Elysia became more and more curious about what would happen next.
So, she quickly advanced the story.
But before she could unravel her lingering doubts, she was met first with a "tiny little" stab.
In the story.
Vill-V finished explaining what needed to be said.
And at the very end...
She began to say her final farewell to Mei.
The in-game screen transitioned.
Vill-V's image appeared center stage, allowing players to clearly see the changes in her expression.
"If I remember correctly, the Conductor must've told you… she alone couldn't explain the true meaning of the Spiral."
"But now, perhaps… you're about to witness the end of the Spiral."
"We will become one, forming the complete Vill-V."
"What happens next… what should I do?" Mei quickly asked.
"Remember the time we exchanged everything?"
Vill-V paused.
Then, a chorus of voices from her various personas answered:
"Just open your heart, okay——"
Mei, upon hearing this, closed her eyes without hesitation, letting down her guard.
By this point, she and the players alike had come to truly trust each of the Flame-Chasers.
Each one with distinct personalities, and each one worthy of being called a hero.
Mei had just closed her eyes—she didn't even get the chance to guess what would happen next.
The Magician Vill-V appeared suddenly!
As always, she brought a surprise.
Her voice remained flamboyant.
"And now, dear audience,"
"...It's you." Mei spoke with her in her heart.
"That's the essence of magic—by the time you're surprised, everything is already complete."
"Listen up. This is my final performance. And you… are my greatest assistant."
"Are you ready to leave the stage?"
"..."
Sorry, I used to think you were so over-the-top...
Sigh~
Some players couldn't help but quietly sigh, yet forced themselves to smile.
Like saying farewell to an old friend.
Maybe… that's what suits Vill-V best.
The feeling was different from watching Pardofelis die in one's arms, different from Kalpas' heroic sacrifice.
It wasn't grief—it was deep, deep reluctance.
[Did they reveal who the next version's new character is? I hope it's V2V!!]
[I'm pulling for V2V!!]
Mei took a deep breath and asked, "Do I need your permission, Great Magician?"
"Of course—but I grant it. After all… no show goes on forever, right?"
It was the first time the Magician gave Mei permission to leave.
And the last.
"Ah, let me try playing the villain this once—farewell, my dearest audience!"
"Hehe—wasn't that the right line?"
Mei chuckled: "Not a single word wrong."
That was a line once spoken by the Herrscher of Dominance when Mei opened her heart—and one Vill-V had retained.
Then...
The Magician took her final bow.
...
Farewell, Great Magician.
...
As the Magician bowed out, the Expert appeared.
This pace...
Don't tell me we're saying goodbye to all of them, one by one?
The players had that thought cross their minds.
Not because they didn't want to say goodbye to Vill-V's personas.
But because...
MiHoYo's emotional knife work was still as surgical as ever...
One persona, one stab. One person, eight stabs.
What kind of emotional battlefield was this?
Thanks a lot.
Back to the story.
The Expert entered with a scoff: "Hmph, what a noisy one."
She and the Magician did indeed have some "conflicts."
Please stop letting the Magician mess with my blueprints.jpg
Well... the Magician really won't get the chance to tamper with them anymore.
Then again, maybe she said that just to liven the mood.
It's a farewell, after all—might as well smile.
Mei looked at the Expert: "First time I've seen you smile."
"...Don't get the wrong idea. I'm just pleased with myself. Only those who play the game deserve praise, right?" the Expert replied.
"I agree."
Mei unusually played along. But that made things feel even more quietly sorrowful.
"That's good, then."
The Expert smiled. "However, since you're being so humble."
She gave Mei a rare compliment: "—You did fairly well too."
Mei smiled: "Don't force it too hard, okay?"
"Hmph… don't push your luck."
And with that—
The Expert exited, still acting tough.
...
Farewell, Expert.
...
The next to appear was the Conductor.
"Oh! Miss Mei! Is it finally my turn?"
"It's you…" Mei recognized her. "Conductor… I finally know your name."
"So this time… I'll get to meet every version of Vill-V, right?"
"Even that one… the one from Kevin Armed Model-5?"
The Conductor shook her head: "That might be tough—she's a shy one, never confident in her appearance."
...Model-5 really was self-conscious about becoming a giant spider.
"And given her speaking pace… you'd probably pass away before the conversation ends!"
Pfft~~
That line was ridiculous.
Some players couldn't help but chuckle.
It was a strange and fresh experience—bittersweet and funny all at once...
Still, they hoped this would be the last.
But clearly, that wish wouldn't be granted.
"...That's a shame."
Mei really wanted to meet Model-5. After all, this was her only chance.
"No helping it. Special circumstances, that's all."
"So... anything else you want to say to me? Anything is fine."
Mei: "..."
After a moment of thought: "Farewell?"
"No wonder your colleague was so unhappy."
The Conductor puffed her cheeks slightly. "That really is a bit too casual."
"Well then… farewell."
And so...
The Conductor disappeared.
...
Farewell, Conductor.
Truthfully, I wanted to give you a hug at the end.
...
Next came Gourmet.
"Though it's odd to say this on a first meeting, I feel like... we'd get along. Or maybe, I just hope so."
Cooking wife mutual recognition.jpg
[If you two had met in life, you really could've been great friends. Truly.]
[Ugh, this scene makes me want to laugh and cry. So painful.]
[Honestly, if Gourmet hadn't reminded me, I'd have forgotten that Mei used to be the cooking wife too.]
"Not being able to let you taste my cooking... is a real regret."
...
Farewell, Gourmet.
Not being able to share the cooking Mei trained for while caring for Kiana and Cat Cat… that's a regret too.
...
After Gourmet came the Stargazer—aka the Occult Scholar.
"As for me… words are no longer needed."
"Accept... the true Emblem of the Spiral."
With those words—
Vill-V's True Self appeared and showed Mei the true form of the Spiral.
"In the end... everything returns to me. The end of the Spiral—its origin. Fitting, isn't it?"
The True Self's intellectual and gentle voice whispered in Mei's ear.
"The end of the Spiral is its origin."
If you take Vill-V's name and move the final "V" to the front—
Two V's together make a "W."
That forms the word Will—as in "to will something."
Does everyone still remember Vill-V's bold declaration?
Yes...
It was this line:
"As long as I will it, I can do it!"
The True Self continued:
"Create illusions from reality. Reverse meaning through contradiction."
She once used absolute truths to construct lies that seemed irrefutable.
"Disassemble oneself—to become oneself."
She had once broken herself apart. Now she reassembled, becoming whole—the true Spiral.
"Only by creating contradiction can one reach unity."
Insecurity and pride, genius and fool... contradictions all, and all unified within Vill-V.
That is the charm of someone called Vill-V.
Spiral.
"Take it, Mei... the true Emblem of the Spiral."
"This is everything I've prepared. Everything I can do… you can do as well. And then... uncover all the truths."
The True Self entrusted everything to Mei.
Then quietly awaited the Spiral's end.
...
Farewell, Vill-V.
After months of suspicion, a day of hate, hours of rediscovered admiration, and a deep, complete understanding—
The Fifth of the Flame-Chasers.
The genius and the fool, bearing the name of the Spiral.
...
The players all fell into a deep silence.
No one spoke for a long while.
Until the game screen lit up—pure white.
Someone, finally recovering, typed a "mood break" comment in the livestream chat:
[Detective Squad's down to just Mei now.]
The strength of the captains, huh? Even now, they still joke?
Scared.jpg
[..."Elysian Realm Hell Joke" +1. Livestream captain cringe level +1.]
Another replied, crying and laughing all at once.
And someone else finally noticed the obvious.
[Speaking of which, have you realized... Miss Elf's Elysian Realm Special Ops team seems to have completely perished. And their deaths even followed their appearance order at the start of the stream.]
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