The players didn't even know what kind of mood they were in when they finished off the third fake hero summoned by the Herrscher of Corruption.
Before they could even catch their breath—
The voice of the Herrscher of Corruption rang out without pause:
"Alright, let's end it here."
With her words, all illusions vanished.
"Mei, you should understand by now—this kind of battle leads nowhere."
"But even though you know you stand no chance, you still launch attack after attack against me... That's what I like about you."
Launch attack after attack against her?
That line again—it was the Herrscher of Corruption trying to imitate Elysia.
But to put it bluntly, she clearly couldn't grasp the essence of it at all. There was none of that heart-fluttering charm Elysia had.
If anything, it was the opposite—completely infuriating.
Mei: "..."
Mei took a deep breath, regulating her state of mind.
Once more, she began silently analyzing the situation.
(To the Herrscher of Corruption, the previous battle was likely nothing but entertainment. But the power of those illusions was real.)
(…Could it be that, in the data space, the Herrscher of Corruption truly is invincible?)
(Not only that, any information she corrupts can be turned into her own strength. The vast data of Elysian Realm… could become her greatest support.)
Reading Mei's internal monologue, players suddenly recalled what Aponia had once said about the Herrscher of Corruption.
In Elysian Realm, she possessed power rivaling Finality.
Even now, though she hadn't fought personally, just summoning illusions of heroes had already made things extremely difficult for Mei.
No matter how she analyzed it, Mei could only conclude that the current situation was completely unfavorable.
Which meant… she couldn't carelessly use the Authority of Conquest, like she did against the puppets.
There would only be one shot. If she failed…
Ugh…?!
While Mei was rapidly thinking—
A sharp pain, like a blade, suddenly sliced through her mind.
She staggered, forcing down the cry that had nearly escaped her lips.
The Herrscher of Corruption's voice continued to echo beside her ears, but because of the pain, it gradually became distorted and unclear.
Mei could only see her lips moving—yet the voice sounded like it was sealed behind an invisible membrane, utterly indistinct.
In the game's presentation…
The players heard nothing but static-laced noise, as though their signal was being scrambled.
"******"
Alright, alright. We get it. You're meticulously simulating Mei's dazed state and the Herrscher's muffled speech.
Players: apathetic reaction meme
They really didn't care about that level of detail right now.
What just happened to Mei?
Elysia also frowned slightly and hurriedly tapped the screen to push the story forward.
Mei did her best to maintain her composure on the surface, but in her mind, thoughts were swirling.
(What's going on? My head… it hurts. Was it the battle just now? Was I… corrupted…?)
As soon as that horrifying thought emerged, she quickly dismissed it herself.
(Impossible… If she could corrupt me like she does the memory constructs, she wouldn't have wasted so many words stalling me…)
(Besides, she seems completely unaware of what's happening… Wait—this sensation is…)
Amid the intermittent pain, a few brief phrases of advice flashed through her mind like lightning—short-lived and gone in an instant.
"You might not realize it now… but you are incredibly crucial to the entire plan."
"But that's alright. Su will help you understand. I hope he's already seen the message I left him."
The message Vill-V left for Su—Mei might not know what it is, but the players, from their omniscient perspective, absolutely did.
It was that line:
"Do you think there is any absolutely safe place in the Elysian Realm?"
This single sentence had been dissected countless times on the forums while everyone waited for the main story update.
Some thought it related to the Misty Island, others suspected it was about Mei.
There were even those who thought it was connected to the Herrscher of Corruption.
In short, theories abounded.
As for the truth?
They just had to keep watching, and they'd find out the true worth of the so-called MVP of Elysian Realm.
"This is all the preparation I could complete. What I could do… so can you. Now—go uncover all the truths."
Mei was startled by the sudden flash of those parting words.
"That was… Vill-V? The mark of Helix… is doing something to my consciousness…"
Once she realized that, the pain began to recede like the tide.
And her hearing gradually returned.
"Mei, are you really not planning to have a good talk with me?"
"..."
Now, Mei understood what she had to do.
Before she could rendezvous with Su, she had to delay the Herrscher of Corruption as long as possible—to buy time for everyone else, and to prevent more people from being corrupted.
So—
She answered, "This doesn't sound like you're asking for my opinion. You haven't left me with any other choice, have you?"
The Herrscher of Corruption smiled at her softened stance: "I knew it. A girl like Mei—cool on the outside, warm on the inside—wouldn't have the heart to reject me."
The direction of the plot...
[This feels familiar.]
[Do all Herrschers in this era act like this…?]
[Was the Herrscher of Sentience like this too?]
[Not quite. The Herrscher of Sentience was genuinely pure. There's a world of difference between her and Corruption.]
[The Herrscher of Corruption's authority makes it impossible for her to stay pure. Even if she was indoctrinated with the right ideas at birth, the more she corrupts, the more she'll become just like everyone else.]
[So please, stop comparing Corruption and Sentience. They're nothing alike.]
The players started discussing the Herrscher of Corruption's personality, shifting their attention.
Their emotions seemed to calm—just a bit?
Maybe they weren't that mad anymore?
But…
The main story clearly wasn't planning to let their blood pressure drop just yet.
On the contrary—it was determined to spike it again.
The Herrscher of Corruption made her next move.
"Where should I begin…? I'll have to think carefully… Oh, right—let's start with the part Mei wants to know the most!"
She snapped her fingers.
The scenery of the amusement park began to distort and shift…
When the dazzling lights lit up again, everything had changed.
"The Ferris wheel…?"
Mei was shocked to discover that the Herrscher of Corruption had brought her to the Ferris wheel in the amusement park.
"Elysia said this to you, didn't she—"
The Herrscher of Corruption cleared her throat, adjusted her voice, and deliberately imitated Elysia's exact tone as she explained to Mei:
"Let's go to that mist-shrouded island, the place where the final banquet was held. Let's witness the birth and end of the Thirteenth Herrscher together."
"Come on, Mei—let's fulfill that promise now."
"Next is our time to pour out our hearts to each other—just like… a date?"
The players' blood pressure, which had just barely dropped, shot straight back up.
This pretentious act from the Herrscher of Corruption… was beyond infuriating!!
[?????]
[What kind of twisted NTR plot is this?! Too evil!!]
[Date my foot! Who's dating the Herrscher of Corruption?! Get lost already!]
[Corruption! Stop mimicking her voice! If you have the guts, get into the battlefield! I'll beat you a hundred, a thousand times!]
[She's not even one year old yet, and you guys are already being this cruel? Actually, I suggest everyone be even more cruel. Dock the scriptwriter's merit while you're at it.]
[Please, beating Corruption obviously increases merit, no?]
...
Mei listened to the Herrscher of Corruption and watched her clumsy imitation of Elysia.
Despite the burning fury in her heart, for the sake of her plan, she had to force herself to stay calm.
Even so, after stepping into the Ferris wheel with the Herrscher of Corruption, she couldn't help but put on a deeply annoyed little-cat face.
And at that moment, the players basically had the same expression as Mei.
They knew the CG. But to see Mei's first Ferris wheel ride… being with the Herrscher of Corruption?
They couldn't help but want to curse in their finest hometown dialect.
And yet, the Herrscher of Corruption—who should have realized she was unwelcome—looked completely oblivious.
In fact, she even seemed to be enjoying herself?
"Wow… so this is the view from the Ferris wheel looking down."
More and more irritating.
So—
To vent their frustration, the players began responding to her every line with pure rebuttal.
"I guess I can understand why they carved out a separate space to store these seemingly meaningless memories."
[Whether it's meaningful or not, that's not for you to judge!!]
[Rephrase that immediately!]
"Come on, Mei, don't put on such a serious face. Isn't a romantic Ferris wheel date with me a wonderful thing?"
[Wonderful? How do you even say that with a straight face?]
[Yeah yeah, whatever you say—your skin's thick enough to say anything.]
"Ah… or is it that you're surprised I conjured up a Ferris wheel out of nowhere? Don't mind it—it's just a little girlish touch, to spice up our journey♬"
[...Please stop using sixteenth notes. My brain hurts.]
But clearly, the players' blood pressure was not dropping—despite all their rebuttals.
The Herrscher of Corruption might actually be more uncomfortable than the Herrscher of Sentience.
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