Making Honkai Impact lll In A World Where Kallen Exists [Continuation]

Fifty thousand years ago, for an era, it was the moment when the death knell had just begun to toll.

A battle was won, yet the war was lost.

As the root cause of this outcome, the pitch-black cube, feared by all, now lay quietly on the experimental platform.

"Doctor… you must stop."

"Even though your hypothesis has a chance of succeeding, your compatibility with it is simply too poor."

Klein's tone was filled with earnest warning.

She couldn't understand why the Doctor was so insistent on researching this dangerous object. The world had nearly been destroyed by it, yet humanity had also severed its last hope because of her.

"Klein… don't you think it's better as a reminder?"

Mobius spoke as she slowly rolled down her sleeves to cover the spreading black patterns on her skin.

These unique marks could only appear after something had been deeply corroded.

"Every experiment carries risks. You've long since understood this."

"Why are you here now? Weren't you supposed to be receiving the Elysian Realm from Eden?"

"That… it's just…" Klein faltered, unable to respond.

"It's Changxuan, isn't it? She's been talking too much again."

"…Yes."

"Don't waste my time, Klein. Haven't enough people left because they didn't understand?"

Mobius spread her fingers under the light, her pale hand almost translucent. It seemed to suggest that the number of people who didn't understand her far outweighed those who did.

"Changxuan… she just stayed longer than most…"

Changxuan was no exception.

Nor was anyone else.

"…"

Mobius uncharacteristically fell silent for a moment before turning her head away and continuing,

"It doesn't matter. If you want to leave like her…"

"…Do as you please."

She took a light breath, unnoticed by anyone.

Pressing down her emotions, she buried them deep within her heart.

After all, the real Klein was already gone.

"No, I've always understood what the Doctor wanted, and I won't object."

"But as Changxuan mentioned, this time… aren't you being too stubborn?"

Klein carefully chose her words but ultimately expressed her thoughts,

"Even if the experiment succeeds and you truly become something akin to the Twelfth Herrscher…"

"But with its core already sealed, no similar virus can grant you dominion."

"The best outcome… is that you'll no longer be human."

Klein looked at Mobius and said quietly,

"Can you really still be called human now?"

Mobius only sneered in response. At the end of civilization, when had MANTIS ever been regarded as human in the eyes of ordinary people?

Human…

After all, who gets to define humanity?

"I've told you countless times, don't make hasty judgments about things you're not certain of."

"And yet, up until now, you've only ever been right about one thing."

"…One thing?"

Klein was puzzled. She didn't know what the Doctor was referring to.

"Though it's unfortunate, my compatibility with the Twelfth Herrscher is indeed poor."

"But the right person… I do still have one in mind."

She spoke cryptically, looking at Klein without revealing any more.

"Doctor, you…"

"Enough. You've wasted enough of my time already."

"Come with me to meet her. Or… leave with Changxuan. From the beginning, I've always given you that freedom."

"…I understand." Klein remained silent for a moment before responding.

She understood well that she could only offer suggestions. She couldn't change the Doctor's decisions, not in the slightest.

"Oh, and one more thing: stop calling me stubborn. I've never been stubborn… just greedy."

"After all, who besides me could claim such qualifications? To understand God, to create God, and ultimately…"

She paused, a sickly smile spreading across her face.

"…to trample on God."

Greedy enough to surpass the gods and attain a power greater than theirs.

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

In St. Freya Academy, Fu Hua's Residence,

"Hey, hey, hey—Sister, you've been exposed!"

Dan Zhu hurriedly exclaimed, having been ready to reveal either Mobius's shady past or her dubious future, only for the topic to suddenly shift to her and Changxuan.

Fortunately… it wasn't about herself.

"…I haven't committed any crimes. Don't say things that could cause misunderstandings," Changxuan replied calmly.

That is, if her hand holding the teacup wasn't trembling slightly.

Who would have thought that something buried by the sands of history could resurface, slapping her across the face?

Wasn't it supposed to be forgotten by everyone?

And yet… even Klein couldn't convince her?

"Be honest with me, did you do it on purpose back then?"

Dan Zhu stood akimbo, puffing herself up to interrogate Changxuan.

Yes… this was leverage.

Sadly, it was the kind of leverage that everyone already knew about.

"…I only casually mentioned what the Doctor was doing. It doesn't have much to do with me. But… is there really anyone who can change the Doctor's mind?"

She sighed.

"If even Senior Klein couldn't do it…"

"I think Elysia definitely could. Or… that one time Kalpas opposed Mobius, she'd surely take a detour!"

Dan Zhu declared confidently. Having thoroughly studied the histories of the Flame-Chasers, she was deeply engrossed in them.

To the point that she even accepted Luo Mo's offer to serve as a consultant for the Flame-Chasers comics and films.

To Changxuan, that was just one more reason Dan Zhu was bound to get herself killed eventually.

Especially if she got involved with Luo Mo.

"…" Changxuan gave her a subtle look. She had to admit, Dan Zhu had a point.

But this wasn't the kind of change she wanted.

What she wanted was a normal way to communicate… though such a thing probably didn't exist anymore.

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

At this moment, spanning fifty thousand years, the same choice was once again placed before Klein.

It's just… to her, the person she faced was no longer the Doctor she once knew.

"…What's wrong? Still can't decide?"

Before her stood a memory fragment that should have been eroded and no longer existed, speaking to her in a mocking tone.

Once again, she made the correct judgment—under the watchful eye of the Herrscher of Corruption, linking the Sea of Quanta to the real world was an almost impossible task.

The only ones capable of achieving it were the Sea itself… or the one who claimed to embody it.

Aponia, by sacrificing herself, had conveyed Mebius's message to Klein.

It was something only Aponia's uniqueness could accomplish.

"So, the problem of not having a virus to control, did you solve that back then, Doc— Mobius?"

Klein looked at the Mobius's projected image and slightly lowered her head as she spoke.

"Through… a replica of the former Herrscher of Corruption."

"A replica? A mere Herrscher of Corruption…"

"What I create with my own hands surpasses any mere existence like her," Mobius's projection narrowed her eyes and said arrogantly.

"Yet, the Sea of Quanta hasn't shown any anomalies in its data layer," Klein hesitated.

Should she… trust the other party?

"Enough, Klein. Since when did you become so opinionated?"

Mobius reprimanded sharply. She needed to act quickly, before the Herrscher of Corruption could react. "I don't have time to answer your questions. You only need to do as I say."

"If the people outside could easily detect the presence of the Herrscher, meeting you wouldn't be as troublesome as it is now."

"…"

"I can tentatively assume that the Herrscher of Corruption of this era exists within the Sea of Quanta.

"But based on what you just said, your current eroded state was intentional.

"In doing so, you implanted that replica into the Herrscher of Corruption's data."

"What else? Is there a simpler method that wouldn't raise suspicion?"

"And stop using such foolish terms. Or… do you truly see me as just a replica?"

"I've said before, what I implanted back then was myself—the first experimental model of an artificial Herrscher of Corruption."

"And also… the first successful case."

"You think she eroded me? The truth is… quite the opposite."

"But now, it seems you lack the ability for self-replication. Otherwise… there'd be no need for all this effort to get here."

Klein looked at her opponent and spoke calmly.

"Blame Vill-V. If she hadn't used her backdoor to delete those viruses I controlled, we wouldn't be in such a dire situation now."

Mobius sneered. Vill-V's pointless actions back then had now become shackles binding her, forcing her to rely on external assistance for replication.

"So, you need me to complete the final step?"

"To proliferate those replica viruses within the Sea through the hardware system's permissions?"

"Exactly. Using the former Herrscher of Corruption to counter the current one. Don't you find… the outcome intriguing?"

"This is… an unprecedented experiment."

"…" Klein said nothing.

She simply stared quietly at her.

"What are you still hesitating for?"

"Is this another one of your resurrection plans? If it succeeds, not only will you return to reality, but you'll also gain powers comparable to the Herrscher of Corruption…"

Mobius chuckled lightly at these words, showing no sign of anger.

Betrayal and distrust, she had seen too much of it.

"It doesn't matter. You don't need to trust me, Klein.

"You can leave, tell others what's happening here, or destroy the Sea's system and end all this.

"You only need to admit that the paths we can take now are limited… and this is one of them."

"As for my immortality, it's just… an insignificant side effect."

Klein knew she was right.

In a data space, the only thing capable of standing equal to the Herrscher of Corruption was another Herrscher of Corruption.

Finally, Klein's hands moved over the console, following Mobius's instructions.

"That's it."

Mobius encouraged her. In the confrontation, Klein ultimately chose to trust her.

"Please don't disturb me, Mobius."

Klein focused on the console's buttons, her hands moving swiftly and skillfully.

"Don't disturb you? I never thought I'd hear that. What's this, a role reversal?"

Mobius teased, speaking leisurely, "Don't worry. We have plenty of…"

"Klein?!"

The projection frowned at Klein, who had suddenly paused.

Something else… seemed to have just happened.

Did it noticed?

"…Hmm?"

"The Herrscher of Corruption, has she discovered us?"

The small green-haired figure hesitated for a moment. Klein's expression darkened, but her hands moved faster involuntarily, as the weight of the other's words grew heavier in her mind.

For this reason, she couldn't give up now.

"Klein, step away from that machine," Mobius's projection said urgently.

But Klein didn't react at all.

"…If she's trying to stop us, then this must be an effective plan."

"Please don't disturb me… Doctor."

For the first time, the person who had always supported her silently from the shadows expressed disagreement.

In other circumstances, even slightly better ones, Mebius might have appreciated this moment.

But not now.

Not when the other was on the brink of death.

And… that form of address caught her attention. Though she could easily recall similar moments from her vast and long memories—

Moments in the laboratory where it was often just the two of them tackling challenges together.

She had thought, however, that after trying to seize the Herrscher's body, the other no longer saw her as their sole confidant.

"…Why?"

"Never mind… Stop immediately, Klein. At least for now… I still have a way to save you."

"I don't need you to replicate the virus anymore. Just leave, destroy all the hardware in the Sea of Quanta and get far, far away."

Mobius's voice was filled with anger.

Did she think… she was some kind of hero?

Still trying to act strong?!

Why wasn't she listening to her?!

"No, maintaining the Sea of Quanta is a responsibility you entrusted to me, Doctor. I cannot, and will not, make decisions arbitrarily."

"Do you think you have the same willpower as the Flame-Chasers? You can't hold out for long! The few viruses you manage to replicate won't make much of a difference!"

Mobius's tone became mocking, but her urgency was evident.

Hearing these words, Klein surprisingly paused her actions. She lifted her head and looked at Mobius, her gaze both hesitant and resolute.

Then, in a determined voice, she said,

"Because I trust you."

"…What?!" Mobius frowned, unable to comprehend.

"I… I don't know why either," Klein continued.

"But based on past experience, as long as I complete my task, no matter how difficult the problem, Doctor…"

"Or rather, Mobius… she will always find a solution."

As she spoke, her hands moved even faster.

What Klein believed in wasn't her own willpower; she had never trusted such things.

She trusted the history they had shared, the marks they had left, and the victories that followed. Those memories made her certain: she only needed to do her part.

The rest… she could leave to the Doctor.

Just as always.

"I don't have any emotional modules installed. So… this must be a rational judgment, not an impulsive reaction to familiar features."

"The probability of success… should be at least 70%."

That was high enough. Compared to the dangerous experiments she had read about, this seemed manageable, Klein thought silently.

"…"

Mobius fell silent.

Klein, fully focused on her task, didn't notice the expression in her Doctor's eyes.

There was nothing more Mobius could say—what could she even say?

She had thought that Klein's goodwill toward her had been erased completely during the attempt to break free of the Sea of Quanta. And yet…

She still trusted her?

Mobius couldn't describe what she felt.

When she had admitted that she wasn't truly Mobius, she had thought about the one person who had always understood her.

After all, the number of people she cared about was very limited.

She had wondered: if Klein believed she wasn't the real Mebius, perhaps Klein would let go and pursue her own future instead? But no—she wasn't so noble.

Or maybe… Klein's admiration had never been for her, but for the person she thought Mobius to be?

Was that why it left her feeling so unsettled?

She couldn't remember anymore, nor did she want to.

As she watched Klein's focused expression, a complicated look flashed in Mobius's eyes.

---

Time passed.

This guardian of the Sea of Quanta poured her life bit by bit into the abyss of time, exchanging it for the chance to create another kind of monster.

Her hands moved slower and slower…

Until they stopped completely.