Otto clearly had no idea that the man he now called God was currently on his way to the scene, much like a certain Jeanne d'Arc running at full speed.
And in contrast to the calm atmosphere on the Stellaron Train, inside the Newborn World Serpent Headquarters Base...
"Get out of the way!"
Kevin, wielding Judgement of Shamash, had already clashed with a large group of white-haired girls clad in spiked armor.
The battle had just begun...
"Foun-d-you."
Seele, who was remotely controlling all the Puppets from the shadows, wore a cruel, vicious smile on her face. "We meet again, Kevin Kaslana."
Her words were spoken in unison from the mouth of every single Puppet, "Today, you will taste the feeling of being utterly powerless, able to only watch as you lose everything you have."
"!!!"
Inside the underground base, Kevin's pupils shrank as he heard all the white-haired girls before him speak the exact same words.
Actually, he had already guessed the truth.
Recently, multiple Gray Serpents had been sweeping the battlefield in Central Europe.
But until now, they had still been unable to find the Fourth Herrscher's Herrscher Core.
And now...
"So you're still alive," Kevin said, his voice low.
"Yes, I'm still alive. Are you disappointed?" The white-haired girls surrounded him, darting in and out of his range while speaking in unison, "Don't worry, since I'm still alive, I will definitely 'repay' you well."
"You destroyed my life, so I will destroy yours... That's what you call a true 'mutually assured destruction,' isn't it?"
"..."
Kevin did not respond. He had killed more than one Herrscher, so he would not be provoked by such words.
But...
"Hmm?"
Kevin's expression changed.
Just now, his communication with MEI... had been cut off!
His gaze sharpened instantly, and he was about to make a move.
But right then...
"You can't fight with all your strength like you did back then, can you?" All the white-haired girls relayed Seele's words at the same time, "After all, there's someone else here in this base."
"If you fight recklessly, she will likely be left without a single bone intact."
"When that happens, you'll become an executioner again."
"Just like back then, when you thought nothing of letting the natives of Europe be caught in the crossfire."
"Only this time, you obviously can't act 'without hesitation' anymore."
"..."
Kevin still did not respond.
But his swings with the Judgement of Shamash grew noticeably faster.
He already sliced through several of the white-haired girls.
But just then...
"Activation Factor, restriction lifted!" x N
All the white-haired girls, now wearing armor adorned with spikes, each wielded a massive blood-red crucifix.
Originally, their eyes had been sky blue.
Now, they were crimson as blood.
Their power surged, everyone's strength skyrocketing in that single instant.
There was one thing Kevin had never fully considered.
The granddaughter that Otto Apocalypse had adopted, Theresa Apocalypse, was technically a MANTIS as well.
An Activation Factor from the High-ranking Honkai Beast Vishnu, a creature with the traits of infinite devouring and infinite evolution, had been implanted into her body. At first, it only manifested as immense strength, a powerful self-healing ability, and even the capacity to regenerate lost limbs.
But just as Vishnu had initially been a mere Emperor-class Honkai Beast with the potential to evolve into Judgement-class, Deliverance-class... or even higher ranks, Theresa's physical abilities were not limited to strength and fast healing alone.
Strictly speaking, she was just like Kosma from the Flame-Chasers.
She also had the potential to become a giant beast that could roam the universe and devour stars in the future.
However, the probability of this potential being fully awakened was much smaller than Kosma's.
Because Otto, to protect Theresa's safety, had actively restricted the activity of the Factor in her body.
But these clones, these disposable tools who had been completely controlled by Seele and whose bodily functions had been greatly modified and optimized by the Authority of the Herrscher of Death...
Just as was said before, they had no "future."
Therefore, using their "future" to trade for the "present," even if it was only for a few short minutes...
They could erupt with combat power comparable to Kosma's in this brief moment of life.
Even at the very end of their lives, they could even bloom into a moment of Overweight Hypermutation (artificial collapse).
This way...
A Kosma who lasted for a few minutes might not be Kevin's opponent.
But ten, a hundred... what about a thousand?
Before releasing the Activation Factor restriction, the combat power of these clones was only about 1% of Kevin's.
But now...
"!!!"
Kevin only felt the pressure on him suddenly soar.
Now, he faced a wave of human self-destruction bombs.
Their strategy was to trade damage for damage, and life for damage, all to perish together with him.
Unfortunately, Seele was right.
In this base, he couldn't fight with unrestrained power like he had in Central Europe.
Not unless everyone else had evacuated.
And MEI was safe.
But it was clear...
"They're trying to slow me down."
"Deliberately saying these things to provoke me is just another tactic."
Kevin immediately understood this.
He swung Judgement of Shamash, sending a wave of scorching fire sweeping through the entire corridor.
The base's walls, ceiling, and floor were all severely damaged.
Yet, this level of power couldn't even inflict critical wounds on those white-haired clone girls who had completely removed their self-limitations.
In his field of vision, their bodies were covered in extensive burns.
But soon after, their powerful regeneration began healing the wounds.
Even severed limbs were regrowing at a visible speed.
"Don't rush."
Seele's relayed voice echoed again. "We have plenty of time to play slowly today."
"We'll keep playing until the person you care about most is torn apart, chewed up, and devoured by my kindred... the Third Herrscher."
"Don't worry."
Seele seemed to be giggling morbidly from behind the scenes, and the white-haired clone girls, still recovering from their injuries, all smiled in an incredibly creepy way. "When the time comes, I'll have my kindred show some mercy."
"I'll have her 'spawn' all take on 'her' appearance and say their final farewells to you... How's that?"
"Hahahahaha~"
Crack!
A flash of blue light erupted.
The entire corridor turned into an ice cave.
All the white-haired clone girls were instantly frozen into human-shaped ice sculptures.
Clearly, Kevin's methods of attack were not limited to the Judgement of Shamash.
At that moment...
Bang! Bang! Bang!
He moved with incredible speed, extinguishing the flames on the Flame Sword in his hand. Instead of swinging it, he used the side of the blade as a blunt weapon to strike.
One by one, the human-shaped ice sculptures were smashed to pieces.
Kevin cleared out the clones in the vicinity.
But at this moment, his face showed not the slightest hint of the joy of victory.
"MEI!"
Kevin dashed forward, taking a deep breath. "You must be okay."
His mind was in turmoil.
But as he turned another corner...
"Where are you going?"
Another wave of white-haired clone girls blocked his path.
And again, those piercing voices screamed...
"Activation Factor, limiters released!" x N