After a grueling battle, Theresa half-knelt on the ground, gasping for breath nonstop.
Though the power was the same, combat strength was never measured by power alone.
At least for Theresa, Kevin was an insurmountable peak.
Kevin looked at Theresa, who was still struggling to hold on, and praised:
"Impressive willpower. Unfortunately, your mind is just as stubborn."
Theresa huffed coldly: "At this level… you'll probably have to keep thinking with me all day!"
Kevin replied without hesitation: "No need. Wasting words on someone overly obstinate is just a waste of time."
"Theresa Apocalypse—prepare to receive this strike infused with the power of Finality."
As his words fell, the Judgment of Shamash appeared in his hand once more.
The scorching, unmatched molten greatsword was wielded by a man as cold as ice.
At some point, the Judgment of Shamash was no longer in its original form—it had become far more ferocious and… powerful!
At this moment, black flames began to burn on the sword in Kevin's hand.
Overwhelming power continuously emanated from his figure, causing Theresa to instinctively widen her eyes.
This was the Kaslana Stigmata space—every power derived from Kaslana should be equal here with no disparity in strength.
Yet clearly, the power Kevin was displaying now had absolutely no connection to the Kaslana name he bore.
"No… impossible…"
Theresa murmured instinctively: "This unprecedented power… it… it's…"
She was Schicksal's S-rank Valkyrie and the new Bishop of Schicksal.
Yet now, facing the incomprehensible power Kevin revealed, Theresa didn't even know how to describe it in words.
Kevin held Judgment of Shamash—no, it should be called the Chimera's Blade —and said calmly:
"Facing Honkai, your generation has truly achieved brilliant results."
"But precisely because of that… people are always too naive."
"Naive enough to forget that this is merely a fragment of the cycle, a chessboard laid out by others."
"Since that's the case, until the completion of my plan…"
"I shall represent Finality and show you—the representative—the true terror."
At this point, Kevin paused briefly. His ice-cold face remained utterly expressionless throughout.
"I am merely Kevin—Kaslana holds no meaning for me anymore."
Theresa still wanted to gather her strength for a desperate counterattack, but to Kevin in his true suppressive state, it was utterly futile.
With just one swing of the sword, viewers outside the TV were already instinctively terrified.
They were afraid Kevin might accidentally kill the adorable Academy Principal.
Even though they knew the dog director wouldn't pull that kind of plot, the sense of oppression Kevin exuded right now was overwhelming!
"I was wrong—I shouldn't have doubted Ancestor Kevin. Ancestor Kevin is invincible!!"
"Birds—why do they fly?"
"This feels too good—this is the most exhilarating segment. This is the strongest Flame-Chaser of the Previous Era, the warrior bearing the inscription of salvation!"
"The Current Era is even more broken, okay? 'I am merely Kevin—Kaslana holds no meaning for me anymore!!'"
"Ancestor Kevin is invincible—putting myself in the main cast's shoes, I'm completely hopeless!"
"…"
Previously, the entire nation had been guessing whether Kevin or the Herrscher of Finality would be the final big boss.
Now it was settled—Kevin had obtained the power of Finality.
Good news: no need to deal with the Herrscher of Finality anymore.
Bad news: now they had to face Ancestor Kevin who had acquired the power of Finality.
What the hell kind of game is this?!
At Fire Moth Interstellar Entertainment Company.
"So handsome, so strong—as expected of Kevin!"
Kosma's eyes sparkled brightly; the whole person was practically on fire with excitement.
Kiana looked at Hessian with resentment and asked: "Kevin's this strong—how are we supposed to fight him?"
Even from a god's-eye view, as soon as she put herself in the plot's shoes, Kiana could feel overwhelming pressure.
She had thought Herrscher of Flamescion was already invincible—turns out there was still someone this powerful!
Hessian shrugged—he definitely wasn't going to spoil anything.
With no other choice, Kiana and the others secretly watching could only turn their attention back to the TV.
Just as Theresa was completely helpless—being beaten so badly she couldn't even open her eyes, no, being sent flying—
A familiar figure appeared and rescued Theresa at the critical moment.
It was still Kevin, but not the real Lord Kevin, nor the completely ice-cold version.
After catching Theresa, this suddenly appearing Kevin said: "…I am the will of the Kaslana Stigmata."
"Kevin, you've left me no choice."
The same posture, yet the Stigmata Will always seemed to carry a bit more warmth.
But the real Kevin merely sneered. The temperature around him rose continuously as scorching flames began to surge.
With one step forward, flames and solid ice intertwined, making Kevin's sense of oppression even more immense.
"You can't help her."
This sounded more like a statement of fact.
The next moment, Kevin attacked. Massive power surged from the Chimera's Blade toward the sky.
Layers of fiery clouds stacked endlessly like the apocalypse as a colossal sphere descended with overwhelming force.
As Kevin's figure was engulfed by this power, when he reappeared, his form had completely changed.
Because the Stigmata Will was present, the contrast was even more striking.
Non-human limbs—horns, a tail, and a single demonic tattered wing—
Together they formed the Chimera, or rather, the Demonized state of Kevin!
"You all ultimately know nothing of Honkai!"
Accompanied by dazzling special effects, Kevin soared into the sky, wielding the Chimera's Blade.
Facing Kevin who had fully entered boss mode, the Stigmata Will stepped forward without fear.
"But you have always known nothing of your own descendants!"
One stood in midair, the other on the icy surface.
Kevin and the identical-looking Stigmata Will were like the same person from different points in time.
In the end… blades clashed!
Theresa had completely become a bystander, able only to watch helplessly as the Stigmata Will and Kevin clashed nonstop.
The same posture—the Stigmata Will's power could not possibly be weak.
Honkai Beasts, Judgment of Shamash, and Kevin's power.
"In the past, I was just like you—merely a cold-eyed observer carrying out mechanical missions."
"I loathed your fate, loathed their weakness and powerlessness…"
"Until a person who had lost the name Kaslana—her unyielding will in the face of fate made me realize my own foolishness."
"Kevin… your descendants are not anyone's pawns, not disposable lives—"
The Stigmata Will attacked relentlessly while speaking, its power continuously rising.
Kevin, meanwhile, dodged and listened with ease, exuding the composure of an absolute powerhouse.
In a daze, Theresa suddenly recalled her earlier battle with Kevin.
It had been just like this—despite giving everything, facing Kevin felt like a child throwing a tantrum at an adult.
"—You have no right to put any one of them to death!"
As the words fell, the Stigmata Will fully unleashed its power, actually forcing Kevin back more than ten meters.
Even the solid ice on the ground shattered from the impact!
"…Prepare yourself. You will now face the Demon."
Even so, Kevin's voice remained perfectly calm, matching his expressionless face from beginning to end.
With a gesture from Kevin, massive pillars of flame far more violent than volcanic eruptions erupted from the ground.
The icy surface became a complete mess, only to be refilled and destroyed again by the ice powers wielded by the two.
The forces of ice and fire intertwined endlessly, fully demonstrating what true ice-and-fire nine heavens looked like.
The Stigmata Will's power was already very strong—at least comparable to Kevin before entering Demonized state.
But now, facing Demonized Kevin, that power was clearly completely insufficient.
After just a dozen or so exchanges, it fell behind, seized by Kevin and sent flying dozens of meters.
"But if they can't even withstand this, then their so-called will…"
Watching the Stigmata Will rise and attack again, Kevin said calmly: "…is merely meaningless moaning."
These words seemed to ignite the Stigmata Will's fury. The Chimera's Blade-form Judgment of Shamash swung dozens of times in a single second.
In other words, the Judgment of Shamash unsheathing—which even powerful Kaslana warriors could only liberate at the cost of their lives—
In the Stigmata Will's hands was not only amplified to Chimera's Blade level but also multiplied in quantity to an overwhelming degree!
If it were a Herrscher—any Herrscher—facing this would mean only death.
Yet the Stigmata Will was facing Kevin—and Demonized Kevin at that.
The ferocious greatsword in his hand could no longer even be called Decimation; it should be called the Finality greatsword.
Even when the Stigmata Will attacked with full force, Kevin calmly received everything without changing expression.
"Meaningless."
As if bored with the game, a casual burst of power sent the Stigmata Will flying in disarray.
Before the Stigmata Will could react, Kevin sheathed the Finality greatsword and took the initiative to attack.
With ordinary movement, his speed was like teleportation; with a casual raise of his hand, his output far surpassed Judgment of Shamash.
The Stigmata Will was completely suppressed, barely holding on…
"It is time to end your mission."
The original ice field was in utter ruins. Kevin and the Stigmata Will turned into points of light clashing constantly in the sky.
In a single instant, they flickered dozens of times across different ranges.
"This meaningless battle should end."
Even though the Stigmata Will gave everything, it was still expressionlessly sent plummeting into the abyss by Kevin.
Until the very end, even the Stigmata Will's form began to fade into illusion.
And Kevin showed no mercy, stepping forward to deliver the final blow.
The will of the Kaslana Stigmata thus completely dissipated.
But its final trace of power flowed into Theresa's body.
"Kevin… what did you just… do?"
Having received the Stigmata Will's final gift, Theresa finally had the strength to stand and ask.
Kevin said mercilessly: "That doesn't matter."
"You should worry about yourself first."
As soon as the words fell, Kevin attacked without mercy. Terrifying flame pillars rose again from beneath her feet.
Theresa gave everything to dodge while fearlessly launching attacks at Kevin.
This will was worthy of praise, but the gap in power was absolute.
"We once poured everything we had into buying a mere half-day from Finality."
"In that brief yet endless time—the only thing we protected… was all of you."
Kevin had no intention of finishing her off and instead reopened mouth-cannon mode.
But Theresa was having none of it and continued her resolute assault.
The power of a MANTIS soldier and an S-rank Valkyrie erupted continuously.
Though she still couldn't injure Kevin, it did earn his praise:
"Not bad performance."
"If this were fifty thousand years ago, you would have had the strength to join that battle against Finality."
"But—the current Stigmata Project requires no additional variables."
"And a battle with such a vast disparity in power has no meaning if it continues."
"Farewell, Theresa."
These six short words caused viewers outside the TV to have their hearts leap into their throats.
The reason was simple: the overwhelming pressure from Kevin's sheer strength.
Theresa, the Stigmata Will, and Theresa after receiving the Stigmata Will's power—
Three battles filled to the brim with spectacular effects, fully showcasing Theresa's and the Stigmata Will's strength.
Yet it was all for nothing.
A flurry of fierce moves—zero damage dealt.
In the audience's eyes, Kevin hadn't even gotten serious; he had long since put away the greatsword he started with.
But as those six words fell, the grotesquely mutated Finality greatsword appeared once more in Kevin's hand.
Like a judgment, like a verdict.
And at this moment, the blade of judgment was swinging down.
To World Serpent, St. Freya's Academy Principal would vanish into the end of time and space, just like her Herrscher students.
The Authority of Finality had once again descended upon the world.
And this… would finally give meaning—delayed by fifty thousand years—to a certain moment from long ago.
Just as the entire nation eagerly awaited the next part of the plot, the TV suddenly went black.
Immediately after, the ending BGM played in a relaxed tone.
Though it was Eden's guest performance, no one was in the mood to listen right now.
"Fuck, dog director—come out! What happened to my world's cutest Theresa?!"
"Theresa isn't really gone, right?"
"I can't take it anymore—dog director, die!!"
"Although the final fight was spectacular and Kevin's transformation was super cool—dog director, die!!"
"Theresa, please don't die—you can't die!"
"…"
Seeing that this episode had actually ended, the entire nation's audience's emotions completely exploded.
In one sentence: sharpening knives toward the dog director!
In fact, it wasn't just the audience.
At the company.
Kiana and the rest of the main cast, along with Elysia and the other Flame-Chasers, all looked at Hessian with unfriendly eyes.
Mobius even quietly approached Hessian, her dangerous gaze seeming to consider where to start cutting.
"Wait, wait—Elysia darling, don't you love me anymore?"
Seeing even Elysia glaring at him—though adorably—Hessian was genuinely a little panicked.
Elysia showed a smile: "Ara ~ Although I'd really like to stand on my husband's side, this time you really went too far."
Himeko as the main cast's teacher was already heartbreaking enough, followed by endless knives.
If Theresa were to exit the stage here—even Elysia couldn't tolerate it.
Hessian hurriedly explained: "She didn't die—absolutely not! I promise Theresa won't die, okay!"