InsomniaWL
patreon
Chapter 312 – Power Comes from Knowledge
🕑 Added 2025-09-11 17:33:54 +0000 UTC“So… does this mean you won’t stop us from rescuing our master?”
Having already decided in his mind to present their lord with a bowl of ramen later, Gray Serpent picked up on the hidden meaning behind C.C.’s words.
His tone carried a trace of surprise.
“Of course not. After all, our ultimate goal is the same—to fight against the Honkai. Why would I ever oppose the return of an old colleague? Not only that…” C.C.’s lips curved into a springlike smile, warm yet elegant, “I can even lend you a hand.”
Her voice rang with sincerity, and it wasn’t a lie.
In terms of fighting the Honkai through trials, Kevin was indeed an invaluable force.
Moreover, there were still preserved memory imprints of the fusion warriors within the Elysian Realm.
Once C.C. fully mastered the authorities at her disposal, she might even be able to bring about a different kind of resurrection—or forge their powers into true memory constructs.
With the Twin Drive system, their strength could be pushed to its absolute limit.
From the larger perspective of resisting the Honkai, releasing Kevin from the Sea of Quanta was undoubtedly beneficial.
Besides, there was no irreconcilable conflict between C.C. and World Serpent.
At least not yet.
For now, whether they counted as enemies or not was still up for debate.
The only real point of friction lay in their methods: World Serpent’s fanatical disregard for human life clashed with C.C.’s approach.
“Humanity must defeat the Honkai—no matter the cost!”
To Kevin, victory over the Honkai had long become an obsession that eclipsed all else.
But once he understood the current state of the world, he would likely rein himself in.
Under Nagami’s leadership, the reborn Fire Moth had the potential to achieve something unprecedented—an organization where, aside from the End herself, every Herrscher had defected.
That would make the odds of humanity’s survival higher than ever before.
Kevin was unlikely to oppose C.C. outright.
And even if he did? Well, she could always beat him down again and shove him back into the Sea of Quanta.
Her unexpected response left Gray Serpent and Raven momentarily speechless.
They had been treating C.C. and Nagami as hypothetical enemies all along, yet here she was, showing no intention of hindering World Serpent at all.
It was, frankly, a little embarrassing.
But for World Serpent, this was unquestionably good news. C.C.’s words gained even more credibility in Gray Serpent’s mind.
The only other potential “conflict” was Cocolia—but that was giving her far too much credit.
For someone who had so casually betrayed Anti-Entropy, being discarded by the Serpent was nothing surprising.
“In that case,” C.C. asked lightly, “are you certain World Serpent still wants to involve itself in my business with Cocolia?”
The instant her words fell, Cocolia’s face twisted.
She snapped her head toward the pale mask, a jolt of dread racing up her spine.
“Of course not,” Gray Serpent replied smoothly, offering a gentleman’s bow, his tone filled with respect for one stronger than himself.
Raven, too, lowered her stance, quietly dismissing the Obscuring Wing: Penitent’s Seven Thunders she had been preparing in secret.
Without a word, she even took a few discreet steps away from Cocolia.
“You traitors!”
Cocolia’s voice cracked with rage as she clenched her fists, her chest heaving violently, frustration boiling over.
“How is it betrayal?” Gray Serpent spread his hands, feigning reason, though the cold mask and mechanical voice only made him seem more sinister.
“You and the Serpent were merely in a relationship of mutual benefit. Besides, weren’t you the one who betrayed Anti-Entropy so easily?”
Known far and wide as a cunning “mother fox,” betrayal was practically Cocolia’s daily routine.
She just hadn’t expected the tables to turn on her so quickly.
“Without me, you can’t open the Eye of the Abyss!”
Her last desperate shout echoed as she backed away, her eyes flicking toward the unconscious Rozaliya and Liliya floating beside C.C.
A flash of hesitation crossed her face—was she about to order an attack?
“You really are underestimating me.”
C.C. raised her slender right arm high.
A crimson-and-black katana slid free from its sheath—its design echoing Raiden Mei’s blade, but sharper, darker, far more ominous.
The weapon pulsed with malevolent red-black light, as though it had a will of its own.
Considering the high cost of each of these advanced Titans—and the fact they technically belonged to Anti-Entropy, merely hidden away by Cocolia through her manipulation of Walter’s clones—C.C. hadn’t planned on outright destroying them.
“That sword…”
The blade’s pitch-black body gleamed with streaks of blood-red, as if steeped in gore. Its very presence radiated dread.
Raven frowned.
“…A Divine Key.”
For once, Gray Serpent’s sharp eye served him well.
“That’s right. The Twelfth Divine Key—Jizo Mitama.”
C.C.’s voice rang clear and graceful.
Raising the jet-black blade, she swung casually, with no hint of trained swordsmanship.
Yet countless glittering particles of crimson and black spilled from the blade’s edge, drifting outward like a storm of malignant fireflies.
They spread toward the Titan army— Of course, Cocolia is also among the targets..
Seeing as she was still technically Seele and the twins’ mother, C.C. decided not to use Geass.
Otherwise, when Seele met Cocolia again, it would only leave her heart heavy.
The power of the Jizō Mitama was far gentler than Geass.
The latter twisted a person’s will by brute force, and even C.C. herself found it extremely difficult to undo without the Authority of Sentience.
The scene fell into an eerie silence.
Cocolia had already given the order to attack the moment C.C. drew her blade.
But the crimson-black mist of particles spread faster than anyone expected.
Before the Titan mechs could even raise their weapons, the cloud engulfed them whole.
The sci-fi blue glow running across their metal frames was tainted red and black.
Like traitors turning on their master, the colossal machines shifted into standby mode, lowering their steel heads.
The particles wrapped around Cocolia under her terrified gaze.
Her lips parted, as if she wanted to speak, but no words came.
A moment later, the light faded from her eyes.
Her once furious expression softened into calm.
Head bowed, she stood as still as a statue, slowly closing her eyes.
That single scarlet electronic eye swept over the silent Titans.
Gray Serpent fell quiet as well, his heart gripped by a dread he hadn’t felt in years.
That crimson-black radiance felt like his natural enemy.
One thing was certain: if they had truly clashed, his fate would’ve been the same as those Titans.
“Okay now that’s finally over~.”
The black-red blade dissolved into shimmering particles and returned into C.C.’s body.
Dusting off her hands, she gave a light laugh and looked at the two Serpent executives.
“Next, I’ll be opening the Eye of the Abyss. If you’d like to try talking to Kevin, feel free to join me.”
“Since Miss C.C. has extended the invitation, it would be rude to refuse.”
Gray Serpent and Raven exchanged a glance.
His synthetic voice carried more respect than before.
“Good, good~.”
C.C. spoke like a cheerful neighbor as she raised her pale hand and snapped her fingers.
The heavy sound carried through the air, and a gate to the Imaginary Space linked to St. Freya Academy unfolded before them.
Before heading into the Quantum Sea, she needed to take care of those two little girls first.
The safest place for them was naturally by Bronya’s side.
When it came to raw spatial transmission range at equivalent energy levels, C.C. outclassed even the Herrscher of the Void by dozens of times.
Why?
Because when presented with one of C.C.’s advanced spatial physics problems, the great Queen of the Sky herself, Sirin, couldn’t even read the question—let alone solve it.
“Are you asking me to solve this?”
“No, you’re asking me to die!”
Besides, the energy contained in the Void Core wasn’t even in the same league as an ordinary Herrscher core.
At that moment, Bronya was in her dorm room, playing games with her mother.
When the spatial portal suddenly opened before her, silver-gray eyes flashed with joy.
Could it be… her partner had returned?
Sure, playing games with “Mama” was nice, but Alexandra was hopelessly bad.
And the worst part—they were playing a co-op game.
Bronya simply couldn’t carry the whole match by herself.
Alexandra was the perfect example of someone bad at the game but addicted anyway.
“Rozaliya! Lilia!”
Unexpectedly, two familiar figures tumbled out of the portal—along with a slip of paper with words written on it.
Bronya instantly dropped her controller and ran over barefoot, her pale little feet pattering against the floor.
“A portal…!”
Raven’s eyes widened in disbelief as C.C. snapped her fingers again.
In an instant, the group was swallowed by the portal.
When they reappeared, it was before a massive structure of breathtaking design.
And beside the building stood a familiar yet unfamiliar black-haired figure.
The pair of violet hexagram pupils in his eyes immediately drew Raven’s and Gray Serpent’s attention.
“Welcome to the Eye of the Abyss.”
This was the heart of The Deep—the colossal gateway the Previous Era had built to step into the Quantum Sea.
