Chapter 376: Just Like That Moment Back Then
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Deafening crashes shook the ground as Mobius's head was slammed into the earth again and again by Sigurd's tremendous strength—like a poor doll being used for violent stress relief.
Blood streamed from the wounds on her head, her consciousness blurring as she gradually drifted back to the time when they first met.
. . .
"You call this your experimental plan?"
Bound by black tentacles that suspended his limbs in midair, Sigurd frowned unhappily at Mobius, who was proudly showing him her experiment proposal.
Ever since he had stepped into the Elysian Realm, things had been… hectic. First, he'd silenced the ever-chatty Elysia with a dose of mute potion. Then came a passionate "friendly exchange" with Kalpas. After that, he complimented Eden's singing—"beautiful," he'd said—and was rewarded with some dazzling but completely useless gemstones. He even managed to make Hua so embarrassed after a sparring session that she shut herself in, leaving her with the remark:
"Your left hand lacks precision, your right hand has no strength. You'll need another fifty thousand years before you can stand on the same stage as me."
And so on, and so forth.
After all that, Sigurd had lost interest in everything and planned to analyze the ancient system known as the Elysian Realm, hoping to uncover its underlying principles and perhaps develop new applications for it.
That was when Mobius appeared—very casually—asking for an experimental partner.
"Found you, my little test subject~! Want to do something fun with me? It'll help you evolve, make you stronger than ever before~! I promise it'll be an experience like nothing else~~"
"Sure."
Sigurd's face remained expressionless as he raised a hand and made an OK gesture.
Mobius's seductive, mysterious smile froze slightly. She tilted her head in confusion, looking almost cute.
"…Eh?"
"Hurry up. Time is life. Show me another human modification pathway from the previous era. I heard you're supposed to be an expert."
Sigurd's tone was impatient as he grabbed one of the metal tentacles from the hovercraft beneath her and started walking toward her personal workspace.
Still seated on her floating device, Mobius blinked in confusion. Her mind was spinning, and some primal instinct told her that this might not go the way she expected.
"W–wait, aren't you being a little too hasty?"
"I said time is life. Don't tell me you came to me without drafting an experiment plan?"
"Of course not! I'm a genius! I can make a perfect modification plan anytime I want! Come on, I'll show you!"
Mobius puffed out her chest proudly, then maneuvered her hovercraft past Sigurd to take the lead.
A few minutes later, Sigurd found himself bound hand and foot, hanging in the air.
Then came the "presentation."
When he asked to review the experiment plan, Mobius—full of confidence—turned it into a stack of printed pages. She flipped through them one by one, eager to impress him with the plan she had spent a whole three minutes drafting.
And now, here they were.
"So? Don't understand it, do you? Should I slow down for you, or go line by line and explain it in detail?"
Mobius giggled, her voice as bright and crisp as silver bells.
Sigurd sighed.
"No need. Just flip faster."
From the moment they met, her so-called "efficiency" was already a disaster. Was this petite snake really the genius scientist people claimed she was?
Mobius must have sensed his skepticism from his dead-fish stare. Blood rushed to her head as she hastily flipped through the remaining pages with a shff shff shff! and gave him a stiff smile.
"There. Happy now? Let's get started already!"
"You're going to experiment on me with that plan?"
"…Are you trying to provoke me?"
"Compound formula in step 16 is wrong. Step 25 is missing a fitting calculation. Step 56—actually, let me be blunt. The overall framework is too aggressive and clearly rushed, lacking simulation validation. Also, you didn't consider gene stability at all. This proposal is unacceptable. Redo it."
"Y–Yes, sir!!"
Sigurd's machine-gun barrage of merciless criticism left Mobius completely dazed. She instinctively shouted her acknowledgment and turned to go revise the plan—just like a scolded university student.
Whoosh~~ whoosh~~ whoosh~~
Smack!
Mobius threw the report onto the floor.
"You really are trying to provoke me, aren't you?!"
Mobius grabbed Sigurd by the collar. In her other hand, black liquid surged and hardened into a sharp, metallic spike. Her serpent-like pupils narrowed, emanating a killing intent so fierce it almost felt tangible.
Three seconds later—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
And that was how they first met.
. . .
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The timeline returned to the present. With every heavy crash, Sigurd slammed Mobius's bloodied head into the ground without the slightest hesitation.
This moment… was exactly like that moment back then.
After some time, once his "greeting" was done, Sigurd dropped the limp, near-dead serpent of a woman to the ground. He took out a tissue and calmly wiped the blood from his hands.
When he glanced back over his shoulder, the girls who'd sworn to protect him just three minutes ago had all instinctively taken a step back.
Kiana and Sin Mal, at least, hadn't moved—though their legs had given out, and they were clinging to each other, forcing awkward, nervous smiles that screamed "We're good girls, don't hit us."
Sigurd said nothing, simply turned back to the one lying at his feet.
"Long time no see, Dr. Mobius."
His tone was formal.
As insane as this serpent woman could be, she was still a genuine genius. The Stigmata Project, the Elysian Realm itself—these were all her creations from fifty thousand years ago. And this Mobius now wasn't all that different from her past self.
Dr. Mei's Stigmata and fusion soldier research had brought humanity the hope of survival. Mobius's beastification and artificial Herrscher experiments had given the Thirteen Flame-Chasers the power to match—or even crush—Herrschers, granting the hope of victory.
—Even if, in the end, they all failed miserably.
Sigurd had criticized her experiments countless times, even calling some "an absolute disaster." But, to be fair, Otto, Einstein, and Tesla had all been on the receiving end of his scathing reviews before.
When geniuses criticize geniuses, it's rarely about capability—it's about ideals.
Mobius slowly lifted her blood-smeared face, glaring at him with pure hatred.
"One day," she hissed through her teeth, "I'll devour you completely!"
"Okay."
"You think you're so great? You only beat me because I'm trapped here! Without access to materials or test subjects, even if I refine my body a thousand times, I'll still be bound by my genetic framework. I can't evolve!"
"You're right," Sigurd said calmly. "Your talent is an unquantifiable variable. Letting you loose would probably throw the outside world into chaos. But this time… I can give you a chance."
He bent down and extended his hand toward her.
Mobius froze, her expression flickering with doubt—and, for just a moment, hesitation.
Then she slowly reached out her small hand and placed it into his. Her bloodied lips curved into a smile.
"You're… far too naïve."
Chomp!
In the blink of an eye, Mobius lunged forward. Her fangs sank deep into Sigurd's wrist.
Glug… glug… glug…
Sigurd felt the blood draining from his arm, rushing down Mobius's throat in heavy gulps.
Before he could retaliate, she jerked away, leaping back with a mad grin.
"Hahahaha! Thank you for crafting such a perfect body—and thank you for delivering that perfect sample right to me again! Just wait, all of you! I'll be back soon, to devour each and every one of you. That'll be my celebration—the moment I break free from my cage and ascend to a higher form! Hahahahahaha!"
Her figure vanished completely, leaving only her eerie, spine-chilling laughter echoing in the air until even that faded into silence.
Sigurd raised his arm, watching the twin bite marks slowly knit back together. His expression was utterly blank.
"…Dr. Mobius," he murmured at last. "You truly are… fascinating."
And as he said that, a gentle, springlike smile spread across his face.
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