Trouble always appears when you least expect it—like right now.
Life is always so bizarre. When a person worries about something happening, it always inexplicably happens, regardless of whether that person is clever or foolish.
A reckless person will, of course, precipitate an incident through their shortsightedness and rashness.
But for a clever and calm person, sometimes, their composure and restraint can't successfully avoid the risk of an accident. Instead, in an even stranger way, it can lead directly to it.
For instance, at the very moment Lin Wei stepped into the boundless light, the accident occurred in tandem.
And this "accident" itself, in a sense, only happened because of Su's restraint and waiting. Because he foresaw danger, he wanted to avoid risk. But it was precisely his effort to avoid risk that single-handedly led to the sudden arrival of this "danger"...
This was the very definition of "a malicious joke of fate." Or perhaps, it was the merciless mockery of the god of destiny towards a mortal who dared to peek into its secrets.
"How could this be?"
The moment the boundless light was abruptly shattered by a sudden, immense power, Su had already understood this deeply ironic fact—
If he hadn't foreseen such a future, or if he hadn't become worried because of what he'd foreseen; if he had activated the beacon and brought Lin Wei and Durandal to him while they were still fighting over the Second Divine Key...
Then the threat, the accident that would "prevent Lin Wei from reaching him," would never have occurred at all.
In short, the moment the "accident" truly happened, Su finally experienced firsthand the agony that Aponia had once endured day and night...
Time quietly rewound.
Until the great battle concluded, until he had completely fallen into the Sea of Quanta, Su had maintained a deathly silence.
From Lin Wei's perspective, Su would at least be watching Durandal. Even if he himself wasn't worthy of Su's notice, the moment he and Durandal clashed, he was bound to fall into that guy's line of sight.
So why so quiet? Can't you at least make a sound?
Lin Wei actually had a way to deal with this. He could only project the Second Divine Key with Pandora and try to call out to Su, who was most likely watching him.
"Su! I know you've been watching the Second Divine Key! Come out and meet me!"
Lin Wei's idea was simple. If Su heard his call and was willing to acknowledge him, he would go have a chat and discuss the matter of Sumeru.
If he couldn't hear, or didn't want to bother, then there was nothing to be done. He would just have to wait for Kevin to fish him out and then figure something else out...
In short, as Lin Wei saw it, all he was doing was shouting. Whether Su heard him or not wouldn't bring him any additional risk. Neither Su nor Kevin would beat him up just for shouting, right?
No way, right?
And so, Lin Wei did it without a second thought. But he never, ever expected that besides Su and Kevin, there was another who had also heard this call...
"Su... know good... watching... out... see me..."
Perhaps the "Projected Second Divine Key" was too excellent a "megaphone," carrying Lin Wei's voice an excessive distance.
Or perhaps, deep within the Sea of Quanta, a supremely powerful being was hidden. Its power was overwhelming, and its name was far too similar to Su's.
So much so that when Lin Wei's voice, utterly insignificant compared to the vast expanse of the Sea of Quanta, had been completely drowned in the endless tides of energy, this being was still able to keenly catch a few shattered, distorted fragments of sound amidst the ebb and flow...
"Who... calls for me?"
Having spent thousands of years in deep, profound meditation, oblivious to the sun and moon, day and night...
In this silence, where it felt as if even souls had been extinguished, It heard someone, at this very moment, seemingly calling Its name.
As a "god," even a self-proclaimed counterfeit one, It could still easily capture the calls of mortals.
Who is it? My proxy?
The thought arose and was extinguished in the same instant, for It knew that its creation would never call upon it proactively.
Moreover, It could clearly sense the proxy's location, as if she were a trivial branch extending from Its own body. Because of this, It knew with certainty that the faint call, which came from an infinite distance away, could not possibly have come from her direction.
Who could it be?
For the first time in a long while, It, who had long grown accustomed to regarding itself as a "god" and whose humanity had long been diluted by "divinity," felt a flicker of doubt.
It had already endured for countless eons, and had long grown used to the loneliness of eternity. How could there possibly be someone calling for It?
And so, Its massive body subconsciously extended a branch toward the source of the sound, wanting to investigate—what kind of person would dare call upon a god, wanting to meet a god?
Thus, following Its will, the extended branch traversed an incalculable distance and countless tides, locking onto Lin Wei's position.
It pierced directly into that boundless light, reaching for the mortal who dared to call upon a god!
"Wh—"
The change was so sudden, so immense, that Su was utterly shocked. His tightly shut eyes couldn't help but fly open, just in time to meet the gaze of the entity that had sensed him, making his heart clench.
As a "sage," how could he not recognize who this indescribable thing before him was?
"It is you... the mortal who spied upon me fifty thousand years ago..."
The branch could also speak. From its huge, bloated body came a dull voice, like the sound of rotting wood.
"Are you the ones calling for me?"
After speaking, it didn't wait for Su's reply. Or rather, as a god, It simply didn't care about the thoughts of mortals.
It merely extended another enormous claw and ruthlessly snatched at Sumeru—it intended to seize Su as well!
In an instant, the situation had become critical!
But in the very next moment, a surging brilliance that could slice through anything came crashing down like a vast ocean wave. It carried an equally unyielding, fierce will, condensing infinite heat and flame into a terrifying sword light that could annihilate all things. In a flash, it severed the branch that had extended from an infinite distance away!
There was no need to doubt the origin of this heaven-cleaving sword—it could be no one other than Kevin.
Because of his recent promise to Lin Wei, Kevin had kept a large part of his attention focused on the native world. For this reason, the very instant Lin Wei opened the world barrier with the Second Divine Key, Kevin's attention had already locked onto him.
However, at that time, the three-way chaotic battle between Lin Wei, Durandal, and himself had not yet concluded, so Kevin had only watched quietly without interfering.
At the same time, he had also noticed the high-spirited, golden-haired young woman—not just because he sensed his own bloodline in her, but also because the power, talent, and will she displayed had left a deep impression on him.
As a pioneer, Kevin was happy to see such strong individuals appear in the later generations.
The more there were, the happier he was, because it meant that all the efforts of the Previous Era had finally borne abundant fruit fifty thousand years later.
And so, for different reasons and purposes, both Kevin and Su had coincidentally chosen to spectate the fierce battle happening at the "edge of the world." One could only say that they were truly best friends, still in perfect sync even after being separated for thousands of years...
And when Lin Wei called out to Su, Kevin saw even less reason to intervene immediately. His junior, whom he was watching over, wanted to meet his best friend. What reason did he have to interfere?
None!
And so, with a calm expression, he watched as Lin Wei stepped into that boundless light, as if viewing his long-parted friend from a great distance.
But in the next instant, Kevin's gaze sharpened fiercely. He spun around, looking into the depths of the Sea of Quanta. The creature's body was so enormous that its every move caused ripples throughout the Sea. How could its extended branch possibly escape Kevin's notice?
"Hmph!"
Kevin snorted coldly. He reached out, plunging his hand into a nearby world bubble, and from it, he shockingly pulled out a Judgment of Shamash burning with purple flames.
Without even looking, he unleashed a strike that seemed capable of incinerating mountains and boiling seas!
BOOM!
Kevin's sword light arrived a moment after the creature's branch, but only a moment.
The overwhelmingly powerful strike precisely avoided the boundless light originating from Su, extending straight into the more distant "sea," and then, in an instant, it severed the branch reaching toward them.
The power of the man and the god clashed violently at that moment.
"Ugh..."
Su grunted and fell back, slumping against the half-withered, half-flourishing Bodhi tree. He wasn't seriously injured by the blow, because no matter what, Kevin would never harm his best friend.
However, bringing Lin Wei to him was now completely impossible. The collision had created what felt like a tsunami in the Sea of Quanta.
He had no power to retrieve anyone from such a terrifying torrent of energy. He could only watch helplessly as Lin Wei was swept up and swallowed by that "tsunami," completely powerless...
"How could this happen?" Su murmured to himself, his heart filled with disbelief.
But compared to him, far away in Sumeru, Lin Wei, who was facing this energy torrent almost at point-blank range, was even more incredulous!
"What the hell..."
Everything had happened too fast, too violently, too suddenly. Lin Wei didn't even have time to react before it had all happened and it was all over.
He could only watch, filled with incomprehensible shock and confusion, as he was once again swept even more thoroughly into the monstrous waves of the Sea of Quanta.
He tumbled and drifted, bobbing up and down, completely powerless. Then, amidst the world-turning chaos, he lost consciousness completely...
Even up to the moment he passed out, Lin Wei couldn't understand why this had happened to him. He could only roar furiously in his mind,
"What the hell, is the Sea of Quanta really this dangerous?!"
It shouldn't be!
Didn't Bronya roam around the Sea of Quanta just fine without the Herrscher of Reason?
Why am I so unlucky? The moment I step out the door, I get ganked by a boss that came out of nowhere!
Right before he completely blacked out, he suddenly recalled the last words Kevin had said to him after their meeting, before he left. Another wave of frustration washed over him.
"Kevin, is this the trial you left for me?!"
Dammit, if you wanted me dead, you could've just said so!
Lin Wei really wanted to give him the middle finger, but he didn't have time to do anything before he completely lost consciousness...
Elsewhere, Kevin merely glanced over, confirmed that Lin Wei had run into some trouble but was not in mortal danger, and then paid him no more mind.
He stood like an unmovable mountain beneath a lush and verdant sakura tree, his hand tightly gripping a flaming Sword of Eradication.
His eyes, like arrows, stared indifferently into the depths of the Sea of Quanta, as if in a standoff with someone.
In fact, it was indeed a standoff. Kevin had just severed one of the creature's claws. Stung by the pain, the massive body hidden deep within the Sea of Quanta had involuntarily surfaced for the first time.
Kevin said nothing, his expression betraying neither surprise nor fear. He just stood there like a mountain, motionless, staring at the distant behemoth.
He silently conveyed his stance—"If you dare make a reckless move, I don't mind sending my next sword strike directly at your main body!"
"Mortal..."
The creature glanced at Kevin from afar, imprinting the white-haired man's image into its mind. After a moment of deliberation, it took the initiative to retreat, once again disappearing into the depths of the Sea of Quanta.
It wasn't angry, it wasn't annoyed, and it certainly felt no shame at being so offended by a mortal. In fact, It had long since lost all emotions, lost the ability to feel anger or impulse.
As It was now, It had no desire to engage in a meaningless battle with that remarkably powerful mortal. In that case, I will simply withdraw!
On the other side, seeing the creature proactively retreat, Kevin's expression remained as tranquil as an ancient well.
He casually tossed the Judgment of Shamash back into the world bubble, then turned and walked back under the sakura tree to continue his rest.
But as he turned, Kevin was seen reaching out and grabbing a cluster of barely-cohesive energy from a corner.
As if tossing out trash, he casually threw it into the still-turbulent energy torrent of the Sea of Quanta and said indifferently,
"Find someone for me and bring him back here. I can promise to bring you all back to the native world in the future."
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TL N: In Bronya's case, my theory is that Kevin treated Sa the same way in the canon as he does in this universe. But I'm not sure after he got out to the main universe, Sa should've targeted Seele and Bronya… Idk.