In the white space—
"Your wish has been granted," Sirin said, turning to little Kiana. "Now, what is your wish?"
"Me?" Little Kiana froze for a moment.
Then something came to her mind. "Can you bring back the humans you just killed?"
"I can't bring back all those across the multiverse—they're far too many. Reviving them would be troublesome. But if you mean the ordinary people I just erased on this planet, that's easy."
"Then that's my wish."
"Alright."
Sirin raised her hand again, and the erased humans on the blue planet reappeared as though time itself had rewound.
"You...!" The Herrscher of the Void fumed.
Her wish had just been completely wasted!
"Your wish—I've fulfilled it as well." Sirin turned to the last one, K-423. "As for your wish, is it to pray for a second chance, to hope for a different beginning?"
That was the reason K-423 was born—her wish, though it had been ended prematurely.
"A new start... a different beginning... let me think."
"I've got it. Then let me change the entire world, so you can have that different beginning."
Sirin transformed her thoughts into reality, using immense magic power born from nothing to reshape the entire planet.
The skyscrapers of the blue planet vanished, replaced by ancient towns and cities. The world's laws were rewritten anew.
All human technology and weaponry, including gunpowder, ceased to function.
At the same time, a cultivation system and gamified world rules were introduced, forbidding the use of any high technology powered by Honkai energy.
"All done. You can go back now."
With a casual wave of her hand, little Kiana, K-423, and the Herrscher of the Void disappeared.
At that moment, humanity on the blue planet fell into chaos. First, they had vanished inexplicably, then were resurrected. Now, before their eyes, their once-modern cities transformed into fantastical medieval towns. Their clothing turned into simple robes, and a game-like personal interface appeared before them.
What on earth had happened?
Everyone was utterly bewildered.
Was this... the prank of a god?
At the Anti-Entropy base—
Tesla was on the verge of losing it.
She pounded her fists against the stone slab that used to be the main control computer. The entire Anti-Entropy base had turned into an ancient ruin.
Her clothes had changed into rough cloth garments.
"Hey, chicken-head, do you think it's possible we're dreaming?"
She turned to Einstein, who was calmly studying what looked like a holographic interface before her.
"It's possible."
Although Einstein's expression remained calm, inside she was shaken beyond description.
Everything happening now wasn't the result of a simple Honkai eruption.
The pride of human civilization—their technology—had been completely erased by some unknown force.
She couldn't comprehend how it was even possible.
This wasn't scientific at all.
Einstein opened the panel's chat system.
The chat was divided into World, Nation, Region, and Private channels.
To send a message, one had to spend points to buy message credits.
She opened the shop tab.
It contained various foods and daily necessities.
Finally, she opened the mission list.
Nothing. Not a single quest available.
The entire world had become like a game—but not completely.
They were still made of flesh and blood, not data.
The personal panel only displayed name, gender, race, points, and store access.
From this information, Einstein could roughly infer what the new world might become.
Completing tasks would earn points, which now functioned as currency.
But she couldn't understand the purpose behind whoever—or whatever—had done all this.
After a short period of chaos, human society quickly began to adapt to this altered world.
The old world's money became worthless.
In every city and village, new NPC-like figures appeared, while the animals of the wild had transformed into exotic beasts, magical creatures, and Honkai Beasts.
Monsters respawned periodically after being defeated.
Humans could no longer rely on large-scale farming or animal husbandry to obtain food.
They could only complete quests to earn points, then use those points in the shops or with NPC merchants to buy what they needed.
To prevent robbery and crime, Sirin deployed countless city-destroyer-level guards—powerful enough to easily suppress any human except the likes of Kevin, Su, Hua, Welt Yang, and Siegfried.
As for Kevin, Su, and Hua, Sirin prepared thirteen special entities known as the Seraph Angels.
Each Seraph Angel contained a miniature magic stellar reactor she had crafted, capable of generating a barrier to seal the entire planet or imprison an individual. Together, the thirteen could instantly suppress anything below stellar-level strength.
...
Nagazora City.
The Academy Metropolis had replaced the modern urban center.
At the gate of Chiba Academy—
Little Kiana, K-423, and the Herrscher of the Void appeared.
At this moment, the three of them were still in a state of confusion.
Two girls walked by hand in hand. One of them said, "Huh? Are those three kids triplets? They look so much alike."
"We're not seeing their real bodies anyway. Maybe they just set their appearances to look the same."
"Either way, they're cute. When they grow up, they'll definitely be beauties. Should we go over and say hi, hehe..."
"You perv, stop staring. You're drooling already! Be careful, or the Disciplinary Committee will drag you off for 'education.' Come on, let's go!"
The other girl grabbed her giggling companion and hurried her away.
Then, a blonde girl with long hair, looking utterly unenergetic, walked up to K-423, little Kiana, and the Herrscher of the Void. "I'm Tina, a third-year student. Welcome to Chiba Academy. Follow me." Her tone was lifeless.
The Herrscher of the Void frowned. "Why should I listen to you?"
Tina replied indifferently, "That's up to you. Headmistress Diana just told me to bring you in. If you don't want to come, you can leave right now."
With that, she turned and started walking back toward the academy.
Little Kiana looked at Tina's back, then took K-423's hand. "Come on, sis. Let's go in."
She didn't know what was going on, but for now, following seemed the best option.
"Mm." K-423 nodded blankly.
"..."
The Herrscher of the Void watched the two go in. After glancing around—the falling cherry blossoms, the quiet surroundings—she sighed and followed them inside.
After regaining her physical form, her power had been reduced to almost nothing.
What exactly was that other version of herself planning?
"I'll explain briefly," Tina said as they walked. "The people here aren't from the same world as you. Everyone you see here, including me, is a synchronized entity."
"Synchronized entity?"
"You can think of it as real-time communication made physical," Tina continued. "It's fine if you don't understand yet. You'll figure it out later."
She led K-423, little Kiana, and the Herrscher of the Void to the door of the Headmistress's office.
"This is it. Go on in. I'm going back to sleep. So tired..."
Tina yawned, gave them a lazy wave, and left.
The office door opened automatically.
Little Kiana and the Herrscher of the Void froze when they saw the white-haired woman sitting inside.
"Mom..."
Little Kiana called out instinctively.
The Herrscher of the Void opened her mouth too, as if to speak.
"You're here. Come in and sit," the white-haired woman said softly, nodding slightly.
"..."
Little Kiana and the Herrscher of the Void stepped into the office, carefully studying her. Though she looked somewhat similar, both knew—the woman before them wasn't Cecilia.