Cultivating in Honkai!

We thought this hard and well over a year ago.

What are the problems blocking humanity's victory over the honkai?

One, Otto Apocalypse. He is unstable enough to be able to be contracted by the Will of Honkai.

Two, the Will of Honkai. It is the artificial intelligence created by the Previous Era. Due to the Cocoon of Finality's overwhelming power, it was corrupted and turned into the Will of Honkai.

Three, Kevin Kaslana. This is self-explanatory. He did a lot of things for humanity. He is capable and decisive when it comes to executing humanity's last-ditch effort.

Kevin left a lot of room for humanity. Even when he started losing hope on humanity coming up with better plans than the Project STIGMA, he gave them several chances.

For once, he "willingly" stepped in Su's trap. He could have broken out yet chose to stay. He threw Su away from it, too.

That was the last chance he gave humanity with.

If they could not come up with a solution after 1,500 years, Kevin would pull out the last resort.

In the end, he took out the Will of Honkai, turned into Deliverance Kevin, and served as the trio's final trial before they could meet the Cocoon of Finality.

In retrospect to his deeds and efforts, he is humanity's greatest hero. Intentionally or unintentionally, his actions paved the way and pushed humanity further to reach their final goal.

Out of all, only Kevin and Otto demonstrated this god-like determination.

To Otto, Kallen is his world.

To Kevin, the legacy left behind by Doctor MEI, humanity, is his world.

They will pull no stops to fight for them.

Facing these two formidable foes, meticulous planning and hard power are needed

Tap.

Tap.

The inside of the huge locomotive train feels like the pinnacle of human technology. The train itself is not a train; it has no seats, only connected cabins.

There are no windows, either. They are replaced with countless screens and virtual projections instead.

All of the cabins looked identical. A sweep of spiritual consciousness revealed tens of thousands of detection instruments jam-packed inside the Second Divine Key.

It took a total of five minutes to arrive at the foremost cabin. Unlike the prior cabins, it has numerous keypads in front. There are a lot of Previous Era letters labelling each button.

Su taught me a lot of stuff. Like the Current Era, the Previous Era is divided by countries and continents. Some of the languages varied, though Fire MOTH opted to create a unified language after the First Herrscher's descent. This proved to be useful in the later stages, allowing people of all countries to be able to communicate with others.

These buttons…

Rather, this captain deck is meant for the full control of the Second Divine Key.

I took some time to observe it.

Aside from the deck, there is something else. An insignia of sorts floated in the center.

My spiritual consciousness touched it. Its identity unveiled itself from my eyes.

Seed of Sumeru.

Su left it here. It must reach its destined owner, Bianka. Only then would the Bubble World on her stabilize.

Buzz-!

Suddenly, the screens showed a glaring alarm icon. There are numerical data, the world map, and a projection of the alarm's cause.

Kevin.

To be exact, his ELF. It was present when Durandal took the Second Divine Key. It held 1% of the chimera Kevin's powers. With Su's warnings, we guessed it would increase to a higher percentage.

"Huh."

The screen projecting the ELF Kevin is blurred with a blue static signal. It could not interfere with the Divine Key's operation, however.

Judging from his speed…

Above Mach 100. Maybe reaching Mach 500, if not 1,000.

It's absolutely insane. His small build and raw power turned him into a fast projectile.

Most honkai-powered jets I saw can only reach Mach 100 at most. These were the most advanced ones. In terms of raw speed, only Kiana and I can surpass him.

"Fu…"

I waited until Kevin arrived. My figure flashed atop the Divine Key. In my hands lay the Key of Domination, Xuanyuan Sword. The two Ji Xuanyuans are still asleep. Welt Yang finished studying its specifics and is about to create a nanomachine-based spiritual artifact.

Naturally, the original fell to my hands.

My golden eyes stared directly at him. The string representing the ELF Kevin spat out numerous pieces of information.

[Kevin Kaslana (ELF)]

Body: Purple Mansion Realm - Peak

Mind: Golden Core Realm - ???

Honkai Output: 1,5… 2,000… 2,50…

Buzz-!

A terrifying force interrupted my prying. The eyes of a serpent manifested out of sheer mental power. I did this three more times, each ending the same way.

Strangely enough, it did not attack my mind. The reaction is limited every time I attempt to read Kevin's causal line. It does not extend beyond self-defense.

The ELF Kevin is not the same as the one Durandal fought. Behind it is the will of the real Kevin Kaslana.

The stand off did not last for long.

"You cannot use your power."

I saw through the disappointment in his words. He must be talking about the nuclear waste I dumped off somewhere...

"Does it matter? I can give humanity an answer nonetheless."

Kevin did not directly respond to my words.

"Why do you fight?" He asked.

This question…

I got my answer a long time ago.

"Someone told me… to fight for all that's beautiful. That is what I will be doing."

"..."

I sensed the fluctuations from the ELF. I prepared [Blade Mantra], ready to manifest the upgraded [Blade Eminence]. I will refrain from using my immortal cultivation abilities.

This opportunity is just enough to test out my honkai side.

"Very well."

Kevin's words marked the beginning of the fight.

Hum-!

The Herrscher Core within my chest became active. Mobilizing honkai energy, I can interfere with the physical laws to a certain extent—achieving the same effect as dao rhymes.

The Herrscher of Ice has a simple ability: to deprive matter of heat. It is a one-way control. It cannot increase 'heat', only reducing it.

Nevertheless, this is an authority capable of exerting the power of a Golden Core Realm!

Crackle-!

The frozen continent's temperature further dropped down. Dozens of ice spikes rose from the ground. In a manner similar to Parvati's attack, they all aimed to restrict the ELF.

Crash-!

It did not do much except delay him three seconds. The small ELF flashed in front of me. Held in his right hand is a miniature Judgement of Shamash.

Fwoosh-!

A cluster of flames emerged in the midst of the ice continent. The terrifying heat easily melted the surrounding ice floors. They turned into water before melting into a thick white fog.

Its height of more than a hundred meters could send anyone to a standstill. It is similar to a certain Saber's Noble Phantasm.

I withheld using [Blade Eminence].

One thousand.

Two thousand.

The honkai energy output sharply increased. The limit of the Herrscher Core is reached. To go further, it all depends on the body's honkai adaptability. The insane physique tempered by honkai energy and spiritual qi comes to play.

Three thousand.

Four thousand.

Five thousand.

…

Nine thousand.

A sense of strength filled my very being. I can undoubtedly create a continent-sized ice asteroid and recreate the colony drop.

This power…

Purple Mansion Realms could lower temperature by continuously using dao rhymes and spiritual qi. But, only Golden Core Realms could truly reach absolute zero.

It is a barrier of sorts…

…one I can reach now.

Buzz-!

The pillar of flames descended.

Crackle-!

Before it could touch me, the flames were extinguished. A huge line of frost replaced its prior position.

The bright blue light in my Spirit Roots intensified. My soul trembled as the Five Elements Yin Spirit Root became stronger. It did not reach the high grade, but it is far better than its previous state.

I disregarded all the changes I experienced. I focused on the fight at hand.

"Huff…"

Crack-!

Shatter-!

The pillar of frost shattered with a fingertip's touch. The falling fragments could not prevent our gazes from clashing.

"Is this the answer you want to see?"

Eleven thousand.

Twelve thousand.

Fifteen thousand.

…

Twenty thousand honkai welt.

An unprecedented surge of power came. Antarctica's negative celsius temperature dropped further.

All of these changes occurred with a thought. The entire Antarctic continent fell to my control. Both the range and ease of using the Herrscher Core increased with more honkai energy.

I raised my hand. The hanfu I wore fluttered. I reached out to the small ELF. Similarly, the ELF pulled out its trump card—its ICHOR form. It resisted the encroaching of my power and attempted to take control of the temperature.

Just like that, round two came.

*****

A/N: Bonus chapter.