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Ragnar forced a smile and said, "Yes..."

"I just glanced through Bai Yan's personal information in the Destiny database."

"Theoretically speaking, human nature is very complex. There are both possible interpretations of him, both positive and negative."

"On one hand, there's the possibility of turning to the dark side after losing his last loved one; on the other hand, there's the sacrifice for his sister, which gives it even more meaning."

"Judging from his recent behavior, I tend to think the latter."

Ragnar breathed a sigh of relief.

Theresa calmly considered for a moment, then quickly nodded in affirmation of Dr. Einstein's analysis.

He then said to everyone, "Then let's start preparing now, since a battle is probably unavoidable."

"I will notify all branches of the Heavenly Mandate to immediately activate the highest level of alert, and all available armed forces to be put on standby."

"Changguang, mobilize all the Divine Keys we possess, except for Judas's, for use in preparation for war."

"Ragnar, assemble all A-rank and above Valkyries from headquarters as the general reserve team."

"Yes."

"Yes."

Upon receiving the order, the two quickly left, while Theresa also began contacting the heads of various branches.

Walter sighed upon seeing this.

Within a fictional world.

The stigmata and the engraving resonated together, and a special connection quietly formed.

Raiden Mei once again sensed the aura of the Herrscher of Origin, and the source of this aura was none other than the stigmata on her own body…

Not only her, but even Bronya, who was usually calm and collected, showed a look of utter astonishment at this moment.

The connection between stigmata and authority is something that is simply incomprehensible.

How could two such diametrically opposed forces possibly form such a connection?

"Mei, you said you saw Alicia again before?"

"Well, but that Alicia is more like a lingering trace, or even Alicia from someone else's memory."

At this moment, Raiden Mei is gradually regaining the power that belongs to the Herrscher, and Kiana's question also pulls her thoughts back to that moment.

"So that's how it is..."

Kiana stroked her chin, lost in thought.

"Mei-neechan, are you sure that Alicia is really just someone else's memory?"

Bronya asked again.

"...At least, that's what she said."

Bronya then nodded.

According to the records of the previous civilization era, Alicia was indeed dead, and this is confirmed by both the memory bodies and those who survived to the present.

Bronya had a hunch that this strange connection was probably part of the plan devised by the forerunners of the previous civilization.

"The question is, why was it arranged this way? Did those scientists from the previous civilization foresee this?"

Raiden Mei asked.

"It's also possible that they shot the arrow first and then drew the target,"

Bronya said, "These preparations existed first, and Brother Bai Yan only triggered this arrangement."

Kiana was taken aback for a moment after hearing this, then said with a serious expression, "If that's the case, then what Bai Yan said was probably meant to provoke us."

Durandal put one hand on her hip, smoothed her blonde hair, and had no objection to the result. After all, she had always believed from the beginning that the declaration of indiscriminate attack was a move that Bai Yan came up with on the spot.

"Then let's put aside Bai Yan's lies for now,"

Raiden Mei then asked, "What exactly was the purpose of the previous civilization that made such preparations?"

Their strength will take some time to recover, so this is a good opportunity to discuss this issue.

Connecting diametrically opposed forces.

Of all the plans of the previous civilization, the one that was nominally to be executed happened to be the Stigmata Project.

Therefore, there must be a problem here.

The Stigmata Project, Alicia's last power, the unknown fate of Mu Continent and Fu Yan, and Kevin's whereabouts...

This enormous net has been fully spread out, and no one knows what it intends to catch.

But at this moment, the only person who could be seen holding the net was Bai Yan.

"If the Stigmata Project is to be linked to the powers of the Herrschers,"

Kiana's mind simultaneously conjured up images of Alicia and May, "It feels like a forced patchwork."

"Indeed, if taking over the End and the Stigmata Project complement each other, this connection is somewhat superfluous."

"I have some suspicions. If the connection is superfluous, then Bai Yan's special ability also seems superfluous."

"The reason is simple: defeating him and gaining complete acceptance of the Cocoon does not require specifically solving the problem of his ability to create a fictional world."

“His actions showed strong signs of deliberate manipulation.”

Raiden Mei's impression of Shirohiko was just so-so; she often felt that the two siblings were quite different.

His actions further disgusted Raiden Mei.

Bronya didn't have a deep impression of him either, since the two of them hadn't been at the Cocolia orphanage at the same time.

She had only heard about Bai Yan from Xi'er.

Seele had a good impression of him, as did the other early arrivals at the orphanage.

"What if Brother Bai Yan wants to get what he wants through this?"

Bronya proposed a possibility.

"The power of the end?"

Raiden Mei immediately asked.

“Well, Bronya thinks that if he really wants something, then nothing else will have much appeal to him.”

Upon hearing this, Durandal suddenly remembered something and said, "It's very likely that the guy has always had a fear of being too weak. He even avoided any combat as much as possible when he was relatively weak, and only worked in logistics and intelligence departments."

Kiana clenched her hands, feeling that the restoration of her strength was imminent.

Durandal's words had a strange undertone to them.

"Sister, I remember you used to be very obsessed with dealing with Honkai, and you spent the rest of your time training, right?"

"Yeah, what's wrong?"

"Yeah, if only I had a friend back then who could keep me company every day."

Yulandel scratched her temples, offering no rebuttal.

Kiana then laughed and said, "When I beat him up later, I'll be careful to use my strength; I promise that while I'm avenging you, I'll leave him with a breath left."

The other two also gave him a slightly teasing look.

"Ahem, anyway! Once we get out, we must first stop him from destroying the city. If that doesn't work, we should treat him like a Honkai being attacked! We absolutely cannot joke around with the lives of ordinary people."

Durandal said seriously with a stern face.

The three of them nodded solemnly.

But Durandal still sensed a hint of mockery.

Never mind, they meant well.

"My power has been restored, what about yours?"

Raiden Mei asked.

"It's still a little short, but it'll be soon."

Kiana replied.

"Bronya too."

"Then I'll get ready and go out with you."

Yulandel said.

World Snake Headquarters.

Bai Yan looked at the electronic watch on his communicator, calculating the mobilization time required for each branch of the Heavenly Mandate.

This was something he was very familiar with.

Generally speaking, frontline staff are male, while dispatchers are female.

Schicksal is a force to be stopped by Valkyries as the front-line fighting force, but very few men have the ability to withstand Honkai energy.

It was precisely because Bai Yan understood this that he chose to apply for this kind of position.

There's actually a lot of strategic maneuvering involved.

For example, if Bai Yan doesn't join Destiny, he will work in another organization, which would allow Otto to take direct action openly.

Within the same organization, at least he wouldn't act openly.

This experience has now become a convenience.

On Earth today, no one understands the workings of destiny better than Bai Yan.

"With Rita and I not around, this group's efficiency has decreased. If Rita were here, she would only move faster than usual... As expected, Theresa isn't up to the task."

Bai Yan looked at the time and shook his head.

After Theresa took over, the decline of Destiny was inevitable.

But Bai Yan believes this is not a bad thing.

Otto's design for Schicksal was correct. In the later years of his rule, Schicksal completely transformed from a behemoth combining politics and religion into a simple entity targeting the Honkai.

It's like a flame responsible for burning the scarecrow; once the scarecrow is burned to ashes, the flame should go out.

However, this extinguishing does not mean complete disappearance.

The consequence of letting the horses graze freely was destined to pave the way for the tragedy of the next war.

The flame will be preserved, and we will seek out things we can continue to strive for in the new era.

Bai Yan stood up, ready to take action, as the armed forces of Destiny had gradually arrived.

"It's really hard to strike the right balance—not hurting anyone, but also not letting them think I'm throwing the match."

He shook his head, about to activate his ability, but suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Gradually, a smile appeared on his face.

The next instant, four figures appeared in front of him, staring at him menacingly.

"Tianyuan, the end, the origin, the truth,"

Bai Yan nodded in satisfaction and said, "With this kind of pomp and circumstance, I am no less than the great Bishop Otto."

"Great? You've really lost your mind. I'll fix you up right away!"

Kiana raised her fist.

“Brother Bai Yan, we have seen through your plan.”

"You saw through it? Really? I don't believe it."

Bai Yan shook his head.

"I'll beat you up, and then you'll believe me!"

In an instant, Durandal took the initiative and hurled a gun at Bai Yan’s face.

However, the attack missed its mark.

Bai Yan was still standing in the same spot.