CHAPTER 461: THE MAN ON THE THRONE

Tap—tap—tap—

"Heh? You seem to have quite a spring in your step."

Looking at the tall figure before him, Michael felt a sense of unfamiliarity. However, the vibrant emerald-green shirt, conspicuous even in the dim tunnel, made the person’s identity unmistakably clear.

"I do... But you, you’ve really given me a surprise."

"Oh? Have I? I just suddenly remembered it’s been a long time since I’ve appeared in this form, so I thought I’d give it a try. Jackal and Gray Serpent were quite startled when they saw me."

Mobius didn’t seem to catch the double meaning in Michael’s words. Perhaps because she had "grown up," her voice was slightly raspy and no longer sharp, losing the predatory feel it once had, like a snake flicking its tongue.

Was Mobius’s voice always like this? Michael unconsciously tried to recall their first meeting. Clearly, it wasn’t. His initial impression of her voice was "cold" and "damp." But now, all of that was gone.

What remained... perhaps it was just his imagination, but he detected a trace of the same weariness in her voice that he felt in himself.

In the blink of an eye, Mobius was right in front of him. Suddenly, she sniffed the air. The tunnel’s darkness hid her displeased expression, but it couldn’t escape Michael’s observation.

"Hmph! So that’s why you’re so happy. You went to see that woman."

"Not entirely."

Michael’s Adam’s apple bobbed. Without Mobius realizing it, he had already used the Authority of Sentience to read through her memories of the past five hundred years.

"A part of this joy and relief is because of you, Mobius."

Of course, Mobius couldn’t understand such a cryptic statement. Her brow furrowed as she shot Michael a piercing glare.

"What happened that I don’t know about now? Hehe, I knew it. Some people never think of me unless they’re in trouble. And even then, they go see that woman first."

Just like her voice, if it were the "little" Mobius from the Elysian Realm saying this, it would have been brimming with hostility. But coming from her now, it sounded more like an amusingly petulant complaint.

Michael hesitated for a moment before finally raising his hand and gently putting it on Mobius’s shoulder.

"Unfortunately, you’re right. Something unexpected has happened."

"Is there really something that even you can’t handle?"

Mobius sounded incredulous. She had only meant it as a sarcastic jab. She was well aware that Michael had relinquished the Authority of Finality; he had told her about that plan before the battle five hundred years ago.

But even without his most important Authority, Mobius still didn’t believe there was any problem in the world that Michael, with his twelve Herrscher Authorities, couldn’t solve.

Unless...

"It’s Prometheus..."

"It’s hard to say."

Michael shook his head.

Their eyes met. Michael turned and glanced in the direction of the Elysian Realm.

"No way!"

Mobius’s first reaction was disbelief, but she quickly realized it wasn’t impossible.

But if that was the case, did it mean that she and he would have to be their enemies once again?

"Let’s go. We’ll talk back at World Serpent headquarters."

Mobius maintained her usual composure. Michael naturally had no objections. No matter how important the matter was, it wasn’t something to be discussed in a place that felt oppressive just by being there.

The passage from the Elysian Realm connected directly to the World Serpent headquarters. Mobius and Michael walked out of the tunnel side by side. To their left was a tall flight of stone steps, and at the top, a single, cold stone throne.

"Nice aesthetic."

Mobius seemed indifferent to Michael’s compliment. She sat down directly on the steps, apparently unconcerned about getting her white lab coat dirty.

"Aren’t you going to sit? Don’t worry, this is a restricted area in World Serpent. Only those I deem to have ’potential for cultivation’ get a chance to enter the Elysian Realm for a trial. Mmm, just like that little girl you sent over ten years ago."

Mobius didn’t immediately continue their previous conversation. She knew Michael’s time here was limited, but they weren’t machines completing a task; they were two living people.

A long separation could create a sense of unfamiliarity and distance, even if their goals were aligned, even if their past relationship was close. So, instead of jumping into a stiff, dry discussion, it was better to first re-establish their connection with a lighter topic.

Of course, it wasn’t strictly necessary. There were some people who would never feel distant, no matter how long they were apart. But... people like that no longer existed in this world.

"That little girl? Natasha?"

Michael gave an imperceptible shake of his head.

He seemed to have a "teacher" fetish, but despite holding the title of Raven’s teacher, his relationship with his student wasn’t very close.

Perhaps it was because at that time, he had just ended his long slumber.

In the period after helping Hua solve her final problems and completely breaking with Kevin, he had treated himself as a robot with a mission to accomplish. He constantly suppressed his own emotions.

This only started to improve after he became Mei’s driver in Nagazora City and relaxed his emotional suppression for the sake of building their relationship.

It was just a pity for Natasha. The education she received from Michael at such a young age wasn’t cruel, just brutally efficient—and, of course, harsh and impersonal.

The worst part was probably after her initial training, when Michael simply gave her the address of the World Serpent headquarters and made a girl not yet ten years old cross the entire Eastern and Central European Plains all by herself to get here...

Clearly, Mobius had picked the wrong topic.

However, Michael sat right down beside her, their shoulders touching, and the sense of unfamiliarity between them gradually faded away.

"That day in New Zealand, I saw Sakura."

Mobius was mentally prepared, so it wasn’t a huge shock. Even so, she didn’t know how to respond for a moment, simply letting Michael continue.

"Also, those four girls must have run into Su. He pulled them into a bubble universe severed from the prime world... I don’t know what he’s planning. I’ve already pulled the Elysian Realm’s operational records. They show that five hundred years ago, Sakura never returned to the Realm, which contradicts your report. And as for Su... I don’t even need to look. He probably hasn’t been back in five hundred years either, right?"

Mobius’s brow was tightly furrowed.

In her memory, five hundred years ago, when she returned to World Serpent headquarters, that woman with a pair of ears that could be fox or donkey, and equally annoying long pink hair, had stood right where they were sitting now. She gave her a simple farewell, asked about Michael’s condition, and then walked into the Elysian Realm.

She had seen her walk through the stargate with her own eyes.

Of course, she knew that Su, who was right beside her at the time, could have pulled some tricks, created some illusion, but she didn’t believe she could be so easily fooled.

Ever since before the Eighth Herrscher—or more accurately, since the creation of psychic-type MANTIS—she had been researching methods to make her body resistant. The results were minimal, but not entirely ineffective.

At the very least, when Michael had just read her memories, she couldn’t stop him, but she could feel it. She didn’t think Su, a psychic-type MANTIS, could have abilities surpassing Michael’s Authority of Sentience, but... there was no point in arguing. Since it had happened, finding a solution was the only correct course of action.

"Su indeed never returned to the Elysian Realm. He said that although the world was almost certain to be saved according to either M.E.I.’s plan or ours, with the only difference being the method, he still wanted to continue Project Grains of Sand to find the best possible future. I couldn’t refuse him. I had neither the right nor the means to force him back into the Realm."

"Ah... I’m not surprised by that."

Michael remembered how, back in New Zealand, when Durandal had pulled Abyss Flower and Black Orchid out of thin air, she had instinctively explained the existence of the "Sumeru Mustard Seed" to him.

The bubble universe created by the Second Divine Key had been born when Su first began Project Grains of Sand. And Durandal, unless something went wrong, must have traveled through the Sea of Quanta to obtain the weapon she and the Calabis siblings once took to find and bring back the continent of Mu. Otherwise, where would she get the name Durandal?

If that was the case, it wasn’t impossible for Durandal to have found the Sumeru Mustard Seed, abandoned by Su, in the Sea of Quanta due to the convergence of world lines. But according to Mobius, since Su never returned to the Realm, then Durandal must have met him by now, right?

"I’m sorry, I didn’t expect him to... That’s why I didn’t report Su’s whereabouts to you back in Nagazora City."

"It’s fine. It has nothing to do with you."

Michael himself hadn’t left any further instructions five hundred years ago, and besides, Su had a valid reason. It wasn’t Mobius’s fault from any angle.

Still, this allowed for some deductions, even if they weren’t of high practical value—did Su, at that time, ultimately reject Mobius’s explanation and choose a path hostile to my own? Or was he ostensibly carrying out Project Grains of Sand while secretly searching for Kevin? That’s not impossible either.

"So... since they can’t be trusted anymore, what should we do about Prometheus, who now controls the Authority of Finality?"

Mobius quickly shifted her stance, pointing out the one thing that could truly threaten Michael at present.

"Prometheus..."

A cold smile touched the corner of Michael’s lips.

How could he not know that Prometheus, who had mastered the Authority of Finality and become the "Will of the Honkai," was the only being in the world capable of threatening him?

Even if his mood had wavered with fatigue a moment ago, if he were flustered enough to forget that, he would have wasted the last fifty thousand years.

"Don’t worry about her for now. There’s no need to restrict the Elysian Realm either, just monitor it. Their objective is unclear at the moment. Instead of chasing them down, it’s better to let them expose themselves. Besides, why would I hand over such immense power without a contingency? And to a being I knew from the start could potentially betray me?"

Splitting the Authority of Finality was necessary for what he had to do. But that didn’t mean he had given up the most powerful Authority, the one that truly held all possibilities.

Setting aside the issue of trust, he had not forgotten the twelve years of his life controlled by another version of himself who wielded the Authority of Finality.

That was twelve years where he lost everything. If his life hadn’t been manipulated by an external force, it might have been the most fulfilling and happiest twelve years of his life.

To prevent something similar from happening again, he had been cautious enough not to even leave a memory data of himself in the Elysian Realm. How could he possibly let Prometheus have free rein over the Authority of Finality?

In fact, he could take back that Authority right now. From the very beginning, only the Authority of Finality was severed by Project Stigma.

The Authority of Origin, Elysia’s gift, remained within him.

With the Authority of Origin connecting his original twelve Herrscher Authorities, combined with the fact that he was the Cocoon itself, he could reclaim the mantle of Finality at any time he wished.

However, that was just the final insurance policy. In truth, only two people in this world could contact Prometheus, which meant only two people could execute Project Stigma.

One was Kevin, who carried Project Chimera, the origin of all Stigmata in the current era, through the Kaslana Stigma Space.

The other was the first true Stigma bearer, the endpoint of the entire Stigma loop, and the embodiment of Finality itself—Michael.

Only the two of them could contact Prometheus.

However, Kevin should still be in the Sea of Quanta.

Even if Su found him, he couldn’t easily bring him back. World Serpent had full control over the Second Divine Key, and Michael knew Kevin’s location in the Sea of Quanta.

Given the sheer scale of the Sumeru Mustard Seed, if it sank to that depth without the guidance of the Second Divine Key, it would be almost impossible to return...

"!"

A theory suddenly flashed through Michael’s mind. Why did Su pull Seele into that bubble universe? Why didn’t Seele’s consciousness return when the bubble dissipated...

So that’s how it is.

"Everything just got more interesting. I hope you can all hand in a perfect answer sheet this time."

To raise a sword of rebellion to the heavens—this is what they had been doing for two eras. It’s just that once, he stood with them, raising his sword high, hoping to pull God down from the divine throne.

But now, he was the one sitting on that throne, eagerly anticipating just how far those who swung their swords at him could go.

Suddenly, Michael took Mobius’s hand.

"Mobius, will you promise me one thing?"

She didn’t answer, but instead squeezed his hand tightly in return.

"I know. I’m not like them. I will always be on your side."

Michael’s mouth opened weakly. This wasn’t what he had intended to say, but... he was happy to hear her say it.

So, he quickly composed himself and smiled again.

"I hear the position of Sovereign of World Serpent has always been kept for me?"

"If you don’t want it, we can give it to Kevin."

Mobius’s smile was more brilliant than ever before.

"And you just said you’d always be on my side."

"Well, you’re the one who doesn’t want it!"

Despite the banter, Michael let Mobius lead him up the steps, one by one, to the solitary stone throne.

"To ascend to godhood with my own hands. The dream of the past is finally realized, but it always felt like something was missing. This... this is perfect."

She pushed Michael down onto the seat, walked down two steps, and clapped her hands lightly.

KRRRR—

A sliver of light pierced through the crack in the heavy stone doors, then rapidly devoured the darkness. When the doors were fully open, standing directly opposite Michael was a formation of figures.

Jackal and Gray Serpent stood at the very front. Raven tried to blend into a group of World Serpent members, but her hood made her incredibly conspicuous.

"So? I know you probably don’t care about these things, but... I’ve done a pretty good job over the years, haven’t I?"

Mobius tilted her head, looking at Michael sitting steadily on the "divine throne" she had personally crafted, her eyes filled with gratification.

But as she turned her head, a flash of worry disappeared in an instant.

"We promised to turn a god back into a man," she thought. "Is this... really the right decision?"