Faced with Fu Shi's impenetrable defense, Mei☆ fell into a brief contemplation.
Because just then, Elysia's crisp and melodious voice suddenly entered her ear,
"Dearest Mei☆, friendly reminder, the power of Origin only lasts for three minutes. Two minutes have passed. You only have one left."
-----------------------------
Just as Elysia's friendly reminder had barely faded, Mei☆'s eyes suddenly flashed, and she murmured softly to herself,
"It seems… I have no choice but to use my final trump card…"
A mask resembling a helmet slowly emerged on Mei☆'s face, and she gripped her sword with both hands, firmly planting it before her.
Then, Mei☆ gently closed her eyes and began to focus her energy. In an instant, the clearly visible surroundings were obscured as though by an invisible field, fading completely from sight.
In their place appeared a special realm filled with strange sights.
Within this space, time seemed to have lost its meaning—everything was frozen in place.
At this moment, Fu Shi's eyes darted around in her sockets, but her body stood rigidly in place, unable to move a muscle.
She looked at the flying swords surrounding her and stammered,
"H-How is this possible?! I… I can't move at all! This… this can't be real!!!"
But just as Fu Shi was struggling to believe it, Mei☆ suddenly opened her eyes.
In a split second, she slashed her long blade at blinding speed, her movements smooth and continuous.
With dazzling strikes and bursts of thunderous light, Mei☆ executed a brilliant spin, standing proudly with her back to Fu Shi.
The sound of shattering glass echoed as the fantastical scene vanished like an illusion, and time began to flow once more.
In that moment, Fu Shi was shocked to discover that all the flying swords surrounding her had shattered without exception, dissolving into stardust floating in the air.
Immediately after, the clothes she was wearing disintegrated in the blink of an eye into countless tiny fragments and, under her stunned gaze, completely disassembled into atoms, dispersing into the air.
Mei☆ then walked up to the flustered Fu Shi, who was scrambling to cover herself, raised her chin slightly, and looked down coldly at her disheveled opponent, speaking softly,
"You lost, Fu Shi."
Hearing this, Fu Shi exploded like a powder keg, springing up from the ground, face bright red, and yelling furiously,
"You actually dared to slice off my clothes! What kind of battle tactic is that?! That's completely unreasonable!"
Mei☆ slightly raised her head, her eyes falling on Fu Shi's somewhat frail figure, and the corner of her mouth curled into a barely noticeable expression of disdain.
Then, her gaze turned cold as she demanded,
"Cut the nonsense. Tell me where Fu Lin is!"
Fu Shi quickly caught the change in Mei☆'s expression, her rage intensifying. She glared back defiantly and shouted,
"Hey! What's with that look?! What's there to be proud of? Let me tell you—I successfully won Fu Lin over, that's a fact beyond dispute! And look at you—hmph, you got nothing~!"
Mei☆'s face immediately darkened, like a stormy sky before a tempest.
Her hand unconsciously gripped the hilt at her waist, her knuckles turning white from the force.
At the same time, her body began trembling uncontrollably—an ominous sign of long-suppressed anger on the verge of eruption.
Mei☆ stared at Fu Shi with unwavering intensity, her eyes burning with fury, as if her gaze alone could reduce her to ashes.
Yet even now, clearly at a disadvantage, Fu Shi's smile remained as radiant as spring sunlight.
She opened her mouth wide, revealing a set of neat white teeth, her expression exaggerated to the extreme as she burst into laughter and said,
"Hahaha! I've always wanted to see that look on your face—that jealous, angry, and frustrated expression of yours~ Ahahahahaha!"
Fu Shi laughed uncontrollably, her body shaking with mirth, completely unfazed by Mei☆'s murderous glare.
Seeing this, Fu Lin twitched at the corner of his mouth, unable to bear watching, and muttered as he held his forehead,
"Yikes, how or why did Fu Shi end up like this?!"
Elysia, standing nearby, giggled behind her hand, "Fu Lin, you've completely corrupted Fu Shi."
Naturally, Fu Lin would never admit that and immediately retorted, "Slander! That's a blatant slander!"
Seeing his stubbornness, Elysia's doting gaze revealed a trace of helplessness. Then, her lips gently parted as she relayed a message to the furious Mei☆ outside.
"Oh my, so sorry, Mei☆~ Your transformation time is up. Don't forget to leave a five-star review~?"
Before she finished speaking, the dazzling Origin Armor on Mei☆'s body gradually vanished like a mirage, replaced by her original office attire.
Fu Shi, who had been racking her brain for a comeback, lit up upon seeing this, as if she had regained her confidence.
She straightened her back triumphantly, hands on her hips, and burst into wild laughter,
"Hahahaha! Time's up? Hahaha, now the roles are reversed, dear Mei~ Hehehe… let's see how you handle this now, hehehe…"
Meanwhile, in the mental space, Fu Lin looked at Fu Shi, who was now laughing like a cartoon villain, and twitched at the corner of his mouth again, silently pondering how to handle the absurdity unfolding.
He paced anxiously with furrowed brows, muttering to himself, "With things like this between Mei☆ and Fu Shi, how are we supposed to end this mess?"
At that moment, the always-silent Elysia suddenly let out a soft, melodious laugh like a chime.
In a gentle and lilting voice, she said, "It's simple. You just have to show up."
As she spoke, Elysia no longer hid her actions. Right before Fu Lin's eyes, she summoned the system interface and gracefully began operating it with her slender fingers.
Fu Lin stood there as if struck by lightning, completely stunned.
He stared wide-eyed at the scene before him, as if witnessing something utterly unimaginable.
After a long while, he finally snapped out of it and stammered,
"E-Elysia… you… how can you summon the system?!"
Hearing his question, Elysia's gem-like eyes blinked mischievously. Her pink lips curled into a dazzling smile like a blossoming flower.
Then, in a sweet voice that seemed to melt hearts, she replied,
"Well, of course~ A cute girl like me is capable of anything, you know~?"
However, Fu Lin simply stood there silently, gazing at her with a doubtful look, clearly not buying her vague explanation.
Seeing his reaction, Elysia sighed helplessly. Her previously cheerful expression turned slightly bored.
She pouted and looked at Fu Lin with a hint of playful reproach, then continued,
"Geez, you're impossible.
Alright, I'll tell you the truth. I'm one of the authorized users of the All-Purpose Item System~
As for why… that system's AI is none other than the one developed by Dr. Mei in the previous era—Prometheus!
So, surprised?"
Upon hearing this, Fu Lin stood frozen, his mouth slightly agape,
"The All-Purpose Item System is actually the AI Prometheus from the previous civilization…"
Right then, a mechanical voice suddenly rang out by their ears without warning,
[Ding~ Please address me as Prometheus No. 1.
Also, it's a pleasure to see you again, lovely Ms. Elysia.
Do you need something from me? If not, I'll be returning to binge-watching my dramas, so please don't disturb me…]