Facing the truth that Mei had carefully unraveled,
The Herrscher of Corruption remained silent for a long time.
"..."
"..."
She was probably thinking of how to refute it cleverly.
But in the end, perhaps her "little" brain just couldn't come up with any excuse that would fool anyone.
She started speaking nonsense in a self-defeating tone.
"Ha... Hahahaha..."
"Mei, you really are a smart girl. That's right, I didn't expect that even after her disappearance, the unparalleled genius Vill-V would leave me such a great gift."
"But so what?"
"Elysia was indeed the only condition to activate the [Weapon Against Kevin], but now, she's been utterly erased—body and soul. If anyone has the chance to control it now, that person must be me."
"When that time comes, Mei... guess what kind of ending I'll present to everyone in Elysian Realm?"
[Someone's panicking, someone's panicking—and I'm loving it.]
[Panic mode engaged (Herrscher of the Thousand Voices sound effect)]
[This confirms that the Herrscher of Corruption doesn't truly understand the mechanism behind the 'Weapon Against Kevin: Model 666', and hasn't even discovered it yet.]
[I can feel it. Mei's going to turn from defense to offense soon... Please, scriptwriter, let us go wild! I want revenge!]
The players wanted to go wild. They wanted revenge.
And in a way, they would get both in the upcoming story.
Just... perhaps not in the exact way they'd imagined?
...
Let's put other topics aside for now.
The story had indeed reached a turning point, just as the players had predicted.
After all, the curtain on Elysian Realm couldn't and shouldn't fall through mere verbal sparring.
Otherwise...
To use a fitting analogy.
Wouldn't it be like—
In Dragon Quest, after grinding to max level, collecting top-tier gear, just as you're about to face the evil dragon in an epic showdown, the game crashes, and you realize... you forgot to save?
That's just unacceptable.
The fall of the Flame-Chasers needed to be grand and dazzling.
To build up the atmosphere of the final battle,
Mei couldn't just go on debating endlessly with the Herrscher of Corruption.
So, right after the Herrscher spat out her threat—
The in-game BGM shifted instantly.
The sky darkened under the weight of her words, as if something ominous was brewing.
Sensing the change,
Mei didn't panic. Instead, she carefully deduced that the Herrscher was lying.
If things were truly as the Herrscher claimed, then there'd be no need to entangle herself with Mei or to constantly test her.
Whatever the reason, her odd behavior pointed to one fact—she was afraid.
Afraid of some still-unfolding possibility... one fatal enough to destroy her.
If that's the case... then now was the time.
Mei stared directly at the Herrscher.
(I must make her believe I've uncovered the fatal flaw that could undo everything—and then, using that one opportunity... go all in.)
Psychological warfare—crucial.
Even if I don't know what you fear, I'll make you think I do.
And so...
Mei spoke to her: "You really shouldn't have deleted Elysia's memory data. Even if not to survive... at least for your own sake."
"?" The Herrscher revealed a trace of confusion.
Mei continued: "Data doesn't lie, and you know that better than anyone. So if you had truly studied her life in depth, you would've realized..."
She said what countless players wanted to shout at the Herrscher of Corruption:
Herrscher of Corruption, you better listen up!
"Even if you replicate her appearance, mimic her gestures, repeat her every word... you'll never become her."
CLANG!!
The game's BGM shifted again—
Rising into an intense crescendo.
Judgment of Shamash—drawn!
Along with Mei's resolute words, it came slashing down.
"You will never... become her!"
BOOM!!
The Ferris wheel was obliterated in an instant.
Darkness consumed the surroundings, swallowing Mei and the Herrscher's silhouettes.
Only the in-game subtitles still glowed faintly.
[Darkness writhed like shadowy vines, spreading and growing.]
[Within the boundless dark, Mei slowly rose to her feet...]
From the subtitles alone, players could already imagine Mei gripping her blade, thunder coursing across her body—an overwhelming presence.
Then—
A dazzling bolt of lightning flashed, nearly splitting the screen in half.
Darkness fled in retreat.
The visuals cleared.
"...Where is this?"
After slashing through the darkness, Mei found herself standing on solid ground—in a completely unfamiliar place.
To be blunt, after helping Pardofelis open chests across Elysian Realm, she was very familiar with every corner of the realm.
Yet she had never seen this place?
"Sigh..."
Just as Mei was confused, a familiar voice spoke from behind: "Look at what you've done."
"Herrscher of Corruption..."
Mei immediately turned, alert.
"Come on, Mei, is that really necessary?" the Herrscher shrugged. "Honestly, I don't feel like arguing with you right now."
"Have you never heard of don't perform dangerous actions at high altitudes? Falling from the sky... I never want to go through that again in this lifetime."
"...Fine, let's say you were in a hurry. Anyway, we've arrived—satisfied?"
[Don't worry, Herrscher. You probably won't get a second time (menacingly).]
[Mei: Take a guess what my next cinematic attack is (]
[Why does this line remind me of Pardofelis... Mei, next time you do something dangerous like that, give us a heads-up, okay? My heart can't take this anymore.]
[??? Don't make that connection... It hurts.]
[I really want to see Catcat again.]
Following the Herrscher's words, Mei looked around and finally understood what she meant.
"This is... the island shrouded in mist?"
"That's right."
The Herrscher nodded and began explaining to Mei.
This was the island Elysia had spoken of—the venue of the so-called final banquet.
However, even after taking complete control of the island, the Herrscher hadn't found anything here.
The answers Mei sought... might never have existed in the first place.
"Impossible!" Mei rejected that notion immediately.
The Herrscher kept pressing, trying to shake Mei's image of Elysia.
"Mei, when did you start trusting her so much? That's not like you."
Yeah, didn't you all used to be suspicious of Elysia?
You thought she was secretly dangerous, right?
So why trust her now?
"Haven't you ever suspected that the truth she confessed to you that day... wasn't the whole truth?"
Could someone always honest and sincere truly exist?
These words felt aimed at both Mei and the players.
But neither would waver now. Not anymore.
"I will uncover the truth myself. But not now—and not with you."
"I know what you're trying to do, and I won't give you any chance to pry into her past... Impostor!"
[Well said! Our business with Elysia has nothing to do with some fake like you! Mind your own business and scram!]
The players and Mei were in perfect emotional sync—the immersion had never been stronger.
The Herrscher, seeing Mei's defiant stance, was slightly agitated.
"Sigh, fine. If Mei has to suffer a bit to learn... I guess I'll have to give you some tough love."
"Just a warning—this time, I won't hold back."
[We're finally fighting?!?]
[Wait... what if she uses Elysia's moves in this fight?!]
[Don't jinx it. You know the writers would pull something like that.]
[Damn! That would be wild. The writers really want our hearts to explode, huh?]
But things didn't turn out as dire as the players imagined.
Some dishes, after all, couldn't be served too soon.
The Herrscher merely stayed in the back, summoning waves of Faded Monsters to swarm Mei.
Mei, face cold and calm, cut them down one by one with her blade.
If not for the sheer number of monsters blocking the path, she would've charged the Herrscher for a few clean hits.
Many players tried exactly that—but even after circling around the enemies, they still couldn't damage the Herrscher hiding behind her barrier.
All they could do was swing their swords in frustration at the air.
The intense battle raged on for a while.
Then the Herrscher, hiding in the back, spoke again.
"See? Still the same old routine. How many more times do we need to play out this act?"
"Mei, aren't you tired yet? I'm already yawning..."
"Is that so?" Mei replied coldly. "Then how about this—"
The game screen froze briefly, then displayed an input prompt.
After a powerful button smash—
Mei unleashed a thunderous strike from above, splitting the ground in two, leaving a massive crack laced with flickering blue data.
That strike tore open the very fabric of Elysian Realm.
"…Huh?"
The Herrscher couldn't hide her shock.
Seeing her reaction, Mei finally pieced together the last part of the puzzle in her mind.
"So that's it."
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