What could one say about the Herrscher of Corruption?
While the Puppet always deliberately guided facts toward the darkest conclusion, there was still something tangible beneath her talk of "colorful darkness" and "reverting to beta." Players could feel the awkwardness and the pain in it.
But with the Herrscher of Corruption?
They simply found her incredibly irritating.
From beginning to end, her tone was overly affected and artificial, and she constantly came up with all sorts of excuses for her past wrongdoings.
Sure enough, Mei couldn't help but offer a sarcastic jab: "Adjustments? Wouldn't 'intimidation' be more accurate? From earlier, it seems like you've been constantly emphasizing your 'control' over Elysian Realm."
"Sigh~~"
The Herrscher of Corruption even had the audacity to sigh and reply, "Mei, being constantly cast as the villain—yes, even for me, it's heartbreaking."
???
Maybe she should first reflect on her own actions?
Constantly painted as the villain?
Wasn't it because she committed a massive amount of evil?
Otherwise...
Mei herself is a Herrscher—she wouldn't have this much of an issue with another Herrscher under normal circumstances.
Knowing full well what she'd done, to Elysia, to Kalpas…
Why could the Herrscher of Corruption still act so innocent?
Players felt like, as rational human beings, they couldn't comprehend the logic behind this newly born Herrscher's thought process.
In a way...
What made her so infuriating wasn't just that she did bad things—but that she refused to admit it and even dressed her crimes up with twisted reasoning.
Putting on a performance of false innocence.
Even the Herrscher of Sentience was better.
At least the Herrscher of Sentience had openly admitted they were lashing out at the world.
Comparison truly was the thief of peace.
By contrast, the Herrscher of Sentience even came off as "graceful and clear-eyed."
...
Naturally, Mei had no desire to bicker with the Herrscher of Corruption over whether she was evil or not.
Instead, she got straight to the point with a question.
"Why did you erase Elysia's memory construct? Vill-V told me, among all the others, only Elysia's data was completely deleted."
"What was it about Elysia... that made you so fearful?"
This had been a lingering question in Mei's heart—a truth she longed to know.
"Fine, fine." The Herrscher of Corruption waved her hand, "Since Vill-V already told you that much, I suppose there's no need to hide it anymore."
"Yes, I did delete Elysia's data. And as for why her specifically..."
"There really wasn't any special reason. It was just an accident."
Accident? You're seriously calling it an accident? Huh???
Another 'accident'? Otto said that back then too, and now the Herrscher of Corruption? I'm triggered just seeing that word!!
You know... this plot is kinda starting to feel like Everlasting Flames.
There's an annoying Herrscher ramping up everyone's blood pressure, a "missing" person constantly being brought up to stir emotions, and then they shove memories of the past in your face.
So... are they really going to rehash "the chocolate incident" and "Himeko looking gently at you without saying a word"?
Damn! That woke me up—I think it might actually happen!
Confirmed. The scriptwriters are out to get us again.
Some players made many guesses—and some actually hit the mark.
Sitting in the livestream, Hokuto didn't flinch.
After all, Chapter 31 was boldly titled For Elysia.
He never planned to hide this part from the players.
Just like how everyone already knew the Flame-Chasers were all most likely going to fall—but did that stop players from getting emotionally devastated later?
Not really.
On the contrary, having a bit of psychological expectation (armor stacking), only to discover things turning out worse than expected (armor break, entering vulnerability), made it easier for players to get emotionally immersed.
And similarly, Elysia—who also knew part of the upcoming story—looked at the comments thoughtfully.
To be honest, her bond with Mei did feel similar to that between Himeko and Kiana.
Hmm...
Maybe a little different.
She pondered for a while, then her thoughts took a sharp turn.
Because Himeko could pat Kiana on the head whenever she wanted, but Elysia couldn't just touch Mei's horns as she pleased.
That was a big difference.
???
If Hokuto knew what Elysia was thinking right now, he'd probably be spamming question marks in his head.
And silently roasting:
Miss Elf sure loves Mei's horns, huh. No wonder she "swiped them" later (foggy).
Of course, Hokuto didn't actually know what Elysia was thinking.
He simply watched calmly as she continued to push the story forward.
...
In the game.
"An accident?"
Mei frowned at the Herrscher of Corruption's explanation.
The Herrscher went on to elaborate:
"At the time, I had only just begun my journey as a Herrscher... or rather, as life itself."
"Like a naive child, with only a vague, mechanical understanding of the world... the will to survive was my only emotion, my only instinct."
What did that mean?
Was she about to start making excuses again?
Given how fresh that previous scene still was, the players' expressions instantly turned stiff.
But they couldn't look away.
They had to hold back their emotions and keep watching.
"In that state... I met her."
"She was the first one I encountered within Elysian Realm—the first existence other than myself. At the time, I couldn't even distinguish between 'ally' and 'enemy'..."
"Sigh... what happened next, I'll let you see for yourself, Mei."
"If you had been in my place, you would've understood…"
A thick darkness surged in from all directions, engulfing Mei.
"At that time, I was so helpless... and now, I'm filled with regret."
As the Herrscher finished speaking—
Though Mei felt no physical change, everything around her began to silently distort.
The screen began fluctuating, like data loading.
"What are you trying to do?" she asked warily.
"Don't worry, Mei. I just want to show you... what kind of choice was pushed in front of me that night."
The data loaded swiftly. The screen cleared.
Then Mei—and the players—found themselves face to face with several fearsome, killing-intent-laced Faded Monsters.
"Alright, Mei, let me see what you choose to do."
As the Herrscher spoke, the Faded Monsters lunged.
The game frantically prompted the players to tap the attack key.
And so, many players, either on instinct or from genuine emotion, pressed attack.
Which led straight into the Herrscher's smug "You're just like me" scene.
However...
Unlike them, Elysia didn't touch the attack key.
She just stood there, staring quietly at the Herrscher of Corruption.
This apparently confused her.
"Mei... why aren't you moving?"
"You said you wanted to see what I'd do. This is my choice," Mei replied coldly.
"Ah, you noticed? Fine, fine. Mei is such a smart girl. If only I were as capable as you... maybe none of this would've happened."
Seeing things go off script, the Herrscher of Corruption gave a helpless shrug.
Players, too, were shocked.
[So... it was possible not to attack? I just attacked without thinking...]
[I feel like I just got philosophically gaslit by the Herrscher of Corruption... but maybe she has a point? I mean, I did attack right away.]
[Maybe she's right—when faced with fear, choosing to strike is a normal, human reaction. Just like how humans lash out when frightened.]
[BUT!! I don't believe Elysia ever had killing intent toward her!! So the premise is totally invalid!!]
[Exactly! If Corruption had attacked Brother Kalpas first, maybe it'd be more believable—but attacking Elysia first? Clearly, something's wrong with you, Corruption!!]
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