Simply put, not only was the person completely in her grasp, but Dr MEI only needed three sentences to effortlessly persuade the Herrscher of Sentience to obediently cooperate. Even the opponent's emotions had been anticipated. In reality, breaking the chains binding Kiana's power only required the Herrscher and her to spar—nothing more.
Once the sparring was over, the matter was settled without giving the Herrscher any chance to change her mind.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Mei and Bronya were also engaging in a dialogue uniquely their own.
In a certain sense, the two of them shared something in common: they were both inheritors. While the term might seem broad, it was true that they each carried on the legacy of one of the greatest eras. From the Trailblazers who came before them, they had inherited invaluable spiritual convictions. They had both been etched into their respective eras, part of a continuous line stretching from the past into the future.
Now, with her powers gone, Bronya found the thoughts of those 300,000 people weighing ever more heavily and vividly on her mind. Whispering in her ears, their blended images played over and over in her head.
Soon, she understood why—perhaps she had never truly comprehended their ideals before. Following that understanding, the road ahead remained long and winding. But now, with her core powers gone, she could finally feel the "weight" of that legacy.
She wanted to share this feeling with Mei. So, suddenly, Bronya suggested a sparring match—to test the differences in the paths they walked.
The two locked eyes, and their weapons—spear and blade—extended toward each other in a probing stance, with an unspoken agreement to stop at first contact.
By the time Kiana arrived, they had just ended their duel. Otherwise, Kiana would've been forced into choosing sides—which, in the end, would likely become an awkward situation of trying to keep Bronya from getting too hurt. After all, choosing between Bronya and Mei was relatively easy for Kiana.
Thanks to the Herrscher of Sentience's help restoring Kiana's powers, they managed to repair the broken bridge and completed the connection to another part of this world.
Before exploring this new realm, the first issue to solve was communication.
And regarding that…
"Why are you all looking at me? Don't even think about making me work overtime just because we're on the moon!"
The Herrscher of Sentience snapped angrily, her tone prickly like a cat with fur on end.
The other three shared a knowing look, which drove her slightly crazy. Why did they always end up relying on her?
"But… you're the only one who can do this, Senti," Kiana pleaded, eyes full of hope—only to be met with the back of a long head of gray hair.
Senti said nothing, determined to remain silent.
The great Herrscher of Sentience would never bow to humanity's toxic work culture! She would rather die—or jump off this bridge—than contribute even a single line of code! Whoever wants to do it, let them do it!
…But in reality—
"It's so typical..."
Though she voiced such righteous indignation, the Herrscher secretly used her powers to link the team's communication channels while they weren't paying attention—so they could coordinate effectively if danger struck.
Quick, give thanks to the great Herrscher of Sentience!
And just like that, the exploration squad for this fragmented world set out, with the Herrscher acting as their network administrator. The team set off to search for useful intelligence about this fragmented dimension.
Whether by coincidence or through the bond between sisters, their intel-gathering efforts led to a connection between Kiana and Durandal. Both sides were able to exchange information about their current situations.
However, as the data came together, they also noticed that Dr. MEI seemed to be hiding something—something related to this fragmented world...
---
In the studio, voice acting Room.
"Ahem… Clearly, the great Herrscher of Sentience is still a beautiful and kind-hearted lady who has never once abandoned you all~"
The Herrscher of Sentience gave a small cough, holding a fist to her lips. Still, a faint blush crept onto her face, her tone a bit awkward. As the saying goes, if you anticipate someone's comment before they make it, you can avoid being put on the spot.
So, by jumping ahead and saying it herself, the result should be the same, right?
"Luo Mo, I've predicted what you were about to say!"
"Yep, that's just how our Senti is," Luo Mo nodded agreeably, without looking up—he was still searching for something on his phone, seemingly uninterested in what just happened.
That's suspicious. Extremely suspicious.
The Herrscher narrowed her eyes at him but couldn't figure out his true intentions. After the encounter with the Herrscher of Corruption, she had tried probing him—at his own request even. But...
She had to admit, the once easily manipulated depths of his mind now housed something monstrous. It would reflexively fight back. It was like a virus that nearly flowed into her thoughts. In short, she didn't want to pry too deep into Luo Mo's mind anymore.
But for some reason, she still had a feeling he was up to something.
"Kiana also tends to say some oddly appropriate things when the moment calls for it." Mei remarked thoughtfully.
This came from their long-standing impression of her—Kiana had always been spontaneous. Some of her words might have sounded random, but they often pushed things forward, for better or worse. There was always a certain clear-headed foolishness to her.
In the game, it was rare for someone like her to say something that actually made sense to a Herrscher, but somehow... it worked.
"Right? I mean, I've been through a lot, after all,"
Kiana chuckled.
She really admired her future self—the poise, the maturity—it made her envious. But thinking about the sacrifices that version of her had made, she found her current life just as precious.
"Oh come on! Don't be fooled by their words. How could I possibly have been moved by just a few things Kiana said?"
The Herrscher of Sentience hurriedly waved her hands, clearly flustered.
"Then what was it?" Bronya asked, barely holding back a laugh.
"Why do you always… you know what, never mind. Too lazy to correct you. It's just… ugh… who cares about the reason? Overtime is something that should be avoided at all costs, okay? Think carefully about your own problems instead!"
Senti's face twisted in frustration as she struggled to explain herself. After a few seconds of painful thinking, she gave up and outright rejected them.
What's called "illogical" still deserves to be stirred up three parts — and so, Senti chose to respond with nonsense and sarcasm, which made Luo Mo's face darken — because obviously, he was the one being targeted.
You don't even have to guess — when she brought up "working overtime," everyone knew exactly who she meant.
But... Luo Mo wanted to say something, then stopped and just looked at her.
Truthfully speaking — when did this Herrscher of Sentience ever actually work overtime? Did she even have half the work efficiency of a single serious Herrscher?
----
Back in the game.
When they went to ask Dr MEI about the secrets she had been hiding, it just so happened that MEI was discussing a certain topic with the Herrscher of Sentience — something to do with a well-known person from their past. Although this person had always been somewhat controversial…
The Herrscher of Sentience, clearly upset, spread her arms toward MEI and exclaimed:
"...And then what happened? That stubborn old fool got seriously injured again, and lost consciousness!"
"Tell me — is she dumb or what? This time she even got tricked by that guy — what's his name again? Otto? Fooled right into Europe!"
MEI pushed up her glasses slightly and replied calmly:
"I think that Otto person probably isn't just some average individual."
"If it were really him, that would explain a lot!"
The Herrscher of Sentience was clearly furious, as if MEI had just said something completely incomprehensible:
"That guy spent his whole life as the leader of the world, but all he ever thought about was one woman who died 500 years ago!!"
"And guess what — I heard that in the end, he really did exchange his life to bring that lady back. What kind of crazy story is that?!"
Dr MEI nodded with a thoughtful expression:
"I see. No wonder, then. Under normal conditions, even the Flame-Chaser or Herrschers wouldn't be affected. But Prometheus recorded an energy spike that momentarily impacted the entire planet."
This finally explained something that had puzzled Dr MEI for a while — the sudden spike in energy values logged by Prometheus not long ago. She never doubted the accuracy of the records, but had always wondered what could've caused such an extreme value.
"The dead can't come back to life. If he really did do it… then the only explanation is what you'd call a 'rewriting of fate'."
"Why are you praising him now?!" the Herrscher of Sentience snapped, arms crossed, her chest tight with discomfort. The very idea of complimenting Otto made her feel physically ill. That guy was clearly a huge villain — why should he be commended for anything?!
-----
At Schicksal Headquarters, Kolosten Town
Or rather — what used to be Kolosten. Without Otto's obsessive will, this small town no longer remained frozen in time like some preserved set piece. Instead, only a few architecturally significant structures were left standing, retaining a trace of their historical charm.
For one troubled traveler, it was the perfect place to revisit old memories.
Ever since the global announcement following the events of the Herrscher of Corruption in Honkai Impact 3rd, some formerly off-limits areas like Schicksal HQ and St. Freya had unexpectedly become popular tourist destinations — aside from certain restricted zones, of course.
Even though she was the current Overseer of Schicksal, she herself wasn't exactly sure why she had come here. After handling official business at headquarters, a sudden impulse had brought her to this place — perhaps it was age making her sentimental.
Although, to be fair, the term "old age" hardly applied to her anymore. The thought made her chuckle quietly to herself.
"Even on the Moon-adjacent phase of this world, one can clearly sense the weight of that singular moment in time,"
Kallen said with a trace of bitter humor on her lips, her eyes fixated on the flickering scene of a now-vanished cutscene.
As the Herrscher of Sentience — or perhaps simply as someone with her own principles — she certainly had the right to voice her dissatisfaction toward Otto.
But…
The Doctor's theory wasn't wrong. He really did rewrite fate.
"Lady Overseer…"
Rita, standing beside her, tilted her head slightly with a gentle smile.
"This is probably just one way the game chooses to present its narrative, nothing more."
"Yes… just a narrative method,"
Kallen murmured as she looked up at the sky. The clouds pressed low with an almost oppressive force — like a silent weight over this ancient town. There was no golden light today, at least not now.
So then… what was she still waiting for?
Kallen stood still, gazing at the statue of the saint, where groups of visitors smiled and offered prayers. She let out a soft sigh, then quietly turned to leave.
"Lady Overseer, here's your itinerary for the evening. Please review it."
"Mm."
Kallen only gave a light nod. But before walking away, her eyes lingered one last time on the nearby nameless monument — inside which rested the garments she had sewn by hand, styled exactly like the person she'd seen countless times in her dreams.
Once, only she knew who was truly being remembered there — Otto Apocalypse.
But now, he was destined to never be forgotten.
----
In the Golden Courtyard.
"You guessed correctly — change the fate. Tch, as expected of Dr MEI, even if… she's not the real MEI," Mobius admitted.
If she had to name the student she was most proud of, it would definitely be MEI, even though she had only mentored her for a brief time and their relationship as teacher and student was far from close…
Then again, Mobius never really had any true students to begin with.
"Prometheus, it really does seem like it's that one in this world," Elysia said, lightly tapping her cheek. "Little Senti sure treats MEI with some real respect — way more amusing than with the Flower~♪"
Elysia's whimsical thought process was as hard to follow as ever, as she tilted her head and seemed to ponder new ways to tease someone.
"…" Hua wanted to speak but hesitated. She wondered whether she should say something.
"After all, she is a Herrscher," said Kalpas coldly.
"But Kevin doesn't seem to have met her yet… and the MEI of this world… doesn't seem to be doing the right thing," Vill-V propped her chin on her hand, an unusual glint in her eye, smiling faintly.
"Uhh… Vill-V sis, what do you mean by 'the right thing'? I-I can't really tell!" Griseo asked nervously but with curiosity.
"Saving the world or whatever… Look, isn't she clearly helping Kiana and the others?" Vill-V answered casually, but the curve of her lips deepened, as if revealing a huge secret. She pressed down her magic hat and said, "Helping Kiana and saving this bubble universe might not even be related — in fact, they might even contradict each other."
-Silence.
For a moment, the courtyard fell into complete quiet.
"That possibility does exist. In fact, contradiction makes more sense," Mobius furrowed her brow, seriously considering the thought.
For a bubble world to remain stable or even alive, it must rely on an external factor. The identity of that factor was clear — World Serpent.
That being the case, this must be the result of a deal. MEI's original stance likely wasn't aligned with Kiana and the others to begin with.
---
Back in the Game.
Dr. MEI explained that she had indeed been hiding certain things.
And those things… were very important — but only harmless to the few Herrschers present.
She had played a role.
She and Prometheus were part of the foundation of this world. Therefore, from the very beginning, they could not escape the bubble universe in the same way as Kiana and the others.
From the start, she had hoped the other travelers would not meddle with the true nature of this bubble universe — herself included.
The Stigmata Project required time. They were in a race against time within the game itself.
If they were to leave the bubble universe, there was a high probability that it would collapse. The bubble world had gained life from their presence — and it would similarly be destroyed upon their departure.
She didn't want them to bear that burden. They should return to the real world, to take on their own responsibilities there.
As for Dr MEI…
She had made her choice long ago.
Rather than wait until the bubble world was destroyed 40 days later as originally planned, she had chosen to shoulder the hope of this world's rebirth — and let it go with her.
Maybe there was still another way.
Maybe there wasn't.
But either way, she had to choose.
And MEI chose this path.
The others stood there, momentarily stunned and speechless. Of course, they didn't want to accept this reality.
But for now...
"Let's first take care of something more important," Dr MEI smiled gently and said calmly. "Let's restore your core Herrscher powers."
That step was necessary no matter what their choices would be.
Kiana and Mei stood together, their Herrscher cores resonating — thoughts and feelings aligned.
In that moment of mutual understanding and shared emotion, they fully dissolved the wall that had once stood between them — that invisible wall formed by caring too much and not knowing how to reach out.
From the classrooms of St. Freya to the trials they had endured along the way, they had never doubted each other's love — but they had spent so long apart.