The two swirling mists expanded tenfold in an instant, encompassing the entire battlefield.
By the time Mei realized she should flee, it was already too late. The mist had enveloped her as well.
The moment the mist covered her, Mei felt an endless torrent of emotions surge within her. Sadness, anger, happiness—conflicting feelings collided in her heart, threatening to tear her apart.
["Noah! You've disappointed me so much!!"] A sharp roar rushed toward her. Mei couldn't even tell if the voice was heard by her ears or if it resounded directly from the bottom of her heart.
It seemed to be a woman's voice... with a thick British accent, but the tone felt strangely familiar to Mei.
Then, she struggled to open her eyes. Before her was still the same swirling mist, but it seemed to contain some fragments.
"Disappointed? Are you disappointed in me, or should I be disappointed in you?"
"No... I was wrong... I'll do better..."
Two completely opposite answers followed the angry question. Anger and terror reached their peak in an instant.
The scene before her finally changed. Mei saw a somewhat old apartment. A middle-aged woman in an apron was yelling at a boy with delicate features.
The woman's domestic attire and the boy's appearance seemed to be from two different worlds, like a commoner pointing fingers at a noble child.
"I spent so much to send you to piano lessons, and you're here fiddling with your useless little puppets?! Puppets?!" The middle-aged woman pointed at the boy's nose, her tone sharp and aggressive. One wondered if her spit had already landed on the boy's face.
At their feet lay several crude wooden puppets, scattered in disarray.
"Heh... cost? What cost could you possibly pay?" a sarcastic voice sounded, giving the first answer. "Was it you who let me stay there, or was it my own talent?"
As if something had been touched upon, this voice was exceptionally impolite.
"But if it weren't for what Mom did in the beginning, we wouldn't have even met the teacher. And Mom did so much. Without her, we wouldn't be where we are today."
Another, slightly more childish voice, refuted the sarcastic one. It earnestly pointed out his mistake and defended the woman.
"Hmph..." The first voice didn't argue, just let out a disdainful snort. "Only you would be moved by such things."
Was this... an argument?
Mei didn't know if the two voices had noticed her, but they weren't trying to hide their conversation from her.
She quickly looked around but found no way out.
Although it seemed to be covered by mist, Mei could feel that the state here was somewhat similar to being in Sirin's dreamscape. It probably wasn't a place she could leave just by wanting to.
It was clear that these two voices were in a state of confrontation. This was perhaps the "struggle" and mutual devouring that Noah and the Herrscher had spoken of...
Could it be a battle of ideologies?
Mei thought of something a bit abstract.
Since there could only be one consciousness in one body, perhaps they would decide the winner here using this method...
But was she accidentally dragged in...
"There's no winner between us," the young... probably Noah's voice said. Faced with the other's sarcasm about his childish words, Noah still chose not to argue.
"Of course I know... the right to judge is never in the hands of the actors and directors. Only the audience can make a judgment," the Herrscher said, surprisingly agreeing with Noah for once.
"So we need an audience."
Mei felt two gazes fall upon her.
"Come, Raiden Mei. Among everyone present, you are the most suitable to be the audience that judges us," the Herrscher said contemptuously.
"You are the young lady of ME Corp, and also the child of a criminal. You have experienced two completely different environments. Your words carry enough weight..."
The other seemed to be deliberately tearing at Mei's old wounds. Mei's grip on her sword tightened slightly. She spoke in a cold voice.
"Why should I cooperate with you?"
She didn't seem to have any reason to cooperate right now... Their previous argument had made it clear that no matter who won, it wouldn't be a good outcome. If what they said was true, and they couldn't decide a winner between themselves, then she had no reason to cooperate.
"I'm sorry, you have no choice but to refuse," Noah's voice, in contrast to the other's impoliteness, was filled with a false courtesy. His words were filled with humility, but they only made one feel uncomfortable.
Did she?
Mei glanced discreetly at the Xuanxuan sword in her hand. She didn't feel any signs of being controlled right now. If there were no accidents, no one could stop her...
The two voices seemed to realize this, but neither showed any concern.
"The only way for you to refuse is to kill yourself, to refuse to judge with your own life. You do have that ability..." the Herrscher's voice let out a chuckle.
"You are our best choice, but not our only choice. Everyone has the right to judge. And you have the courage to give up on yourself, but those children don't...
"And Shu won't either..."
"Impossible!" Mei retorted sharply. "Shu is by no means a coward who fears death!"
"He indeed does not fear his own life and death. In fact, he holds his own life very lightly right now," Noah's voice, in contrast, made Mei relax a little.
"But we hold your lives in our hands. Even if you kill yourself here, we can still save your life. And your companions are also in our grasp.
"With such bargaining chips, we are more than capable of making Shu sit down and negotiate with us, even to accommodate our wishes. Even if he could flip the table at any time, he wouldn't choose to do so."
"You—" Mei gritted her teeth secretly. "Despicable..."
That was all she could say, because that was the reality of the situation now.
Shu could break in at any time, but because the canopy was linked to the lives of Kiana and Bronya, he didn't even dare to release his perception.
And if she fell into a state where her life depended on them to be maintained, it would be equivalent to them having two bargaining chips to threaten Shu with.
Then would Shu abandon her?
Mei hoped he would... but she also knew very well...
He absolutely would not.