Chapter 255 – Isn’t That Supposed to Be My Line?
For a moment, the living room fell into a silence so heavy it was almost suffocating.
Little Kiana tilted her head, glancing curiously between her wide-eyed, speechless mother and the beautiful green-haired big sister in front of her.
She found it a little odd that the pretty lady had suddenly changed into such a gorgeous new outfit, but the strange atmosphere didn't bother her at all.
Instead, she buried herself in the girl's faint fragrance and soft embrace, enjoying it to the fullest.
"My situation is… complicated," C.C. said with a soft smile, lazily twirling a lock of hair around her finger.
"It'll be better if I leave the details for Kiana to explain to you—once I bring you back to the future. For now, let's keep our attention on the matters right in front of us."
Cecilia nodded absentmindedly, still in a daze.
The sheer amount of information she'd just been given was overwhelming.
She stared blankly at C.C., unable to fully process it.
'Her… daughter-in-law was a Herrscher?'
And not only that—Herrschers, those so-called Apostles of God, living natural disasters in human eyes… had all turned against Honkai?
And seven of them at once?
"Mother-in-law, I'll need you to follow my lead for a while," C.C. continued, her hands clasped together in a gesture of genuine plea.
Her tone was firm and solemn.
"No matter what happens, don't act on what you now know. Don't interfere with the inevitable—at least, not until the final moment of death.
If you do, even the slightest change could cause a butterfly effect strong enough to overwrite my future entirely. The consequences would be… catastrophic. Not just for me—for the entire world."
The only reason she dared to reveal all this, despite the risk of shifting the timeline, was because she trusted Cecilia.
This wasn't some shallow soap opera heroine.
Cecilia was an S-rank Valkyrie, the Saint of Schicksal.
When it came to matters that determined the fate of humanity, C.C. knew Cecilia wouldn't disappoint.
And even if the worst happened… C.C. had the strength to wrench history back onto "the rails."
"…I understand. I'll do as you say."
After a long silence, Cecilia looked into those golden eyes that gleamed like starlight. Her gentle voice was quiet but unwavering.
"Nagami-chan… can you tell me what exactly it is you're trying to do?"
C.C.'s expression softened.
"I want to prevent a future that another version of 'Kiana'… could never bear."
To slaughter millions with her own hands—that sin would crush even Sirin, if she hadn't been consumed by Honkai's will.
As for that silly, innocent "tuna"… the weight would break her completely.
And C.C. could never let that happen.
Of course, this didn't mean she intended to let Nagami-in-Sirin's-form personally massacre millions.
But the meteors? Those still had to fall.
"Another… Kiana?" Cecilia echoed numbly, her expression caught somewhere between confusion and disbelief.
She was reaching the point of emotional exhaustion.
"This one's complicated too," C.C. admitted. "But to put it simply—the culprit is Otto, as always. That, and a few of your husband Siegfried's… let's say, special decisions."
Out of respect for Cecilia, she refrained from calling him an idiot outright.
But the temptation was there.
"I'll do the same thing as before—transfer the knowledge directly into your mind. Please, prepare yourself…"
Gently lifting the dozing little Kiana from her lap, C.C. placed her on the sofa and tucked her in with a small blanket.
Her voice grew heavier as she met Cecilia's eyes.
"…Prepare yourself for Siegfried's image to be shattered."
"Siegfried's… image? Shattered?"
Cecilia blinked, her soft brows knitting together.
She stared at C.C.'s serious, almost pitying expression and felt a sudden chill of dread rise inside her.
Her heartbeat quickened.
"This is…"
Her sapphire eyes, usually warm and gentle, glazed over as the torrent of brutal truths from the future crashed down upon her.
It was a tide of pain and despair so immense it seemed to drown her whole.
————————————————————————
In another place a Honkai Beast raised its massive forelimbs high into the air and brought them crashing down like a mountain collapsing.
The impact shook the air, sending out a low, buzzing tremor.
A storm of chaotic wind whipped through the bangs on his forehead, making the hem of his dark-blue trench coat snap and flare.
The earth groaned and shattered beneath the blow—yet the strike was somehow caught head-on by a lone figure relying purely on brute strength.
"This thing is too strong. Even I can barely hold it back…" Siegfried muttered, a bead of cold sweat running down his cheek. "Could it be… an Emperor-class Honkai Beast?"
Behind him, Welt hadn't moved a finger.
He just stood there, calmly watching Siegfried show off.
The subtext was obvious: 'Look at me, I'm strong as hell, aren't I?'
As if it had understood his words, the beast slowly lowered its massive head until its burning eyes locked with Siegfried's.
The next second, a flash of crimson destruction burst in its gaze, and its other forelimb came smashing down with an explosion like a bomb going off.
The ground shook violently. Siegfried's expression darkened, cracks spiderwebbing under his feet. "Herrscher of Reason! A little help here!"
"..."
Welt pushed up his black-rimmed glasses with an expressionless face, sighing inwardly.
'You had the Judgment of Shamash for long-range attacks, and yet you insist on brawling with this thing up close…'
Still, after a moment's hesitation, he stepped forward to stand at Siegfried's side.
At least Siegfried wasn't completely brainless—he had the sense to use honorifics when begging for help.
If not, Welt wouldn't have lifted a finger.
"You owe me one." His voice was flat, but his eyes glowed with a scarlet light as he slowly extended his hand. "Knight of the Second Herrscher—your time is up!"
A crimson-black sphere of energy formed in the void.
Tendrils of black rays lanced outward, ripping apart the Emperor-class Honkai Beast in an instant.
"Hah…" Siegfried panted heavily, scratching the back of his head as he glanced around the shattered battlefield. "So where the hell did Theresa run off to?"
"They're here. You just can't see them yet."
Welt tugged off his glove with a bite to the fingertip, spreading both hands outward.
The Herrscher of Reason's power surged within him, neutralizing part of the Imaginary energy inside his core.
Blue lightning wrapped around his fingers as he tore a massive rift in space itself.
The jagged edges of the breach were devoured by crackling thunder, crumbling into invisible particles.
"Come on out—hide-and-seek's over!"
Reality peeled back.
The hidden space was revealed before their eyes.
And the very first thing they heard was a completely nonsensical outburst:
"Goddammit, why does it always have to be now!?"
A purple-haired girl, her back turned to them, frantically fiddled with something in her hands before finally looking up to meet Welt's gaze.
At her feet, Theresa lay unconscious, her body drenched in blood that still seeped onto the ground.
Of course, Nagami in Sirin form had held back—after letting Theresa witness Sirin's fate, she'd knocked her out with the Herrscher of Sentience's authority and then carefully targeted dozens of non-lethal points to injure her.
It looked terrible, but in truth, she wasn't in any real danger.
Nagami recalled a news story she'd once read: a med-student girl stabbed her ex-boyfriend more than ten times in a fit of rage.
Blood everywhere.
Yet when the forensic report came in, it was classified as minor injuries.
And Theresa wasn't even human—she was a clone born from the genes of the Emperor-class beast Vishnu.
For her, this much blood loss was nothing.
Worst-case scenario, she'd get a one-to-one trade for bitter gourd juice once they were back in the future.
But Nagami didn't speak.
Her long, silken hair floated behind her as if in a storm with no wind, a queenly aura surging from her like an ocean tide.
Welt and Siegfried both stiffened, their faces darkening at the sheer pressure radiating from her.
"She's still alive. Take her back to Babel Tower for treatment," Welt said gravely, his own Herrscher presence flaring.
A black energy column shot from his palm, forcing Nagami back and away from Theresa. "The Second Herrscher is mine."
"This…" Siegfried gritted his teeth, unwilling to leave Welt to such a dangerous fight—but Theresa's condition was critical. "Fine. I owe you another one!"
In a flash, his figure blurred, scooping Theresa from the ground before vanishing into the distance.
Welt, his face grim, fixed his gaze on the purple-haired girl floating in the air like a queen descending from on high—'Sirin'.
His guard rose to its peak.
At least she hadn't attacked while Siegfried was escaping. That was something.
'Alright… maybe I can try talking first—'
Just as Welt was about to speak, she beat him to it.
"Herrscher of Reason, Welt. Let's have a little chat, shall we? ☆~"
Because of course—an actress never forgets to add a little ☆ flair.
"?"
A giant question mark might as well have appeared over Welt's head.
He stared at the smiling purple-haired girl in stunned silence.
'Wait a second… wasn't that supposed to be my line?'