Chapter 2: Got It, So You're Not Letting Me Leave This World, Huh?

Several members in the chat group were from modern societies. Even if they came from anime worlds, their historical developments and certain aspects mirrored reality. Take, for instance, a certain monopolistic corporation— no, wait, now it's two hands covering the sky. Fujiwara Chika quickly found the information she wanted. She typed "Cocoon of the End" into the search engine. The results were all related to a supposedly cheerful, friendly, sunshine-y game. "Eh?" "Becoming a Herrscher right off the bat?" "Aunt Himeko already went to the other set, yet here we are seeing stuff from the old scene?" Fujiwara Chika couldn't help but comment. But soon, she was shocked. According to the descriptions, this item could let Takumi skyrocket in power. Damn! What kind of luck was this? Sagiri also found the same information. As an ero-artist, she instantly recognized what it was. Was Takumi about to become the Herrscher of the End? Was he going to destroy the world? Why would the chat group give out something like this? At the same time, she was incredibly jealous. "Damn lucky bastard!!" ... Takumi stared in shock at what he had received. "Cocoon of the End?" Could it really be what he thought it was? He clicked on the item's details to examine it. [Cocoon of the End] Description: Origin of Honkai. The more advanced the civilization it's bound to, the stronger the host becomes. Once obtained, it automatically binds to the civilization of the current planet. Your civilization: Planetary? Interstellar? Reading the description, Takumi went silent. Just as he thought. Binding to the planet's civilization? The stronger the civilization, the stronger the Herrscher becomes? But does this world still have a civilization? Thinking about his current circumstances, Takumi fell into deep thought. "Ptooey!" "Damn it." There was no one left in this civilization. He was just a foreigner! Sure, it was a cheat... but bound to a civilization? What good was it? If only he were in a different world, this Cocoon of the End would allow him to soar instantly. Especially in a world with an interstellar civilization. Takumi would be ridiculously powerful. But if he used it now, he'd be permanently tied to this ruined world. After hesitating, Takumi opened the chat group. Everyone was already discussing the item he received. Takumi: [Excuse me, is there any world accepting immigrants? I want to switch worlds!!] Fujiwara Chika: [Eh? Why suddenly want to switch worlds? Something wrong?] Sagiri: [But the group doesn't have a world-travel function...] Yuu: [Welcome, newcomer...] Zhongli: [As of now, world traversal is not possible.] [@Takumi, are you facing some kind of trouble?] Himeko: [Want to change worlds? Is something wrong with your world?] Even Himeko was surprised. It was the first time she saw someone in the group ask to change worlds. Though they had all talked about world-travel before, this was the first actual request to emigrate. Fujiwara Chika: [You died socially that badly you wanna change worlds?] [What did you do? Tell us so we can have a laugh.] Fujiwara Chika seemed to realize something and lit up, hurriedly pressing for answers. Social death? So that's why he wanted to escape? Takumi: [It's not like that.] [It's just that I received this thing...] [Screenshot.jpg] [Yeah, if I were in another world, I'd probably take off immediately.] [I just transmigrated to a new world. I'm the only human left.] [Civilization? What civilization? Just some documents left. The rest of the world is filled with magical beasts!!] Takumi briefly explained his situation. After hearing it, the group members understood. Fujiwara Chika: [Transmigrator!] [Bound to civilization!] [Just as I thought!!] [Even if I could cross over, I refuse!!!] [I don't want Honkai in my world!!] Sagiri: [Same, don't want Honkai in my world either!] Himeko: [Interesting... bound to civilization?] [Too bad, we can't travel worlds yet. Otherwise, you could come to mine.] Zhongli: [Indeed, a pity.] [From a universal theory standpoint, this item is quite powerful.] Binding with a planetary civilization? This newcomer had some serious luck. But his current world couldn't let the Cocoon unleash its full potential. What a waste. Since joining the chat group, Zhongli had learned much about other worlds from fellow members. Other worlds were rich and vibrant. Miss Akeno came from a world with devils and angels, where powerful beings abounded. Fujiwara Chika and Sagiri came from ordinary worlds, but had their own unique advantages. Himeko's world was especially enviable— they traveled through space, visiting countless places. Fujiwara Chika: [Once you use the Cocoon of the End, Honkai starts, right?] [Wouldn't that cause a huge disaster in other worlds?] After understanding the item, Fujiwara Chika couldn't help but speak up. Its threat level was extremely high. Faced with her doubts, Takumi was exasperated. He explained immediately. Takumi: [That depends on the user, okay?] [Stronger civilization = stronger power. So why would I destroy it?] [You're overthinking it.] Sighing, Takumi stopped replying. No world traversal meant he was stuck here. He had no choice but to bind to this dead world. Otherwise, powerless and without resources, he might just starve to death soon! The first transmigrator to die of starvation? Takumi refused to let that happen. With that in mind, he immediately claimed his sign-in reward. As he did, a terrifying energy surged into his body, beginning a transformation. At the same time, the world—devoid of humans except for Takumi—began to change. Countless Honkai energy waves emerged from the void, spreading rapidly across the globe. In mere moments, the world was filled with Honkai energy. Some monsters that absorbed it began to mutate. They turned into Honkai Beasts. Other magical beasts, those with intelligence, also sensed this power. When they absorbed it, they discovered it made them stronger. Immediately, they began frantically absorbing the energy. For magical beasts, becoming stronger was instinct. Even if they didn't know the side effects of Honkai energy, they didn't care. They needed power to survive. In a world where the weak are food, they had to become stronger or be devoured. And so, they began absorbing the Honkai energy madly.