"This…"
Su suddenly saw a portal appear ahead.
Pardofelis laughed: "Hehehe… Pretty impressive, right? It took me a ton of effort to get my hands on this new tech. It has some super cool name, I think."
"Thousand Realms… Thousand Realms something?"
Su naturally recognized it as Cosmic Juggernaut.
What surprised him, however, was that a Divine Key existed even here.
But… the way it was being used…
It really left him speechless.
Pardofelis led him through one portal after another formed by the Divine Key, while saying: "The moment I got here, I immediately set up this network. A sly cat has three burrows, you know."
"Didn't expect it would actually help me close so many deals. What can I say—when fortune comes, you can't stop it even if you try."
Under her guidance, Su quickly found where Kevin was.
He was standing on a bridge not far ahead, gazing at the city scenery.
Kevin was not surprised by Su's arrival: "You're here, Su."
"Kevin…"
It was still him. Just from that single greeting, Su could tell.
Seeing that his closest friend had not fallen into slumber like Pardofelis, Su felt a slight relief in his heart.
But soon after, he felt guilty for even having that thought.
Perhaps… for Kevin, falling into a slumber like Pardofelis would actually be better?
Just like that, the two stood there for a long time, doing nothing more than looking at each other.
"Uh… hahaha…" Pardofelis gave an awkward laugh. She also sensed the atmosphere was off: "Since I've brought you here, I'll… take my leave first?"
Su immediately called out: "Wait, Pardof."
But Pardofelis acted as if she were afraid of being held back. Ignoring him completely, her figure vanished into a corner in the blink of an eye.
Kevin said: "Let her go. What we're about to do has nothing to do with her anyway."
Su said: "…I'm afraid that's not entirely true, Kevin. In my previous observations, Pardof's data had also disappeared for a time. Yet now she's here together with you, who has been eroded."
"From the looks of it… she must also be part of Vill-V's plan."
Kevin followed up: "How far along is the plan?"
Su answered: "For you, it's about to reach the final step. How much did Vill-V tell you?"
Kevin said: "She believes that even though I'm not a psychosensory-type, I can still temporarily maintain my self after being eroded."
"When the time comes, she needs me to strike with full force from the inside, creating an opportunity for the decisive battle outside."
Su immediately asked: "Is that all?"
Kevin nodded: "Yes."
Su said: "That's not false, but… it's not detailed enough."
"In truth, she left me a riddle with three answers. I've already solved the first two layers, and the remaining final one…"
"She used 'the safest place' as an ironic metaphor. Her true purpose was to have me become eroded and come here—to the most dangerous place—to assist your full-power strike."
"Is that really necessary?" Kevin's gaze remained fixed on the distance, but his words carried absolute dominance, stemming from his complete confidence in his own strength.
Su nodded: "Yes. After all, you've been eroded for far too long. Although you can still maintain your self, even if you poured all your data into it, it still wouldn't be enough for you to unleash that unstoppable strike. Therefore…"
"You must use all of me as a substitute… no, as a supplement."
Kevin asked: "And after that? What happens to you and me?"
Su answered: "We both dissipate, leaving no trace behind."
"…"
Kevin was silent for a moment: "I understand."
Su asked: "You don't seem inclined to stop me?"
Kevin nodded: "If you weren't my closest friend, I would."
"But since you believe this is the method we must use… of course I trust you."
"Thank you." At this moment, Su could only express gratitude for that trust.
Kevin continued: "So, has the moment arrived?"
Su nodded: "It's very close. Mobius will create an opening for us. At that point, the Herrscher of Corruption's power will weaken to a level we can break through."
Kevin asked: "Then what do we do now?"
"…Wait." Su only spoke two words.
Kevin nodded, not pressing further. He slightly turned away and continued gazing at the distant scenery.
Only now did Su notice why Kevin's posture had seemed a little strange earlier—it was because of the way he was standing.
"…?"
And when Su followed his line of sight into the distance, he gradually began to realize… this place was so very familiar.
"…Nagazora City?"
"Mm." Kevin answered him.
Su said: "That makes sense. You… were originally the master of this illusion. I just never imagined that the scene you most wanted to see would be…"
As he had noticed earlier, the city had clearly once been ravaged by Honkai.
Even in unrestrained fantasy, the disaster that had changed their lives forever had not been artificially erased.
Kevin shook his head: "No, the scenery here keeps changing… but it's always my past."
"…"
Indeed, Kevin… anyone would think he was a man trapped by his past, bound and controlled by it.
Kevin continued: "All I can do is wait, so… I don't mind using this time to pass the hours."
Su asked: "…How does it feel?"
Kevin said: "I've imagined some possibilities—but since they're impossible, they're meaningless."
Su pondered: "Possibilities… yes. If there had never been Honkai in the world… what would the past we look back on today have been like?"
Hearing those words, Kevin turned around. If he still had the habit of making expressions, he would have looked very strange right now.
"Haven't we already talked about this question—though in a different way?"
"A different way?"
Su was puzzled when an extremely distant memory suddenly surfaced in his mind.
He said in surprise: "You actually still remember."
"Mm." Kevin nodded: "A person's fate… is his character."
The scene of their conversation at that time appeared on the television.
Back then, Kevin still had an innocent and lively demeanor.
He asked Su: "Hey… so your thinking hasn't changed at all? A doctor… that's really what you want to do in the future?"
Su said: "Here we go again, Kevin—from childhood till now, you always do this. Do you have to tease every single one of my ideals at least once?"
Kevin laughed loudly: "Hahaha… come on, I already told you ages ago that studying medicine suits you perfectly. I just think… with your intelligence, isn't it a bit of a waste?"
Su looked at him and said: "We haven't seen each other for a while, and you've somehow become even more frivolous. Saving lives and healing the wounded… it's not as simple as you imagine. Besides…"
Kevin pressed: "Besides what?"
Su decisively gave up: "Forget it. I'm not letting you tease me again."
Kevin pushed him playfully: "That's no fun at all. I was actually planning to talk to you about my own ideals today. Come on, come on—do we really need to be like this with our relationship?"
"…"
Su thought for a moment, decided there was no need to hide it from him, and said: "I always feel… the kind of doctor I want to become isn't just someone who treats patients. I also want to… try to cure some of the world's chronic diseases."
"Ah… huh?" Kevin tilted his head, completely lost.
Su said: "It's hard for me to explain to you—I don't even know how I'd go about doing it myself."
"—Anyway, let's talk about you."
"Didn't you say you didn't have any ideals?"
Kevin said excitedly: "Hey hey, times have changed!"
"Su, you might be shocked when I say this. I've decided—I'm going to become a hero."
Su was instantly speechless.
Kevin looked at him in confusion: "Eh? What's wrong?"
Su hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Uh… setting aside why you'd even have that idea. Do you… actually know what a hero represents?"
Kevin nodded: "Of course. A so-called hero is someone who shows up to solve the problem only after the difficulty appears, who bears the suffering only after it arrives. There is no second way."
"All heroes are accidents. They can never be the result of deliberate action."
Su agreed: "Indeed… a hero cannot be a goal. It can only be an action, a result."
"What else did MEI tell you?"
"Oh, she also said…" Kevin was about to continue when he suddenly realized: "Uh… you…"
Su sighed: "That doesn't sound like your own thinking at all, Kevin."
Kevin said awkwardly: "Ahaha… can't I just suddenly… what's the word… have an epiphany?"
"Sigh, Su… what's wrong with you? You never used to react like this when I mentioned her before."
Su said: "Because back then, you hadn't gradually become MEI's shadow yet. Haven't you… noticed that yourself?"
Kevin asked in confusion: "Uh… but what's wrong with that? MEI is a genius. Isn't humbly learning from her the right thing to do?"
"Sometimes I even think… since someone has to lead everyone, if that person is MEI, at least when I follow her forward, it feels far more reassuring than fumbling around on my own."
Looking at Kevin like this, Su had one thing he didn't say out loud.
But… once you choose to follow, you can no longer walk side by side with her… When that time comes, how much pain will you feel?
He couldn't say those words.
Because he knew that even if he did, this idiot Kevin wouldn't understand.
Instead, he asked: "So, how did you answer her?"
Kevin chuckled: "Hehe… well…"
"Actually, back then, just to see her blush, I deliberately told her…"
"I want to become your hero alone."
"But her response was pretty strange…"
"She told me…"
"As long as you can become the hero of one person, you can also become the hero of everyone."
"Su, what do you think that means?"
The memory scene faded, and Su came back to himself.
Savoring Kevin's earlier words, he said: "Yes… a person's fate… is his character. Therefore, perhaps a person's fate ultimately has only one path."
"Even without Honkai, something else would appear to push us to where we are today."
"Kevin, there's one thing… I've always been puzzled about. Can you give me an answer today?"
"The conjecture MEI proposed about the true nature of the world… has it actually already been confirmed?"
Kevin answered simply and powerfully: "…Yes."
"…" Su let out a sigh: "No wonder… so everything in the world is just a pre-arranged play? Like some believers believe—that everything we endure is merely to confirm…"
"…whether we are qualified to ascend to some higher existence and end humanity's childhood?"
Kevin shook his head: "No… I don't think so."
"Everything I've experienced is my entirety, not a price I paid to achieve something."
"That's why I will never deny any part of it—not even the failures, not even the pain."
Su asked: "Even if the pain is unbearable?"
Kevin said firmly: "Even if the pain is unbearable!"
Kevin… anyone would think he was a man trapped by his past, bound and controlled by it.
But he is not.
This man does not need to return to the beginning. From start to finish, he has never changed at all.
To this day, he still pours out everything he has, trying to live up to that long-ago jest.
"If I avoid them, it would be the same as denying MEI, denying you, denying…" Kevin paused slightly here before continuing: "…everything she brought to us and to this world."
"Elysia…" As his closest friend, Su naturally understood who "she" referred to. He nodded: "Indeed. That's exactly why we're here."
Kevin continued: "MEI was right. Compared to becoming everyone's hero, saving just one person is often harder—and far more difficult."
"But at least, we have this chance again."
Su said: "So this time… will the ending be different?"
Kevin answered: "If it's Elysia, probably not."
Su said: "But at least… we won't have to feel regret like we did back then, right?"
Kevin nodded: "Mm. Since that should have been her ball…"
"This time, let the host stay until the very end."
Su said: "Exactly my thought."
Kevin asked: "The timing we need hasn't arrived yet?"
Su said softly: "Keep waiting, Kevin. No matter how many times it repeats, a person's choice will not change—we've already proven that. Since all of Vill-V's plans are built on this foundation…"
"…then the final link will begin to turn as well."