The Fire-Chasing Herrscher Who Destroyed the World

"Mi... No, who are you Mikael?"

As soon as her left foot took a step forward, Meiyi took another breath of air and looked at the man in front of her warily.

"This kind of thing... no matter which answer I tell you, you won't believe it, Mei Yi."

"..."

Speechless, because the truth is exactly what Mikael said.

She met Mikael not many times in the Paradise of the Past. Whether it was the current Mikael or the Mikael in the bubble of the world, she did not have a particularly effective way to distinguish between the two.

clothing? Mikael's outfit is not as unchanged as Kevin's, but no matter how it changes, no matter in the past or present, he can't escape the black and white colors - if it weren't for a black jacket and a white T-shirt/shirt/hoodie , or reverse the inner and outer colors. And this is indeed the case for Mikael right now.

hairstyle? In the past, Mikael always had short hair. On the contrary, I heard from Kiana and Bronya that before the Salt Lake City base was destroyed, Mikael disguised himself as having shoulder-length hair, but this obviously cannot explain what is the problem.

pupil? For some reason, the Mikael she was more familiar with had a pair of pink oval pupils that were completely different from those before, just like Alicia, while the eyes of the guy in front of her were completely silver-gray, but this still didn't mean anything. , because this level of disguise is easy for this guy.

The only difference that Mei Yi can think of between the two Mikaels is the difference in personality brought about by different experiences. In the past, Mikael also had an extravagant side, but these were all restrained after the sixth and seventh collapse, and his whole person had a lifeless feeling no matter what he said or did. And now Mikael...if you remove the symptoms of occasional epilepsy, it seems that there is not much difference from the former.

Well, to sum up, it is not a simple matter to tell which Mikael is Mikael, even for Mei, who may know Mikael the best among humans in this era. But not being simple doesn’t mean it can’t be done——

Just like in the past few times, as the conversation increased, she could always find discernible highlights from the small details of her words and movements.

But this means that she can no longer take an evasive attitude - in fact, she cannot avoid it. If it were the real Mikael, Mei would never believe that she would have nothing to do to take a walk in the paradise.

So she jumped up to the steps of the rest area in three steps and then sat next to Mikael. Their shoulders were only ten centimeters apart.

"What big trouble is going on outside? You look worried. Although I'm not [him], you can talk to me if you want. However, compared to me who can't prove my identity, you are still more Trust Alicia and Mebius.”

"You are quite self-aware."

Not caring about Mikael's gentle attitude, Ya fought back with a gun and a stick.

However, Mikael just shrugged and smiled, and the smile was fleeting, and the corners of his mouth were soon pursed into a long "one".

Mei Yi's brows relaxed slightly - if it was the Mikael she was familiar with, he would have taken out the [Self-Knowledge] and talked to her for hundreds or thousands of words. However, the attitude of Mikael in front of her was that he didn't care. , and it seems that he has no desire to care.

But this alone still cannot fully confirm Mikael's identity. If a person wants to play his past self, this may not be as easy as imagined, but it is not impossible.

Especially Mei still remembers that in a rare conversation between Alicia, Mikael, and Eden, both Ali and Eden once praised Mikael's acting skills. Ellie even joked in private, teasing Mikael that when the war is over, she would go to Eden for help and let him become an actor.

Somehow, as a [daughter], Mei Yi feels that she is quite talented in this area.

At least at this moment, she just looked tired and helpless on her face, resting her right elbow on Mikael's shoulder, making a fist and gently pressing it against her cheek:

"There is some trouble, no, it should be said that it is not an ordinary trouble. But no matter who I talk to, it won't bring about any changes."

"That's not necessarily true. Anyway, you won't lose anything by talking about your worries, right? You always accumulate negative emotions in your heart. Maybe it seems fine on the surface, but as time goes by, at a certain moment, your mind One of the strings [duang] broke instantly.”

"Is this a rule of thumb?"

Mei Yi glanced sideways at Mikael, the meaning in her eyes was clear.

"That's right. You know very well what has happened to me. You even know what has not happened to me yet, but it is what will happen on the road to becoming me in the future, right?"

This is a bit difficult to say, but it is not difficult to understand.

The next moment, a glass of steaming orange juice was handed to Mei Yi. And in the glass in Mikael's hand, the sound of ice cubes clanking could still be heard.

"Thanks."

Meiyi took the cup with both hands. In the Paradise of the Past, you don't always feel the severe cold of winter like outside, but your body always prefers warmer things in the corresponding season, while Mikael's habit is just the opposite. Whenever and wherever, you prefer a temperature that can make your gums ache from freezing.

After taking a few sips, Mei Yi closed her eyes tightly and her facial features quickly wrinkled together.

"Ahem! Why is it so sour and astringent..."

“Because it’s squeezed with the orange peel.”

"Even the orange peel... Isn't this something you made up?"

"It's just a joke."

Mei raised one eyebrow and then lowered the other. Just looking at the text description, such a lively wording and tone would inevitably make people think that this must be the current Mikael, but... the tone of voice was dead, and even made people feel that this joke was not a joke at all, and...

"So, what happened? Mei and the others came back and said that you have become the Lord of the World Serpent. But those people have been following Mobius for many years, and many people may not pay attention to "me". I guess it must have caused you a lot of trouble?"

"That... That aspect is okay."

Mei scratched her hair in distress. Obviously, the situation was not as "okay" as she said.

For some reason, even though I knew that the most important thing at this moment was to verify which Mikael this Mikael beside me was, I did have a desire to talk:

"Their attitude is secondary. Whether they despise me or want to take advantage of this opportunity to gain more power in the organization, I don't care. At least I don't have the time to care, but sometimes I do feel uncomfortable."

"Since you said that, I think what bothers you is not something in the organization."

"Well... recently... a group of believers with broken faith were caught."

"Oh? That kind of thing also happened in our era, but it didn't become a big deal in the end. This kind of thing is mainly handled by Sakura. You can ask her if she has any experience-although her way of dealing with it is probably to draw the knife, put the knife away, and then put down a forget-me-not."

"That's not necessary... To be precise, this matter has something to do with you?"

"Oh?"

Mikael narrowed his eyes, and then quickly sank his upper body into the back of the sofa, looking up at the light above his head.

Mei took back her right hand, spread it flat on her knees, and then explained in a low voice:

"Those people not only believe in collapse, but also worship the holy marks. The most important thing is this sentence - [When the flood of the end of the world comes again, only those with noble souls can enter the ark in the dream and seek eternity], to put it bluntly, when the end comes, the holder of the holy marks can enter the [ark] and gain eternity... Do you know what this metaphor is about?"

"I don't know."

Mikael answered very straightforwardly.

"As far as I remember, the holy marks are something I just came into contact with. However, Mei also gave me a lot of lessons. If I am right, this should be talking about the holy marks plan, right?"

Mei carefully observed Mikael's expression, and as expected, she could not see any flaws.

"Why do I feel that you are deliberately emphasizing to me that you are Mikael in the [past]?"

"Doesn't this need to be emphasized?"

Mikael turned his head and looked at Mei with unusual calmness.

In the not-so-long stare-together, Mei was quickly defeated. Mikael also did not look like a winner. He just nodded slightly and explained in a lower voice:

"No matter what the external form is, the essence of the Stigmata Plan will not change - that is, it is a screening method, through some method, so that all or part of the Stigmata Awakeners can survive the end. This method can be to force everyone's Stigmata to awaken, and then let everyone transform in a direction similar to Herrscher. Considering the huge base of humans, there must be enough people to survive as a population in the end. Naturally, it can also be used to protect the Stigmata holders in some way, but one thing that will not change is that the vast majority of ordinary people without Stigmata are equivalent to being abandoned."

Mei nodded, but her doubts were obviously not answered. What Mikael said was nothing more than information she had already known.

But she did not expect to get an answer from Mikael from the beginning, because...

"But if you interpret your words carefully, it is not that there is no more information."

Mikael slowly raised the index finger of his left hand.

"Huh?" Mei turned her head in disbelief. "The purpose of my existence here is to use this equal body to become a container for something, and finally make up for the mistakes that my future self will make, right? In this case, it is only natural to help you to the best of my ability, right?" Mei's eyes twitched twice, and she suddenly had the illusion that she had been fighting wits and courage with the air for a long time. Fortunately, the red eyeshadow given by the power of the Herrscher was thick enough, and her embarrassment should not be seen without a magnifying glass. "If there is anything particularly noteworthy about that paragraph compared to the description of the Stigmata Plan, it is probably the so-called "dream". Mei, you know me, so you should also understand that dreams have some...inexplicable meaning to Mikael. If you think about it carefully, my long and short life is like layer after layer of dreams, constantly waking up, constantly peeling off dreams, but every time I have to face a more bleak reality... So, if I really regret it, I will definitely think this way-if I had regarded everything as a beautiful dream from the beginning." "Beautiful... dream?"

"Yes. Rather than facing reality, human beings always think that it would be nice if dreams would never wake up, right? Some people even imagine that death is just falling into an eternal dream, and in In dreams, people can selectively distinguish between falsehood and truth. As long as it is bad, it must be false. As long as it is in line with one's own wishes, it must be true. Therefore, if the Stigmata Project is in the form of a dream. It activates and immerses most people in a dream that they don’t want to wake up from. I think this is something I can do.”

"!?"

Meiyi tilted her head, and her breathing became deep and rapid:

"What's in it for him?"

"Benefits? Does what he does now need to be considered for benefits? No, not really. At this point, everything done is for the sake of ideals and revenge for everything that happened in the past - you have already seen the corresponding story The end of mankind on earth. It is true that he never wanted to destroy the world subjectively. He just hoped that mankind would destroy itself in the past. Now he must defeat him in the opposite way, and also defeat himself. In the ten collapses, your performance may not have been perfect, but humanity has indeed united as much as possible in the shortest time. So what is left to defeat?"

"You mean, you... no, he hopes that humans can defeat dreams?"

"How should I put it... The tenth collapse, you have proved with facts that no matter how unhappy this world is, human beings will always yearn for beauty. Then, he will give humans a beautiful world - in the dream In the world, everything you want will be granted, and anything you don't want to face will not appear. How about this world, it is still easy for people to immerse themselves in it? But as the final test, both in terms of difficulty and significance. All suitable.”

"Is this so..."

As Yayi listened, she suddenly felt a sense of loss.

"I hope everything goes as you said..."

What is this sudden surge of sadness?

Is it because of the last two words of the final test mentioned by Mikael in front of me?

When a story comes to an end and I think back to its beginning, I feel a lot of sadness in my heart.

Of course, this is a good thing for everyone. The premise is that everyone can pass that test. If he fails, Mikael has proven with too much blood and corpses that he can still be a bad guy.

But what if everything is not what Mikael analyzed in front of him?

"Wait, what on earth are you-"

"By the way, Mei, when you come to Paradise, are you looking for Ellie? Or are you looking for Mebius?"

Mei Yi spoke softly, but was interrupted by Mikael in front of her.

"I... I'm looking for Alicia, uh, I'm also looking for Mebius, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing. But if you happen to meet Mei, remember to ask me, when will the final plan start?"

"The final plan? What is that?"

Seeing that Mikael had stood up, Mei, who had always been accustomed to breaking the casserole and asking the truth since coming to the paradise, quickly spoke.

"Speaking of which, it seems that Ying Jie, except for the squad leader, has recently returned to the Paradise. Velvet has also withdrawn a large amount of Honkai energy piggy banks from the World Serpent... What is your plan? Could it be..."

"Ahhhh——"

Mikael suddenly shouted expressionlessly, each one louder than the last, until he completely drowned out Mei's voice.

Mei Yi blinked innocently, not knowing what was going on with the man in front of her, but she saw him smiling helplessly again——

"Sorry, Yayi, I should have told you. Sometimes, aggressive questioning will only backfire. It's not up to me whether I can tell you some things. After all, I am not the person you are familiar with. He can already do it. Everything he wants to do, but I can’t.”

"Uh... I'm sorry, I went a little overboard..."

Mei Yi lowered her head in embarrassment, no longer doubting which Mikael was in front of her.

"Well, actually it's not a particularly serious problem. Hey, are you just resting here?"

Mikael gently tiptoed and climbed down the steps of the rest area.

"Well... I'm a little tired. I'll sit down for a while and then go find Alicia."

"Okay, if I meet her, I'll let you know."

"okay."

There was a faint sense of dissonance, but this sense of discord faded away in Mikael's almost unrecognizable smile.

And Mikael...

Mikael maintained an extremely weak fake smile and slowly turned his head——

[The concentration of Honkai energy in the paradise is indeed abnormally high. Do Mei and the others really have any plan... If the me from World Bubble uses it as I imagined, plus a large number of Honkai energy piggy banks, this is Want to copy the trick you used earlier in the Tower of Babel? 】

The Cocoon of Finality will not choose anyone to be the Finale, nor will it choose anyone to be the Herrscher. Even the Finality itself is subject to higher-level rules when it comes to this aspect.

For example, when the Endgame originally wanted Mikael to move toward the end step by step, he could not directly determine the outcome. He could not even directly make Mikael the First Herrscher. Instead, he had to make it within the limits allowed by the rules of the world. Eliminate all wrong options.

In the same way, if the collapse in the Paradise of the Past can accumulate to a scale large enough to form an imaginary singularity, then even Mikael cannot reverse the fact that the Herrscher is born, let alone choose who will become the Herrscher.

The way to stop all this is to kill the qualified Herrschers they choose in advance.

But is this necessary?

Mikael turned around again and looked at Mei Yi, who was sitting on the sofa with her eyes closed, and suddenly looked away with a guilty conscience.

Now that it's the end...it's time to tell her about it.

"Thunder and Lightning Meiyi."

Mei opened her eyes in response, only to find that Mikael, who had left, returned to her again.

"There is something Su told me. In fact, everyone already knows it, but no one wants to be the first to speak. Then let me tell you."

"What?"

Instinct told Mei Yi that it would never be good news. Otherwise, she wouldn't be hiding it from her.

"In order to cope with the final battle, Anti-Entropy cooperated with Tianming, and through the connection between Youlandale, they contacted the former A-level Valkyrie Shigure Kirara and Cheng Lixue who were drifting in the Quantum Sea. Both of them were former members of the Snow Wolf Team , Cheng Lixue is Hua’s close disciple..."

"Then what……"

"Your father, Raiden Ryoma is dead."

"Well."

Yayi was stunned and quickly replied:

"I know."

Mikael closed his eyes and took a deep breath:

"When the third Honkai Impact broke out, the A-level Valkyrie Cheng Lixue had just retired from active service, and immediately accepted the mission of rescuing Thunderbolt Ryoma from Reverse Entropy through Hua's wiring."

"!?"

"According to Ms. Cheng Lixue's accusation, when she arrived at the scene, she happened to see your father, Thunderbolt Ryoma, being killed by Mikael Shaniat."