"Zzz..."
The clear, cloudless sky was covered by a substance resembling data corruption. The scenery before her eyes spun around. Dark, muted colors replaced the original warm tones, making the already fierce-looking monsters even more menacing.
"Huh?" Mei deflected a Imaginary monster with a slash. The massive arm at her side drew its blade, and a bolt of thunder swallowed the enemy's form. She frowned, looking up at the gloomy sky.
What was going on?
She felt as if she had suddenly fallen into an inverted world. The ground beneath her feet let out a wail of erosion. The three suspended gateways in the distance were also covered with a hazy, negative-film filter.
Mei sheathed her sword and walked to the doors, observing the unexpected situation: "Three paths? This has never happened before. Have I reached a new area, or is it..."
"No... the Elysian Realm has indeed encountered some problems." A strange, unfamiliar voice sounded directly in Mei's ear.
"Who!" Mei flicked the sword hilt with her thumb, lowering her body and warily surveying her surroundings.
This eerie place felt like something horrifying could jump out at any moment. Mei's understanding of the Elysian Realm wasn't deep enough. It wasn't impossible for her to trigger some kind of trap.
"Time is limited, there's no time to explain. In short, the memories that constitute your current area have some issues. At the same time, your consciousness and self-perception are also affected to a certain extent." The weak-sounding voice and the content of her speech were completely mismatched, betraying no sense of urgency. "So, please do not trust your common sense from now on. Follow my guidance, and I will bring you back to reality."
"Why should I believe you? An unseen stranger. At least you should state your identity."
"...A strange name or no name should make no difference to you. Worry more about your current situation, Subject, the area you are in may be about to undergo some unexpected changes."
Mei didn't sheath her sword. The identity of this unfamiliar voice was unknown—it could be a new Flame-Chaser or a World Serpent member. Furthermore, the term "Subject" reminded her of someone she'd rather not meet.
"You are very close to the Anchor Points. I have already analyzed the situation... The path on your left has a disturbed area and may lead to unimaginably powerful enemies. The central Anchor Point connects to a normal area, associated with Vicissitude."
Mei looked up at the Vicissitude mark on the far left and the Decimation mark in the middle, feeling suspicious.
The last teleportation Anchor Point was in the style of an antique clock with only an hour and minute hand. Was that... Lin's mark?
"Do not approach that Anchor Point."
As Mei walked closer to the last Anchor Point, the unfamiliar voice suddenly warned her.
"The area connected to that Anchor Point has a unique presence. With your current abilities and Signets, I do not recommend you proceed there."
"So this is the so-called corrupted data?" Mei stared at the dark blue clock pattern and asked the voice.
"No... The area connected to the Anchor Point and the existence within it are normal parts of the Elysian Realm. However, it is not an area that the current you can safely reach. The corrupted data has linked the teleport Anchor Point to it."
"A normal area? Then why can't I enter?"
"That existence is far too unique and touches upon the core of the Elysian Realm. Your current self going there is highly likely to lead to unstable situations."
"The core of the Elysian Realm..." Mei looked at the door gravely. Wasn't the answer she sought related to this?
Should I trust this person's guidance? Or should I trust my own judgment?
After weighing the pros and cons, Mei firmly stated, "I'm going in."
"..." There was a sudden silence. The voice was either surprised or angered by Mei's decision.
"Do you have anything else to say?"
"No... If that is your choice, I have no right to interfere. But please leave that place as soon as possible. I need to proceed with the data repair for that area."
"Understood."
Mei took a deep breath, maintained her combat stance, and activated the teleport Anchor Point.
"————"
Rain.
A cold, sorrowful rain fell from the sky.
Mei watched the raindrops falling by her feet in surprise. In her memory, the Elysian Realm only rained when she was at Lin's graveyard.
But this was not a graveyard. It was a desolate space, empty except for the metal floor.
So, this current situation was...
She slightly bowed her head, gazing straight ahead. In this vast, empty place, there was only one black speck standing rooted far in the distance, barely visible.
It was as if only this steel earth and that unidentified "thing" remained between heaven and earth.
With the eyesight of a Herrscher, Mei discerned the appearance of the black speck.
"Should I say it's to be expected, or unexpected..." Mei tightened her grip on her long blade and muttered to herself, "Everything added together can only lead to you."
A man wearing a helmet sat in the rain. Rainwater streamed down the grooves of his helmet. The deactivated viewport made him look like a discarded robot.
The Lin she saw now was slightly different from usual. Aside from the aura of dead silence, the most obvious difference was the armor he wore.
"What is that?"
It was quite a deviation from his usual full-body, high-tech, and heavily accessorized mechanical style. The armor Lin was wearing now was a stark, cold gray suit with fewer components. Besides a few parts that still looked like mechanical structures, the rest was outerwear similar to what Kevin and others wore.
The sensation emanating from the armor was like a viscous texture sliding over Mei's body. What she didn't realize was that the more intensely she focused on observing, the stronger the invisible oppressive force became. A strange aura unknowingly enveloped her whole body from the ground up.
Mei suddenly snapped out of it: "No, he's not Lin."
The moment she realized this, the black speck, far in the distance, suddenly flickered and appeared less than a hundred meters in front of her. The strangeness that had been diluted by distance instantly burst forth from the man.
The gray outer armor began to be stained with a brilliant azure color from the chest down, simultaneously lighting up the viewport of "Lin." He slowly stood up, calmly watching Mei, who had adopted an attack posture and was filled with hostility.
There was no time to ponder the situation. Was the supposed core of the Elysian Realm this enemy who closely resembled Lin?
What was this feeling? Honkai Beast? Zombie? Herrscher?
None of the above. This was the definite aura of a "human."
"Lin" didn't explode with the teleport-like speed from before. Instead, in Mei's disbelieving gaze, he raised both hands. A pure white, flawless lance and a pitch-black, silent spear appeared in his left and right hands, respectively.
Black Abyss... Black Abyss White Flower?
The appearance of "Lin" holding these Divine Keys, which shouldn't be here, instantly reminded Mei of Lin's Signet. Didn't the lowered position of these two lances look exactly like the hour and minute hands on the clock?
Were these also formed by memory? No, a Divine Key shouldn't be able to be simulated by memory. So what exactly was this "person" in front of her?
But it wasn't over yet. After holding these two weapons symbolizing the authority of creation and decomposition, "Lin" raised the Black Abyss. The data above his head rapidly converged into the shape of a mechanized humanoid.
"Boom!"
A Titan, vastly different from the one in Mei's memory, landed with a dull tremor. Pilotless, it drew the Ion Cannon from its back and aimed it at Mei.
"This ability is unrelated to the Black Abyss and Black Abyss White Flower; it's more like..." Mei's pupils contracted violently at this sight.
There was no time for contemplation. The Titan's muzzle had already begun to gather energy. After being compressed to its limit—
"Bang!"
Splattering metal shards grazed "Lin's" helmet, making a cold, abrasive sound.
The brilliant azure viewport held no killing intent, only the inorganic... stillness.