The unconscious Wendy and Seele were discovered in the uninhabited plains outside Headquarters and brought back to the Inner City's medical bay by patrolling drones.
Upon examination, the specialists concluded that Wendy and Seele's unconscious state was merely due to extreme mental and physical exhaustion, similar to Ana's condition. There was no immediate danger to their lives—indicating that the Theater of Domination's plundering mechanism seemed relatively mild or perhaps incomplete. The Herrscher Cores and Void Portals still existed within them; they just couldn't be utilized temporarily, having been stripped of energy and control rights.
Kiana's case was even more peculiar, as she had lost both her Herrscher Core and Void Portal, effectively transforming her into an ordinary Valkyrie.
Fortunately, her condition remained stable, posing no life-threatening risks—otherwise, countless individuals would have faced grave misfortune.
After several days of slumber, each girl gradually regained consciousness.
Soon after, Zeke, who was far away in the Sea of Quanta, received a communication from the real world.
"Allow me to introduce you: Bronya, Sin, Wendy, Mei, and Seele here are all people I trust implicitly—quite reliable... Although, unfortunately, there's some bad news this time around. Oh, and Ana over here will soon be joining my ranks as well. Just putting faces to names."
Facing the group of young women standing before him, Zeke addressed Kevin and Su while taking another bite of his noodles.
Wendy, Raiden Mei, and Seele felt uneasy; despite Zeke praising their reliability, they knew they had messed up badly.
Ana's lips twitched, feeling similarly awkward yet wanting to object somehow. Primarily, she wished to clarify her loyalty lay with Schicksal. However, she vividly recalled what Ancestor Hera had instructed her before leaving—"In Anti-Entropy, you may disregard everyone else, but when it comes to Zeke, treat him with absolute respect and obedience, just as you would Your Excellency."
So, Ana swallowed her words.
"Swoosh—"
Kevin, holding his bowl, expressionlessly slurped a mouthful of noodles and asked,
"Which ones are Herrscher?"
"These, these, this one, and that one... A total of four."
"Oh. Swoosh—"
After finishing their noodles and soup, Kevin set down his empty bowl.
"Did they fail?"
"Yes, although I have my own intelligence channels, please provide more details on what transpired," Zeke responded nonchalantly to the girls as he also put down his large bowl.
The group exchanged glances briefly before Wendy recounted their entire experience, detailing their defeat and the loss of their Herrscher abilities.
Having listened attentively, Zeke showed no visible change in expression. The two former Recorders maintained their respective coldness and warmth, remaining composed. However, the members of the Herrscher squad hung their heads, appearing dejected like obedient children awaiting parental rebuke.
"Sigh..."
Zeke shook his head and sighed, seemingly disappointed.
This caused the hearts of several girls, especially the three Anti-Entropy Herrschers, to tremble. They feared Zeke's anger, but even more so, they dreaded disappointing him. Yet, since the incident had already occurred, all they could do was accept the consequences.
Unexpectedly, Zeke turned towards Kevin and asked, "Mr. Kevin, I lack firsthand knowledge of the final battle of the pre-epoch. But judging from its outcome, it must have been a brutal and despairing situation, am I right?"
"... Yes."
"Have you ever been afraid?"
"When my comrades died one by one before me, I was afraid."
"Then, if that enemy appeared before you again, this time with no comrades or support from the entire civilization—only yourself—what would you do?"
"I would kill her," Kevin replied calmly, as if it were self-evident.
Zeke nodded and continued, "I mentioned earlier, there are no comrades or backup this time. How would you kill her? Surely you can't defeat her alone, right?"
"I would... kill her." After a brief moment of silence, Kevin repeated his answer.
Zeke looked at him, raised his hand, and patted Kevin's shoulder. Then, he turned to Su and asked, "Mr. Su, the same question: how would you choose?"
"Young Zeke, just like Kevin... My thoughts wouldn't stray from combat."
Su smiled warmly, but beneath his gaze flickered a fleeting shadow.
Zeke nodded once more and addressed both men, "Apologies, I didn't mean to reopen your wounds intentionally."
With a gentle shake of his head, Su started to respond, but before he could finish, Kevin had already shifted his cold gaze towards the four Herrscher girls and snorted, saying:
"It's alright; I understand your intention. Even we, who have faced the deepest despair and witnessed the destruction of civilizations, still possess the courage to draw our swords. So what are they doing now? Do they think by appearing pitiful, Honkai will extend its mercy?"
"Kevin, they're just children..."
"Haven't you seen enough dead children already, Su? Why don't you try reasoning with Honkai instead, and see if It listens?" Kevin spoke firmly, leaving Su momentarily speechless.
Zeke straightened up, tapping his index finger on the table, drawing the girls' attention back to him. He said, "What I want to emphasize is that nobody can remain undefeated forever, especially when facing Honkai. Failure is the norm here. Now, you've failed, but then what... Should I lecture you briefly, mobilize the real world's elite forces to compensate for this failure, and pretend nothing happened? Is that what you desire?"
"No!" Wendy lifted her head, gazing defiantly at Zeke.
Raiden Mei also sat upright, her fists clenched tightly until they turned white.
Seele bit her lip, her face slightly pale, before vigorously shaking her head.
Standing tall, Ana wasn't sure what she wanted to say, but she certainly disagreed with Zeke's question.
Zeke gazed at them, his lips curving upward slightly.
"People who failed fifty thousand years ago continue relentlessly toward victory today. Otto has faced more defeats than any of you have witnessed, yet he too perseveres, unwavering and steadfast in his original intent.
"I won't be disappointed by your defeat, but if your resolve and beliefs are so fragile that one setback leaves you disoriented, then I truly would lose hope. Take some time to reflect on what you wish to do next, and come find me when you're clear-headed."
Zeke cut off the communication link.
"If this is all your precious human-aligned outliers amount to...I believe Project Stigma remains the best choice. Please think carefully," Kevin said before departing without another word.
Zeke watched him leave silently, his expression unreadable.
Still standing there, Su held up the bowl awkwardly. When Zeke glanced over, he forced a smile.
"Um...would you like another helping of noodles?"
"No need. Prepare a gateway for me to return to the real world."
"Huh? Oh, right away."
"Thank you."
Zeke courteously thanked him.
Moments later, the portal opened, and Zeke departed from the Sea of Quanta.