MGSFV?! Chapter 417. The Kaslana Tradition; Mei Strikes Twice
At this point in the discussion, one observation from Hokuto's past life couldn't go unmentioned—
a comment many players made after finishing this chapter:
Before this part of the main story, Mei's image: Cold, genius, a rational madwoman, the powerful leader of the Previous Era.
After this part of the main story, Mei's image: Playful and a little sly… a loving wife dishing out so much affection it's almost lethal.
Before: Kevin—whipped husband.
After: Kevin—still a whipped husband.
It stuck in the mind, probably because it was so unexpectedly accurate.
Of course, whether it was true or not… well, that was another matter.
Because, at this point in the story, the idea of Kevin and Dr. MEI meeting face to face again seemed…
less like a hope and more like a delusion.
"If lovers can be reunited in the afterlife, that counts as a 'happy ending.'"
That kind of "victory."
So whether Kevin and Dr. MEI could ever meet again—
and how that meeting might go—
was something that might never be confirmed.
Would it be shockingly calm? Surprisingly emotional? Or quietly passionate?
Hmm…
"..."
Alright, let's not speculate.
A gentle tap continues the plot.
Bronya used a made-up excuse to step away with Mei.
Kiana, the Herrscher of Sentience, and Dr. MEI moved together toward a new location.
When the three of them reached a wide platform,
Dr. MEI suddenly stopped and said to the two behind her:
"From here, you'll be able to see it clearly—The Herrscher of the End."
Kiana: "..."
The sudden mention of that name startled her.
She instinctively looked in the direction MEI pointed.
The camera turned with her.
Not far off, a giant, crumbling statue stood tall.
And just looking at it,
it was honestly hard to imagine that this was the being who destroyed the Previous Era civilization.
[???]
[Just like that, we're seeing the Herrscher of the End?!]
Players hadn't expected it.
No warning, no buildup, no psychological prep—
but they stared wide-eyed at the screen regardless.
After all, this was the Herrscher of the End. The Herrscher of the End!
[So this is the End of the Previous Era? Wait… why does it kinda look like Kevin?]
[Really? I don't see it…]
[Not what I imagined, to be honest.]
Players debated the appearance of the statue.
In-game, Senti shrugged and said bluntly:
"Oh, looks pretty convincing, I guess."
Kiana: "..."
Dr. MEI added:
"Still, since this is a world bubble, it doesn't possess the true power of the Herrscher of the End."
"That said—if the real Herrscher of the End ever becomes active again, this statue might draw power from it."
Kiana, who had remained silent in thought until now, asked the critical question:
"What if the Stigma Project succeeds?"
A straight shot to the heart of the matter.
Honestly, it begged the question:
Why does her brain only start working properly the moment the 'external processor' steps away?
Is this a Kaslana family trait?
Hmm…
Thinking about it: Kevin and MEI, Kallen and Otto, Kiana and Mei…
Maybe it really is a thing.
Ahem, back to the point.
Dr. MEI, upon hearing Kiana's question, didn't answer right away.
Instead, she seemed a bit surprised and asked back:
"Hm? You didn't know?"
…Should they have?
She paused, then casually dropped a bombshell:
"The Stigma Project itself relies on the power of [The End].
Otherwise, how could humanity hope to rebuild the entire planet?"
"This…"
Kiana was stunned.
She'd never heard this before.
But the players remembered—
Kevin had stolen the power of the End in an earlier interlude.
So clearly, Kevin hadn't done that to make himself stronger.
Rather, it was a necessary step for the Stigma Project.
Because the project required that power
to reshape the Earth itself.
[Isn't that dangerous? That's the final Herrscher.]
[There's no other path left. Even if it's a cliff, we jump.]
[Big happy ending? I see no issues. (rage)]
[Are we all even imagining the same happy ending?]
[Guess what (troll face)]
…
"In short, unless we cooperate with every available ally,
this world bubble has no chance of survival."
"Still, there's no need to feel too disheartened.
[Lacking control over one's fate]—that's the true nature of the Sea of Quanta.
An inescapable fate for all illusions."
So she's saying…
most world bubbles are inherently unstable and doomed?
Before players could sort out the implications,
"Alright."
Dr. MEI began walking again.
"Let's not dwell on such depressing things.
After all, we've got much more important things to do."
The game returned to free-control mode.
Dr. MEI walked ahead, leading the way.
Elysia didn't follow right away.
Instead, she panned the camera, trying to get a better look at the Herrscher statue.
Even after circling it several times,
she couldn't find a good angle.
"If only we could climb up."
"Climb it?"
"Yeah, just wishful thinking. No way a mobile game lets you do something like that."
"Hmm…"
Hokuto almost spoke up, then held back.
Not impossible, per se…
Elysia gave up and began moving forward.
But she had only walked a few steps when—
"Huff… huff…"
Dr. MEI was already short of breath.
Even Senti sounded more worried than sarcastic:
"Hey, it's just a few extra steps."
At first, players thought to joke:
"MEI's been cooped up too long."
But when they saw the unnatural flush on MEI's face,
they realized something was wrong.
Her next words confirmed it.
"I'm a [dying woman].
You'll just have to get used to it."
A dying woman…?
"Though honestly,
the hair loss has been bothering me more."
In any other scene, that line would've sparked a flood of jokes:
[Too real]
[I can relate]
[Hair loss is no joke]
[Programmers' pain in one sentence]
But now… no one was in the mood to joke.
Because no matter how brilliant, no matter how monumental her actions—
Dr. MEI… was still dying.
Kiana: "..."
Herrscher of Sentience: "..."
Even so—
MEI didn't seem too concerned.
"Alright, let's get back to business."
She pushed forward with effort, eventually arriving at her intended destination.
"You two are [indispensable] to me.
Part of that reason is right here."
Kiana followed her gaze.
"A… broken bridge?"
This chaotic space was no longer part of the current world bubble.
And what Dr. MEI needed—[Prometheus-17]—was trapped on the far side.
In other words, what she needed now…
was the power of the [Herrscher of the Void].
But in her current state,
Kiana needed Senti's help to fully utilize that power.
"Ah, I see."
Kiana gave a complicated expression and turned a hopeful gaze toward the Herrscher of Sentience…
The legendary "I can do anything" Senti.
Could she really do anything?
Senti: "..."
Naturally, her reaction—
was to look away awkwardly.
"Why are you all staring at me?"
[Because you're super useful, duh!]
[Senti: Again? You want to borrow my powers again?]
[Looks like she's silently accepted the nickname 'Senti.']
[Nah, it's just bloodline suppression. She can't fight it.]
"Don't worry."
Dr. MEI spoke gently.
She clearly understood Senti's personality.
If not, no amount of 'bloodline suppression' could've made Senti this obedient.
Poor Senti. She really couldn't win against this woman.
"As a projection, I [remember] the entirety of the Stigma Project."
"And since the executor in the real world has already been identified,
it's not hard to predict his likely course of action."
"Especially… when that executor is the one who always forces himself—Kevin."
"Mei really does understand Kevin..."
Elysia's heart ached a little.
Dr. MEI obviously still loved Kevin.
And now, knowing he continued to push himself to the brink,
she could only watch helplessly.
She never showed it—
but that didn't mean she didn't feel it.
Saying nothing…
was often the heaviest answer.
"..."
But not everyone noticed this.
Meanwhile, Dr. MEI resumed her explanation.
She revealed that their Herrscher powers had been sealed on a spiritual level.
Senti instantly reacted:
"Huh??"
"Spiritual seals on a Herrscher of Sentience? Don't be ridiculous!"
"I don't believe it. That's impossible."
[Really? I don't believe it.jpg]
[Su handled the previous Herrscher of Sentience.]
[Technically, it was Aponia who finished the job.]
[How could a Herrscher of Sentience lose a spiritual battle?!]
Well…
that had to do with Senti's current state.
She once said:
"This is the complete Chi Yuan, the complete Fu Hua, the complete me."
But now that she'd "left the house,"
separated from Fu Hua's body,
what remained was only the consciousness—
not the complete form.
So an incomplete Senti losing in a spiritual clash?
Possible.
She already lost once to Kiana's Taixuan Sword God during a moment of weakness.
[Come to think of it, she might be at 10% of her original strength.]
[Looks like she'll need to reunite with the fossil to become whole again.]
[Could they team up against Kevin later...?]
[Honestly? That might be exactly what's coming.]
Players speculated that Senti might return to Fu Hua's body,
similar to how Mei and the Herrscher of Thunder shared power.
Letting the long-debuffed "old fossil" rise again for an epic showdown with Kevin.
While the truth was a little different—
that part was indeed going to be epic.
So, is the Herrscher of Sentience unbeatable in the spiritual realm?
Don't listen to Senti's answer.
She'll never admit defeat.
Dr. MEI, however, knew exactly how to handle her.
"If Su and Aponia were here, they could easily resolve this.
But in their absence… it's hard to say."
And then—
she glanced at Senti.
"...Where can we possibly find our [Feather Dust]?"
"You?!"
Senti's eyes widened.
["It's so hard… (sips tea)"]
[Aggressive hinting (blatant)]
[If I were Senti, I'd call the cops by now]
[Classic bait, salty hook]
Everyone saw it.
This was the most obvious bait in history.
Even Kiana looked a bit embarrassed, scratching her head:
"Uh… isn't that a bit too obvious?"
"Even she wouldn't fall for—"
But then—
"No way…"
The mental space unfurled again.
Without warning, Kiana could smell the air—
and it smelled of rage.
"Wait, Senti! Dr. MEI might not be finished—"
"Save it. If it's a [shackle], then I'll [break] it."
[Kiana, you're too naive. Only Senti would fall for that.]
[MEI: Hook, line, and sinker.]
[Sentibae: That bait was delicious.]
["Endure it? Hell no." Jumps in headfirst]
In the next moment—
Kiana was pulled into the mental realm by Senti.
Clearly, Senti's idea of "breaking" something…
was the literal kind.
And what awaited Kiana—
was one explosive battle.
"So this is what she meant by breaking it?!"
Like this story Leave a review ; it would really help me out a lot.
Want to Read Ahead in Advance?
Join my Patreon!
+75 Chapters
Support me in
Patreon.com/BestElysium