Kevin at the door, with the Shamash

The Elysian Realm storyline had concluded, but that didn't mean Mei's side of the story had ended as well.

The story was still ongoing.

After a long time...

The damp air filled her nostrils, and the cold, chilling sensation seeped through her skin…

It had been a while since she last felt reality.

Even though she hadn't noticed any differences between the dreamlike realm and reality while inside, the moment she set foot on real ground, she immediately understood the difference. This also made her clearly realize—

She was back.

"I… am back?"

Mei furrowed her brows and scratched her head, still unable to fully relax after that long and drawn-out experience. A thousand thoughts raced through her mind.

During her time in the dream realm, she had made a promise to that ever-smiling girl, one she would never forget.

It was a constant reminder.

Behind her lay a past that had already disappeared, a heavy and lingering weight.

And before her stood the future she wished to step toward…

"…Huh?"

As her thoughts returned to the present, she noticed someone standing before her. In the damp corridor, within the shadows, he stood silently, gripping the hilt of a crimson greatsword with one hand. Only his back was visible to her.

A figure Mei had expected to see.

In the exact way she had anticipated.

After all, with such a major event occurring in the Elysian Realm, there was no way he wouldn't have known about it.

"So, you are the final line of defense here."

"In the end, you still didn't intervene."

Mei let out a light sigh. It turned out that things hadn't escalated as severely as she had imagined. Even in failure, Kevin knew how to handle the remnants left behind by the Herrscher of Corruption.

At this moment, Kevin's presence brought a deep sense of security.

"...It's clear that you have great faith in your former comrades."

"And you're the same."

He replied calmly.

For a moment, she couldn't discern the meaning behind his words.

Was he saying that she, too, had unwavering faith in them? Or was he implying that he, too, had faith in himself?

But this was not a question she wished to dwell on.

More importantly, Kevin had chosen not to reunite with his old comrades.

"Kevin, they…"

"I know."

"..."

"Even so… don't you want to see them one last time?"

That would be meaningless.

She had already prepared herself for him to say those words. Given what she knew about him, the chances were very high.

But he didn't.

As he gazed past her, it was as if he was looking at the vanishing data and memories, at the fading lights of the Elysian Realm. He stared at those fleeting colors and softly said:

"I don't want to disappoint her."

His voice was steady, just as it had always been.

Mei immediately understood, this man, who had always symbolized strength, was not lamenting to anyone…

He was merely stating his own weakness.

The Kevin standing here was not just the final safeguard.

He was here to remember. To… say farewell.

------

[His heart had never been a block of ice, and even his tears were warm…]

[Was his disappointment because Elysia rejected the Stigmata Project?]

[Kevin: You destroyed the Elysian Realm, now pay up!]

-------------

In the Golden Courtyard

Those who had thought the story had ended and were ready to disperse exchanged glances.

However, they weren't too surprised. After all, a short epilogue following a cutscene was normal to round out the story. This had happened before, but… this time, the story felt unusually long.

It had been so long and filled with so many emotions that even the onlookers felt exhausted.

But because of that, as Luo Mo put it, it was a good ending.

Elysia agreed with that. In her heart, this was an incredibly beautiful conclusion, whether it was the trust shared between comrades throughout the journey or the grand, solemn farewell at the end.

She was happy.

Trapping a Herrscher of Corruption within the Elysian Realm, wasn't that a great deal?

"Kevin, Kevin, I really thought you were going to completely ignore your old comrades."

Elysia pouted playfully, then smiled brightly.

Within the Elysian Realm's storyline, Klein, the realm's administrator, had surely informed the base, there had been a warning, after all. Moreover… If it were Kevin, he definitely would have noticed something.

Back then, she had briefly wondered why no one else came.

But in the end… no one did.

As the battle gradually leaned toward victory, she had even forgotten about it.

"Clearly, even if the Herrscher of Corruption had escaped, they would've been stopped right at the doorstep."

Kiana commented with a strange expression. She couldn't think of any major threat waiting outside for the Herrscher of Corruption, but if they had managed to escape, they likely would've been met with a Judgment of Shamash blast.

The Herrscher of Corruption had long yearned for the outside world, only to meet death at its gates—how tragic.

But… considering how much trouble they had caused Mei, she didn't feel any sympathy for them.

"Haha—"

Mobius chuckled, her expression easing slightly.

"On the other hand, that little assistant has truly become an enigma. Every word he says carries hidden meaning, each with multiple interpretations."

She nodded mockingly.

"Unfortunately, in the end, Kevin still refused to meet us. I suppose our bonds have faded."

"..."

Kevin shot her a glance, closed his eyes, and didn't respond.

It seemed there were plenty of people who didn't get along with Mobius.

"…Because Kevin didn't want to risk letting the Herrscher of Corruption gain the upper hand, obviously. Since there was a risk, it was better to strike the moment they stepped out in triumph."

Hua explained, her eyes gleaming.

With Kevin in reality, the Herrscher of Corruption wasn't even worth worrying about.

"Risk? Maybe… After all, in a digital world, no one could say for sure how far the Herrscher of Corruption's abilities extended."

Mobius sneered.

She had no real grudge against Kevin. On the contrary, as long as Klein was safe, she was reassured.

But now… well, fine. She was indeed in a bad mood, and maybe it really was because of Elysia.

That detestable woman.

"Let's think of it positively, what if Kevin felt that if he saw them again, he wouldn't be able to leave?"

"Look, there was beautiful scenery, carefree dreams, and, of course, all of us, his comrades… No matter how you look at it, maybe Kevin really would have been tempted to stay~"

Elysia teased with a light chuckle.

But she knew deep down that this was unlikely.

Because for him, this was a silent farewell.

That sharp and lonely sword, the best way for it to remain sharp was not to be dulled by warmth or illusions of beauty.

He would continue forward, down the path of the Stigmata Project.

She firmly believed that he avoided meeting them not because he lacked the courage but because he could no longer face them.

But they were his comrades…

Even knowing that, deep down, she couldn't accept it.

----

World Serpent Base

"Sigh...."

"It's as if I would say it, but another 'self' voiced it... Emotionally, it's still lacking a bit."

Seated arrogantly on his throne, Kevin watched the scene unfold before him.

Holding the Judgment of Shamash himself, he had sealed the final gate that the corroded Herrscher inside was trying to breach. Yet, he did not find it strange.

The opponent had already willingly approached him, so the idea of them escaping now would simply be laughable.

He was merely... allowing them to fulfill a promise, to rid themselves of a small regret.

Because of trust, he did not take action.

Now, looking back, this trust allowed for a perfect conclusion to the matter.

"So then, let's see how they handle restraint this time. In the game, that man blocked him, but this time..."

"Whose turn is it now?"

Kevin murmured softly, withdrawing his thoughts before closing his eyes in meditation.

He was curious to see how they would achieve final victory in the game.

But the timing should still be on track, he assessed that the other party must have also calculated the right moment.

-----------

Within the silent and winding tunnel, droplets of water fell, echoing in the emptiness. Ever since the musician of Elysian Realm had faded away, this place had lost its reason for existence.

Yet now, a conversation was still ongoing.

"You..." Mei hesitated, wanting to say so much more to him.

But Kevin had already made his decision.

"Let's go."

He showed no further emotion. Or perhaps, he had already shown more than enough.

Kevin was alone.

Simply because no one had ever truly seen him as lonely.

No one had ever fully understood that kind of solitude. And so, he was called lonely.

"... Go where?"

"The Stigmata Project,"

He said without hesitation, without the slightest pause.

"..."

Mei remained silent.

Of course, she knew.

The twelfth Herrscher had already been eliminated, while the thirteenth was nothing but a legend.

Now, the fated moment had arrived.

After reading through the past, she found it increasingly difficult to outright condemn his stance...

Not because she agreed with it, but because she understood what Kevin carried on his back—the promises he had made, the burdens so heavy they were beyond imagination.

So heavy that she herself did not believe mere words could ever sway him.

"This day has finally come, hasn't it?"

She exhaled, closing her eyes.

"If you don't want to go through with it, then staying here any longer has no meaning."

Kevin remained as indifferent as ever, unmoved.

He had not come to persuade her but to return the choice to her hands.

Whichever path she chose, it did not matter to him.

This was the truth.

"Kevin, you know I have never agreed with this plan."

"That is irrelevant. After all, you now understand."

His words were sharp, yet his cold gaze remained fixed on Mei, waiting for her answer.

"Understanding... Perhaps."

Mei sighed inwardly.

After witnessing the entire history of that era, she was more certain than ever that she now understood why the man before her had become who he was today.

And she was equally certain that no one could ever change this man, who had endured fifty thousand years of solitary resolve.

"But understanding does not mean agreement."

"Kevin, everyone has the potential to become a hero."

"But you... should not demand that everyone become the hero you chose. That is not what she would have wanted to see."

Mei stepped forward, her voice filled with urgency. She knew this was her only chance to speak, to try.

"Raiden Mei."

Kevin interrupted her, falling silent for a moment.

His blue eyes revealed a sorrow so tangible it was as if he were not explaining, but simply stating a fact:

"....There will never be another Elysia."

A single sigh shattered all of Mei's arguments.

"..."

She froze, staring at him in shock.

Elysia had left not long ago, and Mei had mourned her deeply.

"The result she wanted to see was never here... It was always within you."

"It seems... I have lost my last reason to remain in World Serpent."

Mei collected her thoughts and spoke slowly.

A choice had to be made, and there would be no turning back.

Yet she still felt a lingering pain inside, along with... respect and pity for the man before her, even though she knew he did not need it.

He was heroic... to the extreme.

"So, when you invited a Herrscher to join World Serpent back then... Was this your true goal all along? Have I now fulfilled that purpose?"

Mei looked at him and asked her final question.

She hadn't expected an answer.

"Mm."

To her surprise, the man responded with the faintest acknowledgment.

Mei wasn't even sure if she had actually heard it or merely imagined it.

"Then, this is farewell... Raiden Mei."

He lifted his gaze, and from within those serene blue eyes, Mei could read nothing at all.

They were like a vast, boundless ocean, an ocean of sorrow that had drowned his entire world, leaving behind only a deserted lunar sea of despair.

He was a guardian of the past.

He should have been buried in that era long ago, no one longed for it more than he did.

But he remained.

He paused for a moment before raising his head once more.

His expression turned cold as ice, his presence vast and overwhelming.

"As the Sovereign... I permit you to leave World Serpent."

-----

[He really... I'm crying... Just for Ellie.]

[I suddenly realized... Right now, it's really just Kevin left fighting.]

[Elysia said one sentence, and Kevin remembered it for about 50,000 years.]

[What exactly is he carrying on his back that's so heavy...?]

[Hating Kevin... Questioning Kevin... Understanding Kevin... Believing in Kevin!]

[Elysian Realm – Without dreams, in the end, dreams still shatter, and people will eventually return to reality.]

---------

In the Golden Courtyard

"This... somehow makes me think of a certain line..."

Luo Mo said with a strange expression, shaking his head as he tried to clear the cluttered thoughts in his mind.

"Hm? What line?"

Elysia responded instinctively. Her head was still buzzing a little, Kevin and Mei's final conversation had deeply moved her.

"I permit you to leave Heavenly Principles Pavilion."

Luo Mo sighed as he spoke, a phrase that no one could understand. But clearly, before he completed Honkai and made another game, no one would have heard it.

(T/C: pfft, that game has lost its taste😒)

"?"

Elysia tilted her head in confusion and looked at him.

"I don't get it."

She stated honestly.

"It's nothing, just a minor issue."

Luo Mo said generously, then turned to look at her.

"Now do you understand how important you are? Look, because this civilization didn't have Elysia, Kevin just parted ways with Mei in sorrow."

"Uh... But that's not really my fault, is it?"

She glanced out the window at the sky, scratching her head in mild frustration.

Ah... A perfect girl like her only exists once. It truly is a pity.

But that can't be helped. After all, Elysia is one of a kind.

"But for Kevin to say something like that... it really makes me happy. He went through so much hardship to find a Herrscher, even brought them right in front of me, and even if the paradise of peace was shattered, he didn't find it regrettable at all..."

"It's kind of touching."

Elysia said with a smile.

"Really? If he were truly heartbroken, he'd probably cry, 'My Elysian Realm... No matter the cost, humanity must defeat Honkai!'"

Luo Mo frowned as he spoke.

"Of course... But that's impossible. Kevin doesn't care about the Everlasting Elysium. The paradise had its leaders—Eden, Mobius, Vill-V, and me. Even Aponia could be included... But Kevin wasn't part of it."

"Wait a second... I suddenly realized, who exactly are you hinting at with this reference?"

Elysia had been calmly listing examples, but then she paused, holding her stomach and trying to hold back her laughter.

—"Why do Birds fly?"

Luo Mo decided to add this question to an internal company survey. Decision made—he'd do it tomorrow!