Chapter 489: For Her, Too

The honkai beast, Entropy, could not help but protect Senadina. No matter how much she foolishly headed outside, it was there to protect her. Even when she was threatened by the Honkai Beasts, it appeared to save her. That was how their relationship came to be.

Senadina’s journey on Mars went extremely roughly. Any attempts at rebuilding civilization ended up foiled by the existence of Honkai. Its Civilization Proportionality Law prevented them from making a ‘comeback’. Every time they attempted to do so, all their efforts ended up being destroyed. It could not outpace the rate of Honkai’s growth.

The only choice left was to deal with the problem at its origins—the Cocoon of Finality.

Thus, Senadina did.

That decision of hers became her eventual downfall. She managed to reach the Cocoon, but failed in its Embrace. She became what Kevin is, someone holding onto an incomplete fragment of Finality, all the whilst being burned slowly by it. She became the Goddess of Mars. She created the Bubble World of Mars, transferring her people within. 

When she thought things were going well, she was wrong.

Dead wrong.

The Sea of Quanta’s erosion of Bubble Worlds was unstoppable. Even with her fragment of Finality, she could only slow it down—to delay it, per se. She scoured for solutions… before finding one.

Entropy is a massive Honkai Beast with powers unheard of. It might as well be a ‘Planetary Honkai Beast’, something a Judgement-class Honkai Beast could have reached. Its body was capable of holding the Bubble World, turning into its most stable anchor.

Knowing it would make a sacrifice, it still chose to follow Senadina’s will.

That Honkai Beast…

That companion…

The origin of the Martian Supercomputer…

“These memories…”

…was none other than the current Goddess of Mars, Leylah.

*****

Why did Leylah’s heart demon take the form of Senadina?

I thought about it during the span of last week. The answer was surprisingly complex, all tied to Senadina’s choices and feelings. 

The Cocoon of Finality posited three questions when it met Kiana:

Who are you?

Why did you come?

Why do you want to do this?

It tested them whether they knew about themselves, on whether they are honest about themselves, and whether they could accept themselves. Senadina was worn out by the endless wars on Laquadar, yet she found herself becoming the spiritual pillar of her people—of those she brought along to Mars. She was forced to this identity. Knowing she could not collapse, she forces herself to stand back up. 

To the first question, she answered it as a form of obligation—a princess carrying the dying hopes of their world. It wasn’t something that truly stemmed out of her desires, but on others’. Her faltering on the first question alone made it unsurprising to see her fail.

“You are in deep thoughts again.” Kiana tugged my right hand slightly, her eyes narrowing as she guessed, “Are you thinking of Leylah?”

“...No, not her. Senadina.” I honestly said. “I wondered if she could have succeeded.”

“...”

The lively Tuna could not offer a definite answer. I saw through her hesitation. She did not want to comment on Senadina’s failure, more so she had succeeded. Kiana had nothing but respect for this senior of hers that she hasn’t even seen yet.

My eyes shifted towards Vita. As if seeing through my intention, she responded with a smile.

“I met her once in the past. Aside from the first meeting when Sa herself descended, I facilitated the talks between the two.”

The things I haven’t seen in my past life—inside a mere game—presented itself right in my eyes.

“Senadina is cunning.”

Vita sported the look of seeing a fellow ‘schemer’ at the mention of her name.

“She made a deal with Sa, promising to help her once. The holder of the incomplete fragment of Finality enticed that goddess. It represented the acknowledgement of the Cocoon.”

Only those who are ‘acknowledged’ by the Cocoon bore the capacity to handle its power. When Prometheus Number 17 self-destructed, which gave Kevin the chance to seize the Cocoon’s fragment, it was because the Cocoon tacitly approved of him. It wanted to see a battle between Kevin and Kiana, to see who would come up on top.

Disregarding Senadina’s state of mind, her becoming the Herrscher of Finality with that fragment showed the Cocoon’s acknowledgement.

“She knowingly made that deal while knowing she was on the verge of death, ending up reneging on her debt.”

…

Damn.

Senadina seemed a lot similar to Kiana, but that move of hers was a different thing altogether. Kiana has low chances of thinking about it.

The moment I thought about it, I felt a pair of fingers pinch my waist. My prided defense brought up by dual high-grade Tao Bodies did not stand a chance against the aggrieved Tuna on my right. 

Looking down on her, I saw Kiana slightly puff her cheeks.

“I could have done that too, you know?”

“Alright…”

My concession did not earn her approval, but rather, provoked her further. Kiana ended up saying one of the things I least wanted to hear.

“I will punish you later.”

My body behaved instinctively the moment I heard these words. I couldn’t tell whether her punishment was to ‘drain’ me dry or to pull off those moves that bordered teasing. I would have preferred the former more than the latter.

Please, let it be the former…

The castle was extremely huge. When its ten-meter-tall gates opened, it revealed a massive room with tall ceilings. In front was the spiral staircase leading to the higher-levels. There are also corridors made of gray bricks, with red and golden carpet sprawled all over the ground, leading to other rooms. They are also huge, more fitting to be home of giants than anyone else.

The three of us ascended the spiral staircase. Its base was made of fine red wood, while its handle was made of pure black iron. The golden engravings captured the rich, gothic aesthetic of the medieval era.

We did not stop on the second level, continuing to ascend the staircase with utmost silence. Strangely enough, the air between us did not turn awkward. Vita did not say anything about being the third wheel. Kiana did not kick up another fuss after the one earlier. 

Before I knew it, they wore solemn expressions. Vita cared about the influence left by Sa, aiming to resolve it with her hands, whether it be an idea or a failed backup plan. That was the closure she wanted to have.

Kiana saw herself from Leylah, at least a part of herself. Had something been lacking in her life, she might have been the one in Senadina's position, unable to realize the future she wanted to have with us.

Before, I merely wanted to help resolve Leylah’s lingering doubts. The readings told me I would inevitably play a role in it. Seeing through Kiana’s thoughts made me reconsider things.

I want to do it for her too.

Suddenly, a soft touch enveloped my right hand. I looked down and saw Kiana’s hand holding mine, our fingers intertwining. Vita’s glance shot straight at us, becoming slightly sharper than before. Though she did not say anything.

“We’re here.”

Soon, we arrived in front of an elegantly carved wooden door.