Warm ice crystals... What a novel experience.
This was a sensation not even preserved within the memories of the Elysian Realm's Elysia. After all, the memories she left only extended up until just before that final banquet.
For Jiang Qiao, however, this was a distinct sensation. Compared to mere words on a page, experiencing it through the body's senses was undoubtedly more direct, more complete.
[Elysia]'s slender hands pressed the lingering warmth against her chest. Beneath the modest curve of her bosom, her heart pounded as if the body itself resonated with the emotion.
Just as Elysia had once said: Tears turn to ice, but... they feel so warm...
But the Kevin of today was far removed from the shy young man he once was. This uncontrollable outpouring—an undeniable 'loss of composure' for him—lasted only a moment.
As the warm ice melted away, one might almost doubt it had happened at all, were it not for the faint dampness lingering on [Elysia]'s fingertips, proof that it wasn't merely an illusion.
"Long time no see, Elysia." His tone was as level as always, revealing as little emotion as his stoic face.
[Elysia] pouted playfully. "So calm~ I thought you might be a little more excited to see me~"
"But then again, this is Kevin~ Thinking about it that way, maybe it's not so strange after all." [Elysia] brought her slender fingers together, tips touching lightly, framing her face. Her silky pink hair swayed gently as she moved. Her bright blue eyes, slightly narrowed, held a captivating charm as she smiled.
"What's wrong? Still staring~ It's quite rude to stare at a girl's face like that, you know. If MEI found out, she might get jealous~ Hehe, just kidding. Knowing her, she probably wouldn't care, right?"
"But, aren't you going to say anything?"
Kevin remained silent.
In truth, before actually seeing her, despite all the evidence, Kevin had harbored doubts. But seeing her now, face-to-face... That familiar feeling instantly dispelled them. This was right. This was her, exactly as he remembered!
If anyone suggested this Elysia was fake, Kevin felt he'd have to pull out his replica Judgment of Shamash and give their head a good scorching. —How dare you say she's fake?
Yet, beyond that certainty, facing the girl before him, Kevin found himself utterly speechless. It wasn't that he had nothing to say; rather, the questions, the words swirling within him, were simply too numerous. Now that she was truly here, he didn't know where to begin.
After all, even fifty thousand years ago, Kevin had never really known how to handle Elysia.
He pondered for a long moment before finally blurting out, "Are you here to stop me, Elysia?"
[Elysia] blinked. Then, she let out a soft giggle, unable to hold it back.
"Haha, what kind of question is that?"
"Oh, Kevin, Kevin... After all this time, seeing 'me' again, that's the first thing you ask? ... Mhmm, yes, that's certainly your style."
"Since you asked, alright then." After a moment's smile, the pink-haired girl rested a hand on her hip, formed a finger gun with the other, and aimed it playfully. "What if my answer... is yes?"
"..."
"Must it be this way?" Kevin asked, his voice quiet, tinged with something unreadable. His voice remained cool, but beneath the surface lay a hint of conflict and sorrow.
But it also revealed his unwavering stance. —No compromise.
Just as he wouldn't stop even for his dear friend Su. As the executor of Project Stigma, the 'hero' burdened by the hopes of countless souls. Even if Elysia stood before him, the result wouldn't be any different.
"I'm sorry," [Elysia] said softly, "You should know..."
"Elysia would never approve, nor allow that plan to be executed."
Back when Project Stigma was first proposed, Elysia strongly opposed it, even confronting MEI directly. But the outcome was inevitable—it ended in disappointment. Because they needed a plan with a 'guaranteed success' rate.
And after that, Elysia lost the power to prevent it.
But if she were here now, facing this plan in this era... then knowing Elysia's nature, she would never stand idly by.
In truth, both Jiang Qiao and Kevin had anticipated this. Their deliberate avoidance wasn't out of dislike, but simply because—when they met, compromise would be impossible. It was a fundamental conflict of stances, one that wouldn't change regardless of identity. In fact, wearing the guise of [Elysia] only made it sharper.
Because this was something Elysia would do, something she had to do.
Still, for anyone involved... being forced to raise arms against comrades you once entrusted your life to... it was never a pleasant experience. Especially for Kevin, who had witnessed her departure firsthand. And now... he had to become her enemy.
"..."
"I can give the people of this era some more time." After a moment's silence, Kevin hesitated, speaking softly amidst the tense atmosphere.
It was, undeniably, a concession. There weren't many people in the world who could make Kevin concede like this. Coincidentally, the person before him was one of the very few who qualified. If possible, he truly didn't want to fight Elysia.
—Of course, there was another important reason.
In truth, the seal on this pocket dimension, Sumeru, was linked to Su's own life force. If Kevin were to completely shatter the seal, the backlash would likely kill Su instantly.
It had to be said, when it came to handling Kevin, his best friend Su certainly knew what he was doing. His methods were quite... 'despicable'. Essentially: 'If you dare break out, I'll die right here!'
Of course, there were other objective factors too. The simplest and most direct one being... he probably couldn't defeat the person standing before him right now.
This might sound absurd. As the strongest MANTIS, the undisputed Number One of the Fire Moths, Kevin's position was earned purely through strength. His Chimera form could even trade blows with the Herrscher of Finality.
But unfortunately—Kevin was out of mana.
With his Honkai Energy depleted, this form might be enough to overwhelm Su... but against [Elysia]—the Fire Moths' Number Two? Even though she ranked below him, her strength was something even Kevin at his peak couldn't easily dismiss.
Especially since... Kevin sensed an aura emanating from the girl before him, an aura he recognized from a specific moment long ago... The aura of a Herrscher. That was something Elysia had only possessed in the final moments of her life. The moment she had been at her absolute strongest.
And now, '[Elysia]' seemed to be maintaining that very state. The only oddity Kevin noted was that, for some reason, [Elysia]'s ears weren't the pointed elven ears he remembered, but normal human ones.
He didn't want to fight. He likely couldn't win anyway. Using these reasons as an excuse to stall, to delay the inevitable... didn't seem so unacceptable.
"If that's the case, that would be wonderful," [Elysia] chirped.
"However, just leaving you all alone here in the Sea of Quanta... I'd feel a little bad~"
"So, how about I give you a present? It took me a lot of effort~"
"..." Kevin's eyebrow twitched. A faint sense of PTSD flared up—this familiar feeling... based on past experience, she was definitely planning some kind of prank.
But Kevin remained outwardly calm. After all, he'd grown accustomed to even Vill-V's 'surprise-filled' gifts. Compared to her, what could Elysia possibly do? As for the so-called gift...
While Kevin pondered, the smiling pink-haired girl slyly produced a palm-sized sphere from seemingly nowhere. It resembled a clear glass marble, but with distinct, swirling colors within.
"Catch—!"
With a sweet cry—startling the nearby Su—the sphere flew towards Kevin, who stared at it, momentarily bewildered. He wasn't particularly annoyed, merely raising a hand to casually bat away the 'prank'.
But the instant his arm made contact, the crystalline sphere flared with light, engulfing Kevin completely.
[Elysia] bent down, picked up the sphere—now seemingly containing a miniature Kevin—and beamed with satisfaction.
"Gotcha~"
"So, I guess I should say..."
"Kevin! I choose you!... Wait, no, I caught you!" [Elysia] held up the sphere, looking rather proud of herself.
"..." Su stared. "What did you do?"
"Hm? I caught Kevin! What do you think? Pretty neat, huh?"
"It's something I prepared specially for this trip. Just touch it, and whoosh, you get sucked right in."
"So, how about it? Wanna give it a try too, Su?"
Meeting her eager gaze, Su remained expressionless but took a discreet step backward.
"No thanks." Getting captured... Kevin alone was enough. Su had no desire to join him inside so quickly.
However, with Su's keen insight, he easily discerned the true nature of the sphere in [Elysia]'s hand. This seems to be... a Bubble Universe?
While seeing a Bubble Universe manifested in this form was surprising, as the wielder of the Sumeru Divine Key, Su was adept at manipulating them. Besides, he had previously helped Bronya create a snow globe-like viewing sphere for Seele using one of Welt Yang's Bubble Universes. So, the sphere used to seal Kevin was also a Bubble Universe.
But why would 'Elysia' have prepared such a thing? Setting aside how she could create one, thinking of his trapped friend, Su began to ponder this question.
"Alright then..." [Elysia] pouted with disappointment at being turned down, sending a slight chill down Su's spine. Did she actually want to trap me too?
But then, remembering this was Elysia, the Enlightened One felt a sense of resignation. That was Elysia for you. While her 'victims' had to consider countless implications, Elysia only needed to think about how to make teasing them more fun.
"But really, you don't want to take a peek? It'll be fun, Su! Surely you want to see Kevin looking flustered?"
Su looked utterly unconvinced, keeping his distance. Kevin, flustered? Maybe fifty thousand years ago, perhaps. But with his current icy demeanor? Unless Dr. MEI herself came back from the dead, seeing genuine embarrassment on Kevin's face was pure fantasy. Not buying it. I bet you just want to lure me closer and trap me too!
—Inside the sphere.
Kevin quickly regained his senses, though still slightly dazed. He looked around, surprised by the environment. The lunar environment wasn't entirely unfamiliar to him.
What truly puzzled him was why 'Elysia' had done this. 'Was it simply... to trap me?'
He didn't actually object too strongly to that possibility. After all, if possible, he wouldn't mind using this as an excuse to delay things, to buy some time.
However, what confused Kevin was... He could sense that this 'world' was incredibly fragile. Even by the standards of a Bubble Universe, this one felt like it was on the verge of collapse. This meant Kevin wouldn't even need to unleash his Chimera power, unlike against Su's pocket dimension.
A slight exertion of force would likely be enough to shatter this fragile construct.
So—this fragile Bubble Universe is the prison she prepared for me? If—when—he got out, Kevin very much wanted to ask her that.
But, the next moment...
Kevin suddenly sensed something, and his expression froze.
He slowly turned around... and stared at the familiar figure gazing intently back at him.
In that instant, Kevin understood.
It seemed... he really wasn't getting out of here anytime soon.