The Black Abyss White Flower shook the Stigma Project, sending a surging signal rippling outward.
Naturally, Bronya — who had been on full alert — caught it. But she frowned deeply, because the main network of the Stigma Project had not been shaken. Their "success" was far from enough to give her the hacking opportunity she needed.
After waiting in vain, they decided to act proactively — to search for the Stigma Project's core.
While clashing directly with the creatures, Bronya gradually found the right direction and thought process. Ever since its creation, the Stigma Project was hard to influence intentionally — likewise, its most basic logic was difficult to alter.
Trying to dismantle the project's structure from the data at hand was no less than wishful thinking. On the other hand, finding the higher-level "boss" creatures and repeating the same method was not hard at all.
The Stigma Project's method was to create a humanless, foundational "world." And the word "world" was nothing unfamiliar to the Herrscher of Reason. From the very first Herrscher of Reason, "world" was not only a responsibility to bear, but also a symbol of their understanding — each Herrscher of Reason saw the world in their own colors.
Compared to repairing a butterfly's wing, the act of creation was not much more noble.
For any who bore the name Herrscher of Reason had always deeply believed—
[Humanity is the measure of all things.]
Bronya closed her eyes. The "computational power" from the Herrscher of Sentience's assistance was being steadily consumed, and her perception grew clearer. The violet chains encircling her were drawn into her core understanding one by one.
In constructing worlds, she and the opponent had yet to decide victory or defeat.
A rare smile curved her usually calm lips. The Herrscher of Reason core within her was pushed to its limit; the entire world before her straightened and cleared. She easily broke through the Stigma Project's lock onto their target.
"Stigma Project… nothing more than this."
As if answering someone's earlier words, she made this dismissive judgment.
She then took Kiana and Mei straight into the Stigma Project's core, where the three of them together defeated the skeletal god-construct.
After that, the key they expected still failed to play its role.
With no other choice, Bronya decided to imitate Stigma's orderly battle plan. Using the Herrscher of Truth's power, she forced Stigma Project's system to freeze for two seconds—enough to momentarily halt the willpower of all seven billion people.
It was a brute-force "hack," a direct exploitation of a gap—violent and magnificent at the same time.
The moment had come.
This was the day the tyrant in the sky would be devoured.
The girl now had every right to speak the famous words of her predecessors.
Of course, it was also thanks to the Herrscher of Thunder for creating this perfect opportunity. Without hesitation, Mei chose to step in. At that very moment, the second hand of the pocket watch in her hand, which had long been still, began spinning at an unimaginable speed.
Bathed in a sea of pure white light, she softly called out that person's name.
"...Elysia."
The name of the beautiful and kind maiden who once represented the Garden of Recollections in the previous civilization.
A name that belonged solely to that elegant, silk-like girl in her memories.
----
[Our poor little duck still couldn't let go of that line—Herrscher of Reason, and nothing more.]
[In the domain of constructing worlds, the Herrscher of Reason is top-tier!]
[God Key MVP—Black Abyss White Flower! Speaking of which, why is it that even though it's also a GodKey, some people call the Judas the Goddess of War? Theresa, why is that?]
----
Inside the Anti-Entropy base.
"To stand alone against the will of seven billion people... to redefine the world in the name of the world itself... It seems we really have found an excellent successor," Einstein said, unable to hide her astonishment.
Thinking back on the three Herrschers of Reason, all of them had stayed true to their determination to protect what was beautiful, allowing the next generation to walk forward on their shoulders.
Anti-Entropy had always chosen outstanding heirs.
"Wasn't this obvious from the start? As expected of the post-fusion Herrscher of Truth—so cool! Future mecha pilot, let's go!" Tesla's face flushed as she pumped her fist into the air.
Their relationship with the Herrscher of Reason had been complicated—not quite like Schicksal or World Serpent. Anti-Entropy and the Herrscher of Reason were deeply bound, but much of it had to do with the image she represented.
Naturally, they hoped the Herrscher of Reason wouldn't fall short of any Herrscher before her—but it wasn't easy to say.
Now, suddenly, they all felt their backs straighten with pride.
Strength was exhilarating. Grandeur was beautiful.
Welt also smiled warmly at Bronya. She was no longer that young girl who had first fired up a ghostly blue motorcycle.
At the very least, it meant the guidance he had given her was not in vain.
This was good.
-----
In the Golden Courtyard
"This is what a united civilization looks like in battle—how wonderful ♪~"
"If only we could also fight shoulder to shoulder like this one day~" Elysia said with a hint of longing.
Facing a powerful enemy together with all your friends, no matter how strong they were—everyone using their abilities to the fullest, doing what they should...
She couldn't help but feel a bit envious.
"Didn't we fight side by side last time in the desert?" Mobius gave her a sidelong glare.
Fight together? In the previous civilization, they had such a chance, but she herself was unable to be there at the end...
"That time doesn't count—so many people didn't even make it, including little Griseo. At most, only half of us were there," Elysia said, a little aggrieved. That had basically been Kevin's solo stage.
But Kevin was Kevin—five thousand years later, his power was even deeper and harder to fathom.
"'Little'...?" Mobius curled her lip, not wanting to dwell on such a nickname. She always felt that word carried a hidden insult.
"The Herrscher of Truth, huh... Truly enviable. If only a God Key could undergo weaponization, imagine creating things beyond the limits of a civilization!" Vill-V sighed regretfully. Geniuses weren't always fully appreciated.
Other cores could be negotiated over, but the Herrscher of Reason's core... she really wanted it. After all, a scientist who wasn't also a top-tier engineer wasn't much of a Herrscher of Reason at all.
"But, Vill-V, where exactly did you guide Mei to? No matter how I think about it, I shouldn't even exist in the future, right? ♪~"
Elysia was curious about what awaited her. Still, she was happy that Mei had remembered her name from start to finish—though she didn't know if she would be able to respond to Mei's hopes in that moment.
"Oh, don't rush~ You'll see in a moment."
----
Back in the game
Raiden Mei had imagined countless times what might lie beyond that door—sometimes it looked like the Elysian Realm, sometimes like an amusement park from her dreams, sometimes a quiet table for two over afternoon tea, sometimes a beautiful sea beneath a starry sky...
But she had never once imagined what she saw now: a train station.
(T/C: why it's always train station)
Compared to the cradle of the world, this place felt more like the beginning she and her friends once shared.
A terminal for a train that had never arrived—its platforms named Fate, Eternity, and Hope.
Thirteen tracks crisscrossed and overlapped, without past or future. Outside the station, broken, impossible structures floated in the sky, while benches under the distant sunset cast long shadows across the ground.
The stillness was suffocating.
It felt like a world frozen in time, with silence filling every gap.
Far away stood a black portal. Mei tried with all her strength to approach it, but she could never reach it—this station seemed endless, its space defying logic.
A sudden unease crept into her heart. This was indeed the endpoint she had aimed for, but it was empty, incomplete.
She had thought of this "door" as a gift, her highest priority for a long time, carrying a quiet hope to meet someone again.
But if... it wasn't what she had imagined... then what?
Her hand clenched around the pocket watch, its gears ticking softly as the hands moved. Vill-V's voice drifted through the air.
"Let me try a little bit of what you do..."
"—Hi, miss me?"
Mei sighed helplessly. Vill-V's mimicry wasn't enough to fool her. She knew—this wasn't meant for her. It was a recording, a memento left by her companions.
And a silent reminder that this place wasn't what she thought it was.
"I'm sorry. This is the only way we can leave you a message... Elysia."
"I know—being unable to see the changes in the world because of yourself... that must be your greatest regret."
Mei listened quietly. She, too, knew what it was to witness regret.
This conversation—she would listen to carefully.
"And so... to you, to our successor, I've borrowed this door."
"In that peaceful place where you exist, you've already achieved your wish in some way. So I don't want you to feel lonely here."
"That's why—through this door—I'll synchronize our successor's memories of the whole world with you—"
Vill-V's tone suddenly rose, reciting a verse like an unspoken poem.
"And then, the constellations will shine—because I have been here."
"And then, flowers will bloom—because I have never left."
"—Can you do that?"
Her voice faded until it vanished completely. In that instant, a torrent of information surged through the Herrscher core within Mei.
Scenes flickered in her mind like a revolving lantern—Elysia returning to the world she had left behind, the world she had always worried about, yet never seen again.
Yes... this was the one and only wish she had yearned for.
This so-called "backdoor" wasn't some method of contacting the Primal Power from the very start.
It was merely… a letter written for an old friend.
Even if, in the digital records, the name "Elysia" had long faded without a trace, she still stubbornly sent it out, declaring to the world in her own unique, romantic way:
— The once beautiful land has become even more beautiful after you left.
But this also made it clear: Vill-V's "backdoor" had nothing at all to do with accessing the Primal Power of Hope.
[Hey… do you remember me?]
It was as if a voice echoed in her mind.
The face and smile of an old friend lingered in her thoughts—her favorite sayings, her favorite things… Without even realizing it, the world already understood them all.
Even those who had once been deeply cautious of her…
…had changed without even noticing.
[No matter the time, no matter the place, Elysia will always know…]
This expectation—
It seemed no one would ever respond to it again.
No matter how many times she called out in her heart, there would be no one to answer.
Far away, the pitch-black teleportation gate at the station collapsed and shattered.
----
[It hurts… it hurts so much… it hurts down to my soul]
[Crack— My heart… shattered! Mihoyo, you can't just do this to me!]
[The scientists each have their own way of expressing romance—like MEI, using a time and place to look at each other across space-time; like Mobius, using endless excuses to return a life to Klein; like Vill-V, sending a letter across the ages to someone who has already passed…]
[Vill-V, you… you did it too well! I'm crying!]
[Big V-sensei, stop it… I'm about to cry again]
[Just this once, I will clap for hard for you, Vill-V]
[Because she was here, the constellations shone and the flowers bloomed… Please answer me, Elysia!]
----
In the Golden Courtyard.
---
"Vill-V… you really gave me such a big surprise ♪~"
Elysia spoke with deep emotion, almost moved to tears—how embarrassing!
She realized they all seemed to like seeing her cry. The so-called "surprise" was just about compressing intense emotions into one single moment, then making her tears burst out.
So this was what they called a "surprise."
And yet… she didn't hate it ♪~
"But still, you'll have to keep working on your imitation skills, Vill-V. Just like Mobius said earlier—if there really were an Elysia Imitation Contest, I'd still hope you'd place fairly high ♪~"
She wiped her eyes and smiled.
"Ay, but maybe there's no need. If I really wanted to take first place, wouldn't it be easier to just make a personality core of you directly?"
"But if I revealed this surprise too soon, wouldn't the one I've prepared for this world lose all its meaning?"
Vill-V half-smiled, half-sighed. In her hand suddenly appeared a golden pocket watch identical to the one in the video, flipping it lightly—its glint under the sunlight catching someone's eyes immediately.
The spiral engraving, she had given to no one. Naturally, it wasn't hard for her to retrieve something that belonged to her.
"But it's better to see the effect with your own eyes. If it really can be sent out… we might not only get Mei to see it ♪~"
"Hmm, makes sense. So what will you do with the pocket watch?"
Vill-V frowned slightly, rolling the highly collectible watch in her palm.
Beside her, Pardo's eyes sparkled, her expression practically shouting—Pick me, pick me, Vill-V-sis, pick me!
That eager look was enough to make even Elysia—who had planned to keep it—pause. At worst… she could just buy another from Miao Miao later. How could she really turn down that hopeful face?
Pardo simply couldn't resist shiny things.
Better to give it to her.
"So this is what they call a 'keepsake'? I suddenly regret not asking Vill-V to record my voice on it. If Elysia could hear it, how would she feel?"
There was a faint ripple in Eden's usually calm eyes. There weren't many things she regretted, and without counting the ones tied to Elysia, there were none at all.
"Hmph—well, you didn't come to me back then either!"
Vill-V put her hands on her hips proudly.
Don't be fooled by how close Eden, Aponia, and Elysia were—
In the very last moments, they still had to rely on her "genius" to make it happen.
This competitive streak… she really couldn't stop herself!
'So, I did manage to make something happen, didn't I ♪~'
Elysia's voice was soft, her eyes full of infinite hope. In her mind, she remembered—it was here, it was now, it was this very moment.
"No matter when or where… Elysia will always answer your expectation ♪~"
"…I see. Ei muna!"
Aponia made a gesture, hands clasped in prayer.
She never denied it—she was the first to join this so-called "Church of Love," and there was nothing mocking in her feelings for Elysia.