Gazing at Elysia's pink hair, Mei found herself lost in thought. A few seconds passed before the girl's playful voice broke the silence.
"Mei~ Being stared at by such a cute girl makes me shy too, you know." Mei looked up to see Elysia tilting her head, feigning bashfulness. "Or could it be... we've only been apart for a few hours, and you already miss me this much?"
"..." Even knowing Elysia was deliberately teasing, Mei couldn't help but freeze for a moment. Regaining her composure, she nonchalantly turned her head, subtly shifting her gaze away.
"Now isn't the time for jokes. The corruption in the Deep End has already spread deep within. We don't have much time left. To avoid any accidents, it's best to bring out the last Flame-Chaser quickly."
Just as expected, upon mentioning serious matters, Elysia naturally let the shy facade drop, smiling as she replied, "I see. Well then, you must be extra careful. If you get hurt, I'll be very sad."
The girl's smile was as heart-warming as ever, yet for some reason, Mei felt a strange unease.
Perhaps it was the direness of the current situation, perhaps it was the enemy still lurking in the shadows, or perhaps, from the moment she received information from Griseo, doubt towards Elysia had already taken root. Whatever the reason, the current clues didn't allow her to relax.
Personally, Mei didn't believe Elysia could be the culprit behind the corruption. But Elysia herself had warned that betrayal among the current Flame-Chasers was possible. Under these circumstances, Mei had to be suspicious. She wanted to prove Elysia's innocence, and the best way was to quickly uncover the truth.
Thus, just as The Obsidian Concord contact had said, her time was limited.
"Don't worry. With Klein assisting, there shouldn't be much danger," Mei replied casually, heading towards the exit. Perhaps even she didn't notice the slight coolness that had crept into her tone.
"Alright then. Be careful with everything." Elysia stepped aside, making way for her. As Mei's figure vanished into the white light of teleportation, the smile that had constantly graced Elysia's face gradually faded.
She looked down at the small lunchbox she held, falling silent. She had made it herself, intending it as a dessert for Mei during a break. Now, it seemed the gift might never be delivered.
With a soft sigh, Elysia felt a pang of frustration. Being so perceptive, how could she not notice Mei's avoidance?
Though Mei hid it well, Elysia was all too familiar with that averted gaze. Burdened by unspoken thoughts, wanting to look but daring not, wanting to ask but fearing the answer, choosing avoidance instead—she had seen that same look twelve times over, fifty thousand years ago.
But Elysia quickly rallied, her smile returning. "At least this means Mei has obtained some information and is one step closer to the truth. If that's the case, then I can't just wait around either."
At least, before the wager comes due, let me help you one more time.
...
Entering the Deep End again, Mei navigated with noticeably more familiarity. This time, her target was Aponia, located in the Realm's deepest region.
"Strange, there are no signs of corruption at all."
Mei was surprised. While the painted world had nearly collapsed, Aponia's domain remained completely unaffected. Only a faint aura of Honkai swirled within the dark void.
"It seems this Flame-Chaser's strength is not to be underestimated."
"Aponia is a natural master of psychic powers. Even before undergoing the Meta-Morph surgery, she single-handedly sheltered hundreds infected with the Honkai sickness. Later, during the Herrscher of Sentience incident, she held off the Herrscher alone for several hours. By replicating the Herrscher's persona, she attained a kind of 'red-eyed' state and forcibly wore down the Herrscher's combat strength," Klein explained.
"Of the thirteen Flame-Chasers currently in the Elysian Realm, twelve entered by memory replication. Only Aponia entered the Realm with her own consciousness."
"So, this Flame-Chaser doesn't need any help, then?"
"No. Although Aponia entered the Realm in her original state, she is still bound by the Realm's mechanics and can be attacked on the data level. Furthermore, she possesses the powers of Discipline and Precognition. If an enemy were to gain control of these abilities, it would be devastating for the Elysian Realm."
"I understand." Klein's explanation underscored the severity of the situation for Mei. Raw combat power might be hard to grasp, but as a Herrscher herself, she knew how terrifying someone capable of fighting a Herrscher single-handedly could be. Such an individual becoming an enemy would be an absolute disaster.
Moreover, Sakura's Discipline was linked to Aponia. If Sakura truly betrayed them because of the Discipline, she might have come here.
Continuing forward through the vast darkness, a brightly lit chapel suddenly appeared before her.
From afar, Mei could hear faint, ethereal hymns drifting through the air. The bright sunlight illuminating the chapel seemed strangely out of place. The scene reminded her of solemn religious imagery.
However, upon stepping inside, she found the supposedly dignified chapel was now like ruins, strewn with the debris of battle. Shattered stained glass and fallen stone pillars bore silent witness to a fierce struggle.
"Am I too late?"
Seeing this, Mei's heart sank. Just as she was about to investigate further, a powerful thought suddenly invaded her mind.
Outsider, steeped in sin, judgment must be rendered!
The thought had barely formed when an intense wave of guilt washed over her. She remembered the dead residents of Nagazora City, remembered Pardofelis whom she couldn't save... Crushing psychic pressure surged like a tidal wave, instantly overwhelming her mind.
Clang! Losing herself, Mei drew her tachi and, without hesitation, thrust it towards her own chest.
Just as she was about to commit suicide, powerful arcs of electricity burst from her body, forming a chaotic, raging electromagnetic field that enveloped her.
"Hah..." The turbulent field instantly disrupted the mental suggestion. Regaining clarity, Mei felt a wave of residual fear wash over her; she had nearly died by her own hand.
"What was that just now?" she gasped, quickly asking Klein.
"Some kind of mental suggestion. It seems Aponia has detected you. We don't know if she's friend or foe right now, you'd best..." Halfway through, the communication dissolved into static. At the same time, a woman with butterfly wings gracefully walked into the chapel.
"Outsider, this is not a place you should trespass."
"Aponia!" Mei guessed her identity, but was surprised to see that, like Kosma, Aponia was already in her cascaded state. Though dressed as a nun, she radiated no sanctity. Her dark red eyes held a profound, intense darkness.
Seeing this, Mei instantly understood: this must be the Herrscher persona state Klein had mentioned.