"By the way, have you remembered anything?"
Herta's question came abruptly. Just a moment ago, they had been discussing other people—about how she could paralyze every human system if she wished.
And then the topic suddenly shifted to Kiana.
She was concerned about her.
"Nothing at all." Kiana looked at Herta in confusion. "Is something wrong?"
Herta fell silent.
This world was undoubtedly approaching its end. Even she might not be able to halt that process.
Even now, she still had not figured out what the rising Honkai energy was tied to, or why it was growing stronger by the day.
Was it part of the trial's design?
Or something else entirely?
If the situation continued to develop like this, then even if she eliminated every visible enemy, she might still fail to save this world.
The exact timeline was difficult to determine.
In her projections, there might emerge an overwhelmingly powerful Herrscher—like... a Herrscher like Kiana?
Or perhaps Kiana herself.
In any case, there was not much time left, yet there was still no trace of Ruan Mei. She simply did not exist in this trial world.
No matter how long Herta waited, Ruan Mei never appeared. She had observed this world carefully and found no trace of Ruan Mei in its past, nor in its impending future.
That inevitably led her to a certain speculation.
Was it possible.
That Ruan Mei had never entered the trial world at all?
Was that why no matter how she searched or waited, she could not find her?
Which would mean that the only person dragged into this trial might be herself.
The more she considered that possibility, the more puzzled she became. It made no sense. Had Kiana done this deliberately? Most likely not. Outside of this, they were not even close. If Kiana needed help, she would sooner seek out the Nameless than her.
So was it an accident?
Unlike Ruan Mei, her consciousness was projected into a puppet body. Perhaps her consciousness had been affected by the Stigmata Trial and pulled in along with it.
At this point.
That was the only direction her reasoning could take.
"Your trial has failed," Herta said, looking into Kiana's slightly puzzled blue eyes. "You're not going to blame me for it, are you?"
If she was the only one here, then she had to prepare to shoulder the blame. After all, this was Kiana's trial. Her presence was a variable.
Even if she had done nothing, the original outcome might have shifted. Let alone the fact that she had done far more than nothing.
But she had no intention of taking the blame.
"Huh? Why would you say that?" Kiana looked utterly baffled.
She felt almost nothing about the trial. She did not know its content, nor what she was supposed to accomplish.
She did not even know what success or failure would entail. Compared to those unknowns, she cared far more about what was in front of her.
For example, Herta had said many times—ever since their first meeting—that this world was fake, a virtual trial world. Kiana believed her.
But that did not prevent her from experiencing it.
"Just answer my question," Herta said. "Don't respond with another question."
"Of course I wouldn't!" Kiana answered immediately. "No matter what kind of trial this is, I have no reason to blame you. Whether it fails or succeeds... I think you're more important."
"Tch. Amnesia really is the perfect shield." Herta frowned. Facing Kiana's clear gaze, she found herself unable to say anything harsher and merely clicked her tongue in irritation.
"No, this has nothing to do with amnesia!" Kiana's expression turned firm. "I trust myself. Even if I recover my memories and remember everything you told me, my answer would be the same!"
"If it weren't for you, Herta, I might already be lying on someone else's operating table, being dissected."
Kiana had not forgotten that she had been captured by the Federation and delivered to Herta as experimental material. If not Herta, then someone else would have taken her.
"Fine." Herta let out a faint laugh. "Then make sure you remember what you just said. If your trial fails and you try to use me—the variable—as an excuse, I won't take the blame for you."
"Don't worry, Herta. I'm not that kind of person!"
Kiana believed that wholeheartedly. Even if she did not understand what the trial truly represented, there was no reason to blame others for her own failure.
And Herta's presence.
Truly made her feel at ease.
"You'd better not be."
After some time, Herta seemed to have grown immune to Kiana's overly intimate remarks. And Kiana, ever since Herta mentioned she already had a lover, no longer knew whether she should approach her too closely.
There was a sense of wanting to draw nearer, yet holding back out of consideration—so she restrained herself and merely smiled.
As long as she could remain by her side, that was enough.
While the two conversed in a light and relaxed manner, the situation outside underwent a dramatic upheaval.
First, the Federation's high-ranking officials were all assassinated, and the cities were taken over by artificial intelligence.
Second, the artificial Herrschers began to experience malfunctions in their abilities. Those serving as bodyguards suffered immediate genetic collapse, transforming into Honkai Beasts before being eliminated by cold, ruthless killing machines.
And in some unknown corner.
The Herrscher who had once escaped from Kiana's grasp had long since fallen to the war machines Herta had deployed.
Facts proved that when a genius devoted all her energy to winning a war, the potential unleashed was terrifying.
Human bases descended into chaos for a time. But because the intelligence behind everything was Herta—and because Herta's reputation outside was formidable—many regions quickly calmed down.
As for opportunists seeking to exploit the turmoil, their accomplices, and anyone attempting to stir unrest, all were eliminated by the killing weapons suspended above the cities.
Herta had no intention of listening to others' opinions.
Nor did she care what they thought.
All she required was that they remain quiet and refrain from creating further complications.
Fortunately, her immense prestige stabilized the situation.
After all, everyone knew that if there was anyone capable of leading humanity to survival.
It would be Herta.
There was no genius more brilliant than she.
When everything finally settled and the red dots on the screens were completely erased, turning into safe blue and green indicators, it was already deep into the night.
Herta lowered her head in thought.
She had maintained that posture for quite some time. Kiana did not dare disturb her and simply stared at the screens.
After a long while, Herta spoke again.
"You don't have any ideas of your own, do you?"
"There's nothing in particular I want to do." Kiana paused, then her voice grew firmer. "And I believe that whatever you do is the right thing!"
Herta turned to look at her for a moment.
"...That's truly how I feel," Kiana added, blinking, thinking Herta did not believe her.
How is that any different from giving up and letting someone else decide? Herta muttered inwardly, though she said nothing aloud. Instead, she voiced the decision she had long since made.
"Since failure doesn't matter to you, and you don't have anything you particularly want to do, then from here on out, I'll decide everything. You have no objections, right?"
She sought confirmation once more.
No matter what, this was Kiana's domain.
"Of course I have no objections! If anything, I couldn't ask for better!"
...
Herta first carried out large-scale upgrades to the remaining human cities. If they were all wiped out, this trial would more or less come to an end as well.
As for why she insisted on making things harder for herself?
There was no reason.
She felt like doing it.
She wanted to, so she did.
It had nothing to do with Kiana.
Having learned from last time, Herta had no intention of relocating again, nor did she plan to engage further with the people of this world.
She was only responsible for the technical side of things.
With the Federation's upper ranks eliminated and no one left to constrain her, Kiana was free to walk openly through human cities when Herta did not require her presence, observing this world firsthand.
As time passed, successive Honkai Eruptions broke out. Herrschers and Honkai Beasts reappeared, but none managed to stir up significant waves before being sniped down by one of Herta's weapons.
The moment they surfaced, they were eliminated.
Yet problems followed.
While Herta continued advancing technology, the intensity of the Honkai rose alongside it.
The faster she pushed the tech tree.
The stronger the Honkai became.
At last, Herta confirmed something.
"The higher the level of technology, the stronger the Honkai?"
Her brow furrowed deeply. The Honkai had already reached a level that made even her want to frown at the sight of it.
Outside the bases, the world was no longer habitable for humans. If she had not developed shielding systems that isolated Honkai energy, there might already be no survivors left.
Beyond the rising energy levels, there was also the Honkai Beast that had crawled out of the sea earlier. Its strength alone was enough to destroy an entire continent. If she had not constructed a planetary surveillance net and eliminated it the moment it attempted to advance inland, it would have possessed the power to annihilate the world.
If this continued, what would come next?
An enemy capable of shattering planets?
And after that?
Would it continue to escalate?
Herta narrowed her eyes, a decision forming in her mind.
Ceasing research to suppress the Honkai was out of the question. Technological advancement had to continue. She would use the resources of this planet to construct a space station.
If Honkai energy intensified in step with civilization, then she wanted to see where its limit truly lay. Though some of the underlying logic here differed from reality, with her abilities, helping the people of this world leave the planet would not be particularly difficult.
And she also wanted to see.
How vast this trial world truly was.
She had already confirmed that the trial world was not confined to this planet alone. There was outer space. The moon above was no illusion.
"So... we're leaving?"
Herta had acted first and only afterward informed Kiana. Kiana had not been idle during this time either. Though most powerful enemies were detected by the planetary net and eliminated instantly, Honkai phenomena still occurred around and even within the bases.
Kiana had paid special attention to those incidents.
She had done quite a lot during this period.
"This planet is no longer suitable for human habitation. Honkai phenomena are becoming increasingly frequent. Remaining here is simply a slow death," Herta said, then paused before asking, "Or do you have a better solution?"
This was ultimately Kiana's trial, so Herta asked her, wanting to hear her thoughts.
"I..."
Kiana thought of the people she had met during this time. Humanity was not entirely like the Federation's leadership. There were ordinary people who were simple, kind, and sincere.
"I think you're right," she said. "Honkai phenomena are increasing. Even with the shielding systems blocking external Honkai erosion, incidents inside the bases are happening more often, and the energy intensity is still rising."
"If this continues, we'll all die sooner or later."
She had witnessed firsthand how much black technology Herta had created and how it was used.
They had been winning consistently, yet the situation had not improved. It had only worsened. Just as Herta said, this was a slow death.
Because one failure meant the apocalypse.
They had no margin for error.
"Then let's go to the sky," Kiana agreed. "No matter what we do here, we can't find the source of the Honkai. Maybe its origin lies above us."
Something stirred in Herta's eyes as she lifted her gaze to look at her. "Oh? Is that what you think?"
"Isn't it?" Kiana considered for a moment before continuing. "I've heard others say that this world didn't always have Honkai. It appeared suddenly. If it appeared suddenly, then there must be a source. If it's not on this planet, then it's outside it. In the sky."
"The source... heh."
Herta smiled faintly and said nothing further.
Isn't the source standing right in front of me?
Kiana was the source of the Honkai.
From the way she had assimilated the world of Jarilo-VI and how her use of Honkai energy had affected that world, triggering Honkai phenomena, it was clear enough.
Kiana looked puzzled, unable to understand what she had said wrong. "Did I guess incorrectly?"
"No. Your guess is interesting," Herta shook her head. "Then let's go to the sky. Go outside. Let's search for the source of the Honkai."
She spent a period of time constructing the space station and successfully launched it into orbit. During the process, several flying Honkai creatures attempted to interfere, but all were eliminated.
Before relocating the research base to space, Herta upgraded the protective systems of the cities on the ground once more.
They moved to the space station.
And then to the moon.
Kiana followed Herta there. Traces of Honkai energy existed here as well, but there were no signs of life.
The landscape was barren and silent, devoid of anything.
It seemed humanity had never set foot here before. Aside from the two of them, there was not a single trace of life.
"This place isn't bad," Herta remarked.
From here, one could see the vast planet at a glance, along with the space station floating between it and the moon.
The Honkai intensity here was not particularly high.
Clearly, Honkai energy seemed to target only that world. The energy present on the moon felt more like residual leakage.
Herta had already conducted her scans.
Though she had not reached a definitive conclusion, this entire planetary system appeared to be "real," not a fabricated sky.
"It seems Honkai energy only affects that world. Is it because... of the trial?" Kiana gazed at the beautiful planet and could not help asking, "What exactly is the Stigmata Trial?"
"I'd very much like to know as well," Herta replied calmly. "What exactly must you do to find a path to survival under circumstances like these?"
"A path to survival..."
Quite some time had passed.
Kiana stared at the world before her and fell silent. The more she understood, the quieter she became, no longer able to speak confidently about accomplishing the impossible as she once had.
"If Honkai energy continues to expand without limit... can we really find even a sliver of hope within it?"