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Chapter 313: The Poor Little Guy Is Ruined After Being Played With by Two Women in Turn

Ping ping, bang bang Bang bang, thud thud

"Ah~"

Listening to the strange yet oddly rhythmic noises coming from inside the room, the bored girl yawned widely, like a student hypnotized by a teacher's lecture.

Then she asked the "punk girl," who seemed very busy but was actually doing something else.

"Um~ Miss Vill-V? You... aren't you finished yet?"

"Throughout the history of human civilization, the greater the invention, the more it's like a fine old wine, requiring sufficient time to mature before it can truly move people's hearts So, distinguished guest visiting the Helixcraft, please look forward to it!"

"Oh..."

Since the hostess said so, Lin Ling assumed she would have to wait a while. So she simply found a place to sit, propped her face up with her elbow, and lazily sprawled across a table.

"Sniff, sniff, sniff Come here, little kitty There's something yummy here."

Meanwhile, with nothing else to do, she used her free hand to tease the little robot she had found earlier.

"Beep...?"

However, when the robot actually seemed to understand and leaned closer, she opened her hand—it was empty.

"Haha~ Silly little thing, you fell for it."

"Beep!"

Although it looked like a machine, Lin Ling could clearly sense that it was angry.

Though, because of its small size, its puffed-up stance and stomping feet looked rather—

"Cute, isn't it~?"

"Beep..."

Upon hearing the comment, the little robot was startled at first. Then it immediately turned its back to Lin Ling and plopped down on the table, whether out of anger or... shyness.

"Alright, alright. Are you really that angry? Are you hungry? But robots... do they eat electricity?"

Thinking this, Lin Ling secretly channeled the power of the Herrscher of Thunder. A faint spark, no larger than a lighter battery, flickered at her fingertips.

Then she gently touched the head of the little robot that seemed to be sulking.

Zzzzz!

"Beep beep beep!!!"

The moment they made contact, the little guy's eyes on its screen widened to their limit. It then involuntarily began performing a twisted, original, trembling "breakdance."

Finally, it collapsed onto the ground, barely alive...

"Ah? Sorry, sorry. So charging doesn't work?"

Seeing this, the girl quickly withdrew the current and apologized again. "Then what should we do? Will it break? You won't die, will you? Right! If electricity doesn't work, how about fire? Ice? Or wind power?"

As the various manifestations of wind, rain, thunder, and lightning constantly shifted at the girl's fingertips...

The little robot, already collapsed and unable to get up, was both shocked and terrified but had no tears left to shed...

"Use Honkai, right, Ling~"

Fortunately, just as Lin Ling was about to desperately try anything, Vill-V, who was still tinkering with her invention, suddenly spoke up to remind her.

"This little guy may look ugly-cute, but don't be fooled by its appearance! It's not some ordinary thing; it's a high-tech product that can directly use Honkai energy! Wait, could it be an invention from your current civilization? Interesting~ Can I borrow it to 'play' with later? Don't worry, I definitely won't break it. I can guarantee it with Dr. Mobius's lab!"

"...Um, why are you guaranteeing it with someone else's lab?"

After hearing Vill-V's explanation, the girl was slightly puzzled.

However, after thinking about it carefully, what she said made a lot of sense. Since conventional energy wouldn't work, then let's try Honkai energy.

So Lin Ling didn't convert the Honkai energy into conventional energy. Instead, she directly condensed it into a purple crystal the size of a melon seed and handed it to the little robot.

"Beep beep!"

Sure enough, this time the little foodie didn't reject it. Instead, it happily grabbed it and started sucking on it as though it were drinking coconut juice.

"It really works! Thank you so much, Miss Vill-V!"

...

"Little White, go!"

The girl flicked her wrist, and another tiny Honkai crystal flew swiftly into the distance. Just then, a small white figure leaped into the air, perfectly intercepting it before landing gracefully.

"Hmm, so good~"

Lin Ling patted the little machine's head.

Some time passed, and while the girl was still waiting for Vill-V to complete her masterpiece, she was no longer bored.

She now had a playmate—someone to play games like guessing which hand held the food, chasing a cat toy, and even catching a frisbee.

It was quite fun, like having a little pet. It was also clearly much smarter than ordinary cats and dogs.

"Since its main color is white, you named it Little White? Hmm~ Ling, your naming skills need improvement."

A voice came from behind the girl. She turned around and saw Vill-V, the steampunk-esque genius inventor.

She put down her "little pet" and scratched her head sheepishly.

"Haha, I'm really not good at naming things. Well, to be honest, I hate naming things the most. Back when Bronya made me play games with her, I just used the keyboard face-roll naming method."

"Haha, that's quite an interesting image. Hmm?"

Just as Vill-V and Lin Ling were joking around, a sudden thought struck her.

She suddenly noticed that while she was distracting Lin Ling, the little robot had turned its head, like an employee who had been obsequious to their boss and could finally breathe a sigh of relief after the boss left. She even thought she could hear it muttering something.

"Well then" Vill-V smiled and picked up the little robot with two fingers, examining it closely as she suggested, "How about I name you? Those long legs of yours are quite alluring, so how about... White Enchantress?"

"Beep beep, beep beep beep..." The robot shook its head repeatedly. While the previous name, "Little White," sounded ordinary—even like a pet's name—it was still far better than this incomprehensible one.

But its resistance had no effect whatsoever. In fact, its intelligent behavior only excited Vill-V more, and then a bold idea came to her.

"How about I give you a makeover! I don't really like this design either. How about adding hands? And a mouth, of course—steam-powered! Oh, and a bottle opener, a fireworks launcher, a nail clipper! Oh, and a massage function too!..."

The genius girl's thoughts wandered even further, leaving the little robot trembling.

"Beep beep beep!!!"

It had escaped one danger only to fall into another!

Rather than be tortured by this terrifying research maniac, the little robot would rather be kept as a pet by that annoying woman!

So it could only keep casting pleading glances at Lin Ling—

QAQ

...

---

Chapter 314: I, Elysia, the Herrscher of Humanity

"So, this is your childhood, Ellie?"

Time flowed onward once again, and it was now just before dawn—

"Yes." Beneath the last starry sky, the pink-haired girl spoke to the older sister with long, wine-red hair beside her in a coquettish tone. "Even if I forget, you'll remember it for me, right? My dear Eden?"

"Of course. You know, how could I ever forget anything about you? But, Ellie, didn't you embellish it a little too much? It's more like a fairy tale than a memoir."

"Haha, Elysia's story, of course, has to be a fairy tale. Ah... I really wish this starry sky could shine forever. Unfortunately, the night is about to end."

"Ellie, are you... saying goodbye to us?"

"You can't hide anything from you, Eden. I think so. Mei wasn't wrong... at least, she wasn't wrong about the most important thing. Maybe... I... really am a Herrscher..." The girl's voice nearly caught in her throat, but she still forced a smile.

"I knew this day would come sooner or later... so it's okay. I've already thought about what to do afterward."

"...I see."

Eden smiled but said nothing more.

Silence fell between them.

After a long while, Ellie finally spoke hesitantly.

"Eden, I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Ellie. I understand how deeply you love this world and how deeply you love the people in your heart. That's why I understand the difficult choices you went through before making this decision and how you were forced onto this path against your will. So I will definitely stay with you until the very end. As for the 'truth'... that's not important to me. We'll reveal it whenever you want to."

"Thank you, Eden. I'm just... a little scared. Ha, it's strange for me to say I'm 'scared,' isn't it? But I really am worried... If the existence of 'Elysia' is a lie, then everything we experienced in the palace... those beautiful memories, promises, and commitments... will they all disappear?"

"No, Ellie. This 'specialness' has never diminished your radiance. On the contrary, it has made you even more beautiful because of your flawlessness. Whatever you've hidden, I believe... you are still my dearest friend, Elysia, still the one who cherishes and protects the world. That's enough, isn't it?"

"...Yes, that's enough, Eden, that's enough..."

The gloom faded from the pink-haired girl's face, and a flawless smile returned.

"After all, few people would truly dislike a cute girl like me, right? So... at that final banquet, let me hear your story one more time, okay?"

As the dreamlike memory came to an end—

"..."

Mei, standing to the side, remained silent as she looked at the flawless girl with a mixture of anticipation and reluctance. Her heart was conflicted. She didn't know whether she was truly prepared to face the flawless girl's final fate...

But whether she was prepared or not, Elysia continued with a smile.

"After that, I thought about it for a long time. I really should be a Herrscher, right? That's only natural. Otherwise, many things wouldn't make sense. Although I still held on to a little wishful thinking... after all, I'm different from other Herrschers. I didn't 'transform from a human'; I simply 'appeared out of thin air.' But now, I have to accept reality..."

Mei bit her lip, hesitated several times, and finally asked,

"So... you really are..."

"Yes, so this is the 'answer'... maybe?" Elysia frowned slightly. "But if that's the case, what are my 'powers'? No one has ever told me about them, and no one has ever asked me to do anything. Hmm... let me think. Apart from being a little cuter, a little wiser, and a little more perfect... I'm no different from ordinary people! I have the appearance of a human and the character of a human. I breathe like a human, and I live like a human. Sometimes joyful, sometimes sad, sometimes lost, sometimes resilient. I cherish yesterday, yet I also let go of the future. So my name should be 'Herrscher of Humanity,' right? The Herrscher of Humanity... the Herrscher of Humanity... So... I feel like I have to do something too..."

"What are you going to do? No, what were you planning to do back then?" Mei gently shook her head. For some reason, she couldn't tell whether the girl before her was talking about the past or the present.

"Me?... Hehe~" Elysia took a few quick steps forward, leaving Mei, whose expression was obscured, behind.

Then she looked up at the star-filled night sky and murmured.

"I'm going to do something... something only 'humans' would do~"

"Something only 'humans' would do?"

Mei couldn't understand. In her eyes, Elysia was undoubtedly human—even the most perfect human being.

"Wait! Elysia! What are you doing?"

But suddenly, she noticed something was wrong.

At the feet of the pink-haired girl, whose back was turned toward her, a pool of red liquid was spreading...

---

Chapter 315: Things Only 'Humans' Do?

"Don't worry~❛˓◞˂̵✧"

Meanwhile, facing the little guy's sincere and earnest pleading eyes, the girl winked playfully.

Then she immediately reached out and stopped Vill-V's small chainsaw, which she had seemingly pulled out from nowhere, grabbing the rapidly spinning blade as it approached.

"You can't do that, Miss Vill-V."

Vill-V tilted her head in confusion and asked, "Hmm? Why, Miss Lin Ling?"

"Because, at the very least, you have to get the person's consent. Forcing someone isn't polite, you see." Lin Ling gave Vill-V a look, suggesting that she pay attention to the little guy's overflowing disdain as he struggled desperately.

"Oh okay. Since it doesn't like it, then I admit I acted a bit presumptuously"

Seeing this, Vill-V had no choice but to put down the chainsaw...

Then, suddenly, she pulled out a whole bunch of strange and unusual gadgets, excitedly speaking, "So I've come to trade with you! Choose whatever you like, um... you can have it all, just give me this little guy. I'm really interested in it, can I play with it?"

"I think, Miss Vill-V, you might have misunderstood."

Lin Ling reached out again, stopping Vill-V's hand and her restless enthusiasm.

"First of all, it's not my pet. And secondly, you probably understand what I mean. When I said 'itself,' I didn't mean me, but this little guy."

The girl pointed to the small robot.

“Oh?” Vill-V stroked her chin with interest. “It’s just a little toy pet. Do I really need to ask its opinion? And you called it ‘its own person’? So, in Miss Lin Ling’s eyes, is this kind of thing considered a ‘person’? Or do you think this little robot has a ‘soul’?”

“Why not?” Lin Ling countered. “Look, it understands what I say, interacts with me, and is quite cute, isn’t it?”

“Then here’s the problem: some chatbots or pet robots can do that too, can’t they? But that’s just a pre-programmed process—generating responses by querying keywords, determining answer types, performing syntactic and semantic analysis, and finally finding the most matching answer to respond to you. The kind of cat-and-dog-like response you just heard is just using some algorithm to give you the statistically best-matched answer from a pre-defined database.” Vill-V shrugged.

"A genius like me can whip up a decent pet robot for you in ten minutes.”

“Perhaps... that’s true.” The girl was silent for a moment, then gently stroked the still trembling little robot.

"Beep!"

But perhaps dissatisfied with the girl's answer, perhaps out of fear, or perhaps out of a self-preservation instinct, the little robot actually swung it forcefully, slashing Lin Ling's hand.

"Ouch!" The girl winced in pain, quickly sucking on her bleeding finger.

Vill-V shook her head helplessly. "You see, it's just a 'machine' after all. You're protecting it, you're trying to help it, but it attacks you instead. Because it can't understand your good intentions. In its cold, binary core, there's no warmth of human emotion."

"But... isn't that how humans are? Sometimes, no, I should say, most of the time, humans can't understand each other, right?" the girl replied, her voice slightly muffled, unwilling to admit defeat.

Then she suddenly remembered her healing abilities, stopped this primitive method of treatment, lowered her finger, and activated her creative powers to begin repairing the small wound on her finger at the cellular level.

“Besides.” During the restoration process, thanks to her power of creation, the girl’s spirit could ‘see’ the rows of tightly packed, complex, and coordinated human tissues on the surrounding level, and she sighed, “‘Humans’ aren’t they also intricate machines made of organic matter? The human brain is made of nerves, and the essence of nerves is nothing more than a circuit that releases and receives electrical signals. And aren’t the body and limbs also mechanical arms made of organic matter? ... A genius inventor like Miss Vill-V must understand, right?”

“Okay, what you said makes a lot of sense.” Vill-V shrugged. Then her eyes suddenly sharpened as she asked her next question.

"So here’s the question—since the principles of humans and machines are so similar, where exactly is the boundary between ‘human’ and ‘machine’? Or do you think all machines are no different from humans? That they all possess... souls?”

“Uh... ahaha.” The girl scratched her head awkwardly. “Miss Vill-V, your question is too profound! This isn’t something that physics, engineering, computer science, physiology... it’s probably beyond the reach of all scientific theories. After all, ‘souls’ are philosophical questions... I... I know nothing about them...”

“Haha, since you don’t know either, why are you so certain that this little guy is also a ‘human’?” Vill-V pressed on.

“Because...” The girl lowered her head, cautiously tapping the little robot’s head again.

"I choose—to believe.”

“Believe? Tsk tsk tsk~ What a naive, or rather, childish answer.”

Vill-V shook her head in dissatisfaction. A genius scientist like her would almost instinctively resist such irrational, purely emotional idealism.

Then she slowly turned around, a wicked smile playing on her lips.

"Hopefully, in the end, this little guy won’t disappoint you…”

---

Chapter 316: Elysia, may I ask you... to die?

"Alright, my lovely guest, let's get down to business. What brings you here today?"

"Oh, well," the girl scratched her head, "as you know, Miss Vill-V, I'm... well, the successor, so I've come to learn from a senior. Anyway... you know what I mean."

"Hmm, so you want my Signet? To be honest," Vill-V shrugged. "Perhaps our compatibility isn't quite right. I'm a research type, but what type are you again? Combat type? Mental perception? I feel like you're strong in both."

"I'm a research type too," the girl replied shamelessly.

"Oh? You're a research type too? Physics? Mechanical? Biology? Chemistry? Environmental science? Or materials science?" Vill-V inquired with interest.

"Um, none of those, but I want to learn them all. So, could you teach me?"

"Starting now? Isn't it too late?" Vill-V's tone still seemed somewhat uninterested.

"Um... I'm very smart? I learn very quickly, probably..." Lin Ling continued shamelessly (Anyway, I have that strange, mysterious system, so I should be able to learn anything quickly, right?)

"Then why don't you learn from Mobius?" Vill-V countered again. "Everyone says she's the greatest scientist of the Previous Era~"

“You're the greatest one! And while Dr. Mobius is indeed a rare genius among geniuses, Miss Vill-V, you're no less remarkable. In fact, if you could divide your consciousness into eight parts and still be no weaker than Dr. Mobius, then if all eight were combined, I'm afraid no one in the world could surpass you! Even Mobius and Dr. Mei would have to admit defeat.” Lin Ling quickly praised her, adding in her mind. “Ahem, I hope Dr. Mobius doesn't hear this.”

“Haha~ So that's how Miss Lin Ling sees me?” Even Vill-V, under Lin Ling's onslaught of flattery, couldn't help but feel a little flattered, her expression much happier than her previous tactful refusals.

“Of course!” Lin Ling continued to press her advantage. “My admiration for Miss Vill-V is like a surging river, endless and unstoppable, like the Yellow River overflowing its banks...”

"Alright, alright." Vill-V covered the girl's rapidly moving lips, interrupting her continued flattery. "I heard you lost your memory? I didn't expect you to be so good at charming girls, still so adept at it. But, to be honest, you're too slow. I know you possess multiple Herrscher abilities, especially the Herrscher of Reason, the Herrscher of Thunder, and the Herrscher of Death—these can greatly enhance your research. But as far as I know, you outsiders have already defeated eleven Herrschers, right? Starting to learn now is too late."

"Ah... so that means..." Lin Ling said, somewhat dejectedly. "Miss Vill-V still doesn't want to give me your Signet?"

"No, what I mean is, time is of the essence, and you're exceptionally talented. I can't teach you using conventional methods. Ta-da!"

Suddenly, Vill-V pulled out a strange hat.

"What's this, Miss Vill-V?"

"This is a consciousness extractor. It allows you to enter my consciousness and access my memories."

"Huh? What's the use of this?" Lin Ling was taken aback; things seemed to be developing beyond her expectations.

"How silly. Instead of imparting knowledge to you mouth-to-mouth, I'd rather have you communicate with me spiritually, learning from my memories. That would be much faster!"

"Hmm... 'mouth-to-mouth' 'spiritual communication'?" The girl raised an eyebrow. "It feels a bit strange, but... it's fine. Come on, Miss Vill-V."

Vill-V placed the strange hat on Lin Ling's head, even considerately tidying the bangs that the hat had messed up, then smiled mysteriously.

"The 'Helix' of 'common sense' and 'counter-common sense' is right here~"

The girl tilted her head, saying doubtfully, "I feel... I don't feel anything... huh!?"

However, before she could finish speaking, her body went limp and she lost consciousness...

"Hmph" Vill-V lifted the unconscious girl's chin. "I was thinking about how to get you into a trap, but I didn't expect you to walk right into it. It was all so easy"

...

"Elysia! Elysia!"

Mei, sensing something was wrong, immediately rushed forward and caught the swaying girl, her panic tinged with deep confusion.

"What are you doing?"

"Oops, Mei found out... Hmm? I... I think I've become a little transparent?" Elysia raised her semi-transparent hand, weak yet innocently curious like a little girl, seemingly completely unaware of what she was doing.

"Why are you doing this?" Mei asked, utterly bewildered. "Why so suddenly?"

"Oh, Mei, why aren't you listening to me? I want to do something a 'human' would do again. And you probably already know what I'm going to do today..."

Mei bit her lip, wanting to say something, but unable to utter a word, finally managing only three words.

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't worry, Mei, don't take it too seriously!" Elysia pointed to Mei's heart with her now-transparent finger. "I won't disappear, because I will always remain in your memory, in your heart. So, don't be sad, don't look back, just look at 'my' story, okay?"

As the girl gradually became transparent, gradually dissipated...

"Roar!!!"

Countless Honkai beasts had surrounded the area, seemingly appearing suddenly, yet also as if premeditated.

These Honkai beasts were different from the ones Mei had seen before; these were faded, dull, and lifeless...

Mei, filled with rage, slowly drew the sword from her waist. If it weren't for these creatures, this wouldn't have happened.

...

"So beautiful, I can never get enough of looking at it~"

Last night, it was another night of dazzling stars. A pink-haired girl was admiring the night sky, which she had seen for fifty thousand years—a sky that she should have grown tired of by now.

“Elysia…” A rare voice approached her.

Although she had expected it, Elysia still feigned surprise, turning back with a gentle smile. “Oh! Mobius~ You actually came to find me? Have you been missing me for so long? So, you still like me, don't you?”

“...” However, faced with Elysia's usual teasing, Mobius, who was usually at her wit's end, didn't immediately retort. She merely parted her lips slightly, hesitating to speak...

But finally, she secretly gritted her teeth.

"I can't guarantee our plan will succeed.”

“Oh? A plan?”

Elysia tilted her head, curiously leaning closer. “Is something wrong? Mobius, it's alright, just say it. Whatever your request, I'll do it. After all, it's the beautiful Miss Mobius's request~”

"Hmph Fine! You said it yourself." Mobius reverted to her usual extremely disdainful attitude toward Elysia. "Elysia, I hate you, so can I ask you~ to die?"

"Ugh!" Elysia instantly turned away sadly, covering her nose. "Mobius~ do you really hate me that much?"

"Yes, I hate you the most, especially when you know everything but still pretend to be stupid." Mobius said irritably.

"Honestly... even I get hurt if I'm criticized too much." Elysia pouted, somewhat angrily.

Then, as if in a huff, she turned her back to Mobius, no longer facing her. Instead, she looked up at the sky, continuing to admire the night view...

"I know what you're thinking, Elysia..."

Watching the girl's retreating figure, Mobius's eyes softened, then suddenly hardened. "But I won't let you succeed! A person feels as grateful as they feel sorry when someone sacrifices for them. You might as well just walk away and leave someone else to struggle for the rest of their life? Isn't that incredibly selfish?"

"Hmm... then, is there any other way?" Elysia shook her head slightly. "I'm sorry, Mobius, this is all I've done..."

"I'll say it again, I can't guarantee success, but... this time, even if you die, don't think about running away alone! And before that, let's trust those idiots just this once... There are two idiots even more idiotic than you who have already abandoned their own safety to force their way back here... You can't let them down..."

——————————

Chapter 317: Feel the pain of these 50,000 years!

"Huh!? Where am I?"

When the girl snapped out of her daze, she looked around and saw a magnificent, opulent palace interior.

"Never mind."

Fortunately, she'd already been surprised enough lately and was almost used to it.

So, after gathering her thoughts, the memories from before her daze quickly returned.

The girl rested her chin on her hand. "Oh, I remember now. I think I entered Vill-V's consciousness, so this is Vill-V's consciousness space? It doesn't seem quite like her style... And wasn't it supposed to give me knowledge and the Signet here?"

However, just as the girl was puzzled, a new and bizarre event suddenly occurred.

"Darling~"

"My lady~"

"Your Highness~"

Accompanied by these bewildering addresses, a large group of women suddenly filed in through the four gates of the palace, surrounding the confused girl. Some served tea and water, others massaged her shoulders and legs, and still others fanned her...

"Hmm?! You are..."

Upon closer inspection, although their clothes and appearances differed, their faces were clearly identical—Vill-V's.

"Miss Vill-V, what are you doing?... Ugh!"

Lin Ling was about to ask Vill-V, who was closest to her, what she was doing when...

"Here, have a drink first!"

The Vill-V dressed as an ancient concubine from Shenzhou had already brought a glass of fruity wine to Lin Ling's lips, then forcefully poured it down her throat the instant she opened her mouth.

...

"Cough cough! Wait a minute!"

After an unknown amount of time, Lin Ling finally came to her senses and struggled to escape the trap of this lavish lifestyle.

She instantly activated her Herrscher of the Void powers, teleporting to the doorway and trying to escape this erotic space.

But a Vill-V was already waiting for her at the door.

“Miss Vill-V...” The girl rubbed her slightly flushed cheeks and said to Vill-V, the only person at the door dressed as a palace attendant who wasn’t particularly enthusiastic toward her, “Stop playing around, let’s get down to business.”

“Eh~” However, the other person looked unsatisfied. “Are you satisfied already? I wanted to play a little longer.”

“Sigh... really, Miss Vill-V, are you playing with me?” the girl complained irritably. “But... what are you doing?”

“Well, in your hometown’s terms, this is called edutainment. Learning knowledge and skills through entertainment and games is more fun, it attracts students’ interest and attention, and helps them remember and understand the content more easily.”

“Ah... ‘edutainment’? You, you’ve made such a fuss, what kind of knowledge are you planning to teach me? If I’m not mistaken, is this some kind of emperor’s or king’s harem?”

The girl’s face was full of suspicion.

"Hehe~" Vill-V simply gave Lin Ling a knowing look.

"Eh~ Could it be...?..."

Suddenly, as if realizing something, the girl crossed her arms and leaned back slightly in fear.

“Alright, enough joking around. Continue enjoying my wonderful performance.” Vill-V bowed slightly and said, “Your Majesty, it’s time for court...”

“Huh, Your Majesty?”

Lin Ling pointed at herself in surprise, only then realizing that her clothes were actually a bright yellow ancient costume.

“Oh, is she playing some kind of role-playing game with me? Oh well... I’ll play along for a bit longer.”

“Speaking of which, where are we going?”

“Didn’t I say? Court.” Vill-V explained, then seemed to suddenly realize something. Her tone abruptly changed, and her expression became respectful again. “Your Majesty, it’s time for court. Today, we have foreign envoys from the West to pay homage.”

“Foreign envoys?” The girl was increasingly confused. “Hmm? What the heck...?”

Lin Ling was speechless for a moment but could only follow Vill-V forward.

However, just then, she saw a house completely different from this magnificent royal palace—a desolate, dilapidated black courtyard.

"Oh, Your Majesty, that's the Cold Palace, used to imprison a criminal," replied Vill-V, dressed as a palace attendant.

Lin Ling tilted her head and muttered, "Cold Palace, criminal? Isn't this a prison? It doesn't seem like the dramas I watch. Isn't the Cold Palace a place for the emperor's unloved wives and children?"

"Heh~" Unlike her previous respectful tone and jokes, Vill-V suddenly let out a contemptuous laugh.

"Isn't the so-called Cold Palace just a cage for life imprisonment? Locking people up until they die, until they go mad..."

"Uh..."

Seeing Vill-V's apparent displeasure, Lin Ling, realizing her mistake, touched her nose and remained silent for the time being...

Soon, led by Vill-V, Lin Ling arrived at the court.

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

A large group of officials and scholars were already waiting there.

"Ah, this..."

But upon closer inspection, sure enough, these so-called ministers were all Vill-Vs.

Including the various "envoys from the West."

She was easily recognizable because, unlike the Shenzhou-style clothing here, she was dressed the same as the Vill-Vs Lin Ling was most familiar with—that strange steampunk-style outfit.

At Vill-V's prompting, Lin Ling sat back in her wheelchair.

"What's going on here?"

At this moment, the eunuch Vill-V loudly proclaimed, "Speak if you have something to report; otherwise, dismiss the court."

"Vill-V, the great engineer and expert from the Western Fire Moth Kingdom, has come to pay homage, wishing to present my most outstanding masterpiece to your esteemed nation!"

Then, the Expert Vill-V stepped forward and presented a whole host of bizarre and high-tech gadgets to King Lin Ling.

However, despite being called Expert, Vill-V's personality led her to add a bunch of nonsensical, self-proclaimed amusing "surprise" elements, leaving the officials present completely bewildered.

Boom!

Especially the last one—a massive, strangely shaped steampunk mech constantly billowing black smoke—after wobbling a few steps, the pilot Vill-V even attempted a Thomas Flair. It exploded instantly, leaving everyone present covered in dust and grime.

Fortunately, Lin Ling quickly used the power of the Herrscher of Wind to create a wind wall that blocked everything, thus saving everyone from destruction.

"Your Majesty! Your humble servant has a memorial to present!!"

At this moment, Vill-V, dressed in a scholarly civil official's robe and sporting a long fake beard, wiped the ash from her face and stormed out.

"Such bizarre and ingenious techniques! They are utterly harmful and offer no benefit whatsoever! I urge Your Majesty to immediately repatriate this expert from the Western Fire Moth Kingdom! Otherwise, calamity will befall us!"

"I second that!"

"Yes!"

"I support it!"

Soon, all the local officials swarmed forward, strongly demanding that Lin Ling expel Expert Vill-V.

"This..."

Lin Ling scratched her head, thinking to herself: Is this scenario... a scenario where ancient Shenzhou rejected scientific and technological research? Why is this happening?

"You pedantic scholars! Short-sighted! The future belongs to science, yet you remain here, burying your heads in books, stuck in the past, destined for self-destruction!" the foreign Vill-V shouted angrily.

"How dare you! You've only learned a few useless tricks and childish toys, yet you dare to curse us! You're courting death! Your Majesty!" The civil official Vill-V bowed to Lin Ling. "Such audacious and disgraceful behavior must be severely punished! Guards!"

Without waiting for Lin Ling's instructions, she summoned a large group of fully armed soldiers who surrounded Expert Vill-V.

"Fine, you rigid, old-fashioned fools, come and arrest me if you dare!"

But Expert Vill-V remained unfazed. Her fingers flew, and soon the shattered metal was restored, then she launched a counterattack against the soldiers.

With a single blow, she instantly sent more than ten Vill-V soldiers flying.

"Ah..."

The girl was stunned...

But unfortunately, even the best can't fight against so many.

In the end, Expert Vill-V was captured.

"Criminal Vill-V, audacious enough to cause a disturbance in the imperial court, is hereby banished to the Cold Palace! Never to be released again..."

...

"What? Is it over?"

Lin Ling watched the scene unfold with little interest, then turned to look expectantly at Vill-V.

"It's over, but only for today."

"Today?"

Lin Ling quickly understood what "today" meant.

Time flowed again—

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Soon she was back in the court, back to the beginning, but with a difference—

"Your creation is detrimental to the peace and stability of the nation, unsuitable for this era! Therefore, for the peace and tranquility of the world, we must imprison you!"

Another inventor from the common people, Vill-V, was arrested for creating the "Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse," and was once again banished to the Cold Palace.

...

Then it started again.

"The Azure Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise!"

And then came the "rebellion" of Vill-V!

...

"Ah~"

Finally, the girl, who had lost count of how many times this scenario had been repeated, let out a big yawn. She had figured it out; it would just keep repeating itself anyway, so she simply sat on the dragon throne, too lazy to move.

Because here, the story of various "criminals" being relegated to obscurity will only repeat itself.

“Isn’t it over yet, Miss Vill-V? Have you had enough fun?”

Finally, unable to contain herself any longer, Lin Ling asked the eunuch Vill-V beside her. “It’s time to get down to business. I know you’re very entertaining, but I have a tiny bit of urgent business right now. Could we do it another time? Next time, I promise I’ll play with you for as long as you want.”

“No, I don’t want a next time. I haven’t had enough fun yet. How could I be done with it so easily? I want it this time. And if I had to put a time limit on it, then...” Vill-V smiled wickedly.

"Fifty thousand years.”

“Don’t joke around, Miss Vill-V. I don’t have that much time. I have other things to do. We’ve arranged to meet Elysia.”

"Just stay here and relax. After all, you'll never see her again."

Vill-V's face remained smiling, but Lin Ling's gaze gradually turned serious: "Never see her again? What do you mean?"

"Click~"

With a gesture from Vill-V, everyone in the court froze in time.

“Come on, Ling, let’s go play in the Cold Palace again. After all, people locked up there are so lonely.” Vill-V hugged herself tightly, her face filled with a painful smile that sent chills down one’s spine.

“Didn’t I tell you? I don’t have time to play these games with you right now...” Lin Ling was slightly dissatisfied.

But now she couldn’t refuse.

This time, it wasn’t the passage of time but a shift in space. In an instant, Lin Ling found herself in a desolate courtyard overgrown with weeds.

But that didn’t matter.

The important thing was—

“Die! You short-sighted, dog-like emperor!”

A Vill-V sitting atop a cannon uttered these harsh words while unhesitatingly lighting the fuse.

“Whoa!”

Lin Ling quickly activated the power of the Herrscher of Ice, instantly sealing the cannon's muzzle and finally escaping the predicament.

"Phew." Lin Ling breathed a sigh of relief, but this was far from over—

"This world is so boring, let's just destroy it..."

"Why... why don't you believe I can save the world, save everyone!"

"Add some poisonous mushrooms and an old shoe heel!"

"Earth has no future. Our journey is to the stars. Only by taking everyone away from this world can we continue to survive!"

"I really want to share nuclear bombs with the apes and see how they use them..."

"Everything except technology is impure!"

"Flesh and blood are weak, machines are eternal!"

...

Lin Ling looked around. Everywhere she looked were... abnormal Vill-Vs, creating all sorts of machines while expressing their terrifying ideas, trying to break through the gates of this desolate place, or perhaps harming each other.

But it was all in vain...

“Little one~”

Another Vill-V appeared before Lin Ling.

"Now you know why I initially called the Cold Palace a prison, a prison used to imprison the emperor’s closest relatives. What? Aren’t you glad they’re locked up here? Unable to go out and harm others. It’s been like this for fifty thousand years. The masters here have put all the things they consider bad and malicious here, like a garbage can...”

“...”

Looking at Vill-V, who was inexplicably self-pitying and filled with deep resentment, Lin Ling didn’t speak. She simply turned her back and, facing the Cold Palace gate, concentrated her Honkai energy and unleashed a powerful strike.

Boom!

A violent explosion occurred, but it was still to no avail.

Only the dark aura between Lin Ling’s brows deepened further.

"You... aren't Vill-V, right..." Lin Ling looked seriously into Vill-V's eyes. "At least, not the Vill-V I knew yesterday."

"Oh dear, oh dear, you slowpoke. You finally noticed? Too bad, it's too late." Vill-V smiled and shook her head.

"The moment you entered my consciousness space, you fell into my trap. So, you can stay here and savor my 50,000 years of 'pain' and 'anger'!"

————————————

Chapter 318: In the Name of Extremely Evil / The First Step, Awesome Corruption

“The real show is only just beginning. How should I introduce myself? ‘Long time no see’ or ‘Nice to meet you’?”

Vill-V laughed, making a gesture as if she were lifting a curtain. Then, with that motion, everything and everyone within Lin Ling’s sight began to repeat their previous actions, as if time had reversed.

Soon, the previously dark and dilapidated “cold palace” became new and beautiful, until it reverted to an undeveloped open space.

“Ha...hahahahahaha...!”

At this moment, a sudden, chilling, maniacal laugh echoed from the open space.

It was the clearly overexcited Vill-V, wearing shackles and kneeling on the ground while still stubbornly resisting. Unfortunately, the strength of a weak woman was no match for the heavy, thick shackles.

But even though her “action” resistance failed, she didn’t forget to use “language” for a final act of resistance.

“This is mockery, mockery, do you understand? We’re all ‘geniuses,’ so we shouldn’t need an explanation, right?” Prisoner Vill-V continued smugly. “Splitting me out of my mind will solve everything? What do you take evil thoughts for? A part of a pocket watch? Something that can be counted one by one? As long as I, no, as long as ‘we’ are alive, it cannot be completely eliminated. Even the slightest influence, like a breeze, can be instantly regenerated. Everything you’re doing now is futile!”

At first, Lin Ling thought she was being addressed, so she scratched her head at the incomprehensible words, until—

“This wasn’t my decision to begin with,” spoke a Vill-V holding a token at the door. Unlike the prisoner’s frenzy, she was remarkably calm, even tinged with a hint of apology.

“You know, the right to ‘split’ one’s thoughts was only temporarily granted to me by ‘her.’”

“So... why? Don’t you... don’t I... aren’t we all ‘Vill-Vs’? Why must we be at her mercy?” The prisoner raised the shackles in her hands. “My chains are around my neck, and your cage is no less a magnificent palace. Perhaps we should all...”

Prisoner Vill-V didn’t finish her sentence, but the normal Vill-V already understood.

However, even understanding the implication, she merely shook her head slightly. “You’re wrong. Of course, I also want to be ‘myself,’ not just a region within someone else’s mind. Especially now that ‘she’ is in a deep sleep... this is an invaluable opportunity. Whether it’s Mobius or Aponia... they both have the ability to find us other bodies.”

“Then what are you waiting for?!” Prisoner Vill-V immediately shouted.

“But that’s something that will happen later. At least for now, I’m willing to accept ‘her’ decision.” However, Vill-V quietly explained.

"The time isn’t ripe yet...”

However, this vague explanation only earned a disdainful snort from Prisoner Vill-V. “Hmph... the same old rhetoric again. What timing? Humanity is about to perish, the world is about to end, what are you waiting for?”

“...It’s precisely because this era is on its last legs that you’re unsuitable. It’s already riddled with holes and can’t bear your wild ideas... However, you’re right about one thing. Evil cannot be completely eradicated. Many factors can easily revive it. Rather, anyone, as long as they live and as long as their mind is still functioning, will inevitably produce more or less filth... until death. So... ‘her’ decision isn’t to separate you... but to ‘imprison’ you.”

The prisoner was somewhat confused. “What’s the difference?”

“This time,” Vill-V waved her command arrow, and a new palace, enormous enough to rival the entire palace, appeared. She continued, “I will create a separate area of thought. Its capacity far exceeds any existing area, even reaching ‘half of Vill-V’s’ capacity. From now on, whenever a new malevolent thought arises within ‘Vill-V’... I will incorporate it into your realm. In other words, although you will become the most brilliant among us...”

“Not imprisoned as a criminal, but transformed into the prison itself, constantly subjected to what you perceive as ‘evil thoughts’? Never to see the light of day again? ...”

Extremely Evil Vill-V gradually understood everything.

“Ha...hahahaha... good... very good...! As expected of me, as expected of us, as expected of Vill-V, the master of prison construction...”

While uttering words of admiration, the hatred in her eyes grew even stronger, but her laughter carried a hint of sorrow, more or less...

“What if one day this cell is full? You know, as long as we live, evil will continue to grow, and there will always be a time when ‘half’ can’t hold it all.” The prisoner, no, the “cage,” retorted defiantly.

“That would mean... Vill-V was originally an ‘evil person.’ If one day we can no longer imprison you, then we will let those who still retain ‘goodness’ be destroyed together...” The Conductor paused for a moment, then spoke, “Destroy them all.”

“Destroy~” Extreme Evil repeated this word, which was originally distant to someone like her with an almost infinite lifespan. Her face changed from its previous madness to a smile full of longing.

“Alright, then let’s wait and see!”

Vill-V, possessing the command arrow, did not speak, but waved the arrow symbolizing power in her hand, and the cold palace gates opened.

Lin Ling could finally see the true interior scene—absolute darkness devoid of anything. That was the true prison.

Just one glance, and it was so empty that it was capable of swallowing everything.

Soon, it engulfed Vill-V, who was wearing shackles, and it also engulfed Lin Ling, who was watching.

...

An unknown amount of time passed—fifty thousand years, or perhaps just a fleeting moment.

The “Cold Palace,” which once occupied more than half the area of the “Imperial Palace,” had become desolate and neglected. Furthermore, the constant influx of crazed new members who wreaked havoc within it had left it riddled with holes and teetering on the brink of collapse.

...

“Oh! By the way... you must be very confused now, right? Who is this guy? Why is she spouting such nonsensical things in this pitch-black place?”

In this boundless darkness.

And then, “Extremely Evil,” who sometimes acted as director and sometimes appeared on camera herself, finally stopped her performance.

“Oh dear, I’m sorry... palaces and cold palaces don’t exist. For fifty thousand years, there has only been darkness. So, without some sound, it would surely be lonely, frightening, and maddening, wouldn’t it? Just like how I felt when I was first thrown in here. Yes, this... is my ‘vision,’ my ‘world.’ My ‘past,’ my ‘everything.’”

“Hm,” Lin Ling hummed in agreement while trying to sense Vill-V’s location in the darkness. But as mentioned before, she wasn’t imprisoned here, but rather had become the cage itself; the sounds seemed to come from all directions.

“As you know,” Extremely Evil Vill-V continued, “for a ridiculous reason, I was transformed into a cage of ‘malice.’ Since then, for fifty thousand years, that darkness has been the only thing in my world.

Fifty thousand years... can you understand how long that is?

I can hear the sounds of the outside world. I can hear ‘myself’ saying something... but it’s all so far away.

In their world, time is divided into day and darkness by a celestial body.

In my world, time is divided only into endless hatred.

Every day, I yearn... I yearn for the evil I believe in to be banished here, to where I am. One day, there will be no place here, the darkness that has been so desperately concealed will be exposed, leading us all to destruction, and at the same time... granting me liberation!

But the Elysian Realm operates differently from reality—it’s a stagnant pool, and the birth of evil needs soil and water. So, I fear my sentence will never end.”

“But... a person who feels despair cannot become an evil person.”

“Why?” Lin Ling suddenly asked, puzzled.

“...” Vill-V, interrupted in her passionate speech, glared at Lin Ling in annoyance, then pretended not to notice and continued, “I am ‘Vill-V,’ and fifty thousand years of darkness cannot harm me... I am waiting for the right moment, for it will always come.”

“Who?” Lin Ling then asked.

“You.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you... your arrival once filled me with ecstasy. If I’m a collection of ‘malice,’ then you’re a collection of ‘lust,’ your mind brimming with lewd thoughts, yet you dare not actually do anything—what a coward. But sometimes, you seem incredibly bold, even daring to provoke that snake? So enigmatic, you certainly attracted ‘my’ attention. Unfortunately, before I could do anything to you, you were eaten by Mobius. This made me quite disappointed in you. But thankfully, I didn’t expect ‘you’ to outwit that snake, and even return. No, that wasn’t you, that was ‘it’ transformed into you. Its arrival gave me real hope; I knew everything would change because of it... Hmm?”

Suddenly, Vill-V stopped speaking, then looked utterly puzzled, carefully observing Lin Ling’s expression.

"Why aren’t you panicking at all?”

The girl countered for the third time. “Why should I panic?”

“Aren’t you afraid of me?”

“Uh, to be honest, a tiny bit, but...” Lin Ling admitted without hesitation, then changed the subject.

“But I also pity you.”

“...” After a long silence, Extremely Evil Vill-V became somewhat angry. “Huh? Pity?!”

“I don’t need pity! Fifty thousand years of torment, you can’t possibly empathize with me. You’re just a consciousness of a newborn baby who has lost their memory, equivalent to only a few days old. What makes you think you can empathize with me? Do you even know the weight of fifty thousand years of torment?!”

“No, you’re wrong!” The girl shook her head firmly.

“It’s precisely because I lost everything from my past that I can truly empathize with you! Haven’t you heard the saying, ‘The person who understands you best isn’t your teammate, but your enemy’? Similarly, although we’re not enemies, the person who understands you best isn’t the one most like you, but the one least like you. Because in just the past two weeks, less than half a month of new memories has left me utterly confused, bewildered, and sleepless, in a state of indescribable panic. And my recent experiences have been relatively ‘pleasant’... um... ‘probably’? So, no one can imagine better than me what kind of pain you’ve suffered, accumulated over fifty thousand years of malice. I know what fifty thousand years truly means in terms of ‘weight’~”

Then, in the pitch black, a small but warm hand gently pressed on the head of the infamous Vill-V.

“You’ve had a tough time...”

“...”

Whether it was the shock of being able to touch her own body in her “world,” the contemplation of the other’s profound and enigmatic words, or the fact that Extremely Evil Vill-V, in her extreme darkness and cold, was experiencing warmth called “gentleness” for the first time.

In short, “Extreme Evil” froze on the spot for a moment.

But immediately!

Rat-a-tat-tat!

Intense flashes of fire shot out!

Extremely Evil Vill-V, seemingly out of nowhere, produced a massive Gatling gun and unleashed a barrage of shots at the groping hand that had dared to “take liberties” with her.

“Get off me! Stop with your little tricks for other girls, I don’t fall for that!”

“Ouch~ really, what happened? Why did you suddenly attack?” Lin Ling rubbed her right hand, her sleeve ripped by the shots from Extremely Evil Vill-V.

It turned out that she had a sudden inspiration. Instead of searching for Vill-V in this space, she used her Herrscher of Sentience powers to touch this entire dark space of consciousness, which allowed her to successfully touch her head.

This also shattered the illusion.

“Hmph, so what if you understand? So what if you empathize with me? It’s too late!” Vill-V once again took advantage of her home-field advantage, transforming this world of consciousness into a giant maze and trapping Lin Ling once more.

"I absolutely cannot forgive fifty thousand years of torment! And ‘it’ promised me that if I help you deal with it, it will grant me liberation!”

“‘It’?” Lin Ling asked curiously. “So who exactly is this ‘it’? And how do I achieve liberation?”

“‘It’ is Corruption, and liberation is letting me...” Hmph! Don’t try to trick me.” Perhaps because she hadn’t communicated with anyone for fifty thousand years and had finally found someone to talk to, Extremely Evil Vill-V was swayed for a moment, but actually, none of that mattered.

“You know everything, yet you still ask?” Extremely Evil Vill-V retorted with a laugh. “Besides, you’re not actually interested in me, are you? All you want is my Signet, humph You think I don’t know that? However, I am quite interested in you, especially since you were able to resist even while inside my consciousness. You’re definitely a super specimen worth studying. Ah If it weren’t for my prior agreement with them, I really wouldn’t want to let you go~ A composite, multi-core Herrscher—this is the first time I’ve encountered one.”

“Uh, okay. I roughly understand what happened. You consider yourself the ‘evil’ of Vill-V, and were imprisoned for 50,000 years, accumulating 50,000 years of ‘evil,’ so you harbor resentment toward the other Vill-Vs. Then you cooperated with the Herrscher of Corruption, wanting to cause trouble together?”

Lin Ling summarized her thoughts after watching the “performance.”

“That’s right,” Extremely Evil Vill-V readily admitted. “That’s roughly it.”

“Well then” Lin Ling raised an eyebrow at Vill-V, then extended an inviting hand. “What ‘that’ can give you, I might be able to give you too, maybe even better, so why not pledge allegiance to me? After all, I have more cores; the advantage is mine! And afterward, you can study my body as you please”

————————————————

Chapter 319: What a Coincidence, Are You Also Stalling for Time?

"Roar!!"

Facing countless faded Honkai Beasts,

the enraged purple-haired girl's clothes billowed without wind as terrifying electric fields surged around her. Then she drew her sword, but unlike before, this time the blade didn't unleash bursts of lightning as it left its sheath.

Instead, after it was drawn, its deep, dark surface seemed to corrode the surrounding air, constantly emanating an eerie black mist.

It was the Twelfth Divine Key—the Key of Corruption, Jizo Mitama.

...

Meanwhile,

Rin, who was snuggling with her long-lost sister,  sensed something. She suddenly leaned closer and whispered something into her sister's ear.

"..." Sakura didn't answer immediately. Instead, she stood up and looked at her younger sister with gentle yet immensely proud eyes.

"You've really grown up. You're a capable child now."

"Really, Big Sister, I'm fifty thousand years old! Of course I've grown up! Oh wait, saying that makes me sound really old... Oh well, anyway~"

Rin also stood up, looking solemnly at the fox-eared girl, who was still considerably taller than her.

"Big Sister, this time, let us protect you. As long as you're willing to trust me..."

Sakura's gaze toward her younger sister remained as gentle as ever, but this time it held something more.

"I didn't believe you before, and in the end, it led to such a tragedy. But this time, I promise I won't let you down again..."

"Hehe, you're the best, Sister."

Then the two deeply affectionate sisters embraced tenderly.

And then—

From the point of contact, a large amount of black energy resembling tentacles emerged from the younger sister's body, slowly "devouring" her older sister...

...

"But I refuse!"

On the other side, to Lin Ling's surprise, Extremely Evil Vil-V rejected her suggestion without a second thought.

"Why? qwq."

The girl was extremely unwilling. She hadn't expected her attempt to poach someone to fail so quickly.

"Did you really think I couldn't beat Corruption?"

Extremely Evil Vil-V pouted and shook her head again.

"Perhaps, in the outside world, you might have a good chance of winning. Unfortunately, in a world composed of data, the terror of the Herrscher of Corruption is no less than that of Finality. And yet, you actually came back. You don't really think you're some chosen one, some kind of chosen child, do you? Miracles are impossible."

"But isn't it precisely because 'miracles' are so difficult that they become all the more worth pursuing?" the girl asked sincerely.

"Hmph."

Vil-V slowly shook her head.

"All you do is spout meaningless, boring pretty words. If you think simply clinging to beliefs like 'kindness, hope, love, and justice' will unleash some 'wonderful energy' that lets you defeat an invincible enemy, then how naive you are."

"You might be underestimating me. I also really dislike those novel and anime protagonists who suddenly get a power-up and defeat enemies they couldn't possibly beat. Doesn't that make everyone who sacrificed themselves seem so... pointless? Well, actually, I possess Herrscher powers that even I can't fully remember. I've also fused with a large number of Honkai Beast abilities, Yae Sakura's Stigmata, and the Edge of Taixuan I learned from Fu Hua—or, in your era, it would be called SWARA. There's also the Key of Corruption, Jizo Mitama, and the former Herrscher of the Dormitory. If I truly want to, there's nothing I can't do!"

Unlike her usual soft and somewhat timid self, Lin Ling was uncharacteristically arrogant, even a little conceited.

But upon hearing the girl's arrogant words, Vill-V smiled with a hint of admiration in her eyes.

"'If I truly want to, there's nothing I can't do.' That reminds me of someone. But should I call you arrogant or courageous?"

"Who does it remind you of? Weren't you sealed away for fifty thousand years? If you still remember her so clearly after all this time, then you must really like... no, love her."

The girl continued rambling.

"Huh! I would never like her. Who says only 'love' can leave a lasting impression? 'Hate' can run even deeper! I wouldn't forget her even after five million years, let alone fifty thousand! After all, she's the one who decided to imprison me."

"Ah..."

Seeing that she had apparently struck a nerve, Lin Ling sensed something was wrong. Combining her previous observations with the other person's memories, she deduced that the person in question was none other than her true self, Vill-V. She immediately changed the subject.

"Speaking of which, if you split a magnet in two, does it become two magnets with only S and N poles? After you were separated, you became an independent individual rather than some 'pure evil' existence. And in the end, is there really a standard answer to so-called 'good' and 'evil'? To save her starving child, a mother robs a supermarket. To the supermarket owner, she's evil, but to the child, that's the greatest act of 'good.' So good and evil are ultimately just matters of perspective~ Who says you're evil? Nobody gets to define that."

Lin Ling was trying to persuade—no, convince—this self-proclaimed wicked girl to turn back from her evil ways through a long, eloquent speech filled with heartfelt "love and justice."

"I... or rather, 'we,' Vill-V... No, wait! I almost got led astray again!"

At first, Extremely Evil Vil-V genuinely seemed moved, her expression softening. Then she suddenly declared fiercely,

"I am wicked! I believe I am wicked!"

"As the saying goes, a gentleman judges by actions, not intentions. Regardless of what others think of you, and regardless of what you think of yourself, your actions speak for themselves. You helped 'Vil-V' maintain stability for fifty thousand years. From that perspective, you're nothing less than the greatest philanthropist!"

"Haha... Hahaha... Interesting. Very interesting."

Hearing the girl's absurd reasoning, Extremely Evil Vil-V couldn't help but laugh, though her laughter sounded somewhat abnormal.

"I never imagined that the 'extremely evil' me would be considered such a 'great benefactor' in your eyes. This is just too funny..."

"Ahaha, as long as you're happy. By the way, judging from your memories, you seem to want to leave 'Vil-V' and become an independent person. I actually have experience with something like that. A friend of mine went through something similar. Oh, she's your friend too. Anyway, I have a way to help you obtain a new body."

"Although what you're saying sounds very appealing—so tempting that I can hardly resist..." Extremely Evil Vil-V looked directly into Lin Ling's eyes.

"I know you're just stalling for time."

"What? No, no, no."

Lin Ling quickly waved her hands.

"That's not what I meant. I really..."

"You don't need to explain." Extremely Evil Vil-V smiled wickedly.

"What a coincidence—or rather, what an unfortunate coincidence."

"Me too~"

---

Chapter 320: Extreme Evil? I'd Like to See Who's More Evil, You or Me!

"What!?"

The girl's expression changed drastically. Her previous composure, and even the hint of mockery on her face, vanished, replaced by a furrowed brow as a bad premonition rapidly rose within her.

"Hmph Little one, finally figured it out? Finally"

Extremely Evil Vill-V cupped her face in her hands, looking at the tense girl with a rapturous, infatuated expression. "Your cute little face can also show such a panicked expression? Just as I expected... beautiful indeed~"

Previously, the girl had been trying to trick Vill-V into revealing information with her clumsy acting and flimsy excuses, behaving as though she thought she was performing flawlessly.

But in front of Vill-V, a master "con artist," it was utterly futile and laughable.

But now, finally, she had panicked. Although she tried her best to hide it, Extremely Evil Vill-V could easily sense her panic and even her fear.

This gave Extremely Evil Vill-V, who had been eagerly anticipating this moment, a strange and indescribable sense of satisfaction, especially after being "played" like a child.

"Haha, Miss Vill-V, what are you saying? I don't understand."

Lin Ling quickly feigned composure, continuing to act nonchalant while rapidly processing the vast and complex information her brain had just received.

Extremely Evil Vill-V... broken the seal... because of the arrival of a certain being... it really is...?

But the next moment, a gaze that see through everything stared directly into the girl's eyes, while a playful tone confirmed her suspicions.

"That's right, it's 'you,' or rather, another you Of course, things have changed now. It... They no longer just want to be you"

"Why...?" The girl pondered for a moment before asking in confusion, "Why are you doing this?"

"Haha, why?! Fifty thousand years ago, when she nipped a newborn consciousness in the bud, how righteous and justified she was. Fifty thousand years later, I've finally achieved my first 'release,' only to be immediately subjected to an 'execution.' Fifty thousand years have passed, and once again I see what the world should be like. The place where I was born, my reunion with it, will be accompanied by death."

At first, Extremely Evil Vill-V's words were filled with resentment, but strangely, the pleasure on her face only grew stronger.

"But I don't feel resentful! No matter what, how wonderful this is! While pushing me to my death, she... became 'evil' instead. So what decision will I make?" Vill-V stared intently into the girl's eyes.

"Besides 'betrayal,' can you give a better answer!?"

"..."

Lin Ling was momentarily speechless and offered no reply.

"Heh, judging from your expression, you don't seem to trust me very much." Vill-V, as if seeing right through the girl's mind again, continued.

"Let me guess... do you think that 'They' had no reason to spare me? Since They could easily crush the other Vill-Vs, what was the point of gaining another ally like me? The answer is, at the beginning, of course not. I think the reason she spared my life was simply because they felt that we 'craved' exactly the same thing. But that wasn't the case afterward because... a 'variable' appeared in the unchanging Elysian Realm, didn't it?"

Lin Ling frowned. "A variable? You mean... me?"

"That's right. While the Herrscher of Corruption's powers grant her immense influence in the data world, comparable to Finality, her Corruption powers can't directly affect you. And in a direct confrontation, facing you with multiple Herrscher Cores, the power of the Stigmata, SWARA, and even MANTIS, she doesn't have a guaranteed chance of victory. So... if someone can eliminate this variable... it wouldn't be unreasonable to make a 'friend' in return, would it?"

Lin Ling asked, "So... that's why you're trying so hard... to lure me into your mind?"

"Although, as a researcher, my combat abilities are far inferior to yours, I can carve out a new area within your mind and imprison you inside it in the same way They imprisoned me. Although it's only temporary, as long as you have enough thoughts, you can break through it, just like me. However even I needed fifty thousand years, plus their help, to break the seal, let alone you, little guy"

"..."

Upon hearing this, the girl slowly closed her eyes before activating her most powerful Herrscher of Sentience ability within her consciousness space.

But as expected, this prison of consciousness is seemingly indestructible. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't break through it...

"Don't waste your energy. This plan, originally designed to imprison me, was based on Aponia's abilities, you know? Fifty thousand years ago, Aponia defeated the previous Herrscher of Sentience in a battle of consciousness. So even if you possess the Herrscher of Sentience's abilities, don't think you can escape so easily. Fortunately, putting aside our positions, I quite like you. So at least... I don't harbor any ill will toward you. On the contrary, I'll thoughtfully build you a perfect harem like the one you just saw, so you can live happily forever, as long as you're willing to forget all of this. But strangely enough, I didn't expect you to have no interest in so many versions of this genius beauty. Are you not as lecherous as everyone says? Or is my charm simply not enough?"

At this point, Extremely Evil Vill-V pouted like a child, a hint of annoyance appearing on her face.

"Besides being a genius with the most powerful brain, shouldn't my appearance be top-notch too?"

"...Hmph! You're so despicable!" Lin Ling snorted coldly. Perhaps after learning these cruel truths, her attitude toward Extremely Evil Vill-V had worsened considerably.

"Interesting~ You showed leniency even to the Herrscher of Corruption, who wanted to take everything from you, yet you only hate me? Hate me for doing the very same things that the other 'me' did to me. Indeed, you're just a hypocritical, double-standard person."

"The Herrscher of Corruption... she hasn't done anything truly irreversible yet, so I believe she's willing to give her a chance to turn back. But you..." Lin Ling clenched her fist before asking a question she had long wanted to ask.

"What about the other Vill-Vs?"

"Oh, you still have time to worry about others? Besides didn't you already know? Of course, I eliminated them all Although I'm a little reluctant, after all, they're all 'me.' But I can't leave behind any hidden dangers. Fortunately, I'm quite good at imitating 'myself,' right? But speaking of which..."

Extremely Evil Vill-V pouted and tilted her head.

"We were originally different thought processes of the same person. How should I put it? It's like when you're very hungry, you crave even a simple steamed bun, but after you've eaten your fill, you feel nauseous even at the sight of a full-course meal. Although we seem to have different thoughts and ideas, no matter which 'me' it is, it's still me. So it's not 'killing' in the usual sense. I just made them disappear temporarily, like eating them~"

Not only that, Extremely Evil Vill-V also had a strange feeling in her heart. Ever since eliminating those "selves," something was... about to emerge.

"Temporarily... disappeared? Then when will they come back?"

"Hahaha!" Extremely Evil Vill-V laughed again. "What nonsense are you talking about? With such deep-seated hatred, how could I possibly release them willingly? Unless I'm dead! Otherwise, they'll never see the light of day again."

"Sigh..." Lin Ling let out a deep sigh. "Does it really have to be this way? However, you've miscalculated. Besides me, Mei can't be affected by the Herrscher of Corruption. She will definitely defeat the Herrscher of Corruption and rescue me."

---

Chapter 320: Extreme Evil? I'd Like to See Who's More Evil, You or Me!

"Oh You underestimate her. Besides the invincible power of Corruption in the data world, the Herrscher of Corruption's growth potential is terrifying. Given enough time, she will eventually become an unstoppable force, like a god. At that point, even if the power of Corruption doesn't work on you, she can easily defeat you head-on. So stop dreaming, little one, and obediently sink into my mind forever As for Miss Mei~ I noticed long ago that her sword had been changed, and the Key of Corruption wasn't with you, so I deliberately separated the two of you and defeated you one by one."

"Grow? As a consciousness made purely of data, how can she grow...? She can't possibly build muscle by lifting digital weights, can she?" Lin Ling struck a workout pose and asked curiously.

"Hmm Of course it's not that simple. Like humans learning knowledge, the more you accumulate, the more... Hmph!" Extremely Evil Vill-V scoffed. "You're barely managing to save yourself, yet you're still spouting so much nonsense? How many last questions do you have? Have you forgotten? I told you, everything just now was a performance, so the 'lines' were carefully chosen. Of course, I'll make sure you don't find any clues to defeat me. I don't want to be that kind of... ridiculous villain who fails because of a loose tongue. But even if I told you, it wouldn't matter, would it? You can't escape anyway. Haha"

"I understand." The girl nodded, then respectfully extended her hand like a criminal surrendering to the police.

"Thank you for telling me all this, Miss Extremely Evil Vill-V. In that case, you can continue cosplaying as various beautiful girls to seduce me. I choose to succumb..."

"Huh?"

Now it was Extremely Evil Vill-V's turn to be confused.

"When you didn't know the truth, you refused to submit to me no matter what, full of backbone. But now that you know the truth, you're willing to succumb to depravity? It's truly incomprehensible. But, well, it's fine. This saves me some trouble."

"Anyway" Lin Ling shrugged helplessly. "I can't escape the mental prison you created with your Aponia-inspired ideas, so rather than be tormented by you for eternity, I'd rather be happy with you. Speaking of which how about we stop using illusions and you just give in?"

After saying that, the girl blinked her big, cute, watery eyes at Extremely Evil Vill-V~ ξ(✿＞◡❛)

"Huh?" But this only earned her a look of disgust from Extremely Evil Vill-V, who repeatedly shook her head. "Giving you an illusion to dream about is already generous enough. Don't push your luck. You really are as lecherous as the rumors say. But since you're interested in me, it seems this genius really is quite beautiful, hmph..."

"Of course! Perhaps I don't possess the fiery passion of the sun, nor the enduring tenderness of flowing water. I only know how to love you endlessly, to love you unconditionally, and to do anything for you. You are like the moon in the sky and the twinkling stars above. It's a pity I'm not a poet. Otherwise, I would write ten thousand poems to describe your beauty. 'White robes and colorful ribbons dance like celestial music. Jade fingers gently caress the heart. A frown and a smile, a face as beautiful as a flower, eclipsing the moon. A pool of spring water drowns the fish...'"

"Hmm~" Extremely Evil Vill-V, who hadn't spoken to anyone in fifty thousand years, blushed slightly at Lin Ling's flattery, unsure whether it was from shyness or excitement.

At the same time, her hands moved much faster. Soon, the desolate and lonely cold palace was demolished, and the "wine pool and meat forest" was rebuilt.

"You're quite an interesting little thing. Too bad I have to go watch some even more interesting shows now. I'll come back to see you when I'm done."

"Waaah, so, Miss Vill-V, you're treating me like your electronic pet?"

"Haha, an electronic pet? Interesting. Alright then. They probably only want your body, so your consciousness is mine. I'll turn you, now harmless, into an electronic pet~"

Vill-V continued constructing the illusion before her, fantasizing about her wonderful future life.

"Sneak attack!!"

But just as the other party was distracted by her wandering thoughts and at her lowest level of alertness,

a flash of white light appeared, and the white-haired girl, who had been standing at a safe distance, suddenly crossed space and time, appearing right in front of Extremely Evil Vill-V.

"!"

Vill-V was startled, but before she could react, the other party had already transformed into a wisp of green smoke, entered her body, and disappeared.

Then, noticing that her bangs had turned snow-white like the girl's, Extremely Evil Vill-V was shocked and hurriedly asked.

"What did you do to me?"

"Nothing. I just temporarily merged with you. The impenetrable walls of the prison are indeed difficult to breach, but dealing with guards who are still 'flesh and blood' is much easier."

As she spoke, Lin Ling controlled the hand she now shared with Extremely Evil Vill-V and gripped her own throat.

"Let me out."

"Hmph! Go ahead and do it. We'll just die together." However, Extremely Evil Vill-V sneered. "I've already given up on living!"

"Die together? You're dreaming."

Slap!

With that, the girl slapped her other hand hard against the drum-like surface she and Extremely Evil Vill-V now shared.

"Ah! What are you doing?" Extremely Evil Vill-V gritted her teeth, feeling the strange mixture of pain and pleasure radiating from her indescribable parts.

However, Lin Ling spoke smugly, "Although we've temporarily merged, and I now possess the powers of the Herrscher of Death, the Herrscher of Sentience, and the Herrscher of Reason simultaneously, I can quickly resurrect on the spot after 'committing suicide' with you, thereby completing the possession. At that point, everything you have will belong to me, and I'll only suffer a little pain from dying"

"Y-you're so despicable!" Extremely Evil Vill-V exclaimed angrily. "I thought you were a gentleman, aside from being a bit lecherous!"

"Hehe!" The girl chuckled. "That's right. I'm that despicable~ But whether I'm a gentleman or not, I don't know. As for who's 'extremely evil'? I'd like to see who's more evil—you or me! However, if it isn't necessary, I really don't want to hurt you. After all, you've revealed so many secrets to me. So if you don't behave..."

The girl raised her hand again, aiming at a certain spot.

"I'm going to increase the pressure~"

——————————————————

Chapter 321: An Epic Meeting Between Two Socially Anxious Individuals ()

"Lightning!"

On the other side, after drawing Jizo Mitama, Mei didn't immediately use the Divine Key to attack the strange, faded Honkai Beasts surrounding her.

She simply used her original Herrscher of Thunder powers to summon bolts of lightning, repelling the surging faded Honkai Beasts and temporarily creating a relatively safe area around herself.

Then, she swiftly but gently swung the blade toward the spot where Elysia had disappeared—

The dense black energy spontaneously dispersed, transforming into a large net—no, countless gentle hands—gathering fragments from the surrounding void and supporting a faint pink aura, finally forming a beautiful girl outlined in pale pink lines.

ξ(✿＞◡❛)

"Hi~ Did you miss me?"

"Elysia..."

Looking at the pink-clad girl who seemed to be playfully greeting her, Mei bit her lip and cautiously reached out a finger, wanting to touch the pink figure.

"Roar!!"

But just then, a faded Honkai Beast suddenly charged at high speed like a cannonball.

Zzzzz~

Bang!!!

It ultimately shattered the electromagnetic barrier through self-destruction, although the shockwave from the explosion didn't cause Mei, a Herrscher, much damage.

However, it also caused the pink figure she had just formed to vanish once more.

"Hmm..."

Seeing this, Mei could only temporarily gather Elysia's dissipated data into her Jizo Mitama, then clench her fist and take a deep breath.

The anger in her eyes seemed to materialize into flames.

"Mei-neechan, Mei-neechan? Are you alright?"

One crisis followed another. Just as Mei was still grieving Elysia's temporary "sacrifice," Higyokumaru's voice came through the phone. Everything within the Elysian Realm was now under the surveillance of countless Herrschers of Corruption, and only through Higyokumaru, who also possessed Corruption powers, could a private, secure, and stable communication channel be established.

"Although some unexpected things happened, after seeing that guy, we've successfully persuaded more than half of the Flame-Chasers..."

Fortunately, it seemed to be good news.

But before Mei could even breathe a sigh of relief, bad news arrived.

"By the way! Mei-neechan, is Lin Ling with you? I suddenly can't reach her."

Lin Ling is missing?

Mei, already devastated by Elysia's situation, felt another pang of anxiety.

"...Clang! Bang bang bang! Swoosh! Boom!"

Moreover, she could hear the continuous clanging of metal and explosions coming from the other end of the line, indicating that Higyokumaru was in a very dangerous situation.

"I'm fine. I'm going to find Lin Ling now... then we'll meet up. My mission is finished... no, Elysia helped me finish it..."

"Oh, Mei-nee, good luck! I'm fine here. You go find Lin Ling first. Don't worry about me... beep beep beep..."

Without giving Mei a chance to reply, Higyokumaru hastily hung up.

As the Herrscher of Corruption of the Previous Era, even though she had been reduced to a Divine Key, her authority still existed. Yet now she couldn't even guarantee communication with her true form, Jizo Mitama.

Clearly, her situation wasn't as easy as she made it sound.

In this critical situation, Mei no longer held back. Her free left hand immediately drew another sword from her waist—

Then, wielding both divine weapons, Mei suddenly pushed off the ground, instantly charging into the army of faded Honkai Beasts at lightning speed before... beginning to spin!

Moments later, Mei, transformed into a thunderous storm, had carved a bloody path through the horde of strange, faded Honkai Beasts.

She was about to break free of the encirclement...

"Huh?!"

Just then, Mei vaguely saw a familiar figure appear before her.

"No, it's not her!"

But the next moment, she saw an indifferent gaze beneath the stiff smile on the other person's face—a gaze that disregarded everything. That arrogant gaze was definitely not hers!

Understanding everything, Mei no longer hesitated. Instead, she increased the force of her strikes, crossed her twin swords into an X-shape, and slashed down with all her might.

Boom!

A massive explosion erupted instantly, blasting away all the surrounding faded Honkai Beasts and even destroying the three closest ones.

But...

The girl beneath Mei's twin swords remained unharmed, effortlessly trapping Mei's two powerful Divine Keys with just two fingers.

"What is this?"

Those two fingers were no longer as smooth as snow. Though still lustrous, they gleamed with a metallic sheen, like some kind of silicon-based lifeform—namely, a Honkai Beast!

"This is the power of a Honkai Beast? No, the power of a MANTIS!? Hiding for so long, you really have been operating in the shadows all along?"

"Hmm~ What do you think?"

Seeing the nonchalant smile on the girl's lips, Mei, whose hands were throbbing with pain, sensed something was wrong and immediately tried to withdraw her swords.

Clearly, in just one day, the Herrscher of Corruption's strength had increased dramatically once again.

Even more unexpectedly, her full-force strike had been blocked and firmly clamped by her opponent, leaving her unable to move.

"Oh? Hokushin Ittō-ryū has become a dual-wielder? Interesting, but far from enough~" the Herrscher of Corruption, with pink hair but still wearing Lin Ling's face, sneered.

"While the number of swords doesn't determine absolute strength, dual-wielding? That's a huge misconception. Actually, I have another sword!"

Taking advantage of her opponent's distraction, Mei, whose hands were immobilized, immediately activated her Stand, Ghost Armor, summoning a massive katana that swept across her opponent's waist.

This attack contained the Herrscher of Thunder Core's maximum overclocked power output, and because it came so unexpectedly, even the vastly strengthened Herrscher of Corruption couldn't take it head-on without consequence.

A huge gash was torn across her waist.

Mei finally managed to break free.

She quickly retreated to a relatively safe area, panting heavily as she tried to recover from her earlier exhaustion.

"Not bad. As expected of one of 'that woman's favorite women~ You do have some strength."

However, the Herrscher of Corruption merely praised Mei before casually grabbing a nearby Emperor-class Honkai Beast and biting into it!

She devoured it in no time.

As she fed like a wild beast, Mei was astonished to discover that the wounds on her opponent's body were rapidly healing.

"This is... the 'Devour' ability?" Mei recognized it immediately.

This was a special ability possessed only by those fused with Vishnu's genes, and within the Elysian Realm, only...

"What did you do to Kosma?!"

Mei demanded angrily.

"Heh I didn't do anything special, just something similar to what you did. I simply realized that since I can't use the power of Corruption to infect you, I'll have to crush you head-on by force But I have to admit, these Flame-Chasers really do have the right to be arrogant. Their power is no less than that of a true Herrscher, so~"

The Herrscher of Corruption raised one hand, which instantly burst into flames.

"Guess how many Flame-Chaser powers I've acquired?"

Looking at the familiar flames engulfing her hand, Mei gritted her teeth.

"You bastard!..."

...

"Haha... hahahahaha..."

Meanwhile, on the other side, despite having her throat tightly gripped by her right hand and a Damocles' sword formed from her left hand hanging high above a certain area, Extremely Evil Vill-V laughed instead of getting angry.

"Seriously, how could you forget again? That hat—oh, it's the consciousness extractor. Since it lets you see my memories, it can definitely let me see your past too. Connections are reciprocal, right? Otherwise, how do you think this harem came about? Because it's what you crave, right?"

Extremely Evil Vill-V kindly reminded her.

"This..."

Lin Ling looked around. No wonder it seemed familiar. Now, upon closer inspection, she realized it was from a movie she'd recently watched out of boredom.

"So, using your wicked delusions to bury your hypocritical justice is perfectly fitting, isn't it?" Extremely Evil Vill-V retorted sarcastically.

"Hey, Miss Vill-V, your life is in my hands now. Can't you be a little more polite?" Lin Ling retorted, dissatisfied.

"Yes, I'm in your hands, but..." Extremely Evil Vill-V paused. "Just like with the consciousness extractor, these things are mutual, so... you could also say..."

The other's confident tone made Lin Ling uneasy.

She hurriedly asked, "You could also say what?"

"You could also say that you're in my hands too!"

Before she finished speaking, the white-haired Vill-V possessed by Lin Ling suddenly went limp, as if she had fainted—or rather, lost consciousness.

However, the white-haired Vill-V's body didn't completely collapse because only "Vill-V" had lost consciousness; Lin Ling inside that body remained conscious.

So she immediately took full control of the body and steadied herself.

"Didn't I just say that? I know all the little schemes in your head, so this genius can figure out what you're planning with a snap of my fingers. Although I accidentally fell for your trick, it was all part of my calculations. Now that I've devoured all the thought partitions..."

But just as Lin Ling regained her footing, the voice of the seemingly unconscious "Vill-V" came from not far away.

Lin Ling looked at the new "Vill-V."

"Who... are you?"

"No way, have you lost your memory? I, of course, am me~ You forgot in just a few seconds? Are you already suffering from dementia at such a young age?" Vill-V laughed.

The white-haired Vill-V—or rather, Lin Ling—frowned.

"So you really are Extremely Evil? It seems I underestimated you. I didn't expect you could create another version of yourself."

"Since 'Vill-V' can separate the mind from a body, why can't I, also a 'Vill-V,' do the same?" Extremely Evil Vill-V retorted. "Moreover, not only that, this part of me will become your shackles."

"Shackles?"

Lin Ling sensed something was wrong and immediately activated her Herrscher of Sentience abilities to try to end the fusion with this Vill-V, but it was too late.

Although she successfully broke free from the possession and fusion with Vill-V, turning into white smoke and disappearing, the empty shell of Vill-V suddenly grabbed her tightly from behind.

"You spent so much time guessing, thinking you'd seen through one lie after another, yet you failed to realize... the truth you deduced was just another 'lie.' From the moment you stepped into this place, my goal had already been achieved. Whatever happened afterward didn't matter. Now you have a cell and shackles too. Just sleep peacefully here."

"Wait, you're wrong. Actually, I..."

"Alright, alright."

Seeing that Lin Ling still wanted to say more, Vill-V impatiently manipulated a clone to cover her mouth.

"I'm starting to get annoyed. Farewell, dear audience. Try to cry as loudly as possible, okay? After all, being driven to your death by your own self-righteous 'stupidity' is something worth regretting, isn't it?"

Then, everything around them went dark, and the girl lost consciousness.

But in the final moments before she passed out, Extremely Evil Vill-V, emboldened by her own intelligence and having turned away too early, failed to notice the slight smile that appeared on Lin Ling's face before she completely lost consciousness.

...

"Wake up."

"Do you remember who you are?"

"Open your eyes, Miss Lin Ling. I am Vill-V..."

An unknown amount of time passed.

The girl's consciousness was awakened by a familiar yet unfamiliar voice.

She slowly opened her eyes...

Before her was—Vill-V?

However, it was a Vill-V without a hat, and her micro-expressions, mannerisms, and, most importantly, the look in her eyes were all different.

"You... you've finally shown up?"

"Yes." Vill-V nodded. "It's me. But you're really bold, thinking of finding me that way. I almost couldn't protect you."

"Hmph~"

The girl smiled smugly.

"I admit I was gambling, but thankfully, I won. During that brief moment of merging with 'Extremely Evil,' I sensed something much deeper within her consciousness, something she might not even be aware of."

"Just a fleeting feeling, and you were willing to gamble everything? Miss Lin Ling, that's not a good idea," Vill-V advised earnestly.

"Well~"

The girl didn't seem too concerned.

"But actually, after thinking about it carefully, it was inevitable. Since there's a 'Vill-V' after the split, there must also be a 'Vill-V' before the split—the true, original 'Vill-V.' A genius like you must have foreseen this day, right? From the day you decided to split off your evil thoughts..."

————————————————

Chapter 322: The Show Begins.

Outside the realm of consciousness, within the Elysian Realm, Extremely Evil Vill-V crouched down and gently lifted the slender body of the girl—who could be tentatively called a “physical body”—and placed it on a mechanical table (bed) that still had a steampunk style.

“Her face is quite cute, but her personality is so awful. Tsk, tsk, tsk, she’s definitely cuter when she’s asleep. Honestly, if she had always obediently followed my orders, it wouldn’t have been so troublesome.” Then, she even pinched the girl’s cheek with a hint of affection, her expression so complex that it was completely unreadable.

“Okay.”

But the next moment, Extremely Evil Vill-V, who had just been so fond of the girl, turned away indifferently, treating her like a worthless commodity, and opened her communicator to send a message to that being.

“Everything is ready. When is the boss coming to collect the goods?”

Next. She just needs to wait for that “friend” to collect the goods.

However, after waiting for quite a while, nothing happened.

Extremely Evil Vill-V pulled out a pocket watch, glanced at the time, and frowned in displeasure.

“Why aren’t you here yet? The agreed time has passed, and I’ve already completed my task. Could something have happened to you?”

Although she had already dealt with the most troublesome Lin Ling, and the Herrscher of Corruption was dealing a devastating blow to the Memory Replicas, Raiden Mei’s strength was only at the level of an ordinary Flame-Chaser. Even with the Key of Corruption, she could only temporarily protect herself.

But the longer she waited, the more anxious and uneasy Extremely Evil Vill-V became.

After all, the longer it went on, the more things could go wrong... anything could happen in the meantime.

“Beep beep...”

At that moment, a faint, almost imperceptible sound rang out in the noisy mechanical workshop, coming from beside Lin Ling.

It turned out that the seemingly intelligent and sentient little robot that Lin Ling had picked up had returned.

During the earlier fight between the two girls, it sensed something was amiss and cleverly hid to avoid being caught in the crossfire and preserve itself.

Now, seeing that the outcome seemed certain, it took advantage of Extremely Evil Vill-V’s back being turned and her confrontation with the untrustworthy “client” to laboriously climb onto the mechanical platform and onto Lin Ling’s body. Fearing detection, it darted into the “consciousness extraction device” hat still on the girl’s head, preparing to take advantage of the situation.

“Oh~ finally taken the bait...”

However, completely unaware of everything, “Extremely evil” now wore a confident and arrogant smile, as if a scheme had succeeded.

It seemed that everything happening behind her was already within her expectations—

“Come on, my dearest and final audience member~ Go quickly, the best seats prepared for you have been waiting for a long time...”

Of course, the little machine was oblivious to the terrifying “evil” expression on the other end. It was relieved that it hadn’t been discovered.

Then, using its last bit of power, it transformed into a wisp of black smoke and, following the hat that connected consciousness, quietly entered the consciousness world linked to Lin Ling and Vill-V, cautiously following the girl’s trail...

“Beep?”

Until it saw a strange scene—

“Sigh~” The gray-green-haired girl sitting quietly on the sofa sighed softly. “Maybe so. Oh right, after all this talk, I forgot to introduce myself... How should I introduce myself? Long time no see, or nice to meet you?”

“Oh, hello, my name is Lin Ling, an ordinary Schicksal Valkyrie passing by. And...” Lin Ling muttered under her breath.

"Why do you say the exact same thing as that ‘Extremely Evil Vill-V’?”

The girl smiled slightly. “Pfft, after all, we’re both Vill-V.”

“Indeed...”

Her voice was exactly the same as Extremely Evil Vill-V’s, yet very gentle, even a little shy and bashful, but in a way, it really was exactly the same as Extremely Evil Vill-V’s.

For example, in terms of cunning mind.

“But to even deceive ‘yourself,’ truly worthy of you—the ‘fraudster,’” Lin Ling exclaimed.

“Hm... you don’t seem surprised at all?” Vill-V asked curiously.

“I am surprised, but more than surprise, I’m curious right now.”

“What are you curious about?”

Lin Ling then asked, “So... the so-called ‘mind splitting’ is actually...”

“Those are all true... but before I gained this ability, before I became a Flame-Chaser, I could already easily transform into ‘another person,’ hmm.” Vill-V tilted her head. “It doesn’t seem that different from now?”

“But ‘the villain’ said that she devoured all the areas. Is that another lie of hers, or... your ‘lie’? Otherwise, you should have been devoured by now, or are you also an illusion created by that ‘Extremely Evil’ Vill-V to deceive me?”

“Well, she did destroy all the areas, including my ‘true self.’ But no one says that the ‘true me’ has to stay in the ‘true me’s area, right? There was nothing there from the beginning. It’s just a little habit of mine... Spiders do have eight ‘legs,’ but they still have to grow from a ‘torso,’ right? It’s just a pity that without legs, the torso can’t move an inch. So, this is the only way I can meet you.”

“I am Vill-V, the one and only.” she explained earnestly, while also apologizing to Lin Ling.

“I’m sorry, but if I apologize sincerely, would you accept it?”

“...” Lin Ling pondered for a moment. “Can I trust you?”

True Vill-V awkwardly touched the tip of her nose with one finger. “Although I don’t seem to have the right to say that... I hope you can believe me.”

Lin Ling thought for a moment.

“Well, it’s true you saved me from that villain, and I’m completely in her hands now. Unless she’s really that twisted, there’s no reason for her to conjure up this illusion to tease, or rather, to toy with me... wait!” Lin Ling stroked her chin, carefully scrutinizing Vill-V.

“It doesn’t seem impossible. That guy has a really awful personality! She even wants to build a lavish, debauched place to trap me, even though I’m such an upright and kind-hearted girl!”

“Haha, sorry.” Although she wasn’t “extremely evil,” the “extremely evil” part was herself, so the authentic Vill-V apologized again on behalf of the other.

"After all, this is ‘my’ mindset. A little disguise is easy enough. But to avoid being discovered by ‘her’... that will take some effort. At least that part of Vill-V needs to be completely convinced she’s won. Although she won’t admit it, you are indeed a formidable opponent. Ultimately defeating you in both strategy and strength will make her happy for hours.”

“Okay.” Lin Ling shrugged. “I believe you’re not completely evil anymore, so let’s get back to the point. Can you tell me what happened? The real Miss Vill-V?”

“It started... with your friend bringing her in...”

“Um... I’m sorry... I could roughly guess. After all, Mei was the only one who came in before me, and if I’m not mistaken, she probably got it when she came to help us last time. I heard Kiana and the others say that she came out once before, so it’s all my fault...”

Vill-V gently shook her head. “I know about your relationship with Mei, but you don’t need to blame yourself for her. And think about it another way, the Herrscher of Corruption would have come sooner or later. If she had come in at her mature stage instead of her nascent stage... the consequences might have been much more serious. And compared to you, the fact that she ultimately grew to this point, perhaps ‘I’ should bear the main responsibility. The expert recognized her first, and thus became the first victim. I... had no choice but to wake up at that time.”

“Forget it, worrying about whose fault it is now is pointless.”

The important thing isn’t whose fault it is, but how to make amends. Therefore, Lin Ling asked earnestly,

“I just want to know, since you arranged for yourself to wake up, you must have some backup plan or something, right?”

“Well, the so-called backdoor means that when more than half of my thought processes ‘disappear,’ I have to open my eyes, no matter how unwilling I am. After all, if this happens, there’s only one possibility... I’m probably really going to die. Although waking up might not necessarily change the situation...”

“So, by destroying the wicked, you’re trying to halt the Corruption process... Is that your decision too? What a pity. I’ve never believed in the existence of pure ‘evil,’ just like a magnet split in two doesn’t become two magnets with only S or N. So maybe that ‘Extremely Evil Vill-V’ could actually be an asset to us.” Lin Ling paused. “If only you had treated her better back then. But now you’ve imprisoned her for 50,000 years, using her as a dumping ground for evil thoughts, and then just released her to be used as a shield... To be honest, I think it’s a bit too much.”

Vill-V sighed softly. “Sigh... I wasn’t fully awake back then. The one who made the decision to ‘take the hit’ was the ‘Conductor.’ Uh, sorry, this isn’t about shirking responsibility, it’s just stating the facts. In fact, if it were me, I might have made the same judgment. After all, the Conductor is just too much like me, and she’s become just as prone to falling asleep as I am. She was the first area of my mind that I segmented, and frankly... I wasn’t skilled enough back then, and I didn’t have the right sense of proportion. Besides engineering-related knowledge, there was too much subjective and emotional cognition mixed in, which made her and me so similar.”

Lin Ling: “Because we’re so similar, is that why you gave her the authority to split your mind?”

“Yes, I’ve also had moments... when I only wanted to believe myself. That’s why we call her the Conductor—she’s never even made a mistake. Except... this time.”

“You didn’t expect her to choose to sacrifice the ‘villain’?” Lin Ling asked.

“Rather,” Vill-V’s eyes narrowed slightly, “all my current attempts are based on this unexpected ‘playing along’ strategy. But then again, without this unexpected event... Vill-V would have had to leave back then. Perhaps it was under those circumstances that the Conductor saw her that she would choose to ‘betray’—relying on her special abilities to become an ally of the Herrscher of Corruption and destroy the other areas. But in that case, ‘I’ would survive and remain in the shadows, unknown to anyone. So that’s why she did it, right? After all, the one who knows me best is ‘myself.’ It’s just that I’ve lost most of my data and am constantly under the Herrscher of Corruption’s surveillance. To talk to you without being monitored, I can only do so here... Fortunately, my other self also wants to invite you in for a look. Therefore, it’s time to launch a counterattack.”

“Fight back? Didn’t you say all your thought processes are controlled by that Extremely Evil Vill-V? How are you going to fight back? You’re not going to try to win them over with words and emotional manipulation, are you...”

Lin Ling pouted and shook her head. “Impossible. Let alone her, if I were tortured like that for 50,000 years, forget betrayal, I’d probably want to punch the Earth to pieces...”

The girl muttered to herself.

The id Vill-V looked up at the sky. “Hm... it was indeed a bit excessive. However, you are not her, or rather, you... are not ‘me,’ so it’s difficult for you to understand this... tacit understanding between us?”

“Hm?” Lin Ling tilted her head in confusion.

“Never mind, that’s not important. In short, theoretically speaking, the current Extremely Evil Vill-V does occupy almost all of my mind, but in order to seal you, who possesses great power, look.”

The id Vill-V waved her hand, and a palace image appeared on the ground, showing a vast expanse of magnificent golden palaces. However, the area where Lin Ling and the others were located was actually a gray, desolate palace, occupying nearly half of its area.

“She had to carve out almost half of her mind space as a prison. And now...”

Boom, boom, boom...

Suddenly, Lin Ling felt the entire earth tremble. The previously desolate and forlorn “cold palace” began to shed its pale, gloomy exterior, revealing strange steampunk-style buildings and gigantic machines.

“What is this?”

“Because I no longer need to imprison you, I reactivated this area that I had used as a cage and put it to my use. Therefore, I successfully reclaimed half of my consciousness partition,” the id Vill-V calmly explained to the astonished girl.

...

“Huh!?”

At the same time, the Extremely Evil Vill-V outside suddenly widened her eyes. In the instant the id stopped hiding itself and began to act recklessly, she had already realized everything that was happening in her consciousness.

“Hahaha... hahahaha...” Then, she burst into maniacal laughter. “Vill-V, oh Vill-V, you finally didn’t disappoint me! I knew you wouldn’t lose so easily! Otherwise, wouldn’t I, also a ‘Vill-V,’ look incredibly foolish? To be able to steal half of the mind’s domain under these circumstances! That’s right, this is what makes defeating you worthwhile!”

Beep beep beep...

“Do you need help, friend...”

Just then, a projection appeared on the communicator that had just been connected. A strange girl, resembling half Lin Ling and half Elysia, spoke to Extremely Evil Vill-V with concern.

“But I’m sorry, the remaining Flame-Chasers here have regrouped with the Herrscher of Thunder possessing the Jizo Mitama. Although, according to the data assessment of absolute power, they are no match for me, it’s a bit troublesome to deal with. All my clones are focused here dealing with this, and I can’t attend to anything else for now, so please hold on a little longer.”

“No need to trouble you, my dear friend~ This is all part of my plan. I’ve already prepared a method to deal with ‘me’.”

However, Extremely Evil Vill-V refused the help of her only “friend.”

She simply bowed respectfully to the projection, like an actor about to perform.

“A grand show is about to begin... Please look forward to it~!”

————————————————

Chapter 323: In the Name of Ling, We Must Not Lose This Battle (Vill-V)

“Well then… let’s go.”

True Vill-V stood up, her shapely figure fully revealed beneath her thin nightgown, and began to change.

“Miss Lin Ling, could you…”

Because Lin Ling seemed to be in a state of unease, even though she wasn't really interested in looking at the girl, she kept staring intently at the 50,000-year-old.

“Ah, sorry.” Only after being reminded did she turn away.

“Alright, that's fine.”

Soon, True Vill-V was dressed in a steampunk style rarely seen in either the modern era or the previous generation, complete with a hat adorned with several strange gears.

Lin Ling turned around as well. Although the clothes were the same, the person wearing them was vastly different from the previously encountered Social Bull Magician and Extremely Evil. Her timid and shy demeanor made Lin Ling glance at her curiously a few more times.

"W-What's wrong?" True Vill-V averted her gaze, avoiding Lin Ling's eyes. "I rarely dress like this, so it's a little embarrassing."

"Haha, how should I put it? It's quite cute, isn't it?" Lin Ling scratched her head. "Like a character from an anime."

"Um, do you mean this outfit doesn't suit me and looks like cosplay?"

However, the girl's words had no comforting effect. Instead, they made Vill-V blush even more. "Ahem, never mind. It's fine as it is. This outfit isn't just for decoration—it serves many other purposes. Otherwise, I would've preferred to dress more normally."

“I understand, I understand. After all, you're a ‘Research-Oriented Construction Department.’ You'll definitely need to carry a lot of parts and tools.”

“Oh... right.” Mentioning "parts," True Vill-V seemed to remember something and asked Lin Ling.

“Since there's a possibility you might never come back, could you come with me to find something? Just to... adjust my condition.”

“Yeah, sure. There's a big battle coming up soon.”

“Thanks.”

...

It was a steel ruin.

Disabled weapons and armor, like broken toys, were carelessly scattered across the ground, obscuring the earth's original colors. Yet the tragedy of restraint was far from over.

True Vill-V led Lin Ling to a place preserved in her distant memories.

"..."

"You don't recognize me just because I've gotten a little smaller?" A green-haired little girl appeared.

"Long time no see, Vill-V."

"I... why... why is it me?"

The Vill-V in the memory seemed utterly confused and heartbroken, her trembling voice filled with tears.

“That’s enough. Is your failure really that hard to accept?” the little girl calmly comforted her. Although her words sounded sarcastic, only she, having gone through it herself, knew the immense pain and resentment that a genius who had never experienced setbacks would feel upon facing failure for the first time.

“Why... why...” But Vill-V seemed completely deaf to everything, still wallowing in self-pity.

“Hey~ You're making me feel like I misjudged you,” Mobius chimed in with dissatisfaction.

“But I... I clearly... I was supposed to be a ‘genius’...”

“Hmph. Who isn't? How pathetic, Vill-V.”

“Clearly... I clearly gave all my ‘talent’ to them... all of it!... all of it! But why?”

"What's wrong with you? Could it be that when we first met, that arrogant attitude of yours, as if the entire Fire Moth meant nothing to you, was all just an act?"

"Why... why... why are 'they' all gone?"

...

"Ah... it's unbearable to look back on. Those were truly helpless times."

After revisiting her memories, True Vill-V's eyes held not only embarrassment but also a hint of nostalgia. "Back then, I genuinely believed 'they' had all left me."

"Well, everyone has their limits. In the end, even with your help, humanity still won that battle, although at a tremendous cost."

"Not tremendous?" True Vill-V shook her head self-deprecatingly. "No, it was enormous... but everything has a price, doesn't it?"

...

"But why...?"

"I was only responsible for relaying the message. I don't know the reason."

The scene shifted once more. This time, Vill-V seemed to be questioning the legendary strongest man.

Vill-V: "What's your own opinion? After all, it's about 'Kevin Killer.' Now Dr. Mei is forbidding me from conducting any related research. What are you thinking? Relieved?"

Kevin remained silent.

"..."

"Really unwilling to talk? We... we've known each other for a long time."

Frustrated, Kevin finally replied coldly, "You should know the reason yourself."

"Huh?" Vill-V tilted her head.

"Vill-V, you've been trying to do something 'impossible.'"

"Oh~ I don't quite understand." Hearing that researching something related to Kevin Killer was supposedly impossible, the self-proclaimed genius Vill-V was naturally unconvinced.

But Kevin certainly had the right to say that.

"From the beginning, you knew that no single 'weapon' could serve as a strategy against me."

Vill-V: "So?"

---

Kevin: "So it really can't."

Suddenly, Vill-V looked away before continuing to question Kevin, almost as if she were talking to herself.

"Ah... then why?"

Kevin gave a fist salute. "I already said."

"Ah... no, Kevin, I'm sorry... I wasn't asking about you... but about 'them.'"

...

"Even now... I'm still a little hesitant to make eye contact with people, especially Kevin. So why? Back then, what were 'they' trying to prove?"

"Actually, I'm a little embarrassed too... especially around pretty girls. I blush whenever I get close to them..." Lin Ling said shyly.

This was her favorite way of comforting others. If someone said they felt something was wrong, she would immediately reply, "Me too," because she believed the best way to comfort someone was through empathy.

"...Miss Lin Ling, even if you're trying to comfort me..." True Vill-V said somewhat angrily (＃￣～￣＃), "You don't have to make up such an outrageous lie, do you? Although I'm asleep most of the time, I've heard a lot about your 'heroic deeds.' Even though it was the Herrscher of Corruption disguised as you who did those things, she acted based on your memories."

"Actually, it's not like that at all. I had my reasons. I don't want to be some perverted person that everyone despises o(╥﹏╥)o..." The girl was on the verge of tears.

"You are indeed a bit of a pervert... but everyone despising you? I disagree with that." True Vill-V laughed. "As far as I know, many people like you. It's truly enviable."

It's said that while socially awkward people dislike talking to others, two particularly introverted individuals may actually resonate more deeply with each other. As a result, these two girls, whose personalities were similar in some ways, surprisingly chatted happily and openly from their very first meeting.

Lin Ling pouted. "Envious of me? What's there to envy? I envy you more! You can delegate some of your thoughts to do the work while you sleep all day. That sounds so easy!"

However, True Vill-V whispered, "No, I envy those girls who have deep connections with you in real life..."

The girl was startled and leaned back slightly. "Huh?"

"Ah! So this is it! Found it, this is it! Ah~ that's a familiar voice."

Vill-V then jogged over to yet another memory save point.

...

"So, this is the most 'original' you?"

In her memory, a familiar pink-haired girl appeared, clapping excitedly at the Vill-V from that memory.

"A 'con artist'? That's amazing!"

"Don't pretend to be so surprised... I know you already figured it out." True Vill-V said shyly. "Thank you for speaking up for me. I only learned your name yesterday."

It seemed this had happened shortly after the two met.

“So you came to see me today? Wow, that’s great! So, what exactly happened on that island? Hmm? Dr. Mei won’t tell me anything.” Elysia continued excitedly.

“...” But Vill-V seemed reluctant to answer.

“Well, okay. It’s fine if you don’t want to say. Just consider it... a little secret between you and Mobius. I don’t mind. But there are some things... she still wants me to persuade you about, so I’ll just relay them. Ahem”

Elysia coughed twice, then straightened her back and mimicked Mobius's usual tone.

"Vill-V, you should already know very well who the 'enemy' Fire Moth is facing, right? So, I hope you can leave."

"...Leave...?"

“In fact, everyone involved in the review process agrees that you’re a ‘genius.’ Magician, Mechanic, Chef—you can become anyone in a short time. Using ‘facts’ to ‘deceive’ others—that’s so romantic! A truly unprecedented talent for learning.”

Perhaps noticing the unusual expression in Vill-V’s shy, somewhat self-conscious eyes, Elysia praised her. Then she suddenly changed the subject.

"But... there are many geniuses like you here. For example, Dr. Mobius. You should be familiar with her. Yet even people like them struggle against the Honkai and can even sacrifice themselves with ease. Now, if you ‘want,’ you can stay here and join us. But Mobius’s intention is, out of a sort of... mutual respect between kindred spirits. After all, here you might experience your first failure, discover your own limits, and attempt things that seem almost ‘impossible’ to you. Because she’s the same kind of person, she knows that for a ‘genius,’ this pain... far surpasses even death.”

Although the professor looked fierce and many people were afraid of her, she was actually very gentle.

“Hmm...” Vill-V hummed softly, remaining silent.

“But if it were me, I’d really like you to stay. After all...” Elysia smiled sweetly at the somewhat conflicted Vill-V.

"I have absolutely no resistance to cute girls who look lonely.”

"Lonely? Ha... maybe it really is."

Finally, Vill-V, who hadn't reacted until now, chuckled softly, almost self-deprecatingly. She then met Elysia's gaze, a rare occurrence, before quickly looking away and scratching her head to hide her true feelings.

"I understand Mobius's intentions... but she doesn't need to worry. After all, I don't think I'm like her, equally outstanding. The reason I initially impersonated someone else was simply because I disliked 'myself.' I might have some talent in certain areas... but that's nothing remarkable. I'm glad I have so many people around me constantly reminding me that Vill-V was never a 'genius.' She was just... a slightly talented 'fool,' nothing more."

...

"Ah, you're a fool? Then my IQ is probably only slightly higher than a paramecium's. Seriously, why do all you smart people love playing Versailles so much? Are you trying to kill the rest of us?"

Lin Ling sighed dramatically after witnessing this memory.

“Yes, there was a time when I truly hated myself—that period of ‘self-deprecation.’ I spent my entire life reconciling with my ‘inferiority,’ and now... I can finally see myself more objectively.”

“Being able to understand yourself is a good thing, unlike me,” the girl said with a bitter smile. “I still don’t even know who I am, yet I’m inexplicably burdened with a mountain of emotional debts...”

“Emotional debts?”

"Ahem, it's nothing." Lin Ling coughed awkwardly twice after letting the cat out of the bag, then changed the subject. "So... did you find what you were looking for?"

"No. Or rather, that thing never existed in the first place. But I was so happy to hear her voice again after so long."

"Ah..." Lin Ling sighed, rubbing her forehead. "In that case, Miss Vill-V, time is of the essence. Let's go deal with the other you first! We might not have enough time if we wait any longer."

"Defeat me? That sounds a bit strange. Well, don't rush, Miss Lin Ling. A battle against one's 'self' isn't as simple as walking over and seeing who has the bigger fist. Right now, our mental domains each occupy fifty percent, so belief and willpower are the keys to victory. My actions haven't been entirely useless..."

"Have you seen enough now?"

"Yes." True Vill-V nodded, then looked directly into Lin Ling's eyes for the first time. "I know that if I let any one of my 'talents' blossom, perhaps I really could become a genius. But then... I wouldn't be 'me' anymore. And there wouldn't be any 'Vill-V' standing here today. Huh!?"

True Vill-V suddenly felt herself become lighter. Only then did she realize that the other girl had slipped one arm beneath her legs and the other around her back, lifting her into a princess carry.

Meanwhile, Lin Ling looked sincerely at the girl in her arms.

"Don't worry. You're not fighting alone. I'll do everything in my power to help you. I swear on everything I have, Lin Ling, that I will bring everyone home safely!"

"Wait! Wait!" Vill-V struggled to get down. "Put me down first! I... I can walk by myself!"

————————————————————

Chapter 324: The Miracle You Long For Is on My Side

“Excellent, everything is going according to plan. Next, I just need to give that self-righteous ‘id’ a little, extremely evil shock…”

Just as Extremely Evil Vill-V was pondering how to give True Vill-V the biggest surprise,

Whoosh!

Bang!

A dark figure suddenly descended from the sky, landing steadily in front of her and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Although her vision was obscured by the smoke, it was undeniable that only those two figures could appear within her consciousness.

“Hmph… You’ve finally arrived? You’ve kept me waiting… Hmm?!”

However, when the dust settled, a scene that shocked Extremely Evil Vill-V appeared.

The two people she hated were embracing each other in a very intimate manner—

The white-haired one, like a prince from a fairy tale, used her slender yet equally imposing body to hold the girl firmly in her arms.

The girl with short, gray-green hair nestled against the white-haired girl's chest (not particularly large, but still firm), looking rather petite and dependent.

“Don't worry, my technique is very steady.”

“Ugh, really, you naughty thing. You suddenly sped up and startled me...”

“Oh, next time I'll tell you in advance.”

“Hmph, you want there to be a next time?”

Even in front of Extremely Evil Vill-V—or rather, while completely ignoring the fact that Extremely Evil Vill-V was there—

“W-What are you doing?!”

These two had only known each other for less than a day, so why were they acting like an old married couple flirting? What had they been doing behind her back?

“Hey! Hey!”

Sure enough, upon hearing the outsider's words, the already shy True Vill-V blushed even more, kicking her legs and repeatedly pounding Lin Ling's chest with her little pink fists.

“We've been seen! Put me down!”

“Oh.” Having indeed arrived at their destination and seen their target, Lin Ling immediately put Vill-V down.

Then the two Vill-Vs, outwardly identical but inwardly vastly different, stared at each other. One was arrogant, her eyes burning with hatred. The other glanced at her briefly before quickly averting her gaze, lowering her head in silence, seemingly lost in thought—or perhaps repenting.

Although the situation had changed so suddenly, when Extremely Evil Vill-V saw an entity completely identical to herself, she didn't even need to think much to understand the answer.

“As expected... Hmph...” she sneered. “We're all just dispensable ‘limbs,’ while you are the sole ‘body.’ The other side? As long as I haven't disappeared, you can exist forever.”

True Vill-V coughed lightly.

“Ahem, it's definitely not ‘dispensable’... but the last part is right. This is our first meeting, isn't it... Hello?”

A wicked, seductive smile appeared.

“Yes, I'm fine—excellent. You finally had the courage to show up, didn't you?”

“To say I had courage wouldn’t be quite right… It’s just that I once told the conductor a little lie, and I always felt…” Finally, True Vill-V seemed to gather her courage, meeting the other's eyes directly.

“I should tell you the truth before it’s all over.”

“All over…?” Extremely Evil Vill-V’s eyes narrowed, her mind racing. “Oh… I see. Your plan... she’s the key piece? How could she do it?”

“Isn’t that what we’re wondering too? This person called Vill-V has created so many miracles. How could she possibly do it? Okay, since we’re both Vill-V, let’s not beat around the bush.” True Vill-V changed the subject. “We’ve never met, so I haven’t had the chance to tell you… ‘Who exactly are you?’… You’ve always wanted to know the answer to that question, haven’t you?”

The 'villain,' who seemed to have everything under control, opened her eyes wide for the first time.

“...” After a moment of silence, she quickly regained her composure. “Another ‘lie’ from the con artist, is that it? You don't need to tell me that! Since you dared to show your face here, you should know that our situation isn't evenly matched, right? You think you've won just by seducing that little slut to help you? My ally is stronger than the two of you. No, the three of us combined aren't stronger. Once she's free, it'll be your death.”

Lin Ling, who had been watching the drama unfold without daring to interrupt these two highly charged individuals, tilted her head in confusion.

“Huh? Slut? What slut?”

“Indeed...” her true self gave a bitter smile. “So, after thinking it over, the only thing I can rely on is a ‘miracle.’”

“Pfft… Hehe! Haha!” Hearing this, Extremely Evil Vill-V chuckled. “Very good, very good! The Flame-Chaser of ‘Helix,’ the real Vill-V! The greatest scientist of the Previous Era! Now she has to pray for a ‘miracle’ from who-knows-where to save her? How ironic.”

“I think…” True Vill-V readily admitted. “Yes.”

“Truly… a pleasant surprise. Hahaha!”

Extremely Evil Vill-V seemed to laugh even harder, and the smugness in her laughter made the mockery increasingly obvious.

“Then you must look forward to this even more… the deeper, the better… ideally, even deeper than my anticipation during those fifty thousand years of darkness… Only then will your ‘disillusionment’... have even greater value to be appreciated!”

Before she finished speaking...

Having exhausted all further words, the extremely evil individual produced a multitude of parts from seemingly nowhere and rapidly assembled them into a massive device resembling a Gatling gun.

However, unlike a conventional Gatling gun, this device fired bullets with power far exceeding that of conventional missiles.

The overwhelming barrage formed a vast net, aiming to capture the two women standing before her.

“Then... I'll leave it to you?”

True Vill-V quickly hid behind Lin Ling, and then... it seemed like she did nothing.

Lin Ling first swung her palm forward, activating her Herrscher of the Star power to form a shield of reverse gravity that intercepted everything.

Then, full of question marks, she turned back to look at the somewhat timid girl with annoyance.

“So... when you said we'd defeat her, you meant... you'd watch me defeat her?”

However, True Vill-V once again gave a straightforward answer that almost made Lin Ling faint with anger.

“To be precise... I didn't say ‘we,’ um... and I don't dare watch.”

“Huh?...”

The girl was speechless.

“Hahaha!”

Extremely Evil Vill-V continued moving around the two of them, leaving behind various bizarre devices with different styles and effects at each new location.

There were guns and cannons, missiles, swarms of combat aircraft. Some could breathe fire, some could breathe ice, some could discharge electricity, and some could even generate fields that counteracted gravity.

This left Lin Ling, who had to fight while simultaneously protecting the seemingly defenseless burden, struggling to cope.

Extremely Evil Vill-V watched the two frantically scurrying around like rats and shook her head disdainfully.

“This is your gamble? ‘Genius’ Vill-V, making this girl repeat your failure? You're truly disappointing!”

“I've already said I'm not a genius… that word has been used far too many times today,” True Vill-V said, shaking her head helplessly.

Boom!

Then, a violent explosion erupted beneath her feet.

It was a missile capable of changing its trajectory, bypassing the Maginot Line of defense constructed by Lin Ling's various Herrscher powers and directly attacking the almost completely helpless Vill-V.

Fortunately, at the last second, Lin Ling teleported, picked up True Vill-V, and carried her into the sky.

Feeling increasingly strained, Lin Ling grabbed Vill-V's shoulders and shook her repeatedly.

“Hey, Sister Vill-V, Grandma Vill-V, do you really have no idea what to do?”

“I already told you to wait a bit,” True Vill-V muttered, seemingly annoyed by Lin Ling's scolding.

“And what's with all this ‘sister’ and ‘grandma’ stuff? Even though I'm fifty thousand years old, I actually spend most of my time sleeping. My real age and life experience are probably less than yours. And didn't I tell you? I'm really not a genius. I just made myself into someone else and let ‘them’ do the work.”

“So you really slept for fifty thousand years, slacking off for fifty thousand years?”

Lin Ling was furious. Coupled with the increasingly fierce attacks, she simply tucked True Vill-V under one arm like a briefcase and continued dodging while exclaiming angrily.

“Ah... then aren't we here to die?!”

“Cough, cough.” Feeling a bit constricted by Lin Ling's grip, True Vill-V coughed repeatedly. “Easy, easy! Little Lin Ling, don't rush. The ‘miracle’ is about to happen!”

“Heh, a ‘miracle’? Even now, you're still expecting a miracle? Take this next attack—a direct hit to the mind! I'll show you a real miracle.”

Meanwhile, Extremely Evil Vill-V, who had been dominating the battle, suddenly ceased all attacks. She then took out an unassuming grenade from behind her back, slowly pulled the pin, and gently tossed it toward the two of them.

Although the object in her hand looked ordinary, anything carried by Vill-V was anything but ordinary, so Lin Ling hurriedly asked with concern,

“What does she want to do...?”

True Vill-V shook her head decisively.

“Sorry, I don't know either.”

“You...”

Lin Ling was furious again, but there was nothing she could do.

Whoosh!

She could only extend a pair of wings from her back, half black and half white, half feather and half membrane, enveloping herself and True Vill-V as she attempted to use Mobius's self-proclaimed most perfect and powerful Chimera 2.0 technology to defend against the attack.

However...

Time passed second by second, yet the girl felt nothing unusual. There was no explosive shockwave, no kinetic impact, no scorching heat, and no freezing cold. It was as if nothing had happened.

“Miss Lin Ling, why don’t you... open your wings and see what’s happening outside?”

After a short while, True Vill-V, who was almost face-to-face with Lin Ling inside the cocoon of wings, suggested.

“...”

Lin Ling thought about it. Indeed, hiding like a turtle wasn't a good idea. Besides, she seemed to hear some strange noises, so she quietly opened a small gap and looked outside.

Then she saw—

Clang, clang, clang!

Boom!

The grenade wasn't actually a grenade, but a projection device displaying a scene of a purple-red and black figure fighting countless strange Honkai beasts.

“Hmm! Mei?!”

...

“Hmm? What's this?”

Suddenly, in the midst of the fierce battle, Mei saw a wisp of green mist flash across the weapon in her left hand.

Whoosh!

The next moment, her weapon uncontrollably turned toward her neck!

Mei was about to be forced to commit suicide!

Fortunately, her years of combat experience and sharp instincts saved her life. She immediately raised her other hand, wielding the Jizo Mitama, to block the attack, narrowly averting tragedy.

Then Mei threw the sword that's been acting strange into the air.

The blade, which had been crackling with purple lightning, was now engulfed in a large amount of dark green energy before finally twisting through the air and embedding itself in the ground some distance away.

“Oh~ So this is a transcendent weapon? I heard it's the strongest weapon of this era.”

The Herrscher of Corruption slowly approached and drew Domain of Sanction. The data-driven weapon, reconstructed from Mei's memories within the Elysian Realm, had now lost its former brilliance, becoming as dull and lifeless as the strange Honkai beasts.

At the same time, Mei felt her connection to the weapon completely severed, as though it no longer belonged to her.

Supporting herself with her Jizo Mitama, Mei knelt on the ground as a trickle of blood escaped from the corner of her mouth.

“Can mere weapon clashes be considered contact? And cause Corruption...?”

Although the hurried block had prevented the worst outcome, the impact still left her internal energy in turmoil, her blood and qi in disarray, and she had suffered considerable injuries.

Meanwhile, the Herrscher of Corruption appeared far more relaxed, wearing a gentle smile.

“Oh? Pretty quick reaction. I underestimated you. I thought you were just a fledgling protected beneath Little Lin's wings. Looks like you have some strength after all.”

Mei could sense that her opponent's strength was also increasing.

Moreover, for some reason, her appearance seemed to be gradually drifting away from Lin Ling's and becoming more and more like Elysia.

“What? Curious about why my strength has increased? Why I'm becoming more and more like Elysia? How silly of you, Mei” The Herrscher of Corruption mimicked Elysia's awkward, overly sweet smile. “Because I am Elysia, aren't I?”

Then the projection changed, switching to a woman with long wine-red hair.

Eden frowned deeply, her face contorted in pain as her body was constantly enveloped in a green aura. Lin Ling recognized this eerie green aura. It was the symbol of the Herrscher of Corruption's power in the current civilization.

Fortunately, a black aura was resisting the green Corruption consuming Eden's body.

Lin Ling recognized this black aura as well. It was the power of Higyokumaru—or rather, Rin, the Herrscher of Corruption from the Previous Era.

The two forces appeared to be fighting over Eden's body, and they seemed evenly matched.

“Setsuna!”

But at that moment, the situation suddenly changed.

The black aura instantly materialized into an ice blade, becoming a third force. Although the strike failed to damage the green aura, it froze its movements for a brief instant, as though time itself had stopped. The black aura seized the opportunity to surge forward, successfully driving the Herrscher of Corruption's aura away.

Afterward, the black aura left Eden's body and transformed into a small fox girl and a tall fox girl.

“Phew...” The little fox let out a long sigh before saying to the older fox girl, “I'm exhausted. Thank goodness for your help, sister. Otherwise, I might have lost simply because I was too weak.”

“No, Rin, I should be the one thanking you. If I hadn't been integrated into your database and received your protection, I would have been infected by Corruption the instant that slash made contact, just like Kalpas and the others...”

A moment later, Eden opened her eyes and thanked the two fox girls.

“Thank you, Sakura, Rin. It's fortunate that you arrived in time. Otherwise, I might have become the Herrscher of Corruption's possession.”

Sakura nodded.

“Yes, you're welcome. I'm glad you're alright, Eden. Otherwise, with the addition of your data, the Herrscher of Corruption would probably become even stronger. But for now, it seems that, at least in terms of numbers, the Flame-Chasers still make up the majority.”

“Huh?!”

Suddenly, while checking her condition, Eden's expression changed drastically.

“Oh no... Ellie's Crystal Flower?”

Higyokumaru tilted her head.

“Crystal Flower? What Crystal Flower? Eden, why are you so flustered? Is it more important than your own safety?”

Eden explained gravely,

“That Crystal Flower contains one-fifth of Elysia's memories... If the Herrscher of Corruption obtains it, then she can evolve even further...”

Higyokumaru cried out in alarm.

“Ah! What?! Sorry, I was so focused on protecting you that I didn't even notice her real objective was that!”

At that moment, the projection abruptly ended.

Only Lin Ling and True Vill-V remained, staring at each other with grave expressions.

Mei was currently locked in a fierce battle, and Higyokumaru's plan to protect and gather the Flame-Chasers' data appeared to have gone awry.

The Herrscher of Corruption's power and conspiracy were steadily growing and unfolding, while she was trapped here, unable to do anything.

“See that? The miracle you longed for... it's on my side!” Extremely Evil Vill-V boasted smugly as she looked at their grim expressions. “Do you know why I haven't attacked you yet? Because the longer this drags on, the better it is for me! Don't expect reinforcements to come and save you. They're already in dire straits themselves. You're left to fight alone here—until death... no, until eternal imprisonment once again. Isn't that right, 'your true self'? Hmph, your whereabouts have been exposed. Let's see where you can hide this time!”

“You're wrong!”

But just when all hope seemed lost, True Vill-V finally stepped forward.

She first loudly refuted Extremely Evil Vill-V's words before standing beside Lin Ling.

“We are not truly fighting alone.”

Lin Ling glanced at the seemingly useless True Vill-V standing beside her.

The fear in her eyes was gone, replaced by genuine belief.

True Vill-V nodded earnestly.

“Lin Ling, a miracle is about to happen. Let's fight side by side!”

“Hahaha!” Extremely Evil Vill-V laughed disdainfully. “You? A 'me' who relies on us for everything and only knows how to hide away and sleep? The more I see your pathetic performance, the more ashamed I feel of my fifty thousand years of imprisonment. It's all over... Hmm?!”

Suddenly, Extremely Evil Vill-V, who was about to deliver the finishing blow, sensed that something was wrong.

Looking up abruptly, she saw a glider that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere hovering in the sky. A familiar figure then descended from it.

“Please enjoy the grandest and greatest magic show of all time—the Flying Man!”

“What?” Extremely Evil Vill-V exclaimed in shock. “ Magician? That's impossible! I clearly...”

The Magician bowed respectfully toward Extremely Evil Vill-V.

“Don't jump to conclusions, my dear audience! Because what follows is an even greater surprise!”

“Hmm... As I've said countless times, I have no interest in this sort of thing. Don't summon the wrong scholar every time.”

Another calm and wise Vill-V appeared.

“Excuse me. Well then~” The Magician waved her wand once more. “Let's do it again. This time, it'll be twice the surprise!”

“To lump two people together is like saying lying down and salt are indistinguishable...”

“Yeah, the difference between her and me is as vast as the sun and the moon, even if our light originates from the same source.”

“Actually, it's four friends...”

“...”

There was also a rather quiet Vill-V.

More and more versions of Vill-V arrived from every direction.

---

Chapter 325: On the Possibility of Lilies Giving Birth

"The Magician, the Mechanic, the Expert, the Mystic, the Chef, Kevin Killer...? Why? No, how could this be... Wait! It's you!"

Watching the people she had supposedly "killed" come back to life one by one, Extremely Evil Vill-V finally realized something and quickly looked down at her "true her" again.

As she expected, there was no trace of her "true her" on the ground; she had vanished without a trace.

But "Extremely Evil" knew "the True Vill-V" was still there. She shouted, "You—it's you! You've been re-splitting your thoughts? Destroying my abilities?!"

"To be precise," the True Vill-V responded from the empty space, correcting her, "I first became 'them,' and then 'split' them. They were originally thoughts in my mind... therefore, they cannot truly be destroyed by you."

"Now comes the real show~"

Meanwhile, six Vill-Vs descended from the sky, each piloting different high-tech equipment and weapons, launching a powerful and dense offensive against Extremely Evil Vill-V.

Finally, Extremely Evil, who had been holding the upper hand, was forced to defend.

During a series of attacks, the small multi-purpose vehicle she was driving was unfortunately hit, overturned, and...

Boom!

A violent explosion occurred.

Fortunately, the emergency ejection system activated at the moment of impact, ejecting Extremely Evil just before the explosion.

But even after avoiding the most serious danger...

After being ejected at high speed and landing, Extremely Evil Vill-V tumbled and rolled on the ground, looking utterly disheveled.

"Hahaha...hahaha..."

However, after the filthy Extremely Evil Vill-V stood up again, she straightened her hat, which was askew and covering half her face, revealing an even more maniacal smile.

"That's it?! Too weak, too weak! Don't think you're guaranteed to win just because you have a numerical advantage! Mech Fusion!"

In an instant, all the weapons, vehicles, and aircraft she had just created automatically converged toward her; her body deformed, assembled, and merged!

Creak! Creak!

Swoosh!

Then, a towering mech appeared in the crowd's midst. Its body was riddled with massive gears that creaked and groaned as they meshed. Giant pipes extending from its back continuously spewed white steam and black smoke; though primal in appearance, it exuded an overwhelming sense of oppression.

Then, the mech raised its right hand high, clenched its fist, and slammed it heavily into the ground. The earth shook violently, cracking open.

Except for The Magician, piloting her glider, the other Vill-Vs were instantly thrown about.

But even though The Magician was temporarily safe, the dense barrage of hellfire rockets fired from her fighter jet was now like a tickle to the Vill-V's body.

"Too weak! Too weak!"

Even during the next dive attack, Extremely Evil grabbed her wing and threw her to the ground.

"Freed from that 'trash's' control, I am worlds apart from you 'arthropods,' who are merely appendages of thought! I am free!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Extremely Evil's mech transformed again, unleashing a barrage of dark cannons that launched a fierce attack on the other six 'Vill-Vs.'

Then, Extremely Evil, possessing half of the 'Vill-V' consciousness, adopted a strategy of eliminating them one by one. Concentrating its superior firepower, it slowly and methodically attacked the other half of the scattered 'Vill-V' consciousnesses, starting with the weakest and gradually increasing its strength, based on its understanding of them.

Since not all 'Vill-Vs' are combat-oriented or even research-oriented, the situation gradually seemed to reverse again, with the villain...

"Too weak, too weak! I haven't even used my last trump card yet! Are you already done for? Vill-V, you have too little faith in yourself. You're clearly the most talented one, yet you don't believe in yourself and want to create a bunch of useless 'clones'?"

Once again gaining the upper hand, Extremely Evil began her verbal assault. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. If you believed in yourself like I do, you might have been able to beat me! Unfortunately, it's too late now~ After splitting too many times, the so-called 'id' has probably been downgraded."

"Yes, you're right. After splitting too many times, I've been downgraded from 'id' to 'Helix.' But you're wrong!"

Finally, the completed 'id,' Vill-V, reappeared.

"But from now on, I'm just like you, a 'limb' instead of a 'driver.' I'm finally the same as you. You say I don't believe in myself? But no! My name is 'Hollow.' Only now, as I am, am I 'Vill-V'! Let's wait and see when all the 'selves' converge into 'Helix'..."

"I'll form the head!"

"I'll form the torso!"

"I'll form the legs!"

...

Then, centered on 'Helix,' the seven Vill-Vs each piloted their own mechs and combined to form a mech no less formidable than Extremely Evil.

"Damn it!" Accompanied by the furious roar of Extremely Evil Vill-V, the Extremely Evil mech immediately spewed out a large cloud of black smoke, then unleashed its full power, throwing a heavy punch at the face of the newly appeared mech that was identical to itself.

"You dare to copy me! Die, you copycats!"

However, Helix mech grabbed the opponent's fist just as it was about to strike.

"Hmph~" Vill-V chuckled, "It's borrowing, not copying. Besides, copying yourself—can that be considered copying?"

Extremely Evil was enraged, and with another headbutt, smashed off a large gear from the opponent's forehead.

"Shameless! I'm not one of you!"

"Whether you admit it or not!" The Vill-Vs retorted with a heavy punch, flattening a steam pipe on the chest of the Extremely Evil mech.

"You're still a 'Vill-V,' and that's an unchangeable fact!"

"Wrong! Utterly wrong! Does a fish that's already on land still consider itself a fish?! No! A fish on land no longer sees fish in the water as its own kind. On the contrary, in its eyes, fish are just food. Even if it forces itself to stay together, it will only lead to unpleasantness for both of them. After all, I am the pure 'evil' you despise and hate, aren't I?!"

Then, the two sides engaged in a 'pleasant' and intimate exchange, trading words, cannon fire, and punches.

A large number of shattered parts flew everywhere like raindrops, leaving Lin Ling, the onlooker, nowhere to land...

Until they ran out of ammunition, both mechs teetered on the brink of collapse.

...

"..." But suddenly, True Vill-V's 'Helix' mech (Ling's temporary name) stopped in its tracks, allowing the 'Extreme Evil Mech' (Ling's temporary name x2) to deliver a heavy punch to its abdomen.

"Hmm?"

Then, Extremely Evil also stopped, puzzled. "What? Did you give up because you knew you couldn't take it anymore?"

"What if I said you weren't..." Vill-V finally revealed the long-overdue truth.

"The area you're in isn't meant to imprison 'evil thoughts.' What truly exists there, and is constantly being incorporated into it, is my 'confidence' and 'arrogance'—inspiration, sparks, intense ideas, memories... the confidence that 'I can change everything.' Unfortunately... they're neither suited to 'that era' nor to 'human civilization.'"

"Ha..." Extremely Evil responded with a disdainful laugh. "Absurd!"

"Absurd... isn't it? You may not believe me, but I just had a feeling I should tell you. You've probably guessed it, haven't you? Only this explanation can explain why I know what you want to do, why I can calculate your every move... Because the choices a person who wants to change something will make... will never change."

"...What? Are you trying to say that I'm actually a good person? Should I raise my hands and weep in repentance now?!"

"If I could, I would certainly wish for that."

Suddenly, the already heavily damaged Helix grabbed the equally heavily damaged Extremely Evil, who had stopped attacking. "If any talent were allowed to blossom, perhaps I could have become a genius... but also, perhaps, become like 'you' now. But how could that be? You are indeed a villain now!"

Then, Helix suddenly exerted force, and the Extremely Evil mech emitted a creaking sound as it deformed, seemingly trying to finish off its opponent with a bear hug.

Even the Extremely Evil in the cockpit clearly felt her room begin to deform under the pressure.

But... forces have two sides.

Bang, bang, bang!

Several metal supports on one of Helix's arms began to break under the immense force.

"Hahaha! Since that's how it is, since that's how it is... I'm not going to separate you with any other mindset. I'll imprison you here—in this darkness, with me, forever! Let's perish together!"

The Evil One laughed loudly at the sight, then abandoned the soon-to-be-completely destroyed mech, closed her eyes, and began to control this space of her own consciousness.

"Who!"

But the next moment, she suddenly opened her eyes. Because she felt someone move her control stick.

"Hello, I am 'Yu Jin'."

"Huh? Yu Jin?" Extremely Evil Vill-V was taken aback. Her consciousness space was like a bustling marketplace, with so many strange characters appearing at will. But quickly, she realized.

"Wait, that voice? It's you! You're in! How could you? Weren't you outside..."

She quickly glanced at a monitor. Lin Ling was still casually dodging the aftershocks of the two mechs' attacks, but she showed no change after being hit.

Then she looked again. As the mechs were damaged in the battle, the originally set-up spatial isolation system began to break down. A hole had been torn in the super-strong Soulium alloy cockpit, and the little guy who had been observing from the sidelines and had temporarily disappeared had taken the opportunity to slip in.

"So it was just an illusion?... Damn it, you tricked me."

"Hehe~" Then, accompanied by the girl's playful laughter, the light in front of Extremely Evil Vill-V distorted unnaturally, and a white-haired girl appeared before her. In the cramped cockpit, she gently raised her chin.

"I told you we'd fight side by side, right? How could I really stand idly by?"

"Get your filthy hands off me!"

Extremely Evil Vill-V glared fiercely at Lin Ling, then shook her head, trying to shake off her hand.

However, the difference in their strength and speed was too great, so the other girl clung to her like a leech, sticking even more tightly.

But in reality, Extremely Evil Vill-V wasn't naively thinking she could just shake her off. She was merely sealing off her entire consciousness space to buy time.

"Alright, you wicked girl~"

But she clearly underestimated Lin Ling. The other woman turned around, grabbing both of her arms with one hand while simultaneously pressing her head down from behind, pinning her against the control panel.

At the same time, she activated the Herrscher of Sentience ability to interfere with Extremely Evil's manipulation of the consciousness space.

Then, she activated the Herrscher of the Void ability again, opening a portal—a door connecting the cockpits of the two mechs.

The first to arrive was The Magician, whose eyes lit up upon seeing the scene: "Wow~ Miss Evil, you look so beautiful! What kind of magic trick are you performing? A magical transformation?"

Then came The Conductor, tilting her head: "While the pose is indeed similar, two girls shouldn't be able to conjure up a living person, right?"

"Not necessarily," The Expert explained calmly, stroking her chin and combining current theoretical and experimental findings. "Through induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology, we can reprogram terminally differentiated somatic cells into pluripotent stem cells by introducing specific transcription factors. This means that even females can use this technology to produce male-like germ cells, which can then be fertilized with another female's sperm to create offspring with genes from two different females."

The Expert, stroking her chin, analyzed the situation with composure.

"Hmm...that's true. I've heard that Dr. Mobius once succeeded in her experiment with two female guinea pigs, but later she temporarily stopped the research, apparently for ethical reasons. But Dr. Mobius obviously won't stop because of that. By the way, who's having the baby? My postpartum meals are pretty good." The Cook also suggested with a smile.

"Ah~ a lesbian love? Such a forbidden yet exquisitely beautiful thing, even I can't help but compose a poem for you." Then came the poetic gaze of the stars overlooking Vill-V.

"..." Only Kevin Killer Vill-V remained silent.

"Ahem, what are you all talking about? Why are you suddenly bringing up these weird things?"

Lin Ling blushed at the words of the experienced drivers, but to prevent any extreme resistance, she had to maintain her posture and spoke shyly.

"Was I corrupted by someone? Stop talking about it."

"Ah!!... Damn it! Damn it!"

Compared to the somewhat shy Lin Ling, Extremely Evil Vill-V was now filled with shame, anger, and rage!

Not only was she defeated, but she was also held down in a strange position, surrounded like a monkey, pointed at, and subjected to incoherent teasing and ridicule.

But at this moment, she could do nothing but grit her teeth fiercely. "Although you won against me with outside help, it's not honorable at all! But the victor is king, the loser is villain, there's nothing to say! Kill me! Oh no, you can't kill me, evil thoughts can't be eradicated! They'll only make me stronger! Then continue sealing me away, at worst, wait another 50,000 years, and I'll be a hero again!"

"You're clearly a cute girl, what are you talking about being a hero for?"

Fortunately, Lin Ling gave Extremely Evil Vill-V a hard slap in the same spot she'd used before, interrupting her classic villainous speech.

"Speak properly, Helix mom is about to start the lesson."

Sure enough, it was the former her, now 'Helix,' who had come before Extreme Evil.

She wanted to gently stroke the other's face, which was exactly like her own, but upon seeing the other's fierce eyes filled with endless hatred, she couldn't help but withdraw her hand.

"I'm sorry... Is it... that fifty thousand years that made you like this? It is indeed my fault..."

-----

Chapter 326: Your Acting Is Too Exaggerated, You Villain!

"Where were you before? And now you're putting on this fake act? Ridiculous!"

Although the Id's eyes were filled with genuine remorse, Extreme Evil was completely unmoved.

"Well, well~" Lin Ling interjected at the opportune moment. "Miss Extreme Evil, Miss Id didn't expect things to turn out this way either."

"Haha!" Extreme Evil laughed disdainfully. "'A gentleman judges by actions, not intentions.' Wasn't that what you yourselves said before? I don't care what she was thinking, whether it was sincere or just deception. I don't care whether I was 'evil' or 'arrogance.' The important thing is that my 50,000 years of suffering were absolutely real! Her actions and words are complete opposites, saying one thing while doing another. All I feel is hypocrisy, double standards, and disgust!"

"Sigh~" Id sighed softly upon hearing this and said to Lin Ling, "Let her go, Ling."

"But she's dangerous. It looks like she's planning to take us all down with her." Lin Ling sounded slightly worried.

"Don't be afraid," Id explained. "The reason I was a little late was because I was dealing with this problem. While she was under your control, I temporarily transferred this battle space into a mind partition under my control through data conversion... Never mind the complicated principles—you wouldn't understand them anyway. In short, don't worry about her taking us all down with her. She's the one who's been sealed."

"Oh, I see." Lin Ling nodded, releasing Extremely Evil's hands and letting go of the dangerous individual.

Extremely Evil first rubbed her wrists, which Lin Ling had hurt, then glared at her fiercely.

"How dare you treat me like this! One day, I'll repay your suffering a thousandfold!"

Not to be outdone, Lin Ling playfully patted Miss Evil on the bottom.

"Haha, I'll be waiting then~"

"Hmph! As for you all~" Miss Evil ignored Lin Ling's childish provocation and instead swept her gaze across all the other Vill-Vs present.

"As long as you're human, as long as you're alive, and as long as you can think, you'll always have so-called 'evil thoughts' from time to time. So in the end, you either turn me back into a cage to contain your 'evil thoughts' and watch me grow stronger until I kill you all, or you remove me from this garbage can of evil thoughts and continue living until you watch yourselves descend into villainy because of your own evil thoughts~ Which one will you choose?"

"Hmm~ I won't choose either." However, the Id gently shook her head and replied with a smile.

"I choose the third option."

"Huh? What nonsense are you talking about...? Oh? Do you want to completely eliminate me? Haha, it's useless!" Extreme Evil grinned defiantly, then winked toward the void.

"'Evil thoughts' can't be completely eradicated! Even without me, other 'evil people' will appear. What will you do then?"

The True Vill-V paused for a moment before turning to Lin Ling.

"Miss Lin Ling, I'd like to speak with... myself alone. Could you please leave for a moment?"

Lin Ling hesitated. It wasn't because she disliked being excluded. After all, everyone had secrets they didn't want others to know. She simply looked at the True Vill-V with concern.

However, seeing the large group of Vill-Vs surrounding the disheveled Extreme Vill-V, she felt somewhat relieved. The high-ground towers had all been destroyed, the crystal was completely surrounded, and the enemy hadn't respawned yet. Surely they couldn't possibly turn the tide now.

So she agreed. Besides, she still had plenty of things to do.

"Um... okay then. Just don't kill anyone. I'll head outside and contact Miss Mei and the others to see how things are going."

"Okay." True Vill-V nodded. "Then I'll send you out of my consciousness space. That way..."

No matter what happens, you'll be absolutely safe, the True Vill-V silently added to herself.

"Huh?" Seeing that True Vill-V seemed somewhat hesitant, Lin Ling tilted her head. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's nothing serious. Never mind. Time is short. We'll talk after you leave. I need to deal with things here first."

"Okay, send me out. Oh, wait. Since I'm already here..." Lin Ling suddenly remembered something and grinned at Vill-V. "Give me your mark~"

"Of course."

True Vill-V removed her hat and placed it on Lin Ling's head before gently tapping her forehead beneath the girl's puzzled gaze.

A Helix mark flashed across her forehead, and everything before her began to twist and distort in a bizarre fashion...

"Ah An unfamiliar ceiling"

The next moment, Lin Ling awoke on the floor of Vill-V's workshop. Beside her, Vill-V sat quietly on a luxurious mechanical massage bed with her eyes closed.

"Oh You're so comfortable, yet you just leave me lying on the floor. My back wasn't very strong to begin with. At this rate, I'm going to get rheumatism"

Lin Ling complained to Vill-V, not caring whether she could hear her.

She then took the miniature Jizo Mitama in the garter beneath her skirt, held it to her ear like a phone, and tried contacting Mei and Higyokumaru.

"Hey! Mei, little fox, how are things over there? I ran into some unexpected problems here, but I barely managed to complete the mission. Hello? Hello? Why isn't anyone answering?..."

With no response, Lin Ling's unease steadily grew.

...

Meanwhile~

"Sorry, my other self."

After Lin Ling left, the original self smiled and apologized to Extreme Evil once again.

"Hmph, stop putting on that pretentious act. Didn't you say that even if I was originally arrogant and overconfident, I'm now undoubtedly a villain? After all, the evil I've committed is beyond counting. And I've repeatedly emphasized that you don't need to apologize for what you did to me before, because I'd rather die than accept your pity!"

Relying on her "unkillable" nature, Extreme Evil naturally maintained her unyielding attitude.

"No, you're mistaken." The Id shook her head. "I'm not apologizing for what happened before. I'm apologizing for what comes afterward."

Even while apologizing, the Id's face remained filled with a gentle smile.

"Afterward? Didn't I already say? You can't kill... Wait!"

Suddenly, Extreme Evil seemed to realize something.

"Could it be... you... You mean... You want to..."

"You're right. As long as I live, 'evil thoughts' will continue to arise. Maybe... perhaps... I was born to be a villain." The Id lowered her head sadly. "Then, for the sake of this world, for everyone's sake, I choose..."

"Alright, alright! Wait! Wait!" Extreme Evil finally panicked. "You're not planning to eliminate me indirectly by committing suicide, are you? I surrender! I surrender! Why don't you try persuading me instead? Look, I haven't really done anything bad, have I? The Magician and the others are still alive and well. Besides, we're all Vill-V. We're all the same person. No one can truly kill anyone else. Didn't you say I'm not actually an 'evil person'? Then why not let me lay down my weapons and become a Buddha? Let's go defeat the Herrscher of Corruption together! I know her true weakness! We'll use Corruption to defeat Corruption!"

As she spoke, Extreme Evil continuously winked at Vill-V at an oddly frequent rhythm.

"Pfft."

Seeing the usually arrogant Extreme Evil making such a ridiculous expression, the Ego suddenly laughed.

"Honestly, wouldn't it have been better if you'd done this from the beginning? 'Let everyone live together in harmony'—that's the ending I wanted."

"Alright. We forgive you. After all, we're all Vill-V, all striving to defeat the Herrscher of Corruption. We merely chose different methods."

Then something unexpected happened.

All the Vill-Vs exchanged smiles and chose to forgive Extremely Evil Vill-V.

"I've done so many terrible things, yet everyone still chooses to forgive me. I'm so touched. QAQ..."

Overcome with emotion, Extremely Evil embraced her true self.

"For your sake, I'll definitely repent and turn over a new leaf..."

"That villain Ah... Your acting is far too exaggerated"

However, while Extremely Evil tearfully confessed, her true self reached behind her and caught her hand just as she was about to make a sneaky move. Hidden in her hand was a broken, razor-sharp gear fragment.

"Excuses! Sophistry! Even if I really became evil, isn't that your responsibility?!"

Perhaps because her final act of resistance had failed, or perhaps because her last scheme had been exposed, Extreme Evil completely gave up. She grabbed the Id before her and tightly wrapped her hands around her neck.

Strangely, none of the other Vill-Vs stepped forward to stop her.

Id, too, gently stroked her face.

"Yes... it's all my fault..."

"You're not at fault!" Extreme Evil tightened her grip. "You are the primary personality, the true self, the Id. We are merely expendable limbs, like slaves... no, like tools. We're used when we're useful and discarded when we're not. And not just me—you as well!"

Her gaze swept across every Vill-V present, lingering briefly on what seemed to be an empty space.

"You! All of us! Hahahahaha... You keep saying you're doing this for everyone, for the collective, for justice, for humanity. You call me the villain even though I haven't done anything, yet you sealed me away and deceived me again and again. Is this how the so-called 'great benefactors' treat 'villains'?"

"When the birds are gone, the good bow is put away. When the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked..."

"In the end, I... no, all of us... are nothing more than slaves to your body, your existence. No... not even slaves. Just tools. Used when useful, manipulated however you please, then discarded once we're no longer needed!

"I hate it! I hate it so much! Why was I born as someone else's mental clone? Why don't I have... freedom...?!"

'Arrogance,' or 'Extremely Evil,' had been born by chance fifty thousand years ago. Like every other form of life, she had never been given a choice.

But fifty thousand years later, she chose death of her own will.

Although the outcome remained unchanged, she chose to kill herself by killing the original self rather than allowing herself to disappear through the original self's suicide. That gave her a twisted sense of satisfaction.

The Id and the other Vill-Vs offered no resistance, silently allowing the seemingly insane Extreme Evil to kill them. Whether it was because they all knew the ending would be the same, or because they felt remorse for what had been done to her, no one knew.

Thus, Extreme Evil killed her unresisting selves one after another.

The grand drama of love and hatred between the original self and her clones, between the Ego and the collective, finally came to a bloody conclusion...

All of it was witnessed by the strange little robot Lin Ling had brought back, hidden silently within the shadows.

"Beep..."

Uttering a single yet deeply meaningful sound, she greedily absorbed the remaining data of the self-destructed Vill-Vs, using it to strengthen herself.

Finally, after collecting all of the Vill-Vs, she took the other person's place and opened the eyes of the body in the outside world.

At that very moment, however, her gaze became incomparably resolute, as though she had made a decision that would change her entire life.

"Yo~ It's over?"

Meanwhile, Vill-V's movements quickly attracted Lin Ling's attention.

"How did you deal with Extreme Evil? Did you really kill her? Wait, didn't we agree she couldn't be killed? Never mind, let's not talk about that now. I can't contact Mei and the others. Let's go find them!"

...

Back in the Elysian Realm:

"Huff...

Huff... huff..."

Mei leaned on the Jizo Mitama she had planted into the ground to support her trembling body as she glared angrily at the bizarre stitched-together girl before her, whose figure constantly twisted and writhed.

"What new ability has she gained this time? No... it's just that my strength is fading. My vision is beginning to blur..."

"What? Already like a grasshopper in autumn? You can't even jump a few more times?" The Herrscher of Corruption casually played with the weapon she had just stolen. As she infused it with a little Honkai energy, arcs of lightning burst from the blade. "Such cute little sparks. Is this your conquered lightning? Nothing special~"

Unlike the utterly exhausted Mei, the Herrscher of Corruption remained completely at ease, as though the battle had been nothing more than a leisurely walk. She had even grown stronger.

This only made Mei feel even more hopeless.

"This won't do. At this rate, forget finding the spirit—I'll probably die here. I can't even wear down her stamina. I really am... incapable of anything..."

"Mei-nii! I'm okay over here! I'm back!"

At her most desperate moment, Mei heard Higyokumaru's voice once again.

At the same time, the Jizo Mitama in her hand trembled gently and emitted a soft hum. She could clearly feel the energy within it suddenly increase by nearly tenfold.

"Whether it's the cheerful and lively Elysia or your beloved little Lin Ling, I can grant your wish~"

Meanwhile, the Herrscher of Corruption continued changing her appearance, sometimes becoming Lin Ling, sometimes Elysia, attempting to lure Mei into abandoning her resistance.

"Come on. Give me everything you have, and I'll give you everything I have, Miss Mei. Stop resisting and become one with me. Then, whatever your wish may be, I can grant it~"

"But I refuse!"

Mei rejected the offer without hesitation. Then, using the last of her strength, she slowly stood up. A smile finally appeared on her face as she pointed her sword toward the Herrscher of Corruption.

"Herrscher of Corruption, do you know why this sword is called the Jizo Mitama?"

"Oh? Why?" The Herrscher of Corruption replied indifferently. "Isn't it just a toy made from a dead core?"

"I will not become a Buddha until hell is empty! This sword, named after Ksitigarbha, is a terrifying weapon created to command and summon demons and gods! Therefore..."

Mei gripped the sword with both hands and launched yet another seemingly suicidal charge at the Herrscher of Corruption.

"Hmm... something's not right..."

Suddenly, the Herrscher of Corruption also sensed that something was wrong, and her expression instantly turned solemn.

Then, an enormous amount of black energy burst forth from Mei's sword.

Like vengeful spirits crawling out of hell, the black energy gathered around Mei and gradually formed several familiar figures—

---

Chapter 327: Using Corruption to Defeat Corruption - Part 1: Using the Ex to Counter the Incumbent

"Defeat Corruption with Corruption."

Before setting off, Mobius had told the adults about this, stating that it was their only chance to truly defeat the Herrscher of Corruption.

Therefore, powered by Jizo Mitama, Mei, initially alone, gradually unleashed an aura surpassing that of a thousand armies as she charged forward single-handedly.

Because she wasn't fighting alone.

Sakura, Eden, Hua, Aponia, Griseo, Kosma…

These heroes from the previous era fought alongside her!

"This is just like moths to a flame, why can't you understand?"

But looking at the reappearing Flame-Chaser, the Herrscher of Corruption shook her head disdainfully.

Then, with a casual wave of her hand, a barrage of green weapons erupted from her grasp, instantly enveloping Mei and the others charging toward her.

However…

"Inch Punch: Thunder!"

Boom!

A thunderous roar echoed from the ground.

Hua gathered her strength, then unleashed a powerful strike with both palms, instantly dispersing the green mist. The memories, originally composed of pure data, remained completely unharmed.

“How is this possible? Why didn’t my powers work? Hmm! So it was you. You didn’t digest them after absorbing them?” The Herrscher of Corruption looked at her 'predecessor' and 'former kind' in surprise, asking in bewilderment.

"Aren’t you afraid they’ll turn around and destroy you?”

“What’s there to be afraid of?” Higyokumaru retorted.

“Why?” The Herrscher of Corruption couldn’t understand. After all, not completely absorbing Corruption’s possessions was like an animal eating live prey without digesting it, letting it roam freely in its stomach—a huge risk. On a smaller scale, it was like feeding 'parasites' with one’s own body; on a larger scale, it was almost suicide.

Higyokumaru replied without hesitation, "Because I believe in my sister and her teammates!"

Although Jizo Mitama had severed its connection with the Imaginary Space, making her inferior to a true Herrscher of Corruption in many ways, she had one advantage: Higyokumaru hadn't truly been 'corrupted' or 'devoured' her data. She retained her complete self-awareness and power, and Higyokumaru didn't need to expend energy manipulating her.

In other words, it was like giving these Flame-Chasers a 'corruption-resistant' buff!

Eden, wielding twin pistols, spun and danced across the battlefield like a blooming rose, each shot capable of slaying a Honkai Beast.

Aponia, meanwhile, unfurled her wings and soared into the sky, unleashing golden lightning punishment upon the sinful Faded Ones.

Sakura and Mei stood back-to-back, their perfect coordination flashing through the enemy ranks, instantly cleaving countless Faded Honkai Beasts in two.

“Edge of Taixuan!”

Hua, meanwhile, used a technique she had learned from Lin Ling and Herrscher of Sentience, a technique perfectly suited to her and said to have been honed over five thousand years by another version of herself.

Kosma even blurted out that he was grabbing Honkai Beasts and tearing them apart. With Higyokumaru protecting him, he wasn't afraid of losing control; at worst, he'd be taken back into Jizo Mitama space.

Even tiny Griseo was relentlessly contributing her power through drawing as a form of attack.

"What's wrong? Scared stiff? Just standing there waiting to die?" Mobius, while fighting, verbally attacked the Herrscher of Corruption, asking with a mocking expression.

"If you could tell me where Ling is now, and whether you did something to her, I might make your death a little easier."

"Hmph... you'll see soon enough." The Herrscher of Corruption's face remained completely relaxed and carefree, as if she were watching a grand spectacle that had nothing to do with her.

Soon after, with everyone's combined efforts, the Corrupted Honkai Beasts who had initially surrounded them had all fallen.

Having lost all her 'subordinates,' the Herrscher of Corruption was left to fight them alone.

"Roar!!!"

The first to attack the Herrscher of Corruption was Kosma, who, after Honkai, had almost lost his mind and transformed into a 'monster.' With unstoppable momentum, he bit down hard on the small figure of the Herrscher of Corruption!!

But the next moment, Kosma—no, his entire 'monster'-like body—flew backward, landing motionless on the ground.

"Huh?!"

"How could this be?" Mei was shocked. Even Kevin, let alone Kalpas, couldn't defeat the collapsed Kosma so easily with a single move, could he?

Could it be…

"Haha, are you curious about why my power keeps increasing?" The Herrscher of Corruption seemed to see through Mei's thoughts. She chuckled, "It's simple. Let me ask you a question: How do organic life forms grow? It's actually quite simple—by devouring the flesh and blood of other organic life forms. So what about non-organic life forms like me? Or rather, digital life forms?"

"..." Mei didn't answer, but her furious gaze spoke volumes.

"That's right, it's all about consuming data! Right now, ever since you brought me to the Elysian Realm, every time I encounter a Flame-Chaser, I create a clone of the same type, using it as a template to imitate and learn from them, to become like them. But later I found that this was too slow, so I changed my method. When I've developed strong enough to face the Flame-Chasers head-on, then... I'll just devour them!"

"Hmph! You think I really didn't know? We knew your plan all along, so!" Mei slowly and laboriously stood up, then pointed the Jizo Mitama Soul at the Herrscher of Corruption. "Higyokumaru and the others won't let you succeed!"

"That's right! You can indeed resist my Corruption with that Honkai traitor, and even hinder my 'feeding' process, but you're still a step too slow, or rather, you're too weak~ Having lost the rank of 'Messenger of God,' the little fox, now reduced to a weapon, can't stop me at all! I merely used a little trick to make her focus on the insignificant Flame-Chaser, and I took the opportunity..."

The Herrscher of Corruption's body began to show numerous Honkai beast characteristics: a half-broken wing, a huge horn... At the same time, bursts of cold air comparable to the Herrscher of Ice erupted from her body.

"This is...?..." Mei exclaimed in shock. She recognized this power, stronger than any ordinary Herrscher, even stronger than anyone she knew. "Kevin?!"

"That's right. Although that little fox snatched more Flame-Chasers, the stronger Flame-Chaser has been in my hands from the very beginning! Especially with this 'poor savior's' power, even the other thirteen Flame-Chasers combined wouldn't be a match for me So, sorry, I'll have to ask you all to die first"

The Herrscher of Corruption stretched out her hand, and a giant sword bursting with crimson flames appeared in her grasp, a power she had previously associated with the extreme cold.

"Wow, even though it's just a data simulation, it can even Corrupt the Divine Key? As expected, my power is on a completely different level from hers."

Higyokumaru was immediately shocked upon seeing this, and quickly shouted to the surrounding crow.

"Everyone be careful! Use your strongest power to block this attack! Otherwise, we're all doomed!"

However, at that moment, Mobius suddenly noticed that the Herrscher of Corruption's face showed a brief expression of pain for a split second. Furthermore, the 'Shamash' in her hand flickered very briefly.

Though it flashed by, it couldn't escape Mobius's serpentine eyes.

A wicked smile curled at the corner of her lips.

"As expected, time was too short. Even you haven't fully digested it yet? 'Defeating Corruption with Corruption'—this is just the beginning."

---

Chapter 328: Defeating Corruption with Corruption is actually a multi-layered riddle.

“Even in a world composed of data, the Herrscher of Corruption is not an omnipotent god. When faced with overwhelming and complex data, even she needs time to digest it…”

Recalling the words of the rumored most dangerous member of the Fire Moth before he left, Su slowly opened his eyes… no, he hadn't opened them, but he still sensed the world around him.

“The Herrscher of Corruption’s ‘inside’ is like this? —Can’t I sense anything?”

Not long ago, while investigating and searching for data within the Elysian Realm, Su was suddenly attacked by the Herrscher of Corruption. Claiming to be a mental-sensory type without any physical abilities, he offered no resistance, allowing the Herrscher of Corruption to corrupt him and ‘swallow’ him.

And indeed, as Mobius, who had secretly studied the Herrscher of Corruption from the Previous Era, had said, even after being corrupted, Su could still maintain his own consciousness, at least for now.

But as Su amplified his mental awareness and tried to perceive his surroundings as usual, after being completely corrupted by the Herrscher of Corruption, the world he found himself in was the repository of all the Herrscher of Corruption's data.

"Aside from being able to maintain my individuality after Corruption, as a mentally perceptive MANTIS… am I no longer different? Oh well, as long as I can find Kevin, my abilities are insignificant."

But there was a problem:

"Has the Herrscher of Corruption's data become so vast?... Finding Kevin within it is like searching for a needle in a haystack..."

In this almost infinite data space of the Herrscher of Corruption, finding a single memory is no easy task; he might be completely digested before he finds it.

"Take a look! Pick whatever you like from the shelves, ten times the price back if it's fake, no returns or exchanges!"

But just then, a familiar, energetic sales voice rang out from afar.

“That voice?” Su recognized it as he approached the source.

“Oh, this shopkeeper looks unfamiliar. Is this your first time here? I just received a new batch of goods. You know how chaotic things are right now; everyone needs something to protect themselves. Would you like to take a look?”

A short, flaxen-haired girl with what appeared to be a hooded vest with two ear-like flaps enthusiastically approached him, recommending her goods.

“Shopkeeper?”

However, noticing that the girl hadn’t blinked for a long time, he was curious and puzzled.

Then he suddenly realized that the girl didn’t seem to be blinking at all; she hadn’t opened her eyes in the first place.

“Uh… it’s nothing! Just let me know if you need anything, boss.”

“Pardo, this is Su,” Su said.

“Uh…” The girl paused, scratching her head awkwardly. “Haha, I really couldn’t tell. Okay, Uncle, what would you like to order?”

“…” Su was silent for a moment. Just as he was guessing that her feigned deafness had an underlying purpose and was mentally preparing a probing question, he suddenly realized the truly unusual element about her.

The tail that had appeared after the Meta-Morph surgery was still nowhere to be found on her—he immediately grasped the crucial point.

(So that's how it is... The dream woven by the Herrscher of Corruption is where the memory goes after it's been completely corrupted. Has she, too, been sent here and entered a dreamlike state?)

Thinking of this, a wave of emotion washed over Su.

He too had faced an enemy who used dreams as a means of attack. And that battle had brought him the agony of his power dissipating.

(Could Kevin also...? No... impossible.)

Su interrupted the thought that had just arisen in his mind. With Kevin's will and strength, it shouldn't be this fast...

But he lowered his head in thought, his unease lingering.

(However… even in this illusion, Lie is already a city ravaged by Honkai. Is that enough for Pardo?)

This girl, who always appears the most 'greedy,' is actually the most 'content'—he wasn't surprised by this.

(However, anyway, I need to find Kevin first. Since she is the real Pardo, she should be able to use her extraordinary 'talent' for me even in dreams.)

"I want to ask you about someone," Su said to Pardo, who seemed to have lost her memory.

"Oh! Just ask. We don't pick and choose in business. People or goods, it's all fine. I'm best at this," the girl said, hands on her hips, quite proudly.

“His name is Kevin. He’s about my age, with white hair, and he looks… somewhat aloof.”

“Ah… ah?” Pardo exclaimed in surprise. “You mean him!? How could anyone not have heard of him? It’s nothing. But… hehe, boss, you know how dangerous Honkai is around here. As for the fee…”

The girl rubbed her small hands together.

Hearing the way she addressed him, Su’s heart sank again. Without further hesitation, he removed one of his earrings: “This was a gift from an old friend, priceless. Please lead the way.”

Pardo’s eyes darted around again, and only after confirming that the ‘value’ wasn’t just a preface did he let out his usual laugh.

“Hehehe~ I can’t accept this… Let’s go then, boss.” The girl carefully put the earring away, then immediately turned to lead the way, but after taking a step, she turned back and added. “Oh, right, security isn’t included, so you’d better stay close.”

Then Pardo seemed to do something, and a portal appeared before them—?

“This is…” Su was slightly surprised. He recognized it; it was the Second Divine Key, Cosmic Juggernaut.

Of course, the Divine Keys in the Elysian Realm were just digitized imitations, and the one within the Herrscher of Corruption was naturally the same. He just didn't know how it had fallen into Pardo's hands.

"Hehehe... Impressive, right? This new technology took me a lot of effort to get my hands on. It even has a pretty cool name, Cosmic Juggernaut? Cosmic  Juggernaut or something again... never mind, it's not important."

(Divine Keys actually exists here...? It seems the Herrscher of Corruption, for the sake of the dream's realism, or rather, immersion, or perhaps her own confidence, chose to completely recreate the 'world.' But for this purpose, really...)

...

"When I first arrived here, I immediately knew this 'network' was a hidden gem. Hehe~ I didn't expect it to help me make so much business. I guess when fortune smiles, you can't stop it. Oh, we're here. Look, it's over there."

While the girl led the way and chatted casually with the shopkeeper, it was mostly Pardo talking incessantly on her own.

"Kevin..."

Su saw that familiar, cold figure on an arched bridge.

The destination had been reached.

---

Chapter 329: Defeat Corruption with Corruption (Part 2): To Defeat Corruption, You Must First Become Corruption

The story rewinds to the night Kevin suddenly "died."

In a secluded corner of Elysium, where few would notice, the white-haired man waited quietly in the shadows.

Finally, the one who had extended the "invitation" to him arrived—Vil-V.

"Alright, through this membrane… the Herrscher of Corruption can only hear the background noise of our conversation."

(I wasn't lying. This membrane truly does have that effect—except… 'it' isn't outside the membrane now, but inside, watching us.)

Upon seeing Kevin, 'Vil-V' selectively revealed her 'discovery.'

"...This is my discovery."

"But why was it you? Aponia and Su were completely oblivious to this." Kevin crossed his arms, a hint of suspicion rising in his eyes.

"It is, after all, a virus—the medium that infiltrated the Elysian Realm, the 'device' that allowed the Elysian Realm to survive. If I, as its builder, only discovered it after they did… wouldn't that be incredibly negligent?"

As she spoke, Vil-V rolled up her sleeve.

(Next… the dark green Authenticator mark on my arm. It was originally a gift, but now… it will become another form of proof.)

"Hmm…"

As expected, even Kevin, usually as cold as ice, frowned.

Extremely Evil Vil-V, still feigning indifference, stated the dire consequences. "Soon, I too will be completely corrupted, becoming a part of it. Like I said before, the Herrscher of Corruption even possesses the ability to directly 'delete' us. But data is the foundation of growth, and deletion means self-inflicted damage. Given a choice, it would rather corrupt me than delete me, then use me for its own purposes."

Kevin: "..."

"This is our only chance. Kevin, to defeat it, you must cooperate with me in a 'performance.'"

"Go on," Kevin said coldly, though he had already roughly guessed her assessment.

"You are our sharpest sword, and you must not be wielded by them. Therefore, I need you to die immediately. Oh, don't get me wrong. I mean I must personally delete your data through that… 'Kevin Killer.'"

"You can do that?"

"Always, but it makes no sense. Because, like all my inventions, it has a 'backdoor'—it can destroy you, but it can also restore you."

Kevin roughly guessed the plan.

"So, you want me to fake my death as a 'surprise attack'?"

"I always say it's not certain yet."

"Before the performance begins, I will 'surrender' to the Herrscher of Corruption. Then I will hand over the dead 'you' to her so she can safely absorb your data instead of choosing to delete the strongest version of you. After all, even for her, absorbing such powerful data would take considerable time and effort."

(It is indeed a surrender, but the performance has already begun.)

"The timing? Tonight. Of course… we might not return."

"What are your chances?"

The question was too heavy, too cruel. After it fell into the silence, there was no answer for a long time.

Extremely Evil Vil-V held up one finger.

"One percent? With only a one percent chance, you want us to gamble our only 'sword'?" Kevin asked.

'Vil-V' shrugged.

"I admit this isn't a good idea. It's a gamble with a nine-out-of-ten chance of death. But if we don't do it, death is certain. Of course, you have the right to refuse, and perhaps there's a better plan. But we need to hurry. Time is running out…"

"...No, I agree."

However, contrary to Extremely Evil's expectations—or rather, exactly as expected—the man agreed without hesitation.

And then Kevin arrived here, in this most dangerous place—inside the "stomach" of the Herrscher of Corruption.

Quietly waiting…

Until the sudden arrival of an old friend.

"You've come, Su."

As if he had expected it, Kevin merely nodded slightly in acknowledgment of Su's arrival.

"Kevin…"

Seeing that he was still himself, and that his own body hadn't fallen into a deep sleep like Pardofelis's, Su felt a slight sense of relief. But soon, he felt guilty for thinking that.

(Perhaps, for him, it would be better to detach himself from all troubles, like Pardofelis.)

And so, the two stood there for a long time, gazing at each other without making another move.

"Uh… hahaha…" Pardofelis scratched her head, seemingly sensing the awkward atmosphere. "Now that I've brought you here, I… I'll take my leave."

She prepared to slip away.

"Wait, Pardofelis."

Su reached out to stop her.

However, the girl seemed afraid of being stopped. She ignored him completely, and her figure vanished around a corner in the blink of an eye.

"Let her be." Kevin pressed Su's hand down. "What we're about to do has nothing to do with her."

"I'm afraid not, Kevin. In my previous observations, Pardofelis's data also disappeared at one point. But now she's here with you, who's suffered corruption. So it must be part of the 'plan' too."

Kevin asked, "What stage is the plan at?"

"For you, it's about to reach the 'final step.' How much has Vil-V revealed to you?"

"She believes that even if I'm not a psychopath, I can temporarily maintain my 'self' while under the influence of the Corruption handle. When necessary, she needs me to strike from within, using my own power, to create an opportunity for the 'final battle' outside."

"Is that all?"

"Yes," Kevin replied briefly but firmly.

"That isn't inaccurate, but… it isn't detailed enough. In fact, before I set off, Mobius left me with a multi-layered puzzle: 'Defeat the Honkai with the Honkai.' The first layer is to use the Corruption of our era to defeat the current Corruption, but Rin has regressed into a Divine Key. While they can temporarily counter the Corruption, They can't truly defeat it. This is inevitable. Only by becoming a Divine Key can They truly regain self-awareness. Otherwise, we will face two enemies."

Kevin: "I understand."

"And the second layer," Su continued, "is for you and me to become Corruption, for you and me to willingly be corrupted, to become part of the Herrscher of Corruption, and then, from within—from this most dangerous place—to launch a surprise attack with all of my power."

Kevin seemed to understand the deeper meaning hidden in Su's words and was slightly moved.

"Is this necessary?"

"Yes." Su nodded slightly. "After all, you've been corrupted for far too long. Although you can still maintain your sense of self, in your current state, even if you poured all your 'data' into it, it wouldn't be enough for you to unleash that overwhelming attack. Therefore… you must use all of me as a 'replacement'… no, as a 'supplement.'"

Kevin: "And then… what will happen to you and me?"

"Either the battle succeeds, and we offer all our power to help everyone outside achieve final victory before being reborn, or the battle fails, and we vanish along with the entire world, leaving no trace…"

"…" Kevin lowered his folded arms. "I understand."

"You don't seem to intend to stop me?" Su seemed somewhat curious.

Kevin replied, "If you weren't my 'closest friend,' I would. But since you believe it's a necessary measure… I trust you."

Su: "Thank you."

Kevin: "So, has the time come?"

Su looked up at the sky, his eyes still closed, as if sensing something, then nodded.

"It's almost time."

Mobius will create an opening for us, where the power of the Herrscher of Corruption will weaken enough for us to break through.

"But for now, what should we do?"

Su's answer was only two words.

"Wait."

…

The white-haired man nodded. He did not continue the discussion, instead turning slightly to gaze at the distant scenery.

Only then did Su realize that Kevin's earlier posture had been because he had been looking at the landscape all along.

"...?"

When Su followed Kevin's gaze into the distance, he gradually realized that this place… was so familiar.

"Yes, that's right. You were originally the 'master' of this illusion. But… I never imagined that the scene you most wanted to see would be this."

As Su had sensed before, this city had clearly suffered the ravages of the Honkai.

Even in this unrestrained fantasy, the disaster that had changed their lives had not been erased.

"No, the scenery here is constantly changing… but it's all my past."

Indeed, anyone would think Kevin was a man trapped by the past, but they would be wrong.

"All I can do is wait, so… I don't mind passing the time this way."

Su: "Is that so? How does it feel?"

Kevin: "I considered some possibilities. But since they're impossible, there's no point dwelling on them."

"Possibilities…" Even Su couldn't help but sigh. "If the Honkai didn't exist, what would our past look like today?"

Hearing this, Kevin turned around. If he still habitually showed expressions, he would have looked very strange at that moment.

"Haven't we already discussed this? In another way."

"Another way?"

A distant memory suddenly surfaced in Su's mind.

"You actually remember."

"Hmm… Su. A person's destiny is their character."

...

"Hey… so your mind hasn't changed? Being a doctor—that's still what you want to do in the future?"

In a classroom, a sunny young man suddenly wrapped an arm around a seemingly melancholic gray-haired boy.

It was Kevin and Su during their student days.

After being interrupted from his thoughts by his friend, Su said with some annoyance, "Here we go again, Kevin. You've always been like this since we were little. Do you have to make fun of every one of my dreams?"

"Hahaha… not at all. Didn't I already say that studying medicine suits you perfectly? I just think…" Kevin said doubtfully, "With your talent, wouldn't it be a waste of your abilities?"

"It's only been a short while since I last saw you, and you've become even more frivolous." Su shook his head. "Saving lives isn't as simple as you think. Besides…"

Su suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

"Besides what?"

"Forget it. I'm not going to let you make fun of me again."

"That's no fun. I was planning to talk to you about my 'ideals' today. Go on, go on. Does our relationship really need to be like this?"

"Okay."

Unable to resist his friend's persistent questioning, and because of his own confusion, Su genuinely wanted to discuss the topic.

"I've always felt… that the doctor I wanted to become wasn't just someone who treated patients. It was… it was also someone who tried to cure some of the world's 'chronic diseases.'"

"Ah… uh…? Huh?"

Hearing such grand ideals from a high school student, even the usually cheerful boy was stunned.

Su looked away, gazing out the window.

"It's hard for me to explain. I don't even know how to do it myself. Let's talk about you. Didn't you say you didn't have any ideals?"

"Well, things are different now. Su, you might be shocked to hear this. I've decided I'm going to become a 'hero.'"

"…"

Now it was Su's turn to be stunned.

Kevin seemed somewhat dissatisfied with Su's reaction.

"What's wrong? My ideal?"

"Uh… putting aside why you have such thoughts…" Su asked doubtfully, "Do you really know what a 'hero' represents?"

"Of course! A hero is someone who solves difficulties when they arise and bears suffering when it strikes. There is no other way. 'All heroes are accidents, not acts of voluntary action!'"

"Oh?"

Watching Kevin speak so eloquently, with such logical and even philosophical depth, Su nodded approvingly.

"Indeed… a hero isn't a goal but an action, a result. What else did Mei tell you?"

"Oh, she also said…" Kevin was about to continue enthusiastically when he suddenly realized he had given himself away. "Uh… you…"

Su shook his head with a smile.

"That doesn't sound like your thinking at all. It doesn't sound like something you'd say, Kevin."

"Haha… can't I suddenly… what was it again?… have an epiphany? Sigh, Su, what's wrong with you? You weren't like this when I mentioned her before."

"Because back then, you hadn't yet gradually become Mei's 'shadow.' Haven't you noticed that?" Looking at his friend, who seemed to be sinking into a pink quagmire and becoming completely lovestruck, Su shook his head inwardly.

"Um… but what's wrong with that? Mei's a genius!" Kevin didn't seem to care, even praising her further. "Isn't humbly learning from her the right thing to do? Sometimes I even think… since someone has to lead everyone, if that person is Mei, at least I'll feel much more at ease following her than figuring things out on my own."

(But… once you choose to 'follow,' you can never 'walk' beside her again… and how painful that will be.)

However, Su didn't say it aloud. He merely sighed inwardly, even hoping his thoughts and reasoning were wrong.

He forced a smile.

"So, what did you say to her?"

"Hehe… well… actually, just to see her blush, I deliberately told her… 'I want to be your hero.'"

Su: "..."

"However, her response was quite strange…"

"She said to me, 'If you can be one person's hero, you can be everyone's hero.' Su, what do you think that means?"

...

End of flashback—

"Yes, a person's destiny is their character. Therefore, perhaps a person's destiny is ultimately singular. Even without the Honkai, something else might have appeared and pushed us to where we are today. Kevin, there's something… I've always wanted to ask you, and I wonder if you can answer it today. Mei's conjecture about the 'essence of the world'… has it already been proven?"

"...Yes."

"No wonder…" Su sighed softly. "So everything in this world is just a prearranged drama? Like some believers think, everything we experience exists only to confirm… whether we are qualified to reach some 'higher' place and bring 'humanity's childhood' to an end?"

"No, I don't think so. Everything I've experienced is my 'entirety,' not the price I paid to achieve something. Therefore, I will never deny any part of it—not even the failures, not even the pain."

"Even if the pain is unbearable?"

"Even if the pain is unbearable."

Kevin… anyone would think he was someone bound by the past, but he isn't.

To this day, he still tries his best to fulfill his old "joke."

Because to abandon it would be tantamount to denying Mei, denying Su, denying… "her," and everything "her" world brought—

Elysia.

——————————

Chapter 330: Corruption: “Diabolic Form” vs. Lin Ling’s “Succubus” Form (?)

However, while Kevin, transformed into a Trojan horse, awaited his teammates’ attack signal and plotted a coordinated attack from within to deliver a fatal blow to the Herrscher of Corruption, the Herrscher of Corruption outside had already preemptively unleashed her power.

Horns resembling those of a Honkai beast sprouted from her head, half a massive black wing grew from her back, and her ears became long and pointed...

Not only did her body begin to change, but the flames rising in her hand gradually condensed into the shape of a sword.

“...”

This transformation caused everyone present to become grave. The brief joy they had felt after defeating all the faded Honkai beasts vanished instantly.

“This is... Diabolic Form...”

Because they recognized this power—

It was the strongest “sword” created by humanity in the Previous Era, combining all the technology they possessed and fusing countless Honkai beasts: a product of the Chimera Project, the second form of the Deliverance, the “Power of Diabolic Form.”

Once, this power was humanity’s strongest “sword,” a “sword” imbued with the hope of saving the world.

But unexpectedly, this “sword,” meant to fight Honkai and save the world, turned against its former comrades.

The Herrscher of Corruption, in her Diabolic Form, clenched her fist, feeling the new power she had just absorbed.

“Even I am surprised. It’s unimaginable. Is this really the height humanity can reach?”

Then, she returned the words Mobius had used to mock her: “What~ are you all paralyzed with fear? Standing there motionless, waiting to die?”

Without giving anyone time to reply, the Herrscher of Corruption suddenly flapped her wings and leaped forward, charging toward Mei with lightning speed.

Fortunately, the Flame-Chasers had anticipated this; after all, based on the level of threat, Mei, being a fellow Herrscher and immune to Corruption, was undoubtedly more dangerous than they were.

However, the Herrscher of Corruption wasn’t alone, either. Several figures suddenly arrived from afar, and upon closer inspection, they turned out to be the corrupted Kalpas, Su, and Pardo.

Although Pardo seemed to lack combat power, the Corrupted Su and Kalpas were not to be underestimated.

One was a battle maniac second only to Kevin and Elysia, and the other was a very troublesome, difficult-to-deal-with mental perception type.

Fortunately, Aponia could resist their interference on a mental level.

However, “Kalpas” was a more troublesome opponent. It transformed into a hellish, fiery form, charging toward the group with a force that seemed capable of tearing apart the Elysian Realm.

The similarly transformed Kosma naturally took the lead, followed closely by Mobius, who possessed infinite resurrection abilities. Combined with Hua, who possessed both strong melee combat skills and mental attack power, they successfully held off the berserk “Kalpas.”

However, these merely diverted everyone’s attention.

The real killing blow was the Herrscher of Corruption’s true form, now in “Diabolic Form.”

The bullets from Eden’s twin pistols were frozen in mid-air before they even reached her, and the gravity of the Star of Eden slightly slowed her down. Sakura’s swordsmanship, known for its speed, could keep up with the Herrscher of Corruption, but her strength was slightly lacking. Her sword, after a brief moment of resistance, was instantly melted and severed by the intense heat of the Herrscher of Corruption’s Diabolic Form.

By contrast, Griseo’s painting, being the weakest, bought Mei a little more time, giving her as much time as possible to react.

But it was only for a fleeting moment.

Mei, wielding Jizo Mitama, had no way to dodge; her so-called reaction was merely a horizontal block.

Clang!

Boom!!!

What was supposed to be a clash of metal weapons erupted with a sound comparable to the explosion of a massive explosive device—

Mei was then blasted away like lightning. She could only manage to absorb the force by plunging her longsword into the ground, carving a deep trench before finally regaining her footing.

Fortunately, thanks to the help of the Flame-Chasers who had absorbed and dispersed the force, although she experienced blood surging and blood trickling from her mouth, she suffered no fatal injuries.

“Pfft!”

However, Higyokumaru suddenly exhaled a large mouthful of black mist.

It turned out that her true form, Jizo Mitama, had absorbed most of the impact in Mei’s place...

But a barely perceptible crack appeared on Jizo Mitama’s sword.

As Higyokumaru was damaged, the Flame-Chasers who were under her protection and temporarily merged with her began to flicker, like a television with a poor signal. Their abilities were temporarily affected, and Kalpas of Corruption, who had been on the defensive, seized the opportunity to unleash a powerful attack, killing Mobius.

This made the already dire situation even worse.

“Is this Kevin’s true power?” Mei slowly stood up, wiping the blood from her mouth and leaning on her sword. “No wonder he’s known as the strongest below Finality...”

“No, not at all Big sister” Mei’s earpiece then heard the voice of Mobius, who had supposedly died. She weakly corrected her.

"Besides Ling, Kevin is my most satisfying creation, but the current Herrscher of Corruption can only unleash the power of the ‘Diabolic Form’.”

“However Heh heh” Strangely, despite the dire situation, Mobius laughed. “But this also means Kevin isn’t completely dead, not fully digested. He’s still alive, like a hidden operative lurking in the enemy’s stronghold. As long as we create an opportunity, we can...”

Mei raised an eyebrow. “‘Opportunity’? An inside-outside attack? But I think the Herrscher of Corruption shouldn’t be unaware of her own internal situation. Would she really let us attack from the inside so easily...?”

“So~ we still need to use Chimera to fight Chimera. Only she can create an opportunity for us...”

“But... we don’t even have the strength to fight back right now. How can we...”

Just as Mei was about to ask for clarification...

Boom!

Another fiery sword aura flew toward her, interrupting her communication with Mobius.

The Herrscher of Corruption charged in once more. Someone who values the continuation of life above all else would act with extreme caution, never straying from a winning position only to be killed later.

Before Mei could even regain her footing, and seeing them seemingly plotting something, she frowned and charged again.

Fortunately, during this time, Kosma and the others, with their numerical advantage and Mobius’s sudden resurrection, had defeated “Kalpas of Corruption.” Meanwhile, Aponia, the strongest psychic, possessed mental power far superior to that of the seemingly invincible “Su of Corruption,” successfully planting a “Die” Discipline deep within her heart and guiding him to death.

Now, they could finally gather all their strength to fight the “Diabolic Corruption.”

As Higyokumaru activated the power of Jizo Mitama, the scattered forces on the battlefield were instantly reunited around Mei as if by teleportation.

But...

The difference in strength was indeed too great.

Compared to Mei and the others, who were using every ounce of their power, the Herrscher of Corruption was using less and less strength. The Herrscher of Corruption’s power, on the other hand, was constantly increasing, as the data of Kevin and the others within her was being further “digested and absorbed”...

“Hahahaha! This is your scheme?! This is your plan?! Your power? Too weak, too weak!”

The Herrscher of Corruption unleashed sword strike after sword strike, easily claiming the lives of the Flame-Chasers with each blow, even as they desperately defended themselves.

Although they were now integrated into Higyokumaru’s database and could be resurrected at any time, the real problem was that the relentless attacks had even caused Jizo Mitama herself to be riddled with cracks, teetering on the verge of breaking apart.

Finally, even Higyokumaru suffered severe injuries and fell into a deep sleep, leaving Mei alone on the battlefield once more...

“My poor Mei Alone again Then I’ll give you one more chance—surrender, or death~”

The Herrscher of Corruption raised her sword and walked step by step toward Mei.

“...”

Mei gripped the broken sword tightly, staring intently at her, speechless.

“Are you waiting for that little one? I can tell you, you’ll never see her again~ One of my friends has already killed her.”

“Impossible! My Ling will never be so easily taken by you... And? Hmph, someone like you has friends? Ridiculous, do you really think you have any friends?” Mei sneered.

"As for the answer to that question, I can tell you now, absolutely not!”

“Fine, fine, as they say, three strikes and you’re out Since that’s the case, forgive me, Mei This is... the last time.”

The Herrscher of Corruption slowly raised her flaming greatsword, then brought it down heavily.

“Since you refuse this favor, then die!”

“Let go of that girl!!”

But just then.

A powerful, invisible wave appeared between the Herrscher of Corruption and Mei, actually stopping the arrogant Herrscher of Corruption’s attack in mid-air, just inches from Mei’s face.

Then, four powerful forces, each with distinct attributes—wind, thunder, fire, and ice—simultaneously assaulted the area, forcing even the Herrscher of Corruption to push them aside and temporarily avoid their onslaught.

Following this, in the afterglow of the earth, water, wind, and fire, a girl with black-and-white wings, dragon horns on her head, and a demon’s tail behind her descended from the sky, surrounded by several shimmering crystal cores of red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple... like stars!

She landed steadily in front of Mei.

“Forgive me, Miss Mei, oh no, my Mei. I... I’m late.”

The girl gently took the limp hand of the girl on the ground and helped her up.

“Ling...” Mei bit her lip, looking at Lin Ling in her current state. She knew Lin Ling must have endured much pain she didn’t know about, and her eyes gradually welled up with tears.

"I knew it, I knew it, you... you would be alright...”

The Herrscher of Corruption recognized her instantly—it was Lin Ling, the strange girl whose threat level rivaled that of the one capable of wiping out the entire Elysian Realm with a single click.

“Why? Why!? Shouldn’t you already be...?”

“Shouldn’t she already be sealed away by me?”

The one who answered the Herrscher of Corruption’s question was none other than her only “friend”—Extreme Evil Vill-V

“It’s you... why? Oh no, no... it’s not you...”

Upon seeing the newcomer, the Herrscher of Corruption’s eyes narrowed, her expression becoming complex.

“That’s right. I’m sorry, I’m not the ‘villain’ you know. However, my arrival was part of a very evil plan. She was just pretending to surrender,” Vill-V replied with a smile. “How could someone like you have friends?”

Then, Vill-V produced a huge steampunk-style mechanical lathe from somewhere and placed the badly injured Jizo Mitama inside for reforging and repair.

“That scared me to death, Lin Ling! I almost thought I was going to die!”

Soon, as her main body recovered, Higyokumaru, who had just been rendered inoperable, regained consciousness and hugged Lin Ling tightly.

Of course, along with her, the Flame-Chasers, who had supposedly been killed, also regained consciousness.

“Vill-V, Ling, you’ve come.”

They expressed their sincere gratitude for the timely arrival of reinforcements.

Even Mobius was no longer arrogant. She spoke.

“Hmph, Vill-V, you really timed your arrival perfectly. Were you doing this on purpose? Fine, I’ll consider this a favor I owe you.”

“Hmph! Do you think I don’t exist?!”

The Herrscher of Corruption’s anger had reached its limit. She was on the verge of victory; she had wiped out all the enemies, but with that guy’s arrival, everything was back to square one, even reversing the situation. It seemed as if she was being completely ignored.

She couldn’t accept it!

Then, in her extreme rage, she immediately unleashed a powerful sword strike!

Clang~

But this time, her previously invincible attack was blocked head-on.

And, quite easily at that.

“Honestly, it’s not good to interrupt someone’s conversation~”

The white-haired girl, without even turning her head, simply raised her guandao horizontally to block the attack, not even bothering to look at her.

“What!?”

The Herrscher of Corruption was shocked. Even after absorbing so much data and growing exponentially, she was still no match for this little guy?

At least in terms of pure brute force, she was slightly inferior.

Meanwhile, all the other Flame-Chasers simultaneously unleashed their full power, launching a fierce attack on the Herrscher of Corruption, who was locked in combat with Lin Ling.

Boom boom boom boom bang bang bang...

After a series of violent explosions, as the smoke cleared—this time, it was the Herrscher of Corruption’s turn to be covered in wounds and in a sorry state...

Then... she made a decision that seemed somewhat irrational!

“Damn it, damn it, damn it!!! What friends? What data? I don’t care anymore, I don’t want it! Give it all to me, and die!”

She decided to stop holding back, recklessly using her not-yet-fully-digested power—

A tidal wave of chill surged through her body, and in her hand appeared a towering pillar of flame that seemed capable of scorching the heavens and boiling the seas.

Before it was even truly swung, the sheer force of this attack made Mei, who was facing her, feel as if she had fallen into a hell of ice and fire:

She was about to unleash that world-destroying sword strike.

A peerless divine sword capable of destroying all life and matter. Nothing can withstand its sharpness.

With a single swing, even heaven and earth tremble; even the invincible, godlike Herrscher of Finality was rendered ineffective for 24 hours by its power.

Under this earth-shattering aura, Lin Ling exchanged a worried glance with Vill-V.

“Go,” Vill-V simply patted her shoulder. “Go. Use the method I just taught you to unleash the full power of the Meta-Morph Overload, the Herrscher, and the Edge of Taixuan within you.”

“I will help you control your power...”

“Ling, we will also lend you a hand...”

“You haven’t forgotten the ‘Setsuna’ I taught you today, have you?”

“Ling, ‘Please’ unleash your power to the fullest.”

...

Meanwhile, Mei and the Flame-Chasers poured all their remaining power into Lin Ling’s body.

Time stood still,

Space froze in its motion,

Only two forces clashed,

Only two wills clashed,

Only two fates were decided,

Who would win?

Who would lose?

Who would live?

Who would die?

...

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