"Unforgivable. Who dared perform human experimentation on you? Tell me their names—no matter who they are, I won't let a single one go!!"
For the first time, Mobius spoke with venomous fury.
As she looked at the white-haired boy chatting with her so casually, her heart ached even more. Her anger burned hotter. Who could possibly hurt someone as perfect as him?
Fusion surgery was an immensely advanced procedure that delved into the DNA level. Anesthetics alone couldn't suppress the pain.
That's why, during Kevin's operation earlier, they had cut off his consciousness entirely—putting him into a deep coma.
Had they not done that, his screams would have echoed throughout Mobius' lab—or rather, the entire base—ruining the recently improved reputation of the First Research Lab, returning it once again to its image as a devil's lair.
Yet Elias, enduring a level of pain no normal person could withstand, still smiled and chatted with her as if nothing was happening. Mobius couldn't begin to comprehend what kind of willpower this required.
No, it had surpassed the realm of mere willpower. His demeanor was like someone completely used to such procedures.
Mobius recalled Elias' past disgust—no, hatred—for human experimentation. It wasn't hard to guess that he had once been subjected to cruel experiments somewhere before.
(Bastards, bastards! Who were they?! I swear I'll make them pay! Ahhh... Elias, what have you been through in your past...)
The more composed Elias appeared—
The more Mobius' heart ached.
It felt like a massive hand gripped her heart tightly, suffocating her.
"It's alright, Mobius. That was a long time ago. Besides, I've already avenged myself."
"But how can I stand this?! Tell me who they are! I'll drag their families into my lab and do the same experiments to them that they did to you!"
Mobius growled in pure rage. Discovering Elias had suffered cruel human experimentation was something she simply couldn't accept.
She was so angry she no longer cared about her principles. She was ready to use even the vilest, ugliest means—
Just to make them pay the most agonizing price!
"Thank you, Mobius. I'm really touched you'd get this angry for me."
Elias smiled and reached out to pat her snake-like hair, only to be met with a harsh glare.
He didn't mind. Everyone knew Mobius, for all her villainous tendencies, still adhered to a strict personal code. Yet now she was willing to abandon that for Elias' sake.
Elias couldn't help but feel deeply moved.
"But I won't let you break your own principles, Mobius. You don't need to dirty your hands for me."
"Heh~ Do you think my hands are clean, Elias? Do you know how many people have died on my operating table? I've lost count."
Mobius scoffed coldly. If hell truly existed, she was sure she'd be sent to its deepest level—never to reincarnate.
"Maybe so, but to me, your hands are still clean and beautiful."
"Hmph! Don't joke around. One slip of my hand, and you're dead, you know."
"I'm not that fragile."
Elias shrugged, even adjusting his posture slightly for comfort... Even if Mobius were condemned to hell after death, he would pull her back up.
Because Elias would save her.
...
Mobius ultimately completed Elias' fusion surgery. Under her absolute concentration, not a single mishap occurred—the entire process was flawlessly smooth.
But even so, the result still exceeded her expectations.
Mobius had assumed Elias would undergo the same outcome as Kevin: a perfect integration of Honkai Beast powers without any physical changes.
However—
"What is this?!"
She stared at Elias in shock.
The moment the gene fusion and recombination concluded—
A pair of jade-white dragon horns sprouted from Elias' head, white dragon wings unfurled from his back, and even a long white tail extended outward. All ten fingers had transformed into sharp claws.
This was a side effect that hadn't occurred with Kevin!
Traits of a Honkai Beast were manifesting physically on a human body!
And Elias' situation was even more extreme. It wasn't just that he exhibited Honkai Beast characteristics—his horns, wings, and tail were visibly influenced by his own essence. That pure, immaculate white was proof.
It was a white unique to Elias.
A perfect white—untainted by any other color, and even capable of turning anything it touched into that same shade. Like a canvas that couldn't hold any pigment, forever remaining flawless.
"Mm. Just as I imagined. I look awesome."
Elias glanced at the lab's mirror, admiring his newly altered form post-surgery and nodded in satisfaction.
His words startled Mobius.
"As imagined? Elias, you knew you'd turn out like this?"
"I just considered the possibility, that's all. Don't worry, Mobius—I can retract all these traits anytime. Hehe, actually, I thought they looked pretty cool, so I chose to keep them."
For someone like Elias, who possessed the authority to manipulate biological cells, erasing his Honkai Beast features would be child's play. But...
(Why would I? New skin, after all~)
Elias curiously touched the white dragon horns atop his head and squinted in enjoyment.
(Ah~ as expected of me. Even better than Mei's.)
"First time flying with real wings... Whoa, a bit hard to control. I'll need more practice. This tail feels nice too—hurts a lot when it hits, I bet~"
"..."
Mobius stared speechlessly at Elias, who was testing out all his new body parts like a child with a new toy, excitedly trying out every function.
"Get down. You'll wreck my ceiling."
"Oh."
"Hmm... the texture really is excellent. Ahem, let me check the rest. I need to collect data."
"Doctor, I don't mind you touching me."
Elias smiled helplessly as Mobius maintained a straight face while casually groping all over him. Her hands, however, were anything but restrained.
We're familiar enough, and I don't charge or get stingy—go ahead and touch all you want, Doctor.
Of course, this privilege only applied to girls! If Kevin ever dared reach out, Elias would whip him with his tail on the spot!
"Ahem! What about your abilities? The Honkai Beast gene you found wasn't in our database. All I could do was compare it with Shesha's and determine that its level was higher. Beyond that, I've got nothing."
"Hold on, let me get a feel for it. Emmm... decent. Usable, I guess."
"Be specific!"
"Ultra-wide weather manipulation, infinite consumption, rapid regeneration, and gigantification. Those four, mainly."
Essentially, they were the abilities of Benares combined with Chiyou. Elias now possessed them all—and his physical durability had reached a truly terrifying level.
No exaggeration—Elias could now take a Judgment of Shamash to the face without any defenses.
Mobius nodded in satisfaction as she watched Elias retract his Honkai Beast traits and return to human form. This confirmed her theory: they weren't fusion side effects, but rather a combat-enhancing transformation.
"Don't retract them just yet. Let me... examine them!"
"Haha! Sure~"
Mobius happily stroked the dragon tail. That cool, smooth texture made it instantly addictive.
"By the way, for that weather manipulation ability you mentioned—how wide is its range?"
"Uh... centered on me... about half the planet?"
Pffft—!!
Mobius spat out her coffee. They were barely half a meter apart, but Elias still managed to reflexively fold his wings to shield against the incoming caffeine spray.
Clearly, his reaction time had improved drastically. He figured he could probably dodge raindrops in a storm now.
"Calm down, Doctor. For a post-Judgment-level Honkai Beast classified as Vipralopa-level, this is normal."
"Normal my ass! I don't even know what Vipralopa-level means, but this clearly isn't right!"
"Uh..."
Elias turned away, looking a bit guilty.
It was true.
Though the genes from Bella and Chiyou granted him these powers, Elias' inherently high level significantly amplified them.
Bella's weather control—at most half a step into the Vipralopa level—was only about one-tenth as powerful as Elias' version.
"Unlike Kevin, it seems I won't be able to collect your full combat data. Oh well. Now it's my turn. I'll be operating on myself—you monitor me."
"Got it~"
Elias gave a thumbs-up while wiping down his wings with a towel.
"So I'm officially designated MANTIS-002 now? Ugh, being listed after that husky Kevin kinda annoys me."
"What 002? You're MANTIS-000. Don't forget—you already told the top brass you were the first fusion warrior. That means your number has to come before Kevin's."
"Oh, right~"
Elias nodded happily. He liked the number zero—it represented nothingness, yet undeniable existence. Without the initial 0, there'd be no counting beyond it.
Mobius then began her self-operation.
And damn, this woman was brutal.
Anesthetics weren't especially effective, but even so, using some would help a little. Instead, Mobius rolled up her sleeves and just went at it! She casually cut into her own flesh, grabbing Shesha's gene material and performing surgery on herself in front of a mirror.
Elias winced and rushed over, activating his Herrscher of Rebirth authority to keep Mobius from slicing into a vital organ with an unsteady hand.
"Hey, what's your ability anyway? Tell me."
Maybe as payback for Elias chatting with her mid-operation earlier, Mobius gritted her teeth and struck up a conversation.
"Uh... just your average cell manipulation."
"...Shit!"
Mobius's hand twitched and accidentally sliced into her lung. Elias instantly bloomed a white flower inside her body, healing the injury completely. Mobius twitched.
Cell manipulation? That kind of power was indistinguishable from magic to any biologist!
Elias, why are you even a warrior? Just stay in my lab and do research with me!
With that absurd ability backing them, Mobius fully let loose. Unlike the meticulous precision she used during Elias' operation, she now acted carelessly and half-heartedly.
Mobius: "This is my third surgery today. I'm tired. Let's just wing it. Not like I can die anyway."
Elias twitched at the corner of his eye, not daring to relax for a second.
As expected, Shesha's genes went berserk shortly afterward. It was like an invisible serpent had awakened inside Mobius, tearing through her body with ferocious destruction.
But—
Elias healed faster.
White flowers bloomed over every part of Mobius' body, staging a war of destruction and regeneration within her.
According to her original fate, Mobius was supposed to die once—her heart stopping for over ten hours before fusion could succeed.
But thanks to Elias' relentless healing barrage, she forcefully suppressed Shesha's rampaging genes and completed the fusion with ease.
"Mm~ Not bad at all. Just as expected."
Mobius admired her reflection in the mirror.
Her eyes had turned gold-green, slit like a serpent's. A black spike protruded from her chest, a black crown formed atop her head, and two fingers on her right hand were now covered in green exoskeleton.
Of course, like Elias, Mobius could now retract her Honkai Beast traits at will.
Her previously unhealthy body—sustained mostly on instant noodles—was now stronger than any super-soldier's. She could crush steel like paper.
And most importantly... her figure improved.
Worthy of the title "serpent"—not a trace of excess fat, her body was flexible yet firm, exuding deadly charm. Her allure had skyrocketed, and even Elias was stunned.
"Elias, do you like how I look now?"
"I love it. Mobius, you're beautiful!"
"Hehe~ I like your honesty."
Mobius flashed a brilliant smile. She had finally obtained the immortality she'd always longed for. She could feel Shesha's power within her—and now, with her strength greatly increased...
(Elysia... let's see you compete with me now!)
So what if she had a well-coordinated partner?
Elias was now a fusion warrior just like her.
Though both still firmly believed themselves to be human, from a biological perspective, they had already become a new species beyond mankind.
That made her and Elias the true kin. As for that outdated pink piglet—she could roll far, far away!
Unable to contain her mood, Mobius coiled herself around the white-haired boy like a snake.
"Mobius, what are you doing?!"
"Hehe~ What am I doing? You mean this? Hmm... Elias, consider it an experiment. Or a reward. I really, really like you~"
Mobius cupped Elias' cheeks and kissed him hard.
And just then—
"Elias! The weather's so nice, let's go on a date—AHHH! Mobius, y-y-you—what are you doing?! Let go of my Elias! You're not allowed to do that, ahhhh—!!"
Miss Pink Elf had just entered the lab—only to witness the scene. It was like lightning struck her on the spot.