From the day Leo Ash suddenly disappeared until now, about three and a half years have passed.
And in those three and a half years, the Honkai phenomenon has quietly vanished from the world.
Within 24 hours of Leo's disappearance, the anti-Honkai soldiers discovered that their most common enemies, the Honkai Beasts, simply lost all ability to move on the battlefield, as if their lives had been snuffed out.
A week later, the bodies of these Honkai Beasts gradually vanished completely from the world.
Not even Emperor-class Honkai Beasts were spared.
Coupled with the fact that no new Honkai Eruptions occurred that week, the rank-and-file soldiers, who didn't know the truth, gradually began to think, [We have completely defeated the Honkai].
But for the high command of the three major organizations, they were not nearly so optimistic.
From the day Leo went to the imaginary space to meet the Cocoon of Finality, the Moon began to change.
Although ordinary people looking at the Moon from Earth couldn't see the changes, those who constantly monitored imaginary space had discovered that the Cocoon of Finality had, at some unknown point, left imaginary space and taken root on the Moon.
If it were just that, it might or might not be a big deal.
The problem was, after taking root on the Moon, the Cocoon enveloped the entire satellite in a special energy.
The good news: this special energy was not Honkai Energy.
The bad news: this power... was *not* Honkai Energy.
Based on the message Leo left and the True Manifestation Fusion traits he had informed the original Kevin and others about, it was 99% certain that after he went to confront the Cocoon, he would have no energy to spare for anything else.
Therefore, this shield was clearly the Cocoon's doing.
Furthermore, according to the joint analysis by Vill-V and Mobius, the energy emitted by this outer layer was not Honkai Energy, but possessed properties of both Honkai Energy and Dimensional Energy. This suggested the Cocoon might have already grasped how to use Dimensional Energy to some extent.
The Cocoon had actually gotten stronger. This was not good news for anyone.
From that day on, the Moonlight Throne fleet was permanently stationed near the Moon, ready at any moment—just as they were fifty thousand years ago—to weaken the enemy's power before the Cocoon could cause more trouble.
And on Earth, the three major organizations went into full production, manufacturing and improving Moonlight Thrones, trying to build more to prepare for the powerful enemy they might face.
As for the high-level officials of certain countries who, noticing the Honkai's disappearance, wanted to stir up trouble...
Su had no time to deal with them, and Fu Hua didn't want to.
So, to prevent these bastards from stabbing them in the back at a critical moment, Void Archives—the Schicksal member with the lowest moral standards, who felt zero guilt about hypnotizing people—took action.
It had been working hard ever since getting a body. This diligence earned it the recognition of some, as well as access to the Quantum Teleportation System.
During this time, it found its [Old Colleague] Rin, had Rin use her Herrscher of Corruption Authority to "dox" everyone who was planning to make trouble, and then went door-to-door hypnotizing them one by one.
The high-level officials, hypnotized by Void Archives using the Mimic Fenghuang Down, naturally took no action.
People who had expected the world to fall into chaos were surprised to see that, after the Honkai ended, no serious unrest occurred. They could only attribute this to 'those old geezers all waiting and watching, too afraid to make a move.'
As for the girls close to Leo, they didn't spend their days crying. Instead, they endured their anxiety and sorrow and threw themselves into their work.
After all, in their eyes, Leo had taken such extreme measures because he wanted to protect this world.
Under these circumstances, with no idea when Leo would return, they at least hoped that when he did, he would see a better world.
From that day until now, this is how everyone had been living.
But today, Chen Tianwu, who was on duty in the Moonlight Throne, suddenly noticed an anomaly.
"Commander Chen! The Moonlight Throne has detected an abnormal energy surge near the Moon!"
"Huh? Abnormal energy?"
Listening to his subordinate's report, Chen Tianwu, who had successfully climbed to a high-ranking position in Schicksal, frowned slightly.
"Have you analyzed the energy composition? According to Dr. Vill-V and Dr. Mobius's reports, this special energy, compared to Dimensional Energy and Honkai Energy—"
"No relation whatsoever!"
"Hmm?"
Chen Tianwu, not minding the interruption, felt that the situation was even more unusual.
*Strange. After Boss Leo went to confront the Cocoon, the energy emitted by the Cocoon on the Moon has always been that special energy mixing Dimensional and Honkai Energy.*
*It's just that over the past few years, the ratio has gradually shifted from 50/50 to a higher and higher percentage of Dimensional Energy.*
*But now, a new special energy has appeared...*
*I was just a small-time hacker. After suddenly becoming a Herrscher and fighting Honkai Beasts for a few months, I became a mid-level Schicksal officer.*
*Then the "big sisters-in-law" said, 'You're a Herrscher, we can't let you run wild outside,' so I had to stay at HQ and study hard, eventually landing the position I have today.*
*But I haven't forgotten that I'm basically just a slacker. I definitely can't handle this.*
*I'll report it to HQ. What else can I do?*
Before sending the data analysis to Schicksal HQ, Chen Tianwu thought for a moment and finally classified the report as urgent.
*Sigh, the Boss has been sleeping on the Moon for three years. He's not even out yet, and now a new problem is cropping up.*
*Ever since the Honkai Beasts vanished, our Schicksal has basically been cut off from recharging Honkai Energy.*
*The current Schicksal combat forces... our lower-level strength is definitely not what it used to be. The top-tier strength is probably only holding on thanks to Kevin and those old-timers from the Previous Era.*
*I hope this new energy isn't from a new enemy.*
*Otherwise, my lazy days being over is a small problem. A new enemy appearing is the big problem.*
*Tianwen has only had a few good years. If possible, I still hope...*
*—that she can live happily in this peaceful world.*
...
One minute ago. Near the Moon.
As an energy wave rippled through space, a man in a black tank top suddenly jumped out of a spatial rift.
"Aah, the Dimensional Connection System... Using this thing to jump to other worlds is still a bit of a stretch."
"But then again, this thing was originally just a special system for drawing power from other dimensions. Bronya already worked really hard to modify it to this point."
"Rather, just how much of a tryhard have they all been in the years I've been 'unconscious'?"
Musing to himself, the man looked at the "Cocoon of the Moon" before him and just felt...
—Ah, just as expected of Su. When he says there's a problem, there's really a problem.
A few days ago, the Schicksal Bishop Aaron Voss, whose consciousness had returned to the Honkai world for several months, suddenly received a message from his companion, Su.
[TL Note: Aaron Voss (originally Ji Ran) is the protagonist of the author's other story, which I am also translating under the title "I'm in Honkai, Grinding Power by Partying With Valkyries."]
Su told Aaron that he had observed a rather special world using Thousand Worlds.
As for what was special about it, Su stated bluntly—it was special because he suddenly 'couldn't see' it anymore.
Out of curiosity and a little concern, Aaron, who had already recovered his full strength and refined it even further, decisively sought out Bronya, who was testing the [Enhanced Dimensional Connection System], and said he wanted to check out that world.
Bronya, who still felt the system was unstable, immediately refused Aaron's abrupt and dangerous decision.
The girl who had once lost her 'master' had only just gotten him back. How could she possibly let him go off on an adventure now?
But this wasn't a problem.
In the end, Bronya, having been thoroughly "convinced" by Aaron, could only look at him with a reproachful gaze. With a helpless sigh, she handed the [Enhanced Dimensional Connection System] over.
After getting the system, Aaron followed the rough beacon Su had uncovered and, after a rather uncomfortable jump, successfully arrived in this strange world.
After arriving, Aaron first breathed a sigh of relief.
*Ah, the Honkai Energy density is so low. This world must have been saved.*
And then—Aaron, who had just relaxed, saw the "Cocoon of the Moon" and felt he had relaxed too soon.
The good news: this world's Honkai Energy density had dropped to negligible levels.
The bad news: Holy shit, not only was the Cocoon not dead, it had actually gotten a lot stronger.
*This isn't right. If this Cocoon keeps getting stronger...*
*I can still win, but the problem is, if it gets any stronger, it'll be hard to hold back in a fight.*
Aaron, floating in space, looked at the Moonlight Throne fleet that had clearly noticed his energy fluctuations. He immediately used his Magnetic Field Rotation power to sense if there was anyone familiar nearby.
*Oh, Old Chen.*
*He actually survived in another world and is still working overtime. He really... I'm moved to tears.*
*But for now...*
[Ahem. Attention, Schicksal forces. If you don't want to die, please back off a bit. I don't want the aftershock to hurt any of you.]
Chen Tianwu, who had just sent his message, heard this voice, and his heart skipped a beat.
The good news: the other party was willing to communicate and even seemed to be showing some goodwill.
But the bad news was serious: Doesn't that tone sound like he's about to go wild?!
*This intruder is definitely planning to go wild!*
And now, Chen Tianwu looked at the warning-filled screen and knew he absolutely could not act rashly.
He didn't know the nature of the other's energy.
But this energy level—Hey, hey, hey! Even the Cocoon's outer energy shield isn't this strong, is it?!!
"It's an expert! Retreat, now! Everyone, fall back!!!"
After issuing the command, Chen Tianwu immediately had his own enhanced Moonlight Throne pull back.
*This is too serious. No, I have to send another message to HQ, tell them to prepare contingency plans.*
*What the hell is going on? Since when did our world have such a terrifying powerhouse???*
Aaron, who was gathering his power, gave the Moonlight Throne fleet a moment to retreat before exhaling sharply.
Ever since one-punching the Cocoon of Finality, he really hadn't expected a day where he needed to use this level of power would come so soon.
But this was no time to think about that.
"Domination. Magnetic Field Rotation: 999,999-Pili Power—"
"Limitless Shock Zen!"
With a roar, Aaron, who had already reached the Moon, threw his fist. It slammed directly into the energy shield of the Cocoon of the Moon.
The energy shield that had kept Schicksal at bay for so long was punched straight through by Aaron. The rest of the shield was then completely shattered by the vibrational properties of the Limitless Shock Zen.
Aaron, having shattered the shield in one blow, looked at what was inside, and his eye began to twitch.
Even before he attacked, he had a theory based on [This isn't Honkai Energy].
But when he saw the true form of the Cocoon of the Moon—a castle—he still froze for a second.
The Cocoon of Finality, which should have been a big cracked egg, had been transformed into a castle.
But that wasn't the point. The point was, this castle was all too familiar to Aaron.
"This... Isn't this Castlevania???"
Aaron, who in a sense was also the lord of Castlevania, looked at the scene and finally understood.
At the same time, a voice suddenly echoed from within Castlevania.
"Who..."
"...has disturbed my seclusion..."
....