Chapter 250 – About My Level
Even before mastering the Authority of Space, Nagami could already achieve optical invisibility by recreating materials with a negative refractive index around himself—making him undetectable to any surveillance equipment.
Now, with full control over spatial powers, vanishing from sight had become even simpler—and far harder to detect.
He could shift himself into the "lower layer" of the space he occupied, leaving no disturbance in the "surface layer" whatsoever.
When he had used the Herrscher of Reason's abilities to bend light before, there was always a risk of being caught by infrared or thermal scans.
But now? Unless someone had specialized instruments designed to detect spatial anomalies, finding Nagami was absolutely impossible.
Strolling casually behind Sirin—her form now a pale, and ghostly blur Nagami calmly watched as she used the Herrscher of the Void's power to drag researchers into the Imaginary Space, where she tortured and killed them.
This was the 300th victim. Twenty-two remained.
To him, this grand feast of slaughter stirred not even a ripple of emotion.
If anything, he almost found it amusing.
Nagami had always believed in repaying kindness with kindness, and revenge with vengeance.
Only saints or lunatics could "repay grievances with virtue," and he was neither.
Neither was Sirin.
Still… watching her hunt researchers with wild laughter, he couldn't help but shake his head.
He'd just complimented her on having brains, and now here she was—swollen with arrogance to the point of bursting.
It was just like a certain primitive organism whose intelligence is inversely proportional to its comfort level in the environment—only for Sirin, her IQ seemed inversely proportional to the amount of power she had.
Nagami wasn't particularly interested in little Sirin's revenge spree.
His thoughts were elsewhere.
He'd arrived only a single day earlier than the start of the manga's events.
Yet, for Sirin's personality, a single day could mean an enormous difference.
That meant he should be able to prevent the worst outcome.
But then there was the record C.C. had dug up in the Schicksal database.
One that showed that during the Second Eruption, sirin had hurled four meteors from space toward Earth, striking the Mariana Trench, Los Angeles, Moscow, and other locations—causing tens of millions of deaths.
It was the single deadliest event in humanity's war against the Honkai in this era.
It was also Sirin's greatest, most unerasable sin—a textbook tragedy every future Valkyrie of Schicksal would study.
So here was the mystery: if he was already here, then why had it still happened?
He couldn't imagine himself just standing by and letting her commit such a crime.
Rubbing his forehead, Nagami sank into thought.
He recalled the recorded images of the meteor strikes stored in the database—even fragments of the meteors themselves had been preserved.
The detailed data proved beyond doubt that the event had happened.
And in truth, even now, Nagami had to admit that it probably should happen—because without it, the resulting butterfly effect would be impossible to cover up.
But how could he let it happen and still achieve a perfect ending?
'There has to be a way… I didn't come all this way just to hide in the shadows and let history run its course…'
The safest play would be to remain hidden until the moment Cecilia died, then simply collect her soul—ensuring the timeline remained stable.
But if he really did that… wouldn't his entire mission here become a joke?
"Wait. A joke?"
His eyes lit up as if a fog in his mind had been burned away, revealing the truth behind it.
'A joke…'
A slow, gleeful smile tugged at his lips.
"If that's the case… this might actually be fun."
A pale "ghost" appeared before Sirin—just a small trick of spatial authority.
"Nagami, are we going to Schicksal's headquarters next? To start our revenge? Right? Right?! My future self must have completely wiped them out by now, right?!"
She grabbed his hand, her voice brimming with manic excitement.
The golden light in her pupils burned even brighter, her smile swelling with arrogance.
The intoxication of killing and vengeance, mixed with the Honkai energy Nagami had given her, was accelerating the birth of her Herrscher core.
Her personality was already starting to destabilize.
Still, he had to admit…
'For this little bit of power to puff you up so much—you really live up to the title of "Pufferfish Herrscher."'
Purple six-pointed stars flickered in his eyes as he gazed at the almost-complete Herrscher core.
After a few seconds of silence, he finally spoke:
"Of course we can. But first—we need to make you a complete Herrscher of the Void."
She didn't know exactly who this man was, but she could feel the aura of a fellow being.
And since Nagami could make her stronger, he had to have some connection to God.
"Mhm!"
Hooking both arms around his, Sirin tilted her head up with a bright yet crazed smile, rubbing against him like a cat.
"I knew it! My future husband would definitely help me☆~"
A faintly strange tone carried with it an almost imperceptible hint of shyness—her normal personality had already been pushed deep down and suppressed.
"Of course. Let's go."
Nagami showed no sign of noticing anything unusual.
He simply treated her as he had before, gently ruffling the small top of her head.
Just then, a Honkai beast no bigger than a real mosquito fluttered before Sirin's eyes, radiating a subtle sense of familiarity—something that resonated with a Herrscher's instincts.
"This is…? You're saying you want me to follow you?" Sirin asked, surprised, glancing at the tiny creature resting in her palm before shooting a questioning look at Nagami.
Nagami gave the 'mosquito' a single glance.
Its faint buzzing instantly died away.
Narrowing his eyes, he replied, "Let's head to the nearest town and get our little queen a new set of clothes first. We can go later."
Without another word, he casually opened a spatial gate and led the still-pondering Sirin through it.
Of course, "buying clothes" was just an excuse—he was buying time.
The moment the crackling, arc-filled gate shut behind them, pale blue particles began to coalesce in the empty space, slowly shaping themselves into a slender figure—violet hair, golden eyes.
"Eliminate every unnecessary variable… I'll just act as little Sirin's stand-in for now."
Reproducing a physical body was child's play for the Herrscher of Reason, and since Nagami had also analyzed the Herrscher of Knowledge's authority, remote control was no problem.
Creating a duplicate like this was trivial for him now.
Back in the original room, Nagami guided the doppelgänger to curl up in the corner, perfectly mimicking Sirin's posture.
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Europe — Schicksal Headquarters, Floating Islands.
Unlike the frozen wastelands of Siberia, the floating islands enjoyed a climate that could be described as perpetual spring and autumn.
Clear sunlight streamed through scattered clouds, bathing the tender green lawns in warmth.
A light breeze occasionally stirred, carrying flower petals and fallen leaves into the air.
"An old woman acting as coy as a maiden," C.C. murmured under her breath.
She had been lingering in subspace since arriving here, quietly observing.
Her gaze lingered on the figure before her—Theresa, dressed like a delicate candy lotus doll—before shifting to the two-year-old girl nestled in Theresa's arms.
"…Though I have to admit, little Kiana is just too adorable."
She almost wanted to squeeze her.
Ahem—don't misunderstand.
Faced with a human child this cute, such a thought was perfectly natural.
"She really is Cecilia's daughter…"
C.C.'s eyes drifted to a bench in the park, where a serene Cecilia sat smiling as Siegfried took photos of her and Theresa.
Cecilia wore a pristine white gown embroidered with faint, pure motifs.
Her tall, graceful figure was perfectly proportioned; her bare shoulders were smooth and flawless.
Her long, silken white hair spilled freely down her back.
"Wake up! That's your mother-in-law… mother-in-law… mother-in-law!" C.C. slapped her own cheeks, trying to reset her mind.
It took a long moment before she calmed down, muttering to herself with a hint of vanity, "She's about my level…"
"Wishing you a swift recovery," said the ever-adorable Theresa, her voice warm despite her age.
But C.C.'s eyes narrowed in suspicion—Theresa's cheeks were flushed… and the way she was looking at Cecilia…
This… was best-friend energy?
"Thank you, Theresa. Ah! That reminds me…" Cecilia suddenly clapped her right hand into her left palm as if something had just occurred to her. "Don't forget to come over for dinner next Saturday. Siegfried's learned a new recipe."
Theresa's expression froze.
"Heh… Siegfried's cooking…" she began, but Cecilia's sudden seriousness cut her off.
"Since this morning, I've had the odd feeling someone's been watching me. I… hope it's just my imagination."
"This is Schicksal HQ… something like that shouldn't happen," Theresa replied with a small shrug.
Hopping down from the bench, she waved goodbye to little Kiana, who was running in the grass.
"Well then, I'll get going. You make sure to rest, Cecilia."
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"The timing should be just about right," murmured C.C. from subspace, fingers steepled beneath her chin as she watched Theresa's retreating back.
The very next second, Theresa froze in place.
An urgent order from the Archbishop of Schicksal had just come through.