While Siegfried was chasing Sirin down with the Judgment of Shamash, Chen Li was forging a Curio.
While Siegfried unleashed his ultimate six times in three minutes, Chen Li was forging a Curio.
When Siegfried ran out of energy and couldn't use his ultimate anymore, Chen Li was forging a Curio.
When a battered Sirin saw Siegfried was out of energy and summoned Honkai Beasts to gang up on him, Chen Li was forging a Curio.
When Sirin watched in disbelief as Siegfried ate a Honkai Beast raw to replenish his energy before unleashing his ultimate on her again, Chen Li was forging a Curio.
When Sirin's left arm was severed by the Judgment of Shamash, swung by Siegfried's tail, Chen Li was forging a Curio.
When Sirin was pinned to the ground by Siegfried, who successfully ripped the Gem of Serenity and the Infinite Corridor containing Cecilia from her body, Chen Li was still forging a Curio.
"Ah... am I dead?"
"I can't feel anything... only cold."
"God, where are you?"
"Save me... I can't hear Your voice anymore."
Sirin felt her body falling into an endless abyss.
Her companion, her mother, her retainer... no one answered her.
In the end, she was... all alone.
The trauma of having the Gem of Serenity brutally torn from her body caused the Core of the Void within her to crack.
The next moment, the Herrscher of the Void's power went out of control.
Countless Imaginary Pillars sprouted forth. The intensity of the Honkai energy on the Siberian plains surged and began to spread outwards. It was projected to contaminate the entire region within two hours.
With the Herrscher's power spiraling, the Infinite Corridor holding Cecilia collapsed. The moment she emerged, she saw Siegfried—his muscle tissue almost completely torn, many of his bones broken, a man on the verge of death.
"I didn't expect to meet a user of Abyss Flower here. I can see her power is great. If it were her, perhaps she could save Siegfried, who has overdrawn his life force. A pity she is out of time."
"The Second Herrscher's core is in meltdown. The released core energy will continue to spread until it has devoured half of the Asian continent."
"Regrettably, with your current strength, you cannot stop this catastrophe. You and your wife will die here. Farewell, my successor."
Kevin, his consciousness linked to Siegfried's, quietly watched the impending destruction.
"Yo, Kevin. First time we're meeting."
A voice sounded beside Kevin, startling him.
"Or perhaps... long time no see."
Chen Li slowly removed his helmet.
"..." Kevin silently stared at the figure with his back turned.
Can this guy see me or not?
"Ah, I'm behind you? Oh." The man quickly seemed to get a hint, then turned his head to look at Kevin.
The moment he turned, Kevin's pupils constricted.
This person, he remembered!
The one who had given him a guide to cringey pick-up lines.
Later, after joining the Flame-Chasers, Kevin had heard that this man was the short-lived, brilliant head of the Engineering Department. After leaving behind countless weapons for the organization, he had mysteriously vanished.
And yet, for some reason, Vill-V, Elysia, and even Kalpas and Sakura had all firmly believed that this person would eventually reappear.
But unfortunately, they never saw him again, not even when the end came.
And now, here he was again, at this turning point of fate.
"I can't see your expression, but I bet you're surprised to see me."
"So... care to watch a show?"
"A performance... that will save an entire civilization!"
"Are you still haunted by the death of the one you loved?"
"Are you still grieving for the destruction of your civilization?"
"Can time be altered?"
"Can a civilization be fabricated?"
"And can history itself be rewritten?"
"Can the Herrscher of Human:Ego who passed away have a happier ending?"
"The Thirteen Flame-Chasers, the last hope of an entire civilization—what if they could live out ordinary, brilliant lives?"
"And can the Honkai be suppressed by a single person, transformed into an endless source of energy for a civilization's evolution?"
"And why did I, the Head of the Previous Era's Engineering Department, leave without a word, never to be seen again, even at the very end?"
"All of these questions will be answered today."
"So, why not stick around a little longer? Until the miracle occurs." Chen Li extended an invitation to Kevin.
He had no other choice. Chen Li's overwhelming desire to perform couldn't tolerate having no audience for his grandstanding. And the more exceptional the audience, the more excited he became.
Imaginary Pillars pierced through everything, yet a three-meter space around Chen Li seemed protected by an infinite barrier, deflecting all of them.
Kevin, connected to his descendant through the stigmata's consciousness, followed beside Chen Li. They passed by Siegfried and Cecilia, who were only safe because they were being shielded by the Arahato, driven by Welt's consciousness. The shield generated by the Moonlight Throne's defense mode had bought them some time.
Meanwhile, Chen Li, wielding the Authority of the Void with a proficiency nearly identical to Sirin's, had already arrived at her side as her core went into meltdown.
Chen Li's proficiency with the Void Authority model was skyrocketing. After all, a berserk authority was still an authority.
Looking at Sirin, who radiated an aura of desolation, Chen Li patted her on the head.
He knew that Cecilia was about to use all of her sacred blood to pacify the rampant Honkai energy, buying Siegfried the chance to hit Sirin with the Judgment of Shamash to stop the core meltdown and prevent the destruction of all of Siberia.
Chen Li didn't plan to stop it, but he wasn't going to sit back and do nothing either.
The trauma the Honkai energy had inflicted upon the people of the Siberian plains already existed and was still spreading. Without the purification of the sacred blood, countless people would die.
Chen Li simply watched the progress bar for the Entry above his head.
[Second Eruption]: 97/100
Cecilia did not keep him waiting long. A moment later, a spear formed of blood pierced into the core of the Honkai energy meltdown where Sirin was located.
A massive amount of Honkai energy was instantly pacified, revealing Chen Li and Sirin at the center.
Immediately following that, the Judgment of Shamash, in its Annihilation Form, struck, blasting the core area with immense force.
"Kevin, this descendant of yours is a bit lacking. He has none of your guts—the kind it takes to give the entire planet a middle part," Chen Li remarked.
"..." - by Kevin.
You're asking for Siegfried to die.
---o---
Under the bombardment of the Judgment of Shamash, the Honkai energy reaction in Siberia completely vanished.
Having exhausted everything, Siegfried and Cecilia's life signs were now extremely weak.
At this moment, Cecilia was saying her goodbyes to Siegfried. After pouring out her heart, she planted Abyss Flower into the ground near him. Countless vines rose up, forming a sturdy shield to guard him.
Cecilia's actions were not in vain, because...
That dog-fucker Otto was launching a Honkai Fission Bomb right at them!
Looking up, one could see the shining, solitary star. Anyone familiar with Schicksal knew what that damn thing was.
Cecilia had barely any blood left in her body. Time was running out. And before Otto's bomb arrived, there was one last thing she had to do.
When Cecilia reached the place where Sirin had fallen, she saw the retainer who had always appeared as a giant doll in the dreamscape. He had taken off his helmet and was walking toward her, carrying the tattered form of Sirin.
Sirin's life was at its end, but her Herrscher-level vitality still gave her the strength to open her eyes. She watched as her retainer placed her in Cecilia's arms.
"Your Majesty, feel this warmth," was the last thing Chen Li said to her, before putting his helmet back on.
"..." Lying in Cecilia's embrace, Sirin was silent.
At this point, she could naturally sense that something was amiss, but she no longer cared to figure it out... At the very least, this temporary retainer of hers had saved Benares's life.
Sirin wanted to say thank you, but she no longer had the strength to speak.
And when Chen Li put on the helmet, it meant it was time for him to take off his mask.
Snap!
Chen Li snapped his fingers.
A large handful of Star Stones were crushed in his hand. His Void Authority, now enhanced to its absolute limit, briefly froze the descending Honkai Fission Bomb in place with the power of spacetime.
Then, Chen Li raised his head to the sky.
"Hey, Otto! You're watching, aren't you?" Chen Li shouted into a large megaphone.
This was Robin's microphone, which he had temporarily requisitioned. It could project his voice over great distances and even had a touch of an Edict-like ability.
Chen Li knew that Otto was currently observing every move here via surveillance satellite. One should never underestimate Schicksal's technology; without any special energy interference, their satellites could probably see which foot you stepped forward with first.
"Next, I will demonstrate how to save a civilization that has perished and a life that has long been lost. Watch closely. I'm only doing this once."
Chen Li stuck the microphone Curio into the ground beside him and picked up [Myriad Phenomena Severance].
Hearing Chen Li's words, Otto, sitting in front of a screen, slowly widened his eyes.
If Chen Li wanted to lecture him about some grand principle, Otto wouldn't listen. But if you talked to him about how to resurrect the dead, Otto would take a couple more looks even if the Herrscher of Sentience's fist was about to smash into his Soulium face.
"First, you need a Curio that can sever anything..."
"..." - by Otto.
Otto's face was blank. He was even tempted to launch a few more Honkai Fission Bombs at Chen Li's location.
"Of course, it's fine if you don't have one."
"!!!"
"To resurrect a person in both soul and body, the Authority of Death is useless. And the most important thing isn't just seeing that person revived; it's believing that the person you revived is truly them. In that situation, there is only one way... Play with history! Reverse time!"
Chen Li split the [Myriad Phenomena Severance] scissors into two separate blades, then raised one of them toward the sky.
---o---