MDV 281-289 (Patreon)

Chapter 281: Just Like the First Time\There's Another Lin Ling?"Well then, this newcomer, Guinea Pig, come and meet your best friends.""What? My best friends?"Mobius then led Kiana to a secret room deep within a laboratory.Good heavens!Kiana was astonished to find that Bronya, Wendy, Ana, Senti, Hua, Durandal, Rita… almost every girl Kiana knew who had a close relationship with Lin Ling (except for Mei from World Serpent) was there."Hmm… what's this? I was wondering why I hadn't seen you all today. Turns out you're all here."Upon seeing Kiana, Senti immediately greeted her. "Yo, Kiana, you're finally here! We've been waiting for you. Come, come, sit down.""So… what's going on here?"Completely bewildered, Kiana quickly asked Mobius."Recovering memories is something that should be left to the person who can give Guinea Pig those memories," Mobius replied.Kiana pondered for a moment. "Hmm… giving someone else memories?… You mean Senti?""No…" Mobius shook her head. "While the Herrscher of Sentience can indeed modify memories, it’s impossible for the Herrscher of Sentience alone to conjure up all of Lin Ling’s lost memories out of thin air."Kiana continued, "Then… what should we do?"Mobius smiled mysteriously. "Some say that humans are the sum of their social relationships, and I think that makes a lot of sense in a way. After all, a person’s memories are never just their own affair. Therefore, I will use your shared memories to help that little one find her lost past…"…Meanwhile, far away on the other side of Earth, Mei lay quietly in an ancient ruin beneath World Serpent, her mind wandering within a strange memory space and temporarily unaware of everything outside.Not long ago, after learning that Kiana might be in danger, Mei contacted Kiana through the Herrscher space.In that strange space, she saw a bizarre being identical to herself yet white in color.She knew this was the legendary Will of Honkai, also known as—God.Upon returning to World Serpent, she immediately sought out Kevin and inquired about the truth regarding the God of Honkai.However, Kevin refused to answer directly and instead guided Mei to World Serpent's greatest secret—the Elysian Realm—leaving Mei to find the answer herself.In the Previous Era, the main fighting force against the Honkai was the powerful MANTIS.However, in the increasingly brutal battles against the Herrschers, the vast majority of MANTIS perished on the battlefield. Especially after the devastating Tragedy of Binding, only thirteen survived; they became known as the Thirteen Flame-Chasers.To preserve the precious data and intelligence of these last thirteen MANTIS, the surviving humans established the Elysian Realm, backing up their memories within it for future generations to investigate, question, recall the past, and guide their training.Then, in this virtual memory space that almost completely recreated the Previous Era, Mei encountered several MANTIS with relatively friendly—or rather, fairly normal—personalities.For example, there was a familiar face she'd met recently—the person who had inexplicably brought her to the Elysian Realm, Kevin, the current leader of World Serpent, "Deliverance."Although this Kevin in the Elysian Realm was identical to the Kevin outside in both appearance and thought process, he possessed completely independent consciousness and, strictly speaking, was not the same person.However, what left Mei speechless was that this Kevin also liked to say things that left her bewildered and frequently said things like, "That's all I have to say. Nothing more to add," making him a complete enigma.Then there was an old acquaintance Mei knew very well—the old Class Monitor, Hua, or rather, at this point she should still be called "Hua," because this Class Monitor's memories were stuck 50,000 years in the past and she didn't recognize Mei.Next was a pink-haired samurai girl with fox ears whose personality and interests were very compatible with Mei's. She also used a katana as her weapon and possessed superb swordsmanship—"Setsuna" Sakura. The two hit it off immediately and shared a lot in common regarding swordsmanship, kendo, and cooking. They often sparred and exchanged ideas, from which Mei greatly benefited.Next was Kevin's friend, the sage among the Thirteen MANTIS—"Bodhi" Su, whose words, while not exactly riddles, were perhaps even more enigmatic and profound, leaving Mei feeling both understanding and not quite comprehending.There was also the biggest tycoon in the Elysian Realm, its greatest financial backer, the wealthy woman who funded its construction, a world-class superstar from the Previous Era and a musician renowned for countless accolades whose artistic achievements alone were enough to represent an era—IV "Gold" Eden.Then there was Kalpas with his volatile temper and extremely high body temperature that screamed danger, bearing the Signet "Decimation" and almost getting into a fight with Mei on their first meeting.Among them, one must highlight the adorable pink-haired beauty—Elysia. Although she served as Mei's guide in the Elysian Realm, she seemed a little too enthusiastic toward Mei and constantly flirted with her.This initially made Mei uncomfortable, but thankfully, Mei had already become quite seasoned under Lin Ling's long-term guidance and managed to withstand it.In short, after a friendly exchange, Mei enjoyed a relatively peaceful and even pleasant period.However, as her adventure deepened, she slowly began to uncover strange mysteries and enigmatic truths hidden within the Elysian Realm…One day, Mei was suddenly pulled into a void of darkness.Then, a voice possessing a strange magic—infinitely gentle yet unsettling and even slightly frightening—echoed from the distant depths:"I... have been waiting for you. Strange traveler, may I ask your name?"Mei strained her eyes toward the voice, trying to make out who it was, but all she saw was darkness.At the same time, Mei's body involuntarily replied."Raiden Mei..."(Hmm?... Strange? How could this be?)This struck Mei as odd. It was as if her body had answered automatically without her even thinking.Upon noticing the abnormality in her body, Mei immediately asked warily. "Who... are you?""Please forgive me, Mei. Right now, I cannot answer your question. That would only deepen your doubts and even lead to misunderstandings... These are not my intentions, so please understand me. Neither I nor this prison... harbor any ill will toward you. Well, just consider this place a temporary resting place or... a completely empty space that exists solely to allow you to meet..."After a brief encounter, the mysterious girl vanished, and Mei returned to her original spot as if nothing had happened.This experience, typical of the Elysian Realm, left her bewildered and utterly astonished.…Later, Mei heard that Raven had also disappeared in the Elysian Realm and, following Elysia's clues, began searching for her.Thus, Mei encountered even more extraordinary MANTIS within the Elysian Realm.A lively, adorable, and innocent catgirl—very likable but also mischievous and prone to petty theft—XIII "Reverie" Pardofelis."Helix" Vil-V, a great engineer, was the one who created the early Divine Keys. She possessed the ability to divide and conquer, assigning different tasks to various consciousnesses skilled in those areas.Seemingly taciturn and enigmatic yet possessing a rich inner world was the young MANTIS "Daybreak" Kosmo.Then there was the adorable yet mysterious little girl who unconsciously mimicked those around her and loved to draw—"Stars" Griseo.Finally, Mei once again encountered one of the most unique beings in the Elysian Realm, the owner of the voice that had pulled her consciousness into the strange space last time—"Discipline" Aponia.Unlike other MANTIS, who were copies of the memories of real MANTIS from the Previous Era, she was the strongest psycho-sensory MANTIS from the Previous Era and was chosen to merge with the Elysian Realm.It is said that after becoming a MANTIS, Aponia gained the ability to see through the threads of others' destinies. However, this wondrous ability also became a burden. She witnessed countless tragic endings and considered rebelling against this unjust fate, but each act of resistance seemed to bring even greater tragedy afterward.What tormented her most was instilling in her soldiers the belief, to strengthen their resistance against Honkai: "Never give up fighting Honkai."However, this resulted in Fire Moth personnel fanatically murdering Rin, Sakura's younger sister—a girl detected as a potential Herrscher—even though this innocent and pitiful girl never showed any signs of harming humanity.However, fate loves to toy with people, and endless tragedy unfolded from there… It turned out that the condition for Rin to awaken as a Herrscher was death.Therefore, after Rin's death, the once innocent girl, corrupted by Honkai, transformed into the terrifying Twelfth Herrscher—the Herrscher of Corruption—a virus capable of infecting almost anything.Subsequently, under Rin's influence, humanity's missile systems launched nuclear missiles at the last three cities.Thus, except for a small number of survivors in the Fire Moth base, all of humanity perished. Humanity was, in a sense, defeated.After this ordeal, Aponia was consumed by deep self-blame and anguish. She began to believe she could do nothing to change fate and became a slave to destiny.Therefore, she chose a method almost tantamount to suicide: merging with the Elysian Realm and imprisoning herself in its empty depths as punishment for her sins.…However, during their second meeting, this girl who could see through fate prophesied to Mei."The Elysian Realm will be destroyed in ten days, and I will kill you."But Mei declared that she didn't believe in prophecy.To defy Aponia's prophecy, she made a bold and incredibly dangerous decision: she confronted Kalpas, a man filled with rage and destruction, and arrogantly challenged him."Kalpas, come here!"Mei believed that since Aponia had predicted her death in ten days, she would provoke Kalpas into killing her beforehand and thereby break the prophecy.Kalpas, true to his reputation as the third strongest man in the Previous Era, proved overwhelming even for Mei, who had fully acquired the power of the Herrscher of Thunder. As his forms grew increasingly powerful, Mei gradually fell into a disadvantageous position and even faced a life-threatening crisis.But just as Mei was about to perish, her true plan succeeded.Aponia appeared to protect Mei and, using almost Yanling-level mental control, drove away Kalpas.This also indicated that Aponia would use her subjective power to guide events in the direction of her own words, leading Mei to question whether such a prophecy could truly be considered prophecy.Subsequently, the two agreed to witness the prophecy's outcome again in ten days.Soon, ten days later, the day Aponia predicted Mei's death arrived.Mei, undeterred, proactively returned to the Deepest Realm and stood before Aponia, who knelt in devout prayer.Having witnessed the events of the past, Mei believed:A great secret existed deep within the Elysian Realm, one that Aponia didn't want anyone to know.Therefore, Mei suspected that rather than predicting her death in ten days, Aponia knew Mei was pursuing this secret and had to stop her, even if it meant killing her.Aponia also frankly admitted that she hadn't actually foreseen Mei's death but rather that she couldn't foresee the future destinies of either of them.This situation foreshadowed either Mei's death or the destruction of the entire Elysian Realm.But Mei had a different perspective.She interpreted Aponia's vision of fate in her own way:"Is it possible that I erased you?"Then the two, with their differing views on fate, engaged in battle.Finally, after a fierce battle, Mei emerged victorious and successfully defeated Aponia.But… after a flash of light, space shattered… everything seemed as though nothing had happened—Mei was astonished to find herself still standing in the same spot. Before her, Aponia remained kneeling with hands clasped like a sinner.It turned out that everything Mei had just experienced, including her victory over Aponia, had merely been an illusion.They had simply remained motionless in the same place.But since Mei couldn't break through her opponent's mental abilities and Aponia couldn't force Mei back solely with her own mental powers,the two returned to the debate table—"The end is near, Mei. Can you tell me why you're so determined to step into it?"Aponia couldn't understand Mei's choice of knowing she would die yet still resolutely moving forward."My companions and I... for a long time, we were caught in a web of intrigue and manipulated by those in the shadows... In my eyes, being controlled by others and being controlled by fate are no different..."Mei slowly recounted her past, then looked at Aponia and firmly stated."But! I believe the ending can be changed! And even if it can't, I will decide for myself the process of reaching that outcome!"Mei's words deeply moved Aponia because she reminded her of a girl who had once said the same thing.That day, the girl stood before Aponia, recounting her impending demise and smiling as she left Kevin a final gift for his birthday sixteen days later.Ten days later, she transformed into the Thirteenth Herrscher and willingly allowed herself to be killed by the MANTISes, doing what she could for the humanity she deeply loved.Even if the future cannot be changed, she will decide for herself the process of reaching that outcome.After recounting the past, Aponia opened a staircase for Mei that stretched toward the sky. At the top stood a large white door filled with pure light.Having heard Aponia's story, Mei finally understood. Everything she was experiencing was Aponia's test—a test of whether she was worthy to access the final truth—and Mei had given her a perfect answer.Then, as if on a pilgrimage, Mei climbed the staircase step by step and passed through the door.Behind that door, Mei saw a familiar bench.On the bench, a more familiar pink-haired girl sat lazily and casually, greeting Mei warmly as she approached:"Now that you've finally stood before the Thirteenth Herrscher, how does it feel?"Everything felt just like the first time they met…"Wait!"Suddenly, Mei realized something was amiss.Next to the pink-haired girl sat a white-haired girl curiously observing her, and she looked incredibly familiar.Mei quickly asked in surprise:"Ling, what are you doing here?!"————————————Chapter 282: Um, you’re not my wife too, are you? I want to get back everything from the past!“Hm!…”One day, as the girl awoke from a beautiful dream, she impatiently slapped the alarm clock off the bedside table.Then, rubbing her sleepy eyes, she slowly sat up. She saw the sky outside the window, just beginning to lighten.“Eh~ It’s not even dawn yet? Hmm… I’ll just sleep… just one more minute…”And so, the girl, still grumbling, was overcome by sleepiness once more…But just as she was about to close her eyes again, she forced them wide open"Ah! No, I have training today! I can’t be late…”Reluctantly, the girl dragged her groggy body to the bathroom to wash up.She squinted and fumbled for her toothbrush, then lazily squeezed on some toothpaste.Ah… a little too much, but it’s not a big deal.Gurgle gurgle gurgle~She spat out the mouthwash…Next, she washed her face…“Hiss~”The sensation of cool water against her skin finally cleared the drowsy girl’s head a little. She looked up at herself in the mirror.“Sigh” The girl sighed helplessly. “Honestly, how can an ordinary girl like me be a Schicksal S-rank Valkyrie? It’s such a hassle. If I’d known this would happen, I would have preferred to stay at Sakura’s house and sleep in every day Hm!?”But suddenly, the girl suddenly noticed something was wrong. Two strange, yet somehow cute, bumps appeared on top of her head.She quickly reached out and grabbed them!And the next moment—her fingers and those unusual ears clearly felt their presence!Then…“Ah!?? What is this?!”A girl’s exclamation broke the morning tranquility of Schicksal headquarters!...“Ling! What’s wrong?!”Hearing the familiar scream, Durandal, who had just finished washing and dressing near Lin Ling and was heading to the training grounds for her morning exercise, burst through the door.But upon entering Lin Ling’s room, she only saw a white figure clutching two tufts of hair on its head.“Huh!?” Perhaps sensing the loud noise behind her, the white figure trembled slightly before slowly turning around.At that moment, Durandal finally saw clearly that it wasn’t a girl clutching her hair, but a girl—or rather, a catgirl—wearing a thin nightgown that vaguely outlined her curves, clutching her cat ears and staring at her with tearful, fearful eyes.“Hm!?”Strangely, Durandal felt a heat rise to her nose, as if something hot was about to burst forth.Fortunately, her long-term meditation training gave her excellent control over her body, allowing her to suppress it.After a moment of silence, Durandal asked, “Ling... are you alright?”“I... I’m fine. Oh, wait! Miss Durandal!”Because Durandal had shown good self-control during the previous attack, she hadn’t done anything too outrageous to Lin Ling, so Lin Ling wasn’t too afraid. Instead, she quickly approached Durandal and showed her the top of her head."Look! What’s going on? I think I’ve grown cat ears?!”“Mmm~”Because they were so close, and due to the height difference, the girl’s fluffy, bouncy ears brushed against Durandal’s face, almost making her unable to resist picking her up and giving her a good rub and cuddle like she would her pet Stan.“Miss Lin Ling.” Durandal pushed Lin Ling away, then turned her slightly flushed face aside. “Well, Ling, I don’t know what happened either. I’ll take you to the infirmary.”Lin Ling realized that her behavior just now seemed a bit too intimate and impulsive.She scratched her head awkwardly and shyly. “Sorry, I got a little too excited just now. I’ll do as Miss Durandal says.”Then Lin Ling returned to her bedside, intending to…“Um… Miss Durandal, I need… could you…”“Ah? Oh, sorry.”Durandal looked at the clothes in Lin Ling’s hands, understood, and immediately turned around, walking to the door she had just destroyed."Don’t worry, Miss Lin Ling, I won’t peek. I’ll stand here and protect you.”“Hm...” Seeing Durandal’s gentlemanly demeanor, so different from the group of “female hooligans” who had forced her, Lin Ling was filled with gratitude.“Miss Durandal, you’re such a kind person.”After being praised by Lin Ling, Durandal scratched her head. “Hehe... You flatter me. I was too impulsive and damaged Miss Lin Ling’s door just now; it’s what I should do.”But then, with her back to Lin Ling, Durandal silently repeated the words from their earlier conversation, her brow furrowing inexplicably.“‘I’m a good person?’ Hm... something feels off.”Afterward, Durandal and the dressed Lin Ling headed to the infirmary together.However, on their way there, Lin Ling felt uneasy, as if she were being secretly observed by some lustful beast.“Miss Durandal…” the girl grabbed Durandal’s arm worriedly. “Don’t you feel like someone is watching us? It’s scary. It’s giving me the creeps. Is someone planning to ambush me…?”The tall, elegant blonde girl being hugged immediately looked away, then asked somewhat awkwardly, “Um... so cute... ah? Cough, uh... no, no, it must be your imagination. This is Schicksal headquarters, well defended, with many Valkyries. You won’t be in any danger.”Soon, escorted by Durandal, Lin Ling arrived safely at the infirmary....But Dr. Mobius only glanced at her before speaking speechlessly, “I thought something had happened, Guinea Pig. Aren’t you a catgirl?”Lin Ling was immediately startled. “Ah! How could this be? How could I be a catgirl?”“It seems you really can’t remember anything,” Mobius shook her head helplessly. “Have you forgotten? You were the one who asked me to turn you into this, and you can not only become a catgirl, but also a dragon girl, even a succubus~ um... I mean a chimera.”“What!?...” Lin Ling looked at her hands with worry. “So, so I... I’m no longer human?”Initially, when Lin Ling awoke from her chaotic and void state, she found herself in a beautiful cherry blossom forest.At that time, having lost her past, she thought she was just an ordinary girl?However, soon, through the stories of the people around her upon her awakening, she discovered that she possessed magical powers that mortals should not have, which both surprised and delighted her.But now, she was shocked to learn that she wasn’t even human anymore?!This was something the girl’s innocent heart could not accept for a moment.Fortunately, Mobius immediately spoke. "Don’t worry, Guinea Pig, you can freely change your form. Don’t you remember? Yesterday you were still human.”“Oh! I see.” The girl suddenly understood and breathed a sigh of relief.Then she closed her eyes, clenched her fists, and held her breath…But time ticked by, and under Durandal and Mobius’s puzzled gazes, the white-haired girl remained unchanged, except for her face turning red from holding her breath.“Ling, what’s wrong?”“Hm? What are you doing, Guinea Pig?”“Hmph... um...” The girl reopened her eyes, scratching her head awkwardly. “Um... how do I change back?”“Hiss~”Mobius rested her chin on her hand, her expression serious as she pondered."To forget even something as instinctive as changing body form, Guinea Pig, your amnesia is far more severe than I imagined. In that case, it seems I’ll have to intensify my treatment plan!”Lin Ling was startled. “F-Further intensify?”“Dr. Mobius,” Durandal stepped forward and asked with a mixture of worry and anticipation, “What should we do? She can’t... she can’t stay like this forever, can she?!”“Not necessarily. Judging from how her body suddenly changed after a nap, although she can’t actively control her body’s changes when awake, she unconsciously transforms herself. So perhaps she’ll look completely different tomorrow.”“I see...” Hearing that Lin Ling couldn’t maintain her catgirl form indefinitely, Durandal, a cat lover, sounded somewhat disappointed.“No way, I don’t want to keep changing! I’m so stupid!”“But don’t worry about that,” Mobius patted the agitated girl, confidently reassuring her. “With my Mobius’s techniques, every form is adorable.”“Huh?” Lin Ling shook her head. “Hm... become cute? No, no, I... I don’t want that!”“Then” Hearing this, Mobius smiled teasingly and added, “You can also become very sexy”“Ah, this...”...“Ah~ It’s finally over. Seriously, why was everyone staring at me during training? It’s just cat ears. What’s so interesting about that? Right, Durandal?”“Hm... indeed.” Durandal licked her lips and swallowed, seeming confused. “I... I don’t understand either... probably...”After seeing Doctor Mobius and learning what had happened, Lin Ling and Durandal went to the training grounds for a morning workout.While Lin Ling was amazed by her own immense power, she also attracted the attention of everyone present. Especially the Schicksal Valkyrie girls.However, intimidated by the strict and serious authority of their captain, Durandal, after being glared at by the strongest Schicksal Valkyrie from afar, they didn’t dare approach her and could only watch from a distance.Then they started obsessively shipping their captain and Miss Lin Ling!...“Hey! Ling, what are you doing? Why are you wearing cat ears?”But not everyone was afraid of Durandal. A red-haired older sister suddenly appeared behind them and immediately grabbed Lin Ling’s cat ears.“Ah!?”After her sensitive area was touched, the little catgirl immediately let out a shy gasp.But this cry did not stop the hand; instead, it emboldened her. “Wow, this feel, this reaction~ Is this really real?!”The events of the past few days had been far too unimaginable for Lin Ling to bear, causing her to question her very existence.Therefore, when the red-haired older sister in front of her leaned in and began to play with her body so naturally, Lin Ling’s first reaction was to shrink back, and then she involuntarily asked."P-please don’t do this, even if it’s you... um, speaking of which, ma’am, you... you wouldn’t happen to be my... my... you know, would you?”“You? Which one? Little one, you wouldn’t be thinking of ‘lao po,’ would you? Hmph, dream on.”Himeko pinched Lin Ling’s nose. “Go look at your file. Although I haven’t been around you much, which seems a bit irresponsible, I am still your nominal guardian. Honestly, I wanted to spend more time with you, but I finally got to see you again, and then yesterday Theresa sent me to rebuild the Hyperion. Damn it, she’s supposed to be the headmistress, right? Why does she leave everything to me!”As she spoke, Himeko veered off-topic and began complaining about her inhuman boss.“Lady Theresa is now not only the headmistress of St. Freya, but also the Archbishop of the entire Schicksal, so she’s much busier than before,” the honest Durandal immediately defended her aunt.“Sigh, come to think of it, Otto left such a huge mess, and now she’s got to handle it all. It must be tough for her, so I guess I’ll just have to take the blame. But, hmph, I can’t work for nothing; she has to give me a raise! Oh! I remember! During these months of defection—no, uprising—my salary has been withheld by her under the pretext of ‘we’ve cut ties with headquarters and have no funding.’ But she’s not the Archbishop anymore, and she still hasn’t paid me! No way, I have to go ask her for it now!”Himeko grew angrier as she spoke.“My guardian, my guardian... could it be...!”But while Ms. Himeko was complaining about her unscrupulous boss, a certain girl was pondering her relationship with this particularly close red-haired older sister, and then, combining the key words in the conversation, she had a bold idea—“Could it be... could it be this lady?”Lin Ling looked at the girl before her and asked cautiously, “You... you wouldn’t happen to be... my... my mommy, would you?”“Huh—” Himeko was startled. “Little one, what did you call me?!”“Ahem.” Lin Ling coughed lightly, seemingly embarrassed to say that word again. “Um, am I... am I your child...?”“Pfft! Ha? Haha, hahaha.” Himeko burst out laughing. “Silly child, you’re not my child. I picked you up...”Lin Ling was taken aback. “Huh? You... you found me?”Seeing that Lin Ling was confused, Durandal explained, “Ling, a few years ago, you encountered a disaster, and it was Miss Himeko who rescued you from the sea.”“Oh! I see!” Lin Ling exclaimed in surprise, then immediately bowed deeply to Himeko. “Thank you... Aunt Himeko, thank you for saving me.”“Oh dear, that was so many years ago.” Himeko waved her hand casually, seemingly a little shy, then helped Lin Ling up. “Although calling me ‘Mommy’ is really strange, calling me ‘Auntie’ is even worse! It makes me sound so old. Sweetie, call me ‘Onee-chan’~”“Mmm.” The girl nodded obediently, then sweetly called out, “Himeko-neechan...”“Tsk tsk tsk, oh dear, really, I didn’t expect you to become somewhat cute after losing your memory. Maybe we should just leave it at that.”“Hm...”“Well, just kidding. I’m not saying it’s better that you lost your memory. Before, although you were mischievous, always causing trouble, talking nonsense, and flirting with everyone... the list of your flaws goes on. But in crucial moments, you always bravely turned the tide and helped everyone escape trouble. It’s just that you always ended up covered in bruises, which broke my heart. But! All in all, little one~”Himeko gently stroked Lin Ling’s head again. “No matter what you become, you’ll always be my favorite student.”Finally, under Himeko’s gentle care, the girl, who had been confused about her identity due to amnesia, seemed to feel something—not from memory, but from her heart—touched. She unconsciously hugged the red-haired older sister in front of her. “Himeko-neechan...”Himeko was overwhelmed with emotion at being gently embraced by the girl for the first time. She patted the little one’s back.“Honestly, how come you seem to get smaller the older you get?”And so, the two, separated for so long, were finally able to rekindle their master-disciple relationship…After a moment of tenderness, Lin Ling released her hand and shyly pushed her aside…Himeko then said to Lin Ling in a slightly serious tone, “By the way, I heard you’ve been avoiding Kiana lately. That’s not good. It’ll hurt her feelings! You know? You were the one who started it all. You can’t use amnesia as an excuse to irresponsibly walk away, starting something and then abandoning it. Otherwise, see if I don’t give you a good spanking! Of course, the same goes for the other girls. How should I put it? Everyone treats you that way because everyone likes you the most.”“Does everyone... like me?”Initially, Lin Ling didn’t quite grasp the reality of losing her memories. Whenever others told her about their past, she always felt like they were telling someone else’s story.But now, looking at Himeko, who was gazing at her gently and silently, and at Durandal, who had always been so devoted to protecting her, and recalling those girls who had sometimes been a little overbearing with her but clearly cared deeply for her...A strong desire rose within her—a desire to regain her memories, to reclaim her past and the shared past with everyone.---Chapter 283: I Will Eventually Become You...?"That's right, you wrote everyone's names on their omelets, but you drew a steel plate on Fu Hua's, which made her so angry that she broke the metal spoon with her fist..."Later, during casual conversation, Aunt Himeko spontaneously recounted anecdotes she knew about Lin Ling. Lin Ling and Durandal listened with curiosity and attentiveness."Hmm..."After hearing about the stupid things she had done in the past, Lin Ling stroked her chin and spoke seriously."Was I really this naughty before? And I seemed to especially enjoy teasing that classmate named Fu Hua. No... I guess I need to find a chance to apologize to her.""Haha."Seeing Lin Ling actually reflecting seriously and saying she wanted to apologize, Himeko ruffled her little head vigorously."No need, because the next day you were thoroughly trained by Fu Hua all day long. Although you kept apologizing, your painful groans still echoed throughout the training ground, even causing some rumors to circulate in the school about the two of you not being very healthy. And if you really wanted to apologize, you might have to apologize to quite a few people. Back then, you were a regular on our St. Freya Academy's demerit list, making us teachers clean up your messes everywhere. Once, I even saw the headmaster so angry that she stayed up all night drinking cup after cup of bitter melon juice.""Hehe~" Lin Ling then scratched her head and gave a silly smile.Durandal listened with a wry smile. A pang of regret lingered; if she had chosen to attend St. Freya Academy, perhaps she would have met Lin Ling sooner.But after glancing at the grinning Lin Ling, she shook her head slightly.She was different from others; everyone had their own suitable method of cultivation and learning. If she had also attended St. Freya Academy, perhaps she would have wasted her time, and she might not have the strength she had today, nor would she have been able to properly protect those she wanted to protect.Meanwhile, the always observant Himeko suddenly noticed something. She suddenly raised an eyebrow and asked Durandal."Durandal~ I saw you peeking the whole time. Want to touch them too? The little one definitely won't mind."As she spoke, Himeko gently flicked the girl's bouncy, fluffy ears.“Himeko-neechan!” The girl immediately clutched her head, pouting. “Didn’t I say you could touch my head, but not there!?”“This… that’s not right.”Although Durandal was very tempted, she was still too embarrassed to actually do it.However, to her surprise, the girl, who clearly resisted anyone touching her ears and even felt uncomfortable just being looked at, actually turned her head away, speaking somewhat awkwardly."Um… if it’s Durandal-san… okay… it’s okay.”“Hmm!”Durandal’s eyes lit up immediately, but then her expression suddenly changed drastically. She quickly pressed down on the hidden earpiece in her ear, as if talking to someone.“…Hmm? Um… okay… please give your orders… Yes! I’ll go right away…”After a brief phone call, Durandal spoke to Lin Ling with a slightly apologetic and regretful tone, "I'm very sorry, Ling. Lady Theresa informed me that I have a new mission to complete, so I'll have to take my leave for now...""Um, do you need my help?" Lin Ling asked, also somewhat expectantly.Lin Ling had discovered during her training that her catgirl form possessed immense strength—easily lifting tons of weight—and speed that easily broke the sound barrier, even surpassing Superman's reflexes, coupled with her unique and wondrous abilities (though difficult to control), she was experiencing a surge of confidence.However, Himeko touched Lin Ling's head again, but unlike the gentle stroking before, she rubbed it hard."Little guy, don't go and join the fun. You've forgotten everything now. You're like a newbie with a full set of equipment but no idea how to play. Going to the front line would be embarrassing. Besides, reality isn't a game. There's friendly fire mechanic. If you're too destructive, you might hurt your teammates. So just stay here obediently. All right, it's getting late, and I have other work to do, so I won't play with you anymore."“Eh…” Lin Ling pouted slightly, a little annoyed.But after thinking about it, Himeko's words made sense. She knew nothing and might even make things worse by going up there, so she reluctantly agreed.“All right then.”“Ling…” However, Durandal seemed a little worried about Lin Ling, speaking with concern before leaving. “Remember to take care of yourself.”“Don’t worry.” Lin Ling patted her chest. “I’m not a child anymore. Also, oh right! Um… remember to call me when you come back, because… um, cough, cough, I promised you could touch my cat ears, but I can’t control my body’s changes. It wouldn’t be good if I missed it…”“..."Durandal looked at the girl who blushed but still offered her body willingly, and nodded with great emotion.“Yes, I definitely will, Ling…”...Then the group said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.In the blink of an eye, only the girl remained.But this time, even alone, she no longer felt lonely or lost. She clenched her fist and placed it against her chest."OK, since everyone is working hard, I have to step up my game too! We shouldn't be afraid of any difficulties we encounter; the best way to eliminate fear is to face it!"Finally, Lin Ling made up her mind to confront her past, and the first stop was the same white-haired girl who had led the way in forcibly kissing her upon their first meeting..."Let me think... Hmm, then I'll go see Miss Kiana first..."..."Hmm~ Not bad, everything is progressing according to my plan."Meanwhile, in the laboratory, Mobius, who had been tracking and observing Lin Ling through a nano-camera robot, rested her chin on her hands with satisfaction.A strange light shone in her snake-like pupils, and a wicked smile appeared on her face."Guinea Pig has begun to show a willingness to actively seek out her past. Next, it's time to inform Klein to prepare..."...Soon after, through Lin Ling's deliberate search, she arrived at a secluded, rarely visited spot on the floating island where Schicksal headquarters was located—the very edge of the island.Then, in the afterglow of the setting sun, she saw a girl whose feet dangled thousands of feet in the air, her flowing hair dancing in the wind, revealing streaks of red highlights, appear before her.This breathtaking scene captivated Lin Ling for a moment…“Sigh…” Kiana sighed. “Sigh, what should I do…”Then, Kiana’s eyes turned amber, and her expression and micro-expressions completely transformed, as if she had instantly become a haughty queen. Then, this queen scoffed disdainfully.“My other half, isn’t it because you’re too weak? Last time, a mere kiss was enough? If it were me, hmph! You know, after missing that opportunity last time, I went back and crammed my knowledge intensively. This time, I’ll definitely make her unable to leave me!”“This… this… won’t work, will it?” Kiana’s eyes returned to blue, and she shook her head. “I think if I’m too forceful or too deep at the beginning, it might backfire… look, she’s deliberately avoiding me now…”“Wrong! Utterly wrong! With that kind of woman, you have to conquer her directly with swift, decisive, and ruthless methods. That’s the only way to make her truly and wholeheartedly submit! To make her heart belong entirely to me!”"Hmm... what you said does make sense. That's how she initially won you over, right?""No way!""All right, all right, we share one body. I know what happened, so stop fooling yourself. However, regardless, Dr. Mobius said not to provoke her too much for now, to avoid causing her fear, worry, or even resentment. So, let's not go too far.""Hmph! What do those scientists know? They just torture us with those disgusting experiments. They treat us like playthings in their pursuit of so-called truth...""Hmm... I don't deny that there are indeed such mad scientists, but Dr. Mobius... hmm, she seems quite cute. She shouldn't be that kind of person, right?...""Don't be fooled by her cute appearance. Look at that guy's snake-like eyes, you can tell she's not some ordinary little girl... I really don't know why you trust her so much. Have you forgotten? Ling was transformed into a strange half-human, half-beast by her last time! So maybe Lin Ling's amnesia is partly due to her!"Due to painful memories, Sirin naturally disliked all researchers."Hmm... actually, that 'beast girl' is very popular in the ACGN community. Don't you think Ling with cat ears is especially cute? Don't you want to rub her cat ears hard, stroke her tail, and then hug her and give her a good kiss...""This..."Though he wouldn't admit it, he had to admit that his beloved concubine was indeed very cute, especially after hearing Kiana's vivid description.Unconsciously, Sirin reached out and made a grasping motion in the air... then licked her lips......"Hmm? What's she doing?"When Lin Ling found Kiana, Kiana was strangely talking to herself, her eyes shifting color repeatedly.Even stranger was the content of her words; it sounded like she was planning to use some harsh methods to torment herself!"How terrifying… Is this the legendary schizophrenia? Or multiple personality disorder? Maybe I should go back first…"This made Lin Ling, who had been secretly eavesdropping, hesitate.But then she thought. "No! How can I give up at the beginning? I can't hide from them forever! Today I'm going to ask her face-to-face what really happened between us."With that thought, Lin Ling mustered her courage and stepped forward."Um… Kiana, Miss? What are you doing here…?""Ling!"A voice from behind her made Kiana, who was arguing with "herself," tremble instantly, then she turned around excitedly.Then she saw the catgirl Lin Ling she had been dreaming of.Last time, on the battlefield, she hadn't even had a chance to test her touch before she was about to give her a bear hug and a deep French kiss…"No way!"But thankfully, Kiana immediately remembered how Lin Ling had been so scared of her that she would avoid her at all costs.To avoid further alienating her, she immediately stopped in her tracks.…Meanwhile, in the Elysian Realm—"Hi~ Wife!"“Miss Lin Ling, please be normal! Don't use such a strange title to address me, or don't blame me for being ruthless.”…“Class Monitor, call me ‘husband’…”“While I do periodically clear my memories, generally speaking, I would never forget important matters in my life. Therefore, there's only one answer: Miss Lin Ling, you could never be my husband…”…“Waaah, Sister Nun, why is your skirt so high-slit? And it looks like you're not wearing anything? Can I see?”“Please don't be so shy…”…"Rich lady! Please take me as your sugar daddy! You can do anything for me!""Hehe, Miss Lin Ling, do you really understand the meaning of 'sugar daddy'? This kind of pure lust and money really goes against the purity of art..."..."Waaah, kitty, they don't love me anymore, give me a kiss!""Hey! Boss! What are you saying? This... this isn't right...""What's wrong with it? Do you think I don't have enough money?!""Hey! Sister Lin Ling! This is too much! What kind of person do you take me for?!"..."Sigh."Having been rejected everywhere, Lin Ling sighed deeply to Mei. "Mei... why, why won't everyone accept me?"“Hmm…” Mei frowned slightly, looking at the sighing girl before her. “Ling… your attitude and behavior towards the MANTIS ladies lately have been rather dull, shallow, rude, and excessive. To put it simply, it’s gone too far.”“Too far…?”Lin Ling shook her head, utterly puzzled. “I used to be like that too, didn’t I? Just like with you. Didn’t I call you ‘wife’ from the beginning? And then you really became my wife… It’s infuriating! Why can’t I do it now!”"..."Mei didn't reply. She just stared intently into Lin Ling's defiant eyes. "So... actually, I disliked you a little at first too...""Huh? So you actually disliked me at first? That's impossible..." Lin Ling retorted, looking directly into Mei's eyes.The two stared at each other for a moment."Oh!" Suddenly, Lin Ling slapped her thigh. "Oh! I remember! Later, I insisted on calling you 'wife,' and then you changed your attitude towards me and fell in love with me, right! So that's how it is! Hmph~ If I just keep at it, winning over those girls will be a piece of cake!"Afterwards, seemingly having figured something out, Lin Ling smugly went off to find other MANTIS to 'play' with.But watching the white-haired girl's departing figure, Mei gently shook her head, then sighed."Sigh... as expected, I can't truly understand..."—————————————^ Chapter 284: As Expected, You Are Our Ling. Is This Really Your True Heart?"My beloved queen, you've finally arrived~""What? My beloved queen? Ah, this..."Looking at Kiana who had suddenly become haughty and arrogant, and considering her earlier self-talk, Lin Ling felt a little uneasy. But having decided to face the threat with a smile, she asked directly,."You... who are you? You're not Miss Kiana, are you?""Of course I'm not that idiot."The Queen slowly floated down in front of Lin Ling, lifted her chin, and carefully examined the girl's... fluffy, bouncy, cute, and even somewhat delicious cat ears.Then, her body moved uncontrollably as she touched them herself.Hmm Just as she imagined: soft, warm, and fluffy"Hehe. I wanted to give you a good rub at the Theater of Domination last time, but unfortunately, we were fighting, so the timing wasn't good.""Miss Kiana?"At first, Lin Ling thought she had simply wanted to rub her ears, but after hearing a lot about their past from Himiko, Lin Ling wasn't so afraid of this girl who had once forced herself on her."I am your Queen... As agreed, you successfully eliminated the culprit behind everything, and I am very pleased~ Therefore, from now on, you will once again become my most beloved concubine, Queen Honkai's most favored consort.""Uh... most beloved? Judging from your tone..." Lin Ling's expression became slightly strange. "Do you have any other consorts?""No, you are my only one.""Oh, I see..."The girl's reaction displeased the Honkai Queen. She frowned."Hmm? What's with that reaction? Do you want me to expand my harem?""Ah, no, no," Lin Ling quickly refused. "I just feel... well, how should I put it?"The former playboy became shy and hesitant, like a timid girl."Was I... a bit too promiscuous before? Hmm, after hearing what you all said, I couldn't stand it anymore.""This..."Kiana's eyes turned blue, and she asked herself suspiciously, "That womanizer, saying something like that... is this girl really Ling?""Hmm..." The Queen paused before replying with equal doubt."Could it be... could it be that my beloved consort has finally realized her mistake and decided to abandon the other vixens to be with only me?"Kiana: "How could that be...? Don't lie to yourself. But it really is strange. This is clearly the one we painstakingly retrieved from Imaginary Space!"Sirin: "Hmph! Did Schicksal and those people Otto brought make a mistake? Or are they plotting something? Did they brainwash her?""To be with only you?"While Kiana was talking to herself, the conversation naturally reached Lin Ling, who was standing right in front of her.The girl repeated what she felt was most important, then solemnly addressed the two of them:"Miss Kiana, and Your Majesty (?), according to common sense, true love is when two people love each other and grow old together, right? Being fickle is definitely not good. I don't like that either...""Hmm!?""!"Hearing this, Kiana and Sirin both raised their eyebrows instantly. Rather, amid their excitement, a hint of wariness and even fear appeared."Ling! Could it be... you're planning to make a choice?""Sigh~"However, the girl simply shook her head and sighed deeply. Then she looked up at Kiana, whose eyes had now turned heterochromatic, with a conflicted and sorrowful expression."But... if I choose one of them, what about the others? Abandoning the other girls! How heartbroken would they be after being abandoned by their loved one? Wouldn't that make me even more despicable!?""..."After listening to Lin Ling's sincere and heartfelt words, Kiana and Sirin both fell silent...After a long while, they nodded involuntarily."Too despicable, I knew it." (Kiana's words)"Too greedy. She really hasn't changed." (Queen Sirin's words)Then they spoke in unison:"This girl is the real Lin Ling!""Huh?"Since her return, everyone she had met had mentioned that she wasn't quite the same as before.This was the first time Lin Ling had heard someone say she was exactly the same as before. She felt a sense of happiness at being acknowledged.However, along with the joy, her feelings were also somewhat complicated. She pouted."I just didn't want everyone to be sad, really, I swear!"At the same time, she became even more curious about why her past self had been such a jerk.Hmm, even with amnesia, a person's fundamental character and principles shouldn't change, right?Was my nature really that frivolous before?Flirting with every pretty girl I saw? And not letting go once I got her?No, I feel like I've forgotten something important...There must be some important reason behind this, right? I must find it.[Ding~]Just then, the voice of an old acquaintance whom Lin Ling hadn't seen in a long time, but who was now like a new friend meeting for the first time, rang out.[System Notification 1: The host has successfully stirred Sirin's emotions, causing her to experience a surge of complex feelings. Honkai adaptability has increased by 2.7182%.][System Notification 2: The host has successfully stirred Kiana Kaslana's emotions, causing her to experience a surge of complex feelings. Successfully acquired a portion of the Herrscher of Flamescion power, currently at 3.1415926%.]What is this? What is this? I acquired the Herrscher of Flamescion's power? Even pi is involved?Lin Ling rubbed her ears. She wasn't wearing headphones.Could someone have implanted a strange chip in her brain?!Is that why she has amnesia?! Hmm, that seems to explain it!No, if my brain had been implanted with some kind of chip, even the most advanced chip couldn't possibly steal Honkai powers so easily, right?Although Lin Ling had only recently begun to understand the Honkai disaster—a kind of underlying logic and rule of this world—its ultimate manifestation was far beyond what humans could easily manipulate.Therefore, there was only one way to test whether she had been implanted with a chip."Snap~"Lin Ling suddenly snapped her fingers. A flame the size of an ordinary lighter appeared out of thin air in her hand."Wow, it really caught fire! And... I don't seem to be afraid of getting burned anymore? This is fun..."Seeing this, Lin Ling exclaimed in amazement at her new toy while secretly pondering:Regardless of whether she had been modified or something else, there was no doubt that the strange voice in her mind and this ability to steal others' powers were things humans on Earth couldn't possibly achieve right now.But after playing with fire for a while, Lin Ling frowned again.I think I understand why I was such a jerk before, but... was it just to gain power that I toyed with girls' hearts?No, that's not right. There must be some deeper reason."Huh?! This is my Herrscher power?"Seeing this, Kiana became even more certain that the girl before her was definitely her Lin Ling.This ability to acquire another Herrscher's power... only she in this world could do it."Ling!"Finally, all of Kiana's doubts vanished, replaced by a deep sense of guilt and remorse for having doubted her beloved.She grabbed the girl's hand while she was still playing with fire."Ling, stop playing with fire. It's getting late. Are you hungry? Hmm... do you want me to take you out for something delicious?""Ah, this..." Although Lin Ling was very tempted, she still refused. "Isn't this inappropriate? I made an appointment with Miss Durandal to wait for her at the dormitory tonight. Going out isn't very convenient..."However, upon hearing this, both of Kiana's inner selves became angry at the same time."What!? It's already so late at night, and you're waiting for her in the dorm? What are you going to do with Durandal!? Old habits die hard!""Ah? It's nothing. She just seems to really like my ears, so I let her touch them. Also, because of some other reasons, I can't sleep with her tonight."(Because she was afraid of transforming in her dreams, but explaining transformation was a bit complicated, Lin Ling decided to leave it at that for now.)"No way! In that case, I'm going to your room too!""Huh? Kiana, what are you going to my room for?""Well... I'm going to cook for you. You know, you used to love my cooking. Even though Mei usually cooks and even stops me from cooking, one time when she wasn't around, I made curry, and you ate so much that you buried your face in the plate and didn't want to get up.""Really?"Although Lin Ling had lost her memory, her appetite remained, so she agreed when she heard there would be something delicious to eat.Afterward, Kiana used the excuse of cooking for Lin Ling to go to her dormitory. Lin Ling then spent an "unforgettable" night in the chaotic world of Kiana, Bianka, and Sirin......"Hmm!?"Meanwhile, Mobius who was still secretly watching Lin Ling had a fanatical and excited expression on her face. She repeatedly observed the scene on the monitor.When Lin Ling conjured a small spark out of thin air, she couldn't help but exclaim:"Yes, that's it! I finally observed it!"Mobius had always found it incredible that Lin Ling could obtain the powers of other Herrschers, but when she asked, the other party only said that she could draw power from "love" by being affectionate with beautiful girls.At the time, she didn't believe it at all and thought this guinea pig was simply talking nonsense to fool her.Now, after witnessing this scene with her own eyes, she couldn't help but begin to doubt.But that was far from enough.Simply seeing Lin Ling truly acquire the powers of other Herrschers wasn't enough; she wanted even more: to thoroughly research, even control and dominate, this power."Guinea Pig, I'm getting more and more interested in you~ Don't disappoint me."...Meanwhile..."Ellie, my Ellie, I love you!"Deep underground on the other side of the world, a Lin Ling was passionately confessing—no, proposing—to Elysia, the second Captain, and bearer of the Signet of "Ego " of the Thirteen MANTIS.She was kneeling and holding a delicate jewel box she had stolen from the cat, with a diamond ring the size of a pigeon's egg in the center.Although she had repeatedly been rejected before, she knew that Elysia, like herself, was very fond of beautiful girls, so this time she was determined to succeed."Mmm~"Sure enough, the pink-haired girl in front of her covered her mouth with both hands after hearing the confession and looked surprised and delighted.But... nothing happened."Um, um~"Lin Ling gave the speechless onlookers a pleading look.(Mei (—_—))"Sigh~"Mei sighed and stepped forward to explain to Elysia, who was still frozen in a proposal pose."In modern times, handing someone a ring means proposing. And if you want to agree, you extend your ring finger so she can put the ring on it.""Wow... a proposal? So, Ling, you like me that much? Hehe~ then I'll..."However, after learning the details, Elysia, who adored beautiful girls, reached out and closed the diamond ring box in Lin Ling's hand."Huh?"Lin Ling looked at Elysia, confused and annoyed."What do you mean by this?""Ling Of course I like you too. But"Elysia smiled and placed her hand over her heart."Think about it carefully. Is this really what you truly desire?"...——————————————Chapter 285: Wearing a body apron, making Kabedon for sisters"Alright, my dear Guinea Pigs, I'll ask you one last time, from the bottom of my heart. For your beloved spirit, how far are you willing to go?"The venomous woman was bewitching these innocent girls.The girls exchanged glances, then nodded in unison before turning to the green-haired girl who had just posed the question."That fool helped us time and time again without hesitation. This time, it's our turn to offer her everything!"“Oh my, I really envy Guinea Pig. She has so many girls willing to give everything for her.”Mobius smiled with satisfaction after hearing the girls' unwavering answer."However, I don’t need anything from you. At least, it’s not time to need it yet. I’m busy enough with Guinea Pig’s affairs lately. Alright, enough of the chit-chat. Have you ever heard of a memory replica?”“A memory…?” Perhaps one of the smartest among them, Bronya spoke first. “Does it refer to an object that stores memories? Like a CD or hard drive?”“No, what I mean by a memory replica isn’t simply 0s and 1s engraved on something. It’s living, real entity with memories and emotions. How should I put it? It’s like creating a completely identical copy of Lin Ling.”“A complete copy?”Although she didn’t know why Dr. Mobius would do this, Bronya frowned upon hearing about creating another Lin Ling. Not only her, but the other girls also looked somewhat displeased.After all, doing this is like cloning someone important to them. It not only violates existing laws but also evokes a primal sense of aversion in them.“Don’t make that face. Listen to me first…”Then, Mobius gave the somewhat displeased group a general explanation of what a memory replica was…“…In other words, if we manipulate the memories of those closest to Guinea Pig using certain ‘programs,’ we can recreate an existence that is exactly the same as Lin Ling in terms of memories, emotions, and even thought patterns.”“I think I understand what a memory replica is. But… Dr. Mobius, what’s the point of doing this?”“You know, every so often, we MANTIS would endure immense pain to synchronize our memories with the memories in the Elysian Realm, synchronizing the memories of the so-called ‘original body’ to the ‘memory.’ But this memory synchronization is mutual, which means… hehe…”Mobius smiled mysteriously, seemingly recalling some ‘interesting’ memory replicas.“If we reverse the manipulation, synchronizing the memories of the memory to the ‘original body,’ then…”Mobius didn’t continue.Herrscher of Sentience, a Herrscher who manipulates consciousness and possesses Fu Hua's memories of the Previous Era, revealed a knowing expression.She glanced around.Then, with a hint of pride, she explained to the other puzzled girls present"Hehe, you still don't understand, do you? I completely understand now! Okay, everyone, look at me. Stop frowning and trying to figure it out. Listen to me! If I simply and crudely use the Herrscher of Sentience's power to transfer our memories to Ling, she'll only ever experience them like 'watching a movie' or 'listening to someone else's story,' without any real feeling of it happening to her. But! If we create another memory entity with Lin Ling's thought process, and then synchronize that memory entity's memories to Ling, then she'll experience it all firsthand, recalling everything she did with us! That's tantamount to truly regaining her memories!""I see!" The girls suddenly understood. "Then, Dr. Mobius, let's begin!""Don't rush, girls," Mobius added. "Extracting memories is extremely painful. Even the MANTISes found it difficult to endure. That's why I asked you how much you were willing to pay.""Oh I thought it was something serious, but it's just this" Kiana said nonchalantly. "It's just a little pain, please feel free to do as you please!""Hehe Kiana-neechan" Despite being 50,000 years older than Mobius, she still spoke in a childish voice. "Do you know? This is pain that even we MANTIS find hard to bear."Kiana raised an eyebrow. "It's alright, I'm not afraid!"“Oh that's quite brave of you, young lady”At that moment, Theresa suddenly remembered the research department's report from the previous meeting and asked."So, Dr. Mobius, would you like Schicksal to provide you with their latest supercomputer, boasting the world's most powerful computing capabilities?”“Schicksal's supercomputer?” Upon hearing “the world's most powerful computer,” Mobius shook her head dismissively."No, Schicksal's current technological level is still too backward. I've seen your memory devices. Perhaps you can almost simulate a person's thought patterns and emotions through memory. However, piecing together a complete personality from the fragmented and incomplete memories of others requires computational power you can't even imagine. Not to mention the underlying logical algorithms and such, which are different from current computers.”Theresa didn't quite understand these research-related issues, but if Schicksal's technology couldn't do it, then where in this world could it be done?“Then… what can we do? Could anti-entropy technology work?”“Don’t worry, only a device left behind by the Previous Era can do this, the ‘Elysian Realm,’ which I just explained was specifically designed to store the memories of the thirteen MANTIS.”“But isn’t that World Serpent stuff? While you were indeed the original creator of World Serpent, it’s Kevin’s territory now. You’re out of the game.”Senti tilted her head at Mobius, highly skeptical.“Kevin probably won’t agree to you messing around like this, right? So, can you beat Kevin up and reclaim the throne of the Lord?”"..." ( ﹁ ﹁ ) Mobius glanced at Senti and shook her head helplessly."Sigh, what a waste. How can a Herrscher who controls consciousness be so stupid? Why is your logic 'I must confront Kevin head-on'? Perhaps Kevin wouldn't agree to me risking disrupting the Elysian Realm by stuffing in another memory replica outside of 13. He might even have already planned to lock me, the memory replica that escaped the Elysian Realm, back into it. But as long as I do all this secretly without alerting Mei's little henchman, isn't that enough? I still have secret backdoors and passages there~an ordinary person like Kevin who didn't even graduate from university won't find them.”After further discussion, everyone agreed to Dr. Mobius's proposal and began extracting the girls' memories with the help of the Herrscher of Sentience. Mobius then encrypted these fragmented memories and sent them to an administrator who maintained the Elysian Realm system, who was also her most loyal assistant—Klein...."Ah~ My mouth is so dry, my head hurts so much..."Meanwhile, when the girl awoke from her slumber, her first reaction was a dry mouth, general weakness, and a throbbing pain in her head."Hiss~"But when she tried to sit up, a part of her body that's inhuman was being grabbed, preventing her from rising.She opened her slightly blurry eyes and saw two enormous peaks (?) in front of her.No, Lin Ling rubbed her eyes. Those weren't peaks at all. They were a certain towering part of a blonde girl's body."Hmm!?"Furthermore, the blonde girl's hands were holding her ears, which weren't human."Soft and fluffy My Ling, so cute..."Judging from the voice behind her and the touch of her tail, there was a white-haired girl with multiple personalities hugging her tail.And Lin Ling noticed this by looking at a strand of hair that had fallen down; her hair have turned pink."What?! What's going on? What happened last night?!"...Let's rewind to last night..."Ling! This is the braised beef recipe we learned from the Class Monitor. I heard everyone in Shenzhou loves it, so I thought I'd give it a try...""Wow, it smells so good? Uh?! Cough, cough, cough..."Lin Ling was about to lie and say it smelled good to the unidentified thing Kiana brought her, but a pungent smell of alcohol made her cough."Um... Miss Kiana, did you put alcohol in this braised beef?" Lin Ling asked cautiously.“Yeah, I saw Class Monitor use some of that yellow liquor, and she said beer would work too. So I thought maybe the white liquor from Bronya’s room would work too.”“Ah…”Hearing that Kiana seemed unfamiliar with even cooking wine and couldn’t distinguish other liquors, and looking at the unidentified object in the casserole in Kiana’s hand, Lin Ling’s heart skipped a beat.She’d miscalculated… She thought Kiana could cook; she seems like a complete novice…“…”Of course, while Kiana could be a bit clumsy at times, she wasn’t really stupid. She knew the food she was making didn’t look very appetizing; she’d practically turned Chinese food into Indian food.Adding to Lin Ling’s disgusted expression, her smile gradually faded and finally turned into sadness.She lowered her head. "I'm sorry, Ling. I lied to you... I... I'm not very good at cooking Shenzhou cuisine. I made this dish while watching a video on my phone... I'll throw it away right away!""Ah ha It's okay It's okay." Lin Ling quickly stopped Kiana from leaving, then praised, "It's very good for your first time. Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, I'm starving after training all day~"For some reason, seeing the girl's beautiful face showing worry made Lin Ling angry. She snatched the food from Kiana and began to eat voraciously.Even as she ate, she didn't forget to give Kiana a thumbs-up: "Mmm! Great! As expected of Kiana...""Hehe." Seeing her beloved wolfing down the food she had made, Kiana's face lit up with a joyful smile again."I'm glad you like it. Also, leave some for me. I want to taste the flavor of my own cooking too.""!!!"However, upon hearing Kiana's words, Lin Ling, who was devouring the food like a whirlwind, showed no sign of stopping.Instead, she transformed into the legendary Chaos, buried her entire face in the casserole, and swept away the remaining 'enemy'!"Ah I'm full, I'm full, so comfortable As expected of Miss Kiana's cooking made especially for me~"Then, the girl comfortably leaned back in her chair, rubbing her stomach in pain from an angle Kiana couldn't see."Seriously... is it really that delicious?"Kiana's words were full of disdain, but her face was beaming. "Are you afraid I'll take it from you? If it's not enough, I'll make you more."But just as Kiana was about to get up and go back to the kitchen, Lin Ling instantly stopped masking her pain and grabbed her hand again."No! No need...""Hmm?" Perhaps Lin Ling's actions were too agitated, because Kiana's face showed a hint of confusion and doubt..."Ah! It's like this, Miss Kiana." The white-haired girl forced a perfect smile and explained, "You must be tired after working so hard all day, right? Since you cooked for me, then as a way of repaying you, I'll cook for you too.""Mmm~ Okay! Hehe. Speaking of which, Ling, this is the first time you've cooked for me!"If that's the case, then I'm ahead of everyone else again, aren't I?Thinking this, Kiana nodded expectantly. "Then I'll be waiting to see.""Okay, then you'll have to wait a little while."Lin Ling then struggled to her feet…Although reality isn't like the world of anime where you can create terrifying dishes from ordinary ingredients that can dissolve everything, following an online chef's tutorial step by step, the taste won't be too bad, even if it's terrible.But as a descendant of the Kaslana family and not very familiar with Shenzhou culture, Kiana still added many seasonings incorrectly.She mixed up the salt and sugar, turning a savory dish into a sweet one. Not to mention slightly misjudging the heat. The worst thing was that, because she thought all alcohol was similar, she put a whole bottle of Siberian vodka in the pot, thinking it was beer!Although much of it evaporated after high-temperature cooking, it was still… vodka, and this was Lin Ling's first time officially drinking alcohol.So now, having forced herself to eat a whole pot of braised beef to avoid hurting her girlish heart, she was flushed, her eyes were blurry, and even standing in front of the open stove, her mind started wandering."It's so hot... maybe I should just take my clothes off... oh, no... I'll get splashed with oil... I've got it! Just an apron will do!"And so, when Durandal, as agreed beforehand, completed her mission and, amidst the puzzled looks of her subordinates, excitedly entered Lin Ling's room—she saw that she was greeted by a white-haired catgirl who was wearing only a three-piece suit but also an apron, and whose face was rosy and incredibly cute."Huh??!!"Instantly... her blood rushed to her head!And what almost made her lose control was the catgirl's next move."Welcome back, Miss Durandal Would you like to eat first? Or take a bath first? Or perhaps"The catgirl tilted her head slightly, asking with a slightly tipsy and shy expression."Me?"---Chapter 286: She Won the First Time, but Lost Her Wife (Not) \ Murdering Her Sister's Husband"I'm sorry, Ling. Don't be angry anymore~ Where do you feel unwell? Let me rub it for you?"In a small girls' dormitory at Schicksal, three girls sat awkwardly together on a small bed. One of them, with white hair, spoke apologetically and ingratiatingly to a pink-haired girl with fox ears.But her attentiveness only earned her disgust from another girl."You! Don't come any closer! Pervert! Seeing you reminds me of last night...""Hehe~" Hearing Lin Ling mention last night, Kiana, who had been sincerely apologizing, unconsciously revealed a strange smile.She even pursed her lips, seemingly savoring something incredibly wonderful…Sure enough, after seeing Kiana's reaction, Lin Ling crossed her arms and retreated behind Durandal on the other side of the bed."W-what are you trying to do now!?""Sigh Ling, why are you so far away from me? Don't be so afraid of me! You were the one who seduced me first last night. You were like that, so how could I remain unmoved QAQ? I couldn't resist… And"Kiana pouted. "Because I made a promise with Mei, I didn't actually do it…""You still say that!"Lin Ling's face immediately turned red."What seduction?! Don't talk nonsense. I just drank too much and couldn't control myself… And! Look at Miss Durandal, she was there too. Even if I seduced—cough, no—even if I acted a little strangely, at most she just touched my ear as we agreed, right?""..."Durandal averted her gaze, seemingly hesitant to meet the girl's sincere eyes, then said somewhat awkwardly, "Um... I guess so...""Oh, Miss Durandal." Lin Ling immediately took Durandal's arm. "You're the best~ I don't want some people attacking me at the first opportunity!"Some people seem to win but actually lose, while others seem to lose but actually win.Although physically Kiana and Lin Ling had come close last night, Durandal, with her more gentlemanly demeanor, had already won Lin Ling's trust."Ugh QAQ, Ling, my Ling..."Seeing the two of them, Kiana's smile vanished. At the same time, she thought to herself with dissatisfaction:Tsk~ This womanizer. If I didn't know she really had amnesia, I would definitely think she was deliberately acting against me to annoy me! ...No, this can't go on, or Durandal will steal Ling away."Ling~"Thinking this, Kiana pulled herself out of her reverie and leaned closer to Lin Ling again."But I remember you were a catgirl last night? How did you turn into a fox girl? Well, they're both cute, though. And fox girls, besides having the cuteness of animal-eared girls, also have an added allure. It's really...""Stare..." ←_←But noticing Lin Ling's gaze, she quickly changed her tune."Ahem, sorry, I went a little off-topic. What I meant was, will becoming like this affect your body? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?""Uncomfortable?"Hearing the other's concern, Lin Ling didn't bother with her annoyance anymore. Instead, she patted herself down, then reached up and lifted a strand of hair that had fallen across her face."Hmm... it seems that apart from my hair turning pink, I don't feel anything special. It should be fine, right?""But, Ling," Durandal asked with some concern, "are this pink hair and these fox ears because of Miss Sakura?"Although she didn't quite understand, after Lin Ling returned, Durandal learned from Saintess Kallen and others that there were two girls within the Stigmata behind Lin Ling and the love-hate entanglement between those two girls.However, what worried her was that one of the girls was a dangerous Previous Era Herrscher."I don't know." Lin Ling shook her head after touching her fox ears. "They don't seem as long as Sakura's ears. They're more like Higyokumaru's. Never mind, there's no point in guessing here. Should I ask Sakura?""No need..."Just then, a fourth voice inexplicably appeared in the air besides the three girls, leaving everyone puzzled.Immediately afterward, starlight began to rise from Lin Ling's body.Finally, the starlight coalesced in her left hand, transforming into the blade of a jet-black katana…As a Valkyrie who had long wielded the Divine Key, the Black Abyss White Flower, Durandal vaguely recognized a resemblance between the katana before her and her own Black Abyss White Flower. She cautiously guessed."This is… the Divine Key? Is it Miss Higyokumaru?!"She had heard Dr. Mobius say that fifty thousand years ago, Higyokumaru, or Ling, after becoming a Herrscher of Corruption and being sealed away, was intended to be made into a Divine Key by Dr. Mei of the Previous Era. Unfortunately, it was never completed before the Previous Era's destruction."Hmph! You think you can turn me into a weapon and use me at your will? Not so simple!"As if in response to Durandal's guess, a girl's voice came from the broken katana. This time, after listening carefully, Lin Ling was finally certain that it was Higyokumaru.But at the same time, she also noticed that the seemingly innocent and cute girl she had seen in the Stigmata Space was filled with resentment in her voice.She asked with concern, "Is that Higyokumaru? So you can appear in this form? What's wrong? What happened?""Huh? What happened?" Higyokumaru sounded extremely downcast. "Last night, while I was in close proximity to Miss Kiana, I accidentally accessed one of her memories from not long ago… That snake doctor revealed a secret about Elysian Realm… Ling, you've been lying to me all along, haven't you?""What?!" Although Lin Ling was confused and didn't know what she had lied to Higyokumaru about, she could tell that Higyokumaru was very unhappy, so she asked worriedly."Higyokumaru, what's wrong?""Huh? What's wrong?!" Suddenly, Lin Ling's left hand moved automatically, grabbing the blade of the katana and placing it against her own neck.Then, Higyokumaru's angry voice came from the blade."You said you'd take me to see my sister, but that was just a lie you told to appease me, wasn't it?!"Lin Ling was confused and bewildered. "Huh? What did you say? I... I don't know!""Higyokumaru!"At the same time, Kiana grabbed Lin Ling's hand holding the knife. "Higyokumaru! Calm down. Even if Ling promised you something, she doesn't remember anything now...""Miss Higyokumaru, please calm down. Ling is definitely not that kind of person." Durandal also summoned the Black Abyss White Flower and placed it in front of the blade to protect Lin Ling."There must be some misunderstanding here, right?""Misunderstanding?! Ha, you all know, right? That Elysian Realm is just a world storing MANTIS memories, not the real thing. That means my sister... she's gone! Since my sister is gone, then this world..."Just as Higyokumaru seemed to be turning ruthless due to excessive grief, Kiana and Durandal exchanged a glance and attacked simultaneously......"Yo, Guinea Pig Do you like me? Otherwise, why have you been coming to my place so often lately? But if you're willing to offer everything, it's not impossible"Despite her petite, childlike figure, she wore a mature white lab coat. Despite wearing a white lab coat symbolizing rationality and modernity, she also wore a crown that exuded self-importance.And despite resembling a queen, she played with Lin Ling's fluffy pink tail, while Lin Ling was bound hand and foot, like a mischievous girl."Um, Dr. Mobius..." the pink-haired fox girl spoke with a flushed face, "Could you please stop touching that part of my body… Kiana kept touching it last night, and it still hurts a little…""Oh my, I never expected Guinea Pig to go this far! But hmph, I don't want to hear about your bedroom affairs. Unless you take everything away from me~ Okay, what's with that look? Enough joking. Actually, I'm more curious about..."Mobius released Lin Ling's tail, took out a list, and examined it carefully. "I shouldn't have injected you with any Honkai Beast genes that resemble a fox form. So this is also the ability of the Herrscher of Corruption?""You wretched snake! Let me go!"At this moment, the blade that seemed to have grown from Lin Ling's left hand, also immobilized, trembled and emitted a dissatisfied voice."Otherwise, you'll regret it!""Really." Mobius shook her head helplessly. "Why are you so stubborn? Fifty thousand years have passed, and you still haven't been fully modified?""Modified? You liars, you've been using me all along. You've been lying to me all along!""Lying? Heh~ little fox." Mobius tapped the blade lightly. "In a sense, Guinea Pig wasn't lying to you after all.""What do you mean, 'in a sense'? You think I don't know? That Elysian Realm is just a storage for memory replicas! I'll never see my real sister again!""Hmph!" Perhaps because she herself was a memory replica, Mobius snorted in displeasure upon hearing Higyokumaru's words. Then she spoke."You know what, Rin? Elysian Realm is indeed a world composed of memories, but some memories aren't actually copied memories, strictly speaking.""What do you mean?"Perhaps sensing a shift in Mobius's tone, the blade stopped trembling. Higyokumaru had stopped trying to break free of her restraints."Like Aponia. She chose to merge her true self with Elysian Realm. So although she no longer has a body, in a sense, she within Elysian Realm is completely herself," Mobius explained."Aponia..." Hearing this name, Higyokumaru became even more displeased. It was her self-righteous act of helping humanity defeat Honkai that had led to her current predicament."Do you know, Rin? Back then, your sister Sakura risked everything to seal you away in your Herrscher form… Therefore, when I found her, she was already covered in wounds and on the verge of death. Even with my skills, it was too late to save her. There was no way to reverse her inevitable fate.""..." Higyokumaru grew increasingly angry. "Huh? So what are you saying? So what?""But!"Mobius raised her head and looked at the half-blade that Higyokumaru had transformed into."The so-called body is nothing but a mere shell! I really like the words of a philosopher from modern civilization: 'I think, therefore I am.' So, you know what? I secretly transferred Sakura's consciousness into Elysian Realm without telling anyone!""What!?" - -Chapter 287: It's Not a Two-Person Trip, It's a Three-Person Trip! \I Don't Want to Die..."Then... then I'll believe you this time."Meanwhile, in a floating laboratory at Schicksal headquarters, after learning about the unknown human figure from Mobius, Higyokumaru finally ceased all resistance.The half-blade she had created also stopped struggling and completely settled down..."But!"Suddenly, the blade shuddered violently, releasing bursts of purplish-black mist that continued to spread until they corroded the super-strong alloy restraints binding her, causing cracks to appear as though they could break completely with just a little more force.Then, Higyokumaru's voice turned cold again."If you dare to lie to me again! Then...""If I lie to you, Guinea Pig is yours to do with as you please."Before Higyokumaru could utter any more threats, Mobius swiftly betrayed Lin Ling.Lin Ling tilted her head and weakly asked, "W-why am I left to her mercy? What about my opinion?""Hmm~, of course it should be you. After all, this is a debt you owed. Honestly, I was trying to help you."Mobius tapped Lin Ling's temple with a disgruntled expression. "You heartless Guinea Pig, not only do you not thank me, but you're also blaming me?...""Um..." Lin Ling thought for a moment. Regardless, this young doctor had indeed helped her out of that predicament, so she thanked Mobius."Thank you, Dr. Mobius.""Hehe, no need to thank me, Guinea Pig. Do we need to talk about that? Just let me check on your physical development more often in the future."Lin Ling thought about it. Checking on her body was not a big deal and was even good for her, so she agreed: "Of course.""Hmm..."At this moment, after receiving Mobius's guarantee, sponsored by Lin Ling, Higyokumaru calmed down and her words were not as agitated as before."Um... I'm sorry, Sister Lin Ling. I think I misunderstood you earlier. Honestly, I could have known the truth just by meeting you, but I still doubted you." There was even a hint of remorse in the girl's voice."It's alright. I should be the one apologizing. Although I don't know exactly what happened in the past, I suppose I didn't explain things clearly back then and caused you to misunderstand. It's not your fault. Oh, by the way."After calming Higyokumaru down a bit, Lin Ling turned to Kiana. "Kiana, you can let me go now.""Hmm..." Kiana's eyes flashed with serious doubt, but after meeting Lin Ling's "please believe me" gaze, she still untied the sub-space ribbons binding her.Then, the first thing Lin Ling did was use her free hand to pry open the special anti-Honkai energy suppressor made by Mobius, releasing Higyokumaru."Ugh..."Higyokumaru was shocked. Even though she had almost killed Lin Ling, Lin Ling still trusted her so much and treated her so gently. She felt a surge of guilt, but also a touch of emotion. For fifty thousand years, finally, someone besides her sister was willing to believe her."Ugh, Sister Lin Ling... you're such a good person. By the way, since Sister Sakura already has Kallen, why don't you just be with me?""Be together?" Lin Ling looked at the sword blade that seemed to have grown from her hand, gently stroking it from the point where they connected down to the blade. "Isn't that already a reality?""Hehe~" The blade then hummed joyfully. "Hehe, Sister Lin Ling, you're the best!"In a daze, everyone present appear to see a pink-haired fox girl rubbing against Lin Ling's wrist.This made Kiana narrow her eyes:That wretched Ling, you really are a heartbreaker! Even with amnesia, you're still so good at charming girls?"Hmm~"Meanwhile, Mobius nodded in satisfaction and secretly thought: Now that the last unstable element within Lin Ling's body has been eliminated, it seems it's time to move on to the next step."So Little Ling" Mobius coaxed as if coaxing a child, "Would you like to see your sister now?""Of course I would!" Having not seen her beloved sister for fifty thousand years, Higyokumaru answered without hesitation."Then I need a little help from you"Transferring one person's consciousness into another person's body is something the Herrscher of Sentience can do.However, transferring a person's consciousness into a non-human entity such as a machine is beyond the Herrscher of Sentience's capabilities. Therefore, to secretly send Lin Ling's consciousness into the Elysian Realm without alerting Kevin, the power of erosion is needed."I just don't know." Mobius frowned slightly in confusion. "How complete are the fragmented memories of Guinea Pig that I planted in the Elysian Realm beforehand...? Why hasn't Klein replied at all in so long? Could it be... that something happened to her?..."While Mobius was pondering whether something was wrong with the Elysian Realm,Lin Ling, after exchanging pleasantries with Higyokumaru and combining them with their previous conversation, roughly understood what had happened."So, Dr. Mobius," she asked Mobius who was deep in thought, "are you planning to send Higyokumaru and me into that Elysian Realm? And then take Higyokumaru to see her sister?""Yes. But not entirely."Lin Ling asked, puzzled, "What do you mean?""Hehe~" Mobius smiled mysteriously, then pointed to herself."Because it's not just the two of you, but the three of us~"…Click~Meanwhile, in a corner of Earth, the most difficult linking process had ended. Raven turned the basement lights back on, still somewhat incredulous."I still find it hard to believe that the Herrscher of Corruption has been born. And born on such a 'guide robot'.""But that's the fact. This machine possesses a consciousness that shouldn't belong to it and a desire to 'spread'—"Beside Raven, Gray Serpent pointed to his head. "Now I can clearly sense it."Raven thought for a moment. "I thought the prerequisite for a Herrscher was... 'human'?""Or do you mean 'thought'? That's hard to define. At least compared to a human infant, it clearly has more independent thinking ability now—but only compared to an infant. And that is humanity's greatest 'luck'."Gray Serpent's words reminded Raven of the strange behavior of the suspected Herrscher of Corruption."You mean the reason it's remained in that abandoned lab and inactive... is because it's still 'young'?"Gray did not deny it: "After all, this Herrscher of Corruption is just a newborn 'infant'. It may possess knowledge, but it hasn't had the opportunity to 'grow', so its authority and power are weak. Perhaps this is why the Herrscher's most frequent attempts so far have been 'backups'. Of course, it could also be because it sensed the three obstructive 'encirclements' through some higher-dimensional means and did not dare act rashly. In short, in that abandoned lab, its 'backup' attempts so far have only reached devices without internet access.""Can you track it?" Raven asked.Gray Serpent pointed to his head again: "It's all here."Then he slowly recited its numbers and types one by one while Raven silently recorded them with pen and paper.There were no jokes and no superfluous words exchanged. These two "old friends," who had collaborated many times before, understood perfectly what the other was doing."This is the last one."Raven double-checked the quantity and numbers.However, although everything was accurate, a lingering unease remained.So Raven asked, "Are you sure it's the Herrscher's 'main body'? And not... another 'backup'?""I can't," Gray Serpent readily admitted. "But... all the 'outward' corruption originates from it; I haven't seen any 'inward' aspect. Unless the Herrscher of Corruption can also transcend 'reality' and rapidly infiltrate other individuals. Is that really possible? If so, at least for this mission, there's nothing we can do."Raven nodded. "I will report truthfully. Next, we need to find the devices on this list and destroy them all.""Yes, but be very careful with the 'methods'," Gray Serpent cautioned. "Remember the worst 'possibility' we considered before the operation?""If we're a step too late, the destruction of the guiding robots will have already begun. Then, by now, the Herrscher of Corruption may have already understood what... 'death' is.""And thereby gained—the will to 'survive death'." Gray Serpent added again, "The obsession to live, that's its most terrifying power—just like the 'despair' and 'rage' that the girl experienced as a quality at the end of her life during the last Eruption."Then Gray Serpent's tone inexplicably lightened. "So, there's one more task for you to complete. I'm glad you came. For me, it's the final step.""..."After a moment of silence,Raven asked Gray Serpent, "Isn't there any other way?"Gray Serpent smiled; at least, he made Raven feel that he was smiling."Remember how humanity once defeated the Herrscher of Corruption? They sealed it in a 'black box'. And this time, that black box is right in front of you.""Too bad... If you could stay offline forever, perhaps we could find another way.""Haha, let's forget it. If it discovers—and I'm not bragging, but discovers it has such a perfect body—the consequences would be unimaginable. Alright, Raven, take out the Staff of Duat. It's time to say goodbye to my old friend."Finally, Raven no longer hesitated and began assembling the Staff of Duat, a device specifically designed to counter Herrschers and capable of temporarily restricting their powers.But during this time, she could not help but ask Gray Serpent one last time."...At least in the end, tell me, what is your 'wish'?""Let's forget it." However, Gray Serpent refused, because—"Once I say it... I won't 'want to die' either."…After a flash of lightning.Only Raven walked out of the room.… - - -Chapter 288: Death of Corruption — Ellie“Sigh…”In the pitch-black street, Raven sighed almost inaudibly, then pulled her hood up, concealing her face in deeper darkness and intending to leave…But before that…“The one outside—I thought you’d say goodbye before you left.” Raven suddenly spoke into the empty darkness.“…”A moment later, a reply came from the darkness: “I thought you’d be lost in your grief for a while longer.”Hearing the familiar female voice, Raven frowned slightly in displeasure.“His business? That’s none of your concern.”“Then the Valkyrie you harmed here—is that also none of my concern?”This was Arc City. About a year ago, Raven had released poison gas here, nearly killing the entire Immortal Blades team present.“So, you’ve come to settle scores with me?” Raven asked again.“Of course, but not now and not in the way you imagine.”Raven chuckled softly. “Then I can only say thank you.”“You’re welcome. After all, many realities in this world exceed people’s imaginations. However, regardless, this time, the Schicksal organization thanks you for your contribution to curbing the Herrscher. Miss Natasha, we’ll meet again.”Then the aura that had been deliberately and faintly revealed earlier completely disappeared.The Valkyrie left.Strangely, Raven felt somewhat irritated—if it were her normally, she shouldn’t have let that woman gain the upper hand like this, at least not verbally.Raven stood silently for a while.Recently, after noticing the newly emerged Herrscher, Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and even World Serpent had unusually cooperated, working together to completely eliminate this still-developing “weak” newborn Herrscher.And now, after paying some necessary but minimal price, perhaps they had successfully completed the task.Raven carefully processed everything that had happened that day, then silently buried the mental scum deep within her heart in that sunless corner.Years of professional experience had made her adept at these things, perhaps even accustomed to them…Then Raven leaped into the night sky and disappeared…But suddenly, a certain sentence spoken by that Gray Serpent before his death kept replaying in her mind—“Unless the Herrscher of Corruption can transcend ‘reality’ and possess other individuals in another way. But is that really possible?”…Clang, clang, clatter, clatter!Meanwhile, deep within the Elysian Realm, the faint sound of metal clashing could be heard in the distance.“Huff, hmph…”Closer by, the panting of a young girl could still be heard.Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a spirited young girl wielding a katana and battling a considerable number of Zombies.“Hah!”With a soft shout from the girl—Thousands of bolts of lightning erupted instantly.In the blink of an eye, only the girl remained standing on the battlefield where the fierce battle had just taken place.Clap clap clap~At that moment, accompanied by cheerful applause, a pink-haired girl leaped down from the platform.“As expected of Mei. But~ you’re still a few seconds slower than ‘my side,’ aren’t you?”The newcomer was Elysia. She had invited Mei here today, to this world created based on Mei’s memories, to fulfill Mei’s pursuit of the truth.“These enemies are also part of your ‘memories,’ right?”Mei asked, somewhat puzzled by the inexplicable attack. “It seems they don’t really welcome me. But I didn’t expect even you to be attacked.”“Don’t be so surprised. This place is a bit different, but it’s still part of the Elysian Realm and works on the same principle as the other areas you’ve seen. Oh right, I hadn’t even properly introduced it to you yet—I was interrupted by these little guys halfway through…”As she spoke, Elysia made a welcoming gesture.“Welcome to the greatest secret of the Elysian Realm, preserved in ‘The Deep’—a world of Elysia’s inner world, composed of Elysia’s memories and perfectly recreating what Elysia loved throughout her life.”Following Ellie’s gesture, Mei looked around—a picturesque garden under a pink sky.“As you can see, it will become the convergence of all beautiful things—a peaceful and eternal dreamlike fairyland, a flawless paradise standing at the end of all ideals. I wonder, does the name ‘Eternal Elysium’... pique your curiosity?”“Eternal Elysium?” Mei murmured the name to herself. “‘Eternity’ does seem more dreamlike and ethereal than ‘past life.’ So, is this your memory space?”Elysia didn’t answer directly but instead asked Mei, “Aren’t you excited? Among the successors, you’re the first to come here. And the first to experience Elysia’s ‘complete sincerity.’ Mei, feel free to be even happier.”However, faced with the girl’s direct approach, Mei’s answer was somewhat rigid and even a little tactless. She shook her head slightly and spoke bluntly.“Frankly, I don’t feel anything. Coming here will reveal the truth? Knowing you as I do, I’m afraid it’s not that simple.”“Oh my god.” Ellie gasped, covering her mouth in surprise. “How could you think that? Who turned you into this? You’ve already proven yourself to everyone—well… maybe not everyone, but at least the vast majority. If I continued hiding it, wouldn’t that be going too far? Look, I’ve even openly told you about your other identity!”“So what?” Mei crossed her arms, using her height advantage to size up the pink-haired girl before her. “The Thirteenth Herrscher?”“Hmm~” Perhaps annoyed by Mei’s attitude, Ellie pouted like an angry little girl. “Why do I feel... you don’t seem particularly surprised?”Mei gently shook her head.“To say I’m not surprised wouldn’t be quite right. It’s just that rather than ‘knowing,’ my current feeling is more like ‘confirmation.’ Originally, my purpose in coming to the Elysian Realm was to explore the truth about the so-called ‘Honkai’ and ‘Honkai’s Will.’ In this process, you were the first one to appear before me. You led me step by step deeper, and in the end, you’re still the one I know nothing about.”“Know nothing? You can’t say that. We’ve shared so many secrets with each other. And why is it ‘the Thirteenth Herrscher’? Haven’t you considered other possibilities? Like aliens, fairies from another world, or ‘a beautiful girl who happened to pass by’ or something like that?”“Just take it as my gut feeling. Besides, as far as I know, neither Schicksal nor Anti-Entropy nor even World Serpent’s database has ever recorded any specific information about the Thirteenth Herrscher in the Previous Era. A Herrscher, yet no information at all… I don’t know what caused this, but this mysterious and unpredictable atmosphere… it’s quite similar to you.”Elysia tilted her head.“Oh. So you’ve always seen me that way?”“Yes.” Mei admitted without pretense. “I have many questions for you: about your powers, the truth behind becoming a Herrscher, whether there’s any connection between you and Honkai beyond that, and… how should I face you?”Ellie replied, “Of course, you can find the answers to all these questions here. That’s the meaning of Elysium’s existence. But… isn’t it a bit inappropriate to discuss this in the plaza? The atmosphere is just right now, and I don’t want any more third parties interfering.”“This is indeed not a suitable place for conversation. Besides, I want to learn more about this Elysium. Your style has never been one of all talk and no action. Since everything here is Elysia’s memory, it’s crucial to the truth I need to know. Over there?”“Mei, you’re such a smart girl and… we’re so in sync. Come on, I’ll slowly tell you everything about Elysia and… everything about the Thirteenth Herrscher. But even so…”As she spoke, Ellie covered her face with her hands like a shy young girl in love.“The thought of revealing everything to Mei makes my heart flutter a little. It might take a little while. You don’t mind, do you?”Mei (with a cold expression): “It’s okay. As long as I get the answer in the end, I don’t care about the process.”“Then shall we go at my preferred pace? If you feel the pace is a bit slow, let me know.”…Afterward, led by Elysia, the two crossed the plaza and officially arrived at the entrance to the garden formed from Elysia’s memories.“This is the entrance to the garden. It’s usually tightly closed, but it’s open especially for you today. However…”Suddenly, Elysia tiptoed, seemingly observing Mei’s micro-expression. “Mei seems nervous. Are you trying to gather your thoughts before we leave?”Although the recent events surrounding her were complex and convoluted, they were already deeply etched in Mei’s heart, so she slowly shook her head.“No need.”Right now, she was more eager to see the answers to her questions—the truth of the matter.“Then let’s go.” Ellie led Mei through a gate leading into a labyrinthine garden…“Hmm?”“Haaah!”However, the moment the gate opened, Mei’s next move was a swift slash.Immediately afterward, a Zombie attacking from behind the gate was instantly cleaved in two.Then Mei watched as a large number of Zombies, Honkai Beasts, and even mechs charged toward her.Sure enough, she couldn’t let her guard down inside the garden either.Mei sighed. “We really can’t let our guard down for a moment.”“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”Fortunately, this time she wasn’t fighting alone; Elysia was also there, helping her with her bow and arrows.Soon, with their combined efforts, the enemies at the entrance were all dealt with.After completely clearing out the obstacles, Mei finally had time to observe the garden.Countless exotic flowers and plants, some familiar and some unfamiliar, bloomed within—beautiful beyond measure. At the same time, the corridors were winding and intricate, like a giant maze.“A huge garden maze. Indeed, very much your style.”“Hmm~ It’s too early to exclaim now. This isn’t even the tip of the iceberg. Oh no, the iceberg is for Kevin. I’d say it’s ‘a corner of a sea of flowers.’ Oh, here he comes.”Just as Ellie was teasing Kevin…In the sea of pink and purple flowers, a man dressed primarily in black appeared before them, standing with his hands clasped.He was exceptionally conspicuous.“Hmm?” Mei frowned slightly. “This… is this also your memory?... No, it seems to be the real person.”“Hmm… that’s true.” Elysia shrugged helplessly. “While I’d love to open up only to Mei, it wouldn’t be fair to everyone.”Mei was slightly speechless, looking at Ellie with the air of an emperor observing a harem intrigue.Kevin spoke coldly, “Elysia, I respect your choice, but you should have informed us beforehand.”His words were brief and vague, clearly because there were outsiders present.“Oh dear… Mei,” Elysia said regretfully, “It seems you might have to explore on your own for now. Look, Kevin doesn’t seem to want us alone. Don’t worry, I’ll come see you as soon as I’ve dealt with him.”“Alright, that was unexpected. It’s fine. Since you’ve already revealed your identity to me, I don’t mind showing a little more patience.”Mei wasn’t socially awkward; she could tell there was something they couldn’t say in front of her, so she decided to leave.“By the way, there’s something I wanted to ask you.”But just as Mei was about to turn around, she suddenly seemed to remember something and changed the subject.“Did you see Lin Ling today?”“No,” Kevin answered immediately. “Miss Lin Ling has never approached me. Unless I was with another female MANTIS, I might not have seen her.”“Hmm…” Mei nodded thoughtfully. “That certainly fits her personality. However, before coming here, I also asked Eden and Pardofelis in the lounge, and they both said they hadn’t seen her…”After saying that, Mei turned her gaze to Elysia.“Hmm, I don’t think so.”Elysia pressed her index finger to her cheek, then looked up slightly, seemingly recalling something.“Ever since I rejected her proposal last time, it feels like I haven’t seen her again. Is she angry with me? Sigh~ Although I do like her quite a bit, I really can’t give up on everyone. I can’t give up on you, Mei…”Mei ignored Ellie’s usual teasing in the latter half, then narrowed her eyes, her expression becoming somewhat complicated.“Even Ellie feels something?” - - -Chapter 289: Ling, It’s My Turn to Tease You!“Maybe she’s angry with me? Sigh~”After saying that Lin Ling didn’t want to see her, Elysia sighed softly. “Indeed, being too popular is a sin~ But Mei, if you want to find Ling’s whereabouts, perhaps you could ask the other female MANTIS.”“Mm.” Mei nodded.Since Elysia and Kevin seemed to have some secret business to discuss, she figured she might as well use this time to look for the missing Lin Ling instead of just standing there waiting.After all, for some reason, after unexpectedly seeing the person she should have been most familiar with again in the Elysian Realm, she had developed a vague sense of unease.Ellie waved playfully at Mei.“Okay, see you later!”...“Judging from Kevin’s words, opening Elysium doesn’t seem like a small matter. So he probably isn’t the only outsider to enter.”After temporarily bidding farewell to Elysia and Kevin, Mei thought for a moment, then headed alone toward another direction in the maze.“If I encounter any other Memory Entities, I’ll ask them.”She wasn’t only concerned about finding Lin Ling; she was also very interested in Elysia’s status as the Thirteenth Herrscher.“What’s this?”As Mei expected, she soon encountered a MANTIS here.A girl who made her feel more at ease than the enigmatic Ellie, who always claimed to like her but remained impossible to understand—Fu Hua, the old Class Monitor, or at this moment, she should be called Hua.Mei walked over and asked, “Hua, are you... spacing out here? That’s quite unusual for you.”Hearing someone call her, Hua snapped out of her reverie. She looked at Mei approaching and said:“Ah... sorry, I was indeed spacing out. I didn’t expect such an area to be hidden deep within the Elysian Realm.”“You didn’t know about the existence of Elysium?” Mei was slightly surprised by Hua’s answer. “Didn’t Aponia tell the other MANTIS that there’s something on the other side of The Deep?”“Perhaps it’s just because we don’t interact much,” Hua explained. “After becoming a Memory replica, Aponia always locked herself within The Deep, but she’s unlikely to be the type to lie to everyone. However, since Aponia is determined to protect the secret, it must hold very important meaning.”“Is that so…”Seeing that Hua seemed unfamiliar with the situation, Mei talked to her about Lin Ling for a while but still learned almost nothing…Hua frowned slightly.“Well… speaking of which, Miss Lin Ling did mention wanting me to marry her not long ago. But… I’m sorry, I don’t have any such considerations at the moment… so I refused. She left in a huff, and then… I never saw her again…”Although you could always trust Hua, Hua might not know as much as you expected……“Sigh, we finally met again, and after barely exchanging a few words, you’re leaving again? Ling…”Meanwhile, Mobius suddenly changed her plans and intended to return to the Elysian Realm as well.Therefore, they needed to make some extra preparations, so she let the temporarily idle Lin Ling wander around to kill time.Incidentally, she also wanted Lin Ling to continue moving about openly to lower the guard of certain spies. After all, infiltrating the most secret location of the current largest enemy organization required not only secrecy but also careful concealment.But it seemed she ultimately couldn’t escape the wind’s ears.In a secluded alley around a corner, a green-haired girl with her head lowered and face obscured suddenly appeared before Lin Ling.“This time, you absolutely mustn’t have any accidents! You must come back safely!” the girl said with concern.“Don’t worry~” Lin Ling scratched her head. “According to Dr. Mobius, I’m just going to synchronize my memories with some memory medium to retrieve the past, and then I’ll come back. There definitely won’t be any accidents.”Upon hearing Lin Ling’s words, Wendy immediately threw herself into her arms.“Last time, you said the same thing! The time before that! And the time before that… You always say the same thing! Every single time, you lie to me!”Suddenly being tightly hugged by a girl, Lin Ling was momentarily at a loss.At first, she considered responding with a tighter hug of her own. But considering they didn’t seem very familiar (?), she instead patted Wendy’s head and smiled.“It’s alright, Wendy. Leaving is for a better reunion next time…”However, Wendy, whose head was being patted, suddenly looked up. Her misty eyes overflowed not with tears but with displeasure.She looked at Lin Ling.“Ugh!… Why…?”“Huh?”Lin Ling was puzzled and thought she had said something wrong.She thought she had said something very philosophical—perhaps even poetic.“Why do you call me Wendy?!”Fortunately, Wendy’s next sentence immediately answered Lin Ling’s question.She excitedly said:“Just call me Wife Wendy, like before!”“Ah…”This sentence caught Lin Ling off guard.Her face flushed and she stammered:“Wife? What?... This... isn’t appropriate. Who calls someone ‘wife’ right from the start? It’s too presumptuous, too rude! I really can’t say something like that!”“Why?! When we first met, you called me ‘wife’ so rudely and presumptuously! Why are you keeping your distance now?! I can’t live without you! But you...!? Ling, you’re really despicable right now!”“Ah? Me... despicable? I’m sorry...”Although she had lost her memory and felt a mixture of curiosity and even a little disgust toward herself—the submissive person Wendy described—one thing she was certain of was that she absolutely didn’t want to hurt the girl’s feelings or disappoint her expectations.Since that was the case…Lin Ling turned her slightly flushed face away, glanced around to make sure no one else was nearby, then whispered almost inaudibly:“Wen... Wendy, my wife…”Perhaps not hearing her clearly, Wendy looked up at Lin Ling again with her large watery eyes and tilted her head slightly.“Ling, what did you say?”“Hmm…”Didn’t you hear me?... Oh well.I already said it.What’s wrong with saying it a little louder?So Lin Ling gritted her teeth, hugged Wendy, and shouted loudly into her ear:“Wendy, my wife!”Then she turned her head away and pouted.“Hmph, satisfied now?”“Hehe~”Sure enough, upon hearing the familiar address, the green-haired girl immediately stopped crying and smiled.A happy smile spread across her face.“I’m sorry, Ling. The despicable one was actually me, but…”Then she quickly pecked Lin Ling’s cheek.“You’re still as gentle as ever. I really love you the most! You have to come back and see me soon, okay? We promised to marry each other a long time ago!”Then the green-haired girl covered her blushing face and left.Leaving the white-haired girl standing there stunned, touching her still slightly damp cheek, she muttered to herself with a strange expression.“Emmmm, was I... teased?”...After saying goodbye to Wendy, the girl continued wandering around but soon felt a little bored.Since returning to reality, unlike her idle self, her older sister Kallen—the saintly figure who cared for everyone in the world—had been actively learning everything about this era, eager to do something for the world and therefore extremely busy.Meanwhile, Higyokumaru quickly returned to her former obedient, innocent, cute, and naïve self.Remembering her terrifying appearance just moments before, as if she wanted to devour her alive, Lin Ling hesitated to visit her and Sakura in the Stigmata Space.Kiana, Durandal, and the others were also busy. She had heard that another strange incident involving the supposed birth of a new Herrscher had occurred and required their attention.Therefore, feeling bored, Lin Ling decided to leave the floating island.Since returning to reality, she had basically stayed there the entire time.While these futuristic floating islands were indeed magical and sci-fi, and their sunrises and sunsets exceptionally beautiful, even the most beautiful scenery became tiresome when seen repeatedly.So she decided to explore the mainland.Without boarding any aircraft or wearing any protective armor, Lin Ling walked alone to the edge of the floating island.Through gaps in the clouds, she could see the ground beyond the abyss.“Whoosh~”Lin Ling swallowed.“Wow... so high.”Although losing her memory prevented Lin Ling from using her abilities proficiently, her grip strength, tested earlier, easily surpassed the 3,000-ton limit of the testing equipment.Her physical strength far exceeded the limits of humans and even those of recorded Valkyries.However, just as someone wearing VR glasses could still feel fear despite knowing it wasn’t real, humans instinctively feared heights.But in the end, the girl’s curiosity overcame her fear.“...Logically speaking, someone as strong as me shouldn’t die no matter how many times I fall, right? Let’s try it!”Thinking this, Lin Ling—filled with a complex mix of emotions: excitement at regaining her past, anticipation from being “teased” by Wendy, unease, frustration, anticipation, and joy—leaped from the sky.The next moment, howling wind whipped through her sleeves and hair.The strange sensation of weightlessness combined with the rushing scenery caused her adrenaline to surge—“Boom!”Like a meteorite, the girl transformed into a missile and slammed headfirst toward the ground, creating a deafening roar and sending up a cloud of dust and debris…Logically, that’s how it should have happened…But just before landing, Lin Ling suddenly vanished and disappeared into nothingness.Moments later, she reappeared unharmed and spotless in a forest beside a distant lake.“Hmm…”Then the girl looked at her hands.She didn’t know what she had just done.With so many strange and special abilities, she hadn’t immediately realized what she had unintentionally activated in the moment before impact.However, recalling the feeling of falling from the sky, she couldn’t help but exclaim excitedly.“That felt amazing! Hmm~ I want to do it again! By the way… I wonder if I can fly again?”“Sigh, why do you have to retrieve your past memories? Can’t you… just forget about it and live with me like this forever?”At that moment, Lin Ling’s fluffy fox ears suddenly twitched and turned in a certain direction.Although Higyokumaru had settled down and returned to the Stigmata Space, she had left some of her genes within Lin Ling’s body.This prevented her from completely reverting to her original human form.She had only changed from a pink-furred fox to a white-furred fox.Therefore, her keen hearing remained and allowed her to detect faint sounds imperceptible to humans.For example—This plaintive, sighing voice of a young girl.Listening more carefully, Lin Ling realized the voice sounded quite familiar.It seemed to belong to one of the girls who had taken turns attacking her on the day she returned.Unlike everyone else, that girl called her “Tianwen” instead of “Ling.”“Recovering memories? Is she talking about me?”Hearing the other girl’s words, Lin Ling couldn’t help but speculate.Then curiosity drove her to move closer and eavesdrop.Finally, through a gap in the jungle, Lin Ling discovered a lake before her.Strangely, despite it not being winter, the entire lake was frozen over.On the frozen lake knelt a girl with snow-white hair.“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me... It was your duty—your obligation—to regain your memories...”The girl buried her face in her hands.“But I actually think that perhaps you’re better off without your memories... Without those painful past experiences... you can truly... know who I am!!”Suddenly, the girl whirled around.Her pink pupils glared fiercely in Lin Ling’s direction.A wave of freezing energy swept in like an avalanche, instantly freezing a large section of forest—and Lin Ling hiding within—into an ice sculpture.Sizzle~ Crack!Soon, cracks appeared across the ice sculpture and a small white-haired fox girl broke through.“Haha, perhaps forgetting painful memories really is a good thing…”Knowing her whereabouts had been completely exposed, Lin Ling stopped pretending, stood up, and swaggered toward Ana.Ana, on the other hand, panicked completely.“Tianwen... Ling... you, what are you doing here?! You... you heard everything?!”