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Finding the desired world bubble proved to be quite straightforward.
This particular world bubble had been included in Project Stigma thousands of years ago. Originally, it was destined for imminent collapse, born due to the arrival of Finality and ultimately fated to dissipate within its shadowy aftermath.
However, to extend this world bubble's existence, time within it was frozen at a specific moment. Achieving this feat relied, ironically, on remnants of the power associated with Finality itself, albeit in a somewhat paradoxical sense.
Within the Sea of Quanta, laws converged to form the quantum heavenly ladder—an embodiment of The Cocoon of Finality's influence. Thanks to this power, Ana, Kevin, and Cang Luan could effortlessly approach the world bubble without traversing irrelevant ones or searching for any beacons.
Such is the might of The Cocoon of Finality, unifying both the Imaginary Number Principle and Quantum Principle, rightfully considered as divine within both the Imaginary Tree and Sea of Quanta.
Just as they were about to enter the world bubble, however, Kevin hesitated and seemed to back down.
"You two... go ahead."
Kevin stood there, his back facing Ana and Cang Luan.
Cang Luan dared not interrupt, merely watching Kevin with a hint of anxiety in her gaze. This...this couldn't be happening; at the crucial moment, the key figure hesitated like backing down from the final step.
"Kevin, have you lost even the courage to face her now?" Ana asked softly, her brow slightly furrowed. Despite being the Herrscher of Finality, her demeanor carried the chill of the Herrscher of Winter. On the heavenly ladder within the Sea of Quanta, she faced Kevin, both emanating frosty aura.
Kevin remained silent, standing motionless without responding.
His emotions were complex; indeed, he felt hesitant about meeting Mei. In his eyes, he had failed to fulfill their agreement and did not honor the promises they made to each other. Regardless of reasons involving Su or otherwise, it was ultimately his issue.
He genuinely believed he let Mei down, falling short of her expectations.
Ana understood Kevin's thoughts quite well. To put it simply, Kevin was just a stubborn man - his personality and his feelings towards Mei reflected this equally.
In such situations, typically, the girl needs to take the bold initiative.
However, given Mei's current predicament, she had no way to be bold herself. Nevertheless, ultimately, Mei did take a daring step, risking the fate of the entire world bubble—a fiercely defiant act.
Unfortunately, the resulting outcome was clearly not what everyone desired. This served as one of Ana's objectives on this journey, perhaps even as interest payment?
"I don't care about your thoughts, Kevin. I only hope you won't force me to resort to violence; it would be terribly unsightly." Ana's expression hardened, her tone icy.
With Kevin, direct threats were all she could employ. After all, in a fight, he definitely couldn't best her, and if he tried to flee, escape would be impossible. She could forcibly bind him if necessary, which was one reason Ana sent out this particular avatar—to exert necessary coercive pressure.
Whether through words or force, there must be a way to persuade Kevin.
"..."
Kevin remained silent, but his reaction indicated tacit acceptance. Internally, Ana nodded approvingly; ideally, she preferred not to engage in combat.
If Ana were to resort to force, it would inevitably involve certain complications. While she didn't particularly mind, dealing with the aftermath could become quite troublesome.
Most importantly, she'd have to handle everything herself without any helpers at hand.
"Alright then, since you have no objections, let's go. I've never truly met the doctor in person before. Perhaps I should prepare a little gift for our first encounter?" Ana chuckled softly, her icy demeanor melting away as if the previous exchange had been merely an illusion.
"A gift...?" Kevin's eyes flickered. Honestly, he wasn't sure what to give Mei as a present. Before joining the Fire Moth, during their cherished school days, he and Su did once consider giving Mei a gift together.
He vaguely recalled it being a set of renowned scientific works.
Later, after becoming part of the Fire Moth, such gifts seemed less significant. If not for Dystopia constantly reminding them, perhaps none of them would even think about presenting gifts; Elysia was no exception either.
Later, after Dystopia's death at the hands of the Eighth Herrscher, this task was passed on to Kosma. However, even Kosma... wasn't quite sure what gift to give Mei, epitome of absolute rationality.
And now, Kevin himself felt equally uncertain.
"Perhaps just your presence would be the best gift for her," Kevin said earnestly after a moment.
"Hmm, that makes sense." Ana blinked, agreeing with Kevin's words.
"Well then, it seems my gift is already yours, indeed reasonable; she'll surely love it. It's just too bad..." Ana scrutinized Kevin once more and shook her head.
Kevin's attire remained unchanged—the Heroic Spirit combat uniform designed by Eden. For centuries, he had always dressed like this, without any variation. He seemed completely oblivious to the idea of dressing up.
From Ana's perspective, while not necessarily requiring a suggestive romantic touch, at least a suit and tie change would have added some ceremonial flair, wouldn't it?
Fortunately, although Kevin hadn't noticed, Ana could still make adjustments.
With that thought, Ana snapped her fingers.
Quantum principles intertwined and converged towards Kevin.
Kevin instinctively tried to resist, but how could he defy the power of Finality? Swiftly, these laws wove themselves onto Kevin's combat suit, altering its design into a Western-style wedding tuxedo.
Meanwhile, Ana produced a tie from seemingly nowhere and carefully tied it around Kevin's neck.
"Perfect, now at least it looks somewhat appropriate."
Ana examined the transformed Kevin with satisfaction, clapping her hands contentedly. Truly, only she could manage such a feat, handling even this unexpected situation effortlessly.
"...Well..."
Kevin glanced down at his attire, feeling torn between laughter and tears. His expression was complex, encompassing both surprise at his new look and astonishment towards Ana.
Who would have thought that the mighty Lord of Finality would use her Authority and Laws merely to modify clothing styles? Moreover, dressed like this, did it make him appear ready for a wedding?
"Don't you feel indebted to her, owing her a romantic wedding?" Ana discerned Kevin's thoughts and spoke earnestly. "You should consider her as truly 'her,' after all, the love she has for you is no less than what the original held."
Her words held truth.
Although she was from another world bubble, Mei's understanding, knowledge, and love for Kevin were no less than that of the deceased doctor from the intrinsic world.
Moreover, her final actions mirrored exactly those of her counterpart. In the original timeline, Mei had chosen a path balancing both rationality and romance: before her death, she created an in-vitro fertilized embryo for herself and Kevin, who would become Adam of the new era.
Similarly, this world bubble's Kevin chose to sacrifice the entire world for their love.
Kevin indeed comprehended this choice. However, knowing his own inevitable fate was also death, he opted not to save this particular world bubble.
Or perhaps there was more to it.
Compared to Durandal's world bubble, rescuing this one seemed significantly more challenging due to its connection with the Herrscher of Finality - it was far from straightforward.
"Or maybe you've developed an almost fanatical obsession, akin to Otto?" Ana furrowed her brow.
If that were true, it could be understood and explained, but...she couldn't help feeling it wouldn't be worth it for Mei. Based on the future she knew, Kevin likely wasn't driven by such an obsession.
"Let's go."
Kevin didn't respond directly but simply stated mildly, ignoring Ana as he stepped towards the world bubble ahead, seemingly somewhat agitated.
"Hey, wait for me!"
Without dwelling on it further, Ana hurried after him. At present, Kevin was just himself without the Power of Finality or even being a Herrscher. Uncertain what might happen to him entering this time-frozen world bubble, she needed to follow closely.
As all three entered the world bubble, their surroundings transformed. It felt like they had returned to the moon, yet there were distinct differences.
Ruins of civilization lay everywhere, exuding a sense of desolation and abandonment. A solitary figure stood frozen in place, motionless like a statue.
This was the method previously mentioned for preserving the world bubble—completely halting its time, suspended just before the bubble's demise.
Although time was paused, human thoughts continued unabated. In this stagnant moment, each person engaged in prolonged contemplation and deduction.
Of course, not everyone could achieve such deep introspection. However, there was no doubt that Mei, the one in charge here, could certainly do so. Additionally, there was the artificial intelligence anomaly—Prometheus 17th.
Indeed, the existence of artificial intelligences itself seemed like a bug.
"Lord, this place feels quite peculiar," Cang Luan observed her surroundings curiously and remarked. With Ana by her side, she felt no fear or trepidation. Truthfully, as one of Ana's attendants, Cang Luan was already prepared to die for her, so there wasn't any cause for apprehension.
"The stillness of time here naturally makes it feel unusual to you. But don't worry, there's no danger. From now on, you can move freely, just avoid interacting with the people or touching any structures."
"Yes, my lord!" Responding promptly, Cang Luan transformed into her true form and soared through the skies of the world bubble. During Ana's temporary absence, she had been suppressing her nature, staying hidden. After all, she belonged to the sky as a Honkai Beast.
"All right, it's time to focus on our main purpose here, isn't it, Kevin?" Ana turned to look at Kevin beside her.
Without a word, Kevin silently began walking in a specific direction. No need for Ana to explain; he instinctively headed towards Mei's location within the world bubble.
Kevin was always like this: once compelled onto a certain path, he would follow it through. Although, perhaps near its end, he might hesitate-this time, he faced his dearest love after all.
Kevin's pace was unhurried, allowing Ana to easily keep up and even take a moment to observe their surroundings closely.
As the Lord of Finality, Ana had also developed significant expertise in technology. Naturally, the various structures and facilities within this world bubble piqued her curiosity.
Honestly, she had long desired to obtain the Void Archives, but opportunities were scarce. Now, it seemed somewhat redundant, as the Void Archives could be unpredictable. Utilizing them would likely prove less effective than simply creating a Herrscher of Reason avatar at will.
Finally, upon reaching a vantage point overlooking the entire base, Ana spotted a figure resembling Raiden Mei in the distance.
This prompted her to ask Kevin a question that had always intrigued her:
"Kevin, you're aware that the authority of Finality essentially revolves around time and cycles, right?"
"Yes."
"So, when you see Durandal or Raiden Mei, how does it feel? What goes through your mind?"
It was a query that genuinely fascinated Ana, and undoubtedly many Captains shared this curiosity. Although Kevin knew that Raiden Mei wasn't Mei herself, she indeed represented a reincarnation of Mei—essentially an existence from a parallel timeline?
He understood they were not the same person, but just seeing that face...
"Nothing much," Kevin replied calmly. "She is simply Raiden Mei, one of the successors, nothing more."
Ana fell silent. How to put it? This answer perfectly aligned with Kevin's character, yet...it certainly wasn't what most people would find satisfying. Everyone likely hoped for a more melodramatic response.
But it was indeed within expectation.
In the Elysian Realm, no one ever mentioned the striking resemblance between Raiden Mei and Dr. Mei. Similarly, Yae Sakura felt nothing towards her counterpart, Sakura... The Heroic Spirits... truly embody detachment.
However, facing him directly, Ana couldn't resist teasing him slightly.
"You're way too uninteresting! I thought you might at least connect her with the doctor somehow?"
"Such base emotions serve only as obstacles on my path," Kevin responded indifferently.
"So then, do you consider your feelings towards her equally meaningless?" Ana chuckled softly, gazing at Dr. Mei's figure nearby, eagerly awaiting Kevin's reply.
Naturally, she wasn't the only one anticipating his response!