She stared at Luo Mo, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. From the earlier brief storytelling, it was easy to notice that the group treated him with unusual respect—almost as if many significant events were closely tied to him, like he was caught in the vortex of all these happenings.
If one were to compare it to a story, he would be the main character.
And now, not only was he linked to those past events, but even the reason why the Flame-Chasers were here was also closely related to him. Wasn't that even more intriguing?
So… what exactly happened? No—how did he manage to convince everyone else?
She was extremely curious!
As for Elysia's earlier comment jokingly accusing Luo Mo of "kidnapping" everyone from the Elysian Realm, he firmly denied it. He wasn't some merchant or trickster, and anyway, the others were all tens of thousands of years old—how could he possibly forcefully abduct them?
He simply shook his head in quiet denial.
"Aiya~ back then, it was all just curiosity about this game that got us interested," Elysia chimed in cheerfully, blinking mischievously. "Then… he defeated us one by one. And guess what? He offered each of us a condition we couldn't refuse. Do you know what it was? ♪~"
She smiled brightly, answering the question her "other self" was about to ask.
If she had known back then that Mei would come to the Elysian Realm voluntarily, maybe she wouldn't have left at all. After all, who wouldn't want to witness the scene they had longed for come true a little earlier?
But, if she could see how things were now after leaving, maybe she would've made the same choice again. Fulfilling past wishes wasn't a bad thing—but if the future could cover over regrets and make dreams into reality, rather than illusions that fade away, that was probably an even better ending.
"If it were you..." Elysia stroked her chin thoughtfully. The violet ribbon on her shoulder swayed gently, tickling her skin. Eden had designed the hero costumes to be form-fitting—they showed off a girl's graceful silhouette while not hindering combat.
She pondered for a moment and then came to a quick conclusion.
"As expected... it's all about charm. That's how he managed to pull it off. Even Kalpas chose to step out and lend a hand~"
"Heh—seriously, even the other you still can't keep her mouth shut." A man leaning against the wall nearby let out a faint mocking laugh. Though hidden behind a mask, his lips twitched.
"What now? Kalpas, it's because you also came out of the Elysian Realm that I'm more confident about this point. Even though you're not easy to get along with, you still have the best relationship with him."
Elysia patted her chest and smiled, casually observing everyone's reactions. Using the relationship between these two in her own world as a reference, she figured it could serve as a small piece of evidence—at least... to prove whether the thirteen Flame-Chasers' relationships here mirrored those from her side.
"Hmph. You can forget the word relationship. Whether we get along or not is none of your business. As for him—everyone owes him a debt. That's all," Kalpas replied coldly, clearly irritated.
"Looks like Kalpas is still just like I remembered," OG Elysia said with a bright smile, her demeanor completely relaxed. "I wonder if you've made any new friends yet."
This time, Kalpas didn't bother responding and simply turned away.
"Is there anything fun to hear about? Something I wouldn't know, preferably something related to me. Oh, and it better be a cheerful story, because all those things that happened in the Elysian Realm... were a little too heartbreaking~"
OG Elysia didn't seem to mind Kalpas's attitude at all. In fact, if he had actually smiled at her, she might've been truly shocked—because that would mean it probably wasn't really him.
"Something fun, huh… Wait a second. Don't you care that the Elysian Realm might still contain the Corruption Herrscher?"
The other Elysia, who was deep in thought, suddenly remembered something and broke in with a shocked tone.
After all, based on the earlier story arc, Mei was now likely carrying the corruption virus. As for why it wasn't detected earlier—it was probably because it had been left behind somewhere else, maybe at the gate.
After all, the Corruption Herrscher form wasn't present here—or at least, not the same primary consciousness.
Hearing that, Elysia just smiled and shook her head, not saying much more. Whether to worry or not was a matter for later. She wasn't afraid of death—but when the consciousness form couldn't defeat the Corruption Herrscher, then imprisoning the corruption virus inside the Elysian Realm was the best solution.
Even if… she wanted to try and change that outcome, just a little.
"...I'll find a way to fix it," Mei muttered, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth. "I won't let... let Himeko die in front of me again."
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself, Mei," Elysia said gently. "Just let things happen naturally. To Eden, becoming a part of Elysia was something exceptionally romantic. And to me, becoming a part of you… feels the same way ♪~"
"Follow your heart, even if it feels a bit early to say this. But now that you've seen the secret peaceful world we had here, you're not planning to leave right away once you return… are you, Mei?" Elysia added, her face carrying a pitiful and sorrowful expression—with a hint of girlish scheming.
"This time, no matter what happens, I will say a proper goodbye to you," Mei said seriously, lips pressed together.
She looked at Elysia, and the other girl looked back. In the meeting of their eyes, countless emotions silently passed between them.
If not for watching the video, Mei couldn't have imagined experiencing something so rich and profound—that this pink-haired girl, standing before her now, would leave such a short yet deeply important mark on her life.
Compared to Himeko, who was a teacher to Kiana and a friend to her, Elysia had walked beside her and taught her so much through their journey together.
"Hmph! Mei, I'm mad at you!" a sudden grumble burst out nearby. The corner of the speaker's mouth curled up, clearly sulking but unable to properly express her frustration. To admit she was jealous would only make her seem petty.
If you're going to be a teacher, just do your job properly! Why do you keep flirting with Mei, you bad woman?! It'd be better if you flirted with me! You're not allowed to touch Mei!
"…Alright, Kiana, stop letting your mind wander to weird places," Mei said with slight helplessness, gently bumping Kiana's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.
Ding-dong!
A crisp doorbell chime rang out—and before anyone could even go to answer, the door opened by itself.
"Hmm… it looks like there are already plenty of guests here? May we come in and have a look around?" came a dreamy voice from behind the door.
A girl appeared quietly, with silver-white hair and wings that shimmered like illusions. Her face was nearly identical to Cecilia's. She smiled as her eyes swept across the courtyard full of people.
She lowered her hand from the door and said playfully, "Seems like knocking isn't even necessary anymore. Well then… Prometheus, no need to be shy. Come out and meet everyone."
From behind her peeked a small gray-haired head, with hair twisted into spiral curls. She half-hovered into view, not quite touching the ground. With a helpless look, she glanced at Misteln and then spoke in a monotone, robotic voice:
"First, correction: I am not 'shy.' I do not have such a function.
Second, all of this was previously seen by you. That other Elysia you encountered was the first to notice something different about him. Your fingers overlapped and passed through..."
She bluntly exposed Misteln's attempt to feign ignorance, though she didn't know what Misteln was planning exactly.
Luo Mo raised an eyebrow, but didn't look too surprised. The duo of "no brain" and "no feelings" had been lingering in this place for some time. Compared to the elusive World Serpent, St. Freya was the only place that could truly be considered a "home" for them.
"Who's that…?" Kiana asked, a bit puzzled. She rubbed her eyes and squinted to get a better look at the two newcomers.
Wait a second… why do they look just like her mom and Bronya?
Could it be a trait of this world?
No, that couldn't be. All the Herrschers were present, and so were the Valkyries—so theoretically, these two could've existed here too. Maybe they were just never discovered until now?
But… that woman's appearance looked so much like her mother, Cecilia! Yet her aura felt completely different.
Kiana furrowed her brows, trying hard to recall whether she had any relatives like that.
At the same time, Bronya stared at Prometheus. Why… did this person look just like her?
The joints in the legs, the subtle expressions—it was clearly a robot.
Prometheus. That was the name of a mythical figure…
Bronya's face didn't change, but her thoughts were racing.
"Wait, Cecilia?! How can there be two of them?!" Theresa was stunned. Her eyes darted back and forth between the two women, and finally, her gaze rested on the one near the door—whose warm aura matched the Cecilia in her memories.
She wouldn't mistake someone like that.
"Um… how to explain this?" the one near the door answered with a hint of awkwardness. "This is Misteln, formerly known as 'Bunny Warrior' in World Serpent. According to what Luo Mo told me back then…"
"I'm the Stigmata of the planet," Cecilia said sheepishly, scratching her head with a mischievous grin.
There was no real logic behind it. Why should she be the only one confused? Might as well drag everyone else in and introduce herself properly.
"Tssssss—!"
The visitors from the alternate world couldn't help but gasp, each one instinctively covering the spot on their bodies where their Stigmata were located—afraid the "planet" might try to steal them.
"..."
"Can we just skip over that part? There's no need to introduce me like that," Misteln said with a wry smile, turning to pet the mechanical duck next to her. But the duck coolly dodged her hand with a cold glance.
"Normally, something like that wouldn't happen, so relax," she tried to reassure them, though her words didn't seem to help much.
"Rather than worry about this woman next to me, I think you all should pay more attention to something else—like how Shigure Kira is inviting everyone to a concert, and Eden has happily accepted the invitation… Luo Mo, don't you intend to do anything about that?" said Prometheus calmly.
"Do I need to do something?" Luo Mo asked, clearly confused. It's not like they were going to war—it was just an audiovisual feast. As long as they didn't drag him into it, all was fine.
"Haha… This was Su Lu's plan. Then Theresa nominated someone for Eden's third performer."
"But Eden doesn't mind. She's happy to see people pursue music. If we're talking about favorites, Kira is actually the top pick," Luo Mo couldn't help but argue back.
"…As expected of you," Prometheus replied, unable to refute him.
"Kira, huh… let's just hope that golden prodigy doesn't mind," said Cecilia, sighing. After reconnecting with Shigure Kira, she hadn't taken her idol dreams very seriously—just offered a quiet "good luck." But Miss Bunny Valkyrie cared deeply, constantly staging "accidental encounters."
"If it's you, Prometheus, then… could the Will of Honkai still appear after the war is won?" asked OG Elysia, hesitant, looking at the petite gray-haired girl floating in mid-air. She was curious.
She knew a little about each comrade's plan. As for Prometheus—according to what Mobius once said—her existence meant she would never appear in this world.
Yet now, could a new worldline provide that opportunity?
Compared to the memory-constructs of familiar heroes, this Prometheus seemed even more incomprehensible—Mobius would probably say so too.
"The answer is simple: I'm not the Prometheus from this world. I come from a fused world created from multiple collapsing timelines," Prometheus explained, her mechanical voice calm. "In the end, only Dr. Mei and I survived."
"Dr. Mei, huh… and what happened to her in the end?" Elysia asked softly, pausing for a long moment before speaking again.
"She left me with Kevin. Kevin sat quietly on the Moon, watching that version of the world slowly crumble… and fall into the Sea of Quanta. He didn't move. That's all," she said, a strange shift in her tone—as though she were momentarily overtaken by some deep emotion, only for it to vanish completely by the end.
It was like the emotion had never existed at all.
"I see… That's just the kind of person Kevin is," Elysia lowered her head in silence for a long time, then looked up and smiled.
"Golden Courtyard's winter performance? No way this ends in tragedy, right? Come, let's take a look~ ♪"
"Sigh! Why won't they let me join the idol competition?! That's so unfair!"
"And this one—St. Freya vs. Golden Courtyard showdown—sounds interesting. What a shame I'm not on the same team as Mei… Both sides have beautiful girls. I'm cheating and supporting both~ ♪"
"Herrscher Academy, all thirteen Herrschers gathered? Ah… except for Geo? You've still got to work harder, Luo Mo. I've got high hopes for you~ ♪"
Elysia's laughter echoed cheerfully. Since her arrival, she had basically taken center stage, but she still paid close attention to everyone's expressions. Even the simplest script became captivating when she was involved.
Targeting Kiana, Theresa, Bronya, and others, she made sure to fill in all the interesting details of the legendary figures they didn't know, giving them a taste of another side of the heroes' lives.
And when she clearly saw the grown-up Griseo's projection, she was slightly stunned—but her smile never faded.
"That's right… Griseo has grown up. She's no longer just a little girl."
"Hmm… based on my calculations, I'll be returning to Earth in half a year. So, Miss Elysia from another world—should I call you 'big sister' or 'little sister'? Our sweet pink fairy who loves tricking children?" the grown-up Griseo asked with a smile, completely unabashed.
"Aiya~ Just call me big sis, but don't you dare call me auntie! And yes—keep calling Mobius 'granny.' She likes that," Elysia replied with a sweet giggle.
"Sounds just like the other Elysia… You all really enjoy teasing Dr. Mobius, huh," Griseo sighed, helpless but smiling at Elysia's laughter.
As interactions between the two worlds began, more people arrived—each one seeking out those they cherished.
Even in a parallel world, where sorrow and joy coexisted, smiles spread across everyone's faces.
Luo Mo's game company was flooded with real-time guests doing live voice acting. Su Lu's Herrscher of Dominance became a spectacle watched over and over.
The legendary "Five Sacred Gates" scene was finally brought to life. Memories and reality intertwined, as heroes shared experiences and exchanged research insights.
Kiana and Mei reunited again—sooner than expected.
Theresa glimpsed the future of her academy and found herself unwilling to leave, muttering about wanting to make changes.
Bronya also gathered all three of her "children," though, sadly, each one was more withdrawn than the last.
The future of the Herrscher of Corruption still looked grim. Schicksal and World Serpent had another round of negotiations—how it would end, no one knew.
But at the very least…
No one wanted to see Elysia die again.