Chapter 162: Garden of Eden~

On the Moon Base...

　　"Is this the destination?"

　　Kiana and the others followed Mei to the designated location, where Vill-V and Mobius were waiting for them.

　　"Hello~ the little white mice of the new era~"

　　"…We are not guinea pigs."

　　"Ah, do you hate this name? Please don't mind it, after all... this is your nickname~ Not everyone can be treated this way~"

　　"Mobius... Vill-V... I didn't expect you guys to be here."

　　Mei Raiden looked at the two "dangerous people" in front of her and said with some distress.

　　"What's wrong? Do you prefer Elysia to guide you rather than us?"

　　"…In a sense, yes."

　　"You've become more honest, that's great, little guinea pig."

　　"...Mei, who is Elysia...?"

　　"Well..."

　　Facing Kiana's questioning and Bronya's puzzled gaze, Mei Raiden shrank her neck for no reason, as if "she went out to play with other friends without telling her best friend, and her best friend called her in the middle of the trip and asked who the person next to her was"... That was probably the feeling.

　　But Mei Raiden quickly shook her head and put this inexplicable thought behind her.

　　"A friend I had the honor of meeting before... No, to be more precise, she should be considered our [senior]."

　　"Senior?"

　　"Yes, Elysia... is also a Herrscher, from the previous era."

　　"Is that so... Then what kind of person is she?"

　　"Well... in her own words, she is probably like..."

　　"A girl who is as beautiful as flying flowers~?"

　　A light voice sounded at the side, and along with the voice, a pink figure fell.

　　"Hello~ Mei's friends~ Of course, maybe it would be more appropriate for me to call you "juniors" here?"

　　"Elysia..."

　　"What's wrong, Mei? Are you scared by my surprise appearance?"

　　"…No, I'm kind of used to it."

　　"Since you have all said hello, could you please be quiet?"

　　Vill-V's tone was calm and polite.

　　"This tone... [Expert]? Are you in charge this time?"

　　Elysia thought for a moment, and then said with some surprise.

　　"After all, this is about Nozomi and the [Song], so it's better for me to check it out..."

　　Vill-V said so.

　　"And I specifically asked that my most precious little guinea pig be treated with great care~"

　　Mobius shifted her gaze slightly to look at the instrument that Vill-V was operating, and subconsciously brushed her lips with her fingertips, speaking meaningfully.

　　"...What do you mean?"

　　"Ah, you don't understand? Well... that's right, come to think of it, I haven't explained to you why I asked you to come here... Elysia, it seems that your guidance is not very good~"

　　"Oh my, my~ Elysia is being stupid again on this point..."

　　"Don't be cunning, Elysia, and continue your duties."

　　"Okay~"

　　Realizing that Mobius was somewhat unhappy, Elysia clapped her hands lightly, attracting the attention of Raiden Mei and the others to herself.

　　"Although we allowed you to come here without any detailed explanation, it is still our responsibility..."

　　"Elysia."

　　"...Okay, that's my fault~?"

　　Elysia stuck out her tongue, trying to get away with it by being cute, but it was clear that Mobius wasn't buying it.

　　"But I asked you to come here to help you deal with your problems~?"

　　"our problems?"

　　"Well, I believe you have already felt it, right? As Herrschers, after coming here, do you feel that your power has become a little unstable and your mood has begun to become anxious?"

　　"Indeed... that's right... so this isn't your problem?"

　　"Of course not, Mei, why do you think so?"

　　Elysia tilted her head in confusion, followed Raiden Mei's gaze, and looked at Mobius and Vill-V standing beside her.

　　"Hmm? What's wrong?"

　　Mobius narrowed her eyes slightly, and her pupils, which looked just like a snake, revealed a hint of danger.

　　"Alas~ Mobius and Vill-V wouldn't do such a thing, um... this is actually related to another of your [Seniors]~"

　　"…It's Nozomi, right?"

　　"Yes~ I believe that as the Herrschers of this era, you should be able to feel it. The Song that always protects you and accompanies you... That is his power."

　　Elysia said with a smile.

　　"Through this, the Herrscher Core in you will become more stable and easier to control. Likewise, your ego will not be overwhelmed... Finally, with continuous efforts, you will gradually adapt and learn how to control this power."

　　"Yeah, finally... a Herrscher who is similar to me and him, who also loves Humanity and fights for Humanity, appears~"

　　"Unfortunately, most of his [Song] circulates on Earth, and there is very little of his power left on the Moon... In addition, his power can only help you stabilize the state of the [Herrscher Core] at most, but it cannot allow you to fully control it."

　　"So now... um, we need to help you overcome this problem, so that you can truly master your power as a Herrscher?"

　　"...So, according to you...what we have now is not the true power of the Herrscher?"

　　Mei Raiden asked with some surprise.

　　"Of course, you are still missing a process of metamorphosis."

　　Mobius said casually.

　　"A true Herrscher...is not as weak as you."

"..."

Some people wanted to refute, but feeling the danger coming from Mobius, they fell silent again.

"So what? What do you guys want to do?"

"It's not a big deal... I just need to take back his power, or his [Song] from you."

Vill-V said slowly... At this time, she had completed the final debugging.

"At that time, you will face a test of your consciousness and spirit. As long as you pass it successfully, you will be able to truly master the power of the Herrscher... Considering that this process may not be very safe, we let you come here."

"Fighting here... no innocent people will be harmed, right?"

"That's about it."

Vill-V said casually, and at the same time patted the cabin beside her to drain out all the liquid inside, and then arranged the person inside... or the body.

"And we can also achieve some small goals through this."

"A small purpose... huh?"

Raiden Mei stared at the body in a daze, then realized something.

"You want to... revive him?"

"Oh, little white mouse, how can you say it's [resurrection]?"

Mobius responded with a somewhat strange tone.

"I just provided him with a suitable body... Well... I spent a lot of effort to copy his body~"

Mobius reached out and touched the chest of the body, feeling the skin of this body that she had built bit by bit, and narrowed her eyes in fascination.

"Alas, it's a pity that in the end, we still couldn't figure out what the child of the [Ocean] represents... Even with the help of that Honkai Beast, we still couldn't figure it out. What a pity~"

"...Mei, who...is that body...?"

"it's your [senpai]~ and the owner of [Song]... Well, never mind~ I'd better introduce him with more understandable words~?"

Elysia's gaze lingered on the body for a while, and then she said with a smile.

"His name is Nozomi. He can be considered the Herrscher of the End of our time~"

"…Are you kidding me?"

"No~ Miss Kiana~"

"…Are you serious?"

"Right~ Mei~?"

"..."

"Okay, are you done talking? I've finished debugging here, and now it's time to..."

Vill-V walked towards Raiden Mei and others with a few devices that looked like headbands, and it seemed that she was planning to proceed to the next step.

At this time, Vill-V was away from the body and the instruments, and Elysia was always with Raiden Mei and the others. Now, the only one left by the body was... Mobius.

And maybe because she was too casual, or maybe because there were several [Herrschers] in front of her that Mobius liked quite a bit, Mobius was facing Raiden Mei and the others with her back to the body.

Then...

Clack——

A slight sound, as if the body of a puppet was being lifted, came quietly.

Along with it came the sound of breaking air from behind.

And the target...is naturally the closest one, Mobius.

"Ah? Are you finally unable to hold back and take action?"

[Um?!]

However, it... no, its attack was missed. Mobius seemed to have anticipated it and dodged the sneak attack from behind by slightly tilting her head. Then... she swung her tail, and a dark green "snake tail" emerged from the ground, bringing up waves of sludge-like substance and slapping backward.

[...--]

Unfortunately, it dodged the attack.

But the machine gunfire and pink crystal arrows that followed made it quite panicked.

"Hmm? Huh?"

Raiden Mei and the others didn't understand the situation for a while... but soon, they caught sight of the strange movements like a puppet, and the faintly visible [silk threads] on the body.

They immediately realized something... It was the Herrscher of Domination! They were very familiar with it! Especially Kiana, who remembered it very clearly!

"Weren't they wiped out completely?"

"No... When I checked, there were indeed only 999 [Cores]..."

"Now it seems that our original guess was correct. The number of [cores] should be 1,000... It's just that we only recovered 999 at the time. This is the one that was missed."

"But how did it get here?"

[Of course, I came here with Kiana and the others~]

"Um?!"

「Oh my god~ Really, they actually set up such a plan just for me to appear, and arranged such a grand ceremony... I really am very popular~」

It controlled the body, posed in an exaggerated and weird posture, and spoke in a narcissistic and sarcastic tone.

[Let me see... you are really amazing~ You are willing to release such a body just to catch me... I remember you were going to use this to revive him, right? You are just giving it to me?]

[What's wrong? What's wrong? Why aren't you attacking? Are you reluctant to part with it? Let me think... Isn't this body the last one you prepared? If it's destroyed, it's gone? You won't be able to revive him? Right? Right?]

"…How do you know this?"

[How do I know? It's very simple~ I heard you guys tell me~]

"Listen to what we...said?"

[Haven't you figured it out yet? I've been following Mei all along, just like another compatriot~]

It sounds slightly proud.

[After all, the ability of your mind-controlling guy is very useful. It allowed me to attach myself to Mei and see many things.]

"...No, you...wait a minute, don't say anything yet!"

For some reason, Elysia suddenly became a little nervous.

"If you think your own safety, you'd better not..."

[Oh? What if I insist on saying it?]

It suddenly became interested.

「I am extremely grateful to Mei-san for letting me know about the events of the previous era and for allowing me to see a glimpse of his power.」

[What was his name? Oh... "Nozomi"... Pfft, "Hope", this name is quite interesting, but in the end, wasn't it destroyed by you? By you yourselves~]

Clack——

Faintly, there seemed to be something making a slight sound.

Like the sound of chains clashing.

[If I remember correctly, it was you, Miss Vill-V, who did it yourself, right? You pressed the launch button~]

[Oh~ Let me think... Who was the one who caused all that in the first place?]

Snap——

Faintly, it seemed that something had cracks.

[It seems to be... the "Eighth Herrscher", right~]

[What a coincidence! The power I control now seems to be the power of the Eighth Herrscher. It is the power of Sentience. What a coincidence! Don't you think so? Isn't it?!]

"Herrscher...Herrscher!"

An angry roar reached everyone's ears.

Clack——

Snap——

It is the sound of countless chains colliding with each other, and the slight sound of countless chains cracking.

"...sister..."

Griseo came running over, holding a strange painting in her hand... The painting was actually emitting fire! The blazing heat from it made people shudder. Griseo hurriedly put it in a place and ran away... Even though she was already a grown girl, she was still very afraid of the person in the painting.

[Oh yeah? Oh yeah oh yeah?]

However, it didn't seem to care about it, even though... it knew who was inside.

[Is it you, Kalpas?]

"Herrscher!!!"

A hand that seemed to be wrapped in lava stretched out from the [painting], with countless red-hot chains clasped on it, and it was clasped on the ground.

"Hehehe...hahaha...hahahahaha!!! Very good! Herrscher!!! My rage has been in vain for too long!!!"

Snap——

The chains broke one by one, and a "monster" wrapped in fire and lava walked out of the [painting] step by step, breaking the chains that bound its body bit by bit.

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Bang!

He broke another chain.

"Come!!!"

At this moment and in this place, he only had one last chain left on his body... but anyone could see that the chain... was extremely fragile and would break at any moment.

All you need to do is... all you need to do is Kalpas take one more step forward.

Then...

[Hahaha~ Sure, come on, Kalpas]

It spoke to Kalpas as if on purpose, using exaggerated movements and an aria-like tone.

[Come and give it a try, Kalpas, try to...save "Nozomi"~]

Hmm... very good.

"The Eighth Herrscher", a sarcastic tone, the moon, related to Nozomi, approaching the final moment, and now this sentence... Very good, the conditions are completely met.

The scene before his eyes almost overlapped with the past.

"Herrscher!!!"

Kalpas' nerves... were completely broken.

"You! Deserve! Dei!!!!"

boom!!!

The huge explosion shook everyone's eardrums, and almost in an instant, Kalpas arrived in front of it, raised his fist, and swung towards it with endless flames and anger accumulated from the past!

However, at this moment, it seemed leisurely. It just slowly raised its head, controlled its body, and called softly.

[Kalpas?]

The voice was gentle, yet contained a hint of confusion and doubt.

That was... Nozomi's voice.

"?!"

Even though he knew it was fake, Kalpas' figure still hesitated for a moment, as if a raging fire was poured with a basin of water, and the consciousness that was overwhelmed by anger seemed to regain clarity in that instant.

But at this moment... it was impossible to stop his attack.

boom!!!

The body that was controlled... was blown away, like a kite with a broken string, rolling on the ground, with its limbs bent like a puppet with a broken string.

Kalpas also rarely gave chase. He just stood there, staring at the direction where the body flew out, without moving for a long time.

[Hahahahahahaha!!! Kalpas! Look~ You still hit him~ You still attacked him~]

But then, its voice came again, with mockery and sarcasm. That twisted and weird laughter was disgusting.

[Look, look! Kalpas~ This time, you didn't control your strength well~ You used all your strength and hit him with one punch~]

[Look~ His arms and legs have become as flexible as a puppet~ Even his head~]

It also deliberately manipulated the silk threads and gave a live demonstration to the people present.

[Even his handsome face was burned, and even his beautiful white hair was burned~]

[Look, look! Kalpas~]

It sneered.

[This time, you failed to save him again~]

It laughed.

「Not only that, but you also hurt him with your own hands this time, Kalpas～」

Its voice is unbridled and ostentatious, just like... the original "Eighth Herrscher."

And this completely ignited Kalpas's...anger.

"Herrscher!!! You deserve to die!!!"

[Come on, come on~ Attack however you want~]

[After all, no matter what, you can't change the fact that you hurt Nozomi, right?]

[Come on, come on~ Crush this body, burn this body to ashes~]

It fiddled with the body at random, like an irresponsible and bad-mannered puppeteer fiddling with a puppet it disliked, swinging it up and down, allowing the limbs of the "puppet" in its hand to bend and its body to twist.

[Come on, come on～]

It said so.

[Come and destroy your "Nozomi"~]

"No…"

But at this moment, another voice was heard around.

It was crisp, like the voice of a young girl, but her words carried the childishness of a newborn baby.

"To hurt the senpai..."

The strange fog spread quietly, shocking everyone present, including Kalpas and Kevin who was hiding in the dark.

"Mutilating the body prepared for the senpai..."

The fog... quietly enveloped it.

[Hmm… Hmm! Why… can't I move…]

"Is it not allowed!!"

A pair of pure white, pale hands that truly belonged to a puppet... reached out from behind and gently held its face, or rather... its [core].

[Wait a minute?! How did you just... Ugh!]

"You can't talk?"

Her tone was calm, yet full of strong...hostility.

"It's not allowed to hurt a senpai...neh?"

Boom!

The slight sound of the silk thread breaking echoed in the mist.

Finally... only silence remained in the fog.

"...Get lost!"

Kalpas glanced around and waved his hand, creating a large flame that dispelled all the fog around him.

"Alas--"

Some strange sounds echoed in the fog.

"Ahem…"

But soon, she seemed to realize that something was wrong with her, and quickly dispersed the mist, revealing her figure.

She was a standard girl, but her clothes... seemed familiar to them.

Furthermore, the puppet-like structure revealed at her wrist seemed to reveal her non-human identity.

"Um... my senpai's friends..."

She spoke softly in a somewhat timid but polite voice, lifted her skirt slightly, and bowed slightly to everyone.

"[Koroi]... Greetings to you~"

"Koroi? That name... and that look..."

"Ahem... that... Dr. Mobius? Right?"

While everyone was still guessing her identity, Koroi carefully picked up the body and moved it little by little to the side of Mobius.

"...Hello, little one~ What can I do for you?"

Mobius narrowed her eyes slightly, and after looking at her, she spoke. From her words, it seemed that Mobius accepted her.

"Can I ask you to restore Senpai's body? If it were you... you would definitely be able to do it, right?"

Koroi's voice was full of longing and trust.

"..."

"As long as you can repair Senpai's body, you can continue, right? Try to [Resurrect] Senpai."

Koroi was talking to her, her voice full of anticipation.

"As long as Senpai can come back, we can continue to be with Miss Eden, right?"

"Hmm? You... are not going to continue? Dr. Mobius? Ms. Vill-V?"

"Do you need any help? I'll do my best to help you. As long as it's for my senpai, I'll definitely try my best!"

"If that doesn't work... you can also... you can take back this part of the [Song] in me. Senpai gave me a song before, and it helped me a lot, so... so I will help you now!"

"Eh...eh? Why... are you all silent..."

Koroi's voice gradually faded away.

"Hello."

"huh?--"

Kalpas, who was still wrapped in lava, stepped forward, approaching Koroi with a burning breath, and tried to remain calm as much as possible while speaking, as if he was suppressing something… This was already a rare thing for Kalpas at this time, after all, it was a rare "politeness" for him.

But even so, Koroi was still frightened and became nervous, like a little animal.

"You are the Herrscher, right?"

"Yes… yes…"

"You followed that guy with the discharge into the Garden of Eden, didn't you?"

"Uh-huh."

Koroi didn't quite understand, but she nodded obediently.

"You... have come into contact with him! Right?!"

However, at this moment, Kalpas' tone became high-pitched, and the anger that he had been suppressing gradually surged up, and he couldn't stop it.

"Yes..."

"Hahahaha!!! You! It's you!!! Very good!"

Kalpas laughed wantonly, as if he had found another object to vent his anger on.

"Herrscher! You deserve to die!!!"

"huh?--"

Koroi didn't understand why Kalpas was so angry, nor did she understand why Kalpas asked these questions, but she knew... Kalpas was hostile to her, Kalpas... wanted to kill her.

So... she must protect herself and this body given to her by her senpai.

She also wanted her senpai to see her current appearance and wanted to give him a surprise.

Then, faint notes began to appear around her... that was the [Song] given to her by her senpai.

Then, she controlled her own power, invaded the surrounding environment, and created a [fog] to protect and conceal herself... In fact, she was originally unable to do this, but after being exposed to the [Song] of her senpai, she seemed to be able to do it.

She herself didn't quite understand... Maybe it was because her power and the senpai's [Song] combined to produce a new change? Or was it the senpai's blessing that gave her a stronger power? Well... she didn't quite understand, but she knew that all of this was given to her by the senpai.

Therefore, she will also work hard to fulfill the wishes of her senpai.

But there is one thing she herself does not know, or rather, as a "new being", she does not have much concept of this, that is... her own ability as a "Herrscher" is "Corruption", and she herself will subconsciously exercise this ability, just like when she unconsciously "copied" him.

Originally, she could only flow in electronic devices and some instruments. Perhaps after growth, she could also affect various creatures... But with the help and amplification of [Song], her abilities have been greatly expanded, and she can even invade the environment and shape [Mist].

But... the most important point is that to achieve this level, she needs the help of [Song], she relies on [Song].

And coupled with her subconscious [Corruption] action... Well, that's right, although she herself doesn't know it, in fact, she is eroding [Song]. The more she uses this power, the more serious the erosion of [Song] will be. In other words, the damage to her beloved senpai... will also be greater.

But she herself didn't know all this, or didn't realize it.

But, other people know, other people have discovered, so...

"Herrscher! Come! Face me!!!"

"huh--"

She escaped again and again, wrapped herself in the [fog] again and again, and then the raging fire burned the [fog] again and again... The strong sense of crisis and the feeling of approaching death made Koroi feel terrified. She could only use her abilities again and again to protect herself as much as possible.

In this process, she inevitably has to use [Song], so...

"Mobius, Vill-V, can you confirm this?"

"Uh... huh? Kevin? Why are you here?!"

"Mobius? Vill-V?"

Ignoring the surprise of Mei Raiden and the others, Superstar of the Times asked again.

"Hmm... Interesting... So the Herrscher can actually extend the body of the armed puppet through her own power? Or... is this something unique to her?"

Mobius's gaze remained on the [Mist] created by Koroi, and she muttered to herself meaningfully, seemingly lost in thought.

"It's definitely her... We need to make her stop immediately, or she'll ruin the song."

At this time, Vill-V was doing her job conscientiously.

"Based on the previous situation, she should be able to communicate, but... um... Kalpas..."

"Okay, no need to say more."

Kevin spoke up.

"Elysia, you are responsible for communicating with Koroi. I will go and comfort Kalpas..."

"um."

Elysia nodded, and then the two of them immediately divided the work, one comforted Koroi, and the other "comforted" Kalpas.

After several efforts, the situation was finally settled.

"Kalpas, be a little more at peace."

"She deserves to die! She deserves to die ahhhh!!! Herrscher! Kevin! Don't stop me! The Herrscher should be conquered! Isn't that what you said?! Hehe…hahahaha!!! What's wrong? You don't want to do it now?!"

"... Kalpas, things are different now."

"Same...same! Kevin! Get out of the way! I will tear her to pieces and smash her hypocritical mask to pieces!!! Then let her know that she...deserves to die!!!"

"sigh..."

Kevin covered his face with a headache.

"…Has that… person called Kalpas always been like this, Mei?"

"…That's right."

Faced with her companions' doubts, Mei Raiden was helpless and could only say this.

"If it doesn't work, you can ask Aponia to come over~ Wouldn't that make Kalpas calm down?"

"A! Po! Nia!"

"Mobius, please stop causing trouble..."

"Haha, I didn't say anything wrong~"

Mobius chuckled twice, then walked in front of Koroi, gently lifted her chin, looked at her face which was still a little flustered but still trying to be calm, and narrowed her eyes slightly.

"How interesting...how did you get this body?"

"Hmm...senpai gave it to me..."

"Oh? I see... What's your name?"

"It was also given to me by my senpai..."

"…How interesting."

Mobius thought.

"What do you think of your senpai?"

"Senpai is the best!"

Speaking of this, Koroi became very excited, and the tension in her words disappeared, leaving only joy.

"Senpai sang a special song for me, helped me control my power, and gave me blessings! Even this body... this name... were all given to me by Senpai!"

She hugged herself happily.

"Senpai also told me what kind of existence [humans] are... He told me a lot, so I want to be like Senpai! To like [humans] and be liked by [humans]!"

"Oh... you're dreaming!"

"huh?--"

"Okay, Kalpas, don't scare her..."

"She deserves to die!"

"let her go kalpas... As of now, she should not know about that."

Mobius said calmly.

"She deserves to die!!! Just let it go without knowing?! Can you forgive her?!"

"Huh? Huh?"

Koroi was a little confused and didn't know what they were talking about.

"Okay~ Don't worry about it, my lovely [Junior]~"

Elysia gently stroked Koroi's long black hair that was as black as the night sky and spoke softly while comforting her.

"Now, you can control your powers, right?"

"Of course! Look!"

Just like a child who is asked by her elders about her special talents, Koroi raised her hand with a somewhat happy expression, released her power under the gaze of everyone, and summoned the [Mist].

And in that [fog], there were indeed faint golden notes emerging...that was the power of Nozomi.

"Okay, don't use it anymore."

Kevin grabbed Koroi's arm with one hand, forcibly stopping her from continuing to express her talent. At the same time, he held down Kalpas, who was on the verge of a riot, to prevent him from going crazy again.

...There was no way. The scene deliberately created by the [Herrdcher of Domination] overlapped with the past, which seriously irritated Kalpas's nerves. It was very difficult to get him to calm down now.

"Why?"

Koroi looked puzzled.

"You guys are asking her riddles like this, which will only keep her confused."

Vill-V said calmly on the side...Until now, the [Experts] are still in charge.

"It's okay to tell her, and she should know about it."

"Ah, if it's a secret, you don't have to tell me. I can trust my senpai's friends... Yeah!"

Koroi quickly waved her hands and responded obediently, while taking the initiative to change the subject and return to what she cared more about.

"Um... can we continue to try to [revive] senpai? I will help!"

Koroi said this excitedly.

"I want to fulfill Senpai's wish! Let Senpai and Miss Eden be together forever! Hmm!"

"Ah... I see... That's what you think..."

A beautiful, highly recognizable voice, with a slightly tipsy feeling, sounded softly.

"…Hmm!"

"So cute~"

"Miss Eden..."

Koroi looked away somewhat embarrassedly.

"It's okay. I appreciate your efforts. After knowing your feelings... I am happier. I believe he is the same."

Eden walked up slowly, rubbed Koroi's head gently, and spoke softly.

"Really?!"

"Naturally."

Eden smiled.

"I believe you will like us, and we...will definitely like you too."

Eden lowered her head slightly, pressed her forehead against hers, and blessed her softly.

Then, Eden straightened up again and laughed.

"But I won't bother you with another matter."

"…Huh?"

"He and I...will always be together."

Eden placed her hand lightly on her chest and said this.

"I...will go to him."

"Huh?"

"...Vill-V, how is the [Song]?"

"Honestly, not very good."

"Hmm... It's okay. he looks a bit tired... Then, it's my turn to go on stage~ Let me help him a little~"

"Um?"

Koroi seemed very confused about the conversation between the two people... What was going on? How could this situation be something that only I didn't know about?

"Ha...really? I told you guys to stop riddles. Do you think it's fun to hide it from a child?"

Vill-V looked at Eden who was walking away on her own, humming a melody, as if she had been completely immersed in her own world, and sighed helplessly.

"Ms. Vill-V...what does that mean?"

Koroi asked softly.

"Did I... do something wrong?"

"And why did Miss Eden say... to go to senpai?"

"…You don't seem to understand your own power."

Vill-V's gaze lingered on Koroi's blank expression for a moment before she spoke.

"As the embodiment of [Corruption], you will unconsciously [Copy] yourself, right? Based on the traces you left in the Garden of Eden, it is not difficult to know this."

"You will subconsciously [Corrupt] anything you come into contact with, especially in the environment of the Garden of Eden, where your power can be fully utilized, so... do you understand?"

"What's the meaning?"

"Well..."

At this moment, everyone could confirm that Koroi really didn't know what she had done. She really existed like a [newborn baby]. She really just accidentally... caused that result.

"To put it simply, your power is [Corruption], and you are exerting your power instinctively, but you are not aware of it."

"And in the Garden of Eden, the one with whom you had the most obvious contact was..."

"senpai."

Koroi pronounced the word in a daze.

"...Yes, that's right, it's Nozomi."

"So…so…"

It was not until this moment that Koroi vaguely realized what she had done, what she had done unconsciously.

"...Yeah, that's right, little one~"

Mobius said with a chuckle, but there was no smile in her pupils, only calmness and indifference.

"The hope in the Garden of Eden has died and disappeared."

"Our dream... our dream of meeting him... is gone because of you."

"No… that's not it…"

Koroi's eyes suddenly became unfocused, her thoughts also became confused, she could only grasp her arms blankly, hugging her body, this body... given to her by her senpai.

"I didn't think about it... we will not hurt you at all..."

"No... No! You guys are still okay, right? Dr. Mobius? Ms. Vill-V? You guys made preparations, right? You originally wanted to [Revive] the senpai, right?"

"What's in the Garden of Eden is just your [thoughts], the real senpai is still there, right? So... so... as long as we continue, as long as we [revive] the senpai... it will be fine, right?"

"It's fine. I can do anything you ask me to do. For the sake of senpai... for the sake of senpai's words... anything is fine..."

Koroi's words became confused, but Mobius interrupted her with one sentence.

"I'm sorry, little one, but I can't do that [Revive] him or something."

"…Huh?"

"From our time to now, such a long time... Do you think we would not have tried? Do you think that if we really wanted to [revive] him, we would have waited until now?"

Mobius' voice was calm and indifferent.

"We have tried countless times, but they have all failed... We believe he is still alive, but we cannot bring him back to us, that's the fact."

"Then... then this time..."

"Ha... It was just a trap to lure the escaped Herrscher of Domination."

"So... you... never intended to [revive] the senpai... right?"

"Yeah, because we've tried and I can't do it."

Vill-V took over the conversation calmly.

"How so..."

Koroi knelt softly on the ground, her arms bent and falling to the ground, no longer moving. At this moment, she was in line with the appearance of her doll body.

"Besides... there is also you."

"...I, did I do...what else?"

"Well, after you accepted his [Song], you became too dependent on it, so that every time you used your power, you would also use his blessing... Have you ever thought about why you can use his [Song] voluntarily?"

"Because... because this is the blessing that my senpai left for me..."

"No, it's because after you came into contact with his [Song], you subconsciously used your own power to erode his [Song] and occupy his power, so you were able to use it this way."

Vill-V stated the true situation in a tone that was calm and almost indifferent.

"In other words, the song he left behind, which circulates throughout the world, has been destroyed by you... That's why Mei and the others feel that their own power is unstable because the stabilizing effect of the song has been destroyed."

"Every time you use your power, you will cause more damage to the song... In other words, if you do nothing now, it will be the greatest help to your senpai. At least... you will not destroy the song he left behind."

''So...it's all because of...me?

"How so..."

'I clearly... never thought of this... I clearly didn't want this at all...'

'I clearly wanted to help my senpai...'

'As a result...as a result...in the end...I ended up hurting my senpai?'

'Even... killed him?'

'I killed him...with my own hands...in a place I didn't know about when I wasn't paying attention?'

'Even if it was just a "thought", but... he was still a senpai... he was a senpai who helped me...'

'How can I, who am like this... how can I, who am like this... be recognized by my senpai friends... how can I be liked by them...'

'a terrible person...'

After learning the truth, Koroi's consciousness was on the verge of collapse, and then...

Hmm~

The gentle melody flows quietly with the brilliance of a stream and the joyful notes.

'That's the senpai's song, that's Nozomi's song... No, that's not right... It's Miss Eden's song.'

"Okay, don't worry. Now... there is still a chance to make amends."

Eden said softly.

"He just needs my help..."

She looked at the [music score] in her hand, which was the song he left behind, and then let it go, letting it be carried away by the flowing light. Eden, on the other hand, tightly grasped the crystal clear [core] in her hand.

"Rather, I have to...thank you a little, Koroi."

"Thank you for giving me a chance to perform on stage."

"I have been waiting for a long, long time..."

With her eyes slightly lowered, Eden smiled, smiling expectantly.

"Now... we can finally... be together again."

She raised her head, looking at the magnificent and brilliant blue star... and the [Song] flowing on it.

That's where Nozomi is.

"Don't worry...I'll be there for you."

She whispered softly.

Past memories surged up again, the yearning was precipitated by time and became heavier, the memory was polished by time and seemed clearer, all the beauty of the past, as well as the likes and love that still remain today, were stored in her heart, slowly fermenting, turning into sweet wine, intoxicating her and making her obsessed.

She closed her eyes and, together with him in the past, immersed all her emotions in singing, just as they had done in the past.

"Mist obscures the dust-soaked exit~"

"A breeze blew through my closed eyes~"

Together with the familiar accompaniment and harmony, she presented to this era the blessing that belongs to them, the "double stars" of the previous era.

"senpai!"

Koroi saw the glowing [Core] in Eden's hand.

What everyone saw was a blurry, faint, golden-outlined figure that appeared beside Eden... a familiar figure.

Nozomi...he is here, he is still here.

But at this moment, he seemed to be unaware of other people.

His gaze stayed on Eden, and...only on Eden.

He was just accompanying Eden, just singing harmony for Eden.

That's all…

"Don't go."

Elysia pursed her lips... She realized what was left there. What was presented to everyone was just a trace of consciousness left by Nozomi. It was what Nozomi left for Eden, not for anyone else.

So... Elysia stopped Koroi and the others and told everyone... not to disturb them.

And now, we can't disturb them, because Eden... is using Nozomi's [Core] to repair the [Song].

This is a power that only Eden can wield, a power that only she can use.

After all, they are the brightest "double stars"~

"I'm afraid that the world will be destroyed and the future will lose its outline~"

"But the path of bravery will not be buried by time~"

No one disturbs them, and no one will disturb them. This is the brilliance of the [previous era] and also a blessing to the [present era].

It is them who shine here, the "double stars" who illuminate and depend on each other.

The light flowed and turned into a bridge, connecting her to the blue star... no, connecting her to him.

The figure became increasingly faint, but the surrounding melody became increasingly high-pitched, and the flowing light became increasingly dazzling, and what finally appeared before everyone was the giant whale swimming in the sea of stars.

That was the appearance of Eden after its [artificial Honkai], and it was the appearance that Nozomi once praised.

"Galaxy Universe, we never let go~"

"Fly to a brighter future~"

The giant whale flapped its tail fin and swam gently to the flowing song.

"The color of the future~"

"will be filled by us~"

Finally... it fell gently, like a whale falling into the sea, quietly landing on the magnificent blue planet, and dissolving in the "Song" flowing on the surface of the planet.

Disappeared along with Eden's figure.

Only the crystal clear, diamond-like [core] was left there.

"...ah."

Elysia wanted to step forward and hold the floating [Core] in her hand, but another pink figure arrived faster than her, and the [Core] seemed to have sensed who the person was and took the initiative to fall into her palm.

"Sakura..."

Elysia silently withdrew her hand and whispered the name of the person who came.

"Um."

Sakura nodded slightly, looked at the [Core] in her hand, then looked at Elysia and others who had complicated expressions, and finally... she didn't say anything but just left on her own.

She didn't want to get involved in anything anymore, she just wanted to live a good life with Rin... This was what she expected and what Nozomi expected.

She came here just to bring back Nozomi's things.

That's all…

"..."

The scene fell into silence.

After realizing all this, and realizing that she had even forced her senpai's favorite Miss Eden to "sacrifice herself", Koroi's consciousness completely collapsed.

She wanted to cry, but as a puppet, she didn't even have tears, so she could only collapse to the ground, unable to move.

"Well, the [Song] has returned to normal. It seems that only Eden can use his power... Are they really worthy of being called the Twin Stars?"

Vill-V's calm voice echoed.

"The next step is to make sure Koroi's power doesn't continue... huh?"

"What's wrong, Vill-V?"

"This reaction... is Skadi, but why is she... so big?"

"…What are you talking about?"

"Ah... I think I understand what she is saying."

Everyone looked up and looked towards the earth.

On that blue planet, a huge [creature] was slowly "swimming" out from the "ocean".

It has a huge and long body and numerous "eyes", and accompanying it are small red and blue "fish".

And on that huge dark blue body, that faint spot of bright red is so dazzling.

"That's... Skadi?"

Mei Raiden was a little stunned.

"No... I'm not sure, but from the wavelength I detected, it should be her."

"But...shouldn't she be a Killer Whale? What is this now?"

"If you are confused, you can call us the Children of the Ocean."

Skadi lightly jumped down from the huge [creature] and landed in front of everyone. Her voice was calm and contained a hint of...hostility?

"If it's too much trouble, you can just call me [Skadi]."

...Hmm? Wait a minute? She...reached the moon so soon?!

"[Child of the Ocean]? Interesting... Is this what he was talking about?"

Mobius asked meaningfully, her eyes lingering on the huge dark blue [creature].

"No, [blood relatives] are special."

However, Skadi gently denied this statement.

"And... Dr. Mobius, you are not the only ones who have been exploring methods and making progress during this time."

"...I see."

Mobius narrowed his eyes.

"So...what are you guys doing here for now, Skadi?"

"We? No... just [me]."

Skadi frowned and spoke with some confusion. At the same time...she slowly raised her hand, and along with it, the fin of the giant [creature] also rose.

"I came here... to [hunt]."

A huge shadow enveloped Koroi's body, but Koroi did not react at all.

"To harm a [blood relative]...even if it's unintentional, there must be a price to pay."

"Skadi?!"

Elysia quickly took Koroi away and managed to avoid Skadi's attack... but when the huge fin fell, the smoke and dust raised and the shaking of the ground made people realize that the [creature] in front of them... was not normal.

"And...you guys."

Skadi simply turned her attention to others.

"Using the body of a blood relative as bait... allowing the body of a blood relative to be mutilated... is unforgivable."

"And... we agreed to [resurrect my blood relatives], so I cooperated with you... but you... lied to me, deceived... my [blood relatives], this is unforgivable!"

Her palm moved slightly, and a dark-colored conch-shell short staff that looked like a musical instrument appeared in her hand. Flowing with it was azure water and a... dark blue sword.

"Finally, you now have no right to call me Skadi. That is the name given to me by Blood Relatives. You... guys, who made my Blood Relatives' partners leave... guys, have no right to use that name!"

The azure [water] began to flow, the cool [rain] dripped quietly, and on this moon, [waves] emerged along with the strange tone from Skadi's mouth...

　　"You can only use another name..."

　　There was obvious resentment and hostility in her voice.

　　"Ishar-mla"

　　Then, a strange and distorted song quietly flowed from her mouth.

　　————————

　　Just one song, and everything that can be sensed around... has changed.

　　The scent of grass lingers at the tip of her nose, with a hint of sweetness, and the gentle and warm breeze blows around her.

　　Eden slowly opened her eyes, and the scene before her eyes had changed. It was no longer the lonely moon, nor the dark space, but... a place she was familiar with.

　　What she remembered was that this place was an empty lawn somewhere, and it was a unique journey between her and him, or rather... a date.

　　"I won't be fooled by the same trick a second time~"

　　Eden said with a smile as she approached the familiar figure.

　　The words he once said were now spoken by her.

　　"Yes, I know."

　　Xi Wang nodded slightly, stood up, and responded with a smile.

　　"..." x2

　　No need for too many words, just open your arms, hug him/her in their arms, and feel the warmth that has been away for a long time.

　　"I miss you."

　　"Me too."

　　"I have a lot of things to tell you."

　　"We have plenty of time, so we can do it bit by bit."

　　"Um."

　　"..." x2

　　"Eden."

　　"Um."

　　"I love you."

　　"Me too."

　　"So...would you like some toasted marshmallows?"

　　Nozomi moved his fingertips slightly, indicating the marshmallows he had already roasted.

　　"Okay~"

　　Eden smiled and agreed, not refusing...why should she refuse? Right?

　　She reached out and tore off the roasted part of the marshmallow, put it in her mouth, and then leaned forward slightly, motioning to him with a smile in her eyes and love that was almost overflowing.

　　Nozomi also smiled gently, followed her wishes, bit the other side of the marshmallow, and kissed her lips.

　　'Although I still have a lot to say...but it doesn't hurt to postpone it a little.'

　　After all, they still have a lot of time...

　　The stars in the sky shone brightly, and the two brightest stars among them finally crossed the distance that was so far away yet so close, intertwined with each other, and twinkled together, passing across the sky.

　　——————————

　　[Ending achieved: A long song dedicated to the future]