Collapse, Kaslana's Way of Survival

"First of all, the structure of this stigmata space is roughly divided into five layers. The area we are currently in happens to be on the third layer - this is what Siegfried told me when he passed by here before he completely lost his memory." Hou Mei said somewhat dejectedly.

Is this the third floor?

Kaino frowned.

If I counted from the first floor when I first woke up, then this should just be the second floor, right? What's going on?

"Kainuo, you have already walked through the first few floors, so I won't introduce you any further." Without noticing Kainuo's expression, Hou Mei continued to explain.

"On the next level, you should be heading to a place that's particularly memorable. Based on Siegfried's experience, there will be fragments of memories of people in Kaslana with whom you had a deep connection, mixed in with a few fragments of your own memories."

"On the next level, you'll face the administrator of this stigmata space, the judge of this trial. It seems that only by defeating him can you successfully pass this trial. If you fail the trial, you will fall into the same situation as Siegfried and be thrown back to the first level."

After a pause, Hou Mei continued, "However, these are all Siegfried's past experiences. You guys have never been in a situation like this before, where you're teaming up to participate in the trial. I don't know exactly what you'll be facing."

"Also, it seems that the remaining two levels of trials seem to place more emphasis on the individual participants, so you might be suddenly separated. In short, be sure to be prepared before heading to the next level."

"Well, I roughly understand it."

Kaino nodded thoughtfully.

"But we've already made sufficient preparations, and we need to quickly complete the trial and rescue Dad. Mom, do you know where to get to the next level?"

"Hey, nephew, are we going to leave now?"

Before Houmei could react, Theresa suddenly jumped out and stared at Kainuo with wide eyes.

She wanted to stay with Cecilia and the others for a while longer.

In response to this, Kainuo did not hesitate to make another brain explosion.

"Aunt, use your brain, we're participating in a trial. Who knows if there's a time requirement for being invisible?"

"Besides, you guys must be feeling a bit uncomfortable after not moving for a while, right? The fragments of consciousness in this space seem to be limited. If you stay here forever, you'll eventually run out of them."

"That's right," Bianca interjected, "I agree with my brother."

Seeing that her nephew and niece were both planning to leave immediately, Theresa had no choice but to agree: "Well, okay then."

"Well, actually, I wanted to keep you here to learn about Kaino's cooking skills before leaving. After so many years of training here, his cooking skills can definitely be said to be at the level of a master chef."

Hou Mei looked a little disappointed, but she didn't try to persuade him to stay.

"Keep going in that direction. The memory fragment at the end is the node leading to the next level. Of course, this is all I know. How to act on the next level is up to you."

Stretching out her pink arm to point to one end of the airport, Houmei smiled at Kaino.

"Of course, Keno has grown up, and Bianca has become a big kid too. Even Theresa, who seems the most unfocused, I believe she can find a way out of this situation on her own."

"We can't leave this floor, so we can't continue to accompany you. But I will definitely bless you from the bottom of my heart and pray for your victory."

"Hey, Cecilia, why am I the most careless one?" Theresa said dissatisfiedly.

Pulling his aunt behind him and burying a feather dust, Kainuo took a deep breath and nodded to Hou Mei, "Don't worry, Mom, we will definitely survive the trial."

"And, bye."

"Actually, it's better not to see each other again, okay?" Hou Mei said.

Kainuo was stunned, smiled and stopped talking.

Chapter 205 First Meeting with the Judge

In the vast snowy plain, Keno, who had just arrived at the next level of the Holy Scar Space, rubbed his temple lightly with a strange look on his face.

The memories that emerged this time had little to do with him, but rather a conversation between Bianca and Otto when she had just become an S-rank Valkyrie. There were many conversations that made the Anti-Entropy Leader's blood pressure soar, as well as some of Otto's temptations towards Bianca and some guidance for her life.

But these are nothing noteworthy to Keno.

What really concerned him was the little information he gained from this memory.

- His sister Bianca actually has a world bubble inside her body just like him?!

And according to what Otto said, his power as the Ruler of the Void can also save the world bubble that has been inverted into the body... Then will it also be effective for the world bubble in his own body?

However, he would have to confirm these with Otto after returning. He had other things to do now.

Looking around, Keno couldn't help but sigh.

"Mom was right. We are really separated one by one by this stigmata space."

Sensing the vague connection between Bianca and Theresa's bodies and Yu Duchen, Kainuo could confirm that they were also in different spatial locations. In other words, this level of the trial was indeed individualized, hence the separation of the individuals.

"But who wants to take the trial with you honestly? Only a fool would not cheat if he could."

Keno casually opened the imaginary door leading to Bianca and was about to step in.

If I were you, I wouldn't do that.

The mixed sound that suddenly rang in his mind made Kainuo pause, and his eyes became sharp as he immediately scanned the surroundings.

"Who?!"

[You should have guessed my identity, so there is no need for me to introduce myself.]

The voice, devoid of any emotion, still rang directly from within Kainuo's head. This made him raise an eyebrow, confirming his suspicions.

"Are you the so-called judge of the Stigmata Space?"

Retracting his foot mid-step, Keno stood still and asked. Of course, the imaginary door remained open, allowing him to enter directly in case of an emergency.

"Where's my dad? And why are you stopping me from going in?"

Almost at the moment Keno asked the question, the voice sounded again.

[Siegfried Kaslana, he is the loser of this trial. Even if he were to re-enter this space with your help, he would not be eligible to participate in the trial again. On the contrary, since he has some understanding of the trial content, he could even have some influence on your trial.]

Therefore, I placed him directly at the center of the trial and helped him recover. If you pass the trial, you can see him. Of course, if you want to leave here directly, you can take him with you.

[As for your sister... In order to help you pass this trial more effectively, you should avoid meeting her and your other relative after this, until the trial is over. Otherwise, this will reduce their chances of passing the trial.]

"What you said is quite interesting." Kainuo sneered, "From what you said, it seems that you want us to pass this trial?"

"If that's the case, wouldn't it be better for me to cheat and help them? And since my dad has re-entered this stigmata space, why shouldn't he have the chance to participate in the trial again?"

Trials or not were irrelevant; their primary purpose in coming here was to have Siegfried confirm their true identities. If they were simply dragged to the finish line to wait for them, what good would it do them even if they gained power?

After a short pause, the voice continued.

【You seem to have some misunderstanding about this trial.】

As the stigmata space passed down from the Kaslana family, its very existence is to help you harness the power of the stigmata to combat the Collapse. The nature of the trial is not to hinder your access to that power, but rather to test your ability to accept it, a form of protection for you.

The Kaslana family's stigmata are extremely powerful, and therefore their requirements for awakened individuals are exceptionally high. For example, your father, after failing the trial, gained the power of the stigmata through cheating. As a result, he often lost control and uncontrollably transformed into a half-human, half-ghostly form.

The first few levels of the Stigmata Space are not dangerous; they are merely preparations to help those undergoing the trial adjust their mindsets. Only the final level is the true test, so any assistance you offer them will have a negative impact.

It turned out to be the case.

Kainuo's brows relaxed slightly, and a gleam flashed in his eyes.

If that were the case, then a lot of things would make sense.

"Then I..."

[No comment. 】

Mix suddenly spoke, causing the interrupted Kaino to be slightly stunned.

"why?"

[Before the actual trial begins, the Judge will not provide any information to ordinary trial participants. If the trial participant fails to successfully obtain the power of the stigmata, the information just now will not be disclosed.]

[The reason I'm sharing this information with you is because of your uniqueness and the fact that even if you successfully pass the trial, you won't be able to awaken the Kaslana family stigmata. However, as for further information, even if you are extremely unique, you will only be eligible to inquire after you pass the trial.]

Kaino's eyebrows were almost twisted into knots.

The specialness of Shenta Miao.

The entire Kaslana family is qualified to undergo the trial to obtain the power of the stigmata, but it is absolutely impossible for me to obtain it?

Who are you looking down on???

"Why?!"

The remix answered in almost seconds.

[No comment. This is also information that can only be learned after the trial is over.]

"Tsk." Kainuo smacked his lips unhappily.

He can answer questions about Bianca, his period, and his dad, but when it comes to himself, he doesn't say a word?

After thinking about it, Keno continued to try to bargain with the other party.

"How about you send my dad to my place? There are some things I want him to know."

"Anyway, you said that even if I pass the trial, I won't be able to obtain the stigmata, so my trial is not that important, right?"

Rarely, the judge's voice fell silent for a moment.

If you want, you can, but my advice is not to.

"Why?" Kainuo frowned.

This was probably the day with the most problems for him.

"As I said, you possess some special characteristics. Therefore, the rules of the trials you will undergo will differ from those of normal participants. For example, you will not encounter the memories you wish him to see. Instead, you will encounter memories that are not conducive to his knowledge."

[Also, I can let him watch the memory fragments your sister and aunt encountered during the trial, which can also achieve your goal.]

After thinking for a while with his head down, Kainuo sighed and closed the imaginary door at hand.

"Okay, you convinced me."

This time, the judge's voice no longer sounded.

Kaino exhaled.

Calling Siegfried over will almost certainly not achieve the goal, but not calling him over will actually achieve the goal. Even a fool would know which choice to make.

As for if the other party lied to him... then the worst that could happen is that he would bring in a few Honkai-fission bombs and set off fireworks later.

Moreover, if he really wanted to determine whether the judge was deceiving him, he didn't have to wait too long. He could make a judgment as long as he came into contact with the next few memory fragments.

His eyes focused on a piece of memory fragment floating in the air not far away, and Kaino ran over without hesitation and touched it lightly.

In an instant, the familiar dark vortex enveloped him again, causing him to fall into the depths of consciousness.

Chapter 206 The Third Memory Fragment

A high-tech corridor with a conference room sign in front of the door.

He looked down at the watch on his wrist and found that the minute hand had only moved less than two squares since the last time he looked at it. The owner of the memory sighed, scratched his head in annoyance, and continued to pace nearby.

After a while, perhaps unable to hold it in any longer, the owner of the memory took a deep breath, turned around, and asked the young security guard at the door with a smile on his face, "Hello, big brother, when will this meeting start..."

"Don't ask, I don't know." Before he could finish his question, the man outside the door interrupted him harshly.

The owner of the memory was stunned for a moment, then nodded distressedly, sighed, and leaned against the wall of the corridor, staring at the round chandelier on the ceiling to kill time.

Until now, he still feels a little disillusioned with his life.

He had been attending school in Changkong City and had successfully made plans to go out with the girl he loved. Everything was going smoothly until suddenly, a massive disaster struck, affecting the entire city.

Pale-skinned humanoid demons and all sorts of bizarre, ferocious beasts. As he fled, he'd even managed a few glances toward the city center. The scene of lightning piercing the sky and colliding with dense black and white spears was still vivid in his mind, leaving him with a lingering fear.

He had finally managed to protect the girl who was about to escape the apocalyptic disaster when he was suddenly surrounded by a group of heavily armed soldiers. After a brief confirmation of their identities, the two were politely led to this secret base.

--His girlfriend was pulled into the conference room behind him, and he was waiting here in a daze for her to come out.

He did think about taking his girlfriend and escaping from this group of people, but after a brief exchange with them, his girlfriend indicated that these people could be trusted and asked him not to act rashly.

The owner of the memory exhaled.

But in fact, he didn't have a strong desire to escape, and even asked to stay here and become a soldier.

It wasn't just to accompany his girlfriend. The people who had brought them here clearly knew something about the sudden and devastating disaster that had swept through Changkong City. And coincidentally, he also wanted to investigate similar natural disasters.

after all……

pat.

The sudden sound of the door opening interrupted his wandering thoughts and made him subconsciously turn sideways.

Since the door was open, the meeting must be over. With this thought in mind, he excitedly ran to the door and looked inside.

There was another click, and the door was closed.