God said He needed a brand-new universe to give to his ordinary friend.
And so, the Tree grew new branches.
Boom!
Another Base City, still under construction, was reduced to ruins. No one inside survived.
On the Mu Continent, the Herrscher of Thunder continued to rely on her extreme speed to wreak havoc without pause.
Meanwhile, Prometheus had single-handedly destroyed more than three thousand Undersea Temples, allowing the Newborn World Serpent to finally eliminate the source behind the worldwide cooling of the ocean currents. The vast quantities of volcanic ash produced by the eruption of Yellowstone, which the Herrscher of Blood had intended to turn into a weapon of mass destruction against human civilization, had likewise failed to spread through the global atmosphere.
For humanity, good news seemed to be arriving from every front.
The only problem was that neither the Herrscher of Thunder nor the Herrscher of Blood had been subdued. Both remained threats to all humanity.
In fact, the Herrscher of Thunder's current rampage alone posed an enormous danger.
"She absolutely must not discover the construction site of the Sea of Quanta Portal."
Dr. Einstein's anxious voice rang through the communications channel.
At that moment, Einstein was stationed in the rear command center, continuously monitoring battles across multiple fronts, from the Mu Continent and the world's oceans to the North and South Poles and the Yellowstone region of North America.
Together, Einstein, the six Vill-V personalities sharing the original body, and the other scientifically gifted members formed the intelligence-support team for everyone fighting on the front lines.
But right now...
"Oh? You don't want me to discover the construction site of the Sea of Quanta Portal?"
When the Herrscher of Thunder happened to pass through a defensive sector held by Sim Eden, she had originally intended to keep going.
It was not that she could not defeat its defenders. There was simply no reason to let herself be pinned down there and increase the risk of being surrounded and killed.
After all, the Herrscher of Thunder had already witnessed the methods of that woman who looked exactly like her.
MEI had somehow used a suit of technological armor to wield the power of the Herrscher of the Void.
It was undoubtedly an act of blasphemy.
Had she still been acting alone, the Herrscher of Thunder probably would have drawn her sword against MEI long ago.
But thanks to Kali's repeated warnings and guidance, coupled with the certainty of her side's victory, the now clearheaded Herrscher of Thunder was in an excellent mood.
Instead, she wanted to let the humans live a little longer so she could savor the despair on their faces.
That was textbook Herrscher thinking, the kind that could throw a game from an overwhelming lead.
"Achoo~!"
A purple-haired, golden-eyed girl (?) studying the rules of chess in the Parlor Car of the Astral Express suddenly let out a loud sneeze.
"What's going on?"
Sirin rubbed her little nose, looking puzzled.
Ling Ke, who had just casually accomplished yet another "great feat," replied with a smile, "Someone must be talking about you."
"Uh..."
Sirin's expression froze.
Then...
"It has to be that Kiana."
Sirin seemed to have settled on a culprit.
"Achoo~!"
Somewhere in a frozen wasteland, a certain white-haired bundle of fluff also let out a loud sneeze.
She raised a hand to rub her nose. "Who's cursing me?"
"Or maybe someone is thinking about... me?"
"No... There's probably no one left who'd think about me now!"
The white-haired girl, Kiana, pushed through the freezing wind and snow in a thick padded jacket and trousers, lugging a piece of luggage as she struggled onward.
To be honest, this sort of life reminded her a little of her childhood.
Back then, she had still been a tiny runt. After a certain lousy Dad vanished without a word, she had been forced to carry a pile of ridiculously heavy luggage by herself, stumbling into an unknown journey all alone.
She remembered one moonlit, snowy night when she fell into the snow and only barely managed to force herself back to her feet...
"And now, I'm all alone again."
Thinking back on everything that had happened since then, she remembered meeting Mei, Bronya, and Teacher Himeko...
Then...
They were all gone.
Those beautiful memories were now the only "Remembrance" she had left to cherish.
They were the sole comfort remaining in her heart.
"I will obtain the power of Finality," Kiana said firmly, trying to rally herself.
Just then...
"Huh?"
She spotted firelight flickering not far ahead.
Several tents had been pitched together there.
It was a temporary camp.
Faint voices drifted toward her.
"Lara, thank goodness you were here. Otherwise, who knows what would have happened to the three of us."
"There's no need to thank me. Everyone's having a hard time. We should help each other."
"Yes, yes, you're right."
Kiana stopped.
From the conversation, she gathered that a woman named Lara had apparently saved a family.
"I shouldn't get any closer."
Kiana warned herself, "Given my situation, anyone who stays near me will only get dragged into trouble."
With that thought, Kiana immediately changed direction, intending to move away from the temporary camp.
But just then...
Bang!
Bang, bang, bang!
Several gunshots rang out from the camp.
Kiana froze.
What's happening?
A fierce conflict raged within her.
Someone was shooting.
Should she interfere in something that had nothing to do with her?
The old Kiana would have rushed over without a second thought.
And if anyone had asked, "Why are you so eager to get involved in something that has nothing to do with you?" she would have raised her head and declared, "Because I am Kiana Kaslana."
But now...
"..."
Kiana stood motionless in the snow for a long time.
It seemed she had even lost the knightly sense of duty expected of a Kaslana.
After all, that duty had never truly belonged to her in the first place.
Now, all she had left was "Remembrance."
She hesitated.
Bang!
"No, please..."
"We were wrong! We were wrong! Spare us..."
"Aaaahhh!"
Another commotion erupted, followed by agonized screams.
Finally...
"..."
Kiana could no longer hold herself back.
She sprinted toward the temporary camp and the source of the screams.
Meanwhile, back on the Mu Continent...
The Herrscher of Thunder might have been a bit of a blockhead, but fortunately, Kali was there to keep her under control.
At that moment...
"The Sea of Quanta Portal... I see."
The little blood-red snake coiled around the Herrscher of Thunder's neck spoke in a human tongue. "So that's why those people rushed over to stop us the moment they saw us destroying the Mu Continent."
Having established a neural link with the Herrscher of Thunder, Kali's tiny crimson slit pupils narrowed.
"Escapism... Heh. How quaint. At least they possess some self-awareness."
"Unfortunately, we cannot allow that to happen."
With that...
"Fifth Herrscher, that's enough for today. Let's withdraw," Kali commanded.
"Why?"
The Herrscher of Thunder had just used her Authority to read the enemy's brainwaves and peer into Sim Eden's thoughts in real time. She frowned.
"Since we know how important that thing is to the humans, to those ants, wouldn't it be better to destroy it right now?"
"What if they use it to flee into the Sea of Quanta and hide there...?"
"Impossible."
Kali interrupted her, then explained patiently, "You still don't fully understand humanity. They are a rather interesting species."
"They would never accept a plan that saved only a tiny fraction of their kind while abandoning everyone else."
"Rest assured, that so-called Sea of Quanta Portal will not be activated anytime soon."
"Besides..."
Kali was clearly taking no chances.
"Since you were able to read that information in real time, the enemy has almost certainly set up an ambush around the portal's construction site."
"They may even be waiting for you to charge straight in so they can resume their earlier plan, trap you inside a small World Bubble, and destroy you there."
"Our victory is already certain. There is no need to take that risk."
"Furthermore..."
Kali's face curved into an eerily human smile.
"Have you forgotten the 'Other Plan' we devised?"
"With that little appetizer in play, we won't even need to lift a finger. Someone else will destroy the Sea of Quanta Portal for us."
Through their neural link, Kali transmitted an electrical signal carrying the full details of "a certain plan" to the Herrscher of Thunder.
A moment later...
"You're right."
The Herrscher of Thunder still looked somewhat displeased, but she was not stubborn. In the end, she accepted Kali's arrangement.
Then...
Boom!
Without so much as engaging Sim Eden, who had no idea that her thoughts had just leaked vital intelligence, the Herrscher of Thunder transformed into a streak of red lightning and shot across the sky.
At the same time...
Phew...
The members of the Newborn World Serpent collectively breathed a sigh of relief when they learned that the ultra-high-intensity Honkai energy signature marking the Herrscher of Thunder was rapidly leaving the Mu Continent.
The Mu Continent had been devastated that day.
Aside from the construction site of the Sea of Quanta Portal, which was jointly defended by a large number of Flame-Chaser-level combatants, fewer than seven of the fledgling Base Cities remained intact.
One of them housed MOTH headquarters.
The Mu Continent had clearly suffered a catastrophic blow.
The few surviving Base Cities had likely been spared only because the Herrschers of Blood and Thunder had weighed the advantages and risks and decided there was no immediate need to destroy them.
After all, the fewer Base Cities remained, the more Flame-Chaser-level combatants would be concentrated in each one, increasing the risk of a counterattack.
In short, it was just as Kali had said. Victory was already assured. There was no reason to take unnecessary risks. They only needed to stabilize the situation and finish the job perfectly.
They could not disappoint "God" again.
And so...
"It's finally over."
After remaining on high alert for a long time, MEI finally confirmed that the Herrscher of Thunder would not be returning anytime soon. With no concern for her appearance, she slumped against a wall and slid to the floor.
This was her first time fighting on a front this intense.
Yet the Key of Blankness and the Authority of the Void had proven so effective that most of the burden had fallen on her.
She was utterly exhausted.
Now, at last, she had a moment to breathe. A chance to rest, if only for a little while...
Beep, beep, beep~!
"!!!"
MEI had been resting for less than five seconds when the communications alert made her tense again.
Prometheus's report came through the channel.
"Doctor, something major has happened. Just now..."
"Most of the Middle East vanished."
"A colossal crater has appeared, centered on Sundown Alley."
"!!!"
MEI's pupils dilated, her eyes widening in shock.