Chapter 145: I will protect you, my [blood relative]

"Hmm——"

It is a cry full of joy.

[Blood relatives, singing is beautiful! Skadi, it feels good!]

(TL: Skadi welcome back my baby~)

"Ha...it's great that you like it."

Feeling the cheerful emotion coming from Skadi and the meaning he sensed from its chirping, Nozomi smiled, reached out, and touched its huge body, and with his tired eyes, he looked at it with only love and affection.

"My [blood relative]."

[Blood relatives! Happy! Skadi! Happy!]

Skadi happily waved its tail fin and rubbed Nozomi's palm as carefully as possible. Then it opened its mouth and let him touch its pink tongue. The cold seawater poured into its mouth and was stirred up by Nozomi's hands, causing Skadi to let out another happy chirp.

"Okay... Skadi, you should go now. Otherwise, if you are discovered by my companions, you will be in trouble."

He gently patted Skadi's tongue again, signaling it that it could close its mouth. Nozomi smiled and reminded it softly.

[don't want!]

Skadi rejected this request without hesitation.

[Blood relatives! Weakness! Skadi! Protect!]

"My companions won't hurt me..."

[Blood relatives! Lies! Skadi! Know!]

Skadi responded to Nozomi in a somewhat unhappy tone, gently waving her tail fin, and conveying a message to him with the seawater... That was the scene "before" when Kevin and his men attacked Nozomi... and it happened several times.

"That's for a reason... Didn't you see it, Skadi? I wasn't normal back then, so it was natural for my companions to attack me... And you like two legs the most, right? You don't have to be so wary of them. This time... It'll be fine, it'll be fine this time..."

[don't want!]

There was a hint of sadness in Skadi's voice, even a hint of crying, and she was slapping the water with her huge tail fin anxiously like a child.

[Blood relatives are important! Blood relatives! Lost! Disliked! Skadi! Sad!]

"...Okay...don't cry, don't be sad, I'm here."

Nozomi gently hugged its huge body, rested his forehead lightly on its head, and comforted it softly.

"I'm here now, am I not? Don't worry, my... [blood relative]."

Controlling the blue water, using your own hands to gently stroke its body and soothe its anxious heart.

[Blood relative, Skadi, protect!]

"Okay, okay...I like Skadi the most~"

[Blood relatives! Like!]

Skadi happily waved its tail fin twice, conveying a relaxed and happy mood... Look, it is still so cute and silly. A simple sentence can make it so happy. It is really lovable.

"but..."

Nozomi's eyelids drooped slightly.

"Skadi, why don't you try to keep me here? Maybe... I'll be willing to stay?"

The sound is as soft as water and wind.

"After all... [Blood relations] are important, aren't they?"

[......]

Skadi was unusually silent for a while, and then let out a soft cry that sounded both aggrieved and reluctant.

[Blood relatives, land, go home...blood relatives, like, land...blood relatives, companions, on land...]

It gently arched Nozomi's back, then dived beneath the water, and lifted Nozomi's body up so that Nozomi could ride on it. It slowly swung its tail fin, carrying him as it swam slowly and leisurely in circles.

[Return to land, blood relatives, wishes, Skadi, blessings.]

[Blood relatives, happy, Skadi, happy]

"Is that so…"

Nozomi smiled, touched it under him, slowly lay on its body, felt the sound of waves rippling by his ears, and whispered softly.

"Sure enough... Skadi is the best."

[Yes! Skadi! Blood relatives! I like it!]

Skadi responded to him with a cheerful chirp and wanted to swing her body happily, but soon became cautious again, and just carried him quietly cruising on the sea.

"...It would be great if you could come ashore with me, Skadi~ Hmm... But you should belong to the [Ocean], and you'll be safer here."

Nozomi could naturally feel Skadi's small move. He raised the corner of his mouth slightly, spoke softly, and then shook his head, trying to let himself abandon the greedy idea.

[......]

Skadi remained silent as if she hadn't heard anything.

"Huh... Never mind~ Let me sing another song for you, my [blood relative]. After all, this is one of the few things I can do and be proud of~"

his eyes remain on the clear blue sky, and the soft singing slowly flows and floats.

Hmmm~

There was obvious fatigue in his voice, but it remained as gentle as before... just like he was at that moment.

It took him a lot of effort to get rid of the "memory", and his impression of many of his companions also changed... such as Elysia and Kevin.

Although logically speaking, all of this should still be in the state of "not happening", but... as expected, there will still be some impact.

As he sorted out his "memories", Nozomi increasingly understood why "himself at that time" made that choice. Rather, it was remarkable that he could hold on until the very end before giving up, and could hypnotize himself until the very end before exploding. It even gave people a feeling of... cowardice.

'Hmm... maybe I can do it myself? Haha... Oh no, that's [me]... Ah, this is bad.'

'But... this time will be different, this time, it will definitely be different' Nozomi believed so.

At this moment, he is like a drop of water that is unwilling to dissolve in the sea. Although it has not dissolved in the sea because of love and persistence, but... once it comes into contact with the sea, once the process begins, the final outcome... is inevitable.

He will eventually become the Herrscher.

However... at this moment, he did not dissolve into the seawater, was not completely swallowed up, and did not truly... become a [Herrscher].

Nozomi believed that there must be some other reason behind this.

Just like in the "memories", "the self at that time" had already gathered all the conditions to become a Herrscher, and his emotions were on the verge of collapse, not just the incident with Sakura and Rin, but... he still became a Herrscher only after that incident, and became... the "final Herrscher".

He lowered his eyelids slightly, thinking about the doubts in the details.

Even the time when he was a "priest" was the same. From that time, it seemed that after accepting the "Ocean", he would become a "Herrscher"...

With a slight movement of his fingertips, he manipulated the surrounding seawater into a thin stream, which gradually outlined the shape of a cherry blossom in the air, and then changed it into the shape of a maple leaf. Then, as if he was in the mood, he used the water flow to paint them in mid-air... that is, the appearance of Sakura and Eden.

'Ah... I almost forgot that besides music, I'm also has strong talents in other fields of art~'

'Now it seems that this is not the case. I don't seem to have become a Herrscher directly. Just like "before", I only stayed at the stage of "suspicious Herrscher". It seems that in addition to accepting the "Ocean", there must be special conditions... Is it the incident of Rin? Or... the appearance of the "Twelfth Herrscher"? No.'

He withdrew his hand, looked at the images of Eden and Sakura that he had drawn, nodded with satisfaction, and then waved his hand lightly, causing the water flow to change and outline the image of Elysia again.

'Elysia is also a Herrscher... and she came earlier than the others, so the ranking of all the Herrschers needs to be moved back to one place. Rin should be the 13th Herrscher, so... I am the 14th? The Herrscher who is destined to destroy the world? Hey... I didn't expect it to match my previous guess~'

Nozomi put his hand down and gently stroked Skadi's body, feeling the sea water and breeze blowing past him from time to time, and smiled helplessly.

It seems that what he said back then was true... 'If you defeat me, you can save everyone...'

Hmmm~

The singing was still echoing, drifting away with the wind, but it carried a hint of sadness in it. It was short-lived and hazy like a dream and disappeared in a flash. It soon returned to its previous gentle singing voice.

'Should I try to commit suicide directly? Maybe this way I can solve a big problem~ Hmm... No, no, there are still several events to come, I have to solve them all, and...'

Nozomi placed his hand lightly on his chest. In the cold sea water, only his palms were warm, and only his chest was hot, as if there was a faint "fire" burning.

"Leaving without saying goodbye is really too much. Besides... how can we not give it a try? There are still many things to do~ Ah... are your here?"

Nozomi climbed up from Skadi's back and looked towards a certain direction on the horizon... the sea breeze had already brought their message.

"But... you found me first? What a pity... I would prefer it if the first people I saw were Eden and Sakura."

Nozomi muttered to himself helplessly.

"And... that weapon was made a little later than before... hehe~ As expected, I can still change something~"

"Hmm——"

[Breath! Danger! Fire! Hate! Blood!]

"Alright, alright, it's okay Skadi... this time it's different, that weapon won't be pointed at me."

After calming Skadi down again, Nozomi took the initiative to walk from Skadi's back to the surface of the sea... and the strange thing was that he did not sink into the sea, but just stood on the sea. Even the surrounding seawater stopped rippling with waves, but quickly became calm, like a mirror, reflecting the clear sky.

[Ocean] always loves him.

"Huh? Are you sure you don't want to leave? If you continue, you'll be in danger... maybe... you'll even be [attacked], which is not what I want to see, [blood relative]."

[don't want!]

Skadi anxiously flapped its tail fin twice, causing the calm sea to become turbulent again.

[Skadi! Blood relatives! Protect!]

"...Well, I will protect you, my [blood relative]."

[No! Blood relatives! No! Skadi! Protect!]

"Hehe~ I know... Yeah, I know."

He reached out and touched Skadi again, trying to calm its anxious mood which seemed like it was in a bad mood.

Although Nozomi knew what it was expressing, but... just as it wanted to protect him from harm, Nozomi also didn't want it to get hurt.

He... doesn't want to [attack] his [blood relatives] again.

"...Come down, it's safe down there, there are no Honkai beasts."

He turned around and shouted to the people who were still high in the sky, vigilantly scanning the surrounding sea. His voice was carried to their ears by the wind.

After a brief pause, a cold figure came down with a hint of heat. In an instant, a large area of the sea surface was frozen, forming an area where everyone could stand.

After confirming that the surrounding environment was safe, Kevin contacted other members through communication and asked the aircraft to lower its altitude. Then, he looked at Nozomi with a complicated and vigilant look.

"You... are still Nozomi, right?"

Kevin looked at the calm sea surface beneath Nozomi's feet, then looked at the Honkai beast that had been cruising around him, and asked vigilantly.

"Yes, I am. Otherwise... I wouldn't be using my singing to tell you where I am, right?"

"...Well, I believe you."

"That's unexpected. I thought you would ask more questions, Kevin."

"I... don't want to be your enemy..."

Kevin clenched the weapon in his hand, the red sword, the sword that seemed to be made purely of flames.

"So... please get out of the way. It... is an Honkai beast and needs to be [defeated]."

Kevin adjusted his posture slightly and prepared for battle... He had long noticed that the Honkai beast beside Nozomi had been exuding hostility towards him, as well as obvious disgust and vigilance, as if it would attack him at any time.

And... more importantly... Kevin saw the close relationship between Nozomi and this Honkai beast, and he vaguely had a bad guess... Therefore, he must [conquer] it and destroy it before more people see it.

Only in this way can other people not know that Nozomi... already has a [Companion Honkai Beast].

As long as other people don't know, then there is still room for discussion...

But...

"......"

Kevin pursed his lips.

'Is this really the right thing for me to do? I am... trying to cover up the existence of a Herrscher? Is this... really the right thing to do?'

Kevin didn't know, he just didn't want to be an enemy of Nozomi, he just didn't want Nozomi to be judged as a [Herrscher], otherwise... all his past "merits" would disappear like smoke... Kevin didn't want to see that scene.

"Sure~"

Nozomi's tone was still cheerful, and his answer was just as Kevin expected... He did not refuse.

"But Skadi has to leave too."

"...What?"

Kevin was a little stunned for a moment.

"Skadi, that's its name~ It sounds nice, right?"

Nozomi shook his head happily, and his long hair, which had turned completely white, swayed with it.

"Skadi is a good kid, she's my [blood relative], so... you can't hurt her, okay? I'll go back with you, after all, my [home] is there, Eden and Sakura are there too, but... Skadi has to leave, okay?"

"…Do you know what you are talking about, Nozomi?"

Kevin was a little confused for a moment... He didn't understand what Nozomi was talking about... [Blood relatives]? And Honkai beasts? Seriously? And this sentence didn't prove that he had already...

"Are you Joking on me, Nozomi?"

"I didn't, I'm serious."

Nozomi touched Skadi again to calm its anxious mood... It was really worried that the [sword] would point at Nozomi again, and it didn't want its [blood relative] to be destroyed by fire again.

"......"

Kevin fell silent, not knowing whether to advance or retreat.

He didn't know what to do.

"Kevin?"

"......"

"Do you think... I am a [human] or a [Herrscher]?"

"......"

Kevin didn't know and he didn't dare to answer.

The facts before us all indicate that Nozomi is a Herrscher. Even the aircraft can detect the wavelength of his body that is similar to that of a Herrscher.

But he didn't want to believe it and he resisted accepting this fact.

But... he also realized very clearly what his responsibilities were.

There is a sharp conflict between the beautiful expectations in one's heart and the cold and cruel reality.

Kevin wants to believe that Nozomi is a human being, but the reality makes it difficult for him to do so.

Kevin wants to accept that Nozomi is the Herrscher, but his past experiences make it difficult for him to do so.

Moreover, the most troublesome point is... if Nozomi is a [human], then why is he so close to that Honkai beast? How to explain the wavelength of him that is similar to that of a [Herrscher]?

If Nozomi is the Herrscher, how can we explain his clear words and friendly attitude? Is it true? Or... is it simply the Herrscher pretending?

Kevin didn't know what to do. He tightened and loosened his hand holding the sword several times.

"Ha... Kevin, let's continue with the previous question."

In the end, Nozomi felt helpless and could only sigh and say this.

"...What?"

"If one day, you could save everyone by defeating me... what would you do?"

Nozomi placed his hand on his chest and spoke softly.

"It's an unavoidable question, Kevin."

"......"

"...I see."

Kevin closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He seemed to have made a decision. There was a hint of sadness and determination in his eyes when he looked at Nozomi.

　Reality... is unavoidable and needs to be faced, so he must not escape.

　　Everything about Nozomi shows that he... has become a [Herrscher], or is about to become a [Herrscher], and he has already prepared himself to face the fate of being [conquered].

　　And he... should also respect and should also... give him relief.

　　At least, Eden and Sakura must not see this.

　　As for the guilt that follows... let him bear it himself.

　　"…That's great. That's like you, Kevin."

　　Nozomi was stunned for a moment but then responded with a smile... In Nozomi's eyes, Kevin at this moment and Kevin in his "memory"... their figures somewhat overlap.

　　However, when looking at Kevin's eyes, there was still some disappointment.

　　Because... Kevin still chose... [Herrscher] instead of [Human] in his view of him.

　　Well, it's no wonder. After all, all the signs now indicate that he is a Herrscher. Even if he claims to be a human, it's probably hard for anyone to believe him, right?

　　But... the fire... [Judgment of Shamash]... it's really bad.

　　Whoosh——

　　It was the sound of burning flames... As if he was worried that he would hesitate again, as if he was worried that he would regret it, Kevin... swung out a very swift attack.

　　"Boo——!!!"

　　[Blood relatives! Danger! ]

　　Then, unsurprisingly, he aroused Skadi's hostility.

　　"…Ha~"

　　However, Nozomi was stunned for a moment and then smiled helplessly.

　　Skadi's mind was mostly on Kevin, so she only noticed that Kevin launched an attack, but she didn't realize... although this attack apparently covered Nozomi, it was actually aimed at her, at Skadi.

　　Kevin... still wants to destroy the most powerful "evidence" first.

　　'That's right... Kevin didn't go through so many things this time. Too many things were handled for him by other people.'

　　'The "Sixth Herrscher" and the "Seventh Herrscher" were defeated by Kalpas, so Kevin did not suffer a serious blow in his heart, nor did he fall into deep remorse for killing his former colleagues with his own hands... He did not kill Hen in the "Ninth Herrscher"...'

　　'His heart was not as cold as it had been "before".'

　　'That's great, as expected... this time, I have changed something.'

　　Nozomi smiled happily.

　　Then, Nozomi would manipulate the sea water to block the attack for Skadi... and also stop Skadi from counterattacking.

　　'Sigh... Really, it's really troublesome to be caught between the two ~ isn't it?'

　　However, Kevin's action was too fast, so fast that many people found it difficult to understand the true meaning, or simply failed to expect that Kevin, a guy who has always been very upright, would make such a "smart" move.

　　"What are you doing?! Kevin?!"

　　A figure quickly fell from the aircraft that had not yet completely landed, accompanied by a slightly anxious shout.

　　Immediately, Nozomi saw a figure standing in front of him.

　　That is a mark.

　　The people on the aircraft couldn't hear clearly what Nozomi and Kevin were saying, but just from the picture, they could still tell that Nozomi was protecting the Honkai beast, and Kevin... suddenly launched an attack after the communication.

　　Isn't this right? According to the current situation, shouldn't Nozomi be able to communicate? Even the data detected by the aircraft showed that Nozomi was only a "suspected Herrscher" and could not be completely determined to be a Herrscher. Why did Kevin directly attack?

　　Although many people, after seeing the close relationship between Nozomi and Skadi, have more or less realized that Nozomi might really be the [Herrscher], and that Honkai beast is his [Companion Honkai beast], but... everyone still maintains a little fantasy.

　　Unexpectedly, Kevin would activate the [Divine Key] so directly, as if he wanted to [attack] Nozomi.

　　'Kevin, what a fool! Why is he so straightforward?! Let's negotiate again!'

　　Many people think so.

　　However, the sudden situation did not allow everyone to react in time. Hen even rushed down from the aircraft in a hurry and stood in front of Nozomi.

　　And then... this scene gave Nozomi PTSD.

　　The raging flames and the traces of those who tried to resist them... The scene before his eyes overlapped with the scene in his "memory".

　　Then, Nozomi's body moved before his thoughts.

　　'Absolutely... absolutely! We can't make the same mistake again!'

　　Nozomi's gentle eyes suddenly became fierce. The seawater under his feet flowed, forcibly wrapping up Skadi's huge body, bringing it away from the range of the flames, and interrupting its counterattack... Well, [blood relationship] is important, Skadi cannot be hurt.

　　Then he took a step forward, not caring about controlling his strength, and kicked Hen away, then manipulated the sea water to catch him in mid-flight.

　　Next, we just need to control the seawater to block the fire...

　　boom!

　　The raging flames had already engulfed Nozomi's body.

　　"Nozomi?!"

　　[Blood relatives!!!]

　　————————

　　"Aponia, why didn't you go on this mission? Are you worried about something?"

　　Mobius, who was at the base of the "Fire Moth", approached Aponia and asked in a pointed manner.

　　"Um."

　　"Oh? What a surprise... I thought you would use some weird words to evade us like before~"

　　"I just... don't want to see that scene again."

　　Aponia's eyes dropped slightly, her tone filled with sadness and... compassion.

　　"The [thread] has been pulled, and everything has changed, but... it's still slight."

　　"[Destiny]... is trying to correct everything... to return everything to its original state."

　　Gently raising her hand and grasping the cross pendant hanging on her chest, Aponia spoke in a firm tone.

　　"But... this time, everything will be different."

　　Immediately, her tone was filled with sadness again, and a sense of powerlessness, a feeling of being able to only watch everything happen but unable to change it, nor to try to alter it... dejected.

　　"It's just that all this is... too cruel for him."