Amid the players' discussions…
The game screen returned to the Ferris wheel.
"This way, Mei should be able to understand the situation I was in back then."
The Herrscher of Corruption clearly wasn't particularly bothered by Mei's actions exceeding her expectations.
She could even go on, confidently and righteously, saying this to Mei:
"On one side was the fear of facing the unknown. On the other, the survival instinct to protect myself... For someone as weak and immature as I was, the temptation of that survival instinct was simply too sweet."
"As you just saw, my actions then weren't met with any resistance... Looking back, I suppose that proves she didn't see me as a threat at all."
So you do know!
You slipped up just now, didn't you?!
The Herrscher of Corruption's words fully validated the players' earlier suspicions.
They had been saying, even if it was hard to speak for others, Elysia absolutely wouldn't show hostility so easily.
In fact, Elysia's first response to encountering something unfamiliar would definitely be to approach it with curiosity and goodwill.
"What a pity... That's something I only came to understand after I absorbed more data and grew."
Mei: "..."
She was speechless.
Silently taking a breath, she thought for a moment, then directly pointed out the flaw in the Herrscher's logic.
"If you claim you attacked Elysia out of instinct, then what about afterward?"
"Your invasion didn't stop. After acquiring knowledge and the power to overturn Elysian Realm, the tragedies you caused—do you plan to brush them off with the excuse of so-called 'instinct'?"
Exactly!
Herrscher of Corruption! Do you intend to dismiss all the horrors you caused with just "instinct"?
There are things you did. Don't make excuses.
Players nodded fervently in their hearts, fully agreeing with Mei.
And in the face of Mei's questioning, the Herrscher of Corruption responded like this:
"I didn't expect Elysia's disappearance would cause such a massive ripple."
"Another overwhelming force emerged—Kevin."
"The threat he brought was greater than ever. I had no doubt: if he found me, only annihilation would await."
"Overnight, I became the target of all. Mei, do you understand what that feels like? Loneliness, fear, regret... and confusion."
Not only did she not feel any guilt for what she did, her voice even sounded... a bit aggrieved?
Oh, so now you're the victim?
[First of all, Kevin is still as powerful as ever. Second, the Herrscher's excuse-ridden explanation is just pure persecution complex.]
[The Ancestor is so cool~~]
[All that talking just to say: I was forced to kill people? Ptui!!]
[Forget it, I just want to... yeah, yeah, and then slash her.]
...
Without a doubt, Mei shared the same frustration as the players toward the Herrscher's hypocrisy.
She coldly snorted: "Hmph... 'Confusion.'"
There's no way Mei would believe someone with the Herrscher's attitude could experience "confusion."
The Herrscher went on.
She said that at her most lost moment, Vill-V—or rather, the "Villain"—reached out to her.
Because both of them shared the same will to survive, the two became friends.
Unfortunately... two unexpected things happened.
One of them being Kalpas.
Kalpas???
How dare you even mention Brother Kalpas, Herrscher of Corruption?
The players were utterly baffled.
But in reality, not only did she mention Kalpas—she even said:
"He made such a scene... I had no choice but to come out and meet him personally."
As if she were a host coming out to meet a rowdy guest.
Are you the master of Elysian Realm?
No—you're the squatter who seized it!!
"Fortunately, Kalpas is a very straightforward person. We had a pleasant conversation."
[???]
[A pleasant conversation = trading fists with Kalpas]
[I've been laughing out of sheer anger since the Herrscher started talking.]
[Back then, she was clearly panicking, and now she wraps it up as 'friendly communication'? Applause~ Incredible performance.]
At that moment—
Everyone felt insulted.
"Pleasant conversation," my foot!
As if we hadn't seen what happened with Kalpas?!
He was reduced to half a body by the end. And that you call a pleasant talk?
In the livestream chat, countless viewers were furiously typing.
Though Mei didn't have the omniscient view the players did, she did know Kalpas' personality very well.
She scoffed: "I can imagine Kalpas gave you a very 'warm' welcome."
(...Which means Kalpas hadn't realized the Herrscher of Corruption existed until that point.)
(Then what did he do to make her come out and confront him directly?)
Hmm...
About that...
Actually, Kalpas didn't do anything "too outrageous." He just tried to tear down Elysian Realm. (Yep.)
He hit the Herrscher's weak point perfectly.
Elysian Realm was the foundation of her very existence.
Of course, the Herrscher wouldn't admit the real reason she appeared before Kalpas.
She just smoothly changed the subject.
"And the other surprise... was you, Mei."
"At first, I was cautious of you, so when the Villain enacted her plan, I didn't intervene."
[If the Villain had succeeded, Mei would've basically died, right? You're still sugarcoating your evil.]
"But you performed exceptionally—resolving the crisis and even defeating her using a method unknown to me."
"At that point, how could I not step out to greet you... I really wanted to know what kind of person could break through the Villain's psychological defenses, making even the will to survive collapse voluntarily."
[The one who defeated the "Villain" was never anyone else—it was Vill-V reconciling with herself.]
[You'll never understand that kind of emotion.]
The players were still full of complaints.
But in the game, Mei heard these words and was suddenly filled with new thoughts.
It seemed... the Herrscher of Corruption didn't fully understand what happened with Vill-V?
Which meant... there were corners of Elysian Realm that even her cognition couldn't reach.
Though she always acted strong, the Herrscher of Corruption was far from omniscient.
As expected of Mei.
Even while listening to such rage-inducing words, she remained calm and analyzed many useful clues.
No wonder people said Mei was more suited to be the Herrscher of Reason.
...
After realizing the Herrscher wasn't omniscient, Mei finally relaxed a little.
"So, this is your defense?"
"To harm others in order to survive... I won't comment on that. Just understand... every action has a price."
That's right! Every action comes with a price!
Acting as the players' mouthpiece, Mei's firm words deeply resonated with them.
"Don't be so quick to pass judgment, Mei."
Seeing Mei's aggressive tone, the Herrscher quickly switched to her classic "Wait, hear me out" act.
"From a human perspective, the end of life is death. But memory forms are different. They are manifested data—an existence unlike life."
"Which is why..." she paused.
"Which is why?"
Mei grew curious—what was she going to say now?
The players, too, were eager to know what ridiculous thing the Herrscher would say next.
But none of them could have predicted the next sentence.
"I, and only I, can allow them... to be reborn."
[???]
[???]
[???]
Upon hearing that, players nearly leapt out of their chairs or off their beds.
Seriously? Is this real?
Can we believe her?
Of course the answer is...
Like hell we can.
The Herrscher quickly demonstrated her method of "rebirth."
"—Just like this."
As soon as she finished speaking, she transformed into Vill-V.
Then, with the same tone and speaking style—but laced with a touch of artificial theatrics—she said:
"What's wrong, Mei? That gloomy face doesn't suit you at all."
Even Elysia paused upon hearing that voice.
This...
She suddenly got curious—how did Vill-V voice that line?
Maybe for Vill-V, slightly changing her voice wasn't hard?
Or maybe, like her, she learned from "Mr. Otto's" experience and nailed the tone?
Would this count as... another person being influenced by "Mr. Otto"?
Could there be others next?
Several thoughts flashed through her mind, but her hands didn't stop.
She tapped the screen.
"See? A genius is eternal. My talent should never be confined—not in a pitch-black cage of thoughts, nor in a data-bound virtual world."
"Vill-V's stage should be the entire world."
"This time, I will have infinite time to realize every single creation I've imagined—so, what do you think? Satisfied with this script?"
The Herrscher proudly delivered what she thought was a deeply meaningful, irresistible script.
But everyone had only one thought:
That's it?
No seriously—how's this any different from when you came out dressed as Elysia?
At its core, you're still the same old Herrscher of Corruption, aren't you?
This is your so-called "rebirth"?
Don't make us laugh!
[I was wrong. I can't believe I actually had a sliver of hope for the Herrscher just now.]
[This isn't rebirth. It's a disgrace to their memory!!]
[The only one I trust to pull off resurrection is the Overseer.]
[My final verdict: let the Overseer lead us into battle.]
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