An Unexpected Impact

by LordChaldea

Death was an unknown, no one knew what awaited them after it. So when I awoke in a world so familiar yet foreign at the same time, I swore to live a quiet life so that I could live this life at least to the fullest. That was until I decided to take a damn scholarship. SI-OC Captain Reincarnation

31. Chapter 31

I hope you really enjoyed this chapter!

---

"But for the future of this world, I cannot allow you to leave this place."

"...What are you saying?" I narrowed my eyes in response to what Apollo, or rather the original Haruto, had just said.

"Okay everyone calm down," Hyperion raised their arms up to try and de-escalate the situation. "Maybe we should all-!" The hooded spirit tried to intervene however was cut short when my doppleganger's eyes darted towards the hooded spirit.

"Do not interfere with this Death," His cold interruption had them stopping in their tracks, and also mine as I stared at him gobsmacked. "Honor your side of the promise and I shall do so with mine."

"Wait a minute! D-Death?!" I cried out in shock and horror as I jerked my head to the now identified spirit, my mind left whirling by that sudden and completely unexpected revelation. "Pardon my language but when the fuck did this-"

Death raised his hands in a peaceful gesture to try and placate me. "There's a perfectly reasonable explanation to all of this-!"

"No!" I yelled, drawing surprised looks from the two spirits from how loud my outburst was. "I think the time for secrets is over!" I had enough of these secrets, just absolutely done with it. Before I wouldn't have minded but after all that's happened I was now thinking otherwise.

Being played around like a puppet, that feeling of helplessness, I was absolutely doing being left in the dark!

Bringing up my hand, showcasing the spreading infection of honkai lines on my skin, I angrily motioned to it. "I am probably mere minutes away from getting turned into a zombie so I think it's perfectly within my right to get these answers!"

Letting the air hang with the results of my angry outburst, I began to take in heavy big breaths as I tried to calm myself down. Losing myself now wasn't going to be helping me anytime soon, especially not in the situation I was in.

Though a part of me did feel good getting that off my chest.

Hyperion was silent as he contemplated my words but it did not take them long to break their silence when their eyes glowed bright red. "...Very well then. I shall explain to you who, or rather what I am."

"Yes I am Death, but not in the way you might think I am." Bringing up one of their hands, I watched as it suddenly poofed out of existence. Though I was unsure what the purpose of that was, Hyperion then began to move his seemingly nonexistent arm around. With the outfit they were wearing, the sleeve of his robe still appeared to be hugging his arm even if it looked like it was no longer there.

Like it existed in some other plane of existence.

"First off I'm not some powerful deity like human legends depict me for I am just a simple function of the universe, a function designed to ferry souls from the dead to the cycle of rebirth. Not a deity that only wishes to feed on the souls of the living."

"After all," They shifted their head to face me and I could just imagine a smirk underneath their shadowy hood, where I now suspected that not even a face was to be there. "To live is to die, an undeniable fact."

"However that information isn't actually common knowledge so humans believed that an all powerful deity was the keeper of death." They began to list off a bunch of different gods of death. "Hades, Hel, Satan… all of them were born from that misconception that Death is some kind of deity."

"S-So are they actually real?" I breathed out, my mind barely able to come to terms with what I was hearing.

"Depends on the universe you're born in," Hyperion just nonchalantly shrugged their shoulders. "In some of them they are real, others they aren't"

"But in your world I was just a function of the universe, that was until a fateful night where a student would tragically lose his life. It would've been like any soul that I would've collected, nothing stuck out from yours that could classify it as…special."

Huh looks like something from my world beside myself did come with me, though never in my wildest dreams did I think that it would be Death itself. I thought I would've pulled some kind of memorable object with me or even a photograph.

Not literal Death itself.

"But I found myself, a part of the collective function known as Death, dragged alongside you as you were forced into this universe. Somewhere in that transition I gained the emotions that a function of the universe never needed" They looked to their invisible hand, willing it back into existence as they looked at an appendage that they had never needed before.

"Humans…the most sinful creatures to ever exist. You would betray one another without a single thought, kill each other so long as it serves your purposes. You are by far the most complicated beings that I've had to ferry into the afterlife."

"Though as you grew up, so too did I learn how to use these new human emotions, learned what it meant to live a life so short that it could be snuffed out with the smallest of breezes." The spirit adopted a nostalgic tone as I could imagine all that time I had spent growing up, never knowing of both of the spirits living inside me. "And as you placed your life more on the line the more I learned what it meant to sympathize with you all, to fight so hard just to see the light of tomorrow."

"And for that very reason was why I kept my silence over what the captain was planning to do." They admitted as they looked to Apollo, who was silently watching the spirit's little story telling.

"You knew?!" I shouted at them.

"Before you blame me, which you most certainly are entitled to, know that I did not make this decision lightly." They placated and I suppose with how truthful they had been they at least deserved the chance to explain themselves. "I originally would've rebelled against his plan as that would've resulted in all three of us dying, and I don't know about you but I'm not exactly ready to find out what happens when Death…'dies'."

That was…surprisingly understandable.

"But with this new understanding of human emotions I saw the captain's story in a whole different light," Hearing their words, the captain then closed his eyes, his hand clenching into a fist.

"I pitied him."

My eyes widened at the surprisingly sincere comment that they had just made. Never did I think I would ever hear the personification of Death itself pitying someone. "So in exchange for my silence, he agreed would not go through with his plans until the very last moment."

As my mind tried to make sense out of everything that had just been revealed to me, a singular burning question was now at the forefront of my mind. "What made you pity him?"

"...If you had played a game and got the perfect ending, but your save data was wiped out and you were tasked with getting the perfect ending again." Strange that they were using video game logic to explain this to me but I wasn't complaining. "Wouldn't you do the same exact thing that you did the first time?"

"Yeah I would," If all I needed to do was to get that 'perfect' ending again then I would've done the same thing I did at the same time. "But I don't see how that…"

It then suddenly hit me how this was all related. Looking towards the original captain, it was all starting to slowly make sense to me. "Oh." Was all I could say.

Identical hazel eyes opened as a somber expression took shape on Apollo's face. "...We got to it, the end." Going through their robe the red haired captain pulled out an age-worn medal, most probably relating to his position as captain.

"The road was long and arduous but humanity was able to stand strong even after the arrivals of all the Herscherrs. The Herrscher of Binding threatened to unravel everything we had worked for but through everyone working together we had managed to triumph against them." He explained.

"Humanity was at its strongest, everyone working together under a common goal. Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and even what had remained of the World Serpent worked as a collective group to prepare for the Final Herrscher."

He chuckled as he relieved those days, no doubt the sight of former enemies now working together must've been a once in a lifetime sight. "And when I saw the fleet we had amassed I was completely confident that we would prevail, after all we had done what the Pre-Era civilization could not. They faced the Final Herrscher only as a group of people, we were going to face it with the collective might of humanity."

Though his mood took a drastic hit as he sighed sadly. "But I learned just how terrifying the Final Herrscher was when it appeared. It made the Herrscher of Binding look like a child compared to it."

"The fleet that we had assembled barely defended against the Herrscher's assault, our weapons seemingly weren't fazing the vast energy reserves the Final Herrscher possessed." He closed his eyes as he went down memory lane.

"And it would only go downhill from there…" Was all he said when all three of us suddenly found ourselves in the midst of that very memory.

"Shields at 25%!" A technician yelled as the battleship Hyperion shook, the once calm bridge was now the very definition of chaos. 'Haruto' gritted his teeth as another explosion rocked the Hyperion, shaking the command bridge in the process.

And everyone's frantic shouting certainly wasn't improving anything.

"Air decks 5-7 are compromised!" Another shouted.

"We've lost weapons system controls!"

"Battleship Gaia is down!"

"Receiving multiple distress beacons from Battleship Daedalus!"

"The left wing of the formation is about to get swarmed from the Honkai!"

"We've lost contact with Valkyrie Squads 4 and 9!"

"What about the others!?" He demanded over the chaos, temporarily regaining control of the situation. "Have we received any word of the condition of Kiana and everyone else?!"

"We still haven't been able to re-establish communication with them!" The communications operator shouted back. "It might be due to their close proximity to the Final Herrscher!"

The captain cursed under his breath at that news. Things were spiraling downward fast and if they didn't do anything soon then this entire battle would be lost. Taking a deep breath he shouted an order that he would never ever think of making.

But desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Lock on to their last known coordinates and prepare for the Hyperion to go in guns blazing!" His words had every operator present turning to look at him as if he had grown a second head.

"But sir won't that-!"

"If we lose them then we have no chance of victory, all of this would've been pointless!" He argued and begrudgingly everyone realized that to be true. Looking at each other, every person present on the bridge gave a grim nod of acceptance before they set about accomplishing their own tasks to the best of their ability.

For they were most probably charging into their deaths.

After receiving confirmation that the Hyperion was ready for its last voyage, Haruto gave his final command as the captain of the Hyperion.

"Charge!"

With that command the Hyperion broke away from its spot in the formation and charged into the sea of Honkai beasts, every gun that was still operational firing on all cylinders. While it was oh so satisfying seeing entire hordes of honkai beasts simply get vaporized out of existence by their weapons…

They weren't exactly sitting idly by as they descended upon the Hyperion, intending to blow it out of the sky.

And while the armor of the Hyperion was much more resilient than any other battleship it could not hold up indefinitely under the attacks of the persistent honkai horde, especially one that was large enough to look like a thick miasma from miles away and cover the sky.

It also didn't help that for every honkai beast that they killed, another ten seemingly took its spot.

"Persevere!" He yelled to everyone. "We aren't going down without a fight!"

"Yes captain!"

Despite all the Hyperion had to endure, they were somehow able to punch through the horde of honkai beasts. Pushing through the horde, the damaged battleship arrived at the last known coordinates of the Valkyrie Squad. From his spot on the bridge the captain could see the current states of everyone fighting the Final Herrscher.

And it was anything but a good sign. They were all practically on their final legs, only sheer willpower and determination driving them forward.

All the while the Final Herrscher looked the same as it had when it had first appeared, with no signs of exhaustion or damage to be found anywhere.

"Fire every weapon we got at the Final Herrscher!" He roared to the bridge. "We have to buy them time to recover!"

On his command every functioning weapon on the Hyperion turned to face the Final Herrscher and unleashed a destructive volley. Their weapons might as well be fired elsewhere as there was no discernable signs that they were even causing the slightest hints of damage to the being.

Fortunately their efforts were rewarded when the attention of the Final Herrscher seemed to shift away from the Valkyries and towards the battleship.

"Good we were able to distract it!" Haurto cheered. "Now we just have to-!

"Captain look!" One of the bridge operator's shouted in fear.

At his outburst the red headed captain looked to the bridge's main window and what he saw had his breath hitch inside of his throat. For looking directly straight at the bridge of the Hyperion was the cold, unforgiving eyes of the Final Herrscher. Even if he was miles away the being's glowing gold eyes simply radiated authority, demanding his obedience.

So this is what standing near a god felt like.

However that shock and awe quickly gave way to horror when he noticed a flash of light emanate from the Herrscher's eyes. "Brace for impact!" Was all that he could yell before his entire world was consumed by an all consuming light.

"And poof," Apollo finished the story with a sad tone, dropping his arm lamely to his side. "A white light consumes my every thought and before I know it I'm back as a baby."

I looked at my 'future' self with horror, not expecting that to be the reason why he was here in the first place. I had several theories of why Apollo was in my head in the first place but I didn't expect such a…gruesome explanation.

"Do you know what happened after?" I asked gently, knowing that this wasn't a story that could be told with bringing up some kind of trauma.

"They had to have won, they had to…" He affirmed, and I almost believed him if it wasn't for the hesitant and broken tone in his voice. "I-I-I refuse to believe that all of our sacrifices were for naught."

I opened my mouth to assure him that they did, that the existence of the story known as 'A Post Honkai Odyssey' showed that they did triumph against the Final Herrscher. But at the last moment I had an epiphany, one that came with a shocking realization.

I wasn't so sure if this was the universe that Honkai Impact 3rd game showed. With the existence of so many different universes, who's to say that I was transported to the universe that I knew of?

Who's to say that the story that I knew of and the one that Apollo experienced first hand were two completely different universes? As of so far the story has been nearly identical to the one that I knew of…

But what if the small differences were all that was needed to create a different timeline?

"You must've cared for them alot," I observed. He was willing to go off on a suicide mission just to give Kiana and others enough time to recover, a man who didn't care for them would never have done that.

"Of course, I was their captain and they were my valkyries." He remarked. "It is the captain's job to ensure that they return back from their missions safely."

"Yet despite that they grew on me, maybe not to the extent of the bonds you've forged with them, but I learned to care for them. I was with them in their darkest moments and so too were they when I was in mine." He told me and I couldn't help but smile at the coincidence.

That no matter the timeline, it seems that we were always destined to cherish Kiana and the others.

"So I may become the villain in all of this, that what I am doing goes against everything that I stood for…" He looked at me as his face grew serious. "But if that is what I must do to ensure their victory in the end then so be it."

So he was still set on going through with this…betrayal. But despite that there was something I needed to ask about. "If you planned on betraying me then why did you save me back when I was fighting Stalker Carbon with Kuro? Why not just leave me to my horrid fate?"

"That was back when I believed that with your knowledge of the future you could change it for the better." The captain explained. "Alongside my experience I believed that we could create a perfect ending, an ending where everyone survived, where there would be no bitter farewells…"

"But I see that fate cannot be changed, no matter how hard you may try you cannot change the course of fate." They spread their arms out to remind me of the situation that we were currently in.

"You could not stop the Nagazora Eruption from occurring."

"Just because it occurred doesn't mean that nothing has been changed for the better," I argued, narrowing my eyes at my twin.

"Perhaps," He relented. "Perhaps what you accomplished here might be for the better, but whose is to say that there will not be grave consequences in the future?"

"After all, you underestimate just what kind of presence you exactly possess in this universe"

I opened my mouth to argue in my defense but it seems that Apollo was not done just quite yet.

"Simply by existing you have changed the fates of several people, those that would seemingly never play a role in this story yet have made huge ripples in it."

Bringing up his hand, Apollo showed me several images of people I knew to have never been featured in the original story.

Kuro.

Ishigami.

Midori.

"Kuro, otherwise known as Styx." The image displaying the black feline began to change as we watched the black cat crossing a street on a rainy dark night. Unbeknownst to the black feline, the headlights of a car were coming closer and closer.

"Look out!" I yelled in an attempt to warn the cat of her incoming doom. My words however went unheeded as the cat continued crossing the street. It was only at the final moments that Kuro noticed the incoming car, turning her head to see the front bumper of the car.

I jerked my head away to spare myself from having to see the cat…meet a gruesome end.

Thankfully Apollo had dispelled the cat's screen before that could play out. "In my universe Kuro never met Jackal, an unknowing car driver ending her before their fateful meeting."

But it seems that he was not done just yet as he motioned for Ishigami's screen. There the image of the teacher shifted to a room where the lights were cut off and people were being crammed within. Seeing the numerous identical faces of the people within I knew what was going to happen next.

"Akira Ishigami, otherwise known as W-916." I watched as a green noxious gas began to fill the enclosed room, slowly giving every clone an excruciatingly slow and painful death. One by one they fell and the one I presumed to be Ishigami was the last one to fall.

However instead of getting up he remained lifeless on the floor, his eyes dull as he breathed his last breath.

"He was meant to die in my universe, never activating his powers as a clone of the Sovereign of Anti-Entropy. Yet he plays an instrumental role in this story now." The image of Ishigami disappeared, leaving Midori's the last to be discussed.

The picture of the black haired Valkyrie shifted to show her in her combat clothing, slumped against a tree as blood flowed freely from an injury on her side. Nearby were the fallen bodies of other Valkyries as a honkai beast stood in the center of the devastation.

"Midori Aki, the Valkyrie sent to spy on Mei and the one that helped you free Kiana from the World Serpent. She originally died alongside her squad in a training mission gone wrong." The image of Midori Aki disappeared but it did not seem that Apollo was done not quite yet as one last image was forming on his hand.

"And when you decided to intervene for the sake of the story, to save Kiana Kaslana from the World Serpent…" One final image was formed, but this time it wasn't someone that I had met or an image of something I had seen at the battle of the docks.

Rather it was an image of Ishigami alongside a Valkyrie as the two fought Iudex, and it did not take me long to figure out the identity of the Valkyrie.

For it was none other than Fu Hua.

My mouth opened in surprise at that revelation. Had I unknowingly brought another major character of the Honkai Universe to Nagazora, when she was not supposed to have any previous meetings with Kiana and the others until they attended St. Freya.

"You inadvertently changed the events of what is to come. For by saving Kiana…"

The image shifted to show Fu Hua in some kind of dark abyss, clad in her Phoenix battlesuit as a wave of purple flames came for her. Yet if one was to squint hard enough you could see a small purple light, barely visible, be ejected out of the Valkyrie's body.

"You summoned the Herrscher of Sentience, throwing what is to come out of disarray."

"What?!" I shouted as I looked at Apollo in surprise. Why was this the first time that I was hearing about this?!

"With a small glimpse into your knowledge of the future, the Herrscher of Sentience was able to orchestrate the Nagazora Eruption. She is no doubt using the massive amount of honkai energy currently infesting Nagazora to complete her transformation as we speak."

"Do you see what your presence has created? Every step you make is a step closer into an unknown future." Dispelling the image of Fu Hua, the captain looked at me with a serious expression.

"So for the sake of this world, for the sake of everyone that we-... no that you hold dear…"

"You must disappear before the wheels of fate can change once more."

---

With a scowl Ishigami threw a barrage of dark red energy missiles at his younger doppelganger. Grinning, the younger clone responded with his own barrage of dark blue energy missiles, meeting each of his head on and creating a big explosion.

But that was not the end of it as a hail of bullets broke right through the cloud of smoke. Acting quickly the teacher brought up his hand and created a wall of energy that disintegrated the bullets the moment they made contact.

The soldiers weren't all that threatening, none of them possessed any sort of unique weapons or any special armaments that were a threat to him.

They were however very annoying to deal with while he had to contend with his clone, who had seized the opportunity of his distracted state and fired a few energy missiles at him.

Stuck in a very difficult spot, Ishigami faced a hand towards the wall behind him and destroyed it. Using the new opening, the teacher gave himself a few seconds of reprieve as he moved himself into an empty classroom.

The hallway that he had just been fighting Cocolia's soldiers in looked nothing like it once had. The tiles on the floor had all but been ripped up, the lockers on the wall having been reduced to scrap, even nearby classrooms had not been spared from the battle.

While it was concerning that the younger clone was able to call upon the powers of the Sovereign, it had quickly become obvious that he didn't have as much control over them as the teacher had.

Despite the young man's boasting, Ishigami was confident that he would be able to defeat both his clone and the soldiers.

However…

Stopping in the new untouched classroom, the lab coat wearing teacher began to start coughing harshly. Bringing a hand up to his mouth he grimaced when he saw blood on his hand.

For as great as his advantage was, it was almost perfectly balanced out by his disadvantage.

It was true that he had better control over the powers of the Sovereign, however that came at a horrible price. He had been part of the first wave of clones, the first attempt at fully replicating the powers of the leader of Anti-Entropy.

And while it had been a truly miraculous moment when he had managed to use the power of the 1st Herrscher…

That did not mean his body was perfectly adapted, or even created, to handle its full power.

The more he used his powers, the more it weakened his body. He hadn't had to worry about such a problem in a long time, laying low from Anti-Entropy and being a teacher meant that he rarely used them.

But the past year had him using his powers more than he had previously done for, even pushing the limits of how much energy his body could handle at a single moment.

"Does the old man need a cane now?" Mocked his younger clone as he stepped into the classroom, the soldiers close behind him. "We wouldn't want you to fall over now do we?"

"Give me the cane so I can come over there and beat your arrogant ass," Ishigami shot back, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Ignoring the pain his body was feeling at the moment, he conjured another dark red orb of energy.

The younger clone seemed actually delighted by his unwillingness to back down, the feral grin that blossomed on his face being a clear indication of that. "You know I've heard our little plan to apprehend the heiress ended in failure, who would've thought that she was a Herrscher this entire time?"

So that was the reason behind the massive explosion that had happened a few minutes ago. Though as worrying as that revelation was, the fact that they had not been hit by a giant surge of honkai energy could only mean that the Rasputin towers had done their purpose.

He would have to thank Tesla and Einstein the next time he saw them.

Though the problem was now how Mei was supposed to come back from her transformation as a Herrscher. He wasn't going to say it was impossible, you need only to look at the 1st Herrscher siding with humanity for proof of this.

But he could only hope that Haruto could come through with his promise.

"If you're gonna do something soon kid, please do it now." Ishigami mumbled before he recommenced his battle with his younger clone.

"Because I have no idea how much longer I can keep this up for."

---

When Mei Raiden opened her eyes, it felt like every part of her body was swimming in pain. It hurt to even try and move even her arm in the slightest way. Yet she didn't need to worry about moving anytime soon.

Since she was apparently already moving.

"H-Huh?" She groggily said as she opened her eyes to find herself in a very peculiar position.

For she was on the back of none other than Kiana Kaslana.

"Mei-senpai!" Kiana shouted joyously as she turned her head around to greet the now awake girl. "You're finally awake!"

"W-Where are we?" The dark purple haired girl asked weakly as she looked around, trying to pinpoint where exactly they were.

"We are making our way to an evacuation site." The sound of Bronya's voice had her turning to see the petite gray haired girl walking right alongside Kiana. "Nagazora is experiencing a radiation outbreak."

She was confused by what Bronya meant by that. "W-What do you mean by that? Has something happened?"

"Terrorists attacked Nagazora, setting off a bomb." She simply explained. "Anti-Entropy is trying to contain the radiation but they've ordered everyone to evacuate the city."

As Mei listened to Bronya explaining the situation, something felt…off about it. The dark purple haired girl did not know how she knew that but a part of her knew that wasn't the entire truth. She just didn't know what part of what she had just heard was not true.

Before she could voice her suspicions, she's interrupted by Kiana who asks a very important question. "Mei-senpai, where's Haru-senpai?" The white haired girl questioned.

"H-Haruto?" She looked to Kiana who had tilted her head so that her blue eyes made eye contact with hers. "Why are you asking me about him?"

"He was with you before this happened, saying the two of you were getting groceries." Kiana said, much to Mei's confusement as she tried to remember that. Did she and Haruto really go out to get groceries?

If that was the case, then why couldn't she recall anything about that?

"I-I can't remember," Was all she could say. Unbeknownst to the heiress, who was busy trying to remember, Bronya stiffened at the mention of the red headed teenager. She was able to cover up her reaction, and thankfully neither the heiress nor Kaslana noticed it.

She couldn't bring herself to tell them the truth of what had happened.

"I'm sure he'll turn up! This is Haru-senpai we're talking about!" Kiana reassured the two, hiding the fact that she too was afraid for the fate of her friend. She was sure that they would see Haru-senpai soon but a small part of her whispered that was not the case, that her fears would be proven right.

That she would have to relive another traumatic memory of seeing him in so much pain.

No more words were exchanged after that, as they were all engrossed in their respective silent dilemmas regarding a certain redheaded teenager. Despite this they continued making their way towards an evacuation site.

Walking through the silent streets of Nagazora almost felt suffocating, the eerie silence was getting on everyone's nerves. Coupled that with the fact that you could hear the sounds of conflict seemingly occuring all throughout the city.

It was safe to say that they were very jumpy.

Kiana attempted to make light banter to break up the mood, telling jokes or making some sort of funny remark about a building or the street they were walking in. And for a while it worked, Mei would giggle at some jokes while Bronya merely cracked a small smile at them.

But all that did was place a temporary bandage over the situation that they were in. The further they progressed into the city, the more apparent it became that they couldn't try to beat around the bush.

Mei didn't know how long she was on the back of Kiana, her sense of time still messed up. The young woman had told her carrier that she was fine to walk multiple times but all that she would get in return was a no and after being refused everytime she just allowed Kiana to continue to carry her.

She could've been more stubborn about it but her mind was more focused on trying to remember what had happened before all this happened. She knew something important had happened but for the life of her she could not recall it.

However as they continued to cross streets, devoid of all life, Mei had a feeling she would not be remembering any time soon.

The young woman did not know how much time had passed since she had woken up but it felt as if an eternity had passed.

"Kiana-chan?" She broke the silence, prompting the white haired girl to turn her head to face her. "Do you know what time it is-!"

"Mei nee-sama! Kiana!" Bronya's frantic shout interrupted her as the petite gray haired girl suddenly placed herself in front of the two, a hand outstretched in order to protect them. "Watch out!"

The sound of a bullet being fired right after those words left the Russian girl's lips had Mei shouting in fear. Kiana swiftly moved herself to a defender's stance but in doing so she forgot about the fact that she had been supporting Mei's weight on her back.

Resulting in the young woman falling to the ground.

Suppressing a pained yelp, Mei quickly picked herself off her spot on the floor and tried to see what had just happened. In front of her was Kiana with her fists at the ready, and in front of Kiana was Bronya…

And in front of Bronya was a giant humanoid like mech, where had that come from!?

"Project Bunny 19C," Bronya's voice was emotionless as the mech lowered its arms, no doubt being the shield that had protected them from that gunshot. "Eliminate the-,"

"You don't gotta worry about that kid, I'll be dead soon anyway." The unfamiliar voice had Mei moving her head to see who their attacker was.

A few feet away from Bronya's guardian mech was a soldier, a soldier that seemed familiar to the young woman but could not exactly discern why that was. The state of the soldier was not a good one, his armor having been damaged heavily and blood could be seen trailing down from a wound near his stomach.

Not to mention the strange purple lines that seemed to be spreading throughout his skin with each passing moment.

The pistol that he used to shoot at them appeared to run out of ammo to fire with, evident by the clicking sound that would occur every time he pulled the trigger. Realizing that he had indeed run out of ammo, the soldier threw the now useless pistol away before he slumped to the floor and rested his back on the side of a ruined car.

"Looks like Lady Luck wasn't on my side after all, could've fooled me though. It's not everyday you somehow miraculously survive an eruption point blank." The soldier chuckled at his misfortune, though that didn't last long when he made eye contact with the heiress.

"If it wasn't for you everyone would be still alive," He pointed towards her, and with his words something began to start coming back to the heiress. Faint recollections of her being surrounded by others dressed similarly like the soldier in front of her.

"But I suppose it doesn't matter anymore as I'll be joining them soon." Reaching up the soldier tore off his helmet, revealing more of the purple lines crawling up his neck as he did a large inhale of air.

"Thankfully you took your redheaded boyfriend to the grave as well," He smiled sinisterly at Mei, who could feel her heart drop at the mention of his words." I'll be sure to greet him in Hell when I get there."

…

…what?

Apparently her shock showed on her face as the dying soldier was more than happy to continue with his explanation. "You didn't know? Well, allow me to enlighten you, you killed him."

I…did?

An image of Haruto came to the forefront of her mind. There the redheaded teenager was, smiling at her with a smile that never failed to brighten her day. She didn't even know the specific reason why he was smiling at her but that didn't matter in the slightest right now.

That image however quickly changed to a haunting sight. His smiling face quickly transformed into a pained expression as he laid on the floor, a pool of blood beginning to rapidly form around his body.

No…this isn't…

It…can't be…true.

"You lie." She said lowly, unaware that the air around them was becoming choked in a tense atmosphere. Sparks of purple lightning began to flicker all around them, growing with intensity with each passing second. Sounds of concern from both Kiana and Bronya went ignored as the heiress's focus zeroed in on the slumped soldier.

"Am I?" The man taunted her, not at all deterred by the impending danger. If anything he seemed to be welcoming it. "If I'm busy here slowly dying, what do you think the condition of your friend is, who was busy bleeding out on the street?"

Haruto…can't…be…

"Take that back!" Kiana yelled at him, doing her best to try and cover up the terror that she felt from the man's words. Haru-senpai couldn't be dead, he just couldn't!

Her panicking thoughts were swiftly interrupted when Bronya grabbed her arm and began to tug it with force. "We need to go, now!" The petite girl pressingly urged as she took a look at Mei. Following her gaze Kiana saw that tendrils of purple lightning were now beginning to arc around the heiress.

The white haired girl wasn't given any time to try and argue to Bronya that Mei-senpai needed them when three purple wings manifested themselves on the dark purple haired girl, slowly lifting her off the ground.

"...Alright," She bitterly replied as the two ran to find cover.

And not a few seconds later did the air crackle, followed by a loud pained scream. Mei's eyes turned from its dark blue hue to a sinister pink red, the memories of what had truly happened came back to her.

The chaos that had befallen the street…

To the unmoving body of Haruto Nakamura.

"Any last words insect?" The Herrscher of Thunder spoke as she took over the distraught girl, fully in control as she glared at the soldier slumped in front of her. All the soldier did was flip a particular finger in response before a second later his entire world became engulfed in a purple light.

Yet everyone that had been present for that confrontation were completely unaware of the massive battleship that was now flying directly above them…

And neither were they aware of the battleship's weapons slowly turning to face the Herrscher of Thunder.

---

In the bridge of the Hyperion, the main monitor on the bridge was currently displaying the reason on why the battleship's crew was currently flying over Nagazora.

And the one responsible for directing this crew of valiant heroes was currently in disbelief as she stared at what their supposed target was.

"Huh?! That's the Herrscher?!" Himeko Murata exclaimed in disbelief. "A girl? Really?"

"And what did you expect them to be?" Her vice captain spoke up beside her.

"I don't know, something much scarier than a highschool girl." The red headed woman responded. "I was expecting demonic wings, death rays, a deranged slimy tentacle monster with a bunch of eyes because why not!"

"…Major you have some sick fantasies about the Honkai,"

"Well it's only because I was stuck with this job in the first place!" She exclaimed with a scowl on her face. "I swear that pudding scientist knew this was going to happen! I'm going to give him a piece of my mind the next time I see him!"

Everyone present on the bridge all made a silent prayer for the infamous white haired scientist. It was no secret that he infuriated the major and more often than not you could catch him on the receiving end of the Murata's ire if you were a regular at St. Freya.

"But I suppose Lady Luck finally decided to bless us with this jackpot." Joked Himeko as an excited grin took shape on her face. "The poor sucker isn't even aware of our presence yet." And the captain had every intention of using that advantage.

"Hyperion!" She commanded, throwing her arm out as she issued the order. "Full broadside! Hit the Herrscher with every cannon that's on the ship! Light her up like a Christmas Tree!"

At her words the underbelly of the Hyperion opened up, revealing cannons that were coming out of their compartments to aim themselves at the Herrscher. The firepower that this ship possessed was enough to level entire city blocks with only one bombardment.

Yet as the Herrscher was made aware of the Hyperion's target, evident by the loud sounds of the transforming mechanisms and the fact that they were all turning to face her, what she was feeling wasn't fear…

But rather of irritation.

"No one is allowed to be above me, the Queen!" She sneered as energy began to build up near her. The air seemingly shook in her presence as the light around them darkened and it did not take a genius to figure out what was about to happen.

"Full power to the shields!" Himeko shouted to the bridge. "Brace for-!"

"Fall." Was all the Herrscher of Thunder said as the entire world was seemingly engulfed in darkness for a brief second…

Before all the light and color came rushing back…

And the Hyperion shuddered as it felt the full power of the attack.

"Warning External Armor Plating Compromised," The Hyperion's robotic warning system blared out as the entire bridge was thrown into darkness, the only sources of light were the windows of the bridge, the beeping red lights, and the light coming from the operators' terminals.

And the frantic shouts of the operators weren't helping the situation.

"Our power is down by 40%!

"Fires detected in the upper decks!"

"We've lost control over the cannons on the west side!"

"Our main reactor is losing output!"

"Major," Yet throughout the chaos the vice captain appeared to be as calm as ever, a blessing in disguise as Himeko needed as much calm as possible. "We can't survive another hit like that," She warned as she pushed her glasses up.

The redheaded major crossed her arms as a scowl appeared on her face. "This little girl doesn't know how much this boat costs to build, Theresa is gonna be on me for the repair costs when we get back…"

Granted if they could even get out of this situation alive.

Steeling herself Himeko slammed her foot down onto the floor of the bridge, the loud sound silencing the frantic shouts of the operators as they all turned to look at the stern-faced captain. She needed to stop this before it spiraled down any further.

"Activate our reserve Nuclear Reactors!" She commanded. "Maintain our current energy output and switch over to our reserves! Once that's accomplished bring the Hyperion down to the Herrscher's altitude, we have to fight up close and personal now…"

"So get the Nexus Battlesuit System online and running!"

Her last words garnered shock expressions from everyone that had heard. Surely they hadn't heard her just say that they were already resorting to their last resort? Surely the situation they were in wasn't as hopeless as she was making it to be.

However, before anyone could question the captain on her decision she and her vice captain had already left the bridge to head to the armory. It quickly became clear that she had been serious. Once that had been made clear the operators scrambled to fulfill their given orders.

Meanwhile Himeko and the vice-captain were making their way to the armory at a brisk and urgent pace. "Major, are you sure that this is the wisest choice to make?" The glasses wearing Valkyrie questioned. "You know the consequences of putting that suit on, not to mention that our orders from the council were to capture the Herrscher, not kill."

"Don't you think I remember that?" After all it was Theresa who had relayed to her the Schicksal Far East Branch Council's order for the Hyperion to make a beeline straight to Nagazora and capture what they believed to be the next Herrscher.

Fourteen years had passed by since the last Herrscher, and the Murata woman was damned if she was going to let it run free and allow it wreak havoc on the world.

"But we can't afford to be gentle with the Herrscher, it's either her or us." She spoke as they came to the door that contained the Nexus System.

"And I perfectly know what I'm getting into." The door opened and Himeko walked into the room alone, the vice captain not moving as she remained on the other side of the door. "Fact of the matter is, that suit is the only thing beside this battleship that can match the Herrscher without getting obliterated. We can't afford to play around with our enemy, it's all or nothing now."

"Besides, didn't Asplund make some modifications to it?" The pudding scientist, as loathe as she was to admit it, was useful when it came to building honkai killing inventions. "I'm sure I can live with putting that suit on."

The vice captain was silent as she processed Himeko's words. "Very well then Major." After a period of silence the valkyrie saluted her. "Good luck." Was all she said before she began to run back to the bridge, no doubt to oversee the bridge in her absence.

Once the doors of the armory closed the Murata woman smirked as she began to walk to the Nexus Battlesuit, unclothing herself in the process. "Heh you know it's serious when I have to resort to taking off my clothes in the middle of a battle."

"I'm expecting a damn raise once all of this is over," She muttered under her breath as she took off her last piece of clothing before she stepped into the battlesuit's suiting station, the mechanical arms beginning to attach the parts of the Nexus Battlesuit on her body.

"Ah this power," The Herrscher of Thunder rejoiced as she watched the battleship that dared to think it was higher than her, now burning as she asserted her superiority over it. "The sorrow of losing a loved one, how it powers me so."

And there was barely a whisper from the other girl, no doubt unable to muster up a fight after that groundbreaking revelation.

No matter, she would free them from these chains of despair that cursed their existence. This cruel world would finally disappear and finally they would be able to rest in peace.

"Oi!" A shout broke the harbinger of destruction out of her musings. Her attention shifted to the opening doors of the battleship, where a red headed woman clad in an equally vibrant armor was being lifted onto the deck. Her entire body was covered in a red ruby armor with her eyes covered by a visor that glowed blue. On her back was a massive cable that trailed all the way to the platform that had brought her up, connecting her to something.

"You'll be fighting me now!" She pointed the sword right at the Herrscher, a bold proclamation.

"Is that so?" The Herrscher smiled sinisterly at this foolish human. If she wanted a death wish then who was she to refuse it? "Then die insect!"

Bringing up her hand, the Herrscher of Thunder charged up an attack guaranteed to vaporize this foolish human. "Be reduced to ashes!" She shouted as she fired the attack.

Yet instead of showing fear at that incoming attack, Himeko's face shifted to that grim determination. "Sorry but I ain't dying in a place like this, especially not before I find myself a nice guy!"

Bringing up her sword, the visor that was covering her eyes glowed a bright red. The cord that was currently attached to the back of the battlesuit also began to blow a bright red.

"Nexus System ACTIVATE!" She yelled as she swung her sword right as the beam of energy struck her. The glowing sword cleaved the beam attack in two before the entire world surrounding them was enveloped by an all encompassing light.

"Make sure that we don't overload the reactors!" Back in the bridge the vice captain was watching the state of the reactors that the Nexus Battlesuit was currently hooked up to. A battlesuit that was powered by nuclear energy, making whoever was wearing it a force of destruction.

Though that came at the cost of severe backlash that the wearer had to endure.

"If we lose the fusion reactors then we're all dead!"

After what had felt like an eternity being bathed in light, Himeko could finally open her eyes without fear of being permanently blinded. "Fuck that hurt," Panted the red haired woman as she lowered her sword. If the armor didn't feel heavy before it must definitely did now. Even as we speak she could feel her body screaming in exhaustion.

If this was how the armor felt after Asplund had made modifications to it she didn't want to know what it would've felt to use the armor before.

"Oh?" But she wasn't afforded a moment's rest as she lifted her head to see the Herrscher looking down on her with an impressed grin on her face. "You survived my blast?" While she was here struggling to catch her breath…

The Herrscher of Thunder barely looked as if she had broken a sweat.

"Very admirable of you but that only puts you slightly above these insects." The Herrscher complimented and the major was so very tempted to make some kind of sarcastic comeback. Unfortunately all she was focusing on was making sure she didn't black out from the armor's toll on her body.

Though she found very soon that was going to be the least of her worries, especially when a smile broke out on the Herrscher's face.

"However I believe that such strength should be rewarded," The Herrscher of Thunder cryptically said as the air around them became charged with more energy than before and the clouds suddenly started to rumble as they began to darken.

Bringing her hands to her chest, a purple light was beginning to shine from it…

Then without warning the Herrscher plunged her hand into it, as if she was pulling something out from her chest. If the redheaded woman wasn't in a life or death situation, she would've commented on how lewd the action looked like.

But it was clear that this wasn't all fun and games when the Herrscher brought her hand back out of her chest, this time however with a purple glowing katana now firmly held in her fingers. Even from where she was, the major could feel the raw power emanating from it.

She was going to be in a whole world of pain, wasn't she?

"Do keep up," The Herrscher taunted as she held the katana up in the air, the sky roaring with thunder in the wake of such an action.

"It would be so disappointing if I didn't get a chance to use this."

---

Back in the halls of Chiba Academy it looked as if a tornado had gone off. There was no sense of normalcy no matter where you looked, every inch of the academy had not been spared from this force of destruction.

And at the center of this devastation, in the space that had once been his office, now in ruins…

Was Akira Ishigami on the floor, blood trailing down his mouth.

"Dammit!" He cursed to himself as he tried to push himself back up. However his body refused to even comply with the most basic twitches of movement. It felt as if gravity itself had turned against him. "Of all the times to hit my limit it would have to be now!?"

"I'll admit old man you surprised me," His younger clone grinned as he walked up to the teacher. "Not only were you able to hold off far longer than I thought you would've been able to, you were able to kill off my lackeys at the same time."

"However…" He grinned sadistically as he placed a foot on the older clone's chest, causing him to cough roughly from the action. "This was going to end in only one way, with me being victorious!"

"Don't think this is over brat," The teacher hissed as he tried to conjure an attack. A red orb of dark energy began to manifest on the palm of one of his hands but at the last second it fizzled out.

"You can't even conjure an attack now," His attempt to counterattack had been noticed by his arrogant opponent and it only added more salt to the wound called defeat as the younger clone gloated at his attempts to fight back.

"To think that I would be losing to such an arrogant version of myself," Ishigami thought bitterly as his mind tried to find a way to turn the situation around.

However the slightest flash of movement from the corner of his eye had the teacher turning his head just in time to see his desk collapse onto the floor, spilling the contents that were on top of it everywhere.

From the papers that he was supposed to have graded to the computer that was now just a molten piece of scrap. Even his beloved chess board was not spared, the table's collapse sending the numerous chess pieces scattering throughout the room.

Yet what had caught his attention was a single chess piece that began to roll on the floor. There were thirty one other pieces that he could have focused on but what had stolen his attention was the fact that this piece was seemingly rolled towards him, only to stop rolling a few inches away from his face.

It was just a simple white pawn piece, it held no significant sentimental value to him aside from the fact that it belonged to his chess set.

Yet despite that just one look at the chess piece had an epiphany suddenly come to him, a revelation that came to him in such an anticlimactic way that he could not help but break outloud in laughter.

"Oi, why are you laughing?" His younger clone looked at him in perplexion for this sudden action. "What the hell is so funny?"

"Out of all things to make me remember, a damn chess piece is the thing that makes me remember." Ishigami ignored his words as he laughed despite the fact his entire body was screaming in pain, even more now as his lungs were protesting such an action.

Yet all that pain could do nothing to him as his mind went down memory lane, more specifically to a little thing he had forgotten about. Before this fiasco all started he had been wondering about the two emails he had 'seemingly' written up.

And now he remembered that one of them was addressed to none other than Welt Yang, the Sovereign of Anti-Entropy…

The person he was the clone of.

At the thought of who he was made to resemble, the teacher could not help but think far back, back when he was beginning to learn of the world that existed outside of the laboratory that he was made in.

Back when he had no idea why he was created.

He remembered watching as Welt Yang sat across from him, Tesla and Einstein close behind him.

It was a few days after he had been freed from his prison. After Siegfried had killed the scientist and soldiers that wanted to capture him, he had called in the two scientists on his discovery and it prompted a fast response.

They had come in and shut down the experiment. Any who had collaborated with the project were brought to justice and any records of how to clone the Sovereign were either purged or kept under the tightest of security.

Throughout this W-916 simply watched this all play out, unsure of how to make sense of everything that was happening. His entire life had just been the same grueling tests and trials, forced to repeat them every single day.

But with them gone he was lost, an unknown tomorrow now awaited him.

"Leave us for a while," Welt told the two scientists. They nodded and gave the Sovereign and him one last look before they left the room, leaving the two of them alone in a tense silence.

Now that they were alone the clone got a better look at the person he was meant to embody. Every detail, down to the crease in his brows or the pigment of his eyes were practically identical to his.

Yet the more he looked at Welt Yang, the more it became apparent that there was something that made them different. It was a big difference but no matter how much he pondered on it he could not come up with an answer to what it was.

Why did he seem so content?

What was the cause of the light in his eyes?

What made them, two people practically identical yet so different at the same time?

It was a question that he struggled to find the answer, even after he was allowed to go on into the world and discover all it had to offer.

And he eventually did find the answer…in the form of the recipient of the second email he had written up.

Ever since Haruto Nakamura had shown up in his life a storm, similar to the one Siegfried had once made, that disrupted the normalcy of his life for a second time. He had made a vow that he would not be involving himself with anything related to Anti-Entropy yet he was able to make up with the two people he thought he would've never reconciled with.

And despite all that had changed, for worse or for the better, one thing stood out to him.

It was that he had finally found the reason for what had separated himself and the Sovereign.

Welt Yang had a purpose, a reason to keep on moving forward. A reason to keep moving towards tomorrow, even when all seemed lost. Even when it seemed life no longer seemed worth living, that reason still pushed him onward.

And now…

He had found his purpose too.

"Haruto," Akira Ishigami peacefully closed his eyes as he readied himself for one final act. "You were the greatest student I've ever had the pleasure of teaching. If I know anyone who would be able to change the future for the better, it would be you."

Reaching deep down inside of the confines of his soul, the teacher went to where he knew the Star of Eden was being stored in. This power had been the sole reason for his continued existence, it had marked a new chapter in a story he believed would've ended on that fateful night.

And now he would use it to write the final chapter of the story.

"Old friend," He thought as he began to unravel the chains that he had created to contain the voracious power one by one. "Help me, help me for one last act."

"What the hell are you doing!?" His younger clone could feel the buildup of energy coming from within the teacher. "Stop right this-!"

"Star of Eden…" The teacher ignored him as he held the final chain that held back the Star of Eden…

"Shatter the stars themselves."

And released it, allowing it to be released at full power.

His opponent could say nothing before a sudden flash of light enveloped the entire room…

And half of Chiba Academy suddenly disappeared.

The destruction was so fast that no reasonable explanation existed of how such devastation was possible.

Yet in the middle of the crater that now occupied Chiba Academy was a lone pair of glasses that had fallen from its wearer in the midst of his final fight. The fact that it was somehow spared from the destruction was a miracle in of itself.

Haruto, I leave the rest up to you.

---

"We must disappear before fate can change once more."

All was silent at the words of the original captain. With all the bombshells that he had just dropped it was only natural that a tense silence would follow. To hear that your entire existence had changed so many crucial events, it was something you needed time to process.

I could feel the stares of both Apollo and Hyperion on me, watching me in anticipation as they awaited how I would react to this all. Unfortunately for them my mind was still trying to make sense of it all that I didn't think I would be able to give a response.

Yet despite that I found myself closing my eyes, an unknown force pushing me forward to speak.

"After hearing all that…I can sympathize with your choices." I said without thinking, my mouth having a mind of its own. "To sacrifice your happiness for the sake of the people you love so that they can be happy, is there really a choice to be made?"

If I was in his shoes…I would have done the same thing.

I would use my second chance to ensure that nothing went wrong, to ensure that the future where we won would come to pass. Sure maybe I might've been able to change something but at the risk of deviating from the original path, to risk having a small event change everything?

I would probably not take such risks.

"Perhaps I was reborn in your stead because of how similar we act," I theorized. Always willing to do whatever was necessary to ensure the ones we loved lived. I had risked my life to save both Kiana and Mei and Apollo had used his second chance at life to guarantee that they won in the end.

"If you had told me about this…back when I had just arrived in Nagazora…I probably would have accepted your plan, gone along with it." I remembered how in those first few days when I didn't know of the universe that I was in, I was completely unaware of the hectic future that awaited me.

I remembered how when it was revealed to me that I was indeed in the Honkai Impact universe I had seen everyone as not as a person but just a fictional character made by some video game company.

"But that's in the past," I thought back to how I learned more about everyone, learned that they were more than just a couple of pixels on a screen. I learned first hand that they were real living people with their own aspirations and quirks.

Like how Kiana will refuse to eat pickles, no matter what could be offered to her in exchange. You could give her the keys of the world and she would still refuse to eat a single pickle slice.

Or maybe how Sora had an eye for fashion design. During the time when I was beginning to bond with the light pink haired child she showed me her sketchbook, filled with various designs for dresses that she had made up.

The game would've never shown such a side of her.

And Mei, who would've thought that the caring and friendly heiress would love to dance? On her birthday she danced with practically everyone on the rooftop after our dance together. No matter who her dance partner was you could always see a dazzling smile on her face.

A smile I never believed I would see on her face.

"And this may be selfish of me…" I brought my hands closer to my chest, feeling just how fast it was beating. "But I made a promise to them,"

The memory where we were in the garden of the Raiden Estate played out in my mind as me, Kiana, and Mei stood in front of a shrine dedicated to Mei's mother. There, a promise was made in a field of purple flowers…

"I promise to stand with her no matter what comes her way."

…

My hand clenched into a fist as I opened my eyes and stared at my doppelganger, my eyes steeling themselves with conviction.

"A promise I intend on keeping," I said as I stood my ground. "And I'll be damned if I break that promise."

My ultimatum got a displeased look from Apollo. There was no anger in his identical hazel eyes but rather sadness that at the end I would not agree with his plan. "...Even with all of that you've still decided to rebel."

Sighing he raised his hand up as an orb began to be conjured. "Then know that I derive no pleasure from this-,"

"If we're all being truthful here…" Hyperion suddenly interrupted, choosing now to break their silence. "I think it's time you start being truthful to yourself captain."

Their words garnered confused looks from the both of us. Apollo stopped his attack as he lowered his hand and stared at the spirit of Death in perplexion for their words. "What are you talking about?"

"That you still believe in Haruto," They revealed, the smirk on their non-existent face was all apparent to us just from the tone of their voice. "Despite everything that you've said you still believe that he can do it."

"Preposterous," Apollo immediately denied their accusations. "I do not think that."

In response Death simply shook their head. "Even now you still lie to yourself, if proof is what you need then you need not look any further than our present surroundings." Hyperion raised their arms and motioned to the water mindscape that we were in.

"These realms we call our own are a reflection of our current state, of what we feel." They explained as I could only imagine what Hyperion's mindscape would look like. Probably something dark and broody.

"You say that you have gone ahead to kill Haruto, that you don't believe he is up to the task. Yet look to your very own realm, it is the same as the day you first spoke with Haruto." Taking a quick look around I noted the truth in those words. Not a single thing looked out of place or different from the last time I was in here. "It looks the same as the day you had approached him and decided to guide his actions."

"It shows that you still believe that Haruto can do it, that for all your words you believe that he can create a better future."

"That does not mean anything!" Apollo hotly denied as he pointed an accusatory finger at the hooded spirit. "What would you know about my convictions!"

In response to that Hyperion merely had his hands up in peaceful placation. "I may not be the most suited to talk about human emotions, being Death and all." They truthfully admitted. "However, if there's one thing that I've learned from being stuck here is that humans learn from each other, they get inspired by each other. An act of heroism inspires another to do the same and someone else gets moved and it repeats over and over."

"Even if you try to deny it, I've seen your face when our dear Haruto was out helping the others. During Mei's birthday I could see the smile on your face when you saw just how happy the heiress was at the surprise." They revealed, prompting me to turn to face Apollo in surprise.

They had been watching that the entire time?!

"Even when I pointed that fact out and denied it, your smile never left your face." They leaned forward, placing their hands on their hops. "And I think even now you're still hopeful of the future that Haruto could create. A kind and better future."

"N-N-No I don't think that," Apollo tried to defend himself as he shook his head, trying to convince us, and himself, that what was spoken was not true. "F-For the them, I need to do-!,"

"Apollo," I interrupted him, making him look at me with wide eyes. "I…I can't guarantee you that kind of future." I wasn't going to go to try and lie to him, that would have been too cruel. I wasn't about to lie to him when this meant so much to him. I wasn't about to spit on the countless sacrifices that he made just to get to this point.

What I could do though…

"But isn't that the best we can do?" I smiled warmly at my future self as I placed a hand on my chest.

"To fight for all that is beautiful?"

Unbeknownst to me, my words triggered something in the captain as a special memory played out in his mind.

He was standing on the bridge of the Hyperion, clothed in his captain attire as he awaited a special group of people. Thankfully he didn't need to wait any longer as the system chimed that the elevator had arrived on the bridge.

"Hope we didn't take too long Captain," Turning around he saw Himeko step out of the elevator with a smile on her face.

"Of course not Major," He recoprciated her smile with one of his own as his eyes moved past the red headed major. "Is this?"

Himeko nodded as she turned around to see the three other people that had been in the elevator. "They are, girls may I present you to the Captain of the Hyperion. From this day he will serve as your captain."

"It's a pleasure to meet you at last 5th Valkyrja Squad," Greeted the captain as the three other members of the squad stepped onto the floor of the bridge. "I hope that we can work well together."

The gray haired petite girl, Bronya, simply nodded her head and gave a curt "Da."

The dark purple-haired girl, Mei, merely smiled and gave a polite nod.

And the final member, a white haired girl named Kiana, grinned before she stuck out her hand for a shake.

"Of course captain! Let's fight for all that is beautiful!"

Little did the Kaslana know the profound effects her words would have on the captain. For when all seemed lost for the captain, when it didn't feel there could be any hope left those words would come back to him.

Those words, and the team that was associated with it, would inspire him to keep on moving forward.

"No…" The captain was brought back out to reality as he turned his head downward, an expression of shock and defeat on his face as he came to terms with what he was going to go through with. "I…I…"

I made no comment to the tears that were starting to fall from his face.

Watching my future self's broken face, I think it was safe to say that he wouldn't be going through with his plan. A part of me felt guilty for subjecting him to such a painful experience but I knew ultimately in the end this was what he needed.

"But as good as this all is…" I sighed as I directed my attention to the reason we were stuck in this mess in the first place. The honkai spire corrupting me had not been sitting idly while we had our deep conversations and now turning to face it I could see that it had at least doubled in size. "It doesn't mean anything if we can't address that problem."

"Hey Hyperion," I turned to face the hooded spirit. "Since you're…,you know Death, wouldn't you be able to do something about this?"

"Perhaps, but not stuck in your body." They replied as they motioned to their humanoid body. "Even as an all powerful function of the world I'm stuck inside of you. So that means I'm limited in what I can and can't do by how much your body can handle."

"If your body was stronger, and I mean by a massive margin, then I would be able to reverse the Honkai corruption. The best that I could do about it now is slow the spread." They motioned to the honkai spire.

"And wait for the inevitable outcome to happen."

"...What about that thing I did back in the docks?" I asked, my mind drifting back to the other time I've 'died' in this life. "When I was able to come back from the dead, wouldn't that work in this case?"

"You mean Exaclibur?" I could imagine the eyebrow raise from Hyperion at the mention of it. They contemplated my words to see if it had any merit but unfortunately they just shook their head. "Sorry to say Haruto but that was probably a one-time miracle you were able to use."

"Ever since you had first used it I tried my best to find all that I could about it," They explained as they raised their hand, a spectral image of the sword appearing. "Though it shames me to say that I wasn't able to gleam much about it."

"Why is that?" I asked as my eyes were transfixed by the glow of the sword. Seeing it for a second time was just as magical as it was the first time I had seen it.

"Alright lets start off in the beginning." The spectral image of the Excalibur was replaced by a scene where I was holding the sword, as well as being clad in that unknown white armor. "After you used the Excalibur the first thing I did was try and locate where it originated from, and I was partially successful in that regard."

The memory of me switched over to when I just finished taking care of Iudex, which I just now learned how surprisingly easy that endeavor had been. "Haruto, how much do you know about the Imaginary Tree?"

"Not much," I admitted to the spirit. While my knowledge about the Honkai Universe before coming here had been slightly above average, anything pertaining to the Imaginary Space was my weak spot. "I just know that the tree serves as the core of the universe.

"That's more than enough to know for this next part." Hyperion assured as the memory scene dispelled in favor of a projection of a glowing tree.

"So we have the Imaginary Tree and the Sea of Quanta, two forces locked in a dance that will last till time itself has collapsed." Underneath the tree a dark blue sea was now displayed. "The tree births new universes by creating new branches and leaves while the sea grows whenever the tree sheds its leaves." A few leaves were shed from the tree as it grew while the sea also grew when leaves fell and were absorbed into its murky waters.

"For the Imaginary tree to shed a universe off its branches, the link between the two must be severed in which the Tree will no longer be able to sustain that universes' existence." The projection zoomed in to one of the leaves on the branches of the Imaginary Tree, showing the so-called connection between the two with a glowing thread.

"The Excalibur exists in its own little bubble universe," The projection cleared up to only show a little bubble with a tiny sword within it. "However that's about all I know because of where it exists relative to the Imaginary Tree."

"The space that both the Imaginary Tree and Sea of Quanta exists in comprises more dimensions than the human mind can ever hope to comprehend. But to put it in layman's terms the bubble universe that the Excalibur is located in is so close to the Imaginary Tree that it would be a death wish to try and reach it."

A bigger golden orb, meant to represent the Imaginary Tree appeared on the projection and true to Hyperion's words the two orbs were in close proximity to each other. To further show that a strong connection was present a big bold line connected the two together.

"The fact that it's so close to it means that it maintains a strong connection with the Imaginary Tree…however the same could not be said with your own connection to it." Another orb, one I think was supposed to represent me, appeared. Though this orb was placed far away from the two other orbs and it had a small, barely noticeable, line connecting it with the Excalibur.

"It's really weak, like it could break at any moment. My theory is that when you died you were able to jolt that connection strong enough for you to borrow its powers for a few seconds."

I was watching the projection with a critical eye, noting everything that was being explained to me. "So I could theoretically…connect with it again," I theorized as I held up my hand, which was now fully infected. "Since you know I'm dying and everything."

Unfortunately for me Death just shook his head at me. "This is a slow death, compared to your almost instantaneous death. You won't be able to rely on the Excalibur this way, if it even works like that in the first place."

"So…that's it?" I looked at them in disbelief, not believing that this was how it all ended. "Game over then?"

"Well there is one way…" Hyperion suggested as they brought a hand up to their non-existent chin.

"I'm all ears." Literally, I was open to any suggestions at the moment.

"If you were able to reach the Excalbur's bubble universe, we should be able to strengthen your connection with it" They theorized as they motioned to the projection. The line meant to signify my connection to the bubble universe began to glow. "If that works then in theory the Honkai Corruption should be reversed and all the injuries you sustained should also be healed."

"Though as good as that sounds," And what I was hearing was very good. The fact that all of the problems that we were facing would be seemingly solved with one solution. "I'm sensing a big but here."

"We can't exactly go through with this plan as the human body is not suited to travel through the Imaginary Space, it's just not feasible." They motioned back to the growing honkai spire. "And we don't exactly have the time to find a path safe enough for you to traverse the space. If only you were a spirit like me we could-!

"I'll do it." Apollo suddenly spoke up, making the both of us turn to see the captain looking at us with a serious expression. You could not see a trace of his broken self, his hazel eyes filled with determination. "I'll strengthen the connection."

"Idiot, weren't you listening to a thing I said?!" Berated Hyperion. "We would need Haruto to do the deed not…" They trailed off as they realized who exactly they were speaking to.

"And I too am Haruto Nakamura," They looked towards me and I couldn't help but nod in agreement. It seems that at last we were finally on the same page.

"We both are Haruto Nakamura." We said in unison.

Hyperion stared at us and I could just imagine the gobsmacked expression on his face from what they had just seen. "E-Even if the connection would be strengthened if you were to somehow reach the Excalibur there's no way your body would survive going there and coming back!" They argued.

What the captain would say next would even surprise me.

"...Then so be it."

"Huh?!" Now it was time for the two of us to look at him in shock.

"It is as you said," My twin looked at me with a small smile on his face. "Despite my words and actions I still believe that Haruto can create a better future."

"Perhaps I wanted to blind myself to the proof of it. Already you have created a near unbreakable bond with Kiana and Mei, and I can only imagine what other bonds you will make with everyone else."

Apollo turned his face away, an expression of guilt on his face. "This could've all been avoided, had I told you about the Herrscher earlier then maybe-"

"I won't lie that a part of me is furious with what you did, you did after all hurt Mei and everyone else with your silence." I interrupted him. "But at the same time I sympathize with your actions." A sad smile appeared on my face as I knew what was going to happen. "I just wish that this wasn't the way that this ended for us."

"There is no use in regretting what could've been," Apollo assured with a small, sad smile. "As the Captain of the Hyperion I learned very quickly that the only thing we can do is learn from these kinds of mistakes as we move forward.."

He took a deep breath as his expression became serious. "Ready yourself Haruto, there's no guarantee that this will work at all."

I nodded as I prepared myself for whatever was about to come. Whether it be a resounding success or a total failure, there was no turning back now.

"...Haruto," Apollo's surprisingly soft voice had me looking at him in surprise. "Can you promise me something?"

"Do not follow my path, do not chain yourself to fate of being the Captain of the Hyperion" He smiled encouragingly at me. "Follow the path you believe is best,"

"For the sake of those we love."

I nodded for what I knew would be the last time I would ever be seeing Apollo, the first one to guide me in this hectic story.

"Of course."

He gave me one last smile before the water floor beneath my feet swallowed me whole and my entire world was plunged into darkness.

---

As Apollo watched Haruto leave the mindscape, it felt strange to see his younger self off. Even if that wasn't technically true Haruto did act like how he was when he was younger. Passionate, loyal, willing to do anything for his loved ones…

But Haruto was more courageous than he could ever be.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Hyperion walked up to him and gave him a questioning look.

"No one is eager to volunteer to go straight to their deaths." He admitted as he could feel his heart beating in fear. He had seemingly defied death once already, quite ironic considering he was currently standing next to the personification of Death itself, but he wasn't scared of what lay on the other side.

Yet despite that he was sure that this was the right thing to do. "But this is for the best." He assured them.

"Suit yourself," They shrugged nonchalantly. "I get to have all this space to myself, more space to stretch my arms out." The hooded spirit said as they stretched the arms out.

"Though...I'm gonna miss you, you know," They softly added as they lowered their arms. The somber tone was something completely unexpected but today had more than its fair share of surprises. "Even if we didn't see eye to eye with most things."

"Didn't think I'd see the day Death would get sentimental." He chuckled.

"Hah!" They laughed as their mood seemingly returned back to normal. "Don't expect me to start crying just because you're leaving. I haven't gone…soft…yet."

The captain resisted the urge to say anything about those last few words. He would be lying if he said that he himself hadn't changed during the time that he had spent in the mind of Haruto. Who would've thought that all it took was a soul from another universe to cause such drastic change.

"What do you plan on doing now?" He asked, shifting the topic away from what was inevitably bound to happen.

"I think I'll sit back and watch the show play out from here, Haruto has grown enough that I don't think he'll need me to babysit him." Hyperion crossed their arms over their chest. "He finally has the drive to change the future."

"Besides, he'll have a new power he won't know how to use." They added. "Someone's gotta help him understand it, even if I don't know exactly what it is."

"But you do have some theories on it?"

"Of course I do," Death replied in faux hurt. "Though only time will tell if my suspicions are correct."

"However I worry what will happen now," The topic changed as the mood became serious. "The Honkai will most definitely notice what we will be doing and act accordingly. We've seen what the other factions have done in response to the ripples Haruto has created and we know the Honkai does not do things halfway."

The captain nodded along with what they were saying. "The future we know it will be thrown into chaos, our knowledge of it won't help us for long." Despite that a smirk appeared on his face as he and his neigbor nodded.

They would not be going down without a fight.

"...I suppose this is it then," Finally deciding that they had pushed this back far enough, Hyperion took a few steps forward before giving him one last look. "See you around then," They began to walk away, slowly disappearing from this mindscape. Before they fully vanished they gave him one final wave.

Soon leaving the captain alone in his mindscape.

"Yes, I suppose it's time…" He looked down to see the hand that had been clenching his captain's medal. The red haired captain looked at what would be the last time before he grasped it with conviction. "But before I kick the bucket…"

"I need to pay someone a visit."

---

Somewhere in the Nagazora, in one of the many random streets that occupied the city…

In an alley of a ravaged street, where not a living soul could be seen…

Slumped against the side of a building…

Was a person.

Their features were indiscernible, their skin already a pale white as purple lines had all but covered every inch of their body. There would be no coming back from such a fate.

Until the impossible happened.

Suddenly a bright light began to emanate from their shoulder, where you could see the remains of what was a fatal bullet shot wound.

Inhaling a big breath, a miracle was at the works as the body's pale skin began to get reversed. The corrupting honkai lines also began to recede, traveling to where the light was being emitted from.

It did not take long for Haruto Nakamura to breathe once more, his prior injuries were almost non-existent as this miracle healed him.

As the miracle continued doing its work, the light emanating from his shoulder was slowly fading as the last of the honkai lines were slowly cleansed by it. When the last of the corruption was gone the light receded, back to wherever it had come from.

But before it had left…

A symbol began to be etched into the skin of his shoulder. Golden in color, the symbol soon completed itself…

In the symbol of a sword.

---

At last! This chapter is finally completed!

Yes I just made Haruto get a Stigma via Excalibur. Gosh writing about that took so much out of me.

Sorry for the long update, this chapter took me a really long time to think/write about. Seeing how this chapter had us killing two characters I wanted to spend as much time as possible writing this. I knew you guys wanted me to take my time with these so this is it.

And not gonna lie, writing Apollo's part was really hard for me. Both due to the fact that he wasn't really that popular and I wanted to do a good ending for him and the fact that I had to go back to the early chapters to reference stuff.

I was really surprised about some of your guys' comments on wanting to punch him and as much as I wanted to satisfy you guys, a fight scene wasn't something that I could think of doing in only one chapter.

If that was the case then I would need an extra like chapter or two.

This isn't the last time you'll be seeing him, as he pops up one more time in the next chapter for a little special something I have planned…look excited for that.

I hope that this entire chapter flowed well. I tried to make sure it was understandable as much as possible for you guys so apologies if a certain section might be confusing. If you got any questions don't hesitate to PM me and I will try to answer it to the best of my abilities.

What did you guys think about Ishigami's death? I hoped that some of you guys would have seen the death flags I had put in previous chapters but I hope this isn't too much of a shock for you guys. Curious to see what you guys think about it.

We have one final chapter for this Nagazora Saga, and I'm pretty sure I can get it done by next week as it's not really a big chapter as this one was as it's just resolving everything.

I wonder if you noticed a missing person not mentioned at all...don't worry about them as all will be explained in the next chapter.

Is there anything else that I need to talk about…

OH YEAH WE HIT 1K FOLLOWS! OMG I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD BE HITTING SUCH AN ACHIEVEMENT, ESPECIALLY WITH THIS FANFICTION, BUT HERE WE ARE. I'D LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN ON THIS JOURNEY WITH ME AND FOR WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR THIS STORY.

Welp that's all for this chapter. If you enjoyed it, drop a fav/follow/kudos as they really help me out with creating great chapters. Reviews are deeply appreciated and if you have a question or a really interesting theory I am more than happy to reply. Please be patient if I don't respond to you super fast. Even if I don't respond to your comment for whatever reason, know that I read each and every one of them!

Peace!