r18novel Page 660
Page 660
Why does it suddenly seem like the snake is about to reach its end?
The plot is... too complicated and mind-bending.
Even Theresa in the game didn't quite understand this memory.
"I'm not sure how much I understood, but it seems that for Kevin or the others... the Stigmata Project seems to have more than just the meaning of [defeating the Honkai]?"
The Stigmata's will remained noncommittal: "The Stigmata record their knowledge, and also your history. To use that analogy, in terms of civilization—"
"Perhaps humans are merely the shadows on those walls, while the sacred marks are the 'real' world outside the cave."
"If you still can't understand... then why not start by confronting your own destiny?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a door suddenly appeared beside the Holy Mark's will.
"Go, Theresa Apocalypse, that is the test you will have to face sooner or later."
Theresa did not hesitate and stepped through the door.
The next second, she found herself in a world covered in solid ice.
In a sense, this place also belongs to Kevin's dream.
It is also the starting point of the Sacred Mark Space.
The story begins by requiring players to select the combat difficulty.
Simple, difficult, nightmare.
Mei chose the easy difficulty level without hesitation.
Afterwards, the will of the Stigmata explained the [Stigmata Project] to Theresa.
Just as the will of the Holy Mark was about to announce the start of the [Trial], a voice rang out.
"Look, she's here after all."
Immediately afterwards, the will of the Holy Mark suddenly disappeared.
Instead, there was a white-haired man with an expressionless face and an aura of coldness emanating from him.
Without any prompting, Theresa immediately understood that the person who had suddenly appeared before her was none other than Kevin, the Lord of the World Serpent and the executor of the Sacred Mark Project.
Players also recalled the scene a few minutes earlier where Kevin was talking to [Number 17].
Clearly, the plot has been connected.
In addition, there's this inevitable battle.
The players are starting to get excited.
This unfolding seems to be the beginning of the plot's climax.
……
in the game.
The background music suddenly changed.
It transformed into that piece of music filled with sorrow and epic grandeur...
"Nice to meet you, newly appointed [Bishop of Destiny], I am Kevin, you may also call me... Kevin Kaslana."
"Now that you've arrived here, you must know something about the [Stigmata Project]."
"World Serpent has always tried to avoid direct confrontation with the forces fighting the Honkai, so this time, I hope you and your organization will not create obstacles on the only path to defeating the Honkai."
Theresa: "??"
"The only way to defeat the Honkai??"
Kevin ignored Theresa's surprise: "I have been observing you ever since I left the Sea of Quanta, and I have also learned about your history through the Void Treasury."
"You've all worked incredibly hard so far, and achieved far better results than we did back then—"
Indeed, the current civilization has defeated the twelve Herrschers.
But humans suffered almost no loss.
The greatest loss was probably the arrival of the Herrscher of Ice and the Honkai damage caused by Cocolia in Changkong City.
It's so much more civilized than before.
Of course, the reason why the current civilization was able to achieve such a result is thanks to Alicia and the efforts of the previous civilization.
"But you are still powerless in the face of the [End]."
Upon hearing Kevin's words, Theresa's only thought was—the Herrscher of the End is about to descend? So soon?
Other emotions... none...
After all, she had never faced the end and did not know how terrifying it was.
"This is a 3.5 balance, the young Destiny Bishop."
"Not long ago, Raiden Mei assisted World Serpent in suppressing the Twelfth Herrscher, which means that our civilizations have now completely identical experiences."
"In principle, the World Serpent does indeed have a way to postpone the end for one to two years..."
"But if we do this, the nature of the Herrscher of the End will no longer be exactly the same as that of the previous generation."
"From the Herrscher of Reason to the Herrscher of Corruption, and then to the [Ascension] of Raiden Mei and others—"
"Although the process was somewhat fraught with difficulties, at this very moment, the power of the [End] determined by the [Thirteen Heralds] is exactly the same as it was 50,000 years ago."
"This is also the only form of the [End] that we truly understand from the outside to the inside."
"Leaving aside the situation before the birth of the first Herrscher... now is our only chance to execute the Stigmata Project and completely defeat the Honkai!"
Chapter 453 Did they just kill Theresa?
"This is the only chance, and before it appears, the World Serpent has done everything it can to minimize the side effects of the [Stigmata Project]."
After listening to Kevin's words, Theresa frowned and retorted:
"As far as I know, the Stigmata Project is nothing more than changing people's death sentences to life imprisonment."
Kevin: "How you compare is your prerogative, but I don't believe that civilization on Earth has any other way out besides this."
"I experienced everything that happened 50,000 years ago. I've said it before, you know nothing about the Honkai."
After he finished speaking, the two fell silent.
Kevin's patience finally ran out, and he finally spoke.
Theresa, your eyes are filled with anger, but you don't know who to vent that anger on.
"In that case, let me test your [quality]."
Thus, the battle officially began.
Meanwhile, Mei, who was in front of the live stream, simply stepped aside and pushed the keyboard to Bronya.
"Bronya, the rest of the battle is yours."
Bronya did not refuse.
In Honkai Impact 26rd, it's actually quite rare to have a story where you have to choose the difficulty level before starting the story.
But if this happens, it means that the battles to come will not be easy.
The viewers in the live stream also became tense because of the epic background music.
Kevin clearly understood the horror of the End and knew that it was beyond his control, which is why he chose to initiate this "worst plan".
Theresa and the others... because they had always lived in the shadow of a previous civilization, were unaware of the horrors of the end.
It can be said that they are a group of idealists with firm beliefs.
……
"Theresa Apocalypse, I know what you call 'destiny'."
"You believe that 'civilization' is what you see it as, and 'humanity' is what you've continued to look like through generations."
"But this is just an arrogant delusion."
"We are still no different from the grass and trees on the ground, making fire by friction, cultivating the land with slash and burnt crops... Even if we fly into space, humanity still cannot escape its 'childhood'."
"Any intelligence in the universe is limited by its very mode of existence, an obstacle that will cannot overcome."
Do you know why birds can fly?
Kevin asked the question again.
This time, Kevin himself provided the answer.
"When the final meteor fell in the Cretaceous period, only the free bird could escape its predetermined demise."
That’s it.
Kevin also seemed to have run out of patience.
"Theresa Apocalypse..."
"Prepare to withstand this blow imbued with the power of [End]!"