[Hehe, you lost the bet, didn't you? I told you so. Given Lynelle's personality, knowing she has immortality, she places a very low priority on her own life.]
[Especially since this Lynelle has been reset to factory settings?]
[Urgh…]
The voice of Kiana-chan, the customer service rep, was full of frustration.
[Alright, fine, we'll do it your way. Oh, right, if you're showing up here, your power…]
[Mmm, wanting to make a guest appearance does require a huge amount of Origin power, you know? I'd been saving up for so long!]
The other voice instantly took on a slightly whiny tone.
[But still, it's worth it in the end. Though I hate to admit it, Lynelle just naturally has a personality that tends to get swept up in trouble. Breaking the restrictions in her body a little earlier can only do her good.]
[With this, my past self should be able to notice Lynelle quite easily, right?]
[Stop sneaking in your personal agenda! — And look, your voice is already getting unstable. Hurry back now. The power of Origin might be versatile, but it still can't quite match Finality.]
Kiana-chan's voice became laced with helplessness. Even when dealing with Mei, she had her ways, but with the one before her now…
Borrowing a line from a conversation between Mei and Kevin: 'Is there anyone who can keep her in check?' The answer was no.
[Aww, I never knew Kiana cared about me so much~ I'm touched! Well then, I'll leave the rest to you~]
The interior of the system fell silent once more.
Meanwhile, out in the real world, Lynelle had finally gotten her wish and plunged into battle.
However, since the cooldown from the Temporary Stake she used last time hadn't ended yet, there weren't too many useful things Lynelle had on her.
"Hm? Vanished?"
Otto wasn't entirely surprised by Lynelle's sudden, peculiar little trick.
After all, if she didn't have a few tricks up her sleeve, she wouldn't have forced Babylon Tower to call for reinforcements the first time she escaped.
"Void Archives, scan her position. This doesn't seem like traditional invisibility, just optical camouflage. I can even feel the air currents from her movements."
The small golden cube didn't respond verbally. Instead, it shot out a chain, lancing towards a specific area in the air.
"Ugh, resorting to hacks just because you can't win fair and square?!"
Lynelle put on a fierce act. A red pattern, similar to a Stigmata, instantly appeared on her hand, followed by a gleaming silver scalpel materializing in her grip. With a swift motion, she severed the metallic chain manifested by the Void Archives.
[?]
"Void Archives, what are you doing?"
Otto frowned. Lynelle having the ability to break the chain wasn't unexpected—it was just an ordinary chain, not a mimicry of the Oath of Judah. The real issue was the Void Archives' sudden malfunction.
After seeing the pattern on Lynelle's hand, the Void Archives seemed to short-circuit.
[She… she…]
[?]
Now it was Otto's turn to be confused. Could that pattern be something highly significant from the Previous Era?
However, the Void Archives' brief system failure didn't stop Otto from apprehending Lynelle. The Soulium body he was using this time was specifically optimized for combat, its physical parameters modeled after the former strongest S-Rank Valkyrie, Ragna. It certainly wasn't inferior to anyone present.
The moment Lynelle severed the chain, Otto was already in front of her. Then, with a swift motion, a powerful burst of Honkai energy sent the girl flying. She crashed hard against a nearby rock wall.
"So, what's going on?"
Looking at Lynelle, who was now on the ground and unable to get up, Otto continued questioning the Void Archives, which had been flickering intensely since earlier.
[The Stigmata on this girl doesn't match any recorded in the Previous Era's data. It's also probably unrelated to Mobius, as we previously suspected.]
[No, perhaps it's better to say this Stigmata could be connected to all of them…]
"Stop speaking in riddles. You have five seconds to explain clearly. My time is limited."
Otto's brow furrowed.
This Void Archives, after five hundred years with him, usually mimicked his mannerisms perfectly in casual times. But at critical moments, it either dropped the ball or lost its mind.
[The design of her Stigmata originates from the Elysian Realm engraving of Elysia, the most powerful warrior of the Previous Era besides Kevin. However, Stigmata of Elysia shouldn't have existed in the Previous Era—at least, that's how my creator recorded it.]
"Why is that impossible? Stigmata are essentially information carriers. Couldn't she have secretly left a Stigmata behind herself?"
[It's truly impossible. Because she became a Herrscher and was eliminated before the finalization of the Stigmata Plan.]
[Strictly speaking, before her passing, the Stigmata Plan was still just a rapidly developing project. The Previous Era's true salvation plans were mostly formally established and finalized around the time of Elysia's death.]
The Void Archives' voice was filled with bewilderment.
[So, logically, she really couldn't have left a corresponding Stigmata. However… considering my creator may not have left behind entirely truthful information, I can think of one other possibility.]
"Oh?"
Otto suddenly became more interested.
[That possibility is, outside of the official historical records of the Previous Era, Elysia secretly left behind descendants, just like the Kaslana family originating from Kevin, and this lineage persisted into the current era.]
[And her Stigmata was later reawakened and passed down through her descendants by Mei and Mobius after her death.]
"Wait, are you trying to tell me that a branch lineage from the Previous Era, as ancient as the Kaslanas, has been passed down for fifty thousand years right under Schicksal's nose, until now?"
The corner of Otto's mouth twitched. He felt like he was listening to some kind of fairy tale.
"And also, while I haven't seen much of the Previous Era data in your archives, I recall you telling me this Elysia didn't have a spouse, right? With whom did she leave descendants?"
[Ahem, this relates to what I mentioned earlier about my creator potentially leaving false information regarding Elysia. The reason I make this hypothesis… is actually because…]
The Void Archives' tone suddenly became hesitant and halting.
[Elysia, during the Previous Era, actually had several close female friends with whom she shared ambiguous relationships. My creator, Vill-V, was one of them. Even Mobius, whom I mentioned before, was among them. Other potential candidates include Eden, Aponia… In short, most of the notable women from the Previous Era I've told you about fall within this potential range.]
[So, if you ask me to guess who Elysia might have had a child with… To prevent myself from being suddenly reset to factory settings by some hidden backdoor left by the Previous Era, all I can say is: I don't know.]
"..."
Otto's expression was on the verge of breaking.
So that's the reason?! What kind of lesbian love triangle—or polygon—is this? They had that in the Previous Era too?
"Forget it, don't say anymore if you don't want to."
Otto walked towards Lynelle, who had fallen unconscious. Simultaneously, faint golden feathers began to drift around him.
"Even though you don't dare say it, I know you're curious too."
"So how about this: you use the Fanghuang Down to probe her body and transmit the memories directly into my mind. I'll look for you. How does that sound?"
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T/N: ik i said i love Elysia but i did NOT expect her to pop up in this fic
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.