Honkai: Man(Sludge) From Future

Noldrei and Kevin hit it off immediately. The two quickly reached a consensus in their pact to fight against the Honkai.

This Honkai thing was great and all, but it couldn't be used outside the solar system. That meant all its benefits were ultimately useless to Noldrei.

A power that couldn't help humanity break out of the solar system was nothing more than a white elephant to him.

"Since Honkai Energy can't leave the solar system, it doesn't matter how powerful it is. Speaking of which, I'm curious if your Previous Era ever tested whether the power of Stigmata could be used beyond the solar system," Noldrei asked, posing a rather significant question.

How could Kevin have possibly conducted such an experiment? That was the sort of thing MEI or Mobius would come up with.

Kevin shook his head. "It would be worth a try, but I don't know the specifics. No one from our era ever conducted a similar experiment. I believe Stigmata should be usable outside the solar system. Compared to the Honkai, Stigmata are more like a raw, unprocessed product that can be entrusted to humanity."

Noldrei could basically see the end result of the Previous Era's efforts. It was like they broke through but also didn't. Overall, they were completely defeated by humanity's conservative factions.

Thinking of this, Noldrei looked at Kevin with a hint of pity.

It had been tens of thousands of years. Even if he'd been eating dog crap that whole time, he should have figured out countless different ways to eat it by now.

Poor Kevin had only been awake for five thousand years, and for fifteen hundred of those, he was stuck in the Sea of Quanta with a mute button on. Even his good buddy who was observing parallel worlds refused to help him.

They squabbled over such a small disagreement and he ended up sealing his brother away. What a jerk.

However, Kevin had said many good things about that Su. Since the person who was sealed didn't complain, Noldrei certainly wasn't going to take it upon himself to criticize Su.

Seele felt as if her years of study had been for nothing. Why did the outside world sound so... messed up?

Was the world inside the orphanage different from the one outside? Cocolia had certainly taught them plenty of world history.

"Bronya-oneechan, our real world... it feels different from when I left. What this person is saying doesn't sound like what Mama Cocolia taught us."

Seele cautiously asked Bronya about the real world.

The thought of it was like a knife to Bronya's heart. She hesitated for a long time, unable to speak her mind.

'Seele, maybe it's better if you just stay in the Sea of Quanta? At least the worlds inside those Bubble Universes seem more normal.'

Bronya's expression shifted several times before she managed to speak, her voice hoarse. "Seele, I hope you won't be scared when you get to the real world. If anything happens, leave it to your Bronya-oneechan."

Seele didn't understand what she meant, but the honest girl nodded obediently.

"Don't worry, Seele. I will definitely protect you!"

Bronya decided that as soon as she got back, she would sweep through Academy City and purge all the depraved degenerates. For the sake of a pure and serene blue world, she absolutely could not let those people corrupt the innocent Seele.

'It must have been a terrible Honkai war that made Bronya-oneechan have such a complex and heavy expression. When I get back, I have to help Bronya-oneechan.'

Seele made a secret vow. This time, it was her turn to protect Bronya!

Kevin wasn't as difficult to talk to as Noldrei had expected. The man had a kind of rugged, simple integrity. As long as it was about fighting the Honkai, it seemed he was willing to compromise on anything.

As if he had just remembered something, he asked Noldrei curiously, "Has your Current Era found the World Serpent's sacrificial ground? Have you discovered the greatest legacy left behind by the Previous Era?"

"Legacy? Isn't the greatest legacy the Stigmata? I don't think the Previous Era left much else of use. Tesla has already innovated and developed better mechs and equipment."

Noldrei couldn't be bothered to go digging for treasure on Earth. That was something Schicksal and Anti-Entropy were more enthusiastic about.

Among them, Tesla was the most likely to go searching, but whether she found anything or not depended on her own skills.

"I see. So you haven't discovered the Elysian Realm yet. In that case, how about I take you there? Once you're there, you'll quickly understand what the Previous Era truly went through."

Kevin had no idea what he was about to bring to Elysia. In his eyes, anyone who could kill a Herrscher to this extent with their own combat skills, without relying on the power of the Honkai, had to be an outstanding descendant of the Kaslanas.

Perhaps he could even lend a hand on the path to dealing with the Herrscher of Finality.

Such an excellent descendant should definitely be introduced to his comrades in the Elysian Realm. Maybe they could spark some even greater flames of wisdom there.

Especially the memory imprint of Mobius inside. Just thinking about it promised a very enjoyable time.

Realizing he was no longer alone on his path to fight the Honkai, Kevin's mood lightened considerably.

He clapped Noldrei on the shoulder, as if seeing a younger version of himself, fresh out of school.

"You're good, very good. With a warrior like you, the Current Era will surely defeat the Honkai."

"I'm no warrior. That's a job for grunts. I'm an emperor. But, you truly live up to your name as the creator of the Kaslana Stigma's will. You've been a great help to me in ruling humanity."

Noldrei offered a rare explanation, making it clear he wasn't some grunt who just fought with his fists.

This exchange of mutual praise almost made the real Kaslana sisters lose their composure.

Kiana glanced at Durandal, who instinctively glanced back at her.

'Was he always like this?' Durandal shot her sister a look.

'It's been a year. You still don't know what he's like?' Kiana was astonished, gaining a new understanding of her sister's obliviousness.

Durandal shook her head. She wasn't the type to pry into other people's private affairs.

Kiana sighed, gaining a new understanding of her older sister's denseness.

"Kiana, you and your sister continue searching for the young lady from the parallel world," Noldrei instructed. "I'll take Seele and Bronya back first to let everyone know they're safe. If you run into any trouble, just go for it. It doesn't matter if you have to destroy that world over there; your own safety comes first."

The Emperor's words were spoken with such confidence that Bronya's chest puffed out involuntarily. See, this is what it feels like to follow the right person.

"Kevin, you take me to see this Elysian Realm you mentioned. We'll fish out as many Herrschers as we can from this parallel world. If those memory imprints you spoke of are as powerful as you say, I won't be stingy with my rewards. I'll create a few extra bodies for them to use."

Kevin wanted to explain that his comrades weren't that kind of people, but then he thought that having a few more friends to fight with wouldn't be a bad thing.

He agreed, "Alright, then. It's up to them whether they're willing to come out."

With just a few words, the two of them had decided the future path for their brothers-in-arms in the Elysian Realm.