Inside Mobius' Fire Moth laboratory.
"I'm done. Playing chess with you is unwinnable."
Mobius threw her white pieces down in frustration.
On the black-and-white chessboard before her, her white pieces had been completely divided, with only ten remaining. Meanwhile, the black pieces were tightly grouped and outnumbered hers by several times.
This was a game about who could keep more pieces on the board by the end. Although there were still many empty spaces left, Mobius knew she didn't stand a chance.
Even though this was her first time playing this type of game today, the same went for the other side. After a trial match, both of them had started playing like masters by the second round…
And then the snake got utterly destroyed ten games in a row.
For someone like her—an unmatched genius—to lose so miserably in a game of intellect, it was obvious the other party was also a rare genius, especially in the art of tricks and manipulation.
Mobius looked up at the person sitting across from her—the [Occultist]. Though annoyed, she had to acknowledge her opponent.
"You're giving up already? I feel like if you really wanted to win, Mobius, you'd have ten thousand ways to do it."
"There's no meaning in doing something like that. Rather than play a game I can't possibly win with you, Occultist, I'd rather run a few more experiments—or… get back at you during the surgery later, Vill-V~"
"Ahaha… as expected of you, Mobius. Truly terrifying."
Vill-V let out an awkward laugh and raised her hand in surrender, sensibly packing up the chessboard. She then picked up the Meta-Morph surgery files and began reviewing them, admiring the Honkai Beast she had been matched with.
It was an Emperor-class spider-type Honkai Beast, named Arachne.
Although it didn't possess overwhelming attack power, it was particularly sly and unpredictable, having escaped Fire Moth's pursuit multiple times.
In the end, it was personally captured by Elias.
"Hmm, a Honkai Beast caught by Elias? Not bad, not bad. Looks perfect for me."
"Tch~ My Shesha was also killed by him."
"Ah, right, right—Elysia helped too."
Ever eager to stir the pot, Vill-V helpfully added that last bit.
"...Vill-V, do you seriously have a death wish on the operating table? Let me remind you: in my lab, never mention that pink fatty!"
A massive pound mark appeared on Mobius' forehead.
She was instantly irritable at the mention of Elysia.
It had been a long time since she'd figured out how to control artificial cascade awakenings, and as expected, it was a tremendous power for fusion warriors.
Even someone like Mobius—"a weakling without the strength to truss a chicken," as she modestly described herself—could go toe-to-toe with a Herrscher-level opponent in an awakened state.
And yet she still couldn't beat Miss Pink Elf.
Elysia didn't even need to awaken. Just using Whisper of the Past from range was enough to completely suppress Mobius. Lately, her crystal magic had become increasingly flashy—and her HP had gotten ridiculously thick.
(18 health bars. She can facetank Mobius without breaking a sweat.)
The snake was so frustrated she wanted to flip the entire lab.
"Yes, yes~ I actually want to see Elysia again. I wonder how things are going with her and Elias? Have they fought? When are they breaking up?"
"According to my data calculations, the probability of them breaking up is actually lower than the chance of a Herrscher becoming humanity's ally."
"...That's absurd."
Vill-V gawked in disbelief.
"Hmph! Isn't it just? Absolutely absurd! You wouldn't believe how many decimal places that probability has!"
Mobius clenched her teeth in denial.
"Uh, no—I meant you, Mobius. The fact you actually calculated that is what's truly absurd…"
Vill-V shook her head. The most ridiculous part wasn't Elysia's relationship—it was Mobius herself. She'd encountered yandere types before, but this was the first time she'd met a genius-level one.
Cold, merciless rationality mixed with hysterical madness—it was a perfect match for Mobius' own genius-level split personality. No wonder she had felt a strange sense of camaraderie the moment they met.
"Speaking of which, the reason I can appear so openly in Fire Moth's base is really thanks to Elias. I heard he's stirred up quite a storm again lately."
"Hmph~ Isn't Elias always that capable? Thanks to him, funding is no longer a problem for me."
Mobius revealed an expression of immense satisfaction.
Ever since Elias slaughtered half of Fire Moth's councilors and handed over their influence and resources to her and Mei, Mobius never had to worry about budget issues again.
Now she was eating two instant noodles per meal—every time with eggs and ham. Absolute luxury!
As for the remaining councilors, they had been thoroughly intimidated by Elias' methods, all of them behaving obediently, no longer daring to make any rash moves.
After all, being able to eliminate half the councilors solo in just half a day—no matter what kind of fortress, bunker, or secure base they hid in—it was all useless. Death was inevitable.
That was simply too terrifying for these cowardly, life-loving councilors.
In their eyes, Elias was now more terrifying than any Herrscher.
And compared to their lives, things like profit could definitely wait. So the remaining councilors all collectively surrendered, breaking their own canes as they swore allegiance.
"Like hell I'd believe any of you. Mobius, show us your talents."
Of course, Elias didn't trust them in the slightest.
Promises and oaths were no different from farts to those bastards. Only by truly gripping their hearts and controlling their lives could they be forced to behave.
So Elias had Mobius inject each of them with a dose of poison. Under her research, Shesha's poison had evolved into a virtually incurable toxin. Unless undone by Mobius herself—or by Elias as the Herrscher of Death—
There was no cure in existence.
While the poison posed no harm in daily life, at any time and place, with just a single thought, Mobius could make any poisoned individual drop dead on the spot.
Naturally, this drove the councilors into despair—but Elias' brilliance lay in the fact that he gave them hope, too.
Elias: "Things have come to this point because you refused to behave. But I'm not a demon. So I'll give you a chance… When humanity completely defeats the Honkai, I'll have Mobius cure you."
Councilors: "No matter the cost! Humanity will definitely defeat the Honkai! LET'S GOOOO—!!!"
From that moment on—
Fire Moth's hatred toward the Honkai increased by 300%.
To help humanity defeat the Honkai as soon as possible—and free themselves—these councilors finally redirected all their energy away from internal power struggles and toward actually fighting the enemy.
In just over three months—
Global Honkai incidents dropped by 50%.
Sometimes, even the discovery of a single Chariot-class mosquito would trigger a full-scale bombardment. Even for just a lone zombie, fusion warriors would be deployed.
Councilor: "Our motto is: Wherever there is Honkai, Fire Moth will be there! I shall never share the sky with Honkai!"
Elias: "Good, good~ As expected, people only act when pushed to the brink. I'm impressed—keep it up."
Councilors: "Yes, Lord Elias!!"
Honestly, even Elias himself was a little stunned.
He had originally just wanted to give the councilors a little more motivation to fight the Honkai—but somehow, that motivation had multiplied by a billion. They went full berserk mode, leaving even the Honkai dazed.
Truly, survival instinct was humanity's greatest driving force.
Now, Fire Moth was completely obedient to him.
As a result, Vill-V's Helixcraft no longer needed to stand opposed to Fire Moth. Elias simply had her merge with them, creating a mutually beneficial reinforcement of both sides.
At the same time, Elias lifted the research funding restrictions on both Mobius and Mei. That day, when they saw the "unlimited budget" column on their accounts, Elias almost gained two new daughters.
"Hahaha~! I've never had such wonderful treatment before. Now I can buy whatever equipment I want—this is heaven!" Mobius let out a joyous laugh.
Pfft~
Vill-V couldn't hold back her laughter from the side.
"Vill-V, what are you laughing at?"
"Pfft, nothing. I just thought of something funny. Please continue, Mobius."
"Tch, I almost forgot—you're one of those people who's never had to worry about funding."
Mobius folded her arms. She had just remembered that Vill-V had somehow achieved financial freedom a long time ago.
Instantly, Mobius grew curious.
"I've been meaning to ask—where exactly did you find your sponsor? Your Helixcraft is just you alone, yet you can produce massive mechanized armies, and the firepower on those mechs… it's like Helixcraft is richer than Fire Moth itself."
Even Mobius found it unbelievable.
Even with the full support of the United Nations, Fire Moth's individual equipment didn't match the strength of Helixcraft's—not just in terms of tech, but also cost.
According to Fire Moth's evaluations, even a low-end Helixcraft mech cost close to a billion.
Then, just recently, Vill-V had brought over a weapons manifest for registration. And—good lord—50,000 low-grade mechs, 7,000 high-grade mechs, and several Godslayer mechs!
The total value exceeded several hundred trillion.
Just thinking about it made Mobius feel like the world had gone off the rails.
She looked at Vill-V with increasing jealousy.
(Just how rich was this girl before? Probably added ten chicken legs to every cup noodle she ate!)
"Oh, nothing special~ Not worth mentioning. Don't ask. Our boss is just a low-key guy."
Vill-V's smug grin was practically reaching the sky.
Mobius' so-called "unlimited budget" was nothing compared to Vill-V's current status—she had access to "unlimited resources." Resources that money couldn't even buy—Elias would give them to her just by asking!
Ever since becoming a sponsored genius under Daddy Elias, Vill-V felt like she was living a divine life. She could build anything she wanted, design freely—her genius brain finally unleashed without limits.
To put it bluntly, and a bit impolitely:
She was now Elias' dog.
Vill-V: (I want to be Daddy Elias' dog! Woof woof woof woof woof!!)
Mobius: "Tch~ Nutcase."
Still, even if she was a nutcase, Mobius had to admit—this one was good. After Helixcraft merged with Fire Moth, both sides began sharing technology.
That massive, terrifying mech army had already been dispatched in batches to each Fire Moth base.
On top of that, Vill-V's latest invention—called Soulium, a new type of nano-material—
Shocked everyone.
Not only could it completely block Honkai energy, but it could also self-repair upon contact with it. Thanks to Soulium, all Honkai-energy-based weapons in the Previous Era saw a massive increase in effectiveness.
In addition, after discussion between Dr. Mei and Elias, the major task of turning Herrscher Cores into weapons was entrusted to Vill-V.
The project name: Divine Key Project.
Vill-V: "I knew teaming up with Elias would bring great fortune! Even Herrscher Cores are fair game—amazing!"
Mobius: "Tch. Wasteful!"
The snake was extremely displeased with the plan.
In her eyes, turning Herrscher Cores into weapons was sheer waste.
Mobius: "Herrscher Cores are priceless treasures that could push human evolution forward. Instead of trying to integrate them into the human body and give humanity the power of Herrschers, making weapons out of them? That's just brain-dead."
"Still, it's a good thing for me. I've always wanted to try using Herrscher Cores as materials. Just watch—I'll have results within a month… Or I'd like to say that, but lately things have gotten pretty busy. I'm swamped."
Vill-V spoke with a sigh, though for this brilliant inventor, it was a happy kind of trouble.
"Oh? I may look down on this so-called 'Divine Key Project,' but both Elias and Mei take it seriously. What could possibly outrank it in priority?"
Mobius raised an eyebrow, surprised.
"Ehhh, it's classified… but I guess it's fine to tell you, Mobius. Come closer."
"Oho? Being this cautious? Intriguing~"
Vill-V looked around carefully to confirm they were alone, then beckoned Mobius over.
Her cautious demeanor only made the snake more curious.
"Ahem, truth is… Elias recently gave me a new commission—to build a prison under the Pacific Ocean. Codename: [The Deep End]."
"Build a prison? And from Elias? I don't get it. What's he planning now?"
Mobius showed a stunned expression.
Who would even dare oppose Elias at this point? Anyone who did would be killed outright—why go through the trouble of building a prison?
"I don't know either. I'm just following orders. But judging from the standards he outlined, the only thing I can imagine… is that he might want to imprison a few Herrschers."
"Huh?! A prison for Herrschers?!"
"Shhh! Keep your voice down, Mobius!"
Mobius' eyes lit up, and Vill-V hurried to cover her mouth. This was not something to shout about.
"Vill-V, what else do you know?"
"Nothing, really! That's all I know. Don't overthink it, Mobius. Since it's Elias' request, I'm sure he has his reasons."
Vill-V's trust was absolute.
Everything so far had proven one thing: listening to Elias would never lead you wrong. Every decision made by that white-haired boy brought tangible progress in humanity's war against the Honkai.
And Vill-V had long since decided: whatever Elias wanted, she would make it for him.
After all, she was his great inventor~
"Hmph~ A prison for Herrschers… how fascinating. My dearest little lab rat—could that be the surprise you're preparing for me? No doubt it is."
Mobius licked her lips in excitement.
She had never gotten the chance to study a live Herrscher before.
(How adorable. In that case, I should prepare a little reward for you too. Let's play a more… challenging game tonight, hehe~)
Mobius glanced toward a suspicious-looking bottle in the lab—it was her latest research project: a—cough cough, highly effective sleep aid. Even an Emperor-class Honkai Beast would be out cold for ten hours after one dose.
One pink piglet sleeping soundly all night? No problem!
However, just as Mobius was getting lost in her twisted fantasies, a grin on her face so sinister even Vill-V backed away—
"My dearest Dr. Mobius! Your best friend Elysia has come to ask for your help!"
The pink elf, as always, ignored the sign on the door reading "No Elysia or dogs allowed", and hopped right into Mobius' private domain.
"GET OUT—!"
Mobius snapped out of her daydream in a second, instantly activating artificial cascade mode. She transformed into a massive black-green serpentine humanoid wielding a scepter and lunged at Elysia.
Half an hour later—
In a completely trashed lab, the pink elf sat atop the green serpent, sincerely asking:
"My dearest Mobius, is there any way you can help me grow pink fox ears?"
"Elysia, get OFF of me!!"
"Ehehe~ Nope!"