They said they'd wait until the next day.
But that night, after her mother had fallen sound asleep, Kiana quietly slipped out of bed and left the room.
Though Seele had the coordinates to the Domain of Finality, and had even asked Kiana to take her along when the time came—so she could slap the Cocoon of Finality a couple of times—
Still!
For something this important, it was better to be cautious.
So, Kiana didn't wake her.
Instead, she directly extracted the beacon of the Cocoon of Finality from the converging timelines of the future.
Then, she tore open space and left.
In that instant, a passage formed, a connection locked in place.
The surreal spectacle of ascending dimensions felt almost tangible, as if every element of reality—tangible or not—was mashed together and poured right before her eyes.
Wherever she looked, there was a riot of shimmering, dazzling colors.
An indescribable, overwhelming light pollution threatened to drown her senses.
A torrent of information—useless and useful alike—crashed into her mind all at once.
Any ordinary being would have been utterly obliterated in an instant.
If Kiana had to describe it, it was like making someone dive from the ocean's surface down to twenty thousand leagues deep—in less than a second, with no preparation.
They'd probably die long before reaching the bottom.
The difference was, being scoured and twisted by distorted dimensions meant being erased into nothingness. A far more gruesome death, in a way—but also, admittedly, painless.
To put it simply, the Cocoon of Finality parasitizes the ends of the Imaginary Tree.
The Domain of Finality is, naturally, a small pocket of space within the Imaginary Tree.
So, traveling from the main world to the Realm of Finality is essentially like briefly stepping onto the Imaginary Tree itself.
Keep in mind: the countless imaginary spaces within the Tree are even harsher environments than outer space.
Leaves and branches intertwine, mingled with the pervasive Sea of Quanta.
It's like a pressure-cooker hell with unimaginable force—enough to make anyone hesitate.
Those without adaptability are like fish out of water, unable to survive on land.
Those without power are like fools charging headfirst into the Sahara Desert without any preparation or supplies.
The Imaginary Tree might be slightly better, since it's orderly.
But the Sea of Quanta is constantly shifting—chaotic, distorted, its regions ever-changing like tides and waves.
World bubbles might seem fragile, but without their protection, being directly exposed to the Sea of Quanta… with luck, you might survive; without it, you're done for.
"So in the original story, the reason Seele could survive in the Sea of Quanta wasn't just her incredible quantum adaptability—Kevin also looked out for her."
Kiana mused.
"Otherwise, all those years with hardly any growth in strength, and not a single monster encounter? That wouldn't make sense…"
Even if the Sea of Quanta warps things, and distances that seem short can feel like being trapped in a maze, those ever-present quantum monsters surely wouldn't be completely blind.
But considering the countless parallel worlds, each with their own Honkai Impact 3rd, while the Sea of Quanta and imaginary space remain singular and shared…
Who knows? Right now, there might be countless Seele's out there in the Sea of Quanta, each waiting for their own Bronya.
"What if I took one back… Would the Bronya in that world cry?"
Well, Kiana certainly had the power to do it.
But she wasn't that bored.
Strictly speaking, while traversing the passage, time couldn't be measured normally.
It felt like millions of years had passed.
Yet also, like only an instant.
When Kiana gathered her thoughts again, she found herself standing in a sea of stars.
It wasn't an illusion.
This was real—a breathtaking, endless starry sky transformed into shimmering water, rippling beneath her feet with an almost surreal texture.
Looking up, it was as if the sky was a dome, an endless canvas of stars painted like some radiant, luminous artwork.
This place closely resembled where Kiana and the other two had arrived in the original story.
But in reality, it felt even more fantastical.
Kiana had already instinctively shifted into her own Finality form.
Behind her head floated three divine halos, the top one slightly fractured, as if chipped.
It felt more real this way.
And more sacred.
She wore an ornate gown, white as a base, tinged with soft violet. Its lace and trims seemed cut from starlight, adorned with elegant, flowing purple fringe.
Behind her ears, at her waist, and on her back, three sets of white wings accentuated her pristine, smooth back—pure and flawless, like fine jade.
Combined with Kiana's gradually maturing, perfect figure, she truly looked like a beloved princess—graceful, radiant, captivating.
Focusing ahead, she could see a massive cocoon pulsating like a mirage, breathing as though alive.
That was the Cocoon of Finality.
Kiana understood.
It seemed as intangible as trying to grasp the moon's reflection in water, but it was truly there.
She just needed to move a bit closer.
Kiana began walking, but each step seemed to warp space, shrinking the distance.
She flickered forward.
Here, distance had no meaning, and she soon stood before the Cocoon.
"—"
The Cocoon of Finality seemed overjoyed, as if it had been waiting eagerly, impatient to connect with Kiana.
The glowing purple patterns on its surface resembled eyes, or perhaps ancient murals.
As the destined Finality, Kiana could naturally connect with the Cocoon.
Especially now, with them so close, she couldn't help feeling a little uplifted herself.
She stepped forward, reached out, and gently touched the Cocoon.
"—" The Cocoon's delight grew.
Kiana spoke softly, as if soothing a child.
"I see… Okay, I understand. Sorry for keeping you waiting…"
In that moment, there was no need for crude methods like speech.
The instant her hand made contact, she understood everything—the whole story, the Cocoon's feelings… she knew it all.
So it turned out, as someone who had crossed worlds and been reborn, Kiana's soul was naturally unique.
That was why the Cocoon had noticed her.
Calling her the destined Finality wasn't wrong.
But it had nothing to do with her appearance.
Even if she hadn't looked like Kiana, she would still have become Finality.
In fact, across all the worlds where the Cocoon had cast its shadow, she was the most important one.
In other Honkai Impact 3rd worlds, where a Kiana-like figure became Finality, what they obtained—like in the original story—was merely a projection of the true Cocoon.
But now!
The Cocoon had gathered all of itself, appearing completely before Kiana.
That meant, across countless parallel Honkai Impact 3rd timelines on the Imaginary Tree, the Cocoon of Finality no longer existed.
Whether past, future, or present, true Honkai would now take the Cocoon's place.
Or rather, perhaps this was how things were always meant to be.
"Wait, doesn't that mean I've screwed things up for countless worlds?" Kiana almost lost her composure.
Did I just betray all my sisters across the multiverse?
What have I done!
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
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