"Hehe…" Mobius laughed freely: "HAHAHAHA… You're really growing on me more and more, my cute little lab rat."
"Then… as you wish."
"I'll go prepare the lab right now—since it has to match a Herrscher, it might take a bit more time."
"And to restore the memory body to its most perfect state, I'll have to temporarily withdraw all my Signets first."
"In other words, until you reach my laboratory, you won't see me again. You'll have to be patient, okay?"
"It might be a little hard, but I can promise you… the wait will absolutely be worth it."
"Because when everything is over, I will definitely let you… be reborn."
After saying this, Mobius withdrew the infinite Signet.
She slipped into the Elysian Realm and disappeared.
Mei had just prepared to follow her in
when Elysia arrived and said: "Hi, Mei, why do I feel like… you're in such a hurry? Are you rushing off somewhere?"
Right after speaking, she sensed the aura coming from the Elysian Realm: "Mobius's laboratory… the path leading there seems to have been opened again. Mei, I'm a little worried… You didn't agree to anything strange with her, did you?"
Mei admitted frankly: "I agreed to her experimental request."
Elysia said: "You shouldn't provoke Mobius, Mei. If there's anything, just come to me. But since things have already come to this… don't worry, I'll protect you."
"Thank you, Elysia."
Mei thanked her once and directly entered the Elysian Realm.
During this period, she had delved into the Realm almost without pause and was now extremely familiar with the place.
She navigated the paths with ease and arrived at the anchor point.
In very little time, she reached Mobius's location.
Mobius was already waiting there: "Sigh, big sister, we're back here again… The place where we first met. Do you remember?"
Mei glanced around: "Mobius, weren't you going to perform an experiment on me?"
"Mmm~" Mobius continued imitating Elysia.
Mei said: "But there's no operating table here, and this doesn't look like a laboratory at all."
Mobius said: "Operating table? The experiment I'm about to conduct… isn't that simple."
Mei sneered: "Heh! As expected… the so-called 'gift' was a lie from the very beginning."
Mobius no longer hid it: "A lie, huh… Big sister, aren't you the same?"
"You never actually intended to leave the Elysian Realm at all. Putting yourself in danger was just a way to figure out my real purpose."
"Since neither of us has been entirely honest with the other, let's not dwell on it."
"Do you remember what I said when we first met?"
"Big sister, what I want… is for you to take me away from here."
Mei said: "Don't joke around, Mobius. You're the master of this place—you don't need me to…"
She suddenly realized: "Wait… what you want to leave… is the Elysian Realm itself?"
Mobius looked at her with great interest: "Aww, you finally figured it out."
"That's impossible. You're only…" Mei paused again.
[Memory body]. She knew what she wanted to say, but at the same time, she suddenly understood what clue she had been missing all along.
Those subtle threads she had noticed—the truth Mobius had already handed to her on a platter.
Mobius had been tempting her all this time… using vague truths and answers as bait, step by step, luring her right into the palm of her hand.
Now, Mobius had finally succeeded. Her laughter fell over Mei in waves, like fearful shadows… seeping through her skin and slowly infiltrating her nerves.
"The experiment you conducted on Gray Serpent, the technology you believed could bring Klein back…"
"It was consciousness transfer, wasn't it?"
Facing Mei's question, Mobius let out a triumphant laugh: "Hehe, big sister, I've been waiting for you to realize this yourself."
"But… it might already be a little too late for regrets now."
"A living, breathing Herrscher… such a perfect body… This really is the most precious gift I've ever received."
"What do you think—after leaving the Elysian Realm, should I go thank Kevin first?"
Mei also understood: "I see… So this was the plan you've been secretly preparing all along. I should have realized sooner."
"Giving me the infinite Signet wasn't to help me—it was to let my body adapt to your consciousness earlier. I'm not wrong, am I, Mobius."
Mobius praised: "You really are smart, little lab rat. If we weren't in this kind of relationship, I might have even chosen you as my student."
Mei shook her head, even sounding somewhat disappointed: "Sorry, Mobius. If this is the entirety of your plan, then I can only say—you picked the wrong person."
"Fighting for control of a body against another consciousness inside it… This isn't something I have no experience with."
Mobius laughed loudly: "Hehe… HAHAHAHA… Fight for control? What are you talking about, big sister? I have no interest in sharing a body with you."
"The experiment will end very soon, and only one person will be able to leave this place."
"Why don't you hurry up and say goodbye to your own consciousness—to Raiden Mei?"
Mei decisively drew her weapon and pointed it at Mobius: "The one who should say goodbye is you, Mobius."
"And stop using that childish disguise. Let me see your true face."
Mobius said: "Aww, you even found out about that? What a curious child—wanting to uncover more secrets right up until the very end of your life."
"Fine then, I'll satisfy you. Let me show you… the true form of a MANTIS."
With Mobius's laughter, her body suddenly melted into a mass of green liquid.
Green lightning flickered within the liquid, and finally the liquid reassembled into the shape of a gigantic snake-like monster—like an ancient totem of sacrifice, a creature with a snake's tail and a humanoid upper body…
Human…
No, that upper body could hardly be called human.
It was an indescribable, unspeakable being.
"This is…?!" Even Mei, who had seen countless Honkai beasts, was stunned.
Mobius, whose true body was hidden within the monster, said: "Aww, did I scare you… What's wrong? It's only been a few seconds and you already don't recognize me anymore, big sister~"
Mei said: "…Now I finally understand why Raven refused your gift."
The artificial Herrscherfall Mobius said: "Hehe… Raven? That little girl? She ran away in terror before she even got to witness the beauty of this life."
"Sigh, what a shame… She clearly had the chance to undergo an ugly evolution and transform into an even more beautiful form of life."
"I wonder… if she regrets it now?"
Mei sneered: "Heh, who knows."
Not long ago, when she encountered Raven, the other party showed absolutely no regret.
Mobius said: "Aww, you've calmed down so quickly. Not bad, not bad—you're doing great."
Mei commented: "So this is artificial Herrscherfall… the true form of a MANTIS…"
"Seeing it with my own eyes, it is indeed shocking, but… that's all there is to it."
Mobius said: "Hehe… That's all? You really love to joke, Herrscher big sister."
"You're not actually thinking… that you still have a chance to stop me, are you? Something that took three Flame-Chasers working together in the past—you think you can do it alone?"
Mei said: "If I don't try, how will I know?"
The artificial Herrscherfall Mobius let out a piercing laugh: "Hehe… HAHAHAHA… Very good, very good… I like people like you."
"Do you know… which kind of person survives most easily in experiments?"
"Not the ones who lie on the operating table clinging to attachments and hope—but the ones who are already steeped in despair from the beginning, unwilling to let their lives continue any longer."
"Things going contrary to expectations… that's what happens most often."
Mei said: "Right back at you, Mobius."
Mobius mocked: "Hehe… Then let's see who leaves this place today—Raiden Mei, or Mobius."
As her words fell,
Mobius struck the ground with her staff.
Green lightning exploded, instantly striking Mei.
"Hmph!"
Mei snorted coldly. An electromagnetic burst erupted from her Herrscher core; crimson thunder shattered the green lightning, and she herself entered full Herrscher form.
"Mobius, there's no need for pointless probing."
"Kuri Kara!"
With a summons, Kuri Kara descended from the sky, spewing purple thunder that swept across the platform.
Mei landed directly on Kuri Kara's back.
Knowing full well this was a trap, how could she not come fully prepared!
"Little lab rat~ Is this your trump card?"
Mobius spun her staff, and black thunder-liquid rapidly gathered into a massive thunder serpent that shot into the sky, swallowing both Kuri Kara and Mei in one gulp before crashing back to the ground.
In terms of combat experience, the current Mei was still far too weak.
Even with Elysia's training, it wasn't enough.
After landing, the giant serpent exploded.
Mei was instantly knocked back, and Kuri Kara also lost its ability to fight.
Just as Mobius raised her staff to strike again,
her body suddenly froze. Klein's voice rang out: "Stop, Doctor. This isn't you… This isn't a choice Mobius would make."
Mei was also shocked: "Klein? How are you…?"
She had only helped Klein resolve some issues when the Realm malfunctioned earlier—she never expected Klein to come help her.
Klein said: "There's no time to explain. I'm not like you—I can only do so much. I'll help you disrupt the Doctor. If that still can't stop her… then find a way to leave."
With its help,
the scales of victory instantly tipped.
Although Kuri Kara had lost its combat ability, Mei in full Herrscher form was more than enough to defeat Mobius.
The battle didn't even last very long.
Mobius's artificial Herrscherfall state collapsed.
She collapsed weakly to the ground, staring at the two of them unwillingly.
Klein walked in front of her: "It's over, Dr. Mobius. Or perhaps… I shouldn't call you that anymore."
Mobius looked at it: "Klein… why…"
"You should be able to understand me… Fifty thousand years ago you already knew what I was going to do… You never opposed me…"
"Why… now… are you trying to stop me…"
"…"
Klein answered: "Because… the real Dr. Mobius… had already given up on this plan by the time she told me about it."
Mobius questioned it: "The real Mobius? Klein, what do you mean?"
"I… am the real Mobius!"
Klein said: "Until now, I thought the same. Between you and the Doctor… there was no difference at all. Thoughts, actions, personality… everything was completely identical."
"So, just as she saw me as the continuation of Klein, I also always saw you as the real Dr. Mobius."
"But now…"
"…Enough!" Mobius shouted, cutting it off: "Klein, in your eyes, I'm someone who would never change."
Klein said: "No, I never thought that. But what you did today… this is absolutely not a choice Mobius would make."
"The Doctor… like all other humans, no matter how much she changed, always retained some unchanging parts."
"And that… is precisely the difference between you and her."
Mobius sneered coldly: "The difference… between me and her? What a joke…"
Klein sighed: "I know I can't convince you. But fortunately, the Doctor always prepares thoroughly."
"She once left something behind and entrusted me to pass it on to you, but I never did."
"In my view, delivering information about Mobius to Mobius… held no meaning."
"Until… now."
Mobius snorted coldly: "Left something… for me? Are you trying to play some little trick on me, Klein?"
"I'm not that sentimental. This kind of pointless formality doesn't sound like…"
Before she finished speaking,
an extremely calm and serious voice of Mobius appeared: "I know this doesn't sound like something I would do, but if there's anything I need to say to you, this is the last chance."
"Hmm…"
"How should I address you? Mobius…"
"Or… another me?"
Mobius's projection appeared, instantly shocking countless viewers.
Although she was wearing a lab coat, the prominent curve of her chest and proud figure were still clearly visible. Paired with glasses and a gentle voice, a kind of intellectual beauty was transmitted through the screen to every viewer.
The audience couldn't help but exclaim:
"This is Mobius? Holy crap, she used to be this beautiful?"
"What is a big sister? THIS is a big sister—gentle voice and stunning. I'm in love, okay."
"Why didn't you tell us earlier that Mobius was actually this gorgeous? If I'd known, I would've fallen for her ages ago."
"Who can tell me how Mobius went from this intellectual big-sister type to the twisted little bean she is now?"
"Are your eyes broken? The current Mobius isn't a little bean either."
"I'm seriously in love with Mobius now. Best if she's the type who can change sizes."
"To be honest… at first glance Mobius doesn't seem special, but compared to little Mobius, I realize she's absolutely stunning!"
"'Doesn't seem special'? They're that big and you're calling her unremarkable? Are you blind?"
"Stop talking, I'm Mobius's fan now. She's my wife!"
"…"
Mobius, who had always cared deeply about others' opinions, saw the chat messages and felt joy in her heart.
Before this, she had still been a little angry at Hessian, but now… she wasn't angry at all.
As expected!
She was beautiful too, and everyone loved her.
On the television,
Mobius also asked: "What's wrong, Klein? You prefer how I was back then, don't you?"
Klein said: "This holographic recording is exactly what the Doctor entrusted me to pass on to you."
"She recorded these words… right before she was about to face death."
Mobius laughed: "Death? Klein, do you know what you're saying? For me, death is simply impossible…"
In the projection, the adult Mobius said: "Yeah, I can't believe it myself… that I'm really going to die."
"…?!"
Mobius was startled: "This… is a real-time message?"
Klein looked at her and gently shook its tail.
"…"
Mobius said seriously: "Klein… If you want to fool me, you shouldn't leave such an obvious flaw."
"When I still looked like that… I remember every single thing that happened clearly."