Inside the recovery room where Theresa lay, Fu Hua's expression shifted to confusion the moment she noticed the pure white jester's mask.
"This definitely belonged to Otto."
She stepped forward and picked it up from the bedside table.
"Strange. It shouldn't be here."
Fu Hua turned toward Kiana.
"I'm going to take this to Dr. MEI and have it examined. Is that alright?"
"Yes."
Kiana nodded.
Truthfully, she felt uneasy about anything Otto had left behind as well.
Having someone qualified inspect it for hidden mechanisms or traps was undoubtedly the safer choice.
Fu Hua soon left the room.
It was clear that the Newborn World Serpent was treating Kiana with considerable leniency.
Now alone, Kiana sat beside the bed and quietly gazed at the petite white-haired woman sleeping before her.
"I… don't even know what I'm supposed to call you anymore."
Her thoughts drifted toward Durandal, who was also somewhere inside Headquarters, though currently imprisoned.
She was the real Kiana Kaslana.
And in a roundabout way, Kiana had taken nearly everything that should have belonged to her.
Her name.
Her family.
Even the life she might once have lived.
Then another thought surfaced.
"Am I… really the one qualified to become the God of Earth?"
Kiana felt lost.
But her uncertainty was not entirely about herself.
What she truly could not determine was how Ling Ke would interpret the rules he had established.
In truth, Kiana was overthinking it.
Ling Ke had never seriously considered Durandal a candidate in the first place.
In his eyes, she was little more than someone Otto had indoctrinated from childhood, saddling her with warped ideals and a borrowed sense of justice while allowing her to believe that every step she took was entirely her own choice.
Previously, Durandal had only held one real value to Ling Ke.
She was a useful piece to play against Rita.
But after Project Broken Branch reached completion, Rita had lost not only her family, but even the comrade who had once trusted her most.
The rift between Rita and Durandal had already become impossible to erase.
So, as far as Ling Ke was concerned…
"Durandal has no use left."
That was all.
The conditions he had established for becoming the God of Earth had always been meant for Kiana herself.
Sirin had once possessed the opportunity to compete as well.
But now?
Sirin had found something better to look forward to.
Why throw away an entire sweet, refreshing watermelon just to pick up a sesame seed?
Put simply…
Wasn't learning how to bake cakes from the Train Master much more enjoyable than becoming some half-baked god caught awkwardly between one thing and another?
Stellaron Train is super great.jpg
…Getting off topic.
In any case…
"Principal, please wake up soon."
Kiana unconsciously took one of Theresa's hands between her own.
Her stupid Dad was gone.
Teacher Himeko was gone.
Bronya was gone too.
And Mei…
Mei had become a Herrscher who knew only slaughter, one determined to wipe out humanity itself.
Of all the people who had once stood beside Kiana…
Only Theresa remained.
"I really have so much I want to tell you."
Meanwhile, on the North American continent…
Salt Lake Base City.
This was one of the few Base Cities whose construction site had not been relocated after MEI determined that coastal regions were no longer safe.
Salt Lake City was already deep inland, so there had been little reason to move it.
Earlier that day, crimson lightning had torn across the sky.
The residents had spent some time enduring the fear and uncertainty that followed.
Then, not long afterward…
Violet-black Phantasm Butterflies began appearing throughout the city.
The unnaturally beautiful creatures drifted through the air before gradually dissolving into countless shimmering motes of light.
Those motes descended upon the people below.
And without anyone realizing what was happening, a small portion of the city's population underwent a profound transformation.
Their bodies changed silently.
Their lifespans lengthened.
None of them yet understood that living beyond a hundred years had suddenly become effortless.
With time, surviving for another two or even three centuries might not be difficult at all.
"Immortality."
Something countless people had dreamed of throughout human history had quietly fallen into their hands.
But immortality was not something they could immediately feel.
The changes to their bodies were.
Their physical condition had improved dramatically.
Naturally, the increase was nowhere near enough to compare with a Flame-Chaser-level MANTIS.
But for an ordinary person…
It was like taking a sickly kid from Brooklyn and turning him into a super soldier overnight.
Watching from aboard the Stellaron Train, Ling Ke once again muttered a comparison no one in this world would understand.
In practical terms, those "fortunate" enough to be transformed by the beautiful motes of light had undergone something remarkably similar to receiving a Super Soldier Serum.
Their strength increased enormously.
Throwing a motorcycle around like a shot put was no longer particularly difficult.
And beneath the cold white sky…
Many people celebrated.
Some even dropped to their knees and sincerely thanked God.
They believed that after witnessing humanity struggle through one disaster after another, God had finally taken pity on them and granted them extraordinary bodies capable of surviving the increasingly brutal world.
Very few stopped to ask a much more important question.
If such "Power" had been given to them so easily…
Would there be a price?
For now, they were simply intoxicated by the sudden windfall.
At least, most of them were.
During the earliest stage of this "Change," the few voices expressing doubt were quickly drowned beneath a tide of excitement and near-religious enthusiasm.
But precisely because these people now possessed power…
Even if that power was still insignificant compared with the true monsters walking the Earth…
Problems began appearing almost immediately.
"Hey, brother. We're superhuman now. Why the hell are we still hauling bricks for these people?"
"I swear, I feel like I could kill a bull with one punch."
"Exactly. If we can do several times the work now, why are they still paying us the same?"
Conversations like these were already spreading through streets, shelters, and temporary work sites.
The first signs of conflict were beginning to surface.
Most people still retained enough self-control to avoid doing anything truly outrageous.
Of course…
People who had already been criminals before gaining power were another matter.
Certain street thugs who had long since grown accustomed to "shopping for free" quickly discovered that firearms were no longer nearly as satisfying.
Bang!
They preferred their fists now.
Anyone who tried to stop them was beaten bloody, one punch after another.
The impact of bone striking flesh gave them a far more immediate sense of just how much stronger they had become.
Eventually…
One of the families they tried to rob produced a "little Superman" of its own.
Then everything descended into chaos.
Fortunately, police stationed nearby arrived before the situation could spiral completely out of control.
Warning shots cracked through the snow-filled air.
Both sides were restrained and taken into custody.
And once they arrived at the local station…
Good grief.
It was already overflowing.
Power had grown overnight.
So had people's egos.
Incidents like this had been happening all day.
And yet…
"The main event hasn't even started."
Deep inside her hidden cave, Kali smiled.
The special audio file was finally complete.
She had not bothered giving it a name.
There was no need.
To Kali, this was merely another tool.
A catalyst designed for one purpose.
To destroy human civilization.
As long as it fulfilled that purpose, nothing else mattered.
Next…
She would broadcast it.
Her Spawn would spread it.
From city to city.
From shelter to shelter.
From person to person.
Until…
Kali's crimson eyes narrowed.
"Best case?"
"Every human being on Earth hears it."