"Hmm… speaking for myself, I'd say quite a lot?"
Elysia recalled the plot she knew and answered Eden's question.
"Well, if Elysia says so, then the upcoming story must be worth the wait."
Eden, of course, didn't doubt Elysia's words at all.
"My sweet Eden~♪"
Elysia continued tapping the screen.
In the game, Elysia was still communicating with Mei in her own way.
"You've already proven yourself to everyone—uh… maybe not to everyone, but at least to most. If I keep beating around the bush, wouldn't that be a bit too much?"
"Look, I even told you about my other identity—openly and honestly, right?"
"Indeed." Mei's expression sharpened. "The Thirteenth Herrscher?"
Elysia looked at the composed Mei, pondered briefly, then said, "Hmm, how strange. It feels like... you're not that surprised?"
Naturally. At this point, even the Hyperion could mass-produce Herrschers.
The "Big Three" had basically become the "Herrscher Trio."
Mei wore the expression of someone who'd seen it all—a single Herrscher wasn't enough to shake her.
She asked Elysia the real questions.
"I have many questions for you. About your powers, the truth of how you became a Herrscher, whether there are deeper connections between you and the Honkai, and… how I'm supposed to face you."
Elysia responded that all her secrets were hidden in this [Elysian Realm]. If Mei wanted to know, she should walk through this flawless paradise with her.
[Kiana is in Anti-Entropy.jpg]
[Kiana's already at World Serpent's gates (lol).]
[Elysia: I just love everyone.]
[She just loves everyone (dog emoji).]
As the audience buzzed—
Elysia led Mei deeper into [Elysian Realm].
She gazed into the distance and said, "It gets my heart pounding a bit to bare everything to Mei. The process… might take some time. You don't mind, do you?"
"It's fine. As long as I get the answers, I don't mind the process."
Elysia relaxed slightly and smiled sweetly.
"This is the entrance to the garden. Normally it's tightly sealed, but today it's opening just for you."
She gently touched the door.
The flawless gate opened automatically.
Behind it was a vast garden labyrinth.
"Eden, Eden."
Having reached this point, Elysia didn't rush in but turned to Eden.
"This garden labyrinth is super pretty~~ one of my favorite places in the new map."
She paused, then added, "When you play it yourself, make sure to look around."
Eden responded gently.
"Since it's Elysia's mental world, of course it's beautiful. Even if it had nothing in it, just having you there would be beautiful enough."
"Oh my, Eden, if you keep flattering me like that, I'll get embarrassed~~"
Elysia beamed as she continued progressing the story.
In the scene—
Mei looked at the beautiful garden labyrinth and sighed, "A vast garden maze… definitely your style."
Elysia chuckled, "Isn't it a little early to sigh? This isn't even the tip of the iceberg."
"Oh wait, iceberg would describe Kevin. For me, I guess it's more like a corner of a sea of flowers~~"
"Ah! Speak of the devil."
As they turned a corner in the maze—
They saw Kevin, arms crossed, leaning against a wall.
He stood out sharply in the pink-and-purple world.
Mei asked Elysia beside her, "Is this… also your memory?"
Kevin: "..."
Sensing Kevin's gaze—
Or more precisely, his "countdown timer"—
Mei said, "No, looks like it's the real thing."
Elysia explained to Mei, "This kind of thing can happen… though I wish I could open up to only Mei, that wouldn't be fair to everyone else."
Kevin suddenly spoke: "Elysia, I respect your decision, but you should have informed us beforehand."
His words were short and vague—clearly because of the "third party" present.
[Oh wow, Mei just got categorized as the third party.]
[Makes sense—compared to Kevin, Mei really is the outsider.]
Elysia replied with a classic "sea king" response.
"Oh dear, Mei, looks like you'll have to explore on your own for now. See? Kevin doesn't seem keen on letting the two of us be alone. Don't worry, once I've coaxed him, I'll be right back."
If players didn't already know Elysia's [Real Self], they'd definitely be spamming [Pink Flake Woman] right now.
Hmm...
Even knowing her nature, they couldn't resist typing:
[Wow, that line is peak sea king behavior.]
["Coax"]
[This is so weird I have to read it again.]
[Truly, God loves all. May the love of God last forever—Amen.]
[Elysia is so fun. Ever since I learned about her "true self," I've totally lost resistance.]
[Same. I really love Elysia now!]
"Elysia's really popular."
As Elysia's top fangirl, Eden was genuinely happy to see the audience's affection.
"Hehe~~ If I debuted right now, I might even outshine Eden." Elysia said cheekily.
"With you? I believe it." Eden's voice remained calm and gentle.
"Oh my, Eden, you're so good at compliments."
Elysia paused for a beat. "We shouldn't keep chatting. Otherwise, I'll lose focus on the stream."
She continued tapping the screen, pushing the plot forward.
Mei said she'd be patient with Elysia.
Elysia waved to her with a smile, then pushed Kevin along and walked off.
Watching them leave—
Mei pondered.
There were definitely things here that demanded investigation. She should look around on her own.
Besides, Kevin probably wasn't the only [outsider] who had entered.
In any case, Mei decided—if she met any other Flame-Chasers, she'd ask them about the Thirteenth Herrscher.
With that in mind—
Mei left the maze and climbed the stairs to higher ground.
There, she spotted Hua on a nearby terrace, staring blankly at the garden.
Mei walked up.
"Hua, you're… daydreaming? That's rare for you."
"Ah… sorry."
Hua returned to herself. "I was. I didn't expect such a place to be hidden deep in the Elysian Realm."
One of the few non-riddle-speakers in the Realm—
And yet, she knew nothing.
"I'd love to tell you, but I really don't know.jpg"
She looked more surprised than Mei.
Like someone who woke up and found a theme park had popped up in their backyard.
So Mei didn't get any useful info from Hua.
After saying goodbye, she ran into Kosma.
Kosma was clearly not the chatty type either—and the power of the Herrscher of Thunder didn't include telepathy.
So, their exchange was... the usual.
Mei: "..."
Kosma: "..."
A round of staring, and that was it.
Kosma eventually said, "Forget it."
Faced with Kosma's silent nature, Mei felt helpless—but had no choice.
She tried to read his expression and gave up.
But...
Just as she was about to leave, Kosma suddenly called out.
"You were also touched by Elysia..."
Mei noticed his gaze drift toward her, slowly rising to a certain angle where—
There was nothing but…
That familiar framing instantly reminded players of a classic moment.
"Elysia: I touched Mei's horn!"
Could it be... Kosma too...?
No way. Then again… with Elysia, anything's possible.
Players were already grinning.
Mei clearly understood too. "You also…"
"It's inevitable. Don't take it too hard. Everyone goes through it," said Kosma.
"..."
With Kosma's confirmation, players lost it.
[Hahahahahaha]
[Kosma & Mei: You got your horn touched too?]
["Everyone"]
[No one can escape Elysia. They have no choice.]
[Horn? No no no, that's Elysia's lure trap!]
"Elysia really does love horns," Eden said in her usual gentle tone.
"That's…"
Elysia sounded like she had something to say: "Ah, seeing such unique features... it's hard to resist the urge, you know?"
"In the heart of a kind and beautiful girl, there also lives a terrifying Horn-Touching Demon."
"Horn-Touching Demon?" Eden repeated, slightly confused.
"Yes, the one that whispers constantly inside your heart... 'I really want to touch her horn, I'm so curious, so curious~' and then urges you to act—such a terrifying demon."
Elysia replied with an overly dramatic tone.
Eden: "..."
After a brief pause, she smiled helplessly.
"You really are Elysia."
"Mm-hmm~♪"
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