly born World Serpent used her to buy "time."
Her fate could only be described as pitiful.
Of course, Ling Ke knew very well what he had done in the past. He had no intention of hypocritically condemning others.
But…
"So this is your answer."
Ling Ke stood in midair and murmured to himself.
Earlier, when he had sent someone to Sundown Alley to contact Aponia, he had asked her a question.
"If you faced a situation where protecting one person would inevitably harm others…
An impossible choice…
What would you do?"
Now, Kevin Kaslana, and many of the people around him, had given a clear answer.
They would exploit everything without mercy.
Even the innocent.
Without a doubt, their method was different from the scum of the West Asia Branch in only one way.
They would not dress up their actions with grand, hollow words to hide their true motives.
They knew they were committing evil.
And they would still commit it.
This…
"As expected of the Flame-Chasers."
Ling Ke laughed softly.
Compared with Raiden Mei, who looked strong on the outside but was still wavering inside, unable to see her true path clearly, and compared with Bronya, who had only just arrived in this era and still had no footing, the members of the newly born World Serpent at least had a clear goal.
They wanted this era to continue.
They did not want it to become a stepping stone for the next, as it had in the original timeline.
They called it "inheritance."
But in reality, the true meaning behind that word had long since been lost.
That was why they valued this "second chance" so much.
So…
"Kevin has already given his answer."
Ling Ke's gaze fell on the other person fighting Kevin below.
"What about you, Raiden Mei?"
And…
In his field of vision, while Raiden Mei blocked Kevin's attack, the unconscious Bronya and Seele were being carried away by Project Bunny in its quantum robot form.
One in each arm, it fled into the distance.
To be honest, Ling Ke was rather fond of this loyal quantum robot.
But he had no intention of simply stealing it.
After all, a Project Bunny seized by force would only become a large figurine on his shelf.
Things like that lost their appeal very quickly.
Besides…
"After getting Wolf's Dawn before, I drew several more Bronya Zaychik game character templates."
"Even… the ELF version."
"So there's no need to covet this quantum robot."
Ling Ke's thoughts drifted slightly.
At this time…
"Wooo…"
Project Bunny was not slow in escaping the battlefield.
It was also lucky. There was a railroad nearby, stretching off into the distance.
And a freight train was just about to pass.
Thump!
Thump!
Project Bunny tossed the unconscious Bronya and Seele onto one of the freight cars.
The two of them were still out cold.
Then Project Bunny activated quantum mode and vanished from sight.
It hid itself and secretly protected the two girls, taking them farther and farther from danger.
At the same time…
On the battlefield below…
"Kevin Kaslana, is this your so-called Deliverance?"
Raiden Mei's expression was grim as she parried the incoming blade of flame.
"Murdering two innocent girls without the slightest hesitation?"
Because she had only barely managed to save them, Mei still did not know that Kevin had never intended to kill Seele, the Sixth Herrscher's prime body, on the spot.
But even if she had known Kevin's true purpose, even if she had known that he and the people behind him had been using Seele from the beginning and intended to continue using her, Mei's fury would not have lessened in the slightest.
At that moment…
"Raiden Mei."
Kevin stepped back and steadied himself. His tone was calm.
"If you want to keep fooling yourself with the innocence your past gave you, then do as you like. Keep doing it for as long as you want."
"But we will not stop moving forward."
"Your era has already ended. Still insisting on some so-called win-win answer now is simply ridiculous."
You cannot even tell who your real enemies are.
Kevin did not say those last words aloud.
He had no intention of "reminding" Raiden Mei anymore.
After all, they were no longer standing on the same side.
They were complete opposites now.
In that case…
"Last time, you said I was holding back."
"But today, I do not mind going all out."
Kevin's voice was low and solemn.
After all, MEI was not here today.
Instead, Raiden Mei had now been placed in the same awkward position he had once faced in Nagazora.
So…
"Shall we settle this here, Raiden Mei?"
Kevin stepped forward, gripping Shamash in its Might of An-Utu form.
The tip of the sword pointed straight at the purple-haired girl before him, a girl who seemed both familiar and unfamiliar.
Hearing this…
"You're completely mad."
Raiden Mei knew very well that Berlin was not far from here.
As one of Europe's major cities, its permanent population exceeded 3.7 million.
If the two of them fought here…
Just looking at the massive crater nearby, stretching more than a thousand meters, made the consequences clear.
Damage on that scale would become common.
Eventually, at least several hundred square kilometers would be transformed into a hellscape of lightning and fire.
At that point, it would not be only Berlin that suffered heavy losses.
Most of this country would be caught in the crossfire.
Thinking of this…
"No matter what you say, I have no reason to fight you to the death."
Raiden Mei did not want to prolong the confrontation with Kevin, so she said coldly,
"At least, not right now."
She knew that if she fought Kevin, the strongest MANTIS, with all her strength, even if she recklessly unleashed that mysterious power to its fullest extent, the outcome would still be uncertain.
And she could not afford to die here.
Not now.
Kiana…
And everyone else…
They had not arrived yet.
But they would definitely come.
Even the era that had vanished because of her, she had to save.
Presumably, in terms of the pressure they carried, the other person… Kevin's situation should be about the same as hers.
But why…
Why could he act with such decisiveness?
Raiden Mei did not understand.
But now, she would not ask.
Because she knew that, with their positions opposed, she could no longer get any answers from him.
At that moment, she sheathed her sword and prepared to leave.
Just then…
"You're all so scary. I'm so scared I don't even know whether I should come closer."
A clear, melodious female voice rang out, reaching the ears of both Raiden Mei and Kevin.
Both of them recognized the voice immediately.
Footsteps approached.
As expected, a familiar figure soon appeared.
"Elysia!"
"…"
Raiden Mei and Kevin reacted differently.
Unlike the silent Kevin, Raiden Mei was just about to speak when…
"It is pretty scary."
From the opposite direction, another male voice rang out.
It was a voice none of the three of them could ever forget.
Under the clear moonlight, Ling Ke slowly approached.
In an instant, Raiden Mei's right hand once again gripped the hilt of that eerie great katana.
And not only her.
Aside from Kevin, who had not moved a muscle, even Elysia now held a strangely shaped longbow in her hand.
Faced with this show of force…
"Wow. How scary, how scary."
Ling Ke smiled falsely and even raised his hands in mock surrender.
"Hold on, everyone. Don't be so quick to fight."
A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"I did not come here today for a brawl."
"Of course…"
His gaze turned icy.
"If you find that more entertaining, I do not mind showing off my meager combat skills."
"How about we take a look around first?"
As soon as he finished speaking…
"!!!"
At that moment, surprise flashed across the faces of all three people present, including Kevin.
Because now, the surrounding mountain forest was swarming with figures.
On the ground.
Among the trees.
Countless figures stood there.
Most important of all, their faces…
Were all the same.
They were all…
"This…"
Raiden Mei's eyes widened.
Because what she saw before her was one "Raiden Mei" after another.
But these "selves" were clearly much more mature than the Mei she knew.
And every one of them carried a faint, divine aura.
At the same time…
"This…"
Elysia was also stunned.
Because she sensed a unique quality from those "Raiden Meis," something only she could perceive.
They…
They all carried her scent.
Yes.
All of the "Raiden Meis" surrounding them wore white armor like battle dresses. Silver streaks ran through their purple hair, and large floating wheels hovered behind them.
This was a game character template Ling Ke had recently obtained.
A template he had not particularly liked even before transmigrating.
But now, used here, it was perfect.
Its name was…
Herrscher of Origin, Raiden Mei.
-
I might have over done it because i want it to be a usable app for my laptop and can be connected to my phone so i… ended up and falling in the rabbit hole and also sorry about that again. Well… i passed out from work and ended up bedridden for 1 day and half. But i am alright.