Inside Mobius' lab—
This place, often referred to as the devil's lair, the snake's den, the kind of location that gave people chills just thinking about it—today, it welcomed a girl as dazzling as falling blossoms.
"Here, the results are in."
"Emmm... That's it?"
Elysia accepted the medical report handed to her by Mobius. Since it was conducted by none other than the supreme god of biology herself, it was naturally a hundred times more accurate and detailed than anything any major hospital could offer~
Yet after flipping through the whole report, Elysia's brow furrowed slightly in disappointment.
"Elysia, are you doubting me?"
"Of course not, Dr. Mobius. It's just… this report is so normal. No matter how I look at it, I'm just a perfectly flawless, ordinary beautiful girl."
"..."
Mobius raised an eyebrow. She had seen narcissists before, but never one as self-absorbed as Elysia.
She briefly recalled the body measurements she'd recorded earlier, then chuckled with a touch of sarcasm.
"Heh~ flawless? 54.8kg at your height is clearly overweight."
Guh!
Elysia felt like she'd been struck by an arrow.
That sentence dealt true damage plus critical hit. Not even the fight with the Herrscher of the Void had left her this wounded. She stared at Mobius with watery, aggrieved eyes.
"Dr. Mobius, how could your thirty-seven-year-old mouth say something so cold? Besides, if you round down, I'm just 50kg—totally within safe range!"
"You can round body weight? Fine then. Round that 0.8 up to 1, you're 55kg. Round again, you're 60kg. One more round, congrats Elysia—you're now 100kg."
"...Doctor, if you keep saying that, I'm gonna cry."
Elysia's expression instantly crumbled.
"Tch. Whatever. Looks to me like your little boyfriend spoiled you rotten. I'll help you get a grip on reality."
Seeing Elysia sulking and defeated somehow put Mobius in a surprisingly good mood.
"Hmph~ Elias was right. Reality is a trash game. Where's the rewrite button? Give me a pen!"
With that, Elysia grabbed a ballpoint pen and crossed out her weight, replacing it with 49kg. Only then did she nod in satisfaction. Perfect.
Still, even after skimming through the report again, a hint of disappointment remained in her eyes.
Because there wasn't a single abnormality. She really did seem like an ordinary human girl. While that should've been a good thing to Elysia—
She knew all too well she wasn't ordinary.
An absurdly high resistance to Honkai energy, the ability to craft pink crystal flowers by hand, and even a power that made her desires manifest—how could a girl with these abilities be called normal?
And there was something Elysia hadn't told anyone.
Until now, the only person who had ever given her a sense of being the "same kind" was Elias.
But two days ago, when she faced the Herrscher of the Void…
Elysia had been shocked to find that—even though not nearly on Elias' level—that Herrscher gave her the same feeling.
She actually perceived a Herrscher as kin?
Then what exactly was she?
Could she be a Herrscher too?
At this moment, Elysia still didn't know her full truth.
No one had ever told her her mission. No one had explained the authority she possessed. That power—originating from the Origin—was so concealed that not even the Herrscher of Dominance could compare.
One could say: unless she actively revealed her true form as the Herrscher of Origin, no matter how precise the instruments, no matter how brilliant the biologist—none could detect her anomaly.
"Dr. Mobius, may I ask you to examine one more thing for me?" Elysia suddenly spoke up.
"Hm?" Mobius blinked.
The next moment, Elysia reached into her innermost pocket and—with some effort—pulled out a crystal vial filled with an incredibly vivid red liquid.
"What is that?"
Mobius was already beginning to get a bit impatient, but when she saw the vial in Elysia's hand, she couldn't help but ask. The liquid inside was a stunning shade of red—
As if the finest ruby had been melted into fluid form. When Elysia carefully uncorked the bottle, Mobius even caught a faint, pleasant aroma.
Too subtle to be called perfume, but… Mobius instinctively licked her lips.
"Oh, this? It's Elias' blood."
"Uh… what?!"
Mobius' eyes went wide in shock.
Was this what kids were into these days? Carrying around vials of each other's blood? This pink elf—no, pink gremlin—who looked so bright and sunny on the outside...
Could she actually be… a yandere?
Elysia could tell Mobius was misunderstanding and quickly waved her hands to explain.
"Don't get the wrong idea, Doctor. Elias gave this to me when we were little. He said that carrying it would keep most Honkai Beasts away. And that if I was ever in danger, I could just throw it and it'd take care of the problem."
"Oh? Really now?"
"Dr. Mobius, I never lie~"
Elysia said proudly, hands on her hips.
This vial of Schariac Holy Blood had been given to her by Elias one night after they had defeated their first Chariot-class Honkai Beast together.
She had indeed experienced its effects firsthand—while wearing it, low-level Honkai Beasts avoided her like she exuded terror.
And that made her all the more curious:
Why did Elias' blood have that effect?
Why did she instinctively recognize him as the same kind?
If she could uncover the truth about Elias… could she also learn what she really was?
"Now this is getting interesting. When you say 'when you were little'… how long ago was that?"
"Uh, about… ten years ago?"
"...That makes it even more interesting."
Mobius' eyes narrowed, her gaze locked on the crystal vial in Elysia's hand with growing interest.
Ten years! And the blood still hadn't coagulated into clot—it was still active and vibrant. That was clearly no ordinary substance.
She recalled the report stating that Elias had faced and defeated the Herrscher of the Void alone in her own space.
Mobius unconsciously licked her red lips, her gaze like that of a green serpent eyeing its favorite prey.
"A special person. Special blood. Very good. I'll be looking forward to this. Hopefully, it brings me some surprises."
"Dr. Mobius—just a little, okay? Just a little. Two or three drops should be enough, right?" Elysia reluctantly handed over the crystal vial.
"Tch, you're stingy. Just give me the whole thing. You can always get more from that guy. Hey, hey—don't take it back! Fine, fine, two or three drops. That's enough for a preliminary check."
Mobius clicked her tongue and poured out exactly three tiny drops. Just as she eagerly prepared to begin her analysis—
"Hold it. That's not gonna happen. Not yet."
"What?"
Suddenly, a young male voice came from behind Mobius and Elysia. In the next moment, the glass container in Mobius' hand—containing the drops of blood—was effortlessly taken away.
The two turned around and saw a white-haired boy who had somehow appeared behind them without a sound. In his left arm, he was casually holding up a young girl with sky-blue hair.
"Hi~ Elias, you're back!"
"Mm. First, let me introduce someone to you, Ely—this is Griseo, Uncle Ato's daughter. Doesn't she look nothing like him? Absolutely adorable, like a little angel."
"Waaah, she really is! Hello, little Griseo! I'm Elysia. You're so cute—Elias, let me hold her!"
Elysia's eyes lit up the moment she saw Griseo. As someone utterly defenseless against cute things, the pink elf was instantly sunk by this tiny bundle of adorableness.
Elias smiled. At this point in time, Griseo had already been born but was not yet five years old—she was the very picture of innocent, wide-eyed childhood.
"Ahem! Ahem!"
Mobius suddenly cleared her throat loudly.
Her green-pink eyes stared directly at the vial of blood in Elias' hand. Her meaning was abundantly clear.
"Would you mind handing that sample back, little lab rat—ahem, I mean, little boy."
"No. This is my blood sample, isn't it?"
Elias glanced at the glass container, secretly relieved that he'd arrived just in time.
Mobius' eye twitched slightly. But in the next second, she offered a gentle smile and introduced herself like a cheerful salesperson.
"Alright then—how about a free full-body checkup? Your partner just gave me a five-star review. And a personal exam conducted by me is a rare opportunity, you know. You should treasure it."
"Heh heh. A full-body exam conducted personally by Dr. Mobius? Sounds like a once-in-a-lifetime offer. Daga kotowaru—I refuse!"
Elias crossed his arms in a big X gesture across his chest.
If it was Mobius…
Even with the Herrscher of Rebirth's authority, Elias wasn't confident he could deceive her completely without leaving behind any traces.
So the best strategy was to never accept her so-called exam to begin with.
"On the way here, I heard quite a few disturbing rumors about your lab, Dr. Mobius. Things like… no one ever comes out after entering. Or people waking up missing a hand. Or having something extra. Not to mention the occasional maniacal laughter echoing through the halls."
"Tch! Those gossipy fools. Next time they wind up on my operating table, I'll sew every one of their mouths shut."
Mobius clicked her tongue in irritation.
Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't care about such rumors—well, okay, most of them were actually true.
But today was different. Today, the snake had finally found a research subject that genuinely intrigued her. She had just been about to begin, only to be flatly rejected.
Her mood soured considerably.
"It's just a few drops of blood. It's not like I'm strapping you to my table… yet. Is that really such a big deal?"
"Sorry, but no means no. My blood contains a few of my secrets—and as of now, Dr. Mobius, you haven't earned the right to know them."
Elias turned her down without hesitation.
"Oh? It's been a long time since anyone's talked to me like that. No wonder you're the rookie who just took down a Herrscher—full of fire."
"Heh, you'll be full of fire too someday."
With that, Elias wiped away the blood from the glass container. The Herrscher of Rebirth's authority coated his fingertips, instantly erasing every trace of living cell from the surface.
"To be honest, Doctor, I am interested in you. But the things you excel at… are exactly the things I detest. I absolutely cannot accept anything involving human experimentation."
He shrugged lightly as he spoke.
As a Captain from the Honkai Impact 3rd, he adored Mobius' character—affection maxed out at four stars, owned every skin, and there was always a place for her in the Valkyrie Dorm.
However—
Sadly, ever since the Second Eruption, Elias had developed a deep-rooted loathing—even hatred—for anything involving human experimentation.
And this—this just so happened to be Mobius' specialty.
If you were to ask who the most unhinged scientist in the Honkai universe was, Mobius would undoubtedly top the list! Even Otto couldn't hold a candle to her in this field.
That said, Mobius may have no bottom line…
But she did have principles.
Mobius would never force anyone into human experimentation. Those who ended up on her table were either zombies, Honkai Beasts, Herrschers, or volunteers. She was particularly lenient with children as well.
And that made Elias feel incredibly conflicted.
There were parts of her he absolutely loved, and parts he absolutely hated. He had never met anyone who embodied such polar extremes in his heart.
He genuinely didn't know how to deal with her.
"Heh~ What do you know? Everything I've done is for the sake of human evolution. And evolution demands the casting away of imperfections. Progress comes with sacrifice."
Mobius looked down at Elias with prideful eyes.
Elias shrugged and said helplessly:
"I get it, Doctor. I understand your pursuit of infinity, your longing for immortality. And I admit, in this era, you're an irreplaceable talent. But… what I dislike, I dislike. No matter how you explain it, I still have the right to say no, don't I?"
He gave Mobius a gentle smile.
"That's one thing I truly appreciate about you—you don't force people into your experiments. You give them the right to refuse."
"Hmph! And who told you all that about me? Ato? Wait, no, that fool doesn't know a thing. And besides… you, little lab rat—what do you know about me? Understand Mobius? No one's ever dared say that to my face."
Geniuses are often lonely. Even Mobius, whose research field was… relatively proper, was no exception.
Let alone someone like her, who had chosen a path so unimaginable, so taboo.
An understanding soul? She had never known one.
Elias paused, then glanced around Mobius' lab.
That's when he realized—he hadn't seen the tiny, green-haired assistant he had expected to find.
(Oh, right. At this point in the timeline, Klein hasn't appeared yet. Blanca's just an assistant. The snake really has no one she can talk to right now.)
But the time was drawing near.
After the Third Eruption, Klein would officially join Mobius' lab.
Elias silently offered a prayer for her—the future overworked saint who had yet to fall into the viper's den.
With this capitalistic serpent breathing down her neck, her days of peace were numbered.
"Alright then, Dr. Mobius. No matter what you think, I won't take back what I said. And really, there's no need to be disappointed. Because… I probably won't be able to avoid ending up on that operating table of yours someday."
Elias sighed.
In the future he had planned for himself, becoming a MANTIS was a necessary step.
And for the surgical procedure that created MANTIS soldiers, there was only one person who could wield the scalpel—Mobius.
"Oh? If that's how you feel, why not move up the schedule? What's the saying again—'the sooner you die, the sooner you reincarnate'? I can help you face your fate right now."
Mobius picked up a surgical scalpel she had been using to stir her coffee, wiped it clean with a napkin, and its blade gleamed once more. She made a few slicing gestures toward Elias.
"Let's not, shall we? It's not the right time yet. My affection for you, Doctor, isn't high enough. And… I'm afraid you'd die of excitement."
"Me? Die of excitement? Heh. That's funny—very funny. Seems like you have a lot of confidence in your body."
With that, Mobius boldly stepped forward and placed a hand under Elias' chin. Her seductive eyes—like twin vipers—locked onto his.
"Congratulations, little lab rat. You've successfully caught my attention. Be sure to visit my lab often from now on. Until I've unearthed every one of your secrets… I'll make sure you're very well entertained."
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